With the launch of STS-135 today, the US Space Shuttle program will end with a whimper. To celebrate the shuttles’ service to both our nation and the sciences, the NASA Space Shuttle Manual by David Baker discusses the launch of the very first, Columbia. More »
It’s hard to even believe these words, but they’re true: the last scheduled US space shuttle launch happens today. What started as a frenetic race to another world has ended as a program that will forever be remembered for sparking the interest of mere tykes, and if this so-called economy ever gets turned around — heck, maybe we’ll see the hiatus end. In all likelihood, it’ll be Sir Richard Branson making the next moonwalk, but rather than sit around and mourn the quiet death of the space shuttle, we’d prefer to share a few of our fondest memories here. And by all means, please deliver any final words of your own in comments below.
Continue reading The end of an era: what the space shuttle means to Engadget
The end of an era: what the space shuttle means to Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Today, the Space Shuttle program came to a cloudy, fiery conclusion. The thrill and beauty of a launch was undeniable. Join along—we’ve got a livestream of the mission’s progress below. More »
Hear that? Those were the giddy giggles of some very happy scientists down at NASA’s Alabama-based Marshall Space Flight Center. Besting its previous June record for autonomous flight, this prototype robotic lander hovered for nearly half a minute at a height of seven feet before parking itself safely on the ground. Conceived as a joint project between NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, the intelligent bot is slated to go where its parachuting, aero-braking cousins can’t — like the Moon, or an asteroid. Future tests are on deck for the self-propelled lander to hover up to one hundred feet over the short span of a minute — no doubt its current feat is pretty neat, but we wouldn’t want to be the unsuspecting dolt who walked under it without his infrared goggles on.
NASA lander prototype ditches the manpower for an autonomous flight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Space weather gets nasty when the sun starts shooting plasma into the cosmos, and these solar storms wreak havoc on both satellites and gadgets here on earth. Scientists want to predict the sun’s eruptions so we can protect our gear (and know the best time to go tanning), and George Mason University researchers have made a discovery that may help us do so. By examining images from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory spacecraft, Professor Jie Zhang and grad student Xin Cheng determined that magnetic ropes are causing coronal ejections. The ropes are formed by several magnetic fields wrapped around each other, and scientists believe they can carry electrical currents strong enough to cause the plasma bursts. Prior to an eruption, Zhang observed a low-lying channel with unique electromagnetic properties (believed to be a magnetic rope) heat a portion of the sun’s surface up to 10 million degrees. Once hot enough, the spot spewed forth copious amounts of the plasma and magnetic energy that gives GPS units and phones fits. Now that we know what gets Helios all riled up, we just need to find a way to calm him down. Close-ups of the sun in its tizzy are after the break.
Sun’s coronal ejections caused by magnetic ropes, galactic weathermen to predict solar storms? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Jun 2011 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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After the rigid limitations of helping design the ISS, it must have been a refreshing change of pace for Garrett Finney to work on these Cricket trailers, which are built to order and cost up to $17,000.
iPhone rides Atlantis into space, where no one can hear its ringtone scream originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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No one said bathing the great United States in LTE would be easy, but the hits just keep on coming for Falcone and co. Following up on reports and concerns about LightSquared’s possible interference, a government study has found that the outfit’s proposed broadband network does indeed impede GPS signals. According to the National PNT Engineering Forum, the federal advisory group that conducted the study, LiqhtSquared’s network disrupted GPS signals for all of the devices tested in the area. The report lists OnStar, Garmin, John Deere, emergency services, the FAA, and NASA among those affected by interference. Both LightSquared and the GPS industry are scheduled to present their own tests for the FCC’s consideration next week. The news isn’t exactly shocking, but it certainly doesn’t bode well for the ambitious LTE network.
Government report finds LightSquared’s LTE interferes with GPS — color us surprised originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
After a total journey of 122 million miles and 25 perfect missions, Endeavour has landed in the dark. She was the youngest in the space shuttle fleet. This is how she arrived home: More »
[Thanks, Kevin]
NASA’s new cooling pump doesn’t need moving parts, set to chill out in space next month originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 May 2011 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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