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Category: space travel – Page 127

How Far Beyond Earth Could Humanity Expand?

Check Out Untold Earth on PBS Terra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BVHSUMAWR4&list=PLzkQfVIJun…7&index=85

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We humans have always been explorers. The great civilizations that have arisen across the world are owed to our restless ancestors. These days, there’s not much of Earth left to explore. But if we look up, there’s a whole universe out there waiting for us. Future generations may one day explore the cosmos and even settle entire other galaxies. But there is a hard limit to how much of the universe we can expand into. So, how big can humanity get?

Episodes Referenced:
How Much Of The Universe Can Humanity Ever See?: https://youtu.be/eVoh27gJgME
Is Interstellar Travel Possible?: https://youtu.be/wdP_UDSsuro.
What If Humanity Is Among The First Spacefaring Civilizations?: https://youtu.be/uTrFAY3LUNw.

The Edges of Our Universe by Toby Ord: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2104.01191.pdf.

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Incoming hoverboat, morning transport to work at SpaceX

This is pretty cool, I just learned from our Felix Schlang that SpaceX operates a hovercraft, kinda of like the hovercraft that Luke used in the original Star Wars movie.

SpaceX is using this to get between two locations that are about an hour apart by road, but only 15 minutes apart via sea. A hovercraft hovers over land or water and is ideal for this purpose.

Here’s a short video of the hovercraft in action:

Here’s Felix’s video that mentions the hovercraft: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiYCL-sgPDA

The morning ride from South Padre Island to SpaceX build site in south Texas.

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China plans to take the fight to SpaceX with its reusable rocket program

The project aims to cut the cargo cost per kilogram to 5 percent of that of the existing Long March rockets.

In response to advancements in the United States’ reusable rocket technology, especially being offered by SpaceX, Chinese space authorities have launched a counter-offensive to lower the costs of its space programs.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a new rocket launching system in China, which is under development, aims to cut the cargo cost per kilogram to 5 percent to that of the existing Long March rockets.

How can we make the space sector more sustainable?

Remark: This article is from The Conversation “En Anglais” written by Victor DOS SANTOS PAULINO & Nonthapat PULSIRI (V&N) — Experts from Toulouse Business School and The SIRIUS Chair (France)

When talking about space, one might think about the stars one sees at night or a good sci-fi film. But space is also crowded with satellites, spacecrafts and astronauts, whose missions can last anywhere from several days to months. Meanwhile, 8,216 unmanned satellites revolve around Earth’s orbits to improve our daily lives. Communication satellites contribute to enhancing Internet access in regions deprived of infrastructure (so-called “white areas”); meteorology satellites have become essential for weather forecasts, while navigation satellites (including GPS) are crucial for current and future transportation needs such as automatic driving vehicles.

Technological advances in the sector have unlocked many new business opportunities. The industry can now launch constellations of thousand satellites to reach corners of the earth as it had never before (e.g., Starlink), while new markets such as space mining and space tourism are steadily growing. National champions (including the United States and France) have also framed the space sector as a top economic priority. It is thought the technological benefits accrued by companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin or OneWeb, launched by billionaires such as Elon Musk, will also be able to trickle down to non-space sectors such as the energy or freight industries.

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Land it like SpaceX: China claims breakthrough in rocket vertical landing

China’s future rocket models will make use of the technology developed for recovering rockets, claims report.

China has successfully tested a rocket’s vertical landing in the ocean, laying the groundwork for upcoming space travel and recycling technology.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) confirmed that its commercial spaceflight firm, CAS Space, conducted the successful testing on Thursday in Haiyang, East China’s Shandong Province, according to the State-run media Global Times.

Lawrence Livermore Lab Scientists Build Telescope for International Space Station

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLNL) scientists designed and built a telescope that, as of March 14, was out of this world.

The Stellar Occultation Hypertemporal Imaging Payload (SOHIP) is a telescope using LLNL patented optics technology on a gimbal to observe and measure atmospheric gravity waves and turbulence.

The device was sent aboard a SpaceX rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida last month to the International Space Station (ISS).

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