Orbital ATK Resupply: Orbital ATK resumes flight from Wallops Island, Va., in a stunning launch visible for miles Orbital ATK’s modified Antares launch vehicle lifted off successfully from NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility on a NASA contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station. The mission marks the first for Orbital ATK from Wallops Island… [Continue Reading]
Orion Testing at Plum: Orion service module passes major shake test at NASA’s Plum Brook Station The European Space Agency’s service module contribution to NASA’s Orion capsule has been undergoing ground testing at NASA’s Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station since spring. This testing was the first to replicate the acoustic launch environment and vibrations… [Continue Reading]
ISS and Exploration: Interview: Space Station as base for exploring new frontier, says renowned U.S. scientist Space stations are a crucial stepping stone in the exploration of space, Edward Stone, a former director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ISS Robots: Meet the growing family of space station robots A growing number of robots aboard the… [Continue Reading]
Trump on Space: Op-ed | Trump’s space policy reaches for Mars and the stars NASA’s core mission must be distant exploration and science, writes Robert Walker, the former U.S. congressman, and Peter Navarro, a University of California, Irvine professor.. The two men serve as policy advisers to Donald Trump. (See also: Trump would reinstate White… [Continue Reading]
Asteroid Redirect Mission: NASA provides update on Asteroid Redirect Mission While the U.S. Congress doubts the value of NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission, some policymakers and planners remain steadfast to the contributions it could make to human deep space exploration, science and fending off near-Earth asteroids with the potential to impact the Earth. ARM would visit… [Continue Reading]
ISS Resupply: Company sets October launch date to resupply space station NASA and Orbital ATK have set Oct. 9-13 as the launch period for the Dulles, Va.-based company’s next NASA-contracted re-supply mission to the InternationalSpace Station. The mission will mark Orbital ATK’s return to NASA’s Wallops Island Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore as a launch site…. [Continue Reading]
Orion Heat Shield at KSC: Orion heat shield arrives at Kennedy Space Center The heat shield for the late 2018 test flight of NASA’s Orion crew exploration capsule is now at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center launch site for integration. The upcoming uncrewed test flight, Exploration Mission-1, will send Orion around the moon and back to Earth… [Continue Reading]
Tool Competition for ISS: Design a 3-D Printed Tool for Astronauts to Use Aboard the Space Station The ISS Design Challenge, sponsored by Mouser Electronics, offers an opportunity for college students to suggest tools for International Space Station astronauts. Top concepts could be manufactured with 3-D printing hardware aboard the six person orbiting science laboratory…. [Continue Reading]
NASA Authorization Bill: Senate panel authorizes money for Mars mission, shuttle replacement In a bid to stabilize the nation’s civil space endeavors across a transition in U.S. presidential administrations, the Senate Commerce Committee has passed a bipartisan measure that authorizes a $19.5 billion 2017 budget to continue work on a human Mars mission and efforts… [Continue Reading]
Clinton and Trump on Space: Clinton supports human Mars exploration Presidential contender Hillary Clinton pledged support for the human exploration of Mars in response to a questionnaire from ScienceDebate.org. Clinton did not elaborate on possible changes to current strategy that calls for a human presence in the Martian environs by the mid-2030s. Rival Donald Trump expressed… [Continue Reading]