PlanetTechNews | tags: NASA

NASA powers up Orion spacecraft for the first time

Posted in Science on 3rd Nov, 2013 04:19 AM

by AlexMuller

Orion will be able to take humans farther than we’ve ever been before, eventually even to Mars.

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Construction of the SeaOrbiter slated for spring 2014

Posted in Science on 18th Nov, 2013 11:35 PM

by AlexMuller

It has been well over a decade since the SeaOrbiter was first dreamed up. Thirty years of research has gone into the project, and still it does not exist.

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NASA may use Spacex to fly astronauts within 4 years

Posted in Business on 19th Nov, 2013 11:24 PM

by AlexMuller

NASA and SpaceX met in late October to review the safety of the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket being developed to launch humans into low Earth orbit.

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NASA launches student-built cubesats into space

Posted in Hardware on 21st Nov, 2013 12:45 AM

by AlexMuller

NASA’s cubesat Launch Initiative seeks to give college and high school students the chance to get hands-on development in satellite creation.

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NASA and Planetary Resources team up for asteroid detection

Posted in Business on 25th Nov, 2013 01:00 AM

by AlexMuller

After an asteroid exploded above Russia, scientists have scrambled to put systems in place that could identify such objects in the future.

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NASA's Next Frontier: Growing Plants On The Moon

Posted in Science on 25th Nov, 2013 11:57 PM

by AlexMuller

In 2015, NASA will attempt to make history by growing plants on the Moon.

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This Rover Could Hunt For Lunar Water And Oxygen In 2018

Posted in Science on 29th Nov, 2013 03:04 AM

by AlexMuller

The idea is to look for water and similar substances on the lunar surface, with an eye to learn more about living off the land.

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How many satellite launches does it take to get to Mars?

Posted in Hardware on 7th Dec, 2013 03:12 AM

by AlexMuller

SpaceX's launch this week leaves a long road to getting humans to other planets.

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Mars One will work with Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellite Technology for a 2018 robotic mission

Posted in Business on 10th Dec, 2013 10:00 PM

by AlexMuller

The Mars One Roadmap is to land a crew on Mars in 2025.

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NASA says ozone hole stabilizing but won't fully recover until 2070

Posted in Science on 14th Dec, 2013 12:49 AM

by AlexMuller

The assessment comes two decades after the Montreal Protocol, the treaty that banned chlorofluorocarbons and other compounds that deplete the ozone layer.

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Water seems to flow freely on Mars

Posted in Science on 17th Dec, 2013 04:17 AM

by AlexMuller

Dark streaks that hint at seasonally flowing water have been spotted near the equator of Mars. The potentially habitable oases are enticing targets for research.

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If Redstone’s tech is real, we’ll have cheap and ultrafast wireless Internet everywhere

Posted in Software on 21st Dec, 2013 12:55 AM

by AlexMuller

Redstone claims it can deliver extremely fast, gigabit wireless Internet access.

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Astronomers discover first exomoon

Posted in Science on 22nd Dec, 2013 05:08 AM

by AlexMuller

Now, scientists believe they have found the first exomoon about 1,800 light years away from Earth.

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Ozone hole still needs over 50 years to heal

Posted in Science on 27th Dec, 2013 12:40 AM

by AlexMuller

The Earth’s ozone layer is important because it filters out much of the sun’s harmful UV radiation. Without it, we humans would fry.

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NASA's Plan To Deal With Pesky Moon Dust

Posted in Science on 27th Dec, 2013 12:39 AM

by AlexMuller

Moon dust is dangerous. Each mote is like a tiny shard of glass, there’s no wind or rain to soften the edges of lunar soil.

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China's Yutu Moon rover pictured from orbit by Nasa satellite

Posted in Hardware on 31st Dec, 2013 10:34 PM

by AlexMuller

An American satellite has pictured the Chinese Yutu rover on the surface of the Moon.

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Mars One Narrows List Of Wannabe Martians For 2025 Colony

Posted in Science on 3rd Jan, 2014 12:05 AM

by AlexMuller

A private company hoping to populate Mars has narrowed its applicant pool by 99.5 percent.

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International Space Station life 'to be extended'

Posted in Hardware on 9th Jan, 2014 01:37 AM

by AlexMuller

NASA has won White House backing to extend the life of the International Space Station for a further four years, until 2024.

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Nasa looking for 'taxi firm' to replace Russian rockets

Posted in Science on 13th Jan, 2014 10:58 PM

by AlexMuller

The Obama administration is looking for a company to run shuttle taxi services from US soil, to end Nasa's dependence on the Russian Soyuz rocket.

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Mars mystery rock that "appeared" from nowhere is "like nothing we’ve ever seen before"

Posted in Science on 19th Jan, 2014 10:55 PM

by AlexMuller

Experts said they were “completely confused” by both the origins and makeup of the object.

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NASA calls for commercial partners on robotic lunar lander initiative

Posted in Science on 23rd Jan, 2014 11:56 PM

by AlexMuller

With China successfully landing a rover on the Moon, there’s been speculation as to whether a new space race between China and the United States will start soon.

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NASA wants commercial lunar landers

Posted in Science on 30th Jan, 2014 11:55 PM

by AlexMuller

NASA understands that the future of space exploration now means partnering with private companies.

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PlanetTechNews Interviews Anish Mohammed, Singularity University Alumnus

Posted in Interviews on 7th Feb, 2014 05:32 AM

by AlexMuller

PlanetTechNews interviews Anish Mohammed on his experiences at the Singularity University Graduate Studies Program 2013.

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Bigelow offers affordable space and lunar habitats for NASA and possible commercial use

Posted in Hardware on 9th Feb, 2014 01:38 AM

by AlexMuller

Cost effective habitats and transportation systems are key to America’s space explorations ambitions throughout the solar system.

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$600M planet hunting space telescope Kepler comes back online

Posted in Science on 9th Feb, 2014 01:36 AM

by AlexMuller

Space telescope Kepler is once again able to resume finding new planets outside our own solar system.

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NASA wants to help private companies mine the moon

Posted in Business on 12th Feb, 2014 12:07 AM

by AlexMuller

To keep its gaze focused on the stars, NASA has had to change up its game of late. Private corporations, rather than NASA itself, now resupply the International Space Station.

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DARPA's XS-1 hypersonic spaceplane to fly by 2017

Posted in Hardware on 13th Feb, 2014 04:23 AM

by AlexMuller

The XS-1 (short for eXperimental Spaceplane) will be capable of multiple return flights to space, deploying satellites and the like at least 10 times a year.

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How NASA’s Plan to Capture an Asteroid is Crucial to Human Survival

Posted in Science on 18th Feb, 2014 03:29 AM

by AlexMuller

NASA has committed to an operation in which they will grab an asteroid and put it into lunar orbit in the 2020s.

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Kepler demonstrates that it can still detect planets

Posted in Hardware on 20th Feb, 2014 01:31 AM

by AlexMuller

Last year, it looked as though the Kepler space probe had nothing to look forward to but the scrap heap.

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NASA plans to go fishing for asteroids with harpoon-like spacecraft

Posted in Hardware on 24th Feb, 2014 11:31 PM

by AlexMuller

Landing spacecraft on asteroids is a delicate, precise process. Harpooning, on the other hand, is the work of an instant.

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SpaceX Adds Landing Legs to Falcon 9 Rocket for Next Launch

Posted in Hardware on 26th Feb, 2014 04:13 AM

by AlexMuller

Putting landing legs on the Falcon 9 rocket, which is slated to blast off on March 16, marks another step in SpaceX's quest to develop a fully reusable launch system.

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A Fleet of Toaster Sized Satellites Will Orbit Earth to Provide Near Real Time Surveillance

Posted in Hardware on 3rd Mar, 2014 12:22 AM

by AlexMuller

In early January, Planet Labs sent 28 satellites to the international space station; earlier this month, NASA began deploying them into orbit.

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Spacex Falcon Heavy launch delayed to 2015

Posted in Hardware on 6th Mar, 2014 10:39 PM

by AlexMuller

SpaceX founder, CEO Elon Musk says the company's production schedule is too tight to support a test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket in 2014.

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Elon Musk tells Congress: Space would be cheaper if the gov’t supported competition

Posted in Business on 8th Mar, 2014 01:22 AM

by AlexMuller

Elon Musk testified before the U.S. Senate with harsh words about the artificially inflated cost of launching spacecraft.

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Nasa seeks coders to hunt asteroids

Posted in Software on 12th Mar, 2014 12:24 AM

by AlexMuller

US space agency Nasa is seeking coders who could help prevent a global catastrophe by identifying asteroids that may crash into Earth.

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In three weeks, Spacex could demonstrate the first reusable rocket booster and pave the way to radically cheaper spaceflight

Posted in Hardware on 16th Mar, 2014 01:08 AM

by AlexMuller

For now, a water landing will ensure maximum safety in case the rocket goes off course.

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NASA-funded study: industrial civilization headed for 'irreversible collapse'?

Posted in Science on 16th Mar, 2014 11:43 PM

by AlexMuller

Natural and social scientists develop new model of how 'perfect storm' of crises could unravel global system.

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NASA’s new flower-shaped spaceship will take real photos of alien planets

Posted in Science on 22nd Mar, 2014 10:11 PM

by AlexMuller

A concept for a new sunflower-shaped spaceship that will take actual photographs of planets outside our solar system.

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SpaceX Dragon CRS-3 mission launch scrubbed again

Posted in Science on 2nd Apr, 2014 01:50 AM

by AlexMuller

SpaceX’s Dragon CRS-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has once again been scrubbed. NASA confirmed that the launch of the cargo ship has been delayed.

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NASA's LADEE spacecraft to impact Moon

Posted in Hardware on 5th Apr, 2014 11:37 PM

by AlexMuller

LADEE has been sending back data with the aim of providing scientists with a better understanding of the dust and tenuous atmosphere around the Moon.

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NASA's Robonaut Legs Headed for International Space Station

Posted in Science on 13th Apr, 2014 01:07 AM

by AlexMuller

NASA is sending a set of high-tech legs up to the International Space Station for Robonaut 2, the station's robotic crewmember.

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SpaceX stands down Falcon launch

Posted in Hardware on 15th Apr, 2014 02:01 AM

by AlexMuller

SpaceX was forced on Monday to postpone its latest commercial cargo re-supply mission to the space station.

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NASA to conduct unprecedented twin experiment

Posted in Medicine on 16th Apr, 2014 04:10 AM

by AlexMuller

Consider a pair of brothers, identical twins. One gets a job as an astronaut and rockets into space. The other gets a job as an astronaut, too, but on this occasion he decides to stay home.

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SpaceX Makes Strides Towards 1st Stage Rocket Recovery during Space Station Launch

Posted in Hardware on 20th Apr, 2014 12:34 AM

by AlexMuller

The Falcon 9 rocket would sprout legs just prior to water impact for the controlled soft landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

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NASA crashes spacecraft into moon at 3,600 mph

Posted in Science on 20th Apr, 2014 12:46 AM

by AlexMuller

NASA leaves some more debris on the lunar surface by intentionally crashing a spacecraft.

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NASA: The Only Thing Stopping a City-Destroying Asteroid is Blind Luck

Posted in Science on 21st Apr, 2014 12:23 AM

by AlexMuller

The odds of a large-scale asteroid impact are actually three to ten times higher than we thought.

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NASA outlines the path for getting humans to Mars

Posted in Science on 24th Apr, 2014 01:23 AM

by AlexMuller

This new plan outlines what steps we’ll take on the path to human exploration on Mars, making it a reality within the next 15 to 20 years.

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SpaceX to U.S. Air Force: Let us bid for military launch contracts

Posted in Hardware on 26th Apr, 2014 12:58 AM

by AlexMuller

If we’re good enough for NASA, we’re good enough for you...

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Can Elon Musk and Spacex Take Space Travel From Evolutionary To Revolutionary?

Posted in Science on 30th Apr, 2014 11:37 PM

by AlexMuller

The Falcon 9, built by SpaceX, and its progeny may revolutionize space travel, at least, that’s the hope.

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Nasa's Curiosity Mars rover starts drilling again

Posted in Science on 30th Apr, 2014 11:42 PM

by AlexMuller

It is almost a year since Curiosity last turned its drill on Mars.

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NASA announces partners for lunar lander program

Posted in Science on 2nd May, 2014 12:04 AM

by AlexMuller

NASA has announced the selection of three US companies to develop a lunar lander to deliver payloads to the Moon’s surface.

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SpaceX granted injunction in rocket launch suit against government

Posted in Hardware on 2nd May, 2014 04:47 PM

by AlexMuller

A U.S. Court judge issued an injunction prohibiting a joint venture between Lockheed and Boeing from proceeding with plans to buy Russian-made rocket engines.

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