NASA

One hundred and seventeen years ago the Wright Brothers successfully conducted the first powered flight on Earth. Today, NASA reported its solar-powered Ingenuity helicopter, part of its Mars Perseverance rover that arrived on the planet in February, successfully lifted off from the red planet at 3:34 a.m. EST, marking it, “the first aircraft in history […]

One sol equals one solar day on Mars—and that’s about 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds in Earth time. April 4 was officially “Sol 43” since NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on the fourth planet from the sun—and on that day, the drone rotorcraft Ingenuity separated from its mother ship, making the small leap to […]

During a year marked by lives turned upside down, collaboration saw us through to 2021. Efforts began long before 2020 in order to achieve the goals met by the team that we highlight in our Editors’ Choice Awards this year. To manage workload and increase safety, to return a US crew to space, and to […]

Each year, the National Aeronautic Association selects a list of innovative developments or products to compete for the coveted Collier Trophy. The list for 2020 represents a very diverse group of projects: a general aviation avionics product, travel initiatives, space developments, a green fuel, drones and a helicopter. Here is the list of nominees and […]

I have to confess that I have a very love-hate relationship with the state of Florida. On one hand, this upper-Midwestern country boy has come to crave white sand, salt water and warm winter sunshine, all of which Florida is blessed with in great abundance. On the other hand, I am decidedly not a fan […]

Most US pilots probably don’t know that an FAA license is required to conduct any kind of commercial space launch or reentry within the United States. Last year, the agency office that issues these permits said it was busier than ever, with 41 commercial space operations launches and reentries. One launch in May, a SpaceX […]

The crewed SpaceX Dragon module positioned atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, successfully launched on May 30, at 3:22 pm EDT. The crew, NASA veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, completed docking with the International Space Station on May 31 at 10:29 am EDT and […]

The SpaceX launch of the crewed Dragon module atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 27, was scrubbed 17 minutes before ignition/light off because of severe weather in the area. The next window for the historic mission will be Saturday, May 30, at 3:22 pm EDT. Another window takes place the […]

There are quite a few people who think actor Tom Cruise was rather far out with some of his films. This news from NASA then won’t sound all that surprising—the actor is headed to space to shoot an action film aboard the International Space Station. This would be the first time ever that a film […]

The prospect of piloting a spacecraft through the edge of the atmosphere holds a sense of wonder for many with a passion for aviation. We now have the ability to come closer to a planned mission than ever: NASA has set the date for the historic launch of the crewed SpaceX mission utilizing the Dragon […]