The development of a reusable launch vehicle opens the possibility of lowering the cost of each mission. A reusable launch vehicle program has two objectives. First is to demonstrate technologies leading to a new generation of space boosters that are capable of delivering payloads at significantly lower cost; and to provide a technology base for development of advanced commercial launch systems that will make U.S. aerospace manufacturers more competitive in the global market.

There are numerous technical challenges in designing a reusable launch vehicle or RLV that will fly to orbit and return to Earth. There have been a number of research projects and the most notable are the X-33, X-34, X-37 and X-38. They were initiated to test RLV technologies to lessen the risk when developing the next generation of RLV. However, up until now an RLV vehicle that is in continuous rotation hasn’t been made. If they do manage to develop one, it would environmentally and financially beneficial. After all, they can simply use the vehicle over and over for expeditions and retire it when the time comes.

Reusable Launch Vehicle

The post Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) appeared first on Planet Facts.

Interferometry

This type of study is vital and essential in astronomy, since the way to study celestial bodies or even the universe is through the means of electromagnetic, sound or light waves. This means that it passes through a medium, much like a science experiment that once a tuning fork is rocked, it emits vibrations.

In science, the most atoms emit light only at radio wavelengths, while gases from celestial bodies like planets, quasars, pulsar are easily detected using these radio waves, and this kind of waves pave the way to know more about the universe and the galaxies.

Also, interferometry uses the concept of superimposition of wavelengths in physics. This means that most astronomers try to combine separate variations of wavelengths in a certain manner that the results of the waves have come up with a meaningful output based on the original forms of the combined wavelengths, especially when the frequency of the waves are the same.

Basic Interferometry, Explained

The post Interferometry appeared first on Planet Facts.

The organization operates cutting edge observational facilities. It continues to develop advanced instrumentation in studying the Sun both in-house and through outside partnerships, conducts solar research, as well as expands public and educational outreach regarding their studies and researches.

The National Solar Observatory currently runs two facilities. They are located in two different locations. One is located at Sacramento Peak in New Mexico while the other one is at Kitt Peak in Arizona. The facility in Sacramento Peak boasts of a telescope called the Dunn Solar Telescope that has a de-rotated 100 meter vacuum column.

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy operates the National Solar Observatory under an agreement which was entered into with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory is being operated for the benefit of the astronomical research community.

Researchers who wish to make use of the facilities of the NSO will have to apply first before they can conduct any kind of research there. Uses of the telescopes on the sites are also often fully booked. It is therefore best that researchers request telescope time in advance to make sure they get the access time they need.

The National Solar Observatory facilities are open for visitors during the day. Guided tours as well as private tours can be arranged depending on the current schedules on the facilities. Night time stargazing programs are also being offered at the Kitt Peak facility. Kitt Peak is located 56 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona.

The post The National Solar Observatory appeared first on Planet Facts.

This kind of interferometer can be compared to a single telescope with an incomplete aperture or light receiving portion, with the size equal to the maximum spacing between the components of the said telescope. The modified part of the interferometer?s opening is limited, and is aided by the earth?s rotation which makes it move effectively and smoothly, and is also known as the earth rotation aperture synthesis. The synthesized aperture is the one that dictates the beam size of the satellites. The larger the aperture is, the smaller the resolution or beam size of the array.

These operate in wavelengths that fall within radio waves capacity and primarily used for broadband observation purposes. Some of these interferometers are located in New Mexico called the VLA or Very Large Array; the MERLIN have antennas spread across the UK; and the Australia Telescope Compact Array or ATCA for short.

The Michelson Interferometer Concept

The post Interferometer appeared first on Planet Facts.

Collecting the Sun's energy on space is much more efficient than when it's done on the Earth's surface. First of all, the obstructions that reduce the capacities of Earth surface solar power collection are almost non-existent in space. Satellite based solar panels can also collect solar power on a 24 hours per day basis. An Earth-based solar collector can only do it for 12 hours at most. 24 hours per day collection can be achieved at the Earth's poles but it is very inconsistent. Not to mention the fact that it can only be done for just six months of the year.

Weather and climate which are very common concerns for surface collectors don't affect an orbiting satellite collector at all. A satellite might also have the capability to direct power to Earth surface locations that need the energy the most.

However, space-based solar power has its own share of problems as well. The most glaring of these problems is on how the solar power collected by the satellite can be transmitted back to Earth. Using wires that extend from the Earth's surface and connect to an orbiting satellite is both impractical and impossible. So SBSP designs that make use of wireless power transmission systems have been proposed by many. These are however still under development and not yet being used.

The post What is space-based solar power (SBSP)? appeared first on Planet Facts.

On May 9, 2003, an attempt to launch a spacecraft aimed to investigate an asteroid was attempted by the Japanese at the Kagoshima Space Center. The asteroid was feared and suspected to collide against the earth, and it was the mission of Mu Space Engineering Spacecraft C, or MUSES-C to investigate the possibility, and to bring back samples such as rocks.

It was the third of the series of spacecrafts developed, hence the C, or the third letter of the alphabet. The first of the series was a lunar space demonstrator, known as Hiten, while the second was a radio astronomy satellite, known as HALCA. MUSES-C was renamed Hayabusa, a Japanese term for falcon, shortly after its launch.

The spacecraft was designed to withstand impacts from bodies such as asteroids. It was also designed to retrieve samples shortly after the collision using its reentry capsule and bring them back to the earth after the mission. Aside from bringing back samples, the project also aims to further investigate the birth of the solar system. For years, the only attempt to solve the galactic mysteries is through the records of the moon.

However, asteroids are small enough to be preserved records of celestial fossils, believed to be remains of the formation of the solar system. A sample brought back by the Hayabusa can provide information about the origins of the solar system’s construct. Hayabusa has been successful in retrieving a sample from an asteroid named Itokawa, and studies that will be derived from it, however small the sample is, will greatly help in solving the mysteries of the origins of the universe.

The post MUSES-C appeared first on Planet Facts.

JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

JPL began its work in 1936 when the first batch of rocket experiments was carried out in the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory, part of the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT). Since then, JPL has run projects which include the Galileo mission to the largest planet in our solar system Jupiter and its moons and the Mars rovers in 1997 and 2003. Unmanned missions to all planets in our solar system have also been undertaken by JPL along with extensive mapping missions of the earth and management of the worldwide Deep Space Network. Current projects include the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Cassini-Huygens mission to the planet Saturn, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Dawn mission to the stars Ceres and Vesta.

JPL has approximately 5,000 Caltech employees and a few thousand additional contractors. Its Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator and Space Flight Operations Facility are recognized National Historic Landmarks.

A Visit at JPL

The post Jet Propulsion Laboratory appeared first on Planet Facts.

The space station is run by different countries, mainly by the United States and Russia. Construction while in orbit began in late 1998, and is expected to be completed by 2011. It is also the largest artificial satellite that has been orbiting earth, and is also targeted to run until the year 2015 or 2020.

This project is a collaboration of America's Freedom project, Russia's Mir-2 Space Program, the European's Columbus space project and Japan's Kibo space exploration program. Currently, the station has a total of fifteen pressurized modules ran by sixteen solar arrays.

The space station is operated by the five main space branches of five different nations namely America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Also, the International Space Station is primarily a research laboratory and also one of the current internationally assembled and habitable satellites in low earth orbit. The size of the International Space Station is as big as a football field.

Welcome to the International Space Station

The post International Space Station appeared first on Planet Facts.