SpaceX Becomes First Private Company to Launch Rocket Into Orbit (News) September 30, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Current News, Google Lunar X Prize, Integration, private sector, space tourism, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Youtube , add a commentThis past Sunday (September 28th), the private company Space Exploration Technologies (widely known as SpaceX, and based out of Hawthorne, CA) became the first private effort to ever launch a liquid-propelled rocket into orbit.
Their Falcon 1 craft successfully made it into orbit on what is actually the fourth attempt by SpaceX (kudos to their perserverance and pioneering spirit). Here’s a video (with raw sound, but incredible visuals) of the launch, including images from the Falcon 1 itself:
Falcon 1 was launched from Omelek Island, a U.S. territory in the Marshall Islands.
With SpaceX’s goal to “reduce the cost and increase the reliability of space access by a factor of ten”, this (combined with other recent efforts) is a huge sign that a private space boom really is coming, and coming fast. This is a historic step, amazingly coming right on the heels of events like the Chinese spacewalk. It’s been an incredible couple of weeks.
Of course, orbit is just the beginning. Once we’ve got a private space boom in full swing (or even before), there’ll be more than just a few private efforts with their eyes fixed on the Moon.
MoonPop: "Space Oddity" September 30, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Apollo, MoonPop, Youtube , 1 comment so farIt’s time for another session of MoonPop (my ongoing series of features on Moon colonization and integration in pop culture), and while this one has a few asterisks, often the interpretation of pop culture is just as signicant as the pop culture itself.
Today, in honor of the first-ever Chinese spacewalk, we take a look at the David Bowie classic “Space Oddity“, first released in 1969 (supposedly to coincide with the 1969 moon landing, and also supposedly after his seeing the 1968 film release “2001: A Space Odyssey“, itself in part a previous MoonPop feature). The video of the A-side version of Space Oddity annoys me to such a great deal (too much drugs, not enough competency on that one…) that I’m going to feature a more palatable user-made animated video instead (congrats, Gonetia):
Check out the end of this post for a neat, rare 1969 video of the B-side version of the song.
The song, while inspiring to anyone thinking about space and (as noted) generally thought to be inspired by space’s place in the pop culture of the 1960′s, is also concurrently about something else entirely. The song was featured by the BBC during their coverage of the 1969 moon landing, despite the drug-trip symbolism, which itself is confirmed in Bowie’s follow-up to “Space Oddity”, “Ashes to Ashes“:
“Do you remember a guy thats been
In such an early song
Ive heard a rumour from ground control
Oh no, dont say its true
(…)
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major toms a junkie
Strung out in heavens high
Hitting an all-time low”
-”Ashes to Ashes”, David Bowie, 1980
The BBC’s usage of “Space Oddity” was surprising, given the rather negative tone of the song. In fact, this song outright gave me the creeps when I was a kid growing up (though technically, at 24, some older segments of the population may still consider someone my age to be a ‘kid’).
“Space Oddity” is deeply rooted in both the events (the moon landing) and the pop culture (“2001: a Space Odyssey”) of that time, and as we enter into two decades (2010-2020; 2020-2030) that are going to have both a likely private space boom, and then the full swing of the ‘base race’, we should expect to see more pop culture creations like “Space Oddity” come around in vivid form. Hell, Bowie himself is still kickin’ (as Tesla, no less), so maybe we can lobby him for a tune to fit this new era (perhaps about an internet junkie this time?).
As promised, as a wrap-up for this edition of MoonPop, here’s that rare B-side version video of the song. Enjoy:
First-ever Chinese Spacewalk (News) September 28, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : China, Current News, taikonaut, Youtube , add a commentThat is a full video of the first-ever Chinese spacewalk, conducted by the CNSA on September 27th (technically yesterday in the U.S., given the international date line).
The ‘taikonaut‘ (as Chinese astronauts are called) was Zhai Zhigang, a fighter pilot and son of a snack seller.
Clearly, this is an enormous (and particularly visible) step forward for the Chinese space program, and perhaps something of a wake-up call to the fact that the official language of the Moon could end up being Chinese. ;)
Below is a video with a translation of Zhigang’s comments, and a narration:
Former Director of Kennedy Space Center Joins Odyssey Moon (News) September 24, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Astrobotic, Current News, economy, Google Lunar X Prize, NASA, Obama, Odyssey Moon, private sector , add a commentOdyssey Moon, Ltd. (a high-profile ‘private commercial lunar enterprise’, and the first official team that was announced for the Google Lunar X Prize) has announced through a media release that Jay Honeycutt, former Director of the Kennedy Space Center, has joined their team as their director of U.S. operations.
“I believe the private sector has an important role to play in a permanent lunar program and Odyssey Moon has put together some pretty impressive people and plans to help make this happen. We look forward to working with NASA and other space agencies as both partners and customers in this effort.”
-Jay Honeycutt
That quote from the media release reminds me of what Barack Obama suggested in his space plan– ‘amplifying NASA’s reach’ with the private sector. Mr. Honeycutt there is speaking along much the same lines.
Other lunar enterprise companies, such as Astrobotic (also a Google Lunar X Prize contestant), express serving as a partner for government (as opposed to, say, strictly commercial) as part of their goals and general gameplan. It should be interesting to watch as NASA and the private sector mix and mingle further, and to see to what extent NASA ends up partnering with the private sector (and what positive impacts that could have, especially in an era of a lagging economy and potentially squeezed government budgets).
Japan Moving Forwards on Space Elevator (News) September 22, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Current News, Integration, Japan, Space Elevator , 2commentsUp until now, the space elevator (a high-concept, low-cost alternative way of moving goods from the Earth and other planetary surfaces out of gravity fields and into space) was something that ‘could’ be done, that some were ‘thinking’ of doing, a project for ‘someone, someplace’ to take on ‘someday’.
News from the Times Online today (and subsequently hitting the legendary front page of Drudge Report) is that the Japan Space Elevator Association (official website, which is entirely in Japanese) is moving forwards on actually building a space elevator, with a conference (“JpSEC2008″) set for later this year to establish a specific timetable.
This is much sooner than I personally had anticipated; to see such concrete initiative on the concept in 2008 is a big, and really exciting, step. Though it still sounds like they’re essentially in the planning stages, to have such large media exposure for their effort/conference is a major event in its own right.
Keep an eye here at Luna C/I for updates on the JSEA’s progress as they continue to gain steam, and be sure to check out my earlier features on Space Elevators for the full skinny on the concept :)
Picture of the Week: Pinch Us September 20, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Bush, Constellation, economy, funding, NASA, Obama, Picture of the Week, private sector , add a comment
Yes, the Moon Colonization Picture of the Week is of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, President George W. Bush, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Christopher Cox. This might not seem on-topic at first, but unfortunately, it very much could be.
The event pictured is the announcement of the financial rescue package being put into place to stabilize the struggling American economy.
This package could potentially become extremely relevant (and rather ominous) to NASA, as this rescue could end up costing the government upwards of a trillion dollars, which in turn could then end up limiting government spending for some time. This crisis, as a result, could then become an eventual bane to NASA’s rather large amount of funding (and the particularly pricey Constellation program).
Luckily, there’s still other nations and plenty of private enterprise rolling along towards the Moon, so even if NASA takes a hit, the lunar surface should be plenty busy for some time to come. And as a matter of fact, Barack Obama’s space plan suggests he may attempt to utilize the private space sector as a way to spur the economy back out of this slump, and so in the end, the American space focus may simply shift, rather than slump; as any slack lost by a NASA spending decline could be readily picked right back up by American private enterprise.
It will be interesting to see how the unfolding of this rescue package ends up shifting America’s impact on the base race and the future of development on the Moon.
Neat Youtube Video: Michio Kaku on the Space Elevator September 17, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Carbon Nanotubes, Integration, Space Elevator, Youtube , add a commentThe above is a video I came across featuring a great look at space elevators from Michio Kaku , a technology that could greatly amplify the speed and efficiency of moon colonization efforts, both through moving supplies off the Earth and for actually building these on the Moon itself for exports.
Check out the video for an excellent explanation of the whole concept, as well as my original look at space elevators and this example of a space elevator company (Black Line Ascension).
Picture of the Week: It's A Miner Thing, and They're a Miner King September 10, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Base Race, China, Fusion Power, Helium-3, Integration, Picture of the Week, Russia , add a comment
From the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Fusion Technology Institute (by way of the European Space Agency) comes an artist’s rendition of a Helium-3 miner.
Helium-3 is a resource that is rare on Earth, but plentiful on the moon. It’s drawn a lot of interest, including officially from China and Russia, as the primary fuel for fusion power, which is something of the ultimate power source: clean and efficient, one shuttle’s load of Helium-3 from the Moon would be roughly enough to power the United States for one year. And that’s just one load!
While fusion probably won’t turn up until around 2050, that’s about the time we’re expected to be running out of fossil fuels and potentially in need of a new energy source. So, the idea among Russia, China, the U.S., and potential commercial efforts would be to get a headstart on collecting the fuel by stockpiling it early, and developing some kind of dominance over the resource in order to gain leverage (and massive profits).
So, as a result, even though we might not be seeing fusion power itself for a while, we’ll be seeing (and hearing about) miners like the one above much sooner.
Google Lunar X Prize Shirt Contest Completed September 8, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : brand, Google Lunar X Prize, Helium-3, silicon, solar power , add a commentThe folks over at the X Prize Foundation just wrapped up a T-Shirt design contest for the Google Lunar X Prize.
I was never personally a fan of the old “Moon 2.0″ shirts (with Moon 2.0 being the slogan of sorts for the Lunar X Prize), and I believe a strong brand could significantly amplify interest in the subject.
The new, winning design by Julian F. Bennett of Merritt Island, FL:
That meters diagram is awesome. And the second prize runner-up, by Claire A. Schaeffer of Clearwater, FL:
Expect me to me modeling that winning design on the streets of Portland (OR) in the near future… :)
If you’re wondering more about Moon 2.0 and that brand, here’s an informative (if mildly cheesy)video all about it (the bit about silicon and solar power is interesting…I was totally expecting that to be a helium-3 lead-up):
"The Future of Urban Planning": The Moon? September 5, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : China, Fusion Power, Helium-3, infrastructure, lunar land use planning, NASA, Roscosmos , 2commentsI, your beloved blogger, am a recent graduate with my Bachelor’s in Urban Planning, and part of why I started this blog (despite having a rather different background than your typical space enthusiast) is that I maintain that lunar colonization is, in fact, urban planning. My argument being, that the Moon’s surface is now land for all intents and purposes, and therefore any colony/mine, infrastructure, or other utilization of its surface is land use; and land use planning is the core of urban planning. NASA, Roscosmos, the CNSA, etc. are all well into programs to complete substantial built environments on the Moon by 2030, and so this has become a timely subject.
Once in a while, I find that I am (in fact) not the only one who thinks about these things, and here’s a case in point I came across today.
“In the future, these questions will likely be posed for cities that exist on the moon or Mars… You might think that such a city is unrealistic, but NASA has been planning a “city in the sky” for years.”
-”HowStuffWorks” article on Urban Planning by William Harris
A Wired.com article chronicles NASA’s ‘recurring dream’, with the first substantial and ‘modern’ looks (that included thoughts on industrialization of the moon, a key to current efforts) coming in 1972 and 1975.
Check out that HowStuffWorks article linked above, and keep an eye here for more and more content regarding just what the planning topics are for moon colonization in the next 10 years (the early phase) and beyond. :)