Technomaly » space is the place

Giant Space Hand!

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:21:26 +0000

The hand of God? An alien breaching the walls of our galaxy? The giant space hand you see here is actually pulsar PSR b1509-58.This neutron star spins seven times per second and is relatively young by pulsar standards – the light of the supernova that caused it would have first reached our planet about 1,700 years ago.

The Space Hand is located about 17,000 light years away from the constellation Circinus and is approximately 100 light years long. According to NASA, the “low energy X-rays are in red, medium energies in green, and high energies in blue. The pulsar itself is in the bright central region.”

Source: NASA via Gizmodo

Japanese Coop Making Humanoid Moon Robot

Nick Upton — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:47:15 +0000

A group of Japanese manufacturers are getting together to build a a bipedal, moon-faring robot.

Now I’m not sure if the endeavor will produce a sassy Futurama-esque robot or a sad Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy version, but I’m really hoping of the former. I am sure, however, that the Japanese coop named Astro-Technology SOHLA will include a sweet laser sword — it is the land of anime after all.

The coop is looking to do the build the robot on the cheap too. They estimate they can complete the project with just $10 million. Doesn’t sound cheap? The Spirit and Opportunity mission set us back a total of $820 million.

Sure that was Mars, but this is a F&$%ING robot!

The group also stated that they hope to have their robot, which they will name Maido-kun, hitch a ride to the moon with a robotic surveying rover that the Japan’s Aerospace Agency is looking to launch as soon as 2015.

The Yomiuri noted that JAXA’s team had considered a bipedal robot, but passed on the idea due to technical difficulties with the sandy moon surface. In response to such thought, SOHLA President Hideo Sugimoto stated, “It’s easier to encapsulate romanticism or enthusiasm with a robot that is similar in shape to humans. We want to build a robot that has the appeal of entrusting the dream of going to space.”

It sure is romantic, it really gets me thinking about the real future of space travel. With the Space Plane launching just a week ago, and now a robot, space exploration doesn’t seem as dangerous.

Hypothetically, we could send these space planes and walking robots running willy-nilly all over the galaxy. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about the grim but imminent prospect of human space deaths.

These robots could plunk down on Mars and start building astronaut housing or take that trip to an asteroid that President Barack Obama has been talking about sans all the danger.

I just hope there is an easy-to-find off switch when the robot goes crazy and stalks our astronauts on the moon or mars.

[Via Slashdot]

Star Wars: Air Force Launches Robotic Space Plane

Nick Upton — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:28:47 +0000

Holy crap! Let the Star Wars begin!

The Air Force launched an unmanned “space plane” into Earth’s orbit.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle took it’s inaugural flight on an Atlast 5 rocket. The Air Force said the launch was successful, but didn’t say much more.

They haven’t said how long the mission will last or what experiments they would be doing beyond testing the craft.

“The top priority technology demonstration on this first flight is the vehicle itself,” Gary Payton, the US Air Force’s deputy under secretary for space programs, told journalists on a teleconference this week.

“Getting it into orbit, getting the payload bay doors open, the solar array deployed, learning about on-orbit attitude control and bringing it all back.”

OK, so the Star Wars might be a little far off. But what an eerie step. I cannot wait to see how long the craft can stay in space. The solar array suggests that it could be a longer stay in space than a simple plane in space. It would be the ideal craft for pre-loaded experiments — just send it up and wait for a while. This could mean cheaper science without crowding the always-cramped manned shuttles.

An Air Force statement made the launch sound more dubious than this science fun time though.

“This launch helps ensure that our warfighters will be provided the capabilities they need in the future,” said Col. Andre Lovett, vice commander of the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing, in a statement.

I wonder if we’ll see a similar spacecraft from China, Russia or India soon.

[Via BBC]

NASA Lets Public Aim Ultra High-Res Camera At Mars

Nick Upton — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:24:57 +0000

NASA took eight ultra-high resolution images of the Martian surface based on public suggestions.

The NASA image gallery hosted smaller versions of the staggering images. Even in three colors the images are simply beastly.

HiRISE is the most powerful camera ever to orbit another planet. It has taken thousands of black-and-white images, and hundreds of color images, since it began science operations in 2006.

A single HiRISE image will often be a multigigabyte image that measures 20,000 pixels by 50,000 pixels, which includes a 4,000-by-50,000 pixel region in three colors. It can take a computer up to three hours to process such an image.

Despite the thousands of pictures already taken, less than 1% of the Martian surface has been imaged, NASA said.

The move is great for NASA and helps space fans feel included in some of the high tech and cloistered missions.

[Via Network World]

1.3 Trillion Pounds Of Ice Found On Moon

Nick Upton — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:09:32 +0000

An Indian satellite doing a flyover with a NASA radar spotted tons, and tons, and tons of ice — 600 million metric tons worth.

The 1.3 trillion pounds of ice are very interesting to moon scientists and NASA explorers who could potentially use the ice to create water and to eventually create oxygen for future explorers.

“The emerging picture from the multiple measurements and resulting data of the instruments on lunar missions indicates that water creation, migration, deposition and retention are occurring on the moon,” said Paul Spudis, principal investigator of the Mini-SAR experiment at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.
“The new discoveries show the moon is an even more interesting and attractive scientific, exploration and operational destination than people had previously thought.”

The ice was found mostly on the northern pole in craters likely created by icy asteroids smashing into the moon. NASA has to figure out a good way to collect, purify and split the water into oxygen and hydrogen (which they can then use for fuel) but it’s a good start. Figuring out the problems associated with using the space ice close to home is a great stepping point toward making technology for future missions to Mars.

[Via NASA]

NASA Set To Outsource Space Travel Tech

Nick Upton — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:02:06 +0000

NASA and the Obama administration says the future of space travel will depend more on private companies to do the legwork in creating new technology and building the technology for future space travelers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the move is expected to be a part of President Barack Obama’s next budget. After the success of the various X-prizes, these types of deals are becoming more and more intriguing.

The idea of outsourcing a portion of NASA’s manned space program to the private sector gained momentum after recommendations from a presidential panel appointed last year. The panel, chaired by former Lockheed Martin Corp. Chairman Norman Augustine, argued that allowing companies to build and launch their own rockets and spacecraft to carry American astronauts into orbit would save money and also free up NASA to focus on more ambitious, longer-term goals.

The plan does come with its critics, and some of them have very valid points. NASA brass says that while these private initiatives can help in some areas, every dollar taken from NASA’s budget makes it harder to pursue the future of space travel. Putting science funds in private hands could be great for things like space ferrying to and from the International Space Station, but the critics are right. Space exploration is difficult and fraught with unseen problems. If NASA cuts its margins with private exploration, that is less money for projects that exceed budgets — nearly every project.

These smaller margins aren’t likely to spark great ideas from NASA scientists, it’s bound to spark panic and the cutting of corners.

A more academic approach to NASA funding seems to be much more preferable, allowing scientists to ponder, fail and move on or change direction. The greatest technology comes from imagination and time, not a business plan. So dumping funds into private companies can tweak existing technology, but there won’t be the grand leaps that academia can create.

[Via Wall Street Journal]

Mars Rover Becomes ‘Stationary Research Platform’ (Totally Stuck)

Nick Upton — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:20:47 +0000

The plucky master of Mars, the Spirit Rover, is hopelessly stuck in a sand trap.

NASA scientists made the announcement in Washington, but made sure to say that the mission is still not over.

“Spirit is not dead; it has just entered another phase of its long life,” said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We told the world last year that attempts to set the beloved robot free may not be successful. It looks like Spirit’s current location on Mars will be its final resting place.”

Designed for a 90-day mission, the Spirit Rover has been on borrowed time for more than five years already. And still, the rover keeps on working.

Now the Spirit will study how Martian winds affect sand particles and study nearby soil, giving clues to Mar’s past and the future of mars missions.

[Via NASA]

CES: Telescope Features On Board Map Gadget

Nick Upton — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:47:14 +0000

One of Vixen’s huge reflector telescopes has one feature that made it perfect for the Consumer Electronics show.

Attached to the telescope is a mini map so that astronomers can point directly where they want to look, and actually know what is there.

So instead of looking at star charts and compasses, the device has a sort of Google SkyMap wired right in, including pictures of what astronomers should spot at the other end.

At around $12,000, the gadget isn’t for the novice, but for anyone who really, really likes space, it could be a great time and effort saving device.

Supermassive Black Holes ‘Waltzing’ Through Space

Nick Upton — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:28:13 +0000

An image of the galaxy COSMOS J100043.15+020637.2. The tidal tail of stars, gas, and dust shows that this galaxy recently merged with another galaxy, which brought two supermassive black holes into this galaxy. (NASA/ASA)

Our galaxy will soon (3 billion years) get into the universal dance party and join the other 33 known galaxies containing a pair of supermassive black holes — we will, of course, be annihilated.

Scientists with Berkeley unveiled new research showing that the phenomenon is actually much more common than once thought.

The numbers “show that dual supermassive black hole systems are much more common than previously known from observations,” Dr. Comerford, a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the University of California, Berkeley, said via press release.

Researchers spotted the dancers by watching redshifting (traveling away) light and blueshifting (traveling away from the black hole) at the center of neighboring galaxies. Just as the Kepler probe spots a gap between the sun and orbiting planets, Berkeley researchers saw a gap between the celestial giants.

The two black holes pull against each other and tug at nearby stars, making a huge mess of the galaxy but also making for a very interesting glimpse into the depths of our universe.

Via Berkeley’s Department of Astronomy.