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NASA
Sept 15, 2013 11:25:27 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Sept 15, 2013 11:25:27 GMT -6
mashable.com/2013/09/11/nasa-space-vegetables/NASA to Farm Vegetables in SpaceBy Meg Wagner 9-11-13 NASA is set to grow produce 230 miles above Earth's soil. Later this year, NASA's Vegetable Production System (VEGGIE) program will send astronauts in the International Space Station station kits to grow six romaine lettuce plants. After 28 days growing under pink LED lights, the plants will be ready to harvest. See also: 5 Facts You Didn't Know About Outer Space The experiment comes after astronaut Don Pettit successfully grew a zucchini while staying on the space station. But astronauts won't be allowed to eat the crops just yet. The first harvest will be sent back to Earth for testing. The vegetables will be inspected for bacteria and cleanliness. After the first crop of lettuce, vegetables such as radishes and snap peas could be the next to grow is space. As the program advances, NASA will need to address how to grow and manage more complicated crops. Potatoes are easy to grow and store, but aren't appetizing raw; wheat would require extra equipment and preparation before it could be consumed. Growing food in space could be a more cost-effective way to feed orbiting astronauts. Growing food in space could be a more cost-effective way to feed orbiting astronauts. It costs about $10,000 to send one pound of food from Earth to the space station. The mission may also provide a form of therapy for astronauts. NASA is advancing research that tending to a garden will help astronauts cope with the isolation of space and give them a small remembrance of home. WATCH VIDEO: mashable.com/2013/09/11/nasa-space-vegetables/
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NASA
Sept 15, 2013 11:52:07 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2013 11:52:07 GMT -6
Really living in Space.
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NASA
Dec 8, 2013 12:47:13 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Dec 8, 2013 12:47:13 GMT -6
www.space.com/23860-look-but-dont-touch-us-law-and-the-protection-of-lunar-heritage.html?cmpid=514648Look, But Don't Touch: U.S. Law and the Protection of Lunar Heritage (Op-Ed)By Alice Gorman, Flinders University December 06, 2013 This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to SPACE.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. With India and China planning lunar surface missions, privately-funded space entrepreneurs competing for the US$40 million Google Lunar X Prize and discussions around lunar mining intensifying, working out what to do with our moon’s cultural heritage is becoming urgent. In an article in the journal Science today, space lawyers Henry Hertzfeld and Scott Pace propose a multilateral agreement at the highest international level, initially between the US and Russia, but open to other moon-faring entities such as China, India and the European Space Agency (ESA). And while there is much to recommend this, I propose we should consider extending the agreement idea further. The moon has a rich archaeological record created by nearly 40 missions, from 1959 until the present. Most are robotic, but those that really grabbed the public’s imagination had human crews. In 1969, at the site of Tranquility Base, humans set foot on another world for the first time. The Apollo 11 astronaut footprints in the thick lunar dust and the controversial flag are among the most iconic images of the 20th century. Other missions include the USSR Luna series, which deployed two Lunokhod rovers. Wherever Russian spacecraft landed, they left medallions of Lenin and the USSR coat of arms. More recently, China, India, Japan and the ESA have started crashing spacecraft into the surface of the moon at the end of their mission life. All up, there are more than 190 tons of artefacts from lunar exploration. Now, these sites may be under threat. US law to the moonIn 2011, NASA created a set of voluntary guidelines for future missions to avoid damage to Ranger, Surveyor and Apollo sites. These include measures such as no-go buffer zones, heritage “precincts” and recommendations about how to fly around sites to avoid stirring up destructive dust. Another proposal, which emerged in July this year, has raised alarm bells. The Apollo Lunar Legacy Act, which is currently before US Congress, aims to declare a National Park on the moon specifically to ensure the protection of US heritage sites. Space legal experts have pointed out that this is incompatible with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST), to which the US is a signatory. The Outer Space Treaty forbids territorial claims in outer space, by any means – and this includes indirectly, such as the extension of national jurisdiction to space places, as we see here. It’s not the first time this issue has come up. In 1999, archaeologist Beth Laura O’Leary, from the State University of New Mexico, and her team, catalogued all the material at the Apollo 11 site for the Lunar Legacy Project funded by NASA. CONTINUE READING: www.space.com/23860-look-but-dont-touch-us-law-and-the-protection-of-lunar-heritage.html?cmpid=514648
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NASA
Dec 17, 2013 14:26:48 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Dec 17, 2013 14:26:48 GMT -6
/photo/1 What's our new cover image? The #ISS, of course. This was taken by a space shuttle astronaut in April 2010.
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NASA
Jan 15, 2014 19:04:27 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jan 15, 2014 19:04:27 GMT -6
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NASA
Jan 15, 2014 21:49:55 GMT -6
Post by lois on Jan 15, 2014 21:49:55 GMT -6
SKY did you notice something falling as soon as the 8th photo down. Is is coming from the rocket?
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NASA
Jan 16, 2014 6:54:46 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by skywalker on Jan 16, 2014 6:54:46 GMT -6
I think that might be a bird. There are lots of seagulls flying around in Florida.
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NASA
Jan 16, 2014 9:55:34 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jan 16, 2014 9:55:34 GMT -6
www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/nasa-puts-your-name-on-spacecraft/NASA wants to put your name on a spacecraft headed to an asteroidBY Jon Fingas January 15th, 2014 Forget those dime-a-dozen "name a star" gifts -- wouldn't you rather put your name on a spacecraft that advances human understanding? NASA certainly thinks you do. It's teaming up with the Planetary Society to etch your name on chips inside its OSIRIS-REx probe, which will head toward the asteroid Bennu in 2016. While it's doubtful that any aliens will read your microscopic claim to fame, it'll certainly get the grand tour. The spacecraft will spend 500 days around the asteroid before heading back, and both the decommissioned vehicle as well as the returning sample capsule will have your ID. You can register your name today for free; just be prepared to wait years for the payoff. TO REGISTER YOUR NAME: www.planetary.org/get-involved/messages/bennu/
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NASA
Jan 16, 2014 12:02:28 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jan 16, 2014 12:02:28 GMT -6
I wrote my name on it. It said my number was 30218. I have no idea what that means.
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NASA
Jan 16, 2014 12:08:20 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jan 16, 2014 12:08:20 GMT -6
I wrote my name on it. It said my number was 30218. I have no idea what that means. LOL... i did too... i put my husbands name, he always wanted to blast off into space...
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NASA
Jan 18, 2014 0:03:46 GMT -6
Post by lois on Jan 18, 2014 0:03:46 GMT -6
I wrote my name on it. It said my number was 30218. I have no idea what that means. LOL... i did too... i put my husbands name, he always wanted to blast off into space... Mine is a very long number.. ID 00095903...... My printer is not hook up to my new computer. so I put the certificate on my screen enlarged and took a photo of it. Did you two make a copy of it?
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NASA
Jan 18, 2014 0:10:49 GMT -6
Post by lois on Jan 18, 2014 0:10:49 GMT -6
Hopefully I can stick around til 2016.. thanks auntym for posting it.
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NASA
Jan 28, 2014 12:22:20 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jan 28, 2014 12:22:20 GMT -6
www.space.com/10668-nasa-space-shuttle-challenger-accident.html?cmpid=514648_20140128_17682044Remembering Challenger: NASA's 1st Shuttle Tragedy (Photos)SPACE.com Staff | January 27, 2013 1 of 20 Challenger's STS-51L Crew in the White Room Credit: NASA On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA faced its first shuttle disaster, the loss of the Challenger orbiter and its seven-astronaut crew. Here, Challenger's last crew – members of the STS-51L mission – stand in the White Room at Pad 39B following the end of a launch dress rehearsal. They are (L to R) Teacher in Space Participant, Sharon "Christa" McAuliffe, Payload Specialist, Gregory Jarvis, Mission Specialist, Judy Resnik, Commander Dick Scobee. Mission Specialist, Ronald McNair, Pilot, Michael Smith and Mission Specialist, Ellison Onizuka. 2 of 20 STS-51L Patch Credit: NASA STS 51L crew members designed this patch which would have represented their mission. The graphic depicts Challenger launching from Florida with a backdrop of Halley's comet against the U.S. flag. Surnames of the crewmembers complete the patch. The name of the first teacher in space, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, is marked with a symbolic apple. 3 of 20 Zero-g Training Credit: NASA STS-51L payload specialists appear to float momentarily in a human chain inside the KC-135 aircraft during zero-g training. MORE PICTURES: www.space.com/10668-nasa-space-shuttle-challenger-accident.html?cmpid=514648_20140128_17682044HOME VIDEO OF CHALLENGER DISASTER: www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/28/space-shuttle-challenger-home-video_n_4677745.htmlCHALLENGER SHUTTLE/ PAINFUL LESSONS www.space.com/24438-challenger-lessons-learned.html?cmpid=514648_20140128_17682094
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NASA
Jan 31, 2014 12:26:36 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jan 31, 2014 12:26:36 GMT -6
www.space.com/24489-nasa-fallen-astronauts-spaceflight-disaster-anniversaries.htmlNASA Honors Fallen Astronauts with 'Day of Remembrance' Fridayby Miriam Kramer, Staff Writer January 30, 2014 NASA Day of Remembrance 2014 [Pin It] NASA honors the crews lost in the Apollo 1 fire, space shuttle Challenger explosion and the Columbia disaster. Image uploaded Jan. 30, 2014. Credit: NASA (via Twitter as @nasa) NASA will pay homage to its fallen astronauts Friday (Jan. 31) with an agency-wide "Day of Remembrance," a ceremony that comes amid a somber week of spaceflight disasters for the space agency. This week marks the anniversaries of three fatal NASA tragedies: the Apollo 1 fire of 1967, the space shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986 and the Columbia shuttle disaster of 2003. NASA chief Charlie Bolden — a former space shuttle commander — and other officials will pay respect to those lost in the accidents during a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Friday morning. "NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery," NASA officials wrote in a statement. [NASA's Fallen Astronauts: A Photo Memorial] www.space.com/19313-space-heroes-fallen-astronauts-memorial-gallery.htmlCONTINUE READING: www.space.com/24489-nasa-fallen-astronauts-spaceflight-disaster-anniversaries.html
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NASA
Jan 31, 2014 12:37:16 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2014 12:37:16 GMT -6
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NASA
Jan 31, 2014 21:36:10 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jan 31, 2014 21:36:10 GMT -6
I didn't know all three of those accidents happened right at the end of January. Sounds to me like that would be a good time to not be launching anything.
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NASA
Feb 10, 2014 16:40:37 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Feb 10, 2014 16:40:37 GMT -6
sploid.gizmodo.com/nasa-is-working-on-a-star-trek-healing-machine-1519743221 NASA is working on Star Trek healing devices— 'it's not sci-fi anymore'by Jesus Diaz on Sploid February 10, 2014 NASA and Houston-based company GRoK Technologies will work on the development of new "breakthrough products," noninvasive medical technologies designed to "regenerate bone and muscle tissues." It really sounds like something out of Star Trek, but "it's not just sci-fi anymore." That's exactly what GRoK's founder and CEO Moshe Kushman says: It's not just science fiction anymore. All indications are that 21st century life sciences will change dramatically during the next several decades, and GRoK is working to define the forefront of a new scientific wave. According to the press release, NASA is "interested in the potential these technologies present for regenerating bone and muscle." It wants this tissue regeneration technology to help astronauts during long interplanetary travel, when they "are susceptible to developing osteopenia, which is a condition arising from the loss of bone and muscle mass and bone density." The products that GRoK wants to build sound even crazier: The first is called BioReplicates—the name alone gives me shivers—a technology that will create "3-D human tissue models that can be used to test cosmetics, drugs and other products for safety, efficacy and toxicity." Not only this will save animals' lives, claims NASA, but it will serve to test substances on human tissue "with greater accuracy, reliability and cost-efficiency." The second one is called Scionic, a technology that GRoK claims could result in the "development of medical devices designed to target musculoskeletal pain and inflammation in humans and animals noninvasively and without the use of pharmaceuticals." I really need one of these Scionics right now. While obviously there aren't actual devices right now, these new technologies will be based on four patents already invented by the two organizations. Who knows when we are going to see the final results, but it's good to see that we are at least going in this direction. sploid.gizmodo.com/nasa-is-working-on-a-star-trek-healing-machine-1519743221
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NASA
Mar 11, 2014 19:34:50 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Mar 11, 2014 19:34:50 GMT -6
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NASA
Apr 22, 2014 13:29:01 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Apr 22, 2014 13:29:01 GMT -6
www.space.com/25580-nasa-orion-capsule-student-competition.html?cmpid=514648 Students Design Radiation Shield for NASA's Orion SpacecraftRaphael Rosen, Space.com Contributor Follow Raphael Rosen @raphaelrosen22. April 21, 2014 Artist's concept of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket standing poised on the pad ready to launch NASA's Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1). The first flight of Orion is now slated for December 2014. Credit: NASA NASA is developing a new spacecraft to take mankind to deep space, and high-school students will have an important role in designing it. The craft, called the Orion space capsule, is designed to take a new generation of astronauts to the moon, nearby asteroids and Mars. In December 2014, the spacecraft is scheduled to embark on an unmanned, 4-hour test mission, traveling to an altitude of 3,600 miles (5,793 kilometers). To do so successfully, however, the capsule will have to pass through the Van Allen Belt, a loop of charged particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic field. Without protection, the Van Allen radiation could damage some of the spacecraft's sensitive instruments. To learn more about how to protect Orion, teams of high-school students have been competing in the Exploration Design Challenge — sponsored by Lockheed Martin, NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace — to design a shield to guard Orion's radiation detector. Five final student teams are still in the running. They have been working with an assigned mentor to refine their designs and upload them into OLTARIS (the On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space) for virtual testing. The winning design will be announced at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) on April 25, and the chosen design will fly on Orion's first flight later this year. The Exploration Design Challenge "was launched on March 11, 2013, to give students from kindergarten through 12th grade the opportunity to play a unique role in the future of human spaceflight," NASA said in a statement. "The challenge encourages students in the U.S. and abroad to think and act like scientists and engineers to overcome one of the major hurdles for deep-space long-duration exploration: protecting astronauts and hardware from the dangers of space radiation," NASA officials added. So far, a total of 125,000 students from 81 countries around the world have participated in the challenge. www.space.com/25580-nasa-orion-capsule-student-competition.html?cmpid=514648
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NASA
Apr 29, 2014 12:13:09 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Apr 29, 2014 12:13:09 GMT -6
www.space.com/25670-captain-kirk-william-shatner-nasa-highest-honor.html?cmpid=514648 William Shatner, of 'Star Trek' Fame, Gets NASA's Highest Civilian HonorBy Megan Gannon, News Editor April 29, 2014 William Shatner is presented with NASA’s Distinguished Public Service medal by Bob Jacobs, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator, Communications, on April 26, 2014. NASA saluted Captain Kirk over the weekend, giving William Shatner the Distinguished Public Service medal, the space agency's highest award for civilians. The 83-year-old Canadian actor played Captain James Tiberius Kirk, one of TV's most beloved space pioneers, who commanded the starship USS Enterprise in NBC's "Star Trek" from 1966 to 1969. In real life, Shatner has been a vocal advocate of science education and space exploration. "William Shatner has been so generous with his time and energy in encouraging students to study science and math, and for inspiring generations of explorers, including many of the astronauts and engineers who are a part of NASA today, " David Weaver, NASA's associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. [William Shatner's Twitter Chat with Astronaut in Pictures] www.space.com/19673-star-trek-chris-hadfield-william-shatner-photos.htmlwww.space.com/25670-captain-kirk-william-shatner-nasa-highest-honor.html?cmpid=514648
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NASA
Apr 30, 2014 14:45:44 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Apr 30, 2014 14:45:44 GMT -6
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NASA
May 21, 2014 22:27:06 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 21, 2014 22:27:06 GMT -6
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NASA
May 22, 2014 11:13:38 GMT -6
Post by auntym on May 22, 2014 11:13:38 GMT -6
whofortedblog.com/2014/05/21/nasa-qooc-archaeology-anthropology/NASA Quoted Out Of Context: Archaeology, Anthropology, And Interstellar CommunicationBy Chris Savia May 21, 2014 @anomalistnews Petroglyphs similar to the ones featured in Figure 15.1 referenced in the quote below. Blink and you missed it. NASA uploaded a 300+ book to the intertubes by the SETI Institute’s Douglas Vakoch. Mainstream bloggers latched like a pit bull on the following passage. We can say little, if anything, about what these patterns signify, why they were cut into rocks, or who created them. For all intents and purposes, they might have been made by aliens. William Edmondson, late of the University of Birmingham, authored that gem, and now he’s being painted as the second coming of Giorgio Tsoukalos. Take the full text in context: Consider again, therefore, the desirability of establishing symbolic/linguistic communication with ETI. It is helpful to review some parallels from human existence that pose problems for us today. One of these is “rock art,” which consists of patterns or shapes cut into rock many thousands of years ago. Such ancient stone carvings can be found in many countries, and the example in Figure 15.1 is from Doddington Moore, Northumbria, England. We can say little, if anything, about what these patterns signify, why they were cut into rocks or who created them. For all intents and purposes, they might have been made by aliens. Unless we find a readable exegesis of them produced at the same time they were made, we will never be able to say with certainty what the patterns mean. The line ending in ‘aliens’ from the original manuscript is noted, “One need only think of books by Immanuel Velikovsky or Erich von Däniken to see where that line of thinking can end up.”
CONTINUE READING: whofortedblog.com/2014/05/21/nasa-qooc-archaeology-anthropology/
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NASA
May 22, 2014 11:52:10 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 22, 2014 11:52:10 GMT -6
Of COURSE they were misquoted..why would they actually say anything that makes sense unless by accident
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NASA
May 22, 2014 13:10:10 GMT -6
Post by auntym on May 22, 2014 13:10:10 GMT -6
www.nasa.gov/press/2014/may/nasa-teams-with-web-tech-company-slooh-to-bring-universe-to-everyone-and-help-protect/#.U34XGPldWSpMay 22, 2014 NASA Teams with Web Tech Company Slooh to Bring Universe to Everyone and Help Protect Earth TooAs part of the agency's Asteroid Grand Challenge, NASA is partnering with private internet technology company Slooh to engage citizen scientists in the effort to track and characterize near-Earth asteroids (NEOs) that are potentially hazardous to human populations. Slooh’s global network of web-connected telescopes will be available for use by amateur astronomers for monitoring and characterizing NEOs. Citizen scientists without access to professional equipment will have the opportunity to be a part of the global challenge to find hazardous NEOs. NASA also is partnering with Slooh on live astronomy events. “We are excited by the opportunity to tap into Slooh’s network of amateur astronomers, who are already producing scientific papers with their work,” said Jason Kessler, program executive for the Asteroid Grand Challenge. “We look forward to expanding the meaningful science the Slooh network can provide in support of the grand challenge.” The live astronomy events on which NASA and Slooh will partner include the LINEAR comet meteor shower, occurring Friday, May 23, and Saturday, May 24. Slooh will provide live feeds of the event from 6 p.m. EDT Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday on the company's website and the UStream feed for NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, at: www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfcLive astronomy events through the NASA and Slooh platforms increase the number of people who can watch and actively participate in science as it happens. Future events will include NASA experts offering commentary on live events. Slooh plans to provide NASA with relevant observation data from these events, which may be used for grand challenge citizen science efforts. “This partnership is a great validation of our approach to engage the public in the exploration of space,” says Michael Paolucci, founder and CEO of Slooh. “NASA understands the importance of citizen science and knows a good way to get amateur astronomers involved is to offer them ways to do productive astronomy. Slooh does that by giving them remote access to great telescopes situated at leading observatory sites around the world.” The Asteroid Grand Challenge is built on such collaborative efforts. The partnership with Slooh augments grand challenge partnerships with SpaceGambit and Planetary Resources Inc., and extending the search from existing data to direct observation through telescopes. Through NASA's asteroid initiative, the agency seeks to enhance its ongoing work in the identification and characterization of near-Earth objects for further scientific investigation. This work includes locating potentially hazardous asteroids and identifying those viable for redirection to a stable lunar orbit for future exploration by astronauts. The Asteroid Grand Challenge, one part of the asteroid initiative, expands the agency's efforts beyond traditional boundaries and encourages partnerships and collaboration with a variety of organizations. For more information on NASA's asteroid initiative, visit: www.nasa.gov/asteroidinitiative-end- Sonja Alexander/Sarah Ramsey Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1761/1694 sonja.r.alexander@nasa.gov/sarah.ramsey@nasa.gov Janet Anderson Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 janet.l.anderson@nasa.gov NASA news releases and other information are available automatically by sending an e-mail message with the subject line subscribe to hqnews-request@newsletters.nasa.gov. www.nasa.gov/press/2014/may/nasa-teams-with-web-tech-company-slooh-to-bring-universe-to-everyone-and-help-protect/#.U34XGPldWSp Amateur Asteroid Hunters Take Note: NASA and Slooh Will Ask For Your Helpby Elizabeth Howell on May 22, 2014 CONTINUE READING: www.universetoday.com/112087/amateur-asteroid-hunters-take-note-nasa-and-slooh-will-ask-for-your-help/#ixzz32TQ04mUC
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NASA
May 23, 2014 12:48:01 GMT -6
Post by auntym on May 23, 2014 12:48:01 GMT -6
www.news.com.au/technology/science/nasa-pulls-ebook-which-appeared-to-suggest-aliens-may-have-left-messages-among-ancient-rock-art/story-fnjwlcze-1226927499237 NASA pulls e-book which appeared to suggest aliens may have left messages among ancient rock art May 22, 2014 IS this evidence of alien contact? UFO aficionados are in a spin after NASA appeared to suggest ancient rock art may have been planted by aliens. The NASA e-book titled Archaeology, Anthroology, and Interstellar Communication, which was issued earlier this week, details efforts in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. It has since been taken down without explanation. But many insist it contained a real eye-opener. The 330 page book, edited by the director of Interstellar Message Composition at SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), Dr Douglas Vakoch, allegedly made the extraordinary suggestion that unusual ancient patterns gouged into rocks “might have been made by aliens”. But the storm of interest may be little more than the result of a typo or editing error. Or wishful thinking on the behalf of true believers. DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE BOOK HERE: www.news.com.au/technology/science/nasa-pulls-ebook-which-appeared-to-suggest-aliens-may-have-left-messages-among-ancient-rock-art/story-fnjwlcze-1226927499237His organisation is tasked with researching ways that alien civilisations may “create messages that could be transmitted across interstellar space, allowing communication between humans and extraterrestrials even without face-to-face contact”. A contributor to the book, computer scientist William Edmondson, wrote: “It is helpful to review some parallels from human existence that pose problems for us today. One of these is ‘rock art,’ which consists of patterns or shapes cut into rock many thousands of years ago.” “We can say little, if anything, about what these patterns signify, why they were cut into rocks, or who created them. For all intents and purposes, they might have been made by aliens. Unless we find a readable exegesis of them produced at the time they were made, we will never be able to say with certainty what the patterns mean.” CONTINUE READING: www.news.com.au/technology/science/nasa-pulls-ebook-which-appeared-to-suggest-aliens-may-have-left-messages-among-ancient-rock-art/story-fnjwlcze-1226927499237
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NASA
Jun 16, 2014 13:55:50 GMT -6
Post by auntym on Jun 16, 2014 13:55:50 GMT -6
www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/08/last-man-on-moon-documentary-eugene-cernan Last Man on the Moon recalls US era of courage to do the impossibleDocumentary tells story of Captain Eugene Cernan, the glamour of the Apollo astronaut's lifestyle – and the cost to his family by Henry Barnes theguardian.com, Sunday 8 June 2014 Astronaut Eugene Cernan Ready for take-off … astronaut Eugene Cernan, here in front of Apollo 10, is the only person to have descended on the moon in a lunar module twice. Photograph: Bettmann/CORBIS In 1972 Apollo 17 astronaut Captain Eugene Cernan became the last man on the moon. Cernan, a US Navy fighter pilot handpicked by Nasa in 1966 despite not applying for the space programme, nor having gone to test pilot school, went on to fly three space missions. He is the only person to have descended to the moon in a lunar module twice and holds the world record for the highest speed attained by a manned vehicle after the crew of Apollo 10 reached 24,791 mph during re-entry. Cernan's story is told by director Mark Craig in Last Man on the Moon, a documentary screening at this year's Sheffield Doc/Fest. Craig shows the Apollo astronauts – now in their 80s – recalling an era when America had a presidential mandate to be daring, a license to venture into the unknown. "When Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon we didn't know beans about it," says Cernan, now aged 80. "We had 16 minutes [of space experience]. Al Shepard [the first American to go into space] went up and came down. I was just a young lieutenant flying out in the West Pacific off aircraft carriers, and at that time I believed – and I think most other people did too – that they were asking us to do something that was impossible. And then all of a sudden we got involved – all of us. And the rest is history. Don't tell me I can't do it: I think that's the America I grew up in." It's this faith in imagination that Cernan suggests the US space programme lacks today. Nasa has seen its funding decline over the decades since he left the moon. It now receives less than half a percent of the total federal budget. "It's unfortunate – a half century ago Americans were walking on the moon," says Cernan. "Today we've been told it's going to take a trampoline to get us back to our own space station. That hurts quite frankly." There's a tangible sadness to the film. We're shown Cernan walking around an abandoned launch site. Grass is growing through the concrete and rust is creeping up the tower. The hope of an era was shot into the sky and allowed to dwindle. "I wonder how [Americans] feel about the film?," says Mark Craig. "When they look back and see what they did then and maybe reflect on what's not happening now. There are no manned missions being launched from America. I think that's sad to see from a nation that once led the way." The film depicts the glamour of the Apollo astronaut's lifestyle. It shows crowds of people cheering the heroism of these new pioneers. The knights of the sky who conquered space. At the same time Last Man on the Moon shows us the effect on the astronaut's families. One scene shows Gene sitting with his grown-up daughter on a bench outside his ranch. "I remember when I came back, you said: 'You've been to the moon, NOW will you take me camping?", he says. Today Cernan admits that the astronauts' competitiveness, their drive to be the best, came at a personal cost. "I cheated my family and friends out of a big chunk of my life," he says. "Particularly my daughter when she was growing up. I – like a lot of my colleagues – was so focused on the challenge that was placed in front of me. Our families suffered because of our selfishness." The astronauts were unprepared for celebrity, while 1960s society – having watched the moon landings live on television – was getting a taste for it. Cernan had to learn how to sell the hero image, even if he himself didn't particularly believe in it. "You – the press – made us sometimes holier than thou," he says. "And Nasa wanted to protect their image." CONTINUE READING: www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jun/08/last-man-on-moon-documentary-eugene-cernan
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NASA
Jun 16, 2014 15:24:03 GMT -6
Post by swamprat on Jun 16, 2014 15:24:03 GMT -6
We've lost a lot of that! Now I think our main hope is going to be private enterprise like Space-X. NASA has lost their entrepreneurial edge.....not to mention necessary funding......
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NASA
Jun 16, 2014 19:50:54 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jun 16, 2014 19:50:54 GMT -6
Of COURSE they were misquoted..why would they actually say anything that makes sense unless by accident Unfortunately that is very true. If they ever do find ETs it will probably be by accident also.
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NASA
Jun 16, 2014 20:23:07 GMT -6
Post by skywalker on Jun 16, 2014 20:23:07 GMT -6
We've lost a lot of that! Now I think our main hope is going to be private enterprise like Space-X. NASA has lost their entrepreneurial edge.....not to mention necessary funding...... NASA seems to be gearing up for a Mars mission but they are using much of the same technology that they used before...just bigger. They are currently testing some gimongous rockets (similar to the ones they used for the Moon missions but bigger) and a new space capsule, as well as a type of circular balloon-type thingy to slow a capsule down as it descends towards the Mars surface. They are predicting a Mars mission sometimes in the mid 2030s...if they can get the funding. It seems to me that most of the private space companies seem to be leaning towards near-earth operations like space tourism, commercial mining and cargo-carrying missions and stuff like that. Perhaps that will give NASA the opportunity to concentrate on the farther out stuff...like boldly going where no man has gone before. We can hope anyway.
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