Astronomers may be in for a treat early next month, as asteroid 2013 TX68 may make a close pass to Earth sometime between March 3–8, 2016, making it possible that it will be visible through telescopes. Despite how close it is expected to come to us, NASA doesn’t expect it to hit Earth — this time.
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released their prediction that the El Niño cycle currently being experienced in the Pacific Ocean will have it’s greatest impact on the United States early in 2016.read more
NASA’s Eagleworks laboratories has recently released the results of their latest, upgraded experiments designed to evaluate a controversial propulsion device, one that does not use physical propellant to produce thrust, as traditional rockets use. Their verdict: the EmDrive appears to work. As this drive would provide continuous acceleration, it would make space travel much faster. A trip to Mars, for example, could be cut from months to just a few weeks. The drives being tested now provide very little thrust, but much more powerful engines can be built.
The EmDrive, short for Electromagnetic Drive, was first proposed and built by British engineer Roger Shawyer in 2001.read more
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has announced their plans for colonizing Mars, of which includes plans for permanent ‘Earth Independent’ settlements that would be capable of operating for extended missions with little or no material support needed from Earth.
Their report, entitled ‘Journey to Mars’, outlines NASA’s 3-stage plan for developing the path for the long-term colonization of Mars, with the goal of landing a human presence there sometime in the 2030s.
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