Archive for November, 2016

A View To a Kill: Congress Takes Aim at NASA’s ARM

A View To a Kill: Congress Takes Aim at NASA’s ARM

While NASA watchers are still guessing at what direction the incoming Trump administration will assign to America’s space agency, it is increasingly obvious that it won’t include the outgoing Obama administration’s badly beleaguered and generally unloved Asteroid Redirect Mission, or ARM. That mission would see a small boulder plucked off a Near Earth Asteroid by […]

Posted in: NASA
NASA’s Space Poop Challenge

NASA’s Space Poop Challenge

Two inextricably linked stories for the reader to digest: Space Food Bars Will Keep Orion Weight Off and Crew Weight On “Because flights to deep space will not rely on resupply spacecraft to deliver what astronauts need and dispose of trash, the Orion crew will have to take everything they need with them and bring […]

Posted in: NASA, SLS / Orion
Pinning Down the Source of Astronaut’s Blurred Vision

Pinning Down the Source of Astronaut’s Blurred Vision

In recent years, NASA physicians have become increasingly alarmed regarding a tendency among astronauts to suffer from blurred vision upon their return to Earth. The immediate culprit appeared to a flattening of the back of the eyeball combined with aggravation of the optic nerve, but what precisely has been causing the changes has been a […]

Posted in: Space Science
A Massive, and Very Accessible Ice Deposit on Mars

A Massive, and Very Accessible Ice Deposit on Mars

For future colonists, Mars’ Utopia Planitia  or “Plains of Paradise” may be rather aptly named despite its less than appealing appearance. In a paper highlighted last week on NASA.gov, scientists using the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s shallow ground penetrating radar (SHARAD) have concluded that the region contains a volume of ice equivalent to the amount of […]

Posted in: Mars
Pluto’s “Heart” May Be Proof Of An Ocean Below

Pluto’s “Heart” May Be Proof Of An Ocean Below

When NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sailed past Pluto on July 14th, 2015, it gathered a treasure trove of information regarding what used to be the 9th planet. Among the most intriguing was an odd “heart shaped” feature on Pluto’s surface which is clearly of more recent origin than what surrounds it. Now, a new study […]

Posted in: NASA, Outer Planets
SpaceX: The Sexiest Broadband You Can Buy

SpaceX: The Sexiest Broadband You Can Buy

After a high-profile, media-free opening of its Seattle area office in 2015, SpaceX has been rather circumspect about its plans to build and launch a satellite constellation to provide global broadband access. Until this week, that is. On Tuesday, SpaceX’ officially pulled the cover off of its plans in the form of an application filed […]

Posted in: SpaceX
NASA RFI Suggests Support for Orion May Be Slipping

NASA RFI Suggests Support for Orion May Be Slipping

As it prepares for possible changes to U.S. space policy with the election of a new president, NASA has quietly opened the door to what could be a major revision to its flagship Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The story, written at Ars Technica by veteran space reporter Eric Berger, concerns a Request for […]

Posted in: NASA, SLS / Orion
With Trump Victory, Is The Moon Rising In A Big Way?

With Trump Victory, Is The Moon Rising In A Big Way?

Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election has raised a number of interesting questions regarding what substantive changes, if any, may be coming in the way of American space policy. Whereas Hillary Clinton’s transition team was reportedly prepared to show up at NASA headquarters when the doors opened the morning after her victory, […]

Posted in: NASA, SLS / Orion
15,000 Near Earth Asteroids: Your Election Day Getaway

15,000 Near Earth Asteroids: Your Election Day Getaway

“I don’t know where I’m a gonna go when the Volcano blows” – Mr. James Buffet On a day on which some portion of the U.S. population may be prone to a contemplating a permanent change of address, perhaps it is time to consider the long term prospects of what may be the the ultimate […]

Posted in: Asteroids
SpaceX Aims for Return to Flight Next Month

SpaceX Aims for Return to Flight Next Month

After an exhaustive investigation, one which company founder Elon Musk said is “the toughest puzzle to solve that we’ve ever had to solve,” SpaceX has positively identified the cause of a September 1st pre-flight test that destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and its Amos-6 payload. Confirmation came from Musk via a wide-ranging Friday interview on […]

Posted in: SpaceX
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