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Welcome to HobbySpace. the site that will prove to you that everyone can participate in space exploration and development in one way or another.
March 2009
Recent Blog Postings
HobbySpace Log:
RLV & Space Transport News:
Recent Features
Space Access ' 09
Space Access 2009
Compilation of blog postings, articles, photos and videos concerning this event in October 2008.
Bigelow Genesis II
Commercial Stairway to Space - Timeline 2009
A discussion of how commercial efforts might dominate human spaceflight by the latter half of the next decade.
Falcon 1 launch
Review of NewSpace Progress in 2008
A compilation of significant events and developments in the NewSpace movement during 2008.


More Interviews, Articles, and Special Topics.
Space Art Spotlight

Cover for Beyond Tomorrow  by Dandridge M. Cole, illustration by Roy G. Scarfo
Beyond Tomorrow book cover

Spaceport - 19XX by Roy G. Scarfo
Spaceport - 19XX

Subsurface Lunar Colony by Roy G. Scarfo
Subsurface Lunar Colony

Hollow Asteroid - Internal View by Roy G. Scarfo
Hollow Asteroid - Internal View


Roy G. Scarfo

Illustrations for Beyond Tomorrow, 1965
More space art...
Space Music Video of the Month
Space Hobbies & Activities in the Spotlight
Near Space Exploration by Students

The Near Space section offers information and web links about high altitude balloon projects carried out by student, hobbyist and ham radio groups. Technology improvements are making it easier and cheaper to get involved in this activity. For example, four Spanish teenagers recently were spotlighted in the press for their successful flight of a high altitude balloon that captured wonderful images of the earth from an altitude of 30km. Their Meteotek08 project is described below:

 

Meteotek08 Meteotek08
Meteotek08 Meteotek08
More photos and videos
It's a Whole New Outer Space Out There

The 2009 Space Elevator Games

NASA is sponsoring two competitions that involve technology related to space elevators. The Tether Strength Challenge offers prizes up to $1.1M for material that demonstrates greater pulling strength than the best generally available commercial ribbon. The Power Beaming Challenge involves a "climber" machine that must crawl up a ribbon via power transmitted from the ground via spotlight, laser, or microwave. A prize of $1.1M will go to the team whose climber traverses up and down the tether in the fastest time (but better than a preset minimum).

The Spaceward Foundation manages the competitions and they held events in 2005, 2006 and 2007. No prizes have been awarded yet, though in 2006 and 2007 a team came very close to winning the power beaming contests.

Though the exact dates and place ot the 2009 Space Elevator Games have not been finalized, the event is expected to take place towards the end of April at the Kennedy Space Center. In the previous events the tether was suspended from a crane, but this year it will be suspended from a helicopter hovering 1 kilometer above the ground. (A balloon had been considered for this but it was found that a helicopter would do just fine.) Several of the climber teams have announced they that will use high power lasers loaned to them by commercial companies.



The Power Beaming (Climber) Challenge in 2009 will involve climbers crawling up
a 1 kilometer high ribbon suspended from a helicopter.
(Image Credits: Power Beaming (Climber) Competition handbook)

Check for the latest in leading edge rocket and space travel projects on the Space Transport News blog.

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See the archive of previous HobbySpace homepage Spotlight items ...
February 09 - April 09

HobbySpace provides over 15,000 space links and
has delivered over
30,588,000 page views since
January 1999.

The Art of C. Sergent Lindsey

 

 
 
 
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