Archive for the 'Astronautics'

The turnaround in the Russian astronautics?

Monday, August 15th, 2011 Posted in Astronautics |

One of the first statement of a new chief Vladimir Roscosmos Popovkina media could be an announcement of a large shift in the Russian astronautics over the coming years. Kommersant Daily Popovkinovu statement states that the space programs in the coming years require much more investment than the former, while noting that almost half of the budget so far poured into piloted Astronautics. Such a condition in which we have a huge cost to launch humans into orbit, the Earth spun around and came back by itself is no longer viable, the core is Popovkinove statement. Should piloted astronautics returned this financial or scientific results, then it should be supported, but if the only purpose to send men into space and return them back to Earth, then we should seriously consider the future of such modes. Russia is the only nation able to maintain a permanent "umbilical link" with ISSom. In the past five decades than the American "excursions" to the moon we got ahead of the Earth's orbit. We learned most of the things that are necessary for long-term human missions in space and stay, whether on technical or social aspects. Now it's time to move on, or robots that take the last word in our space program. The project ISSA has invested nearly 150 billion USD. Its future beyond 2020. The bit becomes questionable when used in this way. Popovkin was taken in April after a series of failures Roscosmos led by then-Chief - Anatoly perminova. What steps will soon start Popovkin remains to be seen, but cutting down "tourist" flights and taking the direction towards robotic and scientific goals is certainly the right thing to which humanity is waiting too long.

Grail spacecraft ready to explore the Moon

Saturday, August 13th, 2011 Posted in Astronautics |

NASA's spacecraft from Project Grail are ready for months of research odyssey of our natural satellite. Grail Grail-A and-B are small spacecraft mass only 135kg made at Astrotech Space Operations. We have performed tests, are equipped with fuel and set on launching special adapters. Below are their deconservation and transport to Florida where he will arrive 16th August. Launch of Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral raketodroma planned for the 08th September The complex flight path requires even four-month flight to the planned orbit around the Moon at 175-225 km above the surface and 50 km away from each other. The primary task of this three-month mission to map the moon's gravity with extreme precision in order to gain insight into the structure of the Moon. After completing the three-month mission there is the possibility of a short extension of the same and then, in the next month and a half following their planned coup in the lunar surface. Cost of this mission is less than $ 500 million.

Opportunity to order

Thursday, August 11th, 2011 Posted in Astronautics |

After six years of operation on Mars for nearly three years of targeted travel to a large crater Endeavour NASA's Opportunity rover is located in the area of ​​Cape York at the entrance to the crater. The great success of the engineers, scientists and mission controllers that was originally conceived as a three-month odyssey of robotic vehicles. Endeavour is the majestic crater diameter of 24km. With the arrival of the walls of the crater will be studied and bring decision which way the rover down into its interior. Scientists hope that this crater is large enough and interesting enough that your rover mission is complete in one days while exploring the environment. According to Dr. Matt Golembeka, senior project scientist in the Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, the primary task is to find and explore the layers of old material in the crater and possibly find and analyze the silicate formation that will give us the answers to the status of water Mars in the past and present .. In addition he will assist spacecraft in Mars orbit. Opportunity to succeed in it during the next year will actually "anticipate," NASA's next-generation rover (Curiosity), which takes off toward the end of the red planet.

Perseids are coming

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 Posted in Astronautics |

Clusters of interplanetary matter formed and scattered path of the comet Swift-Tuttle has more than 2000 years, during July and August, come into collision path with our planet. This is a piece size of corn kernels, tennis balls, basketballs and more. Speed ​​of over 70 km / s rush prematurely into the upper atmosphere where ionization occurs due to a bright and easily visible short-lived glowing trail to the night sky. We say that these meteorites. If such occurrences are very great astronomers define them as fireballs. At the beginning and end of the Perseids meteor activity is evident only a few meteors per hour to the maximum number that grew in the night peak (12/13 August) is often known to reach a value over 100 meteors per hour visible to the naked eye!
This year, the moon shining bother to watch the Perseids. Due to the large number poosvijetljenja sky less bright meteor will not notice, but the Perseids are "playing it safe" for those who choose probdijeti that hour or all night under the starry sky.
Meteors can be seen in the matter which part of the sky, it is important to go to a place with a better view of the horizon and directly visible without artificial lighting. The starting point (radians) Perseids in the constellation Perseus from which scattered all over the sky. The next few nights and slow the passage of the ISSA in the morning over our region will give an additional charm to these events, and there are also several other meteor groups that are active simultaneously with the Perseids. Do not miss the heavenly nabolju summer show.

Running water causes changes in the surface of Mars?

Monday, August 8th, 2011 Posted in Astronautics |

Surface of Mars is experiencing seasonal changes that would cause could be the surface or beneath the surface fluctuations of salt water, the conclusion of the article published in the latest issue of Science. Observations NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft (MRO) in high resolution gives very clear evidence of seasonal change in the Martian surface on sunny places during the warm period near the Martian equator. The observed changes coincide with our theoretical considerations and models, says the NASA director Charles Bolden, adding together all the red planet is positioned as one of the most important steps of research robots and people on the spot.
Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson, who is responsible for processing and research materials made using the HiRISE camera on MRO said that the assumption of water as the cause of observed changes on the surface of "the best holding water" than any other theory. We know that the temperatures on Mars. Ordinary tap water is hard to exist on the surface, perhaps only in some specific areas with microclimates suitable location. Elsewhere, it would have been frozen, but the salt water, and we have evidence of salinity, would have a lower freezing temperature and it could just be in a liquid state during the Martian summer. These are small amounts of current salt water just below the surface and perhaps on the surface. However, McEwen says, do not have any crucial direct, irrefutable proof that this is indeed so. A story about water on Mars appears constantly in the media. According to the results of all water on Mars is below the surface, there are large reservoirs of water, but liquid water just under the sand or even small streams in the sand gave new impetus to research. At the end of this year, moving to Mars NASA's robotic hope - Curiosity rover. Will we finally see a clear photo of water on Mars or the scene will have to wait for decades, until there is not pursued human foot?