A 1932 paper by famed German aerodynamicist Ludwig Prandtl inspires NASA Armstrong work on a tailless flying-wing aircraft that could eventually fly on Mars
Remerging from bankruptcy, LightSquared has its sights set on proving its hybrid terrestrial/satellite communications network can coexist with GPS, rekindling debate over harmful interference.
Lab tests show potential of power-beamed thruster to be more efficient than conventional chemical rocket, potentially enabling a fully reusable spaceplane launch vehicle.
Reusability is the focus for SpaceX, ULA, Airbus and others to make space transport more affordable, but they all take different approaches to reach the same goal
Designated Kepler 452b, the planet is probably rocky, 60% larger than Earth and orbits its star – a G2 type like Earth’s Sun – every 385 days. It is the closest Earth-like exoplanet yet found.
The exuberance was palpable at APL as employees watched the fruits of their labor on the New Horizons Pluto mission unfold before them, underscoring the sense of awe and wonder of space exploration.
Days after the New Horizons flyby of Pluto, our editors discuss the mission’s surprises and discoveries. With the spacecraft sending back just 1% of data it is supposed to collect, scientists are already learning new insights about the dwarf planet, its moons and environs.
Pluto has previously unsuspected mountains of water ice as high as the Rockies, while its moon Charon features spectacular canyons as much as 6 mi. deep.
LAUREL, Maryland — Pluto’s nitrogen-rich atmosphere appears to be leaking across open space to collect on at least one of the poles of the dwarf planet’s large moon Charon, according to scientists processing data the New Horizons probe sent to Earth shortly before its closest approach to the two bodies.
Mission managers now have settled in to wait for a brief signal Tuesday night that will let them know how the spacecraft fared in its intricately choreographed flyby.
