"Space on Earth" Launch

Dr. Charles Cockell, an extreme environment astro-biologist, argues that the role of environmentalists and space scientists/engineers are the same: to ensure humanity has a home. Those who are out to preserve the state of our planet or save it should work hand-in-hand with space scientists. Without space technology, we wouldn't even know the state of our planet from a 'bigger picture' perspective.

As we move into a more conscious green collective, we as individuals should practice the preservation of our planet on a more accountable and active level. With the launch of the BFI's Worldchanging book, and Al Gore's eco-documentary and book: An Inconvenient Truth, we are seeing a change and active awareness insemination of self-destruction along with increasingly creative green practices.

I believe space and environment/planet goes hand-in-hand. And so does "grill" and "cheese". Those who think otherwise should take a look at how we got to be environmentalists in the first place. Our environment is our planet and part of a larger but varied, and often ephemeral eco-universystem.

Get a copy of Space on Earth: Saving Our World By Seeking Others

Cosmonaut Careers are Plummeting

A career as a cosmonaut is losing its appeal for young Russians. Jobs in finance are more attractive to college grads, showing a shift in the younger generation's need for economic progress rather than pursuing star-chasing dreams. In the 1950's to the Cold War, Russia has always been a leader with space technologies. However, there are only 37 cosmonauts existent in all of the motherland. And there have been campaigns to increase that number via recruitment efforts in the colleges. So far, results have been dismal. On the other hand, every cosmonaut has a higher chance of getting into space compared to all the waiting-in-line astronauts or astronaut want-to-be's. And that's not including all the other non-American and non-Russian space-naut want-to-be's.

Russian cosmonauts are paid a monthly wage of less than $767 (20,448 Russian rubles) a month and also receive bonuses for flights.

Lack of mass interest in manned space exploration is pretty much across the board and across all cultures. The journey to becoming any type of space-naut is an arduous one and in these days, it's not as rewarding and receptive as it once was. We don't think of these guys as heroes anymore, but as just another scientist/engineer dude.

Perhaps, if we opened up the arena to everyday people to fly to space without the very requirement of all that official academic education, perhaps that might be an interesting draw. Of course there would be loads of training.

Diminishing Cosmonauts

Pay peanuts, get cosmonauts?

Space Fashion

The December 2006 issue of Harper's Bazaar will feature a multi-page section showcasing the Future of Fashion. The interesting part is that they chose to do the fashion shoot at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL.

What does this say about the persistent connection between spaceflight and generalized concepts of "the future"? And why do they have a Mercury-era astronaut running around in silver? Think about it as you look at the online photos at Flckr. The magazine should hit stands soon if it hasn't already.

Thanks to Jessica for finding this great cultural tidbit.

ISS "Golf and Leisure Club"

This is the name given to the platform where cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin hit a golf ball into space on Thanksgiving day. The cozy moniker was coined by Nataliya Hearn, president and CEO of Element 21, the Canadian golf club manufacturer that paid for the golf shot as a publicity stunt.

Now that we've had golf shots on the moon [video] and from the ISS, private spaceflight participants may be next up on the tee. Space Adventures is offering spacewalks as a new option for space flights to the ISS , though the company has not yet defined what sporting goods will be included in the package.

Now that golf industry has taken a shot, how long until the rest of the sports industry catches on? I want to see the first low-gravity Jai-alai tournament.

Space tops the list

Xeni Jardin is a tech culture journalist and co-editor of the award-winning collaborative weblog BoingBoing.net. She was recently interviewed by Adario Strange for the cover story of New York Press newspaper. One of her answers hits home for anyone that has ever tasted the joy of microgravity:

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Strange: You’ve covered a lot of fascinating tech/science stories, which one changed forever how you look at/live in this world? Why?

Jardin: Every single one of them. I guess the one that sticks out most as something that effected personal change was flying in zero gravity [article + podcast]. My molecules changed. I had lucid dreams about flying in space for months after that. You know, when you fly in zero gravity for the first time—assuming your mom or dad hasn’t done it, you’re the first person in your entire genetic lineage who has ever had that experience! All the way back to your great-great-great-great-grandfather amoebas and the dinosaurs! Assuming you believe in science, of course.
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Well spoken, Xeni. I agree.

CNN's Future Summit

On Thursday 11/23 and Friday 11/24, CNN International will air "Future Summit." One of the topics to be covered is Space Tourism! Space Exploration is another! Anousheh Ansari and Buzz Aldrin are among the interviewees. And …they're asking for viewer comments to be included in the show and the web site. You can add a comment about what you think technology will be like in 50 years via the CNN web link below:

CNN's Future Summit

Laura’s Prediction: Fifty years from now we’ll be taking vacations on the Moon and will probably see the very first true space yachts in Earth orbit. We’ll be living (and loving) the orbital lifestyle! At the same time, nano-technology will help us to “heal” the Earth from Global Change.

What do you think space culture will be like 50 years from today???

Happy Thanksgiving!

Most Popular Spaceship

For every scifi fan, spaceships are a must. A vessel that carries you into the deepest parts of the universe, and usually armed with super-warped drives and turkey-basting lasers, captures a unique blend of uber and coolness. And for the very serious geek, it's gotta have all the gadgets necessary for speed, damage, and telekinetic communication. My personal preferences have always been those that are closer to the side of outstanding creativity rather than the macho-tech oriented deathstrikers. Heart of Gold, from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a special place in my corazon.

FilmCritic.com has released their take on the top 10 most popular spaceships. Which is your fav?

Filmcritic.com's Top 10 SpaceShips

MOON TREES!

I was looking for who to talk to at the Sierra Club about our Yuri's Night Space Trees when I found this...

http://www.sierraclub.org/e-files/moon_trees.asp
(Sierra Club article with link to: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.html)

It is a story about how Command Module pilot Stuart Roosa of Apollo XIV brought 400 seeds with him around the moon! They were planted all over the world when he got back. But no one knows where all of them are? Can we help find them?

The Moon Trees are a great way to show another connection between space and the environment and that Cosmonauts are not the only ones to plant trees when they return from space. Let's make sure we help preserve and celebrate the space trees (and all trees) and see if we can find more to add to the list!

Sierra Club comments that soon the Moon Trees may be the only living things that have been to the moon and back (Stuart Roose himself passed away in 1994)- let's make sure we do not let that happen either!

If you know of a Moon Tree location not on the list email dwilliam@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.

China's First Ever Space Textbook

The formerly classified manuscript written by the father of China's space and missile industry has been published. Qian Xuesen's manuscript entitled "A General Introduction to the Missile" hit the shelves in Beijing on Friday, 50 years after Qian first used it to teach 156 university students,China's first generation of space scientists.

This is another indication of Chinese patriotism where they want to claim their own strength and dexterity in getting into space. They are not going to look west for support, but as usual China wants to do things their way and on their own specs. Of course, this would be the way to unite a country of over 1 billion people.

My recent visit to Qian's hometown in Hangzhou revealed many developments to claim space as their own. With bottled water endorsements, to huge billboards with astronaut references, China is making a statement about its pursuit of the cosmos. The planets are aligning for this. The next milestone lands in 2010.

$330 Million SpaceEdutainment Theme Park Investor Road Show Blasts Off

(Source: eMediaWire)

KPMG has just completed a Market and Financial Feasibility Study and a Business Plan for SpacePort Shenyang (China) and has found it to be viable. SpacePortEdutainment, a South African company, is the visionary and developer of the SpacePort "Destination" concept. The vision is to build world-class "next generation" space, science and technology theme parks and edutainment centers, which will provide a "space tourism experience" on Planet Earth for those unable to travel into space.

SpacePortEdutainment plans to build SpacePort Shenyang, a $330 million, 20 hectare, space theme park in Shenyang, North East China, due to open in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. "The City of Shenyang is whole heartedly supporting the SpacePort Shenyang project, which is regarded as an important asset for the 2008 Olympic Games. SpacePort Shenyang, will become a sought after destination creating many jobs and will become a welcome boost for the local economy" says Shenyang's Deputy Mayor Song Qi.

SpacePort Shenyang is the first of several SpacePorts that are in the pipeline. The next planned site is SpacePortAfrica, a $75 million project that will form part of "Africa Theme Park Resort", a $550 million theme park resort development in Johannesburg. SpacePortAfrica is due to open in October 2009 in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. In total, SpacePortEdutainment has more than five SpacePort "Destination" projects on its radar screen at this time. This includes a well positioned SpacePortMoscow. Visit http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/11/emw477881.htm to view the article.

Death Star II ( again)

With the holiday shpping season around the corner, our child-rearing Legos are building on one of there most successful line: Star Wars. With countless models of the Tie Fighter, wing fighters, land fighters, our favorite lightsabre-battling figs,a gigantuan Imperial Star Destroyer, and more...Lego is once again pushing there Star Wars products to build on that sci-fi fan culture. It's always really impressive to walk into someone's office or lab and find a 2ft Lego Yoda, or the Star Destoyer. Though of yesteryear glory, Legos still touch a sweet spot from our imaginations.

http://www.lego.com/starwars

Royalty in Space

All the girls that want to be a "space princess" will have to get in line: The UK is abuzz with the news that 18-year-old Princess Bea will be flying on Virgin Galactic.

Since the Sultan Salman Abdul Aziz Al-Saud from Saudi Arabia flew on the Space Shuttle in 1985, will this still be a milestone in space celebrities? Does it matter that a person of royal descent is going to space? Will such distinctions matter on the moon or Mars?

Yo! Space-PUNK!

Right. So what is that? Bratty astronauts kickin' it out on an EVA? Much lower tech than that, it's an underground music movement taking on 8-bit (or less) sound chips and composing music via these basic components. Given all the restraints a GameBoy has, interesting sounds do come out of it...like a mix of Asteroids, Ms Pac-Man as Flash, colliding/breakbeating on a supersonic highway to the Kuiper belt. It takes me back to the 80's of Atari and Nintendo with Super Mario Brothers, Space Invaders and Duck Hunt.

It's a geeky cultural remix brewed from the video game generation. Much like the sounds of Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, this new genre of space-punk falls into 8-bit music. Imagine the possibilities it can open up for the space community. This is the digital heritage of Generation X.

Dive in for an experience:
http://www.receptorsmusic.com/

A really cool festival is coming up at the end of the month in NYC: The International Blip Festival:
http://www.blipfestival.org/

Check it out!

Another Space Art Contest

http://www.iafastro.org/index.php?id=527

The IAF is looking for a few good logos from 4-16 years old and also art undergrad students. The IAF is solely targeting an academic approach for this competition. Past logos have been inconsistent and some even shy from the main mission of the IAF. My favorite is Vancouver from the recent years. Bremen, Valencia, Fukuoka, etc were a bit lost IMHO. Hence, this is a great opportunity for them to get new blood into their airstreams and a clearer breath of life. The deadline is February 28, 2007, so start braining!

Space Art Contest

The National Space Society is sponsoring an art contest in which artists are to create visions of a spacefaring future - a future of space settlement, be they on the Moon, on Mars, on asteroids, or orbiting independently in space. Twelve winning entries will be chosen to illustrate the NSS 2008 Space Settlement Calendar. Judges include world-renowned space artists David Hardy and Pat Rawlings. Artists may submit multiple works and submissions will be accepted until January 31, 2007.

The Grand Prize winner will have their artwork featured on the calendar cover and as one of the monthly images. This winner will receive a Beyond-Earth Enterprises 8 ounce Flight Container for sub-orbital rocket launch and return along with various other products and cash.

There will be four First Prize winners in the categories of Best Lunar Settlement, Best Mars Settlement, Best Asteroid Settlement, and Best Orbiting Settlement. All winning entries are published in the calendar and the artists will receive various prizes .

For all the contest details go to http://www.nss.org/settlement/calendar/

Reactions to "Sex in Space"

Laura Woodmansee's newest book, Sex in Space, has made quite a splash at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory! After inviting the author to do a book signing (due to the immense popularity of the book at the center) , JPL promptly retracted the invitation and removed the book from the store shelves. The store is reported to have sent an email to all JPL staff citing "ethical reasons" for canceling the book signing, though it is unclear what or whose ethics were in question.

Now no NASA centers are reported carrying the book, which details issues and events related to human reproduction in reduced-gravity environments. Ironically, the book also includes accounts of criticism inside the space industry for "bringing up the topic of 'sex' in the context of long-duration space missions. It’s an important topic that certain people and organizations are not willing to face. This reaction is childish and shortsighted." Woodmansee cites her dismissal from an upcoming space tourism panel discussion as ongoing evidence of this discouragement.

Was JPL too shy to talk about sex? Was it just a clerical error? Read author Laura Woodmansee's own account in the Space Review and decide for yourself.

Any long-term space missions will certainly have birth control as a part of the plan. No pregnancies or children are allowed in Antarctica, and none will be allowed on the space research stations of the future. "Colonization" efforts, however, will face exactly the harsh realities of radiation exposure and reduced gravity when the population attempts to expand. We may be decades away from needing this information--but it may take decades to learn. Are we ready to get started?

Russian Space Watch

I'm in Hong Kong on a mad shopping and eating spree. During one Mongkok shopping blitz, I discovered Soyuz wrist watches! How cool is that?! The brand has a very strong identity and I was drawn into the little black rocket with a red pentagon star. It's very propoganda and very Russian. However there's a disconnect with that image and their actual product line. Their strong clean identity gets lost with all the gears and the nitnacky dials. My image of a strong, reliable, durable Russian engineering foundation doesn't comply with the Soyuz's line of complicated, very busy, clunky watch designs. However, I think it's great that they are taking action to bring us back to space time.