thebigzowie

Posts Tagged ‘space program’

, , ,

Taking Out The Trash in Space

In Extraterrestrial, Space Exploration, Strange Oddities on May 2, 2012 at 3:19 am

This post credited in it’s entirety to: The Big Zowie

Next time you’re out on the street polling the average American about environmental concerns, you’ll probably get most people responding, “somewhat” to “very concerned” about trash littering our streets and highways as environmental pollution. And with good reason. If you drive along almost any highway in America and most rural roads, you’ll see objects d’pollution practically everywhere you look; plastic cups, beer cans, potato chip wrappers and a vast array of bottles, glass or plastic, in almost every possible configuration. Yep, people’s trash is everywhere and it isn’t pretty.

But trash isn’t necessarily dangerous. It’s just unsightly. Now poll those same people on the street again and ask them if they’re worried about trash in space – or, what the better informed refer to as Space Debris…what?? That’s right. Junk floating around in space, plastic cups, beer cans, potato chip wrappers…okay, maybe not. But believe it or not, there is a terrific amount of trash floating around in low Earth orbit, and it’s very dangerous!

It’s so dangerous in fact, we have a national office of space junk. Actually NASA refers to it as the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, located at the Johnson Space Center. It’s the lead NASA center for orbital debris research. More than 21,000 pieces of orbital debris larger than 10 cm are known to exist. The estimated population of particles between 1 and 10 cm in diameter is approximately 500,000. The number of particles smaller than 1 cm exceeds 100 million.

Okay, that’s a lot of junk floating around up there. But dangerous? Why would it be dangerous? Well not necessarily to us down here, but can you imagine flying around up there in the Space Shuttle, or the ISS (International Space Station) having to constantly duck under flying debris?

And you better duck, because according to NASA: “In low Earth orbit (below 2,000 km), orbital debris circle the Earth at speeds of 7 to 8 km/s. However, the average impact speed of orbital debris with another space object will be approximately 10 km/s.” That’s much faster than a speeding bullet! Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

Cool Vacations In Outer Space

In Extraterrestrial, Fun Technology, Uncategorized, Wild Stuff on October 8, 2011 at 12:23 am

Has the holiday chaos got you thinking about the perfect winter getaway? Before long the trip of your dreams might just be thousands of miles above you.

Ah, the holidays. There’s nothing like scuffling at 6 a.m. with bleary-eyed shoppers over the last Nintendo Wii, or watching the kids wail as they sit on Santa’s lap, or spending some “quality” time with the in-laws for even the most spirited of souls to start dreaming of another place – preferably one that’s far, far, far away.

Like outer-space faraway.

Well cheer up, yuletide wipeouts. The day is fast-approaching when we can all spend a little post-holiday R&R in a hotel that’s, literally, out of this world.

Seriously. With almost no fanfare, the wealthy owner of a Las Vegas-based hotel chain is fast expanding his business into space. He’s already launching experimental inflatable hotel modules – and making money out of the deal without even booking his first zero-G guest.

Who’s this modern-day Willy Wonka? Bob Bigelow, the 60-year-old owner of the Budget Suites of America hotel chain and a reclusive innovator who exhibits almost a childish glee. He can afford to: Budget Suites pays the bills and then some, enabling Bigelow to spend $500 million on a pet project called Bigelow Aerospace. The venture’s slogan is “Getting you excited again about space.”

An $8 million escape to space

Believe me, there’s more than a whiff of 1969-style enthusiasm here.

This summer, a Russian rocket launched carrying an inflatable space habitat. Called Genesis-1, it’s essentially a retooled NASA design for which Bigelow acquired the patents in 2001. Bigelow then spent $75 million and years cutting through red tape before getting the greenlight to launch objects into orbit via Russia. Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

America’s Last Shuttle Flight A Success!

In Science, Travel, Wonder on July 8, 2011 at 10:54 pm

Atlantis NASA's last space shuttle launch

Crowds gathered at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early Friday to witness the final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. The liftoff—which took place slightly behind schedule at about 11:29 a.m. ET—marks the 135th and final space shuttle mission, capping off the 30-year-old U.S. space shuttle program.

Atlantis carried a four-member crew to the International Space Station for a 12-day mission. A stormy weather forecast had threatened to delay the launch, but clouds thinned an hour before the scheduled blastoff.

“On behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you and your crew on the final flight of an American icon,” NASA launch director Mike Leinbach told the crew just before launch.

Atlantis‘s commander Chris Ferguson responded: “We’re not ending the journey today, we’re completing a chapter of a journey that will never end. Let’s light this shuttle one more time, Mike, and witness this nation at its best.”

The space shuttle Atlantis roared up from Launch Pad 39-A and was visible for 42 seconds before it disappeared into the clouds over Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

“It truly was an awesome, spectacular launch,” space center director Bob Cabana said at a press conference Friday. “The only way it could’ve been better was if I had found a way to stow away on there somehow.” Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

Virgin Galactic Is Hiring Astronauts

In Fun Technology, Travel, Wild Stuff, Zowie Fun Facts on May 26, 2011 at 12:21 am

spaceport americaVirgin Galactic, the stepchild of Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic, has started hiring astronauts in anticipation of kicking off their commercial spaceflight business at Spaceport America later this year.

Construction on passenger terminal buildings, spacecraft hangars and launch facilities are already well under way with the official opening of the spaceport still on track for end of 2011. In 2008, Governor Bill Richardson announced that Virgin Galactic had signed a 20 year lease agreement with the State of New Mexico. Virgin Galactic’s world headquarters will be established in New Mexico and its operations will be located at New Mexico’s Spaceport America, the nation’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

“The signing of this agreement is a momentous day for our state and has cemented New Mexico as the home of commercial space travel,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “I want to thank Virgin Galactic for partnering with us to create a whole new industry that is going to transform the economy of Southern New Mexico—creating thousands of jobs, generating money for education, boosting tourism and attracting other companies and economic opportunities to the area.” Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

They’re Retiring The Space Shuttles

In Science on February 24, 2011 at 9:27 pm

The last flight of Space Shuttle Discovery is slated for after 4pm EST today and once she returns from docking with the International Space Station (ISS), it’s off to retirement for the old dame. NASA will launch one more space shuttle mission and then the entire program will be mothballed and another era will pass into the sunset. Drat! I missed my space shuttle ride.

The ISS is currently being serviced by robotic spacecraft called ATV’s, or Automated Transfer Vehicles, while we wait for the new shuttle replacement, Orion spacecraft series, being built by Lockheed-Martin. These will not only ferry crews and material from Earth to the ISS and back, but will usher in the next phase of interplanetary exploration; initially the Moon and Mars.

The next fifty years is likely to put the old Wild West to shame. Can’t wait!

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.