SSETI Express: Mission Failure?

Come in SSETI Express...come in, over....
Just when everything was coming together, ground controllers have been unable to reach SSETI Express since its launch last week. Engineers suspect a power system problem and will attempt a fix, with results revealed later this week.
An ESA press release states the problem seems to be with the batteries not taking a charge, causing the satellite to shut down.
There were some mission successes: Amateur Radio Operators successfully downloaded a significant amount of housekeeping data, and all three CubeSats launched properly and are operating within assigned parameters.
Let's call it three steps forward, one step back. That's still a better record than most Space programs.

India Joins Elite Five Nations; Builds Cryogenic Engine

Running a successful business ain't rocket science; Understanding the importance of having the capability to build your own parts is just common sense in India.
Hence their development of the nation's first indigenous cryogenic upper stage engine. This makes them the sixth nation, after the US, Russia, France China and Japan, able to build cryogenic engines on their own. It also means they are no longer required to purchase such engines from the Russians, creating new jobs, new industry and new potential for the future of their people.
Cheers to the Indian Space Research Organisation! Keep up the good work...

Asteroid 99942 Apophis To Impact Earth? Maybe Not, NASA Says

It's not every day astronomers identify an asteroid on a near-collision course with Earth. Maybe once a week, but certainly not every day...
The folks at The B612 Foundation have some very real concerns about the potential for what they call an "unacceptable collision" sometime this century. Trouble is, unlike say a 100-year flood when thousands of people lose their homes, an "unacceptable collision" would destroy thousands of miles of coastal areas, possibly destroy a continent or even set our species' evolution back a few hundred thousand years--yep, makes us cavemen again.
NASA (at the urging of Congress) has been relying on the Spaceguard detection program for early detection and tracking of near-Earth objects since 1998.
Of course Spaceguard is only tracking 90 percent of NEAs 1km or larger in diameter.
Anything else is ignored.
Noticing a gaping hole in Space coverage, The B612 Foundation is filling the niche quite nicely.
Thank goodness.

Seven Asian-Pacific Nations Form Space Organization: APSCO

Anyone interested in achieving Space Technology prowess should take note: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, Mongolia, Peru, Thailand and China have officially joined forces to create the Asian-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (Apsco.)
Pakistan, China and Thailand have pursued the creation of Apsco since 1992. China has lead the way in the formation of a manned Space program but many other nations, including Iran, Pakistan and Thailand are vigorously pursuing advanced satellite technology on their own.
It remains to be seen if Apsco will create a surge in Space Tech development for its member countries, but at the very least, it should make everyone else in the world pause a moment and take serious stock of the situation.
When the ink dries on the charter Apsco will set up shop at Beijing.

Japanese Investor and "Gundam otaku" Next Space Tourist

Daisuke Enomoto, a Japanese investor and former board director of the Livedoor Internet firm headed by Takafumi Horie, is the latest tourist to cough up $20 million for a week-long stay at the International Space Station.
He might be the fourth paid tourist to visit ISS, but if he has his way he will be the first one to go dressed as "Char Aznable" of Gundam fame.
The Russians have yet to approve his wearing of a phony uniform, but it's likely they will. After all, people may scoff and newscasters will likely have a field day, but there's really no such thing as bad publicity.
Especially when it comes to Space.

Next Generation Technology: "Space Tug" Built for Hardware That's Not Disposable

The CX-OLEV or "Space Tug" built by Orbital Recovery has received its first contract to service an in-orbit telecommunications satellite. This marks a milestone in satellite technology: it's finally cheaper to re-fuel the old one than throw it away and build a new one.
With the exception of the mildly successful Shuttle Transport System (Shuttle) operated by NASA, and a couple multi-use components of the Soyuz program, most Space hardware is disposable. Not intended for re-fueling or re-using in any way.
More than one scientist has publicly lamented this "disposable" type of Space program, arguing non-renewable means non-sustainable.
With the "Space Tug", however, a company can extend the life of a satellite by up to eight years, through autonomous navigation and flight control. It remotely attaches to the craft and takes over all control flight functions, then is turned over to the operator of the satellite for regular control.
Of course it's a European Space Agency program. They seem to be mastering the art of recycling in all facets of modern society.

Mars Ready For Its Close-Up

For only the second time in 60,000 years (or since 2003--depending on who you ask)Mars will be coming within 43 million miles of Earth. Plus, since it will be slightly higher above the eastern horizon, more people will get a glimpse. Look for a bright yellow "star" rising above in the eastern sky just after dark.
Try not to miss it but don't worry if you do. We'll all get another close-up in 2018. Or so they say...

Mars Needs Weather-Man

Canadian Space Agency has written a check to MDA Space Missions to build a permanent extraterrestrial weather station which will be launched aboard NASA's Phoenix Lander Mission to Mars in 2007.
The mission is the first exploration of the planet's arctic region, where annual spring thaws create a moisture rich environment, which scientists believe is at least partially responsible for the formation of thick ice clouds in the lower atmosphere.
The probe will also perform tests for the existence of mircrobial life, the ability of the soil to sustain life and the existence of several other life-sustaining forces on the surface.

Titan Mysteries Slowly--Very Slowly--Revealed

Titan has an atmosphere, unlike any other moon in our Solar System. It's atmospheric pressure is only one-and-a-half times as great as it is on Earth, but the hydrocarbon and carcinogenic orange-colored haze is thick as pea soup. Scientists believe they have even found a cloud covered, methane-filled lake.
Understanding why this happened there and no place else, is helping us better understand how the Solar System itself was formed. Analyzing all the data received so far from Huygens and Cassini will take years, and there's more data coming.
And in the meantime, mysterious convective cloud bands, liquid natural-gas rainfall and ice-volcanoes, are giving us all something to say "wow" about.

Liquid Metal: For Robots and racquets

They call it Liquid Metal, and engineers everywhere can't wait to get their grubby little hands on it. And I can't blame them. The synthetic blend of metals is twice as strong as titanium and hardens at room temperature; it possesses all the strength of steel and the flexibility of plastic.
NASA engineers are using the stuff in an Electrostatic Levitator to test the materials in a contamination-free environment--no contact with a container.
Liquid Metal is just one of a whole host of new materials spewing out of labs all around the globe. A new metallic laminate may soon serve as a replacement for armor, given its higher strength and much lower density than steel.
Most applications for these new materials are mundane; everything from racquets to baseball bats to water skis.
Of course in my opinion, it's only a matter of time until its being used as Spaceship skin....aerospace applications are being devised even as you read these words...

Russia To Build New Space Transport System

Energia administrators announced plans for a new Moon mission launch site, practice on long-term interplanetary flight missions and the development of a new "space transport system."

I don't really have anything to add to this story. Just my utter astonishment at how quickly some countries have not only grasped the importance of the advancement of Space Technology to their bottom line, but also managed to implement changes in their administration of that technology.
It seems to me NASA should have a reliable Space Transport System by now....or at least something close to one.

Iran Joins the Space Race; Launches First Satellite

Iran has officially joined the Space Race.
Iranian officials claim the country's first satellite will be used strictly for telecommunciations; they plan to launch five more satellites, three in the next three years.
It is the 18th largest country, with almost 70 million people living on about 1 million square miles of land. Maybe they do need five telecommunications satellites.
Given the recent political battles over its nuclear future, I can't help but wonder if they view the ability to launch Spaceships as a matter of national security or simply as the next logical step toward the future.
After all, scholars claim astronomy is the national pastime in Iran so it only makes sense.

S.S.E.T.I. Express: Launch Successful!

S.S.E.T.I. Express is currently happily transmitting signals from its place in low-Earth-orbit. It was launched without incident Thursday morning from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, and university students from a dozen different European countries are probably still rejoicing--between e-mails and data crunching, that is.
Among the experiments currently taking place: testing a cold-gas attitude control system, and a networked ground control system using amateur radio operators. More than 400 students contributed directly to the project and hundreds more have been involved with or motivated by the project in other ways.
Congratulations S.S.E.T.I. Express!

Greatest Threat To US Homeland Security: Lack of Engineering Students

It's no wonder the US House of Representatives is getting involved, aerospace engineering degrees for US students have become almost as scarce as the carrier pigeon. If this latest legislation passes, 11 US executive branches including NASA and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, will be required to develop a task force which would find new aerospace workforce opportunities through scholarship and advanced training programs and in partnership with public and private organizations. Each year the taskforce would come before Congress and report on its progress.
The goal is to increase the talent pool in the US workforce when it comes to math, science, engineering and technology.
That's a great start! Now, if they could just guarantee those jobs will stick around...

Rocket-Fuel Producing Bacteria All the Rage in England

I think it's only a matter of time until just about every chemical we need can be manufactured from excretions of some waste-eating bacteria.
Consider Brocadia anammoxidans, first discovered in a yeast plant in the late 1990s; it consumes ammonia, converting it to nitrogen gas, producing hydrazine (rocket fuel) in a process known as an anammox reaction. It's great for sewage treatment plants where ammonia waste is common and for handling industrial effluent, also high in ammonia.
Treatments utilizing the tiny ammonia-eating critters are already working effectively in England and scientists hope the new process, which they say consumes less fuel and is better for the environment, will become popular world-wide.

SpaceDev Merges With StarSys: Investors Cheer!

The merger of SpaceDev with Starsys through an agreed upon buyout with cash and stock worth about $9 million, looks like a win/win all around, but you never know until all the chips have fallen.
Historically, both companies have performed very strong, with a long list of successful products and excellent reputations for performance within the Space Tech Industry between them. It remains to be seen how this acquisition will effect SpaceDev, although given Starsys' earning record (almost three times as high as SpaceDev for the same period) I think it will be positive.

S.S.E.T.I. Express Launch Imminent!

Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative (S.S.E.T.I.) members are waiting on pins and needles for the launch of S.S.E.T.I. Express which is expected at virtually any moment. (Watch it live, here.)
In cooperation with the European Space Agency, students from 12 European countries have joined forces to launch probes which will test the effectiveness of using a network of Amateur Radio Operators as a makeshift "mission control." If it works it will revolutionize the micro-satellite industry and they will move on to launching more complex Spacecraft.
S.S.E.T.I.'s larger goal, however, is to create a technologically advanced training program to develop the workforce of the 21st Century. If that works, it will revolutionize the future...At least for Europeans.

Pyrococcus Furiosus Makes Its Genetic Contribution

Pyrococcus Furiosus or P. As it likes to be known by its friends, it being used to develop Space-tolerant plants.
For those of you who don't know, P. Is a little microbe that likes to live where it's really hot--like in a volcanic vent at the bottom of the ocean, or where it's really cold, like a glacier. Just one creature in the class of organisms scientists call extremophiles, because of their ability to survive in extreme environments.
Researchers at North Carolina State University, in their never-ending quest to find uses for tobacco other than smoking, are "transferring beneficial characteristics" from the little beastie to tobacco and mustard weed. The hope is that the plants will become more resilient and better able to survive in extreme environments on earth. But also to see if we can adapt them to grow places off Earth--like Mars, where the gravity, atmosphere and temperature are toxic.
If successful the effort could change everything about living in these places.
Farming on Mars (or anywhere conceivably) would become an industry of the future, rather than a somewhat neglected relic from the distant past.

Russian Space Budget Highlights: Clipper, Mars and ISS, Oh My!

The Federal Space Program in Russia announced revealed pieces of upcoming programs budgeted through 2015. The Russian cabinet has already approved the total expenditure. Details include construction of its re-usable Clipper Spaceship and two new rockets. Building, launching and attaching a new compartment onto International Space Station is included, as is a sample retrieval mission to Mar's moon, Phobos.
It seems the Russians, as usual, are taking an aggressive stance when it comes to Space exploration. Of course it remains to be seen if any of these plans will come to fruition. It seems they've been talking about the Clipper (also, Kliper) forever. Whatever they call it, it sure sounds cool, but I guess the proof will have to be in the pudding.

Damaris Does Shuttle Tiles

Future astronaut (I have that much confidence in her!) Damaris B. Sarria is continuing her explanation of the Shuttle tile inspection process that has been going on at NASA. She has shown us new tile repair techniques and some examples of the blood-red gap-filler application process. She also has some very cool photos, and a nice easy-going writing style that doesn't get bogged down in techno-babble.
And her dog's cute, too.
Check it out, here.

SpaceX Announces Falcon 1 Launch date

The maiden voyage of Falcon 1 is scheduled for late November, early December from the SpaceX island launch pad in the Kwajalein Atoll. The mission carries FalconSat-2, a DARPA/ Air Force payload designed by the Air Force Academy to study Space plasma phenomena.
SpaceX just announced these dates today, so anything could happen to the oft-delayed launch. Despite a few minor set-backs they already have six Falcon 1 customers lined-up and two awaiting a Falcon 9, the heavy-lifting vehicle capable of placing just about any size satellite in orbit.
SpaceX has made no secret of its desire to be the low-cost leader in successful rocket launches--emphasis on successful.
With a total cost to launch of around $7 million for 550kg to low-Earth-orbit, I'd say they've got the low-cost part. Now they need to work on the successful...

See SpaceShipOne; US Flight Museum New Home For Historic Spacecraft

National Air and Space Museum in Washington is the new home for SpaceShipOne, the first privately built Spacecraft ever successfully launched and recovered. (NASM here.)
It's new home is nestled right between Charles Lindberg's Spirit Of St. Louis and Chuck Yeager's supersonic Bell X-1.
The perfect spot for a classic ship.

Wisconsin: Home of Cheese Heads and Spaceships

Wisconsin legislators are backing a plan to allow the development of a private inland Spaceport, near Sheboygan, using Lake Michigan as a crashpad.
A proposal (Senate Bill SB-352) is on the table to create the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority with a Sheboygan-based center acting as Mission Control for private rocket launches.
The idea has merit, especially considering the latest Space launch techniques employed by Scaled Composites (and perhaps one day by The DaVinci Project) that don't require equatorial launch sites.
Ironic Florida legislators don't chase the same money, but I guess people there are happy working in restaurants and nightclubs for minimum wage...

United Launch Alliance Threatens Free Enterprise; SpaceX Ready to Fight!

Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) is poised to revolutionize Space travel with its Falcon 9 rocket, and---big surprise--two major defense contractors have teamed up seemingly to prevent that from happening.
Lockheed Martin and Boeing's joint venture, dubbed United Launch Alliance, is clearly aimed at squashing the burdgeoning private Space-launch industry. SpaceX is offering better reliability and cheaper prices for government launches, as a taxpayer I feel like I am about to be deprived of an opportunity to possibly save a few dollars. These companies are former giants of industry--there's no reason for them to team-up other than to prevent newcomers from entering the market. It's a squeeze-play and it's not fair.
I expect the Federal Trade Commission will recognize this thinly veiled attempt at creating a monopoly as a blatant attack on Fair-Market Values and punish the participants swiftly and justly.
And NASA should be ashamed for not protecting its own interests by encouraging competition and innovation, not continuing to promote the good-ol'-boy system that has failed again and again and again.
How Un-American. In spirit anyway...

Tokyo Motor Show Goes Green!

It's not new; during the period of back-to-back energy crisis' of the 1970s, the dream was to have an automobile engine powered with seawater by the year 2000. It seems we're still a long way off from the days of free power, but at least we're out of the realm of science fiction.
The Tokyo Motor Show is teeming with hot concept cars that require something other than standard unleaded gasoline to go.
SUVs and full size sedans are being equipped with hybrid powerplants faster than you can say "save a tree."
I know I keep harping on this same point--and it's not really Space-related--but we need to get behind these new technologies. It's imperative to our country's economic growth.
And the only way we can free enough resources to concentrate on Space exploration...

This Week In The Night Sky: Cool Stuff!

At Universetoday.com, Tammy Plotner takes the time to guide us around the autumn night sky (for North America, anyway.) She has a day by day outline of what's best to be viewed this week and where it's to be viewed at.
If you enjoy Plotner's column check out a "Full Year of 'What's Up This Week?'" and see what you've been missing.
If you're new to astronomy there are several cool sites to run to for help choosing a telescope and finding your way around the Heavens.
So get busy--you might be the next Eugene Shoemaker...or David Levy...

NASA Tests New Shuttle Tile System;Engineers Cross Fingers

Dr. Tribikram Kundu, Prof. at University of Arizona and researcher on the Shuttle thermal-protection tile project, thinks they have discovered a way to use "elastic wave propagation" to test heat tiles for defects and bondedness to the Shuttle hull, from on the ground or in flight.
Kundu is working in collaboration with research group leader Dr. Kumar Jata of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
It's ground-breaking work that could lead to improved Shuttle performance, through ease of inspection.
But there's one thing I've been wondering: Do you suppose Kundu and Kumar ever made a road trip to White Castle?
Just a question...

Chinese Investors Know a Great Deal When they See It: Space Technology

I have been to China. I have seen massive cities undergoing massive transformations; new high-rise buildings are springing up like mushrooms and everywhere is the hum and hustle of a burgeoning economy.
It's no wonder with all this new wealth, Chinese investors would turn their attention to the most "in-demand" thing ever: Space travel.

Spacedaily.com is reporting 10 astronautic companies have seen shares rise seven percent in a week on news of the successful launch and recovery of China's second and third taikonauts and the purchase by a Chinese businessman of the first ticket to Space for a Chinese civilian.

I believe it's a moot point that China may one day threaten US superiority in Space--because in my opinion, they have the superior program right now.
We still can't launch a darn thing....

Venus Express Delayed; Mars Express Lonely

The European Space Agency's launch of Venus Express, sister ship to Mars Express, has been postponed for "several days" following detection of "contamination" inside the fairing--the hood that covers the payload.
The probes mission is to map the surface of Venus, study and track weather patterns and atmospheric composition, but perhaps most importantly to analyze the planet's magnetic field and determine if the lack of one has created such an inhospitable environment there.
The Soviets had some successful missions to the Venusian surface, with Venera landers that lasted several hours before succumbing to crushing pressure and blazing temperatures. And the United States collected some juicy data with the Magellan Mission, and the earlier flybys by Pioneer and Mariner.

It's not likely we'll ever take to living on the surface of Venus, where daytime temperatures reach a sweltering 450 degrees Celsius, but maybe we can learn why a planet so much like ours in so many ways, is also dramatically different.

Japanese Ahead of the Curve in Technology--Again

Let it come as no surprise in a few years when American auto makers are facing yet another crisis because everyone is buying cars manufactured by Japanese companies.
Check out the latest electric sedan, made in Japan; an eight-wheeled vehicle that travels faster than 200 miles per hour!
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will begin selling a new electric car in 2010. Priced around $19,000, it goes about 100 miles on a single charge, and can be re-charged at home from an outlet.
In 2002, Japanese toymaker Takara Co. unveiled a single-seat faux-vintage electric vehicle called a Q-Car with a range of around 50 miles, costing about $8,000. Yes, it's street legal.
Similarly, Subaru and Toyota Electric Power Co. will jointly develop an electric car with a 50-mile range that recharges in just 15 minutes. In two years TEPCO will replace all 3000 vehicles in its fleet with the new electric powered transports.
And I haven't even said a word about their fuel-cell vehicles, hybrid vehicles or solar powered vehicles...

In the meantime, Detroit is still focused on horsepower, Hummers and cargo room. You do the math...

Strickland Argues For Better Plan From NASA; Fear and Loathing of US Space Policy

John K. Strickland Jr., Advocate with the Space Frontier Foundation, makes some compelling arguments for a better plan for America's future in Space in a recent op-ed.
His first point: Disposable Space hardware is not a sustainable Space exploration program. He posits this question: Why do we need to have a refueling station on the lunar surface if all the vehicles are one-way only?
His second point: The new CEV is too much like the Apollo 2 program, too similar for us to derive any benefit.
But most importantly, Strickland is of the opinion, like myself and many others, that being an isolated one-world species, we risk annihilation from one calamity or another at any given time, and therefore Space technology is critical to the survival of the species and should be continually advanced; we don't need to mine the past for obsolete hardware when we can build it better, faster, stronger right now.
But former Space scientist, and Space nut like myself, Jeff Bell believes too much reliance on scare tactics to force change in our Space program is working against us.

Somewhere in the middle is an honest, objective opinion that mixes just the right amount of logic with just enough fear to get the ball firmly rolling in the right direction.
Somewhere in the middle....

Spaceguard Foundation

It hasn't been that long ago people thought the idea of an asteroid striking the Earth was a one-in-a-million, longshot-of-longshots, ain't-no-way-that's-gonna-happen-anytime-soon kind of thing.
Then in 1994 we watched comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 break into 22 giant pieces and crash into Jupiter, leaving a gaping scar larger than our planet.
Coincidentally, that same year some really smart people around the world got together and started the Spaceguard Foundation, devoted to finding asteroids that someday pose a threat to Earth.
They don't get much in the way of funding, but they are doing a great service for all humankind. No joke.
Cheers to you, Spaceguard Foundation members!

Star Wars Attacktix: A Fun Game For All Ages

I admit it. I am a gaming junkie. Miniatures are my favorite. I think that comes from when I was a kid and couldn't afford the little D&D guys; Now I want every miniature game that comes out.

Star Wars Attacktix is not exactly a miniatures game. It's quite different. Your guys actually attack each other with plastic rocket launchers and spring-loaded lightsabers. It requires a touch of strategy and just a little luck to win.
The game is pretty hot right now. I believe this is mainly due to guys like me who buy it for their 2-year-olds as a precursor to more advanced games.
Check out this blog for more info: starwarsattacktix.blogspot.com If you already play and want to take it up a notch, here are some unofficial tournament rules.

And remember, the best games are 'missions', requiring a specific objective be met for a "pass" or "fail" grade.

So, any other gamers out there? It seems we gravitate to Space things too....

Tadar Takes Cue From Bats: X-Ray Vision Without the X-Rays!

Leave it to the European Space Agency to revolutionize the world with Space technology. For instance, the same Tadar imaging system used on ESA satellites for years has now been adapted for use in security.
Tadar is based on the high frequency, millimetre-wave system used by the Tadarida bat, (AKA: Mexican Free Tailed bat)native to Brazil. It has been adapted into a millimetre-wave camera, for use at security check-points. The new technology makes it possible to see right through clothing, visualizing metallic and non-metallic objects alike, making them easily recognizable. Nothing is invisible to Tadar. The sensor detects energy naturally emitted by or reflected by any object.

Isn't it simply amazing, the stuff they come up with? Who would have imagined there would be a way to see through people without irradiating them?
Apparently some people in Ireland did. Brilliant!

Trained Wasps: Who Knew? 'Wasp Hound' Breakthrough Device

I didn't even think it was possible, much less do I fully believe the technical description of the device: Essentially a PVC cup with miniature breathing holes for the half-dozen live wasps living inside; a miniature camera records their actions, notifying the human user when they react to a specific scent, say a corn fungus, or chemical agent.
Apparently, however, scientists at the University of Georgia have made the darn thing work, and promise commercial availability in just a few years. It's called a Wasp Hound.

It is worth noting the following facts: A dog's nose is about 100 times more sensitive than our own; a butterfly has an olfactory sense 10,000 times more sensitive than a dog's.
I have no idea where a wasp fits into that scale, but it must be closer to the butterfly than the dog.
It only takes about five minutes to train a wasp, by the way, and they are not the only animals tested for their unique noses: Rats, honeybees, fish and even yeast have also been tested with modest success.

Wow...The things I never knew.

New Desert Tent: Not For Martians--Yet

What we have here is human ingenuity, tackling a problem and seeking the simplest answer. Introducing: Desert Seal.

Designed and created by Andreas Vogler (Switzerland) and Arturo Vittori (Italy), the Desert Seal is a one-person, inflatable tent for use in harsh, arid desert conditions. It utilizes a solar panel to charge a battery that powers a small electric fan, for cooling temps. in the days and warming temps. at night. It's ingenious, really.

The idea is to utilize the simplest materials and techniques possible to build similar structures for use on Mars. Trouble is, product testing there can be a real pain...Literally.
So instead, they develop similar things for use in Earth's harshest climates. This gives them a good idea of what techniques work and which still need a "breakthrough."

I realize it's just a tent, and not very glamorous or sexy like a Spaceship, but one day your great-grandchildren might use something just like for their Scout trip on the Red Planet.
It's worth day-dreaming about if nothing else...

Ulysses: Fifteen Years of Sun Worship

The ESA/NASA joint mission responsible for the wildly successful Ulysses probe has been extended until 2008. The fastest probe ever built, it has been in a polar orbit around the sun for 15 years. That means the probe has had a chance to witness most of the Sun's 22 year cycle of activity.

Most of us think of the Sun as a big burning ball of gas, but in reality it is a much more complex, mysterious thing than that. Some scientists are right now debating whether the Sun has a solid surface. While many others consider that very notion utterly ridiculous.

For those of you completely in the dark about the composition of the sun, check this out. Just be sure to take everything you read with a grain of salt. After all, Ulysses has been studying the Sun for 15 years and it's barely scratched the surface...

Mars Express: 19% of Surface Imaged and No Giant Face

The Mars Express mission, launched by the European Space Agency, has met with great success and has officially been extended one Martian year (23 months.)

The probe has collected reams of data on soil composition, water detection, atmospheric readings, weather patterns and seasonal climate changes. It's fair to say we've learned more from Mars Express than we have from all other orbiting Martian probes combined.
It even detected a very large, strange methane gas emission which some scientists theorize could be further signs of microbial life.
Unfortunately it did not find any giant stone sculptures or cities and no obvious signs of life.

It's interesting to note, we now know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do about the bottoms of Earths ocean.

I wonder what sort of life we'll find down there?

Canadian Arrow: Spacediving Pioneers or Pipedreamers?

They couldn't win the X-Prize with their re-vamped two-stage V-2 rocket design, but they are no less inspired for it. Despite the fact their rocket still hasn't seen the dark of Space.
Nonetheless, things at Planet Space are starting to heat up; Manned launches are planned for 2007 and work continues on possible Spacediving flights.

But like all things, the proof is in the pudding. Nothing has been launched yet, and until it is the Canadian Arrow is nothing more than a dream.
A sweet dream, to be sure, but still just a dream.

Space Tourist Reveals ISS is Pretty Boring

American millionaire Space Tourist, Dr. Greg Olsen, recently returned to Earth to speak with CNN. He had only been visiting the International Space Station for about a week, but sounded as if it was 1960 all over again and nobody knows anything about zero-gravity or living in Space.

Is there anyone who doesn't know what astronauts eat? You can buy the stuff at the NASA gift shop, freeze-dried strawberries and ice cream are all the rage with 10-year-olds.
Sleeping in Space, using the restroom in Space and floating around doing nothing, that's basically what he got for his $20 million ticket to Space.
And to top it all off, he doesn't like being referred to as a "Space tourist" since he conducted a few experiments for the ESA.

Boy, am I jealous...

Chinese Chase Profit Into the Fourth Territory

It's no wonder China has made the pursuit of Space technology a top priority. They have already made a handsome profit genetically engineering seeds in space, launching and operating telecommunications satellites and now stand poised to overtake the Russians and USA in manned Spaceflight capabilities.

The launch and full-time operation of an orbital Space Station would cement their place in Space, at least figuratively speaking...

In China it's called 'The Fourth Territory'; We call it 'Outer Space'...but whatever you call it, it still smells like money...

oh, and adventure! Let's not forget adventure...and money.

NASA Teams With Google for Techno-Double-Whammy!

Google is setting up shop at NASA Research Park at Moffett Field, with an option to develop up to one million square feet of space.

The hope is that Google ingenuity will rub-off on stodgy NASA administrators, creating a new age of U.S. Space exploration and domination.
Or at least help broaden the mass appeal of technology by putting it within reach of more people than ever before. Faster, cheaper, better; Knowledge on demand.
A NASA Research Park sounds like a good idea to me.

NASA Sets Sights On Pluto, Readies The New Horizon Probe For Launch

No probe has visited Pluto, its moon Charon or anything in the Kuiper Belt, though the Voyager crafts took some pictures, but that's all about to change with the launch of The New Horizons Spacecraft.

The ship, the first in NASA's New Frontiers program, carries seven specific scientific instruments to study surface features, temperature, geology, composition and atmospheric structure, which use a miniscule 28 watts of power combined, making this a hyper-efficient probe.

Now that the payload package has been configured for flight, all that's left if the lofting. Liftoff is scheduled for January 11, 2006, with arrival as early as 2015.

If successful, The New Horizons probe will expand our knowledge of how our Solar System was formed, and give us a better idea of what sort of "neighbors" live in the Kuiper Belt.

Miscanthus: Cash Crop of the Future

What's interesting about Miscanthus or elephant grass are the low CO emissions when burned. Basically, set it on fire and it releases as much CO as it absorbed, so the net effect on the atmosphere is zero. It's also sterile (cannot become a weed,) grows in untilled soil with very little water and the energy input to output ratio is about .2--compared with more than .8 for ethanol or biodiesel.

The market for alternative fuels is beginning to show significant signs of growth. But that's no wonder given the wildly erratic petroleum and natural gas markets.
People want choices. They don't like being told what they have to pay for things and who they have to buy them from. They'd rather go out and do it for themselves, "cheaper."

Miscanthus may lead the way for some, for others it might be solar--Whatever--as long as it gets us all thinking about alternatives to fossil fuels.

Tethys: A Frozen Oasis in the Desert of Space

I remember when scientists believed life would be found in Space when they found a water source someplace other than Earth. A distant planet, in some far away solar system, perhaps.

Today we know water is practically everywhere, including the giant ball of frozen water-ice known as Tethys. The Cassini probe recently brought us our first close-up views, confirming the content of the dirty snowball moon.
(Coincidentally, Tethys was first observed by Giovanni Cassini in 1684, for which the hardy probe was named.)

Now that we've found water, it's only a matter of time until we find extraterrestrial life.

Space Week at History Channel

Wish I could have given you better notice, but I just found out myself. History Channel is hosting a variety of Space themed programs all week at 7 p.m. (Check your local listings.)
Their Web site boasts a plethora of Space resources (stuff for teachers too!) including an historical timeline, launch web casts, video and a brief history of the development of Spacecraft technology.
Check it out.

AIBO: The Next Generation

Sony has sold 150,000 of the little AIBO robo-dogs since their release in 1999. Incredible, when you consider its price tag of around $1700.
Still, if I had the money I'd buy one. When ti comes to a usable robot, I prefer the new open-standards, upgradeable droids available at White Box Robotics. But for purely entertainment purposes, the Aibo intrigues me.
Eventually they will hit-on the idea of implanting wireless software, MP3 capability and the like, and then the little puppies should really take-off. It's just a matter of time.
After all, we'll need some sort of pets to take to the lunar base. Dogs and cats can't come until we have artificial gravity. Even then, it may not work.
Besides, the little 'droid dogs are neat.

Dione Frigid But Geologically Active

A sister-world to Enceladus, Dione seems older and perhaps wiser, but no less interesting.
Cassini has new information on the tiny Saturnian moon after a brief 300 mile fly-by.

What scientists are beginning to understand about the Saturn moons, and the entire Saturn system for that matter, is just how much they do not know. Surprisingly to them (possibly not to sci-fi fans everywhere) the tidal forces of gravity have created warm spots in these little rocks, tectonic forces that churn up whatever minerals and gases might be trapped inside. Each one is a potential haven for mircrobial extra-terrestrial life.
If Enceladus can have an atmosphere, anything is possible.

Brazil Teams With Russians For Space Mission

Not long ago the Brazilian Space program suffered a devastating launch pad disaster that cost the lives of dozens of scientists and engineers.
Somehow, they managed to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and today announced a joint Space mission with the Russians.

Actually, it's just a 10-day science trip to the International Space Station, but for Brazil, it's a step in the right direction; back from the brink of catastrophe.

CryoSat Loss Devastating Blow To Earth Sciences

Last weeks loss of the polar surveyor CryoSat was a devastating blow to everyone concerned with shrinking polar ice caps and the effects of global warming. Designed by the European Space Agency at a cost of around $170 million, scientists hoped it would provide detailed measurements of ice thickness, track ice movement and provide answers to what is happening to our polar environment.
Now, it is the focus of an international inquiry into a failed launch.

Building and launching a CryoSat 2 would in fact cost far less than the original, but no plans have been announced, or even hinted at. This was the first satellite of ESA's Earth Explorer series, all designed to provide Earth scientists with better, and more detailed information on the planet we all share.

Liftport Has Big Success With Little Robotic Lifter; NASA Elevator Competition in 3 days!

Liftport Space Elevator successfully tested a prototype robotic lifter designed to climb the carbon-nanotube Space Elevator, once constructed.


While many have outright scoffed at the idea, and others are still trying to figure out if it can even be done, Liftport is well on its way to perfecting the technology needed to make the Space Elevator a reality, including building the first carbon nanotube factory in Millville, New Jersey.
Once (yes, not "if") they are successful, Space travel will forever be changed.
I can envision fleets of Spacecraft fanning out across the Solar System, each launched for just a few dollars per pound.
Perhaps personal Spacecraft will finally become a reality too. You could build your own ship in your garage, and they will place it in orbit for you....cool.

In other Space Elevator News:

Starting Oct. 21, the Spaceward Foundation will help host the 2005 Elevator Games in Mountain View, California. NASA is putting up prize money from its Centennial Challenges program. Competitions will test Climbers and Tether strength. Their goal is to show the elevator is at least feasible and convince governments to start building one, by 2010.

I say the safe bet is on Liftport. They already have a Lifter and a plan for using it for something other than the Space Elevator.

Robotic Explorers Take Step Forward--In Theory Anyway

I think robotic exploration is over-due for an overhaul. Why not use inflatables to explore from above while fleets of rovers cover the landscape, all transmitting captured data to an immobile base unit on the surface used to transmit the lot of it to an orbiting satellite and back to earth?

We already have the hardware. All that remains is writing the software to tie it all together. Relative piece of cake.

They call it being "tier-scalable" and consider it a revolutionary idea. I call it common sense and say Cracker Barrel has been doing it for years: First a restaurant, then add a store front, carry-out, catering, catalog sales, online retail outlet---everything designed with the same goal of adding to the bottom line. If one system fails, the others can shore up capital.

or, as Aesop called it:

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Chinese Astronauts Return Safely!

It's no surprise the Chinese Space program is racking up one success after the other. They use reliable, dependable hardware and systems based on the hugely successful Soyuz design created and used regularly by the Russians.
I am certain NASA will have the same success rate when they finally get back to business and start using technology that makes sense. As opposed to the shuttle, which is still basically a "test vehicle" even after two decades of use.

Britain To Re-Think Human Space Exploration?

The Royal Astronomical Society has made it clear, human Space flight is important to national progress.
Britain is one of the few industrialized nations which does not participate in human Space flight, choosing instead to focus its efforts on robotic missions. This is a big mistake, according to the RAS.
It remains to be seen what changes, if any at all, will be made to the British Space program. But suffice to say, the wake-up call has been officially made.

Political Will Leads China To Space; Could Spark Asian 'Space Race'

What's interesting to note is that China could care less about racing anyone to anything. China's mission to Space is all about long term profit potential. Who's going to make the first dollar from Helium3 mining? Who's going to operate the first orbiting commercial Space Station? Who's going to found the first colony on Mars?
My money is on the nation with the most 'political will' to make those things happen. And right now, that's China.
American political leaders better wake-up and smell the bottled oxygen, before we're the ones playing catch-up.

Iran's National pastime: Stargazing

Yet another thing most Americans don't know about Islam: It encourages Astronomy.
So much so in fact, that people living in a small desert village about 400 miles south of Tehran, donated what few spare coins they had, with many women selling their jewelry, so local science teacher Asghar Kabiri could build an observatory.
He told CNN the structure is the "pride of the town."

Seems to me most Americans would rather build a Dairy Queen in their town than an observatory....

First X-Prize Cup A Rousing Success!

Thanks to all of you who sent me letters and pictures from last weekend's X-Prize Cup...Although nobody sent me a darn thing.

Despite that dreary update, the X-Prize Cup was a success and showed public interest in Space technology is a growing business.
Next years event promises to be even bigger. Maybe somebody will send me pictures...(hint, hint.)

James Doohan's Ashes To Be Placed In Orbit: "Scotty" gets His Just Reward

It seems only fair, James Doohan's request that his ashes be lofted into orbit (following Gene Roddenberry's example) is something we can do, so we should. Seems a little pointless to me, but if that's what the man wanted, it's the least we can do.

Think about it: Is there anyone you know who doesn't understand the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty?" or "I'm givin' her all she's got, captain."

James Doohan was a character actor, much like DeForest Kelley was before his role on Star Trek. But somehow Doohan, and the entire cast of the show for that matter, managed to turn what should have been no more than a flight of television fancy into something much more. Together, they changed the world.

Technological Breakthrough:"Nuller" Helps Find Planets

Extra-Solar planets are all the rage these days. So far they've found about 150 of the things, all sizes and shapes, some with potential moons of their own. Everyone wants to be the first to image an Earth-like planet though, but nobody has. I know I wouldn't mind the honor, but being unemployed, I'm currently not involved in any projects loftier than vacuuming or changing diapers.
However, the people who are involved in such things have managed to dim the light from distant stars, allowing dimly lit dust particles to be seen. Basically, these dust clouds will help scientists choose which stars might harbor planets. In a few years, when the NASA Terrestrial Planet Finder mission is in full swing, they'll be selecting sights based on the findings acquired using the "nuller."
If you want to know more about the "nuller" ask the people who thought it up: NASA Engineers working at Hawaii's Keck Observatory.

More NASA Tax Dollars At Work

NASA does much more than launch shuttles and service satellites; It's not all about Spaceships and Extra-solar planets, it's about Earth.
NASA's original goal was to launch satellites that could monitor the Earth, show us weather patterns and study the surface features of the planet we live on. And they still do.
Here 's a story talking about a NASA project many people are not familiar with. Called SERVIR, it helps Latin American countries protect valuable natural resources such as rain forests and shoreline by monitoring weather patterns, producing detailed topographical maps and providing extensive information on the physical environment.
It's about making use of technology to serve all of humankind--dummy.

Moon Landings Were Not a Hoax!

I am continually astounded by just how stupid some people are.
It's 2005 and some people are still claiming the Moon landings were a hoax, perpetrated by NASA and the American government.
My response is simple: If it were a hoax don't you think the Russians would have called us on it? And why would the laser beacon they installed on the surface of the Moon have worked--and continue to work to this day?
As my grandfather would say, these guys need to "go soak their heads."
Crackpots....

NASA Chooses Lunar Lander Design Team

The lunar lander/module always fascinated me as a kid. It just looked cool.
NASA has announced the team responsible for designing the next-gen lunar lander: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., and Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., will lead the team.
Did you know Neil Armstrong performed the test flight on the first lunar lander? He narrowly escaped death by making a split second decision to eject, moments before the vehicle crashed to the desert below, bursting into flames.
Talk about "nerves of steel."

Hubble Finds Oxygen Source on Moon

According to NASA an ultraviolet survey of the Moon's surface by the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed large quantities of titanium and iron oxides. A NASA press conference on the complete results of the survey will be held Oct. 19. The titanium can be mined, processed and used to build things--like spaceships or dwellings---and the oxides can be broken down, and the oxygen extracted for a lunar colony.
Check it out on NASA TV. For all you technology gurus, here's more detail.

Amateur Radio Operators

The Space Ace is a bit under the weather today..It seems he has a virus. Any suggestions for making my head stop spinning?

By the way, I am still waiting to hear from all you Amateur Radio Operators. Who are you? Where are you? What have you been doing?
Anything...Interesting? I'd like to hear about it...Even if I'm so sick I can hardly type straight...

Forget Endor: Chewbacca is American

Peter Mayhew, 60, that wonderfully cuddly, overly gangling, lovable ape in the "walking carpet" suit, has become an American citizen.

I don't think people appreciate what this guy has been doing for the past 30 years. Wearing that ridiculous suit everywhere he went, never taking it off, even in the shower--

Whoops! I just got a note from the editor: It appears Mayhew just happens to look like Chewbacca, and doesn't actually wear the suit all the time. My mistake.

Still--Congratulations Mr. Mayhew. And thank you--seriously--for all the joy you have brought to so many people by being the embodiment of such a lovable, yet enigmatic character.
And thanks George Lucas, for bringing him back for Episode III!

NASA Unveils Fantastic New Earth Image

NASA has given us an image of Earth unlike any we have seen before. Using the most cutting edge digital satellite photography, and pasting together a years worth of those vivid images, they have captured a vision of beauty.
The only home of human kind.
You can check out the new photo, and a catelog of NASA Earth images from the past 50 years at the official site, here.
It's definitely worth a look.

Russia Runs the ISS and Nothing Bad Happens

While everyone on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. was acting like they had no idea a hurricane was coming, NASA made plans with Russia for them to helm the International Space Station in case Johnson Space Center took a direct hit.
Not that anyone was scared they couldn't handle it, but there was some trepidation on the part of those of us who remember Mir...falling apart around the astronauts.
As it turned out, everything was fine.
Hard to believe it's been five years of permanent human presence in orbit. Quite an accomplishment.

Sowing the SEEDS of Space Superiority

Unlike the United States, the European Space Agency (and everyone else in the world for that matter) recognizes the importance of Space exploration, understanding the important role technical advances will play in making our Space dreams reality.
To that end, they have Space Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS), the first International Post-Graduate Masters Course for Space nuts.
The idea is to grab new technologies and make the most of them. Finding practical, space related, uses for the latest technological advances.
Sounds like a bunch of Big Brains will sit around and chew the fat about what they would do if they had unlimited financial resources. Of course, since it's the ESA they'll probably get all the money they need....

NASA Interstellar Mission Update

Are you out there? Can you hear me running?
That's Voyager 1 up there, shouting back a description of what it's like to pass beyond the full strength of the solar wind into the heliosheath, where solar wind speed is sub-sonic (yes, Voyager proved that is a fact.) In another ten years it will pass beyond the boundary of our Solar System.
Voyager 2 is a little behind, but should be crossing the termination shock around 2008.
Since 1977 the little probes have proved they can go the distance by successfully completing their original mission of exploring Jupiter and Saturn and going on to Neptune and Uranus and now the edge of the Solar System. Both are part of the first NASA Interstellar Mission, tacked by the Deep Space Network and both should continue to send back usable data for at least another decade.
That's plenty of time for them to pass completely out of our Solar System.
And many of the Caltech scientists that launched the things are still running the mission.
Simply amazing.

If you'd like to listen to the electronic noise recorded as Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock, check this out:
Prof. Don Gurnett, University of Iowa, has a nice collection of Space sounds to choose from. Including Voyager 1.

The Future Is Now: Robotics

Check this out: We've been hearing about the new robotic exo-skeletons for ages; I remember watching Ellen Ripley use a bright orange one to load cargo onto the Marine's Transport ship in the movie aliens. It was all science fiction then, but now it's time for the real thing.
In November Cyberdyne researchers in Tsukuba, Japan, will be releasing the first commercially available robotic exo-skeleton for use by the elderly and people with special needs. U.S. Researchers have a similar design in mind, but it's for DARPA use only, at this point.

Cyberdyne...Cyberdyne...That name rings a bell....Wait a sec'! That's the people who built the Terminator right? In the movie anyway...Wow, talk about life imitating art, imitating life...

What's next, Skynet?

Chinese Successfully Launch Two Taikonauts

A second successful launch for China, this one coming two years after their first, and carrying two Taikonauts on a weeklong trip. (Well, nobody knows how long they'll be up there, Chinese officials won't say, but they have food and water for a week.)
This makes them the third nation capable of launching astronauts to Space on their own.
Pretty cool....

Amateur Radio Operator: Get Started Today

There seemed to be increased traffic at the mention of Amateur Radio Operators (or maybe it was S.S.E.T.I.?) so I found a link for anyone interested in learning how to get started.

The National Association for Amateur Radio and the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) have everything you need to get started. Of course you need a few dollars to buy some equipment and whatnot, but learning to send Morse code or studying to take your licensing test is all free. And they say basic equipment is cheap but still offers plenty of potential. Save for your equipment and learn the tech first. You can always get fancy technical hardware later.
It sounds like fun. Maybe I'll join too....

Jeopardy! Back To School Week

That old standby, Jeopardy! When there's nothing else on I can tune in and be reminded why college is a waste of money. All one really needs is a well-trained memory.
This week is Back To School Week, when they let Jr. High kids have a crack at answering questions with more questions.
Last night they had three bright young people, schooled in seemingly every conceivable category, save one: Space.
There was a Space category and it pretty much creamed them all.
Example: When asked to name the moon of Saturn recently explored by the Huygens probe, (Correct answer, What is Titan?) they were completely stumped.
One girl answered, "What is Venus?"

Shameful.

The Amazing Race Family Edition, U.S. Space and Rocket Center and Edward O. Buckbee

U.S. Space and Rocket Center might see a boost in visitors given its recent 15-minutes-of-fame as a Roadblock on The Amazing Race: Family Edition.
For those of you who saw the episode, you might have noticed they found a clue at the Edward O. Buckbee Hangar.
In case you were wondering, Edward O. Buckbee has been a U.S. Space program advocate, lecturer, journalist, founder of the U.S. Space Camp, International Space Camp and Aviation Challenge programs, among other things.

NASA: Your Tax Money At Work

It's amazing: With all the news coverage of fallout from Katrina and Rita, nary a word about the role NASA has played. From providing round the clock, up-to-the-minute satellite imaging of the storms, with imaging potential to watch the impact on a single home or structure; tracking the storm surge and flooding through advanced weather instrumentation, and even providing for families of workers at Michoud and Johnson Space Center who may have been adversely affected.
NASA is more than rockets. It's making a difference every day. Cool.

SuperString Theory and You

String Theory can be explained thusly for dolts like me: Shrink everything in the universe down to its smallest part, or elementary particles, and we should find we're all the same stuff. Not particles of the same matter, smaller than that. Think about the stuff that makes an electron an electron and a neutrino a neutrino and a quark a quark.
Physicists call it String Theory and hope it will unite quantum physics with the rest of the mathematical world. It is hoped String Theory will be the unified theory of all four observed forces in nature: Electromagnetism, Gravity, Strong Force (Atom bombs go BOOM! When this bond is broken) and Weak Forces (radiation slowly leaks past this bond.)
Physicists suggest all matter in the universe is comprised of these minuscule, twisted, vibrating strings. Based on its vibrations and/or oscillations, a string could be anything--a positron or a proton. They also suggest these strings conceal (or create) alternate dimensions within them.
The fact is, something makes particles on a sub-atomic level function differently--for instance, gravity seems to have no effect on electrons circling the nucleus of an atom, so it's theorized there is another set of dynamics at play in the universe, and most people call them "Strings."
Anyway, nobody has been able to prove this is the case, but researchers are getting closer.

Two Physicists recently announced they might have discovered how and why the universe formed the way it did, revealing it had a choice of developing either three or seven dimensions.

Here's a cool story from scientific journalist Diana Steele. I know, it's hard for some scientists to believe a woman could get her pretty little head around such complex issues and write a compelling story, but here's the link anyway. Check it out!

Demonstrator Spacecraft Still Missing

The Demonstrator Spacecraft is an experimental, collapsible International Space Station escape vehicle that could revoltutionize Space travel. Assuming they find it and it worked properly.
It should also be noted this isn't their first attempt at a successful test launch, it's their fourth. For some reason the Russians, who boast such an impressive record of successful Soyuz launches, can't get it together for this thing. Odd.
The craft itself, built by the Russians for the ESA, boasts some fantastic innovations: collapsible, it can be stored easily on a Progress Spaceship for shipping to ISS, or even for storage on ISS; it can make safe landings with crew or cargo on Earth or other planets. It's a complete deviation from normal craft design.
I don't know exactly what the stuff is, but the body of the spacecraft is some type of heat resistant fabric, hence the ability to collapse the entire thing like a pup-tent. Despite the fact it has no engines, designers say the thing is capable of bringing several tons of cargo (or crew) back to Earth for a safe landing.
It was successfully deployed and inflated in Space and survived re-entry, but they can't find the craft for complete analysis. Russia has suspended the flight; no further information on plans for a fifth flight, or what happens next, as scientists continue to crunch the numbers.

S.S.E.T.I. Seeks Amateur Radio Operators From Around The globe!

Sorry, I made a mistake. I thought the S.S.E.T.I. team was only seeking amateur radio operators from Europe, but apparently anyone, anywhere, with the means, is welcome to participate.

The idea is this: Students build a micro-satellite, no more than two kilos, and use a grid of amateur radio operators as a ground control. Operators must download and learn to operate the required software, and have a true desire to see the project succeed, but otherwise, it's open to anyone. Join now!

The cool thing is, if this system works they will build a micro-lunar orbiter and Lander (with remote rover) and lay the groundwork for what may become a fleet of microsats in orbit. Students from twelve European countries are working together on this project, with a little help from the European Space Agency, Arianespace and the Russians.
I would like to see students from Asia and the Americas participating, or even competing. Students can bring a lot of knowledge and hard work to a program such as this. With the guidance of professionals at NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the Brazilian Space Program, I think a student run Space launch cooperative could be very successful.
It might have the added bonus of spurring renewed interest in science, math and engineering programs and re-invigorate the Space programs of its host countries.
Just a thought...

Anyway, if you're an amateur radio operator, get on board at S.S.E.T.I. and good luck!

Oh, and drop me a line if do you participate...I'd like to hear about it.

Returning To The Moon: The Basics

This neat little story from Spacedaily.com shows a step-by-step for NASA's return to the Moon, and reveals a few more details about the vehicle itself.
It does have some interesting new features. It can be re-used up to 10 times (possibly more once they get going), carries four to six astronauts to the Moon and lets them stay almost a week, and it makes a ground landing via parachutes.
It is like Apollo on steroids!
Supposedly it will be carrying crew and supplies to the International Space Station in just five years. That would surely be a kick in the pants; a booster shot for NASA.
And they sure could use it...

Life on Titan Today

Planetary scientist Dr. David Grinspoon makes the case for life on Titan today in an intriguing interview with Astrobiology Magazine. Interesting stuff, to be sure, but the really interesting stuff comes in his book, Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life (2003), excerpted in six-parts at their site, here.

The author says his work is "not strictly a science book but a work of natural philosophy"; expounding on the stuff that sci-fi writers have been conjuring up for a century, he offers pragmatic scientific views for what is possible and we can prove it. He even touches on the possibility aliens are currently here right now, "studying us or perhaps even infiltrating our societies."

Grinspoon is a planetary scientist working at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Damaris Demonstrates Gap Filler: Very Cool!

Her link is right over there: how i am becoming an astronaut

Her name is Damaris and she is currently working at NASA hoping to make a trip to Space sometime. Anyway, her blogs are sporadic (much like mine) but she has a cool one up now explaining Gap Filler technique, with neat pictures and some cool commentary.
Check it out...

2005 DARPA Grand Challenge Winner:Stanley!

DARPA has a winner of it's 2005 Grand Challenge. In fact multiple teams successfully, and fairly rapidly completed the 130+ mile autonomous trip across the Nevada desert.

DARPA officials couldn't be happier. Last year, the first competition, nobody completed the trip. Not even close. This year 27 teams competed much more successfully.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for autonomous driving systems.

Learn to Build With Moon Dirt--Make Money Fast!

The scientists call it Lunar Regolith. I call it Moon dirt. That's what it is essentially. Granted the properties are different: the material itself is of a finer consistency, soft and powdery it clings to everything, more like dust; static electricity is also a problem, generated by moving the powdered dust-dirt.
The fifth in a series of NASA Centennial Challenges , the Regolith Excavation Challenge is worth $250,00 to the successful player. NASA hopes this will help them find the simplest and best way to build bases and habitable buildings with the stuff.

These guys are much like the Romans, one of the first to develop concrete and therefore able to build modern, grand and elaborate structures quickly and easily, many of which can still be seen today, two-thousand years later.
Can't wait to see who wins...find out in late 2006 or early 2007

Devastating Earthquakes in Asia; ARC Marches On

Devastating is not a strong enough word for the recent earthquakes. In Asia there is true suffering today: Entire families; schools full of children; towns obliterated, their lives, knowledge, legacy--gone forever.
It's frightening.
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Stan; landslides in Guatemala that buried entire villages, killing every single soul and leaving no sign of human habitation.

It reminds me why I truly believe the advancement of Space technology is so important to the survival of the human species. It's not about having sex in Zero-G, cruising through the galaxy in starships or turning a profit. It's about survival.
Things happen on this planet that are beyond our control. Things explode. Like mountains.
When that happens, when something explodes with or without advance notice, say Yellowstone perhaps, things go wrong around the globe.
Or a new flu. One that spreads from human to human quickly, and kills very slowly, with a slight delay in symptoms--three quarters of the human race could be gone. So too would entire cultures, languages, learning, art and music. What if it were Hollywood? Or London?
Or all of California and half of Europe?
Just a simple natural disaster. Nothing the Earth hasn't experienced before.

I guess I wasn't the only one thinking about it.

The Alliance to Rescue Civilization (ARC)is trying to address the risks by preparing a rescue team staffed with back-up copies of all human culture, and human presence itself, on the Moon.
It sounds like science fiction, but they make some valid points about having a crew in place, somewhere safe, connected to the earth, protecting a repository of genetic material repopulating livestock and animal species, possibly even humans, and coming when we need them. It could also be used as a Space port, or whatever, they say, until such time as it is needed.
Sounds like a normal Space base to me, but whatever. The point is, we DO need such a place. And the sooner, the better.

Cassini Spacecraft To Image Dione--Stay Tuned!

Not long ago the most you might expect to see from Saturn's moons were some cool rock formations, maybe some methane or inert organic molecules on Titan. After the exciting discoveries made by the multi-national Cassini Spacecraft at Enceladus and the lakes of Methane it discovered at Titan the flyby at Dione promises to be anything but boring!
Stay tuned, NASA expects pictures any day now...tomorrow, in fact, if all goes well.

Getting back to Enceladus for a moment. You realize they discovered a geyser of water there, right? Oh yeah, big news. Because if a little rock like that, barely 300 miles in diameter, has water, active water no less, then the possibilities are even more endless than we ever dreamed they'd be.

China Markets Space Program -- NASA Could Learn a Thing or Two

It seems to me NASA could make a few dollars marketing its launches. Remember when Columbia Pictures paid $500,000 to paint"Last Action Hero" on the side of a Conestoga rocket? The movie bombed, through no fault of the rocket, and for some strange it caused people to feel it was more a publicity stunt than an actual attempt at capturing any sort of market.
Too bad. Much like Chinese are currently doing NASA could be making millions in revenue. And dare I say it--possibly even be self-funding if only it were operated more like a private business rather than a governmental entity.
They should be asking questions like: How much money can we make from our next project? What is the profit potential of returning a few hundred pounds of Moon rocks? Can we mine Helium3, and what could we do with it?
In light of our current energy crisis it would be nice if NASA stepped up to the plate and said, "We have a plan to build a solar power station on the Moon and beam the energy back to earth via microwaves." That is not outside the realm of possibility.

Back to the point. At the very least NASA should start allowing people to make suggestions for advertising opportunities. If someone offers them three million dollars to paint the shuttle pink (and they're willing to pay for all the costs associated with making that happen) take the money and run. It's free.
If NASA had more of an open mind I firmly believe the business would come to them.
What do you think?

S.S.E.T.I.: Amateur Radio Operators -- We Need You!

The idea is very cool: Use a network of amateur radio operators as a makeshift ground control network for satellites. The idea is well within the realm of possibility. And something only the Europeans could imagine. Cheers! to them because it's a hell of a notion.
It's called S.S.E.T.I., Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative, and it's operating with the full support of the European Space Agency and Arianespace. The goal is for students to first test to see if a network of amateur radio enthusiasts can help monitor and track a test satellite (whose launch-delayed twice- is now scheduled for Oct. 6) then later design, launch and control a host of micro-sats and ultimately, assuming all goes well, a moon orbiter and lander. For them, it's only a question of when.
The key is the micro-sat, a single kilo package capable of performing a variety of functions. Canadian researchers recently unveiled a 3.5 kilo design, one of the smallest ever.
I say again Cheers! If anyone reading this participates I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an e-mail at thespaceace1@cs.com
And good luck!

Chimpanzees---Aliens Among Us

I keep reading these stories on Chimpanzees. How they have been spotted making and using tools kits, practicing art and communication and now teaching their young how to dismantle, destroy and avoid traps.

Now wild gorillas have been spotted doing the same things...simply amazing.

This means, for those of you who are keeping track, advanced tool usage has been seen in every great ape species. In the wild.
In captivity they are even more amazing.

Right about now you must be asking yourself, "What does any of this have to do with Space?"

Here's my answer: What if the first alien species we make contact with isn't an alien at all? Just a long lost relative we haven't communicated with in quite some time...

Astronomers Find Santa and Easterbunny in Space

This is an old story, about the THREE planet-sized objects astronomers found in the Kuiper belt. Santa Claus, an odd, cigar-shaped object with its own moon, and Easterbunny, another frozen methane covered rock, and Xena, the real trouble-maker and the only one people seemed interested in at first. It actually sparked the old argument about whether Pluto is a planet, and whether or not some other oddly shaped rocks and Solar System detritus could also now be classified as planets.
As a kid it was hard enough to recite the order of the planets. Given enough debate tomorrows students could have fifty or more official planets to memorize. And that's just our system!
If you ask me, it's a stupid argument anyway. Some are rocks, asteroids, planetary bodies, moons-- whatever-- they are what they are on an individual basis.
Until we get there we have no idea what it is. If we are in orbit around one of these objects and see things that make a planet--some internal geological forces, an atmosphere, a moon, water, organic molecules--things that are interesting, then we can call it a planet and change the number of official planets in our Solar System. Until then, it's not and we don't. It's just something to make us look up at the sky and go....Wow.

Rocket Racers Still On My Mind

I can't get it out of my head; What a concept: A Rocket Racing League; Professional pilots, beginning with a former shuttle pilot, race rocket planes that alternately spurt flame and glide like shiny metal eagles through a three dimensional track in the sky.
The video game will be out in 2007 on multiple platforms. A simulator-type game. I can't wait! Really. If they do this, I will buy the game, master the controls and make it my business to race one of the actual planes before I die.
I don't care what it takes....

And if they don't do it, somebody else surely will.

NASA Scales Back ISS Yet Again

I understand the shuttle and International Space Station were designed with each other in mind: The shuttle was only good for orbital maneuvers, and the station needed a heavy lifting, large capacity cargo vessel in order to ferry its parts to orbit.
But now that the shuttle is being retired do we need to hack the ISS to pieces? The station, now more than ever, needs to be a complete entity, it needs to be treated like the permanent piece of scientific hardware it is. A scientific platform for all sorts of research, the station has the potential to provide knowledge crucial to further development of our future Space-based infrastructure. Even if all it ever does it demonstrate technologies for living in orbit---how to make better meals, have better personal hygiene, create artificial gravity, develop protective shielding, all these things could be derived from research conducted aboard ISS.
Let's not treat it like a piece of Space junk. Instead, why not develop different size pieces that can fit the current structure, and be carried by the heavy-lifting cargo CEV NASA is developing.
Makes sense to me.

Diamandis Does It Again: X-Racers!!

Engineer, Space Flight Pioneer and all-around swell guy, Peter Diamandis announced Monday he is making the future a reality by introducing the world's first Rocket Racing League. According to some reports the rocket planes are based on the EZ-Rocket design (more on that, here) and will utilize GPS tech to maintain a channel course on a three dimensional racetrack in the sky. Spectators can watch from the stands or using a wireless connection.
The press release shows the enormity of the idea: It will revolutionize not only sports, but the world as we know it.
You watch and see.

I can't wait for the game...coming 2007