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#29426 Re: Terraformation » Terraforming Venus - methods anyone? » 2004-08-18 11:21:44

Venus: Inhabited World?
Interview with David Grinspoon

http://www.astrobio.net/news....thold=0

snipet:
The planet Venus is like Earth in many ways. It has a similar size and mass, it is closer to us than any other planet, and it probably formed from the same sort of materials that formed Earth. For years scientists and science fiction writers dreamed of the exotic jungles and life forms that must inhabit Earth's twin sister.

#29427 Re: Human missions » Moon vs Mars? - What did President Bush intend? » 2004-08-18 11:15:36

Well the debate is on for Manned vs. unmanned (again).
See the http://www.spacepolitics.com/ another blog site with commentary from the Truth news web site.

#29428 Re: Human missions » Hubble mistake - Action needed » 2004-08-18 11:11:09

Of course with Hubble 2 they needed to update everything to last much longer than the Items did that needed replacing over all the years that hubble has been in space.
Batteries, Gyro's ect...

#29429 Re: Planetary transportation » Combining the Rover and Hab - Go RV'ing! » 2004-08-18 10:48:19

Here is an article from a while ago on the topic.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/lunar-04s.html

This link will provide more blog comments for when this article came out from the Project constellation.us site.
http://www.jburk.com/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=489

#29430 Re: Human missions » Kerry's position on space - any one know were Kerry stands » 2004-08-18 10:36:18

Wgc
I am getting tired of preaching this, here's whats need to be done, so far no president has committed to anything like this.

1) Space activities need to be made a cabinet position
2) Our space efforts should not compete against Veterans and the poor, funding it from that part of the budget is stupidity.
3) space funding should be multiyear, not subject to annual permutations.
4) Funding for space should come from multiple agencies in the government.
Perhaps satellite launches and aeronautics should be part of the department of transportation.

Well here is a list of What I believe to be current cabinet posts and who is in them. So how would that work giving it a post? Would that also mean a separate budget?

I agree that action must be taken but what form should it take is the question.

Cabinet Position             Cabinet Official
Agriculture Secretary         Ann Veneman
Attorney General             John Ashcroft
Commerce Secretary         Don Evans
Defense Secretary         Donald Rumsfeld
Education Secretary         Rod Paige 
Energy Secretary             Spencer Abraham

Health and Human Services
Secretary                               Tommy Thompson

Homeland Security         Tom Ridge 
Housing and Urban Development     Alphonso Jackson

Interior Secretary             Gale Norton
Labor Secretary             Elaine Chao
Secretary of State         Colin Powell
Transportation Secretary         Norman Mineta
Treasury Secretary         John Snow
Veterans Affairs Secretary         Anthony Principi


President Bush's Advisors         Position Advisor        
White House Chief of Staff         Andrew Card

Director of the Office of
Management and Budget         Josh Bolten 

National Security Advisor         Condoleezza Rice
Director National Economic Council     Steve Friedman

#29431 Re: Human missions » Hubble mistake - Action needed » 2004-08-18 09:24:48

On a note of the shuttle return to flight.
Nasa news release Discovery Milestones Set Stage for Return To Flight
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/au … pdate.html

Since the first few flights will require a second shuttle be staged within a reasonable time how far off the time line is the next shuttle in its preperations for any such rescue attempt if needed.

#29432 Re: Unmanned probes » Mars steerable parachute » 2004-08-18 08:55:51

Just what Nasa needs to do, award another contract to the big guy's in the space biz. Did not the commissions final report say to use the private industry. I know that they recently asked for information on just that section of the report.

#29433 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » ISS:  Soldering Surprise » 2004-08-18 08:34:51

I has posted this yesterday under the Iss cutbacks topic.
So we actually can build things in space if given the tools. Who would have thought it something other than the science being trumpeted as the only use of the station.

Now here is a real surprise of science being done on the ISS.
Soldering Surprise
There's nothing routine about working in space, as astronaut Mike Fincke found out recently when he did some soldering onboard the International Space Station.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004 … solder.htm

#29434 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Da Vinci in the Running - Let the Space Race Begin! » 2004-08-18 07:45:57

All to service who, the elite of Nasa or the super wealthy. I do not think so. Space should be for everybody willing and wanting to go.

Yes the rockets are small but the knowledge that is gained by those that are attempting. This is done because it was not shared out of fear by The military, or Nations leaders and by Nasa. Not to mention the big guys in Lockheed and Boeing wanting to keep there piece of the pie.

So yes they are recreating the wheel but learning as they go to keep design, launch, operations and manufacturing costs down. This in its self will open up markets.

#29435 Re: Human missions » China The Dominant Superpower In 20 Years..... - What does this mean for US? » 2004-08-18 07:05:13

The rise and fall of a nations lead in the super power race can now a days be related to emerging nations come to dominance. For the same reason that a nation can come to power the inverse can be there down fall.

Just look at the manufacturing industry as a whole for the US. We have Seen nearly every job type outsourced and though this has made the Businesses more profitable to the owners and stock holders. The end result though has been rising unemployment rates, loss of job skills and so much more as it relates to the standard of living.

On the flip side of that if your jobs are unionized, civil serviced or government in form they become protected from this outsourcing to other nations that have lower labor rates.

#29436 Re: Human missions » Hubble mistake - Action needed » 2004-08-18 05:31:49

The Case Against Hubble
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/hubble-04p.html

Snipet:
Aviation Week magazine reports that Hubble's engineers have concluded that the problem can't be solved simply by docking a Deorbit Stage to it- equipped with its own set of super-precise gyros- to precisely stabilize Hubble, or radio precise attitude information from the Stage's gyros to Hubble's own attitude-control system.

The is because the docking fixture- where the Stage must attach itself to Hubble- is fastened to a thin, mildly flexible aluminum bulkhead on Hubble's rear.

No matter how precisely the Stage tries to control its own, and the attached Hubble's attitude, the Telescope will wiggle back and forth - only slightly, but more than enough to ruin the super-precise pointing which Hubble must carry out to make any usable astronomical observations.

#29437 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Masten, new contender in the RLV market - Looks at DC-X an RVT as inspiration. » 2004-08-18 05:07:30

The Ansari X Prize hopes to do the same for space tourism. Scaled Composites’ chief engineer, Burt Rutan, believes that eventually passengers could experience a brief space voyage at a cost of $30,000 to $50,000 per person, with prices dropping in the long run to $10,000 to $12,000 each.
It is unclear what effect the popularity of the Ansari X Prize will have on U.S. government space spending.

http://www.easttexasreview.com/story.htm?StoryID=1855

#29438 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Rutan's SpaceShipTwo! - one passenger, orbital... » 2004-08-18 05:07:00

The Ansari X Prize hopes to do the same for space tourism. Scaled Composites’ chief engineer, Burt Rutan, believes that eventually passengers could experience a brief space voyage at a cost of $30,000 to $50,000 per person, with prices dropping in the long run to $10,000 to $12,000 each.
It is unclear what effect the popularity of the Ansari X Prize will have on U.S. government space spending.

http://www.easttexasreview.com/story.htm?StoryID=1855

#29439 Re: Planetary transportation » baloon launcher - Cheap way to get to space » 2004-08-18 05:06:11

The Ansari X Prize hopes to do the same for space tourism. Scaled Composites’ chief engineer, Burt Rutan, believes that eventually passengers could experience a brief space voyage at a cost of $30,000 to $50,000 per person, with prices dropping in the long run to $10,000 to $12,000 each.
It is unclear what effect the popularity of the Ansari X Prize will have on U.S. government space spending.

http://www.easttexasreview.com/story.htm?StoryID=1855

#29440 Re: Space Policy » Space fairing Nations - The ever changing view » 2004-08-18 05:05:08

The Ansari X Prize hopes to do the same for space tourism. Scaled Composites’ chief engineer, Burt Rutan, believes that eventually passengers could experience a brief space voyage at a cost of $30,000 to $50,000 per person, with prices dropping in the long run to $10,000 to $12,000 each.
It is unclear what effect the popularity of the Ansari X Prize will have on U.S. government space spending.

http://www.easttexasreview.com/story.htm?StoryID=1855

#29441 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Da Vinci in the Running - Let the Space Race Begin! » 2004-08-18 05:04:11

The Ansari X Prize hopes to do the same for space tourism. Scaled Composites’ chief engineer, Burt Rutan, believes that eventually passengers could experience a brief space voyage at a cost of $30,000 to $50,000 per person, with prices dropping in the long run to $10,000 to $12,000 each.
It is unclear what effect the popularity of the Ansari X Prize will have on U.S. government space spending.

http://www.easttexasreview.com/story.htm?StoryID=1855

#29442 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Da Vinci in the Running - Let the Space Race Begin! » 2004-08-17 13:50:38

Though the falcon is not part of the competition it is however dealing with the same regulartory laws as a commercial industry.

Falcon rocket rides slow road toward flight
SpaceX deals with hurdles associated
with engine and environmental rules

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5725500/

#29443 Re: Human missions » Rocket Business model for shuttle delta IV atlasV - and others good or bad » 2004-08-17 13:39:48

As I noted elsewhere Falcon rocket rides slow road toward flight SpaceX deals with hurdles associated
with engine and environmental rules

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5725500/

#29444 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Rutan's SpaceShipTwo! - one passenger, orbital... » 2004-08-17 13:38:44

Well not quite a joke but almost the same size.
Falcon rocket rides slow road toward flight
SpaceX deals with hurdles associated
with engine and environmental rules

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5725500/

#29445 Re: Human missions » Cheap heavy launcher - can it be done at all » 2004-08-17 13:37:04

Falcon rocket rides slow road toward flight
SpaceX deals with hurdles associated
with engine and environmental rules

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5725500/

#29446 Re: Life support systems » Nutrition » 2004-08-17 13:11:11

You mean something other than freeze dried water required to reconstatute and the tube of tooth paste approach to feeding ones selfe.

#29447 Re: Interplanetary transportation » Is Earths Magnetosphere acting like an ion trap? » 2004-08-17 12:00:53

Probably another reason for low level of research being done with solar sails as well.

#29448 Re: Life support systems » Nutrition » 2004-08-17 11:14:28

Space travel pushes food science forward

Food makers may eventually benefit from imminent food technologies designed to prolong space travel as NASA calls on food scientists to provide food solutions that will enable humans to travel far from Earth – to the Moon or Mars - creating new opportunities for exploration and discovery.

http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news … p?id=54171

#29449 Re: Human missions » Hubble mistake - Action needed » 2004-08-17 11:06:33

Can I suppose that GCNRevenger that you feel the same way about the ISS if it should come down to keeping it up there and going, after the shuttle is fully retired.

#29450 Re: Science, Technology, and Astronomy » Rutan's SpaceShipTwo! - one passenger, orbital... » 2004-08-17 10:37:01

The lowest stable orbit is at 185 km... and the altitude is the easy part.  The difficult part is the 7.5 km/s rotational velocity.

He might mean 130 miles, but the savings from only launching 1 person should not be nearly enough to achieve orbit.

Sounds to me that the next xprize level should be just what you have described. The higher the better but to at least achieve orbital status and real re-entry conditions. This would put the fear into Nasa to do better for less.

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