May 4th, 2017
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The on-going revolution in access to Earth orbit is getting a boost by a new engine test facility. The Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE) project has been underway for many years, work undertaken by the UK firm, Reaction Engines Ltd. Work began this week on building the UK’s latest rocket engine test facility, designed for […]
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NASA’s Curiosity rover is now performing Sol 1686 science duties, “continuing the steady march up Mt. Sharp,” reports Michael Battalio, an atmospheric scientist; from Texas A&M University. Curiosity recently drove 60 feet (18.3 meters) to bring the robot closer to a series of features being called “megaripples” – darker and larger ripples than were […]
Got an artistic pallet for the Red Planet? While placing humans on Mars is years off, what does the future hold for people surviving and thriving on that far flung world? Here’s your chance to match your artistic bent with humankind’s future trajectory to Mars. SMArt contest The Mars Society is sponsoring a Student […]
A way to launch tiny, postage stamp-sized satellites called “Femtosatellites” is the winning design of an International Space Station Design Challenge. The Femtosatellite launcher idea was chosen from 242 entries, and then digitally transmitted to the ISS where it was 3D-printed on April 3 by Made In Space’s Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) – the […]
An international flotilla of new spacecraft — orbiters and landers — is slated to arrive at Mars in 2021, creating an unprecedented telecommunications challenge for NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). These spacecraft all need to communicate with Earth en route to Mars, requiring large amounts of telemetry and tracking after launch and then on approach […]
Here on Earth, researchers are on the lookout for microbial or, at best, unintelligent life. But finding leftover technological artifacts by prior technological, perhaps spacefaring, species could be easier to locate. Be prepared to detect unambiguous “technosignatures” is the advice of Jason Wright at the Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and […]
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) chaired on April 26th the first of a series of planned hearings to explore the reopening of the American frontier in space. The hearing was titled “Reopening the American Frontier: Reducing the Regulatory Barriers and Expanding American Free Enterprise in Space,” and examined the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness […]
A newly released U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has found that the countdown for the first exploration mission of the Space Launch System/Orion spacecraft is likely to face delay. The GAO report issued last week notes that NASA is working towards a November 2018 launch date for the first test flight of […]
The total eclipse of the sun this August that sweeps across the continental United States is an eye-catching celestial occurrence. But what about a coworker, friend or family member who is totally blind or visually impaired? Over the last couple of decades, there has been notable work done by NASA, educators and the National Federation […]
The Curiosity Mars rover continues its exploration trek, wheeling past the 10 mile mark since landing in August 2012. Now in Sol 1681, the robot accomplished a drive of almost 95 feet (29 meters). The rover parked at a site suitable for a busy plan full of contact science on the Murray formation, reports […]
