Videos: The science, engineering & personal stories of roving Mars for 10 yrs

NASA JPL posted these short (3 min) videos about the 10 years of exploration by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers:

This video gets a brief overview of the science uncovered by the rovers:

This video is about operating the rovers from millions of miles away:

The impact on the lives of the some of the team members who were still in college or had just graduated when the rovers first landed:

Registration opens for NewSpace 2014 Conference

A message from the Space Frontier Foundation:

Registration is Open for NewSpace 2014, Register Today!

Registration for the Space Frontier Foundation’s NewSpace 2014 Conference is now open! Take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the commercial space industry and be a part of the NewSpace revolution. The conference will take place in Silicon Valley, CA, July 24-26, 2014. Register today at newspace.spacefrontier.org.

NewSpace 2014 will feature a distinguished list of thought-provoking panels and visionary keynote speakers. Last year’s conference drew people and organizations from a variety of sectors ranging from the space, advocacy, and technology industries to start-ups, government, and the media. NewSpace 2013 was a forum for space-minded individuals to share their ideas on how to open the high frontier, making the conference a cradle of innovation and partnership. NewSpace 2014 will build on last year’s success to create a platform for entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students, young professionals, to discuss the future of commercial space exploration and development.

This year’s conference will be host to an extensive range of topics including: orbital debris, space data, space policy discussions, new space business models, launch companies and more. NewSpace 2014 will serve as the premier gathering for space industry leaders, providing an opportunity to learn about the latest issues in commercial space. Join us at NewSpace 2014 by registering today.

Wings to Space – advocating horizontal launch

David Luther (Exodus Aerospace) has launched a new blog site dedicated to horizontal take-off and landing vehicle designs for space transports. He wants to build an informal professional association of horizontal launch advocates and welcomes the contribution of articles and essays: Wings to Space…The Wright Stuff
Space access needs a future with high flight rates, safety, comfort, and economy.  Horizontal launch and recovery methods offer special advantages to those who are prepared to boldly go.  This is the home for the advocates and builders of our spacefaring future.

Micro-miniature space art heading for ISS

Check out the gallery of micro-space-art created by Vladimir Aniskin that will be going to the International Space Station: Miniature Cosmic Art to Fly in Space – RIA Novosti

The miniatures — made under a microscope with movements timed to the artist’s heartbeat — will be affixed to a palm-sized plate of Charoite, a lavender-colored pearlescent mineral only found in Siberia.

When asked how he has so much patience, Aniskin laughed: “it’s not my patience, but my wife’s,” adding that she has supported his work from the beginning.