Free Republic

The first of NASA's enormous Space Launch System (SLS) rockets stands as tall as the Statue of Liberty. Towering 212ft above the ground and flanked by its two smaller booster rockets, the core stage of the US space agency's next generation rocket has been photographed, for the first time, in its launch configuration ahead of its maiden voyage later this year. Designed to carry astronauts to the Moon and beyond, this gargantuan launch vehicle will play an integral part in NASA's Artemis program which aims to place astronauts on the Moon before 2030. The other key component will be the...

An unmanned tanker drone successfully refueled a fighter jet in mid-air during a test flight on Friday. The impressive feat, which involved a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, demonstrated the significant potential of unmanned tanker drones and could mark the beginning of the end for traditional piloted tanker aircraft. During the test flight, the drone - a Boeing-built device named MQ-25 Stingray - maintained its altitude and speed as the hose extended and the two aircraft briefly linked up to exchange fuel. The test was carried out from the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. In total, 325lbs of fuel...