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SpaceX Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing vehicle goes for a little hop

SpaceX Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing vehicle goes for a little hop SpaceX's Falcon rocket has proven that it can fly, and now the private space transport company's Grasshopper is proving that it can hop. The vertical takeoff and landing test vehicle is part of a reusable first stage for Falcon 9 that's being developed by SpaceX to cut down on the cost of missions to space. On Friday, the Grasshopper took its first tiny test flight.

SpaceX Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing vehicle goes for a little hop

While it's a bit hard to see with all the smoke and debris from the blast in the way, the below video from SpaceX shows the Grasshopper, which consists of a Falcon 9 rocket, a Merlin-1D engine, four steel landing legs, and a steel support structure, taking a 6-foot high hop.

SpaceX says the next goal for the Grasshopper is to be able to hover at roughly 100 feet sometime in the next several months.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is planning a launch on October 5 for the first contracted cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station.

Watch in the video just before the the blast of smoke covers the camera for the Grasshopper leaping upward:

Source: SpaceX

Prototype explosives-detecting boarding gate keeps passengers moving

Prototype explosives-detecting boarding gate keeps passengers moving With pat downs, metal detectors, X-ray machines, and “puffer machines,” catching a plane can see you and your belongings scanned and probed more thoroughly than a trip to the doctor. Yet another explosives-detecting device may soon be added to the airport screening arsenal. However, because the explosives-detecting equipment is integrated into a boarding gate, the developers claim it won’t disrupt the flow of passengers boarding a plane.

Prototype explosives-detecting boarding gate keeps passengers moving

Developed by Hitachi, in collaboration with Nippon Signal and the University of Yamanashi, the prototype boarding gate collects minute particles that have affixed themselves to integrated circuit (IC) cards or mobile devices used as boarding passes. Hitachi says high sensitivity mass spectrometry technology integrated into the gate can detect the presence of explosive compounds within one to two seconds, enabling it to inspect 1,200 passengers an hour.

This is much faster than puffer machines, (aka explosives trace-detection portal machines), that analyze puffed air samples to detect trace amounts of explosives and illegal drugs. According to a 2005 New York Times article, puffer machines are capable of screening up to 180 passengers an hour.

While the prototype boarding gate was developed with airport scanning in mind, Hitachi says the equipment can easily be adapted to other public spaces, such as train stations, stadiums and event halls.

The prototype boarding gate will be displayed at the Special Equipment Exhibition & Conference for Anti-Terrorism (SEECAT 12), which runs from October 17 to 19 in Tokyo, where it will be operating continuously as part of a pilot test. Additional pilot testing is planned for public transport facilities in the next financial year.

Prototype explosives-detecting boarding gate keeps passengers moving

NASA building world's largest solid-fuel rocket

NASA building world's largest solid-fuel rocket When NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) enters service in 2017, it will replace the historic Saturn V as the largest, most powerful space launch vehicle ever flown. To lift its initial 70-metric ton (77 ton) payload into orbit, the SLS will rely on additional boost from a pair of the largest solid rocket motors ever to be built for flight. The first of these boosters is being assembled for NASA in Brigham City, Utah by ATK Space Systems using new manufacturing methods intended to make these behemoths safer and less expensive.

NASA building world's largest solid-fuel rocket

NASA building world's largest solid-fuel rocket

NASA building world's largest solid-fuel rocket

SLS solid rocket booster segment being moved (Image: ATK)
    SLS solid rocket booster segment being moved (Image: ATK)
    Artist's concept of the SLS on the launch pad (Image: NASA)
    Artist's concept of the SLS on the launch pad (Image: NASA)
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When the SLS enters service in 2017, it will have ten percent more thrust than the Saturn V rocket at liftoff and is intended to launch the Orion manned spacecraft and for lifting large payloads for deep space missions such as a possible space outpost orbiting beyond the Moon. In addition to the four RS-25 former space shuttle main engines that will power the first stage, the SLS will also use two advanced solid rocket boosters.
Cargo configuration of the SLS (Image: NASA)

These boosters are derived from the Space Shuttle boosters, though they are larger and of an improved design. Where the Shuttle boosters were made in four segments, the SLS boosters are made in five. These segments contain the fuel, which is composed of ammonium perchlorate, powdered aluminum, iron oxide, a polymer (such as Polybutadiene acrylonitrile (PBAN) or hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB)) and an epoxy curing agent. Like the Shuttle’s, the SLS boosters are reusable, though they are much more powerful. Where a shuttle booster put out 2.8 million pounds of thrust (12,000 kN), and SLS booster reaches 3.6 million pounds (16,000 kN).

The engine currently being assembled by ATK is called Qualification Motor-1. It’s not intended for flight, but rather as a test rocket to evaluate design and construction, with the first test firing scheduled for the spring of 2013. In manufacturing the booster, ATK cut costs by 46 percent by streamlining the assembly process and replacing x-ray inspections with an ultrasonic examination of the booster's nozzle. This allowed the tests to take place on the factory floor rather than moving the nozzle to a special location.
Possible SLS missions (Image: NASA)

The basic idea was to provide a more hands-on approach toward assembly and inspection to keep an eye out for any flaws and to move the booster as little as possible during assembly. In one case, part of the assembly process that required 47 moves now only required seven. This greatly reduces the chances that the booster might be damaged during assembly.

This effort to avoid damaging the booster is more than just a cost-cutting exercise. It’s also a way of improving the safety of the booster. The solid rocket motor puts out extreme heat and pressure that must be kept contained and controlled. It was the failure of a simple rubber o-ring that turned one of the Challenger’s boosters from a rocket into a blowtorch that destroyed the spacecraft. In order to keep the SLS from going from the biggest rocket to a very big bomb requires a lot of care and a lot of attention to detail.

Source: NASA

Global Hawk UAVs fly in close formation as part of aerial refueling program

Global Hawk UAVs fly in close formation as part of aerial refueling program Two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft have flown in close formation at distances as close as 30 feet (9 m) for the first time. The series of flights took place between January 11 and May 30 this year and marked a major milestone on the way to demonstrating the first autonomous aerial refueling between two unmanned, high-altitude aircraft as part of DARPA’s Autonomous High-Altitude Refueling (AHR) program.

Global Hawk UAVs fly in close formation as part of aerial refueling program

Global Hawk UAVs fly in close formation as part of aerial refueling program

Global Hawk UAVs fly in close formation as part of aerial refueling program

The flights were conducted by a team from Northrop Grumman, DARPA and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and involved two modified NASA Global Hawk UAVs. The trailing aircraft was configured as a tanker aircraft, while the lead aircraft was configured as a receiver and extended and retracted its aerial refueling hose several times during the flights. Fuel systems were also fully integrated into the UAVs and ground tested.

During the ninth and final test flight lasting over 2.5 hours, the two aircraft rendezvoused at 44,800 feet and spent the majority of the time flying autonomously within one wingspan (100 ft/30 m) of each other. This was designed to demonstrate that High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft can safely and autonomously operate under the conditions of in-flight refueling.
The two NASA Global Hawk UAVs flying in formation as part of DARPA's Autonomous High-Altit...

DARPA says that analysis of the flight data carried out over the last few months indicates that 60 percent of refueling attempts would achieve positive contact. This surpasses the initial expectations of 17 percent (or one in six attempts) held at the start of the program.

The US$33 million AHR program is a follow-on to the 2006 DARPA Autonomous Aerial Refueling Demonstration (AARD) that saw a specially configured NASA F/A-18 serving as a surrogate unmanned aircraft to autonomously refuel via a probe and drogue from a 707 tanker.

The aim of the AHR program is to bring the same aerial refueling capabilities enjoyed by current manned military aircraft to UAVs and extend the flight endurance of the Global Hawk to up to a week.

As part of an effort to extend the endurance of future carrier-based unmanned systems, Northrop Grumman is also developing autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) technology that is scheduled to be demonstrated in 2014 using the U.S. Navy’s X-47B unmanned demonstrator aircraft.

Video of the two Global Hawk UAVs flying in close formation appears below.

Source: Northrop Grumman, DARPA

Researchers plan to use one-of-a-kind airship to search for Bigfoot

Researchers plan to use one-of-a-kind airship to search for Bigfoot Fifteen years ago, Utah-based prospector William A. Barnes was on a solo gold-dredging expedition in the wilds of Northern California. One night, he heard something disturbing the rocks in the canyon above his campsite. He proceeded to watch as that indistinct “something” came trudging downhill, until it stood only about three feet (0.9 meters) from his tent. At that point, upon seeing its size, shape, and profile against the brightly-moonlit quartz hillside, he became a firm believer in the legendary creature commonly referred to as Bigfoot or Sasquatch. In the years since, he has become obsessed with researching the animals. Now, as the founder of The Falcon Project, he hopes to prove their existence once and for all – with the help of a state-of-the-art remote-control camera-equipped airship.

Researchers plan to use one-of-a-kind airship to search for Bigfoot

Researchers plan to use one-of-a-kind airship to search for Bigfoot

Researchers plan to use one-of-a-kind airship to search for Bigfoot

William A. Barnes, founder of The Falcon Project

Idaho State University anthropologist Dr. Jeff Meldrum, with the cast of a footprint attri...

Casts of what could be Bigfoot footprints (Image: Dr. Jeff Meldrum)

So, why an airship? Unlike ground-based human explorers, it will be able to travel quickly and quietly over any terrain, it will have a high vantage point, and it will be able to see down between the trees. It also won’t need to stop and catch its breath or rest its feet.

The 45-foot (13.7-meter)-long Aurora airship will be the first one of its kind, designed and built by Canadian remote-control airship company RATS (Remote Aerial Tripod Specialists) Inc. It will consist of tandem side-by-side helium-filled envelopes, joined by a gyro-stabilized carbon fiber camera platform. That catamaran-like design will help keep it from rolling from side to side, which can be a problem with traditional single-envelope airships.

It will additionally feature a proprietary propulsion system, in which air will be drawn in and vectored through four ducts. This will allow for vertical take-off and landing capabilities, hovering on the spot, and more energy-efficient operation than traditional propellor-based systems.

Casts of what could be Bigfoot footprints (Image: Dr. Jeff Meldrum)

The Aurora will reportedly have a top air speed of 45 mph (72 km/h), and will be able to remain aloft for approximately three to four hours at a time. It will be remotely-piloted by Barnes and his team from a command center in a customized motorhome, and will be switched over to autopilot once it has reached altitude. Once switched over, it will be able to autonomously perform an aerial grid search, over an area within line-of-sight of the motorhome’s mast – Barnes estimates that its range could extend up to five miles (eight km) in any direction from the command center.

Mounted on the airship will be a gyro-stabilized thermal imaging/infrared/HD video camera, which is being built specifically for the project. The aircraft will also be equipped with carbon dioxide-recognition equipment, to detect the exhalations of animals in the forests beneath it. Barnes hopes to become familiar with the CO2 signatures of common creatures such as bears, so that he won’t get unnecessarily excited by every reading he gets. When something unusual shows up, however, the team will use to the camera’s powerful zoom lens to get a better look at it, while recording the images.

The ground crew will also be playing back and recording infrasound, as some people have theorized that Bigfoots use it to communicate with one another.

William A. Barnes, founder of The Falcon Project

Barnes told Gizmag that it should take less than an hour to assemble the airship every evening, after which it will embark on several flights each night. Its camera output will be streamed live on the internet, although there will be a “kill switch” in the command center – should a Bigfoot be spotted, viewers will only see the first few seconds, with the rest of the footage being saved for a planned educational documentary for the public. He hopes to record at least 45 minutes of smooth, clear Bigfoot footage (or perhaps “Bigfootage”?) for use in that film, half of the proceeds of which will go towards educating the public in wilderness conservation.

RATS, Inc. president Stephen Barkley said that he has hopes for the airship to be ready by early next spring (Northern Hemisphere). Once it is ready, Barnes plans on spending up to one year on the road, visiting Bigfoot-sighting hotspots in a total of 12 states.

Principal investigator on the project will be anthropologist Dr. Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University, who has been an active Bigfoot researcher for the past 17 years. "The prospect of compelling DNA evidence for a relict North American primate looms on the horizon and may indicate that a corner is about to be turned," Meldrum told us. "[However] DNA sequence data can only tell us so much about sasquatch. What follows will be the challenge of studying a rare, reclusive, solitary, nocturnal primate species in the field. Aerial reconnaissance combined with thermal imaging, widely employed in wildlife studies, is a logical approach to meeting this challenge. The Falcon Project offers the advantage of the stealth and maneuverability capabilities of an unmanned helium-filled airship, over helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. This is especially true in rugged remote forested terrain."

Idaho State University anthropologist Dr. Jeff Meldrum, with the cast of a footprint attri...

Idaho State University anthropologist Dr. Jeff Meldrum, with the cast of a footprint attributed to you-know-who

Not only will his involvement help lend the venture some mainstream credibility, but it will also allow Barnes to take the airship higher – as a civilian pilot he would be limited to an altitude of no more than 400 feet (122 meters), but as a member of a scientific expedition associated with a university, he can take it up to 7,500 feet (2,286 meters) or more.

The Falcon Project has been in the works for nearly three years, although the university’s involvement has helped make the actual expedition a lot more likely to happen. Barnes and his team are now seeking private funding or corporate sponsorship, although members of the public are also welcome to provide tax-deductible funding via the project’s website.

“We’re all about educating people on these creatures,” he told us. “Our goal is protection for them.”

Barnes, incidentally, doesn’t like to use the terms “Bigfoot” or “Sasquatch,” as he feels that they have become too closely associated with hoaxes and sensationalism. Instead, he prefers to call them “North American apes” or “hominoids.” Whatever you call them, and whether or not they actually exist, we definitely wish him luck in his endeavor.

Felix Baumgartner breaks record for high-altitude skydiving

Felix Baumgartner breaks record for high-altitude skydiving "Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are" – Felix Baumgartner, standing outside his capsule at an altitude of 24 miles (39 km) on October 14, 2012.

Felix Baumgartner breaks record for high-altitude skydiving

Felix Baumgartner breaks record for high-altitude skydiving

Felix Baumgartner breaks record for high-altitude skydiving

Well, Felix has gone and done it. Today over the arid countryside near Roswell, New Mexico, the Austrian daredevil successfully accomplished a feat that has been in the works since 2003 – he broke the record for the world’s highest parachute jump, dropping from an unofficial altitude of 128,100 feet (39,045 meters) – about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) higher than expected. In the process, he also became the first skydiver to exceed the speed of sound by reaching an estimated speed of 833.9 mph (1342.8 km/h) while in freefall. That's Mach 1.24 – the first supersonic skydive.

Liftoff of the Red Bull Stratos balloon and capsule (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

Felix Baumgartner takes the biggest step of his life (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

Felix Baumgartner greets the ground following a perfect landing (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

Liftoff of the Red Bull Stratos capsule on its way to a record-shattering altitude (Photo:...

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Today’s Red Bull Stratos jump was originally supposed to take place last Monday and then on Tuesday, but was cancelled both times due to inclement weather. The jump was ultimately rescheduled to today, with the actual launch taking place at 9:31 am MDT (3:31 UTC). The ascent took about two and a half hours.

Baumgartner settling into the Red Bull Stratos capsule (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

Early this morning, Baumgartner climbed into a custom-built fiberglass pressurized capsule, that provided him with oxygen and protection against the cold of the upper atmosphere. Additionally, because it was pressurized to the equivalent of 16,000 feet (4,877 meters) above sea level, it helped protect him from experiencing decompression sickness during his ascent. Although damaged upon landing during the second of two lower-altitude test jumps in July, the capsule was subsequently repaired.

The Stratos capsule just after launch, beginning its journey to an altitude of nearly 25 m...

The Stratos capsule just after launch, beginning its journey to an altitude of nearly 25 miles (40 km) (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

The capsule was attached to a 55-story-tall high-altitude helium-filled polyethylene balloon, with a capacity of almost 30 million cubic feet (849,505 cubic meters). Despite its enormous size, however, the thickness of the balloon’s plastic skin was only .0008 inches (.02 mm) – about 40 percent of the thickness of a Ziploc bag, and equal to three red blood cells placed edge to edge. The balloon used for Tuesday's attempted launch touched the ground during a gust of wind and was destroyed. Fortunately, the Stratos team had an extra balloon and enough helium for another attempt.

Telephoto image of the Red Bull Stratos balloon and capsule as it passes an altitude of 20...

Telephoto image of the Red Bull Stratos balloon and capsule as it passes an altitude of 20 miles (32.5 km)

That balloon proceeded to pull the capsule (and Baumgartner) up to the planned altitude, over the course of about two and a half hours. After he carried out the pre-jump checklist (including such items as insuring his emergency knife was secure), Felix stood on the outer step of the capsule for a moment, and then stepped off. Watching the live feed, it was remarkable to see the high speeds he almost immediately attained in the relative absence of air resistance.

Baumgartner about a second after jumping from the Stratos capsule (Photo: Red Bull Stratos...

Baumgartner about a second after jumping from the Stratos capsule (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

Shortly after jumping, Felix found himself in a flat spin, a dangerous condition which often requires deploying a drogue parachute to regain control, which would likely have prevented his reaching supersonic speeds. Fortunately, he managed to stop the spin quickly, and retained control for the remainder of the jump. He experienced some fogging and icing of his faceplate during the jump, but this posed little danger to the endeavor.

Felix Baumgartner glides back to Earth following a nearly flawless jump from an altitude o...

Felix Baumgartner glides back to Earth following a nearly flawless jump from an altitude of over 24 miles (39 km) (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

After a bit more than 30 seconds of freefall, Baumgartner accelerated to his maximum velocity, which preliminary mission data set at 833.9 mph (1,342.8 km/h), or Mach 1.24. Given his altitude at this time, his speed corresponded to Mach 1.24 – a clearly supersonic velocity. Felix was in freefall for four minutes and twenty seconds, representing a record duration for jumps not using a drogue parachute to stabilize and slow the fall. After deploying his parachute at about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters), he landed on his feet outside Roswell, then went down on his knees to greet the ground.

Felix Baumgartner greets the ground following a perfect landing (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)

Baumgartner, together with the Stratos team, broke four records today having to do with ballooning and parachuting.

Highest manned balloon flight – 128,100 ft (39,045 m)

Highest parachute jump – 128,100 ft (39,045 m)

Greatest freefall distance – 119,846 ft (36,529 m)

Fastest mechanically unaided speed – 833.9 mph (1342.8 km/h)

Previously, the highest manned balloon flight was 113,740 ft (34,668 m); the highest parachute jump was 102,000 ft (31,090 m); the fastest speed was 614 mph (988 kph).

Baumgartner was also aiming to claim the longest duration freefall, but his 4 minutes, 20 seconds freefall fell 16 seconds short of the 4 minutes, 36 second record set by U.S. Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger in 1960. The now 84-year-old Kittinger was at Mission Control and in contact with Baumgartner before his jump.

Retired US Air Force Major General Chuck Yeager together with 'Glamorous Glennis,' the Bel...

Retired US Air Force Major General Chuck Yeager together with "Glamorous Glennis," the Bell X-1 in which he became the first man to break the sound barrier on this day 65 years ago (Photo: NACA)

As an interesting aside, it was 65 years ago today when Air Force Major General Chuck Yeager became the first man ever to break the sound barrier. Flying the Bell X-1 rocket plane with a set of broken ribs he got the evening before while riding a horse, he had to close the canopy of the X-1 using a broom handle. They approached matters differently back in the day.

Throughout the project, Baumgartner has maintained that it was more than just a stunt – he hopes that data obtained from the jump could be put towards developing systems that would allow astronauts to escape from malfunctioning spacecraft after launch. Such information might have helped save the crews of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, and will certainly be needed as commercial space flight makes its entrance.

Neither records nor science nor applications, however, affect the real impact of today's feat – a brave man testing himself and his technology against Nature. Many people will stand a little taller today as we contemplate the return to Roswell of a humanoid from the edge of space.

Update: a highlights video of Baumgartner's historic jump can be seen below.

Update 2: Baumgartner can lay claim to yet another record with Google confirming that a record number of more than eight million concurrent viewers watched his jump on Youtube.

Source: Red Bull Stratos

Felix Baumgartner breaks record for high-altitude skydiving

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight The efforts of Maryland University's Gamera II team in snaring the US$250,000 Sikorsky Prize for human-powered helicopter flight have garnered much attention (not least from Gizmag) in recent months, and with good reason. But the team is by no means alone in chasing down its sadistic requirements set by the American Helicopter Society in 1980. First tested in August, The Atlas helicopter, by human-powered vehicle specialists AeroVelo, is the latest machine to enter the fray, and has already flown successfully, becoming only the fourth human-powered helicopter to do so.

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

AeroVelo's Atlas joins Sikorsky race for human-powered helicopter flight

The team is forced to disassembled the aircraft at the end of every day to free up the ind...
    Work is carried out in the indoor soccer pitch where test flights are carried out
    On August 28, 2012, Atlas took flight for the first time (for a total of 'about 4 seconds'...
    Team Atlas makes running repairs
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In fact it was the very same day, August 28, 2012, that Gamera II broke through the crucial 60-second barrier stipulated by the prize (though flights must also achieve an altitude of 3 meters (9.8 ft) while remaining inside a 10-meter (32.8-ft) square) that Atlas took flight for the first time, for a total of "about 4 seconds."

That may be 61 seconds shy of the current benchmark, but AeroVelo, which began life as the University of Toronto's Human-Powered Vehicle Design Team in 2006, is no slouch when it comes to human-powered vehicles. The team not only broke the college land speed record in 2011 with its Vortex streamlined bicycle (achieving a speed of 72.6 mph/116.9 km/h), but has also seen successful forays into human-powered flight with what it claims is the first working human-powered ornithopter. AeroVelo has reason for optimism, then.

Fundamentally, Atlas is designed upon a very similar principle to Gamera II and its predecessor. They all consist of four twin-blade rotors connected to a lightweight frame, surrounding the pilot who is suspended on a bicycle-like mechanism that powers the vehicle from its center.

The team went through a taxing period of testing between August 21, when Atlas was assembled in its entirety for the first time, and September 4. The testing period was not without teething trouble and hiccups, including a crash on August 29 that damaged the aircraft. The team also realized that the rotor blades had very limited freedom of movement before bracing lines would be clipped, leading to many test flights being aborted at an early stage. The time made design changes to give the rotors more breathing space, while limiting their vertical movement.

It would seem foolish to bet against Gamera II just yet. NPR reports that AeroVelo's Atlas team is a mere eight strong, and has the added frustration of having to disassemble and reassemble the Atlas during every day of testing, due to the limited availability of the indoor soccer field used for test flights. Having said that, human-powered flight is still anything but predictable. We watch with interest.

You can see a video of the first flight of the Atlas below.

Source: AeroVelo, American Helicopter Society, via NPR