Universe Today » Space Exploration

Dawn Takes up Residence in Asteroid Belt

Nicholos Wethington — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:21:16 +0000

The Dawn spacecraft – which is on a course to study the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres – has taken up permanent residence in the asteroid belt as of November 13th. Dawn is officially the first human-made object to become a part of the asteroid belt, which is sandwiched between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.(...)
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Exploring With an Armada of Autonomous Robots

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:07:57 +0000

Artist concept of orbiter, airblimps, rovers and robots working together. Credit: JPL

JPL has a fun article on their website detailing what future robotic exploration might entail: an armada of robots could one day fly above the mountain tops of Saturn's moon Titan, cross its vast dunes and sail in its liquid lakes. This is the vision of Wolfgang Fink, from the California Institute of Technology. He says we are on the brink of a great paradigm shift in planetary exploration, and the next round of robotic explorers will be nothing like what we see today.
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Book Review: Magnificent Desolation, by Buzz Aldrin

Anne Minard — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:16:36 +0000

I very much enjoyed chatting with Buzz Aldrin a couple of weeks ago, for some stories leading up to the 40th anniversary of the July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 landing on the moon. I found him honest, personable and generous with his time.

But when his publicist offered to send a copy of his new book, "Magnificent Desolation," I didn't set my expectations too high. I didn't know what to make of an autobiography by a retired Air Force pilot and astronaut. Doesn't that history put the "Rocket Hero" pretty squarely in the category of techie or a jock — a non-writer type?

Well, color me impressed. The book arrived late last week, and I turned the last page this morning — looking for more to read!

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Life Beyond Earth in 10 Years or Less?

Anne Minard — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:49:02 +0000

Illustration credit: Robert McCall

Peter Smith feels pretty certain we'll be finding life on Mars within the next decade.

Smith, the University of Arizona professor who led NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission, made his predictions to a spellbound audience during a lecture at the University of Delaware earlier this month, and he discussed his ideas by phone on Thursday. He carries a "sense of optimism" about finding life on Mars, he said, because of the tantalizing clues Phoenix sent to Earth.

"Finding life on Mars would be one of the great discoveries of all time," he said. "We're not that far away. The next mission could be the one."

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New Bill Would Extend Shuttle Life, but NASA Doesn't Need the Time

Anne Minard — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:27:57 +0000

Even as Atlantis prepares for its May 12 launch, the end of NASA's shuttle program looms. Credit: NASA

The Senate Budget Committee has given the green light to fund NASA's shuttle program past the end of 2010, when the program is set to retire.

But NASA isn't asking for an extension.

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson requested the $2.5 billion provision, which was included in the broader five-year spending plan that passed committee Monday afternoon. His office argues that launching nine missions in 18 months puts too much pressure on the agency, and could compromise safety.

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Russia Will Send Life to Phobos

Ian O'Neill — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:20:51 +0000

Boldly going where no tardigrade has gone before (edited by Ian O'Neill)

How ironic. Not content with searching for life on Mars, the Russian space agency and the US-based Planetary Society will soon be sending terrestrial life to the Martian moon Phobos. The mini-interplanetary travellers will consist of bacteria, spores, seeds, crustaceans, insects and fungi. Why? To see how biological life, in various forms, deals with space travel spanning three years.

So if you thought that a human (or monkey) would be the first of Earth's ambassadors to land on Mars or one of its moons, you'd be very mistaken…
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Robots Could Prepare Moon Outpost Site

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:30:55 +0000

A new type of lunar robots is being designed which could help prepare locations on the Moon for human outposts and landing pads. With supervised autonomy, small robots the size of riding mowers and weighing 300 kg or less could prepare a site in about 6 months, says a new study by Astrobotic Technology Inc. in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.

Anyone else having visions of Wall-E on the Moon?
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The Journey of Space Exploration: Ex-Astronaut Views on NASA

Ian O'Neill — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:10:43 +0000

Why has "one small step for man" turned into "one giant leap backward" for NASA? (NASA)

It reads like the annual progress report from my first year in university. He lacks direction, he's not motivated and he has filled his time with extra-curricular activities, causing a lack of concentration in lectures. However, it shouldn't read like an 18 year-old's passage through the first year of freedom; it should read like a successful, optimistic and inspirational prediction about NASA's future in space.

What am I referring to? It turns out that the Houston university where President John F. Kennedy gave his historic "We go to the Moon" speech back in 1962 has commissioned a report, recommending that NASA should give up its quest for returning to the Moon and focus more on environmental and energy projects. The reactions of several astronauts from the Mercury, Apollo and Shuttle eras have now been published. The conclusions in the Rice University report may have been controversial, but the reactions of the six ex-astronauts went well beyond that. They summed up the concern and frustration they feel for a space agency they once risked their lives for.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to how we interpret the importance of space exploration. Is it an unnecessary expense, or is it part of scientific endeavour where the technological spin-offs are more important than we think?
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Best Space Images of 2008

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:34:16 +0000

I've been meaning to put together an article highlighting the best space images of 2008, but I see time is slowly slipping away from me to get this out before 2008 turns into 2009. However, I'm in luck! A few people have already done the work for me, and so I'll just link to them. First, of course, is Phil Plait over at the Bad Astronomy Blog, who does his annual Top Ten Astronomy Pictures, and this year's choices by the BA were excellent. Next, Dave Mosher over at Discovery Space has just put together a slideshow of his picks for the Best Space and Astronomy Pictures of 2008. Nice job, Dave! And this just in (update 8:10 pm) — Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society Blog has a great selection of The Year in Pictures 2008. Thanks Emily!

There are more links below, but I know if I would have done a list myself, the image above would have been my #1 pick. This shot by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE Camera of the Phoenix lander descending through Mars' atmosphere is truly outstanding. It's an unbelievable shot, and I'll always remember how my jaw dropped in disbelief when I first saw it.

And now back to everyone else's best pics of 2008 lists:
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SpaceX, Orbital Sciences Awarded ISS Re-supply Contract

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:38:33 +0000

SpaceX DragonLab™ - a free-flying, fully-recoverable, reusable spacecraft capable of hosting pressurized and unpressurized payloads. Credit: SpaceX

Two upstart commercial space companies have been awarded contracts by NASA for commercial cargo resupply services to the International Space Station. SpaceX, also known as Space Exploration Technologies received a contract for $1.6 billion while Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va. has a contract valued at $1.9 billion. NASA has ordered 12 flights from SpaceX and eight from Orbital. In October, at this year's International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, SpaceX Vice President of Marketing and Communications Diane Murphy said that the six- year-old company has it in their sights to be able to fly to the space station by 2009. For now, the contract is for cargo only, however SpaceX's Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket are human rated, and would be capable of delivering up to 7 crew members to the station. The Dragon could also be used as an escape vehicle. If SpaceX and Orbital can be successful in cargo re-supply, it could pave the way for a potential solution to the gap between the shuttle retirement in 2010 and when the Constellation program would be ready to fly, hopefully by 2015.
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New Space Elevator Consortium

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:22:32 +0000

A coalition of leaders working on the concept of a space elevator has joined forces to form the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC). The new independent group is designed to promote standards and foster research relating to the construction of an Elevator to Space at the global level. Founding members of ISEC include the Spaceward Foundation, the Space Elevator Reference, the Space Elevator Blog, EuroSpaceward and the Japan Space Elevator Association. Heading the new organization is Ted Semon of the Space Elevator Blog, who will serve as president. Michael Laine, president of the space elevator company Liftport is excited about the consortium. "I think it’s a great thing," he said. "This has been in the works for months, and the need to bring the different organizations under one roof has been long overdue. All five of the major organizations have been acting independently, which made sense in the beginning, but now we need coordination and cooperation."
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40th Anniversary of the Great Gamble: Apollo 8

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:27:29 +0000

Apollo 8's famous Earthrise picture. Credit: NASA

The Apollo 8 mission was a seminal moment not in only the history of spaceflight, but in human history as well. The mission came during a time when the US and the world were divided by war and racial issues. It's been said that Apollo 8 "saved" 1968 from being an otherwise divisive and disheartening year, and because of the success of the mission – in terms of both technical and philosophical matters — the Apollo 8 crew of Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders were named "Men of the Year" by Time Magazine. Apollo 8 was the first human mission to orbit the moon, but it wasn't supposed to be. And the mission was responsible for one of the most iconic images of our time.

Read more about Apollo 8 and watch an excellent video NASA put together to commemorate the mission on its 40th anniversary
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Nominations: The Universe Today Top 10 Scientific Endeavours of 2008

Ian O'Neill — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:34:09 +0000

2008 has been a landmark year for space science and physics endeavour. We've peered deep into the cosmos and fitted new pieces into some of the most intriguing universal puzzles. We've explored other planets with technology we wouldn't have recognised a decade ago. We've assembled some of the most complex experiments to test theories of the very small and the very big. 2008 has built strong foundations for the future of the exploration of the Universe in so many ways…
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Time Magazine Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2008: Space and Physics Dominate

Ian O'Neill — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:51:21 +0000

2008 has been an astounding year of scientific discovery. To celebrate this fact, Time Magazine has listed the "Top 10 Scientific Discoveries" where space exploration and physics dominate. Other disciplines are also listed; including zoology, microbiology, technology and biochemistry, but the number 1 slot goes to the most ambitious physics experiment of our time. Can you guess what it is? Also, of all our endeavours in space, can you pick out three that Time Magazine has singled out as being the most important?

As we approach the end of the year, ready to welcome in 2009, it is good to take stock and celebrate the mind-blowing achievements mankind has accomplished. Read on for the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2008…
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NASA and Google Successfully Test Deep Space Internet

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:56:20 +0000

Communication with spacecraft is vital for NASA, and since the World Wide Web has enabled easy, reliable and quick contact for people around the world, the space agency decided to model a new deep space communication system on the internet. A month-long test of this "Interplanetary Internet" was successfully conducted by transmitting dozens of images to and from the EPOXI spacecraft, now about 20 million miles from Earth. The system uses software called Disruption-Tolerant Networking, or DTN created by a partnership between NASA and Google vice president Vint Cerf. "This is the first step in creating a totally new space communications capability, an interplanetary Internet," said Adrian Hooke, team lead and manager of space-networking architecture, technology and standards at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
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Google and NASA are Working on an Interplanetary Internet

Ian O'Neill — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:04:07 +0000

In an initiative energized by Google Vice-President and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, the International Space Station could be testing a brand new way of communicating with Earth. In 2009, it is hoped that the ISS will play host to an Interplanetary Internet prototype that could standardize communications between Earth and space, possibly replacing point-to-point single use radio systems customized for each individual space mission since the beginning of the Space Age.

This partnership opens up some exciting new possibilities for the future of communicating across vast distances of the Solar System. Manned and robotic space craft will be interconnected via a robust interplanetary network without the problems associated with incompatible communication systems…
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Aldrin: Mars Pioneers Should Not Return to Earth

Ian O'Neill — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:38:49 +0000

Should the first settlers stay there? (NASA/Ian O'Neill)

Commenting on the strategy for the exploration of Mars, Buzz Aldrin, second man on the Moon and tireless space exploration advocate, has said that he believes the first explorers of the Red Planet should stay there. Following similar lines of the first European pioneers who settled in America, a small group of interplanetary explorers should expect to land, build, live and retire (probably even die) on Mars.

Setting up home on the Martian surface will be no easy thing (after all, the atmosphere is 100 times thinner than the Earth's and the planet has no magnetic field to protect colonists from the ravages of solar radiation), but Mars offers far greater potential as a habitable world than any other Solar System option.

40 years after Aldrin landed on the Moon, one can understand his frustration that there is no current manned space exploration program leaving Earth orbit. Perhaps a pioneering effort to Mars will make all the difference – if we succeed there, who knows where it might lead…
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We All Say "Excited!" In The Same Language

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:16:47 +0000

One of the wonderful things about space exploration and astronomy is how it brings people together across cultures, countries and even languages. Almost all of the current planetary missions — Phoenix, Cassini, and Dawn, for example — are collaborative efforts between scientists and space agencies around the world. And all of our explorations, whether it be through spacecraft or telescopes embody the best of all of humanity: our creativity, our technological advances, our driving curiosity and spirit of perseverance. Furthermore, these explorations excite and inspire us, and also bring us together, providing a common bond. A friend that's involved with the Chandrayaan mission, (JPL and ISRO working together) that's now working its way to the Moon, sent me a link to a home video showing Chandrayaan's launch. You don't have to speak the language of India to understand how absolutely excited these people were to see their own country's spacecraft rocket to space. See the video below:
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Bad News: Interstellar Travel May Remain in Science Fiction

Ian O'Neill — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:35:55 +0000

Some sobering news from a recent rocket science conference: It is highly improbable that humans will ever explore beyond the Solar System. This downbeat opinion comes from the Joint Propulsion Conference in Hartford, Connecticut, where future space propulsion challenges were discussed and debated. It is widely acknowledged that any form of interstellar travel would require huge advances in technology, but it would seem that the advances required are in the realms of science fiction and are not feasible. Using current technology would take tens of thousands of years, and even advanced concepts could take hundreds. But above all else, there is the question of fuel: How could a trip to Proxima Centauri be achieved if we'd need 100 times more energy than the entire planet currently generates?
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11th Annual Mars Society Convention on 14th-17th August

Ian O'Neill — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:58:30 +0000

Next week, Boulder, Colorado will play host to the eleventh annual Mars Society conference. There will be a huge array of speakers, lectures and workshops anyone can get involved in to learn more about the future of manned exploration on Mars. The Mars Society is an international organization working to raise public awareness about the opportunities we have on Mars and push for eventual manned settlements. Primarily, the Mars Society is pushing for better governmental spending in planetary missions, but there is an increasing awareness that many aims can only be achieved through private enterprise. The organization doesn't limit itself to political activities. For years the organization has managed a series of "Mars Analogues," isolated habitats where volunteers carry out extended experiments, studying everything from human psychology in confined living conditions to working in extreme environments (such as desert plains).

It is therefore of huge significance that the eleventh Mars Society conference will be bigger and better than ever, with a very impressive list of delegates…
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John Glenn Speaks Out Against Future Moon Base

Ian O'Neill — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:27:33 +0000

Moonbase rover concept - could be used for long-term missions (NASA)

NASA's first man to orbit the Earth, John Glenn has said a plan to set up a Moon base to facilitate the manned exploration of interplanetary space is a very bad idea. Under the current US government direction, NASA hopes to (eventually) establish the manned outpost for future launches to Mars and beyond, thus avoiding the huge gravity well of the Earth. But Glenn has cited the plan as "questionable," pointing out that to pack the huge amount of equipment on board the future Ares V rocket will be "enormously expensive." So what's the alternative? Build a vehicle in Earth orbit and accelerate it to the Red Planet…
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Social Networking Site Bebo Wants to Contact Aliens

Ian O'Neill — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:38:01 +0000

Social networking sites are the backbone of "Web 2.0" and now one of the most popular sites, Bebo (popular with a younger demographic), hopes to reach out to extraterrestrial civilizations. Why? Well, the power of social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace is that you can keep in touch with friends, make new friends and electronically hang out with people with similar interests. So Bebo will invite its users, celebrities and politicians to post messages that "consider the planet from a fresh perspective" and raise awareness of environmental pressures on Earth. In this day and age of democratically selecting news on the Internet (much like another Web 2.0 phenomenon, social bookmarking; like Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit etc.), rather than letting mainstream media select "what news is important," Bebo users will vote the top 500 messages to be transmitted to a small red dwarf star, Gliese 581 in the hope of communicating what really matters to Bebo users. Plus they might extend the Bebo network to some new alien friends…
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NASA Needs to Take Space Sex Seriously

Ian O'Neill — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:33:06 +0000

The US space agency needs to have better consideration for the sexual needs of their astronauts during long missions in space. Also, more research needs to be done to investigate human embryo development in zero-gravity or low-gravity environments, especially if NASA is serious about setting up a colony on Mars in the next 30 years. These warnings have been issued by a NASA advisor at a time when the agency doesn't have enough funds allocated for human space physiology. These concerns are by no means trivial, basic human needs and the ability to procreate beyond Earth may be critical for missions lasting years…
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How Long Would it Take to Travel to the Nearest Star?

Ian O'Neill — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:04:55 +0000

We've all asked this question at some point: How long would it take to travel to the stars? And could I do it in my lifetime? There are many answers to this possibility, some very simple, others in the realms of science fiction. To make this easier to answer, we'll address how long it would take to travel to the nearest star to the solar system, Proxima Centauri. Unfortunately, any route you take to the stars will be slow, even if you are powered by the most powerful nuclear propulsion technology…
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President Sarkozy and the French (Space) Revolution (Updated)

Ian O'Neill — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:11:02 +0000

It seems to be the week for big politics and space exploration. Yesterday, the Universe Today reported that Buzz Aldrin was worried about the future of the politically-driven US space policy; he is currently lobbying US President hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain to increase NASA funding. On the other side of the pond, French President Nicolas Sarkozy also wants NASA's European counterpart, ESA, to do better. However, Sarkozy wants to change the face of the ESA into the NASA model by making it politically driven, rather than leaving European bureaucrats to decide ESA priorities. ESA has operated independently from political pressures that often weigh down on space agencies, but Sarkozy is a huge advocate of the US system and believes space exploration should be politically motivated. This is bound to raise a few eyebrows, as the very agency he is promoting is facing some serious political uncertainty…
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