Boeing’s test of the largest rocket in U.S. history ended earlier than expected on Jan. 16 because a hydraulic-system setting exceeded a preset limit, dealing another setback to the company’s space ambitions. From a report: The first firing of all four RS-25 engines on the Space Launch System rocket ended just 67.2 seconds into the planned eight-minute test. The so-called hot…
Tag: ferry
The beauty of winter 2021
Enjoy photographs of winter 2021 and all of its beautiful snow and unusual icy shapes! Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/the-beauty-of-winter-2021…
Jeff Bezos Shares Blue Origin Engine Test Footage
Friday on Instagram Jeff Bezos shared footage from NASA’s test of Blue Origin’s BE-7 engine, which he described approvingly as “a high-performance, additively manufactured liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen lunar landing engine with 10,000 lbf [pound-force] of thrust — deep throttling down to 2,000 lbf for a precise landing on the Moon.” The test brings the program’s cumulative test time up to 1,245…
Britain Is Getting Ready for Its Space Race
Spurred by Brexit, London is backing companies that will build satellites and haul them into orbit. From a report: Cornwall, in England’s far southwest, is known for antique fishing villages and snug, cliff-lined beaches. Soon it may be the scene of something very different: a small but growing space industry. One day in a year or two, a modified Boeing 747…
Perseverance, newest Mars rover, to launch July 30
NASA is targeting 7:50 a.m. EDT on Thursday, July 30, 2020, for the launch of its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/watch-launch-newest-mars-rover-perseverance-july30-2020…
More Drone Deliveries Being Tested in America
Long-time Slashdot reader necro81 writes: For several years, Zipline has deployed autonomous, fixed-wing airplane drones for medical supply deliveries in Rwanda. Now they have received permission to test their aircraft in the U.S., ferrying COVID-19 supplies from a depot to a hospital in North Carolina. The practical benefit is small: the cargo is modest amounts of PPE that could have been…
This Was Supposed to Be the Year Driverless Cars Went Mainstream
Tech companies once promised that fully functional, self-driving cars would be on the road by 2020 and on the path to remaking transportation and transforming the economy. From a report: But a decade after Google unveiled an autonomous car prototype with global fanfare, the technology is still far from ready, and many investors are wary of dumping more money into it…
Do You Protect Your iPhone? It’s a Case Study That Divides Americans.
As smartphones balloon in price, some pushing past $1,000, there is a debate between case haves and case have-nots. One side says it makes absolutely no sense to ferry such expensive gadgets unprotected — especially one vital to modern living. From a report: Phone-case holdouts say their nervous pals are delusional, clinging to their bulky silicon prophylactics like a security blanket….
Bold Space Mission To Bring Back Rocks From Mars Takes Shape
sciencehabit shares a report from Science Magazine: In just over 1 decade, a small capsule shaped like a flying saucer could blaze in from space and smash into an empty Utah desert. Its payload would be momentous: less than 1 kilogram of rocks gathered on Mars. After years as a dream, Mars sample return is now a $7 billion plan, devised…
Waymo Complains California’s Government Says Its Robotaxi Service Must Be Free For Now
“Waymo wants to deploy a robotaxi service for the general public in parts of California as soon as possible,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “But that’s unlikely, the company says, because California says it has to offer the service for free.” Last year, the California Public Utilities Commission allowed driverless “robotaxi” pilot programs in the state but banned permit-holders from charging…