NASA Finally Uses HoloLens In Space
(Source: UpLoad)
Last June Microsoft’s HoloLens was heading to the International Space
Station aboard a rocket on a resupply mission from SpaceX when an “RUD”
event occurred. That’s a “Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly” in the terms
of Elon Musk. In other words, it blew up. In December, another resupply
mission aboard Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft successfully put a set
of HoloLens headsets in orbit bound for the space station.
HoloLens is being used to pioneer NASA’s Sidekick project. The goal is
to use mixed reality to allow NASA scientists, astronauts, and
engineers to visualize and collaborate on tasks in a way that reduces
training time and increases efficiency. Scott Kelly has popped out the
HoloLens and is beginning to explore its capabilities. (2/20)
Iridium Wins DOD Funds to Enhance
Satellite Network (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Communications has been awarded a $8.57 million task order,
under the Gateway Modernization Efforts contract, from the Defense
Information Systems Agency (DISA), to make upgrades and enhancements to
the U.S. Department of Defense's dedicated Iridium gateway that will
improve network effectiveness, enhance performance and enable continued
preparation efforts for its next-generation, global satellite
constellation, Iridium NEXT. (2/18)
New Horizons Finds Evidence for Frozen
Ocean Inside Pluto's Moon Charon (Source: America Space)
One of the most surprising discoveries in recent years in the outer
Solar System is that there are small moons which have oceans inside
them. Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus are now known
to have global oceans of water beneath their icy crusts, and others are
thought to as well, including Ganymede, Titan, and possibly others.
These moons have a lot of ice and rock as well, and gravitational
tugging and heating from the large gas giant planets helps maintain a
deep layer of liquid water inside them, where otherwise they would most
likely be frozen solid in the deep cold so far from the Sun. Now it
seems that another moon also once had an ocean, although in this case
it is thought to now be solid ice: Pluto’s largest moon, Charon.
The findings suggest that there used to be an ocean below Charon’s
surface, but it has long since frozen, with the expanding ice causing
the surface to stretch and fracture. Evidence of this can be seen all
over the moon in images taken by the New Horizons spacecraft during its
flyby of Pluto last summer. Ridges, scarps, and valleys reveal a
history of tectonic activity on this small world. (2/20)
How Has Virgin Galactic Made Their
Latest Spaceship Safer? (Source: CSM)
A side-by-side comparison of the Virgin Space Ship Unity and the
destroyed vehicle show little difference. The two are nearly identical
with the same model and manufacturing of Unity began in 2012, before
the accident or any redesigns occurred. However, the Unity does feature
small safety additions.
A crucial pin has been added to prevent a pilot from accidentally
unlocking the feathering mechanism on the ship’s tail, which caused the
first crash. The latest design reportedly also features some
improvements to make the landing gear more distinct have also been
added. Are those small changes enough? Yes, for enthusiasts. Maybe, for
the Federal Aviation Administration. (2/20)
What Could NASA Do With Double The
Budget? (Source: Test Tube)
Following the space race, NASA's budget has remained relatively flat --
here's what the agency could accomplish with increased funding. Click here.
(2/18)
Oft-Delayed Rocket Set to Lift Off at
Wallops (Source: DelMarVa Now)
A terrier-improved Malemute sounding rocket is scheduled to take off
between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at NASA's Wallops Flight
Facility. Operative word: "scheduled." The same rocket saw its launch
get scrubbed several times in December for a variety of reasons,
ranging from rough seas for the recovery boat to too much activity
going on in the ocean beneath its flight trajectory.
The payload will consist of several Wallops engineering department
projects, as well as experiments from West Virginia University. The
tests are designed to confirm ionospheric and upper-atmospheric
theories and measure space weather activity, NASA officials say. (2/19)
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