space exploration

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Space News, March 2026
2 months ago
- SETI@Home, launched in 1999, analyzed radio data from Arecibo and ended with 100 unexplained signals; China's FAST telescope is re-observing them since July 2025.
- The Wow! signal (1977) was a 72-second narrowband burst at the hydrogen line; a 2025 study suggests it may be caused by a magnetar outburst hitting a hydrogen cloud, but it's still under peer review.
- The Voyager Golden Record (1977) includes 115 images, sounds, music, and Ann Druyan's brainwaves, curated by Carl Sagan; it cost $18,000 and omitted war and the Beatles due to cost.
- The HUMANS project invites public messages to be sent into space; a nanowafer with messages has already flown to the ISS (2023) and landed on the Moon (2025), with a radio transmission planned for September 2027.
- Voyager 1 is now 16 billion miles from Earth, reaching one light-day away in November 2025; its data rate is 160 bits per second and its nuclear battery is slowly depleting.
Inside the Apollo "8-Ball" FDAI (Flight Director / Attitude Indicator)
2 months ago
- The FDAI (Flight Director/Attitude Indicator) was a critical Apollo instrument that displayed spacecraft orientation via a rotating black-and-white ball called the '8-ball'.
- The ball rotates in three axes (roll, pitch, yaw) using a clever mechanism: two hollow hemispherical shells provide yaw rotation, while the inner mechanism handles pitch and roll via motors and gimbals.
- Slip rings and two sets of electrical contacts prevent wiring tangles as the ball rotates in multiple axes.
- The FDAI uses synchros and servo loops—with control transformers, amplifiers, and motor/tachometers—to precisely position the ball and needles based on input signals.
- The instrument evolved from Bill Lear's designs for the X-15 and F-4 fighter, through Gemini and Apollo, and later influenced the Space Shuttle ADI.
- The specific unit examined was built for Apollo (dated 1968) but modified for a Shuttle simulator, including replacement of resolvers with synchros, incandescent lighting, and repainted dial.
- Key differences from the Apollo design include modified electronics, removal of pitch trim (irrelevant for spacecraft), and addition of connectors for easier simulator reconfiguration.
- The Shuttle ADI had more advanced features like error detection, LVDT feedback for needles, and integrated circuits, but shared the same basic ball-rotation mechanism.
Men Walk on Moon
2 months ago
- Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin successfully landed the lunar module Eagle on the moon's Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969.
- Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, describing it as 'one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'
- The astronauts collected rock and soil samples, deployed scientific experiments, and planted an American flag.
- President Nixon congratulated the astronauts via a historic phone call, emphasizing the unity of humanity.
- The mission faced challenges, including a boulder-filled crater that required manual control to avoid, but ultimately achieved a safe landing.
- The lunar module remained on the moon for about 22 hours before the astronauts returned to the command module for the journey back to Earth.
More Bounce to the Ounce – By Maciej Cegłowski
2 months ago
- Nuclear pulse rockets use continuous nuclear bomb detonations to propel spacecraft, offering high thrust and efficiency.
- They provide superior performance with low mass ratios, enabling large payloads to destinations like Mars, Saturn, and beyond in comfort.
- Project Orion was a historical effort to develop this technology, but it faced challenges like safety, fallout, and political issues.
- Drawbacks include risks from thousands of nuclear bombs, launch hazards, fallout, and nuclear proliferation concerns.
- Benefits include solving radiation protection and artificial gravity problems, making interplanetary travel feasible and reusable.
NASA Dragonfly - a rotorcraft to explore Saturn's moon Titan
2 months ago
- Dragonfly is a NASA New Frontiers mission to Titan, designed as an airborne rotorcraft to explore diverse geological sites.
- The mission aims to investigate Titan's prebiotic chemistry and habitability, sampling surface material to analyze for compounds of astrobiological interest.
- Dragonfly will fly every 1-2 Titan days (about 16 Earth days each), covering miles across Titan during its 3.3-year mission.
- Led by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the mission involves multiple international partners including NASA centers, CNES, DLR, and JAXA.
After a Billion Kilometres, China's Asteroid Hunter Arrives
2 months ago
- China's Tianwen-2 mission successfully rendezvoused with near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa after a 400-day chase covering ~1 billion km.
- The spacecraft launched in May 2025, performed trajectory adjustments, and closed to within ~20 km, beginning scientific exploration.
- Ground observations initially had ~100 km positional uncertainty; Tianwen-2 used onboard imaging to refine this to ~1 km accuracy.
- The mission will study the asteroid's surface, composition, and subsurface, aiming to collect and return a sample to Earth.
- Kamoʻoalewa is a quasi-satellite of Earth, possibly a lunar fragment, highlighting its scientific interest.
China takes a page from SpaceX and recaptures first stage of rocket to reuse it
2 months ago
- China successfully recaptured the first stage of a Long March-10B rocket for the first time, landing it on a sea platform, marking a breakthrough in its space program.
- SpaceX and Blue Origin have been reusing rocket boosters since 2015 to reduce costs, with SpaceX achieving over 600 landings and setting a record with a 36th reuse of a booster.
- SpaceX is developing mechanical arms to catch returning Starships, while Blue Origin lands boosters in Texas and on floating platforms off Florida.
- Japan plans a launch and landing attempt this weekend, joining the trend of rocket recycling initiated by private U.S. companies and now China.
- The reusable Long March-10B can launch up to 16,000 kg to low Earth orbit, compared to SpaceX's Falcon 9 capacity of 22,800 kg, used for ISS missions.
China becomes second country to recover orbital booster with Long March 10B
2 months ago
- China successfully launched the Long March 10B rocket and recovered its first stage using a net capture system on July 10.
- The recovery marks China's entry into reusable orbital booster capabilities, alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin.
- The rocket is designed for low Earth orbit missions, including satellite deployments and supporting China's crewed lunar program.
- CASC plans to reuse the recovered first stage by the end of the year and optimize reusable technology further.
- The mission validates technology for the Long March 10A, which aims to launch the Mengzhou spacecraft and support lunar landings before 2030.
China recovers reusable rocket used in the maiden launch of Long March 10B
2 months ago
- China recovered the reusable first stage of the Long March 10B rocket after its maiden launch.
- The rocket, measuring 70 meters tall, launched from Wenchang and delivered its payload to low Earth orbit.
- The first stage returned vertically and was recovered using a sea-based net platform.
- The Long March 10B can carry up to 16 tonnes to low Earth orbit and is designed for cargo missions.
- NASA aims to return US astronauts to the moon by 2028, marking the first crewed mission since Apollo.
Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to conduct flyby of Torifune asteroid
2 months ago
- Hayabusa2 to conduct flyby of Torifune asteroid on Sunday evening Japan time.
- Flyby part of Extended Mission after returning Ryugu samples; probe en route to next asteroid arrival in 2031.
- Approach as close as 800 meters from Torifune's center, capturing images at 5 km/s speed.
- JAXA aims to obtain science data and precise control tech for high-speed asteroid maneuvers.
- Efforts support 'Planetary Defense' by altering trajectories of asteroids threatening Earth.
Philae's extraordinary comet landing relived (2024)
3 months ago
- Philae landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014, marking the first time a human-made object touched down on a comet.
- The landing site, Agilkia, was chosen for its safety and science potential, but Philae's harpoons failed to fire, causing multiple bounces and additional data collection at different locations.
- During its 64-hour active phase, Philae completed 80% of its planned science, including measuring surface hardness, detecting organic compounds, and conducting the first seismic measurements on a comet since Apollo 17.
- Philae's instruments revealed the comet's interior has high porosity (75–85%), a non-magnetic nature, and temperature cycles, while also finding complex organic molecules key to life's ingredients.
- The Rosetta-Philae mission legacy inspires future ESA projects like Comet Interceptor, Hera, Ramses, and M-Argo, advancing small body exploration and planetary defense.

space exploration

Space News, March 2026

Inside the Apollo "8-Ball" FDAI (Flight Director / Attitude Indicator)

Men Walk on Moon

More Bounce to the Ounce – By Maciej Cegłowski

NASA Dragonfly - a rotorcraft to explore Saturn's moon Titan

After a Billion Kilometres, China's Asteroid Hunter Arrives

China takes a page from SpaceX and recaptures first stage of rocket to reuse it

China becomes second country to recover orbital booster with Long March 10B

China recovers reusable rocket used in the maiden launch of Long March 10B

Japan's Hayabusa2 probe to conduct flyby of Torifune asteroid

Philae's extraordinary comet landing relived (2024)