Daily Archives: May 18, 2017

LONDON As crewmembers of the Covenant spaceship, they spent years traveling toward the distant planet Origae-6, with the goal of establishing a colony to secure the survival of humanity.

But that's science fiction. In real life, the actors who star in "Alien: Covenant" Ridley Scott's new installment in the "Alien" film saga, which opens in theaters across the United States Friday (May 19) don't seem all that excited about venturing into the final frontier. And you can't really blame them. As with every "Alien" mission, the Covenant's trip didn't turn out exactly as the crew and the passengers had hoped, ending in a horrific fight for life.

"If somebody said, 'Do you want to go to space?' and the opportunity arose, I would take it," said Michael Fassbender, who reprised his role as the android David from 2012's "Alien" film "Prometheus" and added a second one as an upgraded version of the robot called Walter. [9 Terrifying Extraterrestrials from the 'Alien' Movies]

"But it's not on my bucket list or anything," Fassbender told Space.com here earlier this month.

Demin Bichir (left), Danny McBride (center) and Billy Crudup (right) cast members of the new film "Alien: Covenant" talk about real-life space exploration with Space.com contributor Tereza Pultarova.

The film's main star, Katherine Waterston, portrays a bereaved terraforming expert named Daniels who turns into a kickass monster-fighting warrior in the film. In real life, however, she finds the time commitment of space travel, especially the intergalactic type, quite off-putting.

"I don't think they would be able to offer that kind of spaceship that I would want to travel on in my lifetime: one that flies as quickly as from New York to London," she said.

Even the film's director, the legendary Sir Ridley Scott (who also directed the original 1979 "Alien" and the 2015 smash hit "The Martian"), admitted he is not of a particularly adventurous spirit.

"Are you kidding me? I like it here," said Scott, who also directed "Prometheus," which takes place 10 years before the events of "Covenant."

Billy Crudup (who plays Covenant's second in command, Christopher Oram) and Danny McBride (who plays the ship's pilot, Tennessee) agreed with the rest of the cast.

"We are not going anywhere," Crudup said.

"I get motion sickness," McBride said. "I feel like it would be rough just getting out of the atmosphere. I will let everyone else leave, and then I'll just wander around and take stuff from their houses."

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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'Alien: Covenant' Stars Not Too Keen on Space Travel - Space.com

Government has been criticized for being slow to adapt to new technologies but not when it comes to taxing them, it seems.

And especially not in California, where the Franchise Tax Board is blasting off with a proposal to tax the fledgling private spaceflight industry. The tax would be the first of its kind at the state level.

Perhaps there is a good reason for that. Maybe other states do not want to bleed the industry dry before it can even get off the launch pad. Yet, incredibly, the FTB says its tax scheme, which would be determined by a formula based on the number of launches made from within the state and the distance traveled, would be a boon to the industry. By introducing a measure of certainty over tax treatment, the FTB says, its proposal will lead to increased activity in the industry and will foster an atmosphere of growth and prosperity once present during the golden age of Californias aviation industry, thereby creating jobs as the industry thrives in this state.

Because more taxes not savings; investment; competitive markets; good, old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity; and the freedom to keep the fruits of ones labor is what is needed to foster an atmosphere of growth and prosperity. And if companies have been holding back on their investments for fear of how much of their wealth the state will try to confiscate, that does not exactly speak well to the states treatment of businesses in this industry or any other.

Yes, taxes always foster growth and prosperity somewhere else where taxes are lower, quipped writer Ed Straker in a post for the American Thinker. California state government spends all its time 24/7 thinking of new ways to tax people and businesses, he added. Sadly, that does, indeed, seem to be the case.

There is something to be said for eliminating uncertainty over government tax and regulatory policies, especially if it provides some assurance that in-state businesses will not be excessively taxed and out-of-state competitors using the same launch facilities in California will be subject to the same rules. But, given our policymakers propensity to heap on more and more taxes and restrictions on businesses, this can hardly be a comforting thought.

And the eagerness to be the first to impose such a tax does not bode well for encouraging or attracting private space businesses, when they could operate without such a tax elsewhere.

States that dont levy taxes would have that competitive advantage over states that do, John Logsdon, professor emeritus and co-founder of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, told the San Francisco Chronicle. If California puts in a tax and Florida or Texas doesnt have a similar tax, Im not sure that helps California in a competitive way.

We have seen the future, and the future is more taxes. In other words, it is more of the same for California. The state prides itself on the presence of innovative companies, especially in Silicon Valley, but if it wants a brighter economic future, it should learn to take a more hands-off approach, whether it is the treatment of exciting new ventures whisking goods and people into space or the more terrestrial and mundane pursuits of other businesses that provide economic opportunities for workers and needed goods and services for consumers in California and across the globe.

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California's next new tax? Private space travel - OCRegister

Buzz Aldrin, a former NASA astronaut and the second person to walk on the moon, gives a speech at the Ellis Island Medals of Honor ceremony on May 13, 2017.

NEW YORK Former NASA astronaut and Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrinreceived the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and gave a speech about his dreams for human exploration of Mars during a ceremony here at the historic immigration site Saturday (May 13).

Aldrin, who landed on the moon alongside Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, was one of this year's 90 recipients of the prestigious award. Other recipients included the Nobel Peace Prize-winning teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, CNN journalist and TV host Fareed Zakaria, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin and his assistant, Christina Korp, arrive at the red carpet after taking a ferry from Manhattan to Ellis Island for the Ellis Island Medals of Honor ceremony on May 13, 2017.

As a springtime nor'easter drenched the tristate area, soaking celebrities and pummeling umbrellas in the wind, the awardees and their family members crammed inside the Miss Ellis Island Ferry at Battery Park in Manhattan and set off to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum just a stone's throw away from the Statue of Liberty to receive their medals.

Every year, the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) presents the Ellis Island Medals of Honor "to a select group of individuals whose accomplishments in their field and inspired service to our nation are cause for celebration," the organization states on its website.

Buzz Aldrin and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who ran for president in 2016, seemed quite chummy during the Ellis Island Medals of Honor awards on May 13, 2017.

Aldrin's 1969 moon landing may have been the pinnacle of his career, but that's not the only reason he earned the award. Aldrin, who holds a Ph.D. in astronautics, also devised several crucial technologies for space travel throughout his extensive career, and continues to advocate for space exploration. [Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Moonwalker, in Photos]

Most notably, Aldrin is a major advocate for sending humans to Mars. But he thinks we should first demonstrate the technologies required for humanity to go to Mars by doing practice runs to the moon, Aldrin told Space.com on the red carpet. He elaborated on his ideas for Mars during a speech he gave at the ceremony.

Aldrin spoke of his dream to see an international "lunar-Mars coalition" supporting Europe, Russia, Japan and China. Reusable spacecraft called "cyclers" would carry astronauts to the moon and back, followed by crewed trips to asteroids and flybys of Venus.

Add to that a rendezvous and refueling system with spacecraft "parked" at Earth's Lagrange points, and humanity will be ready to start expanding this kind of space-based infrastructure to the Red Planet with the ultimate goal of colonization, Aldrin explained. "Crews will be briefly trained at the moon before their flights to Mars."

Buzz Aldrin shows off his "Future Martian" t-shirt next to Space.com's Hanneke Weitering at the Ellis Island Medals of Honor ceremony on May 13, 2017.

Aldrin introduced his idea for a pathway to Marsin 1985. More than 30 years later, the 87-year-old space enthusiast is still advocating for it, and he continues to support space exploration in general.

Before coming to New York for the awards ceremony, Aldrin made a trip to Washington, D.C., to speak at the Humans to Mars Summit and visit the White House, where he spoke with officials about funding for space exploration.

"I am actively working on the future every day. My commitment to serving this country has never wavered, and I give it my all every day," Aldrin said during his speech. "I'm proud to stand here on Ellis Island, where so many dreams began for so many people.

"I hope to help shape the future of humans traveling among the stars and making homes on other planets," he added. "It is our nature to explore. We explore, or we expire. I will do all I can do to inspire the future generations. No dream is too high for those with their eye in the sky. I know, because I'm living proof."

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Buzz Aldrin Receives Prestigious Award, Details Vision for Mars Travel - Space.com

Humans have long been shaping Earths landscape, but now scientists know we can shape the near-Earth environment as well. Image credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center / Genna Duberstein.

Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear explosions were carried out by several countries. These explosions created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear tests was the electromagnetic pulse.

Other anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release experiments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of VLF (very low frequency) waves with the radiation belts.

In a paper recently published in the journal Space Science Reviews, researchers reviewed the fundamental physical process behind these phenomena and discussed the observations of their impacts.

Space Weather Events Linked to High-Altitude Nuclear Explosions

From 1958 to 1962, the U.S. and the Soviet Union ran high-altitude tests with exotic code names like Starfish, Argus and Teak. The tests have long since ended, and the goals at the time were military. Today, however, they can provide crucial information on how humans can affect space.

The tests were a human-generated and extreme example of some of the space weather effects frequently caused by the Sun, said co-author Dr. Phil Erickson, assistant director at the MIT Haystack Observatory.

If we understand what happened in the somewhat controlled and extreme event that was caused by one of these man-made events, we can more easily understand the natural variation in the near-space environment.

Space weather is typically driven by external factors. The Sun sends out millions of high-energy particles, the solar wind, which races out across the Solar System before encountering Earth and its magnetosphere, a protective magnetic field surrounding the planet.

Most of the charged particles are deflected, but some make their way into near-Earth space and can impact our satellites by damaging onboard electronics and disrupting communications or navigation signals.

These particles, along with electromagnetic energy that accompanies them, can also cause auroras, while changes in the magnetic field can induce currents that damage power grids.

The Cold War tests, which detonated explosives at heights from 16 to 250 miles above the surface, mimicked some of these natural effects. Upon detonation, a first blast wave expelled an expanding fireball of plasma, a hot gas of electrically charged particles. This created a geomagnetic disturbance, which distorted Earths magnetic field lines and induced an electric field on the surface.

Some of the tests even created artificial radiation belts, akin to the natural Van Allen radiation belts, a layer of charged particles held in place by Earths magnetic fields.

Other tests mimicked other natural phenomena we see in space. The Teak test, which took place on Aug. 1, 1958, was notable for the artificial aurora that resulted. The test was conducted over Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean.

On the same day, the Apia Observatory in Western Samoa observed a highly unusual aurora, which are typically only observed in at the poles. The energetic particles released by the test likely followed Earths magnetic field lines to the Polynesian island nation, inducing the aurora. Observing how the tests caused aurora, can provide insight into what the natural auroral mechanisms are too.

Later that same year, when the Argus tests were conducted, effects were seen around the world.

These tests were conducted at higher altitudes than previous tests, allowing the particles to travel farther around Earth.

Sudden geomagnetic storms were observed from Sweden to Arizona and scientists used the observed time of the events to determine the speed at which the particles from the explosion traveled.

They observed two high-speed waves: the first traveled at 1,860 miles per second and the second, less than a fourth that speed. Unlike the artificial radiation belts, these geomagnetic effects were short-lived, lasting only seconds.

Such atmospheric nuclear testing has long since stopped, and the present space environment remains dominated by natural phenomena.

However, considering such historical events allows scientists and engineers to understand the effects of space weather on our infrastructure and technical systems.

NASAs Van Allen Probes Find Anthropogenic Bubble Shrouding Earth

VLF radio communications have been found to interact with particles in space, affecting how and where they move. At times, these interactions can create a barrier around Earth against natural high energy particle radiation in space, according to Dr. Erickson and co-authors.

VLF signals are transmitted from ground stations at huge powers to communicate with submarines deep in the ocean.

While these waves are intended for communications below the surface, they also extend out beyond our atmosphere, shrouding Earth in a VLF bubble.

This bubble is even seen by spacecraft high above Earths surface, such as NASAs Van Allen Probes.

The probes have noticed an interesting coincidence the outward extent of the VLF bubble corresponds almost exactly to the inner edge of the Van Allen radiation belts, a layer of charged particles held in place by Earths magnetic fields.

Professor Dan Baker, co-author of the paper and director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, coined this lower limit the impenetrable barrier and speculates that if there were no human VLF transmissions, the boundary would likely stretch closer to Earth.

Indeed, comparisons of the modern extent of the radiation belts from Van Allen Probe data show the inner boundary to be much farther away than its recorded position in satellite data from the 1960s, when VLF transmissions were more limited.

With further study, VLF transmissions may serve as a way to remove excess radiation from the near-Earth environment.

A number of experiments and observations have figured out that, under the right conditions, radio communications signals in the VLF frequency range can in fact affect the properties of the high-energy radiation environment around the Earth, Dr. Erickson said.

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T.I. Gombosi et al. Anthropogenic Space Weather. Space Sci Rev, published online April 13, 2017; doi: 10.1007/s11214-017-0357-5

This article is based on text provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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New Study Blames Humans for Disruptive Space Weather Events - Sci-News.com