April.28.2005
11:45
am: News briefs ...
Posting on the Space Log will be minimal
for the next few days due to my attendance at the Space
Access '05 Conference. I'll be posting comments on the meeting
in my RLV
News section and collected on the meeting
review page.. .
... "myGmaps
enables you to create, save and host custom data files and display
them with Google Maps."
Here's an example: Anne
Marte Pensgaard's Greenland Ski Expedition - Guardian Mobility -
April 2005. (Via Slashdot.)
..
... The Speculist
is a blog dedicated to futuristic technologies and ideas.
April.27.2005
2:15
am: News briefs ...
The astronomy site Cloudy
Nights Telescope Reviews offers a lot of interesting resources
such as How
to . . . instructions for various star gazing techniques. Check
the high quality Star
Charts that the site provides for free in PDF format. You can
also get them in jpeg formats here: Star
Charts for PSP - a photoset on Flickr - Bernard Roth. (Item
via Boing
Boing) ...
...
Still
hoping someone will propose making aerogel
artwork in space: Aerogel:
The World's lightest solid - gizmag - Apr.26.05 ...
...
Using
micro-GPS devices to measure distances and locations while running,
biking, and other outdoor sports seems to be a growing in popularity:
GPS Runner *
GPS Biker
* GPS Athletes
...
...
The home
builder KBHome
iw holding a "promotion in support of America's space shuttle
program." The company will be giving away commemorative wristbands
and is sponsoring prizes that include a trip to KSC to see the Discovery
launch: KB
Home Initiates National Promotion to Support Launch of NASA's Space
Shuttle Discovery - SpaceRef - Apr.25.05
April.25.2005
2:05
pm: The SpaceShow
this week:
Tuesday, April
26, 2005, 7:00-8:15 pm (Pacific Time ) - "Robert
Zimmerman returns to The Space Show to update us on all related
space news issues and more."
Sunday, May
1, 2005, 12:00-1:30 pm (Pacific Time) - "As a result of my
travel to and from the Space Access Society Conference in Phoenix,
this program is a replay of the recent April 12th interview
with Al Zaehringer."
Shows are
discussed on the Spaceshow
Forum at Space
Investor.
2:05
pm: This
week's AMSAT news:
MSAT's External Relations Team Update * Tony England, W0ORE visits
with AMSAT * FM OPS on Linear Transponder * May AO-51 Operating
Schedule
+
ARISS Status: New Hampshire School Contact Successful * California
School Contact Successful * Upcoming School Contacts * ARRL Article
on Flory Contact * ARRL Article on New Crew Aboard the ISS * ARISS
School Receives Award
11:50
am: News briefs ...
Via Thomas
James and Rand
Simberg comes a link to the Big
Dead Place, which depicts McMurdo
Base as a less than ideal Antarctic frontier
town. We perhaps can use McMurdo as a guide to things to avoid
when developing space settlements. ...
...
Note that despite the difficulties and dangers, there are lots of
scientists lining up to go to the Antarctic in person rather than
sending robots instead. In fact, most would consider it prepostrous
to suggest that any current robotic system could fully replace what
they do there for less cost. ...
...
Taylor Dinerman suggests an unadorned, non-PR, C-SPAN style approach
for US government broadcasts to the world: A
satellite bouquet for Karen Hughes - The Space Review - Apr.25.05....
...
More great pictures from the Saturn system: Cassini
produces three stunning new views of Titan - Spaceflight Now - Apr.22.05.
April.22.2005
12:40
pm: Comet crater contest...
The Planetary Society is sponsoring a contest
for the best guess of how big a crater the Deep
Impact spacecraft will make when it smashes into comet Tempel-1
on July 4th, 2005. More info:
12:40
pm: News briefs ... According to this article: Whatever
happened to machines that think? - New Scientist - Apr.23.05,
interactive systems like Intellibuddy
are becoming increasingly powerful and the famous Cyc
is moving closer to having common sense and carrying out independent
learning. However, we still aren't very close to a sentient AI machine
like HAL in 2001:
A Space Odyssey ...
...
On the other hand, the capability to put astronauts into hibernation
now seems less implausible than I thought: Mice
put in 'suspended animation' - BBC - Apr.21.05 ...
...
The Obergs argue that the universe is not inherently friendly to
life and that human actions will be needed to protect and nurture
life in our solar system for the long term: Consider
cosmic view of Earth Day - USATODAY.com - Apr.21.05 ...
...
Maybe these broadcasts should be aimed at Japan and Norway instead
of ET: Whales
in space - Cosmic Log/MSNBC - Ap.21.05.
12:40
pm: SciTech: Eclipse update... I like to monitor the
Eclipse
very light jet (VLJ) project because its success would offer yet
another example of how entrepreneurial companies can develop and
sell aerospace hardware at a significantly lower cost than what
can be obtained from the mainstream giants.
It looks like
Eclipse is moving steadily through its testing
phase and, assuming there is no disaster, will obtain FAA certification
by early 2006: Eclipse
Aviation Expands Flight Test Fleet with Successful Maiden Flight
of Third Eclipse 500 Jet - Eclipse Aviation - Apr.21.05. The
company has 2200
planes on order for around $1.2M each, which is at least two
or three times cheaper than most other business jets.
Here is a report
on the Ester Dyson conference that brought alt.space and the VLJ
entrepreneurs together:
Why Top Techies Take to the Skies - Eclipse Aviation - Mar.25.05
12:40
pm: SciTech brief ... Check out the amateur pulse jet
projects at Zach's
Project Page
April.20.2005
1:25
pm: News briefs ...
Mars just gets more and more intriguing: NASA
Scientist: 'Mars Could be Biologically Alive' - Space.com - Apr.19.05
...
...
A
Washington
Aerospace Club announcement says they are planning an exciting
weekend of rocketry at their Fire
in the Sky 2005 regional rocket launch event in Mansfield, Washington
over Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30, 2005. Open to the public,
there will be model rocket contests, a night rocketry launch, and
a rocket building workshop. Other cool activities include a
BalloonSat/PongSat Workshop where you can learn "to build and
fly a payload via weather balloon to 100,000 feet with recovery
sponsored by the Treasure
Valley Near Space Program and taught by Paul Verhage."
...
...
For
those not living in Washington, check out the launch
calendar and
club listing at Rocketry Online for rocketry activities in your
area....
...
Space
tourism gets some attention in Japan: Space
tourism set to take off - Daily Yomiuri - Apr.20.05
1:25
pm: SciTech ...
George Guebely is a student at the Art Institute of California,
Los Angeles and a founder of Robo
Monster, a competitor
in the DARPA
Grand Challenge robot race from LA to Las Vegas this October.
He tells me they are looking for sponsors.
Give them some support if you can.
April.19.2005
11:15
am: News briefs ...
Training planet hunters of all ages: More
than 85,000 learn basics of planet finding - Planet Quest - Apr.18.05
...
...
Asteroid hunters develop a new rating system for the probability
of an earth impact: Asteroid
impact risk scale revised - spacetoday.net - Apr.18.05....
...
Meanwhile,
there is uncertainty about the long term threat of asteroid 2004
MN4: Earth’s
gravity may lure deadly asteroid - Times - Apr.18.05.
2:05
am: Amateurs spot supernovae ...
SLOOH, the robotic
telescope service for the general public that I have
mentioned seveal times, has scored a big success.
SLOOH
Confirms the Discovery of Three Supernovae
'Slooh Online Community' First to Verify the Powerful Explosions
of Supernovae SN2005ax, SN2005ay and SN2005bh
NEW YORK
- April 18, 2005 - Slooh (www.slooh.com),
the first online telescope community to offer live, high-quality
views of outer space, has confirmed the discovery of Supernovae
2005ax, 2005ay and 2005bh, a significant milestone for the private
astronomy community. Supernova 2005ax and 2005bh were discovered
by amateur astronomer Tim Puckett. SN2005ax is located at a distance
of 180 million light years away from Earth in the northern constellation
Cepheus. SN2005bh is in spiral galaxy UGC 6495, four degrees north
of the "tail" of the constellation Leo and 300 million light years
away. Doug Rich, an amateur astronomer as well, discovered Supernova
2005ay, which is located 54 million light years away, beneath
the bowl of the Big Dipper in the northern constellation of Ursa
Major. The findings were verified by Slooh member Lode Stevens,
an astronomer with the Europlanetarium in Belgium, using Slooh's
online telescopes.
Via the Internet, Slooh allows members to remotely access and
control its high-powered telescopes which are situated at an elevation
of 7900 feet on Mt. Teide, at the Institute of Astrophysics in
the Canary Islands, one of the world's best locations for astronomical
viewing. Slooh's patent pending technology collects the light
of distant celestial objects and develops the images in real time
as members look on. The telescopes are stationed five hours ahead
of Eastern Standard Time, which enables members in North America
to see the night sky during daylight hours in the U.S., starting
as early as 2pm EST.
"This showcases the power of the Slooh community cooperating together
to explore the universe" said Michael Paolucci, President and
Founder of Slooh. "The supernovae discoveries immediately became
featured Slooh missions for all members to see LIVE."
In confirming the discovery, Stevens said, "Because of Slooh's
unique technology and excellent viewing location, we were able
to confirm the existence of the supernovae, which our observatory
would not have been able to achieve alone. This is a great discovery
for astronomy."
"For a short period of time a single star can outshine an entire
galaxy, so you can only imagine the amount of energy released.
A supernova discovery is both scientifically important as well
as fascinating," said David Bishop, webmaster of the International
Supernovae Network, which is used by both amateur and professional
astronomers alike. "Slooh has been a very useful resource for
confirming Supernovae. Before you can report a supernova you need
a confirmation image. Slooh's location and ease of operation makes
it ideal for this task."
Since its launch nearly a year ago, Slooh has added numerous new
features including Slooh Radio, a nightly live audio feed of leading
astronomy personalities who describe Slooh missions in progress
as they take questions from members. Featured speakers have included
David Levy, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy and Bob Berman
of Astronomy Magazine. Most recently, Slooh partnered with Discovery.com
with the mutual goal of making astronomy and the online exploration
of space easy and affordable for the general public.
Slooh's basic membership costs $49.95 per year for unlimited group
missions, plus 15 minutes of solo mission time. Deluxe membership
is $99.95 per year for unlimited group missions, plus 90 minutes
of solo mission time. Additional solo time can be purchased in
15-minute intervals for $19.95. A monthly membership of $7.95
per month is also available. Slooh is available online for a 7-night
free trial and requires only a 56K modem and Flash 7.
About Slooh
Bringing the rhythms and wonders of outer space to people of all
ages, Slooh's mighty telescopes are the centerpiece of LIVE interactive
'missions' to hundreds of known wonders of the universe. Slooh
has stationed high-powered telescopes at the Institute of Astrophysics
in the Canary Islands, one of the world's best locations for astronomical
viewing. Slooh's missions are driven by its patent pending LightMachine(tm)
technology, which accumulates the light of distant celestial objects
and displays them in real time for the viewing audience. With
members in over 60 countries, Slooh has been named Duke's Choice
Award by Sun Microsystems and PC Magazine's site of the day. For
more information, please visit www.slooh.com.
See also the
article: Star
Hunting for the Rest of Us - Wired - Apr.18.05
2:05
am: The SpaceShow
this week:
Tuesday, April
19, 2005, 7:00-8:15 pm (Pacific Time ) - The show will feature
Linda Plush of the Space
Nursing Society.
Thursday,
April 21, 2005, 7:00-8:30 pm (Pacific Time) - The show will feature
Professor Allan Paull, international program leader for HyShot
scramjet test program from Univ. of Queensland, Australia. .
Sunday, April
24, 2005, 12:00-1:30 pm (Pacific Time) - The show will feature
im Benson, CEO and Chairman of SpaceDev.
Shows are
discussed on the Spaceshow
Forum at Space
Investor.
2:05
am: This
week's AMSAT news:
ARISS Chairman Presentation at Dayton * AMSAT Awards Issued * PCSAT2
One Step Closer to Launch
+
ARISS Status: NASA Explorer School Contact Successful * ARRL
Article on Science Discovery Center Contact * New Russian QSL Card
*
April.18.2005
12:15
pm: Apollo 13's 35th ... It
has been 35 years since the Apollo
13 mission. Here are several recent articles related to the
missio:
1:45
am: Sat photo boomlet ...
I recently mentioned
that maps.google.com
was turning satellite photos into mass market items. Looks like
there are already some cool innovative applications.
Jamais Cascio
in Satellites
for Everyone - WorldChanging - Apr.15.05
points to the photo sharing site Flickr
where one can put links and comments on images. People are now using
this capability to map out there lives on satellite photos. See
these examples
of Flickr:
Memory Maps.
...
...
Here's an odd satellite photo hobby - collecting images of signs
Readable
From Space.
1:45
am: News briefs ...
A revival of interest in classical Greek civilization may be a spinoff
of satellite imaging technology: Decoded
at last: the 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history
of the world - The Independent - Apr.17.05 ...
...
Smart-1 is providing additional data on high points at the lunar
poles where the sun always shines: SMART-1
search for lunar peaks of eternal light - ESA - Apr.15.05. Here's
an earlier article about a similar search using data from the Clementine
mission.: Perfect
Spot Found for Moon Base - Space.com - Apr.13.05
April.15.2005
3:05
pm: Lunar colonization documentary will
premier at the upcoming National Space Society conference in Washington
D.C. Producer Chip Proser sent me this press release about the GaiaSelene
documentary debut. (Check out the interview
with Mr. Proser at the SpaceShow from November 2004.)
GaiaSelene
Premier
International Space Development Conference
Washington. DC – May 19th
There are two and a half ways to save the Earth and two of them
are on the Moon.
What are the most compelling reasons for space colonization?
Gaia Selene - Saving the Earth by Colonizing the Moon, a new feature
documentary, connects our current crisis in pollution, global
warming and climate change to the coming world-wide energy crisis.
A new technological study shows that by the year 2050 we will
need three times as much primary power and it will have to be
three times as clean. There is no earthly technology now on line,
or capable of coming on line by the year 2050, that can solve
our energy problem.
But don't worry! We have developed space technology.
Space Solar Power is clean and renewable. It could replace polluting
fossil fuel plants.
Lunar Solar Power uses collectors crafted from lunar material
and could microwave power back to earth.
Power from Moon Dust- Forty tons of 3Helium in Fusion Reactors
could power the U. S for a year, and would be worth 320 Billion
Dollars.
We have already spent a trillion dollars on space technology.
Now it is time to build on what we started forty years ago. We
can and will do it.
The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth ... The Rest...is Ours!
Emmy Award Winning Documentary Producer Charles Proser presents
Gaia Selene, a new documentary on the exciting New Frontier and
the future of “Homo Spaciens”.
With:
-
Dr. Alan Binder.....Principal Investigator - Lunar Prospector
- Dr.
Martin Hoffert....New York University
- Daniel
Lashof.....Natural Resources Defense Council
- Dr.
David Lockbaum.....Union of Concerned Scientists
- Dr.
Gerald Kulcinski..... Nuclear Fusion Laboratory, University
of Wisconsin
- Dr.
David Criswell..... University of Houston
- Dr.
Bradley Edwards.....Institute for Scientific Research / Carbon
Graphics
- John
C. Hemry, Author
- Dr.
David Schrunk....."The Moon, its Resources, Colonization”
-
Dr. Paul Spudis, Johns Hopkins University, Presidential Commission
on Space
- Mark
Solter, Astrominer
- Peter
Kokh, The Moon Society
-
Dr. John Lewis....."Mining the Sky...University of Arizona
-
Dr. Patrick Collins.....SpaceFuture.com; Tokyo University
April.14.2005
10:55
am: HS is a SETI Superstar ... My
SETI
section was chosen by the SETI
League as their April SETI
SuperStar site. I thank them for the recognition.
...
...
Alexander Zaitsev at IRE
RAS (Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics of Russian
Academy of Sciences) sent me the news. The IRE RAS site has a lot
of interesting resources such as the Interstellar
Radio Messages page. (This paper
is certainly not your everyday science article.)
10:55
am: News briefs ... Occasionally
one reads descriptions of space travel, typically from those who
want to stop the funding of human spaceflight, as some kind of horrible
ordeal. But the people who have actually gone into space almost
always depict the experience as one of the greatest of their lives,
if not THE greatest. E.g.: Amazing
Space: Six months in space affected NASA astronaut Michael Fincke
physically and emotionally. Why he can't wait to blast off again.
- Newsweek/MSNBC - Apr.12.05 ....
...
Glad that Mr. Gagnon will get to see one of his mission patches
fly to space. Mission
patch work of Titusville man: Designs will blast into space Thursday
- Florida Today - Apr.13.05. More about mission patches in the
Space
Art and Space
Collecting sections....
...
Students
make contributions to aerospace material science: Students
find inclusions in shuttle debris - Seattle Post-Intelligencer -
Apr.13.05
April.13.2005
8:35
pm: A "true-science Mars exploration novel" in
the near future is the description of Shadows
of Medusa by Brian
Enke. The story involves the first human flight to Mars and
the secrecy and intrigue surrounding the mission, which is threatened
by a "web of murder and deceit".
Brian works
as a research analyst in the Department of Space Studies at the
Southwest Research Institute.
In his spare time he is also involved with the Mars
Society and has worked as a director for mission simulations
at the Flashline
Mars Arctic Research Station and the Mars
Desert Research Station. So when he writes about future Mars
missions, he knows his stuff.
Sounds like
great solar
sci-fi for your summer reading. Check out the Shadows
of Medusa Forum and the book
order page.
8:35
pm: News briefs ... Leonard
David reports on a good place to put a lunar colony: Perfect
Spot Found for Moon Base - Space.com - Apr.13.05
...
...
The
safe return of Apollo 13 was no accident: Apollo
13, We Have a Solution: Rather than hurried improvisation, saving
the crew of Apollo 13 took years of preparation - by Stephen Cass
- IEEE Spectrum - Apr.13.05 (via Transterrestrial).
11:25
am: Spacefaring to prevent a big bang ... In
reference to a Washington Post article
about the possibility of an asteroid or comet colliding with the
earth, I suggested
on Monday
that we need a space infrastructure in place to prevent such a cataclysm.
Rand Simberg makes an argument along similar line: Stuck
In Cis-Lunar Space - Transterrestrial Musings - Apr.11.05. We
need more than an "Apollo-like program" to get us "in
a position to deal with these kinds of threats."
This is particularly
true for a comet, which most likely will hit just a few months after
we first see it. We need to have a well developed spacefaring community
in place from which we can then start a crash program, so
to speak.
11:25
am: News briefs ... With
my Eyes
in the Sky section, I've made informing visitors about
satellite photo access a priority from the beginning of HobbySpace.
Looks like Google
maps will finally turn sat photo viewing into a mass market
activity: Surprises
Lurk in Satellite Snaps - Wired - Apr.13.05 ...
...
On the near space front, Sanswire
unveils its airship: Robot
plane ready to connect your call? - CNET - Apr.12.05.
11:25
am: SciTech news ... Here
are some cool items from the frontier of optics:
A 3D display
shows great depth and you don't need special glasses to appreciate
it: Japanese
3D display goes the distance: University of Tokyo scientists create
a 3D display with an image depth of several metres - optics.org
- April.12.05 ...
...
I bet LEDs take over most lighting jobs in the next decade: Brighter
LEDs challenge car lamps: Single LEDs are now bright enough to meet
standards in the car industry - optics.org - Apr.5.05 ...
...
Artificial vision is making steady progress: Artificial
vision gets resolution boost: US scientists design an optoelectronic
retina with 2500 pixels per millimeter - optics.org - April.7.05
April.12.2005
11:25
am: News briefs... Here's
an interesting new way to look for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence
located in other star systems: New
Method Could Detect Alien Space Stations - Universe Today - Apr.11.05.
Note that in terms of construction materials, humans already could
create stations of the size show in this artwork.
Far older civilizations could certainly create very large space
structures. ...
...
Chinese
amateur astronomy is alive and well: Amateur
Chinese astronomer spots fast-moving space object - People's Daily
Online -- Apr.11.05 ...
...
Here's some background info as Michael Griffin begins his confirmation
process: NASA's
future lies on moon, Mars - USATODAY.com - Apr.12.05 ...
...
A scientist's view of space policy: Exploring
the Universe by Roger Blandford - Physics Today - April 2005
(via NASA
Watch).
11:25
am: The SpaceShow
this week:
Tuesday, April
12, 2005, 7:00-8:15 pm (Pacific Time ) - Al Zaehringer, author
of Rocket Science, returns as the guest regarding chemical rocket
economics and more.
Sunday, April
17, 2005, 12:00-1:30 pm (Pacific Time) - the show will feature
Simon
Mitton, author of a new book about Fred Hoyle and his work, will
be the guest for this program.
Recent shows
include an interview with Henry
Vanderbilt, head of the Space
Access Society.
11:25
am: This
week's AMSAT news:
Forwarding AMSAT KEPs Data Permitted * SSETI Express Progress Update
* PCSAT2 Arrives at the Launch Pad
+
ARISS Status: Texas School Contact Successful * Upcoming School
Contacts * ARRL Article on Chiao Contacts * ARISS International
Meeting, 2005 * Dayton Hamvention 2005 Events * Brazilian Amateur
Radio Group Interested in ARISS
April.11.2005
1:35
pm: News briefs... It
would help the cause if the R&D factions would promote science
and engineering in general rather than constantly trying to undercut
the other guys funding and claiming "My research is more important
than theirs": Our
Incredible Shrinking Curiosity - Washington Post - Apr.9.05
...
...
Maybe it will eventually become obvious that preventing a catastrophic
collision of the earth with an asteroid or comet is plenty reason
enough to build a space infrastructure: Science's
Doomsday Team vs. the Asteroids - Washington Post - Apr.9.05
...
...
The annual
Great
Moonbuggy Race (are there any "so-so" moonbuggy
races?) seems to have gone well:Utah
State 1st in buggy race - Huntsville Times - Apr.10.05 * Utah
State University Triumphs in College Division Of NASA's 12th Annual
'Great Moonbuggy Race' Saturday - NASA - Apr.9.05
April.8.2005
12:55
pm: Solar sci-fi brief ... HS
reader G. Dean recommends writer Michael
Flynn and his Firestar Saga. The series appears
to be solidly in the solar sci-fi spirit with a near term future
scenario in which entrepreneurs develop "space industrialization
and colonization" and attempt to divert an asteroid from colliding
with earth.
The Firestar
Saga comprises four books: Firestart,
Rogue
Star, Lodestar,
and Falling
Stars (Amazon affiliate links). I think I will pick
them up.
12:55
pm: Yuri's Night reminder ... Don't
forget to party for space on April 12th with the worldwide Yuri's
night celebration. See the party
list to find one near you.
At the LA
Yuri's Night party, the "novelist,
poet, and film
artist
Vanna
Bonta" will premier her original musical film short, “What
Goes Up”:. Vanna
Bonta DVD 'What Goes Up' To Premiere at World Space Party Planet
Wide - PR/eMediaWire - Apr.8.05. The DVD
features an
original song and music video, as well two additional tracks of
a special greeting from the astronauts aboard the International
Space Station to the Yuri's Night World Space Party celebrants
and a special message taped from the depths of the sea from Yuri's
Night co-creator Loretta Hidalgo. The DVD also includes a Special
Bonus track of the new NASA Exploration Systems’ Public Service
Announcement “Reach.”
12:55
pm: News briefs ... Gee,
even I didn't realize the space memorabilia market had grown to
the point it could drive a museum director to crime: Former
Museum Director Indicted in Theft of Space Artifacts - Space.com
- Apr.7.05 ...
...
Heavens! A US government agency is using commercial enterprises
to help it better serve the public: The
final frontier?: Strapped for money, NASA is offering to sell online
corporate sponsorships - Miami Herald - Apr.8.05. What a scandal!
...
...
Check
out these cool satellite photos: Space
Station Crew Photographs NASA Shuttle Discovery's Rollout to Launch
Complex 39B - From Orbit - SpaceRef - Apr.6.05 * Volcano
Eruption Spotted from Space - LiveScience - Apr.7.05 ...
...
The The Great Moonbuggy
Race may not compete with stock car racing yet but it looks
like a great spectator sport: Moonbuggy
Race is coming to a lunar surface near you - Huntsville Times -
Apr.7.05.
12:55
pm: SciTech brief ... Feeding EVs and producing hydrogen
for fuel cells seems like a perfect job for nuclear plants: Nuclear
Now!: How clean, green atomic energy can stop global warming - Wired
- Feb.2005
April.6.2005
10:15
pm: SciTech briefs ... NASA
will let the rovers rove until they can rove no more: Mars
rovers go into triple overtime - Return to the Red Planet - MSNBC.com
- Apr.5.05 ...
...
Perhaps
someday BIG
BLUE from Kentucky will fly above other rovers on Mars: Into
the Blue with Big Blue: Engineering students are building an airplane
to explore the planet - Lexington Herald-Leader - Apr.6.05 ...
...
Get
set to rock your space socks off on April 12th: Yuri's
Night Set to Rock the Planet April 12 - adAstra/Space.com - Apr.6.05
...
...
According
to this article
(in Russian), in 2006 Roskosmos will carry out an experiment named
Mars-500 in which six men will live in a spaceship size module
for 500 days to simulate a mission to Mars. The article also discusses
plans to develop a nuclear power system for Mars missions. (Link
via F. Novoshilov) ...
...
And
lastly, the article
mentions that a space tourist will travel on a Soyuz to the ISS
in 2006 and another will go there in 2007. This article also reports
on Russian space tourist plans: Another
Orbital Tourist to Fly Next Year - RIA Novosti - Apr.6.05 ...
...
After
watching the Space
Show, you can discuss the interview with other listeners at
the Spaceshow
Forum hosted by
Space Investor
10:15
pm: SciTech briefs ...
I wonder if this super efficient thermoelectric effect (assuming
the theory works when implemented in hardware) would work well between
the sunny side and the cooler shadowed side of a spacecraft?
Reversible Thermoelectric Nanomaterials - WorldChanging - Apr.6.05
* Scientists
discover better way to generate power from thermal sources - Eurekalert
- Apr.5.05 ...
...
Wing
power is nearly competitive already with more conventional power
sources and new improved wind generators keep coming along. For
example, this system with multiple rotors per generator looks quite
promising: Selsam
Wind Turbine ...
...
My Mom has always wanted to live in a houseboat on the lake. Seems
a bit boring to me but a Trilobis
65 Floating Home looks like a really cool aquatic abode, assuming
you put it on a clear water lake or lagoon. You
can even combine modules to make a futuristic vertical mansion from
the top of a cliff down to the sea: Cliff
Top (and bottom) Living - gizmag. You can hire Sub-Find
to arrange for access to submarine transport.
April.5.2005
2:20
pm: The SpaceShow
this week:
Tuesday, April
5, 2005, 7:00-8:15 pm (Pacific Time ) - Dr. Patrick Collins is
the guest. This program was recorded live in January 2005 and
is a replay for this date.
Sunday, April
10, 2005, 12:00-1:30 pm (Pacific Time) features Henry
Vanderbilt of Space Access Society is the guest for this repeat
show from two weeks ago.
Recent shows
include interviews with Alan
Binder, head of the Lunar
Prospector project, and David
Schrunk who discussed space law.
2:20
pm: This
week's AMSAT news: ANS
Editors Wanted * AMSAT-DC Meeting * Special Event Station * AMSAT
AT Dayton * ARISS Status: ARRL Article on St. Martins Contact
* Upcoming School Contacts * ISS Ham Radios to be Cycled * SSTV
Outgassing Tests Performed * SuitSat Meeting Held
12:25
pm: News briefs ... Check
out the gorgeous pictures
taken by astronauts like this view of Noctilucent
clouds....
...
And
also find your neighborhood with this cool satellite mapping tool
now available at maps.google.com.
Select the satellite option in the top right and then enter an address
of interest in the top box. I was able to zoom in on our condo in
Maryland and on my Mom's place in Tennessee. The DigitalGlobe
images are very sharp. (I think this is currently only available
for US and Canada.)
...
The new Explore
Universe site provides space resources of various kinds, especially
for young people. Check out the the space
jokes section....
...
This "planet" may actually be more of a failed star (i.e.
a brown dwarf) but the image indicates the increasing resolution
that will eventually lead to imaging someday of earth sized planets:
First
image of exoplanet orbiting Sun-like star - New Scientist - Apr.4.05
* Astronomers
claim to take picture of exoplanet - spacetoday.net - Apr.5.05.
April.1.2005
12:25
pm: News briefs ... Don't
forget Astronomy Day on April 16th. Here are some Astronomy
Day links that include even e-Cards
...
...
Kids can learn about the nation's primary spysat agency via NRO
Junior (NROjr.gov), which even includes some space
music. (No, this is not an April Fools item.)...
...
These
university students will tackle the tough challenge of designing
a suit for Mars explorers: Wanted:
North Dakota students to design Mars space suit - Grand Forks Herald
- Apr.1.05 ...
...
Alex Panchenko
runs USSR-Airspace.com,
a Russian aviation and space
collectibles store. Alex's site often includes photos sent to
him by cosmonauts on the ISS such as this one of Salizhan Sharipov
holding artwork
by the cosmonaut Alexei Lenonov.
12:55
am: Art-Music-Astro dialogue ... The
experimental electronic music group Flow
Motion from London will exhibit new work that combines music,
visual art, and astrophysics:
Flow
Motion's
ASTRO BLACK MORPHOLOGIES
John Hansard
Gallery, University of Southampton, Southampton
www.hansardgallery.org.uk
t +44 (0) 23 8059 2158
Exhibition runs 5 April - 14 May
The forthcoming exhibition, Astro
Black Morphologies, is a multi media exhibition of work by
artists Flow Motion that creates a dialogue between contemporary
astronomy, digital art, and electronic music.
Flow Motion [artists and musicians Eddie George and Anna Piva]
have been working with experts in the field of astrophysics to
produce this unique and fascinating piece of work.
In 2002 scientist Phil Uttley at the University of Southampton
announced that data readings of X-ray detritus from black hole
Cygnus-X1 showed patterns of variation which were implicitly musical
in structure.
Working with Phil Uttley, Flow Motion used the X-ray data gathered
by NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite as the basis of
the installations, and collaborated with astronomer Tim O'Brien
at Jodrell Bank Observatory to convert the data into audible phenomena.
Using the processed based technologies and techniques for subtracting,
reshaping, and resounding sound sources particular of granular
synthesis, Dub and electronica, Flow Motion make audible the music
of black hole Cygnus-X1. With generative design by Adrian Ward,
the resulting installations transform Cygnus-X1's data into a
multisensory experience of
colour, light and sound.
(Press release
via www.artscatalyst.org
)
Here are some
images of their work exhibited in 2001 at the institute
of international visual arts. Edward George and Anna Piva have
also experienced weightlessness via a plane in Russia flying parabolas
and made recordings during the flight. More about this in their
entry
at spacearts.info.
1:35
am: News briefs...
More space
music: 'Heavens
Above': Symphony, NASA look to the stars - The Clarion-Ledger (Mississippi)
- Mar.31.05 ...
...
Here's a good deal (and a good gift if you are already a NSS
member): Special
Offer: One Year Membership to the National Space Society, Free Subscription
to Ad Astra magazine, plus Sky Voyager DVD Set ...
...
Here's
an usual project that involves the building of the ultimate chopper
style motorcycle in tribute to the space shuttle: Space
Shuttle Tribute Bike (via NASA
Watch.) ...
...
The
Phantom Planet is apparently (I've not seen it yet) a very B-type
B-movie but it's interesting that you can legally download a complete
film for free....
...
Speaking of melodramas,
the intra-family battle over Voom
and Cablevision has become quite a soap opera: Dolan
pledges to keep Voom operating - spacetoday.net - Mar.31.05
...
...
And speaking
of satellite media, I saw this report on TV the other day and it
was quite well done: Satellite
Radio's Two-Way Competition Takes Aim at Broadcast Radio - PBS Online
NewsHour - Mar.30.05 ...
...
And here is more about the impact of satellites on our lives: Visions
from Above: Satellites in Our Lives - California Space Authority
(CSA)
...
...
This student competition rewards a winning essay in support of science
and math learning with a space artifact: Students
shoot for the stars - Herald Sun (Victoria Au) - Mar.31.05 ...
...
Hal Clement was the first to see (via his imagination) the lunar
electric haze. Moon
Fountains: When astronauts return to the Moon in the years ahead,
they might encounter electrified fountains and other strange things.
- Science@NASA - Mar.30.05
1:35
am: Sci-tech briefs ... Usually fuel cell discussions
center on the PEM
(Proton Exchange Membrane) type that runs only on pure hydrogen.
However, there are various other types of fuel cells. For example,
here is a report from a company called
Franklin Fuel Cells about a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) that
runs not only on hydrogen but also on hydrocarbon fuels such as
gasoline: Franklin
Fuel Cells demonstrate SOFC that can run on gasoline - Fuel Cell
Today - Mar.30.05 * New
On-Board Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Delivers 50% Efficiency - Green Car
Congress - Mar.31.05.
With hybrids
coming on strong, this type of fuel cell might be more competitive
since it would not require a complete hydrogen infrastructure to
be put in place. ...
...
Speaking of gasoline,
the Department of Transportation site www.fueleconomy.gov
provides lots of info on auto fuel efficiency. And The
Cost of Energy website
from Lou Grinzo provides resources " to help non-experts teach
themselves about the issues and policies surrounding energy."
Continue
to March 2005 articles in archive
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