Flat-Earther Blasts Off
Into California Sky in Home-Made Steam Rocket (Source: The
Telegraph)
A self-taught rocket scientist has blasted himself high into the
California sky using a steam-powered contraption he built in his
garage, the first step in his long-term aim of proving the Earth is
flat. “Mad” Mike Hughes propelled himself 1,875 feet (571m) into the
air above the vast Mojave desert in the homemade rocket before
deploying his parachute and landing back to Earth with a bump.
The madcap 61-year-old limo-driver-turned-daredevil was visibly dazed
as he was carefully lifted from his seat and was checked over by
paramedics as he lay exhausted on the ground following a hard landing
which damaged the front of his rocket. “Am I glad I did it? Yeah. I
guess,” he told the Associated Press. “I'll feel it in the morning. I
won't be able to get out of bed. At least I can go home and have dinner
and see my cats tonight.”
The Flat-Earther, who has spent around $20,000 pursuing his rocket
dream since 2016, admitted he was “relieved” to have finally achieved
his goal following several aborted attempts and ridicule from some
quarters when his plan captured the attention of the world’s media last
year. “I'm tired of people saying I chickened out and didn't build a
rocket. I'm tired of that stuff. I manned up and did it.” (3/25)
Bruno: American
Manufacturing is Building Next Generation Rockets for Space
(Source: LinkedIn)
We need space. We have become completely dependent on it. You cannot
use an ATM or call an Uber without the Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite; farmers all over the world rely on data from commercial
remote sensing satellites; and our men and women in uniform rely on
reconnaissance, missile warning, and communications satellites every
day to keep our nation safe.
So what does the Air Force do when it needs to get a satellite to space
that lives depend on? How does NASA ensure their Mars rovers get to the
red planet on time, when missing your launch date by a few days can
cost you years? They fly on ULA rockets.
ULA has successfully launched every single mission we have ever been
awarded – 126 as of this date. No other launch provider in the world
has that kind of record. But the success is not ours alone. We cannot
do our job without the critical support of our industry partners across
the country. ULA’s supply chain is the best in the industry, and our
record proves that. Click here.
(3/24)
Kuang-Chi and NanoRacks
Announce Agreement on Near Space ‘Traveler’ Program
(Source: NanoRacks)
Kuang-Chi Science LTD and NanoRacks LLC are pleased to announce a
partnership to cooperate on Kuang-Chi’s Near Space helium spacecraft
the ‘Traveler.’ The partnership will focus on the development of the
Traveler program outside of China, leveraging Kuang-Chi’s Near Space
technology and NanoRacks’ expertise in both in-space business
development and customer marketing.
Kuang-Chi’s Traveler is a breakthrough platform in the emerging economy
of space, offering secure and affordable access to suborbital space for
space tourism and a wide variety of commercial applications, from
ecological and terrestrial observation to satellite deployment and
space research. The Traveler uses high-altitude helium buoyancy to
gently transport people and payloads into Near Space, 25 kilometers
above the Earth. Kuang-Chi and NanoRacks seek to cooperate to establish
the Traveler as a commercially viable solution from a number of
locations in China and worldwide. (3/22)
Richard Branson Speaks on
Plan for Space Tourism (Source: Air & Space)
Billionaire Richard Branson has set up Virgin Galactic as part of his
dream to conquer the final frontier. But it’s also a bet that could
land him at the forefront of a new business: space tourism. Click here.
(3/26)
Rich People Will Soon Be
Able To Buy Fake Meteor Showers On Demand (Source:
Buzzfeed)
If everything works out, the night sky over Hiroshima, Japan, will fill
with the graceful arcs of blue, green, and orange shooting stars
sometime in the summer of 2019. The fireworks will come courtesy of a
satellite some 220 miles high, owned by the world’s first “aerospace
entertainment” firm, Astro Live Experiences, or ALE.
The brainchild of University of Tokyo astronomer Lena Okajima, the
spacecraft will circle the globe and kick out 15 to 20 small metallic
pebbles on command. Those seeds, less than half an inch wide, will
blaze overhead for a few bright seconds over the city of the buyer’s
choice. Their customers could be cities, companies, amusement parks,
the mega-rich — anyone who can pay for such a spectacular show. (3/25)
Revised SpaceX Plan To
Beat NASA Human Missions To Mars (Source: NASA Watch)
"We are targeting our first cargo missions in 2022 - that's not a typo,
although it is aspirational. We've already started building the system
- the tooling for the main tanks has been ordered, the facility is
being built and we will start construction of the first ship around the
second quarter of next year. In about six to nine months we should
start building the first ship. I feel fairly confident that we can
complete the ship and be ready for a launch in about five years. Five
years seems like a long time to me."
"The area under the curve of resources over that period of time should
enable this time frame to be met, but if not this time frame, I think
pretty soon thereafter. But that is our goal, to try to make the 2022
Mars rendezvous. The Earth-Mars synchronization happens roughly every
two years, so every two years there is an opportunity to fly to Mars.
Then in 2024 we want to try to fly four ships - two cargo and two
crew." (3/26)
Research at Embry-Riddle:
For Spacesuit Designers, 3-D Beats 2-D (Source: Air
& Space)
No astronaut would dare venture out into the vacuum of space without
the protection of a spacesuit. But that’s not to say the bulky garments
are comfortable, or that they don’t create problems of their own. In
fact, astronauts wearing spacesuits often find that their range of
motion decreases by several degrees during spacewalks. And in a moment
of crisis during a future mission to Mars, that could prove to be a
critical design flaw.
Researchers at the S.U.I.T. (Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative
Technology) Lab, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s newest addition
to its Daytona Beach Campus, are hoping to improve astronaut mobility
with the help of 3-D motion capture software. Click here.
(3/26)
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