The first human-made object to go into space was a German V2 missile , launched on a test flight in 1942. Although uncrewed, it reached an altitude of 189km (117 miles).
Former Nazi rocket scientists were later recruited by both America and Russia (often at gunpoint in the latter case), where they were instrumental in developing Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) – rockets capable of carrying nuclear weapons from one side of the planet to the other.
In case you are keeping track:
13 Things Space Tourists Should Know Before Traveling to Space, According to Astronauts | Travel
For the vast majority of human spaceflight history, the only ones lucky enough to reach the stars were professional astronauts hired and trained by government agencies around the world — plus seven intrepid travelers in the early 2000s, each of whom paid millions to spend a few days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
For all the travelers looking to the stars, we’ve spoken with former NASA astronauts Dr. Leroy Chiao and Dr. Scott Parazynski to learn what tips they have for first-time spaceflight participants. As a 15-year NASA veteran, Dr. Chiao participated in four missions — three aboard the space shuttle and one to the ISS, in which he served as commander. Dr. Parazynski served NASA for 17 years, flying five shuttle missions throughout his career.
The future of deep space travel could come down to tiny solar panels
For decades, scientists have aimed to create the perfect solar panel design for the benefit of all of us here on Earth. Now, research suggests that these supercharged panels could also be a boon much further away from home.
In a new study , a team of German scientists strapped four different perovskite and organic solar cells to a rocket and shot it up into low-Earth orbit (LOE) to see how solar panels perform in non-terrestrial conditions. The flight only lasted seven-minutes but the researchers were able to collect some promising indications of how these panels adjusted to the change.
Students grow 'rocket lettuce' from space seeds | Space
While British astronaut Tim Peake was on board at the International Space Station in 2015 and 2016, he supported a project involving a pack of "rocket lettuce" (arugula) seeds, snapping multiple pictures during the seeds' six months in space. Students across the United Kingdom then grew those seeds back on Earth.
During their time on board the space station, the "rocket seeds" endured larger doses of radiation than they would receive on Earth, a fact that would slightly slow their growth after thousands of schoolchildren planted and cared for them back on the planet. The results from this experiment are helping scientists to understand how future astronauts might grow food on the moon and Mars .
Not to change the topic here:
SpaceX return: How Nasa astronauts' splashdown has changed the future of space travel | The
Splashdown and flight before it was test not only of spacecraft but of Nasa's plan for space exploration, too
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It was not only a test of the capsule itself, but of Nasa's overarching Commercial Crew Programme. That has seen it turn to private companies – Elon Musk's SpaceX most famously, but others too – in an attempt to restore its former success in space travel.
In all, the mission marks a historic success: it is the first time that astronauts were sent from US soil since the Space Shuttle programme ended in 2011, and the first successful splashdown in 45 years, since the Apollo programme.
Meet Spaceport City, a Transportation Hub Concept for Space Travel – Robb Report
We may not be ready to shuttle off for regular trips to space just yet, but that’s not stopping one group of designers from imagining our future here on the ground. Newly unveiled plans for a floating space hub show just how spectacular even the earth-bound portion of those starry treks might be.
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Devised by the Space Port Japan Association (SPJ)––in coordination with Dentsu, Canaria and Noiz––the striking digital renderings of Spaceport City imagine a new kind of transportation hub focused on the takeoff and landing of space-bound vessels. But what sets the layout apart is its integration with other forms of transportation more commonly experienced today, from cars to boats.
Is Commercial Space Travel Finally Taking Off? – BRINK – News and Insights on Global Risk
George Whitesides of Virgin Galactic believes that a new wave of human space flight innovation will capture the attention of the international public.
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While Earth-bound citizens grapple with quarantines, a new era of space exploration is blasting off. After years of only gradual expansion, emerging players and new technologies have reignited the space race in the 21st century.
While the Cold War spurred major scientific and commercial achievements, progress tapered off dramatically as government enthusiasm — and funding — for space exploration waned. But dramatic technological advances and lucrative business models changed the conversation, and private companies are making up for lost time. New investments and fresh private-public partnerships mean that booking a berth in space could happen sooner than we think.
A Russian cosmonaut successfully performed tissue engineering in space with a magnetic field |
A cosmonaut has bioengineered human cartilage tissue at the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time, according to a new study. Researchers think their findings have the possibility to improve deep space travel in the future.
In December 2018, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko used a new custom-designed machine (called the "Bioprinter Organ.Aut") that utilized a magnetic field to assemble cartilage cells in space. Kononenko performed the experiment in the Russian segment of the ISS during Expedition 58/59. The researchers who developed this system on Earth published the results of their work on Wednesday (July 15).
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