Monthly Archives: September 2018

Activism, Astronomy, Contests and Games

“First Women on the Moon” Essay Contest

An announcement from the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA):

‘FIRST WOMEN ON THE MOON’ ESSAY CONTEST RULES

100-Word Submission Due 5 October 2018
Grand Prize: All-expenses-paid participation at Galaxy Forum Hainan, China 4-7 December 2018 

INTRODUCTION: The first men walked upon the Moon in 1969. Since then, 61 women from multiple nations have traveled into Space. Several countries are now actively aiming for the Moon, including a Human Return to the Moon. The First Woman to the Moon is walking among us.

GRAND PRIZE: Winner will attend all sessions, ceremonies and activities at ILOA Galaxy Forum Hainan 2018, China on 4-7 December, and participate in the “First Women on the Moon” special luncheon panel featuring Astronauts Soyeon Yi, Naoko Yamazaki, other women Astronauts from China and USA (TBD); and potentially an Apollo Moonwalker. Direct purchase by ILOA will cover round-trip regular class airline travel to Hainan Island, hotel accommodation at Hilton Wenchang, Galaxy Forum registration fee and meals. Reimbursement for reasonable traveling incidentals such as meals at airports and ground transportation will be covered. Reimbursement for passport and visa, and expedited fees, will also be provided, if necessary.

HOW TO ENTER: Describe in 100 words or less why you would like to be the First Woman or one of the First Women on the Moon, and the significance of the First Woman landing on the Moon. Send your essay with subject line of “First Women on the Moon” to 1stWomenontheMoon@iloa.org along with your full name, age, mailing address, and telephone number listed at the bottom.

DEADLINE: All email entries due by 5 October 2018, 12:00 Hawaii Standard Time (UTC-10) to email address: 1stWomenontheMoon@iloa.org

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to all women 21 years of age or older by 1 December 2018, from any country, nation, continent, background and ability. English is the main language of Galaxy Forum Hainan, therefore we ask for essays to be written in English. Contestant must already have or be eligible to receive a Passport and a Visa to travel to Hainan, China for 4-7 December 2018.

WINNER SELECTION: ILOA Associates will review and select a Contest Winner based on the merit of the written essay.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Grand Prize Winner will be informed via email or phone by 17 October 2018 and announced to media shortly thereafter. A Second Grand Prize or Runner Up may be chosen at ILOA’s discretion and may include an identical Grand Prize trip to ILOA Galaxy Forum Hainan, publicity of contestant’s essay, and / or a ‘First Women on the Moon’ mailing packet with posters and pins designed by ILOA.

SPONSOR:  International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) an interglobal enterprise incorporated in Hawai’i as a 501(c)(3) non-profit to realize the multifunctional ILO — to advance human knowledge of the Cosmos through observation from our Moon, and to participate in lunar base build-out with Aloha. The ILOA also since 2008 has cosponsored with its Space Age Publishing Company affiliate an international series of 85 Galaxy Forums.

ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning this Contest will depend upon the number of Contest Contestants. 

GALAXY FORUM HAINAN 2018, CHINA: Full public details for Galaxy Forum Hainan 2018 may be found here: https://galaxyforum.org/galaxy-forum-china-2018-hainan/

FURTHER INFORMATION AND CONTACT: Please visit the websites for International Lunar Observatory Association, Galaxy Forum, or affiliated Space Age Publishing Company. ILOA may or may not have time or ability to respond to contestant questions, however contestants are welcome to send questions to 1stWomenontheMoon@iloa.org

GENERAL CONDITIONS & BINDING AGREEMENTS: By entering this CONTEST (the “Contest”) and accepting the terms herein, you (the “Contestant” or “Winner”) agree to be bound by the conditions and terms outlined in this document. ILOA is not liable for any problems that may prevent your entry in the contest, or for events that delay or cancel the contest. No purchase is necessary to win.

These rules are subject to change and interpretation at the discretion of ILOA. Failure to adhere to the contest rules will be subject for removal from the contest.

Contestant is solely responsible for reviewing and understanding the policies regarding eligibility to participate in the Contest, its rules, regulations and responsibilities.

Contestant / Winner agrees that neither ILOA nor any affiliate, officer, director, employee, attorney, or agent of ILOA shall have any liability for any indirect or direct damages, inconveniences or issues that may arise from sources including, but not limited to, media attention, publicity, travel, ‘acts of god’, force majeure, or personal medical problems / sickness that could occur; the Contestant / Winner hereby waives, releases, and agrees not to sue any of them upon, any claim for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages suffered or incurred by this Contest or ILOA in connection with, arising out of, or in any way related to this Contest.

CONTEST CANCELLATION, SUSPENSION OR MODIFICATION: ILOA reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Contest if the Contest is not capable of being completed as planned for any reason. The decision of ILOA to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Contest shall be final in all respects.

PUBLICITY RELEASE: Unless prohibited by applicable law, Contestant / Winner authorizes and irrevocably grants to ILOA permission to, from time to time, reference and discuss Contestant / Winner and their participation in the Contest on-air and/or on their website(s) in photographs, video recordings, digital images, audio recordings, as well as in publications, newsletters, news releases, other printed materials, and in materials made available on the Internet or in other media now known or hereafter developed for any purpose ILOA deems proper. Such reference and discussion may involve Contestant’s name and voice, and other personal/biographical material or their participation. 

RULES CHANGES AND INTERPRETATIONS: ILOA reserves the right in its sole discretion to supplement or make changes to the rules of this Contest at any time without notice. ILOA reserves the right in its sole discretion to interpret the rules of any contest, and such interpretation shall be binding upon all contestants.

CONTEST ENTITY AND IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER DISQUALIFICATION: The officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents of ILOA, as well as their immediate family members (and those living in the same household, whether or not related), are prohibited from participating in this Contest and do not qualify as Contestants. “Immediate family members” shall include spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren, whether as “in-laws”, or by current or past marriage, remarriage, adoption, co-habitation or other familial extension.

FIRST WOMAN ON THE MOON POLL: ILOA invites anonymous voting from anyone for the “First Woman on the Moon” poll located on Space Calendar http://www.spacecalendar.com/ and Lunar Enterprise Daily http://www.lunarenterprisedaily.com/

Participating in this poll does not in any way affect this Contest or its results.

MEDIA INQUIRES: We welcome any MEDIA inquiries to be sent directly to ILOA at info@iloa.org

MAHALO / THANK YOU: ILOA sends a warm Mahalo and Thank You to all Contestants who enter this Contest and to all readers that share and support the ‘First Women on the Moon’ vision for the benefit of all humankind. Ad Astra with Aloha!

====

 

Rockets, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will take artists with him on a trip around the Moon

On Monday evening at the SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne, Calfornia, Elon Musk introduced billionaire entrepreneur and art collector Yusaku Maezawa, as the mystery space tourist who has reserved a BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) for a flyby trip around the Moon. (See previous posting.) The flight could happen as early as 2023.

Maezawa will not be alone on the BFR, which can carry up to 100 people. He will take a group of 6-8 artists, film makers, architects, and other creative people of his choosing to share the 4-5 day long experience with him.

The BFR lunar flyby trajectory.

Maezawa has created a website #dearMoon to provide updates on the project. Here is a video about #dearMoon:

Maezawa would not say how much he will pay for the flight but Elon said the deposit alone will make a serious contribution towards the development of the BFR, which he said would probably cost in the $5 billion dollar range.

Major BFR structural components are already under construction and the Raptor engines are in an advanced state of testing. Up and down flights, or “hops”, of the upper stage are expected by late next year.

Yusaku Maezawa: “This is BFR from @spacex #dearMoon… “

[ Update: More about the big cylinder above – Elon Musk on Twitter:  “That’s the first BFR airframe/tank barrel section
​made of a new carbon fiber material… “]

Elon describes the latest BFR design:

A description of how the BFS (Big Falcon Spaceship, i.e. the upper stage) slows down in the atmosphere and then lands on the surface of Earth or Mars:

Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, gives his first impression of the night’s announcement:

Reports on the event:

Elon and Yusaku.

====

 

Future space, Rockets, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

SpaceX to present plan to fly paying passenger around the Moon

1 Comment

Tonight Sept. 17, 2018,  at 6:00 pm PDT (9:00 pm EDT), SpaceX will hold an event to lay out the company’s plan to fly a private passenger around the Moon on the next-generation, fully-reusable Big “Falcon” Rocket or BFR. According to  SpaceX on Twitter:

“SpaceX has signed the world’s first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle—an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space. Find out who’s flying and why on Monday, September 17.”

You can watch the webcast here – SpaceX on Twitter:

Meet BFR’s first private passenger tomorrow [Monday Sept.19.2018] at 6:00 p.m. PDT → spacex.com/webcast

A couple of artist’s views of the BFR in flight (click for larger versions):

====

Space Models, Space Systems, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

Mattel offers Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser spaceplane as Matchbox toy

Sierra Nevada plans to start delivering cargo to the  International Space Station with uncrewed Dream Chaser spaceplanes In 2020.  A crew version of the Dream Chaser could fly sometime later in the next decade. Here is a new toy Dream Chaser for kids to start flying today:

Mattel, Inc. Releases SNC Dream Chaser® Spacecraft Matchbox Toy

Dream Chaser Matchbox toy.

SPARKS, Nev., September 17, 2018 – America’s next generation spaceplane will soon be available in stores. Mattel, Inc. toymaker is releasing a Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft Matchbox® toy, which will be sold in stores starting in September.

“We are thrilled that Dream Chaser will be inspiring kids everywhere and up close,” said Eren Ozmen, SNC owner, chairwoman and president.  “A big part of SNC’s mission is to inspire the next generation of space explorers and innovators.  This toy will spark kids’ imaginations, help them dream big and excited them about the possibilities in space.”

The toy will be a part of the Matchbox Sky Busters® line, which showcases America’s best and most groundbreaking aircraft and spacecraft, including NASA’s space shuttle.

The Dream Chaser spacecraft is a reusable and versatile vehicle for low-Earth orbit that is scheduled to service the International Space Station starting in late 2020 for NASA cargo missions under the Commercial Services Resupply 2 (CRS-2) contract 2.  The vehicle’s unique winged design and gentle runway landing make it the only spacecraft of its kind in the commercial space industry.

“We hope that America’s future astronauts and engineers who receive a Dream Chaser Matchbox toy will want learn more about math, engineering, science and space exploration,” said Steve Lindsey, vice president of SNC’s Space Exploration Systems and former NASA space shuttle commander.  “My curiosity for space started young, and I hope this helps spark the same in any kid who has this toy. There’s just something about a winged spacecraft that spurs the imagination.” 

Lindsey commanded three assembly and test missions to the International Space Station, flew on five space shuttle missions for NASA and was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2015.

The Matchbox Dream Chaser toy will be available at retailers including Dollar General and J.C. Penney, along with stores supplied by Darice Global Sourcing.

Dream Chaser prototype landing after flight test in November 2017.

About Dream Chaser Spacecraft: Owned and operated by SNC, the Dream Chaser spacecraft is a reusable, multi-mission space utility vehicle. It is capable of transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station resides, and is the only commercial, lifting-body vehicle capable of a runway landing. The Dream Chaser Cargo System was selected by NASA to provide cargo delivery and disposal services to the space station under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract. All Dream Chaser CRS2 cargo missions are planned to land at Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

About Sierra Nevada Corporation: Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is a trusted leader in solving the world’s toughest challenges through advanced engineering technologies in Space Systems, Commercial Solutions, and National Security and Defense. Honored as one of the most innovative U.S. companies in space, SNC’s Space Systems business area designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft and satellite solutions, space habitats and environmental systems, propulsion systems, precision space mechanisms and subsystems, and SNC’s celebrated Dream Chaser® spacecraft. With 30 years of space heritage working with the U.S. government, commercial customers, and the international market, SNC has participated in more than 450 successful space missions and delivered 4,000+ systems, subsystems and components around the world. For more information, visit www.sncorp.com.

====

Activism, Space Policy, SpaceCasts

The Space Show this week – Sept.17.2018

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Monday, Sept. 17, 2018; 2-3:30 pm PDT (4-5:30 pm CDT, 5-6:30 pm EDT): We welcomed back Dr. Chris Impey to discuss his new book Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes.

2. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018: 7-8:30 pm PDT; 9-10:30 pm CDT; 10-11:30 pm EDT: We welcome John Jossy to the show for astronomy, space advocacy, staying informed and much more.

3. Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018: Hotel Mars. See Upcoming Show Menu and the website newsletter for details. Hotel Mars is pre-recorded by John Batchelor. It is archived on The Space Show site after John posts it on his website.

4. Friday, Sept. 21 2018; 9:30 AM-11 am PDT, (12:30 -2 pm EDT; 11:30 am -1 pm CDT): We welcome back Meagan Crawford to discuss the NewSpace business plan competition and more.

5. The Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 program from 12-1:30 pm PDT, (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): We welcome back Roderick and Randa Milliron of Interorbital Systems back to the show.

See also:
* The Space Show on Vimeo – webinar videos
* The Space Show’s Blog – summaries of interviews.
* The Space Show Classroom Blog – tutorial programs

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
David Livingston

====