Oct 12

NASA: Obama Charts New Path in Space

Posted in: NASA, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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President Obama this week signed bi-partisan legislation mapping the path of NASA for the next three years and extending operations of the International Space Station through 2020.

NASA administrator Charles Bolden issued a statement commending the President on his decision. “We have been given a new path in space that will enable our country to develop greater capabilities, transforming the state of the art in aerospace technologies,” Bolden wrote. “We will continue to maintain and expand vital partnerships around the world. It will help us retool for the industries and jobs of the future that will be vital for long-term economic growth and national security.”

Among other things, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 commits the space shuttle fleet to additional flights. The bill, which was passed by the House last week, also authorizes $58.4 billion to NASA for the next three years, aimed at continuing the development of a heavy-lift rocket.

“As the 2011 appropriations process moves forward, there is still a lot of hard work ahead of us in collaboration with the Congress,” Bolden continues. “We are committed to work together with the continued wide public support for NASA, and the bipartisan backing of Congress. Today’s vote of confidence from the president ensures America’s space program will remain at the forefront of a bright future for our nation.”

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Oct 11

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise completes first solo glide flight

Posted in: space, Today's Chili, video
It completed its first flight with a crew on board back in July, and Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise (a.k.a. SpaceShipTwo) has now crossed what’s unquestionably its biggest hurdle to date: the first solo glide flight. That happened early Sunday morning at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, where the VSS Enterprise took off attached to the mothership and then separated at an altitude of 45,000 feet, after which it was freely piloted by Pete Siebold and co-pilot Mike Alsbury for a full eleven minutes before safely landing on the runway (another first for the spaceship). Oh yeah, there’s a video — head on past the break to check it out (along with the official press release).

Continue reading Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise completes first solo glide flight

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Enterprise completes first solo glide flight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 11

International Space Station Getting First-Ever Space Twins Next Year

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Twins! In space! The New Jersey-born duo of Mark and Scott Kelly are set to become the first set of twins in space at the same time, in February of next year. Scott is already up there, charged with running the International Space Station. He began his six month mission last week, lifting off aboard a Russian shuttle.

In February, he’ll be joined be Mark, who will deliver supplies to the station. The duo will be aboard the Space Station together for eight days, after which Mark’s shuttle will return to earth.

As CNN points out, Mark is the older twin, beating Scott into the world by six minutes. However, it was Scott who made it into space first, in 1999, beating Mark by two years. The Kellys are 46.

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Oct 11

Virgin Galactics Commercial Spacecraft Tested

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili, Transportation

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Though it has not quite left our atmosphere, the budding commercial spaceflight industry is officially off the ground. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, also known as the VSS Enterprise, was tested for the first time over night. 

It left from Los Angeles after being launched 45,000 feet off the ground from its mothership. The VSS Enterprise accomplished both of its goals: to make sure it could leave the mothership without incident, and to land safely at the Mojave Air and Space Port. 
Virgin Galactic is not alone in this race to get commercial space flight running. As PCMag.com previously reported, Boeing has already been given a $50 million government grant and has partnered with Space Adventures, which has previously sent seven people to the International Space Station. Boeing’s spacecraft will fit seven people, but it will not be ready until 2015. Virgin is way ahead of that date, though, as this test proves. It has been taking orders since 2005, with each seat costing $200,000. 
It’s great to see that there’s competition — not just government funds — driving this industry. Hopefully this means that at some point, once all the testing is done and we learn that it is feasible, the price of a ticket will decline to a somewhat affordable point in which an average person will be able to purchase a ticket without wiping out their bank accounts.           
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Oct 08

The Rocket Project Documentary Hits the Science Channel

Posted in: science, sony, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

Rocket Project - Students

Back in July, a team of high school students gathered on the dusty flats of the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada with a single purpose: to launch a 29-foot rocket into orbit using some rocketry training, their knowledge of physics, and a couple of Sony laptops powered by Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The event was the culmination of The Rocket Project, and after several delays and weather mishaps, the students finally managed to launch their rocket into orbit successfully.

Following the students on that journey were a handful of documentary filmmakers who released short episodes of the students trials and successes, and now a complete half-hour Rocket Project Documentary will air on The Science Channel tonight at 9:00pm Eastern (check your local listings for additional airings.) If you miss the half-hour documentary though, the shorter Web episodes that follow the months-long story of the launch are still available at The Rocket Project Web site.
 

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Oct 06

Extreme Space Zooming From New York to LA [Video]

Posted in: space, Today's Chili, top, video

These extreme zoom-in movies were digitally created by NASA using photographic material from different satellites. From coast to coast, there is no escape from the eyes in space. More »

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Oct 05

Draper Labs develops prototype Mars Hopper

Posted in: NASA, space, Today's Chili
The Mars rover, that self-propelled, solar powered box o’ sensors ‘n stuff that slowly inches along the surface (and battles the fierce environment) of the red planet may be a mainstay of space exploration, but it’s certainly not the only way to get the job done. For instance, the kids at Draper Labs — last seen in this space with their injectable nanosensor — are in the process of developing vehicles that would (literally) leave traditional rovers in the dust. The Draper Hopper prototype is designed with a ducted fan propulsion system that uses compressed nitrogen gas to cover twenty-five miles in a few days or, at best, a few hours. By way of comparison, NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity craft have covered roughly twenty miles since hitting the Martian surface in early 2004. Of course, the hoppers will have to bring fuel with them, so their lifespans will be cut drastically shorter than their wheel-based contemporaries, but we’ve always believed more autonomous vehicles should “live fast / die young,” like Sid Vicious or James Dean. With any luck, we should see test flights by January 2011.

Draper Labs develops prototype Mars Hopper originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 01

Space Hotels Open for Business in 2015

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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It’s a fact, the Earth is a boring and stupid place. At some point in your life, you’ve probably been pressured by friends or family to take a vacation to some “exotic” or “exciting” destination. But like most tourists, your reaction was some combination of disappointment and anger. Paris? Way too many croissants. The Grand Canyon? A big dirt hole filled with donkey poop. Machu Picchu? Hey Incas, could you build your holy cities in a more out-of-the-way location, because this four-day hike wasn’t quite difficult enough?

But don’t fret, vacationers of Earth! There’s a new destination for you to throw your disposable earth dollars. Space!

Recently, Moscow-based private space company, Orbital announced their plans to create a space hotel that would accommodate tourists flown up from (semi?) private rocket company  OAO Rocket and Space Corporation Energia.

(The sleek, focus group-tested name for this exciting new futuristic space venture?!? The “Commercial Space Station”! Russia, you know we love you, but branding is not your strong point.)

The company hopes to have the infrastructure for space tourism up and running by 2016.

But the CSS will come into operation a full year after Boeing makes their “space taxi” operational and ready to take intrepid tourists to the “Sundancer” space habitat built by Bigelow Aerospace. The 180 cubic meter space condo can accommodate up to three visitors on a “long-term” basis and up to six for shorter stays.

The Sundancer will be followed by the “BA 330” capsule, which boasts a roomy 330 cubic meters and can hold six tourists on a long-term basis. Anybody else hoping for the awesomest season of Jersey Shore ever!?

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Sep 30

Russian firm hopes to have luxury space hotel in orbit by 2016

Posted in: space, Today's Chili
You know what they say: “another day, another hypothetical space hotel.” Fans of the space tourism (mostly Lance Bass and a handful of gazillionaires) know that these things pop up every few years, so one can be a little skeptical about the plans recently announced by Russia-based Orbital Technologies to put a seven room guest house into orbit, where it would follow the same path as the International Space Station. While CEO Sergei Kostenko does mention things like well-appointed suites and food cooked up by celebrity chefs, it’s not entirely clear that the firm has the funding to build the thing or even who will be doing the construction, although Energia (Russia’s state-controlled spacecraft manufacturer) has been mooted as the project’s general contractor. But this isn’t merely a rich man’s plaything — as Kostenko points out, it could be used as a place for astronauts to flee to in case the ISS comes under alien attack (although he didn’t say it in exactly those words).

Russian firm hopes to have luxury space hotel in orbit by 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 30

New Planet Could Support Extraterrestrial, Human Life

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Scientists yesterday announced the discovery a new planet roughly 20 light years away that seems to have all of the right criteria to support extra terrestrial life–perhaps even that of humans, should we ever, you know, completely destroy our home.

The planet has been deemed Gliese581 (or, even less appealingly, Gliese581g). It fits the criteria for what is adorably known as a “Goldilocks” planet–that’s one that sits a distance from its sun appropriate for sustaining human life. The planet has an average temperature of 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Given the planet’s atmosphere and gravity, scientists believe that water is also present. “Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet,” Gliese581’s co-discoverer Steve Vogt told the press. “We had planets on both sides of the habitable zone-one too hot and one too cold, and now we have one in the middle that’s just right.”

Just like really good porridge.

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