CES Asia 2017 in China from June 13-15

Posted on June 13, 2017June 13, 2017 by

CES Asia 2017 will be packed with the latest and most exciting innovations across the full spectrum of consumer technology. Now in its third year, CES Asia 2017 is expected to surpass previous years with a projected 450 exhibiting companies crossing a show floor of 40,000 gross square meters, covering five halls of exhibit space. Exhibitors from 22 countries, regions and territories will feature products in 19 categories including artificial intelligence (AI), vehicle technology and virtual real...

Space X Dragon 2

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

Dragon 2 (also Crew Dragon, Dragon V2, or formerly DragonRider) is the second version of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which will be a human-rated vehicle able to make a terrestrial soft landing. It includes a set of four side-mounted thruster pods with two SuperDraco engines each, which can serve as a launch escape system (or launch abort system (LAS)) or be used for propulsive landings. Also, it has much larger windows, landing legs which extend from the bottom of the spacecraft, new flight co...

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover approached the upper end of “Perseverance Valley”

Posted on June 8, 2017 by

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached the main destination of its current two-year extended mission -- an ancient fluid-carved valley incised on the inner slope of a vast crater's rim. As the rover approached the upper end of "Perseverance Valley" in early May, images from its cameras began showing parts of the area in greater resolution than what can be seen in images taken from orbit above Mars. "The science team is really jazzed at starting to see this area up close and ...

World’s largest telescope under construction in Chile that will produce images 15 times sharper than Hubble with a light-collecting area bigger than all existing optical research telescopes combined

Posted on June 7, 2017 by

The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is an astronomical observatory and the world's largest optical/near-infrared extremely large telescope now under construction. Part of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), it is located on top of Cerro Armazones in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The design comprises a reflecting telescope with a 39.3-metre-diameter (126 foot) segmented primary mirror and a 4.2-metre-diameter secondary mirror, and will be supported by adaptive optics, six laser guide...

Rocket Lab launched its first Electron rocket into space, equipped with a 3D printed Rutherford engine.

Posted on May 25, 2017 by

Rocket Lab launched its first Electron rocket into space, equipped with a 3D printed Rutherford engine. With the launch Rocketlab is now among the leaders in private rocket launch company in line with SpaceX. Rocket Lab already has numerous customers signed on, including NASA, Spire, Planet, Moon Express and Spaceflight. "It has been an incredible day and I’m immensely proud of our talented team,” said Peter Beck, CEO and founder of Rocket Lab. “We’re one of a few companies to ever deve...

Lego is set to release educational and inspirational Lego Ideas set “NASA Apollo Saturn V” in June 2017

Posted on May 9, 2017 by

This year is the 45 years Apollo 11 Moon-landing anniversary. What a perfect time to present you the Saturn-V rocket which took the Apollo 11 crew to the moon out of Lego! The whole Lego rocket is about 1 meter/130 studs high (aprox. 1:110 scale), has 1179 bricks and lots of features: removable 1st rocket-stage with the main rocket engine removable 2nd rocket-stage with rocket engine removable 3rd rocket-stage with the Apollo spacecraft Apollo spacecraft with the "Eagle" ...

NASA’s Tiny Probes Hold Big Promise for Future NASA Missions

Posted on April 29, 2017 by

A team of NASA engineers has been working on a new type of Thermal Protection System (TPS) for spacecraft that would improve upon the status quo. Having seen success in the laboratory with these new materials, the next step is to test in space. The Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System, or CA-TPS, will be installed on a small probe flight article provided by Terminal Velocity Aerospace (TVA) and launched on Orbital ATK’s seventh contracted commercial resupply services missio...

NASA reaching out to small business to encourage development of new technology that can be used in space

Posted on April 29, 2017 by

NASA Eyes Fusion Reactor Engines, Extraterrestrial Drilling, Other Far-Out Technologies with Latest Investment Selections NASA has selected 399 research and technology proposals from 277 American small businesses and 44 research institutions that will enable NASA's future missions into deep space, and advancements in aviation and science, while also benefiting the U.S. economy. The awards have a total value of approximately $49.9 million. The agency received 1,621 proposals in response to i...

You can watch NASA’s rocket lift off LIVE in 360 degrees

Posted on April 18, 2017April 18, 2017 by

NASA wants to put viewers in the middle of the action for its rocket launch Tuesday in a way that's never been done before: by live-streaming a 360-degree video. Viewers can watch an Atlas V rocket lift off on a supply mission to the International Space Station from the vantage point of the launch pad. If you have a virtual reality device, you can use it to feel as if you're actually at Cape Canaveral in Florida for the launch. An Orbital ATK spacecraft will launch the United Launch Alliance (...

NASA Invests in visionary concepts that so far had been limited to the realm of science fiction – like, Evacuated Airship for Mars, soft robotic spacecraft with flexible surfaces that can anchor to an asteroid, an artificial gravity device for long-duration, deep space missions, along with other technologies

Posted on April 10, 2017 by

NASA Invests in 22 Visionary Exploration Concepts Montage of innovative concepts selected for 2017 NIAC Phase I and Phase II funding Credits: Joel Sercel, Jay McMahon, Siegfried Janson, Adam Arkin, Jonathan Sauder, John Lewis and background, Chris Mann NASA is preparing for a future that could include soft robotic spacecraft with flexible surfaces that can anchor to an asteroid, and an artificial gravity device for long-duration, deep space missions, along with other t...

NASA is keeping an eye on the largest ‘asteroid 2014 JO25’ that is going to come close (safe 1.1 million miles away) to Earth on April 19th and zip past us.

Posted on April 8, 2017 by

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory describes 2014 JO25 as being approximately 2,000 feet wide, or about 650 meters across, which is a little more than two-fifths of a mile. That's a pretty large chunk of rock, and NASA says it's the largest asteroid to come that close to Earth since 2004, with the next similar flyby predicted to occur in 2027 when asteroid 1999 AN10, measured at about a half mile in width, makes an appearance at a distance of 236,000 miles. https://youtu.be/cItnmeZGxZM ...

NASA officially has launched a new resource to help the public search and download out-of-this-world images, videos and audio file

Posted on April 2, 2017 by

NASA officially has launched a new resource to help the public search and download out-of-this-world images, videos and audio files by keyword and metadata searches from NASA.gov. The NASA Image and Video Library website consolidates imagery spread across more than 60 collections into one searchable location. https://images.nasa.gov NASA Image and Video Library allows users to search, discover and download a treasure trove of more than 140,000 NASA images, videos and audio files ...

NASA’s Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED)

Posted on March 16, 2017 by

Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) uses adjustable resistance piston-driven vacuum cylinders along with a flywheel system to simulate free-weight exercises in normal gravity. Studies have found that without exercises like those possible on the ARED, astronauts could lose up to 15% of their muscle volume, which could be difficult or even impossible to regain back on Earth. ARED's primary goal is to maintain muscle strength and mass in astronauts during long periods in space. Science Res...

NASA’s Study Investigates How Men and Women Adapt Differently to Spaceflights

Posted on March 15, 2017 by

Study Investigates How Men and Women Adapt Differently to Spaceflight In 2011, a report from a National Academy of Sciences’ decadal survey emphasized the need to examine and understand the influences that sex and gender have on physiological and psychological or behavioral changes that occur during spaceflight. In response, NASA and NSBRI assembled six workgroups to investigate and summarize the current body of published and unpublished human and animal spaceflight research data....

Robots will soon be able to repair Geosynchronous Satellites. ‘Robotic Servicing Vehicle’ are being developed by DARPA

Posted on March 13, 2017 by

Hundreds of military, government and commercial satellites reside today in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) some 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth—a perch ideal for providing communications, meteorology and national security services, but one so remote as to preclude inspection and diagnosis of malfunctioning components, much less upgrades or repairs. Even fully functional satellites sometimes find their working lives cut short simply because they carry obsolete payloads—a frus...

NASA’s research on SkinCare

Posted on March 8, 2017 by

SkinCare is a human physiology experiment, which aims at characterizing different parameters of human skin (i.e. hydration grade, transepidermal water loss, skin surface video imaging) in weightlessness and inside the International Space Station. Long-duration missions in microgravity affect skin by causing excessive dryness, increased cell loss and increased aging. Investigators will test the applicability of the space environment as a model of aging skin. Noninvasive medical equipment will be ...

NASA’s Space Food Bars That Will Keep Orion Weight Off and Crew Weight On

Posted on February 27, 2017February 27, 2017 by

When astronauts in the Orion spacecraft travel beyond the moon to explore deep space destinations, they’ll need a robust diet to keep them healthy and sharp. While crew members aboard the International Space Station can choose from approximately 200 items for their meals and have the space to stow an array of options, feeding the crew on deep space missions presents several unique challenges that NASA scientists are working to tackle. Orion has limited room inside it to accommodate the suppli...

NASA has developed micro batteries (2-3 millimeters) that will be able to power microsatellites, including CubeSats.

Posted on February 13, 2017 by

Sometimes good things come in very small packages. Just ask Dr. Luke Roberson, senior principal investigator for Flight Research within the Exploration Research and Technology Directorate at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dr. Roberson is collaborating on research of a new solid-state battery prototype with Dr. Ryan Karkkainen, a composite material expert at the University of Miami. The chemistry and structure for the battery was developed by Xiangyang Zhou, Ph.D., associate professor...

Theoretical Physicists and Astrophysicists research suggest entire universe may be an illusion and reality is a 2D hologram

Posted on February 5, 2017 by

The holographic principle is a principle of string theories and a supposed property of quantum gravity that states that the description of a volume of space can be thought of as encoded on a lower-dimensional boundary to the region—preferably a light-like boundary like a gravitational horizon. This could be thought of as rather like watching a 3D film in a movie theater. We see the pictures as having height, width, and depth—when in fact it all originates from a flat 2D screen. ...

KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Sweden has a online course on spaceflight returns with certification for participants

Posted on January 21, 2017January 21, 2017 by

Online course on spaceflight returns with certification for participants Learn about human space travel from an experienced ESA astronaut who flew on Space Shuttle Discovery to conduct research on the International Space Station. Christer Fuglesang participates in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station in 2006. The history-making ESA astronaut/KTH adjunct professor leads a massive online course (MOOC) in human spaceflight in which students can get certification from ed...

NASA and France to Collaborate on Aircraft Noise Research

Posted on January 4, 2017 by

During bilateral meetings in Daejeon, South Korea, NASA and France’s Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales (ONERA) signed an agreement Tuesday to collaborate on research that focuses on mitigating the effects of civil air transportation noise. “Noise is a major issue affecting not only the aviation community, but citizens around the world that live near active airports,” said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. “This agree...

‘CubeSat’ micro satellite for students

Posted on December 28, 2016 by

A CubeSat (U-class spacecraft) is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiples of 10×10×11.35 cm cubic units. California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Stanford University developed the CubeSat specifications to promote and develop the skills necessary for the design, manufacture, and testing of small satellites intended for low Earth orbit (LEO) that perform a number of scientific research functions and explore new space technologies. CubeS...

NASA’s space research uses laser to understand interactions between Earth’s climate and key ocean ecosystems

Posted on December 26, 2016December 26, 2016 by

A new study using a NASA satellite instrument orbiting Earth has found that small, environmental changes in polar food webs significantly influence the boom-and-bust, or peak and decline, cycles of phytoplankton. These findings will supply important data for ecosystem management, commercial fisheries and our understanding of the interactions between Earth’s climate and key ocean ecosystems. “It’s really important for us to understand what controls these boom-and-bust cycles, and how they migh...

NASA’s ‘Exo-Brake’ technology that will allow accurate, guided landing of payloads returning to Earth from the International Space Station

Posted on December 22, 2016 by

A novel technology that could allow for accurate, guided landing of payloads returning to Earth from the International Space Station will soon undergo testing in orbit. The technology, called "Exo-Brake," is a "tension-based, flexible braking device resembling a cross-parachute that deploys from the rear of a satellite to increase the drag," NASA officials said in a statement. Developed and tested by engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, the Exo-Brake is a de-orbit device...

Israeli company Urban Aeronautics completed a test flight for a robotic autonomous flying air ambulance.

Posted on December 4, 2016 by

Urban Aeronautics has announced that its Cormorant Unmanned Air vehicle (UAV) prototype has performed its first autonomous pattern flight including low flight over uneven terrain. Urban Aeronautics AirMule, formerly Air Mule or Mule, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) codename Pereira (shapiyriyt; שפירית‎ Shafririt )(Dragonfly), is an unmanned flying car UAS designed by Rafi Yoeli and built by Tactical Robotics LTD., a subsidiary of Urban Aeronautics LTD. in Yavne, Israel. It will be used in sear...

NASA’s blended wing body (BWB) aircraft

Posted on November 27, 2016 by

Boeing X-48 is an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for investigation into the characteristics of blended wing body (BWB) aircraft, a type of flying wing. Boeing designed the X-48 and two examples were built by Cranfield Aerospace in the UK. Boeing began flight testing the X-48B version for NASA in 2007. The X-48B was later modified into the X-48C version. Boeing X-48 is a small experimental aircraft developed by the University of Cranfield, Boeing and NASA to test the Blended Wing B...

Four-dimensional space (“4D”)

Posted on November 26, 2016 by

In mathematics, four-dimensional space ("4D") is a geometric space with four dimensions. It typically is more specifically four-dimensional Euclidean space, generalizing the rules of three-dimensional Euclidean space. It has been studied by mathematicians and philosophers for over two centuries, both for its own interest and for the insights it offered into mathematics and related fields. Algebraically, it is generated by applying the rules of vectors and coordinate geometry to a space with f...

Hunt for dark matter and other phenomena that help scientists better understand how the universe functions at its most fundamental level

Posted on November 20, 2016 by

At least a quarter of the universe is invisible. Unlike x-rays that the naked eye can't see but equipment can measure, scientists have yet to detect dark matter after three decades of searching, even with the world's most sensitive instruments. But dark matter is so fundamental to physics that scientists supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Science are searching for it in some of the world's most isolated locales, from deep underground to outer space. "Without dark matter, it'...

Predictive Modeling for NASA Entry, Descent, and Landing Missions

Posted on November 19, 2016 by

A spacecraft mission's entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase is one of the most dangerous parts of the vehicle's journey, so it must be carefully planned. However, EDL concepts are impossible to fully test on the ground, so design engineers rely on modeling and simulation to learn how different methods can be expected to perform during the mission. Researchers in NASA's Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) Project play a key role in the design of successful EDL systems by identifying and developing pr...

Space Poop Challenge – Competition to source a system that routes and collects human waste away from the body, hands-free, for fully suited astronauts.

Posted on November 18, 2016 by

Competition to source a system that routes and collects human waste away from the body, hands-free, for fully suited astronauts. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seeks proposed solutions for urine, fecal and menstrual management systems to be used in the crew’s launch and entry suits over a continuous duration of up to 144 hours. An in-suit waste management system would be beneficial for contingency scenarios or for any long duration tasks. Waste management syste...