February 19th, 2017
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There are indications of U.S. President Donald Trump shaping his space policy agenda. Among those agenda items: — His policies will be aimed at human exploration of the solar system. — His policies will make NASA’s prime mission to reach beyond low earth orbit. — He will turn over non-military and intelligence activities in low earth […]
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Meteors emitting sizzling, rustling and hissing sounds as they descend seem contrary to the laws of physics. What’s up with this observation? Because sound travels far slower than light, the sounds should arrive several minutes after the meteor hits, rather than accompany or even precede it. These sounds cannot be attributed to direct acoustic […]
The first orbital launch attempt from New Zealand is near at hand. Rocket Lab has transported its Electron booster to a launch site in the Mahia Peninsula from the company’s Auckland facility. Rocket Lab’s mission is to make space accessible by offering small satellite customers a rapid-response orbital service that is frequent, reliable and affordable. […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is conducting Sol 1612 science duties. The robot completed a drive of 75 feet (23 meter) on Sol 1611. The Mars machinery ended up in an area with many bedrock blocks partly covered by dark sand, reports Ken Herkenhoff of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Holiday happenings A […]
Now in Sol 1611, the Curiosity Mars rover is on location to survey several potential targets. On Sol 1610 the Curiosity Mars rover drove nearly 89 feet (27 meters). Dark bedrock A dark patch of bedrock, appropriately named “Patch Mountain” was chosen for Curiosity’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam), Right Mastcam, and Mars Hand Lens Imager […]
Full Committee Hearing- NASA: Past, Present, and Future Date: Thursday, February 16, 2017 – 10:00am Location: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building NASA: Past, Present, and Future 1) Hon. Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17 Astronaut; Former United States Senator https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/HHRG-115-SY-WState-HSchmitt-20170216.pdf 2) Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford Gemini VI, Gemini IX, Apollo 10, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Astronaut; Chairman, […]
MONROVIA, California – Now on the books is NASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission, arriving at a wheels-down spot on the Red Planet in 2021. On its to-do agenda is surveying a site likely to have been habitable and poke about for signs of past Martian life. And if that’s not enough, there’s more. […]
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing titled NASA: Past, Present, and Future. This hearing is set for Thursday, February 16th at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. The purpose of the hearing is to review NASA’s past portfolio of missions, evaluate existing exploration programs, and provide a venue […]
NASA’s Curiosity rover is carrying out Sol 1609 duties on Mars, driving over 30 feet (9 meters) on Sol 1608. That drive has placed the robot closer to Ireson Hill, making it possible to image dark blocks that have tumbled down from the top of the hill. Dark blocks “Two of these blocks are within […]
A key element of China’s human spaceflight program is being prepared for launch this April. The country’s first cargo-carrying spacecraft – Tianzhou-1– has arrived at a launch site in Wenchang City of southern Hainan Province on Monday. Shoot and ship Tianzhou-1 can shoot and ship into Earth orbit upwards of six tons. This supply ship […]
