Kirobo, the talking robot that also recognizes faces, was launched into space on August 4, inside a Japanese cargo transfer vehicle headed for the International Space Station.
The 13.4-inch-tall robot was created as part of the “Kibo Robot Project” at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology.
Kirobo, whose name was created by mashing together the … Read the rest of this article
Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy were hard at work outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the second time, when water started to leak into Luca Parmitano’s space suit helmet, immediately resulting in the duo heading back to the Quest Airlock to terminate the EVA. Luca and Chris explain the events that happened during EVA # … Read the rest of this article
You’ve probably seen the SpaceX Grasshopper blast off, hover and land vertically before. You’ve probably seen it fly higher than the Chrysler building. Now you can see this innovative little rocket zooms 250 meters into the air and fly 100 meters sideways. You know what it does next? It lands vertically. Just like rockets from old 1950s sci-fi movies!
A celestial object that at first looks like a moving star enters the inky black sky above the far northern edge of the moon’s Ocean of Storms. The descending vehicle resembles an enormous flying water tower. A blinding dust storm kicks up under the spidery legs of the 160-foot tall Erector-set of girder work and fuel tanks nestled beneath a … Read the rest of this article
Do you know how often do astronauts wash their clothes in space? Think about it for a bit, take a guess and then watch the video above. … Read the rest of this article
NASA astronaut Michael Foale has retired, ending a 26-year space agency career that included 375 days in space during six space shuttle missions and extended stays aboard two space stations.
Foale spent 145 days aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1997 and 194 days aboard the International Space Station as commander of Expedition 8 from October 2003 to April … Read the rest of this article
Spaceport News is a biweekly NASA publication that serves Kennedy Space Center civil service and contractor employees. The publication covers a variety of topics, primarily related to Kennedy’s business of processing, launching and landing spacecraft and payloads for Earth orbit and deep space.
In this issue: MAVEN arrives at Kennedy on its way to Mars; astronauts reminisce at Skylab’s 40th … Read the rest of this article
Have you ever wanted to take pictures like an astronaut? Now is your chance. There’s an original Hasselblad 500EL Electric Camera kit on Ebay right now. And it’s just like the ones that were used on the Apollo Moon missions. If you act fast—and have a spare $74,950.00 laying around—it could be yours!
The camera’s listed by camera dealer Setadel … Read the rest of this article
Check out this infographic about NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) – click the image for a larger view.
Now that the Space Shuttle program is over, NASA is remodeling the VAB where they were built. It’s a huge building, one of the largest in the world. How huge? Here’s some info to help put it into perspective:
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A complicated, high-altitude test Wednesday demonstrated NASA’s new Orion spacecraft could land safely even if one of its parachutes failed.
The 10th in a series of evaluations to check out the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle’s parachute system dropped the test capsule from a C-17 aircraft at its highest altitude yet, 35,000 feet above the Arizona desert. One of three massive … Read the rest of this article
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The Sun Now (H-Alpha light)
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Aurora Oval
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