May 2020
Developing a commercial market for small sample return
...said they covet as a source of air to breathe and fuel for propulsion. As scientists go to work on their samples, so will engineers, devising ways to extract the resources with better-than-simulated materials - nothing ultimately compares to the real...
August 2020
Interstellar aspirations
... potential for an Isp of several hundred thousand, which just begins to make interstellar missions plausible. The first engineering attempt to build a fusion-propelled rocket, based on Freeman Dyson’s Orion concept, began in the late 1950s. Dr Dyson...
May 2024
Out of this world – NASA’s textile technicians and innovations for space voyages
... products, sleeping bags, and blankets. Details of some innovative textiles and fibres follow. Membrane modules Membrane engineering is an innovative solution needed for deep space exploration. Filtration membranes for air and water purification and...
May 2024
The challenges of satellite communications on the move
... of pointing error can represent a serious challenge to design engineers. With the need for complex beam steering computation across each... 50 years, Roger has design, development and engineering management experience related to many advanced civil and...
October 2024
Cupola views: Karen Nyberg’s space-inspired fabric lines
... great focus - she has three degrees in mechanical engineering and her graduate research investigated the control of thermal ... installing the Japanese laboratory. Then, as a flight engineer for Expedition 36/37 she lived aboard the Station for almost...
October 2025
Satellite technology - from operational challenges to strategic opportunities
..., power supply, sensor payloads and orbital configurations. In this article, the author reviews the applications of these engineering creations and the developments in technology that enable our orbiting infrastructure. Demand for secure, high-speed...
