Category Archives: Transhuman News

Let #39;s Play Space Station Silicon Valley - Part 7
Part 7: Rocky Hard Place Evo uses the springy sheep to conquer gravityFrom:voltageman65Views:11 2ratingsTime:07:29More inGaming

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Let's Play Space Station Silicon Valley - Part 7 - Video

What Dose It Feel Like TOo Fly Over Planet Earth. This Is An Amazing Clip
I #39;m normally not into this type of stuff but this caught my eye so thought i would take a look. It is an amazing clip of the earth filmed from space. Inspired by a version of the opening sequence of this clip called Inspired by a version of the opening sequence of this clip called #39;What does it feel like to fly over planet Earth? #39;, I tracked down the original photos taken on the International Space Station via NASA, added some extras, and found a soundtrack that almost matches the awe and wonder I feel when I see our home from above.From:tracymark000Views:0 0ratingsTime:02:30More inEntertainment

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What Dose It Feel Like TOo Fly Over Planet Earth. This Is An Amazing Clip - Video

A University of Central Florida experiment that could help explain how planets formed in our solar system has won a free ride to the International Space Station in 2013.

Physics professor Joshua Colwell's experiment is one of eight winners of the Space Florida International Space Station Research Competition sponsored by Space Florida and NanoRacks, LLC. Space Florida (www.spaceflorida.gov ) is Florida's spaceport authority and aerospace development organization. NanoRacks (www.nanoracks.com) is a private company that operates the first commercial laboratory in low-earth orbit.

Colwell studies the origin and evolution of the solar system, from the earliest stages of planet formation to the rings around Saturn and the evolution of comets and asteroids. He's had twoexperiments fly aboard space shuttles and conducts research with experiments that have flown on parabolic airplane flights and drop towers. He is a co-investigator on the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph of the Cassini mission, a spacecraft in orbit around Saturn since 2004, and since 2011 he has been the associate chair of the Department of Physics and the interim assistant director of the Florida Space Institute.

"The gravity of Earth swamps the kind of collisions of dust particles we are studying, making it difficult to get good data on the ground and even on parabolic flights," Colwell said. "It's exciting to get an opportunity to do this experiment on the space station where we don't have the same gravitational issues and we can observe these collisions over time, giving us information we cannot get on any other platform."

The UCF experiment headed to the space station is designed to explore low-energy collisions in the protoplanetary disk (the disk of dust and gas that surrounds the center of our solar system) to better understand the conditions and processes that lead to the formation of the building blocks of planets. The same kinds of collisions also take place inplanetary ring systems, such as Saturn's rings. The information that will be obtained from the six-inch-box experiment on the space station may also shed light on how Saturn's rings were formed and give clues to the ring's age, something that's still open to interpretation.

The research competition was designed to inspire innovation and enable unique research opportunities and access to the space station. Breakthroughs in material and life sciences, environmental monitoring, complex drugs and other consumer items enabled by space-based research benefit a broad range of emerging markets for government, commercial and academic customers. Research proposals were reviewed and judged by an independent and scientifically qualified team, based on commercial viability and overall benefit to mankind.

"We hope to inspire some significant scientific breakthroughs as a result of this competition, and reach the next generation of researchers and an international array of scientists and international companies," said Frank DiBello, Space Florida president in a press release. A team of 15 independent judges evaluated the proposals based on defined value in the commercial marketplace, potential for future benefits in space travel, and professional qualifications of the applicants.

Colwell's team, which includes post-doctoral associate Addie Dove, is currently assembling the experiment in its lab at UCF with a scheduled launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in December 2013.

"It's very exciting for me," Dove said. "You don't get this kind of opportunity every day. I can't wait to see it go up to the station and then to help analyze the data we get back."

CONTACT: Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, UCF News & Information, 407-823-6120 or zenaida.kotala@ucf.edu Tina Lange, Space Florida, 321-223-1013 or tina@tntcommgroup.com

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UCF Experiment Wins Free Trip to the International Space Station

Published: Nov. 29, 2012 at 5:18 PM

MOSCOW, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The new crew for the International Space Station, preparing for their launch in December, will perform two spacewalks during their stay, Russian officials say.

Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and U.S. astronaut Thomas Marshburn will be lifted into space in a Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan Dec. 19, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

"The tasks of the Russian spacewalk include installing equipment for a new scientific experiment," Romanenko said.

"We will install an antenna and take samples of materials that will have spent more than a year exposed to cosmic radiation and weightlessness."

During their 147-day mission, the new ISS crew members joining Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin and NASA astronaut Kevin Ford as the Expedition 34 crew will also take part in docking and unloading six spacecraft: four Russian Progress cargo spacecraft, Europe's ATV-4 space freighter and the U.S. SpaceX-2 spacecraft.

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Spacewalks on agenda for new space crew

A similar, but smaller experiment will fly to the International Space Station in 2013.

(Phys.org)University of Central Florida experiment that could help explain how planets formed in our solar system has won a free ride to the International Space Station in 2013.

Physics professor Joshua Colwell's experiment is one of eight winners of the Space Florida International Space Station Research Competition sponsored by Space Florida and NanoRacks. Space Florida is Florida's spaceport authority and aerospace development organization. NanoRacks is a private company that operates the first commercial laboratory in low-earth orbit.

Colwell studies the origin and evolution of the solar system, from the earliest stages of planet formation to the rings around Saturn and the evolution of comets and asteroids. He's had two experiments fly aboard space shuttles and conducts research with experiments that have flown on parabolic airplane flights and drop towers. He is a co-investigator on the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph of the Cassini mission, a spacecraft in orbit around Saturn since 2004, and since 2011 he has been the associate chair of the Department of Physics and the interim assistant director of the Florida Space Institute.

"The gravity of Earth swamps the kind of collisions of dust particles we are studying, making it difficult to get good data on the ground and even on parabolic flights," Colwell said. "It's exciting to get an opportunity to do this experiment on the space station where we don't have the same gravitational issues and we can observe these collisions over time, giving us information we cannot get on any other platform."

The UCF experiment headed to the space station is designed to explore low-energy collisions in the protoplanetary disk (the disk of dust and gas that surrounds the center of our solar system) to better understand the conditions and processes that lead to the formation of the building blocks of planets. The same kinds of collisions also take place in planetary ring systems, such as Saturn's rings. The information that will be obtained from the six-inch-box experiment on the space station may also shed light on how Saturn's rings were formed and give clues to the ring's age, something that's still open to interpretation.

The research competition was designed to inspire innovation and enable unique research opportunities and access to the space station. Breakthroughs in material and life sciences, environmental monitoring, complex drugs and other consumer items enabled by space-based research benefit a broad range of emerging markets for government, commercial and academic customers. Research proposals were reviewed and judged by an independent and scientifically qualified team, based on commercial viability and overall benefit to mankind.

"We hope to inspire some significant scientific breakthroughs as a result of this competition, and reach the next generation of researchers and an international array of scientists and international companies," said Frank DiBello, Space Florida president in a press release.

A team of 15 independent judges evaluated the proposals based on defined value in the commercial marketplace, potential for future benefits in space travel, and professional qualifications of the applicants.

Colwell's team, which includes post-doctoral associate Addie Dove, is currently assembling the experiment in its lab at UCF with a scheduled launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in December 2013.

Originally posted here:
Experiment wins free trip to the International Space Station

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This weekend the International Space Station will turn itself to face the Sun, enabling ESAs SOLAR instrument to capture an entire rotation of the solar surface. This is the first time the Station has changed attitude for scientific reasons alone.

This instrument has been on the ISS since 2008, and for the first time will record a full rotation of the Sun. It began this effort on November 19, 2012, and on December 1, the Station will spend two hours turning about 7 degrees so that observations can continue. It will hold this angle for ten days before returning to its original attitude. We want to record a complete rotation of the Sun and that takes around 25 days, said Nadia This, operations engineer at the Belgian User Support and Operations Centre that controls SOLAR.

SOLAR needs to be in direct view of the Sun to take measurements but the Space Stations normal orbit obscures the view for two weeks every month.

All the international partners had to agree on changing the ISSs orientation.

However, moving a 450-ton orbital outpost the size of a city block isnt a simple undertaking. Aside from calculating the correct orbit to keep SOLAR in view of the Sun, other factors need to be taken into account such as ensuring the solar panels that power the Station also face the Sun. Additionally, communication antennas need to be reoriented to stay in contact with Earth and other scientific experiments must be adjusted.

The SOLAR instrument located on the exterior of the Columbus module on the ISS. Credit: ESA

The SOLAR instrument was originally designed to last about 18 months, but has been going strong for 5 years. It is installed on the outside of the ESAs Columbus module.

Continued here:
International Space Station Making New Solar Observations

The International Space Station taken from Space Shuttle Discovery as the Sun rises from behind Earth. The STS-119 and Expedition 18 crew took this picture after leaving the Space Station in March 2009. Credit: NASA/ESA

(Phys.org)This weekend the International Space Station will turn itself to position ESA's SOLAR instrument for a better view of the Sun. It will be the first time the Station has changed attitude for scientific reasons alone.

SOLAR has been monitoring our Sun's output since it was installed on ESA's Columbus laboratory module in February 2008. The package will celebrate its fifth anniversary next year.

"That is quite an achievement," says Nadia This, operations engineer at the Belgian User Support and Operations Centre that controls SOLAR. "The instrument was designed to work for only 18 months."

SOLAR needs to be in direct view of the Sun to take measurements but the Space Station's normal orbit obscures the view for two weeks every month.

Enlarge

SOLAR consists of three complementary instruments: SOVIM (SOlar Variable and Irradiance Monitor) covers the near-ultraviolet, visible and thermal-infrared regions of the spectrum; SOL-ACES (SOLar Auto-Calibrating Extreme UV/UV Spectrophotometers) measures the extreme ultraviolet; and SOLSPEC (SOLar SPECtral Irradiance measurements) covers the 1803000 nm wavelength range. Credit: ESA

The solution is to rotate the whole Station but moving a 450 tonne orbital outpost the size of a typical block of flats is not a simple undertaking.

Aside from calculating the correct orbit to keep SOLAR in view of the Sun, other factors need to be taken into account such as ensuring the solar panels that power the Station are not left in the dark.

Communication antennas need to be reoriented to stay in contact with Earth and other scientific experiments must be adjusted.

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International Space Station salutes the Sun