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ULA to launch Atlas 5 rocket on the company’s 100th national security mission – Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX

ULA to launch Atlas 5 rocket on the company’s 100th national security mission – Spaceflight Now

An Atlas 5 551 rocket stands tall at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) in anticipation of the USSF-51 mission launch. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket is preparing for its swan song when it comes to launching critical missions connected to U.S. national security. The launch provider is prepping to send up a classified payload as part of the United States Space Force-51 (USSF-51) mission, marking the 100th such operation for ULA. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is targeting Tuesday, July 30, during a three-hour window that opens at 6:45 a.m. EDT (1045 UTC). Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning nearly two hours ahead of liftoff. Out of the 99 national security flights so far, UL...

We may finally know what caused the biggest cosmic explosion ever seen

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Science

We may finally know what caused the biggest cosmic explosion ever seen

Huge stars collapsing or colliding create gamma ray burstsNASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ A. Simonnet, Sonoma State University The most powerful explosion astronomers have ever seen contains a mysterious signal thought impossible to exist. That signal gives us our first detailed look inside a gamma ray burst and suggests that they involve the annihilation of matter and antimatter. Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful blasts of radiation in the universe, and are generated in cosmic explosions and collisions. Physicists suspect that the highest energy GRBs come from stars collapsing and forming a black hole. The black hole then produces a jet of material, moving at close to the speed of light, that pierces through the failing star and sends out blasts of radia...

USSF astronaut, team meet launch-supporting service members > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

USSF astronaut, team meet launch-supporting service members > United States Space Force > Article Display

PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- Col. Nick Hague and his crewmates from the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 mission met with Airmen and Guardians at the Sands Space History Center outside of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, July 23. The Crew-9 mission is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station later this year.Hague and the rest of the crew, Cmdr. Zena Cardman, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson and Roscomos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, attended an event at the history center to speak with and give thanks to representatives of military units who make manned spaceflight missions possible.While Crew-9 is a NASA mission, Hague recognized that it would not be possible without the support of...

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NASA

NASA — One Giant Leap for Mankind

Not long after midnight on Dec. 7, 1972, the last crewed mission to the Moon, Apollo 17, lifted off with three astronauts: Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans.Experience the Apollo 17 launch and follow the mission in real time.ALTMeet the CrewLet’s meet the astronauts who made the final Apollo trip to the Moon, including the first scientist-astronaut.Gene Cernan: In 1972, Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene A. Cernan had two space flights under his belt, Gemini 9 in June 1966, and Apollo 10 in May 1969. He was a naval aviator, electrical and aeronautical engineer and fighter pilot.Ron Evans: Apollo 17 Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans was selected as a member of the 4th group of NASA astronauts in 1966. Like Cernan, he was an electrical and aeronautical engineer, and naval ...

DAF senior leaders reinforce importance of allies, partners > United States Space Force > Article Display

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Space Force

DAF senior leaders reinforce importance of allies, partners > United States Space Force > Article Display

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Department of the Air Force leaders reinforced the importance of allies and partners during their recent trip to the United Kingdom July 17-23.Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin reemphasized the importance of interoperability in the air and space domains during engagements at the Global Air and Space Chiefs' Conference, Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough International Air Show.Throughout the trip, Kendall, Saltzman and Allvin participated in more than a dozen bilateral and multilateral engagements to deepen and expand relationships with allies and partners from Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.“Integrat...