Articles tagged with Space Flight
The composite liquid oxygen tank is the largest ever made and will be the first to fly on a launch vehicle, aiming to reduce launch costs from $10,000 per pound to $1,000. The X-34 flying laboratory is being developed to demonstrate technologies for safer and more efficient reusable launch vehicles.
The second NASA X-34 rocket research plane has reached a major assembly milestone with the attachment of its composite wing to its fuselage. The vehicle, designated A-2, will undergo powered flights next year at Dryden Flight Research Center.
NASA scientists find that jet aircraft add a few tens of parts per trillion of nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere, increasing ozone levels. However, the impact is too small to detect, but as air traffic increases, understanding these effects becomes crucial for global climate research.
NASA will unveil its future space transportation goals and programs at Space Transportation Day '99, aiming to lower launch costs and make interplanetary exploration feasible. The conference will cover various projects, including X-33 and X-34 rocket planes, as well as technologies for safer and more reliable operations.
Researchers at the University of Washington developed a scale to measure air travel stress, finding that men and women experience it differently. The study suggests that anxiety and anger can trigger stress, but also highlights the importance of coping mechanisms such as relaxation skills and adaptive behavior.
The US government has awarded a $11.3 million contract to Summa Technology Inc. for the manufacture, operation, and maintenance of Fastrac rocket engines. The company will build three new flight engines for the X-34 technology demonstrator and utilize one existing engine.
New superballoons could carry scientific experiments and relay voices globally, offering a cost-effective solution for space research. The balloons' lightweight design and strong materials enable long-duration flights up to 100 days at an altitude of 36 kilometres.
Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center have accurately predicted the current phase of Cycle 23 of the sunspot cycle. The team predicts that Cycle 23 will be above average but not a record setter, with the sun now on the upswing of its 23rd activity cycle.
The third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3) campaign observed rare lightning fields and purple sprites in the eye of Hurricane Georges. The team studied the hurricane's unique characteristics, including large cloud turrets and variable wind speeds.
A NASA instrument package will measure atmospheric conditions on a record-breaking solo balloon flight around the world. The mission aims to simulate planetary missions and educate the public on Earth's lower atmosphere.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment is the most extensive non-NASA remote operation on the flight, providing high-quality data for dendritic growth studies. The experiment's video system records 30 images a second, offering real-time insights into crystal growth in space.
Astronomers have detected a giant solar eruption with particles hurtling towards the Earth. The NASA POLAR spacecraft will monitor the Earth's aurora in real-time, capturing enhanced activity on Wednesday afternoon.
The MSX satellite successfully tracked two medium-range missiles, demonstrating its ability to perform key missile defense functions. The primary sensors collected several minutes of high-quality data, which is now undergoing preliminary analysis at the USASSDC.