Science
NASA Picture of the Day
"This image, taken from aboard the International Space Station flight engineer Greg Chamitoff, is of Tropical Storm Edouard as it moved westward along the northern edge of the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of Monday, Aug. 4, 2008 .
According to the Associated Press, the storm 'hit the Texas Gulf coast east of Galveston on Tuesday with strong winds and rain but was expected to weaken as it makes its way inland during the day.' "
Image Credit: NASA
NASA Picture of the Day
"Combining more than 400 images taken during the first weeks after the Phoenix arrived on the Red planet's arctic plain gave scientists this view of Mars.
The full-circle panorama in approximately true color shows the polygonal patterning of ground at the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. The center of the image is the westward part of the scene. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible in the right half of the image. The spacecraft's meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, extends into the sky portion of the panorama.
This view comprises more than 100 different camera pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each pointing."
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University
Sometimes even the best laid plans of mice and men fail to produce the desired outcome. Such is no doubt the case with SpaceX's Falcon 1, which, despite a smooth launch that was webcast live, managed to explode over the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular display. One clue that something was wrong was stated on the website as follows:
20:38 PDT — We have heard from launch control that there has been an anomaly. More details will be posted to the website as available
The problem apparently was that the two stages failed to separate at about two minutes and 21 seconds into launch (the time where the video above abruptly stops). The time of the explosion was about 11:36 pm EDT. This is the third mishap for a SpaceX rocket (the others were in 2006 and 2007, no doubt making 2009 an anxious year), but billionaire backer Elon Mush has committed to two more rockets to prove that his company can become a reliable way to transport satellites to low Earth orbit.
The explosion claimed the rocket's payload, which included a Pentagon satellite called Trailblazer for the Operationally Responsive Space Office, two small NASA Satellites (including the solar sail NanoSail-D), and a micro laboratory called PRESat.
Star Trek Fans may be disheartened to learn that the ashes of actor James Doohan, who played Scotty, were lost in the explosion as well. The ashes were part of the payload to be shot off into space. (Being a Star Trek fan, I hate to see this happen. But I know that Scotty would understand that sometimes a price is paid for progress, and from what I've read I have no doubt that James Doohan would as well. Perhaps we can add his name to those who gave for the cause. )
Work continues on with Falcon 9, SpaceX's designated"Heavy lifter", and the Dragon, a human carrying rocket. I would imagine that tickets aboard the Dragon is starting to get a lot cheaper than were originally planned.
But I hope they can overcome the problems, I would love to see more private firms in the business of space. After all, it is 2008 and we STILL haven't had a manned team to Mars (or even a moonbase yet). If it is going to happen, it looks like private capital and associated efforts are going to have to do it. So, with that stated, I still think SpaceX needs kudos for launching the rocket as well as planning to go ahead with new efforts. But in all honesty I do want to see a few more runs before I buy a ticket.
At the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture in Oshkosh, a jetpack was revealed that can hover for 30 minutes and theoretically could go up to 8,000 ft. So far it has been kept on a tether, but with 15 hours of training they do let other people try it out.
The Martin Jetpack, which was shown earlier today on the Today show, has been priced at $100,000, so ownership for the more elite is not out of the question. But they do have a safety screening requirement, so it may take more than just the money and training to have one of your own. Still, it is classified an ultralight, so at least it does keep it in the realm of the possible.
In the Video the Today Show correspondent takes the jetpack for a small trip (about 8 ft), showing that literally anyone can ride the jetpack. Sounds great, but I think I'll wait until the tether comes off for a few publicized trips before ordering my own.