A new company backed by two Google Inc. billionaires, film director James Cameron and other space exploration proponents is aiming high in the hunt for natural resources—with mining asteroids the possible target.
James Cameron, Google Founder Back Space-Mining Venture - WSJ.com
What about Bruce Willis?
(via evangotlib)Needs more famous people backing it.
NASA says everything’s on schedule for SpaceX’s world-first commercial robotic flight to the International Space Station, currently scheduled for April 30. The flight is a test of sorts, for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft’s capabilities, and the company’s ability to deliver on the promise of unmanned transportation of goods to/from the ISS. If all goes to plan, SpaceX officials hope to begin regular deliveries for NASA by the end of 2012. (Photo by Robert Goodwin) source
The Space Shuttle Discovery, chillin’ over the Capitol. The shuttle, decommissioned last year after a long career with many miles logged, is flying to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to become a part of it. (shot by @DaveStroup, ht @ProducerMatthew)
Obviously there’s benefit for any access that the IAEA can get, but it doesn’t change the fact that we would consider a satellite launch a violation not only of their UN obligations but of the commitments they made to us.U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland • Confirming that, while the United States approves of North Korea’s decision to allow independent nuclear monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency into the country, the government does not condone North Korea’s ambitions for space. The country announced plans to send a satellite into orbit on a rocket earlier Friday morning, with a planned launch window of April 12-16th, while apparently also extending the return invitations to the IAEA. source (via • follow)
Anything important happening at the office on March 22nd? We hope not, because you’re going to be pretty distracted. We might just be suckers for Don Pettit and his colleagues at NASA, or maybe it was the in-space debut at the International Space Station, but we’re kind of excited for Angry Birds Space. source
» You get what you pay for: Really, guys? Thirteen times in a year? This means NASA gets hacked more often than I pay my phone bill. But maybe that’s to be expected when you spend so little on cyber security. This is all based on testimony from the agency’s inspector general, Paul Martin, and the rest of his testimony is quite terrifying. For example, Martin says that hackers working through Chinese IP addresses were able to gain full system access to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, steal user credentials from over 150 NASA employees, and modify system logs to cover up their tracks. Let’s hope it was just a couple of bored middle schoolers.
The treaty explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet, claiming that they are the Common heritage of mankind. [Article II] of the Treaty states that ‘outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.’The Outer Space Treaty, of which the United States is a signatory. Sorry, Newt Gingrich, looks like your moon colony idea won’t be happening anytime soon. [Full treaty by the US State Department here] (via producermatthew)
It’s our baby brother! Remember the name “Kepler-22b”. Its surface temperature is a balmy 72 degrees; it orbits a star that is very similar to our sun; its year is even close to ours — 290 days. Don’t worry just yet, though, as scientists haven’t fully discovered what makes up its surface. But “the planet would likely be warm enough to host liquid water on its surface.” The scientists on the study are “getting really close, we are really homing in on the true Earth-sized habitable planets.” source
Over a period of 17 months, everything was strictly regimented. Now they are returning to a life where they must deal with family and professional problems.Mars500 project director Boris Morukov • Talking about the crew of “astronauts” after a 520 day simulated mission to Mars. The mission intended to answer the question: “ can people stay healthy and sane during six months rocketing to the Red Planet?” The participants, from countries like Europe, Russia and China, are expected to have problems adjusting to the “noise and activity of ordinary life.” Still, it seemed to go much better than this experiment in 2000, which ended “in drunken disaster when two participants got into a fistfight and a third tried to forcibly kiss a female crew member.” We would be a little frazzled, too, after hundreds of days of isolation and terrible food. source (via • follow)
We suppose a Chinese space station would be a real blast to reside in. China will be sending a spacecraft up soon to collect data regarding a future space station. “Although Shenzhou-8 is unmanned, we equipped the spacecraft with devices recording real images and mechanical parameters during its flight, both of which are vital to future manned missions,” said Wu Ping, a spokesperson for the Chinese space program. If this flight proves successful, China will send up two more missions next year; one of those missions will be manned. There are currently two female astronauts being trained by China, and if one of them is picked, they’ll be the first Chinese woman in space. Is this about time, or does no one really care who China sends into space? source
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Keep your eyes on the skies, folks. It’s time for another Orionid meteor shower, guys! “From tomorrow up to 30 meteors an hour could be seen as they burn up, which can be best viewed in the northern hemisphere, with the optimum viewing times likely to be at around 1am or 5am.” This happens every October as the Earth passes through what’s been left by Haley’s Comet. source
When asked what she would invest in if she were president, GOP candidate Michele Bachmann replied: “I’m just leaving it as space for right now…I don’t want to give a flip off-the-cuff answer.” [KGO]
For the last three years, the Republican Party has run on a platform based on cutting wasteful spending. Isn’t it odd, then, that a Republican candidate for president would cite the space program as the only viable avenue for new investment? Not that the space program is a waste per se, but it’s not exactly one of the GOP’s sacred cows. Color us puzzled. (Thanks KGO-TV for the video)
I think a good example is the space industry and there’s a lot more that we could look at (reporter asks: Like what besides space?) I’ll leave it at space now (reporter asks: Really? That’s the only place you can see?) I’m just leaving it as space for right now…I don’t want to give a flip off-the-cuff answer.GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann when asked by KGO’s Mark Matthews what she would invest in if she became President of the United States. Bachmann attended a private Tea Party breakfast at a residence in San Rafael, California on Thursday. [KGO] (via producermatthew)
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