SpaceX Inspiration4 mission will send 4 people with minimal training into orbit — and bring space tourism closer to reality

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies On Sept. 15, 2021, the next batch of space tourists are set to lift off aboard a SpaceX rocket. Organized and funded by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, the Inspiration4 mission touts itself as “the first all-civilian mission to orbit” and represents a new type of space tourism. The four crew members will not be the first space tourists…

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NASA astronaut gets extended stay in space for record-breaking 353-day mission

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will remain on the International Space Station until March, giving him a record-setting spaceflight. The mission extension, which was predicted before Vande Hei’s abrupt launch in April, will see the veteran astronaut spend about 353 days living and working on the orbiting laboratory, according to a tweet the astronaut posted on Tuesday (Sept. 14). That will break the existing record for longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut: 340 days, currently held by Scott Kelly.  “Honestly, it’s exciting,” Vande Hei said in a video clip…

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Neptune reaches opposition today: How to see the distant planet

The planet Neptune.  (Image credit: Starry Night) The solar system’s outermost planet, Neptune, reaches opposition today — here’s how you can catch a glimpse of the distant gas giant.  Planet Neptune reached opposition today (Sept. 14) at about 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT), when Earth passed directly between the sun and Neptune, according to EarthSky.org. Opposition occurs when two astronomical objects — in this case, the sun and Neptune — are on opposite sides of the sky as seen from Earth. As a result of this cosmic alignment, Neptune will…

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