Spectrum Delta

12/04/2016

On April 12, 1981, Columbia launched on STS-1, the 1st flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

09/04/2016

Historic day for SpaceX and the space industry!

Fifth time's the charm! SpaceX successfully landed a Falcon 9 reusable rocket booster on a drone ship — a first for the company — following a launch from Cape Canaveral today (April 8).

04/04/2016

Blue Origin successfully flew its New Shepard suborbital vehicle for the third time on April 2, 2016 reaching an apogee of 339,178 feet or 103 kilometers.
It was the third flight with the same hardware.
They pushed the envelope on this flight, restarting the engine for the propulsive landing only 3,600 feet above the ground, requiring the BE-3 engine to start fast and ramp to high thrust fast.

Blue Origin executives have said the company plans to increase the frequency of test flights as it prepares to bring New Shepard into commercial operations. Flights carrying commercial research payloads, but without a crew, could begin later this year, with commercial flights with spaceflight participants planned in about two years. Test flights with people on board the autonomously-piloted vehicles are planned for 2017.

The propulsion module used on this flight, and two prior ones, was the second one built by the company, after the first propulsion module was lost in an April 2015 test flight. Three more propulsion modules are under construction at the company’s headquarters near Seattle.

Blue Origin president Rob Meyerson said on a media tour of its headquarters last month that the company currently plans to build six propulsion modules and accompanying crew modules, the latter outfitted with what company officials said are the largest windows on any spacecraft.
Production of additional New Shepard vehicles will depend on the outcome of the ongoing test flight program and market demand, he said.

29/02/2016

01/01/2016

Happy New Year!

31/10/2015

GPS IIF-11 webcast_
10 minutes till launch
http://www.ulalaunch.com/webcast.aspx

30/10/2015

During final launch preparations of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying the GPS IIF-11 mission for the United States Air Force,
a leak was discovered in a ground support equipment valve for launch pad water suppression system.
The valve requires repair or replacement. The team is proceeding with these actions.

The ULA Atlas V launch has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 31.
The launch window is 12:13-12:32 p.m. EDT.

http://www.ulalaunch.com/atlas-v-to-launch-gps-iif11.aspx

Rocket/Payload: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 will launch the GPS IIF-11 mission for the U.S. Air Force.

29/10/2015

Video of the Boeing-built GPS IIF-11 satellite
being encapsulated inside the four-meter diameter payload shroud prior to being stacked atop the launch vehicle.

GPS IIF satellites provide improved signals that will enhance the precise global positioning, navigation and timing services supporting both the warfighter and the growing civilian needs of our global economy.
GPS IIF will provide improved navigational accuracy through advanced atomic clocks, a longer design life than previous GPS satellites, and a third operational civil signal
-- L5 --
that benefits commercial aviation and safety-of-life applications.

Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center and its mission partners are scheduled to launch the 11th Global Positioning System’s GPS IIF satellite
aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 launch vehicle @ October 30
from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The launch window opens at 12:17 p.m. EDT (16:17 GMT / 18:17 EET_Bucharest Time)
and will remain open for 19 minutes.

08/10/2015

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-401 rocket will launch the NROL-55 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in a few minutes!
Thirteen CubeSats also will launch aboard the Atlas-V aboard the NRO’s Government Rideshare Advanced Concepts Experiment (GRACE) auxiliary payload.
Nine of the CubeSats are sponsored by the NRO, and four are sponsored by NASA.

The GRACE payloads will be delivered to space on the Aft Bulkhead Carrier, located on the rear of the Centaur upper stage.

Live now:
http://www.ulalaunch.com/webcast.aspx

07/10/2015

A Montreal-based university research shows there is a simple antidote to asthma syptoms: 30 minutes of exercise a day, year-round.
“Just 30 minutes a day of walking, riding a bike, doing yoga - anything active, really - can result in significant reduction of asthma symptoms.” - Concordia University

Concordia research shows those who undertake physical activity year round breathe easier.

28/09/2015

NASA announced new evidence that could confirm the presence of liquid water on the red planet, increasing the possibility that astronauts journeying to Mars could rely on the planet's own water for their drinking needs.

Details of this major science finding from the agency’s ongoing exploration of Mars,
during a news briefing at the James Webb Auditorium, NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The event will be broadcast live on NASA TV in about 2 minutes!

NASA Television provides live coverage of launches, spacewalks and other mission events, as well as the latest news briefings, video files, and the This Week report.

05/09/2015

[Job Opportunity]

FAA seeks Flight Test Pilots.

Find your new role at the FAA and help us move aviation forward. Connect with the FAA on LinkedIn to learn more about agency job opportunities.