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Questions tagged [technology]

Questions relating to the use of technology to further space exploration.

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13 votes
0 answers
495 views

What spinoff technologies have come from the Soviet/Russian space program?

There is plenty of information available on NASA spinoff technologies including a Wikipedia page and Space SE question. What innovations are a byproduct of the Russian space program?
2 votes
1 answer
130 views

Uses for the TPS Tiles after shuttle [closed]

After the space shuttle’s retirement, what has the technology seen with the orbiters thermal protection system (TPS Tiles) had a use for post 2011, since to my knowledge no other vehicles are using ...
16 votes
3 answers
4k views

Has any piston machine been used on a space mission?

Inspired by question about engine lubrication in space. Piston engines are not used for propelling spacecraft, but there are some possible uses for especially Stirling engines and compressors: ...
3 votes
2 answers
296 views

Is space habitation a technology problem or is it really just a mass (cost) problem?

There are a lot of challenges with space habitation. Gravity, radiation, fuel for reactions to maneuver, water, atmosphere, food, etc. etc. NASA and many others are working on all kinds of solutions ...
2 votes
2 answers
601 views

How did the cost of delivery of cargo into orbit change with technology maturation?

I had an argument with my friend recently about the effect of technology maturation on spaceflight cost. In the process, I managed to find this infographic: Image source The trend for cost reduction ...
13 votes
4 answers
2k views

Do any systems in space use Artificial Intelligence yet?

Technology has apparently advanced to the point some states in the Untied States are debating AI managed cars. The thought comes to mind that space is relatively less crowded than most streets on ...
3 votes
2 answers
278 views

Has Demonstrator-1 2021-006BX demonstrated a hydrogen-oxygen combustion engine fueled by electrolysis yet?

NASA's NASA CubeSat to Demonstrate Water-Fueled Moves in Space says: A NASA CubeSat will launch into low-Earth orbit to demonstrate a new type of propulsion system. Carrying a pint of liquid water as ...
26 votes
1 answer
1k views

What paper size do they use on the International Space Station?

We know they have at least one printer on the ISS – that's NASA-supplied so it would be in the US Orbital Segment. Presumably there is a printer in the Russian Orbital Segment as well. (Mir had a ...
3 votes
3 answers
412 views

Could the Lunar Lagrange Points work for space telescopes?

Every orbit in space has its pros and cons. Low Earth Orbit has accessibility but frequent eclipses whereas a Solar Lagrange Point is clear and stable but distant. In the case of the Lunar Lagrange ...
3 votes
1 answer
443 views

ESA: Does the ESA initiate the development of necessary new technologies if it is necessary? Does the ESA create new space missions?

I tried to do some research but I couldn’t find any definitive answer to this: Does the ESA initiate the development of necessary new technologies if it is necessary? And does the ESA create new space ...
2 votes
1 answer
212 views

Has there ever been a fully-reusable big-dumb-booster design proposed?

I know of fully expendable Big Dumb Boosters, as well as "smart" reuse in systems like NEXUS (all versions) and their contemporaries, what I'm trying to figure out (after hours of sorting ...
3 votes
1 answer
92 views

What material can a maser sail design use?

A quick recap for photon sails: Photon sails are conceptual spacecraft propulsion systems that would generate thrust from radiation pressure. Types of photon sails include solar sails, laser sails and ...
7 votes
1 answer
276 views

What will the live video and audio quality be like when astronauts next set foot on the moon?

What will the live video and audio quality be like when we watch an Artemis crewmember set foot on the moon? The quality of the original Apollo footage from the 1960's is terrible by today's standards....
5 votes
1 answer
111 views

With our current technology, how large could we make a useable space-based VLBI telescope?

I am trying to find an equation that models the current technical limits that we have on creating an effective space-based VLBI telescope. Variables that are likely relevant in the model: distance of ...
25 votes
4 answers
20k views

If human space travel is limited by the G force vulnerability, is there a way to counter G forces?

I read somewhere that prolonged G forces (even 2 Gs) are not tolerated by human physiology and that this ultimately limits our ability to sustain space travel. Are there any tactics to reduce G force ...
7 votes
1 answer
6k views

How do we create a zero gravity environment on Earth?

I have read somewhere that to-be astronauts are trained on Earth to be deft enough when they are in space which has zero gravity. How do we create a zero gravity situation on Earth? On Earth, even if ...
27 votes
5 answers
11k views

Could a helicopter fly on Mars?

Helicopter drones are awesome fun down here on Earth, but what if... we took one to Mars? This sounds like a good question for Randall Munroe. But I read about a proposal to send a helicopter drone (...
28 votes
3 answers
2k views

What happens to defunct lunar and Mars rovers? What technological barriers prevent humanity from creating a perpetual rover?

What happens to defunct lunar and Mars rovers? What technological barriers prevent humanity from creating a perpetual rover with sun batteries or nuclear portable reactors for use on Mars, the Moon, ...
29 votes
6 answers
5k views

Could liquid airlocks work?

I was looking through an old copy of Moon Miner's Manifesto a while ago and found the concept of a liquid airlock in an early issue. It is on page 32 of this issue from 1988. It posits this as an ...
3 votes
2 answers
273 views

Could we get free O₂ on Mars?

I think that the new Mars rover in 2020 will make oxygen, from thin Martian atmosphere. I think Mars' atmosphere is 90% $CO_2$. Carbon dioxide is made of $C$ and $O_2$. $O_2$ is oxygen, so can't we ...
-1 votes
1 answer
247 views

Can we launch from the moon?

Would it be possible with currently rocket technology or technology towards the end of its development (ex. SLS, Starship, New Glenn, etc.) to launch from the moon. Of course, we would send down a ...
-1 votes
1 answer
160 views

Could we launch from the moon to another planetary body? [closed]

Would it be possible with currently rocket technology or technology towards the end of its development (ex. SLS, Starship, New Glenn, etc.) to launch from the moon. Of course, we would send down a ...
20 votes
6 answers
6k views

What are some of the obsolete technologies that space agencies used in day-to-day work during the 1960s?

This may be a vague question, please let me know if more info is needed. As we know, NASA put a man on the moon using technologies that we no longer use, like slide rules and entire teams of people ...
60 votes
3 answers
21k views

Curiosity: Why did they "reinvent the wheel" instead of using pressure tires?

Curiosity rover's wheels seem a bit tired and show signs of wear and tear, as reported for example in this Discovery News article from May 22, 2013. This damage only increased since then and wheels ...
44 votes
1 answer
9k views

How (the heck) did Lunokhod 2 drive, navigate and survive a ~40 kilometer drive over four months on the Moon using 1970's technology?

Mashable.com's Every rover, ranked by distance traveled on the moon and Mars; The 13 rovers, ranked. calls attention to this amazing feat, and a review of basic statistics and discussions on odometry ...
34 votes
4 answers
7k views

Why are the recent flights of two billionaires discussed in terms of space travel?

Recently, there has been much attention on the fact that billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson were passengers in very high-altitude flights. Reputed media outlets discussed these events as &...
3 votes
1 answer
159 views

First hemispherical resonator used in spaceflight? First used on a deep space mission?

This answer to How exactly did Cassini provide rock-solid attitude control to enable high resolution low light imaging? (1.2 arcsec/pixel for narrow angle camera) says: Cassini was the first ...
4 votes
2 answers
389 views

Was the teletype machine on MIR the first printer in space? Is there a photo, and what frequencies were used?

Seeing the video KK5IM 2021 Shack Tour spotted in The Ham Shack lead me to What paper size do they use on the International Space Station? which begins: We know they have at least one printer on the ...
5 votes
2 answers
612 views

What are some common (but non-obvious) materials that are particularly unsuitable for spaceflight?

If a product was to be made for use in space, there may be certain materials or certain combinations of materials that might work well on Earth, but be particularly unsuitable for spaceflight ...
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

Were Nixie tubes used by a space program?

I’ve been receiving this ad from a company selling Nixie tube clock kits online: The technology that was used in the first space shuttles and submarines can be in your home and moreover in a unique ...
3 votes
1 answer
167 views

Is there any significant difference between NASA and EU technology readiness levels?

The wikipedia article for technology readiness levels lists the NASA and European Union definitions. I've put these into a table: Level NASA EU 1 Basic principles observed and reported Basic ...
8 votes
1 answer
981 views

How was Enterprise held/released from the carrier 747 for the Shuttle approach and landing tests?

Related to my other question: What are the benefits of using pyrotechnics on spacecraft? When the Space Shuttle was first flight tested (Enterprise approach and landing tests) it was released from a ...
8 votes
1 answer
785 views

What are the benefits of using pyrotechnics on spacecraft?

NASA always appears to use pyrotechnic devices (NASA standard initiators for explosive bolts, frangible nuts, etc.) to release elements (spent stages, fairings, etc.) where SpaceX appears to be using ...
15 votes
3 answers
4k views

Could Von Neumann probes be forbidden by technological limitations?

The famous Fermi paradox asks an important question: if space-faring civilizations exist and are not extremely rare, why are they not already here? Von Neumann proposed a probe, that flies to nearest ...
26 votes
5 answers
3k views

Technology: How would a state-of-the-art space shuttle be built?

As the title states, if a space shuttle 2.0 were to be built with current technology, in which ways or areas might it be superior to the original space shuttle? Which components are most ripe for ...
-3 votes
1 answer
170 views

I think I have an idea of how to stop global warming, where can I share it? [closed]

It is quite simple space technology that will require a lot of funds and some physical and biological research, but I think it is realistic to create it because the idea is simple (build special space ...
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to move in space with just solar panels or without them?

What are the technologies known to humankind, to do propulsion in space, with a spacecraft having solar panels, when: It is under ample solar flux? It is interstellar under negligible solar flux? ...
6 votes
3 answers
33k views

Starlink vs 5G technology, are they directly competing services?

While the world is preparing for 5G mobile technology (which involves new devices for smartphones and stations), SpaceX is going to roll out its Starlink "constellation". What I did not know is that ...
5 votes
1 answer
182 views

Are there any studies or technology envisioned for Mars entry and landing without a parachute?

Are any space agencies examining the possibility of a Mars landing without a parachute? It wasn't clear to me if the use of the HIAD (Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator) would eliminate ...
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the maximum practical deltaV obtainable from a chemical rocket launched from earths surface?

What is the maximum practical deltaV obtainable from a chemical rocket launched from earths surface? Not an exact number as there are too many variables but an approximate maximum assuming a 10,000kg,...
16 votes
1 answer
875 views

What are the differences in technology between OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa missions?

Up to now two spacecraft have been launched for an asteroid sample return mission. The first one Hayabusa is a completed mission and now OSIRIS-REx is an ongoing mission. Hayabusa was launched in 2003,...
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Challenges to building a human habitat on Titan (Saturn's Moon)?

I have been studying Titan for a while, reading documents from Cassini and Huygens (probes). On Titan there is an atmosphere, layer of clouds, seas of hydrocarbons (fuel and plastic for many centuries)...
4 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why doesn't the USA use structurally stronger rockets for the more important launches?

Russia uses the R-7 ICBM-derived Soyuz launch vehicle for most of its space launches. The advantage of it is that there's no concern on what the weather is like on launch day and Soyuz launches almost ...
3 votes
1 answer
187 views

Is it possible to create an overridable inflatable airlock seal?

If the information I obtained is correct, inflatable airlocks are sealed by the air pressure and cannot be unlocked unless the pressure is lowered(correct me if I'm wrong). Additionally, airlocks ...
2 votes
1 answer
607 views

Orbiting bolo technology viability?

I have recently read Seveneves and loved the use of certain technologies in it. Has anyone put serious study into the bolo hanglider hanger and possible viable usage of a similar technology?
3 votes
1 answer
143 views

Getting to Titan and beyond - technology knowledge management to get... anywhere

The article which made me to post this question is actually about (not yet) getting to Titan, but these words provoke thought for any space exploration target, please note it's a NASA engineer telling ...
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

What is feathering?

I heard that Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo just tested something called “feathering”. What is it? How come I didn't hear about the shuttle doing this, it is unique to Virgin Galactic's ship?
5 votes
2 answers
4k views

How do these Apollo mission control displays work?

In a recent question there's this image of a display in the restored Apollo Mission Operations Control Room 2: I always wondered, how do these displays work (the original ones from the 60s/70s, not ...
14 votes
4 answers
1k views

How do spacecraft measure onboard gravity?

How do spacecraft measure onboard (micro)gravity at any given point in time (especially when subject to the gravitational fields of multiple bodies)? I'm guessing that rudimentary accelerometers won't ...
6 votes
1 answer
434 views

Project Starshot acceleration

A recent question about Project Starshot's communication asks about one of the seemingly insurmountable problems with this project. There is however another problem that has bugged me ever since I ...