KEY SPECIFICATIONS Power: 2048WhCapacity: 640,000 mAhOutput ports: 15 (5x AC, 4x USB-A (2x 12W, 2x 18W), 2x USB-C PD 100W, 1x car 12V/10A, 1x 24V/10 AV, 2x 12V/3A DC5521)Charging time: 80% charge in 53 mins using ACIP rating: NoneWeight: 50.7 lbs (23 kg)Dimensions: 480 x 296 x 322 mm We’ve reviewed several of the best power stations over the past few years, and we frequently receive requests from brands to review their products. The Outkitel BP2000 (aka FF power BP2000) caught our attention for a specific reason, which might sound…
Read MoreMonth: February 2024
NASA Selects ACMI as Second Approved Exploration Park Facility
NASA NASA and the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) signed an agreement Thursday, Feb. 29 to lease underutilized land in a 240-acre Exploration Park at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. ACMI will enable the development of facilities to enable commercial and defense space manufacturing. The agreement is the second such public/private lease agreement to allow industry and academia to use NASA Johnson land to create facilities for a collaborative development environment that increases commercial access and enhances the United States’ commercial competitiveness in the space and…
Read MoreChina names the spacecraft that will put its astronauts on the moon (video)
China’s human spaceflight agency has given names to spacecraft being developed to put astronauts on the moon. Mengzhou is the name for the spacecraft that will take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, while the lunar lander has been named Lanyue. Lanyue means “Embracing the Moon,” referencing the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. China’s human spaceflight Agency, CMSA, said in a press statement that the chosen name appears in a Mao Zedong poem. Mengzhou, meanwhile, means “Dream Vessel” and fits into the naming style for China’s Shenzhou and Tianzhou spacecraft, which…
Read MoreLangley Celebrates Black History Month: Clayton Turner
4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. His experiences prior to his career with NASA include three years of military service. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. …
Read MoreStudent Teams to Help Fill the Inflatable Void with Latest Student Challenge
3 Min Read Student Teams to Help Fill the Inflatable Void with Latest Student Challenge This year will be a “BIG” year for several college and university teams as they research, design, and demonstrate novel inflatable systems configured for future lunar operations through a NASA-sponsored engineering competition. NASA’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge asked student innovators to propose novel inflatable component and system concepts that could benefit future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. The Inflatable Systems for Lunar Operations theme allowed teams to submit various…
Read MoreSpaceX Starship docking system readies for moon missions in tests with NASA
Practice makes perfect, which is especially true for moon missions with astronauts on board. That’s why SpaceX and NASA recently completed more than 200 docking scenarios together with Starship hardware. Starship is the landing system that will bring astronauts to the lunar surface with the Artemis 3 mission, no earlier than 2026. Engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center spent 10 days using hardware from the Starship lander and NASA’s Orion orbiter (designed by Lockheed Martin) at “various approach angles and speeds,” NASA officials said in a release. “These real-world results,…
Read MoreOdysseus Lands on the Moon
Following a launch on Feb. 15, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander touched down in the Moon’s south polar region on Feb. 22 and has since transmitted valuable scientific data back to Earth.
Read MoreMaine Educators Re-Energized After Gathering
2 min read Maine Educators Re-Energized After Gathering On February 28-29, 2024, 57 teachers, librarians, and out-of-school educators gathered for a two-day retreat organized and supported by members of the NASA Science Activation Program’s Learning Ecosystems Northeast project team. Based at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) supports regional peer communities of educators who are working to co-develop data-rich climate learning experiences that span learning contexts. This high-energy leap-day retreat was held on the campus of the University of Maine Orono (a project partner) and…
Read MoreAstrophysics Instruments
Science in Space – February 2024 Instruments on the exterior of the International Space Station provide data on astrophysical phenomena that are helping scientists better understand our universe and its origins. Crew members install and maintain these instruments robotically and scientific teams operate them remotely. One of the instruments, the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), measures X-rays emitted by neutron stars and other cosmic objects to help answer questions about matter and gravity. Neutron stars, the densest measurable objects in the universe, are the remains of massive stars that…
Read MorePrivate Odysseus moon lander broke a leg during historic touchdown. ‘He’s a scrappy little dude.’ (new photos)
Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus moon lander overcame a number of hurdles during its epic touchdown last week, including one or more broken legs. The 14-foot-tall (4.3 meters) Odysseus settled onto the gray dirt near the moon‘s south pole on Thursday (Feb. 22), pulling off the first American lunar landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. But Odysseus’ touchdown was a bit rough. Thanks to an issue with its navigation equipment, the six-legged lander came down faster than expected, onto a patch of lunar ground that was higher in elevation than…
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