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Blog Details for "Colony Worlds"
Colony WorldsColony WorldsDiscussing reasonable ways to colonize our solar system. Articles
Another Reason Martian Settlers May Choose Solar Over Nuclear Power
2011-10-11 23:00:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Even though having a mini-nuclear reactor nearby is not a bad idea, settlers upon Mars may prefer an option that relies less upon the splitting of the atom and more upon the rays of the Sun. Scientists in Spain have figured out a way for solar power stations to generate energy after sun set when rays ... More About: Video , Technology , Power , Nuclear
Will Humanity Mine The Moon For Titanium?
2011-10-11 21:41:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Apparently silver isn’t the only thing Earth’s nearest neighbor harbors upon the surface. Astronomers have discovered another element which could aid lunar settlers in their quest to conquer the Moon . A new map of the Moon has revealed an abundance of titanium ore that is up to 10 times richer than on Earth, a finding ... More About: Humanity , Mine
Could Urine Power Off World Colonies?
2011-10-05 20:13:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Since water is plentiful throughout the solar system (well at least upon Luna as well as Mars), future settlers may see little value in recycling their “waste water,” when it would be much more desirable to purify the frozen aqua around them. Instead of burying the dreaded stuff or burning it off into the void, ... More About: Power , World , Energy
Sadness: Mercury?s Magnetic Field Is Worthless Against Sun?s Wrath
2011-10-05 19:23:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Despite being one of the three terrestrial spheres blessed with a global magnetic field (with the other two being Earth and Jupiter’s moon Ganymede), Mercury ’s invisible shield will not protect future explorers from the wrath of the Sun. Earth and Mercury are the only two magnetized planets in the solar system, and as such, they ... More About: Sadness
Experience Martian Gravity Without Leaving Earth?
2011-10-04 02:48:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}[vimeo http://vimeo.com/23024940 w=500] For those of you who are Mars -bound, Adam Norton has developed a clever way of simulating reduced gravity without having to visit the red planet. Mars Gravity Simulator is a fully functioning experiment adapted from the design of Apollo- era lunar gravity simulators, but made for Martian conditions. It can be used ... More About: Video , Earth , Experience
Russia Ignores Fears, Reaches Out Towards Phobos (Mars)
2011-09-27 22:54:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Despite being inactive in the whole “deep space exploration” hobby (at least with humans), Russia is determined to once again reclaim their place among the stars by planning a trip towards the Martian moon of Phobos. Although the purpose of the expedition is to collect soil samples from Phobos (not an easy task as the ... More About: Mars , Asteroids
Obama To China: Lets Go To Mars
2011-05-10 21:42:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Right after the heels of making one gutsy call, the President is now asking Congress to partner with their beloved frenemy to help conquer the red planet. “[What] the president has deemed worth discussing with the Chinese and others is that when the time comes for humans to visit Mars , it’s going to be an extremely expensive ... More About: China , Obama
SpaceX To Skeptics: We Can Beat China
2011-05-04 22:51:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}SpaceX has sent out a press release aimed at silencing the chatter that the young rocket company prices are “too good to be true” (since not even China can match SpaceX’s prices). However in the process of defending the reputation of his rocket company, CEO Elon Musk does reveal a few interesting tidbits about SpaceX that may ... More About: Space Industry , Skeptics
Can SpaceX Put A Man On Mars By 2031?
2011-04-25 21:47:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}SpaceX (which is short for Space Exploration Technologies) is either the most brazen company ever formed by man or America’s last great hope for expanding free civilization across the star system. Either way the company has announced plans to conquer the red planet before 2031, which is about six years before NASA’s original plan and ... More About: Mars , Space Industry
The Key Towards Mars Is Deimos?
2011-04-20 20:58:00 #leftcontainerBox{float:left;position:fix ed;top:60%;left:70px}#leftcontainerBox .buttons{float:left;clear:both;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px;padding-bottom:2px}#bottomcontainerBo x{width:50%;padding-top:1px}#bottomcontai nerBox .buttons{float:left;margin:4px 4px 4px 4px}Orbiting under 24,000 kilometers from the crimson world’s surface, the Martian moon Deimos isn’t exactly a beauty to behold up close in the celestial sky. Despite it’s eyesore appearance (a common theme among asteroids), this ugly space rock could be the key towards humanities quest to conquer the red planet in the semi-distant future. A ... More About: Mars , Asteroids
Moon First: X-Prize And Bigelow Aerospace Explain Why
2011-01-13 22:17:00 When it comes to planetary destinations within our star system, the two loudest voices within the space community are the Moon first crowd and the Mars Direct group. While both groups often lay out strong opinions as to why their white or red world should take priority, lunar lovers will rejoice in the fact that ...
UK Plans Close Encounter With Uranus
2011-01-03 22:31:00 For those of you lamenting over the lack of attention Uranus is receiving (note: keep the comment section space related folks!) when compared to Saturn, it looks like the British are attempting to mimic Cassini’s success by sending a spacecraft to the distant gas giant. Uranus Pathfinder is a developing mission concept aimed at sending ... More About: United Kingdom , Plans , Close
How Many Oceans Does Pluto Have?
2010-12-22 18:55:00 Despite being located billions of kilometers away from its host star, the dwarf world formally known as a planet may harbor and interesting secret beneath it’s icy crust. Scientists suspect Pluto holds a rocky core spiked with radioactive materials that are slowly breaking down, releasing enough heat in the process to melt ice and keep ...
Extraterrestrial Farmers To Raise Grain Without Soil? (Aeroponics)
2010-12-07 18:27:00 If you were to attempt to raise a garden utilizing only lunar or Martian soil, chances are that your precious plants would either die a horrible death or survive albeit malnourished. While there are probably exceptions to this rule (i.e. asparagus might be able to thrive within Martian dirt), the vast majority of terrestrial plants ... More About: Video
Russia Going Nuclear (Space Rockets That Is)
2010-12-01 20:13:00 Once again “Mother Russia ” is contemplating using nuclear rockets in its quest to conquer the final frontier. Only this time instead of laying out wishful thoughts, the country seems to be settling upon not only a time frame, but also an estimated cost as well. Russia’s Energia space corporation said on Tuesday it is planning ... More About: Space , Nuclear , Rockets
Canada Building Rover To Survive Lunar ?Pot Holes??
2010-12-01 18:41:00 Despite being out shined by its rowdy neighbor to the south, Canada has its own plans of conquering the lunar frontier. In an attempt to easily navigate upon the cratered surface of the Moon , a Canadian university is developing wheels for their upcoming rover that could enable to country to literally drive almost anywhere off ... More About: Building , Survive
Russia To Challenge Bigelow For Space Station Supremacy
2010-11-12 21:47:00 Bigelow Aerospace has more or less been the main contender on the commercial space station front. While other challengers like Galactic Suite have emerged, most have yet to build anything beyond fancy diagrams and CGI videos. However that may change with the entrance of a new comer to the commercial space station industry, one who ... More About: Space , Space Industry , Russia , Station , Challenge
NASA Taking A Second Look At Mercury
2010-11-09 19:38:00 After six long years of space travel, NASA’s Messenger probe will finally be able to experience a close encounter with the world known as Mercury . Although most of the planet has already been mapped, scientists are hoping that Messenger will be able to confirm whether or not the first rock from the Sun harbors water ... More About: Nasa , Ice Water
Bigelow Aerospace To Make The ISS Irrelevant
2010-10-21 23:16:00 It looks like China won’t be the only entity making the $100 billion International Space Station worthless over the next decade. After successfully launching 2 inflatable space stations, Bigelow Aerospace is now adding international governments to its client list, which might seal the fate of the ISS. Space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, chief of Bigelow Aerospace, ... More About: Technology , Make
Silver Discovered On The Moon?
2010-10-21 22:38:00 Despite finding an abundance of water upon Earth’s nearest neighbor, NASA has unveiled that the Moon also contains trace amounts of silver as well. Another intriguing result was the variety and amount of other substances inside Cabeus. LCROSS and a sister probe, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), found evidence of all kinds of compounds, including ... More About: Silver
Could Solar Wind Power Martian And Lunar Colonies?
2010-10-16 23:44:00 When it comes to settling our nearest neighbors, both Mars and Luna (aka the Moon ) present unique challenges as far as energy goes. Although one could always import numerous mini-nuclear reactors upon each respective world from Earth (controversy aside), it may make more sense to rely upon the fiery breathe from our Sol star. Instead of ... More About: Power , Energy , Solar
Fingernails And Space Gloves Just Don?t Mix
2010-10-16 21:23:00 Despite developing innovative ways of combating radiation, micro gravity and how to go to the bathroom in space, we still have yet to solve the space glove dilemma which can cause an unlucky astronaut to lose their fingernails. Fortunately researchers are working on a solution, although it looks like Dava Newman (who is a professor ... More About: Health , Technology , Space
Server Migrations? Update: Migration Complete!
2010-10-09 20:00:00 I’m in the process of migrating my sites off of HostMonster and upon ________ (will reveal all later). While Hostmonster has been an excellent host, I’ve worn out my welcome (more or less) and I need a host who loves WordPress more than I do. Since I’m tired of my sites going down, creating errors ... More About: Blog , Update , Server
Artificial Kidneys For Off World Settlers
2010-09-08 04:20:00 Unlike Earth with its vast population of kidney donors (that is if one is lucky), future space settlers will likely be on their own if any of them experience kidney failure. While future scientists on Mars, Callisto, Ganymede, etc. could always grow organs from pigs, off world inhabitants may prefer an artificial solution instead. The ... More About: Health , Technology , World
If VASIMR Is Vapor Ware, Is A Martian Mission Doomed?
2010-09-08 00:10:00 (Image: A concept of a VASIMR-powered space craft. Credit: Ad Astra Rocket Company) Seen by many to be the “great red hope,” VASIMR has the potential to shorten a six month journey to the red planet to about 40 days. Unfortunately it looks like brighter minds have weighed in on the realities of VASIMR, and ... More About: Technology , Mars , Ware
Video: Inflatable "Tents" For Off World Settlers?
2010-09-07 23:18:00 (Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace) For those of you who envisioned outposts made out of metal, plastic and off world dirt, you may soon be disappointed that NASA and ESA have a different vision for conquering the final frontier, one filled with lots of hot air. Gary Spexarth, manager of lunar surface systems design at NASA, believes that, ... More About: Video , Technology , World , Inflatable
India Giving Lunar Data Away For Free?
2010-09-07 00:56:00 After helping humanity rediscover over 600 million metric tons of lunar water, India has decided to “open source” its data by releasing it to the public. “People will have free access to the huge data obtained from our first moon mission on a web portal that will be launched by this year-end,” a senior scientist of the ... More About: Moon , Free , Data , Giving
Video: Humanity Vs Space Radiation
2010-09-07 00:35:00 (Image Credit: NASA (assumed), via ITECS Insider) Aside from government politics, space radiation is one of the biggest threats to humans seeking to leave our home world. Unless we find a way to protect ourselves, humanity will only be able to settle upon only a few worlds within our star system. As shown in the ... More About: Video , Health , Space , Humanity , Radiation
Will The Dawn Space Probe Unlock The Secrets Of The Asteroid Belt?
2009-12-02 02:52:00 Last month Dawn, a space probe sent to analyze the mega asteroid Vesta and its bigger brother Ceres officially entered the asteroid belt. Contrary to what you might have seen on Star Wars, it’s very unlikely that Dawn will run into an over sized boulder, let alone a large pebble as it travels its way between ... More About: Space , Asteroids , Blog , Belt
A Space Geek Giving Thanks (On Earth)
More articles from this author:2009-11-26 20:05:00 Despite my affection To visit the heavens And leave the Earth The place of my birth I’m thankful for These beautiful shores Next to salty oceans In their proper proportions To live on a planet Where oxygen is abundent With green food everywhere And plenty of water to spare Whose beauty never fades My planet has it made! For no world can compare To my home world that’s so fair While ... More About: Space , Geek , Giving 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
