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News tagged with thruster

Cassini spots tiny moon, begins to tilt orbit

(Phys.org) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its closest approach to Saturn's tiny moon Methone as part of a trajectory that will take it on a close flyby of another of Saturn's moons, Titan. The Titan flyby ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Getting to the moon on drops of fuel: An ionic motor for small satellites

The first prototype of a new, ultra-compact motor that will allow small satellites to journey beyond Earth's orbit is just making its way out of the EPFL laboratories where it was built. The goal of the micro motor: to drastically ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 29, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (12) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Mars-bound NASA rover adjusts course to red planet (Update)

Firing on all engines, NASA's latest rover to Mars executed a course adjustment Wednesday that put it on track for a landing on the red planet in August.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Mars-bound NASA rover aiming for an August landing

A NASA spacecraft hurtling toward Mars prepared to fire its thrusters Wednesday to put itself on course for an August landing.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft: Trajectory maneuver slated for Jan. 11

(PhysOrg.com) -- An engine firing on Jan. 11 will be the biggest maneuver that NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft will perform on its flight between Earth and Mars.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jan 09, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Voyager 2 completes switch to backup thruster set

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Voyager 2 has successfully switched to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the spacecraft to make the ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 15, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (15) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Voyager 2 to switch to backup thruster set

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the Voyager 2 spacecraft Nov. 4 to switch to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Confirmation was received ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 07, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (18) | comments 42 | with audio podcast

NASA robotic lander test will aid in future lander designs

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA will conduct a 100-foot robotic lander altitude test flight Friday, Nov. 4, to mature the technology needed to develop a new generation of small, smart, versatile robotic landers capable of achieving ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Oct 31, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA's next generation robotic lander gets sideways during test (w/ video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- During a recent test at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., the robotic lander prototype, known as Mighty Eagle, performed a hover test flying up to three feet and then translated, or ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Aug 25, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Debris threat avoided at space station: NASA

A piece of Soviet space debris is not likely to collide with the International Space Station after all, and astronauts have moved ahead with restocking the orbiting lab, NASA said Monday. ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jul 11, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Space shuttle veterans were a different breed of astronaut

As a teenager in Costa Rica, Franklin Chang-Diaz had an improbable goal: becoming an American astronaut. Ultimately, he would fly a record seven shuttle missions and today wants to fly to Mars.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jul 04, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

NASA engineer proposes new type of fusion thruster for space travel

(PhysOrg.com) -- John J. Chapman, a physicist working for NASA has presented an idea for a new type of fusion thruster for possible use by space traveling vehicles at the IEEE Symposium going on in Chicago ...

Physics / General Physics

created Jun 30, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (13) | comments 13 | with audio podcast weblog

European space freighter poised for suicide plunge

A European freighter will be destroyed by atmospheric burn-up next week after completing its supply mission to mankind's orbital outpost, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Friday.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Jun 17, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Comet-hunting spacecraft shuts down after 12 years

With the click of a mouse, Sandy Freund Kasper sent a command to NASA's comet-hunting Stardust space probe to burn all its fuel, starting a sequence that would shut the spacecraft down after a 12-year run ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Mar 25, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 0

Stardust spacecraft adjusts flight path for comet meetup

(PhysOrg.com) -- Just over two weeks before its flyby of comet Tempel 1, NASA's Stardust spacecraft fired its thrusters to help refine its flight path toward the comet. The Stardust-NExT mission will fly past ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Feb 02, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast