Archive for the 'Space' Category
Strange NRO Mission Patches
March 4th, 2011I’ve seen a lot of weird military patches, but I think that this one might take the cake. It’s related to the NRO satellite that was launched back in January, USA-224, also known as NRO Launch 49 (NRO L-49). The Latin means something like, “First Heavy from the West,” or “First Heavy from the Sunset.” […]
Air Force’s Second X-37B Space Plane Nears Launch
February 1st, 2011Via: Space Flight Now: Two months after a sister ship successfully concluded a demo flight, the U.S. military’s second robotic X-37B space plane is in Florida preparing for blastoff March 4 on another secret mission, according to an Air Force official. The 29-foot-long, 14-foot-wide space plane is being readied for flight in a processing facility […]
Largest Ever West Coast Rocket Launch Carried National Reconnaissance Office Satellite Into Space
January 21st, 2011Update: Some Guesses Mentioned on CNN Just to clarify what’s being said below: It’s not a KH-11, which hasn’t been produced since 1990. See the Wikipedia page for “KH-12”: “KH-12” is an unofficial designation of the successor to the KH-11 KENNAN (“Crystal”) spy satellite. A system with the official designation KH-12 does not exist because […]
China Matches U.S. Space Launches for First Time
December 27th, 2010Via: Wired: Outwardly, it looked like just another big space launch — and those happen about once a week, from spaceports all around the world. But Friday’s blast-off of a rocket, carrying a Chinese GPS-style navigation satellite, from the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center was different. It set a record for successful Chinese launches in […]
X-37B Returns to Earth After Seven Months in Orbit; Mission and Capabilities Remain Classified
December 3rd, 2010Via: AP: The U.S. Air Force’s secrecy-shrouded X-37B unmanned spaceplane returned to Earth early Friday after more than seven months in orbit on a classified mission, officials said. The winged craft autonomously landed at at Vandenberg Air Force Base on the California coast 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Vandenburg spokesman Jeremy Eggers said. “It’s […]
U.S. Launches Giant Eavesdropping Satellite
November 23rd, 2010Via: AFP: The United States has placed in orbit a vast reconnaissance satellite reputed to be the largest eavesdropping device ever launched into space. The largest unmanned American launch vehicle, the Delta-4 Heavy rocket, roared into the the night sky in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sunday carrying the mysterious satellite on a mission dubbed NROL-32. […]
Mystery Missile Launch Seen Off California Coast
November 9th, 2010Update: Thomas G. McInerney, Retired United States Air Force Lieutenant General: “That is a missile, it’s launched from a submarine… I am absolutely certain that that is not an aircraft.” The venue was Fox News, but I happen to agree with Thomas McInerney’s assessment. I’ve transcribed the salient points of what he said. My ears […]
Decommissioned Military Jets to Serve as Satellite Launchers
October 26th, 2010Via: Space.com: Jets under consideration for the NanoLauncher game plan include the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and the McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle, among others. These fighters will take the payload – slung underneath the fuselage on a rocket – several miles up and then fire the rocket to send the stowed satellites to their intended destination […]
Planetary Defense Coordination Office Proposed to Fight Asteroids
October 21st, 2010Maybe they’ll milk the space rocks before the little green men scenario??? Via: Space: A new report calls on NASA to establish a Planetary Defense Coordination Office to lead national and international efforts in protecting Earth against impacts by asteroids and comets. The final report of the Ad-Hoc Task Force on Planetary Defense of the […]
“Brooklyn Space Program” Sends Video Camera to Upper Stratosphere with Weather Balloon, Recoverd “Craft” with Help from GPS
October 18th, 2010I don’t have a “dad blog,” so this kind of post is bound to happen occasionally. Many stories that I’ve read about this incorrectly state that the iPhone was shooting the video. If you read through the comments on Vimeo, Luke Geissbühler let’s everyone know that the camera is the incredible GoPro HD HERO. Via: […]
