Space Report

Category: Uncategorized

  • New discovery in the search for extraterrestrial life

    New discovery in the search for extraterrestrial life

    This new discovery by astronomers supports the prevalent planet formation theory that is out there. It is from the star system known as Kepler-30, which is almost 10,000 light years from planet Earth. The planets that orbit the star Kepler-30 are rather big with a couple of them being even bigger than the gas giant Jupiter.
    The current technology that mankind has makes it hard for us to observe any planets that are the size of Earth or smaller at the distances of 10,000 light years or so. But NASA agrees that this discovery is still a breakthrough and sheds light into many theories and ideas that have been made regarding planet formation and how our solar system came into being.

    In other space report news, E.T., the extraterrestrial magazine is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Make sure to grab a copy! I think that Space Report should not always be serious stuff and wanted to continue to have a little fun with some of the posts here. Here is something all you space enthusiasts might enjoy. It is a video of Earth from the vastness that space is.
    This is really an unbelievable time-lapse video with some incredible shots of Earth taken from the International Space Station. Talking about space station, here is hoping that humans will be able to move into a more distant home in outer space in the near future. It was after all Carl Sagan who dreamt that mankind will move out to the stars.

  • Rest in Peace, Sally Ride

    Rest in Peace, Sally Ride

    My best friend in high school and I bonded over Sally Ride in Spanish class. One of the first things I can ever remember asking her was, “So, who is Sally Ride?” You have to remember that we didn’t have Internet back then, kiddies—well, we were just starting to, but my family sure didn’t have it yet. She was always talking about the first female astronaut and how she wanted to be one, and I was immediately attached to her as a kindred soul—and Ride as a trailblazing one.
    Sally Ride died this week of pancreatic cancer at age 61, and it’s hard for me to think that someone like her—so amazing and inspiring—could be killed by something like that. She just seemed so larger than life! Something else that was pretty amazing was that in Ride’s obituary, she came out—and though it is unfortunate that her lifelong best friend and partner will not receive benefits from her death, I really think that her inspiration in life will continue in death from this in particular. Maybe even those younger people who might not have heard of her will hear about her and her life, and believe that they, too, can get to where it gets better—and hopefully the rest of us will make it to where it IS better, it IS equal, sometime very soon.

  • The search for asteroids steps up

    The search for asteroids steps up

    Asteroid mining is set to be the future of space exploration because people on this planet have to start realizing that there has to be a valiant effort made at trying to get more access to resources. We don’t want to wait until it is too late and with the rate of population growth, it is pretty important that a conscientious effort will be made.
    For now, though, astronomers and people at NASA seem to be focusing on locating asteroids that could possibly harm life on planet Earth. In order to better protect this planet, asteroid hunters are hopeful that they can obtain a private telescope.

    This type of technology is going to be pretty costly to the tune of several hundred million dollars. But I guess this does not necessarily have to come as a surprise, as most NASA projects come with an enormous price tag that has many people on this planet wild about the space program.
    Anyway, let me give you a short history lesson on how asteroids formed in the first place. Asteroids are basically remnants from the creation of the Solar System that occurred around 4.5 billion years ago. The majority of these asteroids are found in the famous Asteroid Belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter. But a few of them find their way into the Earth’s vicinity.
    The group of former NASA astronauts and scientist are looking for funding for this project and have already obtained some of it. Venture Capitalists and other interested firms from Silicon Valley have poured in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the endeavor too.

  • Space exploration and presidential politics

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    If there’s one rule for the politics of the present decade so far, it’s been, “politicized issues go nowhere.” Climate change, energy, federal debt, environmental regulation, tax reform, and the list goes on. As more issues come under the polarized umbrella of our side/their side political posturing, those issues fall prey to the same gridlock that has been epidemic in state capitols and Washington. With the presidential campaign accelerating, one other issue is getting more attention from party leaders and pundits; space.
    A recent feature in Wired, “Is Space Getting Too Politicized?” acknowledges this fact. Obama’s controversial closing of the publicly-funded manned-space flight program at NASA opened the door for greater private/public collaboration. However, largely a result of the success of Space X, the private company that recently sent a rocket to the space station and back, manned space flight is back in the news. So is Obama’s handling of it. It’s likely that opponents will be looking at Obama’s track record on space as a possible weakness, especially considering a majority of Americans are in favor of space exploration.
    Also at issue is Russia’s rather ambitious plan for its own space exploration program, setting a goal of a manned exploratory mission to Mars by 2030. As the U.S. is currently depending on Russia’s program to send their astronauts to the space station, this doesn’t exactly put the Obama in a strong position politically. Of course, Russia has had its own share of blunders where their space program is considered, and is not exactly a sure thing when they discuss national goals. In addition, Obama hailed the collaboration of private leadership in space flight, and Space X has certainly show that to be possible.
    Obama’s campaign approach seems to be to address the issue of space exploration as little as possible in the campaign. It’s certainly not foremost in the minds of voting Americans at the moment, and Obama’s other political priorities reflect that. Still, should space and NASA enter the political discourse, it will certainly become as politicized as many of the other issues in the national political discussion. That does not bode well for the future of our domestic space program. As political parties and ideologues inevitably take issue with it, and develop contradicting positions on it, we’ll see further development of our space program halted by the same bickering that seems to have stalled everything else.

  • Possible oldest galaxy in the universe discovered

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    Hawaii’s Mauna Kea is home to the Subaru and Keck telescopes that Japanese astronomers have used to discover the possibly oldest galaxy in the universe. The galaxy which is 12.91 billion light years away is not the first one that has reportedly been observed with some claims of galaxies just over 13 billion light years away being detected too.

    In other space news, NASA’s latest hunt for black holes starts today. It has been assumed that as much as two thirds of the black holes that exist in the universe may be hidden from view right now. There is a lot that can be learned from studying black holes about the origins of the universe.
    There is more happening in the world of astronomy as the world’s largest optical telescope is being made. This is definitely going to make inroads into the study of how planetary systems formed early on.
    As a space enthusiast and physics lover, I am thrilled with these developments and it will definitely help in increasing our knowledge and understanding of physics and the workings of the universe.
    I guess it has been a pretty busy week on the space report and NASA is definitely a long way from going down, as it has been rumored to be. But it’s like what I said, there are always going to be detractors and critics. There are always two sides to any story and many different opinions for any given situation or project that is being undertaken.
    As for now, the space report will remain busy with posts on NASA’s myriad projects.  

  • There are always two sides to any story.

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    Let me repeat, there are always two sides to any story. This is good news for all you space enthusiasts and people who frequent this Space Report blog. It is like what President Obama said in his State of the Union speech: The people who think America is no longer a dominant global player are so wrong. The more I read and talk to people, the more I realize how true this is.
    In other words, it is perception and the same can be said for all talk about the demise of NASA and space exploration. The dollars that NASA receives may have dwindled, but we all know that the companies or governments that spend the most money on any venture are not necessarily the ones who stand to profit the most.

    Space is the final frontier and always will be for us humans on the beautiful planet Earth. Take the time to read and get an education on what is going in space and our efforts to learn more and you will be so surprised in how far we have come as a species.
    Things that I felt other human beings would laugh at or ridicule are actually becoming accepted norms or are already so. It is just that I only found about it! But obviously, there are always going to be the ones that deride and get appalled at the money spent on the space program.
    But then again, even the finest program or mission is going to have its share of detractors. Half of them like you and half do not. It is pretty much impossible to get everyone to sign off on a project without people disagreeing and probably never coming together.

  • The “Billionaire Age” is good for space exploration

    Man has always been somewhat mesmerized by space and the universe in general. It is the question of who are we and is there anybody else out there? It is something that has puzzled me ever since I read about this stuff in a chemistry textbook back in middle school.

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    Little did I know then that space exploration was such a big deal and it would gain such wealthy backers. I have already talked about Elon Musk and his SpaceX ship that will launch later this week. One of my favorite billionaires Paul Allen has always been a big backer of space and has funded a lot of projects in relation to it and other science stuff.

    He is not the only one it seems as many more billionaires and millionaires are using their big bucks to fund those important space projects that mankind needs and this, I feel, is a very good development for the human race. What with all the talk about the problems with the space program and the government cutting back funding in NASA.
    These billionaires are smart and see space as the final frontier not only for the education but also as a way to profit. Asteroid mining is something that a lot of these wealthy individuals are targeting as a way to get a big return on their investment.
    I think it is about time too that we literally ‘shoot for the stars’ as there is only so many resources that this planet can provide for us.
     

  • Get to Know Elon Musk

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    Any space enthusiast should become familiar with Elon Musk who is a 40-year-old, soon-to-be billionaire and the man who runs SpaceX. Elon came to America because he felt that great things were possible in this country and judging by the way he lives he has definitely eaten it all up.
    Not to mention going to the best schools like the University of Pennsylvania where he studied physics and business and then a lot of science and physics at what I feel is the best university in the world: Stanford. He seems very pleased to be living in the modern age and why not with the success that he is enjoying. It is very pleasing for a space enthusiast like myself to see that the future of space, space travel and engineering is in the hands of a personality such as his.

    Musk is really an entrepreneur extraordinaire having cofounded such tech giants like PayPal and Zip2 Corporation which he sold for $307 million cash to Compaq in 1999.
    SpaceX looks almost like a movie set and it is great to hear that Elon Musk actually dreams of colonizing the Red Planet Mars. All this and the fact that he has a playboy reputation makes him a truly unique personality to investigate. His style is both Hollywood and Silicon Valley and the fact that he is almost a billionaire at such a young age gives him enough and more game at any club!
    From his home fit for a tech titan to his Porsche 911 to the $35,090 Parmigiani wristwatch, the man is a breath of fresh air to human conquests of space.
     

  • What’s new in space?

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    Speculation that NASA may have found life on Mars
    A reanalysis of some data by NASA shows that there could be life on Mars. But this new analysis does not come without its own share of problems. The data from 36 years ago has been looked at in a different way to conclude that there may be have been biological activity rather than just the geological activity that it had originally pointed to. But this new way of looking at the data has to be proved to be useful and this is the issue.

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    Elon Musk’s latest foray into space
    If you have been reading this blog for some time, I am guessing you have heard of the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk who is the Chief Technology Officer at the space transport company SpaceX.

    Musk who started his illustrious entrepreneurial career by building, operating and then selling the worldwide e-commerce business PayPal. He is now launching his Dragon spaceship on April 30 that will dock with the International Space Station.

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    The Dinosaurs may not be extinct after all!
    One thing about outer space and the universe is that anything is possible. There has actually been speculation by Columbia University chemist Ronald Breslow that there could be extraterrestrial dinosaurs. He hinted at this at the end of his very informative paper and I don’t think it is incredulous. I do have an open mind about these sorts of things. After, all I am the space junkie that loves the History Channel television show called Ancient Aliens.
    The dinosaurs would be advanced, but us humans do not have to worry as they will not be able to metabolize Earthlings’ flesh if they happen to find this planet.  
     
    I guess it has been a pretty exciting week on the space report. 

  • Russian Space Program Gets Ambitious About Space Exploration

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    Roscosmos, the Russian equivalent of our NASA space program, has a pretty ambitious plan for shedding its Cold War space exploration image. In films like Armageddon and books like World War Z, the Russian space program is characterized as one of rusting Soviet-era equipment more fit for scrapyards than earth’s orbit, and the cosmonauts aren’t much better. However, if documents leaked from a recent proposal by Roscosmos are true, they’re going to leave that bygone misconception behind entirely. Russian wants to put people on the moon, and that’s just for starters.
    The documents outline an 18-year long detailed program of innovations and missions to rehaul the Russian space program. This includes building an entirely new type of spacecraft, already reportedly in the works, and numerous missions all over the solar system. Most eye-catching is the plan, within a decade, to place a “permanent network” of Russian research stations on the Martian surface. These will most likely be automated stations, perhaps using something akin to the U.S. Mars Rovers program. Finally, Roscosmos also plans a “circumlunar manned test flight”, in which cosmonauts will fly all the way around the moon and then land on it. There are a number of reasons this is difficult, not the least of which is the breakdown of communication on “the dark side”, and would  eb quite a feat for any space program.
    All of these ambitious plans are an effort to “solidify its position” among the top space powers in the word, a position that it’s in a good place to pursue given the U.S. new reliance on Russia for manned space missions with the closing of its own manned space program at NASA. Russia has also had some fairly high-profile failures with deep space and manned space flight missions, most recently becoming the embarrassed owners of a completely useless multi-million dollar satellite that crashed back down to earth. However, with some ambitious space missions under its belt in the next twenty years or so, Russia could indeed garner a reputation for itself as at the forefront of space exploration.
    These ambitious plans are also reflective of Premier Vladimir Putin’s statement that Russia doesn’t want to be the “international ferryman” forever, in reference to Russia’s role in bringing astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA, which is waiting as private companies develop the space tech and expertise necessary for more ambitious space exploration, has not determined its own immediate plans for the future other than continuing the Mars Rover and Orbiter programs, and continuing to monitor deep space satellites.