Medicine & TechnologyFollowing the failed launch of a Russian resupply rocket, NASA and its space agency partners have decided to delay the return of three astronauts from the International Space Station.
The unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft that malfunctioned causing the Russian space program to lose control of the craft as it made its way to the International Space Station last week, will fall to Earth later this evening.
The Dragon Capsule, a commercial spacecraft designed by SpaceX to ferry U.S. astronauts into orbit by 2017 is set for a major test on Wednesday, when the private space company plans to blast the capsule away from the launch mount at Cape Canaveral on a mile-high demo flight designed to test the craft's ability to protect occupants in the event of a catastrophic rocket failure on the pad.
The government has made a commitment to extend Canada's support and participation in the International Space Station mission for another four years, or until 2024. The announcement was included as part of the new federal budget.
Since 1998, the International Space Station has stood has a symbol of global cooperation even at times when the participating countries weren't seeing eye to eye. It's 15 modules have been inhabited continuously since 2000 and over the years it has played host to almost 200 astronauts and cosmonauts from 15 different nations. However, despite countries extending support until 2024, this could all still come to an end.
One of the biggest hurdles to interplanetary space travel has always been fuel: how can you possibly carry enough to get you to the outer reaches of the solar system? Well, the fuel-conscious scientists at NASA may have cause to celebrate.
Russia is trying to determine what it is going to do after losing contact with the unmanned cargo craft on route to the International Space Station for a resupply mission. Currently the craft is spinning out of control, NASA said.
For the second time this month, the Elon Musk led SpaceX launched cargo into space. This time the privately owned company delivered its first satellite into orbit owned and operated by the former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan.
The exploration to space has been paved with litter as missions after mission and satellite after satellite has left much of Earth's orbit as nothing more than a glorified garbage dump. Now, scientists have proposed a new way to deal with the trash problem - blast it.
It appears that, as usual, everyone is excited about coffee on a Friday morning. Yes the International Space Station now has an espresso machine for the Americans, but the Italians won the race to the first ISSpresso in space and that’s not even the most important stuff that arrived today thanks to SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. And though the coffee may claim the spotlight, the nanotech, food and mice (yes, we said mice in space) are the really important things aboard this NASA payload.
Just because the first stage of the Falcon 9 went up in flames when it returned back to Earth, doesn’t mean that the entire mission wasn’t a success. In fact, even though the near miss may have made headlines all this week, as the second attempt by SpaceX proved to be as unsuccessful as the first, the Dragon cargo capsule is still on its way to the International Space Station for its resupply mission, and it’s carrying quite a few surprises in store, as well.
Close, but no cigar. Though you’d expect from the fire and the smoke to find something at the scene of the Falcon 9 rocket’s landing site. After multiple delays and promising weather conditions this Tuesday April 14, an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket developed by SpaceX was launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in transit towards the International Space Station, full of supplies. But in the second attempt that the company has pursued in trying to recapture the rocket’s first stage by landing it on an autonomous drone ship, SpaceX encountered yet another failure even after making monumental changes since the Jan. 10 crash landing, earlier this year.
It’s first attempt was a failure, but in hopes of creating a more sustainable spaceflight industry, private spaceflight company SpaceX is going to try landing one of their rockets again. And this time you can watch the mission live, no delays and no interruptions like before.
Think that you know how today’s Falcon 9 launch and landing are going to play out? Think again! With some new improvements, and a lot of learning through trial and error, SpaceX thinks that they’ve worked out a plan for success, and we’re hoping that they stick the landing in grace.