Tag: space

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Nasa spacecraft has Mars landing ‘InSight’ – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Nasa’s robotic Mars lander, InSight, will study the interior structure of the Red Planet to answer questions about the early formation of the inner planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars – 4.5 billion years ago. InSight (aka Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) is the first mission ever dedicated to the Red Planet’s deep interior and will use its trio of instruments to enable scientists to understand how different its crust, mantle and core are from their counterparts on Earth. InSight’s Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment, RISE, uses the same technology that a smartphone uses to … Continue reading Nasa spacecraft has Mars landing ‘InSight’ – an annotated infographic

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Stratolaunch Systems announces world’s largest plane is close to flying – an annotated infographic

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Stratolaunch Systems, the space launch venture backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is planning to conduct the maiden flight of its giant carrier aircraft within the next few months. The six-engine, twin-fuselage aircraft, built by California-based Scaled Composites, is designed to carry rockets up to high altitude and launch them to space from there. The alternative to conventional rocket launches could provide an affordable and efficient way to place satellites in orbit. The aircraft has been through two taxi tests so far at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. If three more tests go smoothly, Stratolaunch will move … Continue reading Stratolaunch Systems announces world’s largest plane is close to flying – an annotated infographic

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InSight spacecraft to study interior of Mars – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Nasa’s robotic Mars lander, InSight, will study the interior structure of the Red Planet to answer questions about the early formation of the inner planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars – 4.5 billion years ago. InSight -short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport – is scheduled to launch atop an Atlas V-401 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight is due to land at Mars’ Elysium Planitia on November 4. The mission’s launch period is from May 5 through to June 8 2018. InSight is the first mission ever dedicated to the Red … Continue reading InSight spacecraft to study interior of Mars – an annotated infographic

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India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft’s tricky mission to #Moon’s south pole

E&T magazine

India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft will attempt to land a briefcase-sized rover onto the Moon’s surface, 600km from the lunar south pole, while an orbiter above searches for water – vital to future manned missions. Click on the graphic for an expanded view.   Continue reading India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft’s tricky mission to #Moon’s south pole

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India’s tricky mission to Moon’s south pole with the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft- an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

On the first day of next month, 1 April 2018, India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft will attempt to land a briefcase-sized rover onto the Moon’s surface, 600km from the lunar south pole, while an orbiter above searches for water – vital to future manned missions. This is no joke (India has no concept of April Fools’ Day). India’s Moon ambitions are very real, completely serious and technologically advanced. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading India’s tricky mission to Moon’s south pole with the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft- an annotated infographic

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CubeSats drive commercial space race – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

CubeSats are ultra-small spacecraft weighing 1.3kg or less. Most CubeSats piggyback to orbit on big, expensive rockets – but affordable rocket technology is launching a new generation of space start-ups. In the past satellites have been built and launched by multibillion-dollar companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital Sciences Corporation. That began to change in January 2014 when Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft carried 33 nanosatellites to the International Space Station, ISS. These tiny satellites, built to the CubeSat standard format — a 10cm cube weighing 1.3kg or less — were launched from the ISS a month later. Since 2014 more than … Continue reading CubeSats drive commercial space race – an annotated infographic

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Moon Express details plans to mine the Moon – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Moon Express hopes to become the first private spaceflight company to send a robotic lander to the moon, scoop up some moon dust, load it into a small return vehicle and send it back to Earth. In one small step for space business, Moon Express has won US regulatory approval — under the 104-nation Outer Space Treaty — to become the first private company to fly to the Moon. At the heart of the company’s plans is a single-stage spacecraft, similar in size and shape to the R2-D2 droid from Star Wars, but a little bigger. Launched from New Zealand, … Continue reading Moon Express details plans to mine the Moon – an annotated infographic

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Voyager Interstellar Mission – the 40th anniversary – an annotated infographic

E&T magazine

Later this month it will be the 40th anniversary of the Voyager Interstellar Mission launch. Voyagers 1 and 2 were launched in August 1977 to take advantage of a favourable alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The two spacecraft – sent in opposite directions – have been exploring interstellar space ever since. Voyager 1 and 2 have explored all the giant planets of our outer solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune; 48 of their moons; and the unique system of rings and magnetic fields those planets possess. By the time of the anniversary, Voyager 1 will have traveled … Continue reading Voyager Interstellar Mission – the 40th anniversary – an annotated infographic

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#Aliens abound as Americans report record #UFO sightings 70 years after Roswell – an annotated infographic

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The 1947 Roswell UFO incident took place 70 years ago this year. Initially reported as a crashed weather balloon, it was later confirmed as a military surveillance balloon, but conspiracy theories of alien spacecraft persist and reports of UFO sightings have soared in recent years – peaking in 2014 with 8,621 reports. The truth is still out there. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading #Aliens abound as Americans report record #UFO sightings 70 years after Roswell – an annotated infographic

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Earth-like planet #ProximaB found orbiting #ProximaCentauri – an annotated infographic

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Scientists have found clear evidence of an Earth-like planet around Proxima Centauri – the nearest star to our sun. The rocky world, named Proxima b, lies within its star’s habitable zone, meaning liquid water could exist on its surface, and it may also be the closest possible abode for life outside the solar system. E&T news reported the full details of the Proxima b discovery earlier this week. Click on the graphic for an expanded view. Continue reading Earth-like planet #ProximaB found orbiting #ProximaCentauri – an annotated infographic