drew@drewexmachina.com
With a V magnitude of -1.46, Sirius is by far the brightest star in our nighttime sky. Located in the constellation of Canis Major (the Greater […]
While interest in miniaturized satellites for a range of applications has been growing in recent years, as a class these satellites are hardly new. By necessity, […]
The history of planetary exploration is filled with proposals that never flew. While there are some that, at best, had dubious chances at success, there are […]
With the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) routinely spending six or more months in orbit, it is sometimes forgotten that only a few decades […]
Before the discovery of the first extrasolar planets, the only planetary system we could study was our own Solar System. Based on centuries of study, astronomers […]
The Holy Grail of NASA’s Kepler mission is the identification of what have become popularly known as “Earth twins”: Earth-size planets in Earth-like orbits around Sun-like […]
At this time there are several new heavy-lift launch vehicles being developed in the United States such as SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, the recently announced Vulcan being […]
A half century ago, NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft had completed the first successful flyby of Mars on July 15, 1965 (Universal Time) and had already finished […]
Without a doubt, NASA’s Kepler mission is the most prolific extrasolar planet hunter in the history of astronomy. As of July 23, 2015, a total of […]
Most space exploration enthusiasts are familiar with the story of Mariner 4: On July 15, 1965 (Universal Time), Mariner 4 made the first close encounter of […]
An advanced spacecraft streaking towards the most distant planetary encounter to date finally reaches its destination. As the spacecraft nears its closest approach to its target, […]
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, currently in the middle of its historic encounter with Pluto and its system of moons, is the culmination of a quarter of […]
