NASA plans to soon start a 45-day campaign to restore communication with the Mars rover Opportunity. Opportunity, also known as MER-B or MER-1, is a robotic rover active on Mars since 2004. However, it has been unresponsive ever since after a dust-storm, encircling the planet, cut off solar power last summer. However, some people working on Opportunity are sceptical of NASA’s intention and are saying that NASA might forsake the longest operational Mars spacecraft altogether. Because the cost incurred may become too much for NASA to bear.
Opportunity is not new to such dust scares. Back in 2007, another dust storm hit the rover. However, it wasn’t close to what it [...]
After SpaceX’s successful Falcon 9 rocket launch, Elon Musk posted a picture of his SpaceX space suit on Instagram. The image was shared via his official Instagram handle, confirming that the picture was not a mockup, but an actual shot of a fully functional suit.
First picture of SpaceX spacesuit. More in days to follow. Worth noting that this actually works (not a mockup). Already tested to double vacuum pressure. Was incredibly hard to balance esthetics and function. Easy to do either separately.
NASA has now officially created a rocket made out of 3-D printed parts. Once filled with hydrogen and oxygen, the rocket produces 20,000 pounds of thrust and generates spectacular flames.
Sources reveal that NASA has been working on 3-D printed rockets for a while now, but this specific rocket engine is the first of its kind; 75% of its parts are 3-D printed -the highest percentage so far. Check out the video below which shows the rocket engine producing impressive amounts of fire. The video shows that the fire from the engine lasts for as long as ten seconds.
3-D printed components of a rocket have some clear advantages like it helps to build complex parts [...]
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has been working restlessly since its inception to find traces of water in our Solar system and the infinite universe. It has now been found that Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede has been hiding something under its surface that might make it a prime contender for a life harbouring heavenly body.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has made some observations that indicate the existence of an underground saltwater ocean. According to the US government agency, the subterranean ocean might have more water than the total water on the earth. An evidence of water on a heavenly body [...]
3D printing is the ultimate technology revolution. It will give people the ability to create, customize and print out almost anything they need. One major arena, where the technology will bring immense convenience, is space travel. Instead of storing a massive inventory of tools and supplies, the astronauts can just print out what they require, when they need it. The testing of 3D printers capabilities in space is underway at the International Space Station(ISS). Now the tools made in space are being brought back to earth for research purposes.
The tools are being brought back to Earth in SpaceX’s Dragon spaceship in [...]
It has been a long, long while since the human species have left the confines of the planet and its lower Earth orbit. During the peak of space-age, the folks thought we could reach Mars by the 80s, but it is 2014 and our biggest achievement on the red planet is landing an SUV size robot to further our “Curiosity” about the planet. But now we are ready to take the next step. Today, the long-awaited test flight of the Orion spacecraft was finally scheduled after the cancellation yesterday because of some technical issues. As of 05:35PM IST(7.05am ET) the spacecraft has made a successful launch atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket, and will orbit the earth for a [...]
We all love the outer space. It has enticed us since childhood and everyone who came before us. But it wasn’t until recently that we could finally soar above the surface of the planet and bid adieu its atmosphere and stare at the great expanse. One agency that takes most credit for helping humankind cross this frontier is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration aka NASA. Now NASA just tuned into SoundCloud and has released, what can be called a space nerds ultimate audio fantasy.
It has released some of the most symbolic recordings in its tryst with space travel.
Here’s the [...]
3D printing is one of the most beneficial technologies out there and it is all set to bring immense comfort to our lives in the coming decades. It is a process through which one can create three-dimensional objects in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. NASA pushed the limits of this technology and decided to create one of the most complex parts of a rocket engine, and then they tested the prototype. What happened next will blow your mind.
At a test stand at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, scientist tested out a design with a new manufacturing [...]
NASA scientists tested a new theoretical thruster model and too their surprise, the model works. Nasa has been working on a lot of propulsion and thruster models to make space flight cheaper, faster and more convenient. Currently reaching space is still a high-investment-high-risk affair. The new model shows hopes that we may have the answers to our woes closer than we thought.
The paper submitted earlier this week at a conference in Cleveland, scientists from NASA’s Eagleworks Laboratories in Houston, Texas, presented a paper which indicated that they had achieved small levels of thrust from a container which [...]
Flying saucers were an integral part of our 20th century pop culture. Movies like “The Day the Earth Stood Still” initiated our obsession with the rounded spaceships of unknown visitors. They also inspired a million hoaxes and countless imaginative tales of anal probes. But now NASA has made its own version of this Science Fictional travel medium to further transport capabilities to Mars.
The test program, called the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), was put into an evaluation phase over the last weekend and it came out with flying colors. The test was done at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range [...]
Ever since Yuri Gagarin set a milestone for the human race in 1961, the quest for leaving the gravitational restrictions of planet earth and floating in the mammoth void of space has gained momentum. Over the last 50 years human space flight technology has taken a giant leap. Space suits are required to provide astronauts with: Protection from extreme pressure variations, protection from the Sun’s and cosmic radiation, mobility, breathable air, regulation, communication systems and the ability to collect both solid and liquid wastes of the human body.
Clearly, space suits have to perform exceptionally in all the above [...]
Bo Jiang, a Chinese research scientist who worked at a NASA facility and was suspected of stealing secrets, is expected to plead guilty today–not for espionage, but for downloading porn on his work computer.
Jiang was nailed down in suspicion of trying to spy on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration but was instead found guilty of downloading porn movies on his NASA laptop.
According to court documents, Jiang was previously characterized as a “low risk” hire at NASA, despite his status as a foreign national, because his team was “not working on classified [...]
