On May 30, 1971, Mariner 9 was launched from LC-36B at Cape Canaveral. It was a potentially historic launch because if it was successful, it would be the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. However, Mariner 9 wouldn’t be alone on its journey; in fact, it would be in a race.
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New thermal nuclear engine design is twice as efficient as chemical rockets
Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies (USNC) has come up with a design concept for a new type of rocket engine. The engine, which is sponsored by NASA, is powered by “nuclear thermal propulsion,” and the company claims that it could be twice as efficient as typical chemical-burning rocket engines used today.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts complete dress rehearsal for upcoming launch
Today at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi performed a dress rehearsal. The crew is preparing for a launch onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft sitting atop a Falcon 9 rocket that will carry them to the International Space Station.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s Hubble Space Telescope detects an unusually bright kilonova, baffling astronomers
Back in May, light from an unusual explosion finally reached Earth’s telescopes. First spotted by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, other telescopes from around the world also quickly pointed their sights toward the event. What astronomers were witnessing was a massive burst of gamma rays.
Expand Expanding CloseTeledyne Brown Engineering to supply NASA with two additional Launch Vehicle Stage Adapters
Teledyne Brown Engineering is an engineering company that provides its customers with advanced manufacturing solutions in many different industries, including space. Today, the company announced that it had been awarded an $85 million modification to one of its NASA contracts.
Expand Expanding CloseNew photo book shows what it’s like to live in space
Most of us down here on Earth are aware that the International Space Station (ISS) exists and that astronauts spend about six months at a time there. But what we don’t seem to consider are the challenges introduced by living in such a zero-gravity environment. That’s exactly what Pablo Nespoli, an astronaut who has spent a total of 313 days onboard the ISS, decided to write a book about.
Expand Expanding CloseAnalysts believe SpaceX is greatly subsidizing the Starlink starter kit cost
SpaceX’s Starlink has been in the news quite a bit lately. Beta users of the service have finally gotten their hands on the starter kits and have been able to test them in the real world. But the one thing that has stood out the most seems to be the cost of the starter kit.
Expand Expanding CloseBoeing and Northrop Grumman successfully demonstrate a working open Airborne Early Warning & Control system
Boeing’s Early Warning & Control system was successfully tested in conjunction with one of Northrop Grumman’s advanced sensors earlier this week. This success marks a significant step forward for the two companies demonstrating an open mission system potential.
Expand Expanding CloseRaytheon set to acquire Blue Canyon Technologies in 2021
Raytheon is an aerospace and defense company that “provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide.” Now, the corporation is extending its reach into space by acquiring the small satellite company, Blue Canyon.
Expand Expanding CloseLOFAR radio telescope detects first brown dwarf using new technique
LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) is the world’s largest radio telescope that operates at the lowest frequencies possible from Earth. Astronomers there announced earlier this week that they had used a new detection technique to discover a brown dwarf.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s Mars Sample Return Campaign gets approval from review board
Earlier this week, NASA released an independent review report with a detailed approval of the agency’s Mars Sample Return Campaign. NASA hired this outside review board for the sole purpose of evaluating how to transport Martian rocks back to Earth safely.
Expand Expanding CloseSecond cable in three months snaps at hurricane-damaged Arecibo Observatory
Back in mid-August, an auxiliary cable that was part of the Arecibo Observatory broke, severely damaging the reflector dish and bringing the observatory offline. Now it appears the same observatory has experienced a second auxiliary cable snap and even more damage.
Expand Expanding CloseUp close with SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon before Crew-1 astronauts launch on Saturday [Gallery]
A crew of four astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, ahead of the launch set to happen this Saturday (November 14). The astronauts are Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, Michael Hopkins, and Soichi Noguchi.
Expand Expanding CloseJupiter’s radiation causes Europa to glow in the dark
Jupiter has 79 moons that we currently know about, but some are more interesting and hence studied more. One of these more interesting moons is Europa, and NASA just discovered that it actually glows in the dark.
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX gets approval to provide internet via Starlink in Canada
It looks like SpaceX has finally received approval from the Canadian government to begin offering Starlink internet service in the country. The announcement came on Friday from the Canadian government’s official Twitter account.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA honors long-running “Jeopardy!” host, Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek, the beloved host of Jeopardy!, sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 80.
Expand Expanding CloseMeet Launcher, a company attempting to develop ‘the world’s most efficient rocket’
Max Haot has had a successful career in the tech sector. His company Livestream was acquired by Vimeo in 2017. Before that, Haot developed the software platform used for IMG Media, something Verizon later acquired in 2005. These days Haot does something slightly different; he’s the founder of a space industry company called Launcher.
Expand Expanding CloseHow NASA is using cutting-edge technology to monitor global sea levels
Every single year, sea levels around the globe are rising at an alarming rate. Because of this, NASA has been monitoring sea-level changes for the past 28 years, starting in 1992.
Expand Expanding CloseMeet the inventor they call ‘the real life Iron Man’ [Video]
Many of you have probably seen him on TV or in a YouTube video before but aren’t even aware of it. We’re talking about a man named Richard Browning, the founder of a personal jetpack company call Gravity Industries.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s SLS rocket to the Moon risks buggy software, expert worries
NASA is currently full steam ahead when it comes to its Artemis space program. A large component of Artemis is the launch vehicle that will transport astronauts and cargo to the Moon. That’s where issues may be developing, and not in ways you might suspect.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA’s Hubble Space Telescope begins Ultraviolet survey of a wide variety of nearby stars
The Space Telescope Science Institute has partnered with NASA to undertake what will be Hubble’s most extensive observation program to date. The program will entail the Hubble Space Telescope, making Ultraviolet light observations of nearby young and mature stars.
Expand Expanding CloseVirgin Galactic releases Q3 2020 financial results, discusses upcoming launch
Virgin Galactic just released the company’s third-quarter financial results for this year. The financial results go over a few crucial progressions that have recently been made as well as key financial highlights.
Expand Expanding CloseElon Musk says lowering the Starlink terminal cost is the most difficult aspect of the service
Starlink is Elon Musk’s attempt at bringing high-speed internet access to people across the globe, regardless of where they may live. The idea behind the service is a sound one, but the hardware cost associated with the service may prove to be a hurdle for many potential users.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA is looking for partners to ‘capture the awe of Apollo for a new generation’
Over the next decade, NASA plans to explore the moon and hopefully establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. However, this time around, NASA wants partners to strap camera equipment to their space-faring vehicles to “visually bring the public along for the ride in new ways.”
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