Editorās note: This post is a Care2 favorite, back by popular demand. It was originally posted on January 11, 2013. Enjoy! In a time when economic austerity is en vogue, we find ourselves debating what is worth spending money on and what isnāt. Programs have to justify their existence and those programs that are seen as ancillary or superfluous get the ax. Unfortunately…
Topics: Space Policy In the hours after Curiosity launched last month, there were more than a few people questioning the worth of spending two and a half billion dollars to launch a spacecraft to Mars. This is absolutely a fair question to ask. It s important to place the question in context, because most people in the general public think NASA gets a much larger…
VANGUARD-A HISTORY 1 BACKGROUND OF SPACE EXPLORATION PEOPLE the world over speak of the Space Age as beginning with the launching of the Russian Sputnik on 4 October 1957. Yet Americans might well set the date hack at least to July 1955 when the White House, through President Eisenhower s press secretary, announced that the United States planned to launch a…
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company s products include Falcon 9, a two-stage rocket; and Dragon, a free-flying spacecraft. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. was founded in 2002 and is based in Hawthorne, California with an additional office in Redmond. 1 Rocket Road Hawthorne…
Space exploration satellites are not really satellites at all; they are properly known as space probes. A satellite is defined as something that s orbiting something else, but space probes instead travel deep into the solar system. However, they are similar to orbiting satellites in design and function. On their journeys, space probes send back detailed pictures…
BEIJING ā If the U.S.-Soviet space rivalry helped define the second half of the 20th century, China s drive to become a space superpower looks set to mark the first half of the 21st. In a mission dubbed Shenzhou-11, China launched two astronauts into orbit Monday from an isolated military launching pad in Inner Mongolia. Scientists from around the world traveled…
The United States government is in huge debt and is adding to that every year with the deficit, which has prompted many to push for a more balanced budget. This raises the question: should revenue be increased or spending reduced? It seems that the answer is a little bit of both. Surely, this has its advantages and drawbacks, and it is very important to consider…
The space elevator is an advanced space transportation system that someday could replace chemical rockets as humanity s primary means of reaching Earth s orbit. However, before this can occur, a number of enabling technologies will need to be developed, and a variety of economic and policy questions must be addressed. The goal of this paper is to examine the…
Do we have a budding āTim Peakeā in the makingā¦? Year 5 took their
NASA may be closing in on one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time ā that we are not alone in the universe. Thatās because the recent discovery of active water streams on Mars by NASAās Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter combined with the Mars Curiosity roverās findings about the planetās water-rich history ā a more life friendly environment ā means scientists…
An artist concept of NASA s Voyager 1 spacecraft leaving the solar system to enter interstellar space. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The year 2013 saw a wealth of discoveries, insights, and milestones that advanced the fields of astronomy and other space sciences. From extrasolar planets to extraterrestrial neutrinos, these finds have made sure that 2013 has been…
āScientists and astronauts believe that the benefits of space exploration greatly outweigh the potential risks.ā The excitement and challenges of manās journey into space are explored in this gripping history of international space programs. The initial competition between the United States and the Soviet Union is discussed in detail, while later parts of the…
Ford Explorer vs. Honda Pilot: Which Should You Buy? John Vincent / U.S. News and World Report The 2016 Ford Explorer and 2016 Honda Pilot are two of the most popular 3-row crossover SUVs on the market, loved for their cargo-hauling capabilities and carlike driving dynamics. Itās a class with many quality contenders and little separation between the top-rated…
The burgeoning space-transportation company owned by Amazon.com chairman Jeff Bezos this week is expected to announce some customers and new initiatives, the latest step toward its long-term goal of building rockets powerful enough to penetrate deep into the solar system, according to industry officials. The moves by the typically secretive Mr. Bezos, these officials…
The crew has been selected, and research studies confirmed for the 2017 mission of the University of HawaiŹ»i at MÄnoaās HawaiŹ»i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS). At approximately 3:30 p.m. on January 19, 2017, six astronaut-like crewmembers will enter a geodesic dome atop Mauna Loa on the island of HawaiŹ»i as part of an eight-month research study…
NASAās Sonny White and his collaborators have published experimental confirmation that the so-called EM drive produces thrust. If this technology fulfills its promise, it will transform public and private space exploration and may have even broader implications for terrestrial power and energy. Their paper explains why this work is important with typically understated…
Do the following: a. Tell what radiation is. b. Describe the hazards of radiation to humans, the environment, and wildlife. Explain the difference between radiation exposure and contamination. In your explanation, discuss the nature and magnitude of radiation risks to humans from nuclear power, medical radiation (e.g., chest or dental X-ray), and background radiation…
The Russian space agency s interactive history is a visually stunning and informative look at humanity s exploration of the cosmos. They say history is written by the victorsābut when it comes to the history of space, everyone who participated in humanity s exploration of the cosmos is, in a way, a victor. Although space exploration began as the pinnacle of animosity…
QUOTES FROM THIS LARRY KING NOW INTERVIEW WITH EUGENE CERNAN: āItās really not the story of my life. Itās the story of a young kid- I grew up in Chicago, couldāve been anybody. Young kid from any town USA who was born and grew up during WWII, who had a dream. My dream after watching all those news reels of those naval aviators at midway flying out and boarding…
Spacecraft will have to have storage room for oxygen. Atmospheric pressure is necessary for life. Your body has pressure. The atmosphere has pressure. These pressures must be about the same for human beings to breathe. Since there is no atmosphere in space, there is no atmospheric pressure. In space there would be pressure outward from our bodies, but no pressure…
Space Exploration requires public support. ā¢ Public support needs increasing for sustainable Exploration programs. ā¢ Several Space NGOs exist, their activities have little impact on public. ā¢ Non-Space NGOs have obtained major impact on the public. ā¢ Coordination of Space and Non-Space NGOs can improve the impact on the public. Space Exploration is a complex…
The Case against Space Like many science-fiction readers of my generation, first captivated in my youth by Robert A. Heinlein s juveniles, I long considered myself an advocate of human space exploration. I attentively followed the American space program in the 1960s, cheered when Spiro Agnew proposed a manned Mars expedition during the Apollo 11 flight, and lamented…
About this project You ll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Ā£16, 042 pledged of Ā£16, goal The Concept Space Explorer is a pioneering new model for a large-scale public art exhibition, that inspires exploration, by creating moments of wonder and discovery in everyday surroundings. Space Explorer transcends the restrictions of the stuffy, traditional…
Space exploration began with John F. Kennedyās urging for America to put a man on the moon in 1961. Thirty-nine years later, the International Space Station went into orbit, and with it, the goal of continuous human habitation in space. The next series of NASA missions may see astronauts going to Mars. The past 54 years have been rich with research paper topics…
