Tag: NASA

Gemini Flight Controller Orientation – 1964 NASA Film

Going along with the last articles theme of hypergolic fuels, with a focus on the Gemini spacecraft, we have this 1964 film, from the very early days of Gemini, explaining the propulsion systems and operation of the maneuviring capabilities of the Gemini. Gemini was the first manned spacecraft capable of making major orbital trajectory changes, […]

Toxic Propellant Hazards – 1966 NASA Safety Film About Hypergolic Fuels

It’s well known that I am a massive fan of the Titan missile, and its derived space boosters – the Titan II GLV, the Titan-III and Titan-IV booster families. These launch systems, based upon the Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, used a very special type of fuel and oxidizer type that was storeable at room […]

Atlas V OSIRIS-REx Launch Highlights

An Atlas V rocket carrying the OSIRIS-REx probe successfully launched yesterday, September 8th, sending it’s payload on a course that will eventually, in 2018, bring it to the asteriod Bennu, a rocky body believed to contain large quantities of organic molecules, heavy metals, and other useful materials with a goal of returning a sample of […]

OSIRIS-REx Atlas V Mission Profile

Today, September 8th, 2016, marks the scheduled launch date for one of the newest NASA space probes, OSIRIS-REx. This craft is planned to study the asteroid 101955 Bennu, and eventually return a sample of it for study back on Earth. This is quite the ambitious mission, and follows many successful materials return missions dating back […]

45 Years Ago – The Flight of Apollo 15

It was 45 years ago today that the 4th manned lunar landing took place. Hadley Rille, a geographically intriguing area of the lunar surface, was chosen as the landing site due to the possible volcanic origins of the region, with the rille area itself being likely one of the best areas to gather samples from. […]