The ARKYD Space Telescope kickstarter campaign has reached nearly 9000 backers and over $810,000 pledged towards their $1,000,000 goal.
Planetary Resources has been posting updates and new videos: ARKYD: A Space Telescope for Everyone by Planetary Resources – Updates — Kickstarter
In this video
Chris Lewicki leads a conversation with a few of the technical staff at Planetary Resources talking about the Kickstarter campaign for a publicly accessible space telescope.
http://youtu.be/d7RrCfMP3OY
NASA and LEGO announce a new space modeling contest:
NASA Partners With the LEGO Group for Design and Build Contest
WASHINGTON — NASA and the LEGO Group are partnering to inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers by offering a new design competition. The competition will spur students of all ages to use the toy bricks in building models of future airplanes and spacecraft.
The “NASA’s Missions: Imagine and Build” competition opens Wednesday with an entry deadline of July 31. Winners in each category will be selected by a panel of NASA and LEGO officials and announced Sept. 1.
The first category in the contest is “Inventing our Future of Flight.” In this challenge, participants will design and build their idea for an aircraft of the future based on real concepts and new technology NASA’s aeronautics innovators are working on to increase fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions and noise.
In addition to building a model from LEGO bricks or using the LEGO Digital Designer computer program, participants in this category also must prepare and write a technical paper. The paper will explain how the contest design takes advantage of NASA’s ideas and potentially improves on them.
This category divides entrants into two groups: young student builders ages 13 to 18 and an open group for anyone age 13 and older. The two winners will receive a custom-made LEGO trophy and a collection of NASA memorabilia.
The second contest category is “Imagine our Future Beyond Earth.” In this challenge, participants will use their imaginations to design and build a futuristic vehicle from LEGO bricks that might travel through the air or in space. It could be an airplane, rotorcraft, rocket, spacecraft, satellite, rover or something else. The design can be based in reality or purely a flight of fancy. This competition is open to entrants 16 or older. The grand prize is a LEGO set signed by the set’s designer and a collection of NASA memorabilia. There also is a runner up prize.
To read the complete rules and guidelines for submitting the LEGO model and technical paper, visit: http://rebrick.lego.com/
LEGO Systems, Inc. is the North American division of The LEGO Group, a privately-held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of creatively educational play materials for children. For more information and to visit the virtual LEGO world, go to:
For more information about NASA aeronautics research and space exploration, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
Astrophotographer Ralf Vandebergh writes about imaging the Russian Bion-M1 satellite during its recent flight: Ground-based Images of Bion-M1 Spacecraft – Space Safety Magazine – June.5.13.
He captured an image of the spacecraft with “surprising resolution [at] a range of 581 kilometers and an altitude of 575 kilometers”.
As of mid-day June 2nd, the Planetary Resources crowdfunding campaign for a publicly accessible space telescope (see earlier post here) has reached over $650k and nearly 6700 backers in just 4 days in pursuit of its $1M goal: ARKYD: A Space Telescope for Everyone by Planetary Resources — Kickstarter.
Hank Green, who participated in the webcasts last week that introduced the campaign, has this video about the project:
The latest Spacevidcast live program video is now online: Crowdfunding your next Space Program – Spacevidcast.
This is from the capiton:
Planetary Resources introduced a $1,000,000 kickstarter project and raised over 1/2 the funds required in 2 days! Does this mean that crowd funded space programs will start cropping up more often?
In Space News we look at recent launches, radiation in space, Rats on Mars and the Space Launch System. We are joined by Douglas Messier of ParablicArc.com for an update on ISDC as well as what is going on in Mojave. For more information on each story check out our wiki here: http://wiki.spacevidcast.com/en/6.15
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