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Pavlof Volcano has been erupting for over a week, releasing a humongous plume of ash, steam, and smoke visible from the International Space Station. The eruption has quieted down, but seismic data suggests that it’s not over.

Astronauts on the International Space Stationcaptured jaw-dropping pictures of a volcanic eruption last Saturday. Since then, the volcano has been hidden from sight, shrouded in thick clouds.

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Pavlof Volcano has been belching ash and spewing lava since May 13, when tremors and rising surface temperatures gave way to fountains of molten rock bursting from the volcano’s north flank.

When that lava hit ice and snow, it created explosive steam clouds that could be seen for dozens of miles and photographed from space. The steam, ash, and gas plumes have climbed over 20,000 feet into the sky, and left a grey streak stretching for a hundred miles.

Prior to last week, Pavlof hadn’t erupted since 2007.

Pavlof has been playing it cool for the past few days, reports the Alaska Volcano Observatory, which celebrated its 25thanniversary last month.

Though the ash eruptions have disrupted local air travel, the violence seems to have subsided for now, with a more relaxed release of ash and lava continuing steadily. Even through the clouds hiding Pavlof from sight, satellites can measure high surface temperatures indicating that the lava is still flowing.

After about a week of steady seismic rumbles,the shaking calmed down on Tuesday morning and hasn’t restarted, though a huge seismic blast this morning suggests that Pavlof had another volcanic explosion but through the clouds, it’s hard to know just what or where.

Original post:

Space station astronauts snap amazing photos of Alaskan volcanic eruption

A 3D printer is slated to arrive at the International Space Station next year, where it will crank out the first parts ever manufactured off planet Earth.

The company Made in Space is partnering with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on the 3D Printing in Zero G Experiment (or 3D Print for short), which aims to jump-start an off-planet manufacturing capability that could aid humanity’s push out into the solar system.

“The 3D Print experiment with NASA is a step towards the future. The ability to 3D-print parts and tools on demand greatly increases the reliability and safety of space missions while also dropping the cost by orders of magnitude,” Made in Space CEO Aaron Kemmer said in a statement. [10 Amazing 3D-Printed Objects]

“The first printers will start by building test coupons, and will then build a broad range of parts, such as tools and science equipment,” he added.

The 3D printerisslated to blast off in August 2014, tagging along with a cargo mission private spaceflight company SpaceX is launching to the orbiting lab for NASA.

The device will build objects layer by layer out of polymers and other materials, using a technique called extrusion additive manufacturing. The blueprints for these objects will be pre-loaded onto a computer bound for the orbiting lab or uplinked from Earth, Made in Space officials said.

Advocates say 3D printing can help make living in space easier and cheaper. For example, more than 30 percent of the spare parts currently aboard the International Space Station can be manufactured by Made in Space’s machine, company co-founder and chief technologist Jason Dunn told NASA chief Charles Bolden and congressman Mike Honda (D-Calif.) during a presentation today (May 24) at the agency’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

“3D printing is an exciting technology,” Niki Werkheiser, 3D Print project manager at NASA Marshalls Technology Development and Transfer Office, said in a statement. “It will allow us to live and work in space with the same efficiency and productivity that we do on Earth, with the ultimate objective being to eliminate reliance on materials and parts launched from the ground.”

While off-Earth manufacturing will get its start at the International Space Station, NASA officials say the technology’s potential goes beyond low-Earth orbit. Werkheiser described 3D printing as “absolutely a critical enabler for NASAs exploration missions.”

Indeed, NASA recently funded the development of a prototype 3D printer designed to make space food products out of cheap raw materials that have a long shelf life. This “3D pizza printer” could help feed astronauts on long space journeys, such as the 500-day trek to Mars, agency officials say.

Link:

3D Printer Launching to Space Station in 2014

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Leonardo DiCaprio is taking a trip into space with one lucky bidder who won the spaceship seat next to him at a charity auction.

The prize was up for grabs at the 20th amfAR gala in Cannes, which raises money for Aids research, and was won with a bid of 1.2 million euros, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Leonardo and his seat mate will journey into orbit on Virgin Galactic, the space tourism fleet owned by Richard Branson.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had boasted earlier in the evening: “We’re going to get someone to bid on a seat next to him,” and joked that many in the film industry might like to see himself on board a space flight “but only on a one-way ticket”.

Another bidder paid 1.8 million euros for a pair of seats on the same flight, after pledging another 1.2 million euros for an Oscars experience earlier in the night.

Other celebrities who joined the Great Gatsby star at the gala included Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Jessica Chastain, Paris Hilton and Kylie Minogue, with the event hosted by Sharon Stone.

Auction prizes on offer were a family portrait shot by Annie Leibowitz, a week in Donna Karan’s Caribbean hideaway and a 53-carat diamond necklace.

amfAR raised 25 million dollars from the gala, a huge increase on last year’s 11 million dollars.

More here:

Bidder wins DiCaprio space flight

RESTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) endorses California Senate Bill 19, The Space Flight Sales Tax Exemption Act. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Steve Knight (Rep. 21st Dist.), would give sale and use tax exemptions to equipment and materials used to construct facilities designed to launch and operate space vehicles.

AIAA President Mike Griffin stated: With threats growing daily to the vibrant aerospace sector of Californias economy, AIAA and its members endorse the passage of California State Senate Bill 19, The Space Flight Sales Tax Exemption. This bill promises to alleviate some of the conditions that have hampered growth in this vital sector of Californias economy, and will allow aerospace firms in California to keep their high-paying jobs in the state. The bill also promises to spur innovation throughout the state, as it creates the incentive for companies that have not yet entered the aerospace marketplace to get into the market. The California aerospace sector is one of the main pillars of both the California economy and our nations economy, and passage of Senate Bill 19 will ensure that that pillar is a strong one for years to come.

The Space Flight Sales Tax Exemption Act expands the current tax exemptions in the California code, which are extended to the gross receipts from the sale of, and the storage, use, or other consumption of, qualified property for use in space flight, and expands those exemptions to also include equipment and materials used to construct, reconstruct, or improve new or existing facilities designed to operate, launch, manufacture, fabricate, assemble, or process equipment that facilitates the renovation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction of commercial space launch sites.

AIAA is the worlds largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow us on Twitter @AIAA.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344 Phone: 703.264.7558 Fax: 703.264.7551 www.aiaa.org

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AIAA Endorses California Senate’s Space Flight Sales Tax Exemption Act

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