"Enterprise in Space" Initiative
Sponsored by Space Society (Source: NSS)
The multi-pronged mission of the Enterprise In Space project is to
design, build, fly, and eventually return to earth an orbiter
containing student experiments. This project will be a tribute to
the many great visionaries of science and science fiction. It
will demonstrate and pioneer new technologies while inspiring and
encouraging space enterprise.
It will promote the development of educational curricula and activities
contributing to related future endeavors in science, technology,
engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). In general, this
project is intended to engage and inspire the next generation – all
ages and walks of life – by igniting a renewed interest in space
exploration and development. Click here. (9/10)
Utah Celebrates its Aerospace Heritage
(Source: Standard-Examiner)
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will address executives in the state's aerospace
and defense industries in upcoming ceremonies intended to celebrate the
state's long heritage in the world of aerospace. "We benefit from a
collaborative relationship between our aerospace and composite
companies, local communities, defense contractors, academia and state
government leaders," says Herbert, who will be on hand in Layton, Utah
on Monday to address an Air Force Association Industrial Associates
luncheon as part of National Aerospace Week, held Sept. 14-20. (9/9)
Atomic Space Propulsion and Power
(Source: Space Safety)
After the Manhattan Project birthed the first atomic reactor, the first
uranium bomb, and the first plutonium bomb, the same engineers went on
to design a variety of undersea and outer space nuclear propulsion
systems during the 1950s. Among these were the first solid core
nuclear thermal rocket engines under Project Rover. The engines were
mounted upside down on their test stands at the Nevada test site with
the rocket plume firing upward into the atmosphere.
Aerojet General and Westinghouse Electric developed and ground tested
the final engine design at the Nevada test site in 1969 under the NERVA
(Nuclear Energy for Rocket Vehicle Applications) contract through
NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office. This NERVA-1 engine was
designed to power the first NASA manned Mars mission that was then
projected to launch in 1981. Click here.
(9/10)
Branson Says First Flight From New
Mexico in February or March (Source: Parabolic Arc)
In an interview on “The Late Show With David Letterman,” Virgin
Galactic Founder Richard Branson says he will be on the first flight of
SpaceShipTwo from New Mexico in February or March 2015. (9/10)
Eutelsat, SES To Add Plasma-Fueled
Spacecraft To Fleets (Source: Aviation Week)
In March 2012, when Boeing announced the sale of the world’s first
all-electric satellites, the company sparked a trend in the commercial
telecom industry, lighting a fire under competitors in Europe and Asia
as they scrambled to catch up. But two years on, Boeing has yet to
announce a follow-up deal for its xenon-ion fueled 702SP satellite bus,
while European competitors once thought to be years behind the curve
are gaining ground. Within months of the Boeing announcement, the
European Space Agency (ESA) unveiled plans to fund codevelopment of the
new Electra all-electric satellite bus with European industry. (9/9)
First Evidence for Water Ice Clouds
Found Outside Solar System (Source: Space Daily)
A team of scientists led by Carnegie's Jacqueline Faherty has
discovered the first evidence of water ice clouds on an object outside
of our own Solar System. Water ice clouds exist on our own gas giant
planets--Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune--but have not been seen
outside of the planets orbiting our Sun until now. At the Las Campanas
Observatory in Chile, Faherty, along with a team including Carnegie's
Andrew Monson, used the FourStar near infrared camera to detect the
coldest brown dwarf ever characterized. (9/10)
No Easy Parking Spot for First-Ever
Comet Landing (Source: New Scientist)
Landing on a comet will be even harder than we thought. The strange
shape of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko does not present as many safe
landing sites for the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft as
mission planners had hoped. "Its shape is exciting scientifically but
it [creates] a lot of challenges," says project scientist Matt Taylor.
He calls the comet "the duck" because from some angles it resembles a
rubber one.
The probe arrived at 67P on 6 August after a 10-year journey. The plan
is to release a probe called Philae to land on the comet's surface on
11 November. ESA announced five candidate touchdown sites on 25 August,
but on 8 September the team admitted that none of the sites looked very
safe. "All landing sites are worse than expected because of the shape
of the body," said the lander's lead scientist, Hermann Böhnhardt of
the Max Planck Institute.
Worse means smaller. Philae is designed to land within an ellipse 1
kilometer in length. Of the five shortlisted sites, only site B
(pictured below), at the "head" of the duck, meets that requirement.
There are some larger, smoother sites on the base of the duck's "body"
but they are too poorly lit to let the lander recharge its batteries
during its four-month mission. (9/9)
The DIY Spaceship Simulator That's
More Immersive Than Virtual Reality (Source: Motherboard)
As our spaceship swung somewhere past Mars, I frantically flicked
switches and slammed buttons to keep control of the onboard nuclear
reactor, to prevent a power blackout in the cabin, and to keep alien
intruders out. The screen in front of me flashed and beeped, asking for
the code that would bring me and my team back to safety as the whole
ship shook around us. I flipped through the vehicle’s manual and typed
in what I thought was the relevant sequence. The door behind me opened
and a red tentacle shot out. “You Are Dead,” the screen read.
While virtual reality games are often called “immersive,” this
experience showed that the most captivating experiences don't have to
involve wearing goggles. I was inside the LHS Bikeshed spaceship
simulator, a DIY, sci-fi styled caravan that takes immersive gaming to
the next level.
Unlike VR, the game delivers its real kicks through off-screen
elements. When the ship shakes, the whole caravan actually physically
shakes. When you have to plug in an emergency cable to save the ship,
you have to actually, physically get up and plug the right cable into
the right port. It's not virtual reality, it's real-life reality—and
that's what made it the best space simulator I've ever set foot in.
Click here.
(9/10)
Why ViaSat Settled Its Patent Case
against Loral for $100 Million (Source: Space News)
ViaSat Inc. Chief Executive Mark D. Dankberg on Sept. 10 defended his
company’s decision to settle a two-year patent-infringement lawsuit
against Loral Space and Communications, saying the $100 million
settlement sends a clear enough message to the industry. “We think
that’s enough to make the point,” Dankberg said here during the World
Satellite Business Week conference organized by Euroconsult.
“The technology [subject to the lawsuit] is old. We would rather focus
on new technology than on fighting over old technology.” New York-based
Loral and Space Systems/Loral, which is now owned by MDA Corp. of
Canada, have agreed to pay $40 million immediately and then $60
million, plus interest, over two and one-half years as part of the
settlement. (9/10)
Angara-5 Might Need New Place to Crash
its Boosters (Source: Russian Space Web)
A recent trip of a surveillance team to the locations where URM-1
boosters were to be dropped during the first launch of the Angara-5
rocket, deemed them unacceptable for the mission. The group discovered
that an extremely dense forest at those sites would make it impossible
to recover the remnants of the boosters. The return of the hardware for
post-launch analysis was a likely requirement during the flight
testing. If confirmed, the issue could require mission planners to find
more suitable sites and re-program the launch sequence in order to drop
boosters at the new locations.
According to a typical flight profile, four strap-on boosters of the
Angara-5 rocket separate at an altitude of around 82 kilometers around
three and a half minutes in flight. They would fall around 850
kilometers to the east from the rocket's launch site in Plesetsk. The
central (core) module would separate less than two minutes later at an
altitude of 148 kilometers and then would crash 2,320 kilometers
downrange. (9/10)
Volusia Historic Board to Weigh In on
Spaceport Impacts (Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal)
The voice of Volusia County’s Historic Preservation Board will be among
those weighing in on the potential impacts of a commercial spaceport at
Shiloh in Southern Volusia. The board, one of several groups invited by
the FAA to take part in a formal review of how a spaceport could affect
natural, historic and cultural resources, voted unanimously last
Thursday to participate.
“We feel we need to be involved because of the historical and social
impacts of what is there now,” board chairman Jim Yates said. “It’s our
job to help preserve these important places.” Space Florida would like
to obtain 200 acres from NASA — outside the formal boundaries of
Kennedy Space Center — to develop a spaceport at Shiloh, straddling the
Volusia/ Brevard County line south of Oak Hill. Click here.
(9/9)
Golden Age of Unmanned Space Travel
(Source: Huffington Post)
It has been over 45 years since the first Moon landing. Neil Armstrong,
Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins made a journey for the ages as the
Apollo 11 mission rocketed humans to another world. But, what have we
done lately? Click here.
(9/9)
Where to Grab Space Debris
(Source: MIT News)
Objects in space tend to spin — and spin in a way that’s totally
different from the way they spin on earth. Understanding how objects
are spinning, where their centers of mass are, and how their mass is
distributed is crucial to any number of actual or potential space
missions, from cleaning up debris in the geosynchronous orbit favored
by communications satellites to landing a demolition crew on a comet.
In a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Field Robotics, MIT
researchers will describe a new algorithm for gauging the rotation of
objects in zero gravity using only visual information. And at the
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems this month,
they will report the results of a set of experiments in which they
tested the algorithm aboard the International Space Station.
On all but one measure, their algorithm was very accurate, even when it
ran in real time on the microprocessor of a single, volleyball-size
experimental satellite. On the remaining measure, which indicates the
distribution of the object’s mass, the algorithm didn’t fare quite as
well when running in real time — although its estimate may still be
adequate for many purposes. But it was much more accurate when it had
slightly longer to run on a more powerful computer. (9/10)
Is Space Law the New Frontier?
(Source: Legal BisNow)
Even with its 2,600 lawyers in 79 offices, there was one practice area
mega-firm Dentons was missing. Now, Dentons has launched a space law
practice. US managing partner Mike McNamara tells us the firm wanted to
be part of shaping the new industry. Commercial space is a growing
industry, as private sector companies pick up lucrative contracts from
NASA for rocket parts or to launch cargo up to the International Space
Station.
The new practice has "two hearts," Del tells us: space business
(applying M&A, litigation, and IP to issues around space and
satellites) and space law and public policy (tying together new rules
and regulations, international treaties, memoranda of understanding,
and diplomacy). Another big issue is the future of the American
presence in space. (9/10)
Space Services Acquires Odyssey Moon (Source:
Parabolic Arc)
Space Services Holdings, Inc. (SSHI) of Houston, Texas, is acquiring
Odyssey Moon Ltd. and adding key industry veterans to its Board of
Directors, signaling an ambitious expansion in the global commercial
space market. Space Services, already an established space industry
leader with its iconic Celestis memorial spaceflights, makes these
announcements on the heels of exclusive commercial partnerships with
NASA and NOAA for the Sunjammer solar sail mission.
The acquisition of Odyssey Moon, an Isle of Man headquartered company,
situates Space Services as an emerging global pioneer in commercial
lunar missions as well. Joining the Space Services Board of Directors
from Odyssey Moon is incoming SSHI chairperson Christopher Stott,
founder and chairperson of Isle of Man satellite company ManSat
Ltd. Mr. Stott also serves on the Board of the Challenger Center
for Space Science Education and as president of the Society of
Satellite Professionals and the International Institute of Space
Commerce. (9/9)
Planetary Scientist Joins Asteroid
Mining Company Planetary Resources (Source: IT Wire)
Dante Lauretta, a professor of planetary science at the University of
Arizona, is joining Planetary Resources, Inc., an asteroid mining
company, as its science advisor. Dr. Dante Lauretta is the principal
investigator of OSIRIS-REx, the first asteroid sample return mission
for NASA. OSIRIS-Rex stands for Origins Spectral Interpretation
Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer.
The OSIRIS-Rex mission is scheduled to launch in 2016 and rendezvous
with the asteroid 101955 Bennu (commonly called Bennu). Bennu is an
asteroid classified as a potential Earth impactor, and is listed as one
of most likely asteroids to potentially impact the Earth from 2169 and
2199. (9/10)
Airbus Supports South Korean Weather
Satellite Program (Source: SpaceRef)
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has awarded Airbus
Defence and Space a €45 million contract to deliver important
subsystems and equipment for the two GEO-KOMPSAT-2 (GK2, Geostationary
Earth Orbit Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite) platforms. GK2 is a South
Korean government program to develop and operate two geostationary
civilian satellites, GK2A and GK2B, for numerous missions, among them
meteorological, environmental and ocean monitoring.
Airbus will deliver the complete propulsion subsystem and the structure
of the medium-sized/small geostationary satellite platforms, which have
a launch mass of three to four tons. The Electronics Business Line of
Airbus Defence and Space will supply the GK2 satellites with power and
avionics units, while the Space Systems Business Line will provide them
with a fully integrated propulsion subsystem consisting of the central
cylinder structure, the chemical propulsion and the associated thermal
control system. (9/10)
Orbital Selected by Yahsat to Build
Satellite (Source: SpaceRef)
Orbital Sciences Corp. has been selected by Al Yah Satellite
Communications Company, a UAE-based satellite operator, to build
the Al Yah 3 Ka-band communications satellite. Based on Orbital’s
GEOStar-3 satellite platform, the Al Yah 3 satellite will be designed,
manufactured and tested at Orbital’s satellite manufacturing facility
in Virginia. The satellite will extend Yahsat’s commercial Ka-band
coverage to an additional 600 million users across Africa and Brazil.
This will be the 28th Orbital-built satellite launched into orbit
aboard an Ariane rocket. (9/10)
Orbital Sets Launch of Third Cargo
Mission (Source: DelMarVa Now)
Orbital Sciences Corp.’s third cargo resupply mission to the
International Space Station will launch in mid-October from NASA
Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The mission will launch no earlier
than 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, according to NASA.
This is the third of eight planned cargo missions to the space station
under a contract Orbital has with NASA. (9/9)
China in Cooperation with Other
Countries in Manned Space Program (Source Xinhua)
China cooperates with Russia and Europe in its manned space program,
with future plans for possible coordinated space module dockings, the
country's first astronaut said Wednesday. Yang Liwei, deputy chief of
China's Manned Space Agency, said at a press conference at the annual
meeting of the Association of Space Exploration (ASE) that China has
hosted many astronaut exchanges with the United States, Russia and
Europe.
In the past few years, a training exchange was conducted between the
China Astronaut Center and European Astronaut Center. Yang also said
China is willing to cooperate with other countries in space mission, as
it has designed interfaces that would allow Chinese space modules to
dock with those from other countries. China looks forward to
cooperating with other countries in space station technology, astronaut
training, program design, equipment research and development, and even
holding joint missions, he said. (9/10)
China's Space Station to be
Established Around 2022 (Source: Xinhua)
The deputy chief of China's Manned Space Agency has announced an
ambitious space program timetable building up to the country
establishing its first space station around 2022. Yang Liwei, also
China's first astronaut, said at a press conference of the annual
meeting of the Association of Space Explorers that after the launch of
the Tiangong-2 space lab around 2016, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft and
Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft will be launched to dock with it.
Around 2018, a core experimental space module will be launched ahead of
the space station being completed in around eight years' time,
according to Yang, who became China's first astronaut in 2003, in the
Shenzhou-5 manned space mission. A new launch center in the
southernmost province of Hainan is almost completed and can already
launch space vehicles, he added. (9/10)
China to Launch Second Space Lab in
2016, Official Says (Source: AFP)
China will launch its second orbiting space laboratory in two years'
time, a top official said Wednesday, the latest step in an ambitious
space program Beijing says will one day land a Chinese man on the moon.
Astronaut Yang Liwei, who in 2003 became China's first man in space and
is now deputy director of the country's manned space program, made the
announcement at the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) congress in
Beijing.
"We are going to launch the spacelab Tiangong-2 in 2016, and then we
will launch Shenzhou-11 and then Tianzhou-1 cargo spaceship to dock on
the spacelab," he said. It is the first time China has hosted the
annual meeting, which has drawn nearly 100 astronauts from 18 countries
to Beijing, in a marker of the country's scientific progress.
Beijing sees its multi-billion-dollar space program as a symbol of its
rise and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes
of the once poverty-stricken nation. Yang added that Beijing plans to
launch an experimental core space station module in 2018 and finish
construction of a Chinese space station around 2022. Around the same
time the rival International Space Station, operated by the US, Russia,
Japan, Canada and Europe, is due to be retired. (9/10)
Can We Jump-Start A New Space Age?
(Source: NPR)
Jon Morse, former astrophysics division director at NASA, can remember
the exact moment he knew things had to change. It was the late spring
of 2011. After one particularly long planning meeting, Morse headed to
the elevators with some high-ranking budget officials. As they waited
for the next car, Morse asked the officials about a draft plan he and
his staff had been working on for months; its goal was implementation
of recent National Research Council recommendations for a menu of
exciting new space science missions. The plan, however, was going to
require extra resources.
Morse says he can still remember the sting of their response. "[They]
laughed, got on the elevator and said, 'Don't even bother. Then the
elevator doors closed." That was when Morse decided he'd seen enough
doors closing on the "high frontier." Fast-forward to today, when he
and a group of other space science experts, including a former
astronaut, are taking off in a new direction. Together, they created
the BoldlyGo Institute whose mission is to chart a new path for getting
space science into space. Click here.
(9/9)
Moonlets Created and Destroyed in a
Ring of Saturn (Source: SETI Institute)
There is an ongoing drama in the Saturnian ring system that causes
small moons to be born and then destroyed on time scales that are but
an eyeblink in the history of the solar system. SETI Institute
scientists Robert French and Mark Showalter have examined photos made
by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and compared them to 30 year-old pictures
made by the Voyager mission. They find that there is a marked
difference in the appearance of one of the rings, even over this
cosmologically short interval, a difference that can be explained by
the brief strut and fret of small moons. (9/9)
Arianespace Claims 60% Of The
Commercial Launch Market (Source: Forbes)
Today, European commercial launch provider Arianespace has announced
that it has signed four new commercial launch contracts. This marks an
impressive 11 launch contracts signed so far this year for the company,
with two current contracts under negotiation to be completed by the
year’s end.
According to the company, these four contracts bring Arianespace’s
total launch backlog to 38 satellite launches for 29 different
customers. The value of these combined orders exceeds $5.82 billion.
The company claims to now hold 60% of commercial launch market. (9/9)
Funds Shortage Has NASA Simulator
Collecting Dust (Source: The Battalion)
It was supposed to open summer 2013, but Texas A&M has yet to
unpack components of NASA’s retired shuttle simulator, let alone
assemble it. NASA and Texas A&M signed an agreement in 2011 to
transfer ownership of the Shuttle Motion Simulator, SMS, to the
University’s hands, but three years later the shuttle’s components
still lay in storage. Building space and funding problems continue to
stall the simulator’s assembly, and students who remember the original
transfer announcements are left with questions of when, if ever, Texas
A&M will open the simulator to the public. (9/9)
Astronaut Helps Launch Watches
Designed for Private Space Explorers (Source: CollectSpace)
A new wristwatch designed to be worn by the future crew members of a
commercial space station has received the signature of approval of a
former NASA astronaut. "I especially like the signature on the back!"
wrote retired astronaut Clay Anderson, describing a photo of his
autograph etched onto the stainless steel caseback of Giorgio Fedon
1919's new "Space Explorer" watches. "I am proud to be [their] Global
Ambassador."
Anderson, who in 2007 spent five months living aboard the International
Space Station, was at the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair on Sept. 4 to
help launch the timepieces, which feature day and date dials, stopwatch
functions and eight hours of luminescence. (9/9)
Bulsatcom to Launch Own Satellite,
With SpaceX Launch (Source: Broadband TV News)
Bulgaria Sat, an affiliate of Bulsatcom, has commissioned Space
Systems/Loral (SSL) to build the craft that will launch on a SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket on 2016. The satellite, known as BulgariaSat-1,will be
equipped with two Ku-band FSS transponders and 30 Ku-band BBS
transponders for fixed satellite and advanced TV services, such as
HDTV. It’s based on the SSL 1300 satellite platform that has been used
by operators including Intelsat and DirecTV. (9/9)
Google May Lead Tech Firms Into
Aerospace World (Source: Aviation Week)
With its experiments in drone delivery, Google may be poised to join
the aerospace industry, and other firms -- retailer Amazon and social
media giant Facebook -- are venturing into unmanned aviation as well.
Google's "Project Wing" research is moving out of the exploration phase
and into development, the firm says. "As we figure out exactly what our
service will deliver, and where and why, we will look at a variety of
vehicle options, both homemade and off-the-shelf," says Google. (9/8)
NASA to Narrow List of Mars Landing
Sites (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have proposed a list of more than 50 possible sites for the
next Martian rover, and now NASA must study the contenders to narrow
down the possibilities for the 2020 mission. The rover will drill into
rocks in search of signs of ancient life that may once have existed on
Mars. (9/8)
God Particle Could Destroy Universe,
According to Hawking (Source: Space Daily)
In the preface of an upcoming book, Starmus, Stephen Hawking claims the
Higgs Boson particle, a.k.a. the "God particle," could destroy the
universe. As first discovered by the Sunday Times of the United
Kingdom, Hawking claims if enough energy is directed at the particle,
it could cause space and time to completely collapse. He also claims
that we "wouldn't see it coming."
The Higgs Boson particle is said to be the particle that gives matter
its mass. "The Higgs potential has the worrisome feature that it might
become metastable at energies above 100bn gigaelectronvolts (GeV),"
Hawking writes. He claims that under such conditions, it is
theoretically possible the particle would cause an unstoppable vacuum
to form that would expand at the speed of light. (9/8)
University of Tennessee Space
Institute Celebrates 50 Years (Source: Daily Journal)
The University of Tennessee Space Institute is celebrating its 50-year
anniversary in Tullahoma this week. The Space Institute was founded as
a support arm of the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development
Center in 1964, offering study and research in engineering, physics,
mathematics and aviation systems. Since its founding, the institute has
awarded more than 2,000 graduate degrees, including more than 250
doctorates. Among the institute's alumni are nine current or former
NASA astronauts, including NASA's Barry Wilmore, the next commander of
the International Space Station. (9/9)
Canada's Open Space Orbital
Crowdfunded Campaign Falls Short (Source: SpaceRef)
For Open Space Orbital (OSO) the mission continues to raise funds to
build Canada's first orbital space launch company. Unfortunately their
Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign did not resonate with the public and
since Kickstarter has an all or nothing policy when it comes to meeting
fundraising goals, OSO comes away without any funds.
While Kickstarter is the highest profile and most popular of the
crowdfunding companies its policy of all or nothing is somewhat
controversial. So for Open Space Orbital they won't even get any of the
$5,568 they raised. Other crowdfunding companies like Indiegogo and
RocketHub don't have that policy. OSO founder and CEO Tyler Reyno said
"moving forward with the same action steps on the agenda, we're
adjusting our focus to entrepreneurial funding (Futurpreneur, CEED,
etc.) and federal grant money." (9/9)
Graphene as the Next Great Miracle
Material for Space (Source: Commercial Space Blog)
On August 20th, Ottawa-based Grafoid Inc., a company involved in the
research, development and production of graphene, opened a 225,000
square foot production facility in Kingston, Ontario. The move has
Canada positioned to become a world leader in the production of the
much-hyped super-material, with effects on many industries, not the
least of which is aerospace. (8/31)
Canada's Future in Space: To the Moon
and Beyond (Source: CBC)
Canada has a future in space exploration, including sending people to
the moon and to Mars, Industry Minister James Moore agreed Friday in an
interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield.He was concurring with
Hadfield's assessment that "moving humans off Earth to the solar
system" is what lies ahead in U.S. and Canadian space programs.
"This is what's next," Moore said. "We're technologically capable of
doing it." He added:"The global aspiration to get into space and to
move beyond what is contemporarily known is the great curiosity of
man." (9/9)
Modeling Supports ExoLance Concept of
Search for Life on Mars (Source: Explore Mars)
ExoLance, a project of Explore Mars, Inc., is developing and testing a
system that will search for microbial life on Mars by utilizing
penetrator technology. Using sophisticated computer modeling software,
Aerojet Rocketdyne has shown that the ExoLance penetrator design should
achieve a depth of more than one meter below the Martian surface. This
is a significant breakthrough in the search for life on Mars as well as
advancing other scientific goals on Mars and elsewhere.
One meter is the minimum depth at which many scientists believe life
could be discovered on Mars. In a recent statement, planetary scientist
Chris McKay said, "Once we have a capability to reach 1 meter and it
has been tried and tested, we can use it at many places on Mars and
begin the systematic search of the Mars underground for signs of life."
The computer simulations have conducted sensitivity analysis on the
penetrator impact velocity to determine the depth of penetration over a
range of impact velocities. The results give us encouragement
that the ExoLance design will be able to reach the targeted 1 meter
depth. (9/9)
Can Terraforming Venus Be The Solution
To Population Growth? (Source: Singularity)
It seems to me that Aubrey de Grey is not a big fan of one of the
possible solutions to the spiraling population expansion of the human
race. That solution is to move at least some of us to other planets.
Admittedly, such ideas may look like total science fiction and up
to now have usually been focused on Mars. Thus today there are
considerable numbers of serious people interested in terraforming the
red planet.
University professors, intellectuals and adventurers support the
colonization idea because a one-way trip to Mars would be probably half
as expensive as a full round-trip mission. Thus, it is reasoned that
Martian colonies should be set up there from the beginning. (Before
colonizing Mars, however, we ought to fully utilize remote places such
as Antarctica, Northern Canada, and Siberia, since those are much
easier to begin with.)
Aubrey de Grey may be right in thinking that sending substantial number
of humans into space is not a realistic idea for this century.
Nevertheless it might not be as hard to start extraterrestrial colonies
as some people think, especially if up to now we have been looking in
the wrong direction. I propose that instead of Mars, we ought to
consider the Earth’s Twin – Venus. Click here.
(9/9)
Boeing's New Spaceship Makes Strides
Ahead of NASA Space Taxi Decision (Source: Space.com)
If chosen for the contract, Boeing representatives already have a
specific plan for how they are will get astronauts flying from American
soil aboard a CST-100 spacecraft. Company representatives are planning
to launch a pad abort test in 2016, with an uncrewed flight scheduled
for early in 2017. The first crewed flight to the station should take
place in mid-2017.
The CST-100 program recently completed a major milestone. The
spacecraft made it through its critical design review of integrated
systems, paving the way for the final design that could fly to space.
The company met all of its CCtCap goals on time and on budget ahead of
the announcement, Mulholland said. (9/9)
Crimea Catch-22: Russia Space Training
May Put NASA in a Bind (Source: NBC)
As the International Space Station gets ready for a routine change of
crew using Russia’s Soyuz spaceships, the Russian government seems to
be initiating a subtle gambit to force the US into a diplomatic trap
over the status of Russian-occupied Crimea. Here’s how it works: Either
the US acknowledges the legitimacy of the recent Russian annexation of
that Ukrainian province, or it will be forced by existing agreements to
disqualify NASA astronauts from flying aboard Russia’s spaceships.
The challenge appeared this week in an innocent-looking Russian press
report, saying that crew survival training for Soyuz spacecraft could
be transferred back to the Russian naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea.
Until about 10 years ago, this was the traditional site of splashdown
survival training for all cosmonauts. But as space budgets dwindled,
that training was transferred to a small lake near Moscow that was
deemed adequate for the basics.
Here's the kicker: Shifting the survival training to Russian-occupied
Crimea will require foreign cosmonauts to accept travel there without
Ukrainian visas, an explicit acquiescence to the new diplomatic status
of the province. Refusal to attend survival training is equivalent to
failing the training, which by existing training regulations is an
automatic disqualification for flight certification. No Crimea trip, no
space trip. (9/9)
No comments:
Post a Comment