The passing of John Glenn on December 8th, 2016, signified the end of an era in American spaceflight in more ways than one. The loss of Glenn marked not only the death of the first American to orbit the Earth, but also the last of the famed “Mercury 7” group of test pilots who formed […]
By any measure, the Drudge Report is one of the most influential media websites in the world. So what does it mean when Drudge develops a fascination with space? In the weeks since the U.S. presidential election vaulted Donald Trump to the on-deck position of the most powerful job in the world, Drudge has been […]
After sitting out a one-day delay due to weather conditions in West Texas, Blue Origin conducted a much anticipated in-flight abort test of its New Shepard rocket and capsule this morning, stunning the aerospace world with a successful recovery of both elements. The capsule recovery, which was after all the point of the test, came […]
If there were any possibility that SpaceX founder Elon Musk would step back from a highly anticipated announcement of his company’s next big booster in September in deference to the current Falcon 9 investigation, it has likely been erased by the bombshell dropped by Jeff Bezos on Monday. It came in the form of a […]
In his latest newsletter, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos teases an upcoming in-flight escape test of the New Shepard capsule aboard the similarly named booster. While there is not an announced date, Bezos says it will take place in early October, and will be broadcast for your “viewing pleasure.” The test, which is described in […]
Responding to a letter from Congressman Mike Rogers, (R) Al, the GAO has released a report summarizing a presentation made before the House Armed Services Committee on June 6. The report, which is focused on the space launch capabilities of other nations, was requested as the Air Force prepares to structure the next phase of […]
In a post to email subscribers, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos today detailed the results of the company’s recent test launch in which it deliberately failed one of three parachutes which bring its suborbital crew capsule safely to ground. Under ordinary circumstances, Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule descents to land under the canopy of three […]
Blue Origin is continuing to make progress on multiple fronts. In a newsletter post, company founder Jeff Bezos tells subscribers that his company is advancing testing of the BE-4 LNG engine through construction of two new test cells. The first of those is a pressure-fed cell which will be used to support development of the preburner […]
A bit of rocket science courtesy of Jeff Bezos: In the BE-4 preburner, a very small portion of the engine’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel mixes and burns with all of the engine’s liquid oxygen to produce hot gaseous oxygen, which is used to drive the turbine and spin the turbopumps. Oxygen and LNG burn […]
This could be the year of the real thing. In an interview conducted just days after his company completed the second successful suborbital launch of its New Shepard rocket, Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson indicated that 2016 should see the same vehicle fly “again and again” as it begins building the experience base which will lead […]
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