Events, Solar Sci-Fi, Space Systems

Starship Century Symposium 2013 – May 21 – 22, UC San Diego

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Here’s an announcement for the Starship Century Symposium 2013:

Starship Century

Is this the century we begin to build starships?

Why go to the Stars?

Can we?

Should We?

May 21 – 22, UC San Diego, Qualcomm Institute, Atkinson Hall Auditorium

Starship Century is a symposium coordinated by the new Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination in collaboration with Gregory and James Benford, presenting ideas from their anthology of science and science fiction.

  • Scientists address the challenges and opportunities for our long‐term future in space, with possibilities envisioned by: Freeman Dyson, Paul Davies, Peter Schwartz, John Cramer and Robert Zubrin.
  • Science fiction authors Neal Stephenson, Allen Steele, Joe Haldeman, Gregory Benford, Geoffrey Landis and David Brin discuss the implications that these trajectories of exploration might have upon our development as individuals and as a civilization.

Update April.28.13: The leader of a project at NASA Johnson Space Center who is investigating the possibility that warping space to achieve faster than light travel (see article Warp Factor – Popular Science) will present an update at this meeting: 2013 Starship Congress Speaker Announcement – Dr Harold “Sonny” White: “Warp Field Physics: An Update” –  Icarus Interstellar

Astronomy

NASA ScienceCasts: Saturn close up

The latest NASA ScienceCast focuses on observations of the Saturn system with telescopes and Cassini images:

Saturn and Earth are lining up for a beautiful view of the ringed planet. Saturn will be at its best and brightest on April 28th.

Space Science, The Moon

The mystery of the Moon’s missing mantle ejecta

Paul Spudis explains that the Apollo lunar samples, seismic station measurements, and other data have not solved some fundamental issues regarding the Moon’s crust, mantle, and impact craters: Thin Crust Moon – The Once and Future Moon.

Space Policy

Space policy roundup

Here are reports on some hearings this week in D.C.:

Reports on the planetary science funding in the administration’s proposed 2014 budget:

Rockets, Space books

The Rocket Company – serialization Ch. 1-4

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I recently began here a serialization of an updated version of the book The Rocket Company by Patrick J. G. Stiennon and David M. Hoerr, with illustrations by Doug Birkholz.

This week you can obtain the following chapters of the book:

Download these within the next week. Only four chapters will be available at any one time.

The electronic version of the updated book is available at  The Rocket Company eBook by Patrick Stiennon, David Hoerr, Peter Diamandis, Doug Birkhol: Kindle Store/Amazon.com.

Everyone can participate in space