Lean U.S. missions to Mars, Jupiter moon recommended - Reuters, Mar 7, 2011
For the decade 2013-2022, five separate panels of scientists and experts agreed on a suite of missions that would get the greatest scientific return from money spent, recognizing that even these projects could be budget busters. The recomendations put limits on a mission's budget, stating that they only should be undertaken if the cost is about $2.5 billion, which is $1 billion less than independent estimates. The missons planned are a mission to Europa and its subsurface ocean -- which might support life (considered a second priority mission), and space missions to Mars.
To me this is good news since I was under the impression that American government essentially scrapped all space exploration plans, especially so - planeary expeditions. I knew that president Barack Obama followed earlier administrations in recognizing the end of the space shuttle era -- the final mission occurred this year. Obama also canceled his predecessor's Constellation moon program, angering some lawmakers and former astronauts who argued that it would make the United States a second or third-rate power in space. These plans give us some hope that our country would continue to be a country with ambitious space research program.
Friday, March 25, 2011
14. Tourists in Space
Boeing, Space Adventures to market commercial space flights - usatoday.com, Sep 15, 2010
Boeing and Space Adventures announced an agreement to market commercial rides to low Earth orbit aboard a Boeing capsule now in development. Boeing built a 7-person Crew Space Transportation-100 spacecraft designed to launch atop United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets and SpaceX's Falcon 9, which have pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Space Adventures has flown seven spaceflight participants to the space station aboard Russian made Soyuz spacecraft.
This, as far as i know, is the first attempt to create a commercially viable business enterprise related to outer space. If successful, it might give a boost to the space research, especially if there would be a competition among several companies. Space research is beneficial to many other scientific endeavours as it requires advances in material science, communications, computers, fuel chemistry and other areas of research.
Boeing and Space Adventures announced an agreement to market commercial rides to low Earth orbit aboard a Boeing capsule now in development. Boeing built a 7-person Crew Space Transportation-100 spacecraft designed to launch atop United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets and SpaceX's Falcon 9, which have pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Space Adventures has flown seven spaceflight participants to the space station aboard Russian made Soyuz spacecraft.
This, as far as i know, is the first attempt to create a commercially viable business enterprise related to outer space. If successful, it might give a boost to the space research, especially if there would be a competition among several companies. Space research is beneficial to many other scientific endeavours as it requires advances in material science, communications, computers, fuel chemistry and other areas of research.
13. new Soyuz launch date
Russia sets new Soyuz launch date on April 5 - Reuters, Mar 21, 2011
Space agency chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying the Soyuz TMA-21 would blast off at 1118 GMT on April 5 from Russia's Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan. Russia delayed the launch to resolve a communication problem with the Soyuz, raising fears over its reliability and whether the mission would begin in time to honour the April 12 anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first manned flight into space. Russian Soyuz spacecraft is used since 2009 exclusively for space station crew transport.
To my understanding, reliability is the most important issue now, when Russia is the only provider of the transport spacecraft in the world. Russian space industry, being in decline since the desintegration of the Soviet Union, somewhat recovered dusring the last few years, when the government started to invest more money into the spacecraft design and production. New launch pad is being built currently in Russia's Far East, called Vostoichy Cosmodrome.
Space agency chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying the Soyuz TMA-21 would blast off at 1118 GMT on April 5 from Russia's Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan. Russia delayed the launch to resolve a communication problem with the Soyuz, raising fears over its reliability and whether the mission would begin in time to honour the April 12 anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first manned flight into space. Russian Soyuz spacecraft is used since 2009 exclusively for space station crew transport.
To my understanding, reliability is the most important issue now, when Russia is the only provider of the transport spacecraft in the world. Russian space industry, being in decline since the desintegration of the Soviet Union, somewhat recovered dusring the last few years, when the government started to invest more money into the spacecraft design and production. New launch pad is being built currently in Russia's Far East, called Vostoichy Cosmodrome.
12. Humanoid robot on space station
NASA's humanoid robot unveiled on space station - NASA, February 24th 2011
In February 2011 NASA launched first ever human-like robot to space to become a permanent resident of the International Space Station. The 300-pound Robonaut 2, or R2 consists of a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. The dexterous robot not only looks like a human but also is designed to work like one. With human-like hands and arms, R2 is able to use the same tools station crew members use. Testing this robot inside the station will provide to its designers important data about its ability to operate in microgravity, and general usefulness in the space station environment.
I was impressed by this article, because I frequently think that human beings confined to a spece station limited space and spending there months and sometimes years should eventually be replaced by robots like this one. Humans should only visit space stations for the short periods of time, avoiding exposure to cosmic rays and extremely lo gravity conditions.
In February 2011 NASA launched first ever human-like robot to space to become a permanent resident of the International Space Station. The 300-pound Robonaut 2, or R2 consists of a head and a torso with two arms and two hands. The dexterous robot not only looks like a human but also is designed to work like one. With human-like hands and arms, R2 is able to use the same tools station crew members use. Testing this robot inside the station will provide to its designers important data about its ability to operate in microgravity, and general usefulness in the space station environment.
I was impressed by this article, because I frequently think that human beings confined to a spece station limited space and spending there months and sometimes years should eventually be replaced by robots like this one. Humans should only visit space stations for the short periods of time, avoiding exposure to cosmic rays and extremely lo gravity conditions.
11. Space in a Bottle
Astronauts Capture Space in a Bottle - FOX News, March 02, 2011
Two astronauts drifting 220 miles above the blue and white blob of planet Earth Monday collected an unusual souvenir: a bottle full of space. Spacewalkers Stephen Bowen and Alvin Drew opened and "filled" a Japanese-designed metal cylinder with space -- or rather the vacuum of outer space -- and then sealed it to be brought back to Earth with space shuttle Discovery. Not that this sampling of space was intended for science. Dubbed "Message in a Bottle," the activity was designed to be more symbolic than scientific. Part of JAXA's Education Payload Observation designed to enlighten the general public about microgravity research and human spaceflight, "Message in a Bottle" is aimed at encouraging children to imagine what is possible.
To me projects like this are very useful in giving general public, and especialy to childeen, something related to space exploration and science, but at the same time - something which an average person can easily understand and visualise. This way children can develop interest to science and later participate in more complex activities in school. "There is no message in there," said Wheelock. "They are going to encourage people — when this goes on tour — to approach this glass-enclosed bottle of space and write whatever message they would put in there to deliver to the rest of the universe.", - says the researcher.
Two astronauts drifting 220 miles above the blue and white blob of planet Earth Monday collected an unusual souvenir: a bottle full of space. Spacewalkers Stephen Bowen and Alvin Drew opened and "filled" a Japanese-designed metal cylinder with space -- or rather the vacuum of outer space -- and then sealed it to be brought back to Earth with space shuttle Discovery. Not that this sampling of space was intended for science. Dubbed "Message in a Bottle," the activity was designed to be more symbolic than scientific. Part of JAXA's Education Payload Observation designed to enlighten the general public about microgravity research and human spaceflight, "Message in a Bottle" is aimed at encouraging children to imagine what is possible.
To me projects like this are very useful in giving general public, and especialy to childeen, something related to space exploration and science, but at the same time - something which an average person can easily understand and visualise. This way children can develop interest to science and later participate in more complex activities in school. "There is no message in there," said Wheelock. "They are going to encourage people — when this goes on tour — to approach this glass-enclosed bottle of space and write whatever message they would put in there to deliver to the rest of the universe.", - says the researcher.
10. Yuri Gagarin
Подготовка и проведение мероприятий, посвященных празднованию 50-й годовщины полета в космос Ю.А. Гагарина
On April 12th this year it's going to be a 50th anniversary of the flight of Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who was the first man in space ever. The page above belongs to the administration of Gagarin's birthplace. It outlines the activities which are planned to celebrate this anniversary. One more web site, that of Russian TV channel, tells about Gagarin's friends. The TV reporter Ksenia Stepanova met a few of them and they shared with her what the remember about the hero.
I was born after this first spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin, but some of my friends remember this day in 1961, the filing of pride for their country, the jubilation and festivities in the streets of Russian cities. Russian space industry, even being in a relative decline now, is still capable of bringing cosmonauts and astronauts to the international space station, which is especially important now, when Americans grounded their space fleet.
On April 12th this year it's going to be a 50th anniversary of the flight of Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who was the first man in space ever. The page above belongs to the administration of Gagarin's birthplace. It outlines the activities which are planned to celebrate this anniversary. One more web site, that of Russian TV channel, tells about Gagarin's friends. The TV reporter Ksenia Stepanova met a few of them and they shared with her what the remember about the hero.
I was born after this first spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin, but some of my friends remember this day in 1961, the filing of pride for their country, the jubilation and festivities in the streets of Russian cities. Russian space industry, even being in a relative decline now, is still capable of bringing cosmonauts and astronauts to the international space station, which is especially important now, when Americans grounded their space fleet.
9. Space Tragedies
NASA Commemorates Three Space Tragedies - space.com, 26 January 2007
This article describes NASA's commemoration of three tragedies: accidental fire in Apollo I spacecraft when three astonauts died on Jan. 27, 1967, Challenger rocket booster seal failure on Jan. 28, 1986 when 7 people died, and 2003 loss of Columbia orbiter when seven STS-107 astronauts died during landing. After more than two years of recovery efforts, NASA resumed shuttle flights in July 2005. The space agency plans to retire its remaining three orbiters-Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour-after ISS assembly is completed by September 2010. "We have an opportunity to show once again that NASA can do what it says it's going to do," NASA chief Michael Griffin told space agency employees this month during an agency-wide update.
To me those three tragic accidents show that there's no sure safe way to achieve anything, especially in such a new area as space research. However tragic are these events, we have to remember that any human endeavour involves some risk, and space flights by comparison are not the most dangerous enterprise ever. Strangely enough, three most dangerous jobs are actually fisherman, logger, and rancher
This article describes NASA's commemoration of three tragedies: accidental fire in Apollo I spacecraft when three astonauts died on Jan. 27, 1967, Challenger rocket booster seal failure on Jan. 28, 1986 when 7 people died, and 2003 loss of Columbia orbiter when seven STS-107 astronauts died during landing. After more than two years of recovery efforts, NASA resumed shuttle flights in July 2005. The space agency plans to retire its remaining three orbiters-Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour-after ISS assembly is completed by September 2010. "We have an opportunity to show once again that NASA can do what it says it's going to do," NASA chief Michael Griffin told space agency employees this month during an agency-wide update.
To me those three tragic accidents show that there's no sure safe way to achieve anything, especially in such a new area as space research. However tragic are these events, we have to remember that any human endeavour involves some risk, and space flights by comparison are not the most dangerous enterprise ever. Strangely enough, three most dangerous jobs are actually fisherman, logger, and rancher
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