February 2022
FPGA computing reaches new heights
... gate array (FPGA) circuits have been used in space applications for many years, including on multiple Mars rover missions. Here, the authors describe the many advantages of FPGAs and some of their applications in the space...
January 2023
Original Sin - Power, Technology and War in Outer Space
... many, ‘space’ conjures majestic images of the planets, stars and nebulae, the Apollo Moon landings, Martian rovers, or guitar-wielding astronauts on the International Space Station. These encapsulate space as a realm where humans work together...
January 2023
Private space stations and NASA’s effort to re-invent itself
... Gateway lunar orbiter, the Human Landing System and for many of the key components from lunar rovers to habitat facilities. The most innovative aspect of NASA’s approach to future exploration and science programmes is to de-orbit the...
February 2023
How to grow plants in a spacecraft
... follow on the heels of multiple robotic spacecraft, the most recent of which was the landing of the Perseverance rover on the red planet in February 2021. For human trips to Mars there are many technological issues to be solved...
17 December 2015
Google Lunar XPRIZE deadline extended until next year
... $5 million dollars for the runner-up. Prizes will be awarded to teams who are able to land a privately funded rover on the moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit back high definition video and images. Several smaller...
23 December 2015
First new 'ground truth' in 40 years as Chinese rover Yuto presents analysis of moon rocks
... less – are made by an alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer and a near-infrared hyperspectral imager aboard the Yutu rover. A mosaic made with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Wide Angle Camera showing Chang’e-3 landing site, indicated...
