Dec 29, 2015
Speculation mounts over Elon Musk’s Mars plan
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: Elon Musk, space travel
Some of SpaceX’s most ardent fans are guessing at the shape of the biggest thing to come: the Mars Colonial Transporter.
Archive for the ‘space travel’ category: Page 460
Dec 27, 2015
NASA’s next Mars mission has been called off
Posted by Aleksandar Vukovic in categories: futurism, space travel
A U.S. science satellite slated to launch to Mars in March has been grounded due to a leak in a key research instrument, NASA said on Tuesday, creating uncertainty about the future of a widely anticipated effort to study the interior of the planet.
The spacecraft, known as InSight, was designed to help scientists learn more about the formation of rocky planets, including Earth.
The cancellation raises questions about the future of the research effort, as it will be another two years before Earth and Mars are favourably aligned for a launch. NASA has not said if it will have funding for the program, which was capped at $425 million US.
Dec 25, 2015
UCLA researchers develop ‘metasurface’ laser for terahertz range
Posted by Klaus Baldauf in categories: materials, military, space travel
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have identified a new way to make a semiconductor laser that operates at terahertz frequencies. The breakthrough could lead to development of a new class of high-quality, powerful lasers for use in space exploration, military and law enforcement efforts and other applications.
The terahertz range of frequencies occupies the space on the electromagnetic spectrum between microwave and infrared. Terahertz waves can be used to analyze plastics, clothing, semiconductors and works of art without damaging the materials being examined; for chemical sensing and identification; and to investigate the formation of stars and composition of planetary atmospheres.
Researchers led by Benjamin Williams, a UCLA associate professor of electrical engineering, have created the first vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser, or VECSEL, that operates in the terahertz range. VECSELs that use visible light have been used extensively to generate high-powered beams, but the technique has not previously been adapted for terahertz frequencies.
Dec 23, 2015
Milestone for Space Exploration: We Just Made Plutonium
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: space travel
ORNL researchers successfully produced 50 gm of plutonium-238.
The quest for the stars just got a huge boost — for the first time in 27 years, the United States produced plutonium-238.
Dec 22, 2015
SpaceX Finally Manages to Land an Orbital Rocket Back on Earth
Posted by Sean Brazell in categories: satellites, space travel
Right on schedule, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster made a beautiful soft landing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station moments ago. It’s a huge moment in the history of spaceflight, marking the first time a rocket has ascended into orbit and landed back on Earth.
The prospects for the reusable rocket system SpaceX has been chasing for over a year are that much better.
At 8:29 pm ET, SpaceX launched its upgraded, Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of 11 Orbcomm communication satellites into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Minutes later, the second stage separated from the first and continued to propel its payload into higher orbit.
Dec 21, 2015
Elon Musk Says Tesla Vehicles Will Drive Themselves in Two Years
Posted by Dan Kummer in categories: Elon Musk, robotics/AI, space travel, sustainability, transportation
Musk opens up about autonomous vehicles, self-driving car rules, and the competition.
In Elon Musk’s world, “easy” is used to describe problems many might consider impossible—or at least very difficult to solve. Producing a fully autonomous vehicle that can operate in any condition and on any road, for example, is easy-ish. And Tesla Motors TSLA 0.91%, the all-electric automaker that Musk heads, is two years away from achieving it.
“I think we have all the pieces, and it’s just about refining those pieces, putting them in place, and making sure they work across a huge number of environments—and then we’re done,” Musk told Fortune with assuredness during his commute to SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., where he is also CEO. “It’s a much easier problem than people think it is. But it’s not like George Hotz, a one-guy-and-three-months problem. You know, it’s more like, thousands of people for two years.”
Dec 20, 2015
NASA shows off their humanoid robot that they want to send to Mars
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: robotics/AI, space travel
Dec 20, 2015
Warp drive and wormholes could be used for time travel, says physicist
Posted by Andreas Matt in categories: cosmology, space travel, time travel
Older, but interesting idea—
Warp drive and stargate wormholes could be used for time travel to the past. That’s the surprising conclusion that controversial theoretical physicist and author Dr. Jack Sarfatti has reached from his research into dark energy and dark matter.
Hubble image of dark matter ring in galaxy cluster
Continue reading “Warp drive and wormholes could be used for time travel, says physicist” »
Dec 17, 2015
SpaceX is launching its most powerful rocket for the first time this weekend
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: Elon Musk, space travel
Dec 15, 2015
Year in review: Pluto unveiled as a world like no other — By Christopher Crockett | ScienceNews
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: space, space travel, water
“The alien landscapes of Pluto and its moons dazzled scientists and nonscientists alike this year. More than eight decades after its discovery, Pluto became much more than a nondescript point of light. It’s a dynamic, complex world unlike any other orbiting the sun.”
