On the 29th of April, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin completed the first test flight of New Shepard. This sub-orbital launch included an unmanned capsule and booster stage. The full version of the vehicle will have two stages and be capable of reaching orbit. Like Space X, Blue Origin is focused on cutting costs by re-using components that
There has been talk over the past few months about a controversial propulsion system known as the EM drive. The device is a sealed cone shaped chamber with a microwave reflector at the narrow end. Emitting microwaves into the chamber produces a tiny, but measurable amount of thrust. The problem with this idea? Conservation of momentum.
This week we looked back at the success of NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft as it prepares to plunge to its death on the planet it has been studying for the last four years. Like many NASA robots, MESSENGER has greatly exceeded its estimated lifetime after a six year journey. Initially expected to study Mercury for one year, it has been
This week, Russia appointed itself the sheriff of space by creating the Aerospace Monitoring Force. Tasked with apprehending space criminals, the new force will use satellites to monitor for illegal activities, and enforce space traffic law. Performing daily orbital patrols, the AMF has at its disposal a refurbished Soyuz to chase down miscreants and even collect
Recent data has uncovered evidence of extensive ice hidden under the Martian dust. The latest calculations are equivalent to 150 billion cubic meters of ice, which is enough to cover the entire planet in a layer of ice over 1 meter thick if it were spread evenly. Perhaps the original Total Recall movie was correct? Meanwhile
This week a number of interesting stories discussed the possibilities of detecting alien spacecraft. Not garden variety UFOs, but exotic space vehicles using theorised technologies that might, upon closer inspection, stand out against the background of space. Technologies like an anti-matter photon rockets would emit radiation that would be different from the light emitted by stars. Distinct radio waves
Russia have changed their minds and announced a deal is in the works to continue sending US astronauts to the ISS. They’ve also announced plans for Lunar exploration with partners that they don’t name. Finally Russia would like to let you know that a manned mission to Mars would be impossible without them. There’s no doubting
China has been busy this week with news that the Tianzhou-1 cargo ship will be docking with the mysterious Chinese Space Lab in 2016. Meanwhile, Russia, fresh from public arguments with the US over the future of the ISS, is readying their SAR-401 robot for space… doesn’t SAR-401 look a lot like NASA’s Robonaut? Well, they are both intended
I’ve just released an update of Solar Explorer that addresses a couple of issues. For the last update I flipped the solar system model over. Unfortunately, I forgot to check the direction that the moons were orbiting after being flipped, which is now backwards. The second problem is an intermittent bug that caused Uranus to
During the week the debate raged on about the white spots on Ceres. Despite appearing as lights in the photos, they are actually just bright against the background. The most likely explanation is that they are pools of ice at the bottom of the crater. Dawn has just arrived in orbit around Ceres today, so hopefully we’ll have some