Orion The Hunter
The constellation Orion is an easily recognisable star grouping visible in the northern hemisphere in even the most light polluted skies. Orion is depicted in amy ways: as a hunter wielding a club and shield, brandishing a sword and shield, or clubbing a lion. These however are just visualisations interpreting a pattern in the stars. …
From zero to orbital velocity: Dragon delivers to ISS
I had an eagle-eye view as the Falcon 9 rose up from its launchpad, with Dragon leading the way through the cloud covered sky. It’s sound punched through the wind, letting out a low intense rumble as it headed for orbit, getting louder and louder with each second that passed. As the rocket rose higher, its sound started to fade, until it completely disappeared. The Falcon 9 had performed its job – and it was time for Dragon to commence its part of the mission. Soon it would meet up with the ISS for the delivery of supplies and experiments to the crew.
International Space Station at a glance
The International Space Station may look large in this picture, but it has come from humble beginnings. The very first module named Zayra was launched by the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Russian Proton rocket in 1998. Following the placement of the first module in orbit, NASA launched the American …
NASA Socials: An out of this world journey
Neil Armstrong wasn’t the only person who took a giant leap in space. Over the course of the last several decades, humanity has reached further into space than ever before. But one of our most astonishing achievements is actually just over our heads – the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is an unprecedented partnership …
A conversation with Skylab 4 astronaut Ed Gibson
America’s first space station, Skylab was launched into orbit on a Saturn V rocket in May of 1973. Three manned missions to the outpost were immensely successful. Repairs made to the orbital station during several spacewalks ultimately proved that it was possible for astronauts to conduct work in outer space, which gave NASA the confidence …
Skylab: Disaster followed by triumph
The launch of any new spacecraft cannot be regarded as ‘routine’; nor, indeed, can its inaugural checkout in orbit. The Skylab orbital workshop was an entirely new concept for the United States and a totally different spacecraft, larger, more spacious and in many ways far more complex, than any that had gone before. Shortly after launch, telemetry data indicated a premature deployment of the protective micrometeoroid shield and the No. 2 workshop solar array. The very future of the space station was hanging by a thread.
Skylab: The flown and unflown missions
An overview of each Skylab mission, from launch of the orbiting space station through the once planned Space Shuttle rescue mission.
Skyborne with the 920th Rescue Wing
The 920th Rescue Wing, based out of Patrick Air Force Base, serves as an Air Force Reserve Command combat-search-and-rescue unit. They are responsible for a variety of demanding missions and ready to deploy at a moments notice, trained to perform some of the most highly specialized operations in the Air Force. They’ve been the primary rescue force serving as “guardians of the astronauts” for 50 years, providing contingency response for a variety of emergencies that could potentially come up during a Space Shuttle launch or landing. These airmen and their elite team of Pararescuemen, known as PJ’s, are among the most highly trained emergency trauma specialists in the U.S. military, capable of performing life-saving missions anywhere in the world, at any time.
Yuri’s Night: The world space party
Human exploration of space began more than a half century ago with the launch of Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. The small capsule carried cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human to leave to bonds of Earth and enter space. Exactly 20 years later, the United States began a new era in spaceflight with the inaugural launch of the Space Shuttle. 20 years after that, an annual celebration of our exploration of space began by connecting thousands of people around the world to celebrate past accomplishments and to inspire a new generation. That event is Yuri’s Night. Every year on April 12, Yuri’s Night brings the excitement and promise of space travel closer to people of all ages and all nationalities.
Gagarin’s orbital flight secured place in history
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. His mission lasted 108 minutes and he made one orbit around the globe. Upon his return to Earth, he was lauded as a hero and the Soviet Union enjoyed its continued position as the leading power in space. But in the years and …
Teach Briefs • April 2013
Student to attend, share experience of Soyuz launch Abby Harrison recently received an invitation almost as rare as winning the Powerball lottery. ESA Astronaut Luca Parmitano has invited her as his guest to attend the Russian Soyuz-TMA-09M Launch to the ISS on May 28. Harrison has long been a fan of space exploration and STEM …
NASA Spinoffs for Public Safety
NASA has a long history of finding applications of space and aeronautical technologies that provide broad public benefits. The basis for the Agency’s direction to do this can be directly traced to the National Aeronautics and Space Act that created NASA in 1958. Since that initial call to action, NASA’s emphasis on safety has translated …
Word Search • Skylab Issue
Do your best to find these words scattered throughout this issue of RocketSTEM magazine.
Evolution of the space toilet
When Alan Shepard first went into space, he wet his pants. There was no toilet and that was his only option. Scientists put their heads together and created the modern diaper. Before this event, people used cloth diapers. The crews of the Apollo missions were a bit luckier, with diapers, but it still wasn’t very …
Antares blast off set for mid April
NASA announced that the maiden flight of the private Antares rocket from Orbital Sciences Corp. is slated to soar to space between April 17 to 19 from the newly constructed seaside launch pad dubbed 0-A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The two stage Antares rocket serves as the …
NASA’s NuSTAR helps solve riddle of black hole spin
Two X-ray space observatories, NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton, have teamed up to measure definitively, for the first time, the spin rate of a black hole with a mass two million times that of our Sun. The supermassive black hole lies at the dust- and gas-filled heart of …
A window into Europa’s ocean may be right at the surface
If you could lick the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, you would actually be sampling a bit of the ocean beneath. Mike Brown, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, and Kevin Hand from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, have detailed the strongest evidence yet that salty water from the vast liquid ocean beneath …
Planck mission brings universe into sharp focus
The European Space Agency’s Planck space mission has released the most accurate and detailed map ever made of the oldest light in the universe, revealing new information about its age, contents and origins. The map results suggest the universe is expanding more slowly than scientists thought, and is 13.8 billion years old, 100 million years …
Kepler discovers smallest planet yet
NASA’s Kepler mission scientists have discovered a new planetary system that is home to the smallest planet yet found around a star similar to our sun. The planets are located in a system called Kepler-37, about 210 light-years from Earth in the constellation Lyra. The smallest planet, Kepler-37b, is slightly larger than our moon, measuring …
Endeavour to discover at the California Science Center
The California Science Center in Los Angeles is on a mission to inspire kids while also pursuing grand display plans for Space Shuttle Endeavour.