A collection of items about, existing and planned space craft and space travel. 91 space craft 2012-02-07T00:18:53 Science Guy barry.david.adams@gmail.com Centauri Dreams 2012-02-06T13:49:21

I see that there is a symposium on the MarcoPolo-R mission coming up in late March, which reminds me that at a time when asteroid missions are increasingly in the news, I have yet to cover this one. It was about a year ago that the European Space Agency selected MarcoPolo-R as one of four [...]

b8f950e5c54fb8afdab476f1b58d8b49 Blog - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2012-02-02T01:03:11

By Marc Rayman As NASA’s Dawn spacecraft investigates its first target, the giant asteroid Vesta, Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer, shares a monthly update on the mission’s progress. The south pole of the giant asteroid Vesta, as imaged by the framing camera on NASA’s Dawn spacecraft in September 2011. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA | › Full image and caption [...]

d00b142b73a9907cea52c583ccca05cb Centauri Dreams 2012-02-01T14:32:49

The beauty of having spacecraft that far outlive their expected lives is that they can corroborate and supplement data coming in from much newer missions. That’s the case with our Voyager spacecraft as they continue their progress at system’s edge. The Voyagers will be moving outside the heliopause in not so many years, and when [...]

efc85055bca710f796d7aaac7ec27d35 Spacecraft Films 2012-01-31T21:42:12

f38d2555853cc35ce989280fb25e8784 Space blog 2012-01-30T15:29:28

Bright sparks redefine propulsion Space blog Bright sparks redefine propulsion CubeSats , like STRaND-1 are essential for the breakthrough of new technologies in the space industry . The relatively inexpensive CubeSat enables institutes and companies to test technologies and gain valuable flight heritage without risking millions or even billions of pounds of . investment STRaND-1, the joint project between SSTL and the Surrey Space Centre SSC is one of these exciting experimental satellites and it’s not only its smartphone that makes it exceptional . Engineers at the Surrey Space Centre have also developed a unique mass and power saving plasma propulsion system to fly on the satellite . This system will be the first propulsive technology to provide very precise attitude control and .

4cbfacffba1d1bb3dae6806323088b8b Astroengine.com 2012-01-29T23:12:31

What the hell is going on with this weather balloon craze? It seems that everything from beer to sushi is being sent “into space” these days. There’s only one problem… weather balloons don’t go into space! Launching random crap into the stratosphere may be fun and give some companies a fleeting marketing opportunity, but please, [...]

334f2456c8d31ec253543689f373151e Astroengine.com 2012-01-28T23:52:50

For more on this topic, you can listen to me chat with BBC 5live’s Dotun Adebayo (from “Up All Night” on Jan. 28 — at 1hr 26mins into the show) and check out the Al Jazeera article (“Gingrich promises US ‘moon base’ by 2020“) I was interviewed for. In case you haven’t heard, one of [...]

f728977faefab55863c163a3f4e3fad3 Centauri Dreams 2012-01-27T14:09:07

Confirming Kepler’s planet candidates is a crucial part of the process, because no matter how tantalizing a candidate appears to be, its existence needs to be verified. We have more than 60 confirmed Kepler planets and over 2300 candidates, many of which will eventually get confirmed, but it’s interesting to see that the mission’s latest [...]

2803c9f4abf5930e0a76655330cef758 Spacecraft Films 2012-01-27T13:36:12

8d838cc8705b4dbdd28dfb144d36ec67 Space blog 2012-01-27T08:00:00

ESA DG and UK Science Minister open Kepler facility Space blog ESA DG and UK Science Minister open Kepler facility Earlier this week , Jean-Jacques Dordain , the Director General of the European Space Agency ESA officially opened SSTL’s new Kepler building . The Director General unveiled a commemorative plaque with David Willetts , the Universities and Science Minister , at an event attended by guests from the UK and European space . sectors Dr Matt Perkins , Rt.Hon . David Willetts , Sir Martin Sweeting and Jean-Jacques Dordain mark the occasion with a . handshake The Director General was taken on a tour of the building by SSTL’s CEO Matt Perkins and Executive Chairman , Sir Martin Sweeting . On their rounds they viewed satellites currently under construction in the Kepler building ,

7cc5281ece21d636792abbd1ca8a8e0a Centauri Dreams 2012-01-26T14:10:51

Back in the days when I was studying Old Icelandic (this was a long time ago, well before Centauri Dreams), I took a bus out of Reykjavik for the short journey to Þingvellir, where the Icelandic parliament was established in the 10th Century. It was an unusually sunny day but that afternoon the storms rolled [...]

dd5e4bea5e8ea82ef0f431cb30931cc9 Centauri Dreams 2012-01-25T18:54:24

The methane/ethane cycle we see on Titan is reminiscent of the water cycle on Earth, which is what people are really talking about when they refer to this frigid place as vaguely ‘Earth-like’ — this is not exactly a temperate climate! But we have a long way to go in understanding just how the cycle [...]

d05f4946e2c4e55c38361cc4213f63b4 Space blog 2012-01-25T00:54:55

How solar storms affect you Space blog How solar storms affect you We are currently experiencing the effects of a solar storm . Since Monday morning , high-energy particles have been hurtling towards Earth from the Sun . This is the result of a Coronal Mass Ejection CME a sudden burst of electromagnetic energy and particles released into space from the Sun’s atmosphere . This Youtube video shows a large solar eruption that occurred in June , : 2011 In space , CME particles can collide with crucial electronics onboard a satellite , disrupting its systems . This is of particular concern in a region centred over a point close to the Falkland Islands , known as the South Atlantic Anomaly , where the Earth’s inner radiation belt comes closer to our planet’s surface . Normally satellites

1b1c1fc7126ab34f30fe94220c090aa3 Blog - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2012-01-24T20:35:04

By Julie Cooper Each month in “Slice of History” we feature a historical photo from the JPL Archives. See more historical photos and explore the JPL Archives at https://beacon.jpl.nasa.gov/. Surveyor 3 Camera Returned from the Moon — Photograph Number P-10709B In November 1969 Apollo 12 astronauts Alan Bean and Pete Conrad landed on the moon less than 600 [...]

9fcace9ce8aa25c5281dfcb927c0409f Space blog 2012-01-17T11:23:34

DMCii captures Rio flooding image Space blog DMCii captures Rio flooding image DMCii has acquired an image of the recent flooding in Brazil . Torrential rains and a broken dam caused the Paraiba do Sul river to burst its banks close to the coastal town of Atafona , Rio de Janiero . The level of the River reached 10.9m , 3 metres higher than normal meaning over 4,000 people had to be evacuated from the immediate area . As reported by the Rio Times the nearby town of Três Vendas was so badly affected that it was patrolled by city guards to prevent looting and the power was cut to prevent short circuits . occurring Flooding of Paraiba do Sul river . Image from UK-DMC2 SSTL 2012, supplied by . DMCii This is one of many flooding incidents in south-east Brazil with total evacuation numbers now

14220489db99b2ad0efce97d664f70a4 Space blog 2012-01-16T08:59:53

: All aboard : TechDemoSat-1 takes on payloads Space blog All aboard : TechDemoSat-1 takes on payloads The UK’s space technology demonstration satellite , TechDemoSat-1, is one step closer to completion . SSTL has received several of the eight payloads that will fly on the pioneering small satellite and the project team is busy integrating . them TechDemoSat-1, which is roughly the same size as a dishwasher , will trial new space technologies in orbit giving them much sought after flight time and encouraging the commercialisation of British . technologies TechDemoSat-1 Announced before Christmas , the first payload to be integrated is the Mullard Space Science Laboratory’s Charged Particle Spectrometer ChaPS that will detect electrons and ions simultaneously . ChaPS is a miniaturised

3907f1829fe151121c144f834cb70e41 Blog - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2012-01-12T21:43:39

By Marc Rayman As NASA’s Dawn spacecraft investigates its first target, the giant asteroid Vesta, Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer, shares a monthly update on the mission’s progress. This image, one of the first obtained by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft in its low altitude mapping orbit, shows part of the rim of a fresh crater on the giant [...]

12aee665aba4dabdf187c086e11b33a6 Space Tourist 2012-01-03T19:27:33

Employees of Virgin Galactic are starting to be relocated to Spaceport America in New Mexico. According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, “Virgin Galactic recently relocated U.K.-based staff to Las Cruces, advertised some new hiring and announced its leasing office space off Roadrunner Parkway – all signs of an operational ramp up in southern New Mexico [...]

a07f5adb3ad360c0358a0974646bd09d spacecraft «WordPress.com Tag Feed 2012-01-02T10:51:23

PASADENA, Calif. — The second of NASA’s two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GR

104334682f464ad4905ba4dc07664a0f spacecraft «WordPress.com Tag Feed 2012-01-02T09:00:48

Launch – November 9, 2011 Daylife/AP Photo used by permission A Russian spacecraft that became

4c9ad0ca7f97c0ecc29b75ce8d5c2923 spacecraft «WordPress.com Tag Feed 2012-01-01T15:46:29

Image via Wikipedia I can’t go to the moon.  Yes it bugs me that we don’t fly people to

61de7cf01807969ad2cbfb3818947f9e Astroengine.com 2011-12-31T09:49:01

As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on my absenteeism from Astroengine. But it’s not my fault, I’ve been typing like a madman for these guys. But that’s enough excuses, 2012 promises to be a huge year for space, and if I get my time management skills back up to scratch, there [...]

640190c7915d04b4fd4a7daea574a2ac spacecraft «WordPress.com Tag Feed 2011-12-30T20:31:35

The Long March rocket carrying the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou 8 blasts off from the launch pad at

4b124b5f0df5f32913a96808925782e3 Space Tourist 2011-12-27T22:31:03

The Space Development Co-op is starting on a 25-year plan to build a “space city” capable of housing up to 2 million people. The Space City, once completed will not require any supplies from Earth and will be completely self-sustaining. According to the website, “We have designs for a space habitat that will house 2 [...]

4245cb9f3c6fef32e0f7e9d97ec54387 Spacecraft Films 2011-12-23T17:46:26

575b73cc69df3f43c4e155c56fc8504e Space blog 2011-12-23T10:28:31

: 2011 in review : IAC to STRaND-1 Space blog 2011 in review : IAC to STRaND-1 We hope you enjoyed the first half of our year in review yesterday , but there’s more to cover and it is the season for giving after all In October the SSTL-50, SSTL’s new microsatellite platform , landed at The International Astronomical Congress IAC in Cape Town , South Africa . The SSTL-50 is a highly cost-effective satellite design that can be built and launched in just 12 months . Its small size also means that two SSTL-50’s can fit facing each other in a space head module so double the amount of satellites can be launched in one go . It doesn’t just redefine cost effective space again but its dual-mode design also offers scientific missions state-of-the-art innovation with the piece of mind of SSTL’s

78ebc32f591022b8d59ff49f7dece0a7 Space blog 2011-12-22T00:19:04

: 2011 in review : From UKSA to Kepler Space blog 2011 in review : From UKSA to Kepler In 2011 Europe has launched its first satellites into its future GNSS constellation , America has found Earth-like planet Kepler-22b while China has dominated space news , and Russia’s stricken Phobos-Grunt has brought the year to a close . Following the formation of the UK Space Agency in 2010, the UK has also had a busy year especially here at SSTL . We have seen important projects reach major milestones , celebrated anniversaries , and unveiled some very exciting new space technologies to the world . In February , the Disaster Monitoring Constellation celebrated its 10th birthday . This unique international collaboration was set up to gather and distribute images of disaster zones anywhere in the

3ea73f28106b1b492a7a023ac7ca4de0 Blog - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2011-12-09T20:20:48

By Steve Edberg The last lunar eclipse until 2014 will grace the sky on Saturday, Dec. 10. Steve Edberg, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shares the best viewing times and tips. For more lunar eclipse resources and to join NASA/JPL’s “I’m There: Lunar Eclipse” event, visit http://1.usa.gov/uBfAI8. Keith Burns submitted this winning photo of the [...]

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