Aerospace

eGenius makes first flight

Submitted by algorhythmic on Thu, 02/06/2011 - 00:08

The eGenius electric glider by the University of Stuttgart has taken its first flight on the 26th of May 2011. Powered by a 60 kW engine, the eGenius has a maximum range of 400 km and a maximum speed of up to 235 km/hr. The eGenius was developed at the Institute of Aircraft design at the University of Stuttgart in Germany with the sponsorship of Airbus. Data from this project will be shared with Airbus Future Projects teams enabling development in alternative fuels.

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aerospace

UK SSTO concept passes key review by ESA

Submitted by algorhythmic on Sun, 29/05/2011 - 02:50

The Skylon space plane concept by Reaction Engines Ltd. has passed a key design review by the European Space Agency. The European Space Agency has decided to provide 1m euros in funding to the Oxfordshire-based company in 2009 to develop the engine technology necessary for a single stage to orbit (SSTO) launcher. The review results can be downloaded from here (PDF).

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aerospace

Final spacewalk for Endeavour

Submitted by algorhythmic on Sat, 28/05/2011 - 21:06
spacewalk photo

The last spacewalk in the US Space Shuttle programme has been completed. Two astronauts, Mike Fincke and Greg Chamitoff completed a seven-hour spacewalk which officially completed the assembly of the International Space Station. Some of the highlights of this mission include the installation of the $1-billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which will probe the nature of cosmic rays.

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space