Muggins
Player Valuation: £60m
What's this about rascal?
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Space and stuff
- Thread starter rascal
- Start date
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What's this about rascal?
Pyramids of Giza, as seen from space!
Muggins
Player Valuation: £60m
What am I missing?
rascal
Player Valuation: £60m
They are in Egypt.
Mars was very bright in the SE sky late last night. Apparently it's going to be super bright on May 22.
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essen...onight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury#mars
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essen...onight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury#mars
Jamo Martinez
Player Valuation: £70m
Space is dead big. And stuff.
Well big!!
You think ants are small...
Mars is up now in SE. Fairy low but higher than my facing neighbour's house. Looks orange rather than red. Saturn is fainter but can be seen below and left of Mars. Jupiter is shining very bright in the West. Wonderful sky tonight.
Space balloons are the thing.....
The Bigelow Expandable Module Is About To Blow Up
http://www.universetoday.com/129122/bigelow-expandable-module-blow/
People who aren’t particularly enthusiastic about space science and space exploration often accuse those of us who are, of “living in a bubble.” There are so many seemingly intractable problems here on Earth, so they say, that it’s foolish to spend so much money and time on space exploration. But if all goes well with the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) at the ISS this week, astronauts may well end up living in a sort of bubble.
Expandable, inflatable habitats could bring about a quiet revolution in space exploration, and the BEAM is leading that revolution. Because it’s much more compact and much lighter than rigid steel and aluminum structures, the cost of building them and launching them into space is much lower. The benefits of lower costs for building them and launching them are obvious.
NASA first announced plans to test the BEAM back in 2013. They awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to provide the expandable module, with the idea of testing it for a two-year period.
When the contract was announced, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said, “The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that enables important discoveries that benefit humanity and vastly increase understanding of how humans can live and work in space for long periods. This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation.”
Though no astronauts will be living in the module, it will be tested to see how it withstands the rigours of space. ISS astronauts will enter the module periodically, but for the most part, the module will be monitored remotely. Of particular interest to NASA is the module’s ability to withstand solar radiation, debris impact, and temperature extremes.
The BEAM was launched in April aboard a SpaceX Dragon Capsule, itself carried aloft by a SpaceX Falcon rocket. Personnel aboard the ISS used the station’s robotic arm to unpack the BEAM and attach it to the station. That procedure went well, and now the BEAM is ready for inflation.
How exactly the BEAM will behave while it’s being inflated is uncertain. The procedure will be done slowly and methodically, with the team exercising great caution during inflation.
Once inflated, the BEAM will expand to almost five times its travelling size. While packed inside the Dragon capsule, the module is 8 ft. in diameter by 7 ft. in length. After inflation, it will measure 10 ft. in diameter and 13 ft. in length, and provide 16 cubic meters (565 cubic ft.) of habitable volume. That’s about as large as a bedroom.
After inflation, the BEAM will sit for about a week before any astronauts enter it. After that, the plan is to visit the module 2 or 3 times per year to check conditions inside. During those visits, astronauts will also get sensor data from equipment inside the BEAM.
Some, including Bigelow CEO Robert Bigelow, are hopeful that after the first six months or so, the timeline can be accelerated a little. If NASA approves it, the BEAM could be used for science experiments at that time.
As for Bigelow itself, they are already working on the B330, a much larger expandable habitat that promises even greater impact durability and radiation protection than the BEAM. Bigelow hopes that the B330 could be used on the surface of the Moon and Mars, as well as in orbit.
The BEAM will never attract the attention that rocket launches and Mars rovers do. But their impact on space exploration will be hard to deny. And when naysayers accuse us of living in a bubble, we can smile and say, “We’re working on it.”
The Bigelow Expandable Module Is About To Blow Up
http://www.universetoday.com/129122/bigelow-expandable-module-blow/
People who aren’t particularly enthusiastic about space science and space exploration often accuse those of us who are, of “living in a bubble.” There are so many seemingly intractable problems here on Earth, so they say, that it’s foolish to spend so much money and time on space exploration. But if all goes well with the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) at the ISS this week, astronauts may well end up living in a sort of bubble.
Expandable, inflatable habitats could bring about a quiet revolution in space exploration, and the BEAM is leading that revolution. Because it’s much more compact and much lighter than rigid steel and aluminum structures, the cost of building them and launching them into space is much lower. The benefits of lower costs for building them and launching them are obvious.
NASA first announced plans to test the BEAM back in 2013. They awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to provide the expandable module, with the idea of testing it for a two-year period.
When the contract was announced, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said, “The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that enables important discoveries that benefit humanity and vastly increase understanding of how humans can live and work in space for long periods. This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation.”
Though no astronauts will be living in the module, it will be tested to see how it withstands the rigours of space. ISS astronauts will enter the module periodically, but for the most part, the module will be monitored remotely. Of particular interest to NASA is the module’s ability to withstand solar radiation, debris impact, and temperature extremes.
The BEAM was launched in April aboard a SpaceX Dragon Capsule, itself carried aloft by a SpaceX Falcon rocket. Personnel aboard the ISS used the station’s robotic arm to unpack the BEAM and attach it to the station. That procedure went well, and now the BEAM is ready for inflation.
How exactly the BEAM will behave while it’s being inflated is uncertain. The procedure will be done slowly and methodically, with the team exercising great caution during inflation.
Once inflated, the BEAM will expand to almost five times its travelling size. While packed inside the Dragon capsule, the module is 8 ft. in diameter by 7 ft. in length. After inflation, it will measure 10 ft. in diameter and 13 ft. in length, and provide 16 cubic meters (565 cubic ft.) of habitable volume. That’s about as large as a bedroom.
After inflation, the BEAM will sit for about a week before any astronauts enter it. After that, the plan is to visit the module 2 or 3 times per year to check conditions inside. During those visits, astronauts will also get sensor data from equipment inside the BEAM.
Some, including Bigelow CEO Robert Bigelow, are hopeful that after the first six months or so, the timeline can be accelerated a little. If NASA approves it, the BEAM could be used for science experiments at that time.
As for Bigelow itself, they are already working on the B330, a much larger expandable habitat that promises even greater impact durability and radiation protection than the BEAM. Bigelow hopes that the B330 could be used on the surface of the Moon and Mars, as well as in orbit.
The BEAM will never attract the attention that rocket launches and Mars rovers do. But their impact on space exploration will be hard to deny. And when naysayers accuse us of living in a bubble, we can smile and say, “We’re working on it.”
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
http://www.sciencealert.com/japanes...test-out-plans-for-a-real-life-space-elevator
More From ScienceAlert
Vadim Sadovski/Shutterstock.com
Top floor, please.
The idea of a space elevator to lift us into orbit is one of the oldest concepts in sci-fi, but thanks to the efforts of scientists in Japan, we might soon be seeing this fantastic feat of engineering become a reality at last.
A mini satellite called STARS-C (Space Tethered Autonomous Robotic Satellite-Cube) is heading to the International Space Station in the coming months and is a prototype design that could form the basis of a future space elevator.
Once STARS-C has been delivered – on some to-be-determined date after the Northern Hemisphere's summer – its makers at Shizuoka University will put it to the test: the orbiter will split into two 10-cm (3.94-inch) cubes and spool out a thin 100-metre tether made of Kevlar between them.
If plans for a space elevator are to get off the ground, a super-strong tether like this will one day winch people and supplies up from the Earth, so these tests are going to be crucial in finding if this kind of project can actually work.
The satellite is the invention of engineers Yoshiki Yamagiwa and Masahiro Nomi, who came up with the concept in 2014 and submitted their idea to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). STARS-C will eventually be launched from the Kibo module on the ISS, owned by JAXA.
"The satellites move not just vertically, but horizontally as well when we expand their tethers," Yamagiwa told The Asahi Shimbun. "As data must be collected in detail to control the satellite in space with precision, we hope to do it properly this time."
An earlier microsatellite experiment, led by scientists at Kagawa University, failed in this respect, not collecting enough data for it to be useful.
Ham radio frequencies are going to be used to control and get feedback from STARS-C, and to that end the team is asking for amateur radio operatorson the ground to help collect signals.
STARS-C, which weighs 2.66 kilograms (5.68 pounds), is also going to help scientists explore ways in which space debris might be cleared up from around the edge of the atmosphere – if it can't pull people into orbit, it could at least catch floating space junk.
Also in the satellite cube's favour is the fact it was built for just $98,000, which isn't too much of an outlay in terms of the usual high costs of space equipment.
Credit: Shizuoka University
If you're new to the whole space elevator concept, it's a proposal that's exactly what it sounds like: a towering shaft or crane to push or pull people from Earth into space and back again. The main counterweight (in this case, the STARS-C) and its tether would be kept in place with the help of centrifugal force as the planet rotates.
It might sound kind of unbelievable, but if scientists can pull it off, working space elevators could revolutionise how we get into orbit, using a lot less fuel and needing a lot less money than the rockets we rely on today. We can't wait to see how STARS-C goes in testing.
More From ScienceAlert
Vadim Sadovski/Shutterstock.com
Top floor, please.
The idea of a space elevator to lift us into orbit is one of the oldest concepts in sci-fi, but thanks to the efforts of scientists in Japan, we might soon be seeing this fantastic feat of engineering become a reality at last.
A mini satellite called STARS-C (Space Tethered Autonomous Robotic Satellite-Cube) is heading to the International Space Station in the coming months and is a prototype design that could form the basis of a future space elevator.
Once STARS-C has been delivered – on some to-be-determined date after the Northern Hemisphere's summer – its makers at Shizuoka University will put it to the test: the orbiter will split into two 10-cm (3.94-inch) cubes and spool out a thin 100-metre tether made of Kevlar between them.
If plans for a space elevator are to get off the ground, a super-strong tether like this will one day winch people and supplies up from the Earth, so these tests are going to be crucial in finding if this kind of project can actually work.
The satellite is the invention of engineers Yoshiki Yamagiwa and Masahiro Nomi, who came up with the concept in 2014 and submitted their idea to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). STARS-C will eventually be launched from the Kibo module on the ISS, owned by JAXA.
"The satellites move not just vertically, but horizontally as well when we expand their tethers," Yamagiwa told The Asahi Shimbun. "As data must be collected in detail to control the satellite in space with precision, we hope to do it properly this time."
An earlier microsatellite experiment, led by scientists at Kagawa University, failed in this respect, not collecting enough data for it to be useful.
Ham radio frequencies are going to be used to control and get feedback from STARS-C, and to that end the team is asking for amateur radio operatorson the ground to help collect signals.
STARS-C, which weighs 2.66 kilograms (5.68 pounds), is also going to help scientists explore ways in which space debris might be cleared up from around the edge of the atmosphere – if it can't pull people into orbit, it could at least catch floating space junk.
Also in the satellite cube's favour is the fact it was built for just $98,000, which isn't too much of an outlay in terms of the usual high costs of space equipment.
If you're new to the whole space elevator concept, it's a proposal that's exactly what it sounds like: a towering shaft or crane to push or pull people from Earth into space and back again. The main counterweight (in this case, the STARS-C) and its tether would be kept in place with the help of centrifugal force as the planet rotates.
It might sound kind of unbelievable, but if scientists can pull it off, working space elevators could revolutionise how we get into orbit, using a lot less fuel and needing a lot less money than the rockets we rely on today. We can't wait to see how STARS-C goes in testing.
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