By Paul Scott Anderson, on August 26th, 2016
Artist’s conception of a Breakthrough Starshot spacecraft, a tiny circuit board-like “wafer” attached to a lightsail. Image Credit: Breakthrough Initiatives
Now that we know the closest star system to us has at least one planet, an Earth-mass and potentially habitable one at that, there is one big question a lot of people are […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Paul Scott Anderson, on June 13th, 2015
Artist’s conception of the MarCO CubeSats flying past Mars as the InSight lander descends to the surface. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The next NASA mission to Mars, the InSight lander, will include some additional experimental technology: the first deep-space CubeSats. Two small CubeSats will fly past the planet as the lander is descending through […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Talia Landman, on June 11th, 2015
LightSail captured this image of its deployed solar sails in Earth orbit on June 8, 2015. Photo Credit and Caption: The Planetary Society
It’s not a true space mission without a little bit of drama, and The Planetary Society had just that. Unforeseen software glitches, spacecraft falling silent, and periods of no contact […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Talia Landman, on May 22nd, 2015
Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye addresses the media at a LightSail press conference on May 19 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s History Museum. Photo Credit: Talia Landman / AmericaSpace
The Planetary Society’s LightSail spacecraft soared into the sky aboard Wednesday’s (May 20) Atlas-V launch from Cape Canaveral. The solar-sailing prototype is testing […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Craig Covault, on May 20th, 2015
The Air Force AFSPC-5 mission launched into clear blue skies from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today. Onboard is the secretive X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (its fourth mission) and a variety of cubists and experiments for the NAVY, NRO, USAF and NASA, including the Lightsail test article from The Planetary Society. Photo Credit: […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Mike Killian, on May 19th, 2015
A United Launch Alliance Atlas-V 501 rocket stands tall atop Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral AFS on May 19, 2015. The Air Force X-37B OTV-4 spaceplane is onboard, as well as the Planetary Society’s Lightsail test article, several small satellites for the NAVY and NRO, and a NASA materials science experiment. Liftoff […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Craig Covault, on May 18th, 2015 The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) at Vandenberg Air Force Base after completing 674 days in space. A total of three X-37B missions have been completed, totaling 1,367 days on orbit. OTV-4, launching on the AFSPC-5 mission May 20, is more focused on military spaceplane payload development instead of X-37B flight testing of […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Emily Carney, on May 15th, 2015 From The Planetary Society: “The Planetary Society’s LightSail solar sailing spacecraft is scheduled to ride a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to orbit in 2016 with its parent satellite, Prox-1.” Image Credit: Josh Spradling /The Planetary Society (http://sail.planetary.org/gallery/lightsail.html)
The idea of solar sails carrying satellites and humans into space has been something bandied about […]
Like this:Like Loading...
By Mike Killian, on May 11th, 2015 The Air Force’s AFSPC-5 payload, encapsulated inside a 5-meter diameter payload fairing, is mated to an Atlas V booster inside the Vertical Integration Facility or VIF at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex-41. Photo Credit: ULA
The rocket tasked with launching the next mission from Cape Canaveral, Fla., is well into […]
Like this:Like Loading...
|
|