Archive for the ‘Astronautics’ Category
After a successful working life in the study of Earth’s space environment, two small NASA spacecraft called ARTEMIS were redirected to achieve an orbit around the moon. Now they can look inside and its surface composition.
The two ARTEMIS were part of the THEMIS mission, launched in 2007. Once finalized, it should have been deactivated in 2010, but NASA decided that they could still be useful to science. They are starting a complicated journey in July 2009, moved repeatedly until the two mills achieved a lunar orbit on June 27 and July 17 respectively. In the absence of a suitable propulsion system, the vehicles had made numerous gravity assists in the vicinity of the Moon and Earth, which allowed to reach the new destination with a minimum expenditure of fuel. Read the rest of this entry »
United States are still shaping its new constellation of satellites military warning, designed to detect enemy missile launches. On 7 may, an Atlas V rocket (401) sent into space to the SBIRS GEO-1, the first member of that system that will operate from a geostationary orbit. It had been previously launched two satellites working from highly inclined elliptical orbits and carrying loads SBIRS.
The Space-Based Infrared System is an essential piece for U.S. protection. Its members have telescopes equipped with infrared sensors, so you can detect a missile launch by the heat emitted by its engines during takeoff. Previously, this work has been carrying out satellite DSP (Defense Support Program), which was the successor of the old Midas. Read the rest of this entry »
NASA has announced the final date of departure of the second last space shuttle mission. The shuttle Endeavour will lift off from Kennedy Space Center on 29 April, carrying five astronauts on board a flight for 14 days.
The announcement came after the program management to conduct a regular overhaul. The meeting attended by NASA managers and contractors responsible for was used to examine the preparedness of staff, facilities and vehicle. Everything seems to point. Read the rest of this entry »
NASA has taken a step further in their quest for a commercial replacement that allows sending its astronauts to the space, while developing its future manned spacecraft. The Agency has just granted contracts worth a total of $ 269.3 million to four companies, in the second phase of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) program.
The money will be used by these companies to advance their concepts, designs and starting to mature development of the various elements that make up its proposals, including launch systems and spacecraft themselves. The funding will cover the period until May 2012. Read the rest of this entry »