Category Archives: Space Travel

Mars One Timeline

Posted on April 9, 2016 by lindseynestor

Next year, the astronauts of Mars One are expected to begin their decade-long training before the first set of four astronauts departs for Mars in 2026. I decided to investigate a bit further into the details of the plan outlined for Mars One as a whole between now and then…. 2017: Training begins! Hopefully the […] Continue reading →

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Dyson Spheres on the Horizon?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

We may be getting one step closer to the fabled hallmark of an advanced civilization, the Dyson Sphere. Pioneered by Freeman Dyson in the 1960s, a Dyson Sphere takes the process of energy generation to a level literally out of this world. A Dyson Sphere is a massive assemblage of solar energy collectors placed in […] Continue reading →

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Juno, the Probe to Jupiter

Posted on March 15, 2016 by imanig625

The Juno spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter, getting closer and closer as the years go by. Having left in August of 2011, five years later, Juno is due to arrive in July of this year. It is going to be the first solar-powered spacecraft to reach as far as Jupiter. Its mission is to study the… Continue reading →

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Powering the Mars Rover

Posted on March 15, 2016 by mattsastronomyblog

In order to power the Mars Rover, scientists decided to use a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.  Thermoelectric generators use differences in temperature to generate energy.  The Mars Rover uses plutonium-238, a radioisotope that decays overtime and generates heat.  This heat is used by the thermoelectric to generate energy for the rover.  There are several benefits to […] Continue reading →

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What’s eating at Pluto?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by segalastronomyblog

What’s going on under the surface of pluto? The New Horizons probe passed Pluto just last year, after a nine year journey to the Kuiper Belt. Over the last few months, images from the probe have been being received back here on Earth. These images are the most high quality photos of Pluto we have ever […] Continue reading →

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A Mission to Smell Mars

Posted on March 15, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Exciting news out of the European continent this week, a joint mission to Mars sponsored by Russia and the European Space Agency is successfully underway. Blasting off from its launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 14th, 2016, the first spacecraft in the ExoMars mission began its approximately seven-month trip to Mars’ atmosphere. The main goal […] Continue reading →

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New Destinations for New Horizons

Posted on March 14, 2016 by lindseynestor

The New Horizons space probe was launched in 2006 and just last year gave us the coolest Pluto pictures ever taken on a super cool mission. This probe is still kickin’ it out in the solar system today, and has taken up a new mission: a flyby of 2014 MU69, scheduled for January 1, 2019. 2014 MU69 is an […] Continue reading →

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The Voyager Mission

Posted on March 14, 2016 by clharrell

Launched in 1977, the Voyager 1&2 continue to explore deeper into space than any instrument ever before. Using geometries and precise calculations, the space probes were able to perform flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Titan, Uranus, and Neptune. Upon completion of the primary objectives, they were assigned the new mission of exploring further and further away from […] Continue reading →

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Mars One? More like Mars WHAT

Posted on March 10, 2016 by paxtonastronomy

Mars One is a relatively small organization with a big idea. Based in the Netherlands, Mars One’s mission is to send a group of people from Earth on a one way trip to Mars by 2027. This mission is a nonprofit and led by Bas Lansdorp, who announced this idea in 2012. However, Lansdorp more […] Continue reading →

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Terraforming Mars: Exploring The World Of Cosmic Cosmetics

Posted on March 10, 2016 by andyastronomer

If there is anything we have learned from observing the universe, it’s that Earth is incredibly unique. Of course, we could find out soon enough how utterly ordinary we are should we discover Earth-like planets bearing life beyond our Solar System, but until, we seem to be pretty special. Nasa’s Kepler Mission has discovered tens of […] Continue reading →

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