Carnival Of The Space Geeks (Lucky 13)
LiftPort hosted last weeks Carnival of Space, which had several interesting highlights ranging from space elevator poetry to updates about our friends on Mars.
Other interesting posts included:
- Brian Wang of Advanced Nanotechnology has highlights about improving hypersonic skyhooks.
- Alfa King reminds us why July 20th is an important date to remember.
- Louise RioFrio on A Babe in the Universe goes a step further by not only highlighting July 20th as the day we set foot on the moon, but has some cool images of her new spacesuit. (note: a better shot can be seen over here)
- Jon Goff of Selenian Boondocks explains why Northrop Grumman’s assimilation of Scaled Composites is a good thing.
Tomorrow’s space carnival will be hosted on Universe Today, although if one wants to submit any posts to the carnival then they need to visit this site for details.
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Could An Orbital Space Elevator On Phobos Open Up Mars?
Like many of the worlds that orbit the Sol star, Mars has the potential to play a significant role in our future solar economy. The red planet could easily serve as a stepping stone towards humanity colonizing other worlds such as Ceres, Ganymede, and beyond.
But before we can dream about conquering this red gem, humanity may need to figure out how to land humans safely upon Mars, as the crimson planet’s atmosphere may pose problems for future explorers.
If humanity is ever going to conquer Earth’s favorite neighbor, then scientists are going to have to figure out a way to transport large payloads to the crimson world below.
Although a space elevator would compliment Martian colonies by providing a low cost method of delivering goods to the surface, such a structure would easily be destroyed by the red planet’s global storms that dust the surface every three Martian years.
But despite the fact that constructing a space elevator upon Martian soil may be not be feasible, constructing an orbital one (that does not touch the ground) from the base of its nearest moon may not.
The moon Phobos orbits its guardian planet at less than 6,000 km, a distance that should be within easy range of any powerful rocket. With the red planet’s atmosphere extending only to about 11 kilometers, a strong space tether could be constructed just above the clouds, allowing easy access for smaller space craft seeking easy access to the stars.
Another advantage an orbital “Phobian space elevator” would have is the availability of the space port towards the Martian masses. Phobos orbits its parent world in under eight hours, seeing up to three sunrises in an average Martian day.
Constructing an orbital space elevator from underneath this asteroid moon belly would enable colonists to have frequent access towards needed supplies off world, as well as a dependable quick exit if terraforming Mars takes a turn for the worse.
An orbital space elevator underneath Phobos could ultimately open up the crimson world towards human habitation, and allow us to not only land colonists upon this rusty world, but quickly transform Mars into a second home.
Note: Due to time constraints, images will be inserted later on in this post.
Update: Images added.
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Video: Carnival Of The Space Geeks (Galactic Edition)
Editor’s note: Last weeks Carnival of [the] Space [Geeks] (hosted by Music of the Spheres) covered various topics ranging from the Galaxy Zoo to general astronomy.
Several notable highlights of this carnival focused upon human exploration in or beyond our solar system with posts from:
- Paul Gilster of Centauri Dreams discusses the possibility of using multi-generational worldships to conquer other star systems.
- James of Surfin’ English discusses space pirates, as well as outlining some strategies to fight them in the future.
- Louise RioFrio of A Babe in the Universe gives thoughts on Charon’s new geysers, and how tiny black holes could be heating up the moon.
- Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society’s Weblog writes about how the upcoming Phoenix mission could contaminate the soil its suppose to analyze.
- The Anonymous author of Space Files has some interesting images regarding NASA’s space simulator which helps us test whether or not our solar toys are ready for cosmic prime time.
But the most interesting post by far was from Brian Wang of Advanced Nanotechnology, who wrote about how nuclear rockets would be a better alternative to traveling off world than their chemical cousins.
(Advanced Nanotechnology) Nuclear rockets can have 2 to 200 times the performance of chemical rockets. They are a technology that we only need the will to develop. The science is solid and straight forward. We just have to have the courage to become a truly interplanetary civilization. This article will review the various pulsed plasma (using nuclear bombs for propulsion) proposals and have a bit of review of the nuclear thermal rockets at the end. Modern materials will allow smaller nuclear rockets to be produced which could be deployed in space by chemical launch systems. Also, there is uranium and thorium on the moon, so lunar materials could be mined and processed and these nuclear rockets could be made almost entirely from lunar material.
For those nervous about having nuclear rockets launching everywhere from space hungry nations, there have already been several proposals for having these vehicles initially launch via chemical rockets first, before switching over to nuclear thrust.
Here is a video below demonstrating how a “nuclear rocket” could enable humanity to not only escape Earth’s gravity, but also reach Mars.
(Video: Animation depicting a 4000 ton ‘Orion’ type nuclear pulse rocket on a manned mission to Mars. Credit: Nuclear Space)
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Print Solar Panels From Your Personal Computer?
(Hat Tip: The Speculist)
A new breakthrough in solar technology may enable homeowners and astronauts alike to print (or paint) solar panels from their home or office, and apply them upon whatever surface they deem fit for use.
(Vnunet.com) Lead researcher Somenath Mitra, professor and acting chairman at NJIT’s Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, described the process as “simple”. [...]
“Developing organic solar cells from polymers, however, is a cheap and potentially simpler alternative,” said Mitra.
“We foresee a great deal of interest in our work because solar cells can be inexpensively printed or simply painted on exterior building walls and/or roof tops.
“Imagine driving in your hybrid car with a solar panel painted on the roof, which is producing electricity to drive the engine. The opportunities are endless.”
Aside from helping people on Earth, this technology could drastically help reduce the cost of colonizing future worlds. Astronauts could simply construct solar panels out of light weight material instead of hauling tons of wire, steel, etc. in order to power a tiny base off world.
Panels like these would also be expendable, allowing colonists to simply discard (or preferably recycle) dying panels and create new ones in their place.
Note: What makes this technology really interesting is the fact that they are using carbon nanotubes as an electrical conductor, which may help out various companies in the space elevator industry.
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Belated: Carnival Of The Space Geeks (11th Session)
Editor’s note: Last week’s carnival of space was hosted by Brian Dunbar on Space For Commerce.
Some interesting posts include:
- Brian Wang of Advanced Nanotechnology gives his opinion about the sobering cost (and progress) of getting into space.
- Amanda Bauer of Astropixie discusses about placing a liquid lunar telescope on the moon.
- Ed Minchau of Robot Guy provides a humbling video on just how big our universe really is.
But the most interesting post at the Carnival of the Space Geeks goes to the mysterious author of Space Files who writes about Mars Society of Germany thinking about sending a “hot air gas balloon” to observe the red planet from above.
(Space Files) A camera, provided by DLR (the German space agency), which will be based on the ROLIS camera on the lander of the Rosetta space probe. It will be able to achieve a resolution of up to 20 cm per pixel at a 7 km distance from the surface. While this resolution in is not really stunning – HiRISE on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter almost reaches this at its highest resolution -, it will be able to take images from an oblique, 45 degree perspective.
A magnetometer, provided by the Technical University of Braunschweig. Measurements of Mars residual crustal magnetic field were last made by the Mars Global Surveyor space craft during the aerobreaking phase of the mission, in an altitude range between 100 km and 200 km. Archimedes would be able to make more local measurements. The combination of a high resolution camera and a magnetometer makes it possible to correlate magnetism and geological features. It would also be the first magnetic measurement below the ionosphere. It could also be compared to magnetic field measurements at the same time on board the orbiter.
Despite the fact that Mars lacks a global magnetic field, it does posses pockets of protection throughout its surface.
Accurately mapping this field could help future colonists establish “safety zones” in which they can build colonies upon, as well as retreat towards in order to escape the Sun’s wrath.
Note: Tomorrow’s Carnival of the Space Geeks will be hosted by Music of the Spheres. Users interested in submitting articles towards the carnival can see this post for details.
Update (7/25): Adjusted phrase from “hot air” to “gas” as it was more precise (thanks Space Files!).
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Are Skin Tight Space Suits Becoming Fashionable?
(Image: Dava Newman modeling in new suit, Credit: Donna Coveney, via New Scientist Space)
If humans are defined by the clothes they wear, then our species may be in trouble when it comes to our spacesuits.
Despite the fact that our current spacesuits have enabled us to walk on the moon (and survive in micro gravity), they are probably not the best option when it comes to strolling upon other worlds.
Now it seems that a group of engineers has decided to make life easier for future colonists by designing a “soft suit,” that may not only be easier on the human body, but aesthetically pleasing to the eyes as well.
(New Scientists Space) For the last seven years, Newman and colleagues have been working on a different kind of suit (see First people on Mars will be shrink-wrapped). Their “BioSuit” provides pressure by wrapping tight layers of spandex and nylon around the body – an idea first proposed by Paul Webb in the 1960s [...]
The team has recently made models of the suit that provide up to 30 kilopascals of pressure – the amount required to be used in space. But they say it will take another 10 years or so of fine-tuning to develop a suit that could be used on space missions.
Previously Louise Riofrio rolled out her team’s version of a soft suit, which (thus far) seems to be more advanced than the rest of the competition.
Either way, it is good to seem more companies entering this field, as a comfortable spacesuit is something that NASA needs if it decides to revisit the Moon (and eventually Mars).
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Can Carbon Nanotubes Solve Our Micro Gravity Woes?
One of the largest obstacles towards humanity claiming ownership of the red planet (and the final frontier itself) is micro gravity. Without a solution a trip towards Mars could end up being fatal towards future travelers.
But it looks as if NASA is attempting to find a way around the gravity dilemma by inserting neural implants made out of carbon nanotubes inside the brain.
(EETimes.com) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently reported progress toward a neural implant technology using carbon nanotubes that could enable space flights of indefinite periods.
By stimulating the neural pathways responsible for muscle atrophy, NASA hopes to fool the brain into thinking that gravity is still present even in free fall. “We hope to let the brain feel the weight of gravity, even if it’s not there,” said NASA scientist Jun Li. “For a trip to Mars, we could monitor astronauts’ brains, then artificially stimulate its neurons with nanofiber electrodes to fool it into thinking gravity is still working.”
Unlike other types of implants, the ones made out of carbon nanotubes seem to have a higher acceptance rate within brain tissue, which seems to find ways of shutting down these artificial intruders by building scar tissue around them.
This research is still in the “beta stages” although if perfected (a few decades from now), it could enable humanity to live among the stars without the fear of suffering from atrophy due to micro gravity.
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Martian Colonies Powered By Solar Balloons?
(Image: Drawing of solar balloons collecting energy from the Sun. Credit: Geotechtra)
(Hat Tip: IsraGood)
When it comes to energy resources, the crimson world offers very few options towards future colonists. Although scientists are researching ways to create methane on Mars, solar balloons on the red planet may provide a better choice for future inhabitants.
(Israel 21st Century) The Israeli scientist, who is shortly to complete his PhD at the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Architecture and City Construction, at Haifa’s Technion Israel Institute of Technology, has developed a new way to produce electricity using helium balloons made from fabric coated with photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. These balloons are much cheaper to build and install than existing solar panels, and also take up far less room, which is significant in an urban environment.
The balloons, which are a little like mini-Zeppelins, are connected to the ground via two cables: one to refill helium, and the other to pass the electricity to a control panel.
Although these balloons are adapted for life on Earth, future models could be shipped towards Mars as they would be much lighter (and cheaper) than regular solar panels on the ground.
Solar balloons may also be less likely to “collect” dust than their land locked cousins, mainly because stronger (and higher) Martian winds should be able to keep the objects clean.
Note: Since Martian gravity is weaker, these balloons would need a device that would be able to not only deploy the balloons, but take down defective ones. Perhaps LiftPort’s Tethered Towers could easily provide this role.
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Carnival Of The Space Geeks (To The Tenth Power)
Editor’s note: The tenth Carnival of Space is up over at Why Homeschool and has thus far been the best roundup of what is happening in the space arena (at least as far as blogs are concerned).
Some interesting posts include:
- Paul Gilster of Centauri Dreams discusses a new theoretical propulsion system that may enable humanity to travel to the gas giants fairly quickly (and beyond).
- Brian Wang of Advanced Nanotechnology breaks down space solar power to the megawatt level, as well as discusses why finding ways to increase “light power” would benefit Bigelow and NASA space stations.
- James of Surfin’ English elaborates on all the fun forms of radiation that can kill us, not to mention why computers enjoy it less than we do.
- Stuart Atkinson who posts at The Verse poetically portrays the thoughts of a Martian rover forced to commit suicide by exploring a deep crater.
- Bigelow Aerospace has some interesting images from their successfully launched Genesis II space station (which I have yet to write a future post on).
But the best post in this carnival goes to Louise Riofrio of A Babe In The Universe whose recent spacesuit design may enable humans to gracefully walk upon Martian and lunar soils.
(A Babe In The Universe) The skintight inner garment is a sandwich of stretchable materiels that zip on like a flightsuit. It is suitable for suborbital and Low Earth Orbit Access, like the “pumpkin suits” used today. Upon exposure to vacuum, the proprietary materiel automatically tightens to compensate. Unlike present-day soft suits, there is no loss of flexibility. The prototype is covered in silver rubber for visibility. [...]
For EVA and planetary exploration, the suit can be armoured. The outer pieces on the chest and arms are made of composite materiels that are stronger than steel. The manufacturer guarantees the materiel to 250 degrees fahrenheit, or the highest likely to be encountered in Space. As on present spacecraft, multiple aluminised layers insulate the wearer from extreme cold. The outer armour can be quickly changed to adapt for different environments. When lunar explorers are ready to return home, the outer layers and all that yucky lunar regolith can be left behind on the Moon.
The most interesting thing about this prototype is the fact that the suit can be customized to fit different needs. For example, a colonist on Mars may require a suit that deals with the potentially toxic soil via winds while on the Moon one may need to design a static free dust to keep lunar soil at bay.
Brian Dunbar over at Space For Commerce is hosting next week’s Space Carnival, and for those of you desiring to enter the carnival see this post for details.
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Are Nuclear Rockets The Way To Go?
(Image: NASA’s Ares V rocket, Credit: NASA via New Space Scientist)
With the cost of space skyrocketing (no pun intended), one scientist has proposed using nuclear rockets in order to cut the expense of space flight.
(New Scientist Space) Carried out by university students funded by CSNR, the study examined the potential savings from incorporating nuclear power into NASA’s Ares V, the launch vehicle being developed to haul heavy cargo, including parts for a lunar base, to the Moon.
Under this scenario, the Ares V would use ordinary chemical rockets to launch into Earth orbit, where it would dock with the Orion crew vehicle that would have launched on a separate Ares I rocket. In NASA’s current plans, a second stage on the Ares V would then ignite to send the crew and cargo out of Earth orbit and towards the Moon. But in Howe’s scenario, this Earth-departure stage would be nuclear-powered instead.
By having the first stage of launch via chemical rockets, scientists could avoid not only mass protests from the anti-nuke crowd, but also ease fears from neighboring nations that a country was launching a nuclear missile at their front door.
Whether people like it or not, nuclear powered rockets may become the future of space travel as solar power and chemical rockets may be limited in power and expense, respectively.
Unless a scientist can find a better way of traveling throughout the cosmos, we may end up having our future descendants laugh at us over our timid behavior about splitting the atom above home world’s atmosphere.
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Europe Constructs A Space Dump Truck
(Image: 20 Ton ATV developed by Europe, Credit: ESA via BBC)
With America and Asia taking most of the space glory, Europe has decided to make its mark in the industry by constructing a large “space truck.”
Although designed for transporting food, water, oxygen and technology to the International Space Station (aka ISS), this space craft can will also give the ISS a rocket boost–not to mention serve as a solar dump truck.
(BBC News) New oxygen supplies brought up by the ATV are simply vented into the station; water is carried out in bags; fuel is piped across to Zvezda.
The ATV will stay at the station for six months. At intervals of 10 to 45 days, the vehicle’s thrusters will be used to boost the platform’s altitude.
Over time, the ISS crew will use the vehicle as a refuse skip, filling the cargo section with all their waste. After undocking, the ATV will destroy all this material – and itself – in a controlled re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.
Although we often dream of space stations “reusing, reducing and recycling” 100 percent of everything they bring on board, the reality is that astronauts are going to need the option of throwing some items away.
Since transporting garbage back to Earth is expensive (and releasing it into space can cause future problems), storing space junk inside this ATV may help decrease the future supply of orbital garbage that dangerously circles our planet.
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Making Artificial Life More Life Like
(Image: Japanese robot venture Squse President Mikio Shimizu, Credit: Space Daily)
Japan, probably the worlds undisputed king of robotic technology (or at least the nation with greatest recognition in the field) had released a robotic hand prototype that looks “almost human.”
(Space Daily) A Japanese robot maker on Tuesday unveiled what it called the world’s first prototype of an artificial hand with “air muscles” that can do even delicate work like picking up a raw egg. Squse, a Kyoto-based robot and factory automation manufacturer, said it has developed a 400-gramme (14 ounce) hand with five human-sized fingers with artificial fibres that can be controlled by air pressure.“So far, robots have an image of helping people do heavy lifting, but we aim at delicate work as a human hand can do,” company president Mikio Shimizu said.
Despite this hand being “eerily similar” to our own flesh and blood, this technology may prove to be useful in constructing androids who can operate machinery in places too hazardous due to radiation.
On a more distant scale, these artificial limbs could also serve as replacements for future colonists, in the event of one injuring a hand (or foot) beyond repair.
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Another Martian Rover On The Way?
(Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/J.-L. Lacour, CEA)
It looks as if NASA is scheduled to send yet another rover to explore the Martian surface. But unlike its previous cousins, Spirit and Opportunity this robot will be armed with a fairly powerful “weapon.”
(Space Spin) When the JPL-NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover launches in 2009, it will carry this combination laser-telescope unit and enable the gadget-packed rover to know a great deal about rocks in its general vicinity. The ChemCam package includes a mast unit, projecting above the rover with a laser and telescope, and a body unit, the brains of the beast, with three spectrographs and the instrument controls. [...]
The ChemCam laser emits very short pulses of 7 nanoseconds, through a small telescope that focuses the beam to a spot where the power density exceeds 10 megawatts per square millimeter, producing a plasma of vaporized material from the target rock. The unit operates on targets at distances between 4 and 30 feet. The unit also contains a camera to take extreme close-up pictures of the targets to show geologic context for each sample. The telescope and electronics were built by CESR, a research institute in Toulouse, France. The mast unit was funded by CNES, the French Space Agency. The full ChemCam flight model will be delivered to JPL in Spring of 2008.
Although the rover’s main job will be simply analyzing the geologic activity of Martian rocks, hopefully it can inform scientists whether or not Mars holds any valuable resources upon its rusty soil.
Thus far, Mars is a barren world waiting to be conquered, but until any valuable resources can be located upon the red planet, then humanity may not be able to justify sending people there–at least financially.
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Carnival Of The Space Geeks (The Eighth Wonder)
Fraser Cain is hosting the eighth round of the Carnival of Space, and has some fairly interesting posts lined up including:
- Paul Gilster on Centauri Dreams discusses Modeling Exoplanet Atmospheres and makes an interesting note that the further one travels from our Sol Star, the more water we find.
- Dave Rankin on Tales of the Heliosphere discusses how ingrained the 24 hour cycle is to Earth life, which may make colonizing space a little bit more difficult (than previously thought).
- Fraser Cain from Universe Today analyzes the theory about microscopic black holes buzzing inside Earth (scary if you ask me)
- Amanda Bauer on Astropixie reviews how devastating an asteroid impact would be to planet Earth (with a cool video as well!)
- Louise Riofrio from the ever enlightening A Babe In The Universe talks about the beauty and value of the International Space Station, with an image that makes you wish you were there.
But one of the best posts has to go to Henry Cate of Why Homeschool who discusses the future “gold rush” within our asteroid belt:
(Why Homeschool) When I was fourteen I read a book about asteroids. One of the points in the book has stuck with me over a couple decades. The book said that a small asteroid of about one cubic mile was worth about $50 billion. This was in the 1970s. Nowadays the number would be closer to $300 billion. Scientists have found that asteroids have a greater density. There appears to be a greater concentration of metals when compared to the earth. [...]
Early space development may be largely financed by tourists, at least in the short term. Over the years more people and industry will start to move out into space. Mining the asteroids may prove to be the next gold rush. Stories are told of miners walking along the river banks picking up nuggets of gold. It may be that at some point men in rocket ships will be able to fly to the asteroids and pick up valuable metals.
The asteroid belt could very well be the key towards humanity colonizing our solar system. Although the influx of metals and minerals from asteroids will probably drop the prices due to economics of scale, the availability of these metals will translate into more resources available to colonies and star ships.
Despite the fact that tourism is currently driving humanities quest to the stars, hopefully mining these dancing space rocks can fund our ability to not only conquer our star system, but nearby ones as well.
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Who Will Make Solar History?
A thousand years from now when our species has begun to conquer other star systems (after colonizing our own of course), who will be some of the individuals who will go down in solar history?
While most of history has yet to be written, our future descendants may find themselves whining about memorizing the names from the “Early Space Renaissance” of the 21st century.
Although this is not a complete list, here are some of the figures who may find themselves recorded in the solar history books (not to mention having a million space kids being named after them).
George W. Bush: Whether you love him or hate him, President Bush will probably go down in history for announcing the Vision for Space Exploration (or VSE for short).
NASA’s previous vision of infinitely circling our globe and forever observing the stars (from afar) will probably be an embarrassment for our current generation, although hopefully the President’s VSE will give NASA the courage to conquer the final frontier.
Eric Anderson & Peter Diamandis: Just as the Wright Brothers helped to “kick start” aviation, Eric Anderson and Peter Diamandis have helped to kick start space tourism by forming Space Adventures.
Space Adventures helped launch the very first space tourist into orbit, kicking off a whole new industry that is destined to thrive in the next three to four years. Both Peter and Eric took the discussion from “talk to action,” proving that space was more than a privilege of governmental elites.
With future plans to launch Earthen citizens around their lunar neighbor, Space Adventures may give governmental programs a run for their money.
Robert T. Bigelow: If Space Adventures can be credited towards getting private citizens into space, Robert T. Bigelow can be credited towards actually keeping us there.
In 2006, Bigelow Aerospace launched the world’s first (of hopefully many) inflatable space station, displaying that the private sector could not only design a better, cheaper home amongst the heavens, but also generate a profit on the side.
Although constructing inflatable space stations is in itself incredible, Bigelow’s entry into space may be over shadowed by the companies attempt to help humanity colonize the moon.
Sir Richard Branson: Some people consider Sir Richard Branson to be ingenious. Other consider him to be closer to a mad scientist. Whatever your take, Branson may have the last laugh as his company Virgin Galactic is destined to bring space safely to the (moderately wealthy) masses.
Branson’s goal of making space apart of Earth culture may be paying off, as several other space firms have announced plans to launch customers into sub-orbital flights. But what sets Virgin Galactic apart from the competition is the companies emphasis on safety, which should easily put it in the lead if (God forbid) a crash occurs in the industry.
Branson also seems focused on not merely sending people into orbit, but having them check into space hotels by renting one of Bigelow Aerospace’s inflatable space station.
Elon Musk: After making a billion plus fortune by selling off PayPal to Ebay, Elon Musk decided to spend his riches on helping humanity become a space faring civilization. Thus SpaceX was born.
Although SpaceX has yet to put up a satellite successfully into orbit (along with a host of other companies), what makes SpaceX unique is their desire to drop the price of launching objects into space from around $10,000 /lbs to $1,000/ lbs.
After successfully launching an object into space on a test rocket, SpaceX seems destined (if not determined) to see humanity on not only the Moon, but Mars itself.
Dr. Bradley C. Edwards: If a building a modern day space elevator is ever feasible, this man will be credited towards coming up with the design plans.
After spending years in the realm of science fiction (or perhaps even fantasy itself), Dr. Edwards helped d
emonstrate the feasibility of this project, which (if successful) will revolutionize the way our species interacts with the solar system.
Edwards has recently started a company called Black Line Ascension whose end goal is to construct a space elevator, although only time will tell whether his research (and vision) will result in this object being built towards the heavens.
Michael Laine: If Dr. Brad Edwards can be credited towards making the space elevator doable on paper, Michael Laine may be credited to actually building it in on our homeworld.
Have previously worked with Edwards, Michael Laine founded LiftPort, this company seeks to construct a space elevator within the next 25-30 years. What makes LiftPort unique in its field is the fact that this company is seeking to chart its course within the private sector, refusing to rely completely on NASA for funding or guidance.
Only time will tell whether or not Michael’s vision of a planet where space is “open for everyone” will materialize. Either way, this man’s passion and determination to persevere despite the circumstances have inspired many to look towards the heavens as their future homes.
You: Our quest to conquer off world soils has just begun, and there may still be many spots open for ordinary citizens to say their lines and partake on the solar stage of history.
Note: Due to lack of time, images will be added later on to this post.
Update (6/21): Added images and corrected some wording.
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Artificial Gravity Via Plasma Rockets?
(Hat Tip: The Astronomy Blog, Image Credit: Space.com)
Despite the fact that science fiction shows depict every space faring craft with artificial gravity, the harsh reality is that unless we are on a moon, planet or oribital space station, we may have to suffer the wrath of micro gravity.
However, not-so-distant technology may help humanity not only shorten the time between worlds, but provide a little resistance to our bones and muscles as well.
(New Scientists) The engine works by stripping electrons from hydrogen atoms and accelerating the resulting plasma in an electric field. Expelling the plasma out of the back of the engine generates thrust. The technique is known as Variable Specific-Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) technology, and was conceived in the 1970s. [...]
Unlike conventional rockets which generate all their thrust in the first few minutes of a mission and then coast to their destination, a VASIMR engine accelerates continuously.
This reduces journey times, and could also provide a low level of artificial gravity for astronauts. It has been suggested that the hydrogen fuel, which is common throughout the universe, could be harvested en route.
Plasma rockets are still in their infancy and this specific breed is probably two decades away (at its earliest) from entering the market. Scientists still have to figure out how to keep the engine from overheating (as plasma is a “little warm”) although they are confident in its future development.
Creating artificial gravity via thrust could go a long ways to making space practical for the human body, ensuring our species is actually strong enough physically to land on other worlds.
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Bigelow Aerospace Ready For Space 2.0
After the successful launch of Genesis 1, Bigelow Aerospace hopes to surpass their achievement by launching a second inflatable space station in orbit.
(The Space Fellowship) A May 17th statement by Robert T. Bigelow stated that Bigelow Aerospace has been informed by its launch provider ISC Kosmotras (“Kosmotras”) that additional testing of the Dnepr rocket and its ground equipment was required by Russian authorities. But with no further setbacks the launch should be fine to go ahead at the newest planned launch date of June 28th.
A launch later on this month would definitely help out Bigelow Aerospace, which has been suffering from technical delays ever since shipping their craft to Russia. Although this has more to do with Russia fixing minor glitches with their rocket, Bigelow was hoping to have the craft up earlier (according to their schedule).
While their goal is to create affordable space stations for large corporations (and perhaps third world nations), Bigelow’s ultimate goal is to colonize the moon (and perhaps Mars as well).
Hopefully all goes will with this space firms plans, as a second station in orbit could help cement the idea that “NewSpace” can seed the heavens just as effectively as OldSpace our governmental space agencies.
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Can EADS Astrium Open Up Space Tourism For Everyone?
With the space tourism industry heating up it looks like the big three (Virgin Galactic, Benson Space and Space Adventures) will have a new competitor in the race–EADS Astrium.
While all four space companies desire to send humans beyond the earthen skyline, only two of them (Virgin Galactic and now EADS Astrium) are embracing the “airplane to rocket” approach.
But what sets EADS Astrium apart from the competition can be summed up in three words–location, location, location!
(Astrum Press Release) The Astrium space jet will take off and land conventionally from a standard airport using its jet engines. However, once the craft is airborne at an altitude of about 12 km, the rocket engines will be ignited to give sufficient acceleration to reach 100 km. In only 80 seconds the craft will have climbed to 60 km altitude. The highly innovative seats balance themselves to minimize the effects of acceleration and deceleration, ensuring the greatest passenger comfort and safety. The rocket propulsion system is then shut down as the ship’s inertia carries it on to over 100 km, where passengers will become one of the very few to experience zero gravity in space.
The pilot will control the craft using small rocket thrusters enabling passengers to hover weightlessly for 3 minutes and to witness the most spectacular view of Earth imaginable. After slowing down during descent, the jet engines are restarted for a normal and safe landing at a standard airfield. The entire trip will last approximately an hour and a half.
By utilizing the airports of everyday citizens EADS Astrium has the potential to setup a spaceport in every nation allowing citizens everywhere to enjoy the benefits of space flight. The ticket cost is similar to that of Virgin Galactics, ranging from 150,000 t0 200,000 Euro.
Although integrating the jet and rocket ship may be wiser, it looks as if the decision will be a lot more expensive as estimates for building these vessels is approaching a billion euro’s.
Either way, it should present an interesting alternative for space travelers, and will hopefully make traveling towards the heavens as common an mundane as traveling over seas.
Image Credit: Marc Newson Ltd, via EADS Astrium.
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Video: iPhone Going Galactic?
(Hat Tip: NASA Watch)
If astronauts ever revisit the moon, they will definitely require a robust, easy to use communication device in order to survive on the harsh lunar surface.
After all, communication can mean the difference between life and death, and what better device could one ask for than an iPhone?
Editor’s note: If only iPhone was with Verizon I would seriously consider it. Since hacking the iPhone is potentially illegal, I may have to settle for an OQO instead. 
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Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
Carnival Of The Space Geeks (The Gathering)
Editor’s note: Whether they post a few paragraphs or a few pages these space geeks are bound to make you laugh or cry (depends on you view of NASA with the latter).
There were several amazing posts (amazing was the theme of the carnival) ranging from Clark Lindsey new way to fund space tourism to Louie Riofrio’s take on Benson’s Dreamchaser space craft to Ed’s sharp rebuke towards NASA and space whiners.
But the best post thus far has to go to Dave Rankin of Tales of the Heliosphere who discussed every one’s favorite subject–unless you work for NASA of course.
(Tales of the Heliosphere) In any event, the truly uncomfortable reality of sex in space is not about relationships, morale, techniques, alternative sexual lifestyles, and the whole gamut of things that first come to mind when sex in space is discussed. The truly uncomfortable reality of sex in space is that the biological purpose of sex is reproduction and artificial birth control sometimes fails. What do we do if an astronaut becomes pregnant? [...]
We can’t be certain how weightlessness or even reduced gravity would affect a developing human in the womb or an infant, and we don’t know what should be done to protect its health in space. A pregnancy on a long, three-year mission to Mars, for example, would certainly help us learn. But that knowledge would come at the cost of unplanned experimentation on a human being that never consented and couldn’t.
A pregnancy in space would probably be a nightmare for any space agency, not to mention NASA. After all, a deformed child born in microgravity could be more than enough to convince the public that space is too dangerous for humans, ensuring domination by our robotic slaves friends.
It would probably be wiser to raise a kid on the Moon or Mars, than try experimenting with microgravity where a child brought into the world of stars may have to spend the rest of their days living among them.
Note: Do not forget to check out the other various articles about space on Henry’s Carnival of Space.
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Violators (and hosts) can be prosecuted under national and international laws.
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