Tag Archives: space flight
SpaceX could send private citizens to space as soon as 2021
SpaceX is one step closer to sending private citizens into outer space. The company signed an agreement with Space Adventures to fly space tourists in the Crew Dragon. Up to four individuals will have the opportunity to take flight sometime in late 2...
Sun Flatlining Into Grand Minimum, Says Solar Physicist
With each passing season, the weather seems stranger and more extreme. Who can argue with a sudden outbreak of the “polar vortex” phenomenon; unprecedented winter drought in California; and summer...
Virgin Galactic accepts Bitcoin Payment
Bitcoin is this weird virtual currency that came out of nowhere. It's value is going up and down like a roller coaster. I imagine that we will have a universal virtual currency at some point in the...
NBC will Televise World’s First Commercial Spaceline
NBC will be the first television channel that will televise its private space flight. NBC has signed a deal with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to send a flight in space. NBC will televise this...
Lady Gaga is set for Space Performance at Zero G Colony 2015
Us Weekly reports exclusively that Lady Gaga is going to sing in space on a Virgin Galactic Space flight. The event is planned for the Zero G Colony festival in 2015 in New Mexico. The 3-day event is...
FAA Approves World View Capsule for 100,000-Foot Passenger Flights
Earlier this month word surfaced that a company called World View was seeking FAA approval for a capsule that would be attached to the bottom of the massive helium balloon. That helium balloon will...
Richard Branson confirms Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight will launch next year with him on board
Richard Branson has long said that he'd be on board Virgin Galactic's first commercial space tourism flight, and he's now confirmed that will take place sometime next year with his two adult children along for the ride (a bit of a delay from the company's original 2011 target). That trip will of course be made with the company's SpaceShipTwo craft, which has already completed a number of test flights, and which is capable of flying 100 kilometers (or just over 60 miles) above the Earth for a planned two and a half hour flight with five minutes of weightlessness. As the AP notes, some 529 people have already signed up for the $200,000 per person rides into space, each of whom will have to take part in a week of training prior to their trip. Bookings can still be made on Virgin Galactic's website.
Filed under: Transportation
Richard Branson confirms Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight will launch next year with him on board originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AP (Yahoo News), Virgin Galactic | Email this | Comments Researchers find space travel prolongs the life of worms
We've seen research that suggests prolonged space travel could have some adverse effects on the human body, but it looks like there could be some real benefits as well. As BBC News reports, a new study conducted on Caenorhabditis elegans worms sent to the International Space Station has revealed evidence that the trip to space actually slowed their aging process. Specifically, researchers from the University of Nottingham and others institutions part of the ICE-First project found that the time in space reduced activity in a group of genes that have been shown to prolong the worms' lifespan when suppressed on earth. Of course, these are worms we're talking about, but this particular species is often used for such research due to its biological similarities to humans, so the discovery could well lead to more insight into how we age in space as well. Those curious can find the full paper linked below.
Filed under: Science
Researchers find space travel prolongs the life of worms originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkSlashGear | Nature, BBC News | Email this | Comments Chinese astronauts go hands-on, manually dock with orbiting module
Looks like China continues to add to its space cred after recently joining the rarefied ranks of countries that have successfully docked craft in the final frontier. Fresh off from the recent joining of the Shenzhou 9 capsule with the Tiangong 1 orbiting module, China's three astronauts have now replicated the feat manually, according to the Washington Post . For the uninitiated, the first docking was done via remote control from the ground. The mission has had plenty of firsts for China so far, including the country's first female astronaut. It also serves as a precursor to establishing China's first permanent space station, a 60-ton facility that's about a sixth of the size of the International Space Station but is slightly bigger than NASA's old Skylab. 'Cause sometimes, you just gotta have your own space in space, you know?
[Image credit: Associated Press]
Chinese astronauts go hands-on, manually dock with orbiting module originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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