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NASA Offers Space Station as Catalyst for Discovery in Washington – Space Daily

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers will join industry and academia for a three-day, in-depth conversation about the International Space Station (ISS) as a catalyst for discovery during the sixth annual ISS Research and Development Conference July 17-20 in Washington. Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot will provide the morning keynote on Wednesday, July 19.

See the conference agenda for a full list of topics and speakers. Keynote addresses and panels from the conference will be broadcast on NASA TV and the agency's website.

The conference, hosted by the American Astronautical Society and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), in cooperation with NASA, brings together leaders from industry, academia and government.

Attendees will explore innovations and breakthroughs in microgravity research; life sciences; materials development; technology development; human health and remote sensing; the potential applications for space-based research; and the economic benefits of increased commercial activity in low-Earth orbit.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, who tested an innovative technology in orbit that may improve medical diagnoses in space and on Earth, will provide a keynote presentation. Rubins completed her first spaceflight in 2016, and was the first person to sequence DNA in space.

The technology she used could help diagnose potentially fatal diseases in remote locations, including during long space voyages. Rubins also grew heart cells in orbit, performing real-time analysis and experiments.

NASA and CASIS, both manage and fund research on the space station, will provide overviews of research applications, external and internal capabilities, and upcoming opportunities.

During the Monday, July 17 preconference day, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will host a joint workshop covering the achievements and opportunities tied to cooperative use of unique JAXA experiment hardware for joint research.

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NASA Offers Space Station as Catalyst for Discovery in Washington - Space Daily

Small fire extinguished at SpaceX building in Port Canaveral – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Jerome Strach

July 17th, 2017

On July 16, 2017, a SpaceX building at Port Canaveral was reported to have had a fire on its rooftop. The small fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters. Photo Credit: Google Maps

Brevard County firefighters responded to a fire located at the recently-leased SpaceX building at Magellan Road and Grouper Road next to Port Canaveral. The fire was reported by a passer-by at 4:45 p.m. EDT (20:45 GMT) July 16, 2017.

Several minutes later, numerous fire units responded to the location along with support ambulances and Brevard County sheriff deputies. The building was found to have a rooftop fire, which was easily accessed by a ladder truck and was extinguished, according to Florida Today, by 8 p.m. EDT (00:00 GMT July 17).

Brevard County Fire Rescue found the structure to be unoccupied at the time of arrival, and Brevard County Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer Tod Goodyear confirmed no evacuation was required. The only injury reported was a firefighter that suffered from a heat stress related injury and was transported to a local hospital by ambulance.

Captain Brian Dennison of the Cape Canaveral Fire Department told SpaceFlight Insider the fire occurred where contractors were doing some refurbishment to the building. SpaceX has been leasing the building since March 2017.

SpaceXs contractors were doing the work, and that would have been either Thursdayor Friday this past week, Dennison said. At this point were still unsure of a cause and an origin of the fire, but it was in the area of where they were doing work on the roof.

The building will remain under the control of the Cape Canaveral Fire Department until the Florida State Fire Marshal arrives on scene to begin its investigation. Dennison said SpaceX personnel are also on site and prepared to begin anywater damage mitigation that might be required.

SpaceXs John Taylor, tweeted out gratitude for the quick response by BrevardCounty Fire Rescue and Cape Canaveral Fire Rescue. He said there was no damage to any SpaceX equipment or hardware.

Tagged: Brevard County Fire Rescue Cape Canaveral Lead Stories Port Canaveral SpaceX

Jerome Strach has worked within the Silicon Valley community for 20 years including software entertainment and film. Along with experience in software engineering, quality assurance, and middle management, he has long been a fan of aerospace and entities within that industry. A voracious reader, a model builder, and student of photography and flight training, most of his spare time can be found focused on launch events and technology advancements including custom mobile app development. Best memory as a child is building and flying Estes rockets with my father. @Romn8tr

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Small fire extinguished at SpaceX building in Port Canaveral - SpaceFlight Insider

Get to know 4 private spaceflight companies that could be the future – Mashable

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Mashable

Get to know 4 private spaceflight companies that could be the future
Mashable
Almost any space nerd will tell you that the future of the space industry hinges upon private spaceflight. Of course, almost anyone with an interest in tech and ...
Commercial spaceflight company reveals plans for lunar outpostThe Space Reporter

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Get to know 4 private spaceflight companies that could be the future - Mashable

ShareSpace Apollo 11 Gala held under KSCVC’s Saturn V – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

SpaceFlight Insider

July 16th, 2017

From left to right, Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Harrison Schmitt, Michael Collins, and Walt Cunningham at the 2017 Apollo 11 ShareSpace Foundation Gala. Photo Credit: Tom Cross / SpaceFlight Insider

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. Under one of the three surviving Saturn V Moon rockets, Buzz Aldrins ShareSpace Foundation hosted a gala and auction in honor of mankinds first footsteps on another world on Saturday, July 15, 2017.

Aldrin was joined by fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, Walt Cunningham (Apollo 7), Jack Schmitt (Apollo 17), as well as former space shuttle astronauts Mae Jemison (STS-47), Winston Scott (STS-72 and STS-87) and Terry Virts (STS-130 and Soyuz TMA-15M), as well as NewSpace entrepreneur Jeff Bezos.

The event was held just five days prior to the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing that saw Aldrin and Neil Armstrong become the first humans to set foot on Earths closest celestial neighbor, the Moon. The duotouched down on the Moons Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis) on July 20, 1969, the first of six crewed landings on the lunar surface.

The ShareSpace Foundation is a nonprofit organization formed to encourage young people to pursue careers in S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math). Aldrin conveyed these statements in the days leading up to this weekends gala.

As we approach the 50thanniversary of the Moon Landing, its my ultimate ambition to lay the foundations that will inspire and support the next generation to become space pioneers. I passionately believe that we can land people on Mars by 2040. To do this we need to provide our future space pioneers with the right educational tools and motivation and we need the funding to do so, Aldrin stated via a release. By attending the event, guests are invited to play a historical role in the advancement of Mars exploration by sharing our vision and supporting our ambitions. Humanity needs to explore, to push beyond current limits, just like we did in 1969. I want to do everything I can to lay the groundwork.

All profits from ticket sales as well as other fundraising efforts went to the non-profit ShareSpace Foundation.

Tagged: Apollo 11 Buzz Aldrin's ShareSpace Foundation Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Saturn V The Range

SpaceFlight Insider is a space journal working to break the pattern of bias prevalent among other media outlets. Working off a budget acquired through sponsors and advertisers, SpaceFlight Insider has rapidly become one of the premier space news outlets currently in operation. SFI works almost exclusively with the assistance of volunteers.

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ShareSpace Apollo 11 Gala held under KSCVC's Saturn V - SpaceFlight Insider

Norway Orbits Microsatellites Built by Toronto’s Space Flight Laboratory – Satellite Today

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Soyuz 2.1a a moment after launch on July 14. Photo: Roscosmos.

The Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) announced the successful launch of two Norwegian microsatellites developed and built by SFL for the Norwegian Space Center with support from the Norwegian Coastal Authority, Space Norway, and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Soyuz 2.1a rocket carrying the two satellites launched from Baikonur on Friday, July 14, and also carried payloads for Planet, Astro Digital, Spire, and GeoOptics.

Shortly after launch both Norweigian satellites made contact with ground stations in Svalbard and Vardo, Norway. Both satellites are healthy based on initial telemetry, and commissioning is underway.

The first satellite, dubbed NORsat 1, carries an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver to acquire messages from maritime vessels, a set of Langmuir probes to study space plasma characteristics, and a Compact Lightweight Absolute Radiometer (CLARA) to measure total solar irradiation and variations over time. Kongsberg Seatex, the University of Oslo and the Physikalisch-Meterologisches Observatorium Davos World Radiation Center provided the payloads.

The second satellite, NORsat 2, also carries an AIS receiver, but in addition has a Very High Frequency Data Exchange (VDE) payload that will enable higher bandwidth two-way communication with ships. Kongsberg Seatex provided both payloads. According to SFL, NORsat 2 will be the first satellite to provide VDE services to Norway. Adding VDE enables increased messaging capacity, better reliability of message delivery, and increased range of ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication beyond direct line of sight, according to the company.

SFL used its NEMO platform for NORsat 2, and the satellite was integrated in Toronto along with NORsat 1. SFL developed the relatively large deployable Yagi antenna for the VDE payload in collaboration with the University of Torontos Electromagnetics Group.

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Norway Orbits Microsatellites Built by Toronto's Space Flight Laboratory - Satellite Today

TDRS-M launch date under review following pre-launch incident – NASASpaceflight.com

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

July 17, 2017 by Chris Bergin and William Graham

NASA and Boeing are reviewing the status of the TDRS-M launch date following an incident relating to an antennaduring the spacecrafts final launch processing to launch. The spacecrafts launch atop United Launch Alliances Atlas V rocket is currently scheduled to take place on August 3.

TDRS-M:

A flagship launch of the third of the latest generation ofTracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) is facing a review following an incident during closeout processing.

The spacecraft has been preparing for an August launch inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida.

No specifics about the July 14 incident have been provided, with a NASA statement only noting the assessments surround the spacecrafts Omni S-band antenna.

NASA and Boeing are reviewing an incident that occurred during final spacecraft closeout activities, NASA said. The mission team is developing a plan to assess flight acceptance and the schedule forward.

These additional activities are under evaluation for a planned TDRS-M launch Aug. 3, 2017, on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

It is understood this latest incident is not related to a close call that NASA was investigating earlier in the flow. That incident involved the spacecrafts shipping container containing environmental instrumentation which slid a couple of feet on the trailer it was being winched on to.

The processing flow for the mission had already passed several review milestones, specifically the Launch Vehicle Readiness Review (LVRR), Safety and Mission Success Review (SMSR) and the Calibration & Recertification Review (CRR).

The Atlas V that will provide the spacecraft with its ride to orbit is currently being integrated inside the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex -41 (SLC-41). ULAs flow with the rocket has continued without issue, with the TDRS issue unrelated and upstream to their operations.

The next key milestones in the flow are the Atlas V/TDRS-M MORR (Mission Operations Readiness Review), TDRS-M FRR (Flight Readiness Review) anda final status review, the latter set to take place on July 28.

This will clear the way for Atlas V to launch with TDRS-M on August 3, in a window ranging from 09:02 to 09:42 Eastern, pending the recent incident hasnt caused a delay to the launch date.

The mission will be the 13th spacecraft in NASAs Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), with TDRS-M becoming the final spacecraft in the set of three third-generation satellites.

The new range are 3,454 kilogram (7,615 lb) satellites which have been manufactured by Boeing and based around the BSS-601 satellite bus.

They have a design life of 15 years. However, todatemost TDRS satellites have significantly exceeded their design expectations. The satellite carries an R-4D-11-300 apogee motor to raise itself into its final orbit and carry out othermaneuvers.

TDRS-M is powered by solar panels, generating between 2.8 and 3.2 kilowatts of power depending on illumination.

The satellite carriess-bandphased array antennae to allow simultaneous communications with five other spacecraft, as well as two steerable antennae providing S, Ku or Ka band coverage to spacecraft requiring communications at a higher data rate. Its this system that is currently being reviewed due to the incident noted by NASA over the weekend.

History of TDRS:

TDRS satellites are used by NASA to provide communications links between spacecraft in orbit includingthe International Space StationandHubble Space Telescope and ground controllers. Part of NASAs Space Network, TDRSS was implemented to reduce NASAs dependence on ground stations and airborne tracking assets.

Use of the network is not restricted to NASA missions; amongst other users United Launch Alliance and others use TDRS to relay data from their rockets during launch, JAXA and the European Space Agency have used TDRS for missions, including HTV and ATV flights to the ISS, and the system is rumoured to be used by the National Reconnaissance Office to supplement its own Satellite Data System, transmitting data from reconnaissance satellites for analysis.

Older satellites in more highly-inclined orbits have been used to relay communications to the AmundsenScott Station at the South Pole; a site not usually accessible to communications satellites due to its extreme latitude.

First-generation TDRS satellites were deployed from the Space Shuttle, with an Inertial Upper Stage used to raise them into geostationary orbit. These spacecraft, whichwerebuilt by TRW, were designed for a seven-to-ten year service life.

The first TDRS satellite TDRS-1 was deployedduring STS-6, the maiden flight of Challenger, in April 1983.

During the launch ofTDRS-1the Inertial Upper Stage malfunctioned. A two-stage solid-fuelled vehicle, the first stage of the IUS performed nominally however during the second stage burn control of the vehicle was lost.

The satellite was deployed into an orbit with a perigee approximately 13,000kilometers(8,000 mi, 7,000nmi) below geosynchronous orbit, with its period five and three-quarter hours shorter than expected.

Despite this partialfailurethe satellite was able to recover to its operational orbit, making a series of firings with itsmaneuveringthrusters which gradually raised the perigee over the period of several months. TDRS-1 exceeded its design life almost four times over, finally being decommissioned in June 2010 after its final amplifier failed.

Following the malfunction during the TDRS-1 launch and anomalies on several other flights, concerns over the reliability of the IUS resulted in knock-on delays for the TDRSSprogram. STS-12, which had been slated to deploy the second satellite, TDRS-B,was canceled and the payload reassigned to STS-51-E.

Challenger was rolled out to Launch Complex 39A in February 1985;howevera faulty timer in the TDRS satellite forced NASA torollbackanddestackthe orbiter. STS-51-E wascanceled, withChallenger flying the STS-51-B mission instead.

TDRS-B was finally ready to fly in early 1986, as the primary payload of STS-51-L. Launched on 28 January,Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds later with the loss of her crew and payload.

As a result of the failure, the designation TDRS-2, which would have been given to TDRS-B upon the completion of initial on-orbit testing, was never assigned typically for a program with separate launch and on-orbit designations in the event of a launch failure the on-orbit designation is reassigned to the next successful mission to avoid gaps in the sequence.

When Space Shuttle missions resumed in 1988,TDRS-3 was the primary payload for the return-to-flight mission, STS-26, flown by Discovery. TDRS-3 remainsoperable,and is located at 49 degrees west as a reserve satellite.STS-29, also flown by Discovery, successfully deployed TDRS-4which operated until late 2011 and was decommissioned in March 2012.

TDRS-5 was deployed by Atlantis during STS-43, withEndeavour launching TDRS-6 during STS-54; these two spacecraft, the last from the original order, remain in operation located at 161 degrees west and 62 degrees west.

The last first-generation satellite, TDRS-7, was ordered as a replacement for TDRS-B and incorporates some enhancements over the other satellites, while still being based on the same TRW bus.

It was deployed by STS-70 in1995,and remains in operation at 85 degrees East (275 degrees West) as TDRS-Z, covering the so-called Zone of Exclusion between the operational West and East satellites; TDRS-9 and TDRS-10.

Three second-generation TDRS satellites were built by Hughes Space and Communication, later part of Boeing, and launched between 2000 and 2002. These BSS-601-based spacecraft were launched by Atlas IIA rockets.

TDRS-8 was found to have a defective antenna, resulting in reduced performance compared to expectations before launch.

The TDRS-9 and 10 spacecraft suffered from the same fault, however as a result of the problem with TDRS-8 it could be found and corrected while they were still on the ground.

TDRS-9 also suffered from apressurizationproblem in its propulsion system, which resulted in it taking six months to reach its operational orbit. TDRS-9 and 10 are located at 41 degrees and 174 degrees west as the operational TDRS-East and TDRS-West satellites respectively. TDRS-8 is located at 89 degrees east (271 degrees West).

The first two third-generation satellites were ordered in December 2007, with the contract including options for NASA to order two further spacecraft. TDRS-11, known as TDRS-K at the time of launch, was the first third-generation satellite to fly riding an Atlas V into orbit.

TDRS-L, the second of the original two orders, while one of the options was exercised in late 2011 at a cost of $289 million. That satellite, TDRS-M, is the one to be launched next.

The three primary satellites in the constellation are the TDRS-East, TDRS-West and TDRS-Z satellites;howeverall of the operable spacecraft aside from TDRS-3 are in operational use.

(Images via NASA, ULA, Boeing and L2 Historical.To join L2, click here:https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)

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TDRS-M launch date under review following pre-launch incident - NASASpaceflight.com

AIDA mission to validate crucial asteroid deflection technology – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Tomasz Nowakowski

July 16th, 2017

ESAs Asteroid Impact Mission is joined by two triple-unit CubeSats to observe the impact of the NASA-led Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) probe with the secondary Didymos asteroid, planned for late 2022. Image & Caption Credit: ESA / ScienceOffice.org

While there is currently no imminent asteroid threat and none of the known near-Earth objects (NEOs) is on collision course with our planet, humanity should be prepared for the worst. With that thought in mind, NASA and ESA are developing the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission; its main goal is to demonstrate the kinetic impact technique that could change the motion of a potentially hazardous asteroid.

The AIDA mission will consist of two spacecraft sent to the binary asteroid called 65803 Didymos. Built by ESA, the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) will be launched in October 2020 and is expected to be injected into the orbit of the larger asteroid. NASAs contribution to this endeavor, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), will be launched into space nearly one year later and slated to crash into the smaller asteroid in October 2022. AIM will be just in place to observe the impact and study its aftermath.

This mission, in partnership with ESA and NASA, will allow us to validate the technology of the kinetic impactor and also to improve our understanding of threatening asteroids, Patrick Michel, AIM/AIDA investigator at the Cte dAzur Observatory (OCA), told Astrowatch.net.

LEFT: Artists rendering of ESAs desk-sized Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM). Image Credit: ESA Science Office. RIGHT: Artists rendering of NASAs Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA

Therefore, the mission would be essential for the most one of the most important asteroid deflection technology the kinetic impactor. In particular, AIDA will demonstrate the feasibility of this technique based on the data gathered by observing DARTs crash into Didymos moon with a velocity of about six km/s. AIM will orbit the asteroid in order to perform detailed before-and-after observations of the structure of the space rock itself, as well as its orbit, to thoroughly characterize the kinetic impact and the consequences.

To make sure a technique is valid and that we know how to use it, we need a test. Otherwise, we can talk, but it will remain on paper and we cannot guarantee anything. And this is why we still push for the AIDA space mission to happen, Michel said.

He noted that the success of AIDA will have many implications for planetary defense, science, and asteroid mining because the knowledge needed for these three aims is essentially the same. According to Michel, it will prove that asteroids are the only natural risk that we can predict and prevent by making the necessary steps.

AIDA, if done, will accomplish the step that will allow us to tell the future generations: we did our duty, we have now a validated tool to prevent the risk! And it will also come with science and technology returns, which contributes to [inspiring] young generations, Michel noted.

The AIM spacecraft is still in its conceptual phase. When it comes to DART, the probe was recently moved by NASA from concept development to preliminary design phase.

Tagged: AIDA AIM Asteroid Didymos DART NASA The Range

Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the premier astronomy and science-related blogs on the internet. Nowakowski reached out to SpaceFlight Insider in an effort to have the two space-related websites collaborate. Nowakowski's generous offer was gratefully received with the two organizations now working to better relay important developments as they pertain to space exploration.

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AIDA mission to validate crucial asteroid deflection technology - SpaceFlight Insider

TDRS-M spacecraft damaged during closeout activities – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Jason Rhian

July 16th, 2017

An incident with NASAs TDRS-M occurred during closeout activities on Friday, July 14. Photo Credit: Vikash Mahadeo / SpaceFlight Insider

TITUSVILLE, Fla. During closeout activities for the final third-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-M), an incident occurred to the spacecrafts Omni S-band antenna. This occurred on Friday, July 14, about two-and-a-half weeks prior to the satellites scheduled launch.

Both NASA and the satellites manufacturer, Boeing, are reviewing what happened at theAstrotech Space Operations building in Titusville, Florida, where the satellite was being readied for flight.

TDRS-M, which will be renamed TDRS-13 upon reaching orbit, was set to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Stations Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida on August 3.

At present, it is unclear if this incident will impact the planned launch date with a recent statement on NASAs TDRS-M Status Update page noting: The mission team is developing a plan to assess flight acceptance and the schedule forward.

Tagged: Boeing Lead Stories NASA TDRS-M Urgent

Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.

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TDRS-M spacecraft damaged during closeout activities - SpaceFlight Insider

Auditor-General won’t be investigating Peter Thiel’s NZ citizenship – The National Business Review

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

The Auditor-General won't be conducting an inquiry into the decision to grant citizenship to San Francisco-based billionaire investor Peter Thiel, said deputy controller and auditor-general Greg Schollum in response to a request from Green Party MP Denise Roche.

Roche called on the auditor-general to look into the decision after it came to light that in June 2011 then Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy, approved Thiel's application for citizenship under the "exceptional circumstances" provisions of the Citizenship Act.

According to Schollum, the provisions allow the minister to grant citizenship to someone who may not satisfy the normal criteria for citizenship, but where granting citizenship "would be in the public interest because of exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian or other nature relating to the applicant".

He noted act gives the minister "broad discretion" and the section does not specify what these terms mean or how the minister's discretion should be exercised. "This means the legislation allows for considerable flexibility on a case-by-case basis," he said.

He said the issues largely come down to policy questions - for example, whether the legislation strikes the right balance for citizen decisions - or legal questions such as whether the provisions were applied correctly. "These are not questions that the Auditor-General generally has authority to answer," said Schollum.

Thiel is a member of US President Donald Trump's transition team, having donated to his campaign, and is a long-time libertarian who has in the past invested in the exploration of seasteading, the development of a floating city in international waters which could serve as a politically autonomous settlement.

(BusinessDesk)

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Auditor-General won't be investigating Peter Thiel's NZ citizenship - The National Business Review

Opinion: Red heads need to harden up – NEWS.com.au (blog)

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

James McCann is a red head who is sick of other red heads whingeing. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

ABOUT a decade ago, ginger jokes were everywhere.

South Park went viral with an episode joking that Gingers dont have souls. Summer Heights High popularised the term Ranga, which quickly became the years most shouted word from passing Nissan Pulsars. By 2010, gags about red heads were so overused that several reviewers at the Raw Comedy national final asked comedians to move on to other, less hackneyed subjects.

It was open season.

This cultural phenomenon coincided with my tender high school years. Besides having flaming red hair, I was tubby, short and wore both braces and glasses.

I backed up the look with extra-curricular activities like chess, debating, badminton and clarinet lessons.

I signed up for school musicals, hoping they might reverse my fortunes and entice some much desired female attention. I was mistaken, and accidentally magnified the already widespread, equally mistaken notion that James McCann was a homosexual.

And yet, funnily enough, I cannot remember ever being bullied for any of these immensely bully-able traits. I do, however, remember being called ranga on a daily basis for many years. There were several other, more creative names McCandle Stick stands out as a particularly good one.

A cute little James McCann.Source:Supplied

Most invectives throughout high school aimed below the belt Fanta Pants, Fire Crotch, and Ginger Pubes which was odd considering my very late puberty, and the then total lack of any such growth. At 15, as the oldest male soprano ever in the school choir, I would have welcomed a few pubes in any hue.

The constant ranga jeers werent especially pleasant but, then again, who has a wholly happy time at school? In the awkward years of adolescence, when the brain rewires and hormones wreak havoc, everybody feels isolated and misunderstood.

Some respond by lashing out, with the worst abusers often themselves being the worst abused. Others retreat into their rooms, listen to The Smiths, and write songs about their especial sadness.

Eventually most people grow up, get some perspective, and move on with their lives.

In recent years, however, something has gone wrong on a generational scale. Victimhood is in vogue, and redheads are trying to cash in along with everybody else.

R.A. N. G. A, the Red And Nearly Ginger Association, is an Australian group who want to own the word Ranga. Its about holding it up in the light of positive endorsement, says ginger-haired founder Joel Cohen in a Ted X talk. Its about taking the power back. This is bizarre stuff. Its the same way GLAAD talk about the word queer, or the way the NAACP talk about that word white folks arent allowed to say.

It should go without saying, but red-headed people have not historically faced the same systematic difficulties as people who are black and/or gay. Nobody has ever been locked out of the job market, or suffered an unjust legal system, or been specifically targeted by the police, solely on the basis of having red hair.

Ours is not a comparable struggle. Sure, the disproportionately ginger Irish have had a hard lot, but that wasnt the reason they were persecuted by the extremely ginger Queen Elizabeth I.

Some red heads are so desperate to make themselves into victims that they invent non-existent problems. British photographer Thomas Knights has released two Red Hot collections of photographs in an attempt to prove that red-headed men can be sexy. Is this really a point anybody needs to prove? Prince Harry (ginger) is routinely voted the sexiest royal. Despite a receding hairline, crap tattoos and naff songs, Ed Sheeran (carrot top) is worshipped by legions of lustful fans.

Nobody feels sorry for this read headed hunk-a-spunk. Picture: Paul Ellis / Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

In the last few years, oodles of ginger pride events have sprung up all over the world. In Australia, over a thousand red-headed Australians recently turned up to the second annual Ginger Pride Rally.

Holding up signs that read NOBODY PUTS GINGER IN THE CORNER and GINGERS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, the pale-faced protesters took to the shady streets of Melbourne in solidarity. The event is sponsored and organised by Buderim Ginger, whove found a clever way to advertise their product, and capitalise on the grievance industry.

Going on and on about your hair colour isnt just dull, its counter-productive. Bullies want a reaction, and the gingers are giving it to them.

Moreover, the notion of Ginger Pride is ridiculous. It makes just as little sense to base your identity on hair or skin colour as it does to attack somebody else for theirs. Nobody should be proud to have red hair, any more than theyre proud to be left-handed, or have a partiality to the colour blue. A predisposition to freckles and skin cancer is nothing to be proud of.

That said, I will note that some of the greatest warriors throughout history have had crimson hair: Achilles was like fire, King David was ruddy, and the Norse God Thor, prior to his bastardisation in Marvel Comics, was portrayed as a bearded ginger.

The greatest British war time leaders have all had red hair: Richard the Lionheart, Oliver Cromwell, Boudicca and a young Winston Churchill too. Perhaps my fellow gingers should learn from their genetic predecessors and harden up.

James McCann is a writer and comedian. Find him at jamesdonaldforbesmccann.com or follow him on Twitter @jdfmccann.

Melbournes CBD was flooded by the flame-haired on Saturday, April 29, as hundreds took part in the second annual Ginger Pride Rally. The anti-bullying event drew 1000 people, according to the ABC, including the charity group Alannah and Madeline Foundation, which raises money to protect children from violence. It was the second time the event was held, with organisers providing free ginger beer, ginger speed dating and games of Ginger Beer Pong. Credit: Facebook/Alannah & Madeline Foundation via Storyful

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Opinion: Red heads need to harden up - NEWS.com.au (blog)

Kendall and Kris Jenner Try on Kathy Griffin’s Wigs – People – PEOPLE.com

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Wigsare a highly underrated secret of the celebrity world. Want a pixie cut without all the drama of a major, permanent chop? No problem. Dream of dyeing your hair a pristine shade of neon green one day and the lightest shade of rose the next? Youll never have to worry about severe follicle damage, fading, or that harsh grow out ever again. Or maybe you just want to try out life as a blonde, or a redhead. You wouldnt be the firstKathy GriffinInstagrammed two intruders rifling through her personal collection of wigsand they just so happened to be namedKendall and Kris Jenner.

While a friendship between the comedian and the first family of reality TV may seem unlikely, the E! celebrities are closer than you might thinkliterally. Last year, Griffin revealed that she doesnt just live close to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, she lives right next door. In an exclusive interview with People, she said, [Kris] has already come over twice. One time she came over, and she opened the window and started yelling at Kim and Kanye and I said, Stop it! You are not getting me kicked out! because when I say theyre next door, I mean 15 ft, I dont mean nearby.

RELATED PHOTOS:Every Single Time Kylie Jenner Has Ever Changed Her Hair Color

So like a good neighbor, the television host appears to have an open door policy with the KarJenners, which means they also occasionally have the opportunity to go snooping through her property while shes out of the house. And clearly, the Jenners are not about to pass up the chance at a good spy mission, getting into Kathys collection of wigs while she was gone and trying a couple on in a selfie they sent to the comedian. As she wrote in her Instagram post, BREAKING These 2 @kendalljenner @krisjenner characters somehow snuck in to my home and tried on my magic hair. Ginger envy!!! While it may be the case that the mother-daughter duo were simply jealous of their neighbors auburn locks, it could also be that these ladies were sick of Kylie being the only one with a technicolor wig closet at her disposal.

Do you think Kris and Kendall look good as redheads? Would you want to borrow one of Kathys wigs? Sound off below!

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Kendall and Kris Jenner Try on Kathy Griffin's Wigs - People - PEOPLE.com

NASA tests astronaut ocean exit process for Orion crew capsule – TechCrunch

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

NASA has a long and thorough safety certification process for any vessels hoping to transport astronauts to space and back and its Orion crew capsule is no exception. The vehicle, which is aiming to first launch with a crew aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy lift rocket sometime between 2021 and 2023, underwent water exit testing (via Space) in the Gulf of Mexico, to see how it would fare if astronauts ever have to let themselves out and boat to safety after a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

The NASA test took place on July 11, and involved shipping the Orion capsule out into the Gulf on board a U.S. Coast Guard ship, where it was placed in the water. Astronauts then suited up and shipped out on a dinghy to climb into the capsule, where they recreated the emergency egress procedures that theyd actually have to run through should the capsule ever wind up in the Pacific Ocean.

Astronauts making their way out of the capsule and jetting away via their own inflatable, bright orange safety raft isnt the preferred course of egress once the Orion sets down in the Pacific as intended, standard operating procedure would have an Earth-based recovery team head out to retrieve the astronauts on board, which is better for all involved because those inside the capsule are likely to be feeling the ill effects of prolonged stays in space, which include muscle loss, for example.

But in case they cant be reached within 24 hours for some reason (the time the Orion is designed to sustain them for) or they need to get away quicker, there are exit procedures in place that let the astronauts handle the whole process themselves even with reduced capabilities.

Other crew craft are also running through the safety checklist NASA requires prior to crew launches, including the ULA and their CST-100 Starliner, which recently demonstrated the emergency egress system its designed for pre-launch operations when the craft is loaded aboard an Atlas V rocket.

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NASA tests astronaut ocean exit process for Orion crew capsule - TechCrunch

Deluxe room, Earth view: What a luxury space hotel looks like, according to NASA contest winners – Quartz

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Much has been made about how (very, very rich) space tourists will travel to their off-the-beaten path destination, but where will they stay once they do? A luxury boutique hotel, of course.

A team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students have won a NASA competition to design commercially viable accommodations for low-Earth orbitthe first 180-2,000 kilometers (100-1,200 miles) above the planet. NASA tasked participants to come up with something that could one day also be used by travelers to Mars.

So what does the first space hotel look like? Forget brass railings and ferns in a spacious lobby. The MIT team envisions eight inflatable rooms, arranged in a circle like wheel spokes, attached to a NASA space station. The design is called the Managed, Reconfigurable, In-space Nodal Assembly, or Marina for short.

The hotel is meant to replace the International Space Station and reduce NASAs costs. The commercial operator would rent space to NASA. The MIT team estimates that will reduce the space agencys costs by 16%, or $3 billion a year, because the operator would generate revenue from the hotel.

Optional activities include donning a spacesuit for a spacewalk, or chatting with NASA scientists about their work. Each roomwhere guests would be belted into their beds to sleepand the hotels common area would offer sweeping views of Earth. Should guests tire of contemplating their insignificance in this universe, there are plenty of other amenities:

A bar and a restaurant, which will hopefully take its cues from first-class airplane cabins rather than space missions past. Guests can eat in the restaurant or in their rooms.

A gym, which unlike on Earth, visitors will definitely need to visit in a weightless environment, as fun as that is. It is to feature an Earth-facing window and a wall featuring panoramic projections of the surfaces of the moon or Mars. And you get a trainer to keep you focused from the celestial distractions.

Individualized service. There are four staff members, for up to 16 guests.

George Lordos, a graduate fellow on the MIT team, likens the design to a yacht marina, in that it provides an array of logistical services, like power, maintenance and clean water. Other modules could be rented out to other private owners.

So whats the cost? Just $5 million for a two-week holiday. Lordos estimates the hotel could be in operation by 2025, so start saving.

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Deluxe room, Earth view: What a luxury space hotel looks like, according to NASA contest winners - Quartz

Buzz Pluto’s mountains in this gorgeous NASA video – CNET

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

It's been two years since NASA's New Horizons spacecraft got up close and personal with dwarf planet Pluto. It sent back our best-ever looks at the icy body. NASA released a new video on Friday that takes viewers on a stunning flyover across Pluto's scenic craggy mountains and wide plains.

The two-minute video combines New Horizons data with digital models of Pluto's elevations and turns them into a visual experience that makes you feel like you're zipping along with the intrepid spacecraft. It starts off dark and mysterious and then pulls you into the dwarf planet's exotic surface formations. The video is silent, so put on your favorite soaring soundtrack music, dim the lights and go full screen for an optimal experience.

NASA also released a video showing a flyover of Pluto's largest moon, Charon.

New Horizons has moved on from Pluto and is currently flying deeper into the Kuiper Belt, a vast area filled with icy bodies out beyond Neptune's orbit. The spacecraft's mission is set to continue with alook at a Kuiper Belt object called 2014 MU69about 18 months from now.

Pluto, you so crazy (pictures)

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Buzz Pluto's mountains in this gorgeous NASA video - CNET

NASA Neutron star mission begins science operations – Phys.Org

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

July 17, 2017 by Clare Skelly This time-lapse animation shows NICER being extracted from the SpaceX Dragon trunk on June 11, 2017. Credit: NASA

NASA's new Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission to study the densest observable objects in the universe has begun science operations.

Launched June 3 on an 18-month baseline mission, NICER will help scientists understand the nature of the densest stable form of matter located deep in the cores of neutron stars using X-ray measurements.

NICER operates around the clock on the International Space Station (ISS). In the two weeks following launch, NICER underwent extraction from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, robotic installation on ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 2 on board ISS and initial deployment. Commissioning efforts began June 14, as NICER deployed from its stowed launch configuration. All systems are functioning as expected.

"No instrument like this has ever been built for the space station," said Keith Gendreau, the principal investigator for NICER at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "As we transition from an instrument development project to a science investigation, it is important to recognize the fantastic engineering and instrument team who built a payload that delivers on all the promises made."

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To date, NICER has observed over 40 celestial targets. These objects were used to calibrate the X-ray Timing Instrument and supporting star-tracker camera. The observations also validated the payload's performance that will enable its key science measurements.

Along with the instrument's transition to full science operations, the embedded Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) demonstration will begin using NICER data to tune the built-in flight software for its first experiment.

"Our initial timing models use data collected by terrestrial radio telescopes," said Jason Mitchell, the SEXTANT project manager at Goddard. "Because NICER observes in X-rays, we will account for the difference between the pulses we recover in X-rays compared to our radio models."

Once NICER collects data on each of SEXTANT's target pulsars, the software will exploit timing models developed using NICER-only data.

NICER-SEXTANT is a two-in-one mission. NICER will study the strange, ultra-dense astrophysics objects known as neutron stars to determine how matter behaves in their interiors. SEXTANT will use NICER's observations of rapidly rotating neutron stars, or pulsars, to demonstrate autonomous X-ray navigation in space.

NICER is an Astrophysics Mission of Opportunity within NASA's Explorer program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space utilizing innovative, streamlined, and efficient management approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas. NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate supports the SEXTANT component of the mission, demonstrating pulsar-based spacecraft navigation.

Explore further: Image: Close-up view of neutron star mission's X-ray concentrator optics

More information: http://www.nasa.gov/nicer/

A new NASA mission, the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), is headed for the International Space Station next month to observe one of the strangest observable objects in the universe. Launching aboardSpaceX's ...

An upcoming NASA astrophysics mission will uncover the physics governing the ultra-dense interiors of neutron stars. Using the same platform, the mission will demonstrate trailblazing space navigation technology.

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(Phys.org)A pair of researchers with Aberystwyth University in the U.K. has used data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory to learn more about how the sun's corona behaves over differing stages of its 11-year cycle. ...

NASA's new Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission to study the densest observable objects in the universe has begun science operations.

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NASA Neutron star mission begins science operations - Phys.Org

PHOTO: NASA shows dramatic picture of massive new Antarctic iceberg – Fox News

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Multiple NASA satellites have captured images of the dramatic and long-awaited birth of one of the largest icebergs ever recorded, which broke off an Antarctic ice shelf this week.

The enormous iceberg contains more than 1.1 trillion tons (1 trillion metric tons) of water and is about the size of Delaware. Its separation from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf occurred sometime between July 10 and today (July 12), and was first reported by scientists with the U.K.-based Project Midas, an Antarctic research group. The calving was confirmed by satellite images from the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission. [How Satellites Watched the New Iceberg's Birth Over Time]

Now, images from NASA satellites show the iceberg's gradual separation from the ice shelf. The crack in the ice shelf that formed the iceberg was first observed in the early 1960s, but remained dormant for decades, according to a statement from NASA. The animation above includes images going back to 2006, collected by NASA and the United States Geologic Survey's Landsat satellites.

The rift in the ice shelf began to spread northward at a significant rate in 2014, and its progress accelerated in 2016, leading scientists to assume it would eventually create a separate iceberg. Between June 24 and 27, the speed of rift tripled, according to scientists with the Midas Project.

In November 2016, the rift was estimated to be about 300 feet (91 m) wide and 70 miles (112 km) long. Measurements from this summer put the rift at 124 miles (200 km) long.

The MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite use thermal data to show temperature differences in the ice and seawater. In a false-color image taken today (July 12), the crack that created the iceberg is visible as a thin, pink line down the mostly purple ice sheet. The warmer temperature of the crack indicates that ocean water lies not far below the surface.

The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on the Landsat 8 satellite also captured temperature data on June 17. The false-color image shows the slightly warmer crack (light blue) running through the very cold ice shelf (mostly white). The image shows warmer areas in orange, including regions of very thin sea ice. [Landsat: Four Decades of Images and Data]

The Larsen C ice shelf is a floating ice shelf, which means the separation of the iceberg will not cause ocean levels to rise, unlike icebergs that calf from land-based ice shelves. Scientists with the Midas Project said they have not found evidence that the iceberg's formation was directly caused by climate change. However, the scientists said in a statement that this is the farthest back that the ice front has been in recorded history, and they are "going to be watching very carefully for signs that the rest of the shelf is becoming unstable."

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com .

PHOTO: NASA shows dramatic picture of massive new Antarctic iceberg - Fox News

NASA listens in as electrons whistle while they work – Phys.Org

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

July 17, 2017 by Mara Johnson-Groh Space is not empty, nor is it silent. The region around Earth is filled with magnetic field lines and trapped energetic particles, zooming about in a high-speed dance around the planet (shown here in an illustration). Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Brian Monroe

Space is not empty, nor is it silent. While technically a vacuum, space nonetheless contains energetic charged particles, governed by magnetic and electric fields, and it behaves unlike anything we experience on Earth. In regions laced with magnetic fields, such as the space environment surrounding our planet, particles are continually tossed to and fro by the motion of various electromagnetic waves known as plasma waves. These plasma waves, like the roaring ocean surf, create a rhythmic cacophony thatwith the right toolswe can hear across space.

Just as waves roll across the ocean or storm fronts move through the atmosphere, disturbances in space, can cause waves. These waves occur as fluctuating electric and magnetic fields plow through clumps of ions and electrons that compose the plasma, pushing some to accelerated speeds. This interaction controls the balance of highly energetic particles injected and lost from in the near-Earth environment.

One type of plasma wave fundamental to shaping our near-Earth environment are whistler-mode waves. These waves create distinct sounds dependent on the plasma they travel through. For example, the region tight around Earth, called the plasmasphere, is relatively dense with cold plasma. Waves traveling inside this region sound much different than those outside. While different whistler-mode waves sing different sounds, they all move in the same way, with the same electromagnetic properties.

When lighting strikes the ground, the electrical discharge can also trigger whistler-mode plasma waves. Some of the waves escape beyond the atmosphere to bounce like bumper cars along Earth's magnetic field lines between the north and south poles. Since the lightning creates a range of frequencies, and since higher frequencies travel faster, the wave howls a falling pitch, giving the wave its namea whistler.

Out beyond the plasmasphere, where the plasma is tenuous and relatively warm, whistler-mode waves create primarily rising chirps, like a flock of noisy birds. This type of wave is called chorus and is created when electrons are pushed towards the night side of Earthwhich in some cases, may be caused by magnetic reconnection, a dynamic explosion of tangled magnetic field lines on the dark side of Earth. When these low energy electrons hit the plasma, they interact with particles in the plasma, imparting their energy and creating a unique rising tone.

Whistler-mode waves traveling inside the plasmasphere are called plasmaspheric hiss and sound a lot like radio station static. Some scientists think hiss is also caused by lightning strikes, but others think it could be caused by chorus waves that have leaked inside the plasmasphere. Both chorus and hiss waves are key shapers of the near-Earth environment including the Van Allen radiation belts, doughnut-shaped rings of high-energy particles encircling the planet.

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NASA scientists, with the help of the Van Allen Probes mission, are working to understand the dynamics of plasma waves to improve predictions of space weather, which can have damaging effects on satellites and telecommunications signals. As a part of their observations, the scientists have recorded these eerie sounds made by different plasma waves in the particle symphony surrounding Earth.

NASA's two Van Allen Probe spacecraft use an instrument called EMFISIS, short for Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science, to measure electric and magnetic waves as they circle Earth. As the spacecraft encounter a wave, sensors record the changes in the frequency of the electric and magnetic fields. The scientists shift the frequencies to the audible range so that we can listen to the sounds of space.

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By understanding how waves and particles interact, scientists can learn how electrons are accelerated and lost from the radiation belts and help protect our satellites and telecommunications in space.

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Explore further: Making waves with the hot electrons within Earth's radiation belts

Encircling the Earth, within its magnetosphere, are two concentric, doughnut-shaped radiation belts known as the Van Allen belts. The Van Allen belts swell and recede in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes ...

Recent experiments at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at the University of California, Los Angeles, have successfully excited elusive plasma waves, known as whistler-mode chorus waves, which have hitherto only been observed ...

We know that there is sound on planets and moons in the solar system places where there's a medium through which sound waves can be transmitted, such as an atmosphere or an ocean. But what about empty space? You may have ...

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In a new study that sheds light on space weather's impact on Earth, Dartmouth researchers and their colleagues show for the first time that plasma waves buffeting the planet's radiation belts are responsible for scattering ...

NASA's new Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission to study the densest observable objects in the universe has begun science operations.

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It's interesting that the author managed to avoid a single usage of the term "double layer" in an article entirely dedicated to plasmas generating noises.

I would learn to surf, or ski, or control a charge distribution such that it accelerates through this sea. We got more to do just listening to the silence!

Note: Charge is its center and its field, at the center is only the field. When a charge oscillates, its field wrinkles as per Maxwell. The relative speed of these wrinkles, or the speed of light is the original wavelength divided by the measured period.

Empty space cannot exist. Charge, apparently never created or destroyed, its field, or the charge, extends from its center to infinity.

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NASA listens in as electrons whistle while they work - Phys.Org

NASA Closer to Using Nuclear Reactors for Powering Space Missions – Big Think

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

NASA has given new life to the idea of using nuclear fission to power space missions, something it last considered in the 1960s. Now for three years, it's been funding the development of a project called Kilopower that could be the key to colonizing Mars and other planets.

The goal of the project is to develop a "low-cost, scalable fission power system" for providing power in space. The Kilopower tech aims to achieve that by creating smaller reactors that can be combined to provide the necessary amount of energy. The scientists envision that the uranium-splitting Kilopower reactors can be used in multiples on Mars instead of one large power plant. This would result in a new generation of surface landers and human missions that originate from Mars.

In fact, the researchers estimate Mars surface missions would need around 40kW of power altogether. This amount of energy can power "about eight houses on Earth," according to NASA. The 6.5-feet-tall Kilopower reactors are each designed to provide 1-10 kW of electrical power to a spacecraft. Thanks to nuclear fission, with 4 or 5 Kilopower reactors, NASA could power a Mars colony, running with all the equipment necessary to produce fuel, clean the air and water, and charge all the batteries.

What is nuclear fission? It's the process of splitting of a heavy atomic nucleus into two lighter nuclei, releasing tremendous amounts of energy which is converted into electrical power. Atomic bombs and nuclear power plants utilize fission.

The reactors are being developed at the Los Alamos National Lab, in partnership with NASA Research Centers and other DOE National labs.

BigThink spoke to Patrick McClure, Kilopower Project Leader and Chief Reactor Designer David Poston. They were optimistic that the technology works, sharing that the idea behind the reactor originated at the Los Alamos National Lab, which was then taken on by NASAs R&D arm - the Game Changing Development Program. Their goal was to design a lean machine, simple enough to pull off a systems test. Another hallmark of the projects practical approach was to focus on adapting existing NASA technology that has been approved by regulators. Now the project is further along than any such work in the last 40 years because we are building an actual nuclear reactor, explained the scientists.

The team pointed out that the Kilopower technology could offer much more power than solar cells and the plutonium-powered Pu-238 radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), currently in use by NASA. RTGs have been used to power Curiosity, Voyager and Cassini, but they only put out about 110 watts. NASA also has a problem of obtaining enough plutonium going forward, with the worldwide supplies dwindling.

One big advantage of using fission reactors as opposed to solar power, another idea being developed, is that the Kilopower tech can work in situations when sunlight is not available. Even the places on Mars that receive the most amount of sun get about one-third of the sunlight theyd have on Earth. Blinding dust storms also make solar less than ideal as a reliable supplier of power.

While more work will need to be done to scale the reactors, the Kilopower team is enthusiastic that the technology is almost there. A testing phase of the project begins to September and is supposed to wrap up by the end of 2017.

After the testing completes, NASA will debate the future of the technology as it evaluates its plans going forward. While its very promising, the size of the current team supporting this idea is only about 10-11 people. With NASAs blessing, nuclear fission reactors can become the reality of space exploration in the near future.

Heres NASA conceptual video outlining the thinking behind the Kilopower technology:

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NASA Closer to Using Nuclear Reactors for Powering Space Missions - Big Think

Low-cost smart glove translates American Sign Language into text – Printed Electronics World

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a smart glove that wirelessly translates the American Sign Language alphabet into text and controls a virtual hand to mimic sign language gestures. The device, which engineers call "The Language of Glove," was built for less than $100 using stretchable and printable electronics that are inexpensive, commercially available and easy to assemble.

In addition to decoding American Sign Language gestures, researchers are developing the glove to be used in a variety of other applications ranging from virtual and augmented reality to telesurgery, technical training and defense.

The 'language of glove'

The team built the device using a leather athletic glove and adhered nine stretchable sensors to the back at the knuckles two on each finger and one on the thumb. The sensors are made of thin strips of a silicon-based polymer coated with a conductive carbon paint. The sensors are secured onto the glove with copper tape. Stainless steel thread connects each of the sensors to a low power, custom-made printed circuit board that's attached to the back of the wrist.

The sensors change their electrical resistance when stretched or bent. This allows them to code for different letters of the American Sign Language alphabet based on the positions of all nine knuckles. A straight or relaxed knuckle is encoded as "0" and a bent knuckle is encoded as "1". When signing a particular letter, the glove creates a nine-digit binary key that translates into that letter. For example, the code for the letter "A" (thumb straight, all other fingers curled) is "011111111," while the code for "B" (thumb bent, all other fingers straight) is "100000000." Engineers equipped the glove with an accelerometer and pressure sensor to distinguish between letters like "I" and "J", whose gestures are different but generate the same nine-digit code.

The low power printed circuit board on the glove converts the nine-digit key into a letter and then transmits the signals via Bluetooth to a smartphone or computer screen. The glove can wirelessly translate all 26 letters of the American Sign Language alphabet into text. Researchers also used the glove to control a virtual hand to sign letters in the American Sign Language alphabet.

Moving forward, the team is developing the next version of this glove one that's endowed with the sense of touch. The goal is to make a glove that could control either a virtual or robotic hand and then send tactile sensations back to the user's hand, Lipomi said. "This work is a step toward that direction."

Originally posted here:

Low-cost smart glove translates American Sign Language into text - Printed Electronics World

UW team develops fast, cheap method to make supercapacitor electrodes for electric cars, high-powered lasers – UW Today

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Danzig

Engineering | News releases | Research | Science

July 17, 2017

Supercapacitors are an aptly named type of device that can store and deliver energy faster than conventional batteries. They are in high demand for applications including electric cars, wireless telecommunications and high-powered lasers.

But to realize these applications, supercapacitors need better electrodes, which connect the supercapacitor to the devices that depend on their energy. These electrodes need to be both quicker and cheaper to make on a large scale and also able to charge and discharge their electrical load faster. A team of engineers at the University of Washington thinks theyve come up with a process for manufacturing supercapacitor electrode materials that will meet these stringent industrial and usage demands.

The researchers, led by UW assistant professor of materials science and engineering Peter Pauzauskie, published a paper on July 17 in the journal Nature Microsystems and Nanoengineering describing their supercapacitor electrode and the fast, inexpensive way they made it. Their novel method starts with carbon-rich materials that have been dried into a low-density matrix called an aerogel. This aerogel on its own can act as a crude electrode, but Pauzauskies team more than doubled its capacitance, which is its ability to store electric charge.

These inexpensive starting materials, coupled with a streamlined synthesis process, minimize two common barriers to industrial application: cost and speed.

In industrial applications, time is money, said Pauzauskie. We can make the starting materials for these electrodes in hours, rather than weeks. And that can significantly drive down the synthesis cost for making high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.

Full x-ray reconstruction of a coin cell supercapacitor.

Effective supercapacitor electrodes are synthesized from carbon-rich materials that also have a high surface area. The latter requirement is critical because of the unique way supercapacitors store electric charge. While a conventional battery stores electric charges via the chemical reactions occurring within it, a supercapacitor instead stores and separates positive and negative charges directly on its surface.

Supercapacitors can act much faster than batteries because they are not limited by the speed of the reaction or byproducts that can form, said co-lead author Matthew Lim, a UW doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. Supercapacitors can charge and discharge very quickly, which is why theyre great at delivering these pulses of power.

They have great applications in settings where a battery on its own is too slow, said fellow lead author Matthew Crane, a doctoral student in the UW Department of Chemical Engineering. In moments where a battery is too slow to meet energy demands, a supercapacitor with a high surface area electrode could kick in quickly and make up for the energy deficit.

To get the high surface area for an efficient electrode, the team used aerogels. These are wet, gel-like substances that have gone through a special treatment of drying and heating to replace their liquid components with air or another gas. These methods preserve the gels 3-D structure, giving it a high surface area and extremely low density. Its like removing all the water out of Jell-O with no shrinking.

One gram of aerogel contains about as much surface area as one football field, said Pauzauskie.

Crane made aerogels from a gel-like polymer, a material with repeating structural units, created from formaldehyde and other carbon-based molecules. This ensured that their device, like todays supercapacitor electrodes, would consist of carbon-rich materials.

Previously, Lim demonstrated that adding graphene which is a sheet of carbon just one atom thick to the gel imbued the resulting aerogel with supercapacitor properties. But, Lim and Crane needed to improve the aerogels performance, and make the synthesis process cheaper and easier.

In Lims previous experiments, adding graphene hadnt improved the aerogels capacitance. So they instead loaded aerogels with thin sheets of either molybdenum disulfide or tungsten disulfide. Both chemicals are used widely today in industrial lubricants.

The researchers treated both materials with high-frequency sound waves to break them up into thin sheets and incorporated them into the carbon-rich gel matrix. They could synthesize a fully-loaded wet gel in less than two hours, while other methods would take many days. After obtaining the dried, low-density aerogel, they combined it with adhesives and another carbon-rich material to create an industrial dough, which Lim could simply roll out to sheets just a few thousandths of an inch thick. They cut half-inch discs from the dough and assembled them into simple coin cell battery casings to test the materials effectiveness as a supercapacitor electrode.

Slice from x-ray computed tomography image of a supercapacitor coin cell assembled with the electrode materials. The thin layers just below the coin cell lid are layers of electrode materials and a separator.William Kuykendall

Not only were their electrodes fast, simple and easy to synthesize, but they also sported a capacitance at least 127 percent greater than the carbon-rich aerogel alone.

Lim and Crane expect that aerogels loaded with even thinner sheets of molybdenum disulfide or tungsten disulfide theirs were about 10 to 100 atoms thick would show an even better performance. But first, they wanted to show that loaded aerogels would be faster and cheaper to synthesize, a necessary step for industrial production. The fine-tuning comes next.

The team believes that these efforts can help advance science even outside the realm of supercapacitor electrodes. Their aerogel-suspended molybdenum disulfide might remain sufficiently stable to catalyze hydrogen production. And their method to trap materials quickly in aerogels could be applied to high capacitance batteries or catalysis.

Co-author was doctoral student Xuezhe Zhou in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. The research was conducted with the help of Energ2 Technologies, a UW start-up company based in Seattle that was recently acquired by BASF. The research was funded by the UW and the Clean Energy Institute. Pauzauskie is also affiliated with the Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

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For more information, contact Pauzauskie at peterpz@uw.edu or 206-543-2303.

UW team develops fast, cheap method to make supercapacitor electrodes for electric cars, high-powered lasers - UW Today

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