By Heidi Harley

science / science - 6 years ago

Radical experimental plane with no moving parts wows scientists

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers on Wednesday described successful flight tests at an indoor campus gymnasium of the unmanned airplane powered not by engines that burn fossils fuels but by ion wind propulsion, also called electro-aerodynamic thrust. "This is the first time that...

science / science - 6 years ago

20 years in orbit

The International Space Station is marking its 20th anniversary circling Earth, completing 16 orbits of the planet each day. Construction began on Nov. 20, 1998, but perhaps the station’s most remarkable achievements came in November 2000, when the first human crew arrived: a US Navy Seal and two R...

science / science - 6 years ago

SpaceX's crew rocket set for January test flight

The first flight of a SpaceX rocket tailored to fly astronauts to the International Space Station is set for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 7, NASA said on Wednesday. The launch test is a crucial milestone in the space agency's Commercial Crew Program, which aims to launch hum...