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SpaceX and NASA Making History

The Cooperation of Government and Private Industry in Space Exploration

The launch of space technology company SpaceX’s Dragon capsule this Saturday will make history by rocketing (no pun intended) the field of space exploration into the next phase - that of government and private industry cooperation. This will be the first flight of its kind, using a private company to move cargo to the International Space Station. Though this flight is only a test run, if successful it will clear the way for SpaceX to complete 12 more such flights in the next few years, acting as a private contractor to perform duties that NASA had previously outsourced to other countries’ space programs.

This is an important benchmark in the transition of space flight from a purely governmental endeavor to one which private companies may now take part in. The US government will not, of course, be handing over all of space to SpaceX and other companies like it, but will instead free itself up to concentrate on specific deep-space projects such as landings on the moon, asteroids and Mars. ‘Lesser’ duties, such as moving cargo and crew, will be relegated to private firms who will profit from their ventures while giving NASA time to concentrate on the big stuff.

The result of such cooperation will also create the potential for technology sharing in the future. SpaceX and its competitors will no doubt seek to increase their profit margins by developing cheaper and more efficient technologies. These in turn may be shared with NASA and other international space-flight programs in order to increase their own capabilities. The end result will be multiple space exploration programs feeding off each other and increasing the rate of innovation exponentially.

This first flight will take approximately 3 days to reach its docking destination, which puts the projected date at this Tuesday, May 22^nd. This is, of course, assuming everything goes according to plan. Success is still not guaranteed and the possibility of the launch being called off is estimated at about 50%. If something halts the launch, the next date set to make the attempt is on Tuesday.

Truly, this is a time to witness an increase in the pursuit of space exploration. History will no doubt be made in the next few decades, through the combined efforts of both governmental and private industry programs. We may yet see an ambitious reach for other stars in our lifetime, if things continue to go the way they are now.

Spitzer Space Telescope Reveals More Mysteries of Far-off Planet

Space exploration saw a huge breakthrough recently which may herald a new age of being able to examine planets light-years away from our own. The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope detected, for the first time ever, light coming off of a super-earth planet 41 light-years away. Though the planet was discovered back in 2004 and is known to not be habitable, being able to see light coming from it has allowed scientists to gain understanding of the planet’s composition and temperature.

Until now, the way that super-earths were discovered and studied relied on them passing between their parent star and the earth, so that a shadow of the planet could be seen. Now, there is a whole new way to learn about them and study their atmospheres.

The super-earth in question was discovered to be very hot (a fact that scientists had already guessed at based on the planet’s orbit around its star) and that it appears to be ‘oozing.’ The high heat of the planet has put much of the surface matter and water into a perpetual state of fluid and gas. These two seemingly small facts, along with other data collected, can create new profiles of previously mysterious planets.

A brand new and much more powerful piece of equipment, the James Webb Space Telescope, is expected to be completed and put into orbit sometime around 2018. This is an up-to-date version of the Spitzer, encompassing many years of technological development since the previous telescope was put into space. The new camera will allow scientists to study far-away planets with greater detail, even to the point of possibly knowing whether life exists or is capable of existing on these other celestial bodies.

By combining the newest in techniques with the newest in technologies, a great many things are likely to be discovered in the coming years. This may very well be the first step in figuring out which way to turn our exploratory ships once we figure out how to get them to travel fast enough to be practical.

Transit of Venus a unique event that is not to be missed

June 6^th brings with it a huge event for all stargazers in the world. A transit of Venus across the face of the sun will make it visible for a short time from Earth. The last time this happened was recently, in 2004, though the next time will be in December of 2117 - a long time in the future and well beyond the lifespan of a human being.

The best places to view this unique happening is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, though unless you have an island retreat, it’s unlikely you’ll get such a front row seat. The transit can be seen from anywhere in the world beside South America and West Africa, at least in part. The entire process takes around six hours. Where you happen to be will determine which part of it is visible and for how long.

It may not be the biggest and most spectacular event in the cosmos, but it is definitely one of the rarest. Those who are dedicated to watching the skies should not miss this once-in-several-lifetimes opportunity.

Scientists in particular are being given a unique chance to gather some very important information about how the passage of a planet in front of a star affects the light that it emits. This will enable them to further understand the phenomenon and use it to track other planets as they move in front of other stars. By putting this trick to work, they may be able to determine more about planets in distant locations as they search deep into the galaxy for other habitable celestial bodies.

Unlike those of us who will have to watch from the Earth’s surface in whatever location we happen to be, the scientists will have the benefit of some high-end technology to assist them. In addition to various ground locations, they will also be using the Hubble telescope to observe the effects that Venus’s passage has on the brightness of the moon. Furthermore, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will be observing the event from even further away, near Saturn.

Such phenomena have gone unstudied for too long, given that most of the technologies used to observe them closely are fairly new. Our age presents an invaluable opportunity to learn a great many things about how space works and perhaps put this information to good use in our quest to explore our galaxy.

Mining in space may be more than just sci-fi dreams

Mining other planets and asteroids is a staple element of a great many science fiction stories. The prospect of being able to loot other rocks for the precious minerals that they contain is a corporate dream, though with the technology we have today it looks like that dream is probably unrealistic. That does not, however, stop people from trying to figure out a way to do it.

Some people who are far too rich for their own good (director James Cameron among them) are looking to make the dream a reality. Their targets are the many asteroids near the planet Earth and their goals include the veins of gold and platinum which they believe to be encased within. Some experts estimate that as much as $50 billion worth of platinum could be present in one 30-meter diameter asteroid. With hundreds of thousands of these asteroids within a reasonable distance of Earth, the potential for huge profit is there. And with huge profit comes the incentive to get things done.

Planetary Resources is one start-up that is leading the pack in the pursuit of space-bound minerals. They also happen to be run by some of the very same people who are currently building spaceports for the purposes of tourism. The current plan for PR is to launch telescopes into orbit in the next 18 to 24 months and begin to hunt the asteroids that they think are the best targets. After that, they will send up unmanned, robotic ships that will extract the minerals, as well as water from the asteroids to be used as fuel. Their projections put the completion of the project at sometime before 2020.

Of course, with every dream comes the hurdles that must be overcome to make it work. The biggest problem with the mining program is the massive amount of money it will end up costing. Billions and billions of dollars will have to be funneled into the project with only a promise of success to hope for. As a side effect, however, the new technologies that PR and other firms like them will be developing may make the project worthwhile in the long run, regardless of whether they mine a single ounce of minerals from anything.

So, even if space mining turns out to be a complete bust, at least the world will benefit from the creation of new advances in space flight. Personally, I wish them all the luck in the world. I would love to see Earth gain the capability to take things out of the depths of space and make them useful. With our own supply of resources dwindling, it may be a necessity in order to keep our world moving forward.

NASA snubs European Mars Mission, aims to launch its own

More evidence has been emerging recently that Mars may have been something other than a dead planet in the past. Scientists have found clues that life may have existed in some form and may still possibly be there. This is not alien life, of course, and no threat of Martian invasion is expected, but bacteria may be present, which indicates the possibility of Mars being a life-bearing planet to some degree. This evidence comes from data retrieved by the Viking mission in 1976 that has been studied for nearly 40 years. It is only recently, however, that the possibility of life became a serious consideration.

The new discoveries have prompted an urge to return to the red planet, where scientists hope to further probe this riddle and discover the full truth of the matter. The United States was lined up to go on a cooperative European-led mission in 2016, but decided to pull out. They were supposed to be providing help with launches, landing systems, science equipment and other aspects of the mission, though Russia has since moved in to fill these roles.

NASA cited the price tag of the proposed multi-billion dollar mission as the primary reason for opting out. They also wish to explore the option of planning their own mission, which they expect to be less costly. The goal of the new NASA mission would be the same as the collaboration - to seek out the possibility of life on Mars. There is no solid plan as of yet, but NASA has said that they wish to begin preparations following the landing of a Mars rover which is expected to arrive on the planet in August of this year.

Even though working with other countries would have provided some distinct advantages to this Mars exploration, the U.S. decided to go solo. Is this ego taking hold at the possible expense of a successful mission? Or are NASA’s reasons actually valid? The U.S. space programs have been in shambles for more than a decade and NASA may be trying to use this opportunity to repair its floundering reputation. Whether this works to their advantage or not remains to be seen.

China’s space program looking to make history

With the space programs of the United States and Russia declining, China has been pushing the boundaries of its own space program and trying to make a name for itself in the history books. It was only a matter of time before the Chinese accomplished things that other countries haven’t, and it looks like it will come in the form of being the first to put a female astronaut into space. This summer, China’s fourth space mission will commence and if it goes off successfully they will have obtained their goal. In addition to launching a female astronaut, this will also be China’s first attempt at a manned space docking.

China’s space program is still decades behind other advanced counties, in both technology and technique, but its accomplishments are growing. In addition to being the third country to independently put a human into space, they have performed three manned flights so far, as well as a successful spacewalk. One of their largest accomplishments was the placement of a laboratory into orbit and, if everything commences according to their plans, their first moon rover will arrive at its destination next year.

Currently, the goal for their space station is 2020. Other top priorities include putting a man on the moon within 20 years and sending their own exploration rover to mars. China has become very ambitious in their approach to space as of late. Being the first to put a woman into space will most likely be just one of many great things to come from this forward-thinking country.

Habitable planets fill the galaxy

It has always been suspected that there are other habitable planets in the galaxy. Simply based on the odds, it is more likely that there are many of these types of celestial bodies rather than none. Now, however, it looks like there many be quite a few more than were first thought. Scientists are theorizing that potentially billions of habitable planets exist within our galaxy, though they have only discovered nine likely candidates in more than six years of searching the skies.

The types of planets that scientists are currently looking at are what they refer to as “super-Earths,” so called because of their large mass. These planets exist in red dwarf star systems, orbiting within the habitable zone. Red dwarf stars are cooler than our own sun and thus create a larger zone where life may exist. Being that red dwarves make up approximately 80 percent of all stars in the Milky Way, there are an estimated 150 billion to choose from. At least 100 of this number could be considered close to our own solar system – relatively speaking, of course.

Out of this massive number of red dwarves, scientists believe that 40 percent of them have planets in the right orbit. The biggest problem with these planets is that since they orbit closer to their stars, there is a much greater chance of them being subject to solar flares. This has the potential to bathe the planets in radiation and be harmful to life or prevent its existence altogether.

Currently, scientists are in the process of analyzing the atmosphere of the planets that they have found, which involves waiting for them to cross in front of their stars. The placement of high-powered telescopes into orbit to assist in the study will be critical to being able to analyze their finds in an efficient manner and revealing the information needed.

If any of these planets can be positively identified as able to support life, then the next big step will be in figuring out a way to get across the galaxy and see them with our own eyes, a task that will prove monumental in its own right.

Runaway stars and planets

In 1988, astronomers made an interesting prediction: Stars need not be stationary in the vastness of space. What they theorized are referred to as “hypervelocity stars” and they travel through the galaxy at speeds of up to 1.5 million MPH. In 2005, these predictions were justified when the first hypervelocity star was sited. Since that time, 21 such heavenly bodies have caught the eyes of scientists and they continue to search for more.

At first, the thought of a star racing through space seems a bit odd. Apparently these stars have their origins in binary systems which manage to wander a bit too close to the vast black hole that resides in the center of the Milky Way. The immense pull from the black hole’s gravity rips one of the stars inward, to be absorbed, while the other is whipped about and sent hurtling through the cosmos. They then fly through the galaxy until they reach its edge and proceed to travel into the depths of the universe.

Following in the wake of the hypervelocity star discovery, scientists made another interesting prediction. They theorized that if such an event could happen to a star, then the planets of the systems that become victims of the great black hole might come to the same fate. These “rogue planets” are believed to either shoot off on their own or, in some cases, keep themselves attached to the hypervelocity stars, remaining in orbit while on their journey. Scientists are referring to these star-planet combinations as “free-range solar systems.”

Given the small amount of hypervelocity stars known today and the complications in detecting whether planets are orbiting them, observers have yet to prove the existence of the free-range systems. Though tests show that the likelihood of such an event is high, it may take some time before scientists can confirm it visually.

People fear that the Earth may eventually become a victim of an asteroid or meteor striking it and wiping out all life, but what if one of these free-range systems should decide to make a visit? Or what if the great black hole decides to fling a planet our way like some sort of intergalactic bowling ball from hell? Once again, scientists have given the people of Earth another reason to fear an impending apocalypse, no matter how small the probability.

Space Tourism Getting Closer

In an age where government-funded space programs have taken a nose dive, it may look like we are stuck here on Earth forever. There may be hope, however, in the form of a popular movement to achieve space flight in the name of tourism. The prospect of commercial space flight has several companies racing to be the spaceline of choice for those with enough money to take a trip into the blackness beyond the atmosphere.

People are already lining up and shelling out their $100,000 plus to reserve a spot on the first flights. One major player, Virgin Galactic, already has 500 people signed up at $200,000 a seat, despite the fact that the first flights are at least a year or two away.

Several others beside VG are also pushing toward the stars. Space Exploration Technologies, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Blue Origin, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation are all planning their own space programs. Some of these are looking at tourism as their main revenue source, while others are attempting to fill a hole that the government has left by using their craft to shuttle cargo to and from the International Space Station.

While those aboard these new tourist vehicles will not be going into space proper, they will be traveling 62 miles above the surface of the planet. Passengers will be able to see the Earth from above, floating in the blackness of space, as well as experience a few minutes of weightlessness.

The main benefit that comes from this seemingly superficial activity is that new technologies are in production which will help the field of space flight overall. With little government money going into these projects, the people of Earth must rely on the private sector to make the advances necessary to further our progress toward true, long-distance space travel. One thing is for sure – when the potential to make billions of dollars is at stake, those with money will find a way to make it happen. In this case, it just happens to benefit the whole of humanity instead of a few select rich folks.

Current estimates put the completion of the first projects revolving around this future tourist industry at 2014. The anticipation of space tourism has even prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to start looking at what sorts of regulations will need to be in place to keep flights safe for civilians. Statements from the FAA have predicted that space travel will become a billion dollar business within the span of about 10 years.

Russia Attempts to Revitalize its Space Program

Once thought to be mostly defunct, the Russian Federal Space Agency (RFSA) is looking to get back into the game of space exploration. For the last few years, the only activity that the RFSA has been regularly involved in is giving rides to and from the International Space Station (ISS), though this may change if they have their way. Recently, the RFSA has approached Russia’s government with a detailed plan of what they hope to accomplish during the next 20 years.

On the list of hopeful projects is the sending of probes to Jupiter and Venus, the construction of a network of unmanned stations on the surface of Mars and another manned moon landing. While accomplishing all this, the RFSA also wishes to put their new SAR-400 humanoid space robot to the test. The first stop for the SAR-400 is the ISS, where it will be helping with simple repairs, though its creators are hoping the robot can eventually fulfill a much greater role.

This list of goals has been placed on an 18-year timetable with a detailed plan as to how each phase shall be brought to fruition. Though many in the government are seeing this as unrealistic and a waste of resources, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is standing behind the move as good for the country.

Lately, there aren’t too many countries left that still run an extensive space program. Aside from China, most missions involve little more than runs to the ISS or the placement of new satellites into orbit. The sheer expense of developing new technologies and implementing them makes space exploration a questionable decision in the face of economic crises. Russia’s ambitions may change this, however. Other countries, not wanting to be outshined or left behind, may increase the funding to their programs in an effort to earn their own place in the historical record of space accomplishments.

Whether Russia follows through on its ambitions remains to be seen. Lately, the RFSA has as reputation for repeated failure. Twenty years of trying to get to Mars, the crashing of one of their supply ships and mishaps such as putting satellites into the wrong orbits have all plagued the organization’s credibility. If they managed to get their space program rolling again, we may see great things from Russia, but until then it will be a process of watching and waiting for whatever may come.

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