Category Archives: Transhuman News

Artists concept of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), currently scheduled to be added to the International Space Station in 2015. Credit: Bigelow Aerospace.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are going to be getting an addition in the near future, and in the form of an inflatable room no less. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is the first privately-built space habitat that will added to the ISS, and it will be transported into orbit aboard a Space X Falcon 9 rocket sometime next year.

The BEAM is one small step for Bigelow Aerospace, Bigelow representative Michael Gold told Universe Today, but is also one giant leap for private sector space activities since the BEAM will be the first privately owned and developed module ever to be part of a crewed system in space.

NASA and Bigelow Aerospace announced the $17.8 million contract in 2013, and on October 2, 2014, Gold announced at the International Astronautical Congress that the launch would take place next year on a SpaceX resupply flight. Gold said BEAM provides an example of what the company, and private firms in general, can do in low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Upon arrival, the BEAM will be installed by the robotic Canadarm2 onto the Tranquility nodes aft docking port. Once its expanded, an ISS crew member will enter the module and become the first astronaut to step inside an expandable habitat system. The plan is to have the module remain in place for a few years to test and demonstrate the feasibility of the companys inflatable space habitat technology.

The BEAM, which weighs approximately 1,360 kg (3000 lbs), will travel aboard the unpressurized cargo hold of a Dragon capsule. Once it is successfully transferred to the station, ISS astronauts will activate the deployment sequence, and the module will expand out to its full size approx. 4 meters (13 feet) in length and 3 meters (10.5 feet) in diameter.

Bigelow currently has two stand-alone autonomous spacecraft in orbit, the Genesis I and the Genesis II both of which are collecting data about LEO conditions and how well the technology performs in practice in space. In turn, NASA will use BEAM to measure the radiation levels inside the module as compared to other areas of the ISS to determine how safe it is for habitation.

Through the flight of the Bigelow module on the International Space Station, weexpect tolearncritical technical performance data related to non-metallic structures in space, said Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems Division at NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, in an email to Universe Today.Data about things such as radiation, thermal, and overall operations of non-metallic structures in spacehas multiple benefits both to NASA and to the commercial sector.

Artist concept of the Bigelow space station. Credit: Bigelow Aerospace.

The BEAM module will also allow for further data collection for the company, which is planning on launching its own space station, named Bigelow Aerospace Alpha Station, to be at least partially operational as early as next year. This station will be initially made up of two BA 330 expandable habitats, which are designed to function either as an independent space station or as modular components that can be connected to create a larger apparatus.

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Bigelow Inflatable Module to be Added to Space Station in 2015

ISS-RapidScat instrument, shown in this artists rendering, was launched to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX CRS-4 mission on Sept. 21, 2014 and attached at ESAs Columbus module. It will measure ocean surface wind speed and direction and help improve weather forecasts, including hurricane monitoring. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Johnson Space Center.

NASA inaugurated a new era of research for the International Space Station (ISS) as an Earth observation platform following the successful installation and activation of the ISS-RapidScat science instrument on the outposts exterior at Europes Columbus module.

The ISS Rapid Scatterometer, or ISS-RapidScat, is NASAs first research payload aimed at conducting near global Earth science from the stations exterior and will be augmented with others in coming years.

RapidScat is designed to monitor ocean winds for climate research, weather predictions, and hurricane monitoring.

The 1280 pound (580 kilogram) experimental instrument is already collecting its first science data following its recent power-on and activation at the station.

Its antenna began spinning and it started transmitting and receiving its first winds data on Oct.1, according to a NASA statement.

The first image from RapidScat was released by NASA on Oct. 6, shown below, and depicts preliminary measurements of global ocean near-surface wind speeds and directions.

Launched Sept. 21, 2014, to the International Space Station, NASAs newest Earth-observing mission, the International Space Station-RapidScat scatterometer to measure global ocean near-surface wind speeds and directions, has returned its first preliminary images. Credit: NASA-JPL/Caltech

The $26 million remote sensing instrument uses radar pulses to observe the speed and direction of winds over the ocean for the improvement of weather forecasting.

Most satellite missions require weeks or even months to produce data of the quality that we seem to be getting from the first few days of RapidScat, said RapidScat Project Scientist Ernesto Rodriguez of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, which built and manages the mission.

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NASA Inaugurates New Space Station Era as Earth Science Observation Platform with RapidScat Instrument

Astronaut Chris Hadfield is releasing a stunning book of photos that he snapped from space.

During his time orbiting Earth in the International Space Station, the mustachioed Canadian gained a following as he shared the ins and outs of life in space on social media. Millions of Earthlings were treated to photos, videos and blog posts answering everything from how Hadfield sleeps to whether it's possible to cry in space.

He wasn't afraid to bust out a song, either. After his final mission, Hadfield treated his fans at home to a rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," performed while he was on the International Space Station. The video garnered more than 22 million hits, according to Hadfield's official website.

Hadfield's book, "You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes," will be released Tuesday. He's also set to play four shows with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra this weekend, where he'll play several new songs he wrote while in space.

Chris Hadfield

PHOTO: Chris Hadfield took this photo of Mount Vesuvius in Italy from the International Space Station.

Chris Hadfield

PHOTO: Chris Hadfield took this photo of Broome, Australia, from the International Space Station.

Chris Hadfield

PHOTO: Chris Hadfield took this photo of Cuba and Florida from the International Space Station.

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Astronaut's Breathtaking Photos From Space

NEW YORK NASA needs your help to name a new space robot, and you could win some cash doing it.

NASA officials are asking space fans around the world to help name, and design a mission patch for, a new free-flying robot expected to launch to theInternational Space Stationin 2017. The first-place winnerof the challenge will receive $1,000. Officials with the space agency put out the call to any interested space fans during a packed session here at New York Comic Conon Saturday (Oct. 11).

"We have this new free-flying robot that we're building," Jason Crusan, director of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems division, told a full house at Comic Con. "We don't know what to call it. 'Free-flying robot' sounds kind of boring and not all that exciting, so we're asking you to actually name the robot for us."

Second, third and fourth place also come with cash prizes. Second place will win $500, with third and fourth prize taking home $250 each. NASA has teamed up with Topcoder to organize the contest.

If an artist's depiction of the new space automaton is any indication, the new robot may look like something out of "Star Wars." In the artist's concept, the robot could appear as a small, ball-shaped droid that will use fans to move itself around the interior of the International Space Station. It is expected to be able to fly itself, or be operated by remote control.

The new free-flying bot would join a group of other free-fliers already on the station. NASA's SPHERES robots (the name is short for Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) are already used on the orbiting outpost. The program has been running for seven years, and is designed to help scientists test robotics hardware and software in microgravity.

The SPHERES robots and the new robot should be able to move around autonomously, but humans living and working on the orbiting outpost can also control the satellites.

"As the push for manned and automated exploration of the solar system expands, NASA and the NASA Ames Research Center are creating controlled and autonomous robotic devices capable of supplementing flight crew," officials wrote in a description of the challenge on the Topcoder website. "These 'free-flying robots' will eventually extend the research and exploration capabilities of astronauts, as they are capable of working during off-hours and (eventually) in extreme environments."

To participate in the NASA challenge to name the new robot, space fans need to register with Topcoder. Participants will reach a checkpoint where they will receive feedback on their initial designs on Oct. 22, and the challenge ends on Oct. 27. Officials will announce the winners of the competition on Nov. 2.

To participate in the challenge and learn more about it, go to http://www.topcoder.com/challenge-details/30046039/?type=design&noncache=true.

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NASA Contest Will Let You Name a Space Station Droid

A $26 million science instrument carried to the International Space Station last month by SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule has been switched on and is measuring winds over the world's oceans to help forecasters track the intensity of tropical cyclones, NASA officials said.

The International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer instrument is mounted on the space station's European Space Agency Columbus module. Credit: NASA Made of leftover parts from a satellite developed in the 1990s, the instrument package was mounted on the outside of the space station to fill a data gap that could degrade the ability of meteorologists to monitor hurricanes.

Without the need for a dedicated launcher or a standalone satellite, NASA saved more than $300 million by recycling spare parts launching the wind monitoring sensor to the space station, according to Howard Eisen, the mission's project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"RapidScat is the ultimate effort in recycling," Eisen said. "We took hardware, some of which was 17 or 18 years old, and we put it to new use."

The International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer, or ISS-RapidScat, instrument launched from Cape Canaveral on Sept. 21 in the unpressurized trunk section of an unmanned SpaceX Dragon supply ship.

The Dragon spacecraft, carrying more than 2.5 tons of pressurized and unpressurized cargo such as food, experiments and spare parts, arrived at the space station Sept. 23.

Under the control of engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the station's Canadian-built robot arm and Dextre manipulator -- a two-armed device with mechanical hands -- completed a two-step procedure to pull the RapidScat instrument and its mounting adapter from the Dragon spaceship's trunk.

The first step on Sept. 29 attached an adapter for RapidScat to an external platform on the space station's European Columbus laboratory module. After engineers made sure the adapter had a firm mechanical and electrical attachment to the station, the outpost's robotics system extracted the RapidScat sensor system and mated it to the adapter plate on Columbus.

The instrument was powered up Oct. 1, according to a NASA press release, and it should be supplying weather forecasters with operational data by the end of the month.

Part of the RapidScat instrument assembly is seen attached to the space station's Dextre robot during the transfer from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Credit: NASA RapidScat's primary sensor is a 100 watt, 2.5-foot-diameter microwave antenna that spins at nearly 20 rpm, emitting and receiving signals bounced off the ocean's surface.

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Winds sensor opens door for Earth science from ISS

While China has been going it alone, for the most part, with its human spaceflight program so far, its open to greater international cooperation as it develops a permanent space station (above). (credit: China Manned Space Agency)

The annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) offers an opportunity to get a global perspective on space efforts often lacking elsewhere. That is, when delegates from other nations can actually attend. This years IAC, held two weeks ago in Toronto, was marked by the absence of top Chinese and Russian officials, who were deniedor, at least, somehow unable to obtainvisas for the event, for reasons never made clear by conference organizers or Canadian officials (see Canadian space at a crossroads, The Space Review, October 13, 2014.)

However, whatever issues that prevented officials from the China National Space Administration and Roscosmos from attending were not blanket prohibitions against all Chinese and Russian participants. Some delegates from both countries, primarily from industry and academia, were able to attend. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation had a large exhibit as well, showing off models of Long March rockets, the Change-3 lander, and Yutu rover.

One presentation in particular shed some light on Chinas long-term human spaceflight plans, which center on the development of a permanent space station in low Earth orbit in the early 2020s. While those plans have been widely publicized, what hasnt been as well known is the role of international cooperation in that effort.

The Chinese people stand ready to work together with people from all over the world, said Zhou Lini of the Center for National Security and Strategic Studies at Chinas National University of Defense Technology in a presentation at the IAC on September 30.

International cooperation in Chinas human spaceflight program has been limited so far. A few Shenzhou missions have flown experiments from Canada and Europe. Russia supported development of Chinese spacecraft development and astronaut training, and also provided one spacesuit used on Chinas firstand, to date, onlyspacewalk on the Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008 (a second spacesuit used in the spacewalk was developed in China.) However, Chinas human spaceflight program has otherwise relied exclusively on domestic resources, capabilities, and personnel.

However, in her presentation and accompanying paper, Zhou suggested China would be open to far more significant cooperation with other nations as it develops its space station. That three-person station, as currently envisioned, would consist of three modules: a core module named Tianhe and two experiment modules, Xuntian and Tianwen. The three modules would join together at a central node, giving the station an appearance not unlike the Soviet/Russian Mir station at an early phase of its life.

Zhou suggested that China would be open to having other nations contribute modules to the station. Chinas space station will still have three docking locations for other modules, she said, referring to three unoccupied docking ports on that central node. (One of those three, in illustrations of the station, is occupied by a visiting Shenzhou spacecraft; presumably at least one additional module would need to include a Shenzhou docking port.)

Those modules, she said, could either be developed by other nations independently, or jointly with China. US, Russia, ESA, and Japan may all have the ability to develop experiment modules and collaborate with China, she said.

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The role of international cooperation in China's space station plans