Tag Archives: SpaceStation

NASA picks three private space companies to resupply the ISS

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NASA will fund the International Space Station at least through 2024, so keeping the astronauts on it fed and experimenting is a big deal. That's why the nation's top space agency announced new resupply contracts for Orbital ATK and Elon Musk's Space...

Alt-week 10.6.12: supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary

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Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 10612 supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary

Normally we try to encourage you to join us around the warm alt-week campfire by teasing you about what diverse and exotic internet nuggets we have for you inside. Sadly, this week that's not the case. There's nothing for you here we're afraid. Not unless you like totally mind-blowing space videos, singing planets and AI / sports commentary-flavored cocktails, that is. Oh, you do? Well what do you know! Come on in... this is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 10.6.12: supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary

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Alt-week 10.6.12: supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese astronauts go hands-on, manually dock with orbiting module

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DNP Chinese astronauts go handson, 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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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.

Permalink Huffington Post, Daily Mail  |  sourceExcalibur Almaz  | Email this | Comments

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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China planning manned mission to its own space station, didn’t want to be on the ISS anyway

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China planning manned mission to its own space station, didnt want to be on the ISS anyway

State news agency Xinhua is reporting that China is planning to launch a manned spacecraft later this month. A Shenzhou-9 capsule and rocket are already in place, and when it launches it'll manually dock with the nation's space station: Tiangong-1. The nation is moving quickly to capitalize on its successes last year, after learning how to dock two objects in high-speed orbit. Once both are linked up, the three astronauts on-board would move across to perform scientific experiments before returning to Earth in the craft, as you do.

[Image Credit: China Daily]

China planning manned mission to its own space station, didn't want to be on the ISS anyway originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Yahoo! News (AFP)  |  sourceXinhua, (2)  | Email this | Comments

Visualized: Stunning long-exposure ‘star trail’ photo taken from the ISS

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Visualized:ISS Photo

Ever wondered what goes on up at the International Space Station? We like to think it's all floating around and eating freeze-dried steak. Astronaut Don Pettit decided to take a break from his no-doubt mundane routine and capture the spectacular image you see above. We say image, it's actually multiple 30-second exposure snaps layered on top of each other. Needless to say the result is both humbling, and hypnotic. Best of all? There's a collection of them, waiting to steal your afternoon with slack-jawed wonderment. Hit the source for the mind-melt.

Visualized: Stunning long-exposure 'star trail' photo taken from the ISS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: SpaceX’s Dragon is a desolate vision in beige and white

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Even if you squint real hard, you won't find Andie, Max or that rogue robot Jinx stowed away in that inner sanctum above. In fact, there are no humans on board Dragon whatsoever, given that this mission -- the first successful private / federal partnership with NASA -- is strictly cargo-only and a test flight to boot. After suffering several launch delays, Elon Musk's pet project finally achieved lift off this past Tuesday, giving space heads reason to exhale, all the while proving to the world that a new era in interstellar exploration has just begun. En route now to dock with the ISS and deliver its payload, SpaceX's capsule, the interior of which measures 14.4ft (4.4m) by 12ft (3.7m) and is filled with dehydrated astronaut food, clothes, supplies and student science experiments, will spend about one week tethered to that international outpost before crashing into the Pacific on its return trip home. Hit up the source below to gawk at additional shots of this spacecraft's maiden voyage.

Visualized: SpaceX's Dragon is a desolate vision in beige and white originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SpaceX Dragon is ready for launch (update: launched!), view the live stream now

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After being scrubbed a few days ago, it appears we are just minutes from viewing the launch of SpaceX's Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket. The plan is to become the first private company to successfully deliver cargo to the space station, as a step towards manned missions and eventually, Mars. Launch time is officially set for 3:44AM ET, and you can view it live via NASA's UStream embedded after the break or on SpaceX's feed at the source link. Assuming all goes well it will be a few more days until we actually see the capsule dock with the ISS, and we'll keep you updated every step of the way.

Update: This time the launch took place on schedule, and the Dragon capsule is on its way to space. NASA has a press conference planned for after the launch coverage ends at 5:15AM.

Continue reading SpaceX Dragon is ready for launch (update: launched!), view the live stream now

SpaceX Dragon is ready for launch (update: launched!), view the live stream now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ISS ready for new zero-g experiments, students asked to float ideas

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ISS-zero-g-student-space-experiments

Those secret space experiments you've been scheming? They may never happen if you try to go it alone. Fortunately, the space science group NCESSE can get you a ride, having started the countdown for its fifth wave of microgravity experiments aboard the International Space Station. US and international students from grade 5 up to university level can submit ideas until September 12th, 2012, with final culling by December 7. The mini-labs -- which can include experiments in seed germination or crystal growth, for example -- are set to be ferried aboard a SpaceX flight in April 2013. Three similar missions have flown nearly 60 student experiments already, with a fourth set as soon as the Falcon 9 craft deigns to go. If you've got a flat-out good idea being prevented by big G, hit the source to see how you could get it fired off to the ISS.

ISS ready for new zero-g experiments, students asked to float ideas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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