Author: NeRD

New record: Blue Origin launches youngest woman beyond Kármán line

NeRD

Blue Origin set a new record on its latest space tourism flight. That mission, called NS-26, sent six people to suborbital space and back this morning (Aug. 29) from Blue Origin‘s West Texas spaceport, reaching a maximum altitude of 64.6 miles (104 kilometers) above ground level. One of them was Karsen Kitchen, a 21-year-old student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). According to Blue Origin, Kitchen is the youngest woman ever to cross the Kármán line, the 62-mile-high (100 km) boundary that many people regard as…

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Private astronauts of Polaris Dawn mission patiently await SpaceX launch amid multiple delays

NeRD

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The four astronauts of SpaceX’s private Polaris Dawn mission that will perform the first commercial spacewalk are taking delays to their launch in stride. The mission was initially slated to launch Aug. 27, but was delayed to Aug. 28 due to technical issues. Polaris Dawn was then postponed two more days, to no earlier than Friday, Aug. 30, due to splashdown weather concerns for the end of the mission. Now, the launch depends upon the completion of a mishap investigation required by the Federal Aviation Administration,…

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Netflix’s ‘Terminator Zero’ restores faith in an ailing sci-fi franchise (review)

NeRD

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! Watching Arnold Schwarzenegger plucking out his cybernetic eyeball in director James Cameron’s 1984 sci-fi classic “The Terminator” would tend to have a traumatic effect on any youngster seeing the film on a grainy VHS copy in the ’90s. That’s exactly what happened to “Terminator Zero’s” writer, creator and showrunner Mattson Tomlin when he was just eight years old. This new adult animated series from Netflix is that timely Terminator-centric project that fans have been praying for after suffering through the last two sequels, “Terminator Genisys” and…

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Saharan Dust in the Wind

NeRD

Dense bands of dust streamed offshore from southern Morocco in summer 2024. The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024.

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Aaron Vigil Helps Give SASS to Roman Space Telescope

NeRD

The stars in the big Wyoming skies inspired Aaron Vigil as a child to dream big. Today, he’s a mechanical engineer working on the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS) for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at Goddard. Name: Aaron VigilTitle: Mechanical EngineerFormal Job Classification: Aerospace Technology, Flight StructuresOrganization: Mechanical Engineering, Engineering and Technology Directorate (Code 543) Aaron Vigil is a mechanical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Photo courtesy of Aaron Vigil What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How…

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Bring NASA Into Your Classroom This Fall Through Virtual Experiences

NeRD

5 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Texas High School Aerospace Scholars get a virtual view of an extravehicular activity (EVA) suit in testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Photo credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas Explore the universe this fall without leaving your classroom through live virtual engagements with NASA space and aviation experts. NASA is offering a new lineup of stellar virtual experiences to spark STEM excitement and connect students with the agency’s missions, science, careers, and more. The virtual engagements, managed by NASA’s…

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Astronaut John McFall carries Paralympic flag at opening ceremony Aug. 28

NeRD

Astronaut John McFall returned to the Paralympics today (Aug. 28) to carry the games’ official flag in the opening ceremony in Paris. McFall earned a bronze in the Paralympics Games in 2008, competing in the men’s T42 100-meter race in Beijing. Today McFall has a different career, involving considerable medical expertise and participating in the European Space Agency as a reserve astronaut. “I am truly honored to be standing here today, as a Paralympian and a member of the astronaut reserve with a physical disability,” McFall said in a statement.…

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Assure 2015

NeRD

Home ASSURE 2015 has successfully concluded. UPDATES 2015-10-05: ASSURE 2015 concluded successfully. The accepted papers appear in the SAFECOMP 2015 Workshop Proceedings. Thank you for attending! See you in 2016. 2015-06-24: Pippa Moore of the UK Civil Aviation Authority will give an invited keynote talk! 2015-06-24: The ASSURE 2015 Program has been announced. The final program is contingent on registration. If you haven’t already done so, please register for ASSURE 2015 via SAFECOMP 2015. 2015-06-15: ASSURE 2015 will be held on Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2015. The accepted papers and program will be posted here soon. 2015-06-15: Authors of…

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FAA requires investigation into SpaceX Falcon 9 landing failure

NeRD

SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded, at least for a little while. A Falcon 9 successfully launched 21 of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites this morning (Aug. 28), sending them to orbit on the record-breaking 23rd mission for the rocket’s first stage. That booster encountered a problem during its return to Earth, however, toppling over shortly after landing at sea on a SpaceX droneship. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it’s requiring an investigation into the failed touchdown — and that the Falcon 9 won’t fly again until…

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