SSI News
On a sadder note: Don’t Panic but Clive Dunn has passed away
Space geeks will know that.”Don’t Panic” is a phrase written on the cover of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the reason for which is described as partly because the device “looked insanely complicated” to operate, and partly to keep intergalactic travelers from panicking, This “Don’t Panic” catchphrase came from the amusingly inventive mind of writer Douglas Adams, and was later described by spaceflight guru Arthur C. Clark as perhaps the best advice that could be given to humanity. However, perhaps we shoudl thank another for this advice or rather for its first use as a catchphrase.
Obama wins US Presidential election but will Bolden and NASA be losers now?
President Barack Obama has, by a small margin, been re-elected as US President. Despite only just beating his Republican Party challenger, Mitt Romney, in the overall popular vole, the Democrat President held sway in the key swing states of Florida, Ohio etc. to give him a large majority in the key electoral college votes.
No methane on Mars means no Martians or beans (Corrected)
While the smell of methane is not always to be welcomed here on Earth, methane is usually a strong indication that something organic or animal related is going on. Consequently, it was with regret that NASA/JPL scientists working on data from the Mars Rover Curiosity noted that the gas analyser which uses laser spectrometry to examine the constituents of the Martian atmosphere had not found signifciant amounts of methane, with its concentration, at best, being at only circa 3 parts per billion.
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Grasshopper hops a little higher
Grasshopper, SpaceX's reusable technology testbed, has flown its first real hop, as seen in a video tweeted by Elon Musk. The vehicle is essentially a modifed Falcon 9 fuel system and Merlin 1D rocket attached to low-tech struts. The follow-on will be better equipped...
Proton M launches two satellites
As noted on our main space news website, Proton M has launched two communications satellites for Russia.
Spacewalkers re-route ammonia coolant to back-up radiator on International Space Station
US Astronaut Suni Williams and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide made a spacewalk EVA (Extra Vehiclular Activity) to set up an alternative pathwway for ammonia coolant apparently leaking on a radiator on the P6 segrment of the International Space Station truss. The astronauts re-routed this to an alternative radiator they had set up. The spacewalk which lasted over six and a half hours began at 1228 GMT (hatch open) and ended at1907 GMT on 1 November, ,
Progress M-017M cargo vessel is launched by Soyuz on a rapid approach sequence to International Space Station (Updated)
The unmanned cargo freighter vessel Progress M-017M/ISS-49P was launched on a rapid approach trajectory to the International Space Station at 0741 GMT by a Soyuz U from the Baikonur launch base near Tyuratam, Kazakhstan. The rapid approach sequence involves the craft making four burns which allows the craft to rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station within six hours of launch rather than the usual three day approach. Update: Progress M-017M docked with ISS aft port on Zvezda module at 1333 GMT.
Update: Dragon CRS-1 detachment and re-entry times
The Dragon CRS-1 has returned to Earth. The International Space Station’s robot arm unberthed Dragon CRS 1 from the Harmony module at 1119 GMT and released it at 1329 GMT on 28 October 2012. After making two burns and jettisoning its “trunk”, the Dragon CRS-1 spacecraft re-entered at 1902GMT, splashing down in the Pacific off Baja California at 1922GMT. As part of its NASA contract, the cargo, including medical samples, will be returned to the Administration.
Russia launches an assortment of missiles
According to a number of Russian press sources, on 19 October during a strategic exercise held by Russian forces, a number of missile firings took place. The first launch was of a SS-N-18 (Stingray) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from the Georgiy...
No space predictions (or space errors) in Skyfall as James Bond serves his country well (Updated)
While the latest James Bond adventure Skyfall (Director: Sam Mendes) does use a lot of ‘Big Brother’ surveillance technology to make us fret about the future (GPS tracking, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, networked CCTV cameras with facial recognition) it does not make special use of space technology in its plot. We can be grateful for that. At least it will avoid “errors” that past Bond films have made with respect to space technology.
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