Charles Radely asked if I might let you folks know about a Space Congress coming up in October and happy to do so.  Seems like a good place to hold a space conference with Arecibo Observatory near by.
http://www.naic.edu/
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
Greetings,

I invite you to the First Puerto Rico Space Congress - 24-27  October 2010 - Space is the Answer !

http://bit.ly/cXaPV4

Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino,
200 Convention Boulevard
San Juan, PR 00907 US

Please create a profile on our web page: http://aerospace.pr

This is Charles Radley, Chair of the Puerto Rico Space Congress.

Speakers include:

Cosmonaut Yury V Usachev - Hero of the Russian Federation - 670 days in space.
Dr. Michael P. Simpson - President of the International Space University
Sy Liebergot - Apollo EECOM - former NASA Mission Control
Joe Haldeman - Acclaimed Science Fiction Author - Hugo, Nebula Awards
Professor Louis Crane - Kansas State University - Black hole stardrives
Rick Sanford - SpaceGroundAmalgam, LLC - Odyssey Moon Google Lunar Xprize Team
Shawna Pandya - Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer - CiviGuard Technologies
Michael Laine - Liftport Group - Space Elevators
Dr. Verne Wheelwright - Personal Futures Network
Charles Radley - CEO Stratowave Corp - Space Based Solar Power
Royce Jones - Space solar power - thermal
Michael Potter - Orphans of Apollo

We have an amazing room rate of $129 per night plus taxes and fees.

Also, I would be honored to connect to you on Linkedin. Please go to my profile page and  click "add Charles to your network", you can use my email: charles@stratowave.com

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/charles-radley/0/10b/9b7

Best regards,

-Charles F. Radley - PR Congress Chair
 - Associate Fellow American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 - telephone: +1-551-579-4686

snip
---------------------------------------------

A bit more info.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://events.linkedin.com/Puerto-Rico-Space-Congress-Space-is/pub/222540
Puerto Rico Space Congress- Space is the answer!

Starts:                  Sunday October 24, 2010 at 08:00AM
Ends:            Wednesday October 27, 2010 at 05:00PM
Event Type:     Conference
Region:           Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area
Location:       Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino
                       200 Convention Boulevard
                       San Juan, PR 00907 US
Price:         To be announced.
Website:        http://www.stratowave.com
Industry:           defense & space
Keywords:       Space Astronautics Technology Aerospace Science Exploration
Energy Astronomy Policy Green Nasa Rockets Satellites Moon Mars
Planets Asteroids Comets
Intended For:   We will target students, managers, engineers, policy
makers, futurists, academics, entrepreneurs, investors
Organization: NSS Puerto Rico Capitule/Chapter

NSS Puerto Rico in cooperation with Stratowave Corporation is holding a major space event.
snip
---------------------------------------------

Of recent we have been looking at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a mile below the surface of the water.
This probably gives a good backdrop for considering getting power from the Sun with some sort of Space-based Solar Power.  Of course that would take some kind of rocket power and we seem to be arguing about who should make the rockets.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_solar_power
Space-based solar power

Space-based solar power (SBSP) (or historically space solar power- SSP) is a system for the collection of solar power in space, for use on Earth. SBSP differs from the usual method of solar power collection in that the solar panels used to collect the energy would reside on a satellite in orbit, often referred to as a solar  power satellite (SPS), rather than on Earth's surface. In space, collection of the Sun's energy is unaffected by the various obstructions which reduce efficiency or capacities of Earth surface solar power collection.

snip
---------------------------------------------

More satellites to orbit and in close formation.  Should be interesting.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/2g7nltz
German satellite deployed to map the Earth with radar
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 21, 2010

A new German satellite rocketed into orbit from Kazakhstan early Monday, reinforcing a program to create the most precise civilian three-dimensional maps of Earth using dual high-resolution radars.

The new spacecraft, named TanDEM-X, will fly in formation with a similar satellite launched in 2007 to illuminate Earth with two radars from slightly different vantage points in space.

snip
---------------------------------------------

We probably don't have accidents in space.  Well many.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://www.space.com/news/090211-satellite-collision.html
U.S. Satellite Destroyed in Space Collision
By Becky Iannotta and
Tariq Malik
posted: 11 February 2009
6:00 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON - Iridium Satellite LLC confirmed today that one of its satellites was destroyed Tuesday in an unprecedented collision with a spent Russian satellite and that the incident could result in limited disruptions of service.

snip
---------------------------------------------
http://www.insurancenewsnet.org/html/Regulation/2009/0305/Satellite-Collision-coverage-May-Set-Precedent.html
Satellite Collision coverage May Set Precedent

The insurance implications of catastrophic collisions in space was not a big worry for insurers of satellites in the past but have changed on May 10 in February, when the first collision of two satellites in orbit.
snip
---------------------------------------------

I guess the next accident in space will put a six month moratorium on space launches.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.naic.edu/
Arecibo To Stay Open Under New NSF Funding Plan
Jun 18, 2010

Arecib Observatory Tracks Potentially Dangerous Asteroid May 03, 2010

snip
==============================================================
http://www.naic.edu/genpublic.php
Public Outreach

http://www.naic.edu/public/descrip_eng.htm
The Arecibo Observatory is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), a national research center operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF is an independent federal agency whose aim is to promote scientific and engineering progress in the United States. NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. Additional support is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The Observatory operates on a continuous basis, 24 hours a day every day, providing observing time, electronics, computer, travel and logistic support to scientists from all over the world. All results of research are published in the scientific literature which is publicly available.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Very informative articles by Dr. Kremer.
A number of pictures at the web sites as well.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1400
NASA's First Lunar Orion Test Capsule Built
Ken Kremer
Monday, June 7, 2010

The GTA is the essential forerunner of a crewed spacecraft which NASA had intended to utilize for a return of human footsteps to the Moon, and then to Mars and beyond until President Obama proposed to wholly terminate Project Constellation, including Orion, in his initial 2011 budget proposal and radically alter NASA's future path.

"The Orion GTA is the flight test article that was designed in support of Lunar Missions," explained Mark McCloskey to me during my fact finding visit to Michoud to observe the capsule first hand. McCloskey is the Lockheed Martin Senior Production Manager for Orion at Michoud.

McCloskey and other senior Lockheed representatives spoke to me in depth about Orion development at NASA's Michoud manufacturing facility in New Orleans. Michoud is also the production site for the Space Shuttle's huge External Tanks, which I'll report on separately.

This GTA test vehicle is not the de-scoped and stripped down, unmanned  " rescue lifeboat" recently proposed by President Obama at his April 15 space policy speech at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) where he resuscitated the Orion project, but with limited objectives and functionality.

snip
---------------------------------------------

Another article with more information.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://nasatech.net/
Orion Ground Test Article (GTA)
by Ken Kremer

snip
---------------------------------------------

An earlier article before the final completion weld.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/05/25/first-orion-capsule-forming-rapidly/
First Orion Capsule forming rapidly
May 25th, 2010

Written by Ken Kremer

The first Orion crew capsule is rapidly taking shape as assembly work to construct  the skeletal framework of the first pathfinder Orion capsule – the Ground Test Article – or GTA, is nearing completion.

The Lockheed Martin team building Orion is just one weld away from completing the framework of an Orion cabin at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Precision welding to join together the final large skeletal segments (see my earlier report) has proceeded well according to Lockheed managers I spoke with.

“The Orion capsule is the Congressionally approved program of record and we are moving forward with it”, says Larry Price, Lockheed’s Orion Deputy Program Manager in an interview with me. “Our work is continuing with the funding which is still approved until September 2010. Orion is a very functional vehicle. All subsystems will be state of the art.

“Orion is not Apollo on Steroids”, Price emphasized.

snip
---------------------------------------------

Will follow how Orion is finally used and in what configuration.

Some information about Dr. Kremer.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------
http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Dr.Kremer/K.htm
Dr. Ken Kremer

Dr. Ken Kremer is a research scientist  and freelance science journalist (Princeton, NJ) whose articles and space exploration images have appeared in magazines, books and on websites, including Astronomy Picture of the Day, ABC News, Aviation Week, Spaceflight Now, Spaceflight, New Scientist, The Planetary Society, Universe Today, Science News, International Year of Astronomy, 2010 Year in Space Calendar, NASA and the covers of Aviation Week & Space Technology, Spaceflight and the Explorers Club magazines.

snip
---------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com//features/2010/1005.homans.html
The Wealth of Constellations

Can the free market save the space program?
By Charles Homans

Marine Major General Charles F. Bolden has made a career of taking on daunting assignments. After growing up black in segregated South Carolina, Bolden spent his teenage years badgering congressmen into helping him gain admittance to the nearly all-white U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Shipped out to Southeast Asia in 1972, he flew more than a hundred missions over Vietnam and Laos. After the war he spent a few years test-flying experimental aircraft, then—why not?—became an astronaut. When the space shuttle Columbia  blasted off from Cape Canaveral in January 1986, sixteen days before the Challenger explosion, Bolden was in the pilot’s seat. So when President Barack Obama was looking to fill the top job at the National  eronautics and Space Administration last May, the ex-astronaut, then sixty-two and retired, seemed a natural choice. NASA was four years into its most ambitious project since Apollo, a plan to send American astronauts back to the moon and, in time, on to Mars. It needed a leader equal to the challenge.

Nine months later, however, Bolden received an assignment even tougher than overseeing the mission: getting rid of it.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/orion/index.html
Orion Spacecraft Takes Shape

The Orion crew exploration vehicle took shape as the two halves of the crew module were fused together at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La.

The Lockheed Martin Orion team welded the forward cone assembly to the aft barrel assembly using the next generation friction stir weld process.

The 445-inch long weld is the longest such weld of its kind and will ensure optimal structural integrity for the harsh environments of space flight.

› View images -
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/multimedia/orion_takes_shape.html

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Well how interesting, a shortage of rare earth metals and findings that Afghanistan may have $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits.
Now we are talking about Afghanistan's potential wealth even though Russia had done surveys years before.  The news shows are mentioning there is a concern about who is going to profit from this discovery.

Then there was a time when the USA was producing rare earth metals used in magnets but cut back production because China could export cheaper.  Now That China is developing, they have a greater need for their own use and it is reported that they are cutting back on exports.

How come I don't see anything about potential findings on our nearest neighbor in space, the "M...."?
http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/results/gamres.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc-20100107-new-images.html
- LRK -

-----------------------------------
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/06/on-mondays-newshour-26.html
ON THE NEWSHOUR -- June 14, 2010
On Monday's NewsHour ...

By: News Desk
snip
MINERAL RESOURCES IN AFGHANISTAN | A U.S. geologic survey has uncovered at least $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan. Margaret Warner talks to New York Times reporter James Risen on what the valuable natural resources could mean for the Afghan economy and the ongoing war with the Taliban.

RARE EARTH MINERALS AND TECHNOLOGY | Correspondent Kira Kay reports on the hunt for the rare earth metals, elements found almost exclusively in China, that are key to the U.S.'s emerging green technologies, despite their short supply.
snip
-----------------------------------

The New York Times article.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan

By JAMES RISEN
Published: June 13, 2010

WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium  — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.
snip
-----------------------------------

I watched the few seconds Jack Lifton was on.  He is concerned that there is now a shortage of rare earth materials that are needed in many applications.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------
http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/65370-jack-lifton/76592-jack-lifton-will-be-on-the-pbs-new-hour-tonight-june-14-2010
Jack Lifton will be on the PBS New Hour Tonight, June 14, 2010
Jun 14, 2010 2:47 PM

I have just been informed that tonight's News Hour with Jim Lehrer will have a segment on rare elements that will include footage from the six hours of taping that a documentary crew did of me speaking in Los Angeles, Boston, and Beijing.

Let's see how many seconds of coverage come from six hours of taping.

I hope I do a credible job; I have not seen the segment nor have I seen any of the video tape.

snip
-----------------------------------

Comments by Jack Lifton last year.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------
http://seekingalpha.com/article/173627-rare-earth-metals-a-china-price
Rare Earth Metals: A China Price
 by: Jack Lifton  November 15, 2009

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article entitled: "China Starts New iron-Ore Talks." The article brings up the possibility that the Chinese market, the world's largest, by far, buyer of iron ore, may well be serviced with a "China price." This would be a price lower than that charged by the cartel of iron-ore miners, Anglo- Australia's BHP and Rio Tinto (RTP) and Brazil's VALE, which controls 70% of the world's iron-ore production, to its largest customers outside of China.

I am predicting that this "China pricing" will indeed come into being, and that China will reciprocate by bringing into being a two-tiered pricing for metals within its control, in the production of which it dominates the world, the first of which could well be the rare earth metals. I predict that metals in which China dominates world production will be sold for la lower price within China that they are sold in the rest-of-the-world market.

A lower price charged to Chinese customers, producing products for the Chinese domestic market, for rare earth metals produced in China will mean that Chinese manufacturers of end use products critically dependent on the rare earth metals will be able to continue producing those products for the Chinese domestic market without a cost penalty.  Any rare earth metals still exported from China or produced outside of China will be able to be sold for much higher prices in the non-Chinese market.

snip
-----------------------------------

Rare earth elements.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_earth_element
Rare earth element

As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a collection of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, namely scandium, yttrium, and the fifteen lanthanides.[1]  Scandium and yttrium are considered rare earths since they tend to occur in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties.

The term "rare earth" arises from the rare earth minerals from which they were first isolated, which were uncommon oxide-type minerals (earths) found in Gadolinite extracted from one mine in the village of Ytterby, Sweden. However, with the exception of the highly-unstable promethium, rare earth elements are found in relatively high concentrations in the earth's crust, with cerium being the 25th most abundant element in the earth's crust at 68 parts per million.

snip
-----------------------------------

Good news, bad news, and what is talked about on the news, hmmm, any political overtones?
Naw, no way, tsch, tsch.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------
http://www.dailytech.com/Chinas+Stranglehold+on+Rare+Earth+Metals+Could+Choke+EV+Hybrids/article18274.htm
China's Stranglehold on Rare Earth Metals Could Choke EV, Hybrids
Jason Mick (Blog) - April 30, 2010 11:41 AM

China outguessed the U.S. when it came to rare earth metals -- it may take 15 years to bring U.S. mines online

The auto industry seems to be moving towards embracing hybrids and electric vehicles.  One needs only look at examples like the 2011 Nissan LEAF and 2011 Chevy Volt, or the the new Chevy Volt MPV5 EV-crossover concept.

However, there's growing concern that the industry is casting a rather blind eye to what exactly the impact of its leap might be.  While about a third of U.S. oil comes from unstable regions like Nigeria and the Middle East, EVs present perhaps an equally challenging geopolitical resource problem.

According to Robert Bryce, author of the book "Power Hungry: The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future", the current third-generation Toyota Prius uses 25 lbs. (11 kg) of expensive rare-earth metals -- approximately twice the amount found in a standard vehicle.

snip
-----------------------------------

Rare earth element
稀土元素

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.livescience.com/technology/Rare-Earth-Elements-100614.html
 What Are Rare Earth Elements?
By Jeremy Hsu, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
posted: 14 June 2010 02:05 pm ET

Recently discovered mineral deposits in Afghanistan may be worth $1 trillion. The deposits are reported to contain rare earth elements.

The so-called rare earths – which include exotic-sounding elements like dysprosium, cerium, and ytterbium – are actually more abundant than other familiar metals, but tend to become concentrated in less exploitable ore deposits, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Consequently, most of the world’s supply of these elements comes from only a few sources.

Consumers may not know that their computer hard drives, TV screens, and smartphones contain rare earth elements. The often-irreplaceable metals also support everything from green technologies to military hardware.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.americanrare.com/
American Rare Earths and Materials, Corp.

Since 2002, our company has been commercializing Rare Earth metals.  This has led to a unique vertical integration that began with the extraction of pure Scandium and its application to sports equipment and apparel. Today, that expertise has allowed American Rare Earths and Materials, Corp. to become a leader in commercializing Rare Earth metals and quickly delivering revolutionary new products to consumer and industrial markets. Our objective is to become North America's best, most reliable source for Rare Earth metals. We are developing opportunities to distribute Rare Earths like Scandium, Neodymium, Europium and Lithium that will help major industries launch major industrial brands — including categories like hybrid cars, flat screen televisions, LED light bulbs and wind turbines. We will also have significant exposure to mega categories such as transportation, shipbuilding, power transmission, automotive and aerospace.
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

-------------------------------------------------------------
Capsule plunges to Earth after historic visit to asteroid
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/13hayabusaentry/

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 13, 2010

Cutting across the night sky at more than 27,000 mph, a small Japanese capsule returned to Earth from the surface of an asteroid Sunday, but the fate of the drum-shaped sample return craft was not immediately clear.

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Live USTREAM recorded by some very excited Japanese.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7634995
hayabusa re-entry
Recorded on 10/06/13

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Sequence of pictures as I saw Posted on June 13, 2010 by astroengine

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://twitpic.com/1wgyd7
Sequence of images showing #Hayabusa re-entry over Australia #JAXA

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Beautiful picture of HAYABUSA re-entry, streaking across the sky.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/zoom/20100613-OYT9I00808.htm
星空を進む「はやぶさ」。天の川（左）の中にある南十字星の上で消えた＝尾崎孝撮影

[My attempt at Google translation - "Take the Sky "Hayabusa". Milky Way (left) has gone on in the Southern Cross-shooting Ozaki Takashi"]
- LRK -
snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

And if you want a lot more Twitter links, try this in Google search -- #Hayabusa site:twitter.com
See, even NASA -- http://twitter.com/NASA/status/16073757786

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa
Hayabusa (はやぶさ?, literally peregrine falcon)  is an unmanned space mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa (dimensions 540 meters by 270 meters by 210 meters) to Earth for further analysis.

The Hayabusa spacecraft, formerly known as MUSES-C for Mu Space Engineering Spacecraft C, was launched on 9 May 2003 and rendezvoused with Itokawa in mid-September 2005. After arriving at Itokawa, Hayabusa studied the asteroid's shape, spin, topography, colour, composition, density, and history. In  November 2005, it landed on the asteroid and attempted to collect samples but failed to do so.  Nevertheless, there is a high probability that some dust swirled into the sampling chamber, so it was sealed, and the spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth on June 13, 2010.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Look up.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/06/20100612_hayabusa_e.html
Asteroid Explorer "HAYABUSA"(MUSES-C)
Capsule reentry plan

June 12, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) assessed the trajectory of Hayabusa and confirmed that it was nominal.
JAXA will implement the capsule reentry plan.

Hayabusa system is going well.

The following are main capsule reentry plans.

   * Around 6/13 19:51(JST) : Capsule separation
   * Around 6/13 22:51(JST) : Capsule reentry

snip
[See graphic on website - LRK -]
------------------------------------------------

It has been a long wait.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html
snip
HAYABUSA, which was launched on May 9, 2003,achieved its goal of arriving at the Itokawa asteroid and performing scientific observations. As a result, its mission was featured in the scientific magazine "Science" as a first Japanese mission to illustrate various new findings about the asteroid including its gravity and surface conditions. HAYABUSA is now under preparations for its return trip to the Earth in 2010.
snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

JST is UT + 9:00 so waiting is about over.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/t/time.htm
snip

TIME ZONES:

The world is broken into 24 separate time zones that are used to help determine the time in all areas of the world. GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or UT (Universal Time) is a method of referencing the time differences across the world. The GMT or UT is centered in the middle of the time zone as 12:00. Any time zone to the left of this is -GMT or -UT and  any time zone to the right of this is +GMT or +UT. Below is a listing of time zone abbreviations, time zone descriptions and the UT difference.

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
JAXA WEB SITE :
http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html
snip
June 11, 2010 Updated
IKAROS successfully deploys sail!
The Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator "IKAROS" launched by the H-IIA F17 began to deploy its sail on June 3 (Japan Standard Time, JST,) and on June 10 (JST,) JAXA confirmed the proper extension of the sail and power generation by the thin film solar cells at about 7.7 million km from the Earth.
We will continue to measure the power generation status of the cells attached to the sail, and will verify acceleration by the cells and orbit control by their acceleration.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/pr/mail/index_e.html
MAIL SERVICE

With this JAXA Mail Service, latest information from JAXA will automatically be e-mailed to your address.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Pat sent me an email and would like to get the word out about bouncing signals off of the Moon and looking at the results with Slow Scan TV.
I know, I mentioned the "M..." word.  Sorry, there ARE folks interested in where we have been.
- LRK -

----------------
Hello Larry,

How should/could we promote Moon Bounce communications, where I joined a team that is experimenting with an imaging mode, called Slow Scan TV.  The teams at Dwingeloo, Holland, one of a number of big dish moon bounce stations around the world, are having success in bouncing via SSTV, images off the moon.

See their website http://www.camras.nl and look for SSTV.

Best Regards,
73, de Pat Barthelow AA6EG

Arecibo  Video Tours:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vicxDnn6LEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rFeXsVz8hE&NR=1

"The most exciting phrase to hear in Science, the one that heralds new discoveries,  is not "Eureka, I have found it!"    but: "That's funny..."  ----Isaac Asimov
----------------
http://www.camras.nl/index.php?lang=en
http://www.camras.nl/index.php?lang=nl

A link I found using SSTV as a search item.
- LRK -

----------------
http://www.camras.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149%3Asstv-eme-fotos&catid=76%3Aeme&Itemid=98&lang=en
SSTV-EME foto’s      
Written by Mark Bentum
Monday, 10 May 2010 21:12
There are no translations available.

Via Dick Harms kregen we een aantal leuke foto’s van Chris Ploeger (PA2CHR) van het SSTVEME gebeuren. Chris schreef: “Hierbij een paar foto’s die ik maakte in de shack van HB9Q
tijdens de, voor zover wij weten, eerste SSTV - EME verbinding op 70cm. ter wereld “.
snip

[Note: Google translate says -
Dutch to English translationShow romanization
By Dick Harms we got some nice pictures of Chris Ploeger (PA2CHR) of
SSTVEME happen. Chris wrote: "Here are some photos I took in the shack
of HB9Q
during, as far as we know, first SSTV - 70cm EME connection. world ".]
----------------

 Also, I was a bit dense and took me a bit to realize that EME is short for Earth-Moon-Earth. (See in left navigation column)
http://www.camras.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=76&Itemid=98&lang=en
[Note: Some of the captions are in Dutch and not translated.  Give Google translate a try. http://translate.google.com/#nl|en| ]
- LRK -

----------------
http://www.nitehawk.com/rasmit/ws1_1.html
 Earth-Moon-Earth Communication
( Moonbounce )
Here you find a collection of EME stations with their WEB pages.

Moonbounce is often equivalent with large antennas, low feed line losses, T/R relays, LNA's, HPA's,
Weaksignal detection, Moon tracking, lots of labor and system maintenance.
snip
----------------

A lot of information about Radio Ham activities.  See the news articles at the bottom for links to items that include Moon Bounce items.
- LRK -

----------------
http://www.hobbyspace.com/Radio/index.html
Space Radio
Tuning in the cosmos...

   Communicate with astronauts aboard the Space Station....Monitor satellite transmissions...Listen to erie Natural Radio...Use amateur satellite transponders to talk to other hams around the world...

snip

News, Articles & Upcoming Events

   * UNITEC-1 On the Way to Venus - ARRL - May.23.10
   * Moonbounce for Everyone -- Courtesy of the Arecibo Radio Telescope! - ARRL - Apr.7.10
   * Littlest station gives us the 'sound' of Mars Express - Mars Express Blog - Mar.5.10
   * Listening for LRO and LCROSS - Frednet/X PRIZE Foundation - Sept.8.09
   * Monitor Space Shuttle launch with your police scanner - Examiner - July.11.09
   * Ham Operators Shoot the Moon - Wired.com - July.6.09
   * Ham radio operators shoot for the moon - San Francisco Chronicle - June.27.09
   * A Ham Radio Weekend for Talking to the Moon - NYTimes.com - June.26.09
   * First German Mars Mission makes sidestep to Venus: Ground station in Bochum generated echoes from Venus - AMSAT-DL - Mar.27.09
   * World Moon Bounce / EME Day Gathering Momentum - Echoes of Apollo - Mar.22.09
   * ARRL NEWS: ARISS to Celebrate 25 Years of Amateur Radio in Space with Special Events - ARRLWeb - Dec.1.08
   * Ham radio makes contact in space - canada.com - Oct.27.08
   * Postcards from space - Cosmic Log/msnbc.com - Oct.21.08
   * Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, Gets Busy from Space - ARRLWeb - Oct.17.08
   * ARISS - Richard Garriott update - Oct.08
   * Hams in Space -- For the Young and Young at Heart - ARRLWeb - Sept.25.08
   * Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) - NASA - Aug.15.08
   * Hams Head into Space - ARRLWeb - June.3.08
   * Become a Ham Radio Operator - Wired How-To Wiki - May.14.08
   * Amateur radio operators prepare to contact Korean astronaut -
Korea.net News - Apr.5.08

snip
----------------

Very glad to hear that Arecibo Radio Telescope is still on the air.
They used to listen to Pioneer 10 and 11.
http://www.seti-inst.edu/seti/projects/project-phoenix/past_campaigns/pc-pioneer10.php
- LRK -

----------------
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/moonbounce-for-everyone-courtesy-of-the-arecibo-radio-telescope
Moonbounce for Everyone -- Courtesy of the Arecibo Radio Telescope!
TAGS: amateur radio, hams, joe taylor, puerto rico, radio telescope, yagi antenna
04/07/2010

Sending Amateur Radio signals to the Moon and back has never been easy. After roundtrip journeys of nearly half a million miles, even the most powerful signals generated by hams are exquisitely weak on arrival. Because of the equipment and expertise necessary for successful "moonbounce" operating, this facet of Amateur Radio has been traditionally confined to a small audience. But for three days in April even hams with very modest stations will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of moonbounce, thanks to the giant radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

snip
----------------

If you read the above article you will see that I am late for the World Moon Bounce Day 2010.
Maybe you did better and will help others get the word for other upcoming events.
When I was at NASA Ames I received information from a High School student in Hungary that was listening to the Moon.
I must admit I am not looking up with all the tools that are available.
- LRK -

----------------
http://echoesofapollo.com/moon-bounce/
World Moon Bounce Day 2010
EOA April 17th

This major event will add a new word to most people’s vocabulary – Moon Bounce. Moon Bounce has been happening for almost as long as the oldest of us can remember. From the early days when it was thought to be a  means of communications that the military could exploit right through to today’s more peaceful use by  amateur radio hobbyists. So what is moon bounce? Also known technically as Earth-Moon-Earth transmissions (EME), it is simply bouncing radio waves off the moon’s surface and back to earth. Every day hundreds of people enjoy doing just that and they do it as everyday people using mainly homemade dishes and antennas and  a mix of “do it yourself” systems, electronics and “off the shelf” equipment.

So why hold World Moon Bounce Day? At Echoes of Apollo we are both interested in space (especially the moon) and amateur radio. We created an event to highlight both of these amazing areas of interest. We are also looking to the commercial world to take part soon and make this an event for the whole world to enjoy

snip
----------------

Thanks to you folks, like Pat, that help get my head out of the books.
 Much to learn and enjoy.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.seti-inst.edu/seti/projects/project-phoenix/past_campaigns/pc-pioneer10.php
Past Observing Campaigns:
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Pioneer 10 at Arecibo

With a system designed to pick up interstellar communication signals
operating with the world's largest telescope, it's not surprising that
we can detect our own technological civilization. In this page we will
present some examples of terrestrial signals.

Our favorite signal (until we get the one from ETI) is from the
Pioneer 10 spacecraft. Launched in 1972, it now at a distance of
roughly 10,000,000,000 kilometers. Its aging transmitter broadcasts
with a power of only a few watts. The huge collecting area of the
Arecibo antenna brings it in loud and clear.

snip
==============================================================
http://echoesofapollo.com/moon-bounce/
World Moon Bounce Day 2010
EOA April 17th

snip
Why April 17th 2010?

At Echoes of Apollo we celebrate the amazing achievements of the
Apollo astronauts and their vast numbers of support staff, whether
part of the rocket design team, mission control or NASA’s global
communications network. We simply have the most incredible team ever
assembled with a single goal that was beyond anyones expertise at the
time of its announcement 10 years earlier. We celebrated the 40th
anniversary of Apollo 11 with out first annual World Moon Bounce Day
and this year we will be honoring Apollo 13’s return to earth 40 years
earlier. Echoes of Apollo still believe that this mission was one of
the most amazing and riveting stories of the space age. It is the only
Hollywood movie made of any of he Apollo missions.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/clearlake/special/7043269.html
JSC's future relies on moon program compromise
By STEWART M. POWELL
WASHINGTON BUREAU
June 8, 2010, 10:14PM

WASHINGTON — The political potshots have subsided and the serious horse-trading lies ahead as the White House and Congress grind toward a compromise to salvage parts of the NASA moon program crucial  to Houston's Johnson Space Center.

The legislative end-game is up in the air, as is any clear date to declare success or defeat. But the mood surrounding the space program in the nation's capital has shifted from seizing partisan advantage to pursuing at least some political pragmatism.

The predictable uproar in NASA-dependent states that greeted President Barack Obama's proposal to cancel the $108 billion Constellation program and the jobs that go with it has broadened geographically into a both a Republican and Democrat drive on Capitol Hill to protect features of the nation's legendary program of manned space exploration.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Bert's sister sent him a link to NASA's Fly Your Face in Space, which he passed to me.
It looks like you can have your picture fly on one of the last two shuttle flights and get a certificate for your keeping.
- LRK -

 ----------------
http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/
 Fly Your Face in Space

NASA wants to put a picture of you on one of the two remaining space shuttle missions and launch it into orbit. To launch your face into space and become a part of history, just follow these steps:

First...Select the Participate button at the bottom of this page and upload your image/name, which will be flown aboard the space shuttle.  Don't have a picture to upload? No problem, just skip the image upload and we will fly your name only on your selected mission!

Next...Print and save the confirmation page with your flight information.

Later...Return to this site after the landing to print your Flight Certificate - a commemorative certificate signed by the Mission Commander. You can also check on mission status, view mission photographs, link to various NASA educational resources and follow the commander and crew on Twitter or Facebook.

----------------

If you go to the "Education" tab you will be presented with a number of links to NASA items of General Interest and items for Students and Educators.
- LRK -

----------------
http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/education.aspx
Face In Space

Links
snip
----------------

At the bottom of the above page is a link for a complete list of NASA social networking sites
- LRK -

----------------
http://www.nasa.gov/connect/
Connect and Collaborate with NASA

Connect With NASA on Social Networking Sites
Connect with NASA at...
Collaborate with NASA

snip
----------------

In looking at some of the Collaboration links I see it is already NOT politically correct to mention Lunar activities. :-(
OK, to go to Mars.
- LRK -

----------------
http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/
NASA Be A Martian - Age of Virtual Exploration & the Human-Robotic Partnership

snip
----------------

Not OK to Inspire (Lunar activities)
- LRK -

----------------
http://moontasks.larc.nasa.gov/
The contest is open and will award prizes for the lunar-centric challenge that is due May 15, 2010. In light of NASA's new mission priorities, we will change the contest next fall to reflect non-lunar centric challenges.

Student Challenge:  We have expanded the contest beyond rover exploration of the lunar surface. The new challenge is to design tools and instrumentation for human and robotic exploration on the moon. The NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and the Exploration Technology Development Program encourage college students to design tools and instruments needed for future human and robotic exploration of the moon. Student projects will tackle real problems required for successful lunar missions. An expanded list of example problems will be posted to Design Challenge page soon. Check back often for new FAQ and other information.

Contest News
* NASA rover fact sheets

Moon Work Contestants visit Desert RATS near Flagstaff, AZ In September, the top three scoring teams from the 2009 Moon Work contest attended the NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) lunar analog test site at Black Point Lava Flow north of Flagstaff, AZ. After touring the equipment stations at the site, the students gave a brief overview of their contest projects to a group of scientists, engineers and technicians. Joe Kosmo, D-RATS project manager, gave each of the teams an engraved award plaque to commemorate their achievement.
View more Desert RATS photos.

snip
----------------

I wonder if it will be ok to send robots to the Moon or will there be no need for these activities?
Oh, oh, don't tell anyone where they hid the box with the simulated regolith.  We wouldn't want any testing of lunar devices going on year round, no, no, --- no testing.
- LRK -

----------------
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/innovation_incubator/centennial_challenges/regolith/index.html
Centennial Challenges - NASA's Prize Program for the "Citizen Inventor"

Regolith Excavation Features
College Team Wins NASA Lunar Robot Prize

Paul’s Robotics, a team led by college student, Paul Ventimiglia of Worcester Polytechnic Institute won the $500,000 first prize in the 2009 Regolith Excavation Challenge that concluded on Oct. 18.

snip

In this challenge, teams design and build robotic machines to excavate simulated lunar soil (regolith). Excavating regolith will be an important part of any construction projects or processing of natural resources on the Moon. The robots are tested in box containing eight tons of simulated lunar regolith that is about 4 meters square and about one-half meter deep. In order to qualify for a prize, a robot must dig up and then dump at least 150 kg of regolith into a container in 30 minutes. The teams with the robots that move the most regolith will claim the three cash prizes. NASA is looking for new ideas for excavation techniques that do not require excessively heavy machines or large amounts of power. None of the teams in the 2007 or 2008 competitions were able to meet the winning criteria. Following the 2008 event, a suggestion was made to find a permanent facility for the box with the simulated lunar regolith and that home was found in the Research Park at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA.  The 2009 competition held in October in that new facility, which will also be available year-round for testing of lunar devices.

snip
----------------

I don't suppose the Information Technology (IT) Summit will have to worry about communicating with the Moon.  Been there, done that. . . .  :-(
- LRK -

----------------
-- First NASA IT Summit to Gather Industry Leaders and Explore Tech Innovations
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=31011

"NASA's first Information Technology (IT) Summit will bring together government and industry leaders to explore the outer reaches of information technology. The summit, which takes place August 16-18 at the Gaylord National Harbor in Maryland, will gather 750 participants and more than 100 expert presenters with themes on collaboration, social networking, innovation, infrastructure, operations and IT security and privacy."
----------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=32693
 LRO Image of Apollo 17 Landing Site

STATUS REPORT
Date Released: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Source: NASA HQ

LRO maneuvered into its 50-km mapping orbit on September 15. The next pass over the Apollo 17 landing site resulted in images with more than two times better resolution than previously acquired. At the time of this recent overflight the Sun was high in the sky (28� incidence angle) helping to bring out subtle differences in surface brightness.  The descent stage of the lunar module Challenger is now clearly visible, at 50 cm per pixel (angular resolution) the descent stage deck is 8 pixels across (4 meters), also note that the legs are also now distinguishable. The descent stage served as the launch pad for the ascent stage as it blasted off for a  rendezvous with the command module America on 14 December 1972.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/index.html
Exploration at NASA

At the core of NASA's future in space exploration is a return to the moon, where we will build a sustainable, long-term human presence.

As the space shuttle approaches retirement, NASA is building the next fleet of vehicles to service the International Space Station and return humans to the moon, and possibly to Mars and beyond. In support of these efforts, ESMD is performing field tests, designing surface systems and conducting advanced human research to ensure that future missions are safe, sustainable and affordable.

A New Space Enterprise
On February 1, 2010 the President’s Budget Request proposed a new direction for human spaceflight. In response, NASA formed study teams to investigate options for implementing these plans, if and when authorized by Congress.

Read more - http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/new_space_enterprise/home/index.html
snip
==============================================================
http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=141491
 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SYNOPSIS FOR EXPLORATION PRECURSOR ROBOTIC MISSIONS

Synopsis - May 21, 2010
   Modification 01 - Posted on Jun 02, 2010

snip
Ooops, due by June 11 - LRK -
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={17678C2E-A038-F828-ADA4-A3700DF824B4}&path=open
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=232584/Robotic%20Precursor%20RFI%20Amend%201.pdf
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Follow the updates for the Hayabusa Re-entry.
Watch those looking up by whatever means available.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------
NASA's DC-8 Laboratory Heads to Australia for Hayabusa Re-entry - 06.07.10
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/status_reports/dc-8_status_06_07_10_prt.htm

A planeload of scientists and specialized instruments aboard NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory is scheduled to depart NASA’s Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility at Palmdale, Calif., for Australia Tuesday evening, June 8, to catch a glimpse of the fiery return of a Japanese spacecraft to Earth on June 13.

The group of astronomers from NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and other institutions are flying to Melbourne, Australia to make final preparations for the highly anticipated return of JAXA's Hayabusa spacecraft, which may bring back to Earth a sample of the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. Hayabusa is expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and land in the Woomera Test Range in southern Australia late Sunday night, June 13.

The team of 27 astronomers will have their instruments focused out the DC-8's specialized windows as it cruises at an altitude of 39,000 feet, far above light pollution and clouds. Using their suite of spectroscopic and radiometric imaging instruments, they hope to get a clear reading on what happens during the fiery re-entry process when the spacecraft descends like an artificial meteor at more than 27,000 mph.

At the same time, ground-based observation teams will attempt to reconstruct the as-flown trajectory to correlate with the airborne imaging data.

Following its launch in 2003, Hayabusa arrived at Itokawa in September 2005 and observing the asteroid's shape, terrain, mineral composition, gravity and other aspects over the next 2  1/2  months. Hayabusa briefly touched down on Itokawa's surface that November to sample surface material.

NASA’s primary goal during the airborne mission is to study the re-entry of Hayabusa's 40-pound sample return capsule to enable heat shield designers and engineers gain technological insight for the development of NASA's future exploration vehicles.

Astronomers made similar airborne studies from NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory for the September 2008 re-entry of the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle "Jules Verne," as well as the January 2006 Stardust sample return re-entry over Utah. During those missions, scientists studied the levels of radiation, light and out-gassing of the descending spacecraft, to better understand meteor and heat shield radiation mechanisms.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate is supporting the airborne observation of the Hayabusa SRC re-entry via the In-Space Propulsion Technology Project.

snip
http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1876386/dc8_flying_laboratory_heading_to_australia_for_hayabusa_reentry/
------------------------------------------------

More information and images.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/multimedia/imagegallery/DC-8/index.html
Dryden Flight Research Center

DC-8 Image Gallery

DC-8
ED10-0145-34

Hayabusa re-entry imaging mission project scientist Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center and Christina Giannopapa of the Netherlands' Eindhoven University prepare lenses for one of the specialized cameras for installation on NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory

snip
------------------------------------------------

Daily updates to Hayabusa.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/hayabusa-live/
2010/06/09 12:53 JST: TCM-4 operation started, precise guidance to WPA
Category: 2010_English
Posted by: HayabusaLive
JAXA would like to announce that TCM-4 operation has commenced (12:30 June 9th, 2010 (JST)). It will take around 2 hours 30 minutes for ion thrusters to accelerate.

Hayabusa system is going well.

*TCM : Trajectory Correction Maneuver
*WPA : Woomera Prohibited Area

2010/06/09 12:53 JST: TCM-4 WPAへの精密誘導開始について
Category: News_jp
Posted by: HayabusaLive
はやぶさの運用に関して、6月9日 12:30（日本時間）にTCM-4を開始しました。
イオンエンジン噴射加速に約2時間30分を予定しています。

探査機の状態は良好です。

※TCM: Trajectory Correction Maneuver （軌道補正マヌーバ）
※WPA : Woomera Prohibited Area （豪州）

2010/06/09 09:00 JST: Today’s Hayabusa
Category: Location_jp
Posted by: HayabusaLive
Hayabusa is currently 1,989,730 km away from the Earth, located at 8h44m00s RA and
29.79 deg DEC (Constellation of Cancer), as of 00:00:00 UT, 09 Jun. 2010.
From Hayabusa’s point of view,
the Earth can be seen in a direction of Microscopium.

2010/06/09 09:00 JST: 本日の はやぶさ君
Category: Location_jp
Posted by: HayabusaLive
2010年06月09日00時00分00秒
（日本時間では、06月09日の09時00分00秒）現在のはやぶさ君は、
地球からの距離1,989,730 km、
赤経8h44m00s、赤緯29.79度(かに座)にいます。
はやぶさ君から見て地球の方向には、けんびきょう座が見えます。

2010/06/08 19:44 JST: TCM-4 operation decision
Category: 2010_English
Posted by: HayabusaLive
JAXA would like to announce that it was authorized to implement TCM-4.

It is scheduled to conduct on June 9th 12:30 (JST).

*TCM: Trajectory Correction Maneuver

2010/06/08 19:44 JST: TCM-4実施判断について
Category: News_jp
Posted by: HayabusaLive
はやぶさの運用に関して、TCM-4を実施することが決定しましたのでお知らせいたします。

なお、TCM-4は、6月9日 12:30（日本時間）開始を予定しております。

※TCM: Trajectory Correction Maneuver （軌道補正マヌーバ）

snip
------------------------------------------------

I guess we will have to make the most of what our robot/spacecraft friends can do.
And if you enjoy Power Point Presentations, we probably will be seeing more of them..
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/new_space_enterprise/home/workshop_home.html
May 25 - 26, 2010 Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center Galveston, TX
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html
snip
HAYABUSA, which was launched on May 9, 2003,achieved its goal of arriving at the Itokawa asteroid and performing scientific observations. As a result, its mission was featured in the scientific magazine "Science" as a first Japanese mission to illustrate various new findings about the asteroid including its gravity and surface conditions. HAYABUSA is now under preparations for its return trip to the Earth in 2010.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/06/20100605_hayabusa_e.html
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would like to announce that TCM-3 operation was successfully completed (1:44 p.m. June 5th, 2010 (JST)).
By this operation, Hayabusa was guided from Earth's outer rim toward WPA in Australia.

http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html
Launch Date 13:29, May 9, 2003 (JST)

HAYABUSA (MUSES-C) has been developed to investigate asteroids.
HAYABUSA explored an asteroid named "Itokawa," after the late Dr. Hideo Itokawa, the father of Japan’s space development program. HAYABUSA is traveling through space using an ion engine.

snip
==============================================================
http://hayabusa.jaxa.jp/e/index.html
HAYABUSA - The Final Approach  -

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Wish the Japanese luck in retrieving the capsule.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html
June 5, 2010 Updated
HAYABUSA heading to Australia
JAXA confirmed that the third trajectory correction maneuver (TCM-3) was successfully carried out for the Asteroid Explorer "HAYABUSA" at 1:44 p.m. on June 5 (Japan Standard Time.) This operation completed the guidance of the HAYABUSA from the Earth's outer rim to the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia.

snip
------------------------------------------------

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/06/20100605_hayabusa_e.html
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would like to announce that TCM-3 operation was successfully completed (1:44 p.m. June 5th, 2010 (JST)).
By this operation, Hayabusa was guided from Earth's outer rim toward WPA in Australia.

http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html
Launch Date 13:29, May 9, 2003 (JST)

HAYABUSA (MUSES-C) has been developed to investigate asteroids.
HAYABUSA explored an asteroid named "Itokawa," after the late Dr. Hideo Itokawa, the father of Japan’s space development program.  HAYABUSA is traveling through space using an ion engine.

snip
------------------------------------------------

How long did it take the Japanese to send a spacecraft to an asteroid and back, about 7 years.
And that is with the assistance of an ion engine.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/muses_c/index_e.html
snip
HAYABUSA, which was launched on May 9, 2003,achieved its goal of arriving at the Itokawa asteroid and performing scientific observations. As a result, its mission was featured in the scientific magazine "Science" as a first Japanese mission to illustrate various new findings about the asteroid including its gravity and surface conditions. HAYABUSA is now under preparations for its return trip to the Earth in 2010.
snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmmmm, In Russia we are practicing for a 520 day mission to Mars and back and here we have a mission to an Asteroid that took 7 years.  I wonder if we will practice that on the ground with humans who will want to twiddle their fingers for seven years to look at an asteroid up close and personal?

Radiation suits in order, hide in the water supply, tend the garden, recycle, recycle, recycle, for what, to say been there, done that?
Will we pick an asteroid that has a lot of nickel or platinum and bring it back to Earth orbit where it can be mined.  Or land it on the Moon where we won't be waiting, since we have been there already and done that.
- LRK -

http://www.permanent.com/a-geolog.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------
http://chview.nova.org/station/ast-mine.htm
While asteroids are rich in the metals and minerals needed for needed for building space facilities, comets are rich sources of the water and carbon-based molecules needed to maintain life. According to John Lewis (a University of Arizona planetary scientist), for example, the smallest Earth-crossing asteroid 3554 Amun  (see orbit) is a mile-wide (2,000-meter) lump of iron, nickel, cobalt, platinum, and other metals; it contains 30 times as much metal as Humans have mined throughout history, although it is only the smallest of dozens of known metallic asteroids and worth perhaps US$ 20 trillion if mined slowly to meet demand at 2001 market prices.
snip
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=amun;orb=1  3554 Amun (1986 EB)
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=amun;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=1#cad
-------------------------------------------------------------
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0604/Falcon-9-launch-takes-place-after-aborted-attempt
Falcon 9 launch takes place after aborted attempt

 By Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Senior Writer / June 4, 2010

The brand new commercial Falcon 9 rocket soared into orbit from Florida on its maiden flight Friday, the first test for a new era of private vehicles that could one day send cargo – and possibly astronauts – into space.

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Falcon 9 will at least get cargo to the ISS but then ESA can already do that and so will the Japanese and the Russians have been doing it for us for awhile.
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMDYOK26DF_index_0.html
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2b/index_e.html
http://onorbit.com/node/1246
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.spacex.com/falcon9.php
Falcon 9 User's Guide (2.9 mb)

The Falcon launch vehicle family is designed to provide breakthrough advances in reliability, cost, flight environment and time to launch.  The primary design driver is and will remain reliability, as described in more detail below. We recognize that nothing is more important than getting our customer's spacecraft safely to its intended destination.

Like Falcon 1, Falcon 9 is a two stage, liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle. It uses the same engines, structural architecture (with a wider diameter), avionics and launch system.

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

I wonder how I say, "to the moon" in Chinese?
I guess I should get my Chinese dictionaries down and dust them off. or use Google -
-------------------------------------------------------------
http://translate.google.com/#en|zh-CN|to%20the%20Moon

to the moon
到月球
-------------------------------------------------------------
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
-- Hatch closed! 18-month Mars500 mission has begun
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=30962
-- Mars500: Goodbye Sun, goodbye Earth, we are leaving for Mars!
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=34244

"Mars500, the first full-length simulated mission to Mars, started today in Moscow at 13:49 local
time (11:49 CET), when the six-man crew entered their 'spacecraft' and the hatch was closed.
The experiment will end in November 2011"

The mood was serious, intense but very determined in the Mars500 facility at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow this afternoon, as the crew of the Mars500 talked to the press and and then walked into the modules that will be their home for next 520 days.

snip
==============================================================
http://spaceandtelecomlaw.unl.edu/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=152502&name=DLFE-7251.pdf
Asteroid Mining Article References
Minerals of Interest Date: 2008.08.07

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/settlement/asteroids/sonter.html
The Technical and Economic Feasibility of Mining the Near-Earth Asteroids

M J Sonter. Presented at 49th International Astronautical Federation Congress, Sept 28 - Oct 2, 1998, Melbourne, Australia. Posted withpermission of the author.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Well if I can't mention going to the Moon, maybe an article about simulating going the Mars will have to do.
Wherever you are going to find yourself in a confined space with a group of fellow humans, you have to be able to get along.  The long flight to Mars and back and a short stay there, will test your ability to control your emotions.

I found that a five week leadership course in the Navy with two others in my room was a real test.  One of my roommates was so neat you just wanted to scream, and of course I could never get my towels to hang perfectly.  Then getting a demerit for a chicken feather on your bed didn't help much either.  Not leaving your cramped quarters for 520 days will be hard even if you don't have to worry about being zapped by a Solar storm or hit by a meteorite.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
-- Hatch closed! 18-month Mars500 mission has begun
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=30962
-- Mars500: Goodbye Sun, goodbye Earth, we are leaving for Mars!
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=34244

"Mars500, the first full-length simulated mission to Mars, started today in Moscow at 13:49 local
time (11:49 CET), when the six-man crew entered their 'spacecraft' and the hatch was closed.  The experiment will end in November 2011"

The mood was serious, intense but very determined in the Mars500 facility at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow this afternoon, as the crew of the Mars500 talked to the press and and then walked into the modules that will be their home for next 520 days.

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=34244
 Mars500: Goodbye Sun, goodbye Earth, we are leaving for Mars!

STATUS REPORT
Date Released: Thursday, June 3, 2010
Source: ESA Mars 500
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars500/index.html
3 June 2010

This is the first entry of the Mars500 mission diary by European crewmembers Diego Urbina and Romain Charles.

Hello,

If you are reading these lines, I guess that you already know most of the technical characteristics of the Mars500 project. For our first diary, I would like to write some lines about our training and how it is from the inside.

snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you caught that this is being conducted in Russia.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100602/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_mission_to_mars
Russia launching 520-day Mars mission simulation

 By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer Vladimir Isachenkov,
Associated Press Writer   – Wed Jun 2, 9:43 am ET

MOSCOW – A manned mission to Mars may be decades away, but an international team of researchers will try to experience what one might be like by locking themselves up in a windowless capsule for a year-and-half — the time needed for a roundtrip to the red planet.

The all-male crew of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese won't endure weightlessness, but from Thursday they will live for 520 days in the spartan conditions of a mock spaceship and follow a harsh regimen of experiments and exercise.

The main task of the Mars-500 experiment is to study the effects of long isolation to help a real space crew of the future cope better with stress and fatigue.
snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile back on this side of the Atlantic a look in at the vegetable garden for those that would like to learn how to survive on what you can grow.  Fresh food from Earth to Mars would be a rarity.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------------------------
-- Live Webcams On Devon Island
http://www.onorbit.com/node/2252

"There are several webcams currently in operation on Devon Island in Support of the Arthur
Clarke Mars Greenhouse located at the HMP Research Station. The greenhouse was installed on
Devon Island in the summer of 2002. These webcams update once a day, conditions permitting,
through the greenhouse's autonomous systems using an MSAT satellite connection."
snip
-------------------------------------------------------------

 Other interesting items at the On Orbit web site as well.
http://www.onorbit.com/
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
-- Preparations for First Falcon 9 Test Launch
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=34234

"SpaceX is now targeting Friday, June 4th for its first test launch attempt of the Falcon 9 launch
vehicle The primary schedule driver for the first Falcon 9 test launch has been certification of the flight termination system (FTS). The FTS ensures that Air Force Range safety officials can command the destruction of the vehicle should it stray from its designated flight path."

snip
==============================================================
-- NASA Spacecraft Burns for Home, Then Comet
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=30935

"NASA's Deep Impact/Epoxi spacecraft has successfully performed a trajectory correction maneuver to refine its orbit prior to an upcoming Earth flyby June 27.  The maneuver, along with the Earth flyby, will place the spacecraft on a trajectory to fly past comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4."

snip
==============================================================
Space journalist Sergey Leskov writes in today's Izvestia about the still-unnamed vehicle, here:
http://www.izvestia.ru/science/article3142448

RSC-Energiya has approved the design, but no word on when/if the Russian Space Agency will agree.

Drawing (14 k) here:    http://images.izvestia.ru/232852.jpg
----------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Translate
http://translate.google.com/#ru|en|
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

So much information available, so little time to partake.
- LRK -

For you folks that may be in the San Jose, California area on the 4th
of July, 2010 you might want to stop in at The Tech Museum of
Innovation and take part in the July 4th Galaxy Forum USA.
 - LRK -

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.iloa.org/galaxyforum.html

Dear Larry,

The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) and Space Age
Publishing Company will be presenting an educational space event in
July, which will likely be of interest to your readers, called July
4th Galaxy Forum USA: Galaxy Education and Galaxy Enterprise in the
21st Century.  This event is open to the public and admission is free.

This event is part of an international program of Galaxy Forums, to
confirm and actualize Galaxy Education in the 21st Century as an
energizing, central focus and way forward.

We would like to publicize the event through your publication /
website.  Following is a brief notice:

Galaxy Forum USA
July 4, 2010, 9:30am – 11:30am, at the The Tech Museum of Innovation,
San Jose, CA.
201 South Market Street, San Jose, California 408-294-8324
Map - TinyUrl for http://tinyurl.com/2v9vz9k

Featured speakers include
Pamela Harman SETI Institute ASSET Program “Teaching Astrobiology”,
Ryan Nurmela and Michael Finnegan Quantum Camp “Comprehending Quantum”,
Patrick Hamill Department of Physics & Astronomy, San Jose State
University “Observing The Earth From The Moon”,
Steve Durst, Space Age Publishing Company, International Lunar
Observatory Association “International Lunar Observatory (ILO) Galaxy
First Light Imaging Program.”

Admission is free; please contact news@spaceagepub.com or call
650-324-3705 to reserve your place.
------------------------------------------------------

Anna Miller sent me an email about a recent post to the blog which I
pass on for your consideration.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------
Hi Larry,

I know this email is out of the blue, but I just posted an article on
my blog entitled
“50 Places to Explore Outer Space Online”
http://www.onlinedegree.net/50-places-to-explore-outer-space-online/ .

Anyway I figured I’d bring it to your attention in case you thought it
interesting enough to drop a quick mention on your site about it as
I’m trying to increase readership of my blog.

snip
------------------------------------------------------

I included the link on the Moon, Mars, and Beyond blog in the Links I
Like for future reference.
She has a lot more interesting blogs but you need to go the web site
BLOG tab to see them.
http://www.onlinedegree.net/category/blog/
http://www.onlinedegree.net/category/blog/page/2/
http://www.onlinedegree.net/category/blog/page/3/
http://www.onlinedegree.net/category/blog/page/4/
http://www.onlinedegree.net/category/blog/page/5/
http://www.onlinedegree.net/category/blog/page/6/

Also, the web site has a lot of references to Online Degree programs
which might also be of interest.
------------------------------------------------------
http://www.onlinedegree.net/
snip
With over 150 fully Accredited Colleges and Universities and over 450
Online Degrees and Certificates in our database to choose from, Online
Degree gives you the ability to find and request enrollment and
financial aid information from the online program that is right for
you ... Instantly!
snip
------------------------------------------------------

Recently signed up for the Kurzweilai.net news letter and here is a
link to the online web page.

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=news.html

http://www.kurzweilai.net/  [uses flash in a lot of places so might
not work if you have flash disabled. - LRK - ]
Subscribe to our influential free e-newsletter (we keep your email
address in strict confidence):

Non Flash version of website.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/index.html?flash=1
------------------------------------------------------

I have been trying to watch the launch of the Delta 4 rocket launching
the GPS 2F-1 navigation satellite.
It has had several down to the wire holds and reschedules.
Looking again.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d349/status.html
Mission Status Center

By Justin Ray

Welcome to Spaceflight Now's live coverage of the Delta 4 rocket
launching the GPS 2F-1 navigation satellite. Text updates will appear
automatically; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on
Twitter.

0012 GMT (8:12 p.m. EDT)
That issue in the Delta 4 rocket's countdown has been resolved, the
launch team just announced. Work to finish fueling the vehicle before
tonight's 11:00 p.m. EDT liftoff is underway.
0002 GMT (8:02 p.m. EDT)
The launch team has run into some sort of issue during the first stage
liquid hydrogen post-fueling vent and relief checks. Engineers are
assessing it.

The first stage liquid oxygen tank has been loaded and the upper
stage's LOX tank is being filled currently. The upper stage liquid
hydrogen has been tanked as well.

Weather remain favorable and there's an 80 percent chance of "go"
conditions at launch time tonight.
snip
------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

I wonder if President Obama said we had been to the Moon because the present plans were only talking about how to get to the Moon and not what would be a desired follow on, once we could get there again?  An Apollo type visit would be just the same as before.  I thought we had plans to do more than just a visit.

My reading about how our government works suggests that being too specific and telling you what it really will cost, scares the politicians that don't want to be blamed for spending the money to do the job right.  If money is tight, cost estimates can keep an agenda from getting out of committee.  That means you might just talk about one piece of the journey at a time in hopes that it will be funded.

When we thought we were going to go back to the Moon to stay and to do the things that would make that possible, folks got excited and started working on how to actually make it happen.

Going to the ISS has not developed a closed-loop habitat as much as I thought it would.  It is too easy to take the garbage back or dump it into space.  We have to continually take up consumables.  When you talk about living on the Moon, you know you are going to have to learn how to do better at recycling.  That is something we could be doing more of here on mother Earth as well.

I think that the more we continue to plan for going to the Moon and the more we test what we can here on Earth, the more we will be able to keep the ideas in front of the public.  Politicians need to have solutions waiting for problems to present themselves.  If you say today you want to go to the Moon, you had better be prepared to support that with ways you can show that it can be done.

Take a look at what is being done at the International Space University.
- LRK -

http://www.isunet.edu/
Welcome to the International Space University

http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=546
Student Reports

http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=110&Itemid=251
Success Stories - ISU
 ---
SAFEN EARTH: space aid for energy needs on Earth
ACCESS Mars: Assessing Cave Capabilities Establishing Specific Solutions
DREAM: Disaster Risk Evaluation And Management
FuturIST: Future Infrastructure for Space Transportation
VAPOR: Volcanic Activity:processing of Observation and Remote sensing data

and see 'more' at bottom for the link to  'LUNA GAIA: a closed-loop habitat for the moon '

http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=251
 SSP 06 Strasbourg (France) - Student report

The Luna Gaia posits a pathway towards new technologies, philosophies, systems applications and infrastructure aimed at achieving a closed loop habitat model for human settlement on the Moon. Luna Gaia design solutions focus on the coupling power for all regenerative processes of a network of closed loop life support. Using proven and innovative solutions that produce relatively independent and highly reliable cycles of oxygen, water, energy, food growth and waste processing, the modular, hybrid bioregenerative network of systems particular to the Luna Gaia design architecture is ambitious but feasible.

Thie report also details ethical and philosophical considerations of lunar settlement and the wider implications for international law, policy and future interplanetary social governance.

Executive summary|
http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=343
Full report| http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=236
Request a copy --- Email copy request

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Sarah Jane Pell participated in the SSP 06 team project - L U N A G A I A - A CLOSED LOOP HABITAT FOR THE MOON.
She is an Artist, Researcher and Commercial Diver and has some interesting presentations.
If you can't go immediately to the Moon, you can go under water.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahjanepell.com/
snip
Humans experience many coexistent and contrary needs in relation to any given space. We have a desire for socialising, communicating and being close to others and, in direct contrast, we desire privacy, individuality and opportunities for meditation and creativity. I am practice-based performance researcher and I explore these issues and how they signify human patterns, rituals, behaviours and performances of day-to-day life through my laboratories and further imagine how they relate as a space analogue missions.
snip
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You aren't going to go to space alone and you need to know how to get along with each other in a closed environment.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahjanepell.com/LunaGaia.htm
L U N A G A I A
A CLOSED LOOP HABITAT FOR THE MOON
SSP O6 Team Project, International Space University, Strasbourg

Luna Gaia posits a pathway to new technologies, philosophies, systems applications and infrastructure aimed at achieving a closed loop habitat model for human settlement on the moon. The framework supports an ideal profile for an optimum of 11 human crewmembers on the lunar surface for a period of 18-36 months. This presentation outlines the recommendations on the overall systems architecture, the engineering processes, as well as the research, development and orchestration of separately phased precursor missions by the year 2030. The Luna Gaia design solution focuses on optimizing the synergy between all regenerative processes of a network of closed loop life support systems. It also details the ethical and philosophical considerations of a lunar settlement and the wider implications for international law, policy and future interplanetary governance. Advancement of earth-based application of these processes are highlighted and strategies for effective information transfer and handling through education, media communication, outreach and advancement of futures research.
snip

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Do take a look at her website.  Much information about her projects.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahjanepell.com/Astro.htm
THE CULTURE OF SPACE

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/AnatomyBiology.htm
THE ART OF LIVING SYSTEMS

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/LunaGaia.htm
L U N A G A I A
A CLOSED LOOP HABITAT FOR THE MOON

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/neutral.htm
Neutral Buoyancy

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/Hydromedusa.htm
H Y D R O M E D U S A
Undersea to Outer Space
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Down under as well as above. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.slideshare.net/Aquanaut/nasa-arc-directors-colloquium-16-nov-2006-luna-gaia-a-closed-loop-habitat-for-the-moon-presentation?type=powerpoint
Tiny URL for above -  http://tinyurl.com/32q8u8r
NASA ARC Director's Colloquium 16 Nov 2006 - Luna Gaia: a closed loop habitat for the Moon

snip
==============================================================
http://www.lunarexplorers.net/
Welcome to the online home of the Lunar Explorers Society!

Working for a permanent presence of humanity on the Moon

The Lunar Explorers Society is an international space advocacy organization that aims to promote the exploration of the Moon for the benefit of humanity. We believe that the Moon is the next and most important step in the human exploration of the solar system. We are dedicated to help achieve this goal through furthering international cooperation, outreach activities and general enlightening of the public. In pursuing this aim we hope to bring the best of humanity to the Moon, and to bring the benefits of the Moon to all people on Earth through a sustainable exploration process.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/index.htm
Lunar Bases & Settlement Library

LUNA GAIA: A Closed-Loop Habitat for the Moon. Design for a >90%
self-sufficient 11-person base by a team of 30 space scientists.
International Space University, 2007, 168 pages. [PDF 7.0 MB off site]
(Note: link now not found on server - LRK -)
Try this link. ---
http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=251
Down load report. ---
http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=236

snip
[A number of resources listed - LRK -]
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Best be informed.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/may/HQ_M10-081_Exploration_Charts.html
MEDIA ADVISORY : M10-081

NASA Announces Posting Of Space Exploration Workshop Charts

WASHINGTON -- Presentation charts for the opening-day briefings of NASA's Exploration Enterprise Workshop in Galveston, Texas, will be posted online at noon EDT, Monday, May 24.

The two-day workshop brings together a broad community of space exploration stakeholders from government, industry and academia. The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate's plans for human and robotic space exploration and the administration's fiscal year 2011 budget request for the agency will be discussed.

The charts represent a starting point that will be refined throughout the summer and coming years. They capture the results of planning as of May 25, but do not represent final plans. Any specific launch dates and missions are likely to change to reflect the addition of the Orion Emergency Rescue Vehicle, updated priorities, and new information from NASA's partners.

The charts provide a basis for engagement with outside organizations, including international entities, industry, academia and other government agencies. Involving outside groups helps NASA make informed decisions as program objectives and expectations are established. To view workshop presentations, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/new_space_enterprise/home/workshop_home.html

or

http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=2486

For more information about NASA's exploration programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Watch the talking.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/new_space_enterprise/home/workshop_home.html
May 25 - 26, 2010
Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center Galveston, TX

The first day of the conference will provide an overview of NASA's "point of departure" plans for technologies and missions. This will serve as a starting point for further refinement.

Day 1 of the conference will be streamed live!

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Also watch here.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=2486
 NASA Exploration Enterprise Workshop 25 - 26 May 2010
Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center Galveston, Texas

On Feb. 1, 2010, the President released the FY 2011 Budget Request.
The budget proposes several exciting new programs that seek to foster a sustainable human space exploration enterprise. NASA will host an Exploration Enterprise Workshop that brings together a broad community of stakeholders from industry, academia and the U.S. federal government to discuss these changes.

The Agency has completed the initial phase of planning for the new technology and robotic programs and will provide insight into the progress to date. The open workshop will also encourage participants to engage in discussions related to strategy building, development, and the implementation of the new plans for human and robotic exploration in space. The objectives are to:

   * Convey progress in planning toward the new programs
   * Discuss proposed program assignments
   * Solicit feedback, ideas and suggestions from interested parties
   * Prepare for the next steps once the new programs are implemented


The first day of the conference will provide an overview of NASA’s “point of departure” plans for technologies and missions. This will serve as a starting point for further refinement. Breakout sessions on the second day of the conference will focus on specific plans for maturing technologies, conducting flight demonstrations, and building commercial capabilities. In preparation for the event, several requests for information (RFI) will be released and discussed at the conference.


For inquiries, please contact: Penny Ritch, AIAA Customer Service, via phone at 703.264.7510 or via email at pennyr.aiaa.org

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

and out Chicago way, the NSS and folks.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://isdc.nss.org/2010/
National Space Society's
29th International Space Development Conference May 27-31, 2010
InterContinental O'Hare Hotel - Chicago, Illinois The National Space Society's 29th annual International Space Development Conference is just a few days away!  ISDC 2010 will feature leaders from across the space community:

Some of those attending this year's ISDC are:

   * NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
   * Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin
   * Scientist and author Freeman Dyson
   * Apollo 9 astronaut and B612 Foundation Chairman Rusty Schweickart
   * Former NSS Executive Director and new CEO of Virgin Galactic George Whitesides
   * X-Cor Aerospace President Jeff Greason
   * NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver
   * Civilian astronaut Richard Garriott
   * Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson
   * Mars Society President Robert Zubrin

These are just a few of the many Speakers that will be sharing their views on the future of space exploration.
http://isdc.nss.org/2010/?page=speakers

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

While out is Space with hardware being tested, and update from Japan's IKAROS.
See pictorial at the link below and wish them luck when they unfurl the sail.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/05/20100524_ikaros_e.html
IKAROS moves to Verification Experiment Phase

May 24, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the initial operation check of the Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator "IKAROS," which was launched on May 21, 2010 (Japan Standard Time,) from the Tanegashima Space Center.

We will take a few weeks to carry out the first verification experiments, namely deployment of the solar sail and solar power generation by thin film solar cells.

snip
Mission web site - LRK -
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html
-----------------------------------------------------

I am still reading about how our government makes decisions or not.
Not all that encouraging
-------------
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (2nd Edition) [Paperback]
John W. Kingdon
-------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?120426
Lunar Base Development Issues, Technology Requirements, and Research Needs by Peter Eckart
pp. 760-767, (doi  10.1061/40479(204)91)

Document type:  Conference Proceeding Paper
Part of:        Space 2000
Abstract:       The development, design, and construction of a lunar base will be an extremely complex technical task. It will be even more challenging to set up the funding scheme and the international cooperative structures that will be required to establish humankind’s first outpost on another planetary body. This paper provides a summary of development issues, technology requirements, and research needs of a lunar base program. Non-technical aspects covered include the rationale for installing a lunar base, financing, cost, management, and legal issues, as well as general development aspects. Technical aspects discussed include the impact of the lunar environment on base design and development, Earth-Moon transportation, and site selection.

The specific requirements of habitat design, thermal control, power supply, life support, communications, lunar surface transportation, extra-vehicular activities, and in-situ resources utilization are discussed, as well as logistics, cost, and modeling aspects. Also, it is outlined that a lunar base may very well serve as a testbed for technologies required for human Mars missions. The contents of this paper are based on countless lunar base-related studies that have been conducted in the past four decades and The Lunar Base Handbook that has been published recently and is also introduced here.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Lunar-Base-Handbook-Introduction-Design/dp/0073294446
The Lunar Base Handbook: An Introduction to Lunar Base Design (GNRL
USE) (Paperback)
Peter Eckart  $72.81 Copyright 1999

Product Description
Lunar Base Handbook provides an overview about the Moon and its environment, the current status of lunar base design, tools we need to design a lunar base, checklists and flow charts that outline the design process, and technological requirements of a lunar base.

The main audience for this book is engineers, but it is also interesting for scientists, managers, lawyers, undergraduates, and high school students, and readable for the interested layman.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/index.htm
Lunar Bases & Settlement Library

[A number of resources listed - LRK -]
snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Some TED talk links and articles.
- LRK -

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Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life"
http://www.ted.com/talks/craig_venter_unveils_synthetic_life.html

About this talk

Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've created
the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic
DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the
beginning of a new era for science.
snip

[As a TED talk it is 18 minutes and chops off some of the questions
seen on other posts - LRK -]
Interesting comments below the video link.
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Another post with more information and links to the TED talk.
- LRK -

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http://integral-options.blogspot.com/2010/05/ted-talks-craig-venter-unveils.html
Integral Options Cafe

TED Talks - Craig Venter Unveils "Synthetic Life"

Life re-created. Blue colonies (top) indicate a successfully
transplanted genome, with self-replicating bacteria revealed in an
electron micrograph.
snip

Citation:

   Creation of a Bacterial Cell Controlled by a Chemically Synthesized Genome
   Daniel G. Gibson,1 John I. Glass,1 Carole Lartigue,1 Vladimir N.
Noskov,1 Ray-Yuan Chuang,1 Mikkel A. Algire,1 Gwynedd A. Benders,2
Michael G. Montague,1 Li Ma,1 Monzia M. Moodie,1 Chuck Merryman,1
Sanjay Vashee,1 Radha Krishnakumar,1 Nacyra Assad-Garcia,1 Cynthia
Andrews-Pfannkoch,1 Evgeniya A. Denisova,1 Lei Young,1 Zhi-Qing Qi,1
Thomas H. Segall-Shapiro,1 Christopher H. Calvey,1 Prashanth P.
Parmar,1 Clyde A. Hutchison, III,2 Hamilton O. Smith,2 J. Craig
Venter1,2,*

   We report the design, synthesis, and assembly of the 1.08-Mbp
Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 genome starting from digitized genome
sequence information and its transplantation into a Mycoplasma
capricolum recipient cell to create new Mycoplasma mycoides cells that
are controlled only by the synthetic chromosome. The only DNA in the
cells is the designed synthetic DNA sequence, including "watermark"
sequences and other designed gene deletions and polymorphisms, and
mutations acquired during the building process. The new cells have
expected phenotypic properties and are capable of continuous
self-replication.

   1 The J. Craig Venter Institute, 9704 Medical Center Drive,
Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
   2 The J. Craig Venter Institute, 10355 Science Center Drive, San
Diego, CA 92121, USA.

   * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jcventer@jcvi.org

   Received for publication 9 April 2010. Accepted for publication 13 May 2010.

Science has made the article available for free (download the PDF -
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/rapidpdf/science.1190719v1.pdf). You can
also read a free summary article at the Science site, written by
Elizabeth Pennisi.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5981/958

It took 20 years and an around $40 million to get to this point, which
is revealed online by the journal Science.

   Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've
created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by
synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement
marks the beginning of a new era for science.

   Venter, the man who led the private effort to sequence the human
genome, is hard at work now on even more potentially world-changing
projects.

   First, there's his mission aboard the Sorcerer II, a 92-foot
yacht, which, in 2006, finished its voyage around the globe to sample,
catalouge and decode the genes of the ocean's unknown microorganisms.
Quite a task, when you consider that there are tens of millions of
microbes in a single drop of sea water. Then there's the J. Craig
Venter Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to researching genomics and
exploring its societal implications.

   In 2005, Venter founded Synthetic Genomics, a private company with
a provocative mission: to engineer new life forms. Its goal is to
design, synthesize and assemble synthetic microorganisms that will
produce alternative fuels, such as ethanol or hydrogen. He was on Time
magzine's 2007 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

   In early 2008, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute
announced that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium
by painstakingly stitching together its chemical components. By
sequencing a genome, scientists can begin to custom-design bootable
organisms, creating biological robots that can produce from scratch
chemicals humans can use, such as biofuel. And in 2010, they
announced, they had created "synthetic life" -- DNA created digitally,
inserted into a living bacterium, and remaining alive.

       "Either he is one of this era's most electrifying scientists,
or he's one of the most maddening." ~Washington Post
snip

[TED talk link]

snip
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and from MEFEDiA feed
http://www.mefeedia.com/video/31298583
Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life"

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jcvi.org/
J. Craid Venter Institute
FIRST SELF-REPLICATING SYNTHETIC BACTERIAL CELL

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/video/
Video
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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.tedmed.com/what
TEDMEDS  - Where do Healthcare and Medicine Collide with Brilliant
Minds and Uninhibited Imagination?
2010 Speakers
snip
http://www.tedmed.com/videos#Craig_Venter_at_TEDMED_2009
Craid Venter at TEDMED 2009
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Prey-Michael-Crichton/dp/0066214122
Prey [Hardcover]
Michael Crichton
(Author)

Amazon.com Review
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that
are too small to be seen with the naked eye but no less deadly or
intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park
such a blockbuster success.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/fileadmin/site/research/projects/first-self-replicating-bact-cell/fact-sheet2.pdf
Fact Sheet: JCVI’s Synthetic Genomics Research
4 page
snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

This is very, very, interesting and has many implications.
- LRK -
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http://www.jcvi.org/cms/press/press-releases/full-text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell-constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/
snip
As in the team’s 2008 publication in which they described the successful synthesis of the M. genitalium genome, they designed and inserted into the genome what they called watermarks. These are specifically designed segments of DNA that use the “alphabet” of genes and proteins that enable the researcher to spell out words and phrases. The watermarks are an essential means to prove that the genome is synthetic and not native, and to identify the laboratory of origin. Encoded in the watermarks is a new DNA code for writing words, sentences and numbers. In addition to the new code there is a web address to send emails to if you can successfully decode the new code, the names of 46 authors and other key contributors and three quotations: "TO LIVE, TO ERR, TO FALL, TO TRIUMPH, TO RECREATE LIFE OUT OF LIFE." - JAMES JOYCE; "SEE THINGS NOT AS THEY ARE, BUT AS THEY MIGHT BE.”-A quote from the book, “American Prometheus”; "WHAT I CANNOT BUILD, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND." - RICHARD FEYNMAN.
snip
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Check this out and stand by for more advances.
- LRK -

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May 20, 2010 3:12 PM PDT
Scientists create synthetic cell, version 1.0
 by Tim Hornyak

Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have created a synthetic cell that can survive and reproduce itself according to an artificial DNA sequence, promising designer genomes with which researchers can produce sophisticated artificial organisms.

The new bacterial cell, "Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0," is the result of a 15-year, $30 million effort by genetics pioneer Craig Venter. The study, led by the institute's Dan Gibson, is reported in the May 21 edition of the journal Science. The team of 25 researchers took Mycoplasma capricolum bacteria and completely rewrote its genetic code of more than 1 million base pairs of DNA. The data was sequenced as chemical DNA fragments and sewn together using yeast and E. coli bacteria.

snip
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Read a lot more at the links.
- LRK -

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http://singularityhub.com/2010/05/20/venter-creates-first-synthetic-self-replicating-bacteria-from-scratch/#more-16798
Singularity Hub - The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Venter Creates First Synthetic Self-Replicating Bacteria from Scratch May 20th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Craig Venter wants to program life the way we program computers, and today he announced a momentous win: the first synthetic self-replicating bacterium. The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) used the four types of chemicals that make up DNA, and complex assembly methods utilizing yeast cells, to ’program’ the 1.08 million base pairs that make up the genome for the bacteria cell. As described in the journal Science, the result was a synthetic copy of the Mycoplasma mycoides, dubbed M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0, that can grow and divide like normal. The little “1.0″ highlights the vast potential of Venter’s project, as JCVI will be able to update and improve their synthetic organism base pair by base pair, gene by gene. Computers can now program sustainable synthetic life – welcome to the future.

snip
[See Video, links and more - LRK -].
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View the videos if you can.  Good talk.
- LRK -

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http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/08/venters-successes-in-creating-synthetic-life-video/
Singularity Hub - The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Venter’s Successes in Creating Synthetic Life (video)
February 8th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Craig Venter is pushing the boundaries of what humans can do with DNA and aims to create new life to serve our needs. At TEDMED this past year, he discussed what he and his company, Synthetic Genomics, have accomplished by analyzing and manipulating the genes of simple organisms. While the presentation was titled “What could we do with synthetic life?” it would have been more apt to call it “What we have done so far is going to blow your freakin’ mind.” Venter gives an in depth look at the methods which will lead to custom made organisms.  Biofuel, new antibiotics, vaccines – Venter could one day make them all by using yeast and bacteria to reproduce artificially constructed genomes. As many have said, synthetic biology is likely to be the defining technology of the 21st century, and Venter plans on helping to write that definition. Check out his TEDMED video, in its entirety, after the break.

snip
[screen capture and video credit: TEDMED]

[The TEDMED video - 18 minute - and a time line guide provided by Aaron Saenz. ]
-----------------------------------------------------

Some of the crew and much more at JVCI.
- LRK -

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http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/photos/
First Self-Replicating Synthetic Bacterial Cell
Photos

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/overview/
Overview

Genomic science has greatly enhanced our understanding of the biological world. It is enabling researchers to "read" the genetic code of organisms from all branches of life by sequencing the four letters that make up DNA. Sequencing genomes has now become routine, giving rise to thousands of genomes in the public databases. In essence, scientists are digitizing biology by converting the A, C, T, and G's of the chemical makeup of DNA into 1's and 0's in a computer.  But can one reverse the process and start with 1's and 0's in a computer to define the characteristics of a living cell? We set out to answer this question.
snip

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/video/
May 20, 2010 Press Conference
snip
[Don't miss this press release  and the questions that are part of it. - LRK -]
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.tedmed.com/what
TEDMEDS  - Where do Healthcare and Medicine Collide with Brilliant Minds and Uninhibited Imagination?
2010 Speakers
snip
http://www.tedmed.com/videos#Craig_Venter_at_TEDMED_2009
Craid Venter at TEDMED 2009
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/
J. Craid Venter Institute
FIRST SELF-REPLICATING SYNTHETIC BACTERIAL CELL
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/fileadmin/site/research/projects/first-self-replicating-bact-cell/fact-sheet2.pdf
Fact Sheet: JCVI’s Synthetic Genomics Research
4 page
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

I am glad someone is not just saying been there, done that. Japan to visit Venus with PLANET-C

I enjoyed Pioneer 12's visit to Venus.
Yours truly, standing in for a controller in Fig 2-12.  :-)
Pioneering Venus NASA SP-518
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19960026995_1996055001.pdf
373 p. 176.41 MB
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/missions/archive/pioneer.html
- LRK -

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/status.html
Mission Status Center
By Stephen Clark

Welcome to Spaceflight Now's live coverage of the launch of Japan's H-2A rocket with the Akatsuki probe bound for Venus. Text updates will appear automatically; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/

1659 GMT (12:59 p.m. EDT)
We have posted a preview of the Ikaros solar sail that is launching as a secondary payload aboard the H-2A rocket. 
1555 GMT (11:55 a.m. EDT)
The rocket is now fully fueled for launch. Launch controllers just finished loading liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into both stages of the H-2A rocket.

The first stage LE-7A engine consumes hydrogen during its six-and-a-half minute firing. The second stage's LE-5B powerplant will ignite twice to place the Akatsuki orbiter on track for Venus.

The H-2A's two solid rocket boosters burn solid propellant, which has already been packed inside the motors.
snip
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What is scheduled to take place.
- LRK -

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/100516timeline.html
H-2A/Akatsuki launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 16, 2010
Updated: May 19, 2010

NOTE: Launch sequence data assumes liftoff on May 20, 2010.
snip
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Always nice to have some company.
May you have fair winds on your sailing venture.
- LRK -

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http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/planet_c/index_e.html
May 18, 2010 Updated
AKATSUKI/IKAROS Launch rescheduled to 6:58 a.m. on the 21st (Fri) The launch of the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" and the Small Solar Power Demonstrator "IKAROS" by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 was rescheduled at 6:58:22 a.m. on May 21 (Fri. Japan Standard Time, JST) after carefully studying the weather conditions.

Accordingly, the live launch report will begin at 6:30 a.m. on May 21(Fri., JST.) The report will be broadcast not only through the Internet, but also at JAXA i, Sagamihara Campus and other public viewing locations including some universities. You can also watch it through some CATV and cell phone providers.

   * Press Release
     http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/05/20100518_h2af17_2_e.html
   * AKATSUKI Special Site
     http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/index_e.html
   * Live Broadcast
      http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/live/index_e.html

snip

AKATSUKI (PLANET-C) is the next planetary exploration project for the Martian orbiter NOZOMI. This project’s main purpose is to elucidate the mysteries of the Venusian atmosphere. Though often referred to as Earth’s sister planet in terms of size and mass, Venus is actually very different. It is veiled in carbon dioxide, with a high temperature and thick sulfuric-acid clouds. Clarification of the causes for this environment will provide us with clues to the understanding of the birth of Earth and of its climate changes.  Therefore, Venus is a very important subject for exploration.

AKATSUKI will usher in a new era of Venusian exploration. The probe vehicle is scheduled to be launched in FY 2010 and is expected to reach Venus orbit.
snip
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Good pictures.
- LRK -

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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/100520gallery/
H-2A rolls out to launch pad for second time

The 174-foot-tall H-2A rocket moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad No. 1 at Japan's island spaceport around midday Thursday, local time. It was the second time the rocket has rolled to the pad. The first launch attempt Monday was scrubbed by thick clouds.
snnip
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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2a/index_e.html
Leading edge, efficient and economical technology Japanese main large-scale launch vehicle, H-IIA

H-IIA, Japan’s primary large-scale launch vehicle, is designed to meet diverse launch demands, at lower cost and with a high degree of reliability, by making the best use of the H-II launch-vehicle technology. The simplified design and improved efficiency of the manufacturing and launch processes of H-IIA have achieved one of the highest performance to cost ratio of launch system in the world, reducing the cost of launches by a half or more.

H-IIA launch service operations have been transferred to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD. ahead of the launch of H-IIA Flight 13. JAXA is in charge of launch safety management (including ground safety confirmation, flight safety assurance, and overall countdown control and supervision.)

For more information http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2a/design_e.html
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html
Space yacht accelerated by radiation of the Sun

A Solar Sail gathers sunlight as propulsion by means of a large membrane while a Solar "Power" Sail gets electricity from thin film solar cells on the membrane in addition to acceleration by solar radiation. What's more, if the ion-propulsion engines with high specific impulse are driven by such solar cells, it can become a "hybrid" engine that is combined with photon acceleration to realize fuel-effective and flexible missions.

JAXA is studying two missions to evaluate the performance of the solar power sails. The project name for the first mission is IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun). This craft will be launched with the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI", using an H-IIA launch vehicle. This will be the world's first solar powered sail craft employing both photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise.
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

I had tried to listen to the hearing of the Senate Commerce, Space & Transportation committee on Wednesday, May 12 2010, but got tired of Internet stalls of the video and finally quit listening.  In conversations with you folks I was pointed to the archived version.
Here is a Tiny URL for the link below.  http://tinyurl.com/2em5kxh
- LRK -
-------------------------------------
Hearings
The Future of U.S. Human Space Flight
Jena Longo - Democratic Deputy Communications Director 202.224.7824
May 12 2010 2:30 PM
Russell Senate Office Building - 253
-------------------------------------

If you play the video you will have about 25 minutes of nothing but the poster as the meeting didn't start on time.  It starts up with no sound so you will probably want to play with the slider to get to about the 26 minutes into the archived video.

Texts are available as PDFs below the Flash Video screen. Neil stuck with his, except for a sentence at the beginning which he missed.  Gene, however skipped some material because of the ad lib directed at Bolden, which is not in the typescript.

If you would just like to watch what Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan had to say you might take a look at the following link that Colin Mackellar in Sydney Australia made.  You can view the video and down load MP4 files for your own permanent record.
http://apollo11tv.com/testimony/
(Colin has a lot more Apollo 11 history at
http://honeysucklecreek.net/Apollo_11/index.html)

Just how we get to space and on what vehicle or combination of, doesn't seem to matter that much to me.  I would like to see work done to accomplish the end goal of being able to move off world and survive in the long term.  To me the Moon seemed like a good place to start.  Changing short term projects every new administration seems like a waste of time and money, but that is just my opinion.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
Nasa's Constellation Program - To the moon and beyond! (HD) ( CANCELED )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDja2xUslBA&feature=related

TheFutureIsRightHere  —  August 05, 2009  — On Sept. 16, 2010 at 1 p.m. EDT, the last Space Shuttle mission is expected to launch.  STS-134 (Space Transport System - stands for STS). After the shuttle's retirement, Nasa's Orion capsule will take its place. The new missions will most likely be called O.S.T.S. (Orion Space Transport System).  The Orion and the new Constellation program will take Americans back to the moon on 2020. For more information go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AresTV
snip
-------------------------------------

If you didn't watch the whole commission hearing and saw what Gene Cernan had to say, you might want to see Bolden's response when asked about the bail out quote.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kHDGIPSBMk&feature=youtu.be
The New U.S. Space Plan - To Bail-out Or Not Bail-out

AmericaSpace — May 12, 2010 — The "New" Space Plan

Beginning in 2011, the President no longer wants NASA to send astronauts to space. So, he's canceling Constellation. Instead, he wants NASA to subsidize and outsource human space flight.

None of the companies have ever launched a living thing. Not to worry, if the commercial launchers fall behind schedule or go over-budget, NASA will rescue them.

If the commercial launchers get into financial trouble, the NASA Administrator said NASA will bail them out. Even if it is the biggest bail-out ever.

Even bigger than GM's bail-out.

The NASA Administrator denies ever saying this.

But Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 Commander and last man to walk on the Moon heard what the NASA Administrator said.

And wrote it down.
snip
-------------------------------------

Still trying to figure out how we pass the laws we do and fund or not, those that have been passed.
To go to space or not to go to space, that is the question.
May I borrow a dollar?
Can I hitch a ride?

Listen, what do I hear?
http://www.zarya.info/Frequencies/FrequenciesPRC.php
Radio Frequencies - Peoples' Republic of China
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/End-Chaos-Quality-Ascendancy-Democracy/dp/0977066002/
The End of Chaos: Quality Laws and the Ascendancy of Democracy [Hardcover]
David G. Schrunk

Product Description
The book discusses the application of well established quality programs to laws and lawmaking. Quality programs have the potential to end the chaos of laws and to improve the effectiveness, cost-efficiency and user-friendliness of laws in the solution of societal problems. By this means governments will be able to ascend to the status of True Democracy, in which governments always serve the best interests of the people as a whole and reflect their highest aspirations.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (2nd Edition) [Paperback]
John W. Kingdon

Product Description
This text remains the authoritative work on agenda setting and policy formation. This report on original research includes many dow-to-earth illustrations and quotations from interviews, creating enjoyable and informative reading for undergraduate students.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

The below article is interesting as are the comments about having to tack what you want passed onto some other proposal.  What a tangled web we weave in this game of politics.  Hmmmm, and if we didn't need $58.8 billion for the war in Afghanistan, there would be more available for human space exploration.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html
NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Order keeping it alive is added to must-pass bill funding the war
By STEWART M. POWELL
WASHINGTON BUREAU
May 13, 2010, 11:38PM

WASHINGTON — Backers of NASA's Constellation program scored a significant victory Thursday by winning the Senate Appropriations Committee's support to block the Obama administration from terminating any part of the $108 billion back-to-the-moon program before October.

And they did it by piggy-backing the restriction onto a must-pass wartime supplemental budget package involving combat dollars for Afghanistan.

Up until Thursday, the battle over NASA has largely been a political war of words — and this is the first time that a congressional committee has responded directly to President Barack Obama's NASA proposal since February, when the president declared the Constellation program should be shelved.

The maneuver was pushed by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas and proposed by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

By including the language in a $58.8 billion budget supplemental to underwrite the costs of combat, Hutchison and her allies virtually assured that the restriction will be adopted by the full Senate and House and signed by Obama — because the costs of the Afghanistan war must be funded.

The language declares that NASA funds “shall be available to fund continued performance of Constellation contracts, and performance of such Constellation contracts may not be terminated for convenience by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Fiscal Year 2010.”

snip
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Wonder how the above affects S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
snip
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http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010
-------------------------------------

Thanks to you who are helping me keep score and watching which court the ball is in.
Keep your eye on the $$$.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://tinyurl.com/27xhovn
Recent Press Releases
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991
May 14 2010

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – Houston Chronicle

NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html

snip
==============================================================
Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy
process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

The last planned flight of shuttle Atlantis has lifted off to the ISS.
 Will it really be its last flight?
- LRK -

------------------------------
Shuttle Atlantis streaks into orbit on final planned flight, but . . .
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19514_3-20005035-239.html?tag=mncol;posts

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--The shuttle Atlantis blasted off on its 32nd and final planned mission Friday, closing out 25 years of service with a 12-day flight to deliver a Russian docking module and critical spare parts to the International Space Station.

With its three hydrogen-fueled main engines roaring at full thrust, the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters ignited on time at 2:20 p.m. EDT, instantly pushing the fully fueled 4.5-million-pound spacecraft away from pad 39A.

snip
-------------------------------------

Re-visit S. 3068, it still is in the news.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://appropriations.senate.gov/
http://appropriations.senate.gov/sc-commerce.cfm
http://appropriations.senate.gov/webcasts.cfm?method=webcasts.view&id=a5d75507-dc17-4f57-b550-4981ac513b07

http://hutchison.senate.gov/

MAY 12 - Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today expressed her disappointment in the Obama Administration’s proposal for NASA during a Commerce Committee hearing on the future of U.S. human space flight.

snip
-------------------------------------

What will be signed into law - or not - will play a role in how our space policy develops.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan”
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
snip
-------------------------------------

Again, you can track what our government is working on, and for S. 3068, see here.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010

A bill to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human Space Flight Activities, and for other purposes.  Sponsor: Sen. Kay Hutchison [R-TX]
Cosponsors: George LeMieux [R-FL]

Text: Full Text http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-3068
Status:  Introduced Mar 3, 2010
 Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments
 Reported by Committee ...
 Senate Vote ...
 House Vote ...
 Signed by President ...

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee.
[Last Updated: Apr 14, 2010 6:19AM]

Last Action: Mar 3, 2010: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Related: See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
snip
-------------------------------------

Where will we go from here?
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/lawmakers-bill-extend-shuttle-2015-hlv/
Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP, advance HLV

March 3rd, 2010 by Chris Bergin
Senator Kay Hutchison – in conjunction with Representatives Suzanne Kosmas and Bill Posey – has produced a 37 page Bill that proposes major refinements to NASA’s FY2011 proposal, and NASA’s forward plan.  The Bill is centered around a shuttle extension to 2015, in support of fully utilizing the International Space Station (ISS), along with saving elements of Constellation – such as Orion and a Heavy Lift Launcher (HLV).

Shuttle Extension:

Efforts to reverse the 2010 retirement date of the shuttle fleet have been ongoing for a few years, without being realized – partly due to a lack of support from successive NASA administrators.

Former NASA boss Mike Griffin even worked directly against extension – mainly via protection of the Ares I launch vehicle’s budget – often citing safety concerns which had no basis in post Return To Flight reality.

With a level of support for an extension of the shuttle manifest – in tandem with the development of a Shuttle Derived HLV – gained at the Augustine Committee review into NASA’s Human Space Flight program, the door was opened for building on a 2008 Senate Bill that had already actioned pre-emptive measures to protect shuttle-related assets from decommissioning.

snip
==============================================================
Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

I just finished reading a little booklet, only 94 pages, 4.25 x 7 x 0.25 inch in size.
Guess what?  It is on line and I commend it to you to read.
Most inspiring.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
WHY MAN EXPLORES - EP125
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/ep125.htm

Contents
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/contents.htm

Forward
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/part1.htm
- PANEL -

NORMAN COUSINS
Moderator
PHILIP MORRISON
JAMES MICHENER
JACQUES COUSTEAU
RAY BRADBURY

[3] FOREWORD

This NASA Educational Publication (EP 125) was prepared from a transcript of a panel discussion held on July 2, 1976, in conjunction with the Viking missions to Mars.

The members of the "Why Man Explores" panel were selected as authorities in classical disciplines relating to exploration. The panel discussions were not rehearsed, and the transcript was prepared from audiotapes made during the session. This report is formulated in the direct conversational style in order to retain the impromptu atmosphere and to best convey the thoughts developed during the discussion.

Donald P. Hearth
Director, NASA Langley Research Center

[4] INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Donald P. Hearth

Good evening. NASA's Langley Research Center is pleased to sponsor this symposium. The United States has embarked on a truly historic step in man's exploration of our solar system with two Viking spacecraft. We feel that it is appropriate, at this point in time, to examine the basic reasons why man explores and why he has the urge to explore. When this event was scheduled, we recognized that it might not be possible to land the first Viking on Mars on July 4th because of technical problems or Martian surprises. After Viking I went into orbit on the 19th of June, the technical problems lessened and we began to learn some marvelous things about Mars. Last Saturday night, the Viking

Project Manager made a prudent decision to explore the planet from orbit somewhat longer, and to look for a harbor, somewhat safer than the original site. Yesterday, he found a safer harbor and the landing will be in the so-called "Northwest Territory." That name was selected in a very scientific way, by the way, because it is northwest of the [5] planned landing site. Current plans are to land on the 17th of July at 3:00 in the morning, Pacific time.

That's what exploration is really all about. When one explores the unknown, one should look for surprises and be prepared to alter one's course. But, why does man explore at all? It is not just the exploration of the solar system that is the topic of this symposium but of our own Earth and indeed of the entire universe. We are here
this evening to discuss this question.

I will now introduce the panel. Starting on your left is an author, philosopher, poet, Mr. Ray Bradbury. Next is an explorer, oceanographer, environmentalist, Captain Jacques Cousteau. Second from the right is an explorer, author, philosopher, Mr. James Michener.  And, next to Mr. Michener is a physicist, a cosmologist, and indeed a humanist, Dr. Philip Morrison. Finally, the moderator for this evening, the editor of Saturday Review, Mr. Norman Cousins.
snip
-------------------------------------

I don't want to take up a lot of space here, so just a paragraph or two from JACQUES COUSTEAU on pages 51-53.  He had been describing an unexpected under water find they found on the south coast of Dhia, a small island lying 8 miles north of Crete.
I trust you will read more on line.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/part5.htm
snip
When man explores for resources, his [51] motivations are clear. They are what we call, superficially, logic. But why would we spend one full year of our lives and over $2 million just to raise a tiny corner of the veil concealing a few episodes of our past? What is the origin of the devouring curiosity that drives men to commit their lives, their health, their reputation, their fortunes, to conquer a bit of knowledge, to stretch our physical, emotional, or intellectual territory? The more I spend time observing nature, the more I believe that man's motivation for exploration is but the sophistication of a universal instinctive drive deeply ingrained in all living creatures.  Life is growth-individuals and species grow in size, in number, and in territory. The peripheral manifestation of growing is exploring the outside world. Plants develop in the most favorable direction, which
implies that they have explored the other orientations and found that they are inadequate.

Some plants send feelers at great distances; they send avant-gardeshoots before they invade the space that has been acknowledged propitious. For young animals the world is to be explored and discovered from their birth on, and that [52] exploration only ends with death; for the young fox, wilderness is unlimited; for a tuna, the oceans are infinite. Still in the animal world, the physical need for exploration develops as well in individuals as in collectivities-tribes, schools, swarms, packs. In fact, if the baby human being shows the same motivation as a young cat, to explore with all his sensors the strange environment he was born into, the big difference is that the little baby soon stands erect. That radical change came in evolution the day described so well by Ovid, a few years after Christ was born. "God elevated the forehead of Man," wrote Ovid, "and ordered him to contemplate the Stars." Nobody has better described the advent of the mind. The little boy's drive for exploration is soon curtailed temporarily by language. The human species is the only one that has the ability to transfer to the new wave of men, through language, printed material, and electronic media, the results of the exploration of the world performed by previous generations.

Most individuals find their hunger and their thirst for discovery satiated by learning. Learning and experience are [53] factors that often extinguish curiosity, but for those who suffer from an unquenchable intellectual thirst, of course, learning is a fabulous springboard. The exploring part of a plant, of a creature, of a crowd, is always the most vigorous, the most enterprising. When the shoots of a plant, a wisteria, for example, slowly creep over a wall, they are the privileged parts of the plant-those that are favored with the largest circulation of sap. From a purely physiological standpoint, in the American conquest of the West, the American pioneers, who often were originally European outlaws or very rough adventurers, were biologically the cream of Europe; and it took Europe more that a century to recover from that loss of substance.

snip
-------------------------------------

A lot of interesting remarks about why we explore.  I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did.
- LRK -

Viking Mission to Mars
-  http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
-  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/viking/
-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_program
Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061023-mars-life.html

Viking Mission May Have Missed Mars Life, Study Finds
Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
October 23, 2006

==============================================================
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/viking.pdf
Viking Mission to Mars
NASA Facts
8 page pdf

==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================