Tag: NASA
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Space robot company may pull an asteroid into orbit
More details emerged today about Planetary Resources, and the Bellevue-based startup’s plans are sounding more and more like something out of a science fiction novel. One idea the company is considering: Bringing an asteroid into orbit near Earth to allow robots to mine it for precious metals, according to a New York Times article today…
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Bezos’ Blue Origin prepares to test unique system for aborting rocket launches
Image Credit: Blue Origin Blue Origin, the space venture backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, is pushing ahead with development and testing of its New Shepard rocket, aiming to qualify the system for human spaceflight under NASA’s Commercial Crew Development Program. The next big milestone will be a test this summer of Blue Origin’s unique…
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NASA outline FY13 Budget Proposal amid warnings of political battles to come
The US space agency announced a reduced FY13 budget proposal on Monday, with planetary science becoming this year’s major casualty. The Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion – as exploration – also received cuts, leading to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison issuing a warning that NASA should not cut any money from the Agency’s exploration vehicles.…
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Q&A: Charles Simonyi on the magic of space and the ‘coziness’ of the trip home
Seattle’s Museum of Flight this week dedicated its new Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, named after the former Microsoft engineer and two-time space traveler. When it opens this June, the new gallery will house a Soyuz capsule in which Simonyi returned to Earth for the second time, given to the museum by Simonyi on a long-term…
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Seattle’s Museum of Flight getting a Soyuz spacecraft, courtesy Charles Simonyi
The Soyuz TMA-13 Reentry Module that returned Charles Simonyi to Earth from the International Space Station. Credit: Space Adventures Seattle’s Museum of Flight lost out in the competition to exhibit a Space Shuttle orbiter, but it turns out it will be getting a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to display. Charles Simonyi after landing in the Soyuz…
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Bezos’ Blue Origin declines to testify at U.S. House hearing
A Blue Origin spacecraft. Participants in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program — private companies working on spacecraft to take U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station — testified today during a hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. But one participant was conspicuously absent: Blue Origin, the company founded by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos,…
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Seattle’s Museum of Flight questions data used by NASA to pick homes for retired shuttles
Atlantis lifts off. (NASA photo) NASA staffers understated attendance for Seattle’s Museum of Flight and didn’t count Canadian visitors in their measure of the region’s international tourism during the site selection process for the retired Space Shuttle orbiters earlier this year. Those are the new assertions from Museum of Flight officials, as reported by the…
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SLS finally announced by NASA – Forward path taking shape
After several years of trade studies and political arguments, NASA administrator Charlie Bolden finally gave the Space Launch System (SLS) its official public unveiling on Wednesday. As has been known for months, the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) is Shuttle Derived (SD) and will use $10 billion of NASA funding through to its debut launch…
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NASA report shows why Seattle didn’t land a Space Shuttle
An internal NASA scoring matrix showing how Seattle’s Museum of Flight (MOF) stacked up against other contenders for the Space Shuttle orbiters. Source: NASA Office of Inspector General review of the Shuttle selection process. Seattle’s Museum of Flight was among the top contenders this spring for a decommissioned Space Shuttle — placing well ahead of many other…
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Pic of the Day: Juno takes off for Jupiter on an Atlas V
Photo Credit: NASA Hey, at least the end of the Space Shuttle Era doesn’t mean the end of spectacular blast-offs. That’s an Atlas V rocket, lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., this morning and carrying the unmanned spacecraft Juno — launching a five-year mission to Jupiter. Expect to hear a lot more about the Atlas V in…