Blue Origin says will fly 18-year-old to space on July 20
Thursday, 15 July 2021 14:18
Blue Origin said Thursday an 18-year-old paying customer will fly to space on board the company's maiden crewed spaceflight on July 20, becoming the youngest ever astronaut.
Oliver Daemen, who graduated from high school in 2020 and holds a private pilot's license, is not the winner of a $28 million auction, who has asked to remain anonymous and will fly on a future mission, the company said.
"This marks the beginning of commercial operations for New Shepard, and Oliver represents a new generation of people who will help us build a road to space," said Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin.
Flying on New Shepard will fulfill a lifelong dream for Daemen, who has been fascinated by space, the Moon, and rockets since he was four, a statement said.
He plans to attend the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands to study physics and innovation management this September.
Daemen joins Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, Jeff's brother Mark, and Wally Funk aboard the first human flight involving the New Shepard spaceship.
At 18-years-old and 82-years-young, Daemen and Funk will be the youngest and oldest astronauts to travel to space.
18-year-old joining Blue Origin's 1st passenger spaceflight
Thursday, 15 July 2021 14:18 Blue Origin said Thursday an 18-year-old paying customer will fly to space on board the company's maiden crewed spaceflight on July 20, becoming the youngest ever astronaut.
Oliver Daemen, who graduated from high school in 2020 and holds a private pilot's license, is not the winner of a $28 million auction, who has asked to remain anonymous and will fly on a future mission, the company said.
"This marks the beginning of commercial operations for New Shepard, and Oliver represents a new generation of people who will help us build a road to space," said Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin.
Flying on New Shepard will fulfill a lifelong dream for Daemen, who has been fascinated by space, the Moon, and rockets since he was four, a statement said.
He plans to attend the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands to study physics and innovation management this September.
Daemen joins Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, Jeff's brother Mark, and Wally Funk aboard the first human flight involving the New Shepard spaceship.
At 18-years-old and 82-years-young, Daemen and Funk will be the youngest and oldest astronauts to travel to space.
Video: 30 years go, the ERS-1 sent its first image back to Earth
Thursday, 15 July 2021 13:11ESA's first Earth observation mission dedicated to understanding our planet, the European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1), was launched into orbit on 17 July 1991. At the time, it was the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft developed and launched by Europe.
Thirty years ago, as the team went through the launch and early-orbit phase, the first synthetic aperture radar images were awaited in Kiruna and Fucino. Featuring video footage taken in 1991, the team involved tells the story of the anxious moments and important breakthroughs they made as the first images arrived.
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Thursday, 15 July 2021 11:58
TAMPA, Fla. — Astranis has started building four very small geostationary orbit satellites as it gears up to produce dozens and later hundreds of them simultaneously.
“This is the beginning of a ramp-up of our production rate,” Astranis CEO John Gedmark said.
China’s Zhurong Mars rover visits own parachute
Thursday, 15 July 2021 11:18
HELSINKI — China’s Zhurong rover has approached and imaged the parachute and backshell which helped the vehicle land safely on Mars.
Blue Origin donates New Shepard auction proceeds to space nonprofit groups
Thursday, 15 July 2021 10:43
WASHINGTON — With less than a week before its first crewed suborbital spaceflight, Blue Origin is distributing some of the proceeds from an auction for one of the seats on that flight to a group of space-related nonprofit organizations.
NASA seeks proposals for commercial space station development
Thursday, 15 July 2021 10:01
WASHINGTON — NASA is seeking proposals for a program to support the development of commercial space stations, even as funding for that effort is in jeopardy in Congress.
NASA published a request for proposals July 12 for its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development, or CLD, program.
New Vacancy: Director of Navigation
Thursday, 15 July 2021 10:00
The European Space Agency is currently looking for a new Director of Navigation to join its Executive Board and support the Director General, with responsibility for relevant ESA activities and overall objectives.
ERS-1: the first image
Thursday, 15 July 2021 07:00
Video:
00:23:29
ESA’s first Earth observation mission dedicated to understanding our planet, the European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1), was launched into orbit on 17 July 1991. At the time, it was the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft developed and launched by Europe.
Thirty years ago, as the team went through the launch and early-orbit phase, the first synthetic aperture radar images were awaited in Kiruna and Fucino. Featuring video footage taken in 1991, the team involved tells the story of the anxious moments and important breakthroughs they made as the first images arrived.
Features interviews with:
Stephen Coulson, Former Earth Observation
ERS-1 first image: solving the mystery
Thursday, 15 July 2021 07:00
Video:
00:23:29
ESA’s first Earth observation mission dedicated to understanding our planet, the European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1), was launched into orbit on 17 July 1991. At the time, it was the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft developed and launched by Europe.
Thirty years ago, as the team went through the launch and early-orbit phase, the first synthetic aperture radar images were awaited in Kiruna and Fucino. Featuring video footage taken in 1991, the team involved tells the story of the anxious moments and important breakthroughs they made as the first images arrived.
Features interviews with:
Stephen Coulson, Former Earth Observation
NASA announces Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Reactor Concept Awards
Thursday, 15 July 2021 05:26
NASA is leading an effort, working with the Department of Energy (DOE), to advance space nuclear technologies. The government team has selected three reactor design concept proposals for a nuclear thermal propulsion system. The reactor is a critical component of a nuclear thermal engine, which would utilize high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel.
The contracts, to be awarded through the DOE' FAA reveals new system to track space launches
Thursday, 15 July 2021 05:26
Rocket launches and spacecraft landings will be tracked and monitored along with airplane traffic to enhance safety in a new program announced Thursday by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA hopes the new space tracking system, called Space Data Integrator, will increase efficiency in the space launch industry by minimizing the need to close airspace around rocket launches for ext Northrop Grumman Builds Hypersonic Center of Excellence to Support National Security
Thursday, 15 July 2021 05:26
Northrop Grumman has broken ground on a Hypersonics Center of Excellence to support the U.S. military and its allies in the fight against evolving threats. Through its investments in digital engineering and smart infrastructure at its Elkton, Maryland facility, Northrop Grumman will provide full lifecycle production for hypersonic weapons, from design and development to production and integratio New research suggests explosive volcanic activity on Venus
Thursday, 15 July 2021 05:26
Traces of the gas phosphine point to volcanic activity on Venus, according to new research from Cornell University.
Last autumn, scientists revealed that phosphine was found in trace amounts in the planet's upper atmosphere. That discovery promised the slim possibility that phosphine serves as a biological signature for the hot, toxic planet.
Now Cornell Four newly found exoplanets may offer insights into Earth's teenage years
Thursday, 15 July 2021 05:26
Astronomers have discovered four nearby exoplanets they hope will help scientists learn about Earth's poorly understood teenage years.
The exoplanets were found orbiting two known stars, TOI 2076 and TOI 1807, which were born from the same gas cloud some 200 million years ago.
Both of the stars are K-dwarfs, or orange dwarfs, which are medium-sized, hydrogen-burning main sequence