Tag Archives: rocket

SpaceX Soft Landing Test Goes off Without a Hitch

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Reusable spacecraft have been a mainstay of space exploration for decades thanks to the now retired Space Shuttle program. Before the Shuttle, the rocket engines used in the Apollo era were typically left to sink into the ocean. SpaceX hopes to be the future of reusable space flight. The company has a rocket called Falcon 9 that puts satellites and ISS resupply craft into orbit.

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So far, SpaceX has not been reusing its Falcon 9 rockets, but that will change in the future. SpaceX recently put six satellites into orbit and after that mission, a test was conducted for soft landing the Falcon 9 main stage for use again in future missions.

The test confirmed that even with reentry at hypersonic velocity the main engines of the rocket can be fired to slow the craft down. SpaceX fired the main rocket engines twice with the final firing placing the Falcon 9 into position for a vertical landing in the Atlantic Ocean at near zero velocity. In the future SpaceX hopes to be able to land the rocket on a floating platform so it can be reused.

Iron Dome Prevents Rocket from Hitting Eilat

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The sporadic aggression from the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt has plagued Israel for some time. But the Israelis have found a way around this threat from terrorist groups linked with Al-Qaeda. It has...

Wallops Island Launch Completed

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The site from which the launch was to take place was owned by NASA. The take off however didn’t go as planned from Wallops Island. The major reason behind this was a solar flare that erupted from the...
    






NASA’s Hilarious Response to Mentos and Coke Rocket Proposal

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NASA is always out to find new way to propel their rockets. One enterprising geek apparently took it upon himself to send NASA a proposal to power a rocket with a “shit load of Coke” and a bunch of Mentos. Clearly, the letter was meant as a joke, but NASA Associate Administrator Steven Malkovich took the time to respond.

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Malkovich told the sender, one Mr. Jones, that it had no interest in his rocket proposal. NASA says there is no practical use for the tech, even if they used a “shit load” of Coke as Mr. Jones suggested. My favorite part of the NASA response is where they point out it takes years of training to become an astronaut.

Mr. Jones had apparently said that he wanted to be a “spaceman” and that it appeared to be so simple even a chimp could do it. You can click the image of the letter to get a better look at the text for yourself. I’m now crafting a much better plan to fuel rockets involving feeding astronauts a steady diet of Taco Bell Chilitos and a flatulence capturing apparatus.

[via Reddit]

SpaceX launches new Falcon 9 rocket with 60 percent stronger engines (video)

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DNP Better, Faster, Stronger, Harder SpaceX Falcon rocket has 60% more powerful engines, bigger fuel tanks

While most of the news about SpaceX has surrounded the Grasshopper lately, the firm has been plugging away at its Falcon rocket, too. This just-launched Falcon 9 (dubbed version 1.1) boasts 60 percent more powerful engines, longer fuel tanks and according to the Global Post, other new features that were designed to boost lift capacity and "simplify operations for commercial service." To that end, the spacecraft was carrying a science and communications satellite for Canada's MDA Corp. when it left Earth's atmosphere. The take-off comes just over five years after the first Falcon's departure, and its itinerary will take it around both poles. Just remember, for a cool $56.5 million you too can send a Falcon 9 into space.

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Via: YouTube

Source: SpaceX (YouTube), SpaceX (Twitter)

Japan’s Epsilon rocket with onboard AI successfully launches

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Japan's Epsilon rocket with onboard AI successfully launches​

Affordable is a relative term, but in the world of rocket science Japan's recently launched Epsilon qualifies as such. Costing just $37-million (albeit not directly comparable, NASA claims a typical launch costs around $450-million) to send off, Jaxa -- Japan's space agency -- rightly considers it a steal. Epsilon launched from the south-west of the country at 2pm local time. Its mission? To deploy a telescope that Jaxa advises will observe our neighboring planets from its position in Earth's orbit. The cost efficiency is being put down to the rocket's artificial intelligence, something that slashes the man-power needed from 150 to 8. Let's just hope the thriftiness wasn't just to fund that other recent launch.

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Via: BBC

Source: Jaxa

NASA’s 3D-printed rocket part handles 20,000 pounds of thrust in test (video)

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NASA's really into 3D printing, but its latest project goes far beyond pizza. The space agency has manufactured its largest rocket part ever, an injector plate, which successfully helped produce around 20,000 pounds of thrust on a test bed. They modified the design of an existing machined injector in order to create a 3D printed version using two parts instead of 115 -- which NASA said performed "flawlessly" in tests. Such parts could one day reduce rocket costs while potentially increasing safety, since they're less-complex and have fewer points of failure. NASA will ramp up the thrust on subsequent tests, but meanwhile, if you don't want to see a rocket motor firing with 10 tons of thrust, don't head after the jump.

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Via: Ars Technica

John Carmack says Armadillo Aerospace is in ‘hibernation’ following setbacks

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John Carmack says Armadillo Aerospace is in 'hibernation'

Armadillo Aerospace was once at the forefront of efforts to foster private spaceflight, but it has been quiet ever since its STIG-B rocket crashed in January. We're now learning why: founder John Carmack has revealed that the company is now in "hibernation." The transition from contract work to vehicle building just didn't pan out, he says. Having more full-time staff backfired, as workers were bogged down in planning and reviews; the team also repeated many of NASA's mistakes in material choices, limiting its production capacity. As Carmack isn't prepared to invest more of his personal funds to keep Armadillo going, the firm will likely remain on ice until there's a new investor who's ready to pay to keep up with Branson and Musk in the space race.

[Image credit: Official GDC, Flickr]

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Via: The Verge

Source: NewSpace Journal

Jeff Bezos expedition finds proof that recovered F-1 engine belongs to Apollo 11

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Jeff Bezos' team identifies an F1 engine as belonging to Apollo 11

Jeff Bezos' expeditionary team already believes that it's recovering Apollo 11 engines from the ocean, but it now has firm evidence that it's on the right track. The group has just found a serial number (pictured above) linking a salvaged thrust chamber to the fifth F-1 engine on Apollo 11's Saturn V rocket. While there's more identification work to go, the discovery shows that Bezos' conservation project is paying off. The timing is also rather convenient -- it gives us a fitting tribute to the NASA explorers that reached the Moon 44 years ago.

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Source: Bezos Expeditions