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Category Archives: Unmanned Spaceflight
Polyus-Skif: the Soviet’s Laser-Wielding Satellite That Almost Was
On the evening of Wednesday, March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan delivered a televised address about defense and national security. “Let me share with you a vision of the future,” the president began a last-minute addition to the half-hour speech. … Continue reading
Posted in History of Space Science, Soviet, Unmanned Spaceflight
Tagged Buran, Energia, Polyus-Skif, Soviet
2 Comments
The View from Apollo 4
Apollo 4 is one of the unsung heros of the Apollo program. Launched on November 9, 1967, it was the first flight of a Saturn V rocket, the first orbital test of a Command and Service Module, and an overall … Continue reading
Posted in Apollo, History of Space Science, Moon, Unmanned Spaceflight
Tagged Apollo 4, George Mueller, Wernher von Braun
9 Comments
Yvonne Brill: Rocket Scientist (and Great Cook)
Since 88-year-old rocket scientist Yvonne Brill died on Wednesday, the Internet has been in a rage over the obituary the New York Times published. The online version has since been changed, but the print version still has the original lede, which puts Brill’s … Continue reading
It Happened in Space – Mars PropM Rovers
Long before the Sky Crane lowered Curiosity into Gale Crater, before the twin MER rovers Spirit and Opportunity bounced across the Martian surface, even before Sojourner was a glimmer in its designers’ eyes the Soviet Union launched the twin Prop-M … Continue reading
Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Unmanned Spaceflight
Tagged Curiosity, Mars, MER Rovers, NASA, Prop-M Rover, Sojourner, Soviet
6 Comments
NASA’s Plan for Mars Makes the Old New Again
Yesterday, NASA announced a bold new plan of exploration for the coming decade on Mars. It’s exciting. I love plans that include a methodical exploration of other worlds that will help answer the bigger questions out there, like why Mars developed … Continue reading
Posted in Planetary Science, Unmanned Spaceflight
Tagged Bolden, Curiosity, InSight, JWST, Mars, MAVEN, MSL, NASA, Obama
3 Comments
Obama’s Second Term and the National Future in Space
The relationship between space exploration and politics is a complicated one. The President is the only person who can pick a major goal like going to the Moon, but proposals that big have to go through congress for funding. To … Continue reading
Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Moon, Unmanned Spaceflight
Tagged Asteroid, Manned Spaceflight, Mars, Moon, Obama, Politics, Spaceflight, White House
6 Comments
Apollo’s Rotor Reentry Revisited
Regular readers of Vintage Space undoubtedly know that I love landing systems, particularly the creative ideas that were too complicated to gain traction in the 1960s. Among unrealized systems, my favourite has to be the Rogallo wing, the inflatable glider … Continue reading
Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Unmanned Spaceflight
Tagged Apollo, Gemini, NASA, Rogallo, Rotor, Rotor Reentry
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