Your orbital trip on a Boeing spaceship
Your orbital trip on a Boeing spaceship.
Your orbital trip on a Boeing spaceship.
Tag: engineering
Your orbital trip on a Boeing spaceship
NASA has announced a February 7 launch date for SpaceX’s next test flight of Falcon 9 and Dragon
NASA has announced a February 7 launch date for SpaceX’s next test flight of Falcon 9 and Dragon to ISS.
They also have approved allowing Dragon to do a test berth with ISS on this flight, assuming the first test approach goes well.
NASA has announced a February 7 launch date for SpaceX’s next test flight of Falcon 9 and Dragon to ISS.
They also have approved allowing Dragon to do a test berth with ISS on this flight, assuming the first test approach goes well.
Phobos-Grunt now predicted to fall back to Earth in early January
Phobos-Grunt is now predicted to fall back to Earth in early January.
Phobos-Grunt is now predicted to fall back to Earth in early January.
6 Insane Early Drafts of Iconic Buildings
LightSquared touts new tests prove its internet service will not interfere with GPS
In a press event today, LightSquared announced that just-completed tests prove that its internet service will not interfere with GPS.
According to the company, the three private companies — Javad GNSS, PCTel and Partron — that make GPS equipment have been testing interference solutions and those tests have gone well. “Preliminary results show that GPS devices tested in the lab easily surpass performance standards thanks to these newly developed solutions,” Ahuja said. “We are confident that this independent testing will mirror testing being done by the federal government.”
Here’s another perspective:
Jim Kirkland, vice president of Trimble and a founding member of The Coalition to Save Our GPS, is trying to slow LightSquared’s momentum. “It is obviously extremely premature to claim at this point that these latest tests demonstrate that LightSquared’s proposed repurposing of the mobile satellite band for terrestrial operations is ‘compatible’ with high-precision GPS,” Kirkland says in a statement. “Even if new equipment solutions are fully tested and verified, these existing high-precision receivers will have to be retrofitted or replaced. LightSquared still refuses to accept the financial responsibility for addressing interference to existing devices, and so has not offered a comprehensive solution in any way, shape, or form.”
In a press event today, LightSquared announced that just-completed tests prove that its internet service will not interfere with GPS.
According to the company, the three private companies — Javad GNSS, PCTel and Partron — that make GPS equipment have been testing interference solutions and those tests have gone well. “Preliminary results show that GPS devices tested in the lab easily surpass performance standards thanks to these newly developed solutions,” Ahuja said. “We are confident that this independent testing will mirror testing being done by the federal government.”
Here’s another perspective:
Jim Kirkland, vice president of Trimble and a founding member of The Coalition to Save Our GPS, is trying to slow LightSquared’s momentum. “It is obviously extremely premature to claim at this point that these latest tests demonstrate that LightSquared’s proposed repurposing of the mobile satellite band for terrestrial operations is ‘compatible’ with high-precision GPS,” Kirkland says in a statement. “Even if new equipment solutions are fully tested and verified, these existing high-precision receivers will have to be retrofitted or replaced. LightSquared still refuses to accept the financial responsibility for addressing interference to existing devices, and so has not offered a comprehensive solution in any way, shape, or form.”
Hole for rent
NASA looks to 3D printing to create spare parts and tools in ISS
NASA looks to 3D printing to create spare parts and tools on ISS.
NASA looks to 3D printing to create spare parts and tools on ISS.
The first female astronaut from Russia in decades might fly to ISS in 2013
The first female astronaut from Russia in decades might fly a six month mission to ISS in 2013.
The first female astronaut from Russia in decades might fly a six month mission to ISS in 2013.
Names of China’s second class of astronauts revealed by stamp collectible
The names of China’s second class of astronauts, kept secret by the government there, has been revealed by a stamp collectible.
The names of China’s second class of astronauts, kept secret by the government there, has been revealed by a stamp collectible.
An experiment designed to mimic the dynamo at the Earth’s core is about to be turned on.
Mad scientists at their best! An experiment designed to mimic the dynamo at the Earth’s core is about to be turned on.
Ten years in the making, the US$2-million project is nearly ready for its inaugural run. Early next year, the sphere will begin whirling around while loaded with 13,000 kilograms of molten sodium heated to around 105 °C. Researchers hope that the churning, electrically conducting fluid will generate a self-sustaining electromagnetic field that can be poked, prodded and coaxed for clues about Earth’s dynamo, which is generated by the movement of liquid iron in the outer core. If it works, it will be the first time that an experiment that mirrors the configuration of Earth’s interior has managed to recreate such a phenomenon.
This is a really very cool experiment, as we really do not have a good understanding of how planetary magnetic fields are produced.
Mad scientists at their best! An experiment designed to mimic the dynamo at the Earth’s core is about to be turned on.
Ten years in the making, the US$2-million project is nearly ready for its inaugural run. Early next year, the sphere will begin whirling around while loaded with 13,000 kilograms of molten sodium heated to around 105 °C. Researchers hope that the churning, electrically conducting fluid will generate a self-sustaining electromagnetic field that can be poked, prodded and coaxed for clues about Earth’s dynamo, which is generated by the movement of liquid iron in the outer core. If it works, it will be the first time that an experiment that mirrors the configuration of Earth’s interior has managed to recreate such a phenomenon.
This is a really very cool experiment, as we really do not have a good understanding of how planetary magnetic fields are produced.
Phobos-Grunt now appears to be breaking up
Doomed: Phobos-Grunt now appears to be breaking up.
Doomed: Phobos-Grunt now appears to be breaking up.
Cannonball fired in Mythbusters stunt goes through nearby home
Oops! A cannonball fired during a Mythbusters stunt went off course, bouncing through two walls of a nearby home and then crashing through the window of a minivan.
Oops! A cannonball fired during a Mythbusters stunt went off course, bouncing through two walls of a nearby home and then crashing through the window of a minivan.
Will it blend? – cyalume sticks
The Hubble Space Telescope has now been used as a reference in more than 10,000 science papers
And the winner is: The Hubble Space Telescope has now been used as a reference in more than 10,000 peer-reviewed science papers.
And the winner is: The Hubble Space Telescope has now been used as a reference in more than 10,000 peer-reviewed science papers.
The next test flight of Falcon 9/Dragon has slipped again
The next test flight of Falcon 9/Dragon has slipped again.
This article notes how an ISS status report that had indicated approval for a merger of the next two Falcon 9 test flights was premature.
The next test flight of Falcon 9/Dragon has slipped again.
This article notes how an ISS status report that had indicated approval for a merger of the next two Falcon 9 test flights was premature.
Strange streets
German bomb experts successfully defuse WW II bomb after evacuating 45,000
German bomb experts have successfully defused a World War II bomb after evacuating 45,000.
“I did my job, that was all,” lead defusing expert Horst Lenz told local daily Rhein Zeitung.
German bomb experts have successfully defused a World War II bomb after evacuating 45,000.
“I did my job, that was all,” lead defusing expert Horst Lenz told local daily Rhein Zeitung.
The X-37B: what is it for?
X-37B has successfully passed the 270 day milestone in its now extended mission.
Lots of people have speculated about the military’s plans for the X-37B. I think the Air Force is actually telling us in this quote:
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Electric car company shuts down
For once, the taxpayer doesn’t get screwed: The electric car company Aptera has shut down due to lack of interest from investors and the lack of a loan from the government.
The California company was counting on a federal loan – and private investments to match the loan – so that it could start producing its very first electric vehicle. Aptera said it was close to securing a $150 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, but it couldn’t line up the private dollars necessary to complete the loan application process.
For once, the taxpayer doesn’t get screwed: The electric car company Aptera has shut down due to lack of interest from investors and the lack of a loan from the government.
The California company was counting on a federal loan – and private investments to match the loan – so that it could start producing its very first electric vehicle. Aptera said it was close to securing a $150 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, but it couldn’t line up the private dollars necessary to complete the loan application process.
Uganda’s suborbital spaceplane, under construction in the backyard of the designer’s mother
Uganda’s space program: the construction of its first aircraft — in the backyard of the designer’s mother’s home — to be followed by a space shuttle! With pictures and video.
At first glance this looks absurd and a pipe dream. However, stranger things have happened. I wish them all the success in the world.
Uganda’s space program: the construction of its first aircraft — in the backyard of the designer’s mother’s home — to be followed by a space shuttle! With pictures and video.
At first glance this looks absurd and a pipe dream. However, stranger things have happened. I wish them all the success in the world.
How to build a washing machine for interplanetary travel
How to build a washing machine for interplanetary travel.
How to build a washing machine for interplanetary travel.
Mysterious Metal Object Crashes Through Roof of Warehouse
Junk from space? A mysterious three pound metal object crashed through the roof of a Massachusetts warehouse yesterday.
Junk from space? A mysterious three pound metal object crashed through the roof of a Massachusetts warehouse yesterday.
Europe has ceased its effort to contact Phobos-Grunt
Bad news: Europe has ceased its effort to contact Phobos-Grunt.
Bad news: Europe has ceased its effort to contact Phobos-Grunt.
The Eiffel Tower could be transformed into a giant green “jungle” covered in 600,000 plants as part of an environmental scheme.
An engineering company specializing in ecological projects has a plan to turn the Eiffel Tower into a giant green “jungle” covered in 600,000 plants.
An engineering company specializing in ecological projects has a plan to turn the Eiffel Tower into a giant green “jungle” covered in 600,000 plants.
More budget battles in Europe over $16 billion fusion reactor project
The budget battles continue in Europe over funding a $16 billion fusion reactor project.
Now the three statutory bodies of the European Union have agreed to cobble together €360 million from anticipated unspent funds in the still-to-be-decided 2013 budget. Another €840 million will be found by shifting money from 2012 and 2013 budget lines for farm and fishing subsidies, rural development, and environment, into the ones covering research. The remaining €100 million had already been allocated to ITER in the 2012 budget.
Sounds to me as if this whole thing has feet of clay, and is going to fall apart long before completion.
The budget battles continue in Europe over funding a $16 billion fusion reactor project.
Now the three statutory bodies of the European Union have agreed to cobble together €360 million from anticipated unspent funds in the still-to-be-decided 2013 budget. Another €840 million will be found by shifting money from 2012 and 2013 budget lines for farm and fishing subsidies, rural development, and environment, into the ones covering research. The remaining €100 million had already been allocated to ITER in the 2012 budget.
Sounds to me as if this whole thing has feet of clay, and is going to fall apart long before completion.
Over-the-counter osteoporosis drug appears to keep astronauts from losing bone density on long space flights
Big news: New research on ISS now shows that the standard over-the-counter osteoporosis drugs used by millions on Earth appears to keep astronauts from losing bone density during long space flights.
Beginning in 2009, the group administered the drug to five long-stay astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), including Koichi Wakata, 48, and Soichi Noguchi, 46. The five took the drug — an over-the-counter bisphosphonate used to treat osteoporosis — once a week starting three weeks before they lifted off until they returned to Earth. The researchers then monitored the astronauts’ bone mass over time and compared the results to those for 14 astronauts that had never taken the drug.
The results showed that the 14 who had never taken the drug had average bone density loss of 7 percent in the femur, and 5 percent in the hip bone. The five astronauts on bisphosphonate, however, only had average bone density loss in the femur of 1 percent, and even a 3 percent increase in the hip bone. Calcium levels in their urine, which rise the more bone mass is lost, were also very low.
If these results hold up, they might very well solve one of the biggest challenges faced by any interplanetary traveler. Up until now, bone loss during long weightless missions never seemed to average less than 0.5 percent per month. After spending three years going to and from Mars, an astronaut could thus lose about almost 20 percent of their bone mass in their weight-bearing bones, and would probably be unable to return to Earth.
Thus, a mission to Mars seemed impossible, unless we could build a ship with some form of artificial gravity, an engineering challenge we don’t yet have the capability to achieve.
If these already tested drugs can eliminate this problem, then the solar system is finally open to us all. All that has to happen now is to do some one to two year manned missions on ISS to test the drugs effectiveness for these long periods of weightlessness.
Big news: New research on ISS now shows that the standard over-the-counter osteoporosis drugs used by millions on Earth appears to keep astronauts from losing bone density during long space flights.
Beginning in 2009, the group administered the drug to five long-stay astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), including Koichi Wakata, 48, and Soichi Noguchi, 46. The five took the drug — an over-the-counter bisphosphonate used to treat osteoporosis — once a week starting three weeks before they lifted off until they returned to Earth. The researchers then monitored the astronauts’ bone mass over time and compared the results to those for 14 astronauts that had never taken the drug.
The results showed that the 14 who had never taken the drug had average bone density loss of 7 percent in the femur, and 5 percent in the hip bone. The five astronauts on bisphosphonate, however, only had average bone density loss in the femur of 1 percent, and even a 3 percent increase in the hip bone. Calcium levels in their urine, which rise the more bone mass is lost, were also very low.
If these results hold up, they might very well solve one of the biggest challenges faced by any interplanetary traveler. Up until now, bone loss during long weightless missions never seemed to average less than 0.5 percent per month. After spending three years going to and from Mars, an astronaut could thus lose about almost 20 percent of their bone mass in their weight-bearing bones, and would probably be unable to return to Earth.
Thus, a mission to Mars seemed impossible, unless we could build a ship with some form of artificial gravity, an engineering challenge we don’t yet have the capability to achieve.
If these already tested drugs can eliminate this problem, then the solar system is finally open to us all. All that has to happen now is to do some one to two year manned missions on ISS to test the drugs effectiveness for these long periods of weightlessness.
The meltdown at Fukushima in Japan came within a foot of breaching the reactor
The meltdown at Fukushima in Japan came within a foot of breaching the reactor.
In other words, the engineering worked.
The meltdown at Fukushima in Japan came within a foot of breaching the reactor.
In other words, the engineering worked.
German authorities ask 45,000 people to evacuate their town this weekend while bomb experts defuse a just discovered World War II bomb
German authorities have asked 45,000 people to evacuate their town this coming weekend while bomb experts attempt to defuse an unexploded World War II bomb.
German authorities have asked 45,000 people to evacuate their town this coming weekend while bomb experts attempt to defuse an unexploded World War II bomb.
“Can we go again?”
Uncovering China’s vast network of nuclear weapon tunnels
Students at Georgetown University have uncovered details about China’s vast network of nuclear weapon tunnels.
According to a report by state-run CCTV, China had more than 3,000 miles of tunnels — roughly the distance between Boston and San Francisco — including deep underground bases that could withstand multiple nuclear attacks.
Students at Georgetown University have uncovered details about China’s vast network of nuclear weapon tunnels.
According to a report by state-run CCTV, China had more than 3,000 miles of tunnels — roughly the distance between Boston and San Francisco — including deep underground bases that could withstand multiple nuclear attacks.