It is estimated that there are about a half a million pieces of space junk orbiting the Earth. This junk includes " spent rocket stages, old satellites, and fragments from disintegration, erosion, and collisions." Space launches have to pass though this layer of junk. Some of the junk is orbiting in the same orbits of satellites and poses a threat of collision.
I write a blog on nuclear issues at www.nucleotidings.com. One of the things I have covered on that blog is research on thermonuclear fusion. There are a number of different companies working on fusion reactors which will produce power by fusing lighter elements into heavier elements.
In my last post, I talked about the failed attempt of SpaceX to land a rocket booster on a barge. The booster actually came down on the barge but it experienced a crash instead of a soft landing. The hydraulic fluid that powered the steering fins ran out before the attempted landing. Today's rockets deliver their package to orbit but then crash down in the ocean.
I have been a fan of science fiction since I was a kid. Books, magazines, movies, television shows, comics, etc. were a refuge from the daily grind. When rocket ships were part of the story, they were usually shown as tall and thin. When they took off and landed, they went straight up or straight down, landing on their tail.
The U.S. is developing a new spacecraft called the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). This spacecraft is intended to carry a crew of as many as four astronauts. It will be able to carry crews to low-earth orbit and beyond. The Orion will allow manned explorations of asteroids and of Mars.
I have posted a series of blogs about the history of India's space program. There have been problems and delays partially due to the limited budget that India can devote to its space program. They have developed much of their own space technology from scratch. They are accomplishing amazing things on a fraction of the budget of other space programs.
One of the most interesting developments in space flight has been the entry of private companies into the game. There are several different companies which have developed their own space craft and are pursuing commercial applications of space flight. Two private companies were recently awarded a contract by NASA to help ferry astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.
On October 23, 2014 China launched a lunar probe called Chang'e 5 T1 on a Long March-3C rocket. The main purpose of the probe (nicknamed Xiaofei) was to test technologies and techniques for high speed reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The findings of these tests will be incorporated into the Chang'e 5 lunar mission to be launched in 2017.
Since the U.S. cancelled the Space Shuttle program in 2011, it has had to rely on foreign governments and private companies to ferry supplies to the International Space Station. One of the company contracted for this job is Orbital Sciences (OS).
The Rosetta probe was launched in 2004 by the European Space Agency to chase and ultimately rendezvous with the Churyumov-Gerasimenko Comet also known as Comet 67P. It completed its mission last week and is in orbit around Comet 67P this week. Upon arriving at Comet 67P, the Rosetta probe launched the Philae Lander for a soft landing on the comet.
