Tag Archives: space flight

Excalibur Almaz wants to offer the first private trip to the Moon — provided you’ve got £100 million

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Excalibur Almaz wants to offer the first private trip to the Moon provided you've got 100 million

Sir Richard Branson might want to look over his shoulder, since Virgin Galactic now has an even more ambitious rival. Britain-based Excalibur Almaz is planning no less than a trip to the Moon using reworked, Soviet-era Salyut space stations and Soyuz capsules as the vehicles for the multi-stage, 500,000-mile total voyage. Accordingly, no one will be living in the lap of luxury on the way there: there's just two habitation modules that will take three people each, and the six-month trip isn't going to leave much room for perks other than an isolated room in the event of a solar radiation blast. Not that there's as much of a rush given the efforts involved in making this look-but-don't-touch Moon orbit a reality. Anyone who travels needs to be in tip-top shape -- and the £100 million ($156 million) ticket will make Virgin's Spaceship Two rides seem downright frugal. Be sure to pack your gym shorts and a briefcase full of cash.

Excalibur Almaz wants to offer the first private trip to the Moon -- provided you've got £100 million originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jun 2012 06:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China conducts its first crewed spaceship docking, gives east Asia its place in space (updated)

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China docks its first crewed space capsule, gives southeast Asia its place in space

Believe it or not, the only countries to have docked a human-helmed spacecraft in the first 50 years of spaceflight were Russia and the US. That small community just got bigger, as China's Shenzhou-9 has successfully docked with the Tiangong-1 module put in orbit for just such a test. The link-up is being used for experiments in the short term, but it's a key step in a program that will ultimately lead to a full-fledged Chinese space station. On top the wider ambitions, the docking also marks a victory for gender-neutral space travel: Liu Yang, one of three crew members, is the country's first female spacefarer. China's space program has a long road ahead, but it's clear the International Space Station won't be alone for much longer.

Update: Yes, China more accurately covers east Asia, not just the southeast. Our apologies!

China conducts its first crewed spaceship docking, gives east Asia its place in space (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SpaceX Dragon team opens the hatch, to spend Memorial Day with more cargo hauling than barbecues

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SpaceX's Dragon docked with the International Space Station on Friday, but if you think the involved crew is spending the US long weekend experimenting with how well grills prepare burgers in low gravity (hint: not very), you're in for a bit of an awakening. The private space capsule's hatch flew open just before 6AM ET on Saturday, and while that's a historic first docking for a private spacecraft, it's just the start of a long process. At the same time as we'll be catching fireworks on Monday, the ISS team will bring onboard the 1,014 pounds of cargo and science experiments that Dragon hauled as proof it could fulfill a 12-mission, $1.6 billion cargo delivery contract. Don't think the spacefarers won't get any time off for Memorial Day weekend -- they'll get Saturday and Sunday for reflection -- but the 25 hours' worth of cargo shuffling on Monday will spill over into Tuesday, just as we're all stumbling back into our offices on Earth.

[Image credit: NASA TV]

SpaceX Dragon team opens the hatch, to spend Memorial Day with more cargo hauling than barbecues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 May 2012 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XCOR Lynx propulsion tech tests well on motorcycle, suborbital trip still pricey

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Before parting with $95,000 to secure a spot on the Lynx suborbital flight, you'd want to make sure the spacecraft was safe, right? XCOR doesn't blame you: it recently tested out its piston pump technology on a Triumph Street Triple motorcycle with great results. Sure, it's not the same as flying to the edge of space, but the Triumph has the same cylinder arrangement as the Lynx's liquid oxygen and kerosene fuel pumps and develops a similar amount of horsepower. It's also loads cheaper than testing in the laboratory. The bike took a 20-hour drive (the equivalent of 400 Lynx flights, according to XCOR) along Route 66 without the piston pump suffering any wear and tear. So if propulsion-related safety concerns -- and not the depth of your wallet -- were holding you back from nabbing a seat on the Lynx, you might feel a tad more inclined to whip out the plastic now. Head past the break for the full PR, plus a video of the piston-pumped Triumph in action.

Continue reading XCOR Lynx propulsion tech tests well on motorcycle, suborbital trip still pricey

XCOR Lynx propulsion tech tests well on motorcycle, suborbital trip still pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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