March 26, 2018

Flat-Earther Blasts Off Into California Sky in Home-Made Steam Rocket (Source: The Telegraph)
A self-taught rocket scientist has blasted himself high into the California sky using a steam-powered contraption he built in his garage, the first step in his long-term aim of proving the Earth is flat. “Mad” Mike Hughes propelled himself 1,875 feet (571m) into the air above the vast Mojave desert in the homemade rocket before deploying his parachute and landing back to Earth with a bump.  

The madcap 61-year-old limo-driver-turned-daredevil was visibly dazed as he was carefully lifted from his seat and was checked over by paramedics as he lay exhausted on the ground following a hard landing which damaged the front of his rocket. “Am I glad I did it? Yeah. I guess,” he told the Associated Press. “I'll feel it in the morning. I won't be able to get out of bed. At least I can go home and have dinner and see my cats tonight.”

The Flat-Earther, who has spent around $20,000 pursuing his rocket dream since 2016, admitted he was “relieved” to have finally achieved his goal following several aborted attempts and ridicule from some quarters when his plan captured the attention of the world’s media last year. “I'm tired of people saying I chickened out and didn't build a rocket. I'm tired of that stuff. I manned up and did it.” (3/25)

Bruno: American Manufacturing is Building Next Generation Rockets for Space (Source: LinkedIn)
We need space. We have become completely dependent on it. You cannot use an ATM or call an Uber without the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite; farmers all over the world rely on data from commercial remote sensing satellites; and our men and women in uniform rely on reconnaissance, missile warning, and communications satellites every day to keep our nation safe.

So what does the Air Force do when it needs to get a satellite to space that lives depend on? How does NASA ensure their Mars rovers get to the red planet on time, when missing your launch date by a few days can cost you years? They fly on ULA rockets.

ULA has successfully launched every single mission we have ever been awarded – 126 as of this date. No other launch provider in the world has that kind of record. But the success is not ours alone. We cannot do our job without the critical support of our industry partners across the country. ULA’s supply chain is the best in the industry, and our record proves that. Click here. (3/24)

Kuang-Chi and NanoRacks Announce Agreement on Near Space ‘Traveler’ Program (Source: NanoRacks)
Kuang-Chi Science LTD and NanoRacks LLC are pleased to announce a partnership to cooperate on Kuang-Chi’s Near Space helium spacecraft the ‘Traveler.’ The partnership will focus on the development of the Traveler program outside of China, leveraging Kuang-Chi’s Near Space technology and NanoRacks’ expertise in both in-space business development and customer marketing.

Kuang-Chi’s Traveler is a breakthrough platform in the emerging economy of space, offering secure and affordable access to suborbital space for space tourism and a wide variety of commercial applications, from ecological and terrestrial observation to satellite deployment and space research. The Traveler uses high-altitude helium buoyancy to gently transport people and payloads into Near Space, 25 kilometers above the Earth. Kuang-Chi and NanoRacks seek to cooperate to establish the Traveler as a commercially viable solution from a number of locations in China and worldwide. (3/22)

Richard Branson Speaks on Plan for Space Tourism (Source: Air & Space)
Billionaire Richard Branson has set up Virgin Galactic as part of his dream to conquer the final frontier. But it’s also a bet that could land him at the forefront of a new business: space tourism. Click here. (3/26) 

Rich People Will Soon Be Able To Buy Fake Meteor Showers On Demand (Source: Buzzfeed)
If everything works out, the night sky over Hiroshima, Japan, will fill with the graceful arcs of blue, green, and orange shooting stars sometime in the summer of 2019. The fireworks will come courtesy of a satellite some 220 miles high, owned by the world’s first “aerospace entertainment” firm, Astro Live Experiences, or ALE.

The brainchild of University of Tokyo astronomer Lena Okajima, the spacecraft will circle the globe and kick out 15 to 20 small metallic pebbles on command. Those seeds, less than half an inch wide, will blaze overhead for a few bright seconds over the city of the buyer’s choice. Their customers could be cities, companies, amusement parks, the mega-rich — anyone who can pay for such a spectacular show. (3/25)

Revised SpaceX Plan To Beat NASA Human Missions To Mars (Source: NASA Watch)
"We are targeting our first cargo missions in 2022 - that's not a typo, although it is aspirational. We've already started building the system - the tooling for the main tanks has been ordered, the facility is being built and we will start construction of the first ship around the second quarter of next year. In about six to nine months we should start building the first ship. I feel fairly confident that we can complete the ship and be ready for a launch in about five years. Five years seems like a long time to me."

"The area under the curve of resources over that period of time should enable this time frame to be met, but if not this time frame, I think pretty soon thereafter. But that is our goal, to try to make the 2022 Mars rendezvous. The Earth-Mars synchronization happens roughly every two years, so every two years there is an opportunity to fly to Mars. Then in 2024 we want to try to fly four ships - two cargo and two crew." (3/26)

Research at Embry-Riddle: For Spacesuit Designers, 3-D Beats 2-D (Source: Air & Space)
No astronaut would dare venture out into the vacuum of space without the protection of a spacesuit. But that’s not to say the bulky garments are comfortable, or that they don’t create problems of their own. In fact, astronauts wearing spacesuits often find that their range of motion decreases by several degrees during spacewalks. And in a moment of crisis during a future mission to Mars, that could prove to be a critical design flaw.

Researchers at the S.U.I.T. (Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology) Lab, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s newest addition to its Daytona Beach Campus, are hoping to improve astronaut mobility with the help of 3-D motion capture software. Click here. (3/26)