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The article deals with the use of dark matter for making spacecrafts. In August 2009, physicist Jia Lia of New York University created an outline for a spacecraft that uses the power of dark matter. His scheme was followed by proposals from mathematicians Louis Crane and Shawn Westmoreland at Kansas State University in Manhattan to create a spacecraft through the use of an artificial black hole Crane claims that his design for a black hole starship is capable of accelerating to close to the speed of light.

Focuses on the design and engineering of spacecraft capable of formation flying. Plans of the Unites States National Aeronautics and Space Administration to orbit a space-based interferometer that uses formation flying; Development of a fleet of formation-flying radar imaging satellites by the US Air Force.

Focuses on the design of a spacecraft being built by aerospace engineer Gary Hudson. A reusable rocket with a rotating engine; The million dollar contribution of author Tom Clancy; Hudson's desire to capture the market for satellite launchers; The going rate for satellite launching and why its so expensive; Details of the spacecraft; How the engine works; How Hudson must prove that his design is capable of space travel.

The article discusses the design and safety features of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) spaceship Orion, which is being built for visits to the International Space Station as well as moon missions. The module features standing room and a control panel based on the design featured on the cockpit of Boeing's 787 Deamliner. Escape features for both ground crew and astronauts are discussed.

It will have legs, not wheels, to help it explore even the most difficult lunar terrain, reports Leah Crane [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the construction of a private space taxi by space transport services company Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), called the Dragon V2, which is a modified version of the pilotless capsule used to ferry cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

The article reports on the state of spaceflight research as of 2011 after the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) shuttle program was discontinued. Private companies are undertaking the development and construction of space vehicles in hopes of receiving contracts from NASA and to build markets for commercial space research and passenger travel. Companies discussed include Virgin Galactic LLC, Sierra Nevada Corp., and Bigelow Aerospace LLC.

The article discusses the construction of the Curiosity rover, a space vehicle developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) which will be used to study the planet Mars. Workers at the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) wear protective garb in order to prevent damage to electronic systems and avoid biological contamination of Mars.

The article reports that the Russian space agency is planning to replace all its launch facilities, rockets and Soyuz spacecraft. According to the article, the company that will build the spaceship has been given until June 2010 to design a 20-tonne reusable craft that can carry six people, which is twice the capacity of Soyuz. It talks about the capabilities of the spaceship. It notes that the plans are similar to the Orion programme of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The article discusses the issues on the safety and risk factors of space exploration using space rockets built by civilian space flight companies. Among the space flights mentioned, it include the successful launch of Falcon 1 built by SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. Lawyer Gérardine Goh at the German Aerospace in Bonn, plans to press the United Nations to force emerging civilian space operators to guarantee that their spacecraft's design and construction meet minimum safety standards.

The article reports on the commercial space race, the Dream Chaser, which could be the possible answer to the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's (NASA) interest in space pursuit in the U.S. It states that the Dream Chaser, which was developed by SpaceDev Co., is one of the space vehicles that may lower the cost of access to space. An overview of how the space shuttle was developed is also offered.

The article reports that the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is challenging inventors to build a lunar lander and is offering a prize money of $2.5 million. Competitors have to build rockets that can take off from the moon, reach lunar orbit, and return to the moon's surface. NASA is planning a multi-stage mission to the moon for 2018. A "crew exploration vehicle" will dock with a lunar module and an "Earth departure stage" in Earth orbit. Entrants to the competition will be judged in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in October. Rockets will have to reach an altitude of 50 metres, hover for 3 minutes, then fly and land at a rocky spot 100 metres away.

The article discusses a plan to establish a lunar archive containing human DNA and a digital record of life on planet Earth, called Lunar Mission One, conceived by British space consultant David Iron and colleagues. Iron and colleagues have launched a campaign on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.com to raise money for the set up a company that will commission designs for a robotic lunar spacecraft and will work with Appleton Laboratory in Harwell, England.

The article reports on plans by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for an orbital space capsule, with an unmanned test flight scheduled in 2014. Topics include the construction of the prototype spacecraft by Hindustan Aeronautics, its planned launch with the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket, and outlook on India's human space-flight program.

The article discusses the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (CATALYST) program aimed at promoting partnerships with private companies to develop lunar landing craft in return for access to NASA resources. Topics include the two types of lander targeted for development, the potential for lunar commercial development by companies such as Bigelow Aerospace, and a warning about issues of property rights on the moon.

Letters to the editor are presented in response to previous articles on topics including naming of astronomical objects in the August 24, 2013 issue, vaccine effects on helper T-cells from the August 17, 2013 issue, and laser-propelled spacecraft in the August 24, 2013 issue.

The article reports on a proposal by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to construct a robotic spacecraft for a mission to capture a near-Earth asteroid and transport to a lunar orbit, as well as plans for a human mission around the moon.

The article reports on the return to Earth of the X-37B, a robotic spacecraft manufactured by the aerospace firm Boeing. It was the first U.S. craft to attain an orbit in outer space and then return autonomously to a runway. While the nature of the spacecraft’s mission was unknown, the author attests that it could have been used to loft satellites into space.

The article focuses on the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) request for data gathered by commercial moon landers participating in the Google Lunar X Prize. It states that NASA has set aside 30 million dollars that it will use to pay for technologies demonstrated in a commercial lunar landing. President David Gump of Astrobiotic Technology said that NASA could learn from designs utilizing state-of-the-art technology as its own lunar missions used decades-old technology.

The article discusses a legislative bill being reviewed in the U.S. Congress that, upon passage, would require the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to start building a large rocket to carry astronauts to realms beyond low-earth orbit. The action, approved in the U.S. Senate, would hasten the schedule envisioned by U.S. President Barack Obama in April 2010.

The article discusses research by space flight engineer Cody Farnell on the design of ion engines used in space vehicles. Farnell developed a genetic algorithm that mimics the evolutionary concept of natural selection to extend the useful life of ion engines. Operational aspects of ion engines are noted including their reliance on solar power and xenon-gas ionization to generate thrust.

The article focuses on a proposal to use glue instead of strong, heavy-metal mountings to hold their fuel tanks in place within the fuselage in order to reduce the weight of the spacecraft. Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites designed a technique that would glue the fuel tanks to the inside of the craft. According to Rutan, a secure fit is important since any movement could cause a leak.

The article looks at the concept why larger end of the bell-shape of space capsule faces downwards when returning to Earth. It states that the protective shield that resists the intense heat created on re-entry by atmospheric friction is positioned in that end. A question for the September 27, 2208 issue on how the space capsules were designed is likewise presented.

The article offers basic instructions for, and problems associated with, building a private rocket to orbit the earth. Space tour operators are aiming for the Kármán line, 100 kilometres above the earth, which is roughly the altitude at which aeroplanes do not work any more. However, supplying enough fuel to get to that altitude means the vehicles must carry immense weights of fuel to propel them.

The article states that Boeing intends to design a space depot that can refuel satellites and also provide fuel, oxygen, and water to crewed spacecraft. The announcement of these plans came in the same week that the company launched an experimental spacecraft that will refuel an orbiting sister ship.

The article reports on problems faced by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in launching recent space telescopes. Designers of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Hubble Telescope's successor, are already testing the new observatory even though its launch is seven years away. This time astronauts will not be able to reach the telescope to fix any mistakes, as they did for Hubble. It was a surprise flaw in Hubble's primary mirror that horrified NASA when the first test images came back from space. The 2.4-metre glass reflector was slightly misshapen, an error eventually traced to an improperly assembled test device. The JWST's 6.5-metre primary mirror has six times the surface area of Hubble's, but weighs only one-third as much.

This article reports that a consortium of private companies involved in designing and manufacturing spacecrafts have said that they don't have the expertise or resources to do all the paperwork required by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA has issued eight companies with contracts to design a Crew Exploration Vehicle in September 2004. According to David Gump, president of the Transformational Space, the consortium cannot comply with the reports and studies NASA stipulates to monitor the project.

Reports that the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is considering several lightweight spacecraft designs that uses components made of gossamer, a strong elastic polymer that reduces the weight of the spacecraft significantly. Formation of sail from the solid block of gossamer in space; Way to make thinner fibers used in sail made of gossamer; Advantages of using sails made of thin fibers.

Discusses the idea to use graphitic foam to replace certain materials in spacecraft. Study of the properties of the foam; Development of the foam by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory; Benefits of the material.

Reports on the development of a kit for a personal spacecraft called the Kitten. Height and speed at which the craft flies; Plans of Cerulean Freight Forwarding Company to sell the kit; Cerulean as an entrant in the X Prize competition, which will award money to a private group able to launch a reusable spacecraft; Outlook for the situation.

Focuses on the spacecraft design called Roton. Its use of a rotating rocket engine; Its similarity to a helicopter; Detailing of plans for testing the prototype, the atmospheric test vehicle (ATV); Projected orbital launch date; Design innovations and projected costs.

Reports on the development of a solar-powered rocket providing a cheap way of shunting satellites into position. Fitting of large inflatable mirrors that will focus sunlight on a supply of liquid oxygen in the Solar Thermal Upper Stage (STUS) rocket; Size; Savings in the cost of satellite launching; Disadvantage of the solar rocket.

Reports on French research minister, Francois Fillon's view that France should join forces with Russia to build the Crew Rescue Vehicle abandoned by the European Space Agency. Reluctance of France to rely on American technology for the building of the vehicle.

Reports on scientists' envisioning of a particle beam powered micro space craft. Similarity of design with a wheel; Flight stages; Factors which makes the construction of the craft feasible.

Reports that the mysterious slowing of several National Aeronautics and Space Administration spacecrafts has been caused by heat. Unexpected slowing with Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Ulysses and perhaps Galileo; Description of the heat effect; Researchers Edward Murphy, Johns Hopkins University and Jonathan Katz, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.