Last Friday, daredevil Eddie Braun road a steam-powered rocket over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Here is a video of the flight:
The rocket was built by Scott Truax, son of the late Robert Truax, a famous rocket designer and NewSpace pioneer. The father built a similar rocket for Evel Knievel who made the same jump in 1974. Knievel made it across the canyon but after the chutes deployed too early, winds blew him back over the edge and he ended up along side the river. Scott wanted to prove his father’s rocket design was quite capable of a successful jump.
Asteroid Day is a global awareness campaign where people from around the world come together to learn about asteroids, the impact hazard they may pose, and what we can do to protect our planet, families, communities, and future generations from future asteroid impacts. Asteroid Day is held each year on the anniversary of the largest impact in recent history, the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia.
Leaders in the field and several scientific organizations are participating in the event. For example, the European Space Agency says Every day is Asteroid Day at ESA.
In February 2014, Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and famed guitarist for the rock band QUEEN, began working with Grigorij Richters, the director of a new film titled51 Degrees North, a fictional story of an asteroid impact on London and the resulting human condition. May composed the music for the film and suggested that Richters preview it at Starmus, an event organized by Dr. Garik Israelian and attended by esteemed astrophysicists, scientists and artists, including Dr. Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and Rick Wakeman. The result was the beginning of discussions that would lead to the launch of Asteroid Day in 2015.
The Mercury transit was seen by observers on the ground and by satellites in space. The best views of the transit came from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft, whose multiple imagers showed the transit in different parts of the spectrum:
Another SDO view:
Here is a NASA panel discussion about the transit:
The National Space Society‘s annual conference is coming up on May 18-22. This year it is being held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Here is a video about the event:
And here is an invitation from the NSS:
May 7, 2016
Dear Space Enthusiast:
The National Space Society invites you to discover Space Beyond Borders at the International Space Development Conference® 2016 (isdc.nss.org/2016) this May 18-22 at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Imagine for a moment… Tomorrow, for the first time ever, mankind was landing on Mars. That would be amazing! Leaping into Space Beyond Earth and landing on another planet will be the most exciting accomplishment of Our Time.
The International Space Development Conference® is for everyone interested in or involved in all things about Space including Space Exploration, Moon Settlement, Mars Exploration and Settlement, Living in Space, New Discoveries, Innovative Technologies, Commercialization of Space, Asteroid Harvesting, Space Solar Power, Space Tourism, and Space Law and Policy.
Our trip to Space, to the Moon, to Mars, and Beyond is happening NOW!
Bear witness and be a part of the movement.
Come to Puerto Rico, where the Milky Way shines brightly and the blue Caribbean waters shimmer.
ISDC® 2016 is where space leaders, astronauts, professionals and the next generation of students convene to examine the technical, scientific, economic, and social challenges and potentials of space exploration.
Do not miss out on this great opportunity and register now at isdc.nss.org/2016.
The National Space Society is looking forward to seeing you this May in Puerto Rico.
Sincerely,
Bruce Pittman
Senior Vice President & Senior Operating Officer
National Space Society