Category Archives: Space Travel

Space companies like Blue Origin are grabbing headlines with the promise of a new era of space tourism, mostly recently with the plan to send William Shatner to the edge of space. But unless you're lucky, space is still out of reach for most of the public. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Space companies like Blue Origin are grabbing headlines with the promise of a new era of space tourism, mostly recently with the plan to send William Shatner to the edge of space. But unless you're lucky, space is still out of reach for most of the public.

Star Trek's Captain Kirk is about to boldly go where hundreds of others have gone before, continuing a decades-long tradition of space flights for non-astronauts who are wealthy or famous or well-connected or all of the above.

As for ordinary folks without deep pockets well, the final frontier might be opening up a just a bit, but opportunities still basically come down to contests and luck.

Actor William Shatner is scheduled to blast off Wednesday morning on a quick trip to the edge of space and back, riding in the capsule developed by Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos.

The 90-year-old actor, who will be the oldest person to reach space, has said he feels "terrified." Shatner's reportedly going as a guest rather than as a paying customer.

"I do think it's classic marketing," says Joseph Czabovsky, an associate professor of public relations and marketing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Whenever a new product or service makes a splash, like the first Blue Origin flight did this summer, he says, companies have to figure out how to keep the public's attention.

"William Shatner makes sense in that here's a celebrity that made their claim to fame on traveling in space," says Czabovsky. "It's like a one-time, kind of kitschy branding opportunity."

But even though a celebrity like Shatner can generate headlines, says Czabovsky, this kind of marketing stunt does run the risk of reinforcing the perception that spaceflight is just for the privileged few.

After all, one seat on Blue Origin's first flight was auctioned off for $28 million. Czabovsky recently worked on a poll that found about 80% of U. S. residents saw the recent launches as "billionaire ego trips."

"You have that kind of cynicism, negativity, maybe realistic understanding of what is going on," he says.

Despite that, that poll also showed that people generally felt positive about space travel's potential for humanity, says Czabovsky.

More than half said the recent private spaceflights made them believe that one day soon, ordinary people will be able to go to space.

That's long been the promise of both real-life space travel and science fiction shows like Star Trek. In the early days of the Space Age, astronauts famously had to have "The Right Stuff"; they were mostly military pilots. But the possibility of space vehicles someday becoming more like airlines didn't seem so farfetched.

William Shatner is expected to head into space on Wednesday, thanks to Blue Origin. It's just the latest example of how space companies are trying to drum up publicity. Bob Galbraith/AP hide caption

William Shatner is expected to head into space on Wednesday, thanks to Blue Origin. It's just the latest example of how space companies are trying to drum up publicity.

When NASA's space shuttles began flying in the 1980s, all kinds of VIPs started lobbying to go as passengers, says Alan Ladwig, author of See You In Orbit? Our Dream of Spaceflight.

A task force ultimately decided that flying a non-astronaut would be OK for NASA to do, for public education purposes. That's why, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan said he was directing NASA "to chose as the first citizen passenger in the history of our space program, one of America's finest: a teacher."

Ladwig, who managed NASA's program for citizens in space, remembers going on Late Night with David Letterman to talk about it. "I said the first spaceflight participant program would be the teacher," he recalls.

The very next day, however, he was stunned to see a newspaper report that Senator Jake Garn, who chaired the committee that oversaw NASA's budget, would be flying in space.

NASA ultimately flew not just Garn, but also another member of Congress, Bill Nelson, who is now the head of NASA. Both went up before the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster, which killed the whole crew, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. She had participated in a nationwide contest to select the first teacher and had received widespread publicity; millions of Americans watched the tragic explosion.

"There was some criticism out of Congress, some media, that, well, this just shows space is too dangerous for an ordinary citizen," recalls Ladwig, who says NASA canceled plans to fly a journalist in space.

After that, NASA only flew professional astronauts, with the exception of John Glenn, a former astronaut and the first American to ever orbit the Earth. When Glenn said he wanted to fly again at the age of 77, NASA gave the go-ahead.

"The media turned out in droves for that mission, the public loved it," says Ladwig, noting that Glenn was a national hero.

For people who weren't astronauts or national heroes, the only way to get to space, for years, was paying millions of dollars to Russia.

The Russian space agency has sold trips to orbiting space stations to a TV journalist from Japan, a bunch of businessmen turned space tourists, and just last week, an actress and movie director.

Now, though, Russia has competition from U. S. companies. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin both offer up-and-back jaunts that have a few minutes of weightlessness. And Space X has a capsule that can orbit the planet for days.

This year, flights operated by these firms have taken a motley assortment of people to space what Saturday Night Live recently called "random weirdos" in a skit that parodied both Star Trek and rich space entrepreneurs.

Just a couple of days later, Blue Origin announced that it was taking up Shatner.

The SpaceX flight in September that made history by having no professional astronauts on board was bankrolled by a billionaire Jared Isaacman. But he offered up three seats to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, which allowed a physician assistant from the hospital to go, as well as a community college professor who won a contest and a data engineer whose friend won a fundraising sweepstakes.

One nonprofit, called Space For Humanity, is trying to raise money to sponsor space trips for people from all over the world who might otherwise never be able to afford them.

"We are now at this cusp of a new era in space exploration, where more and more people are going to have access to this experience," say Rachel Lyons, executive director of the group, who says seeing the Earth from space can have a transformative effect. "We believe that it's our responsibility to use this advancement in technology for the good of all."

She says right now, space is just "not accessible to 99.99% of humanity," and that about 4,000 people from over 100 countries have applied to their program.

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Space is opening up for people who are rich or famous, like William Shatner - NPR

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps expanding in all directions, we often forget that space and magic in the films took a while to truly get off the ground. Phase 1 opened many doors with Thor and The Avengers, yet the lid didnt come off until Phase 2. James Gunns Guardians of the Galaxy took fans to another galaxy, Andromeda, and made us question how Marvels take on space travel works.

Now were officially in the middle of Phase 4 Multiverse is the new hot stuff, and heroes and villains have been bouncing around the universe like its nothing for years on the big screen (and now TV). While the Guardians films told us its all about wormholes of sorts, main Infinity Saga villain Thanos took an awful lot of time to get his armies to Earth. Was he just busy? Moreover, Captain Marvel doesnt need ships at all because Tesseract magic. And were keeping Doctor Strange and the wizards out of this because they operate on a whole other level.

Disclaimer: were going to try to make the most sense out of comic book nonsense that simply aims to tell entertaining space-jumping, reality-bending stories. Going all Christopher Nolan on this universe only leads to frustration. However, universes born from pulpy entertainment, such as this one or Star Wars, often almost nail the science anyway.

Watch all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies on Disney Plus

The MCUs first ventures into outer space are kinda straightforward: Thor (2011) introduced audiences to the Nine Realms from Norse mythology, a set of planets scattered across different galaxies and connected thanks to the Tree of Yggdrasil. For Asgardians, the act of visiting these worlds depends on the Bifrost, Asgards Rainbow Bridge.

While Asgard is a highly fantastical setting and the Bifrost seems to draw energy from the center of Asgard itself, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) describes the resulting phenomenon as a "wormhole" or "Einstein-Rosen bridge." Bifrost-powered travel is always depicted as near instantaneous, so thats probably the best guess in town.

It also seems logical that the fancy cannon-shaped Bifrost building harnesses a massive amount of Asgards energy and literally pokes a hole through space-time, shooting folks away and speedily fixing the tear afterwards. Furthermore, the whole mission in the third act is to stop Loki from destroying Jtunheim with a continuous blast of energy from the Bifrost this leads to Thor going "hammer time" on the bridge and cutting off Asgards connection with the other realms. Loki falls through the resulting (messy) wormhole, too.

The Avengers picked up right after the events of Thor, showing Loki return with "glorious purpose" thanks to some wild wi-fi manipulation across space through the Tesseract, one of the first Infinity Stones that appeared in the MCU. Almost the entire film is about stopping Loki from opening a bigger portal for Thanos armies, which are capable of space-travelling themselves, so this raises a major question: why did they need a wormhole at all?

As stated before, the Einstein-Rosen bridges are all about creating shortcuts for long journeys across the universe. At this point, we hadnt been exposed to the truly sci-fi side of the MCU yet, so Joss Whedon and everyone involved probably didnt think too hard about the Chitauri and their ships a massive portal above New York was a great threat with lots of possibilities for the films third act. Thats all that mattered.

Thor also returns to Earth under Odin and Friggas orders, who both used "dark magic" to learn about Lokis whereabouts and "cheat" transport to Earth while the Bifrost was being repaired. The dark magic trick comes up again in Infinity War when Heimdall conjures some remaining energy before being offed to send the Hulk to Earth (the Bifrost was destroyed forever in 2017s Thor: Ragnarok). This magic appears to be a variation of sorts of what the Bifrost works with, a hidden energy which is likely unstable and only used in emergencies by those able to manipulate it. Thankfully, Thor receives the Stormbreaker later because plot and can now create rainbow bridges himself. Rad.

Guardians of the Galaxy, which takes place in the Andromeda galaxy according to James Gunn, marked Thanos first major appearance; we see hes got quite a few allies who are perfectly capable of regular space travel. Infinity War then doubles down on the "typical alien invasion" angle, with Thanos finally taking the fight himself to Earth and other worlds that housed the Infinity Stones. So at least Thanos main force didnt need a wormhole at all, and the only reasonable in-universe explanation for the whole portal ordeal in Whedons Avengers is that they wanted to catch Earths defenses off-guard and not approach them from outer space. After all, the Other tells Thanos they maybe underestimated Earth and its heroes in the post-credits stinger, so it seems like they didnt have a lot of inside info about the current state of the planet ahead of that first invasion for some reason.

Yeah, the science and space-related plot points in these stories are all about what the narrative needs, about creating tension and stakes. If the script wants things to move slowly, well spend more time with our heroes and villains jumping through space. If the film needs an immediate threat, just throw a portal in there and get things going. That being said, were not done with this exploration yet.

So Thanos army didnt need a big wormhole after all, but that doesnt mean regular space travel in the MCU works differently. James Gunns Guardians films did most of the heavy lifting when it came to these matters. Mind you, most of the small nuggets of info werent too explicit, and the first installment doesnt show us how space travel across the galaxy works at all (yay ellipses), but it appears that Gunn heard those questions loud and clear, because Vol. 2 deals directly with how the ships zap across Andromeda.

Apparently, space-exploring civilizations built a highway of sorts which even connect different galaxies, with marked jump points that make travelling huge distances relatively easy as long as you stick to the road and follow the recommendations one of the films most hilarious scenes depicts the consequences of jumping too much too fast. Little more is said about the process, but the visuals support the idea these jump points are wormhole-based as well. They are more science-y (we might be able to replicate them at some point) and definitely arent as fast as Asgards magic-powered roads, or Doctor Strange and the wizards literal doorways, but they get the job done.

Somehow, theres an even cooler way to travel through Marvel Studios universe: simply speeding insanely fast and going all Star Wars with the help of the Tesseracts mysterious energy. As seen in the Thors post-credits scene and the beginning of The Avengers, SHIELD kept the Tesseract (the Space Stone) locked away since Red Skull toyed with it and disappeared, but of course they toyed with it themselves. The US Air Force, SHIELD, and NASA jointly put together Project PEGASUS in order to develop a light-speed engine powered by the Tesseract.

Kree scientist Mar-Vell (disguised, of course) was part of the project and worked on it because it could be the Skrulls way to exit the ongoing Kree-Skrull war and find a new home outside the charted "galactic highway" we previously talked about. Due to the Krees intervention, Carol Danvers, a pilot alongside Mar-Vell, absorbed the engines energy and gained superhuman abilities (like a ton of them).

Once Carol taps into her dormant powers later in that film, she becomes the Captain Marvel we all know from the comics, and the craziest thing is that she can zap through space at light-speed, allowing her to watch over faraway worlds outside the "space roads system." This is how she helps the Skrulls find a new home.

While Captain Marvel doesnt need external help to move across the vastness of space, it seems like it takes her some time to get places despite going above light-speed (wormholes rock), and thats the perfect excuse to have her miss some of the Avengers biggest battles she could deactivate most threats way too fast, as Endgame showed us.

Finally, its also interesting to consider why she doesnt seem to age at all, and it probably has to do (at least partly) with Einsteins theory of relativity, which claims that time is relative, moving "differently for objects in motion than for objects at rest," although this would have more complicated implications for both her and other space-faring MCU characters.

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Does space travel in the MCU make any sense? - Space.com

More than 50 years after Captain Kirk first explored space as the final frontier, the man who played him will see it for himself.

William Shatner is still going strong at 90. He seems to be everywhere, hosting documentaries, appearing in commercials and reality shows, voicing characters in animated childrens shows and, in August, announcing the release of his latest musical album. On Oct. 12, he will become the oldest person to fly in space, according to an announcement from Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos commercial spaceflight company.

Commercial space travel for tourists, celebrities and other fortunate (and invariably wealthy) travelers is still new and not entirely accepted. But it increasingly appears such privately funded flights are part of spaces future.

Shatners mission is sure to excite not just space enthusiasts and Star Trek buffs, but anyone looking for proof that age is just a number if the body is willing and the heart and mind are strong.

Not since 1998, when John Glenn flew on the space shuttle Discovery at age 77, have advanced years and advanced science blended so sublimely.

Shatner has already escaped one atmosphere: the world of show business typecasting. His 70-year career has showcased him in everything from film classics such as 1961s Judgment at Nuremberg and the original Twilight Zone TV series to T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal.

His legacy extends far beyond Star Trek. Yet he will always be known, first and foremost, as Capt. James Tiberius Kirk of the starship Enterprise the star of a show that received very modest ratings during its three-year 1960s run but created an archetype that changed pop culture history.

The symbolic nature of Shatners flight is undeniable. Even during the TV series and the seven Star Trek films in which he appeared, Shatner was always play-acting a role. His interest in space, however, is real.

In 2011, he recorded a wake-up call for Discovery astronauts. More than twice the average age of NASA astronauts, Shatner calls the opportunity to be part of the four-person crew on the New Shepard spacecraft a miracle.

For now, such journeys are reserved for the very rich or very fortunate, but Shatners flight might allow other nonagenarians to feel young for a time, too. As the real-life Captain Kirk soars into space, they will be living vicariously through him. Considering his career and legacy, isnt that what millions have been doing for the last 55 years, anyway?

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William Shatners space flight isnt a plot line, its an inspiration (Editorial) - masslive.com

The University of Birmingham is launching two new major studies funded by the UK Space Agency aimed at solving the health challenges faced by astronauts during long missions.

The research will use the low gravity (microgravity) environment of the International Space Station, and other facilities that provide similar conditions to space, and could also potentially benefit people who suffer from conditions such as sight loss caused by excessive brain pressure.

It is well known that the effects of space travel take a toll on the bodies of astronauts, whilst in microgravity their weight-bearing bones lose on average one to one-and-a-half per cent of mineral density per month. To counteract this, they currently need to exercise for two-and-a-half hours every day, take nutrient supplements, and consume high-protein diets to maintain muscle mass while in space. Without these interventions, astronauts could experience up to a 20 per cent loss of muscle mass on spaceflights lasting between five and 11 days.

The first of the two University of Birmingham studies will be carried out in collaboration with NASA, and will be focused on a condition called Space flight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), which can have severe consequences for astronaut health. The syndrome can cause various side effects, from visual loss due to changes in the optic nerve, headaches, and acute and chronic changes to the brain.

The project will initially investigate how to optimise the use of high resolution imaging for early diagnosis and monitoring, and will be followed by a clinical trial to test the efficacy of a drug treatment using GLP-1 receptor agonists to alleviate SANS and the associated long-term consequences.

Alex Sinclair, Professor of Neurology at the University of Birmingham who will be leading the research, said: SANS is caused by microgravity and gets worse with longer duration of space flight. It is a major challenge that needs to be overcame if space exploration is to extend to Mars. We need accurate methods to identify and monitor SANS. Scanning the eye nerve using a technology known as optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as a promising technique and we will test this at the International Space Station. We are excited that we also have a candidate treatment using a GLP-1 receptor agonist to lower brain fluid and pressure that we predict will alleviate SANS.

Miss Susan Mollan, Director of Ophthalmic Research at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust who will also be involved in the SANS study, said: SANS is one of the most important human factors that needs addressing. We have developed both preclinical and clinical trial evidence that GLP1-receptor agonists can reduce fluid and pressure in the brain and around the eye nerve. This project could lead to a vital therapy that could help get humans safely to Mars.

The second University of Birmingham study will be focused on the causes that contribute to the increased risk of cervical intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation in astronauts when they return to Earth.

Professor Deborah Falla, Director of the University of Birminghams Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain, who will lead the research, said: IVD herniation can cause significant pain, weakness and numbness. Our study will examine the causes that contribute to this increased risk of cervical IVD herniation using state-of-the-art high-density electromyography to measure the control of neck movement. Such knowledge will provide the basis for future interventions aiming to reduce such risk.

These two new University of Birmingham projects, together with three other separate projects being carried out by Northumbria University, the University of Liverpool, and Manchester Metropolitan University, are each set to receive a share of 440,000 of UK Space Agency funding, and will support much longer space missions needed to explore the Moon and further afield.

Science Minister George Freeman said: Our space science is about cutting-edge life science as well as rocketry and satellites: the UK is at the heart of state-of-the-art biomedical monitoring, providing huge potential insights into human health. For example, the way astronauts' eyesight deteriorates in space and then repairs back on earth could provide powerful insights to help researchers at labs like Moorfields to understand eye health and potential new treatments. This research could allow astronauts to safely embark on longer and more challenging missions, for the benefit of us all.

British ESA astronaut Tim Peake said: Its exciting to see this cutting-edge research taking place here in the UK. We can learn so much about the human body from spaceflight, especially the ageing process. This research could enable astronauts to carry out longer missions and explore further into space, whilst benefiting everyone on Earth.

The government recently launched its National Space Strategy which outlines its long-term plans to grow the UK space sector and make Britain a science and technology superpower, including building on manufacturing and technology capacity, attracting investment and working internationally.

This announcement comes during World Space Week, which runs from the 4th to 10th October. The annual event, led by the United Nations, celebrates the contribution of science and technology to improving lives on Earth. This years theme is Women in Space.

Through the UKs membership of the European Space Agency's (ESA) exploration programme, UK researchers have access to unique facilities including parabolic flights that reproduce gravity-free conditions in an aircraft and drop towers that produce a controlled period of weightlessness.

Elodie Viau, Head of ESAs ECSAT site at the Harwell Space Cluster in Oxfordshire, said: As we venture further into space, we are proud to see the UKs ESA membership help UK scientists conduct pioneering research to support these efforts. These projects are set to deliver a variety of benefits for peoples health, which could be applied to both ESA astronauts and people on Earth.

In March this year ESA launched its first drive for new astronauts in 11 years, with more than 22,000 people applying, including nearly 2,000 from the UK. ESA is looking for up to six astronauts and up to 20 reservists, with the successful applicants to be announced next year.

The UK Space Agency has also provided 16,000 funding for Kew Gardens to explore how seeds might be stored and transported in space to support human exploration to Mars and beyond. The Agency is supporting the preparation and testing of 24 seed species before they fly to the International Space Station in a few years time.

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Research to boost astronaut health for future space missions - University of Birmingham

Two technologists and one astronaut from NASAgave space travel enthusiasts a taste of what they were all working on to improve our off-world missions. And while they are indeed working on some rather spectacular things, sadly, there is apparently no anti-gravity room. At least, not yet.

Speaking at New York Comic Con 2021 on Friday, NASA space suit engineer Lindsay Aitchison told attendees that shes been focused on making improvements to astronauts suits. We want everything to be more autonomous and not reliant on mission control, she said, adding that NASA is working on such improvements from creating a head-up display to expand the sizing range of our space suits.

Its an entire personal spacecraft, Aitchison said.

While Aitchison and her team are working to improve astronauts suits, NASA roboticist and panelist Zakiya Tomlinson is diligently upping the U.S. space exploration agencys robotics game.

There's going to be a lot that robotics will allow to help us explore, Tomlinson said, adding that her team is making sure were testing things in a safe way, especially since their robotics, if improperly tested, would put a person through a wall.

Tomlinson added that theres a lot of overlap between robotics and astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). All of them work together to accomplish the mission.

This robotic technology will also be what helps take the lunar lander to the moons South Pole.

The third panelist, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, said shes excited about the lunar lander, reminding attendees that there are 50 people working behind the scenes on a mission with two astronauts.

Every day is different, she said about her job, adding that as an astronaut, you have to be an expert on everything.

When an attendee asked Moghbeli if she believed in extraterrestrial life, she said she did.

I think there's got to be more life out there, given how big the universe is, Moghbeli said. It's crazy to think we're the only planet out there that has life. So, it's out there, we just have to find it.

Aitchison agreed with this assessment.

And when asked if they have a favorite conspiracy theory about NASA, Aitchison said: I get asked a lot about where the anti-gravity room is, before adding, that sadly, no such room exists.

Tomlinson also most likely broke some hearts when she confessed at the panel that NASA doesnt actually have a laser that shoots aliens.

In describing the work that they do at NASA, they all expressed overwhelming enthusiasm.

Its such an honor, said Moghbeli, adding that its also so important to let future generations see whats possible.

We're designing [things] for places that we've never been to before, Aitchison said. There are no wrong ideas. There are no wrong answers.

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NYCC gets space-y as NASA technologists and an astronaut talk future of space travel (and aliens!) - SYFY WIRE

Lucy flies over a Trojan asteroid in this NASA animation.

NASA is about to embark on a space archeology mission for the ages. Out in Jupiter's orbit lies a collection of rocks known as the Trojan asteroids -- fossils from the earliest era of our solar system. These time capsules are locked in a dance around the sun and could hold the key to unlocking the origins of the giant planets.

Next week, NASA is sending the Lucy spacecrafttoward these ancient raw materials in an ambitious and daring decade-long mission to access our solar system's well-preserved history.

Perfectly named for the fossil that taught us about humanity's genesis, Lucy's 12-year-long trek promises to reveal a cosmic evolutionary record. The spacecraft will catch closeup views of a diverse selection of Trojan asteroids to help scientists decipher how and why our solar system's planets came to be.

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Right now, we know close to nothing about these primitive rocks' properties. But we've rounded up everything we can to help you prepare for the momentous launch.

Cue "Lucy in the sky with diamonds."

You can watch the lift-off, currently scheduled for Oct. 16 at 2:34 a.m. PT (5:34 a.m. ET), online on NASA TV.

Make sure to check back closer to the big day for a livestream on CNET Highlightsand all the times across the globe.

And while you wait, let's dive into why this mission could be world-changing for astronomers.

Long before planets came into existence, the solar system overflowed with trillions of rocky and icy bodies orbiting a dim sun. Some of these fragments slowly fused together to form larger planets, such as the Earth and Mars. But along the way, a bunch of floating rocks were left over.

Many were swept into the endless depths of the universe -- taking their secrets with them -- but a smattering still live in the outer reaches of our solar system.

Caught between the gravitational pull of the sun and of Jupiter are these primitive pieces of rock that have been around for billions of years. They're known as Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. NASA aptly refers to them as "time capsules from the birth of our solar system," and they form two clusters that share an orbit with the gas giant. Over 7,000 have been detected so far.

"The stuff that went into growing Jupiter and Saturn are now trapped in these locations," NASA planetary scientist and principal investigator of the Lucy mission, Hal Levison, said in the mission's overview.

Lucy will be the first spacecraft to asteroid-hop among seven of the Trojan asteroids, but before heading to both the leading and trailing swarms, it'll visit a main belt asteroid located between Mars and Jupiter.

In green, you see the leading and trailing swarms of Jupiter Trojans. That's where Lucy is headed.

"We're going to eight never-before-seen asteroids in 12 years with a single spacecraft," Tom Statler, Lucy project scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington said in a statement. "This is a fantastic opportunity for discovery as we probe into our solar system's distant past."

NASA notes that "no other space mission in history has been launched to as many different destinations in independent orbits around our sun" and that "Lucy will show us, for the first time, the diversity of the primordial bodies that built the planets."

The spacecraft will use traditional chemical propulsion technology that'll help with maneuvering, but to save fuel, it'll fly past points of interest instead of treading slowly. That doesn't pose much of a hindrance, though, because Lucy can still snap pics and collect spectroscopic information while whizzing by.

Armed with a high-gain antenna for communication with Earth; high-tech cameras (color, as well as black and white); an infrared spectrometer and thermometer, the spacecraft will check out severalkey features of these asteroids by capturing their physical properties:

Surface geology: This includes things like shape, crater size, crustal structure and layering.

Surface color and composition: Tones and colors of the rocks, mineral makeup and regolith properties, such as loose soil composition, are some of these features.

Interiors and bulk properties: Masses, densities, powder blankets around craters and other nitty gritty details comprise this section.

Satellites and rings: A few of the asteroids might have mini-asteroids orbiting them, as though they're the center of their own solar system. Some might even have Saturn-like rings consisting of super-small rocks or icy bodies.

NASA's Lucy will explore eight asteroids over a dozen years.

It isn't easy being a NASA probe.

Because Lucy will rely on solar power for the mission, its arrays -- large enough to cover a five-story building -- had to undergo intense testing to ensure they won't malfunction during spaceflight. They're so huge because of how far the probe will be traveling from the sun.

A researcher working on Lucy's solar panels.

According to NASA, it will take a total of 20 minutes for these crucial solar panels to extend after launch. "These 20 minutes will determine if the rest of the 12-year mission will be a success," Levison saidin a statement.

Mars rovers, such as Perseverance, have shorter spans of anxiety-inducing moments during their EDL phase, or entry, descent and landing sequence.

"Mars landers have their seven minutes of terror, we have this," Levison remarked.

After several iterations of testing, Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, Lucy project manager from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said in a statement that the execution on the ground was "flawless."

Although space is a very different arena.

On Oct. 16, Lucy will be transported to the Vehicle Integration Facility at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and "mated" with the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. That rocket will help Lucy exit Earth's atmosphere.

Then, Lucy will propel away from our home planet to begin the 12-year voyage, swinging around the solar system, using Earth's gravity as leverage three times during the journey.

"Launching a spacecraft is almost like sending a child off to college -- you've done what can for them to get them ready for that next big step on their own," Levison said.

Lucy stands 13 feet (4 meters), nearly fully assembled in this photo.

After a dozen years, Lucy will stabilize near Earth, then crusade once again to the Trojan asteroid belt. It'll be the first ever spacecraft to travel all the way to Jupiter and back home.

Future humans will face two options: collect Lucy as an artifact and bring it down to Earth, or allow Jupiter to eventually fling it into the sun or out of the solar system.

Not to fear. Lucy's job will be complete by then. And perhaps our astronomy textbooks will be amended with the unprecedented information it delivers home.

Link:

NASA's Lucy mission launches this week: What to know about journey to Jupiter's orbit - CNET

This article was originally published atThe Conversation.The publication contributed the article to Space.com'sExpert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University

TheBepiColombo spacecraft a joint project by the European and Japanese space agencies swung by its destination planet Mercury in the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 2. Passing within just 124 miles (200 kilometers) of the surface of Mercury, it sent back somespectacular pictures.

For those of us who have worked for a decade or more on this mission, there could hardly be a way better to celebrate what would have been the 101st birthday of the mission's namesake, Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe Colombo. His groundbreaking work in this area earned him the title of thegrandfatherof the planetary fly-by technique, now more often termed a "swing-by."

BepiColombos cruise from Earth began inOctober 2018, and its journey is far from over. It will travel twice around the sun in the time it takes Mercury to orbit the star three times (around 264 days). This will allow it to rendezvous with the planet for another swing-by on June 23 2022.

After a total of six Mercury swing-bys, the cumulative effect of the planet's gravity will reduce the spacecraft's velocity to the point where it can fall into orbit with Mercury around the end of 2025.

BepiColombo is actually composed of twoconnectedspacecraft and a propulsion unit. During its cruise through interplanetary space, the European orbiter (called the Mercury Planetary Orbiter or MPO) is attached on one side to the interplanetary propulsion unit (or Mercury Transfer Module). On the other, it carries a Japanese orbiter named Mio (or Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter), plus a sunshield to prevent Mio from overheating.

This stacked configuration obstructs the openings through which sophisticated visible, infrared and X-ray cameras inside MPO capable of imaging and analysing Mercurys surface in great detail will operate once MPO finally becomes free-flying. In fact, most of BepiColombos science instruments will be wholly or partly inoperative until each orbiter is set free, around December 2025.

Until a relatively late stage in mission planning, it was accepted that BepiColombo would be "flying blind" during its whole cruise from Earth, including during swing-bys meaning no images would be available until orbit around Mercury had been achieved.

But the level of public interest aroused in 2015 by images ofcomet 67Pfrom the Rosetta mission led BepiColombo engineers Kelly Geelen and James Windsor to propose that low-cost lightweight cameras should be added to the spacecraft.

By the end of 2016, it was agreed that three small monitoring cameras each only 2.6 inches (6.5 centimeters) in length would be mounted onto the craft. These would snap planetary pictures during swing-bys.

It was decided to place these cameras on the Mercury Transfer Module, where they would also be able to monitor the deployment of the solar panels that provide the spacecraft with power, the magnetometer boom used for measuring magnetic fields, and the communication antennas.

During BepiColombo's first Mercury swing-by, the fields of view of monitoring cameras two and three tracked across the planet. Camera three showed us part of the southern hemisphere, beginning with a view of sunrise overAstrolabe Rupes a striking feature named after a French Antarctic exploration ship.

Astrolabe Rupes is a 155-mile (250 km) long "lobate scarp" a long, curved structure marking where one part of the planets crust has been pushed over nearby terrain, due to the whole planet contracting as it slowly cooled.

There are some much smallerequivalent featureson the moon, but Mercury is the only nearby celestial body where lobate scarps are known to occur on such a large scale.

Four minutes later, the perspective had changed enough to reveal a wider area: including the lava-flooded, 156-mile-wide (251 km)Haydn craterandPampu Facula, one of many bright spots likely formed by explosive volcanic eruptions. Both of these features attest to Mercury's long volcanic history, at its most active more than three billion years ago but probably persisting until around one billion years ago.

Meanwhile, camera two focused on Mercury's northern hemisphere, including the region surroundingCalvino Crater: an important location for deciphering what lies in the layers of Mercurys crust.

It also showed Lermontov crater: a region which appears bright because it is host to bothvolcanic depositsand "hollows", where a currently unknownvolatile ingredientof the crust is being lost to space via a mysterious process.

NASA'sMESSENGERmission orbited Mercury between 2011 and 2015, revealing aperplexing planet. We are still struggling to understand its composition, origin and history.

Why Mercury has features such as explosivevolcanoesand strange, uniquehollowson its surface is just one of the problems we hope further study will solve. Once in orbit, BepiColombo's advanced payload of scientific instruments will help us understand more about how Mercury formed and what its made of.

Read more:The more we learn about Mercury, the weirder it seems

In the meantime, these extraordinary swing-by pictures at least remind us that we have a healthy spacecraft heading to an exciting destination.

This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.

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First close-up pictures of Mercury from BepiColombo hint at answers to the planet's secrets - Space.com

M Live is pleased to announce that tickets for the award-winning, immersive space exhibition NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH are on sale this Monday 11 October. Developed by NEC Partners, in conjunction with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and NASAs George C. Marshall, NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH transports audiences through the galaxy in a multi-sensory cinematic environment.

Emma Triggs, Founder and CEO of M Live Said:

We are so thrilled to have NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH on sale on Monday, Sydneys Freedom Day as Sydneysiders are finally able to leave lockdown behind and explore the galaxy. We so are incredibly proud to be one of Sydneys first major events with our made-for-COVID safety experience after 108 days of lockdown. Exactly like we did last year.

With Sydney having now hit the 70% vaccination target and Freedom Day almost upon us, the event launch could not have been timed more perfectly and is a welcome addition to the decimated Sydney event calendar. An explosive pre-sale this week to the M Live, Ticketek and ICC networks has eclipsed all expectations and has more than proven that Sydneysiders are ready and excited to get back out to live events after what has been an incredibly challenging few months. As Sydneysiders celebrate their newfound freedoms and plan for even more freedoms to come, NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH provides a chance to escape the confines of lockdown and explore the wonders of the galaxy, to be taken from the couch to the cosmos with this immersive, multi-sensory and COVID-safe experience.

Head of M Live Vanessa Richards:

Space is an inspirational concept that allows you to dream. When you look up to the stars and the galaxy at night, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but something bigger, something grander than what you know and what you are. As we approach the end of lockdown in NSW after an incredibly challenging time, NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH is just the experience we all need. I am thrilled to be able to bring NEC Partners experience to the ICC, so we can give everyone a chance to open their minds, their hearts, dream big and go well and truly beyond their front doors. Freedom awaits.

Combining cutting edge technology with the latest in science, NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH tells the story of space exploration like never told before! Guests will travel across the solar system and come face-to-face with Mars sunsets, Venus lightning storms and the surface of Jupiter. Museum quality models, spacecrafts, tools, and astronaut suits will showcase the facts, stories and achievements behind space exploration and its future. Guests can also get hands on with fun and engaging interactive learning activities, holographic, touch sensing projections and building games.

Declan McMongle, Managing Director of NEC Partners Said:

After sell out shows in both the US and China, we knew that NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH would be perfect for Sydney are are so excited to be bringing the show home for its Australian Premier with M Live.

NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH is an exhibition that not only encourages you to leave the house, but the planet, in an experience that can only beexperienced. Taking advantage of the rising interest in space exploration, due to both news around civilian space travel and exciting new NASA missions to the Moon and to Mars, NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH taps into audience desire to travel to a whole new world.

The event has also been welcomed by the Entertainment, Arts and Tourism communities. Vanessa Richards, Head of M Live Said:

We are thrilled to be in a position to create jobs for our industry and put smiles back on our audiences faces. The arts, entertainment and tourism sectors have been some of the hardest hit industries throughout the pandemic with thousands of events, tours, festivals, flights, accommodation, and restaurant bookings being cancelled or postponed due to COVID. Neighbourhood Earth will see over 150 jobs created and the much-needed increase in city visitation and tourism dollars.

The health and safety of all staff and visitors remains the ultimate priority. The NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH blockbuster experience is built to be completely Covid-safe and to exceed government public health guidelines. Controlled visitor capacities through hourly timed sessions and 5000 square meters of floor space allow for considerably more than the recommended square meters per person, and managed visitor flow means that visitors can easily respect social-distancing advice.

The exhibition also meets the highest hygiene standards with hand sanitisers and daily deep cleaning. Further safety measures include contactless entry through advance ticket sales; unidirectional people flow managed throughout the event and adherence to all government regulations.

NEIGHBOURHOOD EARTH will appeal to all ages, making it the perfect event to fill the void left by another year of cancelled events.

Exhibition Details

Venue: 14 Darling Drive,| SydneyDate: From 22-Nov-2021

For more information click HERE

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Neighbourhoods Earth Space exhibition on sale | News - Aussie Theatre

LOS ANGELES If you plan to be anywhere near Los Angeles between now and February next year, a trip to the "Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds" exhibition should absolutely, positively feature in your plans.

Opening this week at the Skirball Cultural Center located just north of the Getty Museum, in-between Bel Air and Sherman Oaks the exhibition features a rare gathering in one place of equally rarely seen items from throughout the 55 years of "Star Trek" history. It includes the rescued and tastefully restored captain's chair and helm control console from "The Original Series," Khan's (Ricardo Montalbn) actual, screen-used costume from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," screen-used costumes from "Discovery" and even Data's (Brent Spiner) screen-used head from "The Next Generation" two-part season cliffhanger "Time's Arrow" (Season 5, Episode 26 and Season 6, Episode 1).

The items have kindly been loaned by various collectors from around the world, but most of them come from Paul Allen's personal collection; the late co-founder of Microsoft was a big fan of science fiction.

Related: Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best

There are also several interactive experiences including a "beaming down" simulation where you stand in an "Original Series"-era transporter room and watch yourself energize down to a hostile planet where you must fight with phasers to survive. There's also a seemingly simple-sounding Jefferies tube photo opportunity, which if you were to visit the exhibition in cosplay, would make a truly enviable post on social media and you too could look like you're desperately trying to reach the warp drive plasma induction coils.

There's even a detailed map of all the "Star Trek" timelines, particularly relevant now that the second season of "Picard" will be falling back on time travel as a story arc. If all else fails, this will almost certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons and stimulate some (hopefully healthy) discussion as to which timeline we're actually on.

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

Truly a thing of beauty: a studio-scale, screen-used model of the USS Excelsior.

Khan-do, Ricardo Montalbn's actual, screen-used costume and no-Khan-do, Benedict Cumberbatch's costume.

Mister Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) screen-used thruster/EVA suit from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

A studio-scale, screen-used USS Enterprise-D from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Seven of Nine's (Jeri Ryan) and Capt Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) screen-used costumes from "Voyager."

There are also panels and displays that explain the history of this epic television sci-fi show, from its premiere in 1966 and the incredible effort made by fans for a third season after NBC tried to cancel it after just two. Then came efforts to reboot the show and that resulted in "The Animated Series" and when every movie studio jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon following the success of "Star Wars" in 1977, we got "The Motion Picture." But it was really the epic "Wrath of Khan" that saved the franchise and the rest is history.

Not only is this exhibition a treat for Trekkies who, along with admiring these iconic items from the show's history, will wholeheartedly relish in the opportunity to meet other, like-minded devotees and discuss which series is best and why but this is a fantastic way to introduce people who might not be aware of the impact of "Star Trek" has had on contemporary pop culture. Not everyone knows that a sci-fi show that aired 55 years ago starring a melodramatic actor from Montreal and a guy with pointy ears was such an astutely observed, well-written metaphoric reflection of important issues facing society at that time. And this has continued, right up to the present day.

Related: Watch the first full trailer for 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 2

"With this exhibition, we're looking towards the future; it's a hopeful, optimistic future where humankind unites with other interstellar societies on a peaceful mission of exploration and diplomacy," Managing Curator Laura Mart said.

"That spirit feels appropriate for the time we're in now, with the great challenges we face, from the pandemic to climate change. 'Star Trek' has inspired generations of fans for over 55 years not just because of its futuristic vision, but also by showing that anyone can be a leader. Every Starfleet crewmember, including humans of a wide range of backgrounds and abilities as well as members of societies from other solar systems, are valued for their contributions and talents."

"Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds" opens at the Skirball Cultural Center on Thursday, Oct. 7 and runs to Sunday,Feb 20, 2022. In order to keep a handle on crowds during these perilous times, 90-minute time slots are available from Tuesday to Sunday, every hour on weekdays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. PT and every hour at weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.

Plus, there are events planned for throughout October, including a discussion titled "Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology" on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. PT and on Friday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. PT there's a screening of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" preceded by an in-person talk and audience Q&A with the director of that epic movie, Nicholas Meyer.

Health and safety policies, pricing details and ticket information can be found on the Skirball Center website. (Look out for all the strategically placed Tribbles, too.)

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'Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds' exhibition is a must for every fan - Space.com

If you ever somehow find yourself with an extra $50,000 to burn, you could definitely use it to put a down payment on a house, or invest it in a 401(k) in order to actually be able to retire one day. But if those both feel a bit too dull for you, then you could use that nice chunk of change to finally live out your dream of exploring the final frontier.

Space tourism startup World View is offering ordinary people like you (unless Buzz Aldrin is reading this, in which case, big fan!) the opportunity to head to space on the World View Explorer, a fully autonomous spacecraft with pre-determined trajectories, for only $50,000.

Of course, only is a relative term here because that number is much cheaper than the projected prices that we have seen from other participants in the privatized space race. Virgin Galactic, which had its inaugural flight this summer, is expected to charge people around $250,000 per seat.

Theres a lot about World Views space travel plans that are quite distinct from the other major players in the expanding industry of space tourism beyond just the price.

It says that it will have its debut launch in 2023 from Spaceport Grand Canyon, though that space station has not actually been built yet. The voyage is expected to last around 6-12 hours (more than double the length of Virgins journey) and the capsule is being designed to lift passengers at around 10-12 miles per hour, which would allow them to not experience G-force or turbulence.

Eventually, World View hopes to have locations all around the globe, allowing aspiring astronauts to live out their dreams for a relatively affordable price. So if you have always wanted to leave this spinning rock we call home behind and take to the skies, you may want to start saving up now because this may be your most realistic chance to make that dream a reality, for the low low price of about $5,000 to $10,000 an hour.

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Would You Spend $50,000 to Go to Space for 12 Hours? - Fatherly