Jason Davis

Dragon packed and ready for reentry

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/30 01:51 CDT | 1 comments

After making history at the International Space Station, SpaceX's Dragon capsule has been re-loaded with cargo and is preparing for reentry.

Dragon makes history, berths with International Space Station

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/25 02:24 CDT | 1 comments

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has been successfully grappled with the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 and berthed with the station's Harmony module.

Dragon completes initial ISS fly-under

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/24 02:25 CDT

SpaceX's Dragon capsule performed a successful fly-under of the International Space Station last night, at a distance of 2.5 kilometers.

SpaceX successfully launches Dragon into orbit

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/22 03:24 CDT | 7 comments

SpaceX moved closer to spaceflight history last night as their Falcon 9 rocket rose from its launch pad, sending the Dragon capsule on a journey to berth with the International Space Station.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 aborts liftoff due to abnormal engine reading

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/19 10:51 CDT | 2 comments

The launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule was aborted last night a half-second before liftoff, due to abnormally high pressure readings in engine number five.

SpaceX set to launch COTS 2 flight this Saturday

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/18 09:45 CDT | 1 comments

This Saturday, SpaceX will attempt to make history by launching the first commercial spacecraft to berth with the International Space Station.

Examining India's new RISAT 1 Earth observation satellite

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/02 12:03 CDT | 1 comments

Last week, India launched RISAT 1, a new Earth-observing satellite. How does its synthetic aperture radar compare to that of Envisat, which has fallen silent?

SpaceX Dragon flight to ISS draws near

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/04/16 09:45 CDT | 1 comments

SpaceX and NASA have completed a successful flight readiness review (FRR) for the Dragon's upcoming visit to the International Space Station.

NASA collects round three of CCDev proposals

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/04/13 08:15 CDT

NASA is soliciting a third round of proposals from private spaceflight companies looking to send astronauts to the International Space Station.

Of inclinations and azimuths

Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/04/11 12:29 CDT

A classified U.S. military satellite recently launched into an orbital inclination of 123 degrees. What makes this trajectory so unique? Pondering the answer affords the opportunity to learn some deceptively tricky concepts about the nature of all spacecraft orbits.