University of Central Florida | 2016 Apr 02
Yes! Followed by a high five.
[c][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74tyedGkoUc[/youtube]Launch. Land. Repeat. Credit: Blue Origin[/c][hr][/hr]That was University of Central Florida Physics Professor Joshua Colwell’s reaction as he watched the successful launch into suborbital space of his experiment aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard space vehicle.
“We have been waiting for this day for a long time,” Colwell said. “A lot of talented students have helped make this happen. I’m just thrilled that we’re going to get data back immediately after flight and get a look at the strange behavior of dust in a microgravity space environment.” ...
Microgravity Experiment on Dust Environments in Astrophysics, ... MEDEA is aimed at shedding light on the process by which space dust builds up to form planets, or the rings around those planets. Results from the experiment will also help scientists understand the behavior of dust on the surfaces of small asteroids planned for visits by upcoming NASA robotic missions and eventual visits by asteroids. ...
Blue Origin was established by Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos with a bold vision to seed an enduring human presence in space. In November 2015, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket became the first to fly to space and return to Earth via vertical landing. Less than two months later, the very same rocket launched and landed again, demonstrating reuse – a key enabler to a future in which millions of people are living and working in space.
This payload was part of Blue Origin’s Pathfinder Payloads program, demonstrating the integration and operation of scientific experiments during untended test flights of the New Shepard system to high altitudes. ...