Living in Space, Mars, Space Settlement

Mars One Exchange opens with Mason Peck discussing 1-way journeys

The Mars One project to send a private expedition to the Red Planet has created the Mars One Community Platform for interaction among participants and supporters of the project. A new feature of the community platform is the Mars One Exchange where “expert advisers to Mars One will answer your questions”. In the debut of the Exchange, Dr. Mason Peck,  Cornell professor and a former chief technologist at NASA, discusses the one-way aspect of the Mars One plan:

Asteroids & Comets, Space Science, Space Systems

Rosetta nears comet rendezvous

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft will rendezvous with  Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Wednesday.  Find lots of info, images, videos, etc of the approach and rendezvous at the webstie Rosetta | rendevous with a comet.

A livestream webcast will start on Wednesday at 08:00UTC (4:00 am EDT).  Here’s the Rosetta timeline for events in this initial encounter.

Find updates at ESA Rosetta Mission (ESA_Rosetta) on Twitter.

The features of the weirdly double-blob shaped object are getting steadily sharper in the images : CometWatch – 3 August – Rosetta – ESA’s comet chaser

Crop from the 3 August image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM
Crop from the 3 August image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

Here’s an animation of how “sunrise” would look from the spacecraft as it orbits around the comet:

Solar Science, Space Science

Solar cycle update

The sunspot number in July hints that the peak in this phase of the cycle may be on the downslope  : Solar Cycle Progression – NOAA

ISES Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression - NOAA

 

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Activism, Europa, Titan, & other deep space sites, Space Science

Video: The Lure of Europa – Featuring Bill Nye and special guests

The Planetary Society organized a special event on Capitol Hill last month to discuss the mysteries of the  Jupiter moon Europa and why there should be a NASA mission there.  The event was unexpectedly popular. Lots of  public visitors to the Capital decided to sit in.  Bill Nye was probably a major reason:  The Lure of Europa – Featuring Bill Nye and special guests

Caption:

Europa is a moon of Jupiter that may have three crucial ingredients for life: liquid water, energy, and nutrients. What, if anything, can be found in the great oceans of Europa? Could NASA look for life? How could we explore affordably? Bill Nye The Science Guy, eminent NASA scientists, and prominent legislators examined just these questions in a public event inside the halls of Congress. This was recorded live on July 15th, 2014.

Recorded by Tushar Dayal.

Speakers (in order of appearance):
* Casey Dreier (Director of Advocacy for The Planetary Society and event emcee)
* Rep. Lamar Smith (Chairman, House Science Committee; Texas 21st District)
* Rep. John Culberson (Texas 7th District)
* Rep. Adam Schiff (California 21st District)
* Dr. Ellen Stofan (Chief Scientist, NASA)
* Dr. Robert Pappalardo (Europa Study Scientist, JPL)
* Bill Nye, The Science Guy (CEO of The Planetary Society)

Everyone can participate in space