Lifeboat Foundation

NASA has pushed forward a revolutionary new rocket technology at its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Engineers at the facility fired the 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) for a record 251 seconds with 5,800 lb (2,631 kg) of thrust.

For over six decades, NASA has relied on chemical rockets to launch its vehicles into space. It works, but chemical rockets suffer from the fact that they’ve been operating in the neighborhood of their theoretical limit since 1942. This isn’t helped by the fact that most liquid rockets are essentially unchanged in their basic design since the days of the German V2s.

Continue reading “NASA completes record sustained burn of revolutionary rocket engine” »

The launch was delayed twice this month due to weather and technical issues.

SpaceX did not show any footage of the X-37B separating from the rocket’s second stage, as the mission was shrouded in secrecy. The X-37B, which looks like a miniature version of the space shuttle, is an autonomous reusable vehicle that can stay in orbit for years, performing various experiments and maneuvers. It is operated by the Air Force in partnership with the Space Force and built by Boeing. There are two X-37B spacecraft in the fleet, and they have flown six missions since 2010.

Standing by for launch of USSF-52 and the X-37B mission this evening using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center! #SpaceSystemsCommand #USSF #PartnersInSpace pic.twitter.com/eraa6dwqix — Space Systems Command (@USSF_SSC) December 28, 2023

Continue reading “SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy sends the secret X-37B to orbit for seventh flight” »

The robot is being developed to offer an helping hand to astronauts, designed to operate in hostile and hazardous conditions in space.

NASA’s first bipedal humanoid robot, Valkyrie, is undergoing a few of its final testing phases at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

A humanoid, much like Iron Man but constructed from metal and electronics, mimics human walking and appearance. Designed for a diverse array of functions, NASA is exploring if such machines can further space exploration, starting with the Artemis mission, according to Reuters.

Continue reading “Meet Valkyrie, NASA’s humanoid robot enters advanced stages of testing” »

Did you know that Einstein’s most important equation isn’t E=mc^2? Find out all about his equation that expresses how spacetime curves, with Sean Carroll.

Buy Sean’s book here: https://geni.us/AIAOUHn.
YouTube channel members can watch the Q&A for this lecture here: • Q&A: The secrets of Einstein’s unknow…

Continue reading “The secrets of Einstein’s unknown equation — with Sean Carroll” »

Japan’s space agency announced Thursday it will launch its next-generation H3 rocket in February after two failed attempts early this year.

The rocket, billed as a flexible and cost-effective new flagship, is scheduled to lift off between 9:22 am and 1:06 pm (0022 and 406 GMT) on February 15 from the southern island of Tanegashima, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a press release.

The third launch attempt comes after the spacecraft was forced to self-destruct in March when the command center concluded its mission could not succeed.

One of the hardest things for many people to conceptualize when talking about how fast something is going is that they must ask, “Compared to what?” All motion only makes sense from a frame of reference, and many spacecraft traveling in the depths of the void lack any regular reference from which to understand how fast they’re going.

There have been several different techniques to try to solve this problem, but one of the ones that have been in development the longest is StarNAV—a way to navigate in space using only the stars.

Continue reading “Lost in space? Just use relativity” »

We have to really embrace the uncertainty.

News space, astronomy, NASA, spacex, astrophysics, sun, moon.

News space, astronomy, NASA, spacex, astrophysics, sun, moon.