Final preparations begin on the first Soyuz rocket launch from French Guiana
Final preparations begin on the first Soyuz rocket launch from French Guiana, set for October 20.
Tag: engineering
Europe’s first Mars lander mission threatened by budget woes
Europe’s first Mars lander appears threatened by budget woes in both Europe and the United States.
XCOR Aerospace and Space Expedition Curacao Sign Contract
Another suborbital tourism company enters the fray: XCOR Aerospace has signed a contract “to begin operations in Curacao in 2014.”
NASA astronauts to spend three days underwater
Can’t go up? Go down! NASA astronauts to spend three days underwater in a research sub.
China to launch unmanned space module Sept. 27-30
China has announced a launch window, September 27-30, for its first unmanned space station module Tiangong 1.
Blurred vision a risk for astronauts who spend months in space
Blurred vision is now considered a serious risk for astronauts who spend months in space.
According to one NASA survey of about 300 astronauts, nearly 30 percent of those who have flown on space shuttle missions – which usually lasted two weeks — and 60 percent who’ve completed six-month shifts aboard the station reported a gradual blurring of eyesight.
This story is a followup on information contained in an earlier National Academies report on astronaut staffing.
The Spaceship Company has opened its final assembly factor in Mohave
The Spaceship Company has opened its final assembly factory in Mohave for building a fleet of SpaceShipTwos and WhiteKnightTwos for Virgin Galactic.
Largest dam removal in U.S. history begins in Washington
The largest dam removal in U.S. history has begun in Washington.
The article is remarkably vague about how this source of electrical power will be replaced.
Surviving the end of the shuttle problem: how some companies are doing it
Surviving the end of the shuttle problem: how some private companies are doing it.
China launches communications satellite
China has resumed rocket launches after an August failure, putting a communications satellite into orbit.
This bodes well for the pending launch of the country’s first space station module, Tiangong 1.
UARS to hit Earth in a week
The sky is falling: The six-ton climate satellite UARS is now expected to crash to Earth within a week.
The reconnaissance satellite Big Bird on display
Worth a look: The U.S. spy satellite Big Bird, the KH-9 Hexagon, will be on public display for the first time tomorrow, for only one day, in the parking lot of the Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center.