Space

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  • The big test: A test flight for SpaceX may also be a test for commercial crew

    The Space Review
    14 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    On Saturday, SpaceX plans to launch a Dragon spacecraft on a test flight to the International Space Station. Jeff Foust examines how this flight is perceived not just as a test of the company's system to transport cargo to and from the ISS, but also in some quarters as a test of the viability of commercial crew.

  • Chinese Space Station Transits the Sun: Big Pic

    Discovery News - Space News
    15 May 2012 | 11:44 am
    China's "Heavenly Palace," an experimental space station launched last September, sprints past the sun and Thierry Legault captured the moment.

  • The VLT in Action

    SPACE.com
    16 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    The ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) during observations. In this picture, taken from the VLT platform looking north-northwest at twilight, the four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UTs) are visible.

  • Russia develops air defence lasers

    Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Moscow (Voice of Russia) May 16, 2012 According to CEO of Russia's Almaz-Antei advanced arms makers Dr Vladislav Menshikov, his company continues work, started decades ago in the Soviet Union, to develop powerful airborne lasers capable of shooting down hostile aircraft and incoming missiles. Sources say a weapon of this kind can destroy targets travelling at altitudes of up to 40 kilometers. Chief Editor of the Natsionalnaya

  • Eclipse to Dazzle U.S. West Coast, China and Japan

    Discovery News - Space News
    16 May 2012 | 10:57 am
    On Sunday evening, the eclipse will march from Oregon and California to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
 
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    Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense

  • Russia develops air defence lasers

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Moscow (Voice of Russia) May 16, 2012 According to CEO of Russia's Almaz-Antei advanced arms makers Dr Vladislav Menshikov, his company continues work, started decades ago in the Soviet Union, to develop powerful airborne lasers capable of shooting down hostile aircraft and incoming missiles. Sources say a weapon of this kind can destroy targets travelling at altitudes of up to 40 kilometers. Chief Editor of the Natsionalnaya

  • "Dip Chip" Technology Tests Toxicity On-the-Go

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) May 16, 2012 From man-made toxic chemicals such as industrial by-products to poisons that occur naturally, a water or food supply can be easily contaminated. And for every level of toxic material ingested, there is some level of bodily response, ranging from minor illness to painful certain death. Biosensors have long been used to safeguard against exposure to toxic chemicals. Food tasters employed by

  • NATO: The world's biggest defence alliance

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Brussels (AFP) May 16, 2012 Founded in the early days of the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has grown into a collective defence group of 28 nations from North America and Europe. The United States, Canada and 10 European allies signed a treaty in Washington on April 4, 1949, creating an enduring military alliance based on solidarity against threats from the Soviet Union. The first European nations

  • Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for LITENING G4 Targeting Pods

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Rolling Meadows IL (SPX) May 16, 2012 Northrop Grumman has been awarded a delivery order by the Naval Air Systems Command totaling $103 million to deliver LITENING G4 targeting systems. Under the terms of the award, Northrop Grumman will supply the U.S. Marine Corps with LITENING G4 pods. The company will also provide G4 upgrade kits and spares to the Air National Guard to bring their Block 1 pods to the G4 configuration.

  • US restricts flights of F-22 jets over safety worries

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Washington (AFP) May 15, 2012 US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the Air Force to restrict flights of its most advanced fighter jet, the F-22, after some pilots complained of dizzy spells and blackouts, officials said Tuesday. Since 2008, officials say at least a dozen F-22 pilots have reported suffering a lack of oxygen but engineers have yet to figure out how to fix the problem. Under Panetta's decision,
 
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    DID: Department of Defense News, Procurement, Acquisition & Contracting, National Security Policy

  • The Right to Bear Arms: Gunship Kits for America’s C-130s

    Joe Katzman
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Latest updates: Viper Strikes from Derringer Door; New contract to buy 3 kits and install 7. USMC KC-130J (click to view full) Special Operations Command’s AC-130H/U gunships can lay down withering hails of accurate fire, up to and including 105mm howitzer shells, in order to support ground troops. The Marines also wanted heavy aircraft that could support their Leathernecks on the ground. The bad news was that the Corps could field about 45 KC-130J aerial tankers for the price of a 12-plane AC-130J squadron. Lighter options like the AC-27J “Stinger II” would probably tally…

  • Rapid Fire May 16, 2012: Southern Europe Gets no Comfort

    Olivier Travers
    16 May 2012 | 4:25 am
    Frank Kendall has been confirmed by the US Senate Armed Services Committee as the Pentagon acquisition chief, alongside 6 other nominees including Heidi Shyu at Army acquisition. Back in March SASC Ranking Member Senator McCain had held up their confirmation. A full Senate vote is still needed to finalize the process. The chief and principal deputy acquisition jobs in the Air Force are vacant since David Van Buren’s departure for L-3 Communications. (more…)

  • ER/MP Gray Eagle: Enhanced MQ-1C Predators for the Army

    Joe Katzman
    15 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    Latest updates: Services contract; Budget winner; Army plans; GAO report; MQ-1C system specs; Industrial partnerships; Budgets 2004-2017. ER/MP, armed (click to view full) In August 2005, “Team Warrior” leader General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in San Diego, CA won a $214.4 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of the Extended Range/ Multi Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (ER/MP UAS). That was just the first step along the US Army’s $5 billion road to fielding a true Medium Altitude, Long Endurance,…

  • EELV Contracts: After the Merger

    Joe Katzman
    15 May 2012 | 11:01 am
    Latest update: $398M for 2 launches. Boeing Delta IV Heavy (click to view full) The EELV program was designed to reduce the cost of government space launches through greater contractor competition, and modifiable rocket families whose system requirements emphasized simplicity, commonality, standardization, new applications of existing technology, streamlined manufacturing capabilities, and more efficient launch-site processing. Result: the Delta IV (Boeing) and Atlas V (Lockheed Martin) heavy rockets. Paradoxically, that very program may have forced the October 2006 merger of Boeing &…

  • From Dolphins to Destroyers: The ScanEagle UAV

    Joe Katzman
    15 May 2012 | 9:13 am
    Latest updates: US contract extension; Hydrogen-powered ScanEagle; More Dutch order details. ScanEagle launch (click to view full) 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 salt water environments, low infrastructure launch and recovery, small size, 20-hour long endurance, automated flight patterns) are equally…
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    About.com Space / Astronomy

  • The War on Science

    9 May 2012 | 9:56 pm
    Everything is a war these days: Actual wars in various regions of the world, the war on drugs and even wars on various social issues. But there is another war going on, one that doesn't get nearly as much press: The war on science....Read Full Post

  • What is the Higgs Boson?

    26 Apr 2012 | 12:05 pm
    Unless you live under a rock, you are undoubtedly aware of the work being carried out at the Large Hadron Collider. There, researchers are attempting to find a particle known as the Higgs Boson....Read Full Post

  • Shuttle Arrives at Smithsonian

    19 Apr 2012 | 4:13 pm
    The Space Shuttle Discovery was shown off at the Smithsonian earlier today. NASA has posted a photo gallery of the preparation, journey and ceremony; it's worth checking out. Here in Indianapolis, Indiana, we may not have gotten the coveted Discovery, but we recently acquired a shuttle of our own. Pretty cool. Though, frankly, it's not as big as I thought it would be......Read Full Post

  • Space Shuttle Discovery on its Way to D.C.

    17 Apr 2012 | 2:45 am
    One of the iconic machines of the 20th century is on its way to Washington D.C. to be displayed at the Smithsonian. The event, including the flight to Dulles, can be seen on NASA's website. They'll have video of the shuttle preparation and interviews about the program and the future of manned space flight. If you just want to catch the landing - which is really impressive as it involves being piggybacked on a modified 747 - tune in around 10:00 am EDT today.

  • Giant Stars

    9 Apr 2012 | 10:07 am
    Our Sun absolutely dwarfs the planets of our solar system, accounting for nearly 99.9% of the mass in our little corner of the cosmos. And while recent studies have found that our Sun is actually above average in size, it is, well, puny, compared to some of the behemoths out there in our galaxy....Read Full Post
 
 
 
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    Space News From SpaceDaily.Com

  • Shenzhou 9 to be ready for mid-June launch?

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    London, UK (SPX) May 16, 2012 China seems poised to launch three astronauts into space, in the middle of June, onboard Shenzhou 9, the country's fourth, and most ambitious manned spaceflight. Shenzhou 9 is scheduled to rendezvous and complete a manual docking with the orbiting Tiangong 1 module, and will stay in orbit for 13 days, more than doubling China's current endurance record. The Long March 2F rocket was d

  • Japan enters commercial space race

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Tokyo (AFP) May 16, 2012 Japan will put a commercial satellite into space on Friday, officials said, in its first foray into the European- and Russian-dominated world of contract launches. The H-IIA rocket, which was developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and has been launched 20 times since 2001, will carry a South Korean payload, a JAXA official said. The satellite, the KOMPSAT-3, was developed

  • Russia Does Not Rule Out Preemptive Missile Defense Strike

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Moscow (RIA Novosti) May 15, 2012 Russia does not exclude preemptive use of weapons against [NATO] missile defense systems in Europe but only as a last resort, the Russian General Staff said on Thursday at a missile defense conference in Moscow. "The placement of new strike weapons in the south and northwest of Russia against [NATO] missile defense components, including the deployment of Iskander missile systems in Kalinin

  • German Astronomers Finish Europe's Largest Solar Telescope On Tenerife

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    Potsdam, Germany (SPX) May 16, 2012 After ten years of development, the new German solar telescope GREGOR will start operating at the Spanish Observatorio del Teide of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias on Tenerife. It is the largest solar telescope in Europe and number three worldwide. It will provide the German and the international community of solar physicists with new and better instrumentation which will enable them to

  • NASA trains astronauts to land on asteroid

    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    New Delhi (IANS) May 16, 2012 NASA wants humans to make contact with an asteroid up to three million miles away by the end of the next decade, something far beyond the scope of Earth-Moon space flight in 1969. Travelling at around 80,000 kmph around the Sun with almost non-existent gravity due to their small size, landing safely on these space rocks will present a significant challenge, the Telegraph reported. Am
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    Top news for Digg Space Exploration Newsroom

  • Is Earth Alive? Scientists Seek Sulfur For An Answer

    Digg
    16 May 2012 | 12:24 am
    Researchers at the University of Maryland have discovered a way to identify and track sulfuric compounds in Earth’s marine environment, opening a path to either refute or support a decades-old hypothesis that our planet can be compared to a singular,

  • Ring Eclipse to Occur May 20th

    Digg
    16 May 2012 | 10:53 am
    At sunrise in some parts of China and Japan and by sunset in the western United States, an annular eclipse in which the moon blocks out all but a ring of the Sun's light, will travel a narrow swath of the Earth on May 20 and 21. Some regions will see the Sun as a crescent, partially obscured by the moon, for a period of around four to five minutes.

  • Image of the Day: New Look at the Odd Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A

    Digg
    16 May 2012 | 11:11 am
    The strange galaxy Centaurus A is pictured in a new image from the European Southern Observatory. With a total exposure time of more than 50 hours this is probably the deepest view of this peculiar and spectacular object ever created....

  • Tracking ocean sulphur could help validate Gaia theory

    Digg
    16 May 2012 | 12:39 pm
    Geologists at the University of Maryland have published research that could help prove or disprove Gaia theory -- the notion that the Earth is one single self-regulating system. The concept dates from the 70s and was initially formulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis. It proposes that all organisms and their inorganic surroundings comprise a single system that maintains the conditions for life on Earth. It was initially met with skepticism from the scientific community, and remains somewhat controversial, but is now an important area of research in Earth systems science and…

  • Astrophysicists Zero In On Gravity Theory

    Digg
    15 May 2012 | 6:38 pm
    Most people take gravity for granted. But for University of Pennsylvania astrophysicist Bhuvnesh Jain, the nature of gravity is the question of a lifetime. As scientists have been able to see farther and deeper into the universe, the laws of gravity have been revealed to be under the influence of an unexplained force. By analyzing a well-studied class of stars in nearby galaxies, a team of astrophysicists have produced new findings that narrow down the possibilities of what this force could be.
 
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    Science@NASA Headline News

  • Solar Eclipse this Weekend

    15 May 2012 | 1:47 pm
    On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, producing an annular solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth from China to the United States.

  • NASA Space Telescope Sees the Light … ien Super-Earth

    8 May 2012 | 3:58 pm
    NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light emanating from a "super-Earth" beyond our solar system for the first time.

  • Perigee "Super Moon" On May 5-6

    2 May 2012 | 12:57 pm
    Another "super-Moon" is in the offing. The perigee full Moon of May 5-6 will be as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of 2012.

  • Rubber Chicken Flies into Solar Radiation Storm

    19 Apr 2012 | 4:14 pm
    In a unusual twist on space science, students in California have launched a rubber chicken to the edge of space to sample a solar storm.

  • The 3D Lyrid Meteor Shower

    18 Apr 2012 | 12:13 pm
    Astronomers and astronauts are joining forces for an unusual astrophotography experiment during the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower on April 21st.
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    Universe Today

  • See the Winners of the Earth & Sky Photo Contest

    Nancy Atkinson
    16 May 2012 | 11:37 am
    Enjoy this delightful video put together by Babek Tafreshi from The World At Night showing the winners of the third International Earth and Sky Photo Contest. With the theme of ‘Dark Skies Importance,’ these are lovely landscape astrophotos, “ in appreciation of the night sky beauty as an essential element of our nature, importance of preserving dark skies, and public awareness on the growing threat of light pollution,” Tafreshi said. (...)Read the rest of See the Winners of the Earth & Sky Photo Contest (108 words)© nancy for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |…

  • Opportunity Roving Mars Once Again

    Nancy Atkinson
    16 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Opportunity's traverse map from Sol 2951 (May 13 on Earth) and shows the entirety of the rover's travels to that point. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/University of ArizonaAfter spending 19 weeks working in one place during the Martian winter in Meridian Planum, the Opportunity Mars rover is now roving once again. During the winter, available solar power was too low for driving, but on May 8th (here on Earth), Opportunity took its first drive since Dec. 26, 2011. She drove about 3.67 meters (12 feet) northwest and downhill.“We’re off the Greeley Haven outcrop onto the…

  • The Most Profitable Asteroid Is…

    Nancy Atkinson
    16 May 2012 | 9:02 am
    Artist impression of the Arkyd Interceptor, a low cost mission to explore asteroids. Credit: Planetary Resources.With the recent announcement of the asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources, some of the most-asked questions about this enticing but complex endeavor include, what asteroids do we mine? Which are the easiest asteroids to get to? Could it really be profitable?While Planetary Resources officials said they hope to identify a few promising targets within a decade, the initial answers to those questions are available now on a new website that estimates the costs and rewards of…

  • Is Earth Alive? Scientists Seek Sulfur For An Answer

    Jason Major
    15 May 2012 | 11:04 pm
    Image of Earth taken by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft in 2009Researchers at the University of Maryland have discovered a way to identify and track sulfuric compounds in Earth’s marine environment, opening a path to either refute or support a decades-old hypothesis that our planet can be compared to a singular, self-regulating, living organism — a.k.a. the Gaia theory.(...)Read the rest of Is Earth Alive? Scientists Seek Sulfur For An Answer (550 words)© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | 34 comments | Post tags: alive, biology, Climate Change, compounds, Earth,…

  • Space Exploration By Robot Swarm

    Jason Major
    15 May 2012 | 1:02 pm
    "Hopper" rover/spacecraft concept by Stanford University's Marco PavoneWith all there’s yet to learn about our solar system from the many smaller worlds that reside within it — asteroids, protoplanets and small moons — one researcher from Stanford University is suggesting we unleash a swarm of rover/spacecraft hybrids that can explore en masse.(...)Read the rest of Space Exploration By Robot Swarm (246 words)© Jason Major for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Post tags: Exploration, JPL, Marco Pavone, NASA, NIAC, robot, Solar System, spacecraft,…
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    Space

  • Mars Rover Opportunity Emerges From Winter Doldrums, Gets Back On Move

    10 May 2012 | 10:45 am
    With the darkest days of the Martian winter now over, NASA took its Opportunity Mars Rover for a drive this week. The rover had been stationary while its solar panels lacked enough sunlight to power its batteries.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Pictures Of The Supermoon, As The Whole World Saw It

    6 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    Well before night fell stateside on Saturday, the "supermoon" was already a star. Cameras from Tokyo to Athens gazed into its light, just a little bit brighter than usual. It was enough to inspire some beautiful photos, so we thought we'd share what we've found.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Just How Super Is Tonight's Supermoon?

    5 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Astronomer Philip Plait tells host weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz the Supermoon you've been hearing all about actually isn't that super.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Look Up: Tonight, 'Supermoon' Is Closer To Earth

    4 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    It turns out that all full moons are not created equal: Every so often the moon is full when it's at its closest point in its orbit around our planet. The last "super moon" occurred in March 2011.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Photographers, Skywatchers Prepare For Supermoon

    4 May 2012 | 6:05 am
    The biggest full moon of the year happens Saturday night. Expect the best time for photos just after sunset.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us
 
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    The Space Review

  • The big test: A test flight for SpaceX may also be a test for commercial crew

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    On Saturday, SpaceX plans to launch a Dragon spacecraft on a test flight to the International Space Station. Jeff Foust examines how this flight is perceived not just as a test of the company's system to transport cargo to and from the ISS, but also in some quarters as a test of the viability of commercial crew.

  • Why ISS can advance Mars exploration

    14 May 2012 | 10:59 am
    To some, the International Space Station can seem like a distraction towards their preferred long-term goal of human missions to Mars. Chris Carberry argues that, if properly used, the ISS can help further the technology and other approaches needed for such missions.

  • The evolution of near Earth objects risk perception

    14 May 2012 | 10:58 am
    As our understanding of near Earth objects (NEOs) have changed, so has our perception of the risks associated with them. Luis Fernandez Carril explores this history of NEOs, from omens to potential sources of wealth.

  • Review: The Quantum Universe

    14 May 2012 | 10:57 am
    Quantum physics is essential to our understanding of how the universe works, yet understanding quantum physics itself can be a challenge for many. Jeff Foust reviews a book that offers a readable yet rigorous introduction to the topic and its relevance to physics and astronomy.

  • The Triway into Space Declaration

    7 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Space advocates often argue whether future exploration and commercialization efforts should focus on the Moon, Mars, or asteroids. Peter Kokh and Al Anzaldua explain why advocates for all three destinations should join forces to ensure appropriate funding for technologies that can be used to realize everyone's goals.
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    Space Politics

  • Obama’s Florida campaign wants Romney to take a stand on space

    Jeff Foust
    16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm
    Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is campaigning in Florida today, which prompted President Obama’s campaign organization in the state to issue a statement calling on Romney to take a position on space policy. “Today, Floridians deserve to know if Mitt Romney agrees with his Republican allies in Congress or if he stands with President Obama in supporting the next era of space exploration,” said Eric Jotkoff, press secretary for Obama for America Florida, in a statement emailed earlier today. Romney, Jotkoff said in the statement, “has provided…

  • An Iowa senator’s concerns about a California NASA center

    Jeff Foust
    16 May 2012 | 6:32 am
    The relationship between NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC) and Internet search giant Google has occasionally attracted scrutiny. For the last few years H211, a holding company owned by top Google officials, has based several aircraft at the center’s Moffett Field, allowing them to be used by NASA for scientific flights as well as for other purposes. A recent report by the local NBC affiliate noted that H211, which pays over $100,000 per month in rent to Ames, has flown 52 science flights since the agreement was signed in 2007, although H211 aircraft have made over 1,000 flights in…

  • Nelson: early commercial crew downselect would be “silliness”

    Jeff Foust
    14 May 2012 | 7:41 pm
    Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) appears to side with the administration regarding when NASA should select a commercial crew provider. Nelson told Florida Today he opposed language in the report accompanying the CJS appropriations bill that would direct NASA to make an immediate downselection to one or, at most, two companies. “Why should we not have competition for commercial crew and bring down the cost?” Nelson asked. He’s also quoted in the article as calling the House plan “silliness” and “anti-competitive.” The Senate version of the same appropriations…

  • More concerns about commercial crew and Congressional language

    Jeff Foust
    13 May 2012 | 5:55 pm
    Even before the House took up the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill last week, the administration warned that it considered the bill unacceptable, citing in a statement of administration policy concerns about the bill’s provisions, including the reduced funding levels and “restrictive report language” for NASA’s commercial crew program. This was widely communicated as a veto threat against the bill based on that language, although that is something of an oversimplification, since the NASA language was just one paragraph in a four-page document…

  • Updated NASA budget summary

    Jeff Foust
    13 May 2012 | 4:42 pm
    Based on a comment yesterday about what the current House budget for NASA was in light of the floor debate this week on the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill, the table below summarizes the numbers from the President’s budget request (PBR); the House bill, HR 5326; and the Senate version, S. 2323, which is awaiting consideration by the full Senate. All dollar amounts are in millions, and rounded to the nearest tenth. Account PBR House Senate Science $4,911.2 $5,095.0 $5,021.1 Aeronautics $551.5 $569.9 $551.5 Space Technology $699.0 $632.5 $651.0 Exploration…
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    NASA Watch

  • NASA SMD Has Already Given Up On Mars

    Keith Cowing
    15 May 2012 | 11:48 pm
    NASA Will Not Fly Next Mars Rover Until 2020, Aviation Week "But the fact remains that "the train has left the station," as NASA Planetary Science Director Jim Green said when asked if more funding would allow NASA to resume joint Mars exploration work with the European Space Agency. ESA has shifted to partnering with Russia for Mars exploration after NASA's bailout. [Orlando] Figueroa, heading the Mars Program Planning Group (MPPG) as it drafts a downscoped, go-it-alone Mars exploration program, told planetary scientists on the NASA Advisory Council May 8 the $700-800 million that will be…

  • Private Sector Thinking in a Government-Driven Market

    Keith Cowing
    15 May 2012 | 7:54 am
    Private Sector Edges Deeper in Space, NY Times "The only way to make a dramatic reduction of price is to assume a dramatic increase of launches," said Mr. Greason of XCOR. "You have to assume there is some market, that there will be enough demand to support that low price." The current rockets -- most of them good for one launching only -- are very expensive regardless of whether they are built by entrepreneurs or government. The future of low-cost travel in space hinges on reusable rockets and technologies not yet developed, space experts say."

  • My God Its Full of Stars!

    Keith Cowing
    14 May 2012 | 5:00 pm
    Astronaut Don Pettit Recreates the Stargate Sequence From "2001". "Below is a frame from the "Stargate Sequence" from the iconic film "2001: A Space Odyssey". These three images below are a composite of a series of images photographed from a mounted camera on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station. Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Don Pettit is the photographer. It would seem that he has managed to recreate the stargate sequence - in space."

  • Does CASIS Know What It Is Doing?

    Keith Cowing
    14 May 2012 | 4:19 pm
    Grading CASIS On its ISS National Laboratory Performance Thus Far "Clearly the clock is ticking. Given CASIS' chronic tardiness and lack of performance thus far, by the end of June NASA and Congress will either know a lot more about what CASIS has been doing and plans to do with the ISS - or they'll be asking if it is time to pull the plug on this half-hearted management experiment and try again. Meanwhile, this amazing facility orbits overhead while its return on investment diminishes with every single day that it continues to be underutilized."

  • International Space Apps Challenge: Success and Missed Opportunity

    Keith Cowing
    13 May 2012 | 6:50 pm
    NASA's Inconsistent Support of the International Space Apps Challenge "Several weeks ago NASA and a number of sponsors held the International Space Apps Challenge. The intent was to enlist people from all across the world to create solutions to problems and issues associated with spaceflight. The participants were truly spread out across our planet including Antarctica with support from the crew aboard the International Space Station. ... I think it is inexcusable that NASA has not made more of an effort to promote things such as the International Space Apps Challenge - especially when the…
 
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    White Label Space

  • Torch Igniter Testing Update

    13 May 2012 | 5:24 pm
    WLS team members have undertaken the first tests of the torch igniter design that will eventually be used set alight the throttleable motor on our lunar lander as it descends to the moon. The first tests were inconclusive and indicate the some tuning is needed for the propellant supply system, however that is expected to be resolved in the next couple of weeks. Below are photos of some components of the torch igniter and the custom test rig that was built to support the tests. ***

  • First Integration Steps for Rocket Motor Prototype

    6 May 2012 | 6:46 pm
    This video shows some of the preliminary integration activities for the throttleable rocket motor prototype currently being developed for the White Label Space lunar lander. It is a liquid bi-propellant motor using nitrous oxide and kerosene. It also features a spark ignition system. The motor will be commercialized by the Dutch company EDL Hypersystems B.V..

  • WLS-J Introduces our GLXP Competitor Selenokhod

    24 Apr 2012 | 12:25 pm
    Continuing to introduce our Google Lunar X PRIZE competitors to the Japanese audience, Mr Atsushi Minegishi from our Japan office recorded this video (in Japanese) about the Selenokhod team.

  • Space Ventures Investors Partners with WLS

    13 Apr 2012 | 12:52 am
    White Label Space is proud to announce its new partnership with Space Ventures Investors, an internationally focused venture addressing how private and institutional investors can invest in space.  Through the partnership, White Label Space will have unique access to the Space Ventures Investors network and industry knowledge base whilst Space Ventures Investors will gain a window on the investment opportunities related to the Google Lunar X PRIZE and access to the technical expertise present in the team.  Space Ventures Investors collects from individuals and organizations vital…

  • Last Chance to Enter Lunar Rover Driving Competition

    27 Mar 2012 | 5:32 am
    Simon O'Reilly reminds everyone that there are just a few days left to enter this competition and win a chance to remotely drive the White Label Space rover on the Moon. Visit our facebook page to enter.
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    EurekAlert! - Space and Planetary Science

  • Astronomers discovered ancient Egyptian observations of a variable star

    15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (University of Helsinki) Astronomers of University of Helsinki can now explain why the period of Algol has increased by about 0.017 days. The period increase during the past three millennia could have been caused by the observed mass transfer between the two members of this binary. In fact, this would be the first observation that confirms the period increase of Algol and it also gives an estimate of the mass transfer rate. The ancient Egyptians have thus made accurate measurements that provide useful constraints for modern astronomers.

  • A deeper look at Centaurus A

    15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (ESO) The strange galaxy Centaurus A is pictured in a new image from the European Southern Observatory. With a total exposure time of more than 50 hours this is probably the deepest view of this peculiar and spectacular object every created. The image was produced by the Wide Field Imager of the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile.

  • Baby galaxies grew up quickly

    15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (University of Copenhagen) Baby galaxies from the young universe more than 12 billion years ago evolved faster than previously thought, shows new research from the Niels Bohr Institute. This means that already in the early history of the universe, there was potential for planet formation and life. The research results have been published in the scientific journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.

  • 3-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled

    15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (University of California - Santa Barbara) By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, an international research team has observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observations. The resolution at which they were able to observe this highly luminescent active galactic nucleus has given them direct confirmation of how mass accretes onto black holes in centers of galaxies.

  • Bright future for solar power in space

    15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    (University of Strathclyde) Solar power gathered in space could be set to provide the renewable energy of the future thanks to innovative research being carried out by engineers at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
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    collectSPACE Today In Space History

  • Smokey and fire

    14 May 2012 | 10:41 pm
    Three new crew members launched for the International Space Station Monday, soaring atop a pillar of smoke and fire from a Russian rocket. Soyuz TMA-04M crew mates Gennady Padalka, Sergei Revin and Joe Acaba will arrive at the orbiting complex Thursday and stay for four months. The trio's talisman, which served as their "zero-g indicator," is Smokey Bear, the long-time mascot of the U.S. Forest Service, as provided by Acaba.

  • Enterprise grounded

    13 May 2012 | 12:21 pm
    Early Sunday, space shuttle Enterprise moved one step closer to its public display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York. Overnight, the original prototype orbiter was hoisted off the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft that flew it to a landing at JFK International Airport on April 27. Enterprise will wait at the airport until June 4, when it is set to begin a three-day river journey by barge to deliver it to the Intrepid.

  • Endeavour unplugged

    11 May 2012 | 10:06 am
    For the last time in history, a space shuttle went dark on Friday. NASA pulled the plug on its youngest orbiter Endeavour, the last of its three shuttles still able to be powered, at 8:58 a.m. CDT as the preparations to deliver it for display at the California Space Center continued. NASA recently invited collectSPACE on board Endeavour's flight deck for a last look at a lit shuttle.

  • Astronaut blasts off on Big Bang Theory

    10 May 2012 | 8:27 pm
    Mike Massimino isn't a Soyuz crewmember, but he plays one on TV. The real-life NASA astronaut made his second cameo on CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" on Thursday, joining the show's Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) to launch to the International Space Station aboard a Russian capsule. collectSPACE caught up with Massimino to talk about the show, its mock spacecraft and spacesuits, and the future of spaceflight, both by NASA and "The Big Bang Theory."

  • Shuttlebration

    9 May 2012 | 4:45 pm
    Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center in Texas, announced Tuesday that a high fidelity space shuttle mockup will arrive by barge on June 1. Sailing into Clear Lake, the shuttle's landing will launch "Shuttlebration," a 3 day public celebration that will culminate in a parade down NASA Road 1, delivering the shuttle to the space center.
 
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    Spacehack

  • Milky Way Project

    Ariel Waldman
    1 May 2012 | 2:23 am
    A project where you can help create a better understanding of how the Milky Way evolves over time and potentially make new unexpected scientific discoveries. The Milky Way Project aims to sort and measure our galaxy and the characteristics of its cold, dusty material that is so important to creating stars. The project calls on people to find bubbles, star clusters and unusual characteristics in infrared images acquired from the Spitzer Space Telescope. These bubbles (or clouds) are part of the life cycle of stars – often containing several hundred to several thousand young stars. Some…

  • Einstein@Home

    Ariel Waldman
    2 Apr 2012 | 7:22 pm
    NASA/CXC/SAO/F.D. Seward, W.H. Tucker, R.A. Fesen An effort to discover new neutron stars (massive stars that have collapsed under their own weight) and hopefully directly detect one of Albert Einstein’s predictions for the first time: gravitational waves. Directly detecting these ripples in the curvature of spacetime would open up a new window on the universe, and usher in a new era in astronomy. Einstein@Home uses your computer’s idle time to search for weak astrophysical signals from spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO gravitational-wave…

  • SETILive

    Ariel Waldman
    8 Mar 2012 | 5:38 pm
    SETI Institute Help search for life on another planet by analyzing potential alien signals coming from within our galaxy. SETILive is taking the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) directly to you by presenting radio frequency signals LIVE from the SETI Institute‘s Allen Telescope Array (ATA) while it’s pointed at stars that have the best chances of being home to an alien civilization. Your participation can directly affect where the telescopes look - if enough people see a potential extraterrestrial (ET) signal in the same data, then within minutes, the ATA will be…

  • Spacelog

    Ariel Waldman
    29 Sep 2011 | 7:10 pm
    A volunteer project to bring to life early manned space flight in a searchable, linkable format. In fifty years since mankind began to explore in person the universe outside our home planet, there have been many memorable moments, of beauty, of bravery, and occasionally of tragedy. For those who did not live through them it is sometimes difficult to appreciate the excitement of these early flights. Spacelog aims to bring those missions back to life: a website for exploring manned space missions through transcripts of conversations from during the flights between those in space and those back…

  • Constellation

    Ariel Waldman
    20 Sep 2011 | 3:11 am
    A&E Engineering A community that provides distributed computing power to aerospace research projects that might not otherwise have access to supercomputers due to financial, administrative or bureaucratic reasons. By volunteering a percentage of your computer’s unused operating power, your computer will focus on a variety of tasks from modeling the Moon’s surface to simulating various spacecraft, thus expediting fundamental and applicable research. The combined power of all volunteering users will help to solve important scientific tasks for both students and professionals in…
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    Astroengine.com

  • Mars Flips Us The Bird

    Ian O'Neill
    23 Apr 2012 | 4:10 pm
    A curiously shaped Mars dune (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) Is that a bird? Yes, I can see a bird! A bird on Mars! Aliens must have created it to send us a message! Actually, no, it’s a curiously shaped dune on the Martian surface. My subconscious brain has just processed a familiar shape and my conscious brain did the rest. Captured by the HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), this dune is located in the north polar sand sea (commonly referred to as the “north polar erg”) and it is undergoing the process of defrosting. As the Red…

  • Mystery Mars Cloud: An Auroral Umbrella?

    Ian O'Neill
    26 Mar 2012 | 12:52 pm
    The strange cloud-like protursion above Mars' limb (around the 1 o'clock point). Credit: Wayne Jaeschke. Last week, amateur astronomer Wayne Jaeschke noticed something peculiar in his observations of Mars — there appeared to be a cloud-like structure hanging above the limb of the planet. Many theories have been put forward as to what the phenomenon could be — high altitude cloud? Dust storm? An asteroid impact plume?! — but it’s all conjecture until we can get follow-up observations. It is hoped that NASA’s Mars Odyssey satellite might be able to slew…

  • Put the Weather Balloon Back In The Box

    Ian O'Neill
    29 Jan 2012 | 5:12 pm
    Really? Sushi and beer "in space"? What's next? What the hell is going on with this weather balloon craze? It seems that everything from beer to sushi is being sent “into space” these days. There’s only one problem… weather balloons don’t go into space! Launching random crap into the stratosphere may be fun and give some companies a fleeting marketing opportunity, but please, quit it. Weather balloons should be used for… um, I dunno… high altitude research. And for high school/university students’ learning opportunities/science…

  • On Gingrich’s Moon Base Plan (and Why It Won’t Happen)

    Ian O'Neill
    28 Jan 2012 | 5:52 pm
    A base on the Moon? That would be awesome! But it can't be done for profit... yet (ESA). For more on this topic, you can listen to me chat with BBC 5live’s Dotun Adebayo (from “Up All Night” on Jan. 28 — at 1hr 26mins into the show) and check out the Al Jazeera article (“Gingrich promises US ‘moon base’ by 2020“) I was interviewed for. In case you haven’t heard, one of the Republican presidential candidate hopefuls, Newt Gingrich, has stellar plans for the U.S. in space. Should he make it though the GOP primaries and beat President…

  • The Funky Craters of Mars

    Ian O'Neill
    31 Dec 2011 | 3:49 am
    A menagerie of strange divots (NASA/HiRISE/Univ. of Arizona) As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on my absenteeism from Astroengine. But it’s not my fault, I’ve been typing like a madman for these guys. But that’s enough excuses, 2012 promises to be a huge year for space, and if I get my time management skills back up to scratch, there will be a whole lot more of the blogging thing going on over here too. So to kick things off I thought I’d share a cool slide show I’ve been working on for Discovery News with Ari Espinoza of the High-Resolution…
 
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    Icarus Interstellar » Blog

  • Hailey Bright Talks with Director Robert Freeland at the 100YSS Symposium

    admin
    13 May 2012 | 8:08 pm
      One of the Directors of Icarus Interstellar, Robert Freeland, talks with Hailey Bright about the business and financial elements associated with the construction of a starship. He also expands on some of the technical issues including fusion power and fuel for a starship.

  • Project Hyperion: The Hollow Asteroid Starship – Dissemination of an Idea

    Andreas Hein
    13 May 2012 | 2:25 pm
    Asteroid starship arriving at an alien world by David Hardy, from [4]Source: http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/6797/asteroid2.jpgA large space mirror heats up an asteroid, slowly melting it. Water, which was injected into the center of the body expands, blows up the melted material,  creating the shape of a balloon. After cooling down, rotation is induced into the hollow body creating artificial gravity. An artificial fusion Sun brings daylight to the dark interior.  A team of bio-life-support system experts, urban planners, and ecologists starts to create an artificial world inside the…

  • Project Hyperion: To the stars in a sleeping car?

    Andreas Hein
    8 May 2012 | 6:55 am
    written by Daniel PützImagine you’d wake up from a deep long slumber and the first thing you’d see would be something like thishttp://www.enjoyspace.com/uploads/news/decembre2009/avatar/pandora-avatar.jpgMaybe you recognize the picture, it is Pandora from the movie Avatar. The point here is that Jake, the protagonist, travels to Pandora while sleeping, or more scientifically spoken, hibernating. But how realistic is this scenario of humans travelling to distant planets while sleeping through the inconvenient trip time? Will it be the basis for future serious concepts regarding…

  • Daedalus Model Building (Part 3)

    Kelvin F. Long
    28 Apr 2012 | 3:47 am
    Starship Tel has been making progress on his Daedalus model for the Icarus team. Here is his latest report and some stunning photographs below:The photos show reaction chamber (2nd stage), part of the support structure and induction loop, so far. The support structure has caused me a major headake but im getting there. It still neads a slight tweak. The materials I’m using is styrene plastic which is used by professional and hobbyist used for building model railway layouts to designing buildings, housing estates and scratch building. The reaction chamber was made by heating up a…

  • Sheila Kanani Interviews Milos Stanic of Icarus Interstellar on PJMIF

    Sheila Kanani
    7 Mar 2012 | 11:22 pm
    Sheila Kanani introduces her Icarus Interstellar Interviews (I3). In this first interview she talks with Milos Stanic about his PhD research into Plasma-Jet driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion (PJMIF), his contributions to Project Icarus in the field of fusion propulsion, and his interests outside of research.
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    Evadot

  • Getting to where we’re going means something new

    Michael Doornbos
    15 May 2012 | 2:14 pm
    I’ve spent the last few days reading the Omni Magazines from 1978 and 1979. All of them in fact. I’m struck by something: we’re still talking about most of these same ideas as things for the future… In those magazines, there are spaceships in your garage. Critisisms of NASA’s inability to attract a younger crowd. Ray Kurzwell is talking Singularity before he called it that. You know, we’ll live forever if we can just live long enough.  Moon mining is just a few years away. In 1978. As someone who was pre grade school during those two years, I’m a…

  • FIREFLY: Your DIY exploration platform

    Michael Doornbos
    3 May 2012 | 9:28 am
    We’ve partnered with Kentucky Space to bring you a flexible DIY exploration platform. It’s available for pre-order now! Firefly is a flexible-use fully assembled board that can serve as the basis for the brains, fuel, and voice for many different applications including: high-altitude balloons suborbital flights CubeSat class satellites small payloads for the International Space Station as well as terrestrial applications such as a weather station robotics platform remote control home automation education and classrooms Features: Solar Rechargeable: Add your panels and go Self…

  • What bell does Planetary Resources ring for the Google Lunar X PRIZE?

    Michael Doornbos
    24 Apr 2012 | 3:47 pm
    Unless you’ve been trapped underground this week, you’ve probably heard that some billionaires are planning to mine some asteroids. Well, they are planning to launch a telescope in a few years, and then mine the some asteroids.  Probably. You know, in the future.  But Larry and Sergey are behind it, so there’s that. This is exactly the kind of revolution the space industry has needed since the 1970s.   Crazy ideas of this scale need wide-eyed hopeful billionaires behind them to work. If it works and they can manage to pull off mining asteroids in the next decade or so,…

  • Evadot Podcast #94 – MAKERFAIRE NC

    Michael Doornbos
    21 Mar 2012 | 8:04 am
    Guest: Jonathan Danforth There are MAKERS in North Carolina, for real! Join many of them on June 16 in Raleigh NC for MAKERFAIRE, NC! Every year at Maker Faire North Carolina Makers, Crafters, Inventors, Evil Geniuses, Scientists and Artists come together for a day of family-friendly fun and inspiration. From home-made cookies to home-made robots, Maker Faire: NC promises something for everyone in a showcase of the American creative spirit. Host: Michael Doornbos Email podcast@evadot.com or leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.  Subscribe to the Evadot Podcast via…

  • Evadot and Kentucky Space think YOU can hack space

    Michael Doornbos
    7 Mar 2012 | 10:02 am
    In just a little while, when the Umpa Lumpas finish manufacturing the first batch, we’re going to start offering CubeSat prototype kits for a fraction of what it costs today. Meet Firefly Firefly is a flexible-use printed circuit board that can serve as the basis for the brains, fuel and voice for many different applications including high-altitude balloons suborbital flights CubeSat class satellites small payloads for the International Space Station as well as terrestrial applications such as a weather station robotics platform remote control home automation education and classrooms…
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    Pillow Astronaut

  • Soyuz Countdown

    PillowNaut
    14 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
    Soyuz launch coverage on NASA television starts tonight at 7pm Pacific, 10pm Eastern, 2am GMT, 5am Moscow! Launch is set for Kazakh time 5/15 9:01am, when the Soyuz TMA-04M will carry the Expedition 31/32 crew members to the International Space Station.Roskosmos Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba are scheduled for a long-duration mission aboard the ISS. Comrade Revin is the spaceflight rookie on this particular mission, and if all goes well, I look forward to adding him to my master Map of Space Travelers as the #523rd human being to venture into the…

  • Female Cosmonaut Headed To The ISS!

    PillowNaut
    11 May 2012 | 11:08 am
    Not a moment too soon! What wonderful news for Roskosmos and the International Space Station: Russian Cosmonaut Yelena Serova has been selected for Expedition 41, set to travel by Soyuz to the ISS in 2014.Елена СероваThere is one active female cosmonaut. ONE. Yelena is it. And of the 18 chosen since 1961, only 3 have ever flown. Those three were Soviet, so Yelena will technically be the first female cosmonaut from the Russian Federal Space Agency.Valentina Tereshkova flew on Vostok 6 in 1963, becoming both the first woman and the first civilian to fly in space. After a 19-year gap,…

  • Mojave Air & Space Port

    PillowNaut
    9 May 2012 | 10:30 am
    Gateway to space! That's what the sign says when you enter Mojave, California. And why not? Good a place as any for the Mojave Air & Space Port -- also sometimes known as the "Civilian Aerospace Test Center". Following the social events at NASA Dryden this past week, a few of us stragglers had a mini #SpaceGirlTweetup on our way home!We wound up realizing we should do this more often.Mojave Air & Space PortMHV, formerly a WWII Marine air station, is now the up-n-comin' Space Oasis! Or at least, that is what we're all hoping as space start-ups congregate to test vehicles and develop…

  • Dryden NASA Social

    PillowNaut
    6 May 2012 | 10:06 pm
    Tweetups turned into Socials, and Dryden Research Center's first official gathering was a rousing success! What a ride! Dr. Hugh L. Dryden would probably have been amazed at the frenzy created by these events, given his reputation for calm countenance... hmm, I wonder if he would have joined us on Facebook?OMG! Chicken in the Cockpit!I got to sit in the cockpit of an FA-18 Super Hornet twin-engine carrier-based multi-role fighter aircraft! And I really just want everyone in the world to know it. Thank you.We saw, either up close or in slides & videos, many retired and active aircraft, so…

  • NASA Tweetup #5

    PillowNaut
    3 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    New Tweetup on Friday, May 4! Now called the NASA Social! Back in MY DAY they were called Tweetups, anyway. Just kidding, don't want to sound like a geezer 50 years before I should.Anyway, it's ROAD TRIP time again, and this time I'll be headed to Monterey, where I'm excited to show Camilla the Apollo Moon Tree in Friendly Plaza, and then on to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) on Edwards Air Force Base in California.Seems pretty big on the ground, but if you check out all of Edwards AFB on Google Maps, you'll see it's only a very tiny portion of the base! And pretty far inside…
 
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    21st Century Waves

  • Sputnik-like Concerns About U.S. Education Linked to Economic Growth

    Dr. Bruce Cordell
    7 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    Serious concerns about the quality of the U.S. education system continue to grow. Recently (Wall Street Journal, 5/1/12), former Secretary of State George Shultz and his colleague at the Hoover Institution, Eric Hanushek, have emphasized the need for K-12 reforms in the context of economic growth, income disparity, and global competitiveness. Annual growth of GDP per capita from 1960 to 2000, is directly correlated with international math test scores. Click In the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries’ PISA rankings for 2009 the U.S. ranked only 31st in…

  • Readers’ Favorite Posts — April, 2012

    Dr. Bruce Cordell
    5 May 2012 | 1:18 pm
    This is an updated end-of-April list of our readers’ favorite posts, based on the number of times each post was visited during the times indicated below. Timeframes of the readers’ lists below are: I) Favorites during April, and II) Favorites during the Last 7 days. To see readers’ favorite posts for each previous month, click HERE. The lists below give only the top 5 favorites in each category in order of reader preference. All posts below are clickable and their publishing dates are given. Updated 5/1/2012 I. APRIL — Readers’ Favorites 1) Did the New Space Age…

  • Did the New Space Age Begin This Week with Planetary Resources?

    Dr. Bruce Cordell
    26 Apr 2012 | 2:39 pm
    The world changed this week. Planetary Resources (PR) finally announced their intent to create a “gold rush” to the asteroids, for both water and platinum group metals. The water will fuel an interplanetary highway and the precious metals will create prosperity on Earth. Like the California Gold Rush ~150 years ago, a new asteroid “gold rush” may change the world. Click Never before has a technologically sophisticated and well-capitalized private group publicly announced their intention to mine the riches of space! It appears the world took a giant step, at least…

  • Fractal Maslow Windows and the Near-Term Colonization of Mars

    Dr. Bruce Cordell
    8 Apr 2012 | 3:51 pm
    Please Note: This is my Abstract for The 15th Annual International Mars Society Convention, August, 2012, in Pasadena, CA. Fractal Maslow Windows and the Near-Term Colonization of Mars Self-Organized Criticality (SOC) is an emergent property of complex systems whereby they organize themselves into a critical state such that rapid changes, including catastrophes, can occur. In 1998, based on power-law plots like this, Roberts and Turcotte concluded that “World order behaves as a self-organized critical system independent of the efforts made to control and stabilize interactions between…

  • Readers’ Favorite Posts — March, 2012

    Dr. Bruce Cordell
    3 Apr 2012 | 12:23 am
    This is an updated end-of-March list of our readers’ favorite posts, based on the number of times each post was visited during the times indicated below. Timeframes of the readers’ lists below are: I) Favorites during March, and II) Favorites during the Last 90 days. To see readers’ favorite posts for each previous month, click HERE. The lists below give only the top 5 favorites in each category in order of reader preference. All posts below are clickable and their publishing dates are given. Updated 4/1/2012 I. MARCH — Readers’ Favorites 1) The Allure of Moving…
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    MessageToEagle.com

  • Annular Solar Eclipse Will Take Place On May 20, 2012

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    The "ring of fire" phenomenon will be visible for as much as 4 and a half minutes on Sunday, May 20th, 2012. It's an annular solar eclipse, in which the Moon will cover as much as 94% of the sun. Hundreds of millions of people will be able to witness the event.

  • Incredible Crystal Star City Hovering In The Air - It Looks Just Like An Alien Invasion

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Imagine it's late in the evening and you go out for a walk to get some fresh air. Suddenly when you look up to gaze at the night sky, you are stunned to see a huge, crystal star city hovering above your head. What is happening, you ask yourself as you watch the city that is home to thousands of individuals.

  • Judaculla Rock's Mystery - Does It Contain A Secret Coded Message To Mankind?

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    This rock covered with undecipherable symbols is one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of the North America. Neither scholars nor older residents have been able to decipher it. Neither do they know its true origin nor purpose. Is it a prehistoric code? Some kind of secret message for future generations of humanity?

  • Monster Crocodile That Consumed At Least A Few of Our Ancestors

    15 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    A gigantic crocodile, more than 27 feet in length, which was large enough to swallow humans, once co-existed with our ancestors in East Africa, say researchers. Today it is an extinct species from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of the Turkana Basin in Kenya.

  • Unexplained Bright Lights Around Sakurajima Volcano - What Are They?

    15 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan produces some of the most spectacular eruptions on the planet. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and it can erupt sometimes not just on weekly, but even daily basis. During one of those eruptions a number of curious bright lights and what appear to be objects were filmed around the volcano.
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    AmericaSpace

  • SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Viewing Guide

    Mike Killian
    16 May 2012 | 10:43 am
    SpaceX launching their Dragon spacecraft for the first time on the COTS-1 demo flight in December 2010. Photo Credit: Mike Killian Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, is scheduled to launch their Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:55am EDT on May 19th from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch [...]

  • NASA’s Makes Room for SpaceX Falcon 9 in NLS II Contract

    Amy Teitel
    15 May 2012 | 12:50 am
      SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Photo Credit: SpaceX NASA announced yesterday that as part of its Launch Services contract (NLS II) with SpaceX it will add an additional configuration of the Falcon 9 rocket to its fleet. The new SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 launch service will be available for future missions in accordance with [...]

  • “The Right Guy”: A Restoration of Faith

    Ben Evans
    14 May 2012 | 11:34 pm
    Atop a converted Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile, America launches its fourth man into orbit on 15 May 1963. Gordon Cooper's 34-hour, 22-orbit voyage aboard Faith 7 would be NASA's most challenging space mission to date. Photo Credit: NASA Early on 14 May 1963, a hotshot pilot lay on his back in a tiny capsule, [...]

  • NASA Video: Pursuit of Light

    Jason Rhian
    14 May 2012 | 8:46 pm
    Click here to view the video on YouTube. Video courtesy of NASA NASA has often been given low marks for presenting the wonder of what it does in a timely fashion that speaks to the soul. A recent video by the U.S. space agency highlights that the space agency [...]

  • “How About Now?” The Faith in Gordon Cooper

    Ben Evans
    13 May 2012 | 3:06 am
    Gordon Cooper is extracted from the Faith 7 capsule, on the deck of the USS Kearsarge on 16 May 1963. The astronaut's 34-hour, 22-orbit mission proved as colourful as Cooper himself. Photo Credit: NASA Fifty years ago, in 1962, America began to take strides toward meeting President John Kennedy’s goal of landing a [...]
 
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