Aerospace Global News reports that speculation is growing about a possible return to flight for NASA’s SR-71 Blackbird #844, although the agency has not confirmed such a program. The aircraft’s longtime parking spot at Armstrong Flight Research Center is now empty, where its “long, black fuselage” had stood for years as a reminder of an era when flight research routinely ventured beyond Mach 3. The aircraft, which made the Blackbird’s final flight, is now at the center of renewed interest over whether it could fly again.
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Tag: NASA
Crew-13 Astronauts to Advance ISS National Lab Research
Upward reports that astronauts launching on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission will support a variety of ISS National Lab-sponsored research during their six-month stay aboard the space station. The crew will work on projects “spanning biomanufacturing, regenerative medicine, physical sciences, technology development, and student-led experiments.” The research is aimed at advancing biomedical innovation, fundamental science, STEM education, and technologies with potential applications in space and on Earth.
Full Story (Upward)
NASA, for the Time Being, is Unable to Move the Space Station’s Large Robotic Arm
Ars Technica reports that engineers encountered issues with the International Space Station’s 58-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm and its mobile transporter following a routine “walk-off” maneuver. NASA says the arm itself is operating normally, but communication errors with the transporter are being investigated. Ars Technica describes Canadarm2 as “something of a modern engineering miracle,” noting that it has operated aboard the station since 2001.
Full Story (Ars Technica)
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Launches to Explore the Universe’s Biggest Mysteries
Ars Technica reports, “NASA’s $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope” launched Sunday from Kennedy Space Center, beginning a mission to investigate dark energy, exoplanets, and other fundamental mysteries of the universe using its 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument.
Full Story (Ars Technica)
NASA, AeroVironment Move SkyFall Mars Helicopters Toward 2028 Mission
Space News reports, “NASA and AeroVironment are moving ahead with the development of a set of helicopters to be sent to Mars at the end of 2028.”
Full Story (Space News – Subscription Publication)
Video
NASA’s SkyFall Mars Helicopters
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; YouTube
Roman Space Telescope Set for Aug. 30 Launch After 16-Year Journey
Space News reports, “A NASA space telescope that promises to revolutionize cosmology and exoplanet science is ready for launch after a 16-year journey.”
Full Story (Space News)
Hampton Roads Young Professionals Welcome Robotics Expert and Survivor Contestant Christian Hubicki
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Hampton Roads Section Young Professionals Committee hosted FSU/FAMU robotics professor Christian Hubicki for an invited lecture at NASA Langley Research Center. Hubicki, who also was a popular contestant on the television show Survivor in 2018 and 2026, presented “Thriving in the Wild: Adventures in Mobility and Adaptation from Robotics to Survivor.”
How NASA’s X-59 and New FAA Rules Could Return Supersonic Flight Over Land
Aerospace Global News reports Sonic booms kept supersonic flight off land for 50 years. See how NASA’s X-59 shock-wave design and a proposed FAA noise limit are paving the way for a…
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NASA Astronauts Complete Spacewalk to Prepare ISS for New Solar Arrays
BBC News reports Astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir ventured out to install a mounting hardware for the future addition of solar arrays to the space station. “The spacewalk lasted 6.5 hours.”
Full Story (and Video) (BBC News)
Boeing’s Starliner Advances as NASA Weighs Next Flight
Space News reports, “A NASA official says that work with Boeing on the company’s CST-100 Starliner vehicle is making ‘good progress’ but declined to offer a date when the spacecraft could fly again.”
Full Story (Space News)