Category Archives: Transhuman News

M.A.R.S. Extraction - Space shooter - #7DFPS - 2014
A Space station/mars type float and do thing? simulator? ok count me in ..i guess. Thanks for watching, martinis. LINK: http://itch.io/jam/7dfps/rate/13812 7DFPS: http://7dfps.com/ SUBSCRIBE!!:...

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M.A.R.S. Extraction - Space shooter - #7DFPS - 2014 - Video

OPALS project uses laser beams for Earth space communications
You may know opals as fiery gemstones, but something special called OPALS is floating above us in space. On the International Space Station, the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS)...

By: Thomas Barnes

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OPALS project uses laser beams for Earth space communications - Video

Space Station Live: Improving Everyday Products on Earth through the ISS
NASA Commentator Lori Meggs at the Marshall Space Flight Center speaks with Matthew Lynch, the principal scientist at Procter Gamble about colloidal research on the International Space Station...

By: Waspie_Dwarf

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Space Station Live: Improving Everyday Products on Earth through the ISS - Video

Looking at the latest mission patch bound for the International Space Station, you would never know it was designed by actor Seth Green.

The six-sided emblem displays no apparent references to the celebrity's well-known roles and projects. There are no call outs to "Austin Powers," "Family Guy" or even "Robot Chicken." But, in fact, the patch does include a subtle nod to Green's personal character.

"Honestly, my first thought was the yellow and blue from BSG [Battlestar Galactica]," Green explained, describing what inspired him to choose the patch's colors in a video released by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). The non-profit invited the actor to design the insigniarepresenting its payload of sponsored science experimentsflying to the space station in 2015.

"That's the nerd in me," Green said. "I was like '[the space station is] obviously the modern Battlestar,' so that was it. I took the blue and the yellow from all the uniforms."

CASIS, as the organization responsible for the use of the International Space Station as a U.S. National Laboratory, has manifested an "abundance" of science investigations to be conducted onboard the orbiting outpost next year. Its Advancing Research Knowledge (ARK) 3 series of studies include research into bone density and muscle loss, non-embryonic stem cells, and enhancing materials in space.

"It's been a great experience collaborating with CASIS to better understand their role in making use of this incredible research facility," Green stated, referring to the station. "If my promoting space-based research through this patch in some small way drives additional thoughts and ideas to improve life on Earth, I'm happy to help."

Green's ARK3 patch, which follows previous ARK patches designed by street artist Shepard Faireyand Cobra Puma Golf, borrows its shape from the station's mulit-windowed Cupola.

"My immediate inspiration was the Cupola," Green stated. "That's the point [on the space station] where you can see the farthest by the human eye."

The other elements on the patch were based on CASIS's motto, "Science in Space for Life on Earth."

"I love the idea of collecting data and information and then disseminating it to the planet," said Green, describing the emblem's design. "You see the ISS, you see the planet though it is the CASIS logo and it has got 'Advancing Research Knowledge' emanating down to the planet."

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Actor Seth Green Designs Mission Patch for Space Station Science

A new laser link with the International Space Station could do what optical fiber has done for internet access on Earth by turning orbital communications from painfully slow dial-up to blazing-fast broadband.

In recent tests of the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) instrument, which is attached to the space stations exterior, NASA scientists and engineers have demonstrated that laser communications, as opposed to traditional radio transmissions, could revolutionize how we communicate with space-based assets.

NEWS: Pew! Pew! Space Lasers to Give Missions Broadband

OPALS has shown that space-to-ground laser communications transmissions are practical and repeatable, said Matthew Abrahamson, OPALS mission manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. As a bonus, OPALS has collected an enormous amount of data to advance the science of sending lasers through the atmosphere. We look forward to continuing our testing of this technology, which sends information to and from space faster than with radio signals.

OPALS was delivered to the ISS in April by a SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle and it has since completed the first 4 months of its prime mission. In an effort to minimize the impact of atmospheric turbulence on data loss, OPALS uses 4 individual lasers and average out the data received by the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratorys ground station at JPLs Table Mountain Observatory in Wrightwood, Calif. The next big step for system development is the use of adaptive optics to dynamically compensate for this turbulence.

NEWS: NASA Laser Beams HD Video From the Space Station

Four lasers from the ground station travel through the sky toward the space station. Under clear, dark background conditions, its very easy for the payload to acquire the ground beacon. Daylight conditions have proven more challenging, but we are working on increasing capabilities during the day as well, through software enhancements, said Abrahamson.

According to a JPL news release, some of the landmark transmissions included:

All in all, OPALS is proving laser communications between the Earth and orbit could transform how we transmit data into space, but the biggest challenge to this method is, of course, the weather.

VIDEO: This Isnt CGI, Its The International Space Station

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Space Station Laser Link Blasts Broadband Data from Orbit

UK Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake will take two Raspberry Picomputerson his next space mission, in the hope that UK pupils will create their own app or experiment that can be deployed on the International Space Station.

Peake will fly two Astro Pi maker-boards, which have been kitted with sensors, to the space station when he begins his six-month mission.

Primary and secondary school children will compete to develop an idea for an application, which if successful, will be developed with the help of the Astro Pi, CGI and Raspberry Pi Foundation, who will code their idea.

Peake will then load up the winning code whilst in orbit, set them running, collect the data generated and then download this to Earth where it will be distributed to the winning teams.

Business Secretary Vince Cable highlighted the importance of inspiring pupils to get involved with data science. He said: So much technology relies on big data but not enough people are being trained in this field. This challenge helps the next generation to have fun whilst learning the skills that industry need.

Peake added: "I'm really excited about this project, born out of the cooperation among UK industries and institutions. There is huge scope for fun science and useful data gathering using the Astro Pi sensors on board the International Space Station.

ESERO-UK and Raspberry Pi are developing teaching resources to link to the curriculum and assist teachers of STEM subjects in engaging their students in the competition.

As well as explaining how to use and write code for the Astro Pi and its sensors, the resources will provide a context for the Astro Pi in the curriculum and link to teaching subjects and areas.

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UK schools to make space apps with interstellar Raspberry Pi computers

It's one giant leap for snowman-kind: Olaf, the goofy snowman from Disney's hit film "Frozen," is floating aboard the International Space Station, and we have the photos to prove it.

Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov brought the small, stuffedOlaf toy into spaceas his mission's "zero-g indicator" at the request of his 8-year-old daughter when he launched on a mission to the International Space Station. Shkaplerov and two crewmates blasted off aboard their Soyuz capsule on Nov. 24 and arrived at the orbiting outpost six hours later. On Tuesday (Dec. 9), Shkaplerov posted a photo on Twitter of Olaf floating serenely in the many-windowed observation deck of the station.

Every Soyuz flight includes a "zero-g" indicator, which is often a toy of some kind selected by the Soyuz commander and crew. The indicator is hung by a string in a place where the crew can see it during launch. (Notice the string tied around Olaf in the images, suggestingShkaplerov doesn't truly want to "let it go".) When the object becomes weightless and begins to float, it confirms that the crew is in orbit.

Olaf joins a long line of toys in spacethat have been launched into orbit over the years. Those intrepid toy explorers include Hello Kitty, Legos, Smokey the Bear, a stuffed hippopotamus and a red Angry Bird (which NASA astronaut Don Pettit used to make his own version of Angry Birds in space).

"Frozen" is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and can truly be said to have reached new heights: 250 miles (402 kilometers) above the Earth, to be exact. The second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, "Toy Story 3," also had a character aboard the station: an action figure of Buzz Lightyear took a ride on NASA's space shuttle Discovery in 2008.

Shkaplerov arrived at the orbiting laboratory on Nov. 24, alongsideNASA astronaut Terry Virts and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. They join NASA's Barry Wilmore and cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova as part of the Expedition 42 crew. Rotating crews of astronauts have continuously lived aboard the $100 billion International Space Station since 2000.

Follow Calla Cofield@callacofield. Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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'Frozen' in Space! Olaf the Snowman Floats in Zero-G (Photos)

December 11, 2014 - Longueuil, Quebec - Canadian Space Agency

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will participate in a press conference with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) and International Space Station partners on December18 to discuss the upcoming one-year expedition on the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will launch to the space station in March 2015 to begin a yearlong stay aboard the orbiting laboratory the longest single space mission ever undertaken by an American. He will be joined by Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on this one-year mission.

The press conference will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, and will include participants from International Space Station partner agencies and UNESCO.

10a.m. (EST)

Press conference participants will include:

Canadian media may follow the event live on NASATV or attend in person at UNESCO Headquarters. For those attending in person, the deadline for reporters to request credentials is December16, 18:00CET. For more information about media accreditation, contact Nicola Firth (Nicola.Firth@esa.int).

The public also may ask questions via social media by using the hashtag #askNASA.

- 30 -

Media Relations Canadian Space Agency Telephone: 450-926-4370 E-mail: media@asc-csa.gc.ca

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Space Station Partners News Conference to Discuss Yearlong Mission