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20 August 2008
Bad News: Insterstellar Travel May Remain in Science Fiction
Some sobering news from a recent rocket science conference: It is highly improbable that humans will ever explore beyond the Solar System. This downbeat opinion comes from the Joint Propulsion Conference in Hartford, Connecticut, where future space propulsion challenges were discussed and debated. It is widely acknowledged that any form of interstellar travel would require [...]
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19 August 2008
Flat Nano-Thrusters Could Save Weight and Fuel for Spacecraft
Currently, launching 1 pound (.5 kilogram) of payload to space costs about $5,000 USD, so every little bit helps if engineers can cut down on the weight of the spacecraft. Scientists from the University of Michigan have patented their ideas for cutting down the size and weight of the thrusters used in space to [...]
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18 August 2008
Ten Mysteries of the Solar System
We've all wondered at some point or another what mysteries our Solar System holds. After all, the eight planets (plus Pluto and all those other dwarf planets) orbit within a very small volume of the heliosphere (the volume of space dominated by the influence of the Sun), what's going on in the rest of the [...]
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17 August 2008
India has Big Plans for Lunar Exploration
India will send their first mission to the Moon in September. Chandrayaan-1 has been built and will be launched from Indian soil and sent on a mission to study the lunar surface. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will use its highly successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to get the lunar probe into space. [...]
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16 August 2008
Video of SpaceX Falcon 1 Flight 3 Launch Shows Stage Separation Anomaly
On August 2nd, SpaceX made the surprise announcement that the third flight of the Falcon 1 rocket system would launch at 8pm (PST) that day. The world rushed to watch the first commercial flight of this impressive private-sector rocket via the web from a live feed on board. The first launch attempt was aborted due [...]
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14 August 2008
Research and Technology to Help Psychological Issues of Space Travel
Psychologists meeting this week at the American Psychological Association's 116th Annual Convention are taking the time to discuss the challenges astronauts will face on the longer missions planned for NASA's return to the moon and missions to Mars. Presenters at the first every symposium to address the psychological aspects of long-term spaceflight outlined the [...]
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12 August 2008
Podcast: Advanced Propulsion Systems
Last week we talked about rockets. How they work and their limitations. This week we're going to look at the future of propulsion systems. From the ion engines that are already working to explore the Solar System to the prototype solar sails to futuristic technologies like magnetic sails, and bussard ramjets. This is how we'll [...]
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10 August 2008
Constellation Project Parachute Tests: Ares I Success, Orion Failure
At the end of last month, the Orion crew module and the Ares I rocket parachute systems underwent a series of drop tests. The "drogue parachute" that will gently slow the descent of the spent first-stage motor of the Ares vehicle appeared to function as expected over the Arizona skies. However, an Orion test failed, [...]
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07 August 2008
Next Generation Magnetoplasma Rocket Could be Tested on Space Station
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has announced his intentions to send an advanced spaceship propulsion prototype to the International Space Station for advanced testing. The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (Vasimir) is currently in an experimental phase, but Griffin hopes that a scale model will be ready for one of the remaining Shuttle-ISS missions before 2010. [...]
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03 August 2008
Elon Musk: "I Will Never Give Up" After Falcon 1 Loss
In a defiant message to his employees after Saturday's Falcon 1 loss, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) said, "I will never give up and I mean never." This statement, along with some positive details about what went right with the launch of the 47 tonne rocket, he outlined his [...]
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02 August 2008
Live Webcast: SpaceX Surprise Launch of Falcon 1
It has just been announced that the private space company, SpaceX, has set today as their launch window for their Falcon 1 rocket system to orbit the Earth. The press release reads: Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has scheduled the launch of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission for Saturday, August 2nd. The launch window will [...]
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01 August 2008
Lunar Missions Postponed by US Military X-37B Spaceplane Launch
It looks like a US Air Force robotic orbiter will push back the planned launch date of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). The double satellite launch, originally set for November this year, will now take place sometime early 2009. They will make way for the test flight [...]
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28 July 2008
Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo Sees Sunlight for the First Time (Gallery)
Early this morning in the Californian Mojave Desert, Richard Branson and Burt Rutan unveiled the completed Virgin Galactic Mothership "Eve," the first time this highly secretive project has seen the light of day. This is a significant moment for both Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites, the company that built Eve, as it shows space tourism [...]
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21 July 2008
Successful Test Firing of Orion Jettison Motor (Video)
It looks like the hardware is gradually slotting into place for the development of the Orion capsule in NASA's Constellation Program. On July 17th, the ultimate "ejection seat" was tested by NASA and rocket contractor Aerojet: The Orion jettison motor. Should there be an emergency during Ares rocket/Orion capsule during launch, the Orion capsule will [...]
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17 July 2008
A Cold War Meeting in Space 33 Years Ago Today
On July 17, 1975, something momentous and unprecedented happened: two Cold War-rivals met in space. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project saw spacecraft from the United States and the Soviet Union docking together in space, ushering in a new era of cooperative ventures between the two countries that once were rivals in the "space race." Preparing [...]
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