NASA collects proposals for space fueling stations

Sometimes rocket science is actually, you know, rocket science. Getting to the moon was tough enough, but deep space exploration poses all manner of additional concerns — like getting back home alive, for one thing. And then there’s the issue of fuel, something long distance trips require a lot of — but stocking up on here on Earth means potential weight problems at launch. One proposal offered up in the past is space-based fueling stations conveniently located in key spots on the way to a distant destinations like the Moon, Mars, and asteroids. NASA is collecting proposals that can demonstrate the validity of such a plan, including the ability to store liquid oxygen and hydrogen, transfer it, and have a ship approach for fueling. If you think you’ve got your bases covered — and can keep it under $200 million — you’ve got until May 31st at 11:59 PM EST to hand over a proposal.

NASA collects proposals for space fueling stations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China unveils space station, launching by 2020

China’s been making its mark on the world for years, but there’s still one massive piece of real estate where the country’s citizens haven’t hung their ubiquitous red flag: space. The China Manned Space Engineering Office hopes to change that within the next decade, however, unveiling a model of its first space station on Monday. The station’s current moniker is Tiangong (Chinese for “heavenly palace”) but the space agency is asking the public to suggest alternatives at kongjianzhan@vip.qq.com through July 25th. At 60 tons, the complete facility is significantly smaller than the 419-ton International Space Station, so residents should probably keep the man cave tidy in case Chinese astronauts need some room to stretch out while not connecting to the PlayStation Network. We’re working on our own list of names for little Tiangong here, but feel free to share your submissions after the break.

China unveils space station, launching by 2020 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SETI suspends search for alien life, E.T. weeps in the silent dark of space

Our progress toward intergalactic fellowship has suffered another blow, as SETI suspended operations of its Allen Telescope Array. Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the array is a collection of radio dishes that scan the skies for signs of life; now it’ll be in “hibernation” mode until 2013, when the institute’s new round of funding begins. SETI hopes to raise $5 million to bring the Array back online before then, while it continues to use other telescopes around the world, including the Hubble Space Telescope. The budget woes are especially bitter given the number of recently identified alien planets – NASA’s Kepler mission found 1,235. If any of them are broadcasting the next Wow! signal, let’s hope it doesn’t fall on deaf earthling ears.

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SETI suspends search for alien life, E.T. weeps in the silent dark of space originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DARPA’s new Space Surveillance Telescope will keep our satellites safe from interstellar debris

What’s that in the sky? A bird? A plane? Oh, it’s just some junk floating around in space, posing major threats to our military’s spy satellites. To help keep an eye on it, engineers at DARPA, MIT and the Air Force have unleashed a new $110 million telescope that’s been in the works for nine years now. The new Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) is capable of delivering wide-angle views of the Earth’s firmament thanks to a curved CCD. This allows for a massive 3.5m aperture and f/1.0 exposure settings, capturing more light in a day that your average scope can in a week. As part of the Air Force’s Space Surveillance Network (SSN), the telescope’s primary task will be to look out for any microsatellites, meteors or other alien droppings moving at the same speed at which the Earth rotates. The system developed its first images earlier this year and the Air Force may eventually place SSTs all over the world, creating a 360-degree surveillance blanket and going a long way toward keeping our spycraft warm, cozy, and safe from galactic hazards.

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DARPA’s new Space Surveillance Telescope will keep our satellites safe from interstellar debris originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elon Musk says SpaceX will send a man to space in three years, Mars within the next two decades

Elon Musk has never been one to shy from making bold predictions, which is why we’re not surprised to hear that he has high hopes for the future of space travel. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the SpaceX founder said his company will “probably” put a man in space within the next three years, in the hopes of sending passengers to Mars within the next ten to 20 years. Earlier this month, Musk’s company unveiled plans for the “world’s most powerful rocket,” the Falcon Heavy, just a few weeks before receiving $75 million from NASA to help spur the development of its commercial spaceflight projects. Musk, it seems, is approaching these projects with an almost sacred sense of duty. “A future where humanity is out there exploring stars is an incredibly exciting future, and inspiring,” he explained, “and that’s what we’re trying to help make happen.” Head on past the break to see the full interview (space talk begins around the 13:00 mark).

Continue reading Elon Musk says SpaceX will send a man to space in three years, Mars within the next two decades

Elon Musk says SpaceX will send a man to space in three years, Mars within the next two decades originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA awards $270 million to SpaceX and other commercial spaceflight ventures

NASA has given its seal of approval (and a lot of money) to SpaceX and three other private companies, as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) initiative — a program designed to spur the development of U.S. commercial spaceflight. The agency awarded a total of $270 million to the four lucky winners, with Boeing receiving $92.3 million to help develop its CST-100 capsule design, and the Sierra Nevada Corporation garnering $80 million, which will go toward its shuttle-like Dream Chaser craft. The smallest prize ($22 million) went to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is reportedly looking to create a cone-shaped craft capable of carrying crew members into the abyss. And then, of course, there’s SpaceX, the proud recipient of a cool $75 million in NASA funds. The California-based company has already successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, and is currently working on the Falcon Heavy — a 22-story craft heralded as the “world’s most powerful rocket.” NASA’s extra dough should give a little boost to SpaceX’s projects, but the funds are contingent upon improvements in Dragon’s crew-carrying capacities, to be carried out over the next year. If all goes well, we may see one of these companies launch an intergalactic ‘taxi’ service by the middle of the decade. Saddle up!

NASA awards $270 million to SpaceX and other commercial spaceflight ventures originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Crazy Design of NASA’s New Mars Rover [Video]

Nasa is getting ready to throw a Mini Cooper-sized mobile science lab up into space. Curiosity, as the rover is affectionately called, is headed toward Mars with a payload of lasers and mass spectrometers and multi-million dollar robotic drills—basically all the stuff needed to prove fourth planet conditions are capable of supporting microbial life… conditions depending, of course. But in order for Curiosity to even get the chance at an alien discovery, it can’t show up dressed as a multi-million dollar fireball. More »

NASA animation depicts Curiosity’s soft landing on Mars, courtesy of a ‘sky crane’ (video)

Sending a rover to a distant planet is no small feat, so we might as well make the landing even more spectacular, right? That’s exactly what NASA has in mind for its Curiosity Mars rover, albeit for more practical reasons. Launching in late 2011 and expected to land on Mars in August 2012, this mobile laboratory will see a unique descent after entering the Martian atmosphere: there’ll be the usual separation from the heatshield and backshell, but at about 380 seconds into the entry, the rover will be gently lowered down by wire from a “sky crane,” as opposed to taking a leap of faith. Once the landing is complete, the hovering sky crane will then detach from the rover and fly off for a dramatic disposal — let’s just hope it won’t hit the now-dormant Spirit. See for yourself in the video above.

NASA animation depicts Curiosity’s soft landing on Mars, courtesy of a ‘sky crane’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everyone Loves Yuri Gagarin, the first Human to Reach Space [Space]

It happened when Earth was still in black and white: 50 years ago we stepped outside our home planet for the first time. This is the tale of the beginning of an adventure that hasn’t ended yet, the biggest, most dangerous and rewarding quest ever embarked on by the human race-the fascinating story of two men who took us to a new level. More » More »

A Tribute to the Vostok 3KA: the Craft That Carried the First Man Into Orbit [Space]

Everyone is paying tribute to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin today, and with good reason: he was the first man to travel into space. But let’s not forget the craft that got him there, the Vostok 3KA. More »