space race

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S. Korea Launches First Domestically Made Rocket

Nuri brings country into space race

(Newser) - South Korea test-launched its first domestically produced space rocket on Thursday in what officials describe as an important step in the country's pursuit of a satellite launch program. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the three-stage Nuri rocket succeeded in delivering a dummy payload—a 1.5-ton block of...

Prince William Calls Out Rich Men's Race to Space
Shatner: Prince William
Is 'Lovely' but Wrong
UPDATED

Shatner: Prince William Is 'Lovely' but Wrong

He says Blue Origin voyages are 'baby steps' toward greater things after prince's criticism

(Newser) - Update: William Shatner says Prince William is a "lovely, gentle, educated man"—but he's got the "wrong idea" about space tourism. After the prince said the world's greatest minds should focus on fixing problems on Earth, Shatner told Entertainment Tonight that trips like his Wednesday...

Video Reveals How Fast We've Amassed Space Junk

In just 60 years, Earth has become surrounded by 500K pieces of debris

(Newser) - More than 500,000 known objects are orbiting planet Earth, and around 20,000 of them are at least as big as a softball, reports NASA . Now a University College London professor has used data from space-track.org to create a video to help us visualize how quickly that space...

Everyone's in a Space Race These Days
Everyone's in a Space
Race These Days 
OPINION

Everyone's in a Space Race These Days

And that's a good thing: Louis Friedman

(Newser) - Gone are the days of the US-versus-Russia space race. "There are now many space races," as numerous nations and private companies get into the game, "and that's good for science," writes Louis Friedman in the Los Angeles Times . Consider India's recent launch of a...

South Korea Strikes Back, Launches Rocket

Officials say satellite is in orbit, a first for country

(Newser) - In the wake of North Korea's successful rocket launch , South Korea has a success of its own. Officials say that a rocket that blasted off at 4pm local time today from Goheung did indeed put a satellite into orbit, reports the Los Angeles Times . They'll know by tomorrow...

Soviets Lied About Flawed '61 Space Flight

Yuri Gagarin's flight did not go perfectly, new book claims

(Newser) - When Yuri Gagarin took the first manned flight into space in 1961, the Soviet Union touted it as a major Cold War triumph for Communist ideology. But the flight wasn’t as perfect as Soviet officials claimed, a new book asserts. In truth, due to two miscalculations by scientists, Gagarin...

South Korea Scrubs Satellite Launch

(Newser) - South Korea scrubbed a planned satellite launch minutes before liftoff today, citing an unspecified technical error, reports the BBC. Seoul has been itching to join the Asian space race and has already produced 10 satellites for other countries' rockets. But the event had threatened to strain recently improved relations with...

Moon Landing Pulled Plug on Russian Space Pride

(Newser) - Russia is still smarting over America’s moon landing 40 years ago—so much so that a recent state TV report gave credence to dubious NASA-faked-it conspiracy theories, the AP reports. Before the moon landing, Moscow dominated the space race, laying claim to the first craft in space, the first...

Chinese Astronaut Takes Spacewalk

Next up: assembling space station

(Newser) - A Chinese astronaut took the nation's first spacewalk today, floating outside the orbiter module's hatch for about 13 minutes. "Greetings to all the people of the nation and all the people of the world," he declared in a live broadcast on state TV, waving a Chinese flag.

Why It's Time to Sell the Moon
 Why It's Time to Sell the Moon 
OPINION

Why It's Time to Sell the Moon

Lunar property rights can save the space program

(Newser) - The moon isn't up for sale—but it should be, argues Glenn Harlan Reynolds in Popular Mechanics. Dishing out lunar property rights would boost the stagnating government space program, and the interest is proven: One enterprising American has already sold 500 million "novelty" acres of the moon at about...

Asian Space Race Stirs Friction, Pride

Moon shots spark suspicion about military plans in space

(Newser) - With China, India and Japan all launching civilian moon missions, the Christian Science Monitor examines the  Asian space race, driven by what one expert calls "techno-nationalism."  They "generate pride domestically and they demonstrate prowess internationally," but they're also inflaming security concerns and suspicions, as all...

Sputnik Ignited Era of Discovery
Sputnik Ignited Era of Discovery

Sputnik Ignited Era of Discovery

(Newser) - In an era when billionaire tourists book rides in spaceships, launching a basketball-sized satellite into outer space might seem mundane. But when the Russians put Sputnik into orbit 50 years ago today, it kicked off much more than a Cold War competition. It signalled the start of an electrifying era...

Russia Vows to Launch Arms Race in Space

General cautions US, China against new anti-missile systems

(Newser) - Today Russia promised an arms race with the US and China if they keep launching military hardware into orbit.  "We need to have strong rules about space, to avoid its militarization," General Vladimir Popovkin said. Reuters reports that his barb was aimed at Washington for its "...

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