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

NASA's New Spaceship--Rocks, Paper, Scissors...

Check out the nice multimedia package NASA put together to showcase its next generation spaceship.
I've talked about it once before: basically, it's a suped up version of the Apollo system, using shuttle main engines and solid rocket boosters for lift. It has plenty of cool accessories too, like a lander for Moon missions which becomes a permanent living space that can remain on the surface.

The best part is where they say they'll be making two trips to the Moon every year. They also said they'd make twelve trips a year in the shuttle, so you have to take that with a grain of salt.
Just this week NASA head, Mike Griffin, told USA Today that he believes the shuttle and International Space Station were the wrong direction for NASA to go, and if the decision had been his, they would have gone in a different direction.
Of course that direction might have been just as wrong or even worse.

But there's no harm in a little armchair quarter-backing; Apollo program Space technology is fine. It's reliable, pretty simple to operate and build and something just about everyone who's interested in Space technology understands. There's nothing wrong with revisiting what works to get our Space program going again.
But the Shuttle wasn't a complete waste of time. We learned a lot about what we can and cannot do, yet, and what there is left to learn.
If anything we learned a lot about what we should not be doing when it comes to Space exploration. And I believe that's anything that isn't going to last.
The Shuttle has always been a novelty. It was, for a time, a successful novelty, but that time has long passed.
We shouldn't waste another dime on it, yes. But we should never abandon our penchant for trying to reach things that are beyond our grasp.
Never.

NASA Tech Helps FEMA With Katrina Response--Maybe

NASA once again shows its usefulness by demonstrating a monstrous ability to detail effects of Katrina (and now Rita) using a cadre of equipment including several satellites and an airborne laser; A veritable fleet of aircraft have been in the air taking 'before and after' shots of the Katrina and Rita affected areas. They are able to peer through vegetation and ground clutter to mark submerged coastline and inundated property.
This information is then organized, reviewed and sent, along with a situation assessment, directly to FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security where it seems to have been immediately burned into cinders and flushed down the toilet.

It seems to me, with this kind of intelligence on exactly what was going as it was happening, the federal government has no excuse for not getting involved sooner. They had to know the extent of the damage and that local first responders would have been needing saving themselves.
No excuses this time. NASA has the pictures to prove it....

Massachusetts Lawmakers Support Alternative Fuels

You might be wondering, what do hybrid cars and alternative fuels have to do with Space travel? The answer is easy: If we can't work out some of the simple problems we have here on Earth we're never going to get off the ground (so to speak.)

It's hard asking people to shell out money for a Space program when we have a million U.S. refugees living in shelters, unable to return to their homes due to storm damage, but we can't stop moving forward.
We also can't ignore the problems we have been plagued with for so long.

More than twenty-five percent of U.S. domestic oil supply was disrupted by Rita. Luckily it missed most refineries and platforms. But how many times will we be that lucky? Are there really any people out there who think we've seen the last storm to hit the Galveston area? Don't be ridiculous!
The hurricane season has just started. We will be lucky if we don't have another Galveston/Houston/NewOrleans strike by November.
And then what? President Bush suggested we "conserve" gas...

Not since Marie Antoinette declared "let them eat cake!" has a leader shown just how disconnected they were from their people.

I say, let us start to find our own solutions to the energy crisis. I don't want to use oil and gasoline any more! And if I have to vote out every incumbent legislator to make that happen, so be it.
We need leaders committed to real change, not figuring out ways to make it easier on the "good ol' boys."

Massachusetts is leading the way. It's up to the rest of us to follow...

Energy Initiatives: 'Taxing SUVs Into Oblivion'; The Air Car; Wind Power

I feel very comfortable saying the automobile was one of the worst things ever invented.
Millions have died as a result of accidents, faulty equipment and system failure, they have caused our society to be built around solitary travel as opposed to mass transit systems (for instance, the purchasing and shutdown of all cable car companies by the auto industry circa 1900) and now they have impacted global politics by forcing our nation's reliance on a fuel source located in places we would normally not have relations with, i.e, totalitarian dictatorships.

I feel better just having said it. try it, you'll feel better too.
What's really sad is the amount of money wasted each year on re-designing a failed concept. Do we want to remain fossil fuel society forever? That's impossible.
We must support alternative forms of energy and we must do it now. No more advancing the infrastructure to support oil and natural gas. Let's instead follow the lead on most industrialized nations in the world and support solar and wind.
It's simple really: Countries that address this problem now will be better able to handle what's going to come down the pipe later.
Being depended on fossil fuel also makes us reliant on technology that is almost two centuries old! That's crazy! Most of us don't keep our computers longer than a few years, to say nothing of all the other things we replace with new designs, like 8-tracks to CD players to MP3; Beta Max to VHS to DVD to whatever they finally release next year.
Why do we have such a problem getting away from automobiles? I have no idea...Of all the ideas for a replacement I've seen I like the air-pressure version. Like the air car, by Moteur Developpment International or maybe the Korean version by Energine Corporation will be better, hard to tell without driving one. (Learn more about air-cars here.)
California and a few other states are trying to make something happen, but it's gonna take all of us pushing for a change to finally make it happen.
But check out this essay by Arnaud De Borchgrave of UPI. He makes some very valid points we should all consider, regardless of where we live.

Who knows, maybe ten years from now companies like Southwest Windpower (who in 2006 plans to release new products for home electric production) will be what BP and Shell are today, only without all the drilling and tanker spills.

Australia Leading Developer of Autonomous Robots

Check out what they're coming up with Down Under: Robots that think for themselves, working together in groups to accomplish complicated tasks. Like ants or bees.
The Australian Center for Field Robotics (ACFR) is a part of the Center for Autonomous Systems (CAS) along with the Artificial Intelligence Group from the School of Computer Science and Engineering at The University of New South Wales and the Mechatronics and Intelligent Systems Group from the faculty of Engineering at UTS.

When it comes to field robotics, they have three of the four elements covered: Earth, air and water are represented and surely fire is being creatively mulled over as I write this.
Their research robots are involved in mining operations, undersea exploration and rescue, tracking and analyzing air-based imagery data and even a robot you can program at home from a component based system.

There's some pretty cool goings on in the land Down Under. And it's not just kangaroos and koalas; boomerangs and crocodiles. Apparently it's servos and gyros, systems and software and a touch of good old-fashioned human ingenuity.

First Brazilian Astronaut--Colonel Marcos Pontes--More Than Ready To Fly

Lieutenant Colonel Marcos Pontes has got to be chomping at the bit to get into Space. He will be Brazil's first astronaut and its first steps back from a near complete disaster launch disaster in 2003 that claimed 21 Brazilian Space scientists--more than half their Space team.
Pontes has been ready to fly since 2000 and was scheduled to fly in 2001, but a series of budget cuts (brought about by a national economic crisis) forced Brazil to cease development of parts for the International Space Station, thereby forcing a delay in Pontes' trip to Space. Thankfully, yet again the Russians will come to the aid of someone in need of a trip, for a reasonable price of course.
Brazil had what was once considered one of the very best national Space programs. Following nearly a decade of budget cuts and the devastating launch pad explosion of 2003 it's place has fallen nearly to the bottom.
Pontes' trip to ISS will surely provide a boost of optimism to the nation and the scientists who continue to labor for a foothold in Space.

There is also a lesson here for citizens of other nations: How quickly it is your nation can fall behind when it does not consider the full impact of its Space program.
Brazil may spend the next decade getting back to where it was a decade ago, while other nations, such as India and Japan, develop even more advanced capabilities.
Being without a shuttle fleet puts America at a serious disadvantage. I hope this problem is quickly, but safely, rectified.

Malaysia to Hold Astronaut 'Idol'-type Competition

This isn't the first time I have mentioned the Malaysian Space Program or their search for an astronaut. This is simply an update on that program. Looks like they're getting down to the final few and are looking to make the short-list.
According to a story at Space.com they have whittled the original 11,275 candidates down to just 854, of whom 146 are women.

These hundreds will endure a rigorous series of physical fitness tests until their numbers have been reduced to 10 or less. Those few will have their complete biography, statistics, et. al, posted on the Web for citizens of Malaysia to choose from. The two most popular will be sent to Russia in January where they will train for their mission to International Space Station in 2007.

By far the very best thing about the Malaysian Space Program is their desire to loft national delicacies into Space. Brilliant!
What could be better than helping to make the place feel more---human?
Technology is nice, not to mention necessary, when you're talking about human exploration of Space, but let's not forget why we are doing it: To spread our culture, the human experience, as far and wide as we possibly can.

And for Malaysians, culture begins with a good meal of "roti canai" (pronounced chen-ai), unleavened lightly fried bread and ``teh tarik,'' or heavily-sweetened milky tea...all of which is currently being developed for consumption aboard ISS. I don't know what that stuff is but it has to taste better than the paste filled tubes the station occupants currently have to choose from.

On behalf of all the astronauts let me say-- Three cheers for Malaysia! Bring on the food!!

DARPA Grand Challenge 2005 Starts Oct. 8

Everybody loves a race! I know I do. The revving engines, pointless waste of natural resources, time and energy just to see who can drive in a big circle faster...
No, wait. That's NASCAR. I'm talking about a REAL race.

The DARPA Grand Challenge is my kind of race. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) hosted the first of what is promised would be an annual series of technological challenges for robotic engineers. First up: Build a vehicle that can navigate an obstacle course without any outside help at all; A completely autonomous, mobile robot.

Last year's prize was $1 million and a military defense contract worth an untold fortune. Fifteen builders made it past the semi-finals and nobody finished the race. In fact, the team that went the furthest still only made it about seven miles. (Read all the details from DARPA Grand Challenge 2004 here.)

This year they upped the prize money to $2 million and hundreds of competitors came knocking, from 37 states and three countries. (Robots.net has posted a copy of the complete rules here.)

I am looking forward to see who wins this year--and believe me when I say there will be a winner. The future looks bright for drone technology. Soon, everybody's going to want one...

NANO Technology on Verge of Commercial Breakthrough

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Nano technology appears ready for it's Close-Up...

Nanotechnologists at the University of Texas at Dallas and their colleagues in Australia (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) are now able to produce transparent sheets of carbon nanotubes that are stronger than the strongest steel sheets. Exactly how strong that is I do not know, but it's gotta be pretty strong!

But what's even more amazing is they can produce 2-inch wide strips of the stuff at a rate of about seven yards per minute. Commercially, wool is produced at around 20 yards per minute, maybe a little faster. That means the stuff will be easy to scale up or down, be easy to test for different uses and able to be mass produced with ease.
Because it is so fast, easy and relatively cheap to make the new transparent nano tech material is already being considered for many commercial applications such as solar cells, flat screen displays and video recorders.

Ray Baughman, director of the University of Texas at Dallas NanoTech Institute suggests windows made with carbon nanotubes could serve as heating elements and antennas. Other applications the researchers are exploring include high-strength composites, super-capacitors, batteries, fuel cells and thermal-energy harvesting cells.
By far the most excited use for the new nano-stuff has to be artificial muscles. Perhaps by combining Muscle Wires (Mondotronics.com) with this new nano-sheeting, artificial limbs can finally make the leap into the 21st Century.

Let me know if you think of any other uses for this amazing stuff, but try to keep the techno-babble to a minimum. I'm not as smart as I pretend to be.

Irish Space Agency: Who Knew?

Granted they are simply one of 15 partners in the European Space Agency (ESA), Ireland still has a full fledged Space program of its own and has been making regular contributions to the advancement of almost all the Space sciences.

Their latest project sounds a little strange to me: Space Synapse's "symbiotic sphere"

I'm not exactly sure what it will do or how it will work, and yes, I did read the article. I read several articles in fact, and I'm still confused. As near as I can surmise, it will serve as some sort of link-up between the astronauts serving aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and people here on Earth.
Whatever it is, a lot of really smart people seem to think it's a good idea. And I happen to believe any idea that incorporates science AND art is worth the expense.

Besides, at the risk of stereotyping an entire nation, maybe the Irish can bring a little luck to the entire Space Industry...

India's Space Program a Shining Example of Potential Benefits for Everyone

India, the world's largest Democracy yet also one of its poorest. Still they find the $600 million dollars they need each year to fund their ever more successful Space program.

Since 1963 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved ever increasing success in the Space technology business.
They possess a few different types of rockets, some with lifting capability of more than 4000 pounds. They have the ability to build, launch and maintain a vast array of specialized satellites.
Most interesting to me is that most, if not all, Indian satellites have been designed to help the nation's poorest citizens; Everything from local weather reports to telemedicine for the rural masses is available across the nation.
Their national pride and sense of accomplishment has also been bolstered.

Interestingly enough, India has a long, rich history of rocketry beginning in the early 18th century. There's more information here, if you're interested.

And those of you who wonder why we should be shelling out money to NASA for silly Space trips, consider this: We already outsource work to India. Do you want to outsource the Mars Mission too? Just food for thought...

Of course The Space Ace fully supports all Space programs, public and private; Anything that gets us into Space...

X-Prize Cup: Tickets On Sale Now!

The X-Prize Cup will be held Oct. 9, 2005 at Las Cruces International Airport, Las Cruces, New Mexico, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are just $6 for adults and $2 for students (ages 13 to 18), kids 12 and under get in free! That's quite a deal, especially when you consider what's going to be on display: Some of the world's first privately designed Spaceships.

My wife and I took our daughter to see the travelling circus last month. It cost us $20 per adult, $10 for our daughter (who is 2) and all we saw we're some tumblers, a balancing act and a clown on a miniature bicycle. Nobody flew anywhere in anything. It was a big let down and left little money from the entertainment fund remaining for popcorn or cotton candy.
Compared with the thrill of seeing actual Spaceships; meeting the engineers and designers and everyone else involved with creating ships that will travel through SPACE, the circus was a crock.

So, don't waste your money on the ordinary---take a trip to Las Cruces next month and check out what's coming over the horizon. I don't think anyone who goes will come home disappointed.
Unlike the circus....

In case you're still not sure if it's going to be worth your time, check out some of the Spaceships that will be on display...