Russia: Oxygen Plus Argon Equals Future Martian Air?

While NASA plans on finding ways for us to "recycle our air," Russia is trying to find the perfect balance for a breathable atmosphere on board a future Martian spacecraft.

(Universe Today) Volunteers in Russia are testing the ability of humans to breathe argon-enriched air, as part of a research program that simulates a manned trip to Mars. Researchers want to know if humans can survive breathing air similar to that found on Mars. Of the experiment one Russian scientist said, "Our experiments show that argon combined with the right portion of oxygen is safe for humans. I tested it on myself and I'm OK, and volunteers are also doing fine."

Despite the fact that argon is apart of the Martian atmosphere, some may wonder why the scientists chose that over nitrogen, since their is more nitrogen than argon on the red planet.

The answer lies with the fact that argon is a lot safer than nitrogen, as the latter has the potential to bond with oxygen (via static heat), which can form Nitric Oxide--or even worse, Nitrogen Dioxide), which can be fetal towards humans.

Argon on the other hand is not only non-toxic, but it can resist bonding with other elements (as it is more stable) giving future astronauts fewer headaches to worry about.

This makes Argon the perfect "filler gas" (as pure oxygen is too dangerous), and this experiment may make it possible for humans to one day visit, and perhaps live on Mars.

Video: Space Elevator Invades Conan O'Brien Show

(Hat Tip: The Space Elevator Blog)

The Space Elevator, a future technology that has the potential to revolutionize how humanity ventures beyond the sky was able to gain more public exposure thanks in part to the Kansas City Space Pirates (a team competing in the Elevator 2010 competition).

Congrats to Brian Turner for presenting the concept in a humerous, yet understandable manner (although it appears as if O'Brien did his homework regarding the space elevator).

Note: The Kansas City Space Pirates are looking for a few good sponsors, so if you have deep pockets (or just feel like helping them out) feel free to invest in their project.

Video: Earthrise In HD

(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.

Video: Did Benson Space Go Kaputt?

(Hat Tip: Personal Spaceflight)

It looks as if one of the three "major" competitors for the suborbital flights has recently disappeared--at least from cyberspace.

Benson Space, who was pursuing development of the Dream Chaser seems to have either allowed its domain BensonSpace.com to fall into the hands of Rockets Away! Media (which is a good thing compared to a spammer) or has decided to currently lay down its pursuit of a suborbital vehicle, even after redesigning the shuttle craft (hat tip: RLV Transport News).

While the Dream Chaser continues to live on in its original form over at SpaceDev, the disappearance of its younger sibling Benson Space Company may not be an encouraging sign to investors looking into the space industry.

(Video: Dream Chaser (first design) promo demonstrating how the shuttle would ferry tourists from Earth to space. Redesign of craft can be seen in video format over here).

Video: Nomadic Space Bases Via Giant Robots?

(Image: NASA's ATHLETE robot, Credit: NASA / JPL, via New Scientist Space)

If humanities overall goal is to eventually settle upon other worlds, we first have to locate ideal spots to establish a home.

This is probably easier said than done, as many engineers would prefer future space bases to be located near potential energy sources (i.e. in continuous sunlight), while many scientists would prefer them next to interesting features (such as craters, mountains, etc.).

But instead of arguing out where our species should establish its first permanent base, why not opt for nomadic ones via our mechanical friends?

(New Scientist Space) NASA engineers are testing out a giant, six-legged robot that could pick up and move a future Moon base thousands of kilometres across the lunar surface, allowing astronauts to explore much more than just the area around their landing site. [...]

But a gargantuan robotic vehicle called ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) could change that. Measuring about 7.5 metres wide, with legs more than 6 metres long, the robot could act essentially like a turtle, carrying the astronauts' living quarters around on its back.

Using giant robots to transport space bases may prove to be a better alternative than their stationary friends as the robots could move the base out of harms way from an upcoming solar storm as well as help shelter the base during a Martian globacane.

These mechanical insect giants could also solve the "energy dilemma," by constantly moving within the Sun's rays on the Moon (assuming that they would be solar powered of course).





(Videos: ATHLETE robot demonstrating its ability at carrying potential space bases, drilling holes, and traveling over terrain, Credit: NASA / JPL, via New Scientist Space).

NASA: Can You Handle The Phoenix? (Video)

It looks as if another NASA video has surfaced, this time highlighting the Phoenix Mars Mission in order to determine whether or not life existed on the red planet's north pole.

While the overall purpose of this mission is focused on the evidence of life frozen beneath the frosty surface, this stationary "rover" could help scientists determine the exact composition of Martian soil.

This could enlighten humanity as to whether Martian soil is potentially fertile or extremely barren (if the latter, we may have to "manufacture" our own fertilizer, which will not make many people happy).

Video: Lunar Bull Dozing

If landing on the Moon is "easy," then living upon it may be "slightly difficult"--especially if one has to find ways of creating a viable transportation system, which could involve lunar railroads and subways.

But before we begin dreaming up future metropolis connecting to each other across the moonscape, we may have to find ways of digging through lunar soil first.

(New Scientist Space) Chariot, a two-tonne "truck" with a top speed of 20 kilometres per hour, has been tearing up the Lunar Yard, a test bed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, since engineers there completed construction of the vehicle in September of 2007. [...]

Independent steering on each of its six pairs of wheels allows the vehicle to spin on the spot, zigzag up steep crater walls, and manoeuvre into tight spaces with ease.

The Chariot – so named because the current model has no seats, windows, or doors, and can be driven from the rear – can also lower its chassis to the ground making it easier for astronauts in bulky spacesuits to climb aboard.

Hopefully this new design (coupled with a plow) will enable colonists to clear out land in order to tame the Moon's rugged surface. While more testing has to be done in order to make the robotic vehicles robust enough, future prototypes like these may enable us to actually build homes on lunar side, instead of dreaming about it from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.

Radiation Storm Forecasts Via SOHO

Video: SOHO's Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) caught this image of a coronal mass ejection. The green static represents the particles that the solar storm projects into space. Credit: NASA.


Despite the fact that the majority of the planets, moons and dwarf planets (sorry Pluto) lack a significant atmosphere, future colonists may still tune in to the latest forecast regarding upcoming storms.

But instead of storms involving weather, it will be radiation storms that they will be worrying about, a concern that the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) may help us predict.

(NASA) Explosive events on the sun can blast particles to high speeds, causing intense radiation storms that can disable spacecraft and cause radiation sickness or cancer in unprotected astronauts. Advance warning of radiation storms could give astronauts time to take cover and allow satellite operators to take protective measures.

Scientists are now testing a new method that could do just that. The method uses data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) to predict, in real-time, the approach and intensity of hazardous solar particles that would threaten astronauts and technology in space. [...]

The new forecasting method calculates the appearance and intensity of solar ion events by measuring these relativistic (near light-speed) electrons. Extreme solar events create the relativistic electrons, which have characteristics that can be exploited to predict the time and intensity of later arriving ions, predominantly protons with energies more harmful to humans.

Predicting when these solar storms could easily determine the difference between a live astronaut and a dead one, which may make future solar weathermen one of the most important jobs in the solar system.

In order to thrive off world, future colonists may have to be content constructing lunar bases within magnetic safe havens until scientists can create artificial ones on their own.

Update: Corrected video description above. Also corrected title link above.

SpaceX Engine Firings Give New Hope

(Hat Tip: Commercial Space Watch, Video Below)

While most NewSpace companies either dreaming of reaching the stars (or seeking government backing before they can visit the stars), SpaceX is slowly, but surely laying down the foundation for when they will send rockets past Earthen skies.

Even though they still have quite a distance to go before they launch humans into space, SpaceX's test multiple engine firings are giving hope that the commercial sector can pick up where the public left off.

(SpaceX Press Release) The engines operated at full power, generating over 180,000 pounds of force, equivalent to a Boeing 777 at full power, and consuming 700 lbs per second of fuel and liquid oxygen during the run.

"This is a major hardware milestone for our company," said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. "It marks the first time that we have simultaneously fired two engines on the same stage. No significant problems were encountered transitioning from single engine testing in November, which suggests that we will be able to ramp up rapidly to a full complement of nine Merlin engines. Our propulsion and test team has done a remarkable job." [...]

SpaceX has designed its Merlin engine for rapid mounting and change-out. A new engine can be installed in a period of hours, a feature that will provide significant operational efficiency and responsiveness on the launch pad.

With the recent successful firings of their Merlin engines, SpaceX is not only on track to fulfill their launch schedule, but they may also help fill in for NASA after the agency retires its shuttle fleet.

SpaceX hopes to eventually bring down the prices of launching rockets into space, which may help make the industry competitive on an international scale. If successful, Elon Musk's space "rebel" company may help spur innovation once again, which could ultimately lead towards cheap reliable access to space (aka CRATS).





Exit Question: If SpaceX continues to build upon its previous success, will its future stock make it worth more than Google?

Video: Merry Christmas (Plus Carnival Of Space)

The 34^th Carnival of the Space Geeks is up over at Rainer Gerhards Spaceflight blog, with a host of interesting articles ranging from Scramjets alternatives to free books about Mars.

There are also some spectacular astronomy images over at Bad Astronomy.

For those of you enjoying your holiday break, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, or Solemn Festivus, which ever you prefer.

I would also like to thank the many readers who spend time reading this little web journal of mine, as well as to the host of others out there who still believe that there is more to space than watching Star Trek, and are willing to share ideas to make this happen.

For your enjoyment, here is a video from the show Firefly, which for those of you who are not Browncoats can enjoy over at Hulu.com for free. Enjoy!

Update: Video size adjusted to fit within post.

Video: Happy Space Age Day!

Today marks the anniversary when humanity first began to wander beyond the sky by the launch of Sputnik 50 years ago.

It demonstrated our species ability to send objects above our atmosphere and has spurred our race to find its place among the stars.

(Video Hat Tip: Robot Guy)

A hundred years from now humanity may celebrate October the 4^th as an interplanetary holiday, uniting all cultures throughout our solar system in our quest to conquer the final frontier.

Until then our young race must continue to pursue the journey started by our forefathers, in order to pass that same torch towards our children and their children's children.

Happy Space Age day to all, and may God bless our fragile world, as well as those living upon it.

Video: Carnival Of The Space Geeks (22nd Round)

Last week's Carnival of space was hosted over at Wandering Space which included some interesting videos from Louise of A Babe In The Universe, as well as several new comers.

The first was Brian Dunford who discusses on Riding With Robots his fascination with asteroids, especially Ceres and Vesta.

The second is by Steven from the OutsideIn blog. Steven is working on a mini film to help bring space to life on the small screen (and hopefully the large screen as well).

Here is a teaser of the trailer below.

This is but a sample of the work Steven wants to bring to the world, and if you feel like supporting his efforts, you can make a tax deductible donation to the project over here.

Would You Want To Live On Saturn's Titan?

Of all the worlds that have danced around the Sol star, none of them have, or will ever rival our home world Earth. Unparalleled in beauty, the view from a thousand miles away is enough to take one's heart away.

With a world requiring little, if any technology for human habitation, why would any one consider moving towards a moon shrouded in clouds that is over a billion kilometers from the Sun?

Unlike many of the lunar and planetary spheres that float around our Sun star, Saturn's Titan is blessed with an atmosphere that allows humans to walk upon its presence without the need of a standard vacuum suit.

Although early pioneers will need to be well equipped with a "warm suit," such technology may be easier to construct than clothing oneself with material that can withstand zero atmosphere.

Titan's atmosphere is approximately 1.5 times that of Earth. Although the denser air pressure may make walking on Titan feel as if you were at the bottom of a swimming pool, the "heavy" air does have some advantages.

Residents upon this orange world would easily be able to transport themselves around the planet with a pair of "artificial wings," something that would make Leonardo De Vinci proud to hear. This could lead towards Titan being crowned as the solar capital for air sports (such as sky diving, surfing, etc.) and might even lead towards a futuristic "aerial Olympics."

Despite the fact that Titan's clouds block out most (if not all) of the sky, those gifted in the arts may also find Titan's "burnt orange" horizon a welcoming backdrop compared to the pinkish sky on Mars or the blue sky on Earth. Astronomers aside, living within the orange skyline may become a solar attraction, setting the world apart from rivals within the star system.

But if residents are not attracted by either the view of living on a foreign moon or the aerial sports, they will be inspired by the tunes created by the musicians living there. With Titan's denser atmosphere, residents will be able to enjoy a richer symphony of music that will rival--if not surpass--the sounds heard on Earth (provided they can create and play them in the frigid temperatures).

(Video: What music would sound like on Earth, Titan, and Venus. Credits: Edward Willett)

Despite the fact that it will be Titan's methane lakes and scattered ice rocks that will finance and enable future inhabitants upon Saturn's favorite moon, respectively, its artistic beauty and unique environment may keep the masses from moving off world.

Video: Mars Science Laboratory (NASA's Ultimate Rover)

Despite the fact that they already have two rovers roaming the surface of Mars, NASA is preparing to send yet another rover to scout out the red planet.

It's mission is to determine whether or not life can exist exist upon the Martian surface. Unlike its previous "brothers," this rover is equipped with a vast array of scientific tools, not to mention a very powerful laser.





(Video: An animation demonstrating how the new rover will enter, descend and land upon the Martian surface. Credit: JPL / NASA)

Video: New Way For Landing Humans On Asteroids

Although our species has barely mastered the concept of landing humans upon terrestrial worlds, we have yet to demonstrate the ability to land on rocky ones.

Despite the fact that humans could always send robots to the surface of these space rocks, our governments may be more comfortable sending humans to perform this dangerous job.

But before people can dream about mining asteroids, we are going to need to figure out how to land on them first--a problem that NASA and DigitalSpace may have already solved.

(Video: A unique approach for sending humans to safely land on asteroids. Credits: DigitalSpace)

(USA Today) For starters, gravity is almost non-existent on an asteroid, which can be as small as only a few hundred feet across or as big as tens of miles in diameter. And because asteroids have rocky, sometimes crumbly surfaces, DigitalSpace's proposed spacecraft includes a system that would anchor it like a boat in a harbor. The design includes a ring of airbags with sensors to detect the stability of the ground. Once a landing is deemed secure, barbed tethers would deploy to latch the craft onto the surface of the NEO. Like car airbags, the ship's airbags would compress against an asteroid's surface.

"On an asteroid, it's a different environment that requires a whole new way to land a spacecraft," said Bruce Damer, president and CEO of DigitalSpace. "It's like insects being blown around by the wind; they have all this technology to hold onto your arm."

If humanity can master the art of landing upon these floating space rocks, then we will be able to not only mine these asteroids for precious metals, but perhaps turn lunar asteroids into space stations.

Although space tourism, helium-3 and solar powered satellites have the potential of jump starting our efforts off world, asteroid mining could finance our species efforts towards conquering our solar system (and hopefully beyond).

Video: Can SpaceDev Teach NASA New Tricks?

(Hat Tip: A Babe In The Universe)

With NASA determined to land humans upon the Moon by 2020, our civilization once again seems to be embracing the idea of people living among the heavens.

But at a cost of $100 billion, some skeptics are wondering whether or not our species can afford to establish cities upon other worlds, let alone lunar bases.

SpaceDev however thinks that the $100 billion price tag is too high, and seems to have a plan to pull off a lunar mission at under a tenth of the cost (with some estimates around $3 billion).

(Video: SpaceDev demo of how NewSpace can reach the lunar surface through various partnerships with other space firms).

Video: Carnival Of The Space Geeks (Galactic Edition)

(Original Image from NASA)

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)

Video: Mars Is An Angry Planet (Global Dust Storms)

Despite its romantic appeal, Mars is a very hostile planet--at least "weather wise." Although known for harboring dust storms upon its surface, the red planet seems to throw up a tantrum every three Martian years by coating the entire planet with "crimson soil."

(Space.com) The surface of Mars is now obscured by a globe-engulfing veil of dust, posing a potentially longer-lasting threat to NASA's twin surface rovers.

Massive regional storms have been whipping up dust on the red planet since late June. Now, they've combined to create a "planet-encircling veil of dust," according to a statement from Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), which operates a camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA.

"The dust raised by these individual storms has obscured most of the planet over the past few weeks," the release stated.

Of all the space trials our species will face in the future, weather by far will be the most difficult. Humans (at best) can adapt to the climate of hostile regions, but have thus far been unable to manipulate it to our desires.

Just like our ancestors before us on Earth, future colonists will be at the mercy of the red planet's emotional weather patterns, and may have to settle for constructing cities below the surface, as well as above.

(Video: Dust storms from the view of the Opportunity Rover on Mars. Credit: NASA)

Video: Phoenix To See If Martian Soil Is Fertile

(Video: NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander will visit the north polar region of Mars in search of "habitable soil." Credit: NASA)

Of all the rovers that have or will grace the surface of Mars, Phoenix may prove to be the most important.

While the purpose of the other three rovers is to satisfy geologists by observing Martian rocks, the Phoenix rover's main duty is to find out whether Martian soil is fertile for life--and perhaps agriculture itself.

(NASA) "Our 'follow the water' strategy for exploring Mars has yielded a string of dramatic discoveries in recent years about the history of water on a planet where similarities with Earth were much greater in the past than they are today," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "Phoenix will complement our strategic exploration of Mars by being our first attempt to actually touch and analyze Martian water -- water in the form of buried ice." [...]

"In addition, our instruments can assess whether this polar environment is a habitable zone for primitive microbes. To complete the scientific characterization of the site, Phoenix will monitor polar weather and the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface."

While the overall purpose of Phoenix is to see if any life can survive in the barren soil, the space craft could ultimately inform us whether or not Martian soil is toxic towards life.

If proven to be safe for humans as well as plants, NASA could begin to draw out plans of harvesting crop on the red planet for future generations. Although humans may have to (create their own fertilizer (as importing it would be very expensive), growing our own food on the crimson planet could enable us to establish Mars as a second home for humanity.

Video: Bigelow Aerospace May Replace ISS

(Hat Tip: HobbySpace.com)

With the successful launch of Genesis II, Bigelow Aerospace presence in the heavens seems to be expanding (no pun intended) as they gear up to launch their next inflatable space station, Galaxy.

But while the NewSpace industry ponders the future aboard a commercial space station, NASA seems to be pondering a future without the International Space Station.

(Flight Global) NASA is discussing the commercial purchase of the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to de-orbit the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its life.

The original plan was to de-orbit the ISS into the Pacific using the Space Shuttle at the end of the station's life in 2016. But the Shuttle is to be retired in 2010 and the ATV, designed to resupply the ISS and boost its altitude, is the only vehicle known to be able to de-orbit the station.

Although their may be some public outcry at sending the International Space Station (or ISS) to meet its fiery fate below, NASA probably realizes that keeping the ISS alive is futile at best.

With Bigelow Aerospace quickly establishing themselves in the heavens, support for the ISS will probably erode in Congress as our representatives will find it easier to give tax breaks to a company impacting their region of the country than a "global project" such as the ISS.

Video: Genesis I flying over Northern Russia.