AMSTERDAM (SXC PR) — As a great start of the year 2013, Mr. Ronald van der Linden signed up for the 200th ticket with SXC at the beginning of January. Born and raised in Rotterdam, Ronald van der Linden will be the 14th Pioneer that will fly with the Lynx Mark I. In his spare time, Ronald likes to fly around in helicopters as well as airplanes. He did very […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Space Startup Weekend
May 31 – June 2
The Hacker Dojo
Mountain View, CA
https://space.startupweekend.org/
It’s been a little over half a century since people started promising the “space age” was just around the corner. “Startup Weekend: Space” is about bringing some of today’s brightest hackers, hipsters and hustlers together to find ways to deliver on that promise. Judges, Speakers, and (of course) prizes to be announced. (If you saw this in a public link, you should register today – this event WILL sell out!)
View from the International Space Station of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as the robotic arm moves Dragon into place for attachment to the station May 25, 2012. (Credit: NASA)
By Jessica Eagan
International Space Station Program Science Office
He described it as “snow white.” But NASA astronaut Don Pettit was not referring to the popular children’s fairy tale.
Rather, he was talking about the white coating of the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft that reflected from the International Space Station’s light. As it approached the station for the first time in May 2012, the Dragon’s trunk might have been described as the “fairest of them all,” for its pristine coating, allowing Pettit to clearly see to maneuver the robotic arm to grab the Dragon for a successful nighttime berthing.
Video Caption: Masten Space Systems’ Xombie space-access technology demonstrator recently flew its highest and longest flight to date, guided by Draper Lab’s GENIE navigation and control system that is designed to replicate the speed and angle of a planetary approach. Xombie Ascended more than 1,600 feet above ground and flew almost 1,000 feet laterally before making a pin-point vertical landing on another pad. Ben Brockert: “I built much of Xombie […]
MOJAVE WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo reportedly went out flying on Monday. It did not appear to be a glide test. But, this probably means that one is coming fairly soon. I’m guessing later this week. The first glide flight took place just before Christmas, more than three months ago. (UPDATE: The duo were out flying again on Tuesday in another captive carry.) This would be the second of three planned glide […]
Citizen Science/SVSC/Ardulab Microgravity Workshop The Silicon Valley Space Center Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 9:00 AM Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 2:00 PM (PDT) Mountain View, CA https://spacehacker-estw.eventbrite.com/# This workshop covers the sub-orbital flight opportunities provided by the Citizen Science Program. Citizen Science has purchased 10 flights about the XCOR Lynx vehicle. Each flight can accommodate 12 cubelab/nanolab payloads and one payload astronaut. Citizen Science challenges scientists, engineers, students, faculty, […]
This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, April 1, 2013: 2-3:30 PM PDT (5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT): We welcome DR. ROBERT SACKHEIM commercial space insights, progress & more. See website newsletter for details at www.thespaceshow.com/newsletterfinal.htm. 2. Tuesday, April 2, 2013, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): No show this evening. See Thursday schedule instead. 3. Thursday, April 4, 2013:, 2-3:30 PM […]
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 28, 2013 (Lockheed Martin PR) — Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company today announced an initiative aimed at expanding its collaboration with Silicon Valley companies to meet the diverse technology needs of the federal government.
Called the Lockheed Martin Silicon Valley Alliance, this technology hub will provide the federal government with greater visibility into innovative technology solutions developed locally, including affordable software and cyber security solutions. For example, a game developer’s software could improve the realism of a military simulation system.
XCOR CEO Jeff Greason inspects the Lynx main engine after a hotfire test while Chief Test Engineer Doug Jones looks on. (Credit: XCOR)
Here are a couple of updates from SXC on the progress of XCOR’s Lynx program. In the first update, SXC Founder Harry van Hulten reports on his recent visit to XCOR in Mojave. The second update provides some more general information about XCOR.
Harry van Hulten Visits XCOR
I visited XCOR recently and was again impressed by the amount of progress. XCOR recently reached a historic milestone by completing a series of rocket motor tests, which evaluated one full pump fed rocket motor mounted on a flight weight fuselage and engine thrust structure in the Lynx Mark I configuration. The last test in the series included a 67 second run, which was successfully completed. The 67 seconds was the maximum amount of time achievable with the smaller test liquid oxygen (LOX) tank.
A pogo z-baffle for an RS-25 engine, built using state-of-the-art Selective Laser Melting, is inspected with a structured light scan. The part was created at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., which also manages the agency’s Space Launch System, or SLS, which will use RS-25s to reach beyond low-Earth orbit. (Credit: NASA/MSFC)
By Bill Hubscher
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
The latest in cutting-edge manufacturing is already making a significant impact in the future of space exploration.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., the prime contractor for the J-2X engine, recently used an advanced 3-D printing process called Selective Laser Melting, or SLM, to create an exhaust port cover for the engine. SLM uses lasers to fuse metal dust into a specific pattern to build the cover, which is essentially a maintenance hatch for the engine’s turbo pumps.