An artist's conception of Deep Space 1
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA
NASA Tests New Technologies with Deep Space 1
NASA launched a spacecraft that will test twelve new technologies, including an ion propulsion drive and an artificial intelligence navigation system. In testing the new equipment, it will fly past the Near-Earth Asteroid 1992 KD. If all goes well, the mission may be extended to include fly-bys of Comets Wilson-Harrington and Borrelly. The spacecraft, Deep Space 1, is the first launch from NASA's New Millennium program, a program which will test new technology with the hopes of making space travel easier and more affordable. "Deep Space 1 is taking the risks so that future missions don't have to," said Marc Rayman, chief engineer and deputy mission manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The engines will ionize xenon gas and accelerate it through an electric field to speeds of 65,000 mph. The thrust will exert less force than the weight of a single piece of paper. But, this is still enough to accelerate the spacecraft about 20 mph each day. Since there isn't air resistance in the vacuum of space, the speed will continue to build. Ion-propulsion engines are ten times more efficient than regular rockets engines. The probe will use solar energy to ionize the xenon and accelerate it. While normal rocket engines operate on the order of minutes, the ion engine will operate on the order of weeks. Deep Space 1 will also control its own destiny, in a manner of speaking. It has an onboard navigation system which can locate stars and calculate its position, rather than relying on ground operators to tell it where it is. The probe will also determine how close to the asteroid it can safely fly.What's New on the Site?
When Nature Strikes - Earthquakes
When Nature Strikes - Volcanoes
When Nature Strikes: Tsunami Classroom Activity
When Nature Strikes: Wildfires - Why are they a challenge to stop?
Windows to the Universe Community | |
News | Opportunities |
You might also be interested in:
Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit
Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more
1999--A Year in Review...
It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,...more
STS-95 Launch: "Let the wings of Discovery lift us on to the future."
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:19 p.m. EST, October 29th. The sky was clear and the weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit for the Unitied...more
Moon Found Orbiting Asteroid
A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon...more
U.S. is Fed Up with Russia
Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials are demanding an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting...more
More on Recent Coronal Mass Ejection
During a period of about two days in early May, 1998, the ACE spacecraft was immersed in plasma associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). The SWICS instrument on ACE, which determines unambiguously...more
Mother Nature's Air Conditioning
J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service has referred to forests as the "heart and lungs of the world." Forests reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, contribute to atmospheric humidity and cloud...more
Planetary Alignment 2002
In late April through mid-May 2002, all five naked-eye planets are visible simultaneously in the night sky! This is includes Mercury which is generally very hard to see because of its proximity to the...morePlease log in
Science Blogs
Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists
Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information.
