Archive for May, 2008
May 27, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
Getting people to express their opinions about space sometimes requires embracing new approaches and techniques. Greg Zsidisin announces a new contest for people to create online videos about the future of human spaceflight.
May 27, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
NASA's current exploration architecture, including the Ares 1 and 5 rockets, has come under criticism from some corners because of technical, financial, and schedule issues. In the conclusion of his two-part article, Stephen Metschan discusses one alternative to the current approach as well as why his team continues to press ahead with the concept.
May 27, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
NASA and its international partners on the ISS have been trying to deal with a problem with a critical joint that rotates some of the station's solar panels. Taylor Dinerman reviews the problem and examines its implications for the future of the orbiting outpost.
May 27, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
The high-tech world of spaceflight would seem to have little room for rituals and superstitions, but that turns out to be far from the case. Alan Murphy examines some of those traditions and why they're adopted.
May 27, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
Mars can be a hostile world, and getting spacecraft to that planet has never been an easy task. However, as Jeff Foust reports, the recent successful landing of Phoenix demonstrated that sometimes even on Mars there are second chances.
May 19, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
In the early years of the Space Age one source of inspiration for would-be rocket scientists was a new series of Tom Swift books. Anthony Young recalls the effects those books had on him, and the need for something similar today.
May 19, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
To some, scramjet technology offers few near-term prospects for developing low-cost reusable spaceplanes. Ajay Kothari argues that the issue is not with scramjets themselves, but in the types of vehicles they're used.
May 19, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
What role should NASA have in the development and promotion of space solar power? Taylor Dinerman suggests that the space agency's role will have to be limited given all the other projects it's grappling with.
May 19, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
Although there are still a number of space magazines being published today, there are others no longer in existence that left a legacy. Thomas J. Frieling recounts the history, and the demise, of one such publication.
May 19, 2008
· Filed under Space technology
Last week European officials proposed converting the Automated Transfer Vehicle into a spacecraft capable of carrying people to and from the ISS. Irina Kerner describes the obstacles, as much political as technical, this concept faces.