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Billionaire space barons want to build 'mixed-use business parks' in low Earth orbit
With the Mir Space Station having deorbited in 2001 and the ISS scheduled for retirement by the end of the decade, tomorrow’s space stations are very likely to be owned and operated by companies, not countries.
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.
NASA conducts second round of fire experiments in space
Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft has begun making its way back from the ISS with fiery cargo on board. NASA has conducted its second space fire experiment aboard the Cygnus, burning nine different materials to give scientists the data they need to compare their flammability in microgravity to their flammability here on Earth. Those materials include a cotton-fiberglass blend and Nomex, a flame-resistant material used to make storage bags for spacecraft. The Saffire-2 (that's the experiment's name) team also burned a plexiglass sheet used for spacecraft windows and four silicon materials at different thicknesses.
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.
NASA conducts largest fire experiment in space (update)
As part of its efforts to ensure the safety of spacefarers, NASA set a 16x37-inch block of cotton-fiberglass material on fire aboard a spacecraft that's making its way back home. Since the largest material NASA ever burned in space before this was the size of an index card, this is now officially the biggest fire experiment conducted outside our planet. The Spacecraft Fire Experiment or Saffire-I, as it's officially called, happened aboard the Cygnus spacecraft that ferried the ISS' largest delivery back in March.
Watch Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft reach the ISS this morning
Run out of Daredevil episodes to binge but still can't sleep? Take a peek live while the ISS captures its largest delivery ever, riding aboard an Orbital Cygnus spacecraft (like the one shown above during a delivery in December last year). NASA TV will kick off its livestream at 5:30AM ET., and the craft is scheduled to arrive at 6:40AM ET. The most exciting part, however, is still a couple of months off. Once Cygnus detaches from the ISS, engineers will remotely ignite the Spacecraft Fire-1 (Saffire-I) experiment, to find out how a large fire spreads in microgravity. It will be the first of a series of such experiments, and they will be the first ones conducted at this scale. Other experiments aboard include upgraded 3D-printing capabilities, the Gecko Gripper device, five CubeSats and much, much more. Update: The Cygnus successfully berthed with the ISS.
Orbital rocket ready to launch its biggest ISS cargo ever
A resupply ship from Orbital ATK is ready to launch its largest cargo ever to the International Space Station. The newly redesigned Cygnus craft, first launched in December, is capable of carrying 25 percent more payload than before, and today's weighs nearly four tons. "It's like opening a box of goodies and finding some stuff you've been wanting and some surprises you didn't know about," says Orbital's Dan Tani, a former ISS astronaut. Along with the supplies, Cygnus will carry a 3D printer from Made in Space, two dozen nanosatellites and Saffire, an experiment to test the effects of fire in space.
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.
Orbital Sciences launches first spacecraft since 2014 explosion
After some weather delays, Orbital Sciences has reclaimed some of its lost reputation. The private spacecraft firm has successfully launched Cygnus, its International Space Station resupply mission, aboard an Atlas V rocket. It's a relatively routine unmanned flight carrying over 7,300 pounds' worth of cargo, but it represents an important return to form for the company after its Antares craft exploded on launch last year. Let's just hope this is an auspicious sign for space travel as a whole -- it's had far too many tragedies in recent months.
Watch NASA launch its Cygnus mission to the ISS
Need one more thing to do on a Friday afternoon? Check out this live stream (YouTube) of NASA's Cygnus resupply mission launching on its way to the International Space Station. This mission is being undertaken by Orbital ATK, which you may remember from last year's Antares mission that spectacularly exploded during launch. This launch was planned for yesterday but ended up scrubbed due to bad weather, now everything looks ready to go and the launch is planned for 5:33PM ET.Update: The launch has been scrubbed again, due to high ground wind speeds.
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.
Orbital Sciences becomes second private firm to resupply the ISS
More than four years after winning a contract (along with Space X) to resupply the International Space Station, Orbital Sciences has finally docked its Cygnus capsule with the space outpost. The achievement makes it the second private outfit to have run a resupply mission to the station, with Musk and Co. beating them to the punch last October. Achieving the rendezvous with the ISS didn't go without a hitch, however: a data format bug delayed the planned September 22nd berthing until a software fix was applied. Once Monday morning rolls around, the craft's hatch will be opened to reach 1,300 pounds worth of supplies, which include clothing, food and student experiments. In 30 days' time, the cargo vessel will detach and head for a destructive reentry over the Pacific Ocean. [Image credit: NASA, Instagram]
Cygnus X1 PC casemod mixes otherworldly design, old world charm
We've seen plenty of PC casemods that look more like a traditional piece of furniture than a computer case, and plenty that take a decidedly more modern approach, but we haven't seen many that combine the two as effectively as this so-called Cygnus X1 built by Attila Lukacs. As you may notice, the top of the case bears a striking resemblance to some of Alienware's latest rigs, but it seems that might not be the source of Atilla's inspiration, as he actually started building the case way back in 2008. Of course, the real eye-catcher is that beautiful, hand carved wood casing (made West Australian Jarrah), which actually swings open on both sides -- no small feat when each panel weighs about ten pounds. Eager to see more? Then hit up the link below for a thorough account of the complete build process. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
