Category: Aerospace

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From Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now: Video: See (and Hear) the Space Shuttle Launch Like Never Before

Shuttle Rocketcam NASA

Michael Interbartolo, a staffer on the Space Shuttle Program, has posted this video of a shuttle launch, with the cameras attached to the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB). Apparently this video will be an bonus feature on the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release of Ascent: Commemorating Shuttle (which you can watch here). The big deal here is the sound–there was some assistance from Skywalker Sound, the company that provides the sound for George Lucas’s movies. Watch (and listen) for the splash into the Atlantic in the video, embedded after the jump. [via Discover]

from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now

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From Gizmodo: In the Future, Maglev Cannons Will Shoot Us Into Space

Am I the only one that thought of “Galaxy Express 999” anime show from my childhood when you read this?!
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Today in grandiose space ambitions that would make even Newt Gingrich balk: a $60 billion, 1,000-mile long, 12-mile high, 20,000-miles-per-hour maglev train that starts on the ground and arrives in low Earth orbit. The minds behind the Startram project think it could reduce the cost per kilo (that’s like 2.2 pounds American) for cargo from roughly $10,000 to just $50. More »
from Gizmodo

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From Discover Magazine: US manned spaceflight infographic | Bad Astronomy

I’m a fan of simple infographics: illustrations that make a point clearly and cleanly. The folks at mgmt. design have made one for US manned spaceflight that does just that.

Click that to enboosternate it; I’ve put just a portion of it here. I like it because you can see a few things instantly, for example how short the Apollo program was compared to the total amount of time we’ve been space traveling.

Even more obvious are the gaps in flights. The biggest is post-Apollo and pre-Shuttle, when the Saturn V was essentially decommissioned before the Shuttle was anywhere near being ready. That might be something to keep in mind during the current gap in the US capability to put humans in space.

Also obvious are the pauses after Challenger and Columbia, when the safety of the Shuttle was reassessed. Now, of course, we’re in the second long gap.

I wonder how long it will last? And perhaps more importantly, just how it will end?

 

from Discover Magazine

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From Ars Technica: NASA admin returns to Congress to fight for commercial space


It’s possible that no NASA Administrator has enjoyed appearing in front of Congress since the 1960’s. Charlie Bolden’s testimony in front of both the Senate and House oversight committees for his agency last Wednesday was likely to continue that trend.

Although there was some argument over the 20 percent cuts to the Mars exploration program and NASA’s commitments to the ESA, the key issue in both the Senate and House hearings was a philosophical difference over how to get humans into orbit. The legislators favored NASA’s Space Launch System, known among its detractors as the “Senate Launch System,” over CCDev, the Commercial Crew Development program. The two shouldn’t conflict, given that they are meant for completely different purposes, but in these highly-politicized times, they do.

Read the rest of this article...

 

from Ars Technica

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From Autoblog: Video: Translogic visits Switzerland to interview Jetman

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Translogic visits the Jetman

While we’re a little obsessed with cars here at Autoblog, our sister publication Translogic has a good habit of dispensing with terrestrial transportation entirely from time to time. This is one of those weeks, where the video crew has traveled to Switzerland – not to Geneva, but to Bex – to interview the Jetman, Yves Rossy.

Rossy is the first human to fly by means of a jet-powered wing. The Swiss pilot developed the wing over five years ago, and has since flown over the Alps, crossed the English Channel, and last year flew across the Grand Canyon.

Translogic has some great aerial footage of the Jetman, who proves to be a pretty funny interview as well. See the video belowto view all of it, in full HD.

Continue reading Translogic visits Switzerland to interview Jetman

 

from Autoblog