November 3rd, 2016
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China scored a big boost today in its space program activities. The country’s Long March-5 lifted off from the newly completed Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, scoring high marks on its maiden flight. Declared success Wang Jingzhong, head of commanding center for Long March-5 launch, reported via CCTV-Plus: “According to Xi’an Satellite Control Center, Long March-5 […]
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China’s new booster, the Long March-5, is being readied for its maiden flight on Thursday (Beijing time), according to news reports. A successful liftoff would signal a step forward in lofting heavier payloads for China’s space station program, as well as hurling spacecraft to the Moon and beyond. Launch center The rocket was transported to the […]
The on-going flightlog of China’s latest piloted space mission has made use of an accompanying smallsat to capture images of the Tiangong-2 space lab and Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft. A wide-angle fisheye camera is free-floating alongside the linked space lab and Shenzhou-11 vehicle. Field of view The camera, independently developed by the China Electronics Technology Group […]
Now in Sol 1505, the Curiosity rover made a recent drive of over 80 feet (25 meters) farther along on the “Mt. Sharp Ascent Route.” We started the day with some challenges caused by connectivity issues with team members outside of the U.S,” reports Ryan Anderson, a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center […]
NASA’s Curiosity rover is now in Sol 1501, carrying out a suite of new Mars exploration tasks. On Sol 1500, the Mars robot drove nearly 100 feet (30 meters) to the south, crossing into a quadrangle that has been informally named “Bar Harbor,” after Bar Harbor, Maine. Towns on Earth “As a reminder, prior to […]
With the upcoming premiere of the global event series “MARS” in November, the National Geographic Channel challenges consumers to see if they have what it takes to join the next wave of interplanetary explorers. “MARS” hits the streets of the Big Apple – New York City — with a first-of-its-kind immersive activation. Experience Mars From […]
Book Tour Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet With Leonard David and Pascal Lee of the Mars Institute Author Event: Sunday October 30, 2016 2:00 PM Corte Madera 313 Corte Madera Town Center Corte Madera, CA 94925 415-927-9016 For more information on this book-signing venue, go to: http://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061825999-0 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mars-leonard-david/1123480431?ean=9781426217586#productInfoTabs […]
China’s on-going Shenzhou-11/Tiangong-2 mission has included launch of an “accompanying” satellite. The 104-pound (47 kilograms) satellite – about the size of a printer — was launched from the Tiangong-2 space lab on Sunday at 7:31 a.m., local Beijing time. China’s Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences reports […]
Yes…“Mars is hard!” That’s particularly true when you slam into the planet at nearly 200 miles per hour. Imagery from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) orbiting the Red Planet has spotted the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Schiaparelli lander. Lost contact ESA lost contract with the lander mid-way through its descent to the planet’s surface. Imagery […]
Book Tour Update: Mars – Our Future on the Red Planet Event date: Saturday, October 29, 2016 – 7:30pm Kepler’s Books 1010 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-324-4321 For more information, go to: http://www.keplers.com/event/leonard-david-conversation-dr-chris-mckay
