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  • Timely Defenders: Keeping Patriots in Shape

    DID: Department of Defense News, Procurement, Acquisition & Contracting, National Security Policy
    Joe Katzman
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:38 am
    Patriot system (click for explanation) Contract & error. (Jan 17/12) The USA’s MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept On Target (PATRIOT) anti-air missile system offers an advanced backbone for medium-range air defense, and short-range ballistic missile defense, to America and its allies. This article covers domestic and foreign purchase requests and contracts for Patriot systems. It also compiles information about the engineering service contracts that upgrade these systems, ensure that they continue to work, and integrate them with wider command and defense systems. The…

  • Rapid Fire 2012-01-27: FY13 DoD Budget Guidance

    DID: Department of Defense News, Procurement, Acquisition & Contracting, National Security Policy
    Joe Katzman
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:15 am
    Top Pentagon officials gave a briefing yesterday on major budget decisions ahead of the FY13 President Budget request coming on Feb. 13. Highlights among the outlined priorities [PDF]: A relatively stable topline at $613.4B, made of a $525B baseline plus $88.4B overseas contingency operations (OCO). The former is a couple billion dollars below the FY10 actual budget and reflects a 5% decrease from the FY12 request, but in reality is just $6B below what DoD ended up getting last year. The OCO funds are 25% lower than last year’s $117.8B request but they remain at a pretty sizable level…

  • Death-defying time crystal could outlast the universe

    New Scientist - Space
    18 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm
    We don't have to take the heat death of the universe lying down – a time crystal, symmetrical in time rather than space, would have the power to survive

  • First subliming planet foreshadows Mercury's fate

    New Scientist - Space
    20 Jan 2012 | 9:23 am
    A rocky planet the size of Mercury seems to be turning to gas, demonstrating just how wacky alien planets can be

  • Hyperactive sun clears space junk – for now

    New Scientist - Space
    25 Jan 2012 | 5:15 am
    Increased solar activity as the sun nears its maximum has removed satellite debris from low Earth orbit, making it temporarily safer
 
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    Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense

  • US military reaches further into Asia

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Washington (AFP) Jan 27, 2012 The United States is forging ahead with plans to expand its military power in Asia, with the Philippines and other allies welcoming troops and the Pentagon devoting funds to design cutting-edge weapons. Despite pressure to curb spending, President Barack Obama has made clear that he will put a top priority on maintaining the US military's dominant role in East Asia at a time when China is ra

  • Emirates 'has security links with Israel'

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UPI) Jan 27, 2012 The United Arab Emirates, an economic giant and rising military power in the Persian Gulf, is reported to have discreet ties with private security companies in Israel to protect its oil fields and borders. The Intelligence Online Web site reports that the country's Critical National Infrastructure Authority has had business dealings with several Israeli firms since it was established in

  • Expectations low for IAEA visit to Iran

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Vienna (AFP) Jan 27, 2012 A UN atomic agency team visiting Iran from Sunday is highly unlikely to return with anything substantial enough to ease current tensions, experts including the IAEA's former chief inspector told AFP. Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said on Tuesday that Tehran hoped the three-day trip would "resolve any ambiguity and show (our) transparency and co

  • Iran: New negotiations on way?

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Washington (UPI) Jan 27, 2012 The stream of anti-Western vitriol and saber rattling from Iran's leaders has lessened, replaced by an offer to meet at the negotiating table. The suggestion that Iran was willing to return to talks with representatives of U.N. Security Council members was made earlier this week by various government officials and reiterated by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but not without attitude and

  • Suicide car bomb outside Baghdad hospital kills 31

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Baghdad (AFP) Jan 27, 2012 A suicide bomber set off an explosives-packed car outside a Baghdad hospital on Friday, killing 31 people in the capital's deadliest day in a month, amid a political crisis that has stoked tensions. The attack in a predominantly Shiite neighbourhood, which also left 60 people wounded, came days after Al-Qaeda warned it would continue targeting Shiite Muslims and barely a month after US troop
 
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    DID: Department of Defense News, Procurement, Acquisition & Contracting, National Security Policy

  • Rapid Fire 2012-01-27: FY13 DoD Budget Guidance

    Joe Katzman
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:15 am
    Top Pentagon officials gave a briefing yesterday on major budget decisions ahead of the FY13 President Budget request coming on Feb. 13. Highlights among the outlined priorities [PDF]: A relatively stable topline at $613.4B, made of a $525B baseline plus $88.4B overseas contingency operations (OCO). The former is a couple billion dollars below the FY10 actual budget and reflects a 5% decrease from the FY12 request, but in reality is just $6B below what DoD ended up getting last year. The OCO funds are 25% lower than last year’s $117.8B request but they remain at a pretty sizable level…

  • The US Navy’s Mobile Landing Platform Ships (MLP)

    Joe Katzman
    26 Jan 2012 | 9:27 am
    MLP concept (click to view full) Converteam picked for propulsion & power system; Ships named; Keel laid; Article updated. (Jan 19/12) The Montford Point Class Mobile Landing Platform is intended to be a new class and type of auxiliary support ship, as part of the US Navy’s Maritime Prepositioning Force of the Future (MPF-F) program. They’re intended to serve as a transfer station or floating pier at sea, improving the U.S. military’s ability to deliver equipment and cargo from ship to shore when friendly bases are denied, or simply don’t exist. That’s very…

  • AMRAAM: Deploying & Developing America’s Medium-Range Air-Air Missile

    Joe Katzman
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:33 am
    AIM-120C from F-22A (click for test missile zoom) SLAMRAAM updates; AIM-120D contract; AIM-120D testing & status; 2013 budget may be good news for AIM-120D. (Jan 26/12) Raytheon’s AIM-120 Advanced, Medium-Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) has become the world market leader for medium range air-to-air missiles, and is also beginning to make inroads within land-based defense systems. It was designed with the lessons of Vietnam in mind, and of local air combat exercises like ACEVAL and Red Flag. This DID FOCUS article covers successive generations of AMRAAM missiles, international…

  • From Dolphins to Destroyers: The ScanEagle UAV

    Joe Katzman
    26 Jan 2012 | 7:13 am
    ScanEagle launch (click to view full) USMC contract; RQ-21 replacement draws closer. (Jan 25/12) ScanEagle’s base Insight UAV platform was originally developed by Washington state’s Insitu, Inc. to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats, in order to ensure that the fish you buy in supermarkets is “dolphin-safe”. It turns out that the same characteristics needed by fishing boats (able to handle the-water environment, low infrastructure launch and recovery, small size, 20-hour long endurance, automated flight patterns) are equally important for naval operations from…

  • Timely Defenders: Keeping Patriots in Shape

    Joe Katzman
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:38 am
    Patriot system (click for explanation) Contract & error. (Jan 17/12) The USA’s MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept On Target (PATRIOT) anti-air missile system offers an advanced backbone for medium-range air defense, and short-range ballistic missile defense, to America and its allies. This article covers domestic and foreign purchase requests and contracts for Patriot systems. It also compiles information about the engineering service contracts that upgrade these systems, ensure that they continue to work, and integrate them with wider command and defense systems. The…
 
 
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    About.com Space / Astronomy

  • Strong Solar Storm Reaches Earth

    25 Jan 2012 | 5:34 am
    A strong solar storm (rated an S3, with S5 being the strongest) erupted on Sunday evening, launching intense radiation and charged particles toward Earth. Late last night, the coronal mass ejecta interacted with Earth's magnetic field, creating brilliant auroras across northern Europe, and even parts of northern Michigan and Maine and on into Canada....Read Full Post

  • A Day on Mercury

    15 Jan 2012 | 8:40 am
    NASA's MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) Probe has settled into orbit around Mercury. Some of the measurements that have been taken are already generating debate among planetary scientists (more on this later in the week). But the MESSENGER team has also been at work creating very cool animations about what it is like on the surface of the closest planet to the Sun....Read Full Post

  • Stephen Hawking Reveals Greatest Mystery in the Universe... Women.

    5 Jan 2012 | 8:59 am
    I have to admit, I didn't see this one coming. When New Scientist Magazine asked the famed physicist what he thinks about most his response was simple. "Women. They are a complete mystery."...Read Full Post

  • We're As Close to the Sun as We're Going to Get

    4 Jan 2012 | 3:33 pm
    Literally as I write this the Earth is leaving the point in its orbit known as Perihelion. Simply, this is the point where Earth is closest to the Sun. Now, many of you in the northern hemisphere may be looking outside at the wintery weather and wondering how that can be....Read Full Post

  • 2011 Space Image of the Year

    23 Dec 2011 | 2:51 pm
    I find it amusing that so many of the "Top [insert generic topic of interest here] of 2011" lists come out in October or November, more than a month before the actual end of the year. In fact, the 2012 (yes 2012!) North American Car of the Year has already been determined by Motor Trend, several weeks before the end of 2011! (Though they sort of get a pass since Car manufacturers seems to designate the model years of their cars about 6 months ahead of the actual calendar year.)...Read Full Post
 
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    Space News - OrlandoSentinel.com

  • Is Gingrich's 'grandiose' space vision realistic?

    26 Jan 2012 | 5:27 pm
    Twice now Newt Gingrich has come to Central Florida promising to renew John F. Kennedy's vision for America's unchallenged leadership in space, fueled by commercial innovation, bold plans, and a "just do it" mentality.

  • Sun hurls strong geomagnetic storm toward Earth

    23 Jan 2012 | 3:04 pm
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The strongest geomagnetic storm in more than six years was forecast to hit Earth's magnetic field on Tuesday, and it could affect airline routes, power grids and satellites, the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center said.

  • Lisa Nowak: Records sealed in NASA astronaut's love-triangle arrest

    18 Jan 2012 | 6:40 pm
    Judge Marc Lubet closed the case to public view in DecemberRecords of former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak's arrest in Orlando live in cyberspace but an Orange County judge has sealed her criminal case forever.

  • NASA chief meets with astronauts about artifact sales

    9 Jan 2012 | 4:50 pm
    WASHINGTON -- Hoping to settle a feud inside the NASA family, NASA Chief Charlie Bolden met Monday with several Apollo astronauts upset with how the agency recently has blocked them from selling space artifacts from their personal collections.

  • NASA questions sale of Apollo 13 checklist

    5 Jan 2012 | 7:19 pm
    WASHINGTON — A famous NASA artifact is again at the center of a national drama, although this time the stakes aren't life-or-death.
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    Space News From SpaceDaily.Com

  • Russian launch of Dutch satellite delayed

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Moscow (UPI) Jan 27, 2012 The launch of a Russian rocket meant to put a Dutch communications satellite into orbit has been postponed indefinitely for technical reasons, officials said. It was the second delay for the Proton-M launch, first scheduled for Dec. 26 but postponed for technical issues, RIA Novosti reported Friday. "Today we are planning to carry out operations to dismount the Proton-M rocket fr

  • Romney sees launchers fueled by private enterprise

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Jan 27, 2012 Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney tried to boost support on Florida's "Space Coast" Friday ahead of next week's key primary, promising business would play a bigger role in future missions. Romney criticized US President Barack Obama, who during his first term in office ended the space shuttle program, for lacking a clear vision for the future of space exploration - a failing which

  • NASA's NuSTAR Ships to Vandenberg for March 14 Launch

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 27, 2012 NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Tuesday, to be mated to its Pegasus launch vehicle. The observatory will detect X-rays from objects ranging from our sun to giant black holes billions of light-years away. It is scheduled to launch March 14 from an aircraft operating out of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. "The

  • Bus-sized asteroid shaves by Earth

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Washington (AFP) Jan 27, 2012 An asteroid about the size of a bus shaved by Earth on Friday in what spacewatchers described as a "near-miss," though experts were not concerned about the possibility of an impact. The asteroid, named 2012 BX34, measured between six and 19 meters in diameter (20 to 62 feet), said Gareth Williams, associate director of the US-based Minor Planet Center which tracks space objects. The aste

  • ESA Director General praises UK space innovation

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Guildford, UK (SPX) Jan 27, 2012 ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and Rt. Hon. David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, has unveiled a commemorative plaque marking the inauguration of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd's (SSTL) new state-of-the-art Kepler technical facility at an event attended by guests from the UK and European space sectors. The European Space Agency (ESA) Director General and the Mi
 
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    Science@NASA Headline News

  • Comet Corpses in the Solar Wind

    20 Jan 2012 | 11:12 am
    A paper published in today's issue of Science raises an intriguing new possibility--the presence of abundant comet corpses in the solar wind. The new research is based on dramatic images of a comet disintegrating in the sun's atmosphere last July.

  • What Happened to all the Snow?

    19 Jan 2012 | 11:18 am
    Winter seems to be on hold this year in some parts of the United States. Snowfall has been scarce in places that were overwhelmed with the white stuff at the same time last year. In this story from Science@NASA, JPL climatologist Bill Patzert explains what's going on.

  • Re-thinking an Alien World

    13 Jan 2012 | 8:24 pm
    A distant super-Earth named "55 Cancri e" is wetter and weirder than astronomers thought possible. The discovery has researchers re-thinking the nature of alien worlds.

  • Some Comets like it Hot

    12 Jan 2012 | 3:24 pm
    Astronomers are still scratching their heads over Comet Lovejoy, which plunged through the atmosphere of the sun in December and, against all odds, survived. The comet is now receding into the outer solar system leaving many mysteries behind.

  • Kepler Discovers a Tiny Solar System

    11 Jan 2012 | 4:07 pm
    NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered the tiniest solar system so far, composed of a red dwarf star with three rocky planets smaller than Earth.
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    Universe Today

  • “Bad Boy” Sunspot Unleashes Powerful X-Class Flare

    Nancy Atkinson
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:12 pm
    The active region on the Sun that created all the hubbub and aurorae earlier this week put out one last shot before that area of the Sun turns away from Earth’s view, and that shot was a biggie. At 18:37 UT (1:37 pm EST) today (January 27, 2012) sunspot 1402 unleashed an X-class flare, the largest and most powerful category of flares. This flare was measured as an X2, which is at the low end of the highest powered flares, but still, this is the most powerful flare so far this year. It was not directed at Earth, but scientists from the Solar Dynamics Observatory say the energetic protons…

  • Emerging Supermassive Black Holes Choke Star Formation

    Tammy Plotner
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:31 pm
    The LABOCA camera on the ESO-operated 12-metre Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope reveals distant galaxies undergoing the most intense type of star formation activity known, called a starburst. This image shows these distant galaxies, found in a region of sky known as the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, in the constellation of Fornax (The Furnace). The galaxies seen by LABOCA are shown in red, overlaid on an infrared view of the region as seen by the IRAC camera on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Credit: ESO, APEX (MPIfR/ESO/OSO), A. Weiss et al., NASA Spitzer Science…

  • Large Amounts of Water Ice Found Underground on Mars

    Irene Antonenko
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:01 pm
    Near-surface ice in polar regions. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M UniversityMany models predict that water ice shouldn’t be stable on Mars today, anywhere beyond the poles, no matter how deep you bury it. And yet, a recently published study shows that large regions outside the polar areas may, in fact, contain a relative abundance of water. This is exciting, not only because water has implications for the possibility of life on Mars, but also because it can provide a valuable resource to future explorers, both as a fuel and for life support. And if…

  • Test Failure Points to Potential Delay for Next Soyuz Launch

    Nancy Atkinson
    27 Jan 2012 | 3:09 pm
    A charred Soyuz descent module after landing 400 km off-course on April 19th 2008. Credit: NASARussia may have to delay the launch of the next crew to the International Space Station, as the descent module of the Soyuz spacecraft experienced an air leak during testing. The next crew of three for the space station had been scheduled to launch on March 30, 2012. Russia’s news agency Itar-Tass quoted Russian space agency (Roscosmos) official Alexei Krasnov, saying the Soyuz TMA–04M experienced problems during a test in an altitude test chamber at the Energia Space Rocket Corporation.

  • Orion Capsule Embarks on Cross Country Public Tour

    Ken Kremer
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:22 pm
    Orion Test Capsule at Practice for Pad Abort 1 Test The Orion test capsule is now on a cross country tour starting from New Mexico to Florida with stops in Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama. Ground teams in White Sands, New Mexico, practice stacking test versions of Orion and its launch abort system. This work was being done in advance of Orion’s launch abort system test. Credit: NASA Orion was designed to return US astronauts to the Moon - suddenly a hot topic in GOP Presidential debates Update: Orion cross country tour photos added belowHere’s your chance for a birds-eye view of an Orion…
 
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    Space

  • How 'Space Weather' Affects Planes And Power Grids

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm
    This week solar flares sent a huge blast of X-rays and charged particles screaming towards the Earth. Solar astronomer David Hathaway and physicist Doug Biesecker discuss the sun's explosive behavior, and how that 'space weather' affects satellites, airplanes and the electric grid.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Ancient Skull Holds Clues to Dog Domestication

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm
    A 33,000-year-old skull of a "wolf on the way to becoming a dog" was found in a Siberian cave. Evolutionary Biologist Susan Crockford, co-author of a study about the skull in PLoS ONE, discusses why the discovery challenges common beliefs about dog domestication.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • On Florida's Space Coast, Gingrich Aims For The Moon

    25 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pm
    During a campaign stop on Florida's Space Coast, Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich promised a permanent moon base within eight years if he's elected. The self-described space nut says his plans would provide a boost to the region that's been hit hard by the recession and the U.S. space program's uncertain future.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Want To Make A Giant Telescope Mirror? Here's How

    25 Jan 2012 | 11:01 pm
    Astronomers want increasingly large telescopes to peer into the depths of space. To build a solid telescope mirror nearly 30 feet across, you need an oven that heats to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit and spins around like a top.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • 'Blue Marble 2012': NASA's 'Most Amazing' High Def Image Of Earth So Far

    25 Jan 2012 | 12:20 pm
    The space agency's latest composite image of Earth offers a detailed view of North and Central America. It's one in a long line of "Blue Marble" shots since the original was taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us
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    The Space Review

  • Caution and optimism about the future of human spaceflight

    23 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am
    Six months after the Space Shuttle completed its final mission, many are still uneasy about the future of America's human spaceflight efforts. Jeff Foust reports that many in the field see cause for optimism for the future, mixed with a dose of caution about the obstacles in the path ahead.

  • A vision for a new frontier purpose for American spaceflight

    23 Jan 2012 | 10:59 am
    Supporters of spaceflight have struggled to find rationales to back continued expenditures on relevant projects. Robert D. Lancaster argues that future spaceflight efforts should be based on planetary defense, access to resources, and settlement.

  • The difficult road to the Moon

    23 Jan 2012 | 10:58 am
    Fifty years ago this week NASA launched the first in a series of Ranger spacecraft to the Moon, with poor results. Drew LePage examines the development of those spacecraft and the unfortunate outcomes of those early missions.

  • Review: Saving Hubble

    23 Jan 2012 | 10:57 am
    One of the biggest space advocacy victories of the last decade was the grassroots push to restore a shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Jeff Foust reviews a documentary that recalls those efforts that attracted support from a broad swath of the general public.

  • Big science in an era of tight budgets

    16 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am
    Advances in astronomy are dependent in part on the development of new large -- and expensive -- observatories on the ground and in space. Jeff Foust reports on the concerns raised by astronomers and other scientists that constrained budgets could threaten to put advances in astronomy on hold.
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    Space Politics

  • Former astronauts and administrator endorse Romney

    Jeff Foust
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:07 pm
    In advance of his appearance Friday afternoon in Cape Canaveral, the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released a letter from several key figures in the American space community endorsing him, calling him someone who “will restore America’s space program”. “We have watched with dismay as President Obama dismantled the structure that was guiding both the government and commercial space sectors, while providing no purpose or vision or mission,” they write. “This failure of leadership has thrust the space program into disarray and…

  • Florida space campaign odds and ends

    Jeff Foust
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:14 am
    While a lot has been written about Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s proposal for a lunar base by 2020 and related initiatives, Space News has some insights from the candidate on some more near-term space issues. Regarding the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), he said he’d want to examine them in “the context of how rapidly alternatives could be developed and whether or not there was a way to actually have lots of competition to actually fly something.” Gingrich added that the James Webb Space…

  • The great Florida space debate, part two

    Jeff Foust
    26 Jan 2012 | 9:04 pm
    For the second time in less than a week, space became a topic of discussion at a presidential debate Thursday night. At the Republican presidential debate in Jacksonville, Florida, held by CNN, the candidates were given an opportunity to describe their policies regarding human spaceflight in particular, three days after the same topic came up at a debate in Tampa and a day after Newt Gingrich’s space policy speech on the Space Coast. Mitt Romney was first, asked specifically to respond to Gingrich’s speech. “That’s an enormous expense,” he said of…

  • Gingrich offers new goals but same philosophy in space speech

    Jeff Foust
    26 Jan 2012 | 6:15 am
    Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich offered some new—and attention-grabbing—goals for American space efforts in a speech Wednesday afternoon in Cocoa, Florida. However, while he offered some bold new goals for spaceflight, he didn’t go into much detail about how the US would achieve them, and his underlying political beliefs about space, including support for prizes and a disdain for NASA bureaucracy, remained the same as his previous comments during the presidential campaign. The pronouncement he made before a reported audience of about 700 people involved the…

  • Webcasts of Gingrich’s Space Coast events

    Jeff Foust
    25 Jan 2012 | 11:50 am
    GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is making two appearances on Florida’s Space Coast this afternoon, where he is expected to talk about his space policy ideas in greater detail. Both of those events will be broadcast/webcast. At 3:30 pm EST Gingrich will participate in an invitation-only event by the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast; that event will be webcast on Florida Today’s web site. (The announcement of the event appears to have a long agenda, but according to the campaign web site it will be wrapped up by 4:15 pm.) At 4:30 pm he is…
 
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    NASA Watch

  • Mike Griffin, Romney Space Advisor

    Keith Cowing
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:44 pm
    Mitt Romney would have fired Mike Griffin: Is Romney Already Being Trapped By Unsustainable Space Interests?, Space Frontier Foundation "During last night's Republican presidential debate, Governor Mitt Romney stated that "a moonbase would be an enormous expense," and later stated that if someone had come to him saying they had wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, he would've said "You're fired." Today, it was revealed that former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin is member of the Romney Space Policy Advisory Group. This is the same NASA Administrator who…

  • Romney Dumps on Gingrich Space Vision

    Keith Cowing
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:11 am
    Romney Mocks Gingrich's Plans For Moon Base, CBS "Gingrich promised that "By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American." Gingrich, the former House speaker, told an overflowing crowd gathered on Florida's space coast Wednesday that he wants to develop a robust commercial space industry in line with the airline boom of the 1930s. He also wants to expand exploration of Mars." Gingrich jab at debate moderator deflected, Reuters "One of Romney's biggest applause lines was saying that Gingrich has a pattern of pandering to local audiences…

  • Looking Back While Looking Forward

    Keith Cowing
    26 Jan 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Devon Island Journal 20 July 2003: Arctic Memorials and Starship Yearnings "Given the sheer mass of the structure, and the slow manner with which things change here, this inukshuk may well be standing 500 years from now. That should be long enough. Maybe someone serving on a starship will think to visit it." Devon Island Journal - 18 July 2007: Ancient Memorials for Modern Space Explorers "To the friends and families of these lost space travelers, these inukshuks offer a silent thank you - one amplified by the austere remoteness of this place - a remoteness you have to spend a lot of effort…

  • Suomi's Stunning View From Space

    Keith Cowing
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:19 am
    Image: Suomi NPP's View of North America "Suomi NPP's VIIRS instrument returned this hi-resolution full-disc image of the Earth from several passes made Jan. 4, 2012. The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) mission represents a critical first step in building the next-generation Earth-observing satellite system that will collect data on both long-term climate change and short-term weather conditions."

  • NASA's Day of Remembrance

    Keith Cowing
    26 Jan 2012 | 9:59 am
    Photo: NASA Day of Remembrance Wreath Laying Ceremony "NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, NASA personnel, and others, participate in a wreath laying ceremony as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at Arlington National Cemetery. Wreathes were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration." Statement by the President on NASA Day of Remembrance "Today, our Nation is pursuing an ambitious path that honors these heroes, builds on their sacrifices, and promises to expand the limits of innovation as we venture farther into…
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    White Label Space

  • Preparations on Leg Assembly and Panel Joints

    23 Jan 2012 | 3:28 am
    This video shows some work on the carbon fibre leg assembly in preparation for Drop Test #2 and an experiment on a novel type of insert for joining together the carbon fibre honeycomb panels of the lander structural model. Looking for cheap, quick solutions that give almost similar performance to traditional methods, White Label Space GLXP team is continuing to seek low-cost techniques for the lander design.

  • White Label Space Teams up with EarthSpace!

    15 Jan 2012 | 3:13 pm
    White Label Space has finalised a new partnership with EarthSpace, a research and implementation organisation with interests in space exploration, satellite applications, climate change and sustainable energy. EarthSpace and White Label Space will coordinate efforts to promote the EarthSpace mission to inspire students to pursue scientific careers and to help them and the general public to recognize the relationship between scientific and non-scientific fields through an Earth and Space Exploration paradigm. White Label Space will cooperate with EarthSpace to facilitate participatory space…

  • Free TV Udine Interviews Andrea Gini

    14 Jan 2012 | 5:09 am
    This video (in Italian) is an interview of Andrea Gini by Free TV Udine. The interview covers Andrea's work on the touchscreen rover navigation software called Kaizen, which he developed with the Tohoku University's Space Robotics Lab. Andrea Gini is White Label Space's manager for the interface between the rover and lander.

  • The Lunar Lander

    12 Jan 2012 | 5:38 am
    The Lander vehicle has been designed entirely by the White Label Space team. The main body of the Lander is shaped like a hexagon. On three of its six sides the landing legs will be attached and the remaining three sides will be unobstructed to permit accommodation of equipment and payload units that require external view factors. The landing legs provide excellent support points for on-board equipment which would otherwise apply high cantilever loads to the Lander’s sides during various mission stages.It’s impossible to predict the exact landing site of the WLS spacecraft on the moon and…

  • Lander Propulsion System

    3 Jan 2012 | 7:15 am
    Unlike the other rocket engines used during the GLXP mission, the propulsion subsystem used to control the descent of the Lander is being developed by the White Label Space team. The engine will use hydrogen peroxide and kerosene as propellants. A key benefit to using these chemicals is that they are non-toxic thus making them much safer to handle. This permits low cost testing, at least an order of magnitude cheaper than what is possible with toxic propellants such as the hydrazine types. The engine can be operated in monopropellant mode by allowing the hydrogen peroxide to decompose into…
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    EurekAlert! - Space and Planetary Science

  • Space Weather Center to add world's first 'ensemble forecasting' capability

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Goddard's Space Weather Laboratory recently received support under NASA's Space Technology Program Game Changing Program to implement "ensemble forecasting," a computer technique already used by meteorologists to track potential paths and impacts of hurricanes and other severe weather events.

  • AGU announces 2012 Fellows

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (American Geophysical Union) The American Geophysical Union recently announced its 2012 class of Fellows. This honor is given to individual AGU members who have made exceptional scientific contributions and attained acknowledged eminence in the fields of Earth and space sciences.

  • NASA sees a weakening Cyclone Funso's 'closed eye'

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Powerful Cyclone Funso's eye has been clear in NASA satellite imagery over the last several days until NASA's Aqua satellite noticed it had "closed" and become filled with high clouds on Jan. 27.

  • SwRI-led RAD measures radiation from solar storm

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (Southwest Research Institute) The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit the Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft traveling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet.

  • What really happened prior to 'Snowball Earth'?

    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science) In a study published in the journal Geology, Dr. Peter Swart if the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science suggests that the large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events.
 
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    collectSPACE Today In Space History

  • Departure: Astronaut Jerry Ross

    27 Jan 2012 | 9:48 am
    Jerry L. Ross, the first person to fly seven times to space, retired from NASA last Friday (Jan. 20). Ross spent more than 58 days in orbit and made nine spacewalks ranking him third among all space explorers for extravehicular activity time. Chosen to be an astronaut with NASA's 1980 class, Ross's first flight, STS-61B, was five years later. His seventh and final launch was on the STS-110 mission in 2002. Ross was a mission specialist on space shuttles Endeavour and Columbia once each and a record-setting five times on board shuttle Atlantis.

  • Freedom 7 on the move

    26 Jan 2012 | 9:41 am
    After 13 years on display at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 Mercury capsule will be moving soon to Boston. Pending final arrangements with the Smithsonian, the first U.S. manned spacecraft will next be exhibited by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. But the craft's journey won't end there; the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington plans to display Freedom 7 beginning in 2016 as part of a new Apollo-themed gallery.

  • Astronaut Hall of Fame to add 3

    24 Jan 2012 | 5:18 pm
    The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in Florida will induct space shuttle veterans Franklin Chang-Diaz, Kevin Chilton and Charles Precourt this May as its 11th class of shuttle astronauts to be honored since 2001. Chang-Diaz, who tied the record for the most missions; Chilton, the military's highest ranking astronaut; and Precourt, a former chief astronaut, will bring the Hall of Fame's total inductees to 82. A public induction ceremony is set for May 5 at the Kennedy Space Center.

  • Seattle's shuttle trainer

    22 Jan 2012 | 1:59 pm
    NASA turned over the "keys" -- a "Remove Before Flight" pin -- for its only full-length space shuttle trainer to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, where this summer the 120-foot-long mockup will go on display. Used by all 355 astronauts who flew on board the shuttle, the wingless Full Fuselage Trainer will be flown to Seattle in sections using NASA's Super Guppy aircraft.

  • Departure: Astronaut Ellen Baker

    20 Jan 2012 | 5:04 pm
    NASA announced on Friday that astronaut Ellen Baker has left the agency. A veteran of three space shuttle flights, Baker logged more than 28 days in orbit serving as a mission specialist on Atlantis' STS-34 and STS-71 missions and STS-50 on Columbia. Her three trips to space included launching the Galileo probe to Jupiter, the first flight of the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory and the first shuttle docking with Russia's Mir space station. Baker first joined NASA as a medical officer in 1981, three years before being selected with the tenth group of astronauts.
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    The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel: Sci, Space, Tech

  • NASA Solves Mystery of Earth's 'Missing Energy'

    dailygalaxy.com
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:14 pm
    Two years ago, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's...

  • Was the Moon Once Powered by a Dynamo Core? MIT Research Says "Yes"

    dailygalaxy.com
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:49 pm
    MIT's research on an ancient lunar rock suggests that the moon once harbored a long-lived dynamo — a molten, convecting core of liquid metal that generated a strong magnetic field 3.7 billion years ago. The findings, published today in Science,...

  • CERN Zeroes In on the 'Great Antimatter Mystery'

    dailygalaxy.com
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:34 pm
    The question of whether normal matter's shadowy counterpart anti-matter exerts a kind of "anti-gravity" is soonto be answered, according to researchers at the University of California Riverside, who are getting closer to addressing the question once and for all. The...

  • EcoAlert: Bus-Sized Object Buzzed Earth Today

    dailygalaxy.com
    27 Jan 2012 | 12:07 pm
    A small asteroid the size of a city bus zoomed between Earth and the moon's orbit today, Friday Jan. 25, days after its discovery, but it never posed a threat to our planet, NASA says.The asteroid, 2012 BX34 passed within...

  • Image of the Day: Massive Elliptical Galaxy & Cosmic Wave a Million Light years Long

    dailygalaxy.com
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am
    A Naval Research Laboratory scientist is part of a team that has recently discovered that vast clouds of hot gas are "sloshing" in Abell 2052, a galaxy cluster located about 480 million light years from Earth. The scientists are studying...
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    Time Human

  • Leonardo da Vinci Pictures

    Gabriel Sword
    20 Jan 2012 | 5:36 pm
    Here are some pictures of Leonardo da Vinci: Leonardo's study of the womb His first known sketch Leo's helicopter sketch The Mona Lisa

  • The Jet Engine VW Beetle

    Gabriel Sword
    19 Jan 2012 | 1:59 pm
    What do you get when you combine a jet engine with a VW Beetle? Well, you get what Mr. Ron Patrick created  -- this awesome baby! Now aside from this being to coolest Beetle you will ever see in your life, why would you want to put money into something like this if you couldn't even ride it on the street. Hehe, I got some good news for you! It's completely street legal. The only problem is you can't engage the supersonic jet engine on the road. How sad. You're more than welcome to use it's original gasoline engine though! Mr. Ron Patrick - creator of the jet engine beetle, has his PHD in…

  • Benjamin Franklin Pictures

    Gabriel Sword
    19 Jan 2012 | 1:49 pm
    Pictures of the famous inventor Benjamin Franklin: Franklin's birthplace First postage stamp Pictures of other scientists: Albert Einstein Charles Darwin Leonardo da Vinci Nikola Tesla Edwin Hubble

  • Nikola Tesla Quotes

    Gabriel Sword
    16 Jan 2012 | 11:27 pm
    Great quotes by the mad scientist Nikola Tesla: If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor. -- Nikola Tesla I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love,…

  • Albert Einstein Quotes

    Gabriel Sword
    16 Jan 2012 | 5:32 pm
    Here is a comprehensive list of Albert Einstein quotes: We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. -- Albert Einstein Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever. -- Albert Einstein Click here to signup for the FREE Time Human science magazine Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius --…
 
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    Project Icarus

  • Contemplations from New York

    Kelvin F. Long
    26 Jan 2012 | 2:12 pm
    I’m just back from a trip to New York courtesy of the National Geographic channel and Atlas media. They are making a documentary on interstellar flight and I am appearing/consulting for the film. I had done a few documentaries before but the professional team of Atlas, led by Bill McClane, took it to a new level. In particular, they were paying great care to try and get the science correct. When I got back, I was on the phone to another guy out in California making a movie on interstellar travel. Once again, he was taking great care to get the science correct. In an age of media hype, this…

  • DESCANSO book series

    Pat Galea
    17 Jan 2012 | 3:39 pm
    When researching technologies for communicating across long distances in space, books are invaluable. But free books are better! I’ve found the DESCANSO book series from JPL to be invaluable. Hard copies are available, but if you’re happy reading PDFs you can download them right off the JPL site. These titles cover everything from bandwidth-efficient digital modulation to antenna arraying techniques, optical communications and software defined radio. Thoroughly recommended!

  • Project Icarus – Scientific Objectives

    Ian Crawford
    7 Jan 2012 | 7:26 pm
    The Icarus study is tasked with designing an interstellar space vehicle capable of making in situ scientific investigations of nearby stars. In an earlier article (http://news.discovery.com/space/project-icarus-target-exoplanet-star-110207.html) I discussed possible target stars for Icarus. Here, I describe some of the scientific motivations for this ambitious project. There can be little doubt that science, especially in the fields of astronomy, planetary science and astrobiology, will be a major beneficiary of the development of rapid interstellar spaceflight as envisaged by the Icarus…

  • More Interstellar Steam Punk

    Richard Obousy
    5 Jan 2012 | 9:04 am
    JR Fleming Steampunk Interstellar - Richard Obousy   Many thanks to JR Fleming for her amazing Interstellar Steampunk work!   Check out more of JR’s work here: JRFLEMING.COM    

  • Steampunk Me

    Pat Galea
    4 Jan 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Following on from Kelvin’s post, here’s my steampunk image: Now that’s an interstellar communications engineer! Thanks to Richard Obousy for arranging this, and J.R. Fleming for the artwork.
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    Evadot

  • Evadot Podcast #93- Virgin Galactic needs a dinosaur payload guide

    Michael Doornbos
    25 Jan 2012 | 9:35 am
    Guest: Wil Pomerantz Today Tim and Michael talk to VP of Special Operations at Virgin Galactic and former Director of Space Prizes at the X PRIZE foundation about space tourism, marketing as a funding strategy, the opportunity lost at the Google Lunar X PRIZE and dinosaurs. Host: Michael Doornbos and Tim Bailey Email podcast@evadot.com or leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.  Subscribe to the Evadot Podcast via iTunes and all other podcast players Share and Enjoy:Diggdel.icio.usStumbleUponTwitterFacebookGoogle BookmarksLinkedInRedditMost Commented PostsGoogle Lunar X PRIZE…

  • Evadot Podcast #92 – Shoot for the thing that’s a little harder than you think can actually be done

    Michael Doornbos
    5 Jan 2012 | 1:16 pm
    Guests: Tim Bailey Today Tim and Michael tackle predictions for 2012, getting commercial space companies to engage a broader audience and the future of the Google Lunar X PRIZE. What are your space and science predictions for 2012? Host: Michael Doornbos Email podcast@evadot.com or leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.  Subscribe to the Evadot Podcast via iTunes and all other podcast players Share and Enjoy:Diggdel.icio.usStumbleUponTwitterFacebookGoogle BookmarksLinkedInRedditMost Commented PostsGoogle Lunar X PRIZE Team Scorecard / ScoreboardSuddenly Moon Express has become the…

  • Not your Grandfathers moon landing

    Michael Doornbos
    2 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am
    I’ve been saying that I want to see more talk about space at Hacker conferences, and Part Time Scientists delivered in full force at Chaos Communication Congress last week. Then Part Time Scientists software lead We Faler gave a very technical, but terriffic talk on space communication protocols. Then there was a call to arms by Nick Farr on Building a distributed ground station network. When you’re done with that, spend the following hour with writer Cory Doctorow on the coming war on general computation. It’s worth the effort. Share and…

  • Evadot Podcast #91 – Part Time Scientists are about doing it right

    Michael Doornbos
    28 Dec 2011 | 3:12 pm
    Guests:Robert Bohme, Karsten Becker, Wes Faler Project Website: Part Time Scientists The Part Time Scientists join us today to talk about what it will mean to go to the moon and give us an update on their progress. Host: Michael Doornbos Email podcast@evadot.com or leave a comment and let us know your thoughts. Subscribe to the Evadot Podcast via iTunes and all other podcast players Share and Enjoy:Diggdel.icio.usStumbleUponTwitterFacebookGoogle BookmarksLinkedInRedditMost Commented PostsGoogle Lunar X PRIZE Team Scorecard / ScoreboardSuddenly Moon Express has become the team to beat. On…

  • Evadot Podcast #90 – Apollo 13 was the first big Hackathon

    Michael Doornbos
    12 Dec 2011 | 12:10 pm
    Guests: Sean Herron Project Website: Open NASA Sean Herron from Open NASA joins us today to talk about Hacking Space, Participatory Exploration, HackAThons, and what to do with 10TB of data collected by NASA every day. Host: Michael Doornbos Email podcast@evadot.com or leave a comment and let us know your thoughts. Subscribe to the Evadot Podcast via iTunes and all other podcast players Share and Enjoy:Diggdel.icio.usStumbleUponTwitterFacebookGoogle BookmarksLinkedInRedditMost Commented PostsGoogle Lunar X PRIZE Team Scorecard / ScoreboardSuddenly Moon Express has become the team to…
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    Pillow Astronaut

  • The Fallen

    PillowNaut
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:30 am
    The end of January and beginning of February is always a solemn occasion for the space industry, in that three major NASA tragedies all occurred in different years but in the same week, and it’s important to remember the contributions of the astronauts who risked their lives for our efforts in space exploration:January 27, 1967... Apollo 1 lostJanuary 28, 1986... Challenger STS-51L lostFebruary 1, 2003... Columbia STS-107 lostHouston, Texas"They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. We've grown used…

  • Pluto & Friends

    PillowNaut
    25 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am
    Research time! So it started bothering me that I'm fuzzy on the differences, chocolate or otherwise, between Dwarf Planets, Trans-Neptunian Objects, Plutoids, Plutinos, Scattered Disc Objects (SDO), Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO) and Oort Cloud bodies.I've seen these terms bandied about, but not even the schmoes who coined them can decide what's what. Occasionally, the International Astronomical Union tries to set definitions in stone, but no one ever agrees... so it's like a high-IQ version of Congress without all the fancy neckties and sex scandals.I initially planned this post as a learning…

  • Chocolate Planets

    PillowNaut
    23 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Chocolate. Planets. Two of my favorite things. Together. My brain might explode any moment. How did it take someone so long to think of a chocolate solar system? And why isn't it sold in every grocery store?This beautiful edible set of Chocolate Planets is available in Japan, though created by L'Eclat, a very French-sounding company which actually isn't French; it's a minor confection subsidiary of a Japanese chain of luxury hotels. So, if you want to eat these, you need to win the lottery and go stay in Osaka.Chocolate Solar SystemAnd, if Google translations are to be trusted, you can read…

  • Space Obameter 2012

    PillowNaut
    21 Jan 2012 | 10:00 am
    It's that time of year again! Today marks the three-year point of Barack Obama's presidency. Since he was sworn in, I have depended upon the dedicated folks at PolitiFact.com to update their Truth-O-Meter with his initial campaign promises.This subsidiary website of the St. Petersburg Times published a compilation of over 500 statements of intent made by Obama, and is still tracking process on their "Obameter" by rating status as Promise Kept, Promise Broken, Compromise or In The Works. There's good news and bad news for us space enthusiasts…#150: Code of Conduct for space-faring…

  • Astronaut in the NASA Ward

    PillowNaut
    19 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am
    Dr. Serena M. Auñón (35) of League City, TX was one of the two flight doctors chosen in the last astronaut selection. The Galveston Daily News reported on her visit to the NASA ward at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where she visited with study subjects in the current flight simulation programs.Participants David Sarmiento and William Widenerwere in the long-term bed-rest study in the Flight Analog Research Unit at the time, in the now-famed Head-Down Tilt. In this position, participants show physiologic changes similar to those expressed by astronauts in microgravity. Changes in…
 
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