Main Engine Cut OffSpirits Are High for Opportunity
The thermal limits were a main concern of mine going into the press conference NASA held yesterday about Opportunity and the currently-active Martian dust storm. Things seem okay!
442 results for “NASA”
Juno Gets an Extension
Juno is on its 13th orbit right now, so an additional 41 months allows Juno to make 37 orbits—the exact amount originally planned.
T+84: The End of NASA Exploration Exclusivity
Last week, China opened up their future space station to other nations, and Blue Origin laid some hints about their lunar ambitions. Both of these stories are indicative of what I think the next era of exploration will look like, and it has interesting implications for NASA.
Charges Against ARCA CEO Dumitru Popescu Dropped
Honestly, I still have no idea what to make of it, but Popescu defended himself in front of a grand jury for 14 hours and they agreed with his case. Let’s see where ARCA goes from here.
T+81: Resource Prospector Cancellation
Last week, we heard news that the Resource Prospector mission has been cancelled. I spend some time thinking through my initial reactions to the news, and speculate about what the path ahead may hold for lunar development.
Falcon 9 Turnaround
“At four-months 20 days between Zuma and Iridium NEXT-6/GRACE-FO, this will be the fastest Falcon 9 first stage turnaround between flights to date.”
OA-9E Cygnus Might Reboost ISS
Chris Gebhardt, for NASASpaceflight, on a very cool aspect of the upcoming OA-9E mission.
T+79: Orbital ATK’s OmegA, NASA’s Bridenstine
Orbital ATK unveiled the name and additional technical details of their new launch vehicle, OmegA. Jim Bridenstine was finally confirmed as the new NASA Administrator.
Taco Bell Space Station
The name “Taco Bell Space Station” would do a hell of a lot more to get public buy-in for a space program than “Lunar Orbiting Platform—Gateway,” that’s for sure.
T+78: No Cost-Plus, But No Vision, Either
NASA had some interesting comments on the Lunar Gateway at a recent NASA Advisory Council meeting—the program is eschewing cost-plus contracting, but it’s lacking vision.