Activism, Events, Mars

Humans 2 Mars Summit – April 22-24, 2014 in Washington D.C.

The next Humans 2 Mars Summit will take place on April 22-24, 2014 at George Washington University (GW).

2014 H2M is being co-sponsored by the George Washington University and the Space Policy Institute at GW.

H2M 2014 will continue the discussion started at the 2013 H2M Summit to explore how humanity can land on Mars by the 2030’s. This event will feature discussions on new concepts of Mars architectures, updates on science missions and objectives, planetary protection, In Situ Resource Utilization, human factors, international cooperation, and a myriad of other topics.

H2M2013-poster

The Summit examines the question

What do we need to land humans on Mars by 2030? If you want to know the answer, we invite  you to join us at the Humans to Mars Summit.
H2M will be a comprehensive Mars exploration conference to address the major technical, scientific, and policy-related challenges that need to be overcome to send humans to Mars by 2030. This summit will be one of the most authoritative and diverse Mars exploration conferences ever held, with involvement of key contributors from NASA, industry, the science community, and non-traditional players. Expect to rub shoulders with both established aerospace leaders as well as newer commercial space entity leaders.
The 2013 Summit talks are available at  Panel Presentations | Humans2Mars
Astronomy

Comet ISON moving closer

The comet C/2012 S1, or ISON as it is called, will pass close to the sun this November. The big question is whether it will put on a big show for the unaide eyes of everyone or just be visible to those looking through telescopes. At the moment is it is showing off for those watching it through such aids: Green light for ISON: Comet blazes in stunning shots – PhotoBlog

The comet was discovered on September 21, 2012 by Vitali Nevsk of Vitebsk, Belarus and Artyom Novichonok of  Kondopoga, Russia.

Here is a blog dedicated to the comet: WAITING FOR ISON. It offers lots of resources about this big dirty snowball.

Here are some Hubble images of comet Ison from April 10, 2013:

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Solar Science

Sunspot cycle lowdown

The sun continues to ride on the mild side: Ramping down from solar maximum –  Behind The Black
ISES Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression - NOAA

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Check the HobbySpace Sun & Space Weather page for your daily solar fix.

Astronomy, Space films and videos, Space Radio

Jodie Foster narrates documentary on the Very Large Array radio astronomy observatory

Here’s a documentary video (embedding not allowed) about the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The video is narrated by Jodie Foster, who was seen at the VLA in the movie Contact: Beyond The Visible: The Story of the Very Large Array – Vimeo

Created in 2013 as the new interpretive film for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) public Visitor Center, this 24-minute production explores the synergies of technology and human curiosity that power the world’s most productive radio telescope. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster (star of the film “Contact,” which was based on the novel by Carl Sagan and filmed at the VLA), the program depicts many of the people whose diverse efforts enable the VLA to be a cutting-edge resource for astronomers and humanity worldwide.

For more information about the VLA, where we welcome visitors at no charge, visit public.nrao.edu. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

File:USA.NM.VeryLargeArray.02.jpg

Everyone can participate in space