Artemis I Launch a Great Success, According to NASA Engineer Kristine Ramos
Despite some delays, the highly anticipated kick-off to NASA's Artemis program finally debuted with the launch of Artemis I. This unmanned mission to orbit the Moon is the first test of the Orion spacecraft carried by a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
Stargazing Calendar for November 2022
November will be slightly less eventful than the last month in terms of stargazing events, but there will still be some highlights such as a total lunar eclipse, the perigee of Mars, the Leonids and a few smaller meteor showers. A new addition to these calendars will also include the best times to observe major asteroids and comets.
How Did SpaceX Convert Two Oil Rigs into Launch Pads?
As space travel evolves, so too will its launch sites. Instead of building stationary launch pads like the ones that NASA and other space agencies have used traditionally, SpaceX is working to convert two floating oil rigs into off-shore launch pads. How is SpaceX turning oil rigs into launch pads?
What Are The Benefits of 3D Printing in Space?
3D printing has moved from a hobbyist’s best friend to one of the most useful tools in nearly every industry. With a computer and a bit of heat, you can turn strings of plastic filament into nearly anything. More advanced types of 3D printers can even lay down layers of metal, glass, or cement. There is even a 3D printer in orbit above the Earth on the International Space Station. What are the benefits of 3D printing in space and will we see more of it in the future? Keeping Rocket Weight Low That same gravity that keeps you from floating away from the Earth’s surface also makes it difficult…
How Do Spacecraft Withstand Re-Entry into Earth’s Atmosphere?
If you’re lucky when you look up in the sky at night, you might see a shooting star. As you’re making your wish, what you’re actually seeing is a small piece of rock or space junk burning up in the atmosphere. The friction of re-entry causes the shooting star to ignite and burn, which is why you see a brief flash of light. This begs the question: How do our spacecraft withstand that level of heat and friction to return our astronauts safely home? Friction = Drag The fireball you see when something re-enters Earth’s atmosphere is caused by friction. As the spacecraft moves through the air molecules that make…
NASA Called College Students to Develop an Inflatable Heat Shield
Who is NASA going to hire to create a vital component for an upcoming Mars mission? None other than the bright minds of our future – college and university students. That’s right! NASA’s Game Changing Development Program gave college students the chance to come up with unique ideas to generate lift. Sure, that’s a fairly simple request, but your ideas will be used on cutting-edge, amazing spacecraft. NASA is currently testing inflatable heat shields and HIAD (hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator) technology, but it needs your help to develop it. A Weighty Issue NASA is still in the testing phase of the new HIAD technology. Recently, it packed a 9-foot inflatable…
Go Away, Gravity! – The Ventures of Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic
Elon Musk has a net worth of $11.9 billion while Richard Branson has a net worth of $4.8 billion. If they stacked their respective fortunes in $1 bills atop each other, the tower would reach six million miles, almost 25 times the distance between the earth and the moon. And that is, in a metaphorical way, exactly what the two plan to do.
Moscow’s Secret Moon Plan: The N-1 Rocket [Infographic]
“Hoping to beat the Americans to the moon before 1970, Soviet rocket engineer Sergey Korolyov worked in secret to plan the mighty N-1, an equal to the American Saturn V booster. In 1966 however, the sudden death of Korolyov threw Soviet plans into disarray. After four N-1s were lost in catastrophic accidents, the Soviets destroyed the remaining hardware and denied the very existence of the program. The N-1 remained a state secret until being made public in 1990.” Taken from the infographic below: Source Space.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration
Educational Gift Ideas
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, many of us are stuck with the dilemma of choosing gifts for kids. Sure you could go out and buy the most popular video game or this season’s trendy Barbie doll, but do these gifts really hold much meaning? Lets face it, children often play with a toy for a few minutes, forget about it, and move onto the next thing. This year get them something they can use over and over with their friends, along with providing an educational experience. These toys listed below are both fun and educational toys that are great for children of the ages 7-15. One of the main…
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Advantages and Difficulties of a Launch Loop
This is the second part to the article on the launch loop from the non-rocket spacelaunch series. A complete list of all the articles in this series can be seen at the end of this post. A schematic of a launch loop as imagined by Lofstrom. Advantages of launch loops Unlike conventional rockets, launch loops can have many launches per hour, independent of weather, and are not inherently polluting. Rockets create pollution such as nitrates in their exhausts due to high exhaust temperature, and can also create greenhouse gases depending on propellant choices. Launch loops require power in the form of electricity and as such it can be clean. For…
