Category Archives: Space Exploration

Three successful, fairly eccentric billionaires, and three different space exploration companies were created so that they can live out their childhood dreams of exploring outer space. It must be nice to be a billionaire, eh? SpaceX's Elon Musk, Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos, and the Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson all run their own private space companies in addition to their day jobs running Tesla, Amazon, and the Virgin Group. So, how are those three companies doing?

SpaceX

Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002. The company has made a name for itself by delivering satellites into space and supplies to the International Space Station. SpaceX's primary mission is to get people to Mars. Its secondary mission is to bring down the cost of spaceflight through the use of reusable rockets. Up until SpaceX, rockets were discarded after a single launch. Over the years, SpaceX has had two rockets explode. The first was in the summer of 2015. A rocket blew up in mid-air and destroyed NASA research materials that were on board. The second happened in the fall of 2016, when a rocket carrying a satellite for Facebook exploded on the launch pad. However, SpaceX had a significant win in late March, when it was able to launch a rocket that had been used previously, deliver a satellite into orbit, and then land it safely back on earth for a second time, proving its ability to reuse rockets again and again. SpaceX has successfully completed more than 30 space missions since its founding. The have contracts with NASA, and have landed a rocket nine times, with six of those times on a boat platform that is about the size of a football field. SpaceX has gone further into space than its private competitors, about 22,000 miles into orbit.

Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

SpaceX has lofty goals. Musk plans to fly two space tourists to the moon in 2018. If this mission takes place, it will be the first time the company has even launched a mission with humans on board. SpaceX will make a journey to the moon in December to deliver a rover. SpaceX's ultimate goal, however, is not just to travel to Mars, but to colonize it.

Blue Origin

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos founded his space exploration company Blue Origin in 2000. The company motto is "Gradatim Ferociter," which is Latin for "step by step, ferociously," which feels apropos for Bezos. Blue Origin also aims to bring the cost of space travel down by reusing rockets. For now though, the company is putting its focus on suborbital flights for tourists. Blue Origin has had success with its New Shepherd rocket. They've launched and landed it five times. However, these were all suborbital flights, that only went about 60 miles from the surface of the Earth. While Blue Origin landed a rocket successfully before SpaceX did, Musk's company undertakes more difficult missions that go into orbital space.

Bezos is hoping to launch the space tourism arm of Blue Origin in 2017. The company is also developing a new rocket called the New Glenn that is believed to be powerful enough to complete more difficult missions, such as carrying satellites and payloads into orbit.

Virgin Galactic

Sir Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004 with the aim of taking tourists into space. The company has developed a reusable space plane, called SpaceShipTwo. This place takes flight much like a commercial airplane, just a lot faster at 2,500 mph. Virgin Galactic's mission is to take the plane about 10 miles above the Earth where it will then release a spaceship carrying passengers. That spaceship will go about 60 miles from Earth before returning. If you'd like to be a part of this mission, a ticket will set you back $250,000 and your fellow passengers will include Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber. There's only one problemVirgin Galactic has not yet pulled off a successful test flight that has gone more than 13 miles above the Earth. Additionally, in 2014, a spaceship from the company on a test mission exploded over California and killed the co-pilot. The company has been regrouping since that accident. The company only started flying test flights again last year. Virgin Galactic has not yet revealed when they expect to be open for space tourism business.

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Three Billionaires, Three Space Exploration Companies | Celebrity ... - Celebrity Net Worth

SOUTH EL MONTE >> AMRO Fabricating Corp. is about to provide NASA quite literally with a window into space.

The South El Monte company is constructing three structural segments that will comprise the astronaut module of NASAs Orion spacecraft, a vessel thats scheduled to send four astronauts beyond the moon and into deep space by the early 2020s.

The first completed segment which includes the frame for the windows through which the crew will view the moon and Earth was unveiled Wednesday at the companys Adelia Avenue headquarters. Another unfinished segment for the back of the module was also on display, and AMRO is working on a third segment that will include a hatch.

The unveiling drew a large and diverse gathering, including NASA and Lockheed Martin representatives who are involved in the development of Orion, and others representing area lawmakers, the city and the local business community.

Photos: South El Monte company unveils spacecraft components

NASA astronaut Lee Morin was also on hand. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and flew aboard the STS-110 spacecraft where he performed two spacewalks, totaling 14 hours and 9 minutes.

Mike Riley, AMROs chief executive officer, put his companys role in perspective.

This is a historic day for AMRO, and this is a historic day for American space exploration, because in just a few short years, American astronauts will be looking through those windows as they journey into deep space, he said, pointing to the rounded segment. Those astronauts will be riding on an American-made Orion spacecraft, which will be sitting atop an American-made rocket the largest rocket the world has ever seen.

Orion will be powered into space by NASAs Space Launch System or SLS, a rocket that stands taller than the Statue of Liberty and fires more than 8.4 million pounds of thrust. Thats equal to the power generated by 135 Boeing 747 jet engines.

AMRO is providing structural panels for the entire core stage of the rocket.

Both SLS and Orion have been very important programs for our company and have led to the creation of many jobs and new processes, technologies and capabilities for our country and for our nation, Riley said.

Paul Marshall, assistant program manager for NASAs Orion mission, said the spacecrafts performance and reliability will serve as a springboard for human missions to Mars in the 2030s.

All of it starts with parts built by AMRO, he said. Its a remarkable thing. Today we also showcase some of the benefits of our national investment in American manufacturing. Before us are some the worlds most complicated, most highly optimized parts that have ever been built.

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AMROs completed window panel will be shipped in the coming weeks to NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in preparation for welding to other sections.

Orion is the first spacecraft built for astronauts destined for deep space since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s. Its designed to go farther than humans have ever traveled, well beyond the moon, pushing the boundaries of spaceflight.

Founded in August 1977 by Michael K. and Thora A. Riley, AMRO was initially conducted out of the familys home until later that year when it was moved into an 8,000-square-foot building.

During that time, the company supported metal fabricating for such companies as Hepa Corp., Ryerson Steel and Calavar Corp. AMRO began venturing into the aerospace industry in late 1979, and today the family-owned business has about 200 employees and seven buildings with more than 300,000 square feet, including a facility on March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County that has a 14,000-square-foot runway.

The couples son, Steven, formerly served as the companys CEO and is now a director. Their daughter, Aquilina Hutton, formerly served as president and is also a director.

AMRO specializes in the manufacturing of lightweight metallic structures for demanding environments on missiles, launch vehicles and spacecraft. The companys annual sales exceed $70 million.

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South El Monte company unveils its parts to help Orion spacecraft reach deep space - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune

The twin Voyager spacecraft are celebrating 40 years of space travel as they continue to send data to NASA from the far-flung reaches of local space.

NASA reports that the Voyager craft communicates with ground control on a daily basis, despite being the longest-lived and furthest-travelling spacecraft ever launched.

The two space probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, each carry a copy of a Golden Record of images, sounds and messages from Earth. The recordings could endure for billions of years, carrying a record of human civilization deep into the galaxy.

Voyager 1 became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space when it passed beyond the outer reaches of the solar system. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to conduct a flyby of all the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The Voyager craft was the first to self-diagnose and address technical problems autonomously.

I believe that few missions can ever match the achievements of the Voyager spacecraft during their four decades of exploration, Thomas Zurbuchen of NASA said. They have educated us to the unknown wonders of the universe and truly inspired humanity to continue to explore our solar system and beyond.

Voyager 1, which launched on Sept. 5, 1977, is now nearly 13 billion miles from Earth. The probe has determined that cosmic rays are about four times more powerful in interstellar space than near Earth, suggesting that our solar systems heliosphere serves as a shield against outside radiation.

Voyager 2, launched on Aug. 20, 1977, is about 11 billion miles from Earth and should enter interstellar space within a few years. The probes are heading in opposite directions, allowing scientists to compare data collected from two sides of the solar systems neighborhood.

None of us knew, when we launched 40 years ago, that anything would still be working, and be continuing on this pioneering journey, Ed Stone of Caltech in Pasadena said. The most exciting thing they find in the next five years is likely to be something that we didnt know was out there to be discovered.

In honor of the occasion, NASA will beam an uplifting message from humanity into interstellar space on the 40th anniversary of Voyager 1s launch. The agency is holding a contest via social media to select the message. Contestants are encouraged to tag a short message #MessageToVoyager by August 15.

Kathy Fey is a freelance writer with a creative writing degree from Mount Holyoke College. She is an active blogger and erstwhile facilitator of science and engineering programs for children.

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Voyager celebrates 40 years of space exploration - The Space Reporter

Image Credit: NASA

Who hasnt dreamed of playing an integral role in mankinds exploration of space? The first written story of space travel appeared in the early 17th century, but cave paintings and hieroglyphics dating back tens of thousands of years seemingly reference rockets, spaceships and interstellar travelers. The 18th best television show of all time according to Rolling Stone is Star Trek, perhaps the definitive story of space exploration. And the 9th greatest movie of all time according to the Hollywood Reporter is 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Star Wars comes in at number 11.)

Elon Musk and his employees at Space Exploration Technologies Corporation better known as SpaceX get to live out that dream.

As written on the Los Angeles-area companys website, SpaceX manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

For decades, the only game in town when it came to working in space exploration were state-sponsored programs like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Russias Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (shortened to Roscosmos, and formerly known as the Russian Aviation and Space Agency) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA). But the founding of a handful of privately owned companies in the 2000s including SpaceX means you no longer have to take a government job if you want to toe the starting line of the space race.

Fifteen years after it was founded, SpaceX is among the leaders in spacecraft development (as is rival billionaire Jeff Bezos Blue Origin). As described in The New York Times, the company is best known for Mr. Musks goal of colonizing Mars, but it is also a key player in the business of sending commercial satellites into space. Its Falcon9 rockets have been launched 38 times since the first launch in 2010, with only one mission failure resulting in a rocket destruction.

SpaceX is also, one of the most valuable privately held companies in the world, with a valuation of around $21 billion.

Whats it like to work at SpaceX? According to former employee Josh Boehm:

There are almost no private offices, as just about everyone has a cubicle, including Elon. You get pretty much full access to the factory, and can walk around and explore on your breaks. Its amazing to be able to see the process of building a rocket, basically from start to finish. They even have cameras set around the factory, so you can watch whats going on from your desk. Depending on your department the culture can be quite different. My department was pretty flexible about where and when you work, just so long as you got your work done, where as other departments had time cops and you have to clock in and out. Communication is very open, and even Elon is approachable if you have a good reason.

But that flexibility is paired with a heavy workload and a high level of stress:

While no one will be forcing you to, youll end up working crazy long hours, just to keep up with your workload, and because you dont want to leave the place. A phrase Ive heard thrown around SpaceX frequently is everyone is their own slave driver. I was frequently there late at night for my job, and I never really felt alone. The factory is always alive and cranking out rockets no matter what time of day or night you go there.

Boehms description aligns with the findings published in PayScales recent report, Tech Companies Compared: Salaries, Tenure and Corporate Culture.

Of the 52 companies we surveyed, employees of SpaceX reported the highest level of stress attributed to their job; 86 percent of SpaceX employees reported that their work environment was Fairlystressful or Extremely stressful when asked How stressful is your job/work environment? Thats more stressful than the infamously stressful Amazon (64 percent) and this is despite the fact that the the median mid-career salary at SpaceX is last on our list, at $80,000. (The top-ranked company on our list based on median mid-career salary is Zendesk, at $186,000.)

But SpaceX employees clearly arent in it for the money. Again, according to our data, employees of the company report the highest job meaning of any of the companies we surveyed. Ninety percent of SpaceX respondents answered Very much so or Yes to the question, Does your work make the world a better place?

Boehms account of his time with the company matches up with our findings:

The job satisfaction and team camaraderie is like nowhere else. Every time there is a launch, everyone crowds around mission control and cheers it on. Getting your mission patch after a launch was always a very satisfying feeling. If there was ever a failure, you definitely felt it in the air, but it wouldnt stop any of us from working or demotivate us. If youre considering working for SpaceX, I would highly recommend pursuing it, as its an incredibly rewarding experience.

No surprise here. Space, the final frontier, is ripe for exploration and colonization, and play even a small part in that historic undertaking is the dream of millions.

If youre interested in working for SpaceX, you can view the job openings on their website, here.

With any luck, youll land the job of your dreams and launch your career into the future.

See 52 top tech companies compared in our report, Tech Companies Compared: Salaries, Tenure and Corporate Culture.

Do you want to take part in the space race by working for a space exploration company? Tell us your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter.

aerospace industry best jobs career in tech careers in tech NASA SpaceX working at SpaceX

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Working at SpaceX: Low Pay, High Stress and a Chance to Be Part of History - PayScale Career News (blog)

Of course, everyone in the Baby Boom generation remembers how uniting and inspiring the early orbits and moon landings were. Such heroic efforts, much like wars, also advance learning and technology, often beyond any expectations.

Today we have billionaires and tech leaders from Telsa Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEOElon Musk to Richard Branson planning civilian trips around the moon as early as next year leading the parade to Mars and its colonization and mining asteroids for precious and rare metals.

This may all sound kind of far out and unaffordable, maybe even wasteful, but one thing I know about leading-edge technologies is that they grow and improve exponentially, and, if viable, ultimately become affordable to the masses.

Who would have thought, when airplanes were first invented in the early 1900s, that today the everyday person could fly halfway around the world in less than 20 hours for just $1,000? Steamships took many months to do the same thing! Today we hardly think twice about the trip!

So, is this sort of out-of-the-box thinking by creative genii hype or reality?

My opinion is its both! It starts out as hype. The big dream. The stuff of science fiction. With time, it becomes reality.

Still, Im skeptical, as I know some of you are, based on your responses to Teresas question in the Saturday wrap-up

The payoffs from space exploration could take a long time to be felt back here on Earth. Likely, none of us will be alive to enjoy any of it.

Also, theres the old saying, stick to your knitting. Just because Elon Musk succeeded in jump-starting the electric car and home battery systems doesnt mean he can succeed at space travel ditto for Branson (maybe even more so because hes much less high tech).

The comedian and political commentator, Bill Maher, recently derided major expenditures on space exploration and the creation of colonies on Mars. He had a long list of advantages of Earth versus our red neighbor, including things like we have oxygen, Mars doesnt.

Besides, why would anyone want to spend 115 days flying to the red planet (the current optimist estimates of how long the trip would take), when you can fly to Arizona in a few hours?

However, free markets should be allowed to decide what makes sense for future investments, even though most early-stage attempts will and do necessarily fail.

They dont do it alone though. Government spending on large scale R&D that even large businesses cant afford often has huge payoffs for more practical innovations down the road, including the internet and GPS.

And as Stephen Sandford reveals in his book Gravity Well, there are dozens and dozens of technologies we use in our everyday lives now that wouldnt exist if it werent for our desire to travel to the stars.

With all of that said, there are two big questions to consider:

1. How much investment in the space drive is too much?

This question divides us as a nation (as do many things these days). Some believe the money would be better spent elsewhere. Others believe were not spending nearly enough. Im somewhere in the middle. We should explore, innovate, and advance. But we shouldnt go stupidly overboard.

2. Whats next?

This is the question that Stephen will attempt to answer when he addresses the audience in his keynote at this years Irrational Economic Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. And hes probably the person best positioned to provide realistic answers, having spent decades in the industry.

For me, Im most interested in hearing about the developments underway for mining rare minerals from the moon or asteroids. How close to reality is that? I suspect that this will really only start to become viable closer to the 2040s, when the next commodity cycle turns around and heads back down. If we can get at the space minerals in a cost-effective way, it would send prices of those same minerals on Earth into a negative spiral because supply would no longer be finite.

Only time will tell, but Im dying to hear what Stephen has to share with us. Join me.

Harry Follow me on Twitter@harrydentjr

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Space Exploration and Travel: Is It Crazy or Inevitable? - Investorplace.com

NASAs Voyager-2 mission celebrates #40 Years of #space exploration this month. The ground breaking mission, now 11 billion miles away from planet Earth, continues to explore the vastness of space outside planet Earth.

The journey of the Voyagers is the journey of man. The story of these crafts made a huge impact to several generations of current and future scientists. The journey has also touched the culture of Earth including its music, film, arts, and culture.

The #Voyager 2 carries a special cargo. Inside the craft is a Golden Record of the life on Earth. The circular time capsule fitted in inside the space ship carries Earths music, including messages and pictures of its people.

And since the Voyager is expected to last for billions of years more, time may come that this record will become the final trace, the only proof that once, the civilization of human existed on the face of the Earth. Times of India reports that the Voyager 1, the twin ship of Voyager 2, also carries a similar record.

Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate (SMD) at NASA Headquarters believe that the achievements of the Voyager mission are hard to match. The four decades journey has enlightened the human race and opened opportunities to explore the wonders of the infinite universe. The Voyagers have also served as the beacon of hope, the inspiration for men to continue to explore the space beyond Earth.

The twin space crafts were both launched into space in 1977.

Voyager 2 was launched on August 20 while its twin spacecraft, the Voyager 1, left for space on September 5. Ever since their take-off, the Voyager crafts have set significant records that are considered milestones in the history of space exploration.

The Voyager 1 is the only craft that successfully entered the interstellar space. Its twin, Voyager 2, is the only space vehicle that was able to reach the four outer planets of the Solar System which include Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus.

The planetary encounters of the Voyagers have revealed the presence of an active volcano on the surface of Io, Jupiters moon. The twin crafts have also discovered clues that hinted a subsurface ocean on Europa, another moon orbiting Jupiter. Their trip to Saturn also revealed that Titan, one of Saturns moons have an atmosphere that is similar to that of planet Earth. The Voyagers have also led us to discover Uranus icy moon Miranda and the geysers that lie on the surface of Triton, a moon of Neptune.

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Voyager-2 celebrates 40 years of space exploration - Blasting News

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20:52 07.08.2017(updated 20:55 07.08.2017) Get short URL

The recent foray of Ghana into space exploration provides immense business opportunities for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which boasts the most cost-effective launch vehicle.

New Delhi (Spuntik) Ghana recently launched its first ever satellite, GhanaSat-1, fromNASA's International Space Station. A group ofstudents atGhana's All Nations University (ANU) built the satellite, which weighs about1 kg and will orbit 400kms abovethe earth. Launched last month, it will help Ghana tomonitor its coastline aswell ashelp other activities toboost e-governance.

AFP 2017/ ALEXANDER KLEIN

The ground station atthe ANU's laboratory is awaiting first signals fromthe satellite. The $500,000 project that began in2015 has the support ofthe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

"The launch will help us train the upcoming generation onhow toapply satellites indifferent activities aroundour region. For instance, [monitoring] illegal mining is one ofthe things we are looking toaccomplish," the BBC quoted Richard Damoah, director ofthe Space Systems Technology Laboratory atthe ANU, assaying.

Ghana is now reportedly planning tolaunch GhanSat 2 intothe space, equipping it withbetter cameras and using it formonitoring deforestation and the usage ofwater inthe country.

ISRO, which created history bylaunching more than100 satellites earlier this year, sees immense business opportunities insuch endeavors byAfrican countries, according toexperts.

"ISRO definitely aims tocommercially tap the multi-billion dollar global space market aswell, which will grow only asnations realise the usefulness ofsatellites forEarth observation, telecommunications and a host ofother objectives. When it comes tosatellite launches, ISRO has a distinct advantage asit could deliver it ina cost-effective way asseen duringthe launch of104 satellites inFebruary earlier this year," Dr Mayank Vahia, scientist inthe department ofAstronomy and Astrophysics atthe Mumbai-based TATA Institute ofFundamental Research, told Sputnik.

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India Eyes Big Business with Africa in Space Exploration - Sputnik International

August 7, 2017 11:36 AM BySamuel R. Murrian Parade @SamuelR_Murrian More by Samuel R.

Just over 500 people in human history have traveled to space, and former NASA astronautsJeff HoffmanandJerry M. Linengerare among them. Hoffman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and made five space flights, including the first mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. Eastpointe, Michigan-born Linenger is a retired captain in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, and has flown on the space shuttle Atlantisand Russian space station Mir.

They are both involved inNational Geographicchannels highly anticipated and ambitious One Strange Rock, an event series exploring the conditions that make Earth the only planet known to sustain life. Hoffman and Linenger will each host one episode of the show, which is produced by Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky(Black Swan,Requiem for a Dream).One Strange Rock is slated for an early 2018 premiere.

ParadeattendedNational Geographics annual Nerd Nite bash on the roof of the Kimpton Solamar Hotel in downtown San Diego during Comic-Con weekend. During the lively party, Hoffman and Linenger each gave passionate talks about their experiences in space and their involvement in One Strange Rock. Afterward, we talked to them about what inspired them to pursue careers in space travel, their favorite science fiction movies and the future of our planet.

What made you want to go into space travel?

Hoffman: When I was a little kid, in the 1950s before sputnikat that point the Space Age was still mostly science fiction. I read about sounding rockets that were being launched, and monkeys going into space, but essentially my childhood heroes were the science fiction guys: Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. It was really exciting because I lived through the beginning of the real Space Age when sputnik was launched and then the first people went into space. All of the early astronauts were military test pilots, so I never really looked at being an astronaut, although I was always fascinated with the idea. It wasnt a realistic career goal, because I was never going to be a military pilot. I was interested in science and space. I actually became a professional astronomer.

It was really when the space shuttle came along in the 1970s, and the shuttle had a crew of seven and they only needed two pilots that really opened things up for scientists, engineers and medical doctors. When NASA put out a call for the first group of shuttle astronauts, thats when I applied and I was lucky enough to get selected. That changed my life.

Linenger:When I was 14 looking at the moon, I thought I wanted to be an astronaut someday. I went home and said, Dad, I want to be an astronaut. He could have said, Jerry, forget it. Set your sights on something more realistic. Your odds of being an astronaut are one in a billion. But he didnthe put him arm around me and said, This is America, work hard and study hard, and you can be anything you set your mind to. When I was up in orbit, during rough times on the space station, Id be running on a treadmill and I could feel his presence. I could feel him telling me he was glad I made it and he was proud of me. That tells me that youre never really alone. That tells me you always have people around you who care about you to draw on. You could say thats a coping mechanism, but I choose to believe that was my dads presence helping me.

How would you describe the feeling of being in space to someone who has never been?

Hoffman:Its a feeling of freedom, and being able to do things physically that you would never dream of. Thats why its such a delightful feeling. I really think theres a future for commercial space travel, because people will pay to have that incredible experience. Its a joy; its an ecstasy. Your body has no weight and you have the freedom to move around in ways that you maybe dreamed of before but could never do it.

How has space travel changed your life?

Linenger: I used to be a different person, a real stoic old Naval officer. Up there, I got in touch with being a human being. When I give talks like I did tonight, or in this show coming up, were hitting at some serious human emotions and feelings, and what its like in space. It makes you take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

What is it aboutOne Strange Rockthat made you want to get involved?

Hoffman: When they contacted me, I thought it was an honor to be asked by National Geographic to work on a project. Then, when they described it to me, the idea of explaining some of the unique things about our planet that make it one strange rock, and that each of the episodes would be hosted by an astronaut given that weve had the opportunity to look at our planet from such a different perspective, I thought that was also a very nice idea.

Linenger: This show was very much on a personal level. My episode is on death. The show made me think about that kind of stuff. My bodys atoms of the Big Bang are in me, and now I need to be there for my kids and to perpetuate the next generation and leave something behind.

Are there any films about space that really stand out to you as accurate portrayals of space?

Linenger:The Martian(2015). As an astronaut watching that movie, everythingMatt Damons character did in that movie was something I was trained to do. The only question was could I execute one thing after another under pressure like that? Im not sure that I could, and Im not sure any astronaut could. The big insight for me in that movie is he used about 65% of the knowledge I have gained in my training. It was fun to watch.

I took my daughter and her class to seeHidden Figures(2016). My girl is 16, and her eyes lit up. Im always encouraging her, and telling her she can do anything. Weve got it pretty darn good in the U.S.if youve got the drive, you can do it. I tell her that all the time.

Apollo 13(1995)was fabulous.Gravity(2013) in 3Dis the closest Ifeltto being in space. As an audience, if you want to know what it feels like, that gives you a pretty good feel, even though some of the details are a little farfetched.

Hoffman: So many science fiction movies and articleshow should I put it kindlythey just, get it wrong. In the case ofThe Martian, just like withApollo 13, they did their best to get it right. Its a pleasure when that happens. And they made a good story out of it. Its a real public service, because people get the feelingyou know, maybe we really could go to Mars someday. And thats important. Thats one role that science fiction plays that I think is maybe not appreciated enough. Science fiction has been around for a long time. And its given people the belief that we can go to space, that these things are possible. And thats important because if you dont think that something is possible, youre not going to try to do it.

Do you think that young people today are being educated enough about the world around them, and about space exploration?

Linenger: Yes, I think theyre in the right spot at the right time and Im envious. My goal in life right now is to help launch them, because theyve got so much more potential than I had when I was their age. When Im talking to teenagers, I tell them the sky is not the limit. Space was what I got to, and I dont know what their limits are going to be.

Hoffman: First of all, space exploration is not in the news these days in the ways that it was during the early days of the space program. Its something that people have gotten used toThe really nice thing is nowadays for people who are genuinely interested, you dont have to get your news from the main news channels. With all of the different media today, if you want to find out whats going on there are a hundred different ways you can get that information. The NASA website is mobbed after every Mars probe or fly by Pluto, because even though its not on the evening news every night, theres a lot of interest out there.

Is there any advice youd want to give young people who are considering a career in space travel?

Hoffman: Weve barely scratched the surface. Its been 50 years since we flew more than a few hundred miles away from the EarthIf this is something that kids are interested in, work really hard and build up your technical knowledge because space flight is a highly technical enterprise. You need your physics, math, chemistry and computers. Dont be afraid to dream of difficult things, but realize that youre going to have to work hard to make your dreams come true.

Linenger: My main point I tell people is youve got to love what youre doing. Youve got to have passion for what youre doing. If you do, youll do it well. Thats the key to becoming an astronaut. You better have a great thirst for knowledge, and curiosity better be a big driver within you. Set your sights on big things, and even if you dont quite make it, at least youre going in a good direction and you have lots of other good options.

Being astronauts, you have a truly unique perspective of Earth. What are some of your hopes and fears for Earth for the next 100 years?

Linenger: One thing I will say is that on a space station I had to support life. When I was working up there, it took a lot of my time and a lot of my effort to keep myself alive and to make it a habitable environment. Planet Earth is wondrous. Its incredible. Its evolved over millions and millions of years, and its buffering ability is majestic. It can take a lot of insult, but we cant overdo it. Were getting to the point where were overdoing it. With just some common sense measures on all of our parts and well be just fine.

Hoffman: The first thing that most astronauts will tell you when we look at the Earth is what a beautiful planet it is. When you look closely, there are some pretty scary things that you can see. We can see some of the ecological damage that were doing to our planet from the cosmic perspective. You see the destruction of a rainforest, the pollution of rivers, the pollution over big cities. I think a lot of astronauts come back from space with an increased ecological sensitivity that we try to share with other people when we talk about it.

One Strange Rock will premiere on National Geographicin the first quarter of 2018, date TBD.

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Former Astronauts Talk About Space Travel, Their Favorite Sci-Fi Movies and the Future of Our Planet - Parade

Aug.07.2017 / 1:30 PM ET

Terry Virts was a NASA astronaut from 2000 to 2016. He flew two space missions: STS-130 in 2010, and ISS Expedition 42/43 in 2014-2015. You can follow Terry at @AstroTerry. His forthcoming book, View From Above, will go on sale on October 3, 2017.

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We Americans are an optimistic bunch. Just compare Hollywood movies with foreign films, and youll see a big difference in worldview we love it when the good guys win. I believe this difference goes all the way back to Manifest Destiny, the 19th Century belief that American settlers were destined to expand across the continent.

But when it comes to space exploration, Manifest Destiny doesnt apply. And if we choose simply to rest on the laurels of being the first nation to send humans to the moon, or on the achievements of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS), we will be surpassed by nations whose people are humble and hungry.

As a former NASA astronaut who is troubled by our ever-shifting goals for space, I dont want this to happen. If we dont have a destination, we'll never get anywhere. A decade ago, NASA was pursuing the Constellation program, whose goal was to develop a new space capsule and related systems that would ferry humans to the ISS before taking us to the moon and then to Mars and beyond. But Constellation was cancelled in 2010, ostensibly for budgetary reasons, and since then the U.S. has lacked a coherent strategy for human spaceflight. So I am proposing the following plan that ultimately would send humans to Mars. This plan sets concrete goals, and would inspire future generations of scientists and engineers and bring nations together to solve the many technological and political challenges we face here on Earth.

With these modest goals in mind, let us begin with past as prologue...

NASAs moon program of the late 1960s actually played out over three distinct programs: Mercury, Gemini, and last and most famous Apollo. The initial phase, Mercury, proved that we could fly humans in space. Gemini, the least well known of the three programs, was even more critical. It created and tested the technologies that would be needed for the moon landings that were to follow. These included long-duration missions, spacewalking, the development of computers and software, and protocols for the rendezvous and docking of spacecraft flying in formation at thousands of miles per hour.

Finally, of course, Apollo was the fulfillment of President Kennedys famous charge that we should land a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth. But again, Neil and Buzz and the men who followed them would never have made it to the moon without Mercury or Gemini.

I give this brief history because I believe the next strategy we pursue in space should parallel the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo model. First and most important, we need a vision. In the 1960s it was to put a man on the moon. Now it should be to send humans to Mars and back beginning in the 2030s, with increasingly long-duration missions to the planets surface. This vision is clear, and it goes beyond mere boot prints and flags. Long-term goals should be to understand the environmental, geological, and biological history of Mars, but also to set the stage for human settlements on the red planet.

The ISS has been the equivalent of Project Mercury, proving that humans can live and work in space for long periods of time. (I myself recently spent 200 consecutive days in space.) But the next phase of our space program like the Gemini program must be used to develop and test the critical technologies that will be needed for eventual missions to Mars. These technologies should be demonstrated on the ISS as well as on the moon.

The most important of these critical technologies is advanced space propulsion. With existing rocket technology, a round-trip to Mars would take three years. The astronauts aboard would need a huge amount of supplies and would be exposed to dangerous radiation for the entire trip. Whats more, ensuring the reliability of critical equipment for a three-year mission would be costly, if not impossible.

Electric space propulsion engines could send a crew to Mars and back in roughly one year, dramatically lowering the radiation risk and circumventing the other problems associated with a three-year mission. A one-year mission would also cost a lot less, since it would take hundreds of thousands of dollars per pound to send stuff to Mars.

Electric engines have been used for decades on small satellites but have never been scaled up to a size capable of sending humans into space. The elephant in the room is that a 50-megawatt nuclear reactor would be needed for such massive engines. And the political challenges of sending such a reactor into space are probably more difficult than the technical challenges.

There are other Gemini technologies we will need to develop before travelling to the red planet. These include reliable life-support systems, such as CO2 removal, and water and oxygen recycling; equipment capable of launching and recovering crews at the highest speeds humans have ever flown; habitats and rovers that could be landed and robotically assembled on the Martian surface; space suits that would let astronauts live and work on Mars without frequent servicing; a Martian navigation and communication satellite network; innovative ways to protect crews from radiation; and finally, surface-based nuclear power to provide enough electricity for human survival.

This is a lot of expensive work, and making this project international would make it more affordable. But there are other, more important reasons to make this a multinational mission. Astronauts from many countries working aboard the ISS have demonstrated a level of cooperation that is often missing down here on Earth; I recently commanded the ISS during the height of U.S.-Russian tensions, and I am proud of how well my international crew of astronauts and cosmonauts worked together. And without the stabilizing influence of partners, its doubtful that the U.S. would have the political attention span to stick with a long-term Mars program.

Finally, this project must have bipartisan buy-in here in the U.S. The president should unveil and promote this vision alongside the minority leaders of the House and Senate. If not, it will be doomed to cancellation once his administration ends.

If we do these things promote a coherent vision for space exploration, build international cooperation, and pursue a Gemini-style program of technology development well be flying our next Apollo missions to Mars in the near future. And if we fail to do these things? There will be no 21st Century Manifest Destiny for the U.S. Instead of securing our place in history, well watch as other, more forward-thinking nations secure theirs.

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Ex-Astronaut Offers Bold Three-Step Plan to Put Humans on Mars - NBCNews.com

Jason Rhian

August 6th, 2017

Photo Credit: Mark Usciak / SpaceFlight Insider

OSHKOSH, Wis. When one thinks of air shows, images of sleek fighter planes, aerial acrobats spinning plumes of smoke and old warbirds majestically flying past spectators. However, with ever-increasing regularity, spacecraft and astronauts are becoming key participants in these shows. The recent EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2017 air show was no exception.

Guests at Oshkosh 2017 can be seen circling round Blue Origins New Shepard display. Image Credit: Jeff Bezos / Twitter

NASAs new super heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion programs were represented at Oshkosh, with prime contractors Orbital ATK, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin and Boeing attending. However, without a doubt, the biggest draw at this years air show was Blue Origins New Shepard rocket and capsule.

Blue Origins Founder Jeff Bezos posted an aerial picture from Oshkosh 2017 showing attendees lining up to tour New Shepard on Twitter the line can be seen stretching and arcing around and around. However, hardware wasnt the only draw for the show.

With Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Frank Borman, Walt Cunningham, Fred Haise, Jim Lovell and Al Worden, and retired NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz Oshkosh 2017 had some serious star power from the brave men and women who kicked open the door of the Space Age more than 50 years ago. Some more recent members of this elite cadre were on hand for Oshkosh 2017.

The Space Launch System and Orion industry team was pleased by the excitement at EAA AirVenture for the SLS and Orion programs, Charlie Precourt, general manager and vice president, Orbital ATKs Propulsion Systems Division, and four-time space shuttle astronaut told SpaceFlight Insider. Its great to see our youth planning to be the first people on Mars, and they know the rocket theyre going to fly is NASAs Space Launch System.

Precourts involvement with this years Oshkosh was beneficial in terms of promoting NASAs long term space ambitions. With the space agency planning on sending crews to deep space destinations within the next decade, the four-time shuttle veteran was joined bySLS Strategic Communications Manager Marcia Lindstrom who moderated a discussion that detailed the new rockets capabilities. He was joined on the panel discussion byBoeings Tony Castilleja, Kim Couch, and Orbital ATKs Jeremy Redden. By all accounts, Oshkosh 2017 helped provide the public with more information about the new rocket and spacecraft.

The SLS/Orion exhibit was in NASAs building at Oshkosh (some 881 commercial exhibitors were at this years air show) and saw more foot traffic than in the last five years at the airshow.When one considers the volume of attendees at Oshkosh 2017, that is substantial.

More than 10,000 aircraft arrived for the air show (with some 2,991 showplanes), with an estimated 590,000 guests attending. With each passing year, Oshkosh continues to increase its aeronautical and space flight awareness efforts, something the shows producers have worked to emphasize.

What an incredible year it was at Oshkosh. From the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Apollo reunion, to new aviation innovations on display and two B-29s flying formation as part of 75 years of bombers on parade, it was a week filled with OnIy at Oshkosh moments, said the EAAs Chairman Jack Pelton via a release. You could feel the energy as thousands of airplanes arrived early and stayed longer, pushing aircraft camping to capacity for most of the event. The aviators and enthusiasts who attended were engaged, eager, and passionate, demonstrating how Oshkosh is the best example of why general aviation is so vitally important to the country. I believe its the best AirVenture week that Ive ever seen.

Airshows often highlight the past, present and future of space exploration initiatives and the EAA Airventure 2017 Oshkosh festival - was no exception. Held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the event ran from July 24-30, 2017 and saw scores of personal aircraft, military jets, war birds, rockets, spacecraft and even Apollo-era astronauts attend. Photos courtesy: Patrick Franklin, Mark Usciak

Tagged: Blue Origin Charlie Precourt EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2017 Jeff Bezos NASA Orbital ATK The Range

Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.

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2017 Oshkosh air show puts 'space' in Aerospace - SpaceFlight Insider