Lunar scientists’ plan for sustainable and affordable Moon base

paulspudispl

Settlement on the Moon

It’s been a dream for a long time to have a human settlement on the Moon, but in this age of budget cuts and indecisive plans for NASA’s future, a Moon base may seem too costly and beyond our reach.  But a noted lunar scientist, Dr. Paul Spudis from the Lunar and Planetary Institute and a colleague, Tony Lavoie from the Marshall Space Flight Center, have come up with a plan for building a lunar settlement that is not only affordable but sustainable. It creates a Moon base along with a type of ‘transcontinental railroad’ in space which opens up cislunar space – the area between Earth and the Moon – for development.

 

Continue reading… “Lunar scientists’ plan for sustainable and affordable Moon base”

‘Sticky boom’ – a sticky solution for grabbing objects in space

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ein_J_EuAb8&hd=1[/youtube]

For one spacecraft to grab onto another spacecraft in space is a very challenging task. Although the robotic arms on the space shuttles and International Space Station (ISS) have made it look easy over the years, the process requires complex manipulator arms and special fixtures on the objects the arms are grasping, limiting the technology’s use. A small startup company is testing a new approach, though, that could greatly expand the applications of robotic arm technology to include, for example, cleaning up orbital debris and servicing the ISS.

Continue reading… “‘Sticky boom’ – a sticky solution for grabbing objects in space”

Space junk at a ‘tipping point’: study

space junk

Space junk: a conceptual artwork representing defunct satellites, failed missions, and shrapnel orbiting Earth.

“A tipping point” for collisions has been reached with the amount of debris orbiting the Earth, which would in turn generate more of the debris that threatens astronauts and satellites, according to a U.S. study released on Thursday.

 

Continue reading… “Space junk at a ‘tipping point’: study”

Russians hail the end of the space shuttle era

russian spacecraft

A Russian Soyuz craft leaves the International Space Station.

Space officials in Russia are hailing the end of the space shuttle era as the beginning of the “Soyuz epoch.” Russian Soyuz craft will serve as the only way to get back and forth from the International Space Station, and NASA will be paying up to $63 million a seat for the ride for at least the next few years.

 

Continue reading… “Russians hail the end of the space shuttle era”

Father and son recreate shuttle launch photo taken 30 years earlier

bray photos

These two photos were taken thirty years apart at the first and last space shuttle launches.

The first space shuttle launched into space thirty years ago. Chris Bray and his father Kenneth were theye to watch the first launch — and took a picture. Then the shuttle Atlantis took its final trip last Friday. Again, the father and son were there. And again, the two snapped a photo to capture the moment. (Pics)

 

Continue reading… “Father and son recreate shuttle launch photo taken 30 years earlier”

Breathtaking photos of the night sky seen with the naked eye

milkyway1

Photographer Alex Cherney has dedicated his life’s work to capturing the night sky.

A star-gazer with just an ordinary digital camera has come a little bit closer to the final frontier.   – Alex Cherney spent 18 months photographing the night sky and turned thousands of snaps into incredible time-lapse video of the cosmos. (Pics)

 

Continue reading… “Breathtaking photos of the night sky seen with the naked eye”

China breaks ground on world’s largest radio telescope

FAST

3D model of FAST

Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory has the world’s largest radio telescope but not for long.  China has broken ground on the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), a massive bowl-shaped radio signal collector that will be the world’s most sensitive when it opens for business in 2016.

 

Continue reading… “China breaks ground on world’s largest radio telescope”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.