Category Archives: Space Travel

Stars and galaxies in outer space are just so far away, its hard to comprehend the staggering distances.

Scientists have come up with ways to measure space distance that are easier to understand.

A light year is one of those space measurements and is similar to how a mile or kilometer measures distance on Earth. Distances in space are so vast, though, that a mile or a kilometer is just too small a number to be useful, because of the huge numbers involved in space travel. Light years work better.

A light year is measured by the time it takes a ray of light to travel a given distance.

While a light year has nothing to do with time as we know it on Earth, it does measure the distance that light travels, or the time it takes the light to move in one year, according to NASA.

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Since light moves at about 186,000 miles or about 300,000 kilometers a second, it can travel almost 6 trillion miles or about 10 trillion kilometers in a year.

If people could travel at the speed of light, they would be able to circle the Earth more than seven times in just a second.

In one second, light travels a distance of one light second, and in a year, light travels a distance of one light year.

Related: Nasa finds 7 'Earth-sized planets' orbiting star just 40 light years away

The moon is a little over one light second from Earth, meaning it would take a beam of light on Earth a little more than a second to reach the moon. The sun, which is 93 million miles from earth, is measured in light minutes and is some eight light minutes away.

Mars is under 25 light minutes from Earth, depending on its orbit around the sun, and the other planets in the solar system are several light hours from Earth.

The Milky Way galaxy, for example, measures about 150,000 light years across. The Andromeda galaxy, the nearest large galaxy, is more than 2 million light years away.

How long does it take to travel a light year? Heres an example. The next closest star after the sun, is called Proxima Centauri. It is just over 4 light years away. If a spacecraft were traveling 38,000 miles per hour, it would still take 80,000 years to reach the star, according to the University of Virginia Physics Department.

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Space travel is measured in light years, but what's a light year anyway? - MyStatesman.com

The discovery of seven Earth-size planetsaround a nearby star, TRAPPIST-1, is certainly exciting news. But what would it take to visit one of these potentially Earth-like alien worlds?

TRAPPIST-1 is 39 light-years away from Earth, or about 229 trillion miles (369 trillion kilometers). It would take 39 years to get there traveling at the speed of light. But no spacecraft ever built can travel anywhere near that fast.

That said, people have sent some pretty fast vehicles into outer space. With today's technology,how long would it take to get to TRAPPIST-1?

Characteristics of the seven TRAPPIST-1 worlds, compared to the rocky planets in our solar system.

Given a spacecraft's speed, calculating the amount of time it would take to travel to TRAPPIST-1 is simple. Because speed is equal to distance divided by time, the total travel time must equal the distance to TRAPPIST-1 (39 light-years) divided by the spacecraft's speed.

New Horizons, the fastest spacecraft ever launched, flew past Plutoin 2015 and is currently traveling out of the solar system at 14.31 kilometers per second, or about 32,000 mph, according to NASA's New Horizons tracking page. At this rate, it would take the Pluto probe about 817,000 years to reach TRAPPIST-1.

NASA's Juno spacecraft actually flew faster than New Horizons during its approach to the gas giant Jupiter in 2016. With the help of Jupiter's gravity, Juno hit a top speed of about 165,000 mph (265,000 km/h) relative to Earth, making it the fastest human-made objectever (though New Horizons' initial speed was faster than Juno's speed after launch).

Even if Juno were constantly traveling that fast not just getting a speed boost en route it would take the spacecraft 159,000 years to reach TRAPPIST-1.

Voyager 1, Earth's most distant spacecraft, left the solar system and entered interstellar space in 2012. According to NASA, it is currently speeding away at 38,200 mph. For Voyager 1 to get to TRAPPIST-1, it would take the spacecraft 685,000 years.

But Voyager 1 isn't going there anytime soon, or ever. Instead, the spacecraft is heading for a different star, AC +79 3888, which lies 17.6 light-years from Earth. It will fly within 1.7 light-years of this star in about 40,000 years.

NASA's space shuttletraveled around the Earth at a maximum speed of about 17,500 mph (28,160 km/h). A spaceship traveling at this speed would take around 1.5 million years to get to TRAPPIST-1.

So for a human mission to the TRAPPIST-1 solar system, the space shuttle would not be a practical mode of transportation.

One ultrafast spacecraft that could reach TRAPPIST-1 in a much shorter time span is an interstellar mission dreamed up by Stephen Hawking in his Breakthrough Starshotinitiative.

Hawking's tiny, laser-propelled probes could theoretically fly as fast as 20 percent of the speed of light, or 134 million mph (216 million km/h). That's about 4,000 times faster than NASA's record-breaking New Horizons spacecraft! A spacecraft that fast could reach TRAPPIST-1 in less than 200 years. But that concept has yet to leave the ground.

An artist's impression of the view from a planet in the TRAPPIST-1 system.

With today's technology, there's no way that anyone alive right now could make it to TRAPPIST-1 in a lifetime. While discussing the new discovery at a news conference today (Feb. 22), NASA officials suggested that it would likely take at least 800,000 years to reach the TRAPPIST-1 system.

So don't start making any interstellar vacation plans anytime soon.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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TRAPPIST-1: How Long Would It Take to Fly to 7-Planet System? - Space.com

After the dismantling of the NASA-program, space exploration has shifted towards private players, led by the likes of SpaceX, Axiom, and Buzz Aldrin-backed Moon Express.

And now a Finnish startup and space media companyCohu Experience, is building the social and educational fabric of this movement. And it is using NASA's learnings in the process.

CEO Kalle Vh-Jaakkola says Cohu's mission is to "builda global community centered around space travel and exploration", andmake it possible for anyone to fulfil their childhood dream of becoming an astronaut with the help of Space Nation, a training app developed together with NASA astronaut trainers.

The company just broke a Finnish crowdfunding record,after raising3,2 million from more than 500 Finnish investors. The first million was raised in just 43 minutes.

The money will be used to launch a Space Nation training program in the the Fall of 2017, where candidates will compete through the app by proving theirphysical, intellectual and social skills.

The competition's best candidates will be featured in a TV show, as they go through a bootcamp that determines the ultimate winner astronaut.

We want it to be inclusive so anyone in the world can take part. We want to find those 'Slumdog' astronauts, Vh-Jaakkola toldSpaceNews, referring to the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire" about a teen from the slums who becomes an overnight success by sheer brainpower.

Axiom, a newly founded commercial space company,is one of Cohu's key partners, which aims to build the first private commercial space station at ISS. If everything goes to plan, Space Nation will be providing talent to man that station.

"Space Nation has been incredibly well received internationally. [..] After our launch at Slush, Forbes named us the #1 European startup to watch in 2017," says Vh-Jaakkola.

The project is backed by Peter Vesterbacka of Rovio fame, as well as Mike Suffredini, NASA-veteran and co-founder of Axiom. Further star appeal is provided by Finnish ice hockey veteran Saku Koivu, who is one of the earliest investors and eager about the project's vision.

"Space Nation is more than a space adventure. It unites people from all over the world to develop themselves and reach for their dreams. [The Space Nation training program] is already aiming at further financing from international investors," says Koivu in a press release.

There are many hurdles to pass before the grand plans turn into reality, but one thing is for sure: Peter Vesterbacka's enthusiasm will be the last flame to go out.Vesterbacka, who was key in building Finnish successes Angry Birds and Slush, said in a press release:

Finns are bold and have just the right amount of craziness to build a global phenomenon."

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This Finnish startup democratizes space travel and it just raised over 3 million to find the next 'Slumdog ... - Business Insider Nordic

Intrepid travelers could fly to space from a UK space port as soon as 2020 under new laws.

Commercial flights for people willing to go to infinity and beyond could be available in just three years.

Space travel has long been a dream for people hoping to explore the area outside our planet.

Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic and Dutch-founded Xcor are among those that could take passengers up to the final frontier when services go live.

In Virgin Galactics plans, astronauts would cost $250,000 for the flight into the Earths atmosphere.

SpaceX is also offering trips to the International Space Station after it made history in 2012 when it became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the space station.

Sunday night its Falcon 9 rocket launched on a mission to resupply the space station.

Under new powers unveiled this week, scientists will blast into space to conduct zero-gravity experiments in a bid to find cures for deadly bugs like MRSA and salmonella.

The laws allowing commercial flights to take off from UK space ports by 2020 will also permit researchers to carry out tests on potential new antibiotics in orbit.

The powers in the spaceflight bill will be revealed in Parliament this week.

It means a rocket spaceflight could take off from a space port in Britain before a new runway is built at Heathrow.

Science Minister Jo Johnson said the new powers would cement the UKs position as a world leader in an emerging market worth up to $26 billion (25 billion) over the next 20 years.

Space ports could be set up and satellites launched from regions across the UK under the plans.

Newquay in Cornwall; Llanbedr in Snowdonia; and three Scottish sites, Glasgow Prestwick, Campbeltown, and Stornaway in the Western Isles have all been shortlisted as potential space port sites.

Because of Britains position far from the equator, its likely space planes would take off from a horizontal runway rather than a rocket launch pad.

They will transport satellites up into orbit or take paying space tourists although its thought space tourism would only make up around 10 percent of the industry.

NASA scientists have been carrying out scientific research in space for the last five years.

This week US scientists sent the lethal MRSA bug up to the International Space Station for astronauts to study how the superbug becomes resistant to antibiotics.

Aviation Minister Lord Ahmad said the ambition was to launch a space flight from the UK as soon as possible.

He said: Our ambition is to allow for safe and competitive access to space from the UK, so we remain at the forefront of a new commercial space age.

Johnson added: From the launch of Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, to Tim Peakes six months on the International Space Station, the UKs space sector has achieved phenomenal things in orbit and beyond.

With this weeks spaceflight bill launch, we will cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market, giving us an opportunity to build on existing strengths in research and innovation.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.

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Commercial space travel could be ready as early as 2020 - New York Post

OnSunday, a rocket blasted off from a NASA launch pad and headed for the International Space Station. But the rocket wasnt built by NASA.

The rocket, named Falcon 9, is owned by the private company SpaceX. Founded in 2002 by high-profile businessman Elon Musk, SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

That might sound like a faraway pipe dream. But with hundreds of billions of dollars to play with, Musk may be able to get it done sooner than youd think.

As a company that intends to profit from sending people to space, SpaceX is trying to build and manage rockets as cheaply as possible. Theyve already managed to cut manufacturing and transportation costs enough that they can engineer rockets for a third of the price NASA can. Now, Musk and his team are trying to develop ways to reuse rockets after they have been launched. This will save them billions in manufacturing, and its something no government organization is currently doing.

The Sunday launch is part of this goal, as the Falcon 9 rocket carried the Dragon space craft (also made and owned by SpaceX) into low orbit and then successfully returned to its landing site. The Dragon will continue on to make its delivery at the International Space Station, and the Falcon 9 will be made ready for its next launch. Its a cycle SpaceX has done before and will do again, perfecting their reuse and recycle technique and getting one more step ahead of NASA.

The idea that space travel will be driven by the private sector is perhaps not surprising, as government agencies (like NASA) are non-profit and not likely to be in the business of setting up spa resorts on Mars. However, the legal standing of private companies in space is murky, the ethics of exploring space for private gain is questionable and like any capitalistic system, some government oversight is necessary. These issues are addressed on Earth through legal policies but in space, the law is a little less firm.

The most important legal force beyond the atmosphere is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It set up a number of fundamental regulations to govern the use of space for example, that space and celestial bodies cannot be claimed by any one country, and must be free for exploration by all. With respect to private companies, the treaty had two things to say: first, that governments are still responsible for those companies activities, and second, that private companies are required to receive authorization and constant supervision from their government.

That holds Space X responsible to the U.S. federal government but what exactly does that responsibility include? Lets say Space X gets their tourism ships up and running, and then sets up a resort on Mars (its not far-fetched Elon Musk says his ultimate goal for SpaceX is a Martian colony). Then theres an accident and something explodes, damaging the surface of the planet. This damage violates the Outer Space Treaty, which stipulates that no harm is to be done to celestial bodies by space exploration. So who pays up? Space X, because they owned the resort, or the U.S. federal government, because according to the treaty theyre responsible for the companys actions in space? Who enforces that decision? Since the treaty also stipulates that celestial bodies cannot be owned by anyone, who do they pay damages to, and who carries out the remediation? More generally, does building the resort or colony, or laboratory, or space station itself violate the treaty, as it implies some type of ownership of that part of the planet? Does the U.S. building a colony on Mars impede Britains freedom to explore Mars, and is that in violation of the treaty as well? If thats the case, Musk can build all the reusable rockets he wants legally, hes not getting off the ground.

The legal issues are complicated, and while they arent going anywhere, SpaceX is. Elon Musk purportedly plans to send crewed crafts to the International Space Stationin 2018, and wants to get a spaceship on its way to Mars in 10to 15years. Whether or not hell have the legal standing to do so has yet to be seen. So if youre planning a trip to Mars, you might have to wait once these private companies overcome the engineering challenges, they will have to start fighting the legal ones.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

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Know before you fly: privatized space travel - Observer Online

Open on a shot of some sun barely peeking over a planet. Pan camera to reveal a space station floating nearby. Cue vague narration.

Weve all seen this played out in some form or another in films, usually followed by a fantastical use of new technology and heart-pounding space peril. The final frontier has always been a muse for futuristic storytelling, and much of the same tropes have popped up time and time again an expedition to save the human race, a technological error turned life-threatening, an unwavering drive to return home.

The epic scale of outer space films has always been popular with audiences, although it has recently re-entered the cinema with a rush of movies involving space travel. Beginning around the release of Alfonso Cuarns groundbreaking Gravity in 2013, visually stunning space films have become commonplace on the list of highest-grossing movies. In fact, theyve become award-worthy. Christopher Nolans Interstellar won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, and Ridley Scotts The Martian snagged a Golden Globe for Best Comedic Motion Picture. Although not set in space, Denis Villeneuves extraterrestrial Arrival is a contender for Best Picture at this years Oscars.

Recent films taking place in outer space include Passengers, The Space Between Us and the forthcoming Life.

What makes the concept of space such a contender for a box office hit? Perhaps it is the idea of the unknown. Directors can do whatever they want in these films, because there are no rules for space. Having only traveled as far as the moon, humans have no idea of what life in space is truly like, so audiences are willing to accept whatever vision filmmakers dream up. They dismantle physics, redefine the concept of time and create impossible technology and audiences eat it up.

The ticket to success requires a certain balance of reality, however. Many space films are rooted in fact, providing just enough familiar content to convince audiences that the story being told could very well happen in real life. More often than not, technologies in these movies resembles existing technology on Earth, providing a link between what the viewer knows to be true and what they suspend their belief to accept as true. Its a delicate balance. The director doesnt want to make a film so saturated with the unknown that it isnt relatable, but they dont want to make a film thats too realistic and thus unenjoyable.

Theres a certain fascination of the unknown that seems to flow throughout our culture, especially when regarding outer space. What lies beyond our solar system? Does life exist beyond our Earth? Is long distance space travel even a possibility? Audiences want answers to these questions, and space films provide the answers.

Theres a reason audiences have to turn to movies for an idea of what space is like. Despite the appeal of space on the big screen, the percentage of federal funding to NASA has been slashed to nearly a tenth of what it was during the space boom of the 1960s. The notion of space travel has long since become unimportant, but this reemergence of space in the cinema might, for lack of a better term, be pointing out the gravity of the situation.

With the powerful impact films have in shaping society, we could potentially see an increase in funding in the future. In fact, as space films have taken off in recent years, funding for NASA in 2016 was the highest its been in a decade at $19.3 billion. With important films like this years Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures entering movie theaters, public opinion of space programs seems to be shifting to a more enthusiastic one.

Perhaps audiences are beginning to realize that the only way we could end up growing potatoes on Mars or experiencing time warps through multidimensional black holes is through support of long-neglected space programs. In other words, the unknown will only become real as long as we will it to.

As support grows, interest in space will grow, and more space films will continue to populate the cinema. If audiences can back multimillion-dollar films that depict fake space adventures, then surely they can get behind funding to make a trip to a galaxy far, far away a not-too-distant reality.

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Cosmic cinema: spurring interest in real-life space travel? - Miami Student

Commercial flights for people willing to go to infinity and beyond could be available in just three years

INTREPID travellers couldfly to space from a UK space port as soon as 2020, under new laws.

Commercial flights for people willing to go to infinity and beyond could be available in just three years.

Space travel has long been a dream for people hoping to explore the area outside our planet.

Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic and Dutch-founded Xcor are among those who could take passengers up to the final frontier when services go live.

In Virgin Galactics plans, astronauts would cost $250,000 for the flight into the Earths atmosphere.

SpaceX is also offering trips to the International Space Station after it made history in 2012 when it became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the space station.

Last night its Falcon 9 rocket launched on a mission to resupply the space station.

Under new powers unveiled this week scientists will blast into space to conduct zero gravity experiments in a bid to find cures for deadly bugs like MRSA and Salmonella.

The laws allowing commercial flights to take off from UK space ports by 2020 will also permit researchers to carry out tests on potential new antibiotics in orbit.

The powers in the Spaceflight bill will be revealed in Parliament this week.

PA:Press Association

It means a rocket space flight could take off from a space port in Britain before a new runway is built at Heathrow.

Science minister Jo Johnson said the new powers would cement the UKs position as a world leader in an emerging market worth up to 25billion over the next 20 years.

Space ports could be set up and satellites launched from regions across the UK under the plans.

Newquay in Cornwall, Llanbedr in Snowdonia, and three Scottish sites, Glasgow Prestwick and Campbeltown, and Stornaway in the Western Isles have all been shortlisted as potential space port sites.

Because of Britains position far from the equator, its likely space planes would take off from a horizontal runway rather than a rocket launch pad.

They will transport satellites up into orbit or take paying space tourists although its thought space tourism would only make up around 10 per cent of the industry.

NASA scientists have been carrying out scientific research in space for the last five years.

SXC Space Expedition

This week US scientists sent the lethal MRSA bug up to the International Space station for astronauts to study how the superbug becomes resistant to antibiotics.

Aviation minister Lord Ahmad said the ambition was to launch a space flight from the UK as soon as possible.

He said: Our ambition is to allow for safe and competitive access to space from the UK, so we remain at the forefront of a new commercial space age.

Mr Johnson added: From the launch of Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, to Tim Peakes six months on the International Space Station, the UKs space sector has achieved phenomenal things in orbit and beyond.

With this weeks Spaceflight Bill launch, we will cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market, giving us an opportunity to build on existing strengths in research and innovation. The Bill will be unveiled in parliament this week.

BY JO JOHNSON, SCIENCE MINISTER

When we think of spaceflights, we often think of America: of NASA and Apollo 11 perhaps Sandra Bullock in Gravity. But just as with the drama of spaceflight in that film, the reality is far different.

Later this week the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling will be bringing forward the powers that could allow satellites and sub-orbital flights to launch into space from UK soil.

These laws and funding could potentially lay the groundwork for us to reach for the stars quite literally and see a commercial satellite launch from a UK Spaceport taking off as early as 2020.

Satellite launch capability offers the opportunity to build on our existing strengths in science, research and innovation.

Alongside our on-going research and discoveries in space, commercial satellite launch capability will create highly skilled jobs and boost local economies.

It is vital that our economy is ready for the future.

In 2017 no one can doubt Britains place as a space nation.

It is a daring step for the future of the UK in space, and it is one which we are excited to be taking.

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You could fly to SPACE from the UK within three years as plans are for space port are unveiled - The Sun

BRITS could fly to space from the UK in just three years.

GETTY

The Government wants to make the UK a world leader in intergalactic travel.

Travel ports will be built as ministers try to steal a march on US rivals. President Donald Trump said he wants to send Americans to the moon for the first time since the 1970s.

Boris Johnsons brother Jo, the science minister, wants to send Brits into space by 2020.

REX

We will cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market

He said: We will cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market. The Spacefl ight Bill will be unveiled in Parliament this week.

Some of the port locations being considered are Newquay Airport in Cornwall, Llanbeddr airport in Snowdonia and Prestwick airport, near Glasgow.

Mr Johnson added: Space flight offers the UK the opportunity to build on our strengths in science, research and innovation.

GETTY

2016 was a year full of new stunning imagery taken from Space

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Aug. 19, 2016: Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams (shown here) and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA successfully installed the first of two international docking adapters during a five hour and 58-minute spacewalk

It provides opportunities to expand into new markets, creating highly-skilled jobs and boosting local economies across the country. That is why it is one of the key pillars of our Industrial Strategy.

We want to see the UK space sector flourish, that is why we are laying the groundwork needed for business to be able to access this lucrative global market worth an estimated 25 billion over the next 20 years."

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UK bids to be world leader in Space travel by 2020 - Daily Star

Forbes

Ask Ethan: How Can I Travel Through Space Without Getting Into Trouble? Forbes Whether it was NASA, Star Trek or Einstein that first inspired you, space travel offers some incredible possibilities for us all. The idea of rocketing or beaming into space and traveling interplanetary or interstellar distances is a dream many of us ...

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Ask Ethan: How Can I Travel Through Space Without Getting Into Trouble? - Forbes

Opportunity passes 44 kilometers of surface travel after 13 yearsOpportunity is located on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover is making progress towards the next major scientific objective, the gully less than a kilometer south of the current location. The rover has been driving on most planning sols. On Sol 4631 (Feb. 1, 2017), Opportunity traveled just under 85 feet (26 meters) to the southwest. The drive was followed with the collection of ... more Scientists shortlist three landing sites for Mars 2020 Scientists say Mars valley was flooded with water not long ago ISRO saves its Mars mission spacecraft from eclipse Chinese cargo spacecraft set for liftoff in AprilIn April, China will launch a cargo spacecraft into orbit as part of a schedule to develop an international space station as soon as 2020. A Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft could be headed into space "as early as mid-April" atop a Long March-7 Y2 rocket, representing a major milestone for China's space program, according to People's Daily, an English-language Chinese news outlet. One won ... more China looks to Mars, Jupiter exploration China's first cargo spacecraft to leave factory China launches commercial rocket mission Kuaizhou-1A Subscribe free to our newsletters via your Email Address SPACE DAILY SPACE WAR TERRA DAILY ENERGY NEWS MARS DAILY GPS DAILY SEED DAILY WIND DAILY DISASTER NEWS SOLAR ENERGY MEDICAL NEWS NUCLEAR NEWS OIL & GAS NEWS BIO FUEL DAILY JAPAN NEWS

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