Items tagged with iss
For over 60 years, humans have been launching objects into space for varying purposes. Once a satellite becomes obsolete or no longer needed, it aimlessly orbits the Earth and can become a hazard for other space objects. Thus, it is a surprise that the International Space Station has not had a massive collision yet, but small impacts still happen from time to time. This now includes a recent space junk strike on the robotic arm of the ISS. There are over 23,000 pieces of space debris in space, the size of a softball or larger, that are tracked 24/7 to predict potential collisions. There is also a plethora of smaller objects, from "rock or dust particles to flecks of paint from satellites," that...
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Today, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise announced a partnership to bring Azure and edge computing to the ultimate edge: space. This will allow Azure workloads, local computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to be leveraged on the International Space Station (ISS). As Tom Keane, Corporate VP of Azure Global, explains, “Astronauts and space explorers deserve access to the best cloud computing technologies and advanced processing.” When it comes to working and computing in space, “Sometimes analysis needs to be done immediately at the edge,” or “other times the analysis is so massively complex that it can only be performed with the power of the...
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Sometimes life is stranger than fiction. Some of the ashes of James Doohan, who played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the original Star Trek series, are reportedly aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The secret has been kept for twelve years and Doohan’s family has only now deemed it safe to reveal it. The ashes of Doohan were placed on the ISS by video game developer Richard Garriott. Garriott was a private astronaut who participated in a 12-day mission on the ISS in 2008. Doohan’s family sent Garriott part of Doohan’s ashes prior to his visit to the ISS. Garriott printed out three photographs of Doohan and laminated them with the ashes he had received. He managed to...
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NASA has set a date for when its two astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, will return to Earth after their extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). According to the NASA, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that they rode aboard to reach the ISS will undock around 8pm EST on August 1st. If all goes according to plan, the Crew Dragon will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean at 3pm EST on August 2nd. A successful landing will mark the completion of the Demo-2 mission, which commenced on May 30th when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket put Behnken and Hurly into orbit. It marked the first time that SpaceX had sent a manned crew into space after years of performing unmanned...
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The United States rejoined the space race this week as SpaceX successfully launched its Crew Dragon spacecraft with a pair of NASA astronauts aboard heading to the International Space Station (ISS). The successful launch marked the first time since the space shuttle fleet was retired that the US hasn't had to hitch a ride with another country to get astronauts into orbit. The Crew Dragon capsule is highly automated compared to the space capsules used during the Apollo era. And fortunately, fans of SpaceX that wonder what the control systems inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft are like can try their hand at the helm using a very cool SpaceX ISS Docking Simulator. The simulator requires no downloads...
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After the first “window” for launch was scrubbed due to weather on Wednesday, SpaceX and NASA were today able to successfully launch the Demo-2 crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Onboard the Crew Dragon capsule that lifted off from the historic Launch Complex 39 at Cape Canaveral via a Falcon 9 rocket are NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley. Today’s launch was once again threatened by clouds and bad weather, but SpaceX was able to “thread the needle”, so to speak, and pull off a picture-perfect launch. This is strictly a demonstration mission for the astronauts to test out the rigors of launch, vehicle life support, and various...
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It has been several decades since the first rocket was launched into space, but most would agree that each rocket launch is still fascinating, awe-inspiring, and just plain fun to watch. Today’s launch is a particularly major milestone for the American space program. Here is how you can watch NASA and SpaceX’s historic astronaut launch. Both NASA and SpaceX will stream the launch on their respective YouTube channels. You can also find the livestreams on both of their websites. The stream began today at 12:15pm EST, but the launch will hopefully occur at 4:33pm. The stream right now features information about the astronauts as well as a stream of what is going on at the Kennedy Space...
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a decade since the Space Shuttle was officially retired, effectively putting an end to a 50-year-long streak in which the United States ferried its own astronauts into orbit around the Earth and Moon. Starting with the Mercury program, and then advancing through Gemini, Apollo, and finally the Space Shuttle, NASA was at the forefront of manned spaceflight. However, budgetary considerations and a redirection of resources for the future of NASA’s manned spaceflight program meant that U.S. astronauts had to hitch a ride to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russian rockets for the past 9 years. That all ends next month, however....
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Are you stuck in the house and absolutely going insane from dealing with family members, pets that are sick of you being at home instead of at work, and kids that at this point would rather be at school than at home? Well, the folks at NASA have quite a few "virtual" tours that you can partake in for a change of scenery during this COVID-19 pandemic. And as you might expect from NASA, these tours are out of this world. We have a roundup below of some great 3D and virtual experiences that you can experience courtesy of NASA to help break up the monotony of life that many are experiencing right now: Commercial Crew Program 360-Degree VR Tour Ever since the Space Shuttle was retired early in...
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Image via SpaceX livestream SpaceX lost a rocket today and they could not be happier. The company just successfully tested out its emergency escape system and its ability to keep astronauts safe. The test is an important step to take before NASA will allow SpaceX to carry astronauts into space. It is important to note that the test was unmanned. SpaceX launched the Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch window opened at 8am EST, but the launch itself was postponed due to weather conditions. The rocket was successfully launched at 10:30am EST. The Dragon Crew capsule...
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NASA has had an exciting month; it announced early in June that it intended to open the ISS to private astronauts tours for $35,000 per night. In addition, NASA has now announced that on June 14 a robot called Bumble became the first Astrobee robot to fly under its own power in space. Astrobee robots are free-flying systems meant to help researchers test new tech in zero gravity. Robots like Bumble can also perform routine work along with the astronauts living and working on the ISS. NASA sees a future where robots like Astrobee can be caretakers for the NASA lunar gateway and play a part in NASA's future missions exploring the Moon and Mars. Testing Bumble out on the ISS wasn't as simple...
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Your next business trip may be in space. NASA recently announced that it will be opening up the International Space Station (ISS) to private astronauts. NASA also plans to allow more commercial manufacturing and production on the ISS. Private astronauts will soon be able to stay on the ISS for up to thirty days, and only two astronauts will be approved per year. The astronauts will need to get to the ISS and back to earth by personally paying for a seat aboard a commercial US spacecraft. They will also need to pay $35,000 per day on the ISS for life support, communication, and other necessary goods and services. NASA plans to launch the program in 2020. ISS, Image via NASA Not just any wealthy...
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At this point, we tend to take it for granted that SpaceX will stick its landings. However, the company's latest landing is one for the books. SpaceX's unmanned Crew Dragon capsule landed off the coast Florida after a trip to the International Space Station. This was the first time in fifty years that an astronaut capsule landed in the Atlantic Ocean and SpaceX’s first orbital test mission. The Crew Dragon capsule successfully detached from the International Space Station (ISS) at 2:30 am EST. It burned its thrusters several times before its final descent. The capsule deployed several parachutes before successfully landing 200 miles off of the coast of Florida at 8:45am EST. SpaceX’s...
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SpaceX has hit a milestone for its Crew Dragon capsule, with an unmanned version of the capsule blasting off to meet up with the International Space Station (ISS). If testing goes well, the goal is to enable the U.S. to send its astronauts into orbit for the first time since the Space Shuttle fleet was retired. SpaceX sent the Crew Dragon capsule into orbit mounted atop one of its own Falcon 9 rockets. No humans were aboard the Crew Dragon capsule for this test launch; the only passenger was a test dummy called Ripley, a reference to the classic sci-fi/horror film Aliens. The launch went off without a hitch and the rocket separated from the capsule about 11 minutes after liftoff. The capsule...
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After a scuttled attempt on Saturday, SpaceX just successfully launched and landed the Falcon 9 at NASA’s historic Launch Complex 39A. Their current mission is to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was SpaceX’s first Florida launch since its rocket explosion last summer. The launch and landing were textbook perfect. The company's Dragon spacecraft was deployed from the rocket right on schedule and will arrive at the ISS on February 22nd around 9am EST. Musk excitedly posted a photo of the Falcon 9’s landing on Instagram with the caption, “Baby came back”. Footage of Falcon 9 launch on February 19th, 2017; Courtesy of NASA SpaceX halted their countdown yesterday with a mere thirteen...
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It’s safe to say that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is grinning ear to ear, waiting for the perfect opportunity to throw some shade on his competitors with the confirmation that his company’s first-stage Falcon 9 rocket landed successfully on an off-shore drone ship. This is the fourth time that SpaceX has attempted to land a Falcon 9 off-shore, with all three previous attempts ending in spectacular failure. But the rocket gods were with SpaceX today and the Falcon 9 touched down just slightly off center on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship. There was no drama, just a picturesque landing that caps off years of development and gallons of sweat and tears. Landing on a drone ship is an incredibly...
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Tech and Space enthusiasts are often kinsmen, so we were delighted to be invited down to witness NASA's next rocket launch live and report back to you on the experience. HotHardware is going to be front and center for Tuesday night’s Orbital ATK CRS-6 mission at NASA - Cape Canaveral, Florida. CRS-6 will not only deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) for its eager crew, but it will also carry a number of research projects aboard NASA's Cygnus spacecraft, which we'd like to detail for you here as a quick teaser... The Gecko GripperFirst, there’s the Gecko Gripper, which attempts to mimic the adhesion properties of gecko feet. Through the use of nanomaterials that are much thinner...
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SpaceX was hoping that it’s third attempt at a controlled Falcon 9 landing on a floating barge would be a charm, but those hopes went up in smoke this morning. In fact, SpaceX didn’t even get a chance to get close to landing on the barge, as the Falcon 9 launch vehicle exploded during ascent. The SpaceX Falcon 9, which lifted off from Cape Canaveral promptly at 10:21am EST for its seventh Commercial Resupply Services flight (CRS-7), broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean just minutes after liftoff. Onboard were over two and a half tons of supplies for the crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS), a much ballyhooed Boeing-built docking adapter that would “give Boeing’s CST-100 and...
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We’ve been following SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and Falcon rocket development with the giddiness of millions of children decades ago during the lead up to NASA landing a man on the moon. With the Space Shuttle out of commission and the U.S. relying on Russia to blast our astronauts into space, it’s up to companies like SpaceX to help take over the heavy lifting when it comes to ferrying crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS). When we last left SpaceX, the company successfully launched an unmanned Dragon capsule (making its sixth successful resupply mission) to the ISS, but had less success with its planned vertical landing of the Falcon 9 rocket on a barge platform. Close, but no...
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The good news for SpaceX is that its Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was a resounding success. This was the sixth Commercial Resupply Services flight (CRS-6) of fifteen planned. Falcon 9 rocket approaches the barge platform (Source: SpaceX) The Dragon capsule blasted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:10 pm EST this afternoon atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Dragon was successfully placed into orbit and will rendezvous with the ISS on Friday morning. The Dragon is loaded with just over 4,000 pounds of cargo including 1,103 pounds of supplies for the ISS crew and over 1,200 pounds of hardware and equipment. The remainder of the payload is occupied by equipment and hardware for...
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