Tag Archives: International Space Station

Maker Faire NY: Developing for the Final Frontier

Posted on by

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→

Russia Space Chief Suggests International Space Station Leak Could Be Sabotage

Posted on by

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→

NASA Wants You… to Design Their Robot

Posted on by

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

Continue reading NASA Wants You… to Design Their Robot→

NASA Announces the First Astronauts Who Will Fly in the SpaceX Dragon

Posted on by

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→

The ‘Telemetron’ Is a Post-Earth Musical Instrument Designed for Zero Gravity

Posted on by

The Telemetron generates musical compositions using gyroscopic “chimes.” Continue reading The ‘Telemetron’ Is a Post-Earth Musical Instrument Designed for Zero Gravity→

NASA’s Atomic Fridge Will Make the ISS the Coldest Known Place in the Universe

Posted on by

Putting NASA’s Cold Atom Lab in space will allow quantum states to last for far longer than on Earth, offering researchers unprecedented insight into the quantum realm. Continue reading NASA’s Atomic Fridge Will Make the ISS the Coldest Known Place in the Universe→

Lost In Space: How Materials Degrade In Space

Posted on by

Hackaday readers are well aware of the problems caused by materials left exposed to the environment over time, whether that be oxidized contact pads on circuit boards or plastics made brittle from long exposure to the sun’s UV rays.

Now consider the perils faced by materials on the International Space Station (ISS), launched beginning in 1998 and planned to be used until 2028. That’s a total of 30 years in an environment of unfiltered sunlight, extreme temperatures, micrometeoroids, and even problems caused by oxygen. What about the exposure faced by the newly launched Tesla Roadster, an entirely non-space hardened vehicle …read more

Continue reading Lost In Space: How Materials Degrade In Space→