Tag: NASA
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Astronauts get their first look inside BEAM, the first expandable space habitat
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams works inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, the newest addition to the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA TV) Nine days after the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module was blown up to its full volume, astronauts entered the bedroom-sized BEAM compartment for the first time today and started hooking up the…
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The universe is expanding 5-9% faster than astronomers expected, Hubble team finds
Illustration shows the three steps astronomers used to measure the universe’s expansion rate to an unprecedented accuracy. (Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Feild (STScI), and A. Riess (STScI/JHU)) New research from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope team suggests that the universe is expanding significantly faster than astronomers originally thought. The latest measurements indicate an expansion rate five to nine…
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Video: Next space station trio finishing training at Star City
Expedition 48-49 Soyuz commander Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos and flight engineers Kate Rubins of NASA and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, along with their backups, conduct final qualification training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, on May 26 and 27. Ivanishin, Rubins and Onishi are scheduled to launch…
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After snags, BEAM space module expands to its full volume – like a bag of popcorn
A camera on the International Space Station shows the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, after inflation. (Credit: NASA TV) It took almost eight hours, but NASA accomplished the first expansion of a pop-up module at the International Space Station today, by inflating the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM. BEAM was built for NASA…
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Fabric too stiff? NASA gets set for second try to expand BEAM space module
The Bigelow Expandable Space Module, or BEAM, is designed to expand to twice its folded-up length, but during an initial attempt, it stretched out just a few inches. (Credit: NASA TV) Update: NASA will make its second attempt to inflate the Bigelow Expandable Space Module starting at around 6 a.m. PT Saturday. More details below. …
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NASA uses Microsoft’s HoloLens and ProtoSpace to build its next Mars rover in augmented reality
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory check the design of a rover assembly using Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented-reality system. (Credit: NASA) We’ve already seen how Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed-reality headset is helping folks fight off aliens on the International Space Station and take a virtual walk on Mars. Now check out how it’s being used to tweak…
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Video: Asteroid sampler craft delivered to launch site
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, the spacecraft that will grab a piece of Asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth, shipped to Kennedy Space Center from the Lockheed Martin production facilities in Denver on May 20 aboard an Air Force C-17. It was taken to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to begin pre-launch processing. Liftoff atop a United…
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NASA probe that will make round trip to asteroid and back sent to launch base
Credit: OSIRIS-REx project CAPE CANAVERAL — Equipped with a robot arm, sample collector and return capsule, NASA’s asteroid-bound OSIRIS-REx probe emerged from its pristine factory and flew to the launch site in Florida this evening. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will hurl the 4,650-pound spacecraft toward Asteroid Bennu on Sept. 8 for a…
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NASA probe that will make round trip to asteroid and back sent to launch base
Credit: OSIRIS-REx project CAPE CANAVERAL — Equipped with a robot arm, sample collector and return capsule, NASA’s asteroid-bound OSIRIS-REx probe emerged from its pristine factory and flew to the launch site in Florida this evening. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will hurl the 4,650-pound spacecraft toward Asteroid Bennu on Sept. 8 for a…
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NASA’s chief agrees with author of ‘The Martian’: The first Mars crews will steer robots from orbit
Is this how the first human missions to Mars will unfold? NASA’s chief favors an approach for extended operations from Martian orbit, rather than starting out with a crew landing on the surface. (Credit: NASA) The first humans to reach Mars almost certainly won’t go down to the surface, but will manage fleets of rovers…