tagged w/ Orbit
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A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, El Salvador, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon. Also visible is the earths ionosphere (thin yellow line), a satellite (55sec) and the stars of our galaxy.A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our... more
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In space, no one can hear you clean. But given the astonishing amount of trash in orbit around our planet, it's a chore that needs to be done no matter how quietly.
According to NASA over half-a-million pieces of trash, from decommissioned satellites to discarded bits of rocket parts, are orbiting around Earth every day, raising the danger of catastrophic collision with each future venture into outer space. With that in mind, a team of scientists from one of Europe's tidiest countries, Switzerland, recently announced plans to deploy a series of junk-collecting satellites to remove some of the dangerous space debris currently floating high above our heads as part of a project called CleanSpaceOne.
“It’s time to do something to reduce the amount of debris floating around in space,” says Claude Nicollier of the Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne. “Most debris comes from satellites that are no longer in use – typically they have run out of energy and their solar panels or batteries don’t work; when they collide it creates lots of debris.”
So how does one go about cleaning up space, humankind's seemingly immeasurable sweep-under rug? With self-destructing janitor satellites, of course. Taking a cue from nature's best grippers, Swiss researchers devised small orbiters which find and clasp onto intersteller trash before plummeting back towards Earth where both would be destroyed during the heat and friction of re-entry.
Given the amount of trash in space, and the potential damage to expensive satellites and spacecraft such debris could inflict, the scientists can see a future ripe with their astro-janitorial assistants.
“Space agencies are increasingly finding it necessary to take into consideration and prepare for the elimination of the stuff they’re sending into space," Swiss Space Center Director Volker Gass told SwissInfo. "We want to be the pioneers in this area.”
If the idea of tentacled litter-busting satellites sounds like quite an imaginative solution for cleaning up space junk, it's certainly not the most far-fetched. In the last few years, a range of creative suggestions have been put forth to keep mankind's final frontier from looking like a dump -- from using giant gold balloons to gather junk or just firing lasers at it, to recycling that debris into new satellites altogether, the ideas have bordered on science fiction -- but then again, so does the notion that we've trashed space so much that this has become a problem in need of a solution.
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/outer-space-no-one-can-hear-you-clean.htmlIn space, no one can hear you clean. But given the astonishing amount of trash in... more
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NASA wants space washing machine for ISS ........ NASA have moved at last to tackle the problem of dirty astronauts by commissioning a microwave with air-jets to clean underwear in space. There are no washing machines on the International Space Station so grime-encrusted nauts will wear underwear for 3-4 days and other items of clothing for months, before disposing of the dirty laundry by hurling it into the atmosphere to burn up in old Progress cargo capsules, attempting to wash it in a plastic bag or even - yuck - using it to grow plants in...... NASA have selected small disinfectant business UMPQUA to make a prototype of a low-water, low-power washing machine that could enable the laundry to be done 250 miles above the earth's surface - or much further afield, on deep space craft or in bases on the Moon or Mars. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/43034-astronauts-dirty-laundry-problem-solvedNASA wants space washing machine for ISS ........ NASA have moved at last to tackle... more
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worrg
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1 year ago
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hmmmm..... a 1 in 3,200 chance of it hitting someone... i don't like those odds!
Nasa says one of its dead satellites will soon fall to Earth but there is very little chance that it will hit anyone.
The space agency does not know when or where its 20-year-old satellite will drop. It will probably be in late September but could fall in October. And it could land anywhere south of Juneau, Alaska, and north of the tip of South America. Nasa says there is only a one in 3,200 chance of satellite parts hitting someone.
Experts say not to worry. In the more than 50 years of the space age, no one has ever been hurt by falling space debris. The 5.4-tonne satellite was used to monitor the atmosphere. Most of it will burn up during re-entry. Only about 550kg of metal should survivhmmmm..... a 1 in 3,200 chance of it hitting someone... i don't like those odds!... more
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pdy
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1 year ago
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Scientists in the US have warned Nasa that the amount of so-called space junk orbiting Earth is at tipping point.
A report by the National Research Council says the debris could cause fatal leaks in spaceships or destroy valuable satellites.
It calls for international regulations to limit the junk and more research into the possible use of launching large magnetic nets or giant umbrellas.
The debris includes clouds of minuscule fragments, old boosters and satellites.
Some computer models show the amount of orbital rubbish "has reached a tipping point, with enough currently in orbit to continually collide and create even more debris, raising the risk of spacecraft failures," the research council said in a statement on Thursday.
Situation 'critical'
Hopes of limiting the amount of space junk in orbit suffered two major setbacks in recent years.
In 2007, China conducted an anti-satellite weapon test which destroyed a decommissioned weather satellite, smashing the object into 150,000 pieces larger than 1cm.
Two years later, two satellites - one defunct and one active - crashed in orbit, creating even more debris.
"Those two single events doubled the amount of fragments in Earth orbit and completely wiped out what we had done in the last 25 years," said Donald Kessler, who led the research.
There are 22,000 pieces of debris large enough to track from the ground, but smaller objects could still cause serious damage.
The International Space Station must occasionally dodge some of the junk, which flies around the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 mph (28,164 km/h).
In June, some debris narrowly missed the space station, forcing its six crew to go to their escape capsules and prepare for an emergency evacuation back to Earth.
The situation is critical, said Mr Kessler, a retired Nasa scientist, because colliding debris creates even more of the junk.
"We've lost control of the environment," he said.
The report makes no recommendations about how to clean up the field of debris.
But it refers to an earlier study for the Pentagon's science think-tank, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).
The Darpa report, dubbed "Catcher's Mitt", suggested a range of technologies, including harpoons, nets and an umbrella-shaped device that would sweep up the debris.
The aim would be to push the debris further towards the earth where it would burn up, or into a higher but safer orbit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14757926Scientists in the US have warned Nasa that the amount of so-called space junk orbiting... more
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“A secret document prepared for Prime Minister Putin by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is claiming that President Medvedev confirmed in his extended meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in February 2011 that the new planet named Tyche (pronounced ty-kee) by NASA will be appearing in the Earth’s night sky by 2012. Though the existence of this planet had long been known to the ancients, it has only been in the past year that Western scientists have begun informing their citizens about this unprecedented event soon to occur, but who are, also, still failing to tell how catastrophic its appearance will be....... http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/42993-nibiru-great-arrival-of-planet-x-timeline-of-2012-cataclysm“A secret document prepared for Prime Minister Putin by Russia’s Ministry... more
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worrg
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1 year ago
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The planets in the heavens move in exquisite orbital patterns, dancing to the Music of the Cosmos. There is more mathematical and geometric harmony than we realize. Take the orbits of any two planets and draw a line between the two planet positions every few days. Because the inner planet orbits faster than the outer planet, interesting patterns evolve. Each planetary pairing has its own unique dance rhythm. For example, the Earth-Venus dance returns to the original starting position after eight Earth years. Eight Earth years equals thirteen Venus years. Note that 8 and 13 are members of the Fibonacci number series. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/42943-dances-of-the-planetsThe planets in the heavens move in exquisite orbital patterns, dancing to the Music of... more
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worrg
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2 years ago
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eva2
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2 years ago
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Mysterious "dark matter" could lurk near Earth, according to a new theory to explain a puzzle that has baffled space flight engineers. The suggestion that clumps of the enigmatic matter lie in our cosmic back yard, between the Earth and the Moon, has been put forward to explain a strange phenomenon called the "fly-by anomaly." Almost every spacecraft that has swung around the Earth to speed it on its journey has recorded a velocity change that, according to the well-understood laws of gravity, should not have happened. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/26444-mysterious-dark-matter-may-be-near-earthMysterious "dark matter" could lurk near Earth, according to a new theory to... more
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worrg
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2 years ago
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On September 22, 2010, with the departure of the Expedition 23 crew, Colonel Douglas H. Wheelock assumed command of the International Space Station and the Expedition 25 crew. He is also known as @Astro_Wheels on twitter, where he has been tweeting pictures to his followers since he arrived at the space station. The images bring breathtaking views from our only off planet Vista point. The captions are all his own words. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/13903-expedition-25-nasaOn September 22, 2010, with the departure of the Expedition 23 crew, Colonel Douglas... more
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worrg
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2 years ago
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Coral Castle doesn't look much like a castle, but that hasn't discouraged generations of tourists from wanting to see it. That's because it was built by one man, Ed Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant who single-handedly and mysteriously excavated, carved, and erected over 2.2 million pounds of coral rock to build this place, even though he stood only five feet tall and weighed a mere 100 pounds. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/your-details/383-coral-castleCoral Castle doesn't look much like a castle, but that hasn't discouraged... more
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worrg
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2 years ago
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PitchTV was started by Richard Branson to help budding entrepreneurs get the word out of their business idea. I submitted a pitch of one way to create long term positive change to the political world map through creation of an optional inter-cooperative global nation practicing true democracy.PitchTV was started by Richard Branson to help budding entrepreneurs get the word out... more
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The United States Air Force (USAF) has launched a secret space plane into orbit, carried in the nose of an Atlas 5 rocket. The USAF is not calling the X-37B a weapon or anything else, and the classified mission was broadcast live, but only for several minutes into the flight. The plane, built by Boeing, was originally part of a NASA programme but was later abandoned and turned over to a secretive USAF unit. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/323-secret-robotic-space-plane-launched-by-us-air-forceThe United States Air Force (USAF) has launched a secret space plane into orbit,... more
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worrg
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3 years ago
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NEPTUNE may have polished off a super-Earth that once roamed the outer solar system and stolen its moon to boot. The brutal deed could explain mysterious heat radiating from the icy planet and the odd orbit of its moon Triton. Neptune's own existence was a puzzle until recently. The dusty cloud that gave birth to the planets probably thinned out further from the sun. With building material so scarce, it is hard to understand how Uranus and Neptune, the two outermost planets, managed to get so big. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/submit-an-article/291-neptune-may-have-eaten-a-planet-and-stolen-its-moon-NEPTUNE may have polished off a super-Earth that once roamed the outer solar system... more
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worrg
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3 years ago
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If you thought the marathon being run by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was impressive (the wheeled explorer has covered over 19 kilometers, or 12 miles, and still roving strong), spare a thought for the Russian Lunokhod 2 rover that explored the moon in 1973. It covered 37 kilometers (23 miles), holding the record for furthest distance traveled by a robot across an alien landscape.
link:http://news.discovery.com/space/lunar-orbiter-spots-long-lost-russian-rover.htmlIf you thought the marathon being run by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover... more
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As the technology required to create a physical link between Earth and outer space becomes closer to a reality, discussions of next-generation space exploration have been given new life.
Japan announced recently that it was researching plans to build a space elevator – a link to space that could transport cargo and even tourists – for as little as 1 trillion yen ($11 billion).
"Just like travelling abroad, anyone will be able to ride the elevator into space," chairman of the Japan Space Elevator Association, Shuichi Ono, told The Times.
The news is believed to have shaken up scientists at NASA, who have traditionally focused on rockets to reach space but could now be considering following Japan's suit.
Australia too may play a part in the creation of a space elevator, with a region off the west coast identified as ideal for an Earth dock – the structure that would anchor the link.
Unlike some science-fiction depictions of a giant tower or elevator reaching into the stars, modern plans for a space elevator rely on a cable being stretched between a satellite and a platform on Earth along which vehicles could travel.
One location being considered by NASA for such a platform is off the coast of Perth, according to the West Australian co-author of the book Leaving The Earth By Space Elevator, Philip Ragan.
Mr Ragan, who wrote the book with former NASA scientist and space elevator expert Dr Bradley C. Edwards, said there were 12 criteria that had to be met when choosing a possible location for the Earth port including consideration of storms and lightning.
"We identified that the Indian Ocean, about 500km off of Perth, was a prime location to site the Earth end of the cable," Mr Ragan said.
"A second preferred location is about 2000 miles (3218km) south of Hawaii... (which would be) closer for Americans in air time but logistically more remote for servicing by shipping."
An Australian Senate report released last week backed up Mr Ragan's claims and said the West Australian oil industry's expertise in building offshore platforms could prove useful if the plans went ahead.
"The Indian Ocean off Western Australia has been identified as an ideal location for a space elevator – a thin carbon nanotube connecting a barge to a space station, along which supplies could be carried up," said the report.
Professor Lachlan Thompson, from RMIT's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, said Australia would also be an ideal partner for space agencies because its land mass was not divided into different nations.
"Australia is an ideal place for suborbital and orbital tourism due to it being a large land mass not divided by countries," he said.
[Click on link above to read the rest of the article]As the technology required to create a physical link between Earth and outer space... more
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Swollen to ten times their normal size and weighing more than an average man, these giant pumpkins would not look out of place in a science fiction film. And it’s no wonder that they look out of this world, because the seeds from which these monster vegetables were grown spent two weeks orbiting the earth.
Scientist hope the pumpkins, as well as two-foot long (06.m) cucumbers, 14lb (6.3kg) aubergines, and chilli plants which resemble small trees, could provide an answer to the world’s food crisis.
Swollen to ten times their normal size and weighing more than an average man, these... more
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