Category Archives: Space Exploration

It was a balmy morning in the west Texas desert when Chris Boshuizen stepped into Jeff Bezos Blue Origin rocket capsule for a journey most of us will never experience.

He waved a quick goodbye to the Amazon billionaire and took his seat next to William Shatner as the capsule door bolted shut.

For Boshuizen, this was a dream a lifetime in the making, ever since his parents took the family to Parkes, a town in his native Australia with longstanding links to astronomy. There, staring out from the same telescope that once transmitted images from the Apollo 11 Moon landing, a curiosity for the great unknown was born.

Now, 37 years later, almost 14,000km from home and strapped to a rocket launcher, the former Nasa developer found himself seated next to Shatner who captivated the world in his role as Captain James Kirk of Star Treks USS Enterprise. Also onboard were Audrey Powers, a Blue Origin executive, and Glen de Vries, chief executive of the clinical research firm Medidata Solutions.

Im a space dork, Boshuizen tells the Guardian days after his return to Earth. Ive always wanted to be an astronaut The day I learned I was flying to space, I babbled like a boy with a new toy.

After a lifetime of dreaming and 20 years of work, the physicist and engineer last week saw his boyhood dream come true, becoming the third Australian citizen to go to space.

On 9 October, Boshuizen flew from his home in San Francisco to Van Horn, a small, rural Texas town near the Mexico border. For the next five nights he would live in Bezos Astronaut Village, a state-of-the-art preflight residence.

All four crew members underwent days of extensive astronaut training, including flight simulations and zero-gravity workshops, that were designed to prepare the team for space flight in the lead-up to launch day.

From start to finish, every aspect of the journey was rehearsed and honed, from meetings with engineers and control teams to flight-suit fittings and emergency procedure training.

Boshuizen was awake before the sun rose on 13 October launch day. He admits feeling a little nervous but any anxiety was dulled by the excitement shared between the four passengers.

I had a little time to contemplate my mortality and assess the risk, he says. Ive done all the due diligence I can.

At T-45 minutes the crew departed the Astronaut Training Center to make the 10-minute journey to the launch pad site, chauffeured by Bezos. At nearly 20 metres tall and four metres wide, the New Shepard was a daunting sight in the sparse desert valley.

Boshuizen ascended the tower and walked across the air bridge to the crew capsule. The astronauts loaded into the 15-cubic-metre crew capsule to be strapped into their seats.

At T-25 min Boshuizen was the final passenger to board as last-minute safety checks prepared the team for liftoff. With just 15 minutes to launch, Bezos pulled the hatch closed as sit back and relax sounded from mission control.

Its like a submarine door and you hear this steel bang and they lock it down and you think Im stuck here, Im not getting out, Boshuizen recalled.

Finally, a 10-second countdown boomed and the rocket propelled from the ground.

It felt no worse than a steep airplane take off, Boshuizen says, dispelling the idea that the sheer force of the propulsion would rattle and shake the capsule like the movies.

As the rocket approached the Krmn Line, the internationally recognised boundary of space at 100km above mean sea level, the capsule separated from the booster and officially sailed into space.

It only takes four to seven minutes to get to space, Boshuizen says, adding: Its very, very quick.

Boshuizen took with him a 1.5kg cargo bag. Packed inside was a Lego figurine of an astronaut.

At 100km above mean sea level, the minifigure a childhood toy and throwback to his lifelong fascination with space jiggled loose and started to somersault through the cabin. Boshuizen unbuckled his seat as he, too, somersaulted in the air.

The three to four minutes spent without the pull of gravity were so natural, he says. Theres nothing strange about it at all.

The crew floated together to take a selfie, noses soon pressed against the windows to view the curve of earth.

It really got me deep in the chest, Boshuizen says. The experience was so moving the crew were sobbing.

Seeing the edge of the atmosphere a thin, brilliant sapphire shield around the planet was an uncanny experience, he adds. Closing my eyes now, I still feel that irresistible tug pulling my heart from my chest and out over the edge of the world.

Ive watched every movie, Ive seen every astronaut talk about space and photos of the curvature of the Earth in light of the atmosphere, the blackness of space, and I realise when I got up there those words are just completely inadequate in describing what I saw.

It was more beautiful and more dazzling and more frightening than I ever imagined.

The descent back to Earth was as quick as the ascent. As the capsule hit the atmosphere, Boshuizen says, he felt like a stone being thrown into a river, splashing at the surface and then floating gently to the bottom.

Just over 10 minutes after launching, the crew touched back to Earth in a cloud of dust, at 9.59am CDT.

First to meet them was Bezos, opening the hatch to the applause of waiting family and friends. Boshuizen was third to disembark as champagne bottles were popped and Bezos announced: Welcome to a very small club.

Boshuizen now holds the sought-after title of being among fewer than 600 people who have seen the Earth from space.

After achieving his childhood goal, Boshuizen has a new aim: to make getting to space as easy as catching a bus.

The idea of living and working in space will become a reality, he says. The first 60 years of space exploration were the domain of governments now space has become the domain of ordinary citizens.

In just over half a century, humankind has completely changed. Things that used to take an entire country can now be done by you and me.

Addressing critics, the astronaut is quick to dispel assertions that trips like these are nothing more than space tourism.

Its interesting seeing human spaceflight start with a joke and people deprecating it as just tourism because they dont understand whats coming next, he says.

This is not tourism, its the beginning of something really powerful. I think we are just around the corner of seeing what human spaceflight can really mean for us

Human space exploration [can] look weird and scary and strange to people who dont understand, and thats OK. My job is to hold a steady course and and not give up and keep building things that I think are valuable for you for the planet.

Its the beginning of something really big and I think if you fast forward 50 years were going to look back at 2021 as the year it all began. This is the space race version 2.0.

Its something the venture capitalist is particularly passionate about. We must go to space if we are to save this Earth If we have more information about our changing planet, we can be stewards of the planet. You cant fix something if you dont know about it.

Space has always been present, the stars shine down on us as they did our ancestors [it] begins a mere 60 miles above us but for most of human history it has remained tantalisingly out of reach. One day quite soon entire generations will look down on the Earth as the first astronauts did and fall in love again with our great blue planet, one by one.

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How it feels to go into space: 'More beautiful and dazzling and frightening than I ever imagined' - The Guardian

An old saying among foreign policy circles stated that while the kingdom of heaven runs on righteousness the kingdoms of the Earth run on oil. However, because of concerns about climate change, the fracking boom in the United States and the discovery of oil and gas deposits offshore of the State of Israel the old reality no longer applies.

The new reality is that the kingdoms of the Earth run on high technology. Few countries have moved so quickly to adapt as the United Arab Emirates. The UAE, as part of a shift toward high tech, has started its own space program. In a few short years, the Arab gulf state has become a major space power.

The UAE is pursuing a strategy that includes developing its own space capabilities and seeking both international and commercial partners for its various space missions. The UAE is also nurturingits own indigenous commercial space sector. The strategy has met with considerable success.

TheHope Mars probewas developed in house, assembled by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder and was launched on board a Japanese rocket. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre recentlyreleased a treasure trove of datafrom the probe for anyone to evaluate and use. The data show, among other things, how Martian atmospheric gasses interact with each other and with solar radiation.

The Rashid lunar rover will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and will be taken to the lunar surfaceon a Japanese lander. The Rashid will land on the Lacus Somniorum region of themoons near side in late 2022.

The UAE intends to mount a mission to themain asteroid belt in 2028. The probe, which has not been named yet, will conduct gravity-assist maneuvers at Venus and Earth, arriving at the main belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in 2030. It will fly by seven asteroids before landing on another one in 2033. The University of Colorado Boulders Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics will be a key scientific partner.

Finally, the UAE and Israel havesigned an agreementpledging cooperation, among other projects, in the Beresheet 2 moon mission. The agreement further cementsrelations between the two countries, which have become commercial and defense allies, in the wake of the Abraham Accords.

The UAE hasits own astronaut corps, including astronauts are Hazzaa Al Mansoori, Sultan Al Neyadi, Nora Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla. Al Mansoori has already flown a week-long mission to the International Space Station, riding to the orbiting laboratory on a Russian Soyuz. Al Matrooshi is the first Arab woman astronaut. She has expressed interestin being included in a future Artemis mission to the moon.

Besides a growth of technology, the UAE-based National News reports that the UAEs space program has sparked a space culture in the Arab gulf state. The Emirates space culture has been manifested in a growth of astrophotography and other visual art.

The UAEs space program, and its power to positively affect that countrys economy and culture could serve as a model for other countries. NASA and the new space commercial sector have certainly proven to be a positive influence in the United States, a country much in need of something to feel good about.

Too often, developments in the Islamic world have proven to be tragic. The recent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban is a case in point, with the resulting collapse of that countrys economy and the chronic human rights violations, especially against women.

The UAEs turn toward technology development and education harkens back to the early history of the Islamic world, when that region was a center of science, mathematics and medicine. The fact that STEM in the Arab gulf state has been of benefit to women should not go unnoticed. Besides Nora Matrooshi,Sara Al Amiriwas recently elevated to become the UAEs first Minister of Advanced Science and the chairperson of that countrys space agency.

The UAE was an early signatory of theArtemis Accords, an alliance of states pledging cooperation in the movement of humankind to the moon, Mars and beyond. Thus, the Arab gulf state will be a major force in the exploration of space.

MarkR.Whittingtonis the authorofspace explorationstudiesWhy is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?as well asThe Moon, Mars and Beyond,andWhy is America Going Back to the Moon?He blogs atCurmudgeons Corner.

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The UAE is becoming a major space power | TheHill - The Hill

The Ramon Crater in Israels Negev desert has been transformed into a Martian base camp. Giving scientists and astronauts the chance to experience what life might be like when humans venture to the red planet.

During the one-month-long mission, six astronauts will sleep, eat and conduct experiments at the Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station (D-MARS). Experiments will serve as a simulation for future human and robotic Mars exploration missions.

When required to venture outside, the astronauts wear mock space suits fitted with cameras, microphones and self-contained breathing systems for data collection.

D-MARS is located in the Negev desert in southern Israel, which is an extremely arid environment. This makes it the perfect location to simulate life on Mars, as the region typically experiences no rainfall from June to October.

To simulate the challenges of a real base camp on Mars, D-MARS runs completely off-grid, harnessing wind and solar energy. This green energy also powers the rovers and drones used by the astronauts in their experiments.

Space travel has long been responsible for new and important inventions. From the all-important NASA space pen to cochlear implants, scientists are hopeful that solutions to long-term space travel could help make our own planet a greener one.

Multiple missions have taken place at the Ramon Crater since D-MARS was built in 2018. However, this current mission is possibly the most ambitious.

Staffed by six astronauts from Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, the mission will run until the end of October, and sees the Austrian Space Forum working in cooperation with the Israel Space Agency.

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These photos show life on Mars training camp in the Israeli desert - Euronews

Microstates were, for many centuries, the most common form of political structure in Europe. A handful of these tiny nations, such as Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino, still exist today. What makes these surviving countries so interesting is the seeming irrationality of their existence. While much larger empires have risen and fallen, microstates have somehow endured despite having limited land and natural resources. How? Because of their ability to reinvent themselves over the centuries.

To compensate for a lack of economic power and to counterbalance the substantial asymmetry with larger states, successful microstates have historically focused their economy on a select number of industries, leaving less relevant or uneconomical sectors aside. The great dilemma they face today is to determine which industries should be prioritized in the years to come. It is only through a focused economy that they will find a modern and invigorated economic and political raison dtre.

An industry with high growth potential, almost unlimited development opportunities and of significant strategic interest is the space industry. Previously seen as a source of national pride reserved only for superpowers, space exploration has now become the focus of emerging and smaller nations due to its economic and strategic importance. But defining where commercial interests end and where military interests begin is no easy task. These are often overlapping areas which are slowly transforming space into a geopolitical contested domain. It is exactly in this ambiguous reality that microstates could play a determining role.

There are two major fields of the so-called NewSpace economy in which microstates should focus their attention.

In recent years we have seen the emergence of private firms which are pursuing commercial opportunities as suppliers for government-led space missions. These young companies have developed new business models and technologies, disrupting a sector that was in desperate need of innovation.

Some smaller nations have embraced this trend and have become active as space startup incubators. Luxembourg has grown into one of the leading space hubs in Europe by creating an attractive legal framework and by setting up financial schemes to either fund existing ventures or attract foreign space entrepreneurs. In Asia, Singapore has positioned itself as one of the worlds leaders in the miniaturized satellite industry. Both countries have big ambitions in this field and intend to become major players for space-related activities.

Monaco has also seen significant success in this area thanks to Orbital Solutions Monaco (OSM). As one of only two space companies in the principality, and the only one involved in the NewSpace sector, the firm launched Monacos first nanosatellite just one year after starting its activity in 2020. OSM has also pioneered an innovative scheme designed to help companies to accelerate the deployment of their fleet of small satellites for commercial applications without any upfront costs. OSM focuses on the application of miniature satellite technologies to the environment, climate and education, and also has an important pipeline of innovative commercial projects that it intends to develop. Its aim is to act as a technology aggregator to solve complex on-earth problems through simple outer space solutions. Bringing this expertise to Monaco represents a major step in the right direction for the principality.

In addition to incubating space-related startups, the other opportunity is in supporting emerging economies in their government-led space exploration. Some stronger emerging economies, such as China, the UAE, and India, have shown commitment and ambition in developing their own space programs. On the other hand, weaker emerging nations such as many African and Asian countries who are also interested in developing their own space programs, lack the resources and know-how required to operate alone.

Private companies could provide the required expertise, making the space sector accessible to them. However, Chinas growing economic and technological strength has led to a backlash in the United States and Europe. We are seeing a new Sino-U.S. polarization where Chinese companies are vetoed from entering strategically important areas, such as 5G, in the U.S. and Europe due to a lack of trust. Its likely therefore that smaller countries with political and economic links to Western powers may find it difficult to access Chinese space technology and vice versa.

Microstates could benefit from these stiffened international relations and become the solution to weaker emerging nations space development conundrum. Seen as too small to represent any significant threat to the international balance of power, especially in a critical industry such as space exploration, they could provide the needed technology and know-how to these weaker emerging nations. Through intra-governmental collaboration, microstates could train local engineers, provide innovative technology, and allow them to achieve independence in space exploration over time.

New economic cooperation in strategically sensitive industries could emerge at the margin of the Sino-American bipolar system beyond the NewSpace economy. By collaborating at the periphery, it is possible for smaller nations to create mutual benefits and maximize gains that exceed those that each might have obtained through unilateral action. This is what we call peripheral strategic cooperation.

Peripheral strategic cooperation will assume a growing geopolitical and economic relevance for microstates in the years to come. Being small and nonthreatening will become a strength. Finding the right positioning for microstates could, therefore, not only represent a major source of revenues but could also create the path to redefining their raison dtre on the geopolitical scene. Implementing peripheral strategic cooperation may be the only way to achieve this.

Massimo Passamonti is CEO and founding partner of Privatam, an investment firm with offices in Monaco and Zurich.

This article originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of SpaceNews magazine.

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Op-ed | Small states in outer space: Monaco's ambitions for the NewSpace age - SpaceNews

Photo for illustrative purpose only Image Credit: Gulf News Archives

Dubai: The UAE is all set to host the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the worlds most prestigious event dedicated to space industries, at Dubai World Trade Centre from October 25 to October 29.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took to his twitter account to welcome IAC, which has taken place in dozens of cities annually since 1950.

The worlds most prestigious and largest space conference and exhibition will kick off in its 72nd edition tomorrow [Monday] in the UAE with the participation of 110 countries and heads of international space agencies as well as with the attendance of 4,000 delegates and 100 international space companies, Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.

He added: I welcome all to the UAE where we support alliances and initiatives that take humans scientifically to the furthest planets and galaxies.

First in the region

The UAE is the first Arab country to host the congress, an indication of the UAEs progress and achievements in space exploration after just a decade of space activity, and is confirmation of the countrys commitment to keeping up with the latest technological developments and innovations.

Diverse agenda

The five-day event will feature a line-up of thematic plenary events, lectures, in-depth technical and special sessions and interactive workshops, in addition to an exclusive global networking forum, social events and a space science exhibition.

The conference is organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), in collaboration with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed.

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UAE to host worlds biggest space meet, the International Astronautical Congress, tomorrow - Gulf News

You can build a base 250, 280 miles above the Earth and send that power down here, and they catch it, and they then use it, and its there, Shatner said, insisting that the prince was not considering how space exploration could potentially improve life on Earth.

Shatner believes that somebody as rich as Jeff Bezos needs to make the first move by saying, Lets go up there, in order to break ground on Earth by exploring what space has to offer.

The prince is missing the point, Shatner added. The point is these are the baby steps to show people its very practical. You can send somebody like me up into space.

Prince William sharply criticized space tourism and billionaires going into space in an interview with the BBC earlier this week.

In his opinion, these entrepreneurs, including Sir Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are introducing space tourism to the world via their own rocket trips to space, should use their wealth to address environmental criseson Earth.

Prince Williams ideas on the state of the climate in general and space tourism in particular, part of an exclusive interview with the BBC, came on the heels of an earlier interview by his father, Prince Charles, who spoke at length to the BBC at his familys estate in Balmoral.

For his part, Prince William stated We need some of the worlds greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.

It really is quite crucial to be focusing on this [planet] rather than giving up and heading out into space to try and think of solutions for the future, he added.

The 39-year-old royal, who is second in line to the throne, had also said that in the past there have been clever speak, clever words but not enough action in the campaign against climate change.

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William Shatner Calls Out Prince William on Space Exploration - Greek Reporter

By now everyone has seen thecringy videoof Vice President Kamala HarrisKamala HarrisRepublicans would need a promotion to be 'paper tigers' Democrats' reconciliation bill breaks Biden's middle class tax pledge We have a presidential leadership crisis and it's only going to get worse MORE extoling the excitement of space exploration to a group of kids who were gathered at her residence in Washington. While one supposes she gets points for making the effort, Harris claiming the kids could expect to see the craters of the moon with their own eyes (presumably from the lunar surface and not through a telescope) was unintentionally funny.

Harris, just like former Vice President Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PenceBennie Thompson not ruling out subpoenaing Trump Heritage Foundation names new president Fewer than 4 in 10 say US is on right track: poll MORE before her, is the chair of the National Space Council, a body that brings together the heads of cabinet departments and agency heads to coordinate space policy across the government. Pence viewed his role as running the space council, making sure that everyone was on the same page insofar as space policy was concerned, and lobbying Congress to make certain that policy was implemented and funded. He would not have imagined that he would be cutting videos talking to child actors about space.

The key to getting kids to publicly express excitement about space is not to have some politician do it. Kids are more interested in meeting astronauts, especially those who have actually flown in space. Anyone who has ever been a child at any point during the space age should instinctively know this.

One modest suggestion would be to have someone who is not only a real-life astronaut but played one on TV and in the movies. William Shatner,who recently flew in spaceon a Blue Origin rocket, played Captain Kirk on Star Trek andwas quite eloquentabout how moved he was by the experience. "I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it. I am overwhelmed," he said.

While Harris remarks felt scripted and cringeworthy, Shatners seemed sincere and heartfelt. Shatner is experienced in speaking to groups of people, thanks to appearances at Star Trek conventions.

Next, choose a group of children who have demonstrated some interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields.Author and former astronaut trainer Homer Hickam suggestsgoing to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama to recruit them. The Saturn V Hall would be a great venue.

Whether the adult in the room is Shatner or a NASA astronaut, he or she should not talk down to the kids, as Harris seemed to do, or make unrealistic promises about seeing the craters of the moon with their own eyes. He or she should suggest that studying hard and getting the required experience will enhance ones possibility of flying into space. (Leave aside being a famous celebrity like Shatner or very rich like Jeff BezosJeffrey (Jeff) Preston BezosShatner pushes back on Prince William over space flight comments Shatner says he was struck by 'fragility of this planet' on trip to space Prince William urges focus on saving planet instead of space travel MORE.) The astronaut should talk about the experience of spaceflight, mention whats going on at both NASA and the commercial sector, and then take questions.

Another great way to get children excited about space exploration is to give them some hands-on experience in the form of a competition. The National Space Societyhas a listof space-themed competitions that involve design, art, and even writing.NASA runs a similar groupof annual competitions. The Biden administration can cut videos about the students participating in these competitions, the better to show how the Artemis Moon then Mars Program excites Americas youth to become scientists and engineers.

The final point cannot be made forcefully enough. If America proposes to go back to the moon, then it should go back to the moon. Otherwise, it will risk raising a generation that feels its been lied to and thus has become cynical. If the gentle reader disbelieves this, he or she should ask anyone who came of age during Apollo. They too were promised the moon. Older now, the children of Apollo are still waiting.

MarkR.Whittingtonis the authorofspace explorationstudiesWhy is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?as well asThe Moon, Mars and Beyond,andWhy is America Going Back to the Moon?He blogs atCurmudgeons Corner.

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Replace Kamala Harris with William Shatner to get kids excited about space exploration | TheHill - The Hill

A free virtual talk will bring experts together on Oct. 20 to talk about outer space and our role in its exploration

On Wednesday a live stream will take viewers behind space exploration, giving them the opportunity to learn about space from the comfort of their homes with Space: the not so Final Frontier bringing experts together with the continuation of the Guelph Physics live stream autumn series.

Hosted by Jason Thomas (better known as Orbax), a production specialist in U of Gs physics department, the virtual event will feature guests Scott VanBommel, a former Guelph physics grad who was shortlisted as a Canadian Space Agency astronaut prospect and Guelph resident Kate Howells who is the communications strategy and Canadian space policy adviser of The Planetary Society.

The nice thing about when we do these live streams is we chat with them about what got them into science, what gets them excited about science and science communication, but we also take questions from the audience so we can do a live Q&A, said Thomas.

Graduating from the University of Guelph with his Ph.D. in 2017, the application of physics fundamentals to planetary science problems has takenVaBommel off the southern edge of Google maps in search of space rocks, to Mars as part of multiple rover missions, and nearly above the Karman line as a short listed astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency.

Based in Guelph,Howells works to engage The Planetary Society's myriad audiences in the adventure of space exploration.

As the Canadian space policy advisor, she guides The Planetary Society's positions on space policy and advocacy in Canada and connects Canadian Planetary Society members with opportunities to advocate for Canadian space science and exploration programs.

She is also the author of Space Is Cool As F*** and a science columnist for The Editorial Magazine

People are always excited about it (space). Its something everybody always wants to learn more about, and we find the community always supports our streams about space, said Thomas.

The live stream will go live on Oct. 20 at 7:00 p.m. and can be found by visiting here.

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Free virtual event to promote education on space exploration - GuelphToday

A group of artists has launched a colorful, jellyfish-looking craft into Earth's stratosphere as part of a unique test flight.

This past summer, the Beyond Earth artist collective completed an artwork they've designated "Living Light." The piece of art "combines biology, artificial intelligence, and aerospace technology," and "explores the connections between our blue planet and the boundlessness of outer space," they wrote in a statement. And, on June 18, they flew the artwork nearly 19 miles up (just over 30.5 kilometers) above Earth's surface to the farthest reaches of Earth's stratosphere aboard the inaugural test flight of a craft called "Neptune One."

"By sending artworks to space, that really enables us to really rethink the bounds of creative expression," space artist Richelle Gribble, one of the three artists who made this artwork who is also the co-founder of Beyond Earth and director of the gallery Supercollider, told Space.com. "And when it's beyond Earth, it really shows the capabilities of creativity to be something that always pushes the bounds and pushes us to think differently and redefine what art is and how it's made.

Related: Our mission to 'Mars' at the HI-SEAS habitat

This inaugural test flight for Neptune One "marked a major step towards flying customers to space," said in a statement. "Neptune One's capsule was transformed by Living Light, an art installation by Beyond Earth. The world's largest art installation to travel to space, Living Light echoed the shape of the capsule which will eventually transport explorers to space, and adopted the appearance of a jellyfish.

"The installation represented a shared mission to amplify the essential biodiversity and interdependency of all living organisms specifically hidden ocean life rarely included in the story of life on planet Earth," Space Perspective added.

Gribble is one of three members of Beyond Earth. The collective also includes artists Yoko Shimizu, an artist and researcher specializing in biology and chemistry at the Ars Electronica Futurelab in Austria; and Elena Soterakis, an artist, curator and educator who founded the BioBAT Art Space gallery in New York.

To create this collaborative launch, the trio connected with Space Perspective, a Florida-based company that designed the "Spaceship Neptune," a pressurized balloon-lofted capsule that could carry up to eight passengers and one pilot to 100,000 feet (30.5 km). Recently, the company, which was founded by originally "biospherians," Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum. Poynter and MacCallum each lived for about two years in the dome habitat known as Biosphere 2.

"They invited us to design the entire capsule structure that would be the payload for their inaugural spaceflight," Gribble told Space.com.

The Neptune vessel is "about the size of a football field," Gribble said, adding that it took six hours to fly the artwork up to its ultimate altitude.

The ship is, as its name would dictate, inspired by the Roman god of the sea and the artistic trio took that information as inspiration. "We really wanted to create a design that was an iteration of that theme," Gribble said. "So we began to really deep dive into looking at the ocean biome, and looking at water and properties of species that live off of the Florida Space Coast."

More: Sending art to space: An interview with artist Micah Johnson

For those just seeing Living Light for the first time, its ocean inspiration is clear, as the artwork emanates a jellyfish-esque shape and transparency. But jellyfish aren't the only species that made their way into this artwork.

"We decided to design a structure that is a composite of over 1,000 different aquatic species, to celebrate the biodiversity of marine ecosystems," Gribble said.

But to create a giant colorful jellyfish-shaped piece of artwork for space, it has to be able to withstand the harsh conditions of getting to space, being in space and landing back on Earth.

"When you're designing for space, it really changes the ways you think about materials," Gribble said. You "have to make it extremely lightweight, to deal with the payload parameters. People don't think of this but yes, space is extremely cold. And so we can't have materials that'll be too brittle or break or absorb too much of the UV light. So even the color choices that we selected had to reflect light to protect the art sculpture."

But these weren't even the only serious restrictions that the art team had to work with in order to create art that could withstand space. Gribble added that "designing for impact when it lands into the ocean was a big consideration. So, how to create this structure so it's resilient enough to not leave any kind of debris behind."

The team wanted to make the structure able to withstand an ocean landing to showcase it at future exhibitions and use it for future projects. But even more importantly, Gribble said, they wanted to ensure that they were doing all they could to avoid leaving any debris or waste behind in the ocean.

Gribble tested a small prototype of the art installation at the HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) research station in Hawaii during an analog, or simulated, Mars mission in 2020. (Full disclosure, I participated in the same analog Mars mission as Gribble.)

"During the HI-SEAS analog, I brought a smaller prototype, a miniature of the sculpture," Gribble said, adding that during the analog she "documented as it flew throughout the habitat and also photographed it on the Martian landscape. And this was really intended to brainstorm what it means to design artworks and art objects that are built for space environments."

But this "jellyfish" wasn't just tested and created and flown to the stratosphere all on its own. It also contained a special, tiny capsule with DNA encoded.

"The DNA capsule flown to space on Neptune One inside Living Light, was comprised of three art pieces by each of the artists who make up Beyond Earth," Space Perspective said in the same statement. "In a message To Space, from Earth, each work was converted to DNA and stored inside a metal vial containing an artistic message to space."

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Artists launch colorful 'jellyfish' balloon to the stratosphere in inaugural test flight - Space.com

Commercial Space Travel has exploded in 2021 and set social media abuzz. Although it may seem to have snuck up on most, many do not realise that it has been many years in the making. We have developed this overview to help you understand space tourism in 2021, its beginnings, allure, and of course, the downsides.

For far too long, the stars and constellations have looked untenable to the human race. After hundreds and thousands of years of gazing at the skies as a grounded species, humanity finally hacked the magic of flight in the 18th century. Almost 200 years later, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961, thus opening up the human race to another frontier of travel.

However, for far too long, space travel has been a pipe dream for the common person, and for decades, professional astronauts had to go through months and years of vigorous training to prepare for space flight, a chance to see the Earth from up above. But now, that is all starting to change. Space tourism has come to the fore, and with it comes the promise that space is no longer untenable to everyday peopleat least not for long.

2021 has been a year of incredible developments in the area of space tourism. After years of ramped-up investments and remarkable developmental progress, the premier harvest of commercial space travel shot to the edge of the Karman Line, reaping the first tangible fruits for commercial space travel in this decade.

But unlike what recent headlines may suggest, commercial space tourism is not a new concept at all. About eight commercial flights to the International Space Station occurred aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft between 2001 and 2009. However, some of the astronauts aboard these flights paid as much as $20-30m for the trips. Suffice to say; the Soyuz missions drew a clear line in the sand: commercial space travel was for the filthy rich.

But now, commercial space travel has become something less of a pipe dream for most, with companies like Elon Musks SpaceX and Jeff Bezos Blue Origin developing reusable rockets and significantly driving down the costs of space travel. The process of creating these technological feats was painstaking and cash-intensive the owners of the three leading companies looking to corner the commercial space travel market are outright billionaires. The two companies mentioned earlier, along with Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic, have publicized commercial space travel with what has been dubbed the billionaire space race.

Branson kicked off his companys crewed commercial space travel initiative in 2021 by flying aboard a suborbital spaceflight of the SpaceShip Two-class VSS Unity. The craft launched on July 11, 2021, and aboard were pilots David Mackay and Michael Masucci, passengers Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses, and the man himself, Richard Branson.

Just nine days later, Jeff Bezos, the second richest man in the world, and his brother Mark launched a first crewed flight to space aboard the New Shepard rocket with two other passengers: American aviator Wally Funk and teenager Oliver Daemen. Daemen secured his seat on the NS-16 mission through an auction and was the only paying customer on the flight.

Bezos fledgling space tourism company launched another crewed mission 100km above the Earth, this time taking 90-year-old actor William Shatner (who played Star Treks iconic Captain Kirk); Audrey Powers, Blue Origins Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations; Chris Boshuizen, co-founder of Planet Labs, where he served as Chief Technology Officer from 2010 to 2015; and Glen de Vries, the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, the worlds most-used clinical research platform. Asides from Powers (whose flight was probably free), it is not yet known how much Shatner and the two other crew members paid to be aboard the NS-18 Mission.

SpaceXs Inspiration4 mission was a more audacious feat in comparison to the achievements of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. Instead of flight durations that were minutes long, the crewed mission took three daysfrom September 16 to 18 and traveled as high as 590km above the Earth. The four-person crew included Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer; Hayley Arceneaux, Medical Officer and a physician assistant at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and pediatric cancer survivor; Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer; and Mission Pilot Dr Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot. The four space travelers were on a fundraising mission and also conducted scientific research designed to advance human health on Earth and during future long-duration spaceflights.

For these billionaire space enthusiasts, commercial space travel not only serves as a means of getting a huge payday but it also provides the opportunity to realize lifelong dreams. For instance, since as early as his teenage years, Bezos has expressed a desire to reach for the stars and build space hotels, amusement parks, and colonies for two million or three million people who would be in orbit.

The Amazon owner is also of the opinion that space travel could be a necessity for the human race going forward, exploring the outer solar system, and escaping the planets impending doom (should we be unable to save it).

In 2016, Bezos said that the primary allure of space tourism was to improve the buzz around the idea of space travel for entertainment and leisure. This could enhance the public interest and dampen fears, just as flight tourism did in the advent of the aircraft.

Another space enthusiast who also happens to own a space company is Elon Musk. Elons ambition is also that humanity becomes a multi-planetary species, something the Telsa CEO has often stated.

For these owners, it seems obvious that human beings becoming a space-faring species is the allure of commercial space flight. Hence, space tourism can be seen as a means to an end and not the end itself.

Another reason for commercial space travel would be the development of new technologies through extraterrestrial research. The SpaceX crew that traveled to space in September conducted extensive research in hopes to further medical advancements.

In July, Bezos mentioned that pursuing space travel could generate solutions for climate change. After his trip aboard the New Shepard, Bezos told NBC: We have to build a road to space so that our kids and their kids can build a future. We live on this beautiful planet. You cant imagine how thin the atmosphere is when you see it from space. We need to take all heavy industry and all polluting industry and move it into space.

Another benefit of commercial space travel isbelieve it or notperspective. It has been said that observing the planet from space can alter an astronauts cosmic perspective, a mental shift known as the Overview Effect. First coined by space writer Frank White in 1987, the Overview Effect is described as a feeling of awe for our home planet and a sense of responsibility for taking care of it. Most persons who go to space often come back with new perspectives on the planet and our interconnectedness as a species and as living beings.

Space exploration, especially in the commercial sense, is not without criticism. For instance, most recently, British royal and second in line to the throne Prince William said that billionaires should be more focused on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.

Many climate activists and members of the general populace also take this view. According to some, the billions of dollars invested in commercial space travel by wealthy parties could be used to better the environment, solve societal problems, and effect change here on Earth. Climate scientists have also noted that the carbon footprint of such space missions could be devastating for the planet.

The carbon footprint of launching yourself into space in one of these rockets is incredibly high, close to about 100 times higher than if you took a long-haul flight, Eloise Marais, a physical geography professor at the University College London, told Recode. Its incredibly problematic if we want to be environmentally conscious and consider our carbon footprint.

A 2010 study found that the soot released by 1,000 space tourism flights could warm Antarctica by nearly 1 degree Celsius.

According to the report, soot particles emitted by the proposed fleet of space tourism rockets would accumulate at about 40 km altitude, three times higher than airline traffic. This means that instead of soot falling to the Earth, it remains in the atmosphere for years, blanketing the planet and blocking the suns rays from reaching Earth.

William Shatner, who was aboard the October 13 NS-18 mission flight, reacted to Prince Williams comments, saying he had the wrong idea.

I would tell the prince, and I hope the prince gets the message this is a baby step into the idea of getting the industry up there, so that all those polluting industries, especially, for example, the industries that make electricity off of Earth. The prince is missing the point. The point is these are the baby steps to show people [that] its very practical, he had said.

Another qualm people have with commercial spaceflight is that the promise of cheaper flights has not yet manifested. The fourth seat on July 20s NS-16 mission reportedly cost $28malthough this number was reached at an auction and was not an outright price tag.

Virgin Galactic already reportedly has more than 600 reservations lined up with tickets initially costing $250,000 apiece.

For many, space travel is nothing more than an expensive and ecologically damning joy ride taken by the rich and privileged. For others, it provides the next frontier of human endeavor and a saving grace for humanity and even the planet as a whole.

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Commercial Space Travel in 2021 and Beyond: All You Need to Know - - The Nerd Stash