Infographic: 50 years of Space Exploration

Infographic: 50 years of Space Exploration
Edudemic, August 2012
http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/50-years-exploration-huge.jpg

An interesting graphic of many different space missions.

MIT’s inflatable antennae could boost small satellite communications

MIT’s inflatable antennae could boost small satellite communications
Network World, 6 September 2013
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/mit%E2%80%99s-inflatable-antennae-could-boost-small-satellite-communications

Researchers at the Massachusetts's Institute of technology say they have developed an inflatable antenna for small satellites known as cubesats that can fold into a compact space and inflate when in orbit.

Rocket Launch Services LLC

Rocket Launch Services LLC
Rocket Launch Services LLC, 3 September 2013
http://rocketlaunchservice.com/

The NE-1 Rocket Launch Service is bringing space within reach of the general public by offering an affordable way for universities, private organizations, and even individual space enthusiasts to send objects into space and back. The low-cost, reusable NE-1 rocket will boost payloads of less than 5kg on a sub-orbital trajectory to an altitude of 120km. Near apogee the payload will experience around 3 minutes of free fall while being exposed to the hard vacuum and radiation above the earth’s atmosphere. Upon re-entering the atmosphere parachutes will deploy and allow for recovery of the payload and rocket.

The Newest Little Idea For Nanosat Micro Rockets

The Newest Little Idea For Nanosat Micro Rockets
Red Orbit, 30 August 2013
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112936028/newest-idea-for-nanosat-micro-rockets-083013/

To get around the problem, King and his team have developed an elegant strategy: eliminate the expensive and tedious microfabrication required to make the needles by letting Mother Nature take care of the assembly. “We’re working with a unique type of liquid called a ferrofluid that naturally forms a stationary pattern of sharp tips in the liquid surface,” he says. “Each tip in this self-assembling structure can spray a jet of fluid just like a micro-needle, so we don’t actually have to make any needles.”

Green fuels blast off

Green fuels blast off
Nature, 28 August 2013
http://www.nature.com/news/green-fuels-blast-off-1.13603

Called LMP-103S, the Swedish fuel is based on ammonium dinitramide, a high-energy salt. It made its debut in 2010 aboard PRISMA, a Swedish satellite meant to demonstrate the fuel in precision flying with small thrusters. For comparison, the mission also carried hydrazine. It took 3 people 7 days to load the green propellant on the launch pad, and 5 people and 14 days to load the hydrazine.