Video: Solar magnetic field to flip

August 6, 2013 TopSpacer

The sun’s magnetic field’s polarity will flip soon, completing the 11 year cycle: The Sun’s Magnetic Field is about to Flip – NASA Science

Mars, Space Science

Video: Curiosity Rover team members report on first year on Mars

August 6, 2013 TopSpacer

Here’s a video of a panel discussion about the Curiosity rover’s first year on Mars.

Curiosity Rover team members at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., re-live the dramatic Aug. 6, 2012 landing and the mission’s achievements to date in an event aired on NASA Television and the agency’s website. In the year since inspiring millions of people worldwide with its one-of-a-kind landing in a crater on the Red Planet, Curiosity has achieved its primary scientific objective; finding evidence that ancient Mars could have sustained microbial life and has returned invaluable scientific data and images.

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Here is a gallery of some of Curiosity’s best pictures: Rover’s First Year: The Best Pictures and Videos From Curiosity’s Time on Mars – Wired Science

DIY space, Rockets

Copenhagen Suborbitals: Capsule update

August 5, 2013 TopSpacer

Kristian von Bengtson of Copenhagen Suborbitals gives an update on the capsule and abort system : Preparing Launch Escape Test and Capsule Seating – Wired Science.

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

In-space colonies

August 5, 2013 TopSpacer

Space.com today has an article and the infographic shown below about the in-space colony concepts developed by Princeton Prof. Gerard K. O’Neill and his collaborators during the 1970s and 80s. (They got some NASA grants but it’s a huge exaggeration to say NASA had a “plan to put thousands of people in Space Colonies”.)

See the Space Studies Institute for more details and the HobbySpace Art section for links to more space colony artwork.

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration.