News Archive / Author: Bart Leahy
Bart Leahy is a freelance technical writer living in Orlando, Florida. Leahy's diverse career has included work for The Walt Disney Company, NASA, the Department of Defense, Nissan, a number of commercial space companies, small businesses, nonprofits, as well as the Science Cheerleaders.
Articles By Bart Leahy
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Hubble, Galileo data provide more evidence of plumes over Europa
May 15th, 2018After reviewing data from a previous mission to the Jovian system, scientists found evidence of a plume erupting from Jupiter's moon Europa, which NASA said indicates that the moon's subsurface ocean may indeed be venting water vapor through cracks in its icy surface.
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Barn to barn: Blue Origin capsule reaches space on 8th New Shepard test
April 29th, 2018After several delays, Blue Origin launched its eighth successful New Shepard suborbital rocket with 'passenger payloads' aboard. This flight was the second for this particular booster and capsule.
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Bridenstine sworn in as NASA administrator
April 24th, 2018Former congressman Jim Bridenstine was sworn in as NASA's 13th administrator by Vice President Mike Pence. In keeping with the Trump administration’s goals, Pence identified Bridenstine’s role as one of leading the agency toward ushering an era of renewed American leadership in space.
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University of Central Florida planetary scientist highlights CubeSat progress
April 21st, 2018ORLANDO, Fla.—Adrienne Dove, a University of Central Florida (UCF) planetary scientist, physicist, and associate professor, capped off the university’s 2018 Distinguished Speaker series with a talk about CubeSats and UCF’s involvement with CubeSat-based science missions.
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SES-12 arrives at Cape Canaveral for launch
April 17th, 2018CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SES delivered its SES-12 communications satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 12. SpaceX's Falcon 9 is being prepped to launch the spacecraft to geosynchronous orbit.
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Yuri’s Night comes to Kennedy Space Center
April 16th, 2018KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Yuri’s Night, the world’s largest space party, made its first appearance at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The event occurred April 13, 2018, and brought together over 750 space professionals and fans for the space-themed merriment beneath Space Shuttle Atlantis.
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SpaceX CRS-14 mission all set for science
March 31st, 2018KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- SpaceX is set to send its next Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station with three tons of supplies and science. The CRS-14 mission will include materials to help the Expeditions 55 and 56 crews conduct and monitor more than 200 science and technology investigations.
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Robert Lightfoot, NASA’s acting administrator, announces retirement
March 13th, 2018After a 31-year career at NASA, Robert Lightfoot is retiring effective April 30, 2018. For 14 months, he has been serving as the U.S. space agency's acting administrator and promises to work with the Trump administration to ensure a smooth transition to the next administrator.
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International agencies open deep-space operating standards for public comment
March 7th, 2018On March 1, NASA, ESA, and the other partnering International Space Station agencies opened their joint International Deep Space Interoperability Standards for public comment. The documents could further global cooperation on crewed space exploration efforts beyond Earth orbit by setting common standards for projects like NASA’s planned Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway.
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SpaceX does it for the first time again: Falcon Heavy sends a Tesla to deep space
February 6th, 2018KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — It isn't often a test flight goes almost flawlessly—what space people quietly call "nominal." Yet, SpaceX made history again Feb. 6, 2018, after successfully launching its super heavy-lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy, for the very first time.
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SpaceX set to attempt history again with Falcon Heavy’s first flight
February 5th, 2018KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX is hoping to bring reusability to a whole new level with the launch of the company's Falcon Heavy rocket on Feb. 6, 2018. If successful, the heavy-lift vehicle should greatly increase the available payload capability of a single commercial launch. First things first, however: it needs to leave the pad on its inaugural test flight.
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy warms up LC-39A during static test fire
January 24th, 2018KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- This afternoon, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time, SpaceX static-fired all 27 of the engines on its Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. Live video on NASASpaceflight.com shows that the rocket fired for at least 10 seconds. This test indicates SpaceX is moving closer to a launch date for its new heavy-lift vehicle.
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NASA planning 2 spacewalks to replace Canadarm2 ‘hand’ despite US government shutdown
January 20th, 2018Despite budget battles in Washington, D.C. resulting in a temporary shutdown of the U.S. federal government, NASA and the International Space Station's Expedition 54 crew still plan to carry out a pair of spacewalks to replace one of the 16-year-old "hands" on the outpost's robotic arm.
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ULA Atlas V 411 lights up the night with SBIRS GEO 4 launch
January 19th, 2018CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- United Launch Alliance (ULA) saw its launch window open at 7:48 p.m. Eastern (00:48 GMT on Jan. 20) and soon thereafter sent its Atlas V rocket thundering into the Florida sky. The payload, the fourth geosynchronous satellite in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Space Based Infrared Sensor (SBIRS) program, is now headed for geosynchronous orbit.
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ULA readies for U.S. Air Force SBIRS GEO 4 launch
January 16th, 2018CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After a slight delay from late 2017, United Launch Alliance is readying an Atlas V 411 to launch the fourth geosynchronous element of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Space Based Infrared Sensor (SBIRS) program. The launch, is currently set to take place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Space Launch Complex (SLC) 41 on January 18.
