Wed, Aug 21, 2019
Center Has Played A Key Role In Every American Human Space Mission Since The Mercury Program
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine was joined Friday by U.S. Representatives Mo Brooks and Robert Aderholt of Alabama and Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to announce the center’s new role leading the agency’s Human Landing System Program for its return to the Moon by 2024.
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Wed, Aug 21, 2019
New Study Uses Data From Spitzer Space Telescope
A new study using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope provides a rare glimpse of conditions on the surface of a rocky planet orbiting a star beyond the Sun. The study, published today in the journal Nature, shows that the planet's surface may resemble those of Earth's Moon or Mercury: The planet likely has little to no atmosphere and could be covered in the same cooled volcanic material found in the dark areas of the Moon's surface, called mare.
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Tue, Aug 20, 2019
Will Begin With Cargo Resupply And Return Service Flight To ISS In 2021
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has selected United Launch Alliance (ULA) as the launch vehicle provider for the Dream Chaser spacecraft's six NASA missions to the International Space Station. The Dream Chaser will launch aboard ULA's Vulcan Centaur rockets for its cargo resupply and return services to the space station, starting in 2021.
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Tue, Aug 20, 2019
Also: Saildrone Circumnavigates Antarctica, Falcon Research Project, AUVSI Innovation Challenge, Drone Traffic Testing
The Air Force Research Laboratory and DZYNE Technologies successfully completed a two-hour initial flight of a revolutionary Robotic Pilot Unmanned Conversion Program called ROBOpilot Aug. 9 at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. “Imagine being able to rapidly and affordably convert a general aviation aircraft, like a Cessna or Piper, into an unmanned aerial vehicle, having it fly a mission autonomously, and then returning it back to its original manned configuration,” said Dr. Alok Das, Senior Scientist with AFRL’s Center for Rapid Innovation. ROBOpilot interacts with an aircraft the same way as a human pilot would. Amazon has petitioned the FAA for a waiver from several current rules governing UAVs to allow the company to begin delivery services with its MK27 drone. Waivers requested by Amazon would, among other things, allow the aircraft to o
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Tue, Aug 20, 2019
Won't Approach Earth Again Until November 2020
SpaceX made a big splash when a red Tesla Roadster was launched into space during the first test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket with a mannequin named "Starman" sitting in the driver's seat. Now, more than 550 days after being launched, the car and its "occupant" have completed their first orbit of the sun.
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Mon, Aug 19, 2019
One Of The Ultimate Events For Unrepentant Space Buffs ...
By Wes Oleszewski, ANN Spaceflight Analyst
From August 8 through August 11, 2019 space buffs from all over the planet converged on Tucson, Arizona for the tenth volume of the gathering know as "Spacefest." Presented by the folks at Novaspace, Spacefest draws crowds of spaceflight fans as well as astronauts, mission controllers, authors, speakers, artists and space stuff vendors to the beautiful Marriot Starr Pass Resort in the desert hills five miles west of Tucson. For anyone who has an interest in space, attending Spacefest is the experience of a lifetime. I first attended Spacefest in 2016 intending to sell some of my spaceflight books and to make some handy cash. What I discovered, however, is that the event is far more than that. The first day, as I was on my way to the ballroom to set up my table, I walked in and came nearly face to face with Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise. As casually as can be we started talking about his flying the M2-F1. That is the
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Mon, Aug 19, 2019
Final Four Site Candidates Selected For Asteroid Sample Return
Outside of the upcoming return to the moon, this may be one of the most interesting missions on NASA's plate... After months grappling with the rugged reality of asteroid Bennu’s surface, the team leading NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission has selected four potential sites for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to “tag” its cosmic dance partner. Since its arrival in December 2018, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has mapped the entire asteroid in order to identify the safest and most accessible spots for the spacecraft to collect a sample. These four sites now will be studied in further detail in order to select the final two sites – a primary and backup – in December.
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Mon, Aug 19, 2019
How Do You Rent Out One Of The World's Largest Buildings?
After spending more than 50 years supporting NASA’s human spaceflight programs, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), a landmark at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is getting its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman will assemble and test its new OmegA rocket inside the massive facility’s High Bay 2, one of four high bays in the building. Officials with NASA, Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force gathered in High Bay 2 on Aug. 16 to celebrate the partnership with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by legislative representatives and spaceport employees. The company also is modifying mobile launcher platform-3 (MLP-3) to serve as the launch vehicle’s assembly and launch platform. Both the VAB and MLP-3 were originally built for the Apollo Program and went on to enable the three-decade Space Shuttle Program. The VAB also will be the assembly site for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, which will carry the Orion spacecraft on Artemis missi
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Mon, Aug 19, 2019
Also: VMS Eve Arrives 'Home', Bell 407GXi IFR Cert, Advanced G550 Course, Fake Mechanic
Somewhere, there are two US Navy Blue Angel pilots who possess some very LUCKY rabbit's feet. The US Navy has confirmed that a Wednesday practice flight went awry when two Blue Angel F/A-18s came into contact with each other... thankfully, without any serious damage or injury. Blue Angel Spokesperson, Lt. Michelle Tucker, described the incident on behalf of Rear Admiral Daniel Dwyer, chief of naval air training... "The No. 3 canopy made momentary contact with the underside of No. 1's outer wing during the Diamond 360 maneuver," she noted. Tecnam has announced that the FAA has awarded a full Type Certificate to the P2012 Traveller with the number A00076CE under Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Tecnam is now on track to commence deliveries, beginning with the first 20 of the one hundred P2012 Travellers awaited by Cape Air in Massachusetts. The first few P2012 Travelle
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