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Blog Archive
Origami Nanosats: The Future of Space Telescopes?
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/10/01 05:04 CDT | 1 comments
We interview Dr. Franck Marchis from the SETI Institute about nanosats that can unfold in space to create sensitive telescopes that are orders of magnitudes cheaper than current hardware.
The "Starship Century" Beckons
Gregory and James Benford return to Planetary Radio
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/10/01 10:30 CDT
The Benford brothers provide inspiration and hard fact in their excellent new anthology about interstellar travel.
Plutonium-238 is Crucial for Space Exploration – and it's Running Out
The Planetary Society works to maintain plutonium availability for deep space missions
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/09/20 11:29 CDT | 3 comments
Plutonium-238 provides electricity to deep space missions, but NASA only has a little bit left. A new article in Wired highlights the disastrous consequences of no plutonium for use in space, something the Planetary Society is currently fighting for in Washington, D.C.
Dream Chaser mini-shuttle prepares for free flight tests
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/08/15 03:42 CDT | 3 comments
Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spacecraft recently completed a series of range and taxi tow tests, which pave the way for free flights that could begin this fall.
Back to the Future With NIAC Program Exec Jay Falker
Posted by Mat Kaplan on 2013/08/13 10:51 CDT
This week's Planetary Radio talks with the head of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program about its mission and 12 newly-funded projects that could change the world.
J-2X: A Distant Dot Lights Up the Night
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/18 09:51 CDT | 3 comments
On Tuesday, NASA released new high-definition video of a June 26 nighttime J-2X engine test at Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi.
In-flight entertainment: cameras aboard the Space Launch System
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/09 06:04 CDT | 1 comments
When the Space Launch System lifts off on its inaugural flight in 2017, eight engineering cameras will collect crucial in-flight data while providing breathtaking views for the public.
Deflecting the flames of a monster rocket
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/07/01 12:24 CDT | 3 comments
Work continues to prepare Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B for the Space Launch System, as a flame trench deflector originally built for the Space Shuttle is removed.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/06/27 10:55 CDT | 9 comments
It had never occurred to me to think about geostationary satellites in Mars orbit before reading a new paper by Juan Silva and Pilar Romero. The paper shows that it takes a lot more work to maintain a stationary orbit at an arbitrary longitude at Mars than it does at Earth.
Morpheus lander gets back off its feet
Posted by Jason Davis on 2013/06/07 01:58 CDT | 4 comments
NASA's Project Morpheus lander completed a 74-second flight yesterday, marking the second tethered test of the new vehicle.
Planetary Resources' Crowdfunded Space Telescope
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2013/05/31 11:25 CDT | 2 comments
A fan-funded space telescope, usable by the public? It's an awesome idea, and it appears that a wide swath of the public agrees. Planetary Resources, headed by president and chief engineer Chris Lewicki, announced a Kickstarter project yesterday, with the goal of raising $1 million toward one of their ARKYD space telescopes.
NASA Administrator Highlights Advanced Propulsion Systems at JPL
An ion engine will be used on the proposed asteroid retrieval mission
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2013/05/23 06:18 CDT | 6 comments
Charles Bolden stopped by JPL to highlight research being done on advanced propulsion techniques that would be used in the proposed asteroid retrieval mission.
Report from the Starship Century Conference: Tuesday
Posted by Jon Lomberg on 2013/05/22 06:54 CDT | 5 comments
This week Jon Lomberg is attending the Starship Century conference, which brings together scientists, writers, and futurists to imagine the future of interstellar travel. Here he reports on presentations by Freeman Dyson, Peter Schwartz, Robert Zubrin, Geoff Landis, Neal Stephenson, and Patti Grace Smith.
Report from the Starship Century Conference: Monday
Posted by Jon Lomberg on 2013/05/21 10:42 CDT | 11 comments
This week Jon Lomberg is attending the Starship Century conference, which brings together scientists, writers, and futurists to imagine the future of interstellar travel. The organizers are Greg and Jim Benford, and among the attendees are: David Brin, Neal Stephenson, Vernor Vinge, Joe Haldeman, Alan Steele, Geoffrey Landis, Freeman Dyson, Jill Tarter, Paul Davies, Nalaka Gunawardene, and Daniel Richter.
LPSC 2013: Future Planetary Exploration
Posted by Van Kane on 2013/03/26 12:20 CDT | 2 comments
Last week, planetary scientists gathered for the 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Only a tiny fraction of the presentations at LPSC dealt with future missions. Even so, this is still one of the best sources for insights into details of missions under development. In this post, I’ll cover some of the abstracts for the presentations that give a flavor of the breadth of the proposals.
Brother, Can You Spare $1B for a Planetary Space Telescope?
Posted by Van Kane on 2013/02/20 12:29 CST | 2 comments
Imagine you had a Hubble-class telescope and could use in any way you wanted to explore planets. What would you do with it?
SpaceX's Grasshopper makes leap toward reusability
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/12/26 01:18 CST | 14 comments
SpaceX's Grasshopper rocket passed its most ambitious test flight yet, rising 12 stories before hovering and settling gently back down onto its landing pad.
PlanetVac: Sucking Up Planetary Regolith
A New Planetary Society Project
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2012/10/30 02:27 CDT | 3 comments
Learn about the Planetary Society’s newest project: PlanetVac, with Honeybee Robotics, aims to prototype and test in a huge vacuum chamber a new way to sample planetary surfaces that could be used for sample return or for in situ instruments.
FAA smooths path to commercial spaceflight
Posted by Andrew Rush on 2012/08/31 11:23 CDT
The FAA will allow operators of Class III amateur rockets to apply for launch licenses, smoothing the path for commercial spaceflight providers.
Lockheed Martin Launches Innovate the Future Challenge
Posted by Karl Sanchack on 2012/08/23 01:31 CDT
The aerospace giant wants your great ideas that may help create a better future. Winners will receive cash prizes totaling up to $50,000, but you must submit your concept by September 30! Here are more details from the company's Acting Director of Innovation.
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