July 16th, 2024
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The existence of lunar lava tube caves, cozy conduits for expeditionary crews below the Moon’s surface has been reported. Thanks to analysis of NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) radar data, what lies below the Apollo 11 landing site of Mare Tranquillitatis has been detected. A team of international scientists, under the lead of the University […]
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What happens when you mix an architect with material, electrical, mechanical, aerospace and software specialists – but then blend in a glass blower? “We are a pioneering space architecture and engineering company at the forefront of shaping the future of interplanetary living,” explains the Skyeports website. “We integrate the principles of robust structural design, advanced […]
The yet-to-fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser commercial spaceplane is already listing landing sites around the globe. Spaceport Oita in Kunisaki, Oita, Japan, is a possible landing spot, according to a recent Sierra Space statement. Meanwhile, Dream Chaser, billed as the world’s first winged commercial spacecraft recently arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Dream Chaser […]
Sent moonward over two years ago, NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment — mercifully shortened to CAPSTONE – is trial-running techniques to enhance spacecraft operations in cis-lunar space. Launched on June 28, 2022 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster from New Zealand, CAPSTONE — a microwave oven-sized CubeSat weighing a modest […]
The largest stratospheric balloon ever to be launched from Sweden’s Esrange Space Center is on its way to its destination in North America. Its mission is to study X-rays in the polar atmosphere. Toted skyward by the huge balloon on July 13, an onboard experiment aims to take the first high-resolution images of X-ray radiation […]
In charting the actions of future foot soldiers on Mars, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) has been busily addressing knowledge gaps for planetary protection of the Red Planet. Established in 1958, COSPAR is a prestigious scientific confab of international researchers, anchored in tackling problems that may affect space exploration. A COSPAR Principles and Guidelines […]
Wait-a-minute: A misbehaving SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage has led to Starlink satellites each taking destructive dives, willy-nilly style, into the Earth’s atmosphere. The July 11 liftoff of the SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was a definite dud, with several of the 20 Starlinks already nearing their plunge […]
Inspiration4 was the world’s first all-civilian mission to climb into orbit, a four-person crew transported skyward atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The privately-funded commercial mission took place September 16-18, 2021. The SpaceX Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft was commanded by the well-heeled Jared Isaacman, entrepreneur, founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments. Get familiar […]
The Moon needs power! That’s the on-switch approach suggested in the House NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024. A “Lunar Power Purchase Agreement Program” is in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee language just released. Independent entity It authorizes NASA to enter into an arrangement with an independent entity to conduct a study on the […]
“Above us in the heavens, an intergalactic land grab is unfolding,” explains an upcoming HBO documentary Wild Wild Space, premiering on HBO and Max next Wednesday, July 17. “It’s a fast-paced and high-stakes race in which rockets and satellites are taking over low earth orbit to gain control over our planet,” explains a press statement […]
