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Archive for the ‘space travel’ category: Page 342

Aug 14, 2019

SpaceX’s Starhopper Prototype Is Ready for Its Biggest Hop Test

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

SpaceX’s silver Starhopper prototype could complete its biggest hop test this weekend, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Starhopper, which is an early prototype for SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft, has completed a couple of tests so far. According to Musk, the Starhopper’s next challenge will be to fly roughly 650 feet off the ground. Musk recently tweeted that the prototype’s next major hop could take place on Aug. 16, Aug. 17, or Aug. 18, as long as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gives SpaceX permission to conduct the test flight.

Just spoke with FAA, so hopefully yes.

Aug 13, 2019

There’s a place at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean where hundreds of giant spacecraft go to die

Posted by in category: space travel

What happens to a spacecraft once it dies?

When a spacecraft completes its mission or runs out of fuel, it’s sent to what NASA calls a Spacecraft Cemetery. Three thousand miles off the Eastern coast of New Zealand and more than 2 miles deep, it’s the one place farthest from any land mass on Earth.

The perfect spot to land giant chunks of spacecraft that are traveling more than 180 mph upon impact. NASA predicts the chance of a spacecraft hitting someone out here to be around 1 in 10,000.

Aug 13, 2019

SpaceX Mars City: Here’s How Much Elon Musk’s Dream Would Cost

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

How much would it cost to build a city on Mars? According to Elon Musk over the weekend, it could be the most expensive construction project in human history — and cost up to an eighth of the value of the entire global economy.

The SpaceX CEO’s vision includes not only sending the first humans to Mars, but to use that mission as a starting point to build a permanent settlement. Assuming all goes to plan, Musk believes that a self-sustaining city could take shape as early as 2050.

What happens after that point is anyone’s guess. Inverse has spoken to experts from a number of fields, who have flagged a series of issues those first inhabitants will need to address. They could mutate and develop new physical attributes, they could find the city’s confines stifling and develop a national identity, and they could develop a new, ground-up economy.

Aug 13, 2019

SpaceX Now Has a 2nd Boat to Catch Rocket Payload Fairings Falling from Space

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

The company will soon start employing a second net-equipped boat during orbital launches, in an attempt to snag both halves of its rockets’ payload fairings before they splash down in the ocean, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk confirmed via Twitter on Friday (Aug. 9).

Aug 12, 2019

Space travel breakthrough: Spacecraft which could cover 3.6m miles per day passes test

Posted by in categories: innovation, space travel

A SPACESHIP which is so fast it could travel 3.6 million miles per day has been successfully tested in Earth orbit.

Aug 12, 2019

Blue Origin files protest over ‘flawed’ Air Force launch procurement

Posted by in categories: government, space travel

WASHINGTON — Blue Origin filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office on Monday challenging the Air Force’s plan to select two providers in the next procurement of launch services under the National Security Space Launch program.

Blue Origin, a rocket manufacturer and suborbital spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, filed what is known as a “pre-award” protest with the GAO, arguing that the rules set by the Air Force do not allow for a fair and open competition.

“The Air Force is pursuing a flawed acquisition strategy for the National Security Space Launch program,” states a Blue Origin fact sheet that outlines the reasons for the protest.

Aug 11, 2019

What If We Settled on the Moon?

Posted by in category: space travel

NASA wants to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024. What if we stayed and settled on the Moon this time?

Aug 10, 2019

Testing Orion’s “Powerhouse” on This Week @NASA

Posted by in category: space travel

This week:


🔥 We conducted a critical test of the “powerhouse” for our NASA’s Orion Spacecraft 🔴 Our Curiosity Mars Exploration Rovers is still going strong after 7 years exploring the Red Planet 🔭NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captures a view of Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot.

Aug 9, 2019

Astronauts gear up in sleek SpaceX spacesuits before critical Dragon launch

Posted by in category: space travel

’s two astronauts will one day fly to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The SpaceX spacecraft is a modified version of the Cargo Dragon capsule, the rocket manufacturer uses to deliver supplies to the ISS. Developed for NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, part of SpaceX’s launch package includes sleek and futuristic spacesuits. But before NASA’s astronauts can take the Dragon into space, the two men had to go through a dress rehearsal of launch day operations.

Aug 8, 2019

Thousands of “indestructible” tardigrades could be living on the moon after spaceship crash

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, military, space travel

The tardigrades were part of a “lunar library” that Spivack’s foundation had put together. According to Wired, the package was about the size of a DVD and contained human DNA—including Spivack’s own—as well as 30 million pages of information on mankind’s knowledge and thousands of dehydrated tardigrades.

Tardigrades are known as one of the toughest creatures on Earth. They are microscopic, measuring about 0.012 to 0.020 inches in length, and can withstand temperatures of up to 304 degrees Fahrenheit and can survive being frozen alive. One tardigrade is known to have survived being frozen for 30 years. They can also live without water for up to a decade by shriveling up and placing themselves in a state of suspended animation—a trait DARPA is currently studying in the hope of preserving soldiers injured on the battlefield.