Chinese rendezvous test?
It appears that the Chinese have successfully maneuvered two unmanned satellites to a rendezvous in space. It is even possible that they might have touched!
Tag: spaceflight
Paper extolling the benefits from interstellar spaceflight
This guy is thinking ahead: a paper extolling the scientific benefits of interstellar space travel (published in a 2009 issue of the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society) was made available today on the Los Alamos astro-ph website. Fun quote from the abstract:
Significant benefits are identified in the fields of interstellar medium studies, stellar astrophysics, planetary science and astrobiology. In the latter three areas the benefits would be considerably enhanced if the interstellar vehicle is able to decelerate from its interstellar cruise velocity to rest relative to the target system. Although this will greatly complicate the mission architecture, and extend the overall travel time, the scientific benefits are such that this option should be considered seriously in future studies.
SpaceX sets Oct 23 as next Falcon 9 launch date
SpaceX has requested from the launch range Oct 23 as its next Falcon 9 test launch date. In this test they will give their Dragon capsule its first test flight.
Japan and Europe consider cargo/crew return capabilities
Japan and Europe are both considering an upgrade to their unmanned cargo carriers so that each can also return cargo from ISS.
Russia to begin construction of new spaceport
The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reports that all the “i”s have been dotted on the plans to build a new spaceport in the far east of Russia. Construction is set to begin next year.
X-37B changes orbit
Amateurs tracking the X-37B military test shuttle have discovered that it has made two orbital maneuvers. Since the Air Force refuses to discuss the flight program, the reasons behind these maneuvers remains unknown.
Danes set to launch private suborbital rocket
Two Danish inventors are about to test fly their own privately financed suborbital rocket, designed to eventually carry humans. Key quote:
It is due to launch from a submarine in the Baltic Sea on August 30th and, if successful, they will repeat it with a human passenger on board as soon as possible.
X-37B spotted by amateurs
Not only have amateur skywatchers photographed the X-37B military space plane presently in orbit, they use a smart phone app for tracking satellites and available to all to tell them when to look.
Testing of Orion capsule proceeds
Pressure testing NASA’s Orion capsule is about to begin, despite the space war about its future.
More details about SpaceX Dragon drop test
More details about the drop test by SpaceX of its Dragon capsule.
Landing gear collapses on WhiteKnightTwo during test flight
Bad news for space tourism! One of WhiteKnightTwo’s landing gears collapsed as the plane landed at the end of a test flight yesterday. Here’s a statement from Scaled Composites, the builder of the suborbital rocket system.
Station cooling system up and running
The cooling system on ISS is finally running normally again after the three spacewalks to replace the system’s failed pump.