Featured Posts
Space Fellowship
28 May 2010, 09:46 UTC
Fire and sparks flew as a 24-inch-diameter solid rocket motor was successfully tested May 27 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The 21-second firing tested a NASA sub-scale motor designed as a versatile, quick-turnaround and low-cost way to determine the performance of new materials and designs. "We have extensive experience with thousands of materials used in the shuttle program, but many have become obsolete because of environmental concerns or industrial trends," [...]
NASA Successfully Tests Sub-Scale Rocket Motor
28 May 2010, 09:46 UTC
Fire and sparks flew as a 24-inch-diameter solid rocket motor was successfully tested May 27 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The 21-second firing tested a NASA sub-scale motor designed as a versatile, quick-turnaround and low-cost way to determine the performance of new materials and designs. "We have extensive experience with thousands of materials used in the shuttle program, but many have become obsolete because of environmental concerns or industrial trends," [...]
WillGater.com
28 May 2010, 07:21 UTC
Moonrise over Bristol. [Click for full size] Credit: Will Gater Last night there was a lovely moonrise over Bristol. The conditions were relatively good for viewing it as there was only a small amount of low-level haze and not too much cloud around. It appears that wonderful orange/red colour because, when the Moon is low, [...]
A murky moonrise (and why it appears red)
28 May 2010, 07:21 UTC
Moonrise over Bristol. [Click for full size] Credit: Will Gater Last night there was a lovely moonrise over Bristol. The conditions were relatively good for viewing it as there was only a small amount of low-level haze and not too much cloud around. It appears that wonderful orange/red colour because, when the Moon is low, [...]
HobbySpace RLV Space & Transport News
28 May 2010, 05:51 UTC
More from the Exploration Workshop in Texas: NASA To Ramp Up Robotic Exploration Missions - Aviation Week Interesting that Japan has big plans for robots on the Moon: Japan Shoots for Robotic Moon Base by 2020 - Universe Today - May.27.10 === Another report on the effort to legislate another flight for Atlantis: Congress, White House mull extra space shuttle flight - Spaceflight Now - May.27.10 === As noted at the House hearing on NASA on Wednesday, NASA has reassigned the Constellation program manager: /-- NASA Gets New Constellation Program Manager - Aviation Week - May.27.10 /-- NASA reassigns Constellation manager - spacetoday.net - May.27.10 Some in Congress don't like it: Bipartisan Call for Investigation of NASA after "Reassignment" of Constellation Program Manager - Rockefeller, Hutchison Ask Inspector General to Look Into "Reassignment" - U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation I think there is zero chance that the Inspector General will rule that the NASA Administrator cannot select the agency's managers as he sees fit, regardless of what Congress legislated regarding the continued funding of Constellation projects.
Briefs: Robot ramp up; Extra shuttle flight; Spat over Constellation management change
28 May 2010, 05:51 UTC
More from the Exploration Workshop in Texas: NASA To Ramp Up Robotic Exploration Missions - Aviation Week Interesting that Japan has big plans for robots on the Moon: Japan Shoots for Robotic Moon Base by 2020 - Universe Today - May.27.10 === Another report on the effort to legislate another flight for Atlantis: Congress, White House mull extra space shuttle flight - Spaceflight Now - May.27.10 === As noted at the House hearing on NASA on Wednesday, NASA has reassigned the Constellation program manager: /-- NASA Gets New Constellation Program Manager - Aviation Week - May.27.10 /-- NASA reassigns Constellation manager - spacetoday.net - May.27.10 Some in Congress don't like it: Bipartisan Call for Investigation of NASA after "Reassignment" of Constellation Program Manager - Rockefeller, Hutchison Ask Inspector General to Look Into "Reassignment" - U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation I think there is zero chance that the Inspector General will rule that the NASA Administrator cannot select the agency's managers as he sees fit, regardless of what Congress legislated regarding the continued funding of Constellation projects.
Spacevidcast
28 May 2010, 04:48 UTC
The GPS Delta IIF SV-1 launch coverage from the start of the webcast to SECO-2. This is the latest satellite to be added to our GPS constellation and is the first time a GPS bird has been launched from something other than an Atlas rocket since 1985. Liftoff was 2010-05-28 at 03:00:00 UTC
Launch of GPS IIF SV-1 via Delta IV Rocket – 2010.05.28
28 May 2010, 04:48 UTC
The GPS Delta IIF SV-1 launch coverage from the start of the webcast to SECO-2. This is the latest satellite to be added to our GPS constellation and is the first time a GPS bird has been launched from something other than an Atlas rocket since 1985. Liftoff was 2010-05-28 at 03:00:00 UTC
AstronomyQuest
27 May 2010, 19:54 UTC
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, took off from Palmdale, California for an overnight trial run Wednesday. The infrared telescope designed to study star formation, extrasolar planets and other celestial phenomena opened its eye on the universe for the first time from a vantage point of 35,000 feet above ground. Take a ground-based telescope and put it 40,000 feet into the air. What do you have? A new way to look at the universe. An infrared telescope designed to study star formation, extrasolar planets and other celestial phenomena opened its eye on the universe for the first time Wednesday, from a vantage point 35,000 feet above ground. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, took off from Palmdale, California, shortly before 1 a.m. EDT for an overnight trial run, the culmination of a 13-year development effort led by NASA and the German Aerospace Center. "Everyone is all smiles," said Nicholas Veronico, with the Universities Space Research Association, which operates the observatory for NASA. The 2.5-meter telescope -- three times larger than NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope -- is mounted into a modified Boeing 747 jet that is expected to fly two- to three times a week for ...
Telescope in the Sky Makes Debut Flight
27 May 2010, 19:54 UTC
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, took off from Palmdale, California for an overnight trial run Wednesday. The infrared telescope designed to study star formation, extrasolar planets and other celestial phenomena opened its eye on the universe for the first time from a vantage point of 35,000 feet above ground. Take a ground-based telescope and put it 40,000 feet into the air. What do you have? A new way to look at the universe. An infrared telescope designed to study star formation, extrasolar planets and other celestial phenomena opened its eye on the universe for the first time Wednesday, from a vantage point 35,000 feet above ground. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, took off from Palmdale, California, shortly before 1 a.m. EDT for an overnight trial run, the culmination of a 13-year development effort led by NASA and the German Aerospace Center. "Everyone is all smiles," said Nicholas Veronico, with the Universities Space Research Association, which operates the observatory for NASA. The 2.5-meter telescope -- three times larger than NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope -- is mounted into a modified Boeing 747 jet that is expected to fly two- to three times a week for ...
Tom's Astronomy Blog
27 May 2010, 17:42 UTC
Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977 and has since traveled 8,600 million miles from mother Earth. The four-year mission to Saturn has lasted 33 years and Voyager 2 enjoys the distinction of being one of two man-made objects at the very edge of the solar system. Voyager 1 is a little further out than [...] The Voyagers nearing the edge of the heliospheric bubble carved out by the solar wind. Art Credit: JPL / NASA Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977 and has since traveled 8,600 million miles from mother Earth. The four-year mission to Saturn has lasted 33 years and Voyager 2 enjoys the distinction of being one of two man-made objects at the very edge of the solar system. Voyager 1 is a little further out than Voyager 2, if 1 or 2 billion miles can be called “a little further”. Both Voyagers, built and operated by JPL, have been returning data. On April 22 changes in the return of data packets was noticed. At the time there was a moratorium on sending commands and a planned roll-maneuver and engineers were not able to send commands to the spacecraft until April 30th. Radio protocols ...
Voyager 2 Problem?
27 May 2010, 17:42 UTC
Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977 and has since traveled 8,600 million miles from mother Earth. The four-year mission to Saturn has lasted 33 years and Voyager 2 enjoys the distinction of being one of two man-made objects at the very edge of the solar system. Voyager 1 is a little further out than [...] The Voyagers nearing the edge of the heliospheric bubble carved out by the solar wind. Art Credit: JPL / NASA Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977 and has since traveled 8,600 million miles from mother Earth. The four-year mission to Saturn has lasted 33 years and Voyager 2 enjoys the distinction of being one of two man-made objects at the very edge of the solar system. Voyager 1 is a little further out than Voyager 2, if 1 or 2 billion miles can be called “a little further”. Both Voyagers, built and operated by JPL, have been returning data. On April 22 changes in the return of data packets was noticed. At the time there was a moratorium on sending commands and a planned roll-maneuver and engineers were not able to send commands to the spacecraft until April 30th. Radio protocols ...
SETI@home Project News
27 May 2010, 16:49 UTC
Here is the pdf of another paper presented at the Astrobiology Science Conference. This paper describes the various strategies and instruments developed by Berkeley SETI / CASPER team, with a focus on hardware.
New Paper Describing Berkeley SETI Instruments
27 May 2010, 16:49 UTC
Here is the pdf of another paper presented at the Astrobiology Science Conference. This paper describes the various strategies and instruments developed by Berkeley SETI / CASPER team, with a focus on hardware.
Astro Bob
27 May 2010, 16:01 UTC
One of the season's most distinctive flowers, bleeding hearts bloom in my wife's flower garden this week.
