Category: Space
Sir Richard Branson ‘ready to head into space’ after Virgin Galactic tests
Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson has said his spaceship has just a few more test flights before he jumps on board for the first tourist trip. The British billionaire celebrated his 69th birthday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre during 50th anniversary festivities for humanity’s first moon landing. His guests were 100 other aspiring astronauts…
In Pictures: Partial lunar eclipse celebrated across the world
Across the UK and as far afield as Australia, Africa and much of Asia, stargazers gathered on Tuesday evening to view a partial lunar eclipse. The eclipse was seen in the UK from moon rise, from approximately 9.07pm until around 1.17am, and coincided with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 launching its moon mission. With…
Neil Armstrong’s restored Apollo 11 spacesuit goes on display
The spacesuit that Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong wore for that one small step on the moon is back on display in mint condition. The suit had been out of view and needed to be restored before it was put on display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/AP) On hand for the…
Could silica aerogel make Mars habitable?
Mars could be made habitable by the creation of small islands that mimic the Earth’s greenhouse effect, according to new research. A two-centimetre thick shield of silica aerogel – an ultralight material derived from a gel – would be effective in insulating the planet and melting ice beneath the surface for permanent water, scientists say.…
What if Apollo 11 had ended in disaster?
Apollo 11 was an unprecedented mission, meaning there was always the possibility that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would not make it back from the moon’s surface. A speech was prepared for then-US president Richard Nixon, penned by White House speechwriter Bill Safire on July 18 1969. Fortunately, the mission was a success, meaning…
Virgin Orbit hails test of air-launched satellite booster
Virgin Galactic’s sister company Virgin Orbit has conducted a drop test of its air-launched satellite booster over California in a key step towards space missions. The 70ft LauncherOne rocket was released from a Boeing 747 flying 35,000 feet over an Edwards Air Force Base test range in the Mojave Desert. The purpose of the test…
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to become first public space company
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is to become the first publicly traded company for human space travel after it announced a merger with a major investment vehicle. The company, which plans to offer multi-day trips to space, has announced a deal to combine with New York-listed Social Capital Hedosophia (SCH), led by former Facebook executive…
Hopping space robot SpaceBok plays live-action ping pong!
A dog-like robot which is being developed to hop across complex terrain on other planets has been used to play a live-action game of ping pong in its latest phase of testing. Scientists mounted the SpaceBok sideways onto a free-floating platform to mimic a zero gravity environment in two dimensions, while moving themselves side to…
Glasgow-built supercomputer satellites blast into orbit
Glasgow-built satellites which could revolutionise how data is downloaded from space have been sent into orbit around Earth after blasting off on a Russian rocket on Friday morning. A pair of supercomputer satellites belonging to US data and aerospace firm Spire Global were built by its team based in Glasgow, with the aim of optimising…
Amateur astronomers help Ministry of Defence track space objects
A group of volunteer astronomers are helping the Ministry of Defence monitor objects as small as freezers in space as it becomes increasingly congested. Members of the Basingstoke Astronomical Society (BAS) have been exploring whether a low-cost network of cameras could improve experts’ situational awareness. The Hampshire-based group offered to help after hearing about the…
