space

The US Space Surveillance Network estimates that there are over 7500 tons of "space junk" in orbit, representing a significant hazard to future missions, which is why a large consortium is working on cleaning it up. On September 16, the aptly named RemoveDEBRIS satellite successfully captured a...

IEEE Spectrum reports that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, along with several other companies, are working with ANA to pursue the Avatar XPRIZE. The goal is to build robotic, remotely piloted avatars as a substitute for humans in dangerous work. One such company, Meltin, is already...

On Wednesday, NASA tested an umbrella like, foldable heatshield. NASA says the "Adaptable Deployable Entry Placement Technology" is a game changer, allowing rockets to carry heatshields far larger than the diameter of the rocket itself. Check out a video of the tech here. Spacecraft typically...

Just a few days ago, an air leak on the International Space Station was discovered and promptly fixed. Experts initially believed that the hole was created by a micro-meteorite impact, but Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin claims that the spaceship's hull was impacted from the inside. Dmitry says...

Reuters is reporting that sources within Blue Origin told them tickets for suborbital flights will cost at least $200,000 each. The New Sheppard capsule will carry 6 passengers and travel to an altitude of more than 62 miles for this low ticket price. However, Blue Origin won't say how much it...

Only a few days left to try, but here are my invite codes if anyone wants them. Haven't tried the game yet but I hear it's pretty fun. Enjoy!

The Daily Mail is reporting that the Curiosity Rover took a selfie in the middle of the martian dust storm that covered nearly seven million square miles. The $2.5 billion nuclear powered research vehicle took the image while in the Gale Crater, a valley in which scientists think may have once...

A new startup called SpinLaunch has managed to get $40M in backing from Alphabet and Airbus for a launch technology that uses a kinetic launch system to put small payloads into space. The launch system uses electricity to get the payload up to speed by spinning it until it reaches a high...

Solar Warden, the space combat game from Star Citizens ex-lead technical designer, has released a demo today according to a report from DSOGaming. Solar Warden has a kickstarter campaign currently going, with $26k of the $40k goal raised, and is a Six-Degrees-of-Freedom space combat game, fused...

NASA is testing a new technology for nuclear reactors that promises to significantly reduce their size, increase capacity, and longevity. The reactor is called KRUSTY or Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY and It uses uranium instead of plutonium. The fission reaction (AKA heat)...

A recent report from the NASA IG reveals that future ISS cargo costs are going to increase and the amount of cargo delivered is going to decrease. This is the result of SpaceX raising their launch prices by 50 percent and NASA selecting three suppliers instead of two causing each competitor to...

The European Space Agency has been monitoring China's Tiangong-1 space lab, and has issued a new re-entry forecast according to a report from Fox News. The 8.5-ton spacecraft is expected to fall into Earth's atmosphere between March 24th and April 19th, somewhere around Spain or France. Seems a...

Reuters is reporting that Vodaphone and Nokia are teaming up to put the first mobile phone network on the moon next year. The reason? Unfortunately not a theme park (yet), but to stream high-definition video from the lunar landscape back to earth. Nokia is developing space-grade 4G networking...

Airbus has announced that they are developing the CIMON astronaut assistance system for the DLR Space Administration. CIMON, short for Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN, will be a medicine ball sized flying companion, complete with a face and voice that uses IBM's Watson AI to help astronauts...

SpaceX's heavy lift version of the Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch today at 3:45 PM EST. This is the first test of the Falcon Heavy, and is meant to be a demonstration to see if the rocket can put a payload into orbit. SpaceX has confirmed the Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster is onboard the...

The satellite that NASA hadn't heard from in 13 years that powered up randomly last week is apparently working well. NASA has stated that the IMAGE spacecraft's battery is fully charged, and that overall, the satellite itself seems to be in good shape. NASA is putting together a small control...

NASA has announced that they have made contact that had not heard from in 13 years. in 2000 NASA launched the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration or IMAGE. IMAGE was to orbit earth and take photos of the magnetosphere, however in 2005 it failed to make contact, and after a 2007...

Scientists have apparently developed a method of converting human waste into a potential food source that could be used by astronauts on missions to Mars and beyond. Using anaerobic digestion, microbes to break down solid and liquid waste, they created the protein and fat-rich substance. Ew. I...

Researchers from NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Department of Energy announced they have successfully tested a small nuclear reactor. These reactors range in power from 1 kilowatt to 10 kW. NASA states that to run a habitat on Mars and create fuel, about 40 kW would be needed...

Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have designed and patented a new propellantless system for satellites that allows generation of electric power and on-board thrust. Via electromagnetism, the tether can generate power passively...

SpaceX has worked with the Air Force to design and deploy a new system that allows their rockets to self-destruct without intervention from a range safety officer. This is an important feature because it will allow rockets to be launched into polar orbit from Cape Canaveral because they won't...

Over at Wired, they've put together a great story about the future of the Chinese space program and where they want to be by 2030. I believe, just as the author of this story believes, that China is going to be a major power in space in the next decade or so and they will definitely be a tough...

After 40 years the mystery of the "Wow!" signal may have been found, and the answer is a bit disappointing. A little history, In August 1977, the Ohio State's "Big Ear" Observatory picked up a radio transmission from the Sagittarius constellation that was so strong it inspired the astronomer who...

Sounds like it could be cool - supposed to be sort of No Man's Sky-ish but, not shit. https://comingsoon-tech.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-space-odyssey-game

What caught my eye about this is that unlike (as I understand it) Eve, players can design and script their own ships.

Tell me about VR games for the seated gamer. One of the things I note about the VR games that [H] have highlighted is that they require room. American houses may have a lot of space, but British ones do not. Modern British houses have small rooms: this room, my study, technically a second...

AMD & NVIDIA GPU VR Performance: Space Pirate Trainer - Do you remember playing Galaga? Space Pirate Trainer is a VR game that puts you into an arcade shooter, except as you might have guessed, gameplay is a bit more involved. So how do all the latest GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA hold up to SPT...