UPDATE: NASA’s statement on the scrub: “SpaceX’s launch to the International Space Station was scrubbed today due to a helium leak on the Falcon 9 first stage. The next launch opportunity would be Friday, April 18 at 3:25 p.m. EDT if the issue can be resolved.” SpaceX has scrubbed the scheduled launch of ts Falcon 9 rocket due to an unspecified technical issue. The rocket is to send a Dragon […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, April 14, 2014, 2-3:30 PM PDT(5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT): We welcome BRETT STROOZAS, the Director of Flight Operations for Elysium Space Burial Company. See https://elysiumspace.com. 2. Tuesday, April 15, 2014:, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): We welcome back JOHN POWELL of JP Aerospace. See https://www.jpaerospace.com. 3. SPECIAL TIME: Friday, April 18, 2014, 11:30 […]
PhoneSat 2.5 (Credit: NASA)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (NAS PR) — NASA’s preparing to send its fifth in a series of smartphone-controlled small spacecraft into orbit. PhoneSat 2.5 will ride into space as part of the SpaceX-3 commercial cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. SpaceX-3 is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 14.
Once in Earth orbit, the tiny spacecraft will demonstrate the power of smartphone components to support space-based communications systems and survive the radiation environment of low Earth orbit — as high as 220 miles above Earth. The technology demonstration mission also will pave the way for a constellation of cooperative small satellites scheduled to launch later this year.
The study’s lead author Aurélie Crabbé (left), Cheryl Nickerson (Principal Investigator and senior author on the study) and co-author Jennifer Barrila (right) of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology. (Credit: Arizona State University/Anais Bon)
TEMPE, Ariz. (NASA PR) — You may not recognize it by name, but if you have ever had a child with a diaper rash, that child was likely a host to Candida albicans (C. albicans). This unwelcome “guest” can be hard to control, as it can potentially lead to serious illness in humans with weakened immune systems. During an investigation dubbed “Microbe,” using the unique microgravity environment aboard space shuttle Atlantis on an International Space Station mission, researchers at the Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe gained a better understanding of these prevalent fungi. Their tendency to become more aggressive in microgravity helps scientists see what mechanisms control the behavior of these types of organisms, with the potential to develop ways to influence their behavior both in space and on Earth.
For anyone who has been underwhelmed by seeing the same small collection of tax-dodging aircraft on the ramp month after month at Plane Crazy Saturday, you’ll be happy to hear there is finally a a change of pace this week. The Mojave Experimental Flyin is back in town on Easter weekend, which means the ramp will be full of all sorts of funky aircraft on Saturday and Sunday. The public […]
NASA officials said today that SpaceX’s launch of a Dragon freighter to the International Space Station is on for Monday despite the failure of an external computer on the orbiting facility. The Falcon 9 launch is set for 4:58 p.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Floriday. NASA is planning a spacewalk for later this month to fix the external computer. During a press conference this afternoon, […]
Fly wheels, such as the NASA G2 flywheel module above, are one way to store rotational energy for use by spacecraft or machines on Earth. NASA’s looking for new energy storage systems to enable our future exploration missions. (Credit: NASA)
HAMPTON, Virg. (NASA PR) — NASA is seeking proposals for the development of new, more capable, energy storage technologies to replace the battery technology that has long powered America’s space program.
The core technologies solicited in the Wednesday call for proposals will advance energy storage solutions for the space program and other government agencies, such as the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) through ongoing collaboration with NASA and industry.
The International Space Station, backdropped by the blackness of space and the thin line of Earth’s atmosphere. (Credit: NASA)
HOUSTON (NASA PR) — Scheduled for launch and on-orbit operations on Space-X 3, April 14, 2014, the University Research- 1 (UR-1) research is focused on the development of benzofuran-2-carboxylic acid derivatives designed for immune system augmentation, the restoration of immune cell function and the inhibition of cancer initiation and development. The initial findings of these compounds reveal inhibitive properties for cancer cell proliferation and restorative properties for cells exposed to radiation. This research addresses risks critical to the health of the astronauts and humankind.
Artist concept of the SLS in flight. (Credit: NASA)
I had a discussion recently with a friend of mine who does numbers crunching on big space program. This was the person’s take on what the Space Launch System (SLS) will actually cost once it gets up and running sometime in the early 2020’s.
By Patrick O’Neill
CASIS Marketing and Communications Manager
Riding a dragon is a fantasy many have and few fulfil, but if you’re interested in sending research to the International Space Station, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) can help bring those dreams to life. To clarify, this “dragon” is actually a spacecraft carrying cargo and supplies to the orbiting laboratory and the “ride” is for the research proposed by investigators. This simply adds the magic of discovery to the journey, as knowledge expands with each result from microgravity experimentation aboard the space station.