Hasta La Gadget!

One small step in May is poised to turn into one giant leap for space capitalism as NASA approved the Sunday evening launch of SpaceX‘s Dragon capsule. The scheduled trip comes just a little over four months after the project successfully completed a docking test by the unmanned private spacecraft with the International Space Station. The Sunday flight — dubbed CRS-1 — will have the Dragon capsule piggybacking on a Falcon 9 rocket to punch through the atmosphere while carrying more than a thousand pounds of cargo. The capsule will then dock with the station for about three weeks before being sent back to Earth to deliver more than a ton of scientific samples and used hardware from the ISS. The launch is scheduled for 8:35PM ET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station barring a tantrum from Mother Nature (we’ve also seen our share of aborted SpaceX Dragon launches before so we’re keeping our proverbial fingers crossed). NASA says that Orbital Sciences‘ competing Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket will also make a demo flight later this year.

[Image credit: Jim Grossmann, NASA]

Filed under: Transportation, Science, Alt

SpaceX Dragon capsule launch gets go signal from NASA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This test-firing may not match the flame of earlier demonstrations, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted out a brief eight-second video of another setup it’s testing, the “Grasshopper” reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing rocket. While the first hop would’ve been shamed in any interstellar dunk contest, future tests will range in height from a few hundred feet to two miles. The goal is to eventually create a reusable first stage for its Falcon 9 rocket, able to land safely instead of crashing into the sea and being damaged beyond repair. Hit the more coverage links for a few more details on the project as well as pictures of it at the Texas test site, or check after the break to see the video.

Continue reading SpaceX’s ‘Grasshopper’ vertical takeoff / vertical landing rocket takes its first small leap (video)

Filed under: Transportation, Science, Alt

SpaceX’s ‘Grasshopper’ vertical takeoff / vertical landing rocket takes its first small leap (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

All good things come to an end, they say. Thankfully, most bad things do, too. So while the rest of the world of tech is dealing with the fallout, and possible implications of patent law, over here in the wild party that is Alt, we’re fist pumping at all the awesome weekly sci-tech fodder. For example, we’ve got a robo-nose that can sniff out nasties in the air, a 110-million-year-old footprint found in NASA’s back yard, and not one, but two space stories to reflect on. There’s a hidden joke in there too, come back once you’ve read through to find it. This is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 8.25.12: robotic noses, Nodosaurs and Space X launches again

Filed under: Science, Internet, Alt

Alt-week 8.25.12: robotic noses, Nodosaurs and Space X launches again originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA is pumping more than $1.1bn into three commercial space flight companies, including SpaceX, as part of its Commercial Crew Program. Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corporation will together share a new bounty  to help explore reusable space craft that can put astronauts into Earth orbit, with the goal being crewed orbital demonstration missions by the middle of this decade.

Boeing takes away the biggest purse, with $460m, while SpaceX is shortly behind with $440. Sierra Nevada grabs $212.5m. All three companies will need to demonstrate that their craft can meet NASA’s full mission safety requirements, with certification expected to take place in a future phase of the program.

“NASA will build on its rich human spaceflight history by investing in commercial development of fully integrated crew transportation system designs under the next round of funded SAAs, Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap)” NASA

NASA’s three selected partners narrows the field down from seven in the previous round, which together shared a $50m bounty. SpaceX is the furthest along so far, having already managed to dock its unmanned Dragon capsule with the International Space Station earlier this year.

“This is a decisive milestone in human spaceflight and sets an exciting course for the next phase of American space exploration,” SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk said in a statement today. “SpaceX, along with our partners at NASA, will continue to push the boundaries of space technology to develop the safest, most advanced crew vehicle ever flown.”

Musk says that SpaceX aims to undertake a manned flight by 2015, outfitting Dragon with seats for seven astronauts and “the most technically advanced launch escape system ever developed” that will include abort possibilities whether on the launch pad or in orbit. There will also be a propulsive landing system for ground touchdowns on the capsule’s legs.

The Commercial Crew Program isn’t the only project NASA has on the go to push the limits of space flight, however. Operating in parallel is development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle spacecraft and Space Launch System, a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket that, the agency says, “will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.”

NASA injects $1.1bn into private space craft companies is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Whether you’ve got your head in the clouds, or your feet firmly locked on terra firma (or is that terrorist firma?) the last seven days in Alt have something for you. We look at a massive aircraft, that could revolutionize air travel as we know it, as well as look back at a real-world project that heralded a significant shift even further up in the sky. There’s the NASA logo that never came to be, and lastly, for those less fond of heights, we hear how a US government department is heading in the other direction — albeit culturally — all in the fight against terror. This is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 7.21.12: Outer space, flying hotels and federal trolls

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Science, Internet

Alt-week 7.21.12: Outer space, flying hotels and federal trolls originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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