How shall Europe’s ATV freighter to ISS be upgraded?
How shall Europe’s ATV freighter to ISS be upgraded?
Tag: spaceflight
FAA wants your opinion about commercial space rules
The government marches on! The FAA wants your opinion about its future commercial space regulations.
Or to put it another way, how to stifle a newborn in the womb. In 2004 I said the new law allowing this kind of regulation was going to hurt the new space industries. We are about to see, with the FAA’s regulatory effort here, exactly how that will play out.
And I don’t think it will be good.
Endeavour launch could be as late as May 13
The last launch of Endeavour could be delayed to as late as May 13.
SpaceShipTwo’s First “Feathered” Flight
SpaceShipTwo’s has successfully completed its first “feathered” flight.
After a 45 minute climb to the desired altitude of 51,500 feet, SpaceShip2 (SS2) was released cleanly from VMS Eve [WhiteKnightTwo] and established a stable glide profile before deploying, for the first time, its re-entry or “feathered” configuration by rotating the tail section of the vehicle upwards to a 65 degree angle to the fuselage. It remained in this configuration with the vehicle’s body at a level pitch for approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds whilst descending, almost vertically, at around 15,500 feet per minute, slowed by the powerful shuttlecock-like drag created by the raised tail section. At around 33,500 feet the pilots reconfigured the spaceship to its normal glide mode and executed a smooth runway touch down, approximately 11 minutes and 5 seconds after its release from VMS Eve.
A Dragon to Mars
The story behind China’s planned space station begins to emerge
The story behind China’s planned space station begins to emerge.
China first said it would build a space station in 1992. But the need for a manned outpost “has been continually contested by Chinese space professionals who, like their counterparts in the United States, question the scientific utility and expense of human space flight”, says Gregory Kulacki, China project manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “That battle is effectively over now, however, and the funds for the space station seem to have been allocated, which is why more concrete details are finally beginning to emerge.”
Though I am always skeptical of comments from the Union of Concerned Scientists, in this case Kulacki makes sense. He also illustrates a further example of what I wrote in 2005, “After more than 40 years of debate, the argument is over and the supporters of manned spaceflight have won.”
Amateur grabs images of solar sail Nanosail-D
An amateur astronomer has grabbed some spectacular images of solar sail Nanosail-D.
Last shuttle launch date may shift due to Endeavour launch delay
The very last shuttle launch, scheduled for June 28, may be delayed due to the Endeavour launch delay.
Dawn has begun its final if slow approach to the asteroid Vesta
Dawn has begun its final if slow approach to the asteroid Vesta.
Dream Chaser drop tests planned for 2012 using WhiteKnightTwo
New Space: Sierra Nevada plans to drop test its Dream Chaser spaceplane in 2012 using Scaled Composites’ WhiteKnightTwo.
Shuttle launch slips to at least May 10, possibly later
Endeavour’s last launch has slipped to at least May 10, possibly later.
Scaled Composites Ramps Up SS2 Test Rate
Scaled Composites is ramping up the test rate for SpaceShipTwo.