Space debris

There are hundreds of thousands of tiny fragments in space. These are the remnants of third stages of rocket carriers or retired satellites. Their momentum is enormous, so they can damage the ISS shell. Objects larger than one centimeter can be detected by USAF radars. Based on their warnings, instructions are then issued for maneuvering the ISS or recommendations not to perform EVA. Among the various debris in orbit are also about 44 retired plutonium thermoelectric generators. Read more ›

The era of the space shuttle is over

From April 12, 1981 to July 21, 2011 – during this era, humanity used real spacecraft to fly into space. Only the Space Shuttle could take off, carry out a mission in orbit, land like an airplane and prepare for the next mission. It was able to carry a payload of 2-27 tons (depending on its height) into orbit with a crew of eight. He had the lion’s share in the construction and operation of the International Space Station. Read more ›

Space Shuttle Atlantis has reached the end of its service life

After a rescue mission that everyone hoped would not take place, later changed to a regular mission, which everyone hoped would take place, the Space Shuttle Atlantis was decommissioned for the second time. It had been officially written off earlier and was only supposed to serve as a deposit. Eventually, NASA realized that a mission with four astronauts on board would pay off after all, and Congress was convinced of this. Read more ›

Phoenix on Mars confirms water

The Phoenix probe, which successfully landed in close proximity to the polar cap of Mars, confirmed the presence of water in the regolith. Using an excavator, she picked up a sample and placed it in the oven. After heating it, sensors confirmed water vapor. This is the first conclusive evidence of the presence of water on Mars. Until recently, it was unclear whether Mars contains water or methane. Read more ›

Space Shuttle Endeavour landed for the last time

Built partly from parts left over from Discovery and Atlantis, Endeavour landed for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center after STS-134. From this spaceship, three crew members set out on a space ascent at the same time. Endeavour was also once at the Mir station, flew three times with Spacelab and carried the Unity and Kibo modules to the ISS. Read more ›

Space Shuttle Discovery is heading to the museum

The oldest space shuttle is heading to DC after its last mission STS-133. It carried the Hubble Space Telescope, the German Ulysses probe to Jupiter and twice headed to the Mir station. Initially, it carried mainly communication satellites, then scientific equipment, and at the end of its service mainly parts of the ISS. And it was Discovery that was almost destroyed by the decision to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base to launch spy satellites into polar orbit. Read more ›

Moon Mater

Pixar Studios has created a very nice four-minute story. It takes place in space and stars the tow truck Peanut. Although due to the dialogue, the SSME ignition takes place 4 seconds earlier than usual and the car in the re-entry configuration is able to fire a parachute out of the water, but compared to the humor of the scene, this is only a minor detail. Read more ›

Space Shuttle Atlantis retired

After twenty-five years of service and thirty-two missions, the Space Shuttle Atlantis was decommissioned. It is named after the first American oceanographic ship. In the shuttle fleet, the fourth was built and the second was the youngest. Its first flight into space took place on October 3, 1985, when it carried a satellite of the United States Department of Defense. In total, he flew into orbit with the Pentagon’s payload five times. Read more ›

Ares rocket launchers

The Space Shuttle is used to build and transport the crew to the ISS and for servicing missions to Hubble. However, its operation is extremely expensive, although its use was supposed to relieve NASA’s budget expenses. Reusability comes at a high cost of complexity. And it costs far more to disassemble, repair, reassemble, and maintain support devices for something so complex than to build a simpler, single-use device. That’s why NASA is returning to rockets and intends to give up on the space shuttle, the greatest technical miracle. Read more ›