May 26th, 2015
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The U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office is flying the fourth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) – the military’s secretive robotic space plane. The reusable and unpiloted winged craft was orbited on May 20 by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 501 booster on an AFSPC-5 mission from Cape Canaveral Air […]
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Recent word from Chinese space officials is that the country’s Chang’e-4 lunar probe will likely be targeted for a far side Moon landing. Wu Weiren, the chief engineer for China’s Lunar Exploration Program was quoted as telling Chinese Central Television: “We probably will choose a site on which it is more difficult to land and […]
The United Arab Emirates’ UAE Space Agency will launch its official strategy and operational plan in Abu Dhabi on May 25. The strategy puts in motion developing the space sector, creating space policy and regulation, and directing national space programs that will benefit the UAE’s economy and develop human capital. Also to be staged in […]
Earth orbiting clutter comes in all sizes: upper stages to paint chips to small shards of spacecraft leftovers. The number of human-made debris objects orbiting the Earth continues to increase at a worrisome rate, with objects smaller than one centimeter (cm) exceeding 100 million. Put at risk from some high-speed flotsam are operating satellites and […]
The U.S. Congressional Budget Office has taken a look at House Resolution 1508 – the Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015. That bill would establish certain policies and guidelines regarding the development of space resources by nonfederal entities. Existing international agreements authorize such activities under certain conditions, including requirements for national regulatory regimes […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is wheeling about trying to deal with challenging terrain. The rover team has decided to drive uphill to avoid crossing sandy ripples near Jocko Butte, explains Lauren Edgar, a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. As a member of the […]
This week the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office is set to launch the fourth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle – the military’s secretive robotic space plane. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Launch Readiness Review was completed yesterday and everything is progressing toward the AFSPC-5 launch for the Unites States Air Force – lofting […]
A set of posters has been issued by Elon Musk’s SpaceX underscoring the company’s “belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not,” as their website explains. SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling […]
NASA’s Curiosity rover is experiencing excessive wheel slippage. So much so that controllers of the Mars machinery are studying new driving tactics. Also, the rover is tilted 21 degrees, “the highest tilt of the mission so far,” explains Ken Herkenhoff of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Curiosity is on the […]
A new book offers the most in-depth source for understanding and finding a career in the space and satellite industry. This book is designed for high school, college, and graduate students and job seekers of all ages. It is my pleasure to announce the release of Space Careers, a completely-updated and revised version of the […]
