You can build a paper card model version of the single-stage to orbit (SSTO) Reaction Engines Skylon spaceship : Papercraft Skylon spaceplane – Ninjatoes’ papercraft weblog
Download the pattern plan from the Japanese site I like paper craft (Google translated). The pdo file needs the Pepakura Viewer Download (Google translated).
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Find links to many more space paper models in the HobbySpace Modeling section.
This month the Planetary Society is “celebrating 10 years on Mars with the Mars Exploration Rovers” with a virtual on line party: Happy Birthday Opportunity! – The Planetary Society
The Spirit rover landed on January 4, 2004 and Opportunity landed on January 25, 2004. The baseline plan saw each rovers working for 90 days. However, Spirit remained operational until March 4, 2010 and Opportunity is still actively exploring Mars.
You can send a message congratulating the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) team: Send a Message to the MER Team – The Planetary Society.
Some space policy/politics related links:
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Rick Boozer points me to a presentation he will be giving next week: Rick Boozer – Timeline Photos
R.D. Boozer (MoA in astrophysics) will give a presentation about NASA’s current dilemma and realistic steps to remedy the situation. The event will be held at the next meeting of Midlands Astronomy Club in Columbia, SC at 7:30PM on Thursday January 9 in the South Carolina Educational Television office building beside the University of South Carolina’s football stadium. The title of the presentation is “Sending Americans into the Solar System, Starting Now”
Immediately following the presentation, signed and personalized copies of Mr. Boozer’s book, “The Plundering of NASA” will be available.
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Space policy was a topic of discussion today on the Diane Rehm program: The Future Of Space Exploration – The Diane Rehm Show from WAMU and NPR
Diane and her guests discuss the next frontier in space exploration, the future of NASA and private space ventures.
Guests
- Joel Achenbach –
science reporter, The Washington Post; writer for Achenblog; author of “A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea: The Race to Kill the BP Oil Gusher.”
- Scott Pace –
director, Space Policy Institute, and professor of the practice of international affairs, George Washington University.
- Lori Garver –
general manager, Air Line Pilots Association and former NASA Deputy Administrator.
- Mike Gold –
director of D.C. Operations and Business Growth, Bigelow Aerospace
Related Links
Here’s a list of upcoming space policy related events in the first ten days of January: Space Policy Events for January 1-10, 2014 -SpacePolicyOnline.com.
And here is a list of the many space related meetings scheduled for this month: Events for January 2014 – Space Conference News