Collaborate Disseminate
Motherboard talks to Robert Pearlman about his new book Space Stations, and how NASA, China, and space companies are building the next phase of human life off Earth. Continue reading We Are About to Enter a New Era of Space Stations
By imaging the brains of cosmonauts before and after their stints on the space station, neuroscientists discovered how microgravity influences the mind. Continue reading What Scientists Found Inside the Brains of 10 Russian Cosmonauts
Today’s failed Soyuz launch thankfully resulted in no casualties, but the fate of the International Space Station (ISS) is now in question.
Just two minutes after liftoff, the crew of the Soyuz MS-10 found themselves in a situation that every astronaut since the beginning of the manned space program has trained for, but very few have ever had to face: a failure during launch. Today the crew of two, Russian Aleksey Ovchinin and American Nick Hague, were forced to make a ballistic re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere; a wild ride that put them through higher G forces than expected and …read more
Continue reading International Space Station is Racing the Clock After Soyuz Failure
NASA spokesperson [Brandi Dean] summarized it succinctly: “Confirming again that today’s Soyuz MS10 launch did go into ballistic re-entry mode … That means the crew will not be going to the ISS today. Instead they will be taking a sharp landing, coming back to earth”. While nobody likes last-minute changes in plans, we imagine that goes double for astronauts. On the other hand, it’s always good news when we are able to joke about a flight that starts off with a booster separation problem.
Astronauts [Nick Hague] and [Aleksey Ovchinin] were on their way this morning to the International Space …read more
Continue reading Soyuz Rocket Emergency Landing, Everyone OK
The cost of getting a piece of hardware into space is now cheaper than ever, thanks in no small part to the rapid progress that’s been made by commercial launch providers such as SpaceX. In the near future, as more low-cost providers come online, it should get even cheaper. Within a few years, we could be seeing per kilogram costs to low Earth orbit that are 1/10th what they were on the Space Shuttle. To be sure, this is a very exciting time to be in the business of designing and building spacecraft.
But no matter how cheap launches to …read more
Continue reading Maker Faire NY: Developing for the Final Frontier
Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin, known for bombastic comments, said it was “a matter of honor” to “find the one responsible” for the puncture. Continue reading Russia Space Chief Suggests International Space Station Leak Could Be Sabotage
The puncture may have been caused by a micrometeorite. Continue reading The International Space Station Just Sprung a Leak
No one loves a good competition more than Hackaday. We run enough to keep anyone busy. But if you have a little spare time after designing your one inch PCB, you might check out the competition to develop a robotic arm for NASA’s Astrobee robot.
Some of the challenges are already closed, but there are quite a few still open for a few more months (despite the published closing date of and these look like great projects for a hacker. In particular, the software architecture and command, data, and power system are yet to start.
But don’t let the $25,000 …read more
On Friday, NASA debuted the teams that will pilot America’s two commercial spacecraft: Boeing’s Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Continue reading NASA Announces the First Astronauts Who Will Fly in the SpaceX Dragon
Moving around in microgravity is tough, but a new MIT Media Lab device takes a page from Spiderman to help astronauts navigate while weightless. Continue reading MIT’s ‘Orbit Weaver’ Turns Astronauts into Spiders