Over the last 50 years, astronauts have built up an extensive legacy in performing on-orbit inspection, servicing and assembly tasks. Unfortunately, such activities are very costly, time consuming, and require extensive pre-launch testing before launch. Core technologies for on-orbit manufacturing and assembly are currently under development utilizing teleoperation, robotics and autonomy technologies. These approaches can…
Russia may be best-known for its freezing winters, vodka and nesting dolls but this country offers so much more. Spanning Eastern Europe to Northern Asia, Russia is an intercontinental powerhouse and boasts an illustrious past. Russia is full of surprises; from its rugged landscapes to bustling metropolises. Here are a few lesser-known facts about this…
Spacecraft must protect their components from environmental elements and prevent excessive heating from them, this includes minimizing heat lost to space and eliminating dissipated environmental fluxes. SmallSats often employ passive thermal control elements such as multilayer insulation (MLI) blankets to maintain component temperature limits. MLI blankets serve two important purposes – they both prevent heat…
Though bunnies appear cute and adorable, they are actually highly complex creatures in the wild. When threatened, rabbits take great precautions in protecting themselves by sensing danger from far away. Crepuscular insects, also known as crepsidae, are active at both night and dawn. Omnivorous in diet, they feed on both grasses as well as root…
Mars, known by many to be red planet, contains two potato-shaped moons known as Phobos and Deimos that may have been captured from an asteroid belt by Mars’ gravity. Furthermore, this world features thin atmosphere that may not support life forms. Urdu poetry boasts some beautiful names for our planets in our solar system. Here…
Spacecraft are vehicles designed for travel in outer space, typically orbiting planets or moving through our solar system. These examples were automatically collected from various online sources to demonstrate current usage of’spacecraft.’ This page does not reflect the views or endorsement of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Aldrin Cycler Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 pioneered this…
Kids love learning about their world, especially if it involves something as fascinating as weather! From eye-opening records to fascinating phenomenon (did you know crickets can act as natural thermometers), here are 33 weather fun facts which will amaze them. Mawsynram in India is home to the wettest place on Earth – it sees 467…
NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) in Houston developed the 363-page final Apollo 11 flight plan and it provided the blueprint for human exploration of the Moon for this pioneering expedition. Armstrong and Aldrin will then inspect the LM, before at 2:22 AM Armstrong backs out through its hatch and, if all goes…
Canada is famously renowned for its beautiful lakes, snowcapped mountains, and national parks with waterfalls – but what many don’t realize is that this gorgeous nation also has a surprising amount of personality! From quirky cuisine to unique traditions – here are 10 fun facts about Canada that will blow your mind. 1. Canada boasts…
