Monthly Archives: March 2014

The Winklevoss twins will ride Virgin Galactic into space. But NASA astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly are the first set of identical twins to fly in space.

The Winklevoss twins launched into the headlines Wednesday (March 5) by announcing their plan to ride a Virgin Galactic space plane (and paying with Bitcoins, no less), but they aren't the first set of identical twins to fly in space. NASA, it turns out, got there first.

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Years before the Winklevoss twins planned their Virgin Galactic space trip, the identical twins Mark and Scott Kelly both 50 of West Orange, N.J., were busy flying space shuttles for NASA. Not only are the Kelly brothers the first identical twin astronauts in history, but they were also simultaneous captains in the U.S. Navy until Mark Kelly retired from both NASA and the Navy in 2011.

The Kelly brothers (Mark is six minutes older) joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1996, with Mark flying four space shuttle missions and Scott flying three spaceflights, including a 159-day stay on the International Space Station. Both astronauts served as space shuttle commanders, with Scott commanding the space station during most recent spaceflight, which ran from October 2010 and ended in March 2011. [Twins in Space: NASA Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly]

Now when it comes to the Winklevoss brothers the founders of Winklevoss Capital investing group this part is key. The Winklevoss twins could be the first identical siblings to fly at the same time.

The Winklevoss brothers are paying the Bitcoin equivalent of $250,000 for the suborbital spaceflight. Virgin Galactic is offering trips into suborbital space (they don't reach Earth orbit like NASA shuttles) by launching the SpaceShipTwo vehicle from a high-altitude mothership called WhiteKnightTwo. The SpaceShipTwo can carry two pilots and six passengers per flight.

The Kelly brothers never had the chance to fly in space together, though at one point it was planned.

In 2011, NASA hoped to launch its second-to-last space shuttle mission the STS-134 flight on Endeavour early in the year, during the time that Scott Kelly was in command of the International Space Station. Mark Kelly, meanwhile, would command Endeavour. It would be a historic identical twin space commander flight.

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Astronaut twins in space? NASA did it before Winklevoss brothers

Hey Space Fans, if you're in Austin, Texas, attending the annual SXSW festival, NASA has some events planned that might peak your cosmic interest.

"At SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, attendees will find out how NASA is answering the tough questions such as: Is there life on other planets? Are we smarter than the dinosaurs? What are astronauts studying on the International Space Station?"Editor's Note:If you see NASA at SXSW, let us know! We'd love to see your photos or videos of space themes at SXSW. You can send images and comments into managing editor Tariq Malik atspacephotos@space.comfor potential stories or galleries.

NASA officials said in an statement. You can see the full schedule of NASA's events at SXSW below taken straight from NASA's own announcement:

Live from Space! Talk with Astronauts in Orbit Sat, Mar 8; 11:00am, Omni Downtown, Capital Ballroom http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP25456

John Yembrick, NASA's social media manager, will lead a discussion about how technology has evolved the way the agency connects with the public. Just a few short years ago, only a select few were able to talk to astronauts in space. Today, all you need is to be on the Internet. At SXSW, audience members can ask questions directly to astronauts Mike Hopkinsand Rick Mastracchio from 250 miles away in space.

"You don't have to go to the movies to feel connected to human spaceflight, Yembrick said. "Every day on social media astronauts on the International Space Station are sharing their experience with us down here on Earth. The station is not only an outstanding test bed for future space exploration, but also at providing us the human perspective of looking back at our home planet from orbit. Like never before, we can live vicariously through the eyes of the astronauts."

That's Hot: Visualizing NASA Climate Science Data Sat, Mar. 8; 12:30pm, Omni Downtown, Lone Star Room http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP24689

NASA has a fleet of spacecraft studying every aspect of our home planet with five new missions launching in 2014. This panel will demonstrate how NASA is using mobile applications, interactive websites, near real-time visualizations and social media to deliver meaningful and understandable Earth science data - in some cases just hours after it's collected. Representatives from JPL on this panel include Michael Green, manager for public engagement formulation, Doug Ellison, visualization producer, and Veronica McGregor, media relations manager.

NASA and Kerbal Space Program: The Asteroid Mission In Real and Virtual Worlds Sat, Mar. 8; 12:30pm, Palmer Events Center, Exhibit Hall 1 http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_OE03288

Kerbal Space Programand NASA will share the stage at SXSW Gaming during SXSW. Their panel will offer the first look at the in-game mission as well as discuss the process of taking a real mission that is still highly conceptual and assembling it in Kerbal Space Program. NASA will be represented at the panel by Jason Townsend, Deputy Social Media Manager, and Jason Kessler, Grand Challenges Program executive, who leads NASA's efforts to "find all asteroid threats to human populations and know what to do about them."

Continue reading here:
NASA at SXSW: A Space Fan's Guide