NASA JPL’s “What’s Up for January 1914” describes the night sky for the coming month:
Jupiter at opposition. Venus at conjunction. A Juno mission update. And the Quadrantid meteor shower.
Mars One makes first cut on applications for crew membership
An announcement from Mars One:
Mars One Slashes Applicant Pool by 99.5%
Across the globe, 1058 hopefuls have been selected as candidates
to begin human life on Mars in 2025.
On December 30, 2013, Mars One announces the selection of the candidates from the applicant pool of over 200,000 hoping to establish human life on Martian soil. Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp describes the remaining 1058 candidates as our first tangible glimpse into what the new human settlement will truly look like. Lansdorp says “We’re extremely appreciative and impressed with the sheer number of people who submitted their applications. However, the challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously. We even had a couple of applicants submit their videos in the nude!”
The selection criteria are outlined in detail on the Mars One website. All applicants were notified today via e-mail of their application status. For the applicants who were not selected in this round, there is still a chance they could reapply at a later date, which has not yet been determined. According to Lansdorp, the chance for reapplication provides hope. “US astronaut Clayton Anderson was rejected by NASA for its astronaut training program 15 times, yet in 2007 he boarded the Space Shuttle Atlantis for a trip to the International Space Station. He proved anything can happen and the door is never completely closed.”
So what’s next for the 1058 pre-selected Mars hopefuls? Norbert Kraft, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Mars One and recipient of the 2013 NASA Group Achievement Award says, “The next several selection phases in 2014 and 2015 will include rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of our remaining candidates. We expect to begin understanding what is motivating our candidates to take this giant leap for humankind. This is where it really gets exciting for Mars One, our applicants, and the communities they’re a part of.”
Details of the 2014 selection phases have not been agreed upon due to ongoing negotiations with media companies for the rights to televise the selection processes. Expect further information to be released in early 2014. Lansdorp says, “We fully anticipate many of our remaining candidates to become celebrities in their towns, cities, and in many cases, countries. It’s about to get very interesting.”
This announcement comes on the heels of a wild finish to 2013 for Mars One. On December 10th, Mars One launched their first ever crowd-funding campaign, focused on bringing funds and attention to the first mission, an unmanned trip to Mars scheduled for 2018. On the same day as the crowd-funding campaign launch, Mars One announced in Washington DC, agreements with aerospace titan Lockheed Martin and the world’s leading small satellite company Surrey Satellite Technology to develop mission plans for the 2018 mission. 2014 figures to be even busier for the team at Mars One than 2013, with multiple applicant selection phases, worldwide education events, and more.
About Mars One:
Mars One is a not-for-profit foundation that will establish permanent human life on Mars. Human settlement on Mars is possible today with existing technologies. Mars One’s mission plan integrates components that are well tested and readily available from industry leaders worldwide. The first footprint on Mars and lives of the crew thereon will captivate and inspire generations. It is this public interest that will help finance this human mission to Mars.
The Space Show this week
A list of programs for The Space Show this week:
1. Monday, Dec. 30, 2013, 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): This is our final Golden Oldie Year In Review focusing on the year 2012 with TOM OLSON as the guest. This program was originally recorded on Dec. 31, 2012. When you see the program on the archives and the blog, it is ready for your play and enjoyment.
2. Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, 7-8:30 PM PST (10-11:30 PM EST, 9-10:30 PM CST): Today’s program is the space year 2013 in review with TOM OLSON. We recorded this interview on Dec. 19, 2013. This program completes our historical look at space industry developments and predictions over the past decade.
3. Friday, January 3, 2014, 9:30-11 AM No show as I am returning from New York.
4. Sunday, January 5, 2014, 12-1:30 PM PST (3-4:30 PM EST, 2-3:30 PM CST). We welcome to the show DR. WILLIAM HALAL to discuss space industry predictions and more.
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.
Sci-Tech: Physics forums
A reader points me to the Physics Help and Math Help – Physics Forums, which includes a General Astronomy Forum and an Astrophysics Forum.
Lots more physics and science links in the HobbySpace Science & Technology section.
Sci-Tech: DARPA overview of Robotics Challenge Trials results
DARPA managers seem pleased with the first round of The Robotics Challenge (see also earlier post):
After Impressive Demonstrations of Robot Skill,
DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials Conclude
8 teams eligible to receive up to $1 million to prepare
for upcoming DRC Finals
On December 20-21, 2013, 16 teams were the main attraction at the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials, where they demonstrated their prototype robots’ ability to perform a number of critical real-world disaster-response skills. DARPA constructed eight tasks at the Homestead Speedway in Homestead, Fla., to simulate what a robot might have to do to safely enter and effectively work inside a disaster zone, while its operator would remain out of harm’s way.
After two days of competition, DARPA selected eight teams to receive up to $1 million in funding to continue their work. The scores, out of a total of 32 points, were:
- 27 points: SCHAFT (SCHAFT, Inc., Tokyo, Japan)
- 20 points: IHMC Robotics (Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Pensacola, Fla.)
- 18 points: Tartan Rescue (Carnegie Mellon University, National Robotics Engineering Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- 16 points: Team MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Boston, Mass.)
- 14 points: RoboSimian (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Los Angeles, Calif.)
- 11 points: Team TRACLabs (TRACLabs, Inc., Webster, Tex.)
- 11 points: WPI Robotics Engineering C-Squad (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.)
- 9 points: Team Trooper (Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, Cherry Hill, N.J.)
“At the start of the event, I said that I would be thrilled if even one team scored half the points available,” said Gill Pratt, the DARPA program manager for the DRC, during the event’s closing ceremony. “The event exceeded my expectations multiple, multiple times over, with the top four teams each scoring half or more. The success and reliability of the various hardware and software approaches that the teams demonstrated outside their laboratories was tremendous to see in action and sets an important baseline going forward.”
A number of teams also received special recognition in conducting the eight tasks based on the number of points received and speed:
- Walk Across Rough Terrain; Remove Debris from Doorway; Climb Industrial Ladder; Carry and Connect Fire Hose: SCHAFT
- Open Series of Doors; Cut Through Wall: IHMC Robotics
- Drive and Exit Utility Vehicle: WRECS
- Locate and Close Leaking Valves: Team THOR
The awards ceremony capped off a second day in which spectators—including many families with children—enjoyed an atmosphere similar to a traditional sporting event, not a scientific exercise. In addition to the Trials, DARPA hosted the DRC Exposition that demonstrated first responder exercises and their technology needs.
DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials Exposition
“The DRC Trials demonstrated the difficulty of having robots conduct seemingly simple tasks in real-world situations, and the participation of the first responder community provided an important illustration of how technology can save lives,” said Brad Tousley, Director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office. “This event was yet another example why challenges work to attract new ideas and help quickly advance technology to solve a focused need.”
With the conclusion of the DRC Trials, DARPA and the teams are now looking ahead to the DRC Finals sometime in the next 12-18 months. The Finals will be an opportunity for the eight top teams and the other eight participating teams to continue their efforts alongside new teams to vie for the chance to win the DRC’s $2 million prize.
Pratt has already identified three initial goals for the next competition. “First, we’d like the robots to be more stable so they don’t fall, and if they do fall, be more robust so they won’t break,” he said. “Second, have the robots work without their tethers by using wireless communications and more efficient, self-contained power systems. Finally, we’d like the robots to use more task-level autonomy in unstructured environments such as those found in real disasters.”
More information, images and video are available at www.theroboticschallenge.org.