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The Space Gazette

Space for Everyone      -      October 17, 2001     -         Vol. 1 No.8

Movies * Music

2001: A Space Odyssey
Returns to the Theater

The newly restored classic from Stanley Kubrick will get limited release this month in four cities: Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Next year it will get released nationwide.

The wide screen 70 mm prints were re-mastered from the original negative and the beautiful soundtrack digitally re-mastered, as well.

Some will no doubt note the irony that in the real 2001 we did not encounter super advanced beings from a multi-million year old civilization but instead we were attacked by beings from a medieval state of mind.

But the movie nevertheless gives a striking vision of what humans can accomplish someday. The dream is still alive.

2001: A Re-Release Odyssey -Wired - Oct.13.01

Warner Bros. Plans Re-Release of Kubrick's '2001' - Space.com - Sept.21.01

Activism * Space Science * Living in Space

Space Activists to
Take a Satellite for a Spin
Mice to test artificial gravity

Translife capsule
Translife capsule
Mars Society

While cosmonauts and astronauts long ago proved that micro-gravity does not prevent humans from living and working in space, the body responds to long term weightlessness with reduced bone mass, weakened muscles and a number of other negative effects.

Intense daily exercise and other preventive measures greatly diminish these effects and cosmonauts have lived for more than a year in space and, after returning to earth, eventually returned to normal physical status.

Nevertheless, there are worries that explorers on a long voyage to Mars will suffer serious maladies.

In particular, when they reach Mars they must have the strength to withstand possible high accelerations during aerobraking and landing on Mars. Then they also must have the strength to get to work quickly assembling a base and exploring the surface.

It has long been proposed that centrifugal force in a rotating structure in space could provide artificial gravity. The famous wheel shaped space station in 2001: A Space Odyssey, for example, provided a near earth-like gravity at the outer rim.

NASA has not investigated artificial gravity because it decided to concentrate on research into applications of micro-gravity.

So since no one else was doing it, the Mars Society decided to work on a project to develop a satellite to test the effects of living in a spinning environment. The Translife project will build a 1 m diameter capsule, shaped roughly like a small Apollo capsule, that spins at rate of about 25 rpm.

This will produce artificial gravity of 38% of earth's gravity, which is what is equivalent to that at the surface of Mars.

A colony of mice will live on the inner rim of the capsule for the two month mission in orbit. The health and behavior of the initial group will be monitored for any change from what would be expected if they were on earth. Also, important is whether they can reproduce normally and if the offspring are healthy.

The project will be the first serious study of artificial gravity to determine whether it really is an effective way to reduce the deleterious effects of micro-gravity.

The multi-millionaire Elon Musk is apparently helping to fund the project, although there is some indication that he may fund a separate project.

GPS

GPS Art

Yet another offbeat recreation involving GPS has appeared on the scene. GeoCaching and GeoDashing were mentioned earlier and now Jeremy Wood and Hugh Pryor are offering GPS Drawing. In this game, a person plans out and then travels to a sequence of waypoints, or landmarks, such that when the trek is plotted, a word or a figure becomes visible. Since the GPS provides coordinates in both the horizontal and vertical directions, 3-D works can be created as well. Check out their gallery of waypoint artworks.

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Activism

Space Frontier Conference 10
In Search of: '2001' Los Angeles, Ca
18-21 October 2001

One of the most "public friendly" space conferences opens this week in LA. The Space Fontier Foundation, a very active space activist organizations, is hosting the 10th Space Frontier Conference.

This year the theme focuses on how to make a reality of the vision displayed in Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey movie.

The sessions and speakers will discuss a wide range of new and exciting ideas for making space exploration and development a reality.

Activism * Life on Mars * Space Science

Mars Week 2001
October 26-28

The students of the MIT Mars Society chapter will once again host the Mars Week conference this month.

The meeting will focus on "the engineering, scientific, political and social aspects of Mars exploration. Topics will include present and future missions, including the prospects for the human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet."

Registration is free for students but seating is limited so register soon.

 
 
 
 
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