Pluto and beyond, Space Science, Space Systems

New Horizons: Looking back on the flyby + Video simulates a landing on Pluto

It’s been a year since the New Horizons probe flew past Pluto and its moons. Here is a review of the flyby and the major findings by the mission: Looking Back, a Year after Pluto – New Horizons.

Fly down to near the surface in a new video from New Horizons:

Video: Imagine a Landing on Pluto

Imagine a future spacecraft following New Horizons’ trailblazing path to Pluto, but instead of flying past its target – as New Horizons needed to do to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt beyond – the next visitor touches down near the tall mountains on the frozen icy, plains of Pluto’s heart.

No need to wait for that far off trip, though, thanks to new video produced by New Horizons scientists that offers that very perspective. Made from more than 100 New Horizons images taken over six weeks of approach and close flyby, the video offers a trip in to Pluto – starting with a distant spacecraft’s-eye view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, to an eventual ride in for a “landing” on the shoreline of Pluto’s informally named Sputnik Planum.

“Just over a year ago, Pluto was a dot in the distance,” said New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. “This video shows what it would be like to ride aboard an approaching spacecraft and see Pluto grow to become a world, and then to swoop down over its spectacular terrains as if we were approaching some future landing on them!”

[Constantine Tsang, a New Horizons scientist at SwRI who worked with Stern to create the movie, said]:

“The challenge in creating this movie is to make it feel like you’re diving into Pluto,” … “We had to interpolate some of the frames based on we know Pluto looks like to make it as smooth and seamless as possible. It’s certainly fun to see this and think what it would feel like to approach a landing on Pluto!”

After a 9.5-year voyage covering more than three billion miles, New Horizons flew through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015, coming within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of Pluto itself. Carrying powerful telescopic cameras that could spot features smaller than a football field, New Horizons has sent back hundreds of images of Pluto and its moons that show how dynamic and fascinating their surfaces are – and what great targets they’d make for follow-up mission one day.

Activism, Space Systems, SpaceCasts

Video: ‘The Planetary Post’ with Robert Picardo reports on LightSail 2

Here is the latest episode of the Planetary Society‘s The Planetary Post program with Robert Picardo. This time he

took a trip to Cal Poly for the LightSail 2 day-in-the-life test.

This is the 6th 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 & General Fuzz | Featuring Physics Girl, Dianna Cowern and Dr. Britney Schmidt | Also with Jason Davis, Bill Nye, Jennifer Vaughn, Jordi Puig-Suari | Additional video and images courtesy of NASA

Living in Space, Space Systems, SpaceCasts

Video: ‘Space to Ground’ update on the ISS – July.15.2016

Here is this week’s edition of NASA’s Space to Ground report on activities related to the Int. Space Station:

Activism, Space Policy, SpaceCasts

Videos: TMRO Space Pods & Epic Future Space short reports

Some recent TMRO.tv Space Pod short video reports:

* What Will Your Space Story Be? – – Super Pod July 2016

In this special Space Pod, the correspondents of TMRO are sharing how they got involved with space, and are challenging you to share your space story too.

So if you accept our challenge to share your story here is how we would like you to share it with us. Write a blog post, upload some pictures with descriptions, or make a video response and share it with us on twitter with the #MySpaceStory and direct it to @tmro

* Snapshot of the Australian Space Industry at #FFF2016 – Space Pod 07/13/16

Lisa Stojanovski interviews some of Australia’s major space players during the Final Frontier Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Even without a space agency, Australian’s are sending school students code to the International Space Station, building pocket-sized satellites in their garage, and brewing space beer.

* Qualified for Launch – Space Pod 07/06/16

The TMRO Space Pods are viewer supported:

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

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Michael Clark, who contributes to the TMRO.tv programs, also has his own video series called Epic Future Space. Here are a couple of his recent videos:

* BEAM & XBASE – EpicFutureSpace 7/13/16

In this video, I wanted to talk about Bigelow Aerospace, their successful BEAM module, and an ambitious proposal that could expand the International Space Station even more.

* RIP DragonFly & Falcon 3?!? – EpicFutureSpace 6/29/16

This week I wanted to discuss the DragonFly program again, and how it might be on indefinite hiatus. Also a unique rocket in SpaceX’s inventory won’t be launching anytime soon.

His programs also need viewer support:

EpicFutureSpace is producing short space themed news videos focused on human transportation. To support the show please visit https://www.patreon.com/epicfuturespace

Space business, Space participation, Space Systems

Video: Skateboard from scrap rocket carbon fiber lifted to edge of space

The company 121C Boards  converts scrap carbon fiber material used for rocket building into ultra-light and strong skateboards and longboards. The company started in 2015 with a Kickstarter aiming to raise $10k. They instead got over $44k. The money went for the shop equipment to manufacture the Aileron, their first skateboard.

A new Kickstarter campaign opened at the end of June and aimed for $15k. With 16 days left, over $69,000 has been committed to their next project:  production of a new improved board called the Rover.

Here is a video about the Rover:

Here is a press release about a recent Rover promotional event:

Team lofts skateboard to space in “awesome” VR film
The “Space Skateboard” is offered on Kickstarter

Los Angeles, California, July 5, 2016 — 121C has announced that it launched a carbon fiber skateboard to the edge of space above the Mojave Desert earlier this year. The event can be experienced in Virtual Reality (VR) narrated by NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría (VRs are best viewed from a mobile device):

“The space jump of ‘Fearless’ Felix Baumgartner got us thinking about riding a skateboard down from space and that was the inspiration for this VR film.” said Ryan Olliges, President of 121C and a 2016 graduate in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southern California. Ryan continues, “It seems like a crazy stunt at first, but this was the perfect way to call attention to our ultralight carbon fiber decks.”

“The launch is even more appropriate since we build them from scrap material generated in the production of modern spacecraft.” adds Greg Autry, cofounder of 121C and an Assistant Clinical Professor with the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California. Dr. Autry adds, “Watching this VR while listening to Mike LA narrate his experience on a Soyuz flight to the Space Station is really pretty thrilling. Engineers love this stuff and we also hope to inspire a new positive and forward looking attitude in skate that appeals to mature, upscale skaters.”

The board and camera rig were launched using a helium weather balloon and safely descended via parachute. After reaching an estimated altitude of 90,000 ft a GPS tracking system with a satellite uplink helped to locate and recover the payload. The launch and recovery are described in detail in a 121C blog post at: http://www.121cboards.com/blog.

The actual space skateboard, equipped with Shark Wheels and Randal trucks, can be acquired with a $2,500 pledge to the firm’s successful Kickstarter campaign which launched on June 16 and was fully funded by the next day. The campaign ends on July 30. Olliges remarks, “I’d kind of like to keep it, but people like having the ‘first’ of just about anything. We think somebody will look at the amazing photos and VR and really want this odd bit of history.”

About 121C: 121C designs, manufactures and occasionally launches the world’s most advanced skateboards. The company was founded in 2015 as the first phase in a major effort to upcycle scrap carbon fiber generated by the aerospace industry. For more information, visit www.121cboards.com.

Everyone can participate in space