Not dead yet!!

To borrow an answer for a different question: I’ve never Kepled. But the Kepler Team sounds like they aren’t going to give up on planet-hunting yet. They’re looking for a few good ideas (at least according to the article). If you have any, maybe you could help them out? http://science.time.com/2013/08/16/the-kepler-space-telescope-may-be-dead-but-its-planet-hunting-mission-continues/ Related articles Planet-hunting scope beyond repair […]

The Grasshopper keeps learning more from it’s master…

What SpaceX is doing with rockets is just too cool! And they make it look easy. Some might remember the trick of balancing a broomstick vertically from the palm of the hand. Now substitute flame and thrust for the hand, and a 100 foot or so tall metal tube for the broomstick. Then control the […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, part 6

In my last aside, I noted it was interesting the Hubble telescope was using a low earth orbit (LEO) to conduct its mission, considering some of the challenges inherent in such a low orbit. So let’s start with the first challenge. A low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite is going around the Earth really quickly. There […]

…and this was from a LEO satellite…

So this was just put out there: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/hubble-telescope-finds-source-cosmic-stream-near-milky-way-6C10911426 And yup, you read that right: the Hubble is a low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite, just like the others that Digitalglobe and RapidEye use–except the payload, the camera and telescope, points outwards. Don’t get me wrong–if the Hubble hadn’t been that low to the Earth, the space […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, Part 5

One is a lonely number. It takes a while for one low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite’s payload (the camera) to see the entire Earth’s surface. If you want to get pictures more quickly, say the same day something like a hurricane or a forest fire is happening, you want a CONSTELLATION of satellites orbiting the […]