Aerospace

While Webb Bleeds, Space Science Hemorrhages

If Big Science complains about U.S. budget skepticism in the future, they are going to have to answer questions about the James Webb telescope.  It is currently 3 years and $1.5 billion over budget with no end in sight.   The latest projection, 2014 and $5 ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Aug 17 2010 - 10:38am

Insect-Sized Robots Could Explore Environmental Hazards

Micro air vehicles (MAVs) under development by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research are  on track to evolve into robotic, insect-scale devices for monitoring and exploration of hazardous environments, like collapsed structures, caves and chemical sp ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 15 2010 - 6:56pm

Launch Delays-- Failure, Victory, Or Luxury?

The prospective launch of the ambitious and successful Copenhagen Suborbitals rocket received a lot of press. The subsequent launch-abort and delay to spring may not seem an upbeat thing.  In a broad sense, though, it is. "MAIN LOX VALVE FAILURE ...

Article - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Sep 17 2010 - 6:44pm

DIY spacecraft- a family adventure

Say you have a curious kid and you want to confirm the planet is round to, you know, show off how experimental results can verify mathematical ones.    If you are with the Brooklyn Space Program group, you build your own spacecraft, of course. But it isn&# ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Oct 8 2010 - 11:25am

DIY Guide To PCB Board Fabricators

In the alchemical days of building your own circuit boards, you had to swirl hand-masked boards in noxious chemicals to burn away the layers you needed. Now, you can just pay by the inch. It's a glorious time for using home-designed printed circuit bo ...

Article - Project Calliope - Nov 5 2011 - 10:05am

Too Much Potential Life On Other Planets- And Why That's Good For Astrobiology

2010 is the biggest year for life on Mars since 1898.  Or 1955 or whenever the last 'life on other planets' craze hit the public.     But unlike those other times, there is good reason.  This year, over 20 different papers have invoked the chance ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Nov 6 2010 - 11:23am

In Space And Climate Science, Agency Collaborations Don't Work Well

On paper, collaborations seem like a good idea because the costs for one agency or country are lower.  In reality, says a new analysis by the National Research Council, federal agencies should not partner in conducting space and earth science missions unle ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 23 2010 - 1:00pm

“Is This China’s First Stealth Fighter?"

...the first hard evidence of the long-rumored Chengdu J-20, China’s first stealth-fighter prototype….. Fantastical Photoshop art is a hallmark of Chinese military-themed websites….. “Rumor has it that better shots have put in transient appearances on Chin ...

Blog Post - Vikki Cvichiee - Dec 29 2010 - 11:36am

Working In Science

Last week I told you how to get your degree.  Now it's time to look at the life of a working scientist.  It's time for me to answer oft-asked questions like: What is a scientist's regular day at work like? What do you do? Where do you do it- ...

Article - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Jan 20 2011 - 2:46pm

Next-Generation Weapons System: A Megawatt-Class Laser Breakthrough

If you're in the camp that says the U.S. military is not ridiculously ahead of the rest of the world enough, there is good news.   Months ahead of schedule, s cientists at Los Alamos National Lab have achieved a breakthrough with the Free Electron Las ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 19 2011 - 6:11pm