tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61112157000234274472024-03-13T14:38:33.523-04:00Potentia Tenebras RepellendiPower to Push Away the DarknessAlexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-26541095296621236092009-10-29T09:18:00.001-04:002009-10-29T09:20:12.257-04:00Lift-off!!!From this:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/397258main_image_1501_800-600.jpg"><br /><br />To:<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/397611main_image_1502_800-600.jpg"><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-16028172267994718662009-10-27T10:49:00.003-04:002009-10-27T11:21:29.453-04:00Watch the Ares 1-X Launch live<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22887506#22887506">Live Feed</a><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Currently holding at T-4 minutes. Target launch time of 11:04 EST<br />The full post goes here<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-73502422717719430202009-07-20T08:25:00.004-04:002009-07-20T11:37:24.233-04:00Only When You Can Buy a Ticket<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SOJBwZ1aOJI/AAAAAAAAAKA/zSypQEU-Fyw/Nasa%20Logo%20history.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SOJBwZ1aOJI/AAAAAAAAAKA/zSypQEU-Fyw/Nasa%20Logo%20history.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />To the Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins Museum will this issue be laid to rest.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Despite all the evidence that anyone with an inkling of technical training can review and accept, there is still a significant section of the population that believes that Mankind's greatest technical achievement was a hoax. A hoax perpetrated by NASA's Cold War political masters in the Arizona desert solely for the sake of beating the Soviets to Moon. With this belief goes the refusal to face the fact that if the Soviets had been able to expose the secret, they would have in a heartbeat. The fact that they didn't says it all.<br /><br />There are like minded groups out there - <a href="http://www.clavius.org/">Clavius.org</a> being the most comprehensive, along with the <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-moon-hoax/">Mythbusters</a>, one of the greatest programs on TV, that can and have done a much better job than I can debunking the nay-sayers conspiracy theories, but I'm still going to do my part. For a more complete list of evidence of the Apollo landings, you can see them <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_evidence_for_Apollo_Moon_landings">here</a>.<br /><br />The Japanese lunar probe Kayuga imaged the Apollo 15 landing site with its Terrain Camera, a stereographic camera. Here is the original image taken from the ground:<br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Apollo15_Moon_photo.jpg" width="596"><br /><br />And the reconstruction from Kayuga's Terrain camera. Note that the Terrain Camera has a resolution of 10 meters, so there will be some subtle differences. <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/JAXA_Moon_photo.jpg" width="800"><br /><br />These images come to us courtesy of the LRO, in orbit as we speak. To those of you with smaller monitors, I apologize for the size of the images, but it is necessary.<br /><br />For purposes of scale, this is the Eagle:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369227main_aldrinLM_full.jpg" width="600"><br /><br />Apollo 11:<br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369234main_lroc_apollo11labeled_256x256.jpg"> <img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369440main_lroc_apollo11_lrg.jpg"><br /><br />Apollo 14:<br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369228main_ap14labeled_540.jpg"> <img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369441main_lroc_apollo14_lrg.jpg"><br /><br />Apollo 15:<br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369238main_lroc_apollo15labeled_256x256.jpg"> <img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369442main_lroc_apollo15_lrg.jpg"><br /><br />Apollo 16:<br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369240main_lroc_apollo16labeled_256x256.jpg"> <img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369443main_lroc_apollo16_lrg.jpg"><br /><br />Apollo 17:<br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369242main_lroc_apollo17labeled_256x256.jpg"> <img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/369444main_lroc_apollo17_lrg.jpg"><br /><br /><br />And we thank those who gave their lives chasing a dream for all mankind - <br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/LC34plaque2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Apollo_1_patch.png"><br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Apollo1-Crew_01.jpg/750px-Apollo1-Crew_01.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/A1prayer.jpg"><br /><br />-"It isn't that we don't trust you, Joe [Shea], but this time we've decided to go over your head."<br /><br /><br />LAUNCH COMPLEX 34, Friday, 27 January 1967, 1831 Hours. Dedicated to the living memory of the crew of the Apollo 1: USAF. Lt. Colonel Virgil I. Grissom, USAF. Lt. Colonel Edward H. White, II, U.S.N. Lt. Commander Roger B. Chaffee. They gave their lives in service to their country in the ongoing exploration of humankind's final frontier. Remember them not for how they died but for those ideals for which they lived.<br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/LaunchComplex34.JPG"><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-84883180336273761082009-07-06T10:36:00.002-04:002009-07-06T10:45:03.751-04:00ISS Flyby Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://spacefellowship.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Quintus-Oostendorp2_strip.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 367px;" src="http://spacefellowship.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Quintus-Oostendorp2_strip.jpg" border="0" alt="Above: Sunlight glints from the space station's solar arrays on May 22, 2009. Photo credit: Quintus Oostendorp of Vaassen, the Netherlands." /></a><br /><br />Courtesy of the <a href="http://spacefellowship.com/2009/07/04/space-station-marathon/">Space Fellowship:</a><br /><br />The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times a day for many days in a row. No matter where you live, you should have at least a few opportunities to see the biggest spaceship ever built.<br /><br /><a href="http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/">NASA's ISS Tracker</a><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-49114934135632106682009-06-30T09:52:00.003-04:002009-06-30T10:02:58.388-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s1600-h/carnival1bs3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s320/carnival1bs3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269645648932525666" border="0" /></a><br />Carnival of Space #109 is <a href="http://blogs.discovery.com/twisted_physics/2009/06/carnival-of-space-109.html">live</a>.<br /><br />Besides my own post, I found <a href="http://www.opennasa.com/2009/06/21/wiki-design-from-toasters-to-spaceships/">this one</a> to be particularly interesting.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-10750388839885662352009-06-26T14:51:00.004-04:002009-06-26T15:12:39.842-04:00Google Lunar X PRIZE Fan Map<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SkUZyXEUoeI/AAAAAAAAAU4/RsUKbz4sEMc/s1600-h/luna-x-prize-google-moon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SkUZyXEUoeI/AAAAAAAAAU4/RsUKbz4sEMc/s320/luna-x-prize-google-moon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351712085176000994" /></a><br /><br />Courtesy of Mike Fabio of the <a href="http://www.xprize.org/">X Prize Foundation</a>, we have yet another map for space geeks like us.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=113259592953854381771.000461293d27bcd7129fe&ll=22.973671,152.921438&spn=90,-51.368959&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=113259592953854381771.000461293d27bcd7129fe&ll=22.973671,152.921438&spn=90,-51.368959&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">#FFD Google Lunar X PRIZE Fan Map</a> in a larger map</small><br /><br />You have to be logged into your google account to edit pins on the map. Have Fun!<br /><br />And while I have you here, check out the Moon Society's map, also a google map.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108208995063815796179.000459bb3b04acd74a45c&ll=20.465038,25.83047&spn=90,-62.382039&t=h&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108208995063815796179.000459bb3b04acd74a45c&ll=20.465038,25.83047&spn=90,-62.382039&t=h&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Lunar Development World Map: Brought to you by the Moon Society</a> in a larger map</small><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-30026477238412759912009-06-13T08:21:00.001-04:002009-06-13T12:45:49.171-04:00The End of Kayuga (Part 2)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SQDt5p4h9PI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/OTo7ov2wnxI/medium_2410063051_a044f36668_o.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 424px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SQDt5p4h9PI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/OTo7ov2wnxI/medium_2410063051_a044f36668_o.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Japan's Lunar Probe Kayuga officially ended its mission to our Moon at 1825 GMT.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Launched 14 Sept 2007, Kayuga was a 17 month long exploration of the Moon's surface. Officially named SELENE (<span style="font-weight:bold;">SEL</span>enological and <span style="font-weight:bold;">EN</span>gineering <span style="font-weight:bold;">E</span>xplorer), Kayuga is the name it was given by the Japanese public. It consisted of a main orbiter flying at 100 km altitude and two small polar satellites - Rstar and Vstar.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.kaguya.jaxa.jp/en/profile/image/img_profile_001.jpg"><br /><br />Rstar was a small two way relay satellite used to facilitate communications between Kayuga and controllers back at <a href="http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html">JAXA</a><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SjJQ5iCSbuI/AAAAAAAAAUw/tPQBN1t_DHM/dn17271-3_900.jpg" />. Rstar was also used to measure Doppler shift in the expected orbits of Vstar and the main orbiter. Rstar crashed into the farside on 12 Feb 2009.<br /><br />Vstar was the other mini satellite used to measure the lunar gravity field. Also known as the VRAD and VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry).<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.kaguya.jaxa.jp/en/about/image/img_about_002_e.jpg"><img src="http://www.kaguya.jaxa.jp/en/about/image/img_equipment_001_e.jpg"></center><br /><br />Kayuga has a plethora of instrumentation:<br />- X-Ray & Gamma Ray Spectrometer for determining the composition of the surface and abundance of certain elements.<br />- Multi band Imager & Spectral Profiler for the for determining the mineral composition and distribution of the surface.<br />- Terrain Camera, Lunar Radar Sounder and Laser Altimeter for surface and sub-surface imaging. The Terrain Camera was used to show that there is <a href="http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/2008/10/selene-holds-onto-her-secrets.html">no surface ice</a> in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar south pole.<br />- Several instruments for measuring the Moon's magnetic field and tenuous atmosphere<br />- The Rstar and Vstar were used to measure the gravitational field of the Moon by measuring the Doppler shift of the Main Orbiter and comparing it to its expected orbit. Vstar was used on the far side where the Doppler shift method did not work.<br />- The High Definition TV camera was used to take the first HD images of the surface and pretty famous HD video of the Earth rising over the limb of the Moon.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EkHuRRDshhg&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EkHuRRDshhg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />With demise of Kayuga, lunar scientists and enthusiasts turn their focus to NASA's <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter</a> (LRO) and the <a href="http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/">Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite</a> (LCROSS)<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-33515177060122035212009-06-10T09:12:00.003-04:002009-06-10T13:48:49.281-04:00The End of Kayuga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SQDt5p4h9PI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/OTo7ov2wnxI/medium_2410063051_a044f36668_o.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 424px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SQDt5p4h9PI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/OTo7ov2wnxI/medium_2410063051_a044f36668_o.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Japan's Lunar Probe Kayuga (Selene) is set to execute the final part of it's mission:<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Crashing into the surface of the Moon. Kayuga's orbit is decaying and set to intersect the lunar surface. The crash should take place at a speed of about 6000 km/hr on today 10 June around 1830 UMT (2:30 PM EST). If the Moon is visible at that time (East Asia & Australia), keep your eyes pointed towards the southeastern limb of the Moon. If the 2600 kg probe's crash and resultant explosion are going to be visible, that's where it will be.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-74042528459807435312009-06-09T09:00:00.004-04:002009-06-09T09:27:29.310-04:00Lawmakers Slash NASA Budget Request<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SOJBwZ1aOJI/AAAAAAAAAKA/zSypQEU-Fyw/Nasa%20Logo%20history.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SOJBwZ1aOJI/AAAAAAAAAKA/zSypQEU-Fyw/Nasa%20Logo%20history.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Especially worrying since everyone else is stepping up in the manned spaceflight department - China even has a <a href="http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_To_Launch_First_Mars_Probe_In_Second_Half_Of_2009_999.html">Mars probe</a> in the pipeline for later this year.<br /><br />From <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31171173/">Space.com</a>:<br /><br />Move called a ‘time-out’ as White House awaits review of post-shuttle plans.<br /><br />WASHINGTON - In a move that reflects the uncertainty surrounding NASA's current strategy for replacing the space shuttle and returning astronauts to the moon by 2020, House appropriators slashed by 16 percent the space agency's $4 billion request for manned space exploration in 2010.<br /><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The proposed legislation, marked up June 4 by the House Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee, trims $483 million overall from U.S. President Barack Obama's $18.7 billion budget request for NASA next year. The $670 million cut to the 2010 manned exploration request would leave $3.21 billion, which is less than is available for the effort this year.<br /><br />Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), the subcommittee's chairman, described the move as a "time-out" in the budget process as the White House awaits the findings of a 10-member panel tasked by the White House to reassess NASA's post-shuttle exploration plans. That panel, led by former Lockheed Martin chief Norm Augustine, is expected to report back with its findings in August. <br /><br /><br /><br />In his opening statement at the markup hearing, Mollohan said the cut should not be viewed as a diminution of the subcommittee's support for NASA's human spaceflight activities. "Rather, it's a deferral taken without prejudice; it is a pause, a time-out, to allow the president to establish his vision for human space exploration and to commit to realistic future funding levels to realize this vision." <br /><br />Mollohan told Space News June 4 he is "open to responding to an amended budget request" based on Augustine's review. Mollohan also said he expects the Obama administration to deliver to Congress a "realistic and sustainable" cost assessment of NASA's human spaceflight program in time to amend the 2010 request. <br /><br />"We invite this report and the administration's response to it, whatever it is," Mollohan said. "We want very much for the funding to be an honest and realistic cost assessment." <br /><br />Concerns raised<br />NASA's current human spaceflight plan calls for retiring the space shuttle in 2010 and replacing it with a crew capsule dubbed Orion that would be launched atop a shuttle-derived rocket, the Ares-1, starting in 2015. At the president's request, Augustine's panel is taking a second look at this plan, along with NASA's strategy for returning astronauts to the Moon by 2020, given the likely available budgets over the next several years. <br /><br />During the hearing, key Republicans expressed concern that the bill would hold NASA's funding next year to 2009 levels. In a June 4 statement Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), said he was joining colleagues "in expressing my strong support for increasing this funding as we continue the Fiscal Year 2010 bill process." <br /><br />Aderholt specifically named fellow Republican Reps. Jerry Lewis of California, the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee; Frank Wolf of Virginia, the ranking member of the commerce, justice, science subcommittee; and John Culberson of Texas. <br /><br />Other recommendations contained in the bill include a $77million reduction in NASA's proposed space operations budget, which includes the space shuttle and international space station; a $6 million reduction in science; and a $332 million shift in funds from the Cross Agency Support account to a new budget line-item included in the subcommittee's mark. Dubbed Construction and Environmental Compliance, the new account would be funded at $441 million. Congressional aides said the new line item and accompanying funds are aimed at consolidating NASA's various construction efforts into a single pot of money.<br /><br />Following the markup, the subcommittee posted on its Web site an exhaustive list of earmarks sought by its members. According to the document, money tapped for NASA earmarks totaled close to $15 million.<br /><br />While increasing NASA's topline funding figure over 2009, Obama's 2010 funding request included an out-year budget profile for the space agency that is some $3 billion lower than was anticipated at this time last year.<br /><br />Paul Shawcross, chief of the science and space branch in the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the administration's commitment to NASA was evident in the 2009 stimulus package — which included $1 billion for NASA programs — as well as in its 2010 budget request. <br /><br />"But after 2010, it's flat to 2013," Shawcross said June 2 during a symposium hosted by the George Washington University here. He attributed the flat funding profile to the recession and anticipated recovery measures. He said the Obama administration is facing a $1.26 trillion deficit in 2010, a figure the president hopes to reduce to about $500 billion by 2014. Consequently, funding for NASA and other discretionary spending will be squeezed in the out-years. <br /><br />"That fiscal environment is reflected in NASA's topline request," Shawcross said.<br /><br />Meanwhile, W. Michael Hawes, associate NASA administrator for program analysis and evaluation — who is charged with leading the agency team that will provide technical and analytic support to the Augustine panel — said the blue-ribbon commission's work is under way. <br /><br />"We're starting to get questions from the panel, and we'll be doing a series of fact-finding telecons, site visits, public meetings," he told the symposium audience. Hawes said one area on which the panel will focus is the role international cooperation plays in U.S. manned spaceflight. He said the panel would hear from four international space station partners as part of the review process. <br /><br />Damon Wells, senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said pursuing international relationships is a key aspect of space policy. "The panel has been explicitly asked to look at international cooperation," Wells told the audience. "It is part of the dialogue."<br /><br /><br /><br />Hawes told Space News June 2 that the panel would not have time to produce an interim report, though the committee expects to brief the White House on its findings mid-August. The committee's final report is expected at the end of that month. The Augustine panel's first public meeting is slated for June 17. <br /><br />Other speakers at the symposium questioned whether the Augustine panel has been granted sufficient time to do its work. <br /><br />Marcia Smith, president of the Space and Technology Policy Group, a consultancy here, said the Augustine panel would provide little more than a snapshot in time given its deadline. <br /><br />"Not everyone agrees on the mandated timing," she said. "Congress, in particular, wants it not to be constrained." <br /><br />Jeffery Bingham, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's Republican staff and senior adviser on space and aeronautics, agreed. <br /><br />"I am worried about the time they have, and the resources they have," he told the audience. "It's going to be dicey." <br /><br />Bingham expressed concern that Augustine was told to limit the options his panel is to present to the administration. <br /><br />"We think it prejudges the outcome," he said. "We want to see that it is wide open and that all options are on the table." <br /><br />Richard Obermann, staff director for the House Science and Technology space and aeronautics subcommittee, said lawmakers are encouraged by the additional funds for NASA programs in the 2009 stimulus package and the 2010 budget request. But Obermann expressed "uncertainty with the new administration's intentions," particularly in the out-years, where NASA's topline funding is flat.<br /><br />Oberman said increases in other parts of NASA's budget, including aeronautics and Earth science, came at the expense of out-year funding for space exploration. Obermann said he sees NASA's current funding projections for 2010-2014 as a placeholder, and that he expects the Augustine panel's review to influence funding for the space agency's exploration programs in the out-year timeframe. Obermann said he was encouraged by the choice of Augustine to lead the human spaceflight review, noting testimony Augustine gave before the House Science and Technology Committee in 2004, shortly after former President George W. Bush announced plans to replace the space shuttle and return astronauts to the Moon. <br /><br />At that time Augustine said manned space exploration offered many benefits, but that "it would be a grave mistake to try to pursue a space program on the cheap. To do so is in my opinion an invitation to disaster. There is a tendency in any can-do organization to believe that it can operate with almost any budget that is made available. The fact is that trying to do so is a mistake — particularly when safety is a major consideration."<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-79093430357696025122009-04-10T22:42:00.007-04:002009-04-17T09:47:34.534-04:00The Search for the Moon's Mother<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SOJK1gfb-LI/AAAAAAAAAKo/dErLCAeEBew/s576/wormmoon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SOJK1gfb-LI/AAAAAAAAAKo/dErLCAeEBew/s576/wormmoon.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />NASA launches the twin STEREO probes in search of remnants of the collision that produced the Moon.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Some scientists believe that the Moon was created when the Earth was hit by a Mars sized object. Theia was conceieved by Edward Belbruno and Richard Gott if Princeton. The Theia Hypothesis is a subset of the Great Impact Theory of lunar formation. Belbruno and Gott believe that the impactor that hit the Earth 4.5 billion years ago came from one the Earth-Sun Langrangian points. Langrangian points are the five places where the gravitational pull of two bodies cancels each other out.<br /><br /><img src="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/images/theia/lagrangepoints_strip.jpg" /><br /><br />Most people are familiar with Jupiter's Trojan points and the asteroids that reside there. Earth and the Moon also share Lagrangian points. NASA's <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/09apr_theia.htm?list56702">STEREO probes</a> are going to the two most stable Lagrangian points belonging the Earth-Sun system, L4 and L5. Part of STEREO's mission is to look for planetoids leftover form the formation of Theia. STEREO is primarily a solar observatory mission, similar to the NASA/ESA stalwart <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsohowww.nascom.nasa.gov%2F&ei=QxrhSZO_As3cmQeju9ipDA&usg=AFQjCNGVfk7OEwk_L5lSQUiAkJlfbJQp9g">SOHO</a>. SOHO has been in orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 Langrangian point since 1996. The STEREO will be passing through the Sun-Earth L4 and L5 points, which are 60 degrees ahead and behind of Earth in its orbit, and they will continue on their paths past both sides of the Sun.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-28128286366231203582009-02-25T09:30:00.007-05:002009-03-17T16:02:22.719-04:00Skylon contact on DRADIS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SaVZuVUzovI/AAAAAAAAATc/WlJLcIGdYd8/s1600-h/sabre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SaVZuVUzovI/AAAAAAAAATc/WlJLcIGdYd8/s320/sabre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306746388459266802" border="0" /></a><br /><br />On the single stage to orbit (SSTO) development front, British scientist Alan Bond, formerly of the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/photos/missilespacesystemscutaways/bae-hotol-cutaway-10296.aspx">HOTOL</a> concept and now classified RB545 air-breathing rocket engine that was to be mated to the HOTOL, has gotten go-ahead funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the government of the United Kingdom to the tune of a million euros.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Bond's company - <a href="http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/index.html">Reaction Engines LTD</a> - designed the Skylon SSTO as the spiritual successor to the British HOTOL, which was to be Great Britain's answer to the Space Shuttle. The cancellation of HOTOL was due to design issues stemming from the placement of the the RB545 engines.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/photos/missilespacesystemscutaways/images/10296/640x480/bae-hotol-cutaway.jpg" 640x480=""><br /><br />With its massive engines placed at the rear of the craft, HOTOL's center of gravity was further back than normal airplane designs and it introduced some stability issues. A redesign of the spacecraft reduced the cargo capability of the HOTOL and affected the economics of the launch system. Skylon is the answer to the design issues of the HOTOL.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/spacecraft/hotol/skylon.jpg"><br /><br />Placing the new SABRE engines outboard on wings moves the the center of gravity back to the middle of the spacecraft, giving ideal stability and cargo room, as the engines are no longer taking up space in the the main body of the spacecraft. Skylon is big - 82 m long, 6.3 m in diameter and a 25 m wingspan. Its dry weight is estimated at 41,000 kg and can carry 12,000 kg of payload. The heart of the system are the <a href="http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/sabre.html">SABRE</a> engines.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/images/sabre-section-horizontal.jpg"><br /><br />On Skylon, the oxidizer used is liquid oxygen (LOX). LOX is very heavy and for a standard hydrogen oxygen reaction, you need two oxygen atoms at 8 times the weight each of hydrogen for every hydrogen atom burned. For comparison, the Space Shuttle carries 106,000 kg of hydrogen at liftoff and 630,000 kg of LOX. 85% percent of the Space Shuttle's fuel weight is oxidizer. The good people at Reaction Engines LTD decided that carrying their own LOX was crazy when Skylon would be flying through it on its way up. The SABRE engine harvests oxidizer from the atmosphere during flight.<br /><br />The SABRE engine is essentially a closed cycle rocket engine with an additional precooled turbo-compressor to provide a high pressure air supply to the combustion chamber. This allows operation from zero forward speed on the runway and up to Mach 5.5 in air breathing mode during ascent. As the air density falls with altitude the engine eventually switches to a pure rocket propelling Skylon to orbital velocity (around Mach 25).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/images/sabre/sabre_cycle.jpg"><br /><br />From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_Engines_SABRE">Wikipedia:</a><br /><br /><span> style="font-weight: bold;">The Precooleran></span><br /><br />As the air enters the engine at supersonic/hypersonic speeds, it becomes very hot due to compression effects. The high temperatures are traditionally dealt with in jet engines by using heavy copper or nickel based materials, and by throttling back the engine at the higher airspeeds to avoid melting. However, for an <span c="">lass="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">SSTO</span> craft, such heavy materials are unusable, and maximum thrust is necessary for orbital insertion at the earliest time to minimise gravity losses. Instead, using a gaseous helium coolant loop, SABRE dramatically cools the air from 1000 °C down to -140 °C in a heat exchanger while avoiding liquefaction of the air or blockage from freezing water vapour.<br /><br />Previous versions of precoolers such as HOTOL put the hydrogen fuel directly through the precooler, but inserting a helium cooling loop between the air and the cold fuel avoids problems with hydrogen embrittlement in the air precooler.<br /><br />Avoiding liquification improves the efficiency of the engine since less liquid hydrogen is boiled off; even simply cooling the air needs more liquid hydrogen than can be burnt in the engine core, the excess is dumped overboard (through a ramjet.)<br /><br />However, the dramatic cooling of the air raised a potential problem: it is necessary to prevent blocking the precooler from frozen water vapour and other fractions. A suitable precooler, which rejects condensed water before it freezes has now been experimentally demonstrated.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Compressor</span><br /><br />The cooled air is then passed into a reasonably conventional turbo-compressor, similar in design to those used on a jet engine, but in this case powered by a gas turbine running on the helium loop, rather than off combustion gases as in a conventional jet engine. Thus, the turbo-compressor is powered by waste heat collected by the helium loop.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Engines</span><br /><br />After being launched and brought to speed by a short burst of the rockets, the jets are started, fed by air bled from the shock cone. At this point the precooler/turbo-compressor is not being used. As the craft ascends and the outside air pressure drops, more and more air is passed into the compressor as the effectiveness of the ram compression alone drops. In this fashion the jets are able to operate to a much higher altitude than would normally be possible.<br /><br />At Mach 5.5 the jets become inefficient and are powered down, and stored liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen is used for the rest of the ascent in the separate rocket engines; the turbopumps are powered by the helium loop from the heat produced by cooling the engine.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Helium Loop</span><br /><br />The 'hot' helium from the air precooler, and cooling the combustion chambers is recycled by cooling it in a heat exchanger with the liquid hydrogen fuel.<br /><br />The loop forms a self starting Brayton cycle engine, and is used to both cool critical parts of the engine, but also to power turbines and numerous miscellaneous parts of the engine.<br /><br />The heat passes from the air into the helium. This heat energy is not entirely wasted, it is in fact used to power the various parts of the engine, and the remainder is used to vaporise hydrogen, which is burnt in ramjets.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance</span><br /><br />The designed thrust/weight ratio of SABRE ends up several times higher—up to 14, compared to about 5 for conventional jet engines, and just 2 for scramjets. This high performance is a combination of the cooled air being denser and hence requiring less compression, but more importantly, of the low air temperatures permitting lighter alloy to be used in much of the engine. Overall performance is much better than the RB545 engine or scramjets.<br /><br />The engine gives good fuel efficiency peaking at about 2800 seconds within the atmosphere. Typical all-rocket systems are around 450 at best, and even "typical" nuclear thermal rockets only about 900 seconds.<br /><br />The combination of high fuel efficiency and low mass engines means that a single stage to orbit approach for Skylon can be employed, with air breathing to mach 5.5+ at 26 km altitude, and with the vehicle reaching orbit with more payload mass per take-off mass than just about any non-nuclear launch vehicle ever proposed.<br /><br />Like the RB545, the precooler idea adds mass and complexity to the system, normally the antithesis of rocket design. The precooler is also the most aggressive and difficult part of the whole SABRE design. The mass of this heat exchanger is an order of magnitude better than has been achieved previously; however, experimental work has proved that this can be achieved. The experimental heat exchanger has achieved heat exchange of almost 1 GW/m³, believed to be a world record. Small sections of a real precooler now exist.<br /><br />The losses from carrying around a number of engines that will be turned off for some portion of the flight would appear to be heavy, yet the gains in overall efficiency more than make up for this. These losses are greatly offset by the different flight plan. Conventional launch vehicles such as the Space Shuttle usually start a launch by spending around a minute climbing almost vertically at relatively low speeds; this is inefficient, but optimal for pure-rocket vehicles. In contrast, the SABRE engine permits a much slower, shallower climb, air breathing and using wings to support the vehicle, giving far lower fuel usage before lighting the rockets to do the orbital insertion.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-55973819134157308752009-02-18T10:09:00.001-05:002009-02-18T10:11:11.969-05:00Home on Lagrange--Home on Lagrange (The L5 Song) <br /> © 1978 by William S. Higgins and Barry D. Gehm<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />CHORUS: Home, home on LaGrange,<br /> Where the space debris always collects,<br /> We possess, so it seems, two of Man's greatest dreams:<br /> Solar power and zero-gee sex.<br /><br />Oh, give me a locus where the gravitons focus<br /> Where the three-body problem is solved,<br /> Where the microwaves play down at three degrees K,<br /> And the cold virus never evolved. (chorus)<br />We eat algea pie, our vacuum is high,<br /> Our ball bearings are perfectly round.<br /> Our horizon is curved, our warheads are MIRVed,<br /> And a kilogram weighs half a pound. (chorus)<br />If we run out of space for our burgeoning race<br /> No more Lebensraum left for the Mensch<br /> When we're ready to start, we can take Mars apart,<br /> If we just find a big enough wrench. (chorus)<br />I'm sick of this place, it's just McDonald's in space,<br /> And living up here is a bore.<br /> Tell the shiggies, "Don't cry," they can kiss me goodbye<br /> 'Cause I'm moving next week to L4! (chorus)<br /><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-67460615105886052022009-02-03T11:14:00.002-05:002009-02-03T11:34:15.158-05:00Carnival of Space #88 is live<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s1600-h/carnival1bs3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s320/carnival1bs3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269645648932525666" border="0" /></a><br />Carnival of Space #88 is <a href="http://thespacewriter.com/wp/2009/01/30/welcome-to-the-big-top/">live</a>.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Of interest is this <a href="http://flyingsinger.blogspot.com/2009/01/electric-rockets-101.html">link</a> to a electric space drive simulator.<br /><br />A little history for you <a href="http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2009/01/mission-to-mare-ridge-1968.html">here</a> outlining a lunar lander mission proposed right after the 1st anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-68106748677531924422009-01-26T11:49:00.003-05:002009-01-26T12:14:33.765-05:00Chandrayaan-1 Takes First X-Rays of the Moon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SX3rkhHxvBI/AAAAAAAAASk/lx5VgdU4VAc/s1600-h/C1XS_logo_v1+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 292px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SX3rkhHxvBI/AAAAAAAAASk/lx5VgdU4VAc/s320/C1XS_logo_v1+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295647749456378898" /></a><br />The C1XS X-ray camera, jointly developed by the UK's STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has successfully detected its first X-ray signature from the Moon.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/c1xs/Images/CAD_C1XS_v2.jpg"><br />Credit: RAL/Brunel<br /><br /><br />The C1XS camera is a Compact Imaging X-ray Spectrometer that uses x-rays to map the composition of the lunar surface and in doing so, will offer up clues as to the origin of the Moon. The C1XS X-ray spectrometer was constructed at the <a href="http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/c1xs/">Rutherford Appleton Laboratory</a>, UK, in collaboration with colleagues at <a href="www.isro.org">ISRO</a>, who designed and constructed the main Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe. The instrument is a technology development of the D-C1XS instrument which successfully conducted science operations at the Moon aboard ESA's SMART-1 mission between 2003 to 2006. <br /><br />C1XS will provide high resolution coverage of the lunar surface in X-rays, and will provide an absolute measurement of the elemental abundances of the rock forming elements Mg, Al and Si under normal solar conditions and several other elements during solar flare events. This first measurement was three minutes of observation taken in the vicinity of the Apollo landing sites during a solar flare. The is measurement is also noteworthy because C1XS collected data from a source that was reportedly 20 times below its minimum effective detection threshold.<br /><br />Geochemical data will allow for advances in several areas of lunar science, including a detailed study of the nature of the crust. In combination with information to be obtained by the other instruments on Chandrayaan-1 and the data already provided by the Smart-1, Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions, this information will provide a more detailed look at some of the fundamental questions that remain regarding the origin and evolution of the Moon.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/c1xs/Images/Chandrayaan-1_spacecraft.jpg" width="400"><br />Credit: ISRO<br /><br />From: <a href="http://www.moondaily.com/reports/C1XS_Catches_First_Glimpse_Of_X_ray_From_The_Moon_999.html">Space Daily</a><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-33316166099853669862009-01-23T20:28:00.004-05:002009-01-23T23:51:45.654-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s1600-h/carnival1bs3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s320/carnival1bs3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269645648932525666" border="0" /></a><br />Carnival of Space #87 is <a href="http://martianchronicles.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/carnival-of-space-87/">live</a>.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Of interest is this <a href="http://www.tomorrow-is-here.org/content/view/125/85/">summary</a> of the recent confirmation of the existence of methane on Mars and what it means to the search for extraterrestrial life.<br /><br />Even more intriguing is the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/catdynamics/2009/01/white_noise.php">theory</a> being put forward about the holographic properties of the universe. I don't completely understand it, but it reminds me of something I've seen in sci-fi: One spot in normal space corresponds to another spot in hyperspace, except the distances are shorter in hyperspace. It'll be interesting if this pans out.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-14607332297535630672009-01-21T12:05:00.010-05:002009-01-22T12:12:02.525-05:00Lunar rover<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/305798main_image_1266_800-600.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/305798main_image_1266_800-600.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Though I missed it live on TV, I understand NASA's new lunar rover made an appearance during the parade. Take a look at those <a href="http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/2008/11/tirewheel-analogue-developed-for-lunar.html">tweels</a>. They were tested <a href="http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/2008/11/nasa-tests-lunar-rovers-and-oxygen.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />NASA's <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/lunar_truck.html">Chariot rover</a> was showing off its 360 degree steering ability for the President and VP. As seen here, the Chariot is in its <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/284898main_IMG_4149.JPG">Small Pressurized Rover</a> configuration. The SPR allows the astronauts to explore the lunar surface without having to wear a full spacesuit.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/on_demand_video.html?param=http://anon.nasa-global.edgesuite.net/anon.nasa-global/ccvideos/MobilityFieldTest_Phase2_Web320x180.asx&_id=undefined&_title=undefined&_tnimage=test.gif">Here is a link to a video of the Chariot in action.</a><br /><br />The Chariot consists of the Mobility chassis and the removable SPR cabin unit. Chariot gives astronauts three options for riding. Without the SPR in suits in rotating turrets is probably the option the system got its name from - Chariot. The next option is to ride without suits inside the SPR - car mode. The final option is a combination of both - the SPR is mounted to the chassis, and astronauts ride in a turret - ideal for transporting large, unstable loads.<br /><br />The suits are intergated into airlocks called suitports the allow quick ingress/egress with a minimum of air waste.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/284898main_IMG_4149.JPG" width="1100"><br /><br />Chariot masses 1000 kg and has a top speed of 10 kph. It can carry a payload of 3000 kg, which matches the weight of the SPR. It's 4.5 m long, 1.3 m high and has a 4 m wheelbase. The SPR gives Chariot a potential range of 240 km, compared to 10 km for Apollo's rover. In addition, the suitport airlock is rated for 72 hours storm shelter protection from a solar particle event, or solar flare. The lock is lined with 2.5 cm of water ice, one of the best natural radiation shields known.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/284669main_spr_factsheet_web.pdf">Download Small Pressurized Rover Fact Sheet (3.7 MB PDF)</a><br /><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esmd/home/black_point.html">http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esmd/home/black_point.html</a><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-5542223657579837502009-01-13T09:16:00.003-05:002009-01-13T09:34:07.329-05:00SpaceX's Falcon 9 on the Pad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWyjphZ9-mI/AAAAAAAAARM/7uevX73QAcc/s1600-h/spacex_logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 30px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWyjphZ9-mI/AAAAAAAAARM/7uevX73QAcc/s320/spacex_logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290783595990743650" border="0" /></a><br />SpaceX has completed integration of their <a href="http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php">Falcon 9</a> vehicle at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral and have raised it to a vertical position in preparation for a demonstration flight. See pictures below.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWykD_uj1iI/AAAAAAAAARs/AEtja7U_0_0/falcon9-01.jpg%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cscript%20src=" org="" js="" type="text/javascript" /><br /><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWykEDLyAbI/AAAAAAAAAR0/DsGD2sF8PrA/falcon9-02.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWykEAqOEfI/AAAAAAAAAR8/Ce9xxZbMse0/s576/falcon9-03.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWykEEj4sII/AAAAAAAAASE/TrsivWTSbKE/falcon9-04.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWykEZ99eaI/AAAAAAAAASM/6egwYwSIHEo/falcon9-05.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SWykeI2ptpI/AAAAAAAAASU/MJKszYC4Co8/s576/falcon9-06.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align="" /></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-61826635052855394102008-12-05T11:57:00.001-05:002008-12-05T11:59:27.194-05:00ISS Contruction VideoCourtesy of the AP<br /><br /><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_science/space_station/index.html?SITE=WIRE">Just a quick link.</a><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img style="padding: 0; border: none;" src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/32x32_su_3d.gif" alt="Stumble Upon Toolbar" align=""/></a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-39627805617525892062008-12-03T09:07:00.003-05:002008-12-03T09:22:13.535-05:00NotesJust so that all interested parties know, I have not let the blog die. I took thanksgiving week off and I have finals this week and the next. I will try to post small updates here and there, so try to stop by every now and then.<br /><br />Thank you for reading, and Potentia will be back to normal very soon.<br /><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img border=0 src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/160x30_su_gray.gif" alt=""> Stumble It!</a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-67604954094439710372008-11-25T10:09:00.001-05:002008-12-03T09:23:18.159-05:00On Orbit XIVIn this episode of On Orbit we have Space Based Solar Power (SPSP), Great Britain's lunar probe, a status update on the Dawn probe, SpaceX at it again,<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />In the <a href="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1255/1">Space Review</a>, we have the 1st argument for SBSP that I have seen coming from the military side of things. Pakistan can and has closed access to the nearest port, Karachi, to American forces and can do so at any time. Coalition troops fighting in Afghanistan are dependent on over-land convoys from Karachi for supplies. With SBSP, isolated areas like Afghanistan, Diego Garcia and innumerable land locked countries can have independent access to electrical power. There are some <a href="http://thatnextbigthing.blogspot.com/2008/11/beef-with-space-solar.html">detractors</a> though and they bring up good points.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.moondaily.com/reports/After_India_Chandrayaan_1_Its_Britain_MoonLITE_999.html">MoonLITE</a>, is the next lunar probe in the the pipeline. The 100 million pound (pound sterling, not pound weight) probe is set to investigate the cause of the mysterious moonquakes.<br /><br />JPL's <a href="http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Dawn_Glides_Into_New_Year_999.html">Dawn spacecraft</a> shut down its ion propulsion system as scheduled. The spacecraft is now gliding toward a Mars flyby in February of next year. "Dawn has completed the thrusting it needs to use Mars for a gravity assist to help get us to Vesta," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Dawn will now coast in its orbit around the sun for the next half a year before we again fire up the ion propulsion system to continue our journey to the asteroid belt."<br /><br />SpaceX is showing off yet again, by completing a full mission-length firing of the <a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=27007">Falcon 9's 1st stage</a>. It was a static test and it lasted 178 seconds.<br /><br />As an added bonus, we have a couple NASA related articles by Alan Stern - <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/opinion/24stern.html?_r=1&ref=opinion">NASA's Black Hole Budgets</a> and <a href="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1258/1">Imagine Reconnecting NASA</a>.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://potentiatenebrasrepellendi.blogspot.com/%26title%3DThe%2BArticle%2BTitle"> <img src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/160x30_su_gray.gif" alt="" border="0" /> Stumble It!</a><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-2856200143009046962008-11-24T15:19:00.001-05:002008-11-24T15:22:12.357-05:00The Space Show<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SQXYqU-6DaI/AAAAAAAAAMY/vqSuiAziOtA/s1600-h/space+show.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 48px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SQXYqU-6DaI/AAAAAAAAAMY/vqSuiAziOtA/s320/space+show.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261849961350958498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Bulletin: Please visit www.thespaceshow.com/newsletterfinal.htm for complete information for this week's Space Show programs, contact information, listener participation instructions, future Space Show programs, special events, announcements, and more. The e- mail version of the newsletter has been abbreviated to save subscribers time and avoid some spam filter problems. <br /><br />The Monday Space Show is live 2-3:30:30 PM Pacific. The Tuesday program is 7-8:30 PM Pacific, the Friday program is always 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time and the Sunday Space Show is live 12-1:30 PM Pacific Time. If you believe you are getting this newsletter in error, send a note to drspace@thespaceshow.com to be immediately removed from the mailing list. The Space Show does not support spam mailings of any type and will quickly address your complaint. <br /> <br /><br /><br />Programming For The Week Of November 24, 2008:<br />~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />1. Monday, Nov. 24, 2008, 2-3:30 PM PT: We welcome back Dr. Barrett Caldwell, Director of Space Grant Indiana. <br /><br />2. Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008, 7-8:30 PM PT: We welcome Jerry Carr, Skylab astronaut, to the show. <br /><br />3. Wednesday, November 26, 2008: This show plays as an archived program. The first segment features Jim Lewis of Communication Concepts in Florida talking about his new documentary now being shown on the documentary channel, "One Giant Leap - 50 Years of the American Space Program." The second segment is a waling tour of the Falcon 9 pad under construction at the Cape, hosted by Brian Mosdell, Director of Florida Launch Operations for Space X. . <br /><br />4. Friday, Nov. 28 2008; 9:30-11:30 AM PT: We welcome back Jane Reifert, President of Incredible Adventures. <br /><br />5 . Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008, 12-1:30 PM PT: We welcome back Dr. Robert Richards of the Odyssey Moon team. This team is one of the contestants in the Google Lunar X-Prize. <br /> <br /><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><!-- Begin BlogToplist voting code --><br /><a href="http://www.blogtoplist.com/vote.php?u=65211" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.blogtoplist.com/images/votebutton.gif" alt="Top Blogs" border="0" /></a><br /><!-- End BlogToplist voting code -->Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-68415993792941637532008-11-24T13:43:00.003-05:002008-11-24T16:36:37.268-05:00Carnival of Space #80<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s1600-h/carnival1bs3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGKzETOVmI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Ku2ISBr1PxA/s320/carnival1bs3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269645648932525666" border="0" /></a><br />The newest carnival is <a href="http://startswithabang.com/?p=1153">live</a>.<br /><br />Of interest:<br /><ul><li>Another article about the <a href="http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/11/large-scale-nuclear-fission-power-for.html">Hyperion mini-Nuclear Reactor</a></li></ul><br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><!-- Begin BlogToplist voting code --><br /><a href="http://www.blogtoplist.com/vote.php?u=65211" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.blogtoplist.com/images/votebutton.gif" alt="Top Blogs" border="0" /></a><br /><!-- End BlogToplist voting code -->Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-46649225998291034842008-11-20T08:23:00.001-05:002008-11-20T09:15:27.756-05:00Kayuga (Selene)<a href="http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001744/">From the Planetary Society Blog</a><br /><br />JAXA (Japanese Space Agency) has completed the primary mission of the lunar probe Kayuga. Since the craft is still operational, JAXA plans to continue operating it, much like with any other probe.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />For its primary mission, Kaguya circled the Moon in a polar orbit at 100 km above the lunar surface, the same as Chandrayaan-1. The extended mission entails reducing the altitude by half to 50 km. Then in May of next year, it will shift into an highly elliptical orbit. Apogee, or apolune when talking about the Moon will be back at 100 km. Perilune, the closest point of approach, will be an eye-popping 20 km. This will take place over the south polar feature Aitken Basin, a target for outpost locations. Normally, an orbital height of 20 km wouldn't matter for an airless body like the Moon, but because the Moon has an irregular gravity field, due mostly to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascon">Mascons</a>, a 20 km orbit is unstable and Kayuga is expected to crash into the Moon.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-77135104796142289662008-11-19T08:00:00.008-05:002008-11-20T09:16:33.242-05:00NASA Tests Lunar Rovers And Oxygen Production Technology<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSMv_6_o1pI/AAAAAAAAAQs/Nvtc05C1pjE/s1600-h/moon_rover_2+-+CRATOS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSMv_6_o1pI/AAAAAAAAAQs/Nvtc05C1pjE/s320/moon_rover_2+-+CRATOS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270108764168050322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSMv_usaGmI/AAAAAAAAAQk/wSZoAZbJpnQ/s1600-h/moon_rover+-+SCARAB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSMv_usaGmI/AAAAAAAAAQk/wSZoAZbJpnQ/s320/moon_rover+-+SCARAB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270108760866167394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-288_Rover_Hawaii_Tests.html">Lunar Analog Field Demonstrations of In-Situ Resource Utilization & Human Robotic Systems</a> hosted by PISCES, the <a href="http://pisces.uhh.hawaii.edu/">Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems</a><span class="fullpost">, a joint U.S. - Japan venture based in Hilo, Hawai'i, concluded this week</span>. The tests focused on lunar production of oxygen for life support.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Life support for a four (4) to six (6) person outpost would require about two (2) metric tons of oxygen per year according to <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/nov/HQ_08-288_Rover_Hawaii_Tests.html">NASA</a>. The tests featured several experiments:<br /><br />There were three (3) rovers:<br /><ul><li>Cratos</li><li>Bucketdrum</li><li>CMU's <a href="http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/projects/lri/scarab/index.html">SCARAB (Selectively Compliant Articulated Robot Arm Rover)</a></li></ul>And four (4) independent experiments<br /><ul><li>Lockheed's PILOT (<a href="http://sci2.esa.int/Conferences/ILC2005/Presentations/ClarkL-01-PPT.pdf">Precursor ISRU Lunar Oxygen Testbed</a>)<br /></li><li>Lockheed's ROxygen</li><li>RESOLVE (<a href="http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/projects/lri/scarab/components/scienceInstruments/scienceInstruments.html">Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction</a>)</li><li><a href="http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/top-stories/lunarwheel.php5">Michelin Lunar Wheel</a></li></ul>Scarab was the testbed for both the RESOLVE drilling science package and the <a href="http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/top-stories/lunarwheel.php5">Michelin Lunar Wheel</a>, developed by Clemson University for Michelin. RESOLVE featured a core sample drill developed by NORCAT (Northern Centre for Advanced Technology), a Canadian Space Agency contractor. The Bucketdrum rover was used to feed simulated regolith into the PILOT plant and Cratos delivered material into the ROxygen plant.<br /><br />However, these were just the big name projects at the test. The were numerous smaller projects going on - testing of other gear from Canada and Germany took place during the near two-week project.<br /><br />The main objective for the two week program was to get the experiements working in the field. This allows operation in non-ideal conditions similar to those that we would face on the Moon and allows us to account for them before we land. Hilo was chosen because volcanic soil closely mimics the regolith found on the lunar surface.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.astroday.net/Images/MKrovers/PISCES022.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.astroday.net/MKrovers.html">ASTRODAY.NET</a> has the largest collection of pictures from the event and even a movie. Make sure you check them out.<br /><br /><script src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /></span></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com81tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111215700023427447.post-70262415907659352342008-11-18T12:16:00.004-05:002008-11-19T00:41:01.374-05:00Responses to Schmitt's Email to The Planetary Society<a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGhwM3YTpI/AAAAAAAAAQc/d7ZTsjbDKwM/s1600-h/logo_01.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 107px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zRiK-WzJR14/SSGhwM3YTpI/AAAAAAAAAQc/d7ZTsjbDKwM/s320/logo_01.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269670888459488914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Schmitt's comments have sparked dialogue and he's not the only one that feels the way he does about the Planetary Society's position. This will be updated as I see more responses.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><ul><li>I wrote a reply on this <a href="http://onorbit.com/mercury/story.php?title=former_nasa_advisory_council_chair_jack_schmitt_quits_planetary_society_over_new_roadmap%20">page</a><br /><br />Here is the text below:<br /><br />I wholeheartedly agree with Harrison's views in this matter. Attempting<br />to bypass Luna on the way to Mars is a mistake. There are several<br />reasons why:<br /><br />1. Luna is interesting and valuable by itself. No matter how much more<br />interesting and valuable Mars maybe, the fact remains that Luna is the<br />best place in the Solar System to study the System's formation; it's an<br />abundant source of high-value metals such as titanium and aluminium; is<br />also an abundant source of helium-3, the best known fuel for nuclear<br />fusion; will be a preferable tourist destination for most Earthlings,<br />tourism already having been identified as the industry most likely to<br />initiate and drive a space colonisation effort; and will be the perfect<br />place to set up large deep space telescope arrays.<br /><br />2. Practice for Mars. You don't sail to the Americas using brand-new<br />untested technology when you haven't even been to Ireland. Luna is the<br />perfect place to test a wide range of colonisation technologies before<br />taking them to Mars, with the distinctly significant advantage that if<br />anything goes wrong, the astronauts will be only a couple of days from<br />Earth and not 6-9 months. On Luna we will need technology for<br />non-fossil-fuel energy production; water mining, recycling and<br />purificiation; air production and recycling; production of steel, glass,<br />cement and other materials; dust mitigation; environment control; food<br />production; transportation; communications; etc., etc. While there will<br />be variations between the equipment developed for the two worlds, many<br />of the same problems exist, and developing the tools for Luna first will<br />be a much safer approach and will save time and decrease risk when we do<br />go to Mars. Apollo is the most successful space mission ever, yet the<br />first 10 missions did not descend to the lunar surface; their function<br />was to test every aspect of the technology and the mission before<br />putting it all together. We need to take the same safe, step-by-step<br />approach when colonising Mars.<br /><br />To bypass Luna is short-sighted, impatient and dangerous.</li><br /><br /><br /><li>I too will no longer support the Planetary Society. Like Schmitt, I am also Geologist who<br />shares many of the same views and vision for future space exploration. It is unfortunate<br />the society has lost focus, but I am glad Dr. Schmitt brought these issues to light.<br /><br />Xxx X. Xxxx<br />UHH Geology graduate</li><br /><br /></ul><br /><br /><br /><!-- Begin BlogToplist voting code --><br /><a href="http://www.blogtoplist.com/vote.php?u=65211" target="_blank"><br /><img src="http://www.blogtoplist.com/images/votebutton.gif" alt="Top Blogs" border="0" /></a><br /><!-- End BlogToplist voting code --><br /></span>Alexander Declamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00949066823005908635noreply@blogger.com0