Magnetic shield for spacefarers
BBC News
Future astronauts could benefit from a magnetic “umbrella” that deflects harmful space radiation around their crew capsule, scientists say.
The super-fast charged particles that stream away from the Sun pose a significant threat to any long-duration mission, such as to the Moon or Mars. But the research team says a spaceship equipped with a magnetic field generator could protect its occupants.
Lab tests are reported in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. The approach mimics the protective field that envelops the Earth, known as the magnetosphere.
Just in time for Halloween, problems with the Ares booster have resurfaced to haunt NASA. Oh, this one’s a doozy: a modest wind off less than 13 miles per hour could send the booster slamming into the launch pad at takeoff. The Orlando Sentinel’s Space Editor, Robert Bloch, has the scoop.
Meanwhile, The Huntsville Times reports that agency officials are downplaying the problem:
“The head of NASA’s Ares rocket program defended the design of the launch vehicle Monday, dismissing critics that claim it would be unstable at launch.
“Recent published reports say the Ares rocket could drift during launch because of winds, striking the tower. However, all rockets move during launch, said Steve Cook, manager of the Ares program at Marshall Space Flight Center.”
Why this space ride won’t be so rough
Russians resolve electrical problem with Soyuz craft, NASA official says
James Oberg
MSNBC
“Russian space officials say they solved the problem going forward by making modifications in the spacecraft, starting with the one that was launched this month and will remain attached to the space station until next spring. As for the Soyuz due to come back this week, the Russians say the problem was fixed when an explosive bolt was removed during an emergency spacewalk in July.
“Of course, all this assumes that the problem has been correctly identified. And there’s the rub.
“The supposedly faulty bolt assembly has not yet even been returned to Earth for disassembly and inspection. It will be coming home on the current return mission, and could provide the first real evidence that the theory behind the previous failures (and the justification for the workarounds and repairs) is correct.”
Minister wants astronaut ‘icon’
BBC News
Britain’s new science minister has made it clear that he thinks the country ought to have an astronaut.
Lord Drayson said the UK needed “icons” for science, to encourage the next generation to take up subjects that would boost the knowledge economy.
Human spaceflight was one of those arenas that could inspire young people, he told BBC News.
Jumping Off Point for the ‘Final Frontier’
Inverness Courier
“A few weeks ago, a spokesman for Sir Richard Branson’s company Virgin Galactic confirmed that it has chosen Scotland as the venue for a spaceport. In the shortlist of sites, the front runner is Lossiemouth. Kinloss and Machrihanish are also under consideration.
“If these plans come to reality there is a 60 per cent chance that the shores of the Moray Firth will become this country’s portal into space by as early as 2013, only five years away.”
India plans new manned rocket launch pad
Flight International
“The Indian Space Research Organisation plans to build a third launch pad at its Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota island on India’s eastern coast for its proposed 2015 manned flight.”
The Space Review has a gaggle of interesting pieces about commercial space:
Taylor Dinerman warns the commercial space industry not to follow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over a cliff.
John Jurist believes RLVs have a role as commercial suborbital sounding rockets.
Jeff Foust looks at the accomplishments of the Rocket Racing League, which has yet to actually race anything.
Dwayne Day examines the Indian and Chinese human spaceflight efforts to posit what the future might hold.
Claude Lafleur argues that the search for life, and worlds that can sustain it, is a worthy alternative to expensive human spaceflight programs that are difficult to sustain.
China launches mission for first spacewalk
Associated Press
“China successfully launched a three-man crew into space Thursday to carry out the country’s first spacewalk, beginning the nation’s most challenging space mission since it first sent a person into space in 2003.
“The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft, China’s third manned mission, blasted off atop a Long March 2F rocket shortly after 9 a.m. EDT under clear night skies in northwestern China.
“The spacewalk by one of the astronauts is expected to take place either on Friday or Saturday.”
The Rocketsandsuch blog has an interesting post about what might be causing re-entry problems with Soyuz spacecraft returning from the International Space Station. The last two missions to return from orbit experienced rough, ballistic re-entries because the pyrotechnic charges designed to separate the crew return module from the rest of the ship failed to fire properly.
Continue reading ‘Is Soyuz Unsafe?’
A Chinese travel agency is charging 15,000 yuan ($2,200) for a tour and tickets to watch the Shenzhou 7 launch on September 25. The four-day package includes accommodations, meals, air travel, and choice viewing seats for the launch of the three-man spacecraft. The crew is set to undertake China’s first spacewalk during the five-day mission.
If you are an average Chinese taxpayer who helped to fund the flight, you are out of luck. The package is only available to the media. Sorry.
China is planning to launch its third human spaceflight on September 25. The three-person crew of Shenzhou VII will conduct the nation’s first spacewalk during the five-day mission.
The flight will demonstrate China’s growing prowess in space technology. On Sunday, the country broadcast greetings and two Taiwanese songs from its Chang’e-1 lunar orbiter to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. On September 6, China also launched its first two two Huanjing disaster monitoring satellites aboard a Long March 2C booster.
Continue reading ‘Shenzhou VII Launch Set for Sept. 25; Griffin, WH Disagree on China Threat as Talks Resume’
