Category Archives: Future space

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

Exoplanets, Future space, Speculation

Video: ‘100 Year Starship’ – panel discussion

A panel discussion sponsored by the SETI Institute on the DARPA initiated 100 Year Starship program:

The panel included:

  • Mae Jemison – an American physician and NASA astronaut.
  • Richard Rhodes – the author or editor of twenty-four books including The Making of the Atomic Bomb
  • Bill Nye – scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor
  • Dana Backman – director of SOFIA’s Outreach programs.
  • Moderator: Adrian Brown – a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute

 

Activism, Future space, Space Systems

Space elevator conference reviews + Japanese tether climber competition

In its latest newsletter, the International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC) reviews their recent conference and sets the theme of next year’s event : ISEC Newsletter August 2014.

Here is another overview of the conference: 2014 ISEC Space Elevator Conference Wrapup – The Space Elevator Blog

The Japan Space Elevator Association (JSEA) attended the conference and reported on a recent tether climber contest that they sponsored: SPEC 2014 – The Space Elevator Blog

 This year for instance, they had a 1,200 m long tether held up by balloons.  Climbers are powered by batteries and scores are awarded based on speed, payload, etc.

The participants have been all Japanese so far but the JSEA wants to bring in other teams to make it an international competition.

Future space, Space Systems

Space elevator conference

The ISEC 2014 Space Elevator Conference has been underway this weekend at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. Several of the presentations are described in the The Space Elevator Blog. For example:

  • Loop Technology –  “Keith [Loftstrom] posited a Ground station 8 degrees south of the equator, claiming that a) this would allow the tether to be ’tilted’ allowing things to be oriented off of the tether, b) it keeps the tether out of the way of things in orbit around the equator and c) that if the tether breaks, the mass above the break will be flung out into space along the imaginary equator line, thus missing other tethers that may be constructed.”
  • The Space Elevator in the Earth’s Atmosphere – “Dr. John Knapman give a presentation on how we deal with the Tether and the Climber within earth’s atmosphere.  Even though the distance of this portion of the trip is tiny compared to the total trip (~50km vs 100,000km), there are many “special” hazards which must be dealt with.  This consists of weather; wind, rain and lightning.”
  • 2014 ISEC Space Elevator Conference – Day 2  – ” [Dr. Bryan Laubscher] gave us an update on [Odysseus Technologies Inc]’s continuing efforts to build longer, stronger nanotubes.  He discussed the patents that OTI has made, both in terms of taking existing ‘forests’ of nanotubes, drawing off threads and strengthening those threads and also in growing stronger nanotubes themselves.  His presentation elicited many questions and a whole lot of discussion. “

Space reporter Leonard David is also at the meeting: What’s Up with Space Elevators? – LeonardDavid.com.

Future space, Space Systems, Speculation

100 Year Starship symposium in Houston in September

The 100 year Starship organization is holding its 2014 Public Symposium in Houston, Texas over Sept. 18-21. Here’s the agenda:

The 100 Year Starship’s purpose:

We exist to make the capability of human travel beyond our solar system a reality within the next 100 years. We unreservedly dedicate ourselves to identifying and pushing the radical leaps in knowledge and technology needed to achieve interstellar flight, while pioneering and transforming breakthrough applications that enhance the quality of life for all on Earth. We actively seek to include the broadest swath of people and human experience in understanding, shaping and implementing this global aspiration.

Taking up this task ignites not only our imagination, but the undeniable human need to push ourselves to accomplishments greater than any single individual.

Future space, Solar Sci-Fi, Space films and videos

“Interstellar” trailer

Check out the latest trailer for the movie Interstellar, which will be released in November.  Go to the home page and enter the access code 7201969, hit submit.