After nearly a decade and billions of dollars in R&D costs, we’ve still barely scratched the surface of Mars. That sort of outlay just won’t work for exploring Jupiter’s moon Europa, especially since all the interesting parts of the moon—like its potential subterranean ocean—are encrusted with meters of ice. But with the help of the UK’s new space penetrator module, we may be able to inject our scientific devices meters deep into other celestial bodies.
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On August 4, a resupply mission is scheduled to take off for the International Space Station carrying a satellite for hire with it. It’s actually a nanosatellite, since it’s only 10 centimeters wide, and it’s yours to use if you’ve got the cash.
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Commander Chris Hadfield may be the new poster boy for the Canadian Space Agency, but before the Mustachioed Ontarian hit the scene that crown was held by the supremely versatile Canadarm telerobotic system. Now a new generation of robo-arms are taking to the skies, where they’ll act as orbiting satellite mechanics.
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The solar system isn’t stationary; it’s careening through the infinite abyss of space as we speak. Just like a comet, it comes complete with its own tail, and for the first time, we’ve actually been able to see it.
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Take away all of the water, cities, and roads on Earth’s surface, and you’re left with nothing but patches of lush, lovely green. These are exactly the kinds of pictures that the Suomi NPP satellite from NASA and the NOAA, produce. The satellite tracks only the planet’s vegetation, and the video above covers the shift in one full calendar year. It’s amazing how much change takes place in such a short period of time.
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Ethics aside, espionage is an indispensable part of statecraft. The ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] information gathered helps steer national policy decisions for everything from mundane trade negotiations to the blackest of ops. And nowhere is this more evident than in the development of the US spy satellite fleet during the Cold War. These orbital telescopes granted an unprecedented peek over the Iron Curtain—revealing Soviet military capabilities, supply reserves, industrial sites, and more—that no ground-based spook could hope to provide. More »
What with today’s fancy Doppler radars and forecast graphics and fear mongering, it’s refreshing to get a glimpse of the relative simplicity in man’s very first attempt at remotely monitoring the shifts in Earth’s climate. More »
For all of their advanced technologies, modern satellites still rely on low-bandwidth radio transmitters to communicate with ground control. But they could soon be upgraded to beyond broadband speeds once NASA’s new laser-based communication system prototype gets off the ground. More »
For the very first time, a man-made object has reached the cosmic abyss beyond the farthest reaches of our solar system. As of today, Voyager 1 is the first spacecraft to begin the endless journey into deep space. More »
A team of scientists from the University of Surrey, UK, are excitedly putting the finishing touches to their latest satellite, called STRaND-1. Due to launch on February 25th, the hi-tech beast is powered by… a Google Nexus One? More »
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