spacecraft

An Old Abstract Field of Math Is Unlocking the Deep Complexity of Spacecraft Orbits

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An Old Abstract Field of Math Is Unlocking the Deep Complexity of Spacecraft Orbits

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In October, a Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. The $5 billion mission is designed to find out if Europa, Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, can support life. But because Europa is constantly bombarded by intense … Read more

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week

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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week

Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule, which has been and cost overruns amounting to roughly $1.5 billion, is about to take its first flight with humans on board. Boeing was chosen 10 years ago alongside SpaceX to develop a spacecraft that could ferry astronauts from US soil to the International Space Station (ISS), thus allowing NASA to … Read more