The machine hitching a ride on the Space X cargo shuttle isn’t your average, off-the-shelf MakerBot printer.
The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida last week carrying something that’s never been taken into space: A 3D printer. When it docked with the ISS, it delivered the first machine capable of making things in orbit—a huge step forward for exploration. (Video)
The Contour Crafter could 3D print housing on the surface of the Moon using concrete made from lunar rock.
Imagine it’s the year 2045, and you open the curtains in the morning and instead of grey skies and rain, you are looking out at a rust-colored rocky panorama. You have just woken up on Mars.
Continue reading… “3D printed Mars homes could be built in 24 hours”
An asteroid belt around the bright star Vega.
Should you be getting your facts about space from Hollywood? Probably not. Here are ten myths about space you should stop believing.
Continue reading… “Top 10 myths about space we need to stop believing”
Cosmonauts found traces of sea plankton and microscopic particles on outside of ISS.
ITAR-TASS, a Russian press agency, is reporting something so surprising that it’s hard to believe: Cosmonauts have found microorganisms on the exterior of the International Space Station. Russian scientists are shocked by this discovery and can’t really explain how it is possible.
Continue reading… “Cosmonauts find sea plankton on outside of International Space Station”
A self-supporting Mars colony.
The first people could be taken to Mars in 10 to 12 years, according to a hopeful Elon Musk. He thinks it is certainly possible for that to occur. Musk says the thing that matters long term is to have a self-sustaining city on Mars, to make life multiplanetary.
Continue reading… “Development of an 80,000 person Mars city possible by 2040”
The man-made leaf could help us breathe in space.
Lack of oxygen throughout the universe is one of the persistent challenges of manned space exploration. Trees and other plant life do us a real solid by taking in our bad breath and changing it back to clean, sweet O2 here on Earth. (Video)
Continue reading… “World’s first artificial leaf that converts water and light into oxygen”
Bigelow Aerospace plan to build bases on the moon.
One day, a rocket carrying more than a dozen privately built probes touches down on the moon. The robots burst from the vehicle in a race to beam back high-definition video and other data while roving the surface of Earth’s nearest natural satellite. The people of Earth watch a broadcast of the race as the rovers roam (or stall) in the lunar dust. (Videos)
Proposed launch site for SpaceX.
A “Record of Decision” giving approval for a SpaceX Texas Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas has been published by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) office of Commercial Space Transportation. (Video)
Continue reading… “FAA approves proposed SpaceX launch site in Texas”
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the wealthy and polarizing founder of PayPal, Tesla and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), is on a hot streak when it comes to spaceflight. He’s raiding revenue streams from Nasa and the US military to fund a private manned space program. His main weapon: low prices, with SpaceX offering satellite launches at about one-fifth the price of competitors at just over $60m a pop.
Continue reading… “If we fund Elon Musk instead of NASA, we can send humans back to space”
IXS Enterprise
Mark Rademaker, artist, has unveiled a set of concept images imagining what a spaceship would look like that is capable of traveling to other stars in a matter of months. His IXS Enterprise design is based on some hard science even though it may look like something from the next science fiction epic and is unlikely to lift off anytime soon. (Photos)
Continue reading… “What a warp drive spaceship should look like”
Boeing CST-100 space capsule
When private space is an established industry in the not-so-distant future, different carriers will provide distinctive customer experiences for space tourists—just as Jet Blue and Delta airlines provide different inflight amenities. At least that’s what Boeing is banking on with its recently unveiled interior designs for the CST-100 space capsule.
Continue reading… “Boeing’s futuristic CST-100 space capsule tourists won’t hate”
Futurist Thomas Frey: Earth’s appetite for power continues to grow. Since the 1960s, power consumption has quadrupled around the globe, with many countries opting to build large oil and coal plants to meet the demand.
Continue reading… “The Next Great Space Race – Space-Based Power Stations”