Hasta La Gadget!

Virgin Galactic has revealed the next step of its plans to commercialize space flight, unveiling LauncherOne, a new launch vehicle that promises to significantly cut the cost of space exploration. The satellite launch platform will cut the cost of putting a satellite into space to potentially just a quarter of current expeditions, down to under $10m and opening up the possibility to universities and research groups.

“This new vehicle will change the whole satellite industry and space-based science research” Virgin Group founder Richard Branson said of the LauncherOne reveal. “Even before this official launch we have the largest order book of any new launch vehicle ever. The cost of putting a satellite into space before Virgin Galactic was around $30-40 million. We’ll be able to do it for under $10 million, opening up space to thousands of new groups, universities and research programs.”

LauncherOne will use the same WhiteKnightTwo ”mothership” as Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo will rely on, currently on its 100th test flight, and which will provide a moving launch point for the company’s missions. When approximately 50,000 feet above sea level, LauncherOne will be released from its berth underneath WhiteKnightTwo, free-fall for around four seconds, and then trigger its first stage rocket. After that, the second stage will fire one or more times, until the satellite payload is delivered to low-earth orbit.

“LauncherOne will go around the world at 80,000mph in 80 minutes” Branson said today. “It’s actually 90 minutes, but I thought around the world in 80 minutes sounded better!”

In LauncherOne’s favor is WhiteKnightTwo’s flexibility: Virgin Galactic will be able to fly the platform to customers’ centers of operation, rather than them have to transport satellites to fixed launch positions. “LauncherOne in its most typical configuration will be capable of delivering on the order of 500 lb (225 kg) to low inclination Low Earth Orbit,” Virgin Galactic says, “and 225 lb (100 kg) to a higher altitude, Sun-Synchronous Low Earth Orbit. Other configurations may offer significantly greater performance.”

Virgin Galactic reveals LauncherOne to quarter cost of satellite launches is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

On July 10th, 1962, NASA launched the first Telstar satellite. The spherical satellite—which actually looks like a model of the Death Star—was the first to relay television and telephone signals through space. More »

We’ve seen research that suggests prolonged space travel could have some adverse effects on the human body, but it looks like there could be some real benefits as well. As BBC News reports, a new study conducted on Caenorhabditis elegans worms sent to the International Space Station has revealed evidence that the trip to space actually slowed their aging process. Specifically, researchers from the University of Nottingham and others institutions part of the ICE-First project found that the time in space reduced activity in a group of genes that have been shown to prolong the worms’ lifespan when suppressed on earth. Of course, these are worms we’re talking about, but this particular species is often used for such research due to its biological similarities to humans, so the discovery could well lead to more insight into how we age in space as well. Those curious can find the full paper linked below.

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Researchers find space travel prolongs the life of worms originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers may have just cracked the code for living longer. Several Caenorhabditis elegans worms, which surprisingly have a lot in common with humans, were taken onboard an 11-day mission to the International Space Station and brought back to be studied. The C. elegans worm is one of the most studied organisms in the entire world and is frequently used in space travel research due to the similarities they share with humans in the way muscles deteriorate.

The study revealed that five genes in the worm showed reduced activity, which actually changed how they aged. When these genes were supressed in Earth-bound worms, longer lifespans would result. University of Nottingham researcher Dr. Nathaniel Szewczyk commented on the study, saying: “It would appear that these genes are involved in how the worm senses the environment and signals changes in metabolism in order to adapt to the environment. Most of us know that muscle tends to shrink in space.”

The results suggest that the worms’ response is adaptive rather than pathological. The worms also experienced changes in muscles that involved decreased production of the polyglutamine aggregates protein, which plays a role in the ageing of the muscle. On that note, Szewczyk also said: “Counter-intuitively, muscle in space may age better than on Earth. It may also be that spaceflight slows the process of ageing.”

[via BBC]

Study reveals space travel may slow ageing process is written by Elise Moreau & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I really love it NASA releases new photos and video taken by various spacecraft, and rovers on the surface of other planets. I mentioned last week that the Mars rover Opportunity had taken a bunch of new photos that NASA had released. Today comes a new video from the surface of Mars taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.

The full circle scene was pieced together into one seamless panoramic view by combining 817 images taken by Opportunity’s Pancam. The panoramic photos were shot while Opportunity sat waiting out the Martian winter. Opportunity sat still for four months during the winter.

Opportunity was conducting some sort of work while sitting still, presumably other than taking these photos. It’s interesting that the solar panels in some of the early scenes appear to have a very thick coating of Martian dust. Ultimately, Opportunity will be unable to gather enough power from the sun to sustain itself if the dust on the panels becomes too thick.

[via Telegraph]

NASA releases Greely Panorama video from Mars is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.