Hasta La Gadget!

Everybody knows the cowboy reputation associated with early astronauts, the test-pilot swagger immortalized by Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff. But the rockets that took those astronauts to space were built by a group with an equally cinematic image: the nearly-unhinged, completely unfettered mad scientists at Jet Propulsion Laboratories. Mika McKinnon brings us a fascinating look at the madcap, explosion-obsessed minds that helped get man into space—and presided over some monumental explosions in the process.

Read more…

A toy car could easily break the sound barrier—or go even faster—in a kid’s spirited imagination. But back in reality it takes more than that. You need engineering, patience, and a handful of rocket model engines—all of which helped Samvir Thandi’s SST-3B-Falcon rocket hit a top speed of 287.59 mph.

Read more…

You may not realize it, but your kitchen is one of the most well-stocked chemistry sets you could ever hope for. And it’s not only for creating edible chemical reactions. NASA might rely on giant laboratories and factories to build its rocket engines, but all you need is a piece of pasta, a jar, some hydrogen peroxide, and a little yeast. Oh, and fire.

Read more…

SpaceShipTwo just finished its third rocket-powered test and reached the highest altitude its ever been at 71,000 feet by hitting a maximum velocity of Mach 1.4. You can see the new reflective coating on the rocket plane’s tail booms which perfectly reflects the flame and our Earth. Lovely. Cant wait to book my ticket!

Read more…

SpaceX celebrated a flawless launch of its Falcon 9 spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday. It delivered an SES-8 satellite into orbit without a glitch bringing the Falcon 9 one flight away from being qualified to fly missions for the Air Force. [SpaceX via BoingBoing]

Read more…