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Tourism
Russian and ISS Partners
Agree on Tourist Rules
Dennis
Tito's tourist jaunt to the Space Station was marred by NASA
administrator Dan Goldin's anger and persistent attempts to block
the trip.
Nevertheless, the Russian space agency,
which badly needs the money, plans to continue selling rides to
the ISS.
Mark
Shuttleworth, a South African, billionare is next in line. He
has been undergoing training and medical exams at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center outside Moscow. He could fly to the station as early
as April 2002.
In hopes of avoiding confrontations
with NASA and the other station partners, a framework for tourist
visits has recently been agreed upon:
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Multimedia
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Website
Offers Lots of Multimedia Goodies
NGC 4631: Chandra Detects Halo Of Hot Gas
Around Milky Way-Like Galaxy .
This image combines Hubble imagery and Chandra
(the blue-purple region.) - Chandra
Observatory
While the Hubble
telescope watches the universe in the visible spectrum, another
of NASA's "great observatories", the Chandra
satellite sees the cosmos with x-ray
vision.
Many stellar processes produce x-rays
such as those from the hot
gases produced by supernova. Our atmosphere filters out most
of this radiation so only by putting an x-ray sensitive system into
space can we open this window on the sky.
X-rays travel right through normal
mirrors so a sophisticated grazing
mirror design brings the x-rays to a focus. The resulting intensity
patterns are often translated into multi-colored images to assist
their analysis as well as make very beautful pictures..
The Chandra website offers a great
wealth of image
galleries and multimedia
resources. Check out the
Desktops and
Screensavers.
Send Chandra
virtual postcards for birthdays, holidays, etc.
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Activism
Become a Space Ambassader
NASA invites volunteers to promote
space exploration. Space
ambassadors will "organize and conduct public events that
communicate exciting discoveries and plans for exploration in Solar
System research and technology through non-traditional forums, e.g.
Rotary Clubs, libraries, museums, planetariums, 'star parties',
mall displays, etc."
If you are a space buff and anxious
to communicate your enthusiasm to the world, then find out how
to become a Solar System Ambassador.
Space-Buff
Volunteers Wanted as Solar System Ambassadors - JPL PR - July.27.01
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Contests
Run It Up the Lunar Flagpole
and See Who Salutes
The Moon
Society is sponsoring a Moon
Flag design contest. Anyone can participate but only young
people between 6 and 18 will be eligible for the prizes.
The Society is an activist organization
that works towards human exploration and settlement of the Moon.
Design a flag for the first luna city
and win a free trip to the Moon Society Conference. (Entry deadline
and other details still in development.)
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