Home

On:

The X-37B, the U.S. Air Force’s secret robotic space plane, has now been in orbit for almost 500 days, a record-breaking time period for space endurance. The latest version of the relatively tiny spacecraft, which is just one quarter of the size of the space shuttles, was launched in December 2012 on a top-secret mission.

The X-37B has a payload bay approximately the size of a pickup truck bed, and it is thought to be carrying highly sensitive cargo. It began its life as a NASA project to build a small, unmanned space plane, then the project was passed over to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 2004. A lack of funds prompted a further handover to the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, which is continuing to manage the X-37B program.
read more

On:

The concept has provided ample inspiration for scientists, science-fiction writers, poets and musicians, but the possibility of "Life on Mars" may soon become a reality because the first manned mission from Earth to the Red Planet is allegedly just a few short years away. Mars One is a Dutch non-profit foundation assembled with the sole purpose of sending the first human visitors to Martian soil.

In April 2013, it announced its aspirations to establish the first human colony on the Red Planet by 2025. Its team comprises an impressive array of scientists, academics, and business leaders who are all combining their skills to make their vision into a reality.
read more

On:

The ISS was launched in 1998, and now it’s getting old and rusty and needs renovation. An addition will be added with a BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module), which is a kind of balloon that is carried up to space flat and blown up after it arrives. Robert Bigelow is the man behind the famous NIDS ranch (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show).

Once we can spend more time in space, who knows what we’ll discover?
read more

On:

Due to poor communications between U.S. and Russian astronauts, the International Space Station is a disaster waiting to happen, according to an ex-safety official at NASA. There have been three incidents so far that could have led to serious problems, all caused by miscommunication between U.S. and Russian engineers who are working in the station together.
read more