Astronomy

An analysis of crystals in lava from the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa has revealed an unknown magma reservoir within the volcano, which could extend forecasts of eruptions from minutes to months

An analysis of crystals in lava from the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa has revealed an unknown magma reservoir within the volcano, which could extend forecasts of eruptions from minutes to months

China has unveiled the design of a reusable winged shuttle to take cargo to and from the country's Tiangong space station.

You might have heard about plans to establish a self‑sustaining city on Mars. Here’s what life would really be like on the Red Planet

You might have heard about plans to establish a self‑sustaining city on Mars. Here’s what life would really be like on the Red Planet

Salute the animated sci-fi classic's 25th anniversary with the first-ever visual history of the animated sci-fi series in "The Art of Futurama" from series creator Matt Groening.

An AI-assisted robot can listen to spoken commands and assemble 3D objects such as chairs and tables out of reusable building blocks

An AI-assisted robot can listen to spoken commands and assemble 3D objects such as chairs and tables out of reusable building blocks

SpaceX is preparing for the sixth test flight of Starship, the world's most powerful rocket. Next week's launch – if successful – will be the fastest turnaround yet

SpaceX is preparing for the sixth test flight of Starship, the world's most powerful rocket. Next week's launch – if successful – will be the fastest turnaround yet

Jonny Kim—a former Navy SEAL and emergency medicine resident—is now a NASA astronaut who will soon launch to the International Space Station as flight engineer for the crew of Expedition 72/73

The cryovolcanic "centaur" comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann has erupted four times in less than 48 hours, becoming unusually bright in the process. It is the most powerful outburst from the city-size oddball in more than three years.

The unexpected discovery of a geometric phase shows how math and physics are tightly intertwined

Black hole light echoes are an extreme form of gravitational lensing.

Rarely does something get developed which is a real game changer in space exploration. One example is the Skylon reusable single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane. Powered by the hypersonic SABRE engine it operates like a jet engine at low altitude and more like a conventional rocket at high altitude. Sadly, ‘Reaction Engines’ the company that designs the engines has filed for bankruptcy.

Launching rockets into space is an expensive business and it has often been a significant barrier in space exploration. This is largely because traditional rockets include a significant proportion of expendable elements. A typical launch into low Earth orbit for example can cost anything from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars due to those single use components. Movement has however been seen with reusable rocket technology like the Falcon 9 and Starship rockets which are refurbished and reused for multiple launches. This has helped to drive down the cost of a rocket launch but still about $2,000 per kilogram there is still much to do to drive down the cost of space exploration. 

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends the European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft into space from its Florida launch pad. (Credit: SpaceX)

The idea for a fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceplane is one such development and was the brainchild of Reaction Engines Limited. The Skylon spaceplane was designed to take off and land like a conventional aircraft significantly reducing the launch costs. Instead of relying upon multiple expendable stages during ascent, Skylon’s Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE) combines jet and rocket propulsion technology to reach orbit. Instead of being fuelled by conventional rocket propellant carried aloft, it utilises atmospheric oxygen reducing the need to carry heavy oxygen and therefore drastically improves fuel efficiency. Once at sufficient altitude, the SABRE engine switches to rocket mode and only then starts to use onboard oxygen to reach final orbit. 

An artist’s conception of Reaction Engines’ Skylon spacecraft. Credit: Reaction Engines

Reaction Engines Limited was formed in the UK back in 1989 and focussed its attention on propulsion technology. In particular to address access issues to space and hypersonic flight. The SABRE engine they developed showed successfully that a dual-mode rocket could efficiently transition between high speed flight within the atmosphere to rocket powered flight in space. It relies upon a pre-cooler system that cools incoming air from over 1,000°C to room temperature in fractions of a second to drive high speeds without the engine over heating. 

The company is based in Oxfordshire and has to date, secured significant investments including BAE Systems, Boeing and the European Space Agency. Unfortunately, the company has been struggling to source funding to continue operations so formally entered administration on 31 October 2024. An eight week process is now underway to develop plans to restructure, sell the company or liquidate its assets. Most of its 200 employees have now been laid off. 

Source : Reaction Engines Limited

The post Reaction Engines Goes Into Bankruptcy, Taking the Hypersonic SABRE Engine With it appeared first on Universe Today.

Black Friday is almost upon us, and here are the biggest savings we've found on Lego deals so far.

Video: 00:09:09

On 12 November 2014, after a ten-year journey through the Solar System and over 500 million kilometres from home, Rosetta’s lander Philae made space exploration history by touching down on a comet for the first time. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary feat, we celebrate by taking a look back over the mission's highlights.

Rosetta was an ESA mission with contributions from its Member States and NASA. It studied Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over two years, including delivering lander Philae to the comet’s surface. Philae was provided by a consortium led by DLR, MPS, CNES and ASI.

Read the article Philae’s extraordinary comet landing relived.

Scientists found molecules containing nitriles in space — the discovery could shed light on the origins of life as we know it.

On 12 November 2014, after a ten year journey through the Solar System and over 500 million kilometres from home, Rosetta’s lander Philae made space exploration history by touching down on a comet for the first time. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary feat, we celebrate Philae’s impressive achievements at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.