Carnival Of The Space Geeks (Next Big Future)
Brian Wang of Next Big Future fame hosted the Carnival of Space, highlighting Ares I-X kissing the sky, bad news for moon landing skeptics and some beautiful space photos that will make a space geeks heart beat faster.
Articles highlighting our quest to conquer our star system include:
- Bill Andrews from the Astronomy.com Blog suggests we send an Armada of robots to explore the terrestrial worlds, with an emphasis on Saturn’s Titan.
- Bruce Cordell of 21st Century Waves discusses whether humans have a role to play in space, and concludes that its inevitable.
- Brian Wang (the host) publishes an interview of Richard Varvill (from Reaction Engines) by Sander Olson regarding their low earth orbit Skylon plane.
For the Carnival of Space I published an article why humanity may want to seed the Moon with hydrogen tanks, and while there was plenty of great articles to read, we still need more space geeks to contribute their mind share to the Carnival.
So why not sign up for the next round?
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Moon: Oxygen, Oxygen Everywhere, But We’ll Need Hydrogen To Drink
The discovery of water within the lunar soil earlier set off a buzz amongst the space geek community.
While Luna’s revelation inspired dreams of interplanetary conquest, the fact is that the Moon’s soil is far too dry for us to use as a fountain, let alone for watering crop.
Instead of digging through 10 million tons of soil in order to get 10,000 liters of water, it might be easier (and cheaper) to simply ship tanks of hydrogen instead.
Unmanned space craft could help open up the lunar frontier by steadily seeding Luna with thousands upon thousands of hydrogen tanks upon it’s surface.
Since about 40% of the lunar soil is composed of oxygen, future explorers could extract it from the Moon dirt, and then mix it with hydrogen dropped off by previous unmanned rockets.
(Image Credit: Crystal Links- Lunar Mining)
Water can then be heavily filtered and recycled, allowing humanitiy to establish independent lunar outposts without the need of frequent supplies.
As a bonus, future settlers could use the spare hydrogen and oxygen to also create rocket fuel, which could help reduce the cost of missions elsewhere (whether it’s Mars, Ceres or even the moons of Jupiter).
Read MoreThis Is Just A Drill! (Colony Worlds Will Be Temporarily Down For Maintenance)
With the launch of the WordPress 2 iPhone app, Colony Worlds will be receiving some extra TLC (Terrestrial Logistical Calibration) behind the scenes to help me blog away from my computer.
Don’t worry! Everything should be fine! Although the site will be funky for 30 minuets.
Be right back!
Update (2/30 1:15 AM): It took a lot longer than expected, but the everything should be back to normal. Now I have to get some sleep!
Read MoreRussia To Mars: Lets Go Nuclear!
It looks like the nation that pioneered the path the final frontier may help push humanity forward once again–plus or minus a “little” risk.
(Mars Daily) Since current rocket technologies are not sufficient for the future exploration of Mars and the whole Solar system, and since no alternative energy resources have been found as of now, the only possible way to implement those projects would be by using nuclear energy, [Vitaly] Lopota[, President and Chief Designer of Russia's Energia Aerospace Corporation] said at an academic conference on aerospace.
While nuclear rockets may be the most practical way to reach Mars, it may also set off a dangerous precedent as unstable nations (like Iran) may seek nuclear options as a way to transport their astronauts to Mars (and beyond).
Either way it may be the necessary step to help humanity embrace the heavens above, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Russia choose this path (despite the controversy).
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (The Gish Bar Times)
Jason Perry of the Gish Bar Times hosted last weeks Carnival of Space! (episode 126).
The Carnival covered everything from “moon bombings,” to Martian poetry, to the ever lovable space elevator games (note: be sure to watch the video!).
For terrestrials seeking to settling our star system, here were a few articles that may catch your eye:
- Steinn Sigurðsson from Dynamics of Cats and Nancy Atkinson of Universe Today both highlight the much discussed Augustine reports, respectively, which present NASA with 5 paths towards space freedom.
- Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society and Ian O’Neill of AstroEngine fame blog about the lunar lava tube that could serve as NASA’s future condo (note: check out the view!)
- Chris Dann of Weird Warp discusses what it would take to colonize the moon which includes everything from food, water, entertainment and…breeding?
Thanks for reading, and for those of you interested in joining the next Carnival of the Space Geeks, feel free to check out Universe Today for details on how to join. 
The Moon: Water, Water Everywhere, But None For NASA To Drink
After discovering water upon the Lunar surface, the space community went a buzz with the possibilities.
(Space.com) The discovery of water on the moon announced this week could make our celestial neighbor a more attractive candidate for a future manned mission. [...]
“This makes the moon a more attractive destination to go to,” said University of Colorado astrophysicist Jack Burns, chair of the science committee for the NASA Advisory Council. “It’s a game-changer in the sense of future human exploration to the moon, in that now there is the potential of resources of water that future astronauts could tap so that we don’t have to bring this water from Earth.”
While the discovery of water does make Luna a lot more attractive than what we previously thought, it may not be enough for a lunar colony to become self sustaining (water wise).
(Universe Today) But the message the scientists wanted everyone to take away from today’s press conference is that a combination of water (H2O) and hydroxyl (OH) that resides in upper millimeter of the lunar surface doesn’t actually amount to much. The average amount of water, if extracted, is about a quart (1 liter) of water per ton of surface soil, or about 16 ounces (.5 liters) of water might be present for every 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of surface soil near the moon’s poles. For soil near the equator, only about two tablespoons of water is believed to be present in every 1,000 pounds (450 kg).
Even though it would be in NASA’s interest to scoop up large volumes of lunar soil for in order to create oxygen, it may not be practical to do something similar for water.
If the human body needs approximately 64 ounces of water a day, astronauts would need to dig up four football fields (hat tip: Discovery Magazine) worth of lunar soil in order for one person to adequately survive for one day!
Unless NASA can discover larger supplies of water ice beneath the surface or near the polar regions, then future colonies will probably be importing large volumes of water from our earthen cradle.
Read MoreFact Or Fiction? (Water On The Moon)
It looks like news of the possibility of water on Earth’s little sister Luna is creating a lot of excitement amongst the space geeks community.
NASA is scheduled to release the findings this Thursday, which should either boost the cause for lunar exploration at its most dismal period, or cause a collective yawn throughout the media.
Previous attempts at scanning the Moon for water have revealed the white sphere to be extremely dry and water free.
However it seems as if India’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar satellite (which died a sad death) was able to detect traces of water (or at least hydroxl radicals) which could help future explorers survive on the surface without depending too heavily upon the home world.
If water does exist on the Moon in abundance, it is likely buried many meters beneath its surface, or (in small amounts) within the shadows of craters.
So is there water on the Moon? As far as the public knows, no–but that all may change come Thursday.
Read MoreVideo: Water Ice Plus Aluminum Equals Rocket Fuel. Huh?
(Hat Tip: Hobby Space)
When it comes to space travel, choosing the right fuel could mean life or death for those watching the rocket blast off into glory.
While the hydrogen/oxygen mix has been popular with governments and corporations alike, scientists from Purdue and Pennsylvania State are trying to come up with safer alternatives such as aluminum and water ice.
(Defense News) In August, the Air Force, NASA and scientists from Purdue and Pennsylvania State universities launched a 9-foot rocket 1,300 feet into the air during an initial test flight of the propellant ALICE – so named for its ingredients, aluminum and ice.
The rocket accelerated to 200 miles per hour in 0.8 seconds, said Timothee Pourpoint, an aeronautics and astronautics professor at Purdue.
That’s a promising start, but not better than current propellants, he said. ALICE developers are convinced they can do better. “We have a lot of ideas on how to improve performance,” Pourpoint said.
While its doubtful that NASA would replace the hydrogen/oxygen mix that they have come to know and love, it may be worth looking into for the space agency as it would enable astronauts to refuel from the moon (since there is plenty of aluminum within its soil).
If NASA is able to confirm the presence of water within the lunar surface, then humanity may have the means to power rockets to and from LEO from lunar orbit.
Read MoreScientists "Mapquest" Ganymede
It looks like future explorers of Ganymede will no longer fear getting lost on the solar system’s largest moon thanks to the hard work of scientists (plus their robotic friends).
(Physorg.com) Wes Patterson, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, led a seven-year effort to craft a detailed map of geological features on Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter. Patterson and a half-dozen scientists from several institutions compiled the global map – only the third ever completed of a moon, after Earth’s moon and Jupiter’s cratered satellite Callisto – using images from NASA’s historic Voyager and Galileo missions.
“The map really gives us a more complete understanding of the geological processes that have shaped the moon we see today,” says Patterson, whose team will present and discuss the map at the 2009 European Planetary Science Congress in Potsdam, Germany [.]
Despite dwelling within the radiation belts of daddy Jupiter, Ganymede may offer a future home for space settlers thanks to its magnetic field.
While it may be decades before humans ever set foot upon this world, hopefully the space powers that be will consider sending a rover to roam its cratered surface in the not so distant future. 
The Future Of Space Lies East: Chinese Space Stations Vs America's Timid Nature
(Image: a model of the Chinese space station at the Chinese Pavilion, Hannover Expo. Credit: © Mark Wade of Astronautix.com)
With the release of the Augustine Report not too long ago, there has been a flurry of outcry regarding the future of humanity, most notably from the Mars Society.
While some may lament the fall of the western space age (thanks in part to the Great Depression 2.0), others may have to look east for a new hope (pun intended).
(Space Daily) China will begin the construction of its own orbital space station in 2020, the Sina news service said on Monday, citing a top official with the country’s manned spaceflight program.
Gu Yidong said that China would sent two or three space labs into orbit in 2010-2015, while the basic module of the space station is to be orbited by 2020.
The fact that China is building a space station is hardly surprising, seeing as they are not exactly allowed on the International Space Station (due to political/security reasons).
However China’s heavenly ascent is in direct contrast to what is happening in the west, as NASA is (once again) being neutered by its bureaucratic overlords.
(Physorg.com) Five years ago, then-President George W. Bush proposed returning astronauts to the moon by 2020. To pay for it, he planned on retiring the shuttle next year and shutting down the international space station in 2015. [...]
The panel also said the space shuttle should continue flying until early 2011 to finish all its space station work and that it can’t realistically retire by Oct. 1, 2010 as the Bush administration planned.
The panel called “unwise” the Bush plan to shut down the space station in 2015 and steer it into the ocean, after 25 years of construction and only five years of fully operational life. The space station’s life should be extended, the panel said.
Note: Emphasis mine
Instead of the US canceling the International Space Station (especially with cheaper and safer models coming from the private sector), our glorious government is content to spend more money ensuring that we encircle the globe for the next few decades.
While NASA does have ambitious goals of eventually establishing a moon base, it can not do that without sacrificing the “fat,” and seems more concerned with offending international partners than advancing into the heavens beyond.
NASA’s hope may lie in partnering with the private sector, but unless they receive greater backing from their political superiors, the future citizens of the solar system may be reading space history in Chinese rather than English.
Read MoreA New Martian Hope? Inflatable Heat Shield Could Help Land Men On Mars
Image: NASA engineers check out the Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) in the lab. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith
Despite their track record with deploying rovers and a lander upon the red planet, NASA admitted a few years ago that they lacked the technology to land humans on Mars.
Now it looks as if some new technology could enable humans to visit that crimson world without smashing into the surface.
(NASA & NASA IRVE) A successful NASA flight test has shown that a spacecraft returning to Earth can use an inflatable heat shield to slow and protect itself as it enters the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. This was the first time anyone has successfully flown an inflatable reentry capsule, according to engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center.
The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment, or IRVE, was vacuum-packed into a 15-inch diameter payload “shroud” and launched on a small sounding rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. Nitrogen inflated the 10-foot (3 m) diameter heat shield, made of several layers of silicone-coated industrial fabric, to a mushroom shape in space several minutes after liftoff.
“This was a huge success,” said Mary Beth Wusk, IRVE project manager, based at Langley. “IRVE was a small-scale demonstrator. Now that we’ve proven the concept, we’d like to build more advanced aeroshells capable of handling higher heat rates.”
Since Mars has approximately 1% atmo (or Earth atmospheres in space geek), landing anything over a ton can be extremely difficult (at least for those seeking to avoiding the way of the Kamikaze).
NASA’s IRVE (or Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment) could seriously change all of that by helping to reduce the speed of the craft as it descends through the Martian atmosphere.
While Mars is still probably a few decades out (at best), its good to know that we can at least land people there safely.
Read MoreMars: A Paradise For Plants (But Not Animals And People?)
Update (12/23): Credited image (full of microscopic life) below.
Regardless of whether or not you believe that the red planet is the future of humanity, one thing is probably certain–whether it takes a decade or a millennium, humanity will probably settle upon that dusty crimson world.
If humanity ever does gain the necessary technology to terraform Mars into a habitable world (air pressure and temperature wise), we may discover that although the red planet makes an excellent habitat for terrestrial vegetation, it may make an extremely poor one for colonists and animals.
One of the key ingredients for animal life on our planet is oxygen. Without it, most creatures would experience a short (but painful) death, leaving the insects to rule the planet.
Thanks to the laws of photosynthesis, plants are able to produce a large enough volume of oxygen to enable animals, space geeks and people to thrive upon planet Earth.
Most of this oxygen however does not come from land plants, such as trees, grass, etc., but rather from a single celled organism called Phytoplankton which contributes between 70% and 90% of the worlds oxygen from the ocean.
Image Credit: Prof. Gordon T. Taylor, Stony Brook University, USA (via NOAA Photo Library)
While land plants do contribute their fare share of oxygen for our planetary survival, they may not be as effective on Mars which receives half the amount of sunlight as Earth (which could easily translate into less oxygen for our lungs).
Although Mars currently lacks large oceans like its bigger bluer brother, the red planet does contain an abundance of water that if melted could flood the planet.
While this may make it an ideal candidate to host Phytoplankton within Martian waters, it may not be a realistic scenario considering that the red planet could contain an abundance of perchlorate within its soil, which is deadly to most terrestrial life forms.
Image: Soil samples from “Snow White” trench, taken on July 8, 2008, were found to contain perchlorate after analysis in the Phoenix Mars Lander’s Wet Chemistry Laboratory. (Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University)
If Phytoplankton were to even survive within future Martian oceans, humanity would probably have to find some way to heavily filter out perchlorate from the soil in order to prevent it from contaminating the future “red” oceans of Mars.
Although these two dilemma’s may not be enough to discourage humanity from creating an eden out of this crimson world, the lack of a sizable moon may present a unique challenge for our rowdy species.
On Earth, the Moon (via gravitational tugging) helps our oceans distribute oxygen rich water to stagnant areas critical for some organisms to survive.
Image Credit: How Stuff Works.com
Without a strong gravitational pull future Martian oceans could eventually become stagnant overall, making it extremely difficult (if not impossible) for certain species to survive, which could limit which animals we could bring thanks to the circle of life.
Even though these three challenges may prevent humanity from turning Mars into a second Earth, it probably would not be enough to prevent the masses from settling this planet.
While large forests may be able to survive on the planet due to a (future) rich atmosphere of COs, humans may have to be content living within biospheres along with their animal friends (pets and pigs alike).
Read MoreNew Colony Worlds Coming Soon…
Hey everyone,
Just to let you know, the new Colony Worlds is coming soon. It should be up by tomorrow.
Update (7/31): Thanks for the feedback, but just to clarify it is not your browser that is having trouble viewing the thumbnails (as they have yet to be added to the site).
I am manually uploading them, which will take some time (as I do not have as much free time as I use to) but I’ll hopefully finish it by the end of August (if not mid September).
Read MoreTransitioning to WordPress (site will be down over the weekend)
After moving one blog mostly over to WordPress (2.8), I’m moving the second one as well. I’m not doing this out of the joy for WordPress (as I think Blogger has many superior features, especially when it comes to media content and blogging).
However the “shell” of WP is much more user friendly, and since my only (major) complaints about WordPress are behind the scenes, I’ll transition for the sake of my readers.
Stay tuned for the new template.
Content Copyright 2006-2009 of Colony Worlds. All Rights Reserved.
Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
Switching To WordPress
After months of debate I have decided to switch two of my blogs (IsraGood and Colony Worlds) from Blogger to WordPress.
Now I’m not making this decision based on “WordPress is better than Blogger” because IMHO they both have strenghths where the other has weaknesses.
Anyways both IsraGood & Colony Worlds will be down throughout the day, as I import comments, posts and attempt to maintain permalinks on the site.
I will also be sporting new premium themes for each site so stay tuned!!
–Posted via iPhone
Content Copyright 2006-2009 of Colony Worlds. All Rights Reserved.
Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
Carnival Of The Space Geeks (100 And 101)
The 100th Carnival of Space (note: we’ve had that many already?!) was hosted by Brian Ventrudo upon One Minute Astronomer which featured many interesting articles ranging from deadly neutron stars to extraterrestrial tweeting to words of Wisdom from NASA’s former leader, Mike Griffin.
Interesting articles within our star system included:
- David Portree (from Beyond Apollo) highlights a previous plan to land a man on Mars.
- Ken Murphy of Out of the Cradle reviews the Orphans of Apollo film, which focuses on the private sectors attempts at making space a reality beyond governmental employees.
Be sure to check out the rest of the entries on One Minute Astronomer–and without further delay here is last week’s Carnival of Space which was hosted by Davide Portree on Robot Explorers.
Interesting articles ranged from space diamonds to extraterrestrial ponderings to close encounters with the asteroid kind.
A few interesting posts within our star system included:
- Paul Gilster of Centauri Dreams makes a strong case for not only solar sails (which could reduce the travel time between gas giants) but for exploration as well.
- Stuart Atkinson from Cumbrian Sky goes in depth regarding NASA’s Lunar hesitation regarding Moon bases.
There were many other interesting articles (so be sure to read the rest!), and for those of you thinking about joining in on the next round of space geek madness, be sure to check out Universe Today for more details on how to enter.
Content Copyright 2006-2009 of Colony Worlds. All Rights Reserved.
Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
Lunar Dust Dilemma Solved (Via Space Umbrellas?)
Despite having the potential to feed our energy gluttonous world, lunar dust can be fetal to both humans and our robot friends, not to mention very electric (thanks in part to the solar wind).
While scientists have suggested melting down nearby Moon soil in order to counter the rough dust particles, it may be better to construct large space umbrellas thanks to new research regarding lunar dust.
(Moon Today) “Before you can manage the dust, you have to understand what makes it sticky,” says Brian O’Brien, the sole author of the paper. His analysis is the first to measure the strength of lunar dust’s adhesive forces, how they change during the lunar day — which lasts 710 hours — and differ on vertical and horizontal surfaces. O’Brien used data from the matchbox-sized Dust Detector Experiments deployed on the Moon’s surface in 1969 during the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions. [...]
O’Brien found that later, as the Sun rose and the angle of incidence of the Sun’s rays on the dusty vertical surface facing east decreased, the electrostatic forces on the vertical cell weakened. The tipping point was reached when the Sun was at an angle of about 45 degrees: then the pull of lunar gravity counteracted the adhesive forces and made the dust start falling off. All dust had fallen by lunar night.
“These are the first measurements of the collapse of the cohesive forces that make lunar dust so sticky” O’Brien says.
If the Sun is really influencing the stickiness of lunar dust, then the easiest way to combat it may be to erect an enormous space umbrella over the Lunar base.
While this may not give a future settlement an aesthetic look (which would not matter unless one was into the lunar hotel business), it could help reduce the amount of dust that makes it inside these future space habitats (a feature that may appeal to long term residents).
(Image Credit: Fashionably Geek)
Content Copyright 2006-2009 of Colony Worlds. All Rights Reserved.
Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
Did Somebody Say Anti-Germ Space Paint?
Aside from radiation, micro gravity and cabin fever, keeping a space ship clean can easily spell the difference between life and death.
Since micro gravity has a way of encouraging the growth of deadly organisms, future explorers will probably have to spend a lot of time keeping their “space trailer” squeaky clean–especially the walls.
While cleaning up the space ship may appeal to those in love with Mr. Clean, it may be better for space agencies to coat their space craft walls with anti-germ paint instead.
(Fox News) Scientists at the University of South Dakota have invented a new germ-killing molecule that can be added to commercial brands of paint to give the paint long-lasting antimicrobial properties.
The molecule includes a bleach-like substance called an N-halamine. N-halamines are already used widely, but the South Dakota researchers were able to develop a new type known as Cl-TMPM. [...]
In tests, Staphylococcus aureus organisms were killed with 10 minutes of contact, and E coli organisms were killed with 5 minutes of contact. Paint treated with Cl-TMPM was even effective against the superbug MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria.
Unfortunately the new paint is only effective against a small selection of organisms, although hopefully scientists will be able to expand it to a variety of organisms known to infest human habitats (whether on our homeworld, off world or even in space).
If perfected, this paint would not only save future explorers countless hours in “de-germing” their extra terrestrial habitats, but make living on another world a lot safer as well.
(Image Credit: eHow)
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One Small Step Away From The Moon? (NASA)
Despite pursuing a vigorous course to achieve lunarhood on Earth’s nearest neighbor, it looks like NASA’s plan for a Moon encounter may potentially be delayed by a few years.
(Orlando Sentinel) NASA’s internal plans had called for Ares V to go to the moon in 2018, though the agency had announced a public goal of 2020. Internal deadlines are used by NASA to keep programs on track and to provide a margin of error for developmental problems. But because of growing budget woes, the agency is resetting its internal date to 2020. And privately, engineers say that means the public 2020 date to send humans back to the moon is in deepening trouble.
The news is the lastest sign of upheaval in the agency’s Constellation Program which has been beset by financial and design trouble for the past few years. There is even talk now of cutting down the maximum number of crew that the Orion capsule can carry from six to four. It is the latest effort by NASA managers to reduce costs and the weight of the spacecraft.
This news (if true) could not have come at a worse time for NASA as the agency is already having trouble securing a leader after Mike Griffin left. Hopefully NASA can get its game on by 2020, otherwise we may see future Lunar citizens speaking Chinese.
Content Copyright 2006-2009 of Colony Worlds. All Rights Reserved.
Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
Carnival Of The Space Geeks (Alice In Spaceland)
Last week’s Carnival of Space was hosted by Alice Enevoldsen upon Alice’s AstroInfo which featured posts ranging from hot pink galaxies to our Sun’s evil twin brother to even Steven Colbert making history by having a treadmill named after him.
Interesting articles readers here might want to check out include:
- Bruce Irving of Music of the Spheres highlights the Mars 500 mission which will test whether humans can spend 17 months locked inside a tiny trailer–and live to tell the tale (without going insane).
- Ralph Buttigieg from The Discovery Enterprise argues a Venus before Mars approach, an idea that might anger a few individuals (note: I personally think visiting Ceres first would be wiser).
- Brian Wang from Next Big Future reports on (hopefully) promising steps by the private sector to bring about SPS (aka Solar Powered Satellites).
- David Portree of Robot Explores dusts off the NASA archives, exposing the agency’s former plans at retrieving Martian soil.
Be sure to read the rest of the entries, and for those of you interested in joining this weeks upcoming Carnival of Space, feel free to contact Universe Today for details on how to enter.
Read MoreEstablish First Contact (& Subscribe)
Love of Lunar
Martian Delights
Interplanetary Essays
