t/Space and Scaled Composites Test New Launch Technique

Which one of you is going to invest in t/Space first?
It seems this little company nobody has ever heard of teamed up with Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites crew to create a new launch technique.
Like SpaceShipOne and White Knight it requires a lift plane, but the actual spacecraft will be a single rocket, carrying a crew of four plus cargo, it doesn't need wings and will launch behind the carrier airplane. That's a big plus, and tilting the craft to vertical for ignition is done without the need for wings, so there's more room for cargo.
The thing I found most interesting was this: In forty years of design trials nobody else had thought of using a little metal arm and parachute to tilt the rocket vertically. But these guys did and they went from brainstorming phase to actual drop testing in just 135 days.
Simply amazing.

NASA Space Shuttle: End of One Era, Beginning of Another

Story Musgrave once remarked that he would have much preferred traveling to space aboard a Mercury or Apollo spacecraft, but the shuttle was the only thing available.
It's never been safe to fly that thing; an albatross of mechanical engineering if ever there was one, it was a risky business to lift-off, fly and return. But that was hardly a secret to anyone.
I once heard there was a 70 percent chance of a serious accident of some kind every launch. That seems very unlikely given its many successes, but still, something is inherently wrong with the design.
I think it was too much, too soon.
What business did we have trying to build a real spaceship so soon after learning to fly in space? That's what the shuttle is if ever there was one; a true spaceship just like in the movies. It has wings, a cargo bay and a crew of seven. It's a trekkie's dream come true.
Too bad we didn't have the super-strong composite materials and powerful engines it has always needed.
There is value in its parts and NASA officials keep promising to use its boosters for quick-launches of smaller manned capsules. That has yet to materialize but Mike Griffin is promising to make something happen. I just hope it's sooner rather than later.
It will be sad to see the shuttle only in historical films and museums, but it's long past its prime, if it ever had one.
And no matter how much the shuttle did accomplish, if it weren't for the bravery of our astronaut crew, those like Musgrave who risked so much despite what their gut was telling them and those who gave their lives--Challenger and Columbia crews-- even it would not have been enough to keep our space dreams alive.

Commercial Airline Pilots: Minorities Need Not Apply

With a few notable exceptions, almost all the commercial airline pilots in this country are white men, about 40 or so, and coming from wealthy families.
I just returned from a short trip to San Antonio. I arrived more than two hours early for a flight that would take longer to board than to fly. We arrived in Houston where our flight changed gates three times, each time without notice, and each time eventually confirmed by an impolite airline agent who made us (I spoke with many passengers who felt just the same) feel as if we were somehow to blame by being at the gate which used to be the correct gate but was no longer.
And it REALLY pisses me off that all the damn pilots are rich white guys. I didn't see a single minority among the dozens of uniformed pilots that passed me by in the airport.
Granted it's a high-stress, very important position, you are responsible for the lives of dozens of people during your trip.
But so what? Keep in mind, the guy who is making your cheeseburger at McDonald's also has the fate of many people, quite literally, in his hands. Has he washed them recently? Has he prepared the product correctly? Stored it correctly? People die from improperly prepared fast food. In fact, they die from improperly prepared home-cooked meals as well.
In any case, the point is this: Being a pilot is a fantastic opportunity for anyone--EVERYONE should be able to achieve it. Not just a chosen few.
I find it very hard to believe there are no women and no minorities of either sex interested in becoming pilots. It's just a matter of giving them the opportunities.
And another thing: Let's start charging flights based on weight. If I travel alone, with only a small bag, why should I pay as much as the person with four over-stuffed bags who weighs 235 pounds?
And a final thing: No more government subsidies of ANY kind. If they can't make a profit with the system they have, then it's time for them to step aside and let a new generation provide mass transit by air. It's sickening to think of what could be done with the BILLIONS of dollars we are paying fat-cat airline executives to pad their bank accounts and make air travel a living hell for everyone.
I can tolerate strip searches and body cavity searches and whatever kind of search you'd like to perform on me in the name of national security.
But by God I can't stand the airline's lunacy anymore. Something needs to be done.
Now.
Have any ideas?

Neil Armstrong in Weird Litigation

I don't know which is worse, that a great American icon is involved in litigation to retrieve his hair clippings or that some weirdo has a hair collection insured for a million dollars.

Russians Launch International Orbital Space Lab on 16-Day Mission

Using a rocket based on the same design used to lift Yuri Gagarin into Space, the Russians this week successfully launched the Foton-M2 microgravity research capsule, chock-full of experiments from scientists around the world, but mostly Europe.
During the 16-day mission a new solid state system for creating breathable oxygen from water will be tested. If successful it will replace the Elektron system which recently failed aboard the International Space Station.
The 1,200 pound payload is mostly a do-over from a failed launched of a Foton-M1 in October 2002 and will test everything from the effects of re-entry on new composite materials to how single-celled water organisms react to Space.
This is the 11th time the European Space Agency has participated in a Foton launch and further launches, beginning with Foton-M3 in 2006 are already planned.

Chinese to Create Mutant Space Seeds!

You heard me, the Chinese intend to send a satellite into orbit with a special lab that will expose the unprotected seeds to magnetic fields, radiation, high vacuum and micro-gravity, to create mutant defects.
They hope the mutant seeds will then be used to create high-yield crops here on earth.
That second sentence makes the whole thing a lot less scary, doesn't it? It's not the first time it's been done. NASA does it quite regularly. A Colorado company called Aeroponics International has done it. They've even done it in Indianola, Ia.
Just sounds scarier to put it in a headline and add an exclamation point, I guess.

International Space Station: What Are They Doing Up There Anyway?

With a crew of only two, Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer John Phillips, I can't help wondering what can be accomplished aboard the International Space Station. As it turns out, plenty.
Also quite surprisingly, the crew is living comfortably despite being without their Elektron oxygen-generation system (machine to make oxygen). They apparently have enough alternate oxygen sources to last into next year if they can't be re-supplied sooner or fix the machine.
At $1 billion+ it's still worth every penny.

Shuttle Discovery Back in Hangar

Space Shuttle Discovery is getting a new new external fuel tank (No, that's not a typo.) The new fuel tank had some foam application modifications, but the new new external fuel tank is equiped with a heater to prevent ice and temperature and vibration sensors to measure tank performance.
It remains to be seen whether Discovery will fly again as planned, but NASA is doing its very best, for the astronauts first and then for the program. As it should be.

Ion Thrusters Are the Future

Ion Thrusters, yes those things from Star Trek, are real and making a big splash in Spacecraft propulsion. Excite the ions in an inert gas like xenon, and wham! you're moving. Granted, you are traveling very, very slowly at first. The force exerted out the rear nozzle is about as strong as $6 in quarters resting in the palm of your hand, but in the vacuum of Space inertia allows that force to build to the limits of physics.
The nuclear powered version will provide speeds up to 200,000 mph when it's throttled up, give the pilot full throttle control and provide enough electricity for a practically limitless amount of experimentation.
Prometheus is only the beginning...

W. Mark Felt, Downing Street Memo Pale in Comparison

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More Data From Cassini: Water on Phoebe?

Phoebe, the outermost large moon of Saturn has been the latest subject of scrutiny by Cassini as it continues its mission around the Saturnian system, taking pictures and conducting experiments.
Scientists have detected what they believe to be sheets of water-ice on the surface, iron-bearing minerals, organics, nitrites, silicates, trapped carbon dioxide and cyanide compounds, in abundance. Some are saying the only more compositionally diverse body in the Solar System is Earth.
What's most incredible is the mission is just getting started and already look at what scientists have discovered. Water! On Phoebe, no less.
I remember when some in the scientific community theorized we'd only find water on earth-like planets....
Time makes all the difference, don't you think?
And if you think that's cool, wait until you see what they found on Iapetus!

Odyssey: Double the Science for 1/8 the Price

NASA scientists have chosen to renew the mission of the Mars Odyssey orbiter, by all accounts a resounding success, for at least one more year (through Sept. 2006.)
Each day twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity transmit data to Odyssey which relays that information to Earth. It will also provide critical mission data for NASA's Phoenix mission to Mars, scheduled to land in 2008 and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled to reach orbit in 2006. (Current MRO mission status.)
Although its original approximately three year-mission cost was a whopping $297 million, NASA is getting a bargain with its mission renewal: just $35 million for almost two more years.
In addition to discovering vast quantities of water ice, determining higher than expected radiation levels were present and providing the most detailed surface maps to date, Odyssey has shown some surface features continue to defy explanation. Like these olivine-rich layers of rock.

Keep in mind, everyone is racing to find water on Mars. Water means a future permanent human colony. How soon that would happen (if there's even enough water-ice present to support one) is unknown, especially given what they have recently discovered about higher than expected radiation levels (about three times Earth normal) but it's a start.
And no matter what else happens from this point forward, NASA scientists have shown the dangers of Mars exploration can be overcome through old-fashioned hard work and human perseverance.

iRobot Corp.: No Doubting Their Success Now

Around 1990 I recall reading a story in USA Today about three MIT grads starting their own robot company...now look at them!
With more than 1 million Roomba vacuums sold, at least one successful military robot so far--PackBot--and $50 million worth of defense department design contracts to go.
Their latest 'bot, Scooba, was revealed last week and should go on sale by Christmas. Like Roomba only not for carpet, it mops your floors while you do other things.
It's really been an incredible success story for iRobot Corp. And a boon for robot junkies worldwide as they customize the little 'bots for style and substance, and fun. Like the Zoomba.

I can't wait to see what they come up with next--I mean, after the autonomous killing machines they are designing for the D.O.D....

U.S. Space Program Losing Partners Fast Due to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)

The same legal regime that has been preventing the licensing of SpaceShipOne technology to Virgin Galactic has now chased off the European Space Agency.
ITAR--International Traffic in Arms Regulations--was intended to protect militarily sensitive U.S. projects from any foreign government, foe or ally. Now, through some strange circumstance, it is suddenly being used to prevent cooperation on Space projects.
Despite prior agreements, NASA may be faced with abandoning the International Space Station partly because of its inability to share information with its international partners, Russian, Europe and Japan, and also because it wants those countries it shares with to promise not to share at all with certain other countries.
A true political quagmire disguised as an effort to protect our security when all it's doing is making us more isolated and causing more distrust among what few allies we have left.

China and India Now BFF

As India continues to seek international allies other than the U.S.A. some analysts are concerned this could marginalize our role as a Space technology leader--or Superpower.
I say, it's about time.
It's interesting that some would view the improved relations between China and the world's largest democracy as a bad thing. After all, it's no secret the U.S. has been channeling funds, eliminating debt for and selling weapons to India's neighbor and long-time feuding partner, Pakistan, what did we think India would do?
I don't view a India-China alliance as a threat to world peace, I see it as a step in the right direction. Improved relations between these countries will help increase stability in the region, fight terrorism and improve the international economy.
I think it will also lead to a merging of Space programs, or at least joint missions. Combining India's successful satellite launch capabilities with China's emerging manned Space program could create a one-two punch that will shift the balance of Space power with West to East.
If that concerns anyone, then maybe they should consider getting more involved in world affairs so they have a better understanding of what is truly at stake: Not U.S. dominance of the Earth, but humanities' ascension to the stars.
We shouldn't have to wait decades for NASA to get something going. If someone can do it better, and sooner, I say, have at it.

Falcon I Engine Test Success! Now See the Movie...

SpaceX conducted a successful 5-second test firing of its Falcon I engine on Friday. If all continues to go well for Elon Musk and his crew, they expect a full launch with a Department of Defense payload in late July or early August, and a slate of subsequent launches to follow. Keep in mind, Musk is the only person right now concentrating on (and showing some of success with) reducing launch costs.
While we're waiting for Musk to revolutionize the Space industry, why not watch this cool video of Friday's successful test firing.
And three cheers for Musk-- Congratulations!

Time Travel, Hyperspace, Wormholes -- It's All Possible!

I am far from a scientific genius. In fact I have trouble grasping even the must fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. So when a physicist says something about the constant speed of a neutrino, I tend to believe her and go about my business as usual.
Here's an exception: A story about the instability of wormholes and the inability of engineers to control them. There are some who disagree, but even they claim some fundamental hurdles will never be overcome because of human limitations.
I find this notion utterly and completely ridiculous.
A century ago we were unable to fly 300 people at a time, watch television or have reliable telecommunications. Computers? The idea was unknown to all but a few. At that time most people on the planet were still going to the bathroom in the woods and wiping with leaves and grass. And they liked it that way.
So, the idea that 21st Century physics is the end-all of what we can know and understand about the Universe and how we can exert our influence over it, is wrong.
Anything is possible. Some things are more improbable than others, but nothing is impossible.

Space Tourist Gregory Olsen Back to Training

U.S. Millionaire Gregory Olsen, 58, was originally slated to fly to the International Space Station this past April, but according to this 2004 NASA internal memo, a mystery health ailment derailed his training and sent Space Adventures (the company responsible for Olsen's, Dennis Tito's, and Mark Shuttleworth's Space trips) looking for a new candidate.
Fast-forward one year and Olsen's trip is back on schedule. And not a moment too soon.
Unlike most past and potential Space tourists, Olsen is a true scientist, intending to conduct actual scientific research that he hopes will yield meaningful results in the near future.
Olsen will surely get a thrill out of flying up and back to the station. Considering he's paying upwards of $20 million for the trip, he better get a thrill!
But I'm glad to see someone doing it for reasons other than the view. I can't believe more scientists aren't clamoring for the opportunity to work in Space. Crystal growth, imaging experiments, physiological examination---there is research a-plenty in orbit.
Now, if we can just get the cost down to something more reasonable...

By the way, in case you are considering taking the trip yourself, consider these Space tourist guidelines prepared by Russian and US Space administrators.

Titan Revealed: Hear it for Yourself

Scientists are learning more and more about Titan, now that Cassini has completed the first of more than 40 flybys and Huygens has touched down.
The theories about "oceans of hydrocarbons" and "methan rain" didn't pan out, but some other really intriguing discoveries have been made, leading to a scientific impasse about the age of the surface they are getting glimpses of. Is it millions or billions of years old? And what about that bright spot. What is that?
All of these questions lead me to call for an orbiting probe. It's time we start thinking about long-term mapping missions, rather than slip-shod flybys. We need steady streams of data to make conclusions. And if we're not making conclusions why are we even bothering to go in the first place?

Extraterrestrial on National Geographic Channel

Discovery Channel had a great special a few weeks ago, "Alien Planet" that used computer generated animation to show us what a future inter-planetary robotic exploration mission might be like and what it might encounter.
I watched it. It was interesting but there's only so much to get excited about. If it were actual footage, that would be exciting, as it was I felt like I was watching some English-dubbed Japanese Anime.
Not to be outdone, National Geographic Channel is offering its own version of alien life in Extraterrestrial, a two-hour CGI special airing Monday--May 30, 9 p.m. et/pt.
I feel a little insulted. Do the NGC people think their aliens will be even more astounding, or are they postulating a completely different encounter scenario, or what?
I guess I'll be forced to watch just so I can find out for myself. Ok, fine, I was going to watch it anyway--but it better be cool.
Speaking of cool, there is some pretty cool info to be found at the NGC site. Like this poll. I guess I'm not a complete nut-job for believing in life on other planets. Or, we're ALL a bunch of nut-jobs...either way I'm off the hook.