ANTARES
Latest
Virtual nation Asgardia has launched itself into space
Last year, Russian scientist Igor Ashurbeyli announced the formation of Asgardia -- a new virtual nation that will ultimately exist entirely in space. Since its debut, Asgardia has attracted over 300,000 registrants, created a constitution and, as of this Sunday, launched itself -- all 0.5 TB of it -- into space.
Astronomers capture best image yet of a star other than the sun
See that photo above? It might look a lot hazier than the HD photos you're used to, but it's the best and most detail image of a star other than our own sun that we've captured thus far. A team of astronomers led by Keiichi Ohnaka have used ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer in Chile to map Antares, one of the largest known stars and the brightest in the Scorpius constellation. Antares, a red supergiant, is visible to the naked eye as a reddish, twinkling star, but we've never seen it this close before.
Senate alters sanctions to allow use of Russian rocket engines
Don't look now, but American spaceflight just dodged a bullet. Senators have passed an amendment to an Iran-Russia sanctions bill that, if gone unchecked, would have barred both NASA and private outfits from using Russian rocket engines. The original measure was supposed to prevent purchases from organizations that work with Russian defense and intelligence, but it would have effectively banned imports of the common RD-180 engine (found in ULA's Atlas 5) and RD-181 (used in Orbital ATK's Antares).
Orbital's Antares launches cool science experiments to space
NASA and Orbital ATK had to put off Antares' comeback until the next day due to a glitch, but everything went well the second try. The rocket finally blasted off to space carrying a Cygnus spacecraft with supplies for the ISS, as well as a bunch of cool scientific experiments. One of its science payloads is the Saffire 2, the follow-up to the largest fire experiment conducted outside our planet. Saffire 2 will burn nine samples made of various materials aboard the Cygnus as it makes its way back to Earth. That will allow scientists to compare their flammability in microgravity to their flammability on the ground. The data they collect could help keep future spacefarers safe when they embark on long-duration missions.
Watch Orbital's Antares rocket fly for the first time in 2 years
Orbital ATK's new and improved Antares rocket is ready for lift off two years after the company's unfortunate accident. Back in 2014, its older version blew up merely six seconds after launch, taking the space station's supplies with it. Since then, the aerospace corporation has been resupplying the ISS by sending its Cygnus spacecraft to orbit aboard United Launch Alliance's Atlas V. Well, that partnership is over. The brand new rocket is already at NASA's Wallops facility in Virginia and is scheduled for launch on October 16th at 8:03 PM Eastern time.
Here's the Cygnus spacecraft launching in glorious 4K
Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft, laden with more than 7,000 pounds of supplies destined for the International Space Station, finally got off the ground earlier this week and NASA was there to capture the successful launch in 4K ultra high definition. The space agency utilized an array of six UHD cameras positioned around Cape Canaveral AFS to document the event and has posted the footage to its newest YouTube channel, NASA TV UHD. This launch marks the first flight of the Cygnus spacecraft since a disastrous attempt in October, 2014 which saw the Antares rocket carrying it explode shortly after takeoff.
NASA photos show the Antares rocket explosion in gritty detail
When Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket exploded last year, your only real view at the time was a grainy video. However, you should now have a much better sense of what happened: NASA has posted large photos from the failed launch on Flickr. They not only show the incident in exceptional (almost uncomfortable) detail, but do a better job of illustrating the magnitude of what happened. This was a very large vehicle coming down very quickly, and the impact enveloped much of the launch site in fire and smoke.
Unmanned Orbital Sciences Antares rocket explodes on liftoff (video)
The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket attempted to take off this evening at the Wallops Flight Facility (yesterday's attempt was scrubbed due to a boat that wandered into a restricted area), but it exploded just six seconds after launching. In a tweet Orbital Sciences confirmed a "vehicle anomaly", and NASA says the company is evaluating the mission. There was no crew on board as it was intended to be Orbital's third unmanned resupply mission for the ISS, carrying some 5,000 lbs of food, supplies and science experiments, like the Radiometer Atmospheric CubeSat Experiment (RACE) and 26 Flock 1d satellites from Planet Labs. One thing that was not onboard was the Kickstarter-backed ARKYD telescope -- this mission was carrying an A3 spacecraft intended to test out the equipment that ARKYD will use next year. Orbital Sciences is the second private company -- after SpaceX -- that runs missions to the ISS, and its Cygnus spacecraft made the first successful delivery about a year ago. NASA's live stream from the launch pad is embedded after the break, as well as a video replay of the failed launch. Update: Orbital Sciences says it has "formed an anomaly investigation board" to figure out what went wrong. EVP Frank Culbertson said that while the company focuses on the safety and security of those involved in recovery operations, "As soon as we understand the cause we will begin the necessary work to return to flight to support our customers and the nation's space program." NASA and Orbital are planning a press conference that will begin at 8:45PM ET, streaming on NASA TV. You can watch here, or in the embedded player after the break. Update 2: During the press conference, NASA said that the ISS is in good shape regarding its consumables (food, water), with supplies that will last into "well into" next year, perhaps as far as March. If anyone finds debris from the explosion they should stay away from it and call 757-824-1295 to pick it up. Orbital's Culbertson stated that right now, what they know is the same thing we've all seen on video. The ascent stopped, and there was "some disassembly" of the first stage, before the range safety officer sent the command to self-destruct.
Watch live: Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket to lift off on test flight (update: success!)
SpaceX may be the only private outfit currently shepherding cargo to the International Space Station, but Orbital Sciences, which is the second party in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services effort, is taking a step towards its own ISS resupply missions. Today, the firm's Antares rocket will undergo its very first test flight, taking off from the space agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. Liftoff is slated for sometime between 5PM and 7PM, with an 80 percent chance of favorable weather, as opposed to the 45 percent odds and high-altitude winds that foiled its initial attempt yesterday. To watch Antares embark on its maiden voyage, hit the jump for a live video feed. Update: Antares blasted off at a hair past 5PM and successfully separated from its mock payload. The live stream has wrapped up, but we'll slot in a video of the launch as soon as we get ahold of one. Update 2: NASA just posted its footage of the rocket taking off, and we've placed the video after the break for your viewing pleasure. [Image credit: NASA, Flickr]
Pininfarina's stunning tree-shaped Antares EV charging station should be more than a prototype
Despite being first showcased in May, Pininfarina's Antares has just slipped across our desks -- and frankly, it's a concept too gorgeous for us not to share. The beautiful tree-like structure -- comprised of steel and aluminum -- supports 20 photovoltaic cells, which the Italians reckon can produce up to 4.6 kilowatts, or just about enough juice to top up two fifty-mile range EVs. That's the plan anyway; we'll supposedly know more later this year, but given Pininfarina's past EV efforts, maybe not. Either way, consider this our formal pre-order request for two -- they'd look perfect right outside Engadget HQ.
Trademark filing, domain names suggest Toshiba's tablet might be named 'Thrive'
Could Toshiba's nameless Honeycomb tablet finally have a proper name? Thanks to a helpful tipster, we now have our clearest indication yet. Toshiba just filled a trademark application for the name "Thrive" last week and, as you can see above, it clearly describes the goods and services being trademarked as a tablet computer. What's more, it seems that the company's also gone on a bit of a domain name buying spree as of late, with it snapping up a number of "Thrive" variations including ToshibaThrive.com, ThriveTablet.com, ThriveToshiba.com and TabletThrive.com (none of which actually go anywhere just yet). Of course, this isn't the first possible moniker for the tablet that's cropped up. The name "Antares" surfaced way back at Mobile World Congress, which could account for the ANT model name we also spotted, although it certainly sounds more like a codename than "Thrive" does to our ears -- and, as far as we can tell, Toshiba hasn't attempted to register a trademark for Antares (or any other names recently, for that matter). [Thanks, Babyfacemagee]
Video: Antares DLR-H2 becomes planet's first fuel cell-powered aircraft
Fuel cells may have lost some steam of late here in the automotive realm, but they're still going strong at 30,000 feet. Over in Hamburg, Germany, the Antares DLR-H2 has become the first piloted aircraft capable of taking off using only power from fuel cells, which means that it flies with absolutely no carbon emissions. The craft is based on the Antares 20E glider, which boasts a wingspan of just over 65 feet and has a cruising range of 466 miles over five hours. Currently, the propulsion system permits maximum flying speeds of around 105mph, but we're certain those behind the creation are gunning for more. As for its future? It'll be stationed at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg where it'll act a "flying test platform" for the next three years, and afterwards, we fully expect to see this thing fetch a pretty penny on eBay. Action-packed video is after the break.[Thanks, Mademoiselle Y]
ANTARES smashes earbuds and MP3 player together, produces KPMP316
Not that we haven't seen MP3 players integrated into earbuds before, but we've yet to see any that give us more inspiration than these. Seriously, just look at this guy above -- pumping iron, resisting the urge to shoot up a fine dose of 'roids and getting all the motivation he needs from the Rick Astley jams that are undoubtedly streaming through. ANTARES' KPMP316 DAP consists entirely of two enlarged earbuds and a cord to keep 'em close; as you can imagine, the 1/2/4GB of internal capacity, play / pause button and volume rocker are all positioned just millimeters away from the actual drivers. Folks over in Asia can supposedly snag one in yellow, green, orange, blue, purple or black, but we've no idea what kind of outlay you'll be looking at.[Via PMPToday]
