UK pledges fresh support for revolutionary space engine. Sen— A revolutionary engine that can turn an aircraft into an orbiting spaceplane has won fresh backing from the British Government. The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, singled out the SABRE project that will power Skylon into space in his 2013 spending review delivered to Parliament.
The hybrid engine - its name stands for Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine - is currently being developed by Reaction Engines, based at Abingdon, near Oxford. Last year, the engineers developing it, led by Alan Bond, mastered a key factor in its design that was described as the biggest breakthrough in flight technology since the invention of the jet engine. Praising UK inventiveness and historic successes, Mr Osborne said: “Britain was once the place where the future was invented. From the railway to the jet engine to the World Wide Web.* We can be that country again . . . a huge amount of innovation and discovery still goes on.” It works like this. SKYLON Technical Movie V1. How NASA might build its very first warp drive. I want to see this work as much as anyone else on io9, but every time I read an article on warp drive, I expend so much mental energy trying to wrap my head around the concept that my entire left hand side goes numb.
Somewhere along the line my understanding of concepts such as the nature of Spacetime is deficient. Here's the problem. When I think about the idea of expanding the conceptual framework that describes the continuum between two abstract concepts, behind a spaceship, whilst contracting the conceptual framework that describes the continuum between two abstract concepts, in front of a spaceship; all I can think of is that this like saying that when in conversation with another person, I can reach out with my hand, grasp hold of the words that are coming out of that other persons mouth and fold them in half. If someone could point me towards some legible books that I could buy that would help me understand where my understanding has gone wrong, I would be grateful. Thanks. Reaction Engines Ltd. To demonstrate the application of SABRE engines to space access, REL has designed SKYLON, the first vehicle designed to be powered by SABRE engines. SKYLON is an unpiloted, reusable spaceplane intended to provide reliable, responsive and cost effective access to space.
Currently in early development phase, the vehicle will be capable of transporting 15 tonnes of cargo into space. It is the use of SABRE's combined air-breathing and rocket cycles that enables a vehicle that can take off from a runway, fly direct to earth orbit and return for a runway landing, just like an aircraft. SKYLON will provide aircraft-like access to space to enable: Operation from runway to orbit and back Order of magnitude reduction in cost vs. existing technology 400 x improved reliability Responsive access to space The European Space Agency assessment concluded that: "...the SKYLON vehicle can be realised given today's current technology and successful engine development. " European Space Agency Report, 2011. Warp Drive May Be More Feasible Than Thought, Scientists Say. HOUSTON — A warp drive to achieve faster-than-light travel — a concept popularized in television's Star Trek — may not be as unrealistic as once thought, scientists say.
A warp drive would manipulate space-time itself to move a starship, taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of physics that prevent anything from moving faster than light. A concept for a real-life warp drive was suggested in 1994 by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre, however subsequent calculations found that such a device would require prohibitive amounts of energy. Now physicists say that adjustments can be made to the proposed warp drive that would enable it to run on significantly less energy, potentially brining the idea back from the realm of science fiction into science. "There is hope," Harold "Sonny" White of NASA's Johnson Space Center said here Friday (Sept. 14) at the 100 Year Starship Symposium, a meeting to discuss the challenges of interstellar spaceflight.
Warping space-time Laboratory tests. SPACE PROJECT: HELIUM-3. Helium-3, 3He, He-3, 3 He Helium-3 is a clean, safe energy source stored as a gas in outer space, it is the fuel for a form of nuclear fusion that will provide us with a clean, almost infinite power source. The experts are sure that this source of energy could save the world from the global crisis and dependence on the traditional ‘unclean’ sources of energy, and lead the mankind to a golden age of peace and prosperity within the robust environment. Particularly, several members of the Russian Regional Section of International Academy of Astronautics do also support the idea of a space mission to the Moon and Jupiter for getting helium-3. What is necessary to switch on the helium-3 ‘engine’? The present page is reflected in our exhibition stand accepted to the Conference "Sustainable development: a challenge for European research" at the European Commission Here we are grateful to Mr.
Sourav Chatterjee for helpful comments. We also wish to thank Dr. The reaction of fusion How to get Helium-3. The Prometheus Gas Turbine Project Introduces A New Electric Gas Turbine. "PROPULSION" Calling All Rocketeers! Calling All Rocketeers! "PROPULSION" is On the Air! EPISODE 02 “Pasadena” In this Episode… Meet young Jack Parsons and his pal Ed Forman: two dreamers and model rocket enthusiasts with a passion for blowing things up. After more than 70 years, the story of Frank Malina, Jack Parsons and Caltech’s infamous “Suicide Squad” is brought to life in “PROPULSION” a 30 min. documentary produced by the fine team at BLLR Entertainment. Set against the backdrop of 1930s Pasadena, through WWII and into the Cold War, “PROPULSION” is the heartwarming, inspirational, and sometimes controversial tale of a group of misfits, dreamers, and mavericks, the founding of NASA’s JPL, and the Birth of Modern Rocketry.
It’s 1936. Twitter.com/thesuicidesquad Filed under jpl von karman jules verne hg welles rocketry dreams science fiction pasadena jack parsons jet propulsion chemistry engineering history california aeronautics aviation nasa space "PROPULSION" is on the Air! Firestar Selected for SBIR Contract for Green Propulsion System. On Thursday, NASA announced the selection of 39 proposals for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II awards. Parabolic Arc will be looking at several of the proposals being undertaken by companies we have been following.
This post looks at Firestar Engineering, a company based in Mojave, Calif., that is developing non-toxic propellant that will be tested at the International Space Station next year. Firestar Engineering, LLC Mojave, CA PROPOSAL TITLE: Low Energy Electronic Ignition System for NOFBX ThrustersSUBTOPIC TITLE: Propulsion Technologies Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract: Begin: 3 End: 5 The proposed igniter development is specific to NOFBX™ propellant-based systems. NOFBX technology is currently being developed under a NASA BAA for flight on the International Space Station as a commercial flight experiment. Share. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Dennis Bushnell on Space Exploration. Dr. Dennis Bushnell, Chief Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, joins us to discuss the scientific and technical challenges faced by NASA in planning future manned missions to Mars and beyond. He describes the National Space Exploration Vision, which cites human expeditions to Mars, and indicates that cost and safety are the two major obstacles faced by NASA in realizing this vision.
According to Bushnell, hexavalent chromium in martian dust, interstellar radiation, and lengthy trips in a microgravity environment damage the immune system of astronauts and increase their risk for cancer, which is caused by both radiation and chromium VI. He indicates that the best probability for minimizing these risks comes from dust-filtration research currently being undertaken at NASA as well as in finding new methods of propulsion that should shorten trip times and therefore reduce radiation & microgravity exposure by astronauts. Robert Bussard on Fusion Power. Dr. Robert Bussard shares his vision for clean, affordable fusion power. The late Dr. Bussard was a founding member of America’s fusion power establishment, spent over 20 years developing the Polywell fusor, which he claimed to generate over 100,000 times the fusion power of Farnsworth’s original experiments. Polywell was awarded the “Outstanding Technology of the Year” for 2006 by the International Academy of Science, and though Bussard passed in 2007, his research team continues to develop the Polywell fusor.
Bussard was best known as the namesake for the legendary “Bussard Ramjet”. Bussard describes his disenchantment with big-science Tokamak research that led him to return to the roots of fusion power with the “Polywell” project that he initiated in 1986. The Polywell design is a modified Farnsworth-Hirsch style fusor which traps electrons in a magnetic confinement inside its hollow center. Cubesats explained and why you should build one. Ever wanted to make your own satellite? Now you can. Building a Cubesat is affordable and you may even qualify for a free ride from NASA. What are Cubesats? A CubeSat is a small satellite in the shape of a 10 centimeter cube and weighs just 1 kilogram. That’s about 4 inches and 2 pounds. CubeSats are carried into space on a Poly-PicoSatellite Orbital Deployer or P-POD for short. Why Are They Popular? Cubesats are popular with schools and governments because they are cheap and relatively easy to build.
NASA is offering free rides for science missions through their Cubesat Launch Initiative. They might be small but you can do a lot with them. Cubesats have become THE standard microsatellite thanks to their Open Source Hardware design and will become even more popular as we find new uses for them. Only a few years ago you needed a degree in Engineering or millions of dollars to build a satellite. Launching it…is another story. Would you want your own personal satellite? Interstellar chemistry makes use of quantum shortcut | Atom & Cosmos. Molecules floating in the dark, cold vacuum of interstellar space can exploit quantum mechanics to react and produce more complex chemicals, a new study suggests.
Researchers explain the reactions using a quirky property of quantum physics, which may be a key cog in the cosmic assembly line that churns out intricate organic molecules, including those necessary for life. Astronomers have long known that stars manufacture chemical elements, but it’s only recently that researchers have discovered complex organic molecules floating around in clouds of gas and dust in space (SN 1/30/10, p. 26). The formation of these chemicals, which include alcohols, sugars and even an ingredient found in tar, is hard to explain because molecules in space should very rarely collide. Last year astronomers discovered a molecule called methoxy, or CH3O, in a gas cloud. In an upcoming Nature Chemistry, Heard’s team explains its finding with a phenomenon called quantum tunneling. Plasma thruster could propel small satellites into deep space for cheap.
Warp drive looks more promising than ever in recent NASA studies. "Interstellar travel may still be in its infancy, but adulthood is fast approaching, and our descendants will someday see childhood's end. " The Starflight Handbook The first steps towards interstellar travel have been taken, but the stars are very far away. Voyager 1 is about 17 light-hours distant from Earth and is traveling with a velocity of 0.006 percent of light speed, meaning it will take about 17,000 years to travel one light-year. Fortunately, the elusive "warp drive" now appears to be evolving past difficulties with new theoretical advances and a NASA test rig under development to measure artificially generated warping of space-time. The warp drive broke away from being a wholly fictional concept in 1994, when physicist Miguel Alcubierre suggested that faster-than-light (FTL) travel was possible if you remained still on a flat piece of spacetime inside a warp bubble that was made to move at superluminal velocity.
This sounds too easy, and in many ways, it is. X-43A : l'avion le plus rapide du monde n'emporte pas de comburant ! X-43A : l'avion le plus rapide du monde n'emporte pas de comburant ! - 2 Photos Samedi 27 mars 2004. Les conditions météo sont parfaites. De forts vents en altitude ont failli reporter cet essai qui est en fait la deuxième tentative de vol du X-43A. En juin 2001, il avait été détruit en raison d'un mauvais fonctionnement de la fusée qui le propulsait. Cependant, on ne pouvait pas parler d'échec du X-43, celui-ci n'ayant pas encore pris son autonomie au moment de l'accident. Le X-43A ne décolle pas En effet, ce prototype ne décolle pas depuis le sol. En images, voici ces étapes que le second prototype a brillament passées : Crédits Futura-sciences / Nasa 7.700 km/h ! Une fois libéré de sa fusée, la NASA a vraiment pu tester son prototype. Rappelons encore une fois que l'avion (sans pilote) a puisé son comburant directement dans l'atmosphère !
A voir aussi sur Internet Sur le même sujet. Hypersonic X-43A Takes Flight. Pegasus booster rocket ignites to send the X-43A on its record setting flight on Nov. 16, 2004. NASA photo It's Official. X-43A Raises the Bar to Mach 9.6 Guinness World Records recognized NASA's X-43A scramjet with a new world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft - Mach 9.6, or nearly 7,000 mph. The X-43A set the new mark and broke its own world record on its third and final flight on Nov. 16, 2004.
In March 2004, the X-43A set the previous record of Mach 6.8 (nearly 5,000 mph). The fastest air-breathing, manned vehicle, the U.S. . + View Press Release View QuickTime Movies: X-43A/Pegasus Launch: 2.6 Mb | 5 Mb | 7.3 Mb | 12 Mb B-52B Takeoff: 1.6 Mb | 3.1 Mb | 4.6 Mb | 7.5 Mb Getting Ready for Mach 10: 3.2 Mb | 6 Mb | 8.9 Mb | 14.5 Mb. Orbital Begins Antares Rocket Operations - Commercial Space Watch. Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world's leading space technology companies, today announced that has it has commenced Antares launch vehicle operations at the liquid-fuel launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS).
Following a four-year design, development, construction, test and inspection process, the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA), which oversees MARS, has authorized Orbital to begin on-pad operations leading up to flight demonstrations of its Antares medium-class launch vehicle and Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft, the vehicles Orbital will use to fulfill a $1.9 billion NASA contract to deliver essential cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). The MARS launch complex is located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia and is owned and operated by MARS, under the auspices of the VCSFA, which receives its funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia. About Orbital. NASA Building a Better Solid Rocket Booster for Space Launch System Rocket. Newly Discovered Molecule Will Make Rocket Fuel Super Efficient. Stellar engine. SpaceShipTwo Fitted With Rocket Propulsion System. Nuclear Propulsion for Mars Trip. Will Fusion Propulsion for Exploration of the Solar System Occur in Our Future?
New Spacecraft Propulsion Method Could Be Out Of This Solar System. SABRE (rocket engine) New and Improved Antimatter Spaceship for Mars Missions.