January 13th, 2017
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There is no doubt that big-time troublemakers lurk out there in the cosmos. We know that blitzkrieging asteroids and comets can make for a bad day here on Earth. Our planet has been on the receiving end of long-ago scurrilous intruders…and has the pock marks to prove it. In the waning days of U.S. President […]
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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now busy at work performing Sol 1577 duties. The robot drove almost 100-feet (30-meters) on Sol 1576, stopping in a location with a nice exposure of bedrock in the arm workspace, reports Ken Herkenhoff of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Clean optics The word is that […]
Now in Sol 1576, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover encountered an “arm fault” that prevented the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) full suite from completing it task, leaving the camera close to the surface with its dust cover open. The issue also precluded the robot from making planned remote science and driving duties, reports Ken […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is currently performing Sol 1575 duties. Following a drive of over 80 feet (25-meters) on Sol 1574, the robot is again studying exposed bedrock in its robot arm workspace. “To balance desires to sample the composition of the rocks along the traverse and to make good progress toward the south, […]
Hurled spaceward over a year and seven months ago, the puzzling United States Air Force’s X-37B space plane has winged past 600 days of operation in Earth orbit. It is just 75 days away from setting a programmatic milestone. Known in military space speak as OTV-4 (Orbital Test Vehicle-4), this robotic mini-space plane was sent […]
Fodor’s Travel offers expert travel advice for every stage of a traveler’s trip. They provide travel recommendations for all tastes and budget in over 7,500 worldwide destinations. But curb that travel taste for leaving Earth! The organization has posted their “Fodor’s No List 2017” spotlighting citizen space travel as a kind of no fly zone. […]
China has successfully launched its first commercial carrier rocket – the Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) (“Fast Vessel”) – sending a trio of satellites into orbit. The January 9th flight of the solid-fuel launcher took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China. Short launch prep “Today’s launch was its maiden voyage. It is a low-cost carrier […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is presently working in Sol 1572 mode, driving roughly 55 feet (17 meters) on the previous sol. The robot is now at a location with bedrock outcrops in its robotic arm workspace, explains Ken Herkenhoff of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Wind sensor booms The weekend plan […]
The NASA Curiosity Mars rover is now in Sol 1571, with ground controllers ready to drive the robot from its investigation of “Old Soaker.” Ken Herkenhoff of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona reports that prior to the drive, the plan calls for Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) and Right Mastcam observations […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now busy at work in Sol 1569 – holidays behind, scientists controlling the robot are back to daily planning. Sol 1569 plans for the rover involve the investigation of ridge/fracture patterns at “Old Soaker,” reports Ken Herkenhoff of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ridges, clouds First, […]
