Category Archives: Future space

Proposals, speculation, etc regarding the future of space and humanity’s place in it.

Future space, GPS, Living in Space

Misc: Space elevator newsletter & conf. + Growing plants in low gravity + The 1st geocache

Some miscellaneous items I’ve had in my queue:

I recently got the  International Space Elevator Consortium‘s latest update in my email box  : ISEC Newsletter – April.2014

The ISEC Space Elevator Conference will be held August 22-24 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.

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The German space agency DLR is planning an interesting mission to test the growing of plants in gravity less than earth’s by using the rotation of a spacecraft to provide centrifugal force to provide artificial gravity. It will spin

The experiment involves use of bacteria and algae that will convert synthetic urine into fertilizer to promote the growth of tomato plants. Variations in rotational speed around its longitudinal axis will simulate lunar and Martian gravity.

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The first of the two greenhouses will operate under lunar conditions over the first six months, while the second greenhouse will operate in a Martian environment for the following six.

This project will run for a year, after which the satellite will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere.

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Geocaching has become a popular worldwide GPS game and hobby. There is a special plaque to mark the very first geocache: Ow.ly – image uploaded by @GoGeocaching

Owly Images

Future space, Science and Technology, Space Systems

Video: Dr. Gerald Cleaver on Icarus Interstellar, warp drive, and matter/antimatter propulsion

Project Persephone is an effort by the Icarus Interstellar group to design a workable generation ship for making a trip to a distant star: Project Persphone: British Scientists Building ‘Living Space Ark’ To Save Humanity – Huffington Post

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Prof. Gerald Cleaver is a noted theoretical physicist in string theory at Baylor University and a member of the Icarus Interstellar team. In this video of a luncheon presentation at NASA JSC,  he gives a fascinating talk (aimed at a general audience) about the Icarus group, about interstellar flight, the possibilities of making Alcubeirre Warp Drive a reality (he says string theory is key!), and a couple of ways to create large amounts of antimatter for propulsion :

Future space, Space Settlement, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

Stephen Hawking’s reasons for space exploration + A space boffin’s reasons for space tourism

Stephen Hawking gives his “Reasons for Space Exploration” and expresses his optimistic view of the future of spaceflight (via Rocketeers): 

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And science journalist Richard Hollingham of the Space Boffins gives his reasons for why space tourism is important : Six reasons why space tourism matters – BBC.

Future space, History

The Worlds Fair in the Space Age

Take a colorful tour of the 1964 New York World’s Fair in this photo collection : The Space Age Never Looked Brighter Than It Did in the Mid-1960s – io9.

See also

http://youtu.be/V41NW5m7Scg

Future space, In Space Infrastructure, Space Systems

Books: “The Case for Space Solar Power” + “Space Elevators: An Assessment”

Former NASA manager and long time proponent of space based solar power, John C. Mankins has published a new book on the topic: The Case for Space Solar Power (available in both hardback and kindle versions).

The National Space Society, not suprisingly, likes it: New Book: The Case for Space Solar Power – NSS Blog

A strong case for harnessing space solar power is presented in this ground-breaking new book. Author John C. Mankins, one of the foremost experts in the field, presents his latest research in The Case for Space Solar Power.

The Case for Space Solar Power recounts the history of the space solar power concept and summarizes the many different ways in which it might be accomplished.

Specifically, the book describes in detail a highly promising concept — SPS-ALPHA (Solar Power Satellite by means of Arbitrarily Large Phased Array) — and presents a business case comprising applications in space and markets on Earth. It is possible to begin now with technologies that are already at hand , while developing the more advanced technologies that will be needed to deliver power economically to markets on Earth.

The Case for Space Solar Power lays out a path forward that is both achievable and affordable. Within a dozen years, the first multi-megawatt solar pilot plant could be in operation.


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The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has examined another ambitious space technology and found it to be feasible and promising: Space Elevators: An Assessment of the Technological Feasibility and the Way Forward. See also