Archive for November, 2012

A Planet of Fire and (Ice?)

A Planet of Fire and (Ice?)

At first glance, the solar system’s innermost planet generally conjures up images of a blistering hot, sun-baked ball of rock which would be one of the last places one would expect to find water ice.  That was considered to be the case until 1991, when the Arecibo radar telescope in Puerto Rico, as well as NASA’s Goldstone/VLA  detected reflections from Mercury which appeared to indicate the presence of water ice […]

Posted in: NASA
NARO Launched Scrubbed Again

NARO Launched Scrubbed Again

Source: Yonhap News Agency South Korea’s ongoing attempt to join the group of space-faring nations has been put on hold yet again.  The launch of the two stage KSLV-3 / NARO rocket, which had been set for 4 PM local time, was called off 17 minutes prior to liftoff due to “abnormal signals from the thrust vector system of […]

So Many Seas to Sail

So Many Seas to Sail

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, working with the European Space agency’s Herschel Space Observatory has announced the discovery of large concentrations of comets in two solar systems relatively close to our own.  With both systems likely to contain rocky planets,  the presence of so many water bearing comets, at a concentration 10 times greater than found in our own solar system,  […]

Posted in: Space Science
Consolidating the Russian Space Industry

Consolidating the Russian Space Industry

Source: RIANOVSTI It would perhaps be more than a little overreach to describe the state of the Russian space industry as a “train wreck,” but news that a Proton rocket, scheduled to launch the Satmex-8 telecommunications satellite  was damaged during rail transport last week  and will be need to be replaced, does little to bolster confidence in the […]

Musk, Mars and Methane

Musk, Mars and Methane

In a lecture delivered to the Royal Aeronautical Society on November 16,  SpaceX Founder Elon Musk revealed a few more details about the company’s next engine project, and seemingly summed up the future this way:  “Its gonna be methane.” The transition to a methane fueled engine marks a logical and necessary step in developing a cost efficient Mars transportation […]

NARO Launch Set for Thursday

NARO Launch Set for Thursday

Source: Chosun Media The next launch attempt for South Korea’s NARO / KSLV-3 launch vehicle has been set for 4:00 PM local time, on Thursday, November 29th.  The launch window lasts through December 4th. If liftoff does not occur within this time frame, the next attempt will be delayed until 2013.

Clarification of SpaceX CRS-1 “glitch” Article

Clarification of SpaceX CRS-1 “glitch” Article

A previous version of this article contained erroneous information on several accounts.  The corrections, which are significant, are illustrative of the unique approach SpaceX is taking in its Falcon / Dragon system. Innerspace.net originally reported that during a meeting of the NASA  Advisory Council’s  Human Exploration and Operations Committee, ISS Station Manager Mike Suffredini discussed […]

Launch Updates:   NARO 11/29 ;   Antares Next Year

Launch Updates: NARO 11/29 ; Antares Next Year

After a replacement fueling block from Russia arrived by air on Saturday,  the Korean Aerospace Research Institute has set Nov. 29th as the new tentative  launch date for its NARO rocket.  If all goes as planned, liftoff will occur  at 4:00 PM local time.   This will mark the third and final flight for the NARO, or KSLV-3 as it is formally designated, and the end […]

ISS Expedition 33 Lands Safely in Kazakhstan

ISS Expedition 33 Lands Safely in Kazakhstan

At 7:56 PM CST, 7:56 AM Local time on Nov 19th,  the Soyuz Capsule containing ISS Expedition Crew members Yuri Malechenko, Sunita Williams and  Akihiko Hoshide returned to Earth 52 miles NE of the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan.  The somewhat inelegant, but very typical Soyuz landing saw the capsule come to a rest on its side, in freezing conditions on a steppe […]

Posted in: NASA, Soyuz
CASIS Inducts First Permanent Board Members

CASIS Inducts First Permanent Board Members

  CASIS, the Center for Advancement of Science in Space, the organization which operates the US National Laboratory aboard the International Space Station announced the names of its first permanent Board of Directors on November 16.  After what has at times been a rocky start,  which saw the resignation of its first director after only a few […]

Posted in: CASIS
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