On February 1st, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas and Louisiana as it returned from a 16-day mission in space. The cause of the accident was a piece of foam that had fallen off the Shuttle’s external fuel tank during launch. The foam struck the left wing of the shuttle, causing serious damage that ultimately led the vehicle to explode when it reentered Earth’s atmosphere. It was the second major failure for the Space Shuttle program, and all seven crew members onboard the vehicle died.
Category: Space
Opportunity Marks 13 Years on Mars ⇢
NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity might never be classified as speedy, averaging only slightly more than 2 miles (3.36 kilometers) per year since its landing on Jan. 25, 2004, at 05:05 UTC. Nevertheless, what the stalwart explorer lacks in range is more than made up with its longevity. Opportunity—also known as Mars Exploration Rover – B (MER-B)—has been in active operation on the Red Planet for 13 years, far exceeding the original planned mission of 90 sols (approximately 92 Earth days, with each sol being a full Martian day, lasting 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds).
Obama’s Space Legacy ⇢
Loren Grush, writing at The Verge, on the mark Obama left on NASA:
In the space community, Obama will undoubtedly be heralded for focusing on stronger partnerships with the private sector. And Obama has made a big commitment to NASA’s Earth Science programs, as well as the agency’s investments in technology development.
But not all of Obama’s decisions for NASA have been met with praise. The Space Shuttle program ended during his administration, and the US has had no way of sending people to space without cooperation from Russia. And NASA has gone through a pivotal transformation in recent years, as a result of Obama. The president shifted NASA’s focus from a return to the Moon to a human mission to Mars.
SpaceX Holds Successful Return to Flight Mission ⇢
SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket today from California — over four months after one of the company’s vehicles exploded on a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket took off just before 1PM ET from Vandenberg Air Force Base, putting 10 satellites into orbit for communications company Iridium. After the initial takeoff, SpaceX was also able to land the Falcon 9’s first stage on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. It was the first successful launch of the Falcon 9 since August, as the company was forced to ground all of its vehicles following the September explosion.
NASA Selects Two New Robotic Missions ⇢
NASA has selected two missions that have the potential to open new windows on one of the earliest eras in the history of our solar system – a time less than 10 million years after the birth of our sun. The missions, known as Lucy and Psyche, were chosen from five finalists and will proceed to mission formulation, with the goal of launching in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
Lucy will study the Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit, while Psyche will be the first spacecraft to visit a metal asteroid.
Trajectory ⇢
Riccardo Mori, writing about iOS’ future if macOS were to go away:
When I walk down this hypothetical path, what I see in iOS’s trajectory, more than sheer innovation, is a reinvention of the wheel. iOS was born as a simpler, streamlined version of Mac OS X; its multi-touch interface was ingenious and groundbreaking when applied to a smartphone and (similarly, but less strikingly) to a tablet; to then evolve — through a series of iterations and feature creep — into… Mac OS X?
Spot the Station ⇢
Want to know when the International Space Station will be overhead where you live? There’s a service for that.
To Mars or To The Moon ⇢
The space agency’s next major exploration program could last the better part of half a century, too. So we ought to choose wisely. The Moon is closer and offers potential utility as a refueling station in space. Mars harbors more intrigue in the search for life and represents the Solar System’s best bet for a second home. But we’re going nowhere without a final choice—followed by investment and commitment. Absent this from the Trump administration and Congress, NASA will continue to find itself adrift.
Macintosh Portable: Used in Space Shuttle ⇢
This is the best kbase article of all time:
I would like more information about the Macintosh Portable used in the space shuttle by the NASA some years ago.
We believe you are referring to shuttle launch STS-43. The primary mission of STS-43 was to deploy a fourth TDRS satellite (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite). The shuttle was launched at 11:02 AM EST on Friday August 2, 1991, and landed at about 8:30 AM EST on Sunday August 11, 1991.
Godspeed, John Glenn ⇢
John Wilford at The New York Times:
John Glenn, a freckle-faced son of Ohio who was hailed as a national hero and a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, then became a national political figure for 24 years in the Senate, died on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio. He was 95.
Glenn had one hell of a resume:
- World War II and Korean War veteran
- First American to orbit the Earth
- U.S. Senator from the state of Ohio
- Oldest person in space, at the age of 77
America lost a hero today.
Juno Woes
NASA’s spacecraft that is currently circling Jupiter has had a rough couple of weeks.
On October 14, it was announced that the engine burn that was to insert Juno into close orbit around the gas giant would be postponed:
Mission managers for NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter have decided to postpone the upcoming burn of its main rocket motor originally scheduled for Oct. 19. This burn, called the period reduction maneuver (PRM), was to reduce Juno’s orbital period around Jupiter from 53.4 to 14 days. The decision was made in order to further study the performance of a set of valves that are part of the spacecraft’s fuel pressurization system. The period reduction maneuver was the final scheduled burn of Juno’s main engine.
Blue Origin Holds Successful Escape System Test ⇢
Despite expectations of fiery explosions, Blue Origin successfully landed its New Shepard rocket after launching the vehicle for the fifth time today. The landing was a delightful surprise for the company, since it fully expected that rocket to either break up or slam into the floor of the Texas desert.
That’s because the purpose of today’s flight was to test out the New Shepard’s escape system. It’s a feature that will save future passengers on board the vehicle, in case the rocket suffers a major failure during flight.