Romney On Space

In his acceptance speech at the Republican Convention last night, Mitt Romney made a positive reference to space exploration.  Noting the recent passing of Neil Armstrong, Romney pointed to the achievement of Apollo as an example of what Americans can accomplish when properly led.

That sentiment contrasts with Gov, Romney's reaction during the primaries to Newt Gingrich's proposal to build a lunar base by 2020.  Romney ridiculed the idea.  When John Kennedy set the goal of putting a man on the Moon, America had all of fifteen minutes of manned spaceflight experience.  The fact is America is much closer to being able to build a lunar base now than it was to going to the Moon in 1961.  Perhaps Gov. Romney's ideas on space policy are still evolving.

Obama On Space

President Obama, in an online chat session with members of the public, expressed his continued support for space exploration.  He argued NASA must build the technology base that will allow manned flights into deep space-- to an asteroid by 2025, and to Mars in the 2030s.  He also praised the Curiosity rover currently exploring Mars.

The projected budgets of NASA, however, are not necessarily consistent with Mr.Obama's words.  The agency is looking at basically flat budgets for years to come, and that includes a substantial reduction in the planetary exploration program, including Mars exploration.  There is no follow on to Curiosity in the works, for example.  NASA's budget constraints are obviously tied to the larger Federal debt and deficit dilemmas.  Perhaps President Obama meant he would support space exploration if the government had the money.

Sugar In Space

Astronomers have found sugar molecules orbiting a young sun-like star about 400 light-years away.  Sugar has been found in space before, but this is the first time it's been found in association with a star similar to the Sun.  The star in question is much younger than the Sun, however-- so young that its planetary system is still forming.

Sugar, of course, is one of the building blocks of life.  So, if the molecules can somehow eventually make it to the surface of a planet in the habitable zone of that star, life might develop there.  The sugar molecules found are about the same distance from their star that Uranus is from the Sun.

Preserving Apollo Sites

As reported in this blog, an effort is underway to protect the landing sites of the Apollo lunar missions from future contamination or damage by having them declared heritage sites.  That effort involves having Congress designate them national historic sites as well as having the UN declare them world heritage sites.

Some are suggesting the death of Neil Armstrong might give such efforts new momentum by reminding us that the Apollo astronauts will be gone soon, and then all we will have are their landing sites on the Moon.  As more and more private lunar projects, both manned and robotic, are being planned, preserving historic sites takes on a new urgency.

Nearly 800 Exoplanets

In two new papers, scientists using Kepler spacecraft data announced the confirmation of 41 more exoplanets in 27 star systems.  That brings the total number of confirmed exoplanets to nearly 800.

A huge shift has occurred in the past two decades.  Before that, we knew of nine planets in the cosmos.  Now, there are eight planets in the Solar System-- Pluto having been demoted to dwarf planet status-- a hundred times that number confirmed in other star systems, and thousands more awaiting confirmation.  It's remarkable.

Neil Armstrong Gone

Neil Armstrong, the first human to stand on another world, died yesterday at age 82.

Some people have a tendency to compare Armstrong to Christopher Columbus.  Both commanded the first voyages to new worlds, after all.  That's the only real similarity, however.  Columbus spent years promoting his project in various European royal courts before finally securing backing from Spain.  Armstrong was entrusted with the command of Apollo 11 because of his proven abilities as a pilot and astronaut.

The world got more than that after the crew of Apollo 11 returned home.  As the first man on the Moon, Armstrong was in a unique position.  After leaving NASA, Armstrong could have entered politics, or made a fortune selling his name and image promoting products.  Instead, he built a quiet life in academia and business, rarely re-entering the public sphere.  While Columbus died a bitter, disillusioned man, Armstrong seems to have been content with his life after Apollo 11.  We should all be so fortunate, and so comfortable with ourselves.

Pushing The Spaceflight Envelope?

A Russian news report says a year-long spaceflight involving one Russian and one American will take place aboard ISS beginning in 2015.  A NASA spokesperson said such a mission is a possibility, but no final decision has been made.

Such a mission would make sense, however.  President Obama has called for a manned flight to an asteroid in 2025, and a human mission to Mars in the 2030s.  Both of those would require long duration spaceflights, so stretching stays in space and testing the results in preparation for those long flights is necessary at some point.