NASA successfully completed the test parachute

Boeing has successfully completed the second phase of testing a parachute for the spacecraft Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS). These tests are part of a project to develop commercial transportation systems astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station.

The helicopter lifted the capsule CST-100 to a height of 3,000 kilometers near the dry lake near Delmar Alamo (Nevada). First deployed brake parachute, followed by a primary. The capsule gradually descended to the landing pad and a soft landing was achieved with six air bags. Testing has shown high performance test system.

"Parachutes developed by Boeing argued that NASA is moving in the right direction that will allow U.S. aerospace transportation industry to develop in the framework of this partnership," - said the commercial director Ed Mango NASA program. "Investments we make now offer new opportunities for flights to the ISS."

CSTS system is designed for multiple use of the capsule - a spacecraft capable to accommodate up to seven people - to deliver astronauts and cargo into low Earth orbit, including the ISS, as previously reported on the site http://nlovideo.org/. The system includes two braking parachute and a core that can provide safe landing big air system.

The first test was conducted on April 3. During the experiment, the efficacy of the developed system: progress been checked deploy a parachute system, the appropriate size and design of parachutes and other technical issues. A second test confirmed the reliability of the parachute system.

"This is the second test examined the architecture of the innovation system of the Boeing during deployment of parachutes," - said John Mulholland, vice president and head of Boeing Commercial Programs. "Boeing confirms the completion of this phase of testing and our commitment to providing safe, reliable and affordable space travel."

The campaign has scheduled additional tests in the second half of 2012 to test other elements of the design ship.

Boeing spacecraft designed to be compatible with different models of launch vehicles. For the initial test selected disposable rocket "Atlas 5."

All partners of the NASA space industry, including Boeing, continue to fulfill its obligations in the development of commercial transportation.

NASA is developing augmented reality headset

Research Center at NASA Langley, Virginia, is working to create augmented reality headset for commercial pilots. This development is designed to reduce the number of accidents that occur due to bad weather and too busy airports. NASA announced the results and started to look for a company that can take over the manufacture and sale headset, which has no official name.

Augmented Reality (DR) is that the computer generated images are projected onto the glass through which the user is looking at their surroundings. Thus, the user can see how the real world, and projected images, which complement the real objects. DR device for commercial pilots, for example, can display the runway and other aircraft, even if the runway shrouded mist. After touching the strip, it can display its midline, and the adjacent lane. Since most commercial aircraft accidents occur during landing, takeoff and taxiing after landing, we focused on the tools designed to help pilots better to see the surroundings.

It serves this purpose Headset DR. It is worn on the head and changes the fact that the pilot sees one of his eyes. In this device is built gyroscopes and sensors that read information from the pieces of paper placed on the walls of the cabin for orientation in space and the correct interpretation of the direction in which the pilot is looking. In addition, it includes speech recognition software, which allows the pilot to control the system via voice commands.

This system is in some ways similar to the DR headsets that use pilots of military aircraft and helicopters. All technologies used in the headset is not new, and all information provided by the pilot is now available to pilots today. The only difference is that the headset will allow pilots to keep the look at the place of destination and not to turn away to study maps or reading electronic devices.

This headset DR is part of a larger project by NASA to improve visualization for pilots, called Synthetic Vision. Its purpose is to image the location of augmented reality in the cockpit windshield.

New York Times: The U.S. should not give Russia supremacy in space

Rick Santorum, U.S. presidential candidate: Negligence in the spending of money has led to a national debt of U.S. $ 15 trillion. That is, every American should be 50 000 dollars, and it's ruining the recovery of our economy. And what has Newt Gingrich? Spend half a trillion dollars on a colony on the moon. In terms of budget, this idea - crazy.

Well, the answer! He believes that the terms of the budget is madness. These words were taken from the text of Rick Santorum campaign.

Newt Gingrich, U.S. presidential candidate: Well, first of all, if you carefully examine my performance in Cocoa Beach on the "Space Coast", I'm not talking about increasing federal spending. I was talking about a complete reform of NASA, to attract private investment in large scale in order to more effectively and safely implement projects than it does now, NASA. But I'm not talking about increasing federal spending.

Secondly, I just hit and Santorum, and Romney. I have the feeling that they both want to tell us, okay, the Chinese have announced that fly to the moon, the Chinese announced that they intend to lead the space race, and we're not going to compete with them.

That is, between the words of President Kennedy that we can in a decade to get to the moon and we have to do it, and statements by politicians today - incredibly huge gap. Today's politicians are too timid and limited, they have no imagination at all. And they are literally willing to cede leadership in space, Russia and China?

I just can not imagine - if only for reasons of national security - that they think so. I believe that in the end, the Americans say, we do not want China and Russia are the leaders of the space race.