Today’s article picks up from yesterday’s “Three Days for Space Sustainability.” Space Debris Removal Today’s morning session “Space Debris Removal” continued where yesterday’s sessions left off by introducing the concept of Active Debris Removal (ADR) and its associated issues. Speakers from Europe and Japan covered the political and technical issues involved in the complex issue. One of the key points [...]
Archive for February, 2012
Report Calls for Hardening of Space, Ground Infrastructure Against EMPs
On February 22, a Defense Select Committee produced a report urging members of the British Parliament to invest in developing technologies to harden space systems and ground infrastructure against damage caused by electromagnetic events. The 96-page report, titled “Developing Threat: Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMP)”, focused on the potential for damage caused either by the detonation of a nuclear device in space [...]
Photograph Captures Rocket Launched into Northern Lights
On February 18, a rocket was launched from Poker Flats, Alaska into the arctic aurora, or northern lights. The two-stage Terrier-Black Brant rocket reached an altitude of 349 km on the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Alfven resonator, or MICA, mission. The launch was sponsored by NASA on a quest to gain insight into space weather events such as solar storms that [...]
Scaled Composites Salvaging 747 for Stratolaunch Mothership
The first of two retired 747-400 transport airliners procured by the newly-founded Stratolaunch Systems arrived at the Scaled Composites hanger in Mojave, California before moving to subcontractor BAE’s hangar for disassembly. Critical systems will be salvaged from tail number N196UA (purchased from United Airlines) and used in the construction of the carrier aircraft for Stratolaunch’s proposed air-launch system. “The arrival of [...]
Three Days for Space Sustainability
The three-day symposium on Sustainability of Space Activities began on Tuesday, February 21 at the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France bringing together elites of space industry, academia, and major space agencies. The event will promote discussion of the major issues in sustainability and safety of space activities. The foremost place on the agenda belongs -not surprisingly- to the [...]
Video: J-2X Powerpack Test
NASA’s J-2X testing picks up this year with assessment of the powerpack. On February 15, a 1.86 second burst of flames marked a successful test at Stennis Space Center, bringing the upper stage of NASA’s Space Launch System closer to reality. Staff WritersMore Posts
New NASA Patent Presents a Breakthrough in Medical Science
A tiny capsule made of carbon nanotubes promises simple and efficient healthcare for astronauts in cases of acute radiation exposure or extreme stress. As timely transport to medical facilities is complicated from Low Earth Orbit and virtually impossible if missions to the Moon or Mars is considered, these bio capsules, implanted under the skin, may present a way to save astronauts’ lives [...]
Swiss Open Political Door for Space Debris Removal
The Swiss Space Center at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Lausanna, announced on February 15th its plan to develop and launch a satellite to remove space debris from low-Earth orbit. The $11-million (USD) satellite, called Clean Space One, is intended to intercept and de-orbit one of two Swiss satellites currently in orbit: the Swiss-cube picosatellite, or its cousin [...]
50th Anniversary of John Glenn’s Earth Orbit
February 20 will be the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s Friendship 7 flight. The second man to orbit Earth after U.S.S.R.’s Yuri Gagarin and the first American to reach space, the anniversary has already spurred massive celebrations at NASA. The infographic below recounts the history of the Mercury program through Glenn’s historic flight. Source SPACE.com: All about our solar [...]
SCaN Testbed to Expand Communications Capabilities
The Space Communications and Navigation, or SCaN, testbed will launch to ISS aboard a JAXA H-IIB transfer vehicle in 2012. Designed by NASA, SCaN will be an orbital laboratory attached to the exterior of ISS containing three Software Defined Radios (SDR). SDR is the key to the promise of this technology. “A Software Defined Radio is purposely reconfigured during its [...]
