Dec 16, 2011 | Benefits of Space Exploration, Commercial Space, Exploration, Our Solar System, Space and Science, Space Research, Uncategorized
Despite economic difficulties, this year has been a strong one for the U. S. aerospace industry, according to the Aerospace Industries Association, which represents more than 300 of the top manufactures of civilian and military aircraft, space systems, unmanned...
Dec 13, 2011 | Blog, Commercial Space, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Space Tourism, Spaceports
Billionaire Paul Allen, investor and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, introduced today a new project: Stratolaunch Systems promising to provide “any orbit…any time.” The announcement today brought together, once again, Allen with maverick...
Dec 9, 2011 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, NASA, Our Solar System, Planet Earth, Space and Science, Space Research
Attention all you skywatchers! There’s a brand new NASA handheld device application for mobile devices that gives you the ability to better track, count and record data about sporadic meteors and meteor showers anywhere in the world. This “Meteor Counter” app enables...
Dec 3, 2011 | Blog, Book Reviews, Comets, Education Station, Exploration, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Our Solar System, Planet Earth, Space Race, The Moon, Why Space
When Biospheres Collide – A History of NASA’s Planetary Protection Programs by Michael Meltzer; NASA History Program Office (NASA SP-2011 – 4234), Washington, D.C.; 2011. Note: Available as NASA e-Book. This is an absorbing look at a topic that receives little...
Dec 3, 2011 | Benefits of Space Exploration, Exploration, NASA, Space Research
Sometimes the road to success involves a detour to a blind alley. Such is the case with a recent invention developed by a team of creative NASA engineers and scientists at the Johnson Space Center that shows great promise as a minimal invasive treatment for...
Nov 28, 2011 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, International Cooperation, Kids Space, Mars, NASA
NASA’s Curiosity rover now en route for an August 2012 landing on the red planet carries a unique Radiation Assessment Detector – or RAD for short. That device will measure radiation levels at the Martian surface for the first time ever. And in doing so,...
Nov 27, 2011 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, NASA
While NASA’s Curiosity rover is en route to Mars, the Opportunity robot has been busy scoping out sites for the approaching winter on the red planet. Opportunity is on the prowl for locations with a favorable northerly tilt on the north end of Cape York on the rim of...
Nov 26, 2011 | Blog, Book Reviews, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Uncategorized
Exploring Mars – Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery by Scott Hubbard; University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona; $17.95 (paperback); December 2011. As I write this today, NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover is outbound for the red planet. It has been a long haul for the...
Nov 24, 2011 | Asteroid Exploration, Exploration, International Space Station, Mars, NASA, Space Research
While the primary goal of NASA’s ambitious $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission is to assess the habitability of the Martian environment, U. S. space agency experts planning for the future human exploration of the Red Planet will be...
Nov 23, 2011 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Space and Science
The Curiosity rover is ready for its cruise to the red planet. If all stays on track, an Atlas V rocket will boost NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory into space on November 26th. On that day, the launch window for departure of the craft extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45...