Technology Archives

August 11, 2011April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Test Flight of DARPA’s Hypersonic Plane Ends in Crash

Artist rendition of DARPA's Falcon HTV-2 hypersonic aircraft. Credit: DARPA

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The potential to fly anywhere in the world in less than an hour took a nosedive today. The test flight of an unmanned, rocket-launched, Mach 20-capable, maneuverable aircraft called the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) ended when an anomaly caused loss of signal, and the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Overseen by DARPA, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, this second test flight of the HTV-2 seemingly started out well, as the Minotaur IV launch vehicle successfully inserted the aircraft into the correct trajectory, and the aircraft transitioned to Mach 20 aerodynamic flight. It flew for 9 minutes until it encountered problems and crashed.

Despite the crash, DARPA said the successful transition “represents a critical knowledge and control point in maneuvering atmospheric hypersonic flight.”

“Here’s what we know,” said Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz, DARPA HTV-2 program manager in a statement put out by DARPA. “We know how to boost the aircraft to near space. We know how to insert the aircraft into atmospheric hypersonic flight. We do not yet know how to achieve the desired control during the aerodynamic phase of flight. It’s vexing; I’m confident there is a solution. We have to find it.”
From launch until crash, the flight lasted for about a half an hour.

DARPA’s Falcon is designed to fly anywhere in the world in less than 60 minutes. This capability requires an aircraft that can fly at 13,000 mph, while experiencing temperatures in excess of 3500F.

During the first test flight of HTV-2 on April 23, 2010, telemetry was lost 9 minutes into the flight. A subsequent investigation found that the vehicle encountered unexpected yaw, followed by an uncontrollable roll. The onboard computer then set the vehicle to crash into the ocean.

“In the April 2010 test, we obtained four times the amount of data previously available at these speeds,” said DARPA Director Regina Dugan. “Today more than 20 air, land, sea and space data collection systems were operational. We’ll learn. We’ll try again. That’s what it takes. Filling the gaps in our understanding of hypersonic flight in this demanding regime requires that we be willing to fly.”

The military had hopes of using this type of super-fast plane to reach problem spots around the world quickly.

DARPA said that in the coming weeks, an independent Engineering Review Board will review and analyze the data collected. This data will inform policy, acquisition and operational decisions for future -hypersonic aircraft of this kind. It’s not clear yet whether any development of Falcon HTV-2 will continue.

This is the second major hypersonic setback of 2011. In June, the Boeing X-51 waverider failed when its scramjet encountered a problem on engine startup.

Source: DARPA

August 9, 2011April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

NIAC is Back: NASA Funds 30 Innovative Ideas that Just Might Work

Where will new space technology take us? Credit: NASA

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What do these three things have in common: space debris elimination using an air gun, a heat shield made from lunar regolith and lightweight space structures made from ultra-light nanomaterials called “Photonic Muscle?”

They are just three of thirty new concepts that NASA has provided funding to move innovative ideas from formulation to implementation under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, or NIAC, program. Some of the concepts are new ways of dealing with persistent problems; others are completely new ideas, with some in the category that sound so crazy, they just might work.

“These advanced concepts selected for study under NIAC were chosen based on their potential to transform or significantly alter our current approaches to launching future space missions, or building and operating space systems,” said Dr. Bobby Braun, NASA’s Chief Technologist, during a teleconference on Aug. 8, 2011.

NIAC—formerly known as the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts – is back after being cut in 2007 due to budget constraints. The program began in 1998 and the closure of the think-tank-type of program was cause for dismay by those who believed part of NASA’s mission is to spur research and innovation.

“This was previously an outstanding program at NASA and I am excited to be part of the team that is bringing NIAC back,” said Braun. “This is really part of a small change going on within NASA to take it back to its roots with a focus on advanced technology and innovation.”

Braun added that technology and innovation goes hand in hand with space exploration. “Visionary thinking is important for maintaining our leadership in space,” he said.

Each proposal will receive approximately $100,000 for one year to advance the innovative space technology concept and help NASA meet operational and future mission requirements.

NASA received over 150 different proposals for funding, and the 30 were chosen based on their technical merits and their potential to mature into the transformative capabilities NASA is looking for to improve current space mission operations.

“Some of the proposals are risky, somewhat out-of-the-box ideas and very advanced system concepts that have the potential to revolutionize our missions in the future,” said Joe Parrish, director of the Early Stage Innovation division at NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist in the Space Technology division. “We recognize that in order to make big gains, sometimes we are going to accept some risks. NIAC is the greatest example of an effort to really look at very far-reaching activities and consciously and willingly take risks and look for big rewards to those risks.”

Some of the winning proposals include advanced propulsion and power systems for space, protecting humans from radiation in space, 3-D printing to construct mini spacecraft, and using flywheels to power a spacesuit.

“The most meritorious proposals allow us to look at many ways to address these problems, any of which would be breakthrough technologies,” said Parrish.

These first “new” NIAC projects were chosen based on being technically substantiated, and they could hopefully mature within about 10 years from mission infusion.

NASA anticipates the funding starting dates to be in early September 2011. “We hope to have NIAC studies on an annual basis, and concepts that do well in their first year could receive up $500,000 for up to two years of additional research,” said Jay Falker, NIAC program executive.

The previous NIAC allowed only non-NASA employees to apply, but the new incarnation permits NASA-based personnel to seek funding for their ideas.

In 2008, the National Research Council conducted a review of NIAC’s effectiveness and made concluded that NASA and the US would be well served by maintaining a mechanism to investigate visionary, far-reaching advanced concepts as part of the agency’s mission. Following an October 2009 hearing by the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, NASA re-established the NIAC program during fiscal year 2011.

Some of the avant-garde and risky ideas funded under the previous NIAC included the space elevator — a cable to ferry equipment from Earth into orbit — and a solar shield to be unfurled in space to deflect sunlight and counter global warming.

The new concepts announced yesterday include both well-known issues and completely new designs. For example, space debris is a well-identified issue that NASA’s been working on, but using an air gun from a high altitude balloon to shoot pulses into the upper atmosphere to slow down debris is “an approach that’s completely novel to a problem we’ve known about,” Falker said.

See the complete list of winning concepts here. Got an idea? More information about NIAC can be found here.

Over the next few weeks, we hope to feature several of these concepts in more detail.

You can follow Universe Today senior editor Nancy Atkinson on Twitter: @Nancy_A. Follow Universe Today for the latest space and astronomy news on Twitter @universetoday and on Facebook.

July 29, 2011December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

New Webb Telescope Technologies Already Helping Human Eyes

Image of the Scanning Shack Hartmann System (SSHS), a pair of large mirror test stations used to measure the mirror segments of the Webb telescope. As part of that SSHS program, several improvements were made to the wavefront sensor technology that now allow eye health instruments to be aligned more precisely. Credit: Abbott Medical Optics Inc.

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Editor’s note: This NASA press release provides just one example of how developing technology for space missions often has practical, beneficial and sometimes unintended applications on Earth.

Even while construction of the James Webb Space Telescope is underway on the most advanced infrared vision of any space observatory, its technologies are already proving useful to human eye health here on Earth.

“The Webb telescope program has enabled a number of improvements in measurement technology for astronomy, mirror fabrication, and measurement of human eyes, diagnosis of ocular diseases and potentially improved surgery,” said Dr. Dan Neal, Research Fellow at Abbott Medical Optics Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Webb telescope will be the most scientifically powerful telescope NASA has ever built — 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. The Webb telescope will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. It will also peer through dusty clouds to see stars and planets being born, connecting star formation in our own galaxy with the solar system.

“The advanced wavefront sensing technology developed for testing the Webb telescope’s 18 primary mirrors led to the new applications in other areas,” said Tony Hull of L3 Integrated Optical Systems Division-Tinsley Facility in Richmond, Calif., where the Webb’s mirrors were recently polished to accuracies of less than one millionth of an inch.

“Wavefront sensing” is used to measure shape of the mirrors during fabrication and control the optics once the telescope is in orbit.

Ophthalmologists routinely use wavefront technology to measure aberrations of the eye. Those measurements help with diagnosis, research, characterization and planning treatment of eye health issues.

“The technology also provides more accurate eye measurements for people about to undergo Laser Refractive Surgery,” Neal said. “To date 10-12 million eyes have been treated with Lasik procedures in the U.S. alone. As technology improves, so does the quality of these procedures.”

James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA

A new “scanning and stitching” technology developed for the Webb telescope led to a number of innovative instrument concepts for more accurate measurement for contact lenses and intra-ocular lenses. Another benefit to eye health is that this technique can help “map” the topography of the eye more accurately.

Think of the surface of your eye as being as dented as the surface of the moon. Precise measurements of your eye’s surface are helpful when assessing eyes for contact lenses. The scanning and stitching technology improvements have enabled eye doctors to get much more detailed information about the shape and “topography” of your eye, and do it in seconds rather than hours. Four patents have been issued as result of innovations driven by the Webb telescope program. “These tools are now used to align and build the next generation of measuring devices for human eyes,” Neal said.

“The lasting impact of the Webb telescope may go beyond the vision of astronomers seeking to see the distant universe; the impact may be a better national technology base and better vision for people everywhere,” Hull said.

NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program Office (IPPO) is making available wavefront sensing and adaptive optics technologies, procedures and lab equipment to private industry through its “Can you See it Now?” campaign. All of the technologies associated with the campaign are available for licensing and can be found at http://ipp.gsfc.nasa.gov/wavefront.

July 25, 2011December 24, 2015 by Jason Rhian

One On One With Space Shuttle Program’s First Pilot, Robert Crippen

Robert Crippen, the pilot on the very first space shuttle mission, STS-1, stopped and talked with Universe Today during the very last launch of a space shuttle on mission STS-135. Photo Credit: Jim Siegel. Image Courtesy of NASA

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CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. – The shuttle program has drawn to a close. Present at the final flight was one of the two men who rode fire on the very first shuttle mission – Robert Crippen. He sat down and shared his thoughts and perspectives with Universe Today regarding this turning point in aerospace history.

Crippen’s space flight career began alongside moonwalker John Young, who served as commander of STS-1. The orbiter for that flight was Columbia and the mission lasted about two days. Despite the mission’s brief time on-orbit it has come to be known as one of the most audacious test flights in aviation history.

Crippen would go on to fly three more missions on board the shuttle on missions STS-7, STS-41C and STS-41G. He would eventually become the Kennedy Space Center Director from 1992 until 1995 before working in the private sector.

Crippen spoke about one of his current efforts, working with the Coalition for Space Exploration to inspire students to follow careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Photo Credit: Jim Siegel - STS-1 image courtesy of NASA.

Universe Today: Thanks for talking with us today.

Crippen: Thanks for having me.

Universe Today: How do you think people will view the legacy of the shuttle program?

Crippen: “You never really know what history is going to say, but when I look back I’m really proud of the shuttle, its done revolutionary things, not just satellites, and the Hubble Space Telescope, but also the International Space Station, just accomplishment after accomplishment – but we had our share of tragedies as well. When I think of what people will think I always go back to a ‘Brooks and Dunn’ song – ‘You’re going to miss me when I am gone.”

20060904165243!Sts-7-crew — Crippen would go on to command three more shuttle missions, including STS-7, the first flight of a U.S. female astronaut - Sally Ride. Image Credit: NASA

Universe Today: The shuttle that is launching today, is it all that different from what you flew on STS-1?

Crippen: “Airline pilots used to come up and tell us that their planes were better than the shuttle,” Crippen said. “You have to understand why they were saying that, when the shuttle first flew the gauges had little metal arms in them and the shuttle was still using cathode ray tubes – so yes, it is very different from I first flew on in 1981.”

Universe Today: What was it like on that first mission? Did you think with all the new technology and this completely new way of launching to orbit that you were going to go when you did?

Crippen: “I honestly didn’t think we were even going to launch when we did. But when those solids lit I had no doubt in my mind that we were going someplace! The best part was that John’s blood pressure stayed really low, like at around 90 and mine was really high, it was up around 130. All John had to say was that he was too old and his blood pressure wouldn’t go any faster.”

Crippen was not sure that his first flight in 1981 would even take place when it did, when the solid rocket boosters ignited however - all doubt was erased from his mind. Photo Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today - Inset: Marcus Kilman

Universe Today: Bob you work with the Coalition for Space Exploration (CSE) this organization has put out a couple of well-produced Public Service Announcements lately, what are they about and why are they being released now?

Crippen: “Well, these PSAs try to focus on what I call the ‘spin-offs’ of the space shuttle program. The program has helped to produce or improve everything from heart pumps, how to rescue people out of vehicles after accidents and those types of things which, while important, one of the really important things that the space program does – is inspire.”

Universe Today: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, we know that you have a pretty tight schedule.

Crippen: No problem, it was my pleasure.

Crippen was kept very busy on launch day and soon he was off to another interview. As he headed out he turned and stated that he was proud that part of STS-1 (one of the Solid Rocket Booster segments) was flying on this final shuttle mission, he also made a prophetic comment concerning the weather. “You never know how the Florida weather is going to work, but I have a good feeling about today.” Less than an hour later, the final space shuttle mission thundered off of the launch pad – and into history.

Crippen hinted that Florida weather could surprise you. He was correct, despite some last minute drama, the final shuttle mission soared off into the sky. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

July 20, 2011December 24, 2015 by Jason Rhian

Through the Wormhole Episode: Can We Travel Faster Than Light?

Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman asks: Can we travel faster than the speed of light? Photo Credit: Discovery Communications

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Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman has entered into its second season and is working to highlight topics as physical as space flight and as metaphysical as whether or not we have a sixth sense. The show is hosted by Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman and airs on Wednesday nights on the Science Channel. This week’s show deals with a subject that many space flight enthusiasts have wondered for some time – can we really travel faster than the speed of light?

If the universe has a speed limit – it is considered to be the speed of light – at least we think it is the limit. Ever since Albert Einstein introduced us to the Theory of Relativity – we have been seeking ways if not to break this limit – then at least to bend it – a lot. For according to Einstein – it is impossible for humans to go faster than light. Scientists working in laboratories across the globe are trying to prove Einstein wrong – but can they? Time will tell and Through the Wormhole will take a peek at their efforts.

The show tackling the question of light speed will air on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 10 p.m. EDT.

It turns out that Freeman himself has often pondered many of the questions raised on the show and he wanted to share his wonder with the rest of world.

“My love affair with science and the unknown began for me in my high school physics class,” said Freeman. “My mind sprung open – all because of the questions I asked. In this new season of Through the Wormhole, we will explore ten new mystifying questions that will change the way you look at the world around you.”

Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary are executive producers for Revelations Entertainment which produces the show. As mentioned, the show is entering its second season; this was confirmed in February of this year. The show was conceived as utilizing an element of pop culture (in this case Morgan Freeman, a celebrity, as the show’s narrator) with deep questions that have confronted mankind, in some cases since the dawn of time. By all accounts the show has been very successful.

July 16, 2011December 24, 2015 by Jason Rhian

ULA Delta IV Thunders Off Pad With GPS IIF-2 Satellite

Delta IV Medium rocket thunders off of Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Launch Complex 37B. Credit:: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The U.S. Air Force launched the GPS IIF-2 satellite into orbit Saturday (July 16) on a mission to enhance the country’s constellation of Global Positioning System satellites. The satellite was launched atop a Delta IV Medium 4, 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 37B at 2:41 a.m. EDT. The Delta IV had been scheduled to launch two days prior but slipped one day due to a technical issue with the satellite and a second day when technicians were prevented from rolling the Mobile Service Tower or MST back because of weather.

The early-morning launch lit up the skies for miles around Florida's Space Coast and saw the second of twelve planned IIF satellites placed into orbit. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

This morning’s launch

The rocket was provided by United Launch Alliance (ULA) and the company oversaw the liftoff. This configuration of the Delta IV Medium has two solid rocket boosters which are provided by Utah’s Alliant Techsystems (ATK). The boosters are required to provide the extra boost required to send the spacecraft into the correct orbit.

DSC_5808 - Copy — A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket thunders off of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 37B. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

Weather was the biggest concern for the launch, but when the clock reached zero the launch vehicle thundered off of the pad in a spectacle of sound and light. The weather turned out to be a non-issue with mostly clear moonlit skies and almost no breeze. Lightning could still be seen lighting up the Florida sky off in the distance – but the summer light show only served as a backdrop for the launch.

“This is an exciting time for ULA, we are happy to have launched our 52nd mission,” said United Launch Alliance Spokesman Chris Chavez. “We’re happy to support the U.S. Air Force along with our customer and partner Boeing – it was a great launch and a great morning.”

The satellite

Boeing is the prime contractor that provided the U.S. Air Force with the GPS satellite. The GPS IIF system is expected to provide next-generation performance to the GPS constellation of satellites. These abilities are considered to be vital to U.S. national security as well as maintaining the GPS constellation’s availability for civil, commercial and military requirements. The IIF is expected to provide enhanced capability and better performance.

The first GPS IIF satellite was launched in 2010. It is hoped that the pulse-line production method that is employed by Boeing will ensure that the IIF fleet is placed on orbit on schedule. This production method is very similar to how airplanes are developed. The process is named because satellites are moved from one work station to the next in a steady rhythm – similar to a pulse.

The GPS IIF-2 satellite will be utilized for both for civilian and military purposes. A new civilian L5 signal will assist with search and rescue missions, while the military will benefit from the satellite’s resistance to jamming. The satellite also has a reprogrammable processor that can receive uploads on-orbit. GPS IIF-2 has a design life of 12 years and it is hoped that it will provide long-term service will keeping operating costs low.

“The enhancements that the GPS IIF-2 satellite has should strengthen the constellation for many years to come,” said Boeing Spokesperson Angie Yoshimura.

Launch Complex 37B smolders after bearing the fury of the Delta IV Medium with its GPS payload. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian

July 13, 2011April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Zubrin Claims VASIMR is a Hoax

Artist rendering of the VASIMR powered spacecraft heading to Mars. Credit: Ad Astra

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A next-generation plasma rocket being developed by former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz called the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) has been touted as a way to get astronauts to Mars in weeks rather than months, as well as an innovative, cheap way to re-boost the International Space Station. But in a biting commentary posted on Space News and the Mars Society website, “Mars Direct” advocate Robert Zubrin calls VASIMR a “hoax” saying the engine “is neither revolutionary nor particularly promising. Rather, it is just another addition to the family of electric thrusters, which convert electric power to jet thrust, but are markedly inferior to the ones we already have,” adding, “There is thus no basis whatsoever for believing in the feasibility of Chang Diaz’s fantasy power system.”

The VASIMR uses plasma as a propellant. A gas is ionized using radio waves entering into a plasma state. As ions the plasma can be directed and accelerated by a magnetic field to create specific thrust. The purported advantage of the VASIMR lies in its ability to change from high impulse to low impulse thrust as needed, making it an ideal candidate for a mission beyond low Earth orbit.

Chang Diaz’ company, the Ad Astra Rocket Company successfully tested the VASIMR VX-200 plasma engine in 2009. It ran at 201 kilowatts in a vacuum chamber, passing the 200-kilowatt mark for the first time. “It’s the most powerful plasma rocket in the world right now,” said Chang-Diaz at the time. Ad Astra has signed a Space Act agreement with NASA to test a 200-kilowatt VASIMR engine on the International Space Station, reportedly in 2013.

The tests would provide periodic boosts to the space station, which gradually drops in altitude due to atmospheric drag. ISS boosts are currently provided by spacecraft with conventional thrusters, which consume about 7.5 tons of propellant per year. By cutting this amount down to 0.3 tons, Chang-Diaz estimates that VASIMR could save NASA millions of dollars per year.

For the engine to enable trips to Mars in a reported 39 days, a 10- to 20-megawatt VASIMR engine ion engine would need to be coupled with nuclear power to dramatically shorten human transit times between planets.

Zubrin is the president of the Mars Society and author of the book “The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must.” He has long touted the “Mars Direct” approach of getting humans to Mars to create a sustainable human settlement. The plan includes a series of unmanned and human flights to Mars using existing technology, as well as “living off the land” on Mars by creating rocket fuel to return to Earth, and using underground reservoirs of water on Mars.

In his commentary on VASIMR, Zubrin says, “existing ion thrusters routinely achieve 70 percent efficiency and have operated successfully both on the test stand and in space for thousands of hours. In contrast, after 30 years of research, the VASIMR has only obtained about 50 percent efficiency in test stand burns of a few seconds’ duration.”

On the ‘39 days to Mars’ claim, Zubrin says VASIMR would need to couple with a nuclear reactor system with a power of 200,000 kilowatts and a power-to-mass ratio of 1,000 watts per kilogram, while the largest space nuclear reactor ever built, the Soviet Topaz, had a power of 10 kilowatts and a power-to-mass ratio of 10 watts per kilogram.

Zubrin has invited Chang Diaz to a formal public debate the VASIMR at a Mars Society convention in Dallas next month.

Read Zubrin’s commentary on Space News or the Mars Society website.

More info: Ad Astra Rocket Company

July 8, 2011December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Milky Way Sparkles In The Eyes Of Gaia

Gaia Camera Array - Credit: Astrium / ESA

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Here on Earth we play around with CCD cameras that boast a million pixels. But, can you imagine what a billion pixels could do? That’s the plan for ESA’s Galaxy-mapping Gaia mission. One hundred six electronic plates are being carefully integrated together to add up to the largest digital camera ever built for space… and its mission is to chart the Milky Way.

Beginning in 2013, Gaia’s five year mission will be to photograph a billion stars within our own galaxy – determining magnitude, spectral characteristics, proper motion and dimensional positioning. This information will be gathered by its charge coupled device (CCD) sensor array. Each of the 106 detectors are smaller than a normal credit card and thinner than a human hair. Put simplistically, each plate holds its own array of light-sensitive cells called photosites. Each photosite is its own pixel – just one tiny cell in the whole body of a photograph that could contain hundreds of thousands of pixels! When incoming light strikes the photosite, the photoelectric effect occurs and creates electrons for as long as exposure occurs. The electrons are then kept “stored” in their individual cells until a computer unloads the array, counts the electrons and reassembles them into the “big picture”.

And what a picture it will be…

In a period of a month, technicians managed to delicately assemble the CCD plates onto the support structure, leaving only a 1 mm gap between them. “The mounting and precise alignment of the 106 CCDs is a key step in the assembly of the flight model focal plane assembly,” said Philippe Garé, ESA’s Gaia payload manager. Upon completion, there will be seven rows of CCD composites with a main bank of 102 strictly dedicated to star detection. The remaining four will monitor image quality of each telescope and the stability of the 106.5º angle between the two telescopes that Gaia uses to obtain stereo views of stars. And, just like cooling a smaller CCD camera, the temperature needs to be maintained at -110ºC to keep up the sensitivity.

Gaia might be heavy on imaging capabilities, but she’s light on weight. The majority of the spacecraft, including the support structure is crafted from a ceramic-like material called silicon carbide. Resistant to warping in extreme temperature conditions, the whole support structure with its detectors weighs in at only 20 kg. She’ll sail out to Lagrange Point L2 – 1.5 million kilometers behind the Earth – where twin telescopes will capture perhaps 1% of our galaxy’s stellar population. While that may seem like a small amount, the information that Gaia’s three-dimensional star map will provide can reveal much more than we already know about the composition, formation and evolution of the Milky Way.

Original Story Source: ESA News.

July 7, 2011April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Your Flying Car is Here

The Transition flying car by Terrafugia. Credit: Terrafugia.

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Here’s your flying car. And it’s just gotten approval from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to hit the road. Terrafugia’s Transition® Roadable Aircraft needed a special exemption for having special plexiglas windows and landing-capable tires for a road vehicle, and this is the first combined flying-driving vehicle to receive such special consideration from the Department of Transportation. It can be yours for a downpayment of $10,000, with the current total cost of $250,000.

Terrafugia — which is Latin for “escape from land” — says this new flying car combines the unique convenience of being able to fold its wings with the ability to drive on any surface road. You can stow the wings for road use and deploy them for flight at the airport.

See a video below of how it works.

It has a maximum speed of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h), and a range of787 km (490 miles). The easy change-out from airplane to car or car to airplane can be done within the cockpit, allowing pilots to drive in case of inclement weather. You can get a full vehicle parachute, just in case, and it includes many crash safety features found in regular cars.

The Transition on the road. Credit: Terrafugia

No need for renting hanger space at the airport – just park it in your garage. When using it as a car, it is 2 meters (80 inches) tall, 2.3 meters (90 inches) wide and 6 meters (18 feet nine inches) long.
When flying, the Transition is 2 meters tall (78 inches) and 6 meters (19 feet 9 inches) long, with a wingspan of 8 meters (26 feet 6 inches.)

And no need to check your bags. An on-board cargo compartment holds your carry-on luggage and includes enough room for golf clubs.

Find out more at the Terrafugia website.

July 3, 2011December 24, 2015 by Jason Rhian

Launch Complex 37B: Level by Level

The tour of this Delta IV Medium rocket, was extensive and highlighted how United Launch Alliance sends payloads to orbit. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

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CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. – Space Launch Complex 37 is where United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rockets send their payloads into orbit. It is an expansive complex with all the prerequisite requirements to launch rockets as well as birds, alligators and mosquitoes – lots of mosquitoes.

Universe Today was provided with a top to bottom tour of the Mobile Service Tower (MST) that is currently the home of the Delta IV medium rocket that will launch a GPS rocket to orbit on July 14. This structure in and of itself is impressive, standing as tall as a football field is long.

20110629999925jr-XL — The very top of the Delta IV's payload fairing is visible in this image on Level 9 of the MST. This segment was added on June 27, after the Delta IV launch vehicle had been tested and verified ready for flight. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

When one reaches the ninth level, the ‘tip of the spear’ juts out from the floor. At the base, just peeking out from the deck below is the U.S. Air Force logo for the Global Positioning Wing. We would have to go down another level to see the remainder of the logo – it was that large.

20110629999921jr-XL — As we traveled deck by deck, more and more of the rocket became visible. The simple act of taking the stairs or an elevator added a layer of understanding to the sheer size of these vehicles. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

It is at this level that where the fairing section is mated to the top of the rocket is plainly visible. A Boeing logo is also visible on the rocket’s hull. It turns out that while some of the more specialized missions have large decals produced for them – for missions such as this one (this rocket will carry the GPS 2F-2 satellite) a series of stencils are used.

20110629999940jr-XL — Old Glory meets us on Level Seven. To the left and right of the rocket are large openings that allow the Delta IV Heavy's triple-body design to fit inside the MST. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

On some of the lower decks it wasn’t actually the rocket itself that was interesting – but rather what was not there that intrigued us. Two large circular holes are positioned to either side of the Delta IV medium rocket – this is to accommodate the triple-body design of the rocket’s far-larger cousin – the Delta IV Heavy. For now these portals are covered in mesh and blocked off by railings.

20110629999945jr-XL — The view on Level Six was all about product-placement as ULA's logo was very visible on this deck. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

Nearer the base we come across products of Utah’s Alliant Techsystems (ATK) – two solid rocket motors are mounted to either side of the Delta IV and will provide the vehicle the extra needed push to get its payload out of Earth’s gravity well.

20110629999954jr-XL — After descending several stories we were finally moving away from the white "top" section of the rocket. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

It is sometimes difficult to get experts that work on the machines to translate what they do into language that the general public can understand. It was obvious that the ULA representative that conducted the tour – was well aware of this. Making sure that we had the specific technical names and numbers of what we were looking at – but more accessible means of comprehending the numbers we were given.

20110629999956jr-XL — A different angle of the previous level shows the Florida coastline stretching out in the distance. Photo Credit: Alan Walters/awaltersphoto.com

“Room with a view”
Alan Walters, a professional photojournalist that has covered the space program for the past few years has a keen eye and suggested on one of the middle levels that I work my way around the rocket to take in the scenery. To say that it takes your breath away does not give the landscape that stretches out in front of you justice. Florida’s Space Coast arches out for miles in front of you. An early-morning storm was blowing into the region the day of the tour – adding to the spectacle.