Civilian Space Efforts

[News Hound]

"Father-Son Team Launch Balloon With HD Camera, iPhone Into Space," By: Josh Sanburn



Apparently fishing just doesn't cut it anymore.

In one of the coolest amateur science experiments NewsFeed has come across, a father-and-son team, and others from the “Brooklyn Space Program,” launched a weather balloon into the stratosphere along with an HD video camera that captured virtually the entire flight. The team placed some hand-warmers inside a specially built insulated capsule that held the camera and an iPhone, which, through its GPS capabilities, allowed the team to track it down once it landed. (See the must-have iPhone apps.)

The team was headed by Luke Geissbuhler and his 7-year-old son Max, who found the camera about 30 miles from the launch site in upstate New York. At its peak, the balloon reached an altitude of about 100,000 feet and battled 100-m.p.h. winds before it burst, sending the camera and iPhone hurtling back to earth at rates of 150 m.p.h. A specially designed parachute attached to the capsule eventually slowed it to about 15 m.p.h. Note to Max's school: if there's a science fair this year, give this guy the top prize.

[ranowlee]

How can I boot my windows os after i have installed fedora? I needed to installed Fedora Linux for school, I want to keep Fedora but also would like to boot windows up whenever I'm not using Fedora. The problem is I can't boot windows up because Fedora is my default Operating System Now.

[davidg]

Just friggin' amazing! Right fishing isn't quite the same.. and I'll be the kids at school never would have believed him!

[Eric Renderking Fisk]

I look at that and I have to wonder how soon is there going to be someone making a revolutionary spacecraft in their own back yard that will take the whole family to the moon.

Seriously.

[davidg]

I look at that and I have to wonder how soon is there going to be someone making a revolutionary spacecraft in their own back yard that will take the whole family to the moon.

Seriously.

Probably not soon. If it is a rocket and not some sort of field propulsion, then it would be enough fuel to blow the whole neighborhood to flinders.. Now ..some sort of sphere or (dare I say it?) saucer shape.. or even a blue police box.. with some sort of field propulsion.. THAT would be something! I'd vote for the Police Box myself..

[Twingo Gilford]

I'd vote for the Police Box myself..

I wear bow ties now... bow ties are cool.

"Boeing Needs Space Pilots for Spaceship & Rocket Test Flights," by Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing EditorDate: 04 August 2011 Time: 12:12 PM ET

Let me grab me hat and toothbrush.

[News Hound]

Private space firms question if NASA contracting policies will allow progress

CAPE CANAVERAL — NASA's plan to fly astronauts on commercial spacecraft promised a dramatic new way of doing business that could save money and spur a new market for human spaceflight.

But some commercial space advocates aren't convinced a "non-traditional" contracting strategy proposed by the agency goes far enough to achieve those goals.

Contracts governed by the voluminous Federal Acquisition Regulations, they say, will divert limited resources from work on spacecraft by requiring the companies to hire armies of lawyers and accountants to track compliance with complex regulations.

And unlike a more streamlined alternative, NASA would call the shots on critical design decisions, potentially limiting the innovation needed to reduce costs and attract customers beyond NASA.

"If you take a traditional approach, you're going to get the traditional result, which is broken budgets and no flight hardware," said Mike Gold, director of Washington, D.C., operations and business growth for Bigelow Aerospace.

After two rounds of seed funding kicked off the "commercial crew" project, a Kennedy Space Center-led team is finalizing NASA's strategy for completing, testing and certifying systems safe for its astronauts.

It's not about "The Final Frontier" it's about the eternal bureaucracy.

[News Hound]

"SpaceX to Offer Trips to Private Space Stations," By Adario Strange May 11, 2012 08:37am EST

SpaceX has made a name for itself by promising to open the corridors of space to the general public at high-end consumer prices. But the real dream for many who envision traveling into space involves the opportunity to actually spend some time, no matter how brief, in a microgravity living environment, rather than participate in simple fly-by sub-orbital flights such as those offered by Virgin Galactic. Now SpaceX has teamed up with Bigelow Aerospace to offer just such an experience.

The two companies plan to kick off an international initiative to explore interest in the space experience that will allow consumers to travel into space in SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft and then spend time in Bigelow Aerospace's BA 330 habitat (pictured).

"SpaceX and BA have a lot in common. Both companies were founded to help create a new era in space enterprise," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement. "Together we will provide unique opportunities to entities—whether nations or corporations—wishing to have crewed access to the space environment for extended periods."

Rather than just presenting the space station experience to the general public, Bigelow Aerospace is also focused on engaging corporations as well as entire nations looking to explore opportunities associated with conducting research in microgravity environment. Each BA 330 private space station can house up to six adults, and the modules can also be strung together to create a larger space station complex. Each unit will be powered by solar arrays and batteries and feature four large observation windows coated with UV protection film. Leasing one of the space stations will also include a complete astronaut training program designed to prepare passengers for the rigors of space travel and microgravity living.