Space and astronomy news
NASA has just received a significant boost in the agency’s current budget after both chambers of Congress passed the $1.1 Trillion 2016 omnibus spending bill this morning, Friday, Dec. 18, which funds the US government through the remainder of the 2016 Fiscal Year.
TORONTO, CANADA – Could NASA’s new rocket bring a probe to sample the geysers of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, or ferry human explorers to the surface of Mars? Representatives of contractor Boeing think so. They’ve put together some ideas for sending their Space Launch System to these far-flung destinations, which they presented at the International Astronautical …
Continue reading “Gallery: 5 Exotic Places NASA’s Next-Generation Rocket Could Help Explore”
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – Production and assembly of virtually all of the key hardware elements for NASA’s eagerly anticipated Orion EFT-1 uncrewed test flight are either complete or nearing completion at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Two of the three first stage boosters comprising the mammoth Delta IV Heavy rocket …
Delta 4 Heavy rocket and super secret US spy satellite roar off Pad 37 on June 29, 2012 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA’s Orion EFT-1 capsule will blastoff atop a similar Delta 4 Heavy Booster in December 2014. Credit: Ken Kremer- kenkremer.com Stroy updated[/caption] CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – The urgent need by …
Engineers prepare Orion’s service module for installation of the fairings that will protect it during launch this fall when Orion launches on its first mission. The service module, along with its fairings, is now complete. Credit: NASA Story Updated[/caption] 2014 is the Year of Orion. Orion is NASA’s next human spaceflight vehicle destined for astronaut …
Continue reading “NASA Pressing Towards Fall 2014 Orion Test Flight – Service Module Complete”
The upcoming Nov. 18 blastoff of NASA’s new MAVEN Mars orbiter is threatened by today’s US Federal Government shutdown. Launch processing work has now ceased! Spacecraft preps had been in full swing when MAVEN was unveiled to the media, including Universe Today, inside the clean room at the Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 27, 2013. …
Continue reading “Government Shutdown Stops MAVEN Work; Threatens NASA Mars Launch!”
[/caption] ORLANDO – The Google Lunar X-PRIZE (GLXP) recently announced the 29 official teams that will be vying for the $30 million grand prize. One group in particular stands out amongst the list however – Omega Envoy. This team is comprised primarily by college students from the University of Central Florida, working on engineering and …
Continue reading “Google Lunar X-Prize’s ‘college team’ gaining steam, attention and support”
[/caption] The Senate Budget Committee has given the green light to fund NASA’s shuttle program past the end of 2010, when the program is set to retire. But NASA isn’t asking for an extension. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson requested the $2.5 billion provision, which was included in the broader five-year spending plan that passed committee Monday …
Continue reading “New Bill Would Extend Shuttle Life, but NASA Doesn’t Need the Time”
NASA’s Constellation Program has released an announcement that they are looking for people to evaluate the design of the Altair spacecraft that will land on the moon. So if you work in the science community or in a related industry, NASA wants your opinion. What they are looking for are evaluations of the current developmental …
Continue reading “NASA Wants Your Opinion on the Lunar Lander”
A new study from Caltech shows that the moon experiences “moonquakes” with precise regularity, like a “lunar alarm clock.”