I’ve seen the space shuttle in every possible way and angle. Even at the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. But I’ve never seen it completely shrink-wrapped, as if someone just ordered one from Amazon. More »
from Gizmodo
From Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now: Video: Blue Origin Tests Its Rocket Crew Launchpad Escape System
Blue Origin’s Pad Escape System Going up. Blue Origin
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s private spaceflight endeavor, usually quite secretive about its West Texas operations, gives us a peek at its latest test launch.On Friday, private spaceflight venture Blue Origin conducted a successful test of its Pad Escape system, demonstrating that its pusher escape motor system can effectively put daylight between its crew capsule and an imperiled launch vehicle (read: out-of-control rocket booster) should anything go awry during a potential future crewed space launch aboard Blue Origin’s technology. Today, we got our hands on the video.
In it you can see the crew capsule arcing upward some 2,307 feet from a simulated launch vehicle as it travels another 1,630 feet laterally downrange, ensuring that in the case of an actual ascent emergency it not only separates from a malfunctioning rocket but also gets out of its way as well. It then safely parachutes back to down to the West Texas desert floor.
The Pad Escape system is a key part of Blue Origin’s spaceflight scheme, which aims to field a completely reusable manned spacecraft as part of NASA’S Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. See it bail out below.
from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now
From Wired Top Stories: SpaceX’s First Contract Cargo Mission Set for Next Month
NASA and SpaceX have announced that Elon Musk?s company is scheduled to fly its first commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station on Oct. 7.
from Wired Top Stories
From Technology Review RSS Feeds: Boeing Plans to Turbocharge Fuel-Efficient Flight
With fuel prices and concerns over emissions rising, the aircraft maker is accelerating the testing of emerging technologies.
Since Boeing’s first jet airliner came to market more than five decades ago, the company has improved the fuel efficiency of its commercial planes by about 70 percent. But with growing pressure on airlines to save fuel costs and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, the aircraft manufacturer now hopes to accelerate improvements by testing new technologies and designs at an earlier stage.
From Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now: NASA Has Spent $20 Billion On Canceled Projects
Cool space vehicles that almost existed NASA
But Congressmen have a plan to revamp the space agency so it runs more efficiently, like the FBI.Last week, several Congressmen from the House of Representatives introduced a bill (PDF) that, if passed into law, would restructure NASA’s leadership. The new law would take away most of the President’s control of the space agency and give it to a to a Board of Directors, and would also institute a 10-year term for NASA Administrators, just like they have in the FBI.
At the press conference, the Congressmen introducing the bill said they thought it would serve to straighten out NASA’s long-term goals, and cited the $20 billion the agency has spent on projects that were ultimately canceled:
Click here to see a detailed version of this infographic.
Twenty billion is nothing to sneeze at, though it’s worth noting that the Department of Defense has spent over $46 billion in canceled weapons programs over the last decade alone. That’s over twice what NASA wasted, in half the time. Or, to put it another way, the DoD has lost over four times as much money to canceled projects as NASA.
Whether or not the new bill would help NASA get its own priorities straight (and keep them there), we may never find out: According to SpaceNews.com, a website run by the company Imaginova, policy experts in Washington say that the legislation is likely dead on arrival.
from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now
From Wired Top Stories: How Can Airlines Reduce Fuel Costs?
American Airlines says it can save $1.2 million by replacing heavy flight manuals with iPads. What else could be eliminated to save even more on fuel? Physicist Rhett Allain has a suggestion that would reduce fuel as well as trips to the restroom.
from Wired Top Stories
From Engadget: Liftport turns to Kickstarter for space elevator experiment
Space elevators are slowly making the transition from science fiction to science fact… but we’re not quite there yet. LiftPort, a group that already holds the record for tallest elevator, is taking a second stab at the technology after going into “hibernation” in 2007. Founder Michael Laine has resurrected the company and taken to Kickstarter to drum up interest (as well as a little cash) in his latest project — a lunar elevator. As Laine explains in the video, an elevator from the surface of the Moon to a rendezvous point between the Earth and its satellite is actually possible using current technology. And, thanks to its low gravity and lack of atmosphere, a much simpler construction site. The first step is a $1 million feasibility study that will involve a two kilometer tall elevator here on Earth. LiftPort has already far exceeded its Kickstarter goal of $8,000, but the point was never to fund the entire project. The hope was to garner some media attention and get people involved and invested (both financially and emotionally) by offering rewards. You could even pledge enough money to base jump from the top of the tethered research tower, which will be held aloft by helium balloons. For more info check out the video after the break and hit up the source link to pledge your hard earned cash.
from Engadget