I’ve just updated both versions of Solar Explorer to include updated images and data. The best images of Pluto that I was able to find cover about 30% of the surface because New Horizons was moving so fast it could only take detailed shots of one side as it whipped by. Because of this, I’ve
New Horizons hasn’t even arrived yet, but we’re already saying goodbye to Pluto’s far side. According to principal investigator Alan Stern, this is the last, best look anyone will have of Pluto’s far side for decades to come. The photo looks like an artist’s impression of Pluto, not what I imagined the real thing to
On the 12th of November last year, Philae became the first robot to soft land on a comet nucleus. Its resting place on comet 67P had limited access to sunlight, so it was not able to recharge its batteries and it fell silent on November 15. It was hoped that as the comet approached the
As New Horizons draws closer to its Pluto flyby, more details about the dwarf planet and its collection of moons are being revealed. While still quite blurry, the latest images show us a mottled surface, suggesting the composition is varied. It also appears to have a polar ice cap. Scientists have now completed the first analysis of New
Russia’s space program woes continue. During the week a planned adjustment of the ISS’s orbit was abandoned after a Progress M-26M’s engines failed to start. The recent failure of two Russian launch vehicles have caused delays to Britain’s largest space project. The reliability issues are partly because Russia’s space program costs have increased 30% due to the Ukraine sanctions
When the first satellites began launching a half century ago, they were quite small. Sputnik at just 58cm/23in in diameter, had a single purpose: to send a radio signal that proved it existed. Over the decades that followed the demands placed on satellites increased, which led them to grow in size. As they got bigger the
I’ve launched a new app called Particle Planets, a fun n-body simulation of gravitational forces between planets and stars. I wanted to create it because my Exoplanet and Solar System apps are basically on rails. The user can only view what’s already there. I thought it be interesting to let them people something unique. Download Particle Planets from
After months of nearly non-stop Russian space-achievement-propaganda, the Russian space industry has now experienced a string of temporary setbacks. Last week, a Soyuz carrying a Progress delivery run to the International Space Station failed when the launch vehicle suffered a fuel leak in its third stage. Engineers were able to make brief contact with the Progress, but were unable
On the 29th of April, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin completed the first test flight of New Shepard. This sub-orbital launch included an unmanned capsule and booster stage. The full version of the vehicle will have two stages and be capable of reaching orbit. Like Space X, Blue Origin is focused on cutting costs by re-using components that
There has been talk over the past few months about a controversial propulsion system known as the EM drive. The device is a sealed cone shaped chamber with a microwave reflector at the narrow end. Emitting microwaves into the chamber produces a tiny, but measurable amount of thrust. The problem with this idea? Conservation of momentum.