This Week In Space: Starliner - Better Late Than Never? | Space Quiz! What lies at the heart of large galaxies? | Boeing's Starliner will not fly private missions yet
Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version
On Episode 108 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq talk about the long-awaited crew flight test of Boeing's Starliner commercial spacecraft. We've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Boeing's Starliner to fly. First selected in 2010, along with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Starliner has been behind schedule for years. SpaceX got $2.6 billion for its six dragon flights, and Boeing received more at $4.3 billion, so you'd expect Boeing to be first to fly, right?
Boeing says it may sign up private astronauts for future Starliner missions, but the focus is on NASA for now. The spacecraft's program manager, Mark Nappi, told reporters the company is very focused on flying the first Starliner mission for NASA with astronauts on board. That mission, Crew Flight Test (CFT), will see NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams rocket to space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket no earlier than May 6.
(Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
With the bright moon now out of the evening sky, we are given a chance to observe the felines of the mid-spring sky. We might refer to these as "Cat Nights," although from an official standpoint April is actually the wrong time of year for them. "Dog Days," are named for the Dog Star, Sirius, and begin in early July when the weather is hot and sultry.
SpaceX's 30th robotic Dragon cargo ship is headed back home to Earth. Dragon departed from the International Space Station (ISS) today (April 28) at 1:10 p.m. EDT (1710 GMT), while the two spacecraft were flying over Thailand. It was orbital nighttime in that locale, so there were no good visuals of the moment of undocking.
And you thought rush hour was hell on Earth! New research suggests some "cosmic intersections" have failed "traffic lights" that deem black hole collisions almost inevitable.
SpaceX tied its rocket-reuse record on Saturday night (April 27). A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 8:34 p.m. EDT (0034 GMT on April 28). It was the 20th launch for this Falcon 9's first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description. That tied a mark set earlier this month by a different Falcon 9 booster, on a launch of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites.
The use of a special type of atom could make even the most advanced atomic clocks more precise, scientists believe. If confirmed, this breakthrough that could lead to more accurate GPS systems and better atomic clocks for use in space travel - it could even lead to devices that can detect earthquakes and volcanic eruptions with a higher level of accuracy.
Shaping an ambitious and steady space agenda for Europe requires not only diplomatic aplomb but also a firm grounding in science and engineering. Indeed, those attributes are must-haves in working with the 22 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Everybody loves an invigorating space-based yarn that employs speculative interpretations of historic events - especially if that alternative reality is set within the rough-and-tumble world of "Firefly," joining Capt. Mal Reynolds and his charismatic crew aboard the spaceship Serenity.
