space

SpaceX confirms plans to launch first private spaceship to ISS
SpaceX confirmed its plans to launch a rocket and capsule on May 7, 2012 in a historic first flight of a private spaceship
to the ISS (International Space Station). SpaceX held that its unmanned Dragon
capsule is due to ride on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station in Florida.
SpaceX aims to carry out a fly-by of the ISS and a berthing operation in which the reusable spacecraft, the Dragon, will
approach the ISS as the crew aboard the orbiting outpost uses a robotic arm to dock it.
What is “SpaceX”?
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is a space transport
company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by former PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk. It
has developed the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 space boosters, both of which are built with a goal of becoming reusable
launch vehicles. SpaceX is also developing the Dragon spacecraft to be flown into orbit by the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
NASA awarded SpaceX a contract to develop and demonstrate a human-rated Dragon as part of its Commercial Crew
Development (CCDev) program to transport crew to the ISS. SpaceX is planning its first crewed Dragon/Falcon9 flight in
2015, when it expects to have a fully certified, human-rated launch escape system incorporated into the spacecraft.






NASA Spacecraft “MESSENGER” finds evidence of Water Ice at
Mercury’s Poles
In the last week of March 2012, a NASA spacecraft
called ‘Messenger’ discovered further evidence
for the existence of water ice at Mercury’s poles.
Current Affairs Published on www.gktoday.in from January 1, 2012 to
September 10, 2012
How the probability of ICE arose on Mercury Poles?
 Earlier, NASA’s work exposed patches near Mercury’s poles that strongly reflect radar – a characteristic of ice.
 Now, the Messenger probe has shown that these radar-bright patches line up precisely with the shadowed
craters.
Temperature in Mercury soars above 400 C, how can there be Ice?
Albeit surface temperatures at Mercury can soar above 400 C, some craters at Mercury’s poles are permanently in
shadow, turning them into so-called cold traps.
Why is Mercury Hot in Day while Cold at Night?










First woman in space
Valentina Tereshkova is a retired soviet cosmonaut who became the first woman in space aboard Volstock 6 in 1963.
In April 1961, the Soviet Union launched Vostok-1 carrying Yuri Gagarin, the first man, into space. Tereshkova’s flight on the Vostok-6 spaceship lasted for
three days, or 48 circuits.
In June 1963, then 26-year-old, Tereshkova, code-named Chaika (Seagull), went into space onboard the spaceshipVostok VI.