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Carnival Of The Space Geeks (Celestial Spider)
(Image Credit: No Where Nevada)
Last weeks Carnival of Space was hosted by Kathryn Laurent of Celestial Spider. Articles ranged from time machines to free falling from space to how to analyze the atmosphere of another planet.
Articles ranging within our own star system include:
- Paul Spudis of The Once and Future Moon has an excellent post analyzing how NASA lost its way, which can be summed up in three words: lack of vision.
- Brian Wang from Next Big Future has an excellent post about Nuclear rockets and Space planes.
- Louise Riofrio from A Babe in the Universe shows her displeasure about the closing of Constellation.
Be sure to check out the rest of the articles, and if you are a space geek with a blog, website or podcast, feel free to contact Universe Today for details on how to enter.
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (Weird Sciences 147)
Grandma by ~Chase-SC2 on deviantART
This weeks Carnival of Space was hosted by Bruce Leeeowe of Weird Sciences. Posts ranged from nuking asteroids to terrestrial atmospheres to some inspirational space art (as seen above).
Interesting articles within our star system included:
Dr. Bruce Cordell (via 21st Century Waves) predicts that Russia and China may conquer Mars via Phobos.
Alan Boyle of Cosmic Log highlights a company trying to create inexpensive fusion power (which could affect life off world as well as on our home world).
Brian Wang from Next Big Future goes more in depth with fusion propulsion, which could make it easier for humanity to escape our steep gravity wells.
Be sure to visit the rest of the articles, and if you are interested in submitting your post to the next Carnival of Space, feel free to visit Universe Today for more details on how to enter.
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (Simostronomy)
Last weeks Carnival of Space was hosted by Mike Simonsen upon Simostronomy. Posts ranged from barnstorming the space frontier to Martian landslides to Russian lunar rovers.
Articles of interest to future space settlers include:
- Brian Wang (via Next Big Future) brings us the good news about plasma nuclear fission which could be used to help us travel to the outer planets.
- Steve Nerlich of Cheap Astronomy enlightens us via podcast about using Lagrange points and gravity wells to inexpensively travel the solar system.
- Ian O’Neill from Discovery News Space analyzes how much water is on the Moon, with the answer being a lot!
Be sure to read the rest of the articles, as well as visit Universe Today to find out how to submit your article to the upcoming Carnival of Space.
Read MoreVideo: VASIMR May Be The Only (Safe) Way To Reach Mars
(Image Credit: NASA)
Before we can build homes, fertilize the soil and raise up forests upon the red planet (not to mention bring our animal friends as well), we are going to have to figure out a way to safely get to Mars.
Despite the advances of chemical rockets, taking a 6 month journey to that crimson world would not only be unreasonable (as you would have to pack a lot of food and water for the journey) but dangerous as well due to space radiation.
In order to shorten the time span between the blue and red worlds, we may have to resort to Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket’s (aka VASIMR).
(video via Spaceports)
(Space.com) Future Mars outposts or colonies may seem more distant than ever with NASA’s exploration plans in flux, but the rocket technology that could someday propel a human mission to the red planet in as little as 40 days may already exist.
A company founded by former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz has been developing a new rocket engine that draws upon electric power and magnetic fields to channel superheated plasma out the back. That stream of plasma generates steady, efficient thrust that uses low amounts of propellant and builds up speed over time. [...]
A mission trajectory study estimated that a VASIMR-powered spacecraft could reach the red planet within 40 days if it had a 200 megawatt power source. That’s 1,000 times more power than what the current VASIMR prototype will use, although Ad Astra says that VASIMR can scale up to higher power sources.
Although VASIMR could help shorten the trip towards Mars, future astronauts would probably still need a magnetic shield to protect them from the ravages of space radiation.
It may be wise for NASA to team up with Ad Astra in order to perfect this rocket, as it could enable us to not only reach and settle Mars within our life time, but perhaps Callisto, Ganymede and Saturn’s Titan as well.
Read More3 Different Flavors Of Lunar Water?
(Image Credit: Unknown)
Ever since we discovered water on the Moon, scientists have been trying to figure out how much water is upon the lunar surface, and whether or not there would be enough to sustain not only colonists but perhaps a few rockets as well.
Now it looks like there may be “3 different flavors” of lunar water, which could help decide where future moon bases are established.
(Physorg.com) ”If you converted those craters’ water into rocket fuel, you’d have enough fuel to launch the equivalent of one space shuttle per day for more than 2000 years. But our observations are just a part of an even more tantalizing story about what’s going on up on the Moon.” [...]
“So far we’ve found three types of moonwater,” says Spudis. “We have Mini-SAR’s thick lenses of nearly pure crater ice, LCROSS’s fluffy mix of ice crystals and dirt, and M-cube’s thin layer that comes and goes all across the surface of the Moon.”
Although this still means that most of Luna is still drier than a terrestrial desert, the fact that many craters contain vast amounts of water ice means that future lunar outposts will become a reality in the near future.
While these “oasis craters” may spark debate about lunar property rights and perhaps some tension amongst the first lunar powers, their presence may signal that humanities first home beyond the sky will be upon our celestial next door neighbor.
Read MoreSpaceX To Challenge Russia (For US Rocket Transport)
With President Obama cancelling Constellation and outsourcing space to the private sector, many politicians have been complaining that ditching the NASA rockets will leave America in the hands of the Russians.
Now it looks like SpaceX, a company who thus far has been able to launch one successful rocket into space is challenging Russia for the right to launch Americans into space.
(Earth Times) As lawmakers weigh the pros and cons of turning over US manned spaceflight to contractors, one commercial hopeful vowed Thursday that her firm could fly US astronauts to the orbiting space station for less than a trip on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Gwynne Shotwell, president of Space X, said she could guarantee her company would be able to provide at least three flights to the International Space Station (ISS) for less than 50 million dollars a seat. A ride on the Soyuz currently costs the US space agency NASA 51 million dollars per astronaut, and that price is likely to rise when current agreements expire. [...]
While other industry executives declined to offer such an exact price for their services, all said they would be ready to fly to orbit within three or four years.
SpaceX has designed the Dragon spacecraft (pictured above) to not only transport humans into space, but also cargo for the International Space Station.
Whether or not Congress will choose SpaceX over Russia has yet to be seen (note: it would be very foolish if they chose otherwise), but either way this could help the private space industry gain some much needed respect among the bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (Crowlspace)
Last week the 145th Carnival of Space was hosted by Adam Crowl upon Crowlspace.
Posts ranged from close encounters with moon rocks and Martian valleys to future space vacations under $500, to viewing astronauts resolve Hubble trouble in 3D. Did I mention that there might be millions of habitable planets within our galaxy?
Interesting articles within our own start system included:
- Adam Crowl of Crowlspace analyzes Buzz Aldrin’s plans for Mars and concludes that the Moon is too valuable to skip over.
- Brian Wang from Next Big Future goes nuclear on why we need to use nuclear rockets for space (note: I agree!!)
- David Portree of Beyond Shuttle digs up 1981 plans to land humans on Mars in 1995! (note: sigh, missed opportunities)
Be sure to read the rest of the entries, and if you would like to join our rowdy band of space geeks, feel free to visit Universe Today on details on how to sign up.
Read MoreTerraforming Mars Impossible Due To The Sun?
(Image: Terraformed Mars, Artist: Ittiz)
It looks like humanities hope of turning Mars into a second Earth may never translate into reality thanks in part to the red planet’s lack of a magnetic field.
Scientists have discovered that our Sun’s solar radiation may thwart all attempts at increasing the atmospheric pressure of the crimson world, which means we may never get the chance of witnessing a green Mars, let alone a blue one.
(Discovery News) Scientists have identified a sort of double-whammy solar super wave that is responsible for blowing away air from Mars and keeping its atmosphere thin, frigid and downright inhospitable for any possible future travelers.
The waves happen when one stream of solar wind is overrun and amped up by another, faster gale of solar particles. That creates a flying traffic jam of particles that slam into Mars as one large pulse. [...]
When Edberg and his colleagues compared these events at Mars to the flow of heavier atoms blowing past Mars Express, they discovered that fully a third of Martian air loss happens during the 15 percent of the time when doubled-up solar wind pulses hit the planet.
Although this means that Mars may never become a second eden (unless we can create a global magnetic field), it does not mean that humanity will never settle the planet en mass.
Future colonists will have to adapt to living within specialized biospheres (with portable magnetic shields to protect them from radiation), although doing so is probably much cheaper than terraforming the entire planet.
(via Mars News and Popular Science)
Read MoreWater Plus Sunlight Equals Clean Energy For Mars?
Unlike its big terrestrial sister (aka Earth), Mars is sorely lacking in the energy department.
While future Martian cities may eventually be powered by algae, solar steam or even geothermal power plants, colonists are going to need an energy source to immediately ”power up” their off world outposts.
Fortunately it looks like researches may have discovered a solution that could make living upon Mars a reality.
(Emory University) Emory University chemists have developed the most potent homogeneous catalyst known for water oxidation, considered a crucial component for generating clean hydrogen fuel using only water and sunlight. The breakthrough, to be published in “Science” and released online by the journal March 11, was made in collaboration with the Paris Institute of Molecular Chemistry. [...]
The long-term goal is to use sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen becomes the fuel. Its combustion produces the by-product of water – which flows back into a clean, green, renewable cycle.
Since Mars receives approximately half of the sunlight as Earth does, future colonists may have to look towards a temporary chemical solution rather than an innovative solar panel (like solar rods).
Although this innovative technology is far from perfect (as there are still major hurdles to overcome), it could pave the way for not only green energy on Earth, but help “jump start” colonies on Mars too.
(Image: Bubbles form during water oxidation, catalyzed by the new tetra-cobalt water oxidation catalyst. Credit: Benjamin Yin)
(via Mars News)
Read MoreVideo: Senator Bill Nelson Says Obama Wants NASA To Go To Mars
(Image Credit: NASA / ESA)
According to Senator Bill Nelson, President Barack Obama wants NASA to change course and instead prepare itself for a close encounter of the red planet.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
While this news should cheer Martian fans, it is doubtful that Obama or Nelson will be able to convince the public that a Mars mission is possible (especially during a recession).
Hopefully Nelson or Obama can provide more details as to how we will go about funding a Mars mission (outside of sending more robots that is), otherwise we can safely rule out ever seeing a man or woman creating crimson foot prints off world–at least not from America.
Read MoreVideo: Chinese View On Landing People On The Moon
Now that China is an official space power, some may wonder how the citizens of this great nation view their countries attempt to land a man (or a woman) on the moon.
Here is a brief video highlighting not only China’s accomplishments, but also views from its citizens (both young and old).
Only time will tell whether China lands a man (or woman) upon the Moon, but hopefully they will not repeat America’s mistake and consider inhabiting upon Earth’s little sister instead of merely visiting her.
(via Spaceports)
Read MoreLuna, Luna, Dripping Wet? (Moon Water)
(Image Credit: Image: ISRO / NASA / JHUAPL / LP)
Orbiting approximately 1 light second away from Earth, the Moon (also known as Luna) surprised scientists after water ice was discovered upon its surface.
Recently NASA discovered more ice water upon the Moon, painting a picture that Earth’s nearest neighbor is not as dry as we once thought.
(NASA) Using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists have detected ice deposits near the moon’s north pole. NASA’s Mini-SAR instrument, a lightweight, synthetic aperture radar, found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 1 to 9 miles (2 to15 km) in diameter. Although the total amount of ice depends on its thickness in each crater, it’s estimated there could be at least 1.3 trillion pounds (600 million metric tons) of water ice.
“The emerging picture from the multiple measurements and resulting data of the instruments on lunar missions indicates that water creation, migration, deposition and retention are occurring on the moon,” said Paul Spudis, principal investigator of the Mini-SAR experiment at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. “The new discoveries show the moon is an even more interesting and attractive scientific, exploration and operational destination than people had previously thought.” [...]
“After analyzing the data, our science team determined a strong indication of water ice, a finding which will give future missions a new target to further explore and exploit,” said Jason Crusan, program executive for the Mini-RF Program for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington.
(Image Credit: USGS / JPL / NASA)
Previously it was assumed that the Moon was extremly dry, and that any water discovered would be heavily mixed with dust, rocks and other chemicals.
Now it seems as if there might be an “abundance” of water upon Luna, which could translate into future colonies upon this barren world.
(NY Times Dr. Spudis, a scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, said he guessed the water ice in the north polar craters might be 90 percent pure. He said the team was currently analyzing data covering the south pole craters. [...]
In addition to the water near the poles, scientists also reported that a very thin layer of water covers much of the lunar surface. Water, it appears, not only exists, but is also moving around. “The moon is working in a way you didn’t expect,” Dr. Spudis said.
If scientists can locate more craters with large volumes of water ice, humanity may witness the first off world settlements being established within the next 20 years!
Whether those colonies are American (via the private sector) or Chinese has yet to be determined, but either way the Moon is establishing itself as the next stop for humanity (a thought that might not please a few Martian fans).
–Posted on my iPhone
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks: The Oscar Edition?
Ian O’Neill of AstroEngine fame is hosting the 144th Carnival of Space over upon Discovery News (Space), with last weeks theme being that of the Oscars
Articles linked ranged from images of super massive black holes to the theory of the multiverse as well as remembrances of a space artist who recently passed away (RIP Robert McCall).
Interesting posts highlighting our attempts to advance the final frontier included:
- Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy highlights a lunar cave that could be the first stop in humanities quest to conquer the Moon.
- Emma from We Are All In The Gutter keeps us lunar side by mentioning how micro-meteors and Moon dust can damage lunar gear.
- Dr. Bruce Cordell of 21st Century Waves forecasts the next decade which is not only full of stars, but also “very bumpy” (at least for the US).
- Irene Klotz (from Discovery Space) mentions President Obama’s visit to Florida in an attempt to convince those in the sun shine state that cancelling Constellation is good for America (even if it means Florida suffers a bit)
Be sure to visit the rest of the entries, as well as Universe Today for those of you interested in joining the upcoming Carnival of Space (note: I need to submit a post to there next week myself!)
Read MoreChina Launching Lunar Sattelite 2.0?
After launching a sattelite around Luna many moons ago (pun intended), it looks like the Chinese are about to send a second satellite in order to take a closer look at Earth nearest neighbor.
(Space.com) China is preparing its second moon orbiter for launch in October of this year. The Chang’e 2 probe will carry a high-resolution camera capable of spotting lunar surface features as small as 3 feet.
Chang’e 2 will map potential landing sites for follow-on robotic missions that will attempt to reach the moon’s surface, another first for the Chinese space program. China has not set a date for Chang’e 3′s lunar landing mission.
The second satellite will probable help China compete against Japan’s SELENE (which has been mapping Earth’s moon in high definition).
Hopefully in the not-so-distant future China will consider landing a few good men (and woman) upon the lunar surface, although for now we will settle for a government rover.
Read MoreCould ‘Peepoo Bags’ Help Fertilize Martian Soil?
(Image Credit: Peepoople.com)
Unlike our beloved Earth, Martian soil is very hostile to terrestrial plants.
While this may not hinder our efforts to visit the red planet, it will prevent us from raising crop and planting forests upon this barren dusty world.
Fortunately there seems to be an innovative invention that may resolve this issue–although it may turn a few noses.
(Physorg.com) While efforts have been made to design inexpensive toilets, Swedish inventor Anders Wilhelmson is taking an even more low-tech approach to the problem. He has designed the “Peepoo,” a biodegradable plastic bag that serves as a single-use toilet for individuals in the developing world. After the bag is used and buried in the ground, urea crystals coating the bag sterilize the solid human waste and break it down into fertilizer for crops. Wilhelmson says that his company, Peepoople, can sell the bags for about 2 or 3 cents.
Not only would this be much cheaper than importing fertilizer from Earth, but I could also enable us to raise a few animals off world (like pigs, chickens and of course man’s best friend).
While utilizing our own waste would require the first Martians to maintain a high level of sanitization (perhaps via plasma gas?), it could be the only practical way for us to conquer the crimson world.
–Posted on my iPhone
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