Axiom Space has signed three private astronauts to join former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-AlegrÃa on Ax-1, the first private mission into orbit and to the International Space Station. From a report: In March, Axiom Space announced plans to launch “history’s first fully private human spaceflight mission to the International Space Station.” The mission, dubbed Ax-1, would go forward using SpaceX’s Crew…
Tag: Spaceflight
The International Space Station is 20 and going strong
20 years ago, three astronauts stepped aboard the ISS. It’s since hosted residents from many countries, creating humanity’s first history of living in space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/20-years-iss-what-its-future-holds-nov-2-2020…
SpaceX Starship as a trash collector in Earth orbit?
SpaceX Starship’s many tasks may include launching humans into space, carrying satellites into orbit and — perhaps — removing troublesome pieces of space debris. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/spacex-starship-clean-up-space-junk…
Officials Raise Concerns About Software for the Most Powerful Rocket Ever Flown
NASA’s 322-foot rocket “Space Launch System” rocket “would be the most powerful rocket ever flown, eclipsing both the Saturn V that flew astronauts to the moon and SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy,” reports the Washington Post. But “it’s not the rocket’s engines that concern officials but the software that will control everything the rocket does, from setting its trajectory to opening individual valves…
The magnetic fields of a jellyfish galaxy
New work reveals the intricate relationship between so-called jellyfish galaxies, and the magnetic environment through which they move. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/magnetic-fields-jellyfish-galaxy-jo206…
What astronauts think about life away from Earth
Axiom is an aerospace company making new possibilities accessible to humanity. Watch as astronauts retell their experience launching from Earth and living in space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/axiom-video-roundtable-astronauts-talk-about-being-in-space…
Without gravity, the fluid around an astronaut’s brain moves in weird ways
The fluid that cushions the human brain redistributes in the skull during spaceflight, according to a new study. Source: https://www.livescience.com/astronaut-brains-craniospinal-fluid-behavior-in-space.html
Are the Best Star Wars Stories Now in Games Like ‘Star Wars: Squadrons’?
A game critic for the Los Angeles Times remembers his reaction to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. “What a disappointment — if only it had been built for video game consoles.” This leads to this epiphany:
For all the deserved attention “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+ has received, the just-released game “Star Wars: Squadrons” reminds us that some of the best…
The human heart in space: What can we learn from mathematical modeling
Human spaceflight has been fascinating man for centuries, representing the intangible need to explore the unknown, challenge new frontiers, advance technology and push scientific boundaries further. A key aspect of long-term human spaceflight is the physiological response and consequent microgravity (0G) adaptation, which has all the features of accelerated aging involving almost every body system: muscle atrophy and bone loss, onset…
On the trail of causes of radiation events during space flight
Scientists have made significant progress in understanding the sources of radiation events that could impact human space-flight operations. Relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events are instances when high energy electrons move through areas of space at significant fractions of the speed of light. These REP events may pose challenges to human spaceflight, specifically during extravehicular activity (EVA). Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-10-trail-events-space-flight.html…