Archive for April, 2008
April 28, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
If you can't get a chance to fly on the space shuttle in its final years, what's the best way to experience what a shuttle launch is like? Jeff Foust reviews a highly-detailed simulator of a shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center's visitor center.
April 28, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
The intercept of USA 193 earlier this year required the cooperation of multiple agencies and the combination of data from various sources. Wayne Eleazer compares that to an earlier effort to create a "Space Test Range" during the SDI era.
April 28, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
While NASA has all but abandoned efforts to develop reusable launch vehicle technology, RLV efforts continue elsewhere in government and the private sector. Taylor Dinerman explores the status of those efforts, including some surprising new developments from a large aerospace company.
April 28, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
In the 1960s the US Navy developed the POPPY series of satellites designed to identify the location of Soviet radars and naval vessels. Dwayne Day examines the history of this satellite program, including new information on the role these satellites played in the Cold War.
April 21, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
In the early years of the Space Age, NASA pursued efforts to develop nuclear-powered rockets that held the promise of opening up the solar system. Jeff Foust reviews a book that examined the technology and policy issues associated with that ultimately failed effort.
April 21, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
A subgenre of science fiction tries to tell stories about the near future of spaceflight. Dwayne Day reviews one such anime series and finds that what it offers in attention to detail it lacks in plot and character.
April 21, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
As the presidential campaign grinds on, the various space advocacy and industry groups are determining what stand, if any, they should take on the candidates' space positions. Greg Zsidisin concludes his analysis of the topic with a review of those groups' positions and why the issue is so important.
April 21, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
While Canada blocked the sale of MDA's space business to a US company earlier this month, SSTL agreed to be acquired by EADS Astrium. Taylor Dinerman examines both deals and their strategic implications for Canada and the UK.
April 21, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
What do NASA's former leaders think about the agency's plans to return to the Moon? Jeff Foust reports on what three former administrators recently said about that, as well as the best and worst decisions they made when they led the space agency.
April 14, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
In preparation for an accident that fortunately never came, rescue crews practiced techniques to recover Apollo astronauts. Dwayne Day reveals the small but important role played by a large, ungainly helicopter to support those efforts.