University of the West of England Home Page - AMRC Research - SEEDS Research - Peter Hale Home Page
University of the West of England Home Page - AMRC Research - SEEDS Research - Peter Hale Home Page
Directions and Map of Campus - Multimap zoomable map - Microsoft Live Local - used as part of the FOLD project.
| Aerospace | Aerospace Modelling and Visualisation | Astronomy | Rockets and Spacecraft | Satellites | Space Missions | Space Planes | Space Tourism, Investment and Economics | Conferences |
Sun - Mercury - Venus - Earth - Moon - Mars - Asteroids and Comets - Jupiter - Saturn - Outer Solar System - General Solar System - ExoPlanets and Interstellar
I meant to make this available for 6 months so am adding the poll again -
A Mars Odyssey - http://www.amarsodyssey.com/ - Carnival of Space #66 - http://www.amarsodyssey.com/gear/welcome-everyone-to-the-66th-edition-of-carnival-of-space/ - Welcome, Everyone, to the 66th Edition of Carnival of Space - There will be no designated theme this week for the Carnival of Space, as Space itself is the theme. And space does not involve just NASA or just ESA, or any one organization nor one person, successfully needing to become an international cooperative among all races and countries for the same goal–promoting a healthier Earth as we explore space for human exploration. An example is the International Space Station, which will soon be finished with the hard work and planning of many nations. - August 6th 2008.
Astrobiology at the University of Bristol - The origin and evolution of life on Earth and the possible variety of life elsewhere - http://astrobiology.gly.bris.ac.uk/ - University of Bristol - Astrobiology is a new branch of science concerned with the origin and evolution of life on Earth, and the possible variety of life beyond Earth.
BBC Radio 4 - The Astronauts' Wives Club - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/pip/yw1tx/ - At the height of the Apollo space programme of the 1960s, many air force and navy pilots considered that their selection as astronauts was largely based upon the success of their marriage. But the astronauts' wives frequently led a fraught and lonely existence, as their previously untold stories show. - 27 January 2008.
BBC Radio 4 - Leading Edge - Where next for NASA? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/leadingedge.shtml - NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary this week. - Amid safety fears over the Space Shuttle and budget cuts, David Kestenbaum, science correspondent for US National Public Radio, wonders what the future holds for Agency? - 31 July 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - Audio Slideshow: To the Moon and beyond - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7530327.stm - Nasa is celebrating 50 years of space exploration - which has taken the American space agency up into the Earth's orbit, on to the Moon, and deep into our Solar System. - That journey has produced many iconic images - from the Apollo moon landings, to the space shuttle missions, and the colourful pictures beamed back from the Hubble Space Telescope. - Here, space writer and historian Piers Bizony recalls some of Nasa's defining moments: - 30th July 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - British space policy gets revamp - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7347561.stm - By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News - UK space policy faces a major revamp with civil servants being moved out of London and stripped of some of their responsibilities. - The British National Space Centre (BNSC) was set up to co-ordinate civil space activities across government. - The BBC has learned that staff will be moved to Swindon to sit with the agencies that fund UK space science. - BNSC will also lose some industrial duties to an agency tasked with fostering innovation in the UK economy.- A spokesperson for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) said the move to Swindon would "bring organisational and programmatic benefits". - 14 April 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - Demand for Europe space rethink - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7349610.stm - Maggie Shiels BBC News, San Francisco - Europe should give up on sending men and women into space and concentrate on unmanned projects, according to one of the world's leading astronomers. - The future lies in using advanced robotics, miniaturisation and fabrication, said Lord Martin Rees, the president of the Royal Society. - 16 April 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - Europe floats future space ideas - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7053057.stm - A mission could be launched before the end of the next decade to put a balloon on Titan, the hazy Saturnian moon. - 19 October 2007.
BBC Science/Technology News - France plans revolution in space - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7482232.stm - By Matt McGrath BBC science correspondent - Ambitious plans for European missions to the Moon and Mars are being considered by the French government. - It wants to kick-start a revolution in space by letting EU politicians not bureaucrats decide on priorities for the European Space Agency (Esa). - The French say that if Europe fails to change its approach to space, it will fall behind Japan, China and India. - Paris is seeking an alliance with the UK to drive the agenda forward during the French presidency of the EU. - 1 July 2008.
Source BBC - More than science: Projects such as Galileo carry political significance
BBC Science/Technology News - In video: Nasa's 50 years in space - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7523700.stm - The US space agency's five decades in space have given the world many memorable moving images. - On 29 July 1958, President Dwight D Eisenhower created the US space administration Nasa by signing the National Aeronautics and Space Act. - The BBC News website has collated just some of the many gripping moments of footage from the agency's history. - 28 July 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - Ministers consider UK astronauts - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7244028.stm - The government is to launch a formal review into whether British astronauts should take part in the international exploration of space. - The review has been prompted by growing fears that the UK might lose out in the next wave of space travel. - International space agencies have set out ambitious plans in a document called the Global Exploration Strategy. - Science Minister Ian Pearson said space was "increasingly important" and worth £7bn to the British economy. - Costs and benefits - The British National Space Centre (BNSC) said in the publication UK Civil Space Strategy: "In 1986 the UK chose not to participate in human space missions. - "The publication of the Global Exploration Strategy provides a suitable point to review this decision." - The BNSC will study the options, taking into account the scientific, technological and economic costs and benefits, and report to Innovation Secretary John Denham. - Mr Pearson said: "This strategy sets out measures to increase the UK's share of this growing international sector." - The review is expected to take between six and 12 months. - The UK has historically opted out of manned space exploration, and spent its limited space budget on detailed scientific missions involving robotic probes. - British mission - Meanwhile, in another development, Nasa is due to give its formal backing in a report to a British-led £100m mission to the Moon. - The US space agency has described the MoonLITE mission to send a small probe to the Moon in 2013 as "inspirational". - 14 February 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - Nasa and Google form cosmic union - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6192523.stm - Detailed 3D images of the Moon and Mars will soon be just a click away for web users, following a deal between search giant Google and US space agency Nasa. - BBC News Technology - 19th December 2006.
BBC Science/Technology News - Nasa 'should follow Columbus' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7361037.stm - Professor Stephen Hawking has called for a new era of space conquest akin to Christopher Columbus' discovery of the new world. - In a speech honouring Nasa's 50th anniversary, the 66-year-old astrophysicist said the situation we face "is like Europe before 1492". - "People might well have argued it was a waste of money to send Columbus on a wild goose chase," he mused. - "Yet the discovery of the new world made profound difference to the old." - 22 April 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - 'No bias' against UK astronauts - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7390133.stm - By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News. - The UK's longstanding opposition to human spaceflight will be no bar to its citizens becoming astronauts, the European Space Agency (Esa) says. - Officials made it clear at the start of a recruitment drive in London that Britons were very welcome to apply. - Although a major Esa member, the UK currently refuses to fund human spaceflight, believing robotics to be a more worthwhile space activity. - 8 May 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - South Korea swaps first astronaut - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7286989.stm - South Korea says its first astronaut will now be a female engineer, after Russian officials rejected the initial candidate over a breach of rules. - Yi So-yeon, 29, is to replace Ko San, 31, on a Russian flight to the International Space Station in April. - 10 March 2008.
BBC Science/Technology News - Space agencies will 'co-ordinate' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6708661.stm - Fourteen space agencies have agreed to co-ordinate future space exploration of the Moon and Mars. - They have published a document that contains their common space goals, agreed after months of discussion. - The document outlines the rationale for society to explore space and the current interest in returning to the Moon and exploring Mars. - The document is non-binding, instead proposing a framework for the future co-ordination of space programmes. - 31 May 2007.
BBC Sky at Night - EXPLORATION - http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/exploration/index.shtml - After only a century of powered flight, we have escaped the confines of planet Earth, and forged our way into the vast expanse of space. Explore the past, present and future of space travel in Exploration.
Britain should have its own astronauts, Government told - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/britain-should-have-its-own-astronauts-government-told-402307.html - The Independant Online - By Steve Connor, Science Editor - 14 September 2007 - Britain should abandon its long-standing antipathy towards manned space exploration and needs to prepare to launch its first astronaut as early as 2012 as part of an ambitious plan to send Britons to a permanent base on the Moon, a group of experts has recommended. - The UK gave up on the idea of human space exploration in 1986 after former prime minister Margaret Thatcher pulled out of the manned missions planned by the European Space Agency, but officially-appointed specialists now believe it is time to make a U-turn. A group of scientists, technologists and industrialists has recommended that the Government needs to re-evaluate its space policy to take into account the commercial, scientific and educational benefits of British astronauts in space. - "We recommend that the UK engages in preparatory human space flight activities," said Professor Frank Close of Oxford University, the chairman of the UK Space Exploration Working Group established by the government's British National Space Centre.
British Interplanetary Society - Events - Chinese/Soviet Symposium - http://www.bis-spaceflight.com/sitesia.aspx/page/196/id/586/l/en-gb - Venue: BIS HQ, 27/29 South Lambeth Rd, London, SW8 1SZ - 7/Jun/2008 - 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. - This is the Society’s major Forum for hearing from and talking to the experts on the Chinese/Soviet Space Programme.
British Interplanetary Society - Events - Next Steps for Space Infrastructure - http://www.bis-spaceflight.com/sitesia.aspx/page/196/id/1669/l/en-gb - BIS HQ, 27/29 South Lambeth Rd, London SW8 1SZ - 23/Apr/2008 - 9.30 am 4.30 pm. - With the decommissioning of the Space Shuttle and the completion of the build phase of the International Space Station it is timely for consideration of the next steps. NASA has returned to expendable launch systems and simple capsules, but Europe and other space fairing nations are still considering their next developments in launch systems and in orbit facilities. This symposium will provide a forum for consideration of what new capabilities are required and how they may be best met.
ESA - Aurora Programme - http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Aurora/ - The European Space Exploration Programme Aurora.
ESA - Human Spaceflight and Exploration - http://www.esa.int/esaHS/index.html.
ESA - Ion drives: Science fiction or science fact? - http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM3JQXO4HD_index_0.html - 30 July 2003 - Science fiction movie fans know that, if you want to travel short distances from your home planet, you would use a sublight 'ion drive'. However, is such an ion drive science fiction, or science fact? - The answer lies somewhere in between. Ion engines date back to at least 1959. Two ion engines were even tested in 1964 on the American SERT 1 satellite - one was successful, the other was not. - The principle is simply conventional physics - you take a gas and you ionise it, which means that you give it an electrical charge. This creates positively charged ions of gas, along with electrons. The ionised gas passes through an electric field or screen at the back of the engine and the ions leave the engine, producing a thrust in the opposite direction.
ESA - Artist's impression of SMART-1
ESA - NASA and ESA complete comparative exploration architecture study - http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMBA0THKHF_index_0.html - 9 July 2008 Over the last 6 months, representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have been engaged in detailed assessment of potential programs and technologies that when conducted cooperatively could one day support a human outpost on the Moon.
ESA - Space agency leaders to gather in Paris - 7 July 2008 - http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMW8TSHKHF_index_0.html - ESA PR 31-2008. On 17 July ESA will host an ISS Heads of Agency meeting at which leaders of the space agencies participating in the International Space Station programme (ESA for Europe, NASA for the US, CSA for Canada, JAXA for Japan, Roscosmos for Russia) will take stock of the ISS status and decide on future activities. - The meeting will take place at ESA Headquarters in Paris and will be followed by a press briefing.
Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost? A Freakonomics Quorum - By Stephen J. Dubner - http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/is-space-exploration-worth-the-cost-a-freakonomics-quorum/ - New York Times - Warning: what follows is a long blog post, perhaps better suited for a newspaper or magazine, and it will at times require your close attention. But I believe it is easily one of the best quorums we’ve ever published here. I’d like to thank all the participants for their thoughtful, well-considered, and fascinating answers, and for taking the time to share their very considerable expertise and experience. - January 28, 2008.
Kentucky Space Conference - http://kysat.typepad.com/my_weblog/kentucky_space_conference_08/index.html - May 13th 2008 - Kentucky Space: Creating "Playground Events" - KySat Space readers: this is the final post from my live notes from the Kentucky Space Conference '08 session held last Wednesday in Lexington. - Dr. Janet Lumpp, KySat faculty advisor from the University of Kentucky, is now up discussing student talent development - it's a issue critical to the success of Kentucky Space and has already come up in discussion a couple of times during the day. - Displaying a well-known quote from NASA administrator Mike Griffin, she says that the vision for space exploration will be carried out by kids in elementary and middle school now.
Lunar and Planetary Society Conference - LPSC 2008 - http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/ - League City Texas - March 10th - 14th 2008.
NASA - 50 years of NASA - http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/50th/index.html - Welcome to NASA's 50th Anniversary multimedia feature. This site is best viewed over a broadband Internet connection with a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768. This site uses the Adobe Flash plug-in. If you don't have Flash on your computer, you can download it here: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/.
NASA/JPL Solar System Simulator - http://maps.jpl.nasa.gov/ - This is a database of JPL/Caltech generated planetary maps. Select your planetary system of choice!
NASA/JPL Solar System Simulator
NASA Watch - http://www.nasawatch.com/ - WARNING! This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. - Remember: It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
Open Univeristy - Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute - http://www.open.ac.uk/science/pssri/home.php - Welcome to PSSRI - home to 60+ staff and students, based in the new Robert Hooke Building. - 22nd May 2008 - NASA Visits PSSRI - The Director of NASA's Ames Research Centre in California, Dr Pete Worden, visited PSSRI on Thursday 22 May to discuss research areas of common interest. These included hypervelocity impacts, analysis of extraterrestrial material, lunar research and ... 22nd May 2008 - NASA Stardust mission samples analysed. - 2nd May 2008 - PhD student gives invited talk at NASA Astrobiology Science Conference - 22nd April 2008 - ExoMars mission instrument developments receive STFC grant. - Our research covers a wide range of Solar System science and exploration through laboratory and space mission experiments.
Plan B For Outer Space - http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1286 - In 1992 as a student enthusiastically working on projects associated with the Shuttle, tethers in space, small satellites, and the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), I, along with some fellow students wrote papers about technologies that could be used in the return to the Moon effort. One conference that we wrote a paper for was the American Society of Civil Engineers Space 1992 conference in Denver Colorado, which at that time was a wellspring of great academic and research interactions regarding practical approaches to building Lunar and Mars outposts. - Dennis Wingo - Monday, May 5, 2008.
SpaceRef.com - Plan B For Outer Space
Planetary Society Weblog - By Emily Lakdawalla - http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001318/ - NASA's 2009 budget - Feb. 5, 2008.
RAeS Space Group - MISSION VIRGIN GALACTIC - http://www.acc.co.uk/raes/space/mission.htm - THE UK'S FIRST OUT OF THIS WORLD NATIONAL SCHOOLS COMPETITION - London, Tuesday 29 April 2008: - Today The Royal Aeronautical Society, The Royal Air Force and Virgin Galactic launched 'MISSION VIRGIN GALACTIC' a truly innovative National Schools Competition. - Mission Virgin Galactic will be open to all 11 - 14 year old students (Key Stage 3) across the UK and has been designed with the backing of education experts to fit within and complement the national curriculum. The aim of the competition is to inspire pupils in the areas of science, maths, technology and engineering in a fun and exciting way. - Working in teams of four to six pupils, the challenge is to design a marketable product that demonstrates one or more of the science, technology or engineering principles used in the Virgin Galactic space tourism programme. - http://www.missionvirgingalactic.com/.
RAeS Space Group - Royal Aeronautical Society - Events - http://www.raes.org.uk/space/ - Thursday 03 July at RAeS, London "What is needed to extend life permanently beyond Earth?". Evening lecture by Elon Musk, Owner and CEO, SpaceX. Organised by the RAeS Space Group. Refreshments: 17:30, start 18:00.
RAeS Space Group - Royal Aeronautical Society - Events - http://www.raes.org.uk/space/ - Wednesday 01 October 2008 at RAeS, London 50th anniversary of the foundation of NASA. Special evening lecture. Details to be announced. Organised by the RAeS Space Group. Refreshments: 17:30, start 18:00.
Sky at Night Podcast - Episode 1: The RAS National Astronomy Meeting 2008 - http://www.bbcskyatnightmagazine.com/podcast.asp - Welcome to the first BBC Sky At Night magazine podcast. In this episode Will Gater reports from the 2008 Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Belfast. Find out what James Bond has been doing at one of the world's largest observatories, the latest on the plans to upgrade Hubble, and the discovery of the youngest extrasolar planet ever found.
Sky at Night Podcast - Episode 2: - http://www.bbcskyatnightmagazine.com/podcast.asp - What happened, 100 years ago, that devastated vast swathes of Siberia? We find out about the Tunguska explosion with an exclusive interview with Stuart Clark. Find out what's up in the night sky in June - everything from noctilucent clouds, lunar mountains and nebulae. Plus we talk to the UK's coordinator of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and find out what you need to become an astronaut.
Sky at Night Podcast - Episode 3: - http://www.bbcskyatnightmagazine.com/podcast.asp - In our jam-packed third episode we ponder how to search for intelligent aliens, speak to a movie stunt pilot who's also a NASA astronaut, find out what's happening with the Mars Phoenix probe and see what's in the night sky in July. If that's not enough we discuss the latest astronomy news and explore what astronomy treats are on the TV and radio in July.
Sky at Night Podcast - Episode 4: - http://www.bbcskyatnightmagazine.com/podcast.asp - In this bumper 30 minute episode we've got a special interview with none other than acclaimed space author Andrew Chaikin, 50 sights you have to see in the night sky, your guide to the August partial eclipse, new 'super-Earths' and all our regular features including; astronomy TV listings, the latest astronomy news and the stargazing guide.
Sky at Night Podcast - Episode 5: - http://www.bbcskyatnightmagazine.com/podcast.asp - In this month’s episode we talk to Allan Chapman about 400 years of the telescope, explore the latest results from the Galaxy Zoo with Chris Lintott, find out about the latest news from deep space and keep you up to date with what’s in the night sky. Plus we have a special interview with Don Airey from Deep Purple about his love of astronomy, as well as news about the podcast hitting the road at the Herstmonceux Astronomy Festival 2008.
SMEX - six up - http://scienceblogs.com/catdynamics/2008/06/smex_six_up.php - In case you missed it, NASA announced selection of the six SMEX concept studies that will be downselected to two launch missions in 2012-2015. - In case you missed it, NASA announced selection of the six SMEX concept studies that will be downselected to two launch missions in 2012-2015. - Dynamics of Cats - June 9, 2008.
Space Feeds - http://feedspace.blogspot.com/ - Everything Space... All In One Place.
Space Feeds - At Last, GLAST Image Credit: Jerry Cannon, Robert Murray, NASA
Universe Today - 50 Years of NASA - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Fifty years ago this week NASA was born. On July 29, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the "National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958." NASA replaced NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, to meet the challenge of exploring beyond Earth, and in particular, to send a human into space. NASA has accomplished a lot during the last 50 years, and now its time to celebrate. To commemorate the anniversary, NASA has developed an interactive multimedia website that provides a historic tour of its first five decades of exploration. It's a fun and interesting site that offers lots of history and a little look at the future, too. The site combines historic and current video with entertaining computer animation, and the virtual exhibit takes a World's Fair approach to NASA history, with pavilions that host each decade of NASA's achievements and challenges. - August 1st, 2008.
Universe Today - Aldrin Warns that NASA will fall Behind Russia and China in Space Exploration - Written by Ian O'Neill - The world knows the huge potential China and Russia have for space exploration. Russia is maintaining a strong presence in space with their sturdy Soyuz program and China has set its sights on having their very first "taikonaut" EVA at the end of this year. But where does this leave NASA? The US space agency has spearheaded the exploration of space for the last 50 years, but amongst all the talk about NASA setbacks, overspending and delays, could the glory days be coming to an abrupt end? In May, the legendary astronaut John Glenn spoke out against Shuttle decommissioning and last week, US Senator Bill Nelson called a meeting at Cape Canaveral to raise concerns about announced job cuts in 2010. Now, the most famous NASA ex-employee and second man on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin has voiced warnings that the US could lose its grip on space and begin to be left behind by Russia and China... - June 30th, 2008.
Universe Today - Be A Carbon Hero - Written by Nancy Atkinson - NASA is quite proud of its 'spinoffs', technology developed for NASA's needs in space needs that in turn contribute to commercial innovations that improve life here on Earth. And rightly so. Just as a quick example, improvements in spacesuits have led to better protection for firefighters, scuba divers and people working in cold weather. But the list of NASA spinoffs is quite extensive. - Just like NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) has a Technology Transfer office to help inventors and businesses use space technology for non-space applications. The latest invention touted as an ESA spinoff is a small hand-held device called a Carbon Hero that might help make people more aware of the carbon footprint they are leaving behind due to vehicle emissions. - February 25th, 2008. - ESA Technology Transfer Programme - ESA Press Release - Tracking your carbon footprint.
Universe Today - By 2020, Droids Could Explore Space For Us - Written by Ian O'Neill - All the best sci-fi films have them, and they may become our future automated space explorers. Currently, one of the biggest drawbacks for using robots in space is that they depend on human input (i.e. commands need to be sent for every robotic arm motion and every rover wheel rotation). This means that, especially with missions operating far from Earth (such as the Phoenix Mars Lander and Mars Expedition Rovers), very simple and mundane tasks can take hours or even days to complete. One of the main reasons supporting manned exploration of space is that very complex science can be carried out very rapidly (after all, astronauts are human and many robotic operations that take weeks can be completed in seconds). But say if our robotic explorers had a high degree of automation? Say if they could sever the requirement for human input and carry out tasks with intelligent reasoning? As robotic and computer technology increases in sophistication, one Caltech scientist believes space exploration by artificial intelligence is closer than we think... - July 28th, 2008.
Universe Today - Carnival of Space #58 - Written by Fraser Cain - At Dynamics of Cats, Steinn Sigurðsson analyzes NASA's newly announced shortlist of Small Explorer missions. - As Phoenix settles down on Mars to begin its third week of work, Stuart Atkinson wonders what could be responsible for the problems with getting samples of precious martian dust into the waiting TEGA ovens, and comes up with two - surprising - possible explanations... - Martian Chronicles also looks at the very clumpy soil that Phoenix tried, and failed, to process through its shake and bake method. - At A Babe in the Universe, you can get a look at the newly announced probe that will fly right through the hot corona of the Sun. - Next Big Future has a list of the top 10 upcoming developments in space technology that will vastly improve the exploration of space. - Centauri Dreams reports on plans to build a light tower to memorialize the victims of hurricane Katrina, and thinks about how this could apply to solar sail technology. - Ed Minchau has a space video of the week. This time, a summary of the major events of mission STS-124. - Clark Lindsey at Hobbyspace announces an upcoming event for the X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge. - Music of the Spheres discusses cycling to Mars. No, not on a bicycle, but on a space station that travels back and forth from Earth to Mars. - And last, but not least, Universe Today's Nancy Atkinson shows what the new Constellation spacesuits might look like. - June 13th, 2008.
Universe Today - Celebrate Sun-Earth Day 2008 on March 20 - Written by Tammy Plotner - Over the past seven years, NASA Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum has sponsored and coordinated education and public outreach events to highlight NASA Sun-Earth Connection research and discoveries. Their purpose is to interest school students and the general public to participate in programs that occur throughout the year and the kickoff is about to begin. This year's main event will be on March 20, 2008. - March 18th, 2008.
Universe Today - Congress Considering Additional Shuttle Flight and More Science Funding - Written by Nancy Atkinson - A bill directing NASA to fly an additional space shuttle mission to deliver the $1 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station cleared the House Science and Technology space and aeronautics subcommittee. The NASA Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 6063) was quickly approved sent on to the full committee for consideration. - May 21st, 2008.
Universe Today - Conflicting Results from Phoenix Science Instruments Prompts Further Study - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Scientists from the Phoenix lander are analyzing conflicting results from soil samples delivered to two science instruments on the Mars lander. Two different samples analyzed by the spacecraft's Wet Chemistry Lab both suggested one of the soil constituents may be perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance. But results from the TEGA instrument, (Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer) downloaded from the lander over the weekend indicated no evidence of perchlorate. These findings may may have prompted the reports of "provocative" science results recently. Today, Phoenix officials said any reports of the spacecraft finding life were unfounded, and over the weekend, the Phoenix spacecraft itself said, via Twitter, that reports of White House briefings were not true. NASA will hold a media teleconference on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. EDT, to discuss the recent science activities. A press release from the Phoenix team today said, "Confirmation of the presence of perchlorate and supporting data is important prior to scientific peer review and subsequent public announcements.". - August 4th, 2008.
Universe Today - The surface zones where samples have been excavated by Phoenix (NASA)
Universe Today - Could Dark Matter be the Root Cause of Flyby Anomalies? - Written by Ian O'Neill - When space probes Galileo, Rosetta, NEAR and Cassini carried out Earth flyby manoeuvre, scientists measured a bizarre and unpredictable jumps in orbital acceleration. To this day, the phenomenon remains unexplained, but there are many ideas as to how this flyby anomaly may be caused. - May 21st, 2008.
Universe Today - GoogleNASA - Google and NASA Ames announced today that they'll be forming a new partnership to work together on several space-related projects - December 18th, 2006.
Universe Today - Harvesting Solar Power from Space - Written by Ian O'Neill - In a new report, the viability of sending solar panels into space to collect a vast quantity of uninterrupted energy has been re-investigated. Although the idea has been around since the 1970's, space solar power has always been viewed as prohibitively expensive. In the current energy climate down here on Earth with spiralling oil prices and a massive push toward green energy sources, sending massive solar arrays into geosynchronous orbit doesn't seem like such a strange (or expensive) idea. There are many obstacles in the way of this plan, but the international community is becoming more interested, and whoever is first to set up an orbital array will have a flexible and unlimited energy resource... - June 1st, 2008.
Universe Today - Have a Question About Space? Ask an Astronaut - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Astronauts are usually gregarious and quite pleasant people who like to share their experiences of living and working in space. Current International Space Station resident Greg Chamitoff is no different, and he is now ready and waiting to answer any burning questions you may have about human space flight. NASA offers a "Ask the Expert" website for many of its human missions, where the public can submit questions and astronauts or other NASA personnel answer with written and/or audio replies. But the past few space shuttle missions have been so jam-packed with ISS construction activities, there hasn't been time in the schedule for astronauts to answer any questions from the public. However, Chamitoff will be on board the ISS for a couple of months, and he has some time to answer a few questions. Questions will be transmitted to Greg from Mission Control each week and his answers to a few of them will be available here. - August 13th, 2008.
Universe Today - Ion Drive Powered Spacecraft - Written by Fraser Cain - The European Space Agency's SMART-1 mission will use a revolutionary ion engine to help it search for evidence that the Moon was formed after a violent collision of a smaller planet with the Earth. An ion engine works by accelerating ionized particles of gas in a constant stream for months or even years. Although the thrust is very low, it's very efficient and requires a fraction of fuel that traditional rockets use. - July 30th, 2003.
Universe Today - Mapquesting the Solar System - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Map generators like Mapquest and Yahoo! Maps have bailed me out quite a few times, helping me get where I needed to go. So imagine in the future, navigating on other bodies in our solar system and having the ability to find landmarks and destinations to point you in the right direction. - May 15th, 2008.
Universe Today - Missions.
Universe Today - More Space News From Russia - Written by Nancy Atkinson - When it rains space news from Russia, it pours. Not only did the news break today about the Russian Space Agency's plans to send monkeys to Mars, but also, Russia wants to build an Earth-orbiting factory to build large, interplanetary ships that might be too large to launch from Earth. Additionally, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency said that beginning in 2010, they will likely terminate ferrying space tourists to the International Space Station. - April 14th, 2008.
Universe Today - NASA Wants Your Opinion on the Lunar Lander - NASA's Constellation Program has released an announcement that they are looking for people to evaluate the design of the Altair spacecraft that will land on the moon. So if you work in the science community or in a related industry, NASA wants your opinion. What they are looking for are evaluations of the current developmental concept for the Altair lander and the safety improvements that have been proposed, as well as recommendations for industry-government partnerships. - NASA page - http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jan/HQ_08008_Altair.html - NASA Announces Study Proposal on Design of Human Lunar Lander - Constellation Program - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html - Written by Nancy Atkinson. - January 16th, 2008.
NASA Wants Your Opinion on the Lunar Lander - Source Universe Today
Planetary Society Press Release - Letter to the Editor Regarding Aviation Week Article "Moon Stuck" - written by Planetary Society President Lou Friedman and Scott Hubbard of Stanford University.
Universe Today - Podcast: Getting Around the Solar System - Written by Fraser Cain - Have you ever wondered what it takes to get a spacecraft off the Earth and into space. And how managers at NASA can actually navigate a spacecraft to another planet? And how does a gravity assist work? And how do they get them into orbit? And how do they land? So many questions... - April 14th, 2008.
Universe Today - Popular Space Elevator Video Not "News," says LiftPort Founder - Written by Nancy Atkinson - An online video that's been circulating like wildfire on the internet recently is actually almost two years old, says Michael Laine, founder of LiftPort, a company looking to develop a space elevator. The video was taken in the fall of 2006, at least 20 months ago. - May 8th, 2008.
Universe Today - President Sarkozy and the French (Space) Revolution (Updated) - Written by Ian O'Neill - It seems to be the week for big politics and space exploration. Yesterday, the Universe Today reported that Buzz Aldrin was worried about the future of the politically-driven US space policy; he is currently lobbying US President hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain to increase NASA funding. On the other side of the pond, French President Nicolas Sarkozy also wants NASA's European counterpart, ESA, to do better. However, Sarkozy wants to change the face of the ESA into the NASA model by making it politically driven, rather than leaving European bureaucrats to decide ESA priorities. ESA has operated independently from political pressures that often weigh down on space agencies, but Sarkozy is a huge advocate of the US system and believes space exploration should be politically motivated. This is bound to raise a few eyebrows, as the very agency he is promoting is facing some serious political uncertainty... - July 1st, 2008.
Universe Today - President Sarkozy and the French (Space) Revolution (Updated)
Universe Today - Research and Technology to Help Psychological Issues of Space Travel - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Psychologists meeting this week at the American Psychological Association's 116th Annual Convention are taking the time to discuss the challenges astronauts will face on the longer missions planned for NASA's return to the moon and missions to Mars. Presenters at the first every symposium to address the psychological aspects of long-term spaceflight outlined the mental health challenges and introduced a new interactive computer program that will help address psychosocial issues in space. Psychologists said longer missions mean astronauts will be faced with immense psychological pressures as they adjust to being so far away from Earth, which could lead to depression and interpersonal conflicts. "Lessons learned from the past, research in extreme environments, training, conditioning, and countermeasures for psychological stress are some of the things NASA is in the process of addressing for the upcoming age of exploration," said psychologist Marc Shepanek, PhD, from the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer at NASA. - August 14th, 2008.
Universe Today - Should NASA Overhaul Its Vision? - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Is the moon really "so yesterday?" An article in the Jan. 18 issue of Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that a group influential people in the space community will meet in early February to discuss alternatives to NASA's current Vision for Space Exploration of returning to the moon to prepare for future missions to Mars. But a subsequent letter to the editor in AWST written by Planetary Society President Lou Friedman and Scott Hubbard of Stanford University tried to put the brakes on any notion that the group has already come to a consensus that NASA's VSE should change direction and destination - January 22nd, 2008.
Universe Today - Space Debris Illustrated: The Problem in Pictures - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Space junk, space debris, space waste - call it what you want, but just as junk and waste cause problems here on Earth, in space spent booster stages, nuts and bolts from ISS construction, various accidental discards such as spacesuit gloves and cameras, and fragments from exploded spacecraft could turn into a serious problem for the future of spaceflight if actions to mitigate the threat are not taken now. The European Space Operations Centre has put together some startling images highlighting this issue. - April 11th, 2008.
Universe Today - Space Debris May be Catastrophic to Future Missions (and Google Earth is Watching...) - Written by Ian O'Neill - Kessler Syndrome could be a frightening situation for space travel. No, it's not a health risk to the human body in zero-G and it's not a psychological disorder for astronauts spending too much time from home. Kessler Syndrome is the point at which space travel becomes impossible without hitting into a piece of space junk, jeopardizing missions and risking lives. In extreme predictions, space debris from our constant littering of low Earth orbit, collisions between bits of rubbish may become more and more frequent, causing a catastrophic cascade of debris multiplying exponentially, falling through the atmosphere and making space impassable. - In the meanwhile, space mission controllers must be acutely aware that there could be an odd bolt or piece of old satellite flying toward their spaceship at velocities faster than the fastest rifle shot. Spare a thought for the space debris trackers as they try to keep a record of the 9,000+ pieces of junk currently orbiting our planet... but wait a minute, Google Earth can give us a ringside seat!. - February 24th, 2008.
Universe Today - Space Exploration.
Universe Today - Space Program At Risk, Panel Says - Written by Nancy Atkinson - A panel of 50 space experts met recently to discuss NASA's current direction with its Vision for Space Exploration. While the conference, 'Examining the Vision: Balancing Science and Exploration' was seemingly billed as forum for discussing alternatives to the moon/Mars vision, attendees endorsed NASA’s current direction and then concluded what anyone with an eye on NASA already knew: NASA isn’t receiving adequate funds in line with the grand goal of sending humans to Mars. - February 19th, 2008.
Universe Today - The Battle for the Space Vote - Written by Nancy Atkinson - Remember a few months ago when "space" seemed to be a non-issue for the candidates in this year's US presidential election? But now space seems to be a hot topic. John McCain was in Florida today where he met with 20 leaders from the space industry for a roundtable discussion, and Barack Obama was in Florida last week, to stump for votes. Perhaps both candidates are recalling the 2000 presidential election that hinged on the Florida vote. Hanging chads aside, an important issue in Florida these days is the projected job losses that will be incurred in the gap after the space shuttle is retired in 2010 and before the Constellation program makes its first flights in about 2015, and both candidates have met with members of NASA's workforce and other NASA officials to discuss this issue. Also, both McCain and Obama recently updated their positions on their space-related agendas on their websites, with both devoting quite a bit of "space" to space.. - August 18th, 2008.
Universe Today - The Politics of Space: Obama Wants to Increase NASA Funding - Written by Ian O'Neill - Over the weekend, Democratic senator Barack Obama made a public statement during his presidential campaign trail in Titusville, Florida. Whilst responding to a question about oceanic research, Obama elaborated on his plans for the future of NASA. Previously, there have been hints that a possible Obama Presidency would see a reduction in space funding in favour of a boost in education spending. However, Saturday's statement was followed by some detailed text on Obama's campaign blog outlining his priorities for the US dominance in space, the possibility of extending the Shuttle's operations and speeding up development of the Constellation program... - August 6th, 2008.
Universe Today - The Space Traveler's Guide to Surviving Without a Spacesuit (Part 1) - Written by Nancy Atkinson - In a few decades from now, when we've got interplanetary space travel perfected and all of us Average Joes can hop in our own personal spacecraft or grab the local express line of the Milky Way Transport Service, visiting other planets and moons is going to be a blast. - May 7th, 2008.
Universe Today - The Value of Space Exploration - Written by Fraser Cain - Read any debate about space exploration, and this question will invariably come up. "Why should we be spending money exploring space when there are so many problems here on Earth that we need to solve first?" It's a tricky one. I've got a simple answer; space exploration is awesome. Come on, think of space ships traveling to other worlds - that's really cool. - Okay, perhaps I've got too simplistic an argument, so I turned to the astrosphere and posed the question to other space bloggers. Here's what they had to say... - April 11th, 2008.
Universe Today - Volunteers Sweat for NASA - Written by Nancy Atkinson - For three weeks, 23 volunteers spent time helping NASA test a new life support system for the spacecraft that will replace the shuttle. Five volunteers at a time would squeeze into a special room the size of a walk-in closet for eight hours. - May 7th, 2008.
Universe Today - Want to Find Evidence of Life on Another Planet? Look for Cellulose - Written by Nancy Atkinson, Until recently, the oldest evidence of biological material on Earth came from fragments of ancient protein found in Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur fossils, dated at 68 million years old. But scientists from the University of North Carolina have found even more ancient biological material - cellulose microfibers-that date to over 250 million years old. - March 31st, 2008.
What is Needed to Extend Life Permanently Beyond Earth?
by Elon Musk, Owner and CEO, SpaceX
** SPECIAL EVENT **
Lecture Theatre at 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ.
Public open lecture - All visitors welcome - No admission fee - No tickets required - Doors open 5:30pm
A personal message from Elon Musk
"For the first time in the four billion year history of Earth, there exists the possibility of extending life beyond Earth to other planets. It is difficult to predict how long that window will remain open. I will talk about why this goal should be considered important and why we should seek to fulfil it this century".
"Commercial space transport companies, including possibly SpaceX, are needed to make this happen, as the commercial sector is best suited to optimizing both the cost and reliability of access to space, just as the commercial air and ground transport companies did in their sectors. I believe we will need at least an order (perhaps two orders) of magnitude reduction in present day space launch costs and flight failures to achieve the above goal of becoming a multi-planetary species. This lecture will describe how SpaceX intends to make progress in that direction with the Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Dragon".
SpaceX
In an era when most technology based products follow a path of ever-increasing capability and reliability while simultaneously reducing costs, launch vehicles today are little changed from those of 40 years ago. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) aims to change this paradigm by developing a family of launch vehicles which will ultimately reduce the cost and increase the reliability of space access by a factor of ten. Coupled with the newly emerging market for private and commercial space transport, this new model will re-ignite humanity's efforts to explore and develop Space.
SpaceX is based on the philosophy that simplicity, low-cost, and reliability can go hand in hand. By eliminating the traditional layers of management internally, and sub-contractors externally, costs are reduced while speeding decision making and delivery. Likewise, by keeping the vast majority of manufacturing in house, costs are again reduced keeping tighter control of quality and ensuring a tight feedback loop between the design and manufacturing teams. And by focusing on simple, proven designs with a primary focus on reliability, SpaceX reduce the costs associated with complex systems operating at the margin.
White House Briefed On Potential For Mars Life - Aviation Week - Aug 1, 2008 - By Craig Covault -The White House has been alerted by NASA about plans to make an announcement soon on major new Phoenix lander discoveries concerning the "potential for life" on Mars, scientists tell Aviation Week & Space Technology. - Sources say the new data do not indicate the discovery of existing or past life on Mars. Rather the data relate to habitability--the "potential" for Mars to support life--at the Phoenix arctic landing site, sources say. - The data are much more complex than results related NASA's July 31 announcement that Phoenix has confirmed the presence of water ice at the site. - International news media trumpeted the water ice confirmation, which was not a surprise to any of the Phoenix researchers. "They have discovered water on Mars for the third or fourth time," one senior Mars scientists joked about the hubbub around the water ice announcement. - The other data not discussed openly yet are far more "provocative," Phoenix officials say.
Why Space? (A Meta-post) - Music of the Spheres - http://flyingsinger.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-space-meta-post.html - Last week, Fraser Cain of Universe Today (who also organizes the Carnival of Space) sent out a call to space bloggers for brief comments on why we should spend money on space exploration "when there are so many problems here on Earth." He gathered the responses into a very nice blog post. I was busy and traveling and didn’t have time to submit something. My past comments on this subject suggest that I would have had trouble with the "brief" part anyway. - April 15, 2008.
Why Space - Source Music of the Spheres
Astronomy - The Sun.
Space Missions - The Sun.
Astronomy - Mercury.
Space Missions - Mercury.
Astronomy - Venus.
Space Missions - Venus.
Astronomy - Earth.
Space Missions - Earth.
Astronomy - Moon.
Space Missions - Moon.
Astronomy - Mars.
Space Missions - Mars.
Astronomy - Asteroids and Comets.
Space Missions - Asteroids and Comets.
Astronomy - Jupiter.
Space Missions - Jupiter.
Astronomy - Saturn.
Space Missions - Saturn.
Astronomy - Outer Solar System.
Space Missions - Outer Solar System.
Astronomy - General Solar System.
Space Missions - General Solar System.
Astronomy - Exoplanets.
Astronomy - Interstellar.
Space Missions - Exoplanets and Interstellar.
BBC Science News Space - http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/ - Science & Nature: Space.
Podcasts - Universe Today - http://www.universetoday.com/category/podcasts/.
Popular Mechanics - http://www.popularmechanics.com/futurespace - The Future of Space.
Popular Mechanics - http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4221976.html?series=35 - The First 50 Years of Space: Every Single Launch... Ever! - Not even NASA has done it: a collection of 6038 liftoffs since Sputnik, which celebrates its golden anniversary this fall. Explore PM's interactive time line below, then read our special report on the next 50 years in space - September 2007 issue.
RAeS Space Group - Royal Aeronautical Society - http://www.raes.org.uk/space/ - The Space Group is the specialist group within The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) charged with promoting the interests of the Society and its members in astronautics and its component scientific and engineering disciplines.
RAeS Space Group - Royal Aeronautical Society - http://www.acc.co.uk/raes/space/Humans_in_space.htm - Discussion paper on "Humans in space - UK policy" - In late 2005 the RAeS Space Group Committee published a discussion paper on "Humans in space - UK policy" with a view to sparking debate on that subject.
Royal Astronomical Society - RAS PN05/45: Human Space Exploration - Written by David Elliott - 18 October 2005 - The Royal Astronomical Society Commission assigned to investigate "The Scientific Case for Human Space Flight" has recommended that the British Government re-evaluates its long-standing opposition to involvement in human space exploration.
Sky at Night - Sky at Night - BBC Site.
Universe Today - Name That Satellite - Written by Fraser Cain - Have you ever named a space mission? Well, here's your chance. NASA announced today that they're looking for help from the public to rename their upcoming Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) before it launches in mid-2008. - February 7th, 2008.
This page has been Accessed
times since May 2008.
|
Terms and conditions Privacy policy Accessibility © 2007 University of the West of England, Bristol (except acknowledged extracts from newspapers, journals, etc) |