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SpaceX test-fires its ‘super’ rocket engines (video)

Ahmet — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Spaceflight start-up, SpaceX, has been demonstrating the potency of its SuperDraco rockets, testing at its own facility over in Texas. The rockets will help land its Dragon spacecraft — as demonstrated in a swish animation last year.

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SpaceX test-fires its ‘super’ rocket engines (video)

China promises to put more humans in space, less trash

Ahmet — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:34:00 +0000

China’s recent Beidu GPS launches were mere firecrackers compared to its space ambitions for the next five years. These have been laid out in a 17-page government document, which fortunately reduces down to just a few key points once you filter out the abstract bluster

J-2X rocket passes second test, proves NASA can still have a blast (video)

Ahmet — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:09:00 +0000

NASA’s next generation rocket engine has passed its second wave of experiments, blasting through a 500-second test burst. The new rocket is primed to power the agency’s forthcoming Space Launch System, currently pegged for launch in 2017. The Orion spacecraft will be able to piggyback on the SLS, expanding the range of space travel, and bringing that final frontier just a little bit closer. Check out the thrust needed to launch up to 130 metric tons into space in the test video right after the break.

Continue reading J-2X rocket passes second test, proves NASA can still have a blast (video)

J-2X rocket passes second test, proves NASA can still have a blast (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it

Ahmet — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:05:00 +0000

Got a hankering for homebrewed aeronautics? You might wanna reach out to the folks at eRocketry — a self-described “Online Rocketry and Space Community.” Earlier this week, at the tenth annual Plaster Blaster event in California, a group of eRocketeers made their grand debut, successfully launching a Delta II Model 7420-10 Rocket into the ether, along with an onboard camera. Constructed by space enthusiasts from Tripoli San Diego and the Diego Area Rocket Team (DART), the 1:9 scale rocket (pictured above) stands nearly 14 feet tall, with a diameter of just 10.75 inches. After eRocketry founder Philip Odegard attached a Contour HD camera to his creation, the beast triumphantly soared above the desert sky, reaching an altitude of 2,272 feet. Fortunately for all of us, the camera survived the journey, capturing some pretty cool footage along the way. Check it out for yourself after the break, or hit up the source link for more images.

[Thanks, Keith]

Continue reading eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it

eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EU to launch first two Galileo satellites today, as sat-nav system lurches forward

Ahmet — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system has been beset by delays and budget overruns in recent months, but its future is looking slightly brighter, now that its first two satellites are primed for launch. The European Space Agency is expected to send the satellites into space today, as part of a long-term project that will cost an estimated €7 billion (around $9.6 billion). Slated to take off from Kourou, French Guiana, the pair of satellites will ride on the back of a Russian rocket to an altitude of nearly 15,000 miles, where they’ll test system functions both in space and on Earth. If all goes according to plan, they’ll also become Galileo’s first operational satellites, paving the way, officials hope, for many more to follow. In fact, the European Commission is looking to complete the 30-satellite constellation by the year 2019, with two scheduled to launch during every quarter, beginning in 2012. The idea, of course, is to offer Europeans an alternative to US-operated GPS, with a free consumer service scheduled to launch in 2014, followed by a more precise, paid service in 2020. Nevertheless, budgetary concerns loom large over the project, which, according to the EC, has already racked up a development and deployment bill of over €5 billion ($6.8 billion), since 2003. The commission will present a finalized proposal to EU member governments by the end of the year, in the hopes of obtaining that extra €7 billion, though it may face more acute criticism, considering today’s dour economic climate. It remains unlikely, however, that Galileo will be totally shut down, as the EU says it could bring in an extra €90 billion over the next 20 years.

EU to launch first two Galileo satellites today, as sat-nav system lurches forward originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Future SpaceX rockets will set you down gently after your long commute (video)

Ahmet — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:55:00 +0000

Elon Musk’s space ferries will one day require nothing so prosaic as parachutes to soften their landings. Instead, SpaceX’s latest ‘Dragon’ design will rely totally on rocket boosters for the final leg of its descent. In fact, take that notion and triple it: it’s intended that each of the Dragon’s three sub-sections will be able to return to earth separately under boost power, making the system 100 percent reusable. Check out the slick animation after the break and then see this for a dose of reality.

Continue reading Future SpaceX rockets will set you down gently after your long commute (video)

Future SpaceX rockets will set you down gently after your long commute (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiny ‘jumping robots’ have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5

Ahmet — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:27:00 +0000

Perhaps calling an immobile plastic bug with explosives strapped to its underside a “jumping robot” is a bit of a stretch, but who are we to argue with the Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland. The two groups have collaborated to create a pair of “robots” that measure just a few millimeters in size but can jump several centimeters in the air. One uses a spring like mechanism (which an operator must press down with a pair of tweezers) to propel it, while the other uses a small rocket, which can be triggered either by current applied over wires or a phototransistor (for untethered flight). It all makes for a pretty neat video, which you can find after the break – even if your sister’s Furby was more robot than these tiny things.

Continue reading Tiny ‘jumping robots’ have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5

Tiny ‘jumping robots’ have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purdue University grad students give NASA lander tech a boost, do it for the experience

Ahmet — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:03:00 +0000

We just learned of NASA’s end-of-decade plans to rocket astronauts into deep space for exploratory missions to Mars and beyond. Now, we’re getting a peek at the Purdue University-designed lander tech that’ll plant our space fleet’s feet firmly on terra incognita. What originally started as a senior research project for grad students Thomas Feldman and Andrew Rettenmaier, has now blossomed into a joint research endeavor for the federal space agency’s Project Morpheus — a think tank for trips to heretofore unexplored celestial bodies. The in-development propulsion tech, now undergoing testing at the university’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, is required to “meet stringent design and performance” standards, but most importantly, needs to lift the fuel-depleted lander post-descent. You’d think scientific work of this magnitude would come with a hefty paycheck, but the student team behind it all’s just doing it for the hands-on knowledge. Sure beats your summer internship at that magazine, huh?

Purdue University grad students give NASA lander tech a boost, do it for the experience originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA’s Space Launch System to rocket into deep space, unravel the universe’s mysteries (video)

Ahmet — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:57:00 +0000

The folks in charge of our final frontier have just taken the wraps off their latest rocket design, dubbed the Space Launch System. Unimaginative moniker aside, NASA’s prepping the SLS to take future astronauts aboard its Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle beyond Low Earth Orbit, and out into the vast reaches of our solar system. The launcher’s design, as shown off in the agency’s video render, was chosen specifically for its flexibile architecture, allowing engineers to adapt and evolve its build based on mission requirements. The rig, which’ll serve as a backup transport system for commercial and international trips to the ISS, is expected to handle a payload of up to 130 metric tons, and gains lift from a combo of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. When the SLS finally lifts off at the end of 2017, NASA claims it’ll be the “first exploration-class vehicle since the Saturn V took American astronauts to the moon over 40 years ago.” That’s a heady legacy to follow, and while we’ve still got a few years to wait for the real thing, you can always check out the video below for a simulated take.

Continue reading NASA’s Space Launch System to rocket into deep space, unravel the universe’s mysteries (video)

NASA’s Space Launch System to rocket into deep space, unravel the universe’s mysteries (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon CEO’s flying water tank crashes, leaves dent in his space travel dream

Ahmet — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:11:00 +0000

In a moment of profound candidness, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has revealed that the mid-air failure of his unmanned spaceship 11 days ago was “not the outcome any of us wanted.” The searing truth of his statement is certainly borne out by the fact that NASA has poured millions of dollars of funding into Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, in the hope that it will one day ferry people to the ISS and replace the scuttled shuttle program. Indeed, Blue Origin’s latest craft looked every inch a shuttle-beater until it suddenly went berserk at 45,000 feet, forcing the Asimovian onboard computer to cut power and nose dive into the ground in an effort to avoid civilian casualties. Not an ideal result, to be sure, but Jeff is hardly likely to give up on his starry ambitions — everybody knows he has a thing for thrusters.

Amazon CEO’s flying water tank crashes, leaves dent in his space travel dream originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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