January 2, 2014

ISRO Planned 58 Space Missions From 2012-2017 (Source: Business Standard)
The Indian Space Research Organization submitted a plan for 58 space missions to be undertaken as a part of 12th Five Year Plan, 2012-17. These mission will be taken at the cost of around Rs 39,750 crore in 12th Five Year Plan period was provisionally earmarked under the Plan budget for Space Program. During 2012-13, a sum of Rs. 5,615 crore had been allocated.

The Year End Review Department of Space stated some of the important projects and some of them includes GSAT-15 communication satellite and launch services for which, the Union Cabinet gave its approval to the proposal for the GSAT-15 communication satellite project along with procurement of launch services and insurance on June 28, 2013. (1/1)

Private Space Vehicle Innovators at Economic Outlook Event (Source: Thechapi News)
Senior executives of two companies partnered in pioneering civilian space travel and new commercial space business will be among the speakers for the Friday, Feb. 21, Antelope Valley Business Outlook Conference at Mojave Air and Space Port. (1/1)

Voices 2014: Space Travel Can Be For Everyone (Source: Willamette Week)
By day, Cameron Smith teaches anthropology at Portland State University—digging fossils in Africa, launching solo voyages in the Arctic or sailing primitive vessels in the open ocean. By night, Smith, 46, is feverishly building a DIY space suit. Working in concert with a Danish nonprofit aerospace organization called Copenhagen Suborbitals, Smith wants to democratize space travel.

He has turned his Pearl District apartment into a workshop where a homemade space suit nearly five years in the making lies on a folding table. Next year, he plans to balloon up to 63,000 feet to test the suit. The year after that, the Danes will send it up to 63 miles. And after that? Click here. (1/1)

Near-Space Tourism Takes Off (Source: Outside)
If you were riveted by Felix Baumgartner's parachute jump from the edge of space last year, now's your chance to sign up for a similar experience. Tickets went on sale Saturday for the ultimate hot-air balloon trip. For just $75,000, American firm World View Experiences will fly you 19 miles to the very edge of space.

The first trip, expected to launch in 2016, will take eight passengers to the edge of the atmosphere in a capsule attached to a helium balloon. The balloon will launch from Sir Richard Branson's spaceport in New Mexico and make a two-hour ascent to its cruising height of 100,000 feet. (1/1)

Chang'e-3 Satellite Payload APXS Obtained its First Spectrum of Lunar Regolith (Source: CAS)
The Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), carried by the Yutu rover of the Chang’e-3 satellite got its first X-ray fluorescence spectrum of lunar regolith around the landing site on December 25, 2013.

An initial analysis indicates that eight major rock-forming elements (Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr and Fe) and at least 3 minor elements (Sr, Y and Zr) of the Moon can be identified in this spectrum. Besides, the energy resolution of AXS is estimated to be about 135 @5.9keV, which demonstrates that it is currently one of the best X-ray spectrometer for the planetary exploration in the world. (1/1)

ISRO Firmly Denies IAF's Man to Moon Mission Claim (Source: India TV)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has refuted the claim made by two senior Indian Air Force officials that India was planning to send a man to the Moon. A press release issued by ISRO on Tuesday said the space agency "currently does not have any project on Man to Moon. "

"ISRO has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), Indian Air Force, Bangalore in March 2009 to carry out i) Basic research/studies on Human Physiological and Psychological requirements for Human Space Flight crew and ii) For augmenting/updating existing facilities at IAM to cater to ISRO's Human Space Flight Program as a pre-project Research & Development activity. " (1/1)

Five Ways Outer Space Taught Us About Earth in 2013 (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Another year of the Internet has come to a close, which can only mean one thing: time for more lists! The science magazines will undoubtedly create exciting top 10′s of the most awesome things to happen in space in 2013. But some of the stories that most need telling are not the big-ticket tales of human spaceflight and new exoplanet discoveries. For most people, it’s the less flashy things that can mean the most in the lives of people right down here on Earth.

And these benefits are not limited to spinoffs like microelectronics and high-tech medical technologies that people from rich countries enjoy; from human rights to food security, space assets provide incredibly meaningful humanitarian contributions to the planet. Click here. (1/1)

Weather Looks Good for SpaceX Launch (Source: Florida Today)
The early forecast is excellent for the Cape’s first launch of 2014, SpaceX’s planned Friday evening attempt to loft a communications satellite from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. There’s a 90 percent chance of favorable weather during a launch window that extends from 5:05 p.m. to 7:17 p.m., according to the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing. The only concern: strong winds that could peak near 30 mph. (1/1)

Climate Change Worse Than We Thought, Likely To Be 'Catastrophic' (Source: Huffington Post)
Climate change may be far worse than scientists thought, causing global temperatures to rise by at least 4 degrees Celsius by 2100, or about 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Nature, takes a fresh look at clouds' effect on the planet, according to a report by The Guardian. The research found that as the planet heats, fewer sunlight-reflecting clouds form, causing temperatures to rise further in an upward spiral.

That number is double what many governments agree is the threshold for dangerous warming. Aside from dramatic environmental shifts like melting sea ice, many of the ills of the modern world -- starvation, poverty, war and disease -- are likely to get worse as the planet warms. (12/31)

No comments: