Simulating tumbling reaction wheel reentry
Thursday, 11 April 2024 07:00
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A reaction wheel – one of the heaviest parts of a space mission, its changing rotation used to shift a satellite’s orientation – seen in a plasma wind tunnel belonging to the High Enthalpy Flow Diagnostics Group (HEFDiG) at the University of Stuttgart Institute of Space Systems (IRS). Arc-heated gas in the test chamber reaches speeds of several kilometres per second, reproducing reentry conditions, while the reaction wheel itself is being rotated, reproducing the tumbling that takes place as a satellite plunges through the atmosphere.
The reaction wheel itself comes from Collins Aerospace in Germany, which has supported Design for Demise (D4D) activities
Lunar I-Hab mock-up all set
Thursday, 11 April 2024 07:00 Write a comment
A mock-up of ESA’s habitation module on the upcoming lunar Gateway space station is now ready for testing at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, marking a step forward in bringing humans back to the Moon.
Space Team Europe for Ariane 6: Michel Bonnet
Thursday, 11 April 2024 07:00 Write a comment
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They say it takes a village to raise a child. To launch a rocket, we have the combined expertise and passion of Space Team Europe. Michel Bonnet is one of many making the first Ariane 6 launch possible, and has been interviewed as part of a series highlighting some of the people that make up this dream team.
“Who has not dreamed of working in the space sector?” he says, recalling how he built small rockets as a teenager using sodium chlorate, sulphur and sugar. In 1995, after years of work with helicopters and nuclear submarines, Michel started
SDA tests communications network with Norway
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 21:57
Kepler partners up for ESA’s optical data relay constellation
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 20:26
FAA: no current plans to tax commercial space launches
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 19:46
Through astronaut eyes, virtual reality propels gateway forward
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 19:37 Write a comment
NASA astronauts are using virtual reality to explore Gateway. When they slip on their headsets, they're not just seeing the station—they're in it, meticulously surveying every detail and offering crucial insights on design and functionality.
Astronauts living aboard the Gateway lunar space station will be the first humans to make their home in deep space. To fine-tune the design of the next-generation science lab, solar-powered spaceship, and home-away-from home for international teams of astronauts, NASA calls on the likes of Raja Chari and Nicole Mann, experienced astronauts who know a thing or two about living and working on a space station.
Commanders of the SpaceX Crew-3 and Crew-5 missions to the International Space Station, respectively, Chari and Mann recently brought their long-duration mission experience to bear when they strapped into virtual reality (VR) headsets to tour Gateway, humanity's first space station to orbit the moon.
New NASA strategy envisions sustainable future for space operations
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 19:36 Write a comment
To address a rapidly changing space operating environment and ensure its preservation for generations to come, NASA released the first part of its integrated Space Sustainability Strategy, on Tuesday advancing the agency's role as a global leader on this crucial issue.
"The release of this strategy marks true progress for NASA on space sustainability," said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. "Space is busy—and only getting busier. If we want to make sure that critical parts of space are preserved so that our children and grandchildren can continue to use them for the benefit of humanity, the time to act is now.
The Role of the Media in the Space Economy: The Kennedy Years to Current Day
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 18:55 Write a comment
More than six decades ago, astronaut Neil Armstrong made history by being the first person to set foot on the surface of the Moon. At the time, this crucial point of the Apollo 11 mission became the most-watched television broadcast in history - with an estimated 600 million people watching from around the world, it was a giant broadcast for a slowly emerging technology. TrustPoint Secures AFWERX Phase II Contract for Advanced Navigation Solutions
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 18:55 Write a comment
TrustPoint has secured a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract from AFWERX, valued at $1.6 million, aimed at advancing resilient navigation technologies for the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
AFWERX, in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, has refined the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and STTR processes to expedite proposals, broaden a Rocket Lab secures Space Force contract for STP-S30 launch
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 18:55 Write a comment
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has been awarded a $14.49 million task order by the U.S. Space Force (USSF) to launch an Electron mission from Launch Complex 2. The mission, called Space Test Program-30 (STP-S30) falls under the Space Systems Command (SSC) Assured Access to Space organization and is part of Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4).
The dedicated Electron launch is scheduled Biden says Japanese will be first non-American on moon
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 18:54 Write a comment
A Japanese person will be the first non-American to walk on the moon, US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday during a state visit by Japan's prime minister.
US-Japan "ties stretch up to the moon where two Japanese astronauts will join future American missions, and one will become the first non-American ever to land on the moon," Biden said during a press conference.
The United States has set a goal of returning to the moon for the first time since 1972. Only 12 people have walked on the moon, all of them Americans and all white men.
Under the Artemis program of NASA, the United States has also set a goal of sending a woman and a person of color to the moon.
The Artemis II mission expected in late 2025 will fly around the moon. The program's third mission—scheduled for the end of 2026 but facing possible further delays—intends to land humans on the lunar surface.
© 2024 AFP
Pentagon research chief calls for commercial radiation-hardened electronics
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 18:00
Small Astranis GEO broadband satellites are getting bigger
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 18:00
OK, the eclipse was cool, but those glasses aren't. Now what?
Wednesday, 10 April 2024 16:20 Write a comment
OK, you hopped on the eclipse bandwagon, did your research and viewed the celestial miracle responsibly. But now what are you going to do with those odd-looking glasses?
Fact is, you won't need them again in most of the U.S. for a couple of decades, and some glasses are good only for about three years. (The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. is in 2044, according to NASA.)
That's where a group called Astronomers Without Borders comes in. Instead of letting the goofy goggles pile up in landfills, they're collecting them to send around the world so people in Africa, Asia and South and Central America will have a safe way to stare in awe as the moon blots out the sun over their homes.
Another group, Eclipse Glasses U.S., focuses on kids in developing countries who will have learned about an upcoming eclipse in school but might not have access to the glasses they'll need to safely take a long, hard look.
"It's not just about viewing an eclipse; it's about bridging gaps, connecting people through a shared experience and igniting a passion for the cosmos in young hearts," according to the Eclipse Glasses website.