Garrett Reisman, veteran of two shuttle flights, recently became the third astronaut this year to retire from NASA. Such an exodus shouldn't really be surprising. After the space shuttle stops flying, there will be relatively few opportunities for NASA astronauts to fly over the next few years as they will be relying on the Russian Soyuz for transportation to and from space.
Reisman, a mechanical engineer, is joining SpaceX. He will be part of the team charged with transforming the Dragon cargo capsule into a human-rated spaceship. Reisman's boss at SpaceX will be another ex-NASA astronaut, Ken Bowersox.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Rep. Giffords To Attend Launch
Last week, an encouraging announcement was made. U. S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, will attend the launch of the next space shuttle mission, which will be commanded by her husband, Mark Kelly.
By all accounts, Rep. Giffords is making steady progress in rehabilitation. She is walking on her own and talking in complete sentences, according to reports.
The launch is scheduled for April.
By all accounts, Rep. Giffords is making steady progress in rehabilitation. She is walking on her own and talking in complete sentences, according to reports.
The launch is scheduled for April.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Shorter Days
The powerful earthquake that has devastated Japan has also shortened the length of the day on Earth by slightly redistributing the mass of the planet. According to preliminary estimates, the day is shorter by something more than one one millionth of a second. That could still increase, too. Aftershocks of the primary quake have at times been major quakes in their own right, and could add to the mass shift.
The earthquake also brought Japan eight feet closer to North America.
The past few years have provided ample, if tragic, evidence of the power of a geologically active planet. Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti, and several nations around the Indian Ocean have been cruelly reminded that mankind doesn''t have nearly the control we like to think we have.
The earthquake also brought Japan eight feet closer to North America.
The past few years have provided ample, if tragic, evidence of the power of a geologically active planet. Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti, and several nations around the Indian Ocean have been cruelly reminded that mankind doesn''t have nearly the control we like to think we have.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Voyager 1 Still Producing
Voyager 1 is more than ten billion miles from the Sun after more than three decades in space, but it is still producing scientific data as it approaches the point where the Sun's influence is trumped by the environment of interstellar space.
Voyager is monitoring the solar wind as that wind begins what seems to be a complex interaction with what's called the interstellar wind. The probe, in fact, had to be re-oriented earlier this week to maintain contact with the solar wind-- a maneuver it hasn't been asked to perform since 1990-- and such rolls-and-holds will be necessary on a regular basis in the future.
One rough gauge of the challenge of interstellar flight is that after three decades Voyager is still in the Sun's neighborhood. It did take a roundabout route through the outer planets, but the simple fact is that the stars are still well beyond our reach.
Voyager is monitoring the solar wind as that wind begins what seems to be a complex interaction with what's called the interstellar wind. The probe, in fact, had to be re-oriented earlier this week to maintain contact with the solar wind-- a maneuver it hasn't been asked to perform since 1990-- and such rolls-and-holds will be necessary on a regular basis in the future.
One rough gauge of the challenge of interstellar flight is that after three decades Voyager is still in the Sun's neighborhood. It did take a roundabout route through the outer planets, but the simple fact is that the stars are still well beyond our reach.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Scientists, AI, And Interstellar Travel
It's become something of an article of faith among scientists who think about such things that intelligent machines, not biological life, will travel among the stars. They argue life like humans is simply not up to such journeys, whereas sufficiently advanced machines could deal with both the conditions in deep space and those on a new world.
There are many counters to the basic thrust of their position, but let's focus on a factor physicists should know something about-- time. Humans today are ill-suited for interstellar travel, but we're not undertaking it. Evolution works over time. In the future, any humans in position to go to the stars will be members of an incredibly rich civilization that dominates the Solar System. Economic and other factors will have led to the construction of increasingly sophisticated space settlements and. over generations, cultures and societies will have evolved to embrace life in those places-- which will be nothing like living in tin cans.
There's also the argument that intelligent machines will supplant humans as the dominant force on Earth-- perhaps quite soon. In fact, artificial intelligence is still in its infancy, and still under human control. Its development could still go any number of ways, and it's not clear that advanced AI would seek to control humans. Human urges have evolved from human experience. Will a machine that was nowhere in its history hunted by sabre-toothed cats have the urge to control its environment? Will a machine that never had to struggle for survival know from competition or ambition, fear or ruthlessness?
Perhaps the answers to those questions will be clear at some point, but no one knows them yet.
There are many counters to the basic thrust of their position, but let's focus on a factor physicists should know something about-- time. Humans today are ill-suited for interstellar travel, but we're not undertaking it. Evolution works over time. In the future, any humans in position to go to the stars will be members of an incredibly rich civilization that dominates the Solar System. Economic and other factors will have led to the construction of increasingly sophisticated space settlements and. over generations, cultures and societies will have evolved to embrace life in those places-- which will be nothing like living in tin cans.
There's also the argument that intelligent machines will supplant humans as the dominant force on Earth-- perhaps quite soon. In fact, artificial intelligence is still in its infancy, and still under human control. Its development could still go any number of ways, and it's not clear that advanced AI would seek to control humans. Human urges have evolved from human experience. Will a machine that was nowhere in its history hunted by sabre-toothed cats have the urge to control its environment? Will a machine that never had to struggle for survival know from competition or ambition, fear or ruthlessness?
Perhaps the answers to those questions will be clear at some point, but no one knows them yet.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Where To Go?
The National Research Council issued a report Monday which suggested directions NASA might go with its planetary exploration program over the decade 2013-2022. First on the wish list is a Mars mission designed to study whether life ever existed on the Red Planet. Second is an orbiter of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Both of those, however, are only recommended if their budgets can be kept under control.
The NRC also suggested NASA continue its strategy of flying less expensive, more frequent missions-- this time to Earth's Moon, asteroids, Venus, and possibly Saturn and Uranus.
The report, indeed, has a focus on budgets, given the debt and budget problems of the U. S. Government. That's understandable, but might be poor strategy. Perhaps the NRC should simply lay out what is technologically feasible and scientifically important to open the debate, and then see what's politically possible.
The NRC also suggested NASA continue its strategy of flying less expensive, more frequent missions-- this time to Earth's Moon, asteroids, Venus, and possibly Saturn and Uranus.
The report, indeed, has a focus on budgets, given the debt and budget problems of the U. S. Government. That's understandable, but might be poor strategy. Perhaps the NRC should simply lay out what is technologically feasible and scientifically important to open the debate, and then see what's politically possible.
Discovery Home
Space shuttle Discovery landed safely this morning, ending both a successful STS-133 mission and its time as a spacecraft.
This time, instead of preparing Discovery for its next mission, NASA personnel will prepare the orbiter to become a museum exhibit. Some would say that's a decade overdue; Columbia should've been preserved in a museum rather than flying until it disintegrated over Texas. Still, for all its limitations and complexities, the shuttle program has allowed mankind to accomplish extraordinary things-- proving the concept of a reusable spaceship, repairing Hubble, building ISS. Those things, and the shuttle, should be celebrated.
This time, instead of preparing Discovery for its next mission, NASA personnel will prepare the orbiter to become a museum exhibit. Some would say that's a decade overdue; Columbia should've been preserved in a museum rather than flying until it disintegrated over Texas. Still, for all its limitations and complexities, the shuttle program has allowed mankind to accomplish extraordinary things-- proving the concept of a reusable spaceship, repairing Hubble, building ISS. Those things, and the shuttle, should be celebrated.
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