Archives for the 'space exploration' Category
Venera 4
Published on 12 Jun 2008 at 4:46 pm.
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Filed under history, space exploration.
41 years ago, on June 12, 1967, a modified R-7 rocket lifted off from deep within the Soviet Union carrying a spacecraft to another world. The spacecraft was Venera 4, and it was on its way to Venus. Venera 4 was not the first spacecraft to arrive at Venus. That honor […]
Landing Phoenix
Published on 25 May 2008 at 2:00 pm.
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Filed under Mars, space exploration.
In a few hours, the Phoenix will land on Mars. The chosen landing site is far into the northern plains. This is farther from the equator than any other spacecraft has successfully landed on Mars. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it can’t safely be done, just that it hasn’t been done […]
Phoenix near landing.
Published on 23 May 2008 at 11:57 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Mars, space exploration.
Wow, it’s been a long and difficult month for me. It has been one thing after another all month. As my regular readers can see, I have not been keeping up with Astroprof’s Page much this month. In fact, this has been the slackest month, I think, since I started blogging!
So, it […]
Soyuz TMA-11 lands short
Published on 19 Apr 2008 at 10:04 am.
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Filed under space exploration, space station.
Earlier today, the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft returned to Earth, having spent about six months at the International Space Station. Now, that doesn’t mean that the entire crew spent that long there. Peggy Whitson and Yuri Malenchenco rode the craft up and back. However, Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor flew to the […]
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Too much radiation?
Published on 31 Mar 2008 at 11:57 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under cosmic rays, space exploration.
On Space.com’s web site, I read an article today suggesting that radiation exposure for astronauts might be too much for long duration space missions. Though radiation exposure to astronauts is a real concern, it isn’t really news. Radiation exposure is something that has been a concern since the very first days of spaceflight. […]
Space Pens
Published on 27 Mar 2008 at 1:11 pm.
9 Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
When I was in high school, someone gave me an “astronaut pen.” I was awfully proud of that pen. After all, how many people got a chance to use a pen that had been used in space, I thought? Eventually, though, I lost my prized astronaut pen. Later, I found that […]
Selling Space
Published on 25 Mar 2008 at 8:35 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
Yesterday, I saw a news item about space memorabilia being auctioned nearby in Dallas. The auction is being held by Heritage Auction Galleries. What caught my attention was the news headline declaring that patches from Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit were to be auctioned off. Actually, it isn’t just Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit patches being […]
