Glittering prizes within Pluto data
It is exactly one year since New Horizons hurtled through the Pluto system at 49,600 km/h, after a journey of nearly nine and a half years, its array of scientific instruments gathering precious data on this hitherto mysterious world and its family of moons. We shared in the thrill of the flyby and then watched in …
Mining the sky
Prospecting for treasure within the solar system The current cost of space travel, on a price per mass basis, is astronomically high. All puns aside, this is a major economic barrier that must be overcome. If we are to send humans to Mars, or anyplace really, we’re going to have to lower the cost of space travel. Companies …
Nearest star has planet in habitable zone
Earth-mass world spotted in orbit around Proxima Centauri Astronomers using ESO telescopes and other facilities have found clear evidence of a planet orbiting the closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri. The long-sought world, designated Proxima b, orbits its cool red parent star every 11 days and has a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist …
OSIRIS-REx is bringing home a piece of an asteroid
Upon first hearing the name OSIRIS-REx, a picture of an unknown carnivorous dinosaur may come to mind. But OSIRIS-REx (Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer) is actually an acronym that names an upcoming asteroid exploration mission. The spacecraft will travel to an asteroid target in a near-Earth orbit, perform scientific experiments, and become the first U.S. mission that …
Word Find • September 2016
Do your best to find these words scattered throughout the 13th issue of RocketSTEM magazine. This article appeared in the 13th issue of RocketSTEM. Author RocketSTEM
Juno is unlocking Jupiter’s secrets
A spacecraft named Juno hopes to unlock more secrets about the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, by studying the planet from its core all the way out to its large magnetic field. The mission’s objective is to help us better understand the origins of our solar system by studying how Jupiter formed. Jupiter is …
The Jovian system
The Jovian system encompasses Jupiter, its rings and moons. Jupiter was reputedly discovered by the Babylonians approximately 2,800 years ago. Its moons were discovered by Galileo, in 1610, observed through a refracting telescope. The planet Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet in our Solar System counting out from the Sun, with an average orbital distance …
Myth, mystery and measurement onboard Juno
After traveling for five years, three Lego minfigs from Earth reached the planet Jupiter this summer. Traveling onboard a spacecraft named Juno, these are the first Lego minifigs to visit the largest planet in our solar system. Specially made from aluminum, they are designed be able to withstand the volatile conditions for 37 planned orbits …
Life on a moon? Exploring Europa
On a clear night, you can see the planet Jupiter with nothing more than your eyes, as it shines steady and bright against the background of glittering stars. If you take a closer look through a telescope, you can see tiny specks surrounding it. What if I told you that there may be life on …
How do plants adapt to grow in zero gravity?
Gravity is a constant for all organisms on Earth. It acts on every aspect of our physiology, behavior and development – no matter what you are, you evolved in an environment where gravity roots us firmly to the ground. But what happens if you’re removed from that familiar environment and placed into a situation outside …
Constructing a new ride: NASA’s deep space rocket takes shape in New Orleans
NASA has finished welding together the very first fuel tank for America’s humongous Space Launch System (SLS) deep space rocket currently under development. RocketSTEM had an up close look at the liquid hydrogen (LH2) test tank shortly after its birth as well as the first flight tank, within hours of completion of the milestone assembly …
Once more with feeling: L.A. welcomes another Space Shuttle artifact
Hollywood…the very name creates visions of stars…okay…mostly ‘human stars.’ But every bit as popular throughout film history, ‘reaching for the stars’ has been a popular theme from comic books to radio, TV and film. Buck Rogers, Superman and Flash Gordon stirred youthful imaginations with visions of interplanetary travel and grasping for the stars ever since …
Air Force museum brings history of rocketry to life
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum and separate History Center, both located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, provide a unique look back at past space adventures, hardware, and facilities. You’ll find the entrance to the History Center just outside the main entrance of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The History Center, located just off …
Lost Shuttle crews ‘Forever Remembered’
A new memorial area dubbed “Forever Remembered” features artifacts recovered from the wreckage of the Challenger and Columbia orbiters. Columbia’s cockpit window frames along with a section of Challenger’s fuselage stand alone in individual displays against a black background. It’s an eerie sight to see these pieces displayed. They provide a stark reminder to all that …
Your ticket to space awaits at the KSC Visitor Complex
If you’ve never been to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and you are reading this article, well you owe it to yourself to make that trip at some point. If you have been there before, but not in a few years, I’d suggest that it’s time for a return trip. The complex has undergone …
Delta IV Heavy launches with classified payload
The largest and most powerful American rocket currently flying, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy, lifted off from Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:51 p.m. on June 11, 2016 on the NROL-37 mission after a 48-hour delay due to weather. The payload for this launch was a classified satellite for …
Discovery: A look back at the workhorse of the Space Shuttle fleet
Five years ago, Space Shuttle Discovery launched on her final mission. Today we take a look back at her history and accomplishments during 27 years of spaceflight. Space Shuttle Discovery arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 9, 1983. After testing and a hot test firing, the orbiter launched on its first mission on …
Surviving on Mars with ‘The Martian’ author Andy Weir
“Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.” Such is the opening to the description of Andy Weir’s book The Martian. A book that has come all the way from Weir posting chapters for free on his website in 2011, …
The Martian got me cheering, but why go to Mars?
The penultimate object in the spectacular Cosmonauts exhibition, just opened at the Science Museum in London, is a spacesuit for a mission to Mars. It is lightweight, almost fragile and the pink-brown colour of the Martian sky. It suggests that after the fraught Cold War dynamics of the old space race, the inevitable next destination …
Methane in the membrane (Producing rocket fuel on Mars)
Vocabulary • Carbon (C): Element with a mass of 12 g/mole • Hydrogen (H): Element with a mass of 1 g/mole • In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Taking advantage of a planet’s natural resources to supplement a space mission • Low Mars Orbit (LMO): The minimum altitude above the Martian surface necessary to maintain a stable …