Activism, General, SpaceCasts

Videos: ‘The Planetary Post’ with Robert Picardo for Aug.2016 + Planetary TV

Here is the latest episode of The Planetary Post with host Robert Picardo:

This month, we’re celebrating the U.S. National Park Service centennial by exploring the Parks After Dark.

This is the 7th installment of The Planetary Post, our monthly newsletter from Robert Picardo featuring the most notable space happenings. To sign up go to http://www.planetary.org/connect

Starring Robert Picardo • Music by Jim McKeever • Featuring Dr. Bruce Betts and CaLisa Lee • Additional video and images courtesy of NASA • Night Sky Footage by Josh Spradling

See also the Planetary  Society‘s Planetary TV video for August:

CaLisa Lee takes us to the North rim of the Grand Canyon for their annual Star Party event. Hear from rangers and astronomers about how the night sky can connect us to other people and the past.

Find more about sky-watching in national parks: Half the Park is After Dark: Stargazers Celebrate U.S. National Parks Centennial – The Planetary Society.

Activism, Space Policy, SpaceCasts

Video: TMRO 9.24 – Small Sats

A new episode of the TMRO.tv weekly program has been posted: Small Sats – TMRO

TMRO Returns in our new studio space, Station Two Zero Four! It doesn’t look like much yet, but we have big and exciting plans! THANK YOU citizens for helping make this happen, exciting times ahead!

In this episode we talk about Small Sats. What are they? Why does the industry care and what is the future of Small Sats in space?

Some recent space news topics discussed:

* Long March 3B launch of Tiantong 1
* Long March 4C launch of Gaofen 3
* NextSTEP program begins phase 2
* Kepler Finds Tabby’s Star is Mysteriously Dimming
* HDR SRB Camera test
* HTV delay means extra EVA
* Cassini Finds Flooded Canyon’s on Saturn’s Moon Titan

The shows are viewer supported:

TMRO:Space is a crowd funded show. If you like this episode consider contributing to help us to continue to improve. Head over to http://www.patreon.com/tmro for information, goals and reward levels. Don’t forget to check out our weekly SpacePod campaign as well over at http://www.patreon.com/spacepod

Amateur/Student Satellite, Space participation, Space Systems

Video: The story of the $50SAT Eagle2 pocketqube

Here is another video from the Electromagnetic Field event held in Guildford, UK earlier this summer (see previous posts A hacker’s guide to satellites and … An Intro to Rockets). Stuart Robinson tells the story of the $50Sat Eagle2 satellite that was launched to orbit in 2013:

More info about the project:

The PocketQube Shop sells components for the PocketQube satellite standard.

See also the HobbySpace Satellite Building  section on student and amateur satellites.

Here is a video of the launch of the Russian Dnepr rocket, a converted ICBM, on which the $50Sat got a free ride:

 

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History, Space films and videos

Video: Trailer for “Hidden Figures” film

Below is the trailer for the movie Hidden Figures, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer & Janelle Monáe. It  reaches theaters on January 13, 2017:

HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, and Glen Powell

The film is based on the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.

Everyone can participate in space