Arianespace Flight VV03 - KasEOSat-1
On Tuesday, April 29 at 10:35 pm local time in French Guiana, Arianespace successfully launched the third Vega launcher from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), orbiting the KazEOSat-1 (DZZ-HR)...
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In response to US sanctions aimed at Russia's space industry, Russian Deputy Prime MinisterDmitry Rogozin suggested that US astronauts get to the space station using a trampoline. Given a big enough trampoline, could that actually work?
Responding to new US sanctions to be imposed against his country in response to the Ukraine crisis, Russian Deputy Prime MinisterDmitry Rogozin took to Twitter on Tuesday to propose a novel way for US astronauts to travel to the International Space Station.
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"After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry," Dr. Rogozin tweeted in Russian, "I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline."
Following the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, Russia's space program is the world's only institution currently capable of manned spaceflight. When US astronauts visit the International Space Station, they travel via Russian Soyuz spacecraft, at a fare of about $70 million per seat. Given the heightened tensions between our two countries, it's not unreasonable for the US to at least consider alternative transportation.
So exactly how feasible isRogozin's suggestion? Could a trampoline furnish an astronaut with the one giant leap needed to reach the space station, which orbits 220 miles above the Earth's surface?
Doing so would require significant trampoliningadvances, but Americans are nothing if not innovative. Just three weeks ago, in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza, acrobat Sean Kennedy, propelled by the combined kinetic energy of his brothers Eric and T.J., set the Guinness World Record for the highest trampoline jump, at 22 feet 1 inch, or 0.0018 percent of the distance to the space station.
Jonathan McDowellof the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics calculates that, for a trampolining astronaut to be properly flung into space, we would need a hole about one kilometer deep for the trampoline to stretch into. But he cautions that ordinary trampoline fabric would not be up to the task. "That's a problem for material scientists," he says.
Even if NASA were to design and build such a trampoline, say, by stretching some exotic, super-stretchy material across the Grand Canyon, an astronaut still wouldn't be able to bounce into space.
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Swanson compares space to 'being a kid and you find the best playground in the world'
Astronaut Steve Swanson, a University of Colorado graduate now living aboard the international space station, tries to spot Boulder every time the vessel flies by the U.S.
But the space station orbits Earth at roughly 5 miles per second, so even on clear days, he usually whiffs.
"I thought it would be easy," said Swanson, 53, during a video chat with students Wednesday. "You think you'll just look for the mountains, but by the time you take about 10 seconds to process it, you're past."
Donning a CU T-shirt and speaking into a floating microphone, Swanson who earned a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from CU in 1983 met for an hour with an audience of about 50 at CU's Fiske Planetarium, reminiscing about his days in Colorado and fielding questions on everything from gravitational physics to his distaste for space food.
He's been on the space station since March 25 and will assume command of the vessel in September. So far, so good, he said Wednesday.
"It's like being a kid and you find the best playground in the world, and then you get to stay there for five months," he said.
When asked his favorite part of living on the space station, Swanson didn't think twice.
"The best thing you can do is a space walk," he said. "The views are fantastic. The overall experience is just fantastic."
On one walk in particular, he told the audience, "I almost lost my mind with a sense of purpose."
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Astronaut Steve Swanson, a CU-Boulder grad, on space station: Great views, bad food
Space Flight - Cinema 4D
Another Test Rendering in Stereoscopic 3D.
By: Tim Flaman
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Homage to the Red Planet: Mars 4 Billion Years Ago Incredible Simulation of a Living Mars
Mars once had life oceans and such! A brilliant simulation by NASA #39;s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab! Please give credit for this item to: NASA #39;s Goddard Space Flight Center...
By: John Locker
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Homage to the Red Planet: Mars 4 Billion Years Ago Incredible Simulation of a Living Mars - Video
Prepar3D v2.1 Flight Simulator - Flying around Yosemite National Park
This video was recorded Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Martin #39;s Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/orbitersim *** Like my Orbiter 2010 Facebook Page so you can follow my Orbiter activity...
By: David Courtney
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Prepar3D v2.1 Flight Simulator - Flying around Yosemite National Park - Video
How Much Sun Should I Get a Day? 3 Minutes(or years?) with Musc
3 years of monitoring the sun. Here is a video compiled from that time! Credit for video clips used: NASA #39;s Goddard Space Flight Center/SDO Music "Hot Heat" by Topher Mor and Al Available...
By: John Locker
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How Much Sun Should I Get a Day? 3 Minutes(or years?) with Musc - Video
1 May 2014
Commercial space flights could launch from a UK spaceport as part of range of measures designed to help shape the future of Britains growing space industry.
The Government Response to the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy (IGS) Action Plan 2014 2030 and the National Space Security Policy (NSSP) set out plans to achieve a 40bn UK space industry by 2030 and a coherent approach to protecting the UKs space assets.
In a statement David Willetts, minister for universities and science, said: The space sector continues to thrive, and is one of our Eight Great Technologies with the potential to propel UK growth.
Space industries already support 95,000 full time jobs and generate 9.1bn for the economy each year, and our response to the Growth Action Plan shows our commitment to secure its future growth and realise ambitions to develop a viable UK space port for commercial space flight.
The government said it has broadly welcomed the suggestions made in the IGS and in addition to committing stronger support for export and agreeing further work to improve regulatory framework for space activity, the response also incorporates measures to create and sustain new business in related markets.
The National Space Security Policy sets out an approach to the UKs space security interests, outlining measures to make Britain more resilient to the risk of disruption to space services and capabilities. It is also intended to enhance national security interests through space, promote a safe and more secure space environment, and enable industry and academia to exploit science and grasp commercial opportunities.
Philip Dunne, minister for defence equipment, support and technology, said: This policy is about galvanising our skills, our resources and our raw talent to promote resilience to the risks of operating in space in both the civilian and military spheres.
In implementing the National Space Security Policy, some of the early priorities will include mapping the UKs dependency on space across government, critical infrastructure and key industrial sectors and assessing the extent of resilience in each of these fields. There will also be collaboration across government and with national and international partners to share capability where it is possible to do so, particularly in the fields of tracking space debris and near Earth objects.
Actions emerging from the IGS include:
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NASA has selected three new flight directors to manage International Space Station (ISS) operations. Amit Kshatriya,Jeffery RadiganandZebulon Scovillejoin a select group of human spaceflight leaders in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center inHouston.
NASA's flight directors lead teams of flight controllers, support personnel and engineering experts from around the world. They also are involved in cargo and crew vehicle integration with the station and developing plans for future exploration missions.
"These new flight directors will help us transition the knowledge and experience gained from our human spaceflight programs into the next period of ISS operations," said Chief Flight DirectorNorm Knight. "This includes the development of new technologies and techniques for our exploration and commercial endeavors."
Kshatriya, Radigan and Scoville are among the next-generation of flight directors who will help carry out future of human exploration missions. They will oversee U.S. commercial cargo spacecraft and American commercial crew transports as they arrive at and depart from the space station. They will help ensure the crews of the orbiting laboratory have what they need to conduct scientific research that is providing real benefits to people on Earth and allowing NASA to be better prepared for long-duration exploration in deep space as it develops the Orion spacecraft and its Space Launch System heavy-lift vehicle. The trio also will assist crew members as they demonstrate cutting-edge technologies aboard the space station that will help take the agency deeper into our solar system than ever before.
Following completion of training and certification, NASA will have 26 active flight directors supporting the space station, exploration, commercial spaceflights and new technology demonstration initiatives. Before selecting Kshatriya, Radigan and Scoville, 83 people had served as NASA flight directors throughout the more than 50 years of human spaceflight.
The newly selected flight director class is:
Amit KshatriyaKshatriya started his career atJohnsonas an instructor for the space station robotics system responsible for training multiple space shuttle and station crews. After completing training for the robotics flight control position, Kshatriya served as the lead robotics officer for SpaceX's Dragon demonstration mission in Decmeber 2010 and was responsible for planning and executing the first ISS robotic capture of a commercial vehicle. Kshatriya then became the Chief Training Officer (CTO), a position responsible for the overall integrated training of the flight control team and specifically served as the lead CTO for the fourth Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle mission inAugust 2013. Prior to selection as a flight director, Kshatriya was selected as the Robotics Operations Group lead, managing all operational, technical, and personnel aspects of the station's robotics system. Kshatriya originally is from theHoustonarea and earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from theCalifornia Institute of Technologyfollowed by a master's degree in mathematics from theUniversity of Texas at Austin.
Jeffery (Jeff) RadiganRadigan began his career atJohnsonas a member of the station flight control team assigned to the electrical power system. After completing his flight control certification, Radigan gained extensive experience serving as the electrical power system operations lead in various roles, including the first station battery replacement that occurred during the STS-127 mission of space shuttle Endeavour in 2009. Radigan transitioned to a Mission Operations program integration role where his responsibilities included coordinating a multitude of technical and operational positions and representing those positions to external programs. Radigan worked extensively on the verification of the first commercial vehicle to the space station and has participated in the operations work for commercial crew transportation. In addition to his program integration duties, Radigan serves as an operations safety engineer, which includes co-chairing the Safety review panels and reviewing and approving hazard reports. Radigan originally is fromSylvania, Ohio, and earned a bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering fromOhio State University.
Zebulon (Zeb) ScovilleScoville began his career atJohnsonas both an Instructor and flight controller for the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) operations team and has experience in both space shuttle and space station operations. Scoville has supported 16 shuttle and numerous space station increment missions and was the lead spacewalk, or EVA, officer for shuttle missions STS-123, STS-128, and STS-131. Scoville also was instrumental in supporting shuttle thermal protection system inspection and repair technique development after the loss of space shuttleColumbiain 2003. Scoville was selected as the group lead in 2009 and was responsible for all operational, technical, and personnel aspects of the EVA Task Group. Most recently, Scoville was instrumental in his support of the Asteroid Redirect Mission analysis and was the primary author for the initial EVA feasibility study for this exploration concept. Scoville is originally fromMiddlesex, Vt., and earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering and a master's in astronautical engineering fromStanford University.
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NASA Selects Three New Flight Directors to Lead Mission Control
California may boast some of the highest taxes in the Union, but if you're in the movie industry or the private space business, there are few better places to conduct your affairs.
As it has done for many years with the film industry, California is offering tax incentives to private space companies -- having recently passed legislation liberating companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX from property tax duties for ten years.
Governor Jerry Brown signed the new bill into law Tuesday.
"I introduced AB 777 to support and grow one of the most exciting new industries in California, commercial space flight," Assembly member Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, said. Muratsuchi serves as Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace.
"Private companies like Space X are building rocket ships and creating thousands of good paying manufacturing jobs right here in Southern California," Muratsuchi added. "This new law will allow commercial spaceflight companies to continue to invest and grow in our state."
The bill could make the budget balancing responsibilities of Brown and Muratsuchi just a wee bit harder, as the legislation is expected to deplete local property tax revenues by roughly $1 million annually.
California's Chamber of Commerce has been supportive of the bill from the beginning, calling it a "job creator" law.
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California-based private space companies to avoid property taxes
"Have you played Elite: Dangerous before? No? Well why don't you come over and land this ship for us?" And then there I am, a flight stick in my sweaty right hand, throttle in my left, trying to land my tiny fighter craft inside an enormous, rotating space station while David Brabenthe David Braben, co-creator of the original 1984 classic, Eliteand about a half dozen other people stare intently over my shoulder.
No pressure.
Though it's only in alpha after a successful crowdfunding campaign, Elite: Dangerous is already under a bit of pressure itself. This year is shaping up to be the year that space cockpit games make a triumphant return after more than a decade of being all but put them to rest. I ask whether Braben is at all worried watching the genre he pioneered become so crowded again, what with Elite: Dangerous, Oculus Rift exclusive EVE: Valkyrie, and Star Citizen (from Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame) all on the PC gaming horizon.
But Braben doesn't see it as a competition, not really. He sees it more like a wealth of options for wannabe spacers. Nobody would ever play Battlefield, Arma 3, and Call of Duty and then mistake them for the same game, after all. Space is, I'm told, infinite. There's certainly room for variation.
Space ships flying by in the Elite: Dangerous Alpha.
You've got EVE: Valkyrie, which as of now is a lightweight and arcade space combat game. Whether it progresses beyond that for the full release is anyone's guess, but it's an accessible and enjoyable shooter. Star Citizen falls on the other end of the spectrumit's for the people who want to have a second life in space. The people who think, "I'm going to work 9-5, then come home, pop in Star Citizen, take on a job as a munitions loader for a much larger space corporation and I'm going to enjoy it, damn it."
Then there's Elite: Dangerous.
Elite is the most traditional of the three games. More simulator than Valkyrie, less "life replacement" than Star Citizen, Elite falls in the same "lonesome space cowboy" category as its predecessors, as well as other classics like FreeSpace 2 and Wing Commander.
No, I don't mean "space cowboy" in the Firefly sense. No boots and holster for you! But Elite: Dangerous is, at its core, about exploration and trade and combat and ship upgrades and space stations and asteroids and pirates and all that. But first and foremost it's about exploration, a "Space: The Final Frontier" of video games.
This rendering of an Elite: Dangerous space station echoes the design of space stations in predecessors Frontier and Frontier: Elite 2.
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Elite: Dangerous impressions: Sequel to the classic Elite already amazes in early form
New Mexico's Spaceport America is ready, but the facility that was built to stand out as a world leader in space travel has yet to launch a commercial space flight.
Action 7 News recently went down to the remote complex outside of Truth or Consequences, N.M. to find out if the taxpayers' $200 million investment is at risk.
The spaceport was built as part of an agreement with Virgin Galactic to turn ordinary people into astronauts.
Projected launch dates have come and gone at the facility. Spaceport America Director Christine Anderson said the wait may soon be over.
"Virgin Galactic will hopefully be flying by the end of this year," Anderson said. "It's a matter of when, not if."
Back in 2011, Virgin Galactic's owner Sir Richard Branson christened the hanger and introduced the world to a spaceship with huge hopes of being the first company offer rides to space.
But delays in safety testing are creating doubts. In the worst case scenario, Virgin Galactic would have to pay between $2 million and $3 million if it scraps its plans to launch from New Mexico's spaceport. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the nearly quarter of a billion dollars the state invested in Spaceport America.
"And then we have a beautiful building, still, that somebody else may like to rent," Anderson said.
Virgin Galactic has put up a construction fence at the spaceport. Officials said the company is doing a fit-out of the building.
VIDEO: Officials optimistic about Spaceport despite delays
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Foundation and Eye Makeup Tutorial For Red Heads - Natural Look
Hey guys! This is my first ever tutorial so please give me feedback! If you would like to request videos you may do so and I #39;ll definitely give them a shot! ...
By: Madi Welsh
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Foundation and Eye Makeup Tutorial For Red Heads - Natural Look - Video
Red hair is very highly sought after, especially with the worldwide domination of everyone's favorite girl crush Emma Stone and her luscious auburn locks.
There's always been those Hollywood bombshells that pull off the most unusual of hues with serious elegance and sex appeal - the natural red heads like Jessica Chastain and Julianne Moore, as well as the dyed red 'dos, like Scarlett Johansson's, which look pretty darned good, too. So, whether you were blessed with coppery locks or you're considering it out of the bottle, there will be inspiration for you in our round-up of redheads.
The beauty of red hair, aside from the unusual and often extraordinary tones, is how much the complexion and make-up affects the look. Isla Fisher often goes for a warmer skin tone, so all round more-sunned look, while Christina Hendricks keeps her porcelain complexion natural and tan-free, and a slick of bold red lipstick makes it seriously wow-worthy.
From fiery red hair to auburn and subtle strawberry blonde shades, we've rounded up the best colours and styles...
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A Rhinelander Red Cross volunteer is getting ready to head to Arkansas for her 7th deployment-- her second in seven months.
Carol Miller will head to Arkansas Thursday, to assist with disaster related health needs of the affected communities.
The Red Cross is supporting communities to help people get back on their feet. Red Cross says there are currently six disaster relief operations accepting volunteers in Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and North Carolina.
In September 2013, Miller spent two weeks in Colorado as the area was hit by extreme floods.
If you'd like to provide financial support to the Red Cross you can do so by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. The money is used to help people affected by disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes.
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Welcome to Volume 3, Edition 1 of Red Sox power rankings, a wide-ranging excuse to write about the best and worst performers of the previous month as a new one begins. The only rule of the power rankings is that there are no rules to the power rankings. Prospects, suspects, Jim Rice, pine-tarred necks, Steve Lyons, front-office personnel -- anyone and everything is fair game. It's a measure of the exceptional and the unacceptable, with the middle ground unacknowledged. The top five are ranked; the bottom five are not since our pool of candidates is innumerable. Enough ballpark chatter. Let's get to it ...
TOP FIVE 1. Mike Napoli's bat
There's probably an overwhelming consensus of Red Sox fans (and New Englanders in general) who can't wait to flip the calendar to May tomorrow. Heck, we're capping the Red Sox' mediocre April (they'll get to .500 with a win over the Rays tonight) a day in advance just to put it behind us. But individually, at least, Napoli has to be one of the few Red Sox who are satisfied with how the season has begun. It's traditionally one of The Bearded One's better months -- he's a .253/.348/.517 hitter with 33 homers in 148 career March/April games. In 2013, he punished the ball right out of the gate, driving in 27 runs with an .850 OPS before May. This year, he's been similarly as good, with five homers and a .932 OPS. He'll be streaky, but he's more than worth it for the good times.
2. Jake Peavy
The small sample-size of the first few weeks of a season tends to result in some strange numbers. That particularly applies to Boston's favorite Duck Boat owner. He's made five starts and won just one. His ERA (2.87) is of ace-quality, but his FIP (fielding-independent pitching) is at 4.88, suggesting he's been something less than ace-quality. The Red Sox actually won his worst start -- a 6-5 victory over Baltimore in which he got a no-decision after allowing 10 hits and 5 runs in 5.2 innings. In the other four starts, he was brilliant, allowing 17 hits and 5 earned runs in 25.2 innings. For the second year in a row, he's picked up the slack for Clay Buchholz, and he's justifying the trade with the Tigers and White Sox even more this year than he did a season ago.
3. Mookie Betts
Well, what do we have here? A 21-year-old coming off a breakthrough season at two levels of Single A (.314, 15 homers, 38 steals) who is carrying it over and then some during his first foray in Double A? A plus-defender at second base who happens to be hitting .422/.471/.689 with four homers and 10 steals and who has active streaks of 15 games with a hit and 55 in which he's reached base? Don't wait for him to get to Fenway; get up to Portland to get a look at this dynamic young player now. And don't worry about the kid being blocked. He'll have super-sub positional versatility if he's not the centerpiece of a mega-trade.
4. Koji Uehara
I suppose he hasn't been quite as dominating as last year. After all, his 0.93 ERA is 0.66 higher than his ERA in the second half last year. He's collapsing before our eyes, Mike! Actually, he has given up a few more hits rate-wise than last year -- eight in 9.2 innings. But he's walked one while whiffing 17, a ratio even better than his 11.2 in 2013. Most importantly, he looks like himself after his shoulder scare. Exhale.
5. Jackie Bradley Jr.'s glove
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Exploration forum showcases NASA #39;s Human Path to Mars
An April 29 exploration forum aired on NASA Television from NASA headquarters, featured Administrator Charles Bolden and other agency leadership showcasing NASA #39;s human exploration path to...
By: NASA
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Exploration forum showcases NASA's Human Path to Mars - Video
NASA ISS flying over wales
This is the ISS flying over Wales at 9PM I kept the normal footage and edited footage together to see the difference Follow me on: TWITTER: @ https://twitter.com/arronnurden FACEBOOK...
By: TheDrummerboy114
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Snake Caught On Mars By NASA Curiosity Rover?
Was looking through the darker pictures on SOL 610 and found what appears to be a snake on top of a rock sun bathing. As always I will link the picture. Please comment and let me know what...
By: WhatsUpInTheSky37
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Trampoline To Space Russian Official Tells NASA To Take A Flying Leap
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, a target of U.S. sanctions sparked by the Ukraine crisis, said Tuesday that those sanctions would boomerang against America #39;s space effort and...
By: Nirvana News
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Trampoline To Space Russian Official Tells NASA To Take A Flying Leap - Video