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Japan sends Kounotori 2 spacecraft on suicide mission to study re-entry process
An unmanned cargo ship built by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is set to go up in flames tomorrow in the name of interplanetary research. Along with a load of space station junk, the Kounotori 2 spacecraft is packing something akin to a black box, also known as a Re-entry Breakup Recorder (REBR), that will collect and transmit data about the ship's final moments. The space station's crew will activate the REBR before Kounotori 2 begins its final assignment. As soon as it starts showing signs of re-entry, the sensor will begin to collect data including temperature, acceleration, and rotation rate, and will then break away from the craft for a final free fall to Earth, at which point the REBR will dump its findings. Scientist hope the device will help answer questions about exactly what happens when things fall apart during re-entry. If all goes according to plan, the REBR will plunk down in the ocean sometime later, but its host will never be seen again... farewell, Kounotori 2.
Robonaut 2 gets unboxed in space, plans for galactic domination
Remember that nondescript space shuttle that launched about a month ago -- you know, the one responsible for carrying this here nondescript humanoid robot into the outer reaches of our galaxy? Well, things went according to plan and the robot has been successfully deployed in the International Space Station, making way for the first ever robot-human space crew. R2, weighing in at 300 pounds with just a torso, head and two arms, cost NASA and GM a cool $2.5 million to build, and there's no telling what kind of handling fees were applied when shoving him into his SLEEPR crate. Because of his dexterity, the bot is up above the clouds to help out with chores and assist crew members with science experiments and handling human tools -- easy for us to say, but even easier for you to grok if you slam the play button just after the break.
NASA and Ad Astra team up to test VASIMR plasma rocket in space
Plasma propulsion may very well be our ticket to visit those little green men on Mars, which is why NASA is becoming besties with Ad Astra, makers of the VASIMR VX-200 plasma rocket. After successful terrestrial testing, the next step is to try out a VF-200 flight model in space -- and a new agreement gives NASA engineers access to VASIMR while letting Ad Astra leverage NASA's spacecraft expertise to get it into orbit. The plasma rocket was assumed to be destined for use on the International Space Station because it requires far less fuel than conventional boosters -- making it better suited than the propellant-hungry thrusters keeping the station in orbit today -- and can take advantage of the ISS's considerable electrical power (250kW) to fully test VASIMR's 200kW output. Plasma rockets produce sustained thrust, as opposed to the quick bursts of its chemical cousin, which makes it the preferred means of propulsion for space travel as well. NASA hasn't fully committed to either use -- but if Marvin and his fellow Red Planet denizens know what's good for them, they'll be watching VASIMR's development with great interest.
NASA says International Space Station is now 'essentially' complete
The news got a bit overlooked among the hubbub of Discovery's final flight and the first humanoid robot sent into space, but the recently completed shuttle mission also marked another significant milestone: it delivered the final room to the International Space Station. While there are still some additional components to be added, the new room dubbed the "Permanent Multipurpose Module" is NASA's final contribution to the actual assembly of the station and, according to the agency, it means that it has "essentially completed" all that it had planned. The two remaining shuttle missions will just be carrying supplies and spare parts, along with a little $1.5 billion experiment called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which will be used to search for fun stuff like antimatter galaxies and dark matter.
FAA gives SpaceX the first-ever commercial license for spacecraft reentry
Well, SpaceX just scored a huge milestone in space travel for the proletariat: we get to come back now. The FAA just gave SpaceX's Dragon capsule a reentry license, paving the way for it to make round trips to the International Space Station and eventually even take people up there. NASA, who already has some hefty contracts with SpaceX for launches, has congratulated SpaceX over Twitter on the good news, though we're sure the few billion dollars in future business speaks volumes already. Engadget's own Chad Mumm, resident Space Destiny Enthusiast, had this to say about the momentous occasion: "We're standing on the shoulders of our ancestors, reaching out a small, child-like hand at the stars. And then returning safely to earth thanks to FAA certification. We're on the verge of the impossible." Sorry, there's something in our eye...
Astronaut shares amazing Twitpics from space, booze not involved
The same social media-savvy astronaut (and current ISS commander) responsible for the first Foursquare check-in from space is now using his exhibitionist skills on Twitter to share some amazing images of earth. Covering everything from the view of our blue planet outside of the Cupola of the International Space Station, to a night view of the Nile river, or morning breaking over the Andes -- it's pretty surreal stuff and definitely puts your tweets from last night's bar-hopping to shame. We're also glad to see NASA's presence on Twitter be slightly more uplifting than the long, agonizing death of the Mars Phoenix rover. To view some of the shots in question, see the gallery below, or hit the link to Douglas H. Wheelock's (a.k.a @Astro_Wheels) Twitter account to take it all in. Oh and we should also mention he accepts requests, so if there's something you really want to see let him know. %Gallery-107741%
ISS gets a greenhouse for experiments, comforting homesick astronauts
"Caring for plants is a good way to maintain memories of Earth." You know, because anything can happen.
International Space Station marks ten years of continuous habitation
It's not often we get to mark a ten year anniversary... in space, but that's just what the International Space Station is now celebrating. It was ten years ago today that the first crew arrived for a stay on the space station (which itself had been in orbit for two years prior), and it has been continuously occupied by humans ever since. It's also, of course, expanded considerably during that time period, and seen its share of bumps along the way, but it's not ready to de-orbit any time soon. The anniversary also marks the halfway point of the ISS's expected lifetime and, if past history is any indication, it could well end up getting an extension beyond that -- even if it's with an all-robot crew. Hit up the source links below for NASA's own retrospective on ten years of life on the station.
Foursquare check-in from space makes the mayor of Blue Bottle seem rather lame
Sure, we long ago realized that you can't say Foursquare without the word "square," but in this case it only took an appearance of the International Space Station to arouse our interest. Indeed, when we heard that the current ISS commander (and enthusiastic Twitter user) Douglas Wheelock beat us to unlocking the NASA Explorer Badge, we realized that it's true: astronauts have all the fun. And the best part? The badge entitles him to a free "scoop" of space ice cream! But fear not, fans of location-based social networking games, 'cos this is only the beginning: NASA is teaming up with the company to create additional locations around the country.
New androgynous International Docking System Standard Interface works both ways in space
There's nothing more embarrassing than trying to dock with your cosmonaut compatriots only to find that his port was made in metric, yours was crafted with the finest in ye olde imperial units. Such faux pas can now be safely avoided in space thanks to the newly agreed upon International Docking System Standard, or IDSS. It's an androgynous system that allows for the same portal design to be used on both ships and docking stations, meaning craft can pair up with stations, ships with ships, and any other groovy coupling you can think of. The standard was finalized last month and just released to the world, but we've managed to find stunning footage of an early prototype from 1973. That's embedded below for your scientific edification.
President Obama signs $19 billion NASA funding bill into law
The basic details of the bill have been known for some time now, but President Obama has only just today signed the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 into law, which allocates $19 billion in funding for the space agency and signals a shift to commercial spacecraft for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA will hardly be relying on private spacecraft altogether, however, as the bill also gives NASA the go-ahead to develop a heavy lift rocket for deep space exploration (possibly to launch by the end of 2016), and it gives NASA a mandate to continue operating the International Space Station itself until 2020 -- not to mention fly one additional shuttle mission to it next year. Curious to know every last detail? You can find the complete 42-page bill at the source link below.
Soyuz space capsule landing captured in an awesome set of pictures
NASA shutterbug Bill Ingalls has snapped some pics of the recent Soyuz TMA-18 landing in the Kazakhstan steppes, and they're pretty sweet. We're glad to report that the three astronauts, who had spent the last six months in the International Space Station, arrived safe and in one piece (well, three pieces total) on September 25 of this year, after a failed undocking attempt the day before. Various versions of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft have been in use since 1966.
Russian firm hopes to have luxury space hotel in orbit by 2016
You know what they say: "another day, another hypothetical space hotel." Fans of the space tourism (mostly Lance Bass and a handful of gazillionaires) know that these things pop up every few years, so one can be a little skeptical about the plans recently announced by Russia-based Orbital Technologies to put a seven room guest house into orbit, where it would follow the same path as the International Space Station. While CEO Sergei Kostenko does mention things like well-appointed suites and food cooked up by celebrity chefs, it's not entirely clear that the firm has the funding to build the thing or even who will be doing the construction, although Energia (Russia's state-controlled spacecraft manufacturer) has been mooted as the project's general contractor. But this isn't merely a rich man's plaything -- as Kostenko points out, it could be used as a place for astronauts to flee to in case the ISS comes under alien attack (although he didn't say it in exactly those words).
Robonaut 2 will Tweet from Space, oust HAL as mayor
Robonaut 2, the humanoid offspring of NASA and GM, is set to blast off to the International Space Station next month. The highly dexterous anthropomorphic robot is designed to ultimately assist crews with dangerous and repetitive tasks like space walks and uh, managing the Twitter feed. R2, as it's affectionately known, is still a prototype, and will be hitching a ride aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to test performance in microgravity. While there, R2 (or at least the team operating it) will be Tweeting live updates from the man cave via the @AstroRobonaut (hashtag #4R2) Twitter account. But please, for the love of humanity, somebody get that bot a Bumper... the last thing we need is a frustrated robot within arms' reach of 12.5 million newtons of liquid lightning.
Robonaut 2 enters final preparations before flying off into space
Tests, upgrades and final checks are being carried out on the Robonaut 2, the humanoid spacefaring robot that has been in the works since 2007. The baby of NASA and General Motors, this sack of metal and wires has already produced a catalog of 34 new patents and, according to GM, is setting the stage for new safety features in forthcoming generations of its road vehicles. Sensor technology being developed in the R2 could deliver better lane departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control, and more intelligent parking assistance. That's good news and all, but can we ship it out to the ISS already -- we'd rather it be off-world when its instruction set switches from "serve humans" to "serve human meat."
NASA and GM's humanoid Robonaut2 blasting into space this September (video)
Remember Robonaut2, the gold-headed robot that first flexed its biceps back in February? He's been called up -- way up. NASA has given him a one-way ticket to the International Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on a departure that's currently scheduled for September. It's not entirely clear what he'll be doing up there beyond making awe-inspiring poses like the one shown above, but he is slated to help during spacewalks and will be the first humanoid robot to leave the atmosphere. We just want to know whose shirts he'll wear. Update: Thanks to Joe at the Johnson Space Center we now have a video commemorating this achievement after the break.
International Space Station gets 'Man Cave,' Robonaut 2
In the narrow confines of the International Space Station, every cubic inch counts, but that won't necessarily keep NASA from building a rec room. When the Leonardo Pressurized Multipurpose Module (PMM) launches in September 2010, NASA is considering turning it into a internet-connected "man cave" isolated and quiet enough for astronauts to tweet in privacy. The connection's nothing special -- science officer T.J. Creamer compared it to that of a 14.4K modem capable of only tweets, text articles and basic browsing -- but Universe Today reports that they will also have a robotic servant, the Robonaut 2, to play with. Imagine a cramped world without fresh water or YouTube, but where you can program a state-of-the-art robot to perform monotonous tasks... We think that's a fair tradeoff, don't you? [Thanks, Robert P.]
Ion propulsion engine could take you to Mars in 39 days
Ready for some interplanetary exploration? We've had the force shields, currency, and refuel stations all sorted out for a while, and now here come the ion thrusters we've been missing to make manned trips to Mars really viable. Currently, a return journey to Mars can take up to two years, with crew members having to wait a full year for the planets to realign, but with ion propulsion -- which uses electricity to accelerate ions and produce small but longevous thrust -- ships can get there within a reasonably tight 39-day window. Ion propulsion rocket engines were first deployed successfully by NASA in the Deep Space 1 probe in 1998, and the latest iteration's successful Earth-bound testing has led to plans for a flight to the moon and use on the International Space Station as test scenarios for the technology. It's all still very much in the early stages, of course, but should all that testing, checking, and refinement bear fruit, we might finally have a whole new world to colonize and sell sneakers on. [Thanks, Davis]
Video: Japanese astronaut surfs through space on 'flying carpet'
The Japanese can turn pretty much anything into a variety show. So it's no real surprise to hear that the Japanese public have issued a set of 16 zero-gravity challenges to be carried out by Jaxa astronaut, Koichi Wakata, during his time at the International Space Station. Tasks included folding laundry, applying eye-drops, and attempting to ride a "flying carpet;" the latter accomplished with some adhesive tape and a full-size bathroom mat. Seriously, shaka brah. Check the surf and full length videos after the break.
NASA's new virtual tours of the Space Station and new Mars Rover exactly approximate the sensation of not being in space
NASA's grabbed Microsoft's fancy Photosynth software once again to build virtual tours of the International Space Station and a full-scale model of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover. The interface lets you dive through endless, 3D-oriented photographs of the station's modules, both inside and out, and gives a really good impression of the size and complexity of the lab-on-wheels NASA is prepping for a 2011 mission to Mars. It's not like being there, but it's a good way to kill a lazy Saturday morning.[Via PhysOrg]
