The asteroid 1998 QE2 which is making its pass this week, apparently has a moon, as shown in the video below. A flash in the radar image shows the small mass orbiting the 2.7 km wide asteroid. The smaller moon is estimated to be some 610 metres across. The radar images were taken late on Wednesday May 29th using the [...]
Documents
Art in a Fairing Vacuum Chamber Test
In mid-May, SpaceX posted a video of a vacuum chamber test conducted on its Falcon 9 fairing. The slow motion view of the bus-sized fairing smoothly separating to reveal its payload is a slightly mesmerizing presentation of a movement that occurs with blinding speed in real life. Fairing separation accidents can scuttle an entire mission even after a flawless launch, [...]
Draft ITAR Revision Released for Comment
On May 24, the US State Department and Department of Commerce each released their half of draft regulations relating to US export control. The move comes six months after passage of the FY2013 Defense Authorization Bill in December reinstated presidential privilege to determine whether some space objects – such as communication satellites – are considered munitions and should be regulated [...]
Solar Streams, Meteors, and Triple Conjunction Make for Lively Skies
It’s a good week to look up at night, with quite a bit of activity taking place over our heads. The most anticipated astronomical event was the closest triple conjunction of Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury on May 26, the brightest planets now in the sky. The planets will begin drifting out of this configuration, but will still be visible just [...]
US Department of Defense Reports on China’s Space Capabilities
Every year, the US Department of Defense issues a report to Congress entitled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.” China is becoming an increasingly important player in the space arena, having achieved on-orbit rendezvous in 2012 with aggressive launcher and human space flight developments underway. Some fear that China’s developments are not all benign: a rocket test [...]
Chris Hadfield Reflects on his ISS Mission
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield gathered a remarkable following during his time in space, with his demonstration videos, song recordings, and photographs going viral throughout his five month spaceflight. But ask him what he’s most proud of accomplishing during this mission, and he’ll happily tell you about the amazing science he and his crew accomplished, the last minute EVA they pulled [...]
Opportunity Rover Breaks Travel Record
A well known constraint of robotic exploration is the speed at which robotic rovers travel. That is, they travel very slowly. A case in point is the Mars laboratory Curiosity. Since its landing in August 2012, Curiosity has travelled just 0.7 km. But one thing you can say for robots: they sure don’t give up. Until May 16, 2013, the [...]
Air Force Chief of Safety Talks Space Situational Awareness at IAASS Conference
On May 21st, the 6th IAASS Conference “Safety is Not an Option” kicked off in Montreal. US government officials, barred from international travel by budget constraints within their agencies, have nonetheless been anxious to participate via video feed. The US Air Force Chief of Safety, Major General Margareth H. Woodward, was one such, and now you can enjoy her talk even [...]
Milestones to Space Settlement: An NSS Roadmap
The National Space Society (NSS) is a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. To that end, NSS has updated its Roadmap to Space Settlement, as will be publicly unveiled at the upcoming International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in California. The Roadmap has two major goals: First, to inspire — and having the entire sweep of [...]
NASA Records Most Powerful Lunar Meteorite Impact
On March 17, NASA lunar observing telescopes detected a meteorite crashing into the Moon’s surface. The impact – later estimated at the equivalent of 5 tons of TNT – was bright enough to easily see with the naked eye. Scientists from NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office estimate the meteor was 40 kg, travelling at 90,000 km/hr. It left a 20 m [...]
