(Hat Tip: Moon Today)

To some people, space is a boring location, lacking beaches, liquid water and forests that often make Earth an ideal place to live.

But as Japan’s SELENE satellite goes to show, its the view that attracts people to the cosmos (something FedEx admitted last year).

Note: Click on the image above to watch.

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(Hat Tip: SpaceRef.com, Image Credit: Avatar Reality)

Often known for being “disconnected” and irrelevant towards today’s generation, NASA is adjusting its strategy by asking developers to create an education space themed video game.

(NASA) NASA Learning Technologies sponsored a workshop today to present its concept of delivering NASA content through a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) educational game to interested development partners. Designed to enhance learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), such an online educational game would draw players into a synthetic environment that can serve as a powerful “hands-on” tool for teaching a range of complex subjects.

“NASA will continue to pursue innovative strategies to encourage students to improve their interest and performance in STEM and related careers,” said Dr. Joyce Winterton, NASA assistant administrator for education. “The use of online educational games can capture student interest in NASA’s missions and science.”

The daylong workshop provided more than 200 potential development partners the opportunity to learn directly from NASA officials about the vision, goals, and expectations for the development of an MMO educational game. Participants heard top NASA scientists and education officials talk about NASA’s future plans for space exploration and how the agency is planning to leverage the game to enhance education efforts across the country.

While better late than never, this move could help spark some interest into the space program, although there is no word whether or not these educational video games will be allowed to include violence (not to mention aliens, warp travel, etc.).

Previously NASA has launched efforts to show the public how space has impacted society, although they may want to contact Avatar Reality who is creating a video game based on a terraformed Mars.

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(Hat Tip: Universe Today)

Despite the fact that Moon is only three days away by rockets, NASA may be pondering about whether or not to establish a “long term” presence on the Moon via 6 month lunar missions.

(Physorg.com) The US space agency hopes to build moon bases that can house astronauts for stays of up to six months, with an intricate transportation and power system, Carl Walz, director of NASA’s Advanced Capabilities Division, said Friday.

NASA is examining different designs for lunar outposts but that they could be inspired by the orbiting International Space Station (ISS), he said.

“We need to establish a long, extended presence on the moon, up to six months — same as the time we spend at ISS,” Walz, a veteran astronaut, told AFP during a forum on the future of NASA at the University of Miami.

“I would anticipate that we would build something similar as what we are building for the ISS, but maybe something different,” he said.

Whether NASA pursues using inflatable space bases or nomadic ones, a six month stay on the Moon could ultimately open up the door for Mars 30 years from now.

While NASA’s means of accomplishing this lunar goal may be subject to debate (hat tip: Space Transport News), at least the agency is at least heading in the right direction (as exploring these worlds in person is better than glimpsing at them from afar).

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With threats from radiation, lunar dust and politics, one wonders whether or not Earth’s little sister is daring us to even attempt to visit her off white world, let alone conquer it.

While scientists are working on ways to thwart radiation and counter lunar dust (not to mention voting for pro-space politicians), they may have to find another solution regarding the Moon’s love for “static electricity.”

(Space.com) This new finding, announced this week by NASA, is important to future lunar explorers: Astronauts may find themselves “crackling with electricity like a sock pulled out of a hot dryer,” according to an agency statement. [...]

Our entire planet is enveloped in a bubble of magnetism generated by the rotating core. The solar wind, a stream of charged particles, pushes the bubble away from the sun and creates a long tail of magnetized material downstream.

“Earth’s magnetotail extends well beyond the orbit of the moon and, once a month [at full moon] the moon orbits through it,” said Tim Stubbs, a University of Maryland scientist working at the Goddard Space Flight Center. “This can have consequences ranging from lunar ‘dust storms’ to electrostatic discharges.”

Probably the easiest way to deal with this challenge is to somehow find a way to turn the lunar static into energy, which may be much more useful than either solar or nuclear power.

Hopefully a future scientists/engineer will find some way of accomplishing this, as the last thing we need is “fried astronaut” served up lunar side via an electrical charge.

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(Image: The marigold plants in the first two pots on the left were grown with bacteria, while the third was not. The soil was made to mimic that on the lunar surface. Credit: N Kozyrovska / I Zaetz, via BBC)

While for most plants, the answer to this is probably a “resounding no,” it looks as if one species may be able to brave the harsh lunar environment.

(BBC News) An Esa-linked team has shown that marigolds can grow in crushed rock very like the lunar surface, with no need for plant food. [...]

A team led by Natasha Kozyrovska and Iryna Zaetz from the National Academy of Sciences in Kiev planted marigolds in crushed anorthosite, a type of rock found on Earth which is very similar to much of the lunar surface.

In neat anorthosite, the plants fared very badly. But adding different types of bacteria made them thrive; the bacteria appeared to draw elements from the rock that the plants needed, such as potassium.

While marigolds may help make future space environments prettier, it will not “fill the tummies” of future colonists.

However if scientists can find a way to duplicate “this success” with other plants (perhaps in combination with certain bacteria), we may be able to establish permanent outposts on not only the Moon, but Mars as well.

Note: Also check out Ken Murphy’s article about lunar gardens, who briefly explores perfecting lunar soil and exporting it to Martian colonies.

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Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.