Tag: engineering
After 100 orbits, an overview of Messenger’s survey of Mercury
After 100 orbits, an overview of Messenger’s survey of Mercury.
Judge orders Obama administration to act on offshore drilling permits
A judge has ordered the Obama administration to act on six offshore drilling permits within 30 days.
First Soyuz launch from French Guiana set for October
The first Soyuz launch from the European spaceport in French Guiana is now scheduled for October.
Final shuttle mission unlikely to fly until mid-July
The delays in launching Endeavour has pushed back the last shuttle mission to mid-July.
NASA management moves to combine SpaceX’s next two test flights of Dragon
NASA management appears ready to approve combining SpaceX’s next two test flights of the Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket into one test flight. This despite Russian opposition.
NASA, Stanford websites hit by search engine scammers
Websites run by NASA, JPL, and Stanford University were hacked by search engine scammers today.
Endeavour’s launch now set for 8:56 am May 16
Endeavour’s last launch is now set for May 16 at 8:56 am.
Shuttle launch slips to at least May 16
The last launch of Endeavour has now slipped to at least May 16.
Fifty years ago: Alan Shepard’s suborbital flight
An evening pause: Fifty years ago today, America’s response to Gagarin and the Soviets, Alan Shepard’s suborbital flight.
Or as he said as he lifted off, “The clock has started.”
The flight actually lasted 15 minutes 22 seconds. Though only a fourth the size of Gagarin’s much bigger Vostok capsule, the Mercury capsule was steerable. During the flight Shepard adjusted the capsule’s pitch, roll, and yaw, proving that humans could pilot a spacecraft manually.
Space Adventures and tourists to the Moon
Space Adventures and tourists to the Moon.
After consultation with Rocket Space Corporation Energia, modifications to the Soyuz TMA configuration have been agreed upon. The most important of which is the addition of a second habitation module to the Soyuz TMA lunar complex. The additional module would launch with the Block DM propulsion module and rendezvous with the Soyuz spacecraft in low-Earth orbit.
“Space Adventures will once again grace the pages of aerospace history, when the first private circumlunar mission launches. We have sold one of the two seats for this flight and anticipate that the launch will occur in 2015,” said Richard Garriott, Vice-Chairman of Space Adventures. “Having flown on the Soyuz, I can attest to how comfortable the spacecraft is, but the addition of the second habitation module will only make the flight that more enjoyable.”
How shall Europe’s ATV freighter to ISS be upgraded?
How shall Europe’s ATV freighter to ISS be upgraded?