Spacecraft engineering experts from Missouri University of Science and Technology are available to discuss the first U.S. spacecraft successfully landing on the moon in over five decades. Dr. Hank Pernicka, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of aerospace engineering, has been a…
Tag: Spacecraft
Solar farms in space are possible, say Surrey and Swansea
It’s viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research.
How to Land on a Planet Safely
In Physics of Fluids, researchers develop a model to describe the interaction between a rocket plume and the surface of a planetary body in near-vacuum conditions. The computational framework takes in information about the rocket, its engines, and the surface composition and topography, as well as the atmospheric conditions and gravitational forces at the landing site, and the results can be used to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a proposed landing site and to optimize the design of spacecraft and rocket engines for planetary landings.
Inexpensive Airborne Testbeds Could Study Hypersonic Technologies
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are envisioning a larger mission for for small satellites known as CubeSats — as airborne testbeds for technologies that are being developed for future generations of hypersonic vehicles.
How Scientist Designed a System for Pose Determination of Spacecraft Using Time-of-Flight Sensors?
Spacecraft pose determination is aimed at acquiring the relative pose of the active spacecraft like nanosatellites to the target.
Best Region For Life on Mars Was Far Below Surface
The most habitable region for life on Mars would have been up to several miles below its surface, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fueled by geothermal heat, a Rutgers-led study concludes. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, may help resolve what’s known as the faint young sun paradox – a lingering key question in Mars science.
DOE-funded UAH directed plasma research may advance pulsed fusion propulsion systems
A professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has been awarded a one-year, $98,930 grant by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for plasma research that could advance pulsed fusion propulsion for spacecraft.
UAH modeling the spacecraft for NASA’s nuclear thermal propulsion idea
NASA has a research grant with The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to model how a spacecraft might be engineered to work with nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), en route to an eventual test flight.
Space Hardware Contamination Control Protocols Get Update
Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab want to know more about the potential harmful effects of organic contamination on space exploration hardware and how to prevent it. They will talk about their research at the 66th annual AVS International Symposium and Exhibition. JPL scientist Martin Maxwell will present a session on how increased sensitivity of instruments and missions calls for an update in outdated contamination procedures.