[ad_1] Unfortunately, this is not the first setback Arecibo has endured. It faced dire financial trouble in 2008 and again in 2016. Then, like much of Puerto Rico, the observatory suffered significant damage during Hurricane Maria. Things seemed to be turning around in 2018 when a group led by UCF took over operations from the […]
Category: Space
SpaceX Crew Dragon completes historic mission with an ocean landing
[ad_1] Like the launch itself, the Crew Dragon landing was highly automated compared to many previous human-piloted missions. Behnken and Hurley still accomplished a lot, though, including performing and contributing to numerous experiments while they were aboard the International Space Station. It’s an important occasion beyond the firsts involved. This is the last Crew Dragon […]
Hitting the Books: Why women make better astronauts
[ad_1] On February 2, 1960, Look magazine ran a cover story that asked “Should a Girl Be First in Space?” It was a sensational headline representing an audacious idea at the time. And, as we all know, the proposal fell short. In 1961, NASA sent Alan Shepard above the stratosphere, followed by dozens of other […]
Watch SpaceX return Crew Dragon astronauts to Earth starting at 5:45PM ET
[ad_1] Whenever there’s a return, it’ll mark the successful completion of the first round trip of a private crewed space capsule. While this kind of mission won’t be routine for a long time, it represents an important moment in the shift away from strictly government-run spaceflight. The next major step may involve flights with civilians. […]
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo cabin surrounds you with windows
[ad_1] “It’s a big moment because although the event may be virtual its significance is starting to open space to everyone is very real,” Virgin founder, Sir Richard Branson, noted during today’s reveal. “It is, which has been designed specifically to allow thousands of people to achieve their dreams of spaceflight safely.” “Somebody once said […]
‘For All Mankind’ season 2 teaser introduces the Space Shuttle
[ad_1] Apple committed to a second season of For All Mankind before the first even premiered, and it’s finally clear how the tech giant will follow up its alternative history of spaceflight. The company has premiered a teaser trailer (via Space.com) that has Ron Moore’s Apple TV+ series leaping into the 1980s, when the Space […]
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover and helicopter are nearly ready for launch
[ad_1] This time NASA plans to send its most capable rover to date, Perseverance, Zurbuchen continued. At around 10 feet in length, it’s also the longest and heaviest rover NASA’s built to date. “Perseverance is our first mission of astrobiology,” he noted. “In this case, to search for ancient life as part of its top […]
UAE successfully launches its Hope Probe on a mission to Mars
[ad_1] The probe is equipped with ultraviolet and infrared spectrometers, along with a camera sensitive to optical and ultraviolet light. It will be placed on an equatorial orbit that allows it to observe how conditions in the lower atmosphere change over time. “It covers all regions of Mars at all local times at Mars, and […]
Watch the UAE launch its first Mars mission at 5:58PM ET
[ad_1] The United Arab Emirates is about to join a handful of nations with an interplanetary presence, and you can watch it make history. It’s launching its Hope Mars probe today (July 19th) at 5:58PM Eastern with plans to livestream the liftoff through a dedicated YouTube channel. Coverage starts at 3PM Eastern. The mission is […]
Hitting the Books: How to huck a human into low Earth orbit
[ad_1] The phrase orbital mechanics—like nuclear particle physics or the theory of relativity—is something that makes many people’s eyes glaze over. The average person thinks that subjects like these are far too complex to understand. But if you strip away all the math and simply try to understand what is going on, they are actually […]