TRACERS satellites launched to study magnetic reconnection effects on Earth.

Exciting work from Georgia Tech, NASA, and UCF on developing graphene-based electrodynamic dust shields to tackle one of lunar exploration’s biggest challenges, dust. Their experiments showed optimized coatings that balance safety, efficiency, and long-term stability for future Moon missions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ejDfMQRD

Tech in history by Roberto Capodieci Mars Climate Orbiter's Fiery Flop: Units Mix-Up Dooms Probe The Mars Climate Orbiter, launched in 1998 to study Martian weather, met its end on September 23, 1999, when it entered Mars's atmosphere too low and disintegrated. The root cause: thrust data in pounds-force seconds from Lockheed, unconverted to newton-seconds for NASA. This error stemmed from NASA's cost-cutting "faster, better, cheaper" initiative, pressuring teams and skimping on reviews, weaving in tech-politics of budget constraints. Investigations revealed overworked navigation teams and inadequate software testing, prompting NASA to overhaul processes for future missions like Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Quirky irony: a simple unit conversion flop doomed advanced tech, making nerds cringe yet learn from the $327 million lesson in precision. It underscored international standards' importance, influencing global engineering practices and avoiding similar pitfalls in space exploration. Ever faced a units error? Reply with your story! #TechHistory #Innovation #RetroTech #TechMilestones #TechNews

Southwest Research Institute and University of Texas at San Antonio will lose a combined $265.3 million in NASA contracts, forcing shutdown of space missions already underway. This budget slash would return NASA’s spending to lowest levels since 1961, the year it first put an astronaut in space. 62 of the 140 contracts will be killed. Among the $265.3 million in contracts are several high-profile missions already in space: 1. Lucy Mission - $106.4 million 2. Space Weather Coronagraph - $36.5 million 3. Juice Spectrograph - $21.2 million 4. Ground equipment for Near Space Network - $19.7 million 5. MMS Mission - $14.9 million 6. New Horizons Mission - $14.9 million 7. Solar Orbiter Ion Sensor - $8.8 million 8. Punch Mission - $5.2 million 9. Codex Equipment - $5.2 million 10. Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution - $3.8 million And many more missions have funding cuts with high likelihood of stopping most or all operations.

The future is looking bright: NASA’s SunRISE mission is set to launch in summer 2026! 🌞 SunRISE’s six SDL-built satellites will study solar activity to help us understand solar particle storms—a big step in space weather science. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gJe8cM3B Photo credit: SDL/Allison Bills

September 2025 saw thirty-two launches worldwide, sending up hundreds of satellites, while Europe moves ahead with reusability plans, Firefly Aerospace faces a setback, another NASA director leaves, and new findings are made in the solar system A look at September -> https://lnkd.in/eGisWHP6

The Spacecraft Destroyed by Units In 1999, NASA launched the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter. It never arrived. The spacecraft burned up in Mars atmosphere because of a math mistake. One engineering team used metric units (newtons), while another used imperial units (pounds of force). The mismatch went unnoticed. Until it was too late. $125 million lost simply because no one converted units. CMS Takeaway: In math and computing, even the smallest slip can destroy the biggest dreams. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dyU4mfkT

🛰️ NASA Plans to Deorbit ISS in 2030 as Private Stations Rise NASA has announced the International Space Station (ISS) will be decommissioned and deorbited in 2030. The decision is part of a strategy to transition from government-operated space habitats to commercial space stations, allowing private firms to lead the next era of orbital research and infrastructure. 👉 Read more:https://lnkd.in/ddShkbMT #PakistanTechNews #NASA #ISS #SpaceInnovation #CommercialSpace #FutureOfOrbit #SpaceStation #LowEarthOrbit

Before every rocket launch, NASA employs a critical safety measure known as the Sound Suppression System, which involves releasing approximately 450,000 gallons of water in a matter of seconds. This deluge is not for show but serves a vital purpose: to protect the rocket, its payload, and the launch platform from the intense acoustic energy and heat generated during liftoff. When a rocket’s engines ignite, they produce powerful sound waves and extreme temperatures that can reach up to 6,000°F (3,315°C). Without mitigation, these forces could cause significant structural damage, potentially compromising the rocket or even leading to catastrophic failure.

Why would NASA bother dumping nearly half a million gallons of water during a rocket launch only for it to dissipate as steam? The answer lies in the system's name: sound and fire suppression. Fire suppression is easy to understand: The combustion of rocket fuel generates an enormous amount of heat, which can seriously damage the surface of the launchpad. Jets of water create a protective layer of steam between the rocket and the launchpad's surface, mitigating the damage. Sound suppression is something most people don't realize the need for, but the sound waves generated by a rocket launch can do even more damage than the heat. Rockets are really, really loud, reaching 200 decibels, which is significantly higher than the decibel level of a jet plane. Sound waves from recent SpaceX Starship rocket launches have set off car alarms as far as 10 miles away! For NASA, a major concern is that the powerful acoustic energy from a rocket launch could damage delicate equipment onboard the craft, putting billions of dollars and, more importantly, the safety of any crew members at risk. Blasting the launchpad with water effectively creates a cushion to absorb some of that energy, and with it, NASA can knock a launch from 200 dB, all the way down to 142 dB.

Planetary defense depends on flawless engineering. During NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, Vulcan Spring's Hinge Springs helped enabled the continuous power flow needed for communications, operations, and data transmission, right up to the critical moment of impact. By ensuring reliable solar array deployment, our springs assisted in providing the energy that kept the spacecraft on course, supporting a first-of-its-kind mission to deflect an asteroid and protect Earth. Learn more about Vulcan's Hinge Springs here ➡️ https://hubs.ly/Q03LntTk0 #AerospaceEngineering #DefenseTechnology #DARTMission #PlanetaryDefense #EngineeringExcellence #SpringSolutions