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Archive for the ‘space travel’ category: Page 160

Mar 4, 2022

Spacewalks Preps Continue, NASA Astronaut Continues Record-Breaking Mission

Posted by in categories: physics, space travel

Two NASA astronauts are assembling gear today they will install on the International Space Station during an upcoming spacewalk. The rest of the Expedition 66 crew focused on life science, space physics gear, and orbital maintenance.

NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron began assembling modification kits today to ready the station’s truss structure for new roll-out solar arrays during the first spacewalk. The roll-out solar arrays will be delivered on an upcoming SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission and installed at a later date. The duo will set their U.S. spacesuits to battery power at 7:50 a.m. on March 15, signifying the beginning of their planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk. The second spacewalk on March 23 will see more roll-out solar array preparations by two yet to be named astronauts.

Roll-out solar array technology will not only augment the space station’s existing solar arrays and power system, they will also be used to power the Lunar Gateway. Gateway is a space station developed by NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that will orbit the Moon and will serve as a hub for crew visiting the lunar surface and beyond. Gateway will enable new scientific investigations in the cis-lunar environment during crewed and uncrewed periods.

Mar 3, 2022

“Vulva Spaceship” aims to counter prevalence of phallic spacecraft

Posted by in category: space travel

A German feminist art group has revealed a vulva-shaped spaceship design, which it is encouraging the European Space Agency to help realize in order to better represent humanity in space and “restore gender equality to the cosmos.”

The group Wer Braucht Feminismus? (WBF?), which translates to “Who Needs Feminism?”, created its Vulva Spaceship concept to challenge the convention of phallic spacecraft design.

It says sending a yonic craft instead would signal inclusivity and has started a petition on change.org calling on the European Space Agency to consider the project.

Mar 3, 2022

Elon Musk’s claims Neuralink’s brain implants can take ‘photos’ of memories and help paraplegics walk again

Posted by in categories: computing, Elon Musk, space travel

Elon Musk has a knack for accomplishing feats that others consider improbable. From blasting rockets into space to becoming the king of the EV industry, Musk is determined to make history.

His latest passion project is Neuralink—a company that is developing a brain implant that will link the human brain directly to computers. He claims this brain-computer interface (BCI) will enable humans to carry out actions through thought alone. One of Musk’s first goals: helping paraplegics regain their independence.

But it doesn’t stop there. The company’s technology, Musk hopes, will one day not only treat but cure brain disorders and even save memories so people can revisit them like photo albums.

Feb 28, 2022

SpaceX and Axiom in final preparations for all-commercial Axiom-1 mission

Posted by in category: space travel

With the launch just weeks away, SpaceX and Axiom are making their final preparations for the first all-private, all-commercial Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Axiom-1 will be the first all-commercial mission flown to the ISS by SpaceX in partnership with Axiom Space.

Axiom-1 will launch using a flight-proven Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center. The mission will launch on March 30, 2022, at 2:46 PM EDT (18:46 UTC). Axiom-1 will be the second commercial Crew Dragon flight and the first mission to use a Crew Dragon that has flown three times.

Feb 28, 2022

Elon Musk suggests SpaceX can protect the ISS, following a Russian space chief’s claims it could crash into Earth

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

In Rogozin’s series of tweets, he claimed the sanctions could have severe consequences for the ISS and “destroy” international co-operation related to the ISS.

Another of his tweets said: “There is also the option of dropping a 500-ton structure to India and China. Do you want to threaten them with such a prospect? The ISS does not fly over Russia, so all the risks are yours. Are you ready for them?”

Musk appeared to confirm that SpaceX would get involved, should the ISS fall out of orbit. A Twitter user asked if that’s what the tech mogul really meant, to which Musk simply replied: “Yes.”

Feb 26, 2022

Watch: Drones capture an epic new 360-degree video of SpaceX Starship

Posted by in categories: drones, space travel

SpaceX prepares its first orbital Starship flight.

Drone capture 360-degree video of SpaceX Starship.


SpaceX is currently developing its Starship rocket at the firm’s Starbase facility in Texas. The project could lead to a giant, fully-reusable rocket system.

Feb 25, 2022

Stronger materials could bloom with new images of plastic flow

Posted by in categories: materials, space travel

Imagine dropping a tennis ball onto a bedroom mattress. The tennis ball will bend the mattress a bit, but not permanently—pick the ball back up, and the mattress returns to its original position and strength. Scientists call this an elastic state.

On the other hand, if you drop something heavy—like a refrigerator—the force pushes the mattress into what scientists call a plastic state. The plastic state, in this sense, is not the same as the plastic milk jug in your refrigerator, but rather a permanent rearrangement of the atomic structure of a material. When you remove the refrigerator, the mattress will be compressed and, well, uncomfortable, to say the least.

But a material’s elastic-plastic shift concerns more than mattress comfort. Understanding what happens to a material at the atomic level when it transitions from elastic to plastic under high pressures could allow scientists to design stronger materials for spacecraft and nuclear fusion experiments.

Feb 25, 2022

Scientists create laser system that could get to Mars in just 45 days

Posted by in category: space travel

Engineers from McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, say they have developed a ‘laser-thermal propulsion’ system, where lasers are used to heat hydrogen fuel.

It is directed-energy propulsion, using large lasers fired from Earth to deliver power to photovoltaic arrays on a spacecraft, that generate electricity, and in turn thrust.

The spacecraft accelerates very quickly while near Earth, then races towards Mars over the next month, releasing the main vehicle to land on the Red Planet and returning the rest of the vehicle to Earth to be recycled for the next launch.

Feb 23, 2022

Inside life in Elon Musk’s Mars colony — with vegan diets and ‘terraforming’

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, engineering, environmental, space travel

Billionaire Elon Musk has long been vocal about his ambitions for colonizing Mars – here’s everything we know about his plan.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 and since then has constantly reiterated one of his biggest goals is to help make humankind a multi-planetary species.

In order to achieve this otherworldly feat, the world’s richest man (at the time of publishing) turned his attention to the red planet, located approximately 33.9 million miles away from Earth.

Feb 23, 2022

Winter Recess — Navigating the Solar System

Posted by in categories: innovation, space travel

Mon, Feb 21


Just how big is space, and could we really explore the galaxy with the invention of light-speed engines? To try and make sense of all those HUGE numbers we hear when talking about space, we’ll first create a quick and easy map of the Solar System that shows its true scale. It’s a fun activity for kids and adults of all ages and requires only a blank piece of white paper (letter size), tape, scissors, and some coloring/drawing supplies. Next, we’ll use this map to learn about how we communicate with spacecraft and what it would mean to travel amongst the stars.

Registration: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsdeysqjgoH9a7QUoBzPjwWpBXtHAsKosE