Riding a bike without a helmet or other protective gear is already a risky idea. But climbing aboard a custom-built bike packed with 1,000 rockets while you’re protected by nothing but a fireproof slab of foam strapped to your back is risk on a whole other level—even if you’re a semi-pro mad scientist like Colin Furze.
The dog days of summer are here, so shouldn’t astronauts hurtling through space get to enjoy some Earthly delights? Today, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch some experiments—and lots of ice cream—up to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Honestly, the flavor selection is not too shabby.
The rollout for SpaceX’s most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy, has been handled with a nearly concerning level of nonchalantness. On July 27th, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that its maiden voyage will be sometime this November. Now, the SpaceX founder and self-proclaimed Boring Person has released an animation…
Commercial space tourism company Blue Origin, and its overlord Jeff Bezos, have been pretty quiet over the last few months. But last week, the Amazon founder made his first Instagram post, which appears to show the billionaire stranded on the roof of his own rocket facility in Florida. Because he is Fun. Haha.
Over the last few months, SpaceX has out-SpaceX-ed itself in the best way possible: it’s launched an already used rocket into orbit (and landed it), ferried up a spy satellite, and even flown a recycled Dragon spacecraft. But this weekend, the aerospace company will tackle a new challenge: two launches within 48…
Hutchinson, Kansas isn’t the kind of place you’d wind up if you weren’t looking to. The placid prairie town sits a solid hour’s drive south of I-70, the interstate that most travelers use to blow across 425 miles of Kansas cornfield and cattle pasture as quickly as possible. But as soon as I entered the silver-roofed…
A large grass fire triggered by a Russian rocket launch on Wednesday has killed one Kazakh man and hospitalized another. According to the AFP, pieces of the rocket fell to Earth after it launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome—the site where Sputnik 1 took off in 1957. Incredibly, the debris set off a fire that spread…
Over the last several months, SpaceX has been seriously diversifying its clientele: in May, it flew a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). On Tuesday, the U.S. Air Force announced that in August, it’ll be launching a reusable X-37B mini-space shuttle on board a Falcon 9 rocket. While some of the…
SpaceX is gearing up to get its proverbial ass to Mars. For the first time tonight, the aerospace company will launch an already-used Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying 6,000 lbs (2,721 kilograms) of supplies and science experiments. The spacecraft will lift off from Launch Complex…
While rocket launches aren’t typically thought of as “cute,” watching the maiden voyage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is the closest we’ll get to seeing the Brave Little Toaster go to space. Today, the 56-foot (17 meter) carbon fiber rocket blasted off from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula and made it to the edge of…
The typical SpaceX payload might include a communications satellite, some ISS supplies, even the occasional spy network. But later this year, the aerospace company will embark on something quite a bit more endearing: a Falcon 9 rocket will carry the cremated remains of beloved family members into space.
After a streak of successful launches, SpaceX is looking damn spiffy. While the best part of watching a SpaceX launch is arguably the last leg of the trip, when the Falcon 9 first stage attempts to land softly back on Earth, tonight, SpaceX will be doing something a little more complicated than its typical launch…
To this day, the Saturn V remains the largest and most powerful rocket NASA has ever blasted into space, which is perfectly reflected in Lego’s new Apollo Saturn V model. That model stands a full meter (over 39 inches) in height, with the Apollo lunar lander, lunar orbiter, and astronauts, hidden away inside.
Despite only giving you about a second of excitement at launch, model rockets are still a fun way for us (non-billionaires) to live out our dreams of space travel. But have you ever wondered what’s happening inside a model rocket engine while you’re standing a safe distance away from ignition?
Watching a rocket launch is the most wholesome and exciting activity besides going on a rollercoaster or eating large quantities of cheese. Today, at around 11:11 am EDT, NASA, in coordination with United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Orbital ATK, will take things to the next level—the agency will be broadcasting the …
On March 30th, SpaceX made history when it became the first to launch and land a refurbished rocket into orbital space. Seriously, it was fucking awesome. But Elon Musk and co. aren’t stopping there. According to Musk’s Twitter, SpaceX aims to launch a reused upper stage by late next next year in order “to get to…
Sixty million dollars. That’s roughly how much it costs to send a payload to orbit on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. It’s actually a bargain for space, but it’s far more than University of Central Florida physicist Julie Brisset, who seeks to study the early stages of planet formation in microgravity, can afford. She’s one…
As fun as building your own six-foot model rocket might be, launching it is no where near as impressive as watching one of NASA’s towering rockets blast into orbit—unless you point a high-speed camera at it. At 28,000 frames per second, a wonderful pyrotechnics show is revealed as it leaves the launch pad.
Before actually using them on what will be the world’s most powerful rocket, NASA has been thoroughly testing its new RS-25 engines. With 512,000 pounds of thrust, however, the best way to experience all of that power is through this 360-degree video that safely puts you right in the path of the immense blast.
Hey guys, we know that SpaceX is doing some pretty big things right now, like trying to shuttle passengers around the moon, and sending deadly pathogens into space, but Blue Origin is still cool, okay?? As it reminded us this week, the company has built some pretty big engines for its upcoming New Glenn rocket, which…
