Tag: Space
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Amazon Web Services is creating its very own space force for cloud computing
AWS Ground Station makes use of satellite ground stations. (AWS Photo) Amazon Web Services today unveiled a new business unit devoted to developing data infrastructure and cloud services for the aerospace and satellite industry — and headed by someone who helped set up the U.S. Space Force. The Aerospace and Satellite Solutions business segment will…
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‘Light this candle!’ SpaceX sends NASA astronauts on historic trip to space station in Dragon capsule
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, sending NASA astronauts into orbit in a Crew Dragon capsule. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station today, becoming the first company to send humans to orbit on a commercial spaceship. The Falcon 9 rocket’s liftoff…
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Report: Amazon joins other satellite constellation ventures in checking out bankrupt OneWeb’s assets
An artist’s conception shows a constellation of satellites in orbit. (Credit: OneWeb) London’s Telegraph newspaper reports that Amazon is understood to be among the entities sifting through the assets of OneWeb, a venture that began building a constellation of broadband internet satellites but filed for bankruptcy in March. Amazon’s interest has to do with its…
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ICESat-2 laser-scanning satellite tracks how billions of tons of polar ice are lost
This color-coded map shows the amount of ice gained or lost by Antarctica between 2003 and 2019. Dark reds and purples show large average rates of ice loss near the Antarctic coast, while blues show smaller rates of ice gain in the interior. (Smith et al. / Science / AAAS via UW) A satellite mission…
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Photos: ‘Pink supermoon’ rises over Seattle
Pink Supermoon rises over Seattle’s Lake Union on April 7, 2020. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) Are you seeking something to do in these trying times with social distancing and travel restrictions? May I suggest some moon viewing of April’s “pink supermoon” this evening from your backyard or neighborhood? While the official full moon occurred…
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Blue Origin uses 3-D printers to make visors for medical face shields as well as rocket parts
A worker at Blue Origin’s production facility in Kent, Wash., gets 3-D printed face shield visors ready for shipping. (Blue Origin via Twitter) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture isn’t just turning out parts for rocket ships nowadays: It’s also using 25 of its additive manufacturing machines to turn out 3-D printed visors…
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Q&A: ‘Cosmos’ author Ann Druyan muses about possible worlds — and what Carl Sagan would do
Ann Druyan is an executive producer, writer and director of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds,” a National Geographic TV series premiering Monday. She’s also the author of a companion book, and the widow of astronomer Carl Sagan. (National Geographic Photo / Stewart Volland) How many dimensions does the cosmos have? If we’re talking about string theory, it…
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OceanGate and NASA are teaming up to build better carbon-fiber pressure vessels
OceanGate’s Titan submersible takes advantage of carbon-fiber technology. (OceanGate Photo) Everett, Wash.-based OceanGate says it’s forged an agreement with NASA to support the development of carbon-fiber pressure vessels that could handle the crushing demands of deep-sea exploration — as well as the strains encountered in the vacuum of space. The agreement calls for NASA’s Marshall…
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GeekWire Calendar Picks: Meet Charles Simonyi; cosmic rays; Star Brews Beer Festival; and more
Charles Simonyi aboard the International Space Station. (NASA Photo) — Not many people can say they’ve traveled to space. Not many can say they were also the original developer of software so prevalent today that most people wouldn’t be able to work without them. But Charles Simonyi can claim both of those accomplishments, along with…
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Private Division opens Seattle game development studio to create Kerbal Space Program 2
Thanks to ventures like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, the Seattle area has been raising its profile in the space industry. Now it’ll be the home of an entire space program: Kerbal Space Program 2, the next generation of a much-loved spaceflight simulation game. Private Division, which acquired Kerbal Space Program in 2017, announced…