Boeing to Build Spacecraft at Shuttle Hangar

Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/

• Boeing
  Helping pave the road for the future of commercial spaceflight, Boeing is hard at work on the research and development of a new space capsule aimed at flying people to the International Space Station.

ORLANDO, Fla. –  Boeing is taking over one of NASA's old space shuttle hangars to build a new capsule that the company hopes will lift astronauts to orbit in four or five years.

More than 100 Boeing, NASA and state and federal officials gathered in the massive empty hangar -- Orbiting Processing Facility No. 3 -- for the announcement of the first-of-its-kind agreement allowing a private company to take over the government property.

The aerospace company expects to create 550 high-tech jobs at Kennedy Space Center over the next four years, 140 of them by the end of next year. That's less than 10 percent of the approximately 6,000 shuttle jobs lost in Florida over the past several years, but Gov. Rick Scott and other lawmakers at the ceremony said they expect additional hirings by the commercial space industry.

NASA is counting on companies like Boeing, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and others to ferry cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station in three to five years. Until then, the space agency will continue to shell out tens of millions of dollars per seat on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

The Soyuz is the only way to get astronauts to and from the space station, ever since Atlantis returned from the final shuttle flight in July. A Soyuz rocket failure in August highlighted the risk of relying on just one type of craft.

During Monday's hourlong ceremony, lawmakers said the commercial industry is America's last hope, anytime soon, for U.S. astronauts to fly on U.S. spaceships from U.S. soil.

The Obama Administration requested $850 million in NASA's 2012 budget for the commercial space effort. The House slashed that to $312 million, but the Senate got it to $500 million, a reasonable figure given the nation's current economic situation, said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., a one-time space shuttle flier.

Boeing expects to start removing shuttle platforms and modifying the hangar to suit its own purposes in the next few months.

John Mulholland, vice president and program manager of commercial programs for Boeing, said it will be sad to see all the shuttle equipment go.

"The shuttle's such an iconic vehicle. These marvelous buildings have a lot of memory," said Mulholland, a former shuttle manager. "But you've always got to be looking forward. So while the shuttle is remarkable, we're looking forward to the next phase of space exploration."

Boeing wants to ferry astronauts not only to the International Space Station, but to a commercial scientific outpost planned for orbit by Bigelow Aerospace. Each capsule will hold seven people. A test flight is planned by 2015.

The agreement calls for Boeing to use the hangar for 15 years, with an option to renew for another five. Then it will be up to Boeing to demolish the building, on NASA's get-rid-of list. Boeing is not paying NASA any rent, officials stressed, but rather will cover all operation costs and utilities.

The hangar is 197 feet long, 1,650 feet wide and 95 feet high. It was last used to ready the shuttle Discovery for its final launch earlier this year.

NASA wants to turn the space center -- long a government-only local -- into a multi-user spaceport. Other buildings are also up for grabs. Space Florida, a state agency, is working on more deals.

Tourists, meanwhile, are about to gain entree into areas that were once strictly off limits.

On Tuesday, the Vehicle Assembly Building -- where fuel tanks and booster rockets were attached to space shuttles -- will open its doors to public bus tours for the first time since 1978.

Throughout the ceremony, NASA officials and others stressed that Kennedy Space Center is not going out of business.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the dream is alive," Nelson told the crowd.

NASA relinquished its shuttle fleet to concentrate on new rockets and spacecraft that will be able to carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit. An asteroid is the first stop. Mars is the prize.

What does it feel like to fly over planet Earth?

Full article here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2038854/Time-lapse-images-International-Space-Station-earth-night.html

Uploaded by yesterday2221 on Sep 15, 2011

A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and the Amazon. Also visible is the earths ionosphere (thin yellow line) and the stars of our galaxy. Raw data was downloaded from;

The Gateway To Astronaut Photography of Earth
"http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/mrf.htm ".

Virtualdub was used to create the final movie.

You can see more beautiful images of our universe at my blog;
http://infinity-imagined.tumblr.com/

The stellar images of Atlantis racing past the sun taken by an amateur photographer in his back garden

• French photographer Thierry Legault had only 0.9 seconds to get his shot
• He managed to image the spacecraft four times as it travelled at 7.8km per second across the front of the sun

By Daily Mail Reporter
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
 
Just 20 minutes before re-entering Earth's atmosphere, these amazing images show the Atlantis space shuttle as it hurtles across the face of the sun.

But they weren't taken by Nasa, nor by a professional astronomer using multi-million pound equipment.

Instead, the photos, clearly showing the tiny silhouetted outline of the shuttle in front of the sun, were captured by an amateur photographer standing in his back garden.

Even more incredibly, French photographer Thierry Legault had only 0.9 seconds to get his shot - but still managed to capture the spacecraft four times as it travelled at 7.8km per second.

Quick draw: The four photos that make up this composite image of Atlantis hurtling across the face of the sun were taken in less than 0.9 seconds

He attached a camera to a telescope trained on the sun - with a solar filter to help prevent its powerful rays destroying the equipment.

Mr Legault sat patiently waiting for over an hour, readying himself to capture the image in the Emden area of Germany on July 21.

The 49-year-old engineer said: 'What you see in the photos is the Atlantis space ship passing in front of the sun, therefore you see just a silhouette.


'Good transits last less than one second, and the best ones maybe less than half a second.


'It is a kind of game or challenge and the pleasure and the adrenalin remain the same each time.'

French photographer Thierry Legault managed to capture the spacecraft four times as it travelled at 7.8km per second

This composite image was taken on July 15 and shows Atlantis docked at the International Space Station as it passes in front of the sun

Enthusiast Thierry Legault point his camera to the skies

The amateur astronomer - originally from Paris - began taking solar transit pictures in 2006, and has gone on to capture over a dozen since.


He followed Atlantis' mission closely, also snapping pictures of it as it docked at the International Space Station on July 15 - and then again as it departed on July 19.


Mr Legault added: 'The main difficulty is finding a good location to photograph the transit. You need a quiet, accessible place in the countryside, without trees, big roads and private properties.

'But the most difficult part is the weather. In western Europe, especially northern countries, it changes often and is not reliable, even in summer.


'Without a clear day you cannot that you get the picture.'

The Frenchman uses a radio-synchronised watch to make sure he knows exactly what time - down to the second - the shuttle will pass across the sun.


But despite his precision planning, he admitted he never knows if he has captured it until afterwards.


He said: 'I never know in real time if the shooting has been successful, because during shooting I look at my watch, not through the camera.


'So it is only when I browse the images on the camera screen that I can relax knowing I have captured it.'

Touch down: Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bringing Nasa's 30-year shuttle programme to an end

pace Shuttle and Space Station Photographed Together: APOD June 8th 2011

from: http://apod.nasa.gov/

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2011 June 8
Space Shuttle and Space Station Photographed Together
Credit: NASA  Explanation: How was this picture taken? Usually, pictures of the shuttle, taken from space, are snapped from the space station. Commonly, pictures of the space station are snapped from the shuttle. How, then, can there be a picture of both the shuttle and the station together, taken from space? The answer is that during the Space Shuttle Endeavour's last trip to the International Space Station two weeks ago, a supply ship departed the station with astronauts that captured a series of rare views. The supply ship was the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 which landed in Kazakhstan later that day. The above spectacular image well captures the relative sizes of the station and docked shuttle. Far below, clouds of Earth are seen above a blue sea. The next and last launch of a US space shuttle is scheduled for early July.

NASA's humanoid robot unveiled on space station

From: http://news.yahoo.com/

AP – In this March 15, 2011 photo provided by NASA, astronaut Scott Kelly, Expedition 26 commander, right, …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The first humanoid robot ever launched into space is finally free.

Astronauts at the International Space Station unpacked Robonaut on Tuesday, 2 1/2 weeks after its arrival via shuttle Discovery. NASA broadcast the humorous unveiling ceremony Wednesday.

American Catherine Coleman and Italian Paolo Nespoli pried off the lid of the robot's packing box, as though they were opening a coffin. TV cameras showed lots of foam inside, but no robot.

"It's like unearthing a mummy," radioed a payload controller at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

"Well, at least the mummy would be here," Coleman replied. "We just have an empty box where Robonaut is supposed to be."

Robonaut — also known as R2 — was spotted a minute later in front of a work station.

"I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our crew," Coleman said. "We're going to see what Robonaut can do."

The payload controller asked if R2 was related to HAL, the sinister computer with artificial intelligence from the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey."

"Since we found him already controlling the space station, we're sure that he is related to HAL. But we'll see," Coleman said.

In a Twitter update, R2 announced: "Check me out. I'm in space!" A NASA employee on the ground posted the tweet.

Nespoli attached NASA's waist-high R2 to a fixed pedestal, where it will remain with its fists clenched and its arms folded against its chest until testing begins in May. The robotic team at Johnson Space Center in Houston wants to see how R2 performs in weightlessness. The robot is intended as an astronaut helper, inside the space station, in the decade ahead.

Legs should arrive next year.

R2's earthbound twin spent Wednesday at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, performing demonstrations for children.

___

Online:

NASA: http://robonaut.jsc.nasa.gov/default.asp

Discovery Leaving Space Station for the Last Time [500pics]

aolnews.com — Discovery's astronauts got a special greeting Monday morning in advance of their departure from the International Space Station. Actor William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk on the original "Star Trek" TV series, paid tribute to space shuttle Discovery's voyages over the decades. He said the shuttle has boldly gone and done what no spacecraft has done before.
 

Space Shuttle Discovery

Click Above to Launch 500 Pic Gallery

Space shuttle Discovery docks with International Space Station for the last time

By Daily Mail Reporter

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Space shuttle Discovery has docked at the International Space Station on its final visit before becoming a museum.


The shuttle, on its final voyage, will spend a week at the orbiting outpost and has delivered supplies and the first humanoid robot to fly in space.

A spacewalk is currently taking place at the ISS as two of Discovery's visiting crew float outside to move a broken ammonia pump and install an extension cable, among other chores.

Incoming: The shadow covering Discovery, in this image taken by astronaut Paolo Nespoli, was made by the International Space Station as the shuttle prepared to dock yesterday morning

Enlarge  

Last mission: On its final voyage, Discovery will spend a week at the orbiting outpost

Discovery's docking took longer than usual because of a slight misalignment between the shuttle and the station which meant the hatches didn't open

Discovery should have made the flight in November, but was grounded by fuel tank cracks and only took off on Thursday with two seconds to spare after it was held up by computer errors.

Altogether, there are 12 people on board the spacecraft, representing the U.S., Russia and Italy.

Four of the five major partners currently also have vessels docked there, including cargo ships from Japan and Europe.


The docking took longer than usual because of a slight misalignment between the shuttle and the station, which means the hatches did not open.

The station's commander, Scott Kelly, shook hands with shuttle commander Steven Lindsey as they landed.

Astronauts have now installed a platform holding a spare radiator for the station, which was carried aboard the shuttle.

Enlarge  

Making history: Discovery, the oldest of the U.S. shuttles, only took off with two seconds to spare after computer problems

The robot Discovery carried - Robonaut 2 or R2 for short - will remain at the space station, where it is hoped it will eventually serve as an astronaut assistant

Docked: Discovery has delivered supplies and the first humanoid robot to fly in space

Before the landing, Discovery performed a 360 degree back-flip so space station cameras could capture any signs of launch damage.

At least four pieces of debris broke off the fuel tank during lift-off and a strip of insulating foam struck its belly.

Nasa managers do not believe the shuttle was damaged because the foam came off late in the launch.

As a precaution, every shuttle crew since the 2003 Columbia disaster has had to thoroughly check for possible damage to thermal shielding.

Carrying out repairs: Discovery astronaut Steve Bowen, attached to the end of a robotic arm, makes a spacewalk out of the ISS today

Nearly there: Discovery commander Steve Lindsey and pilot Eric Boe on board the shuttle's forward flight deck

Last time: Astronauts Steve Bowen and Nicole Stott on board the shuttle on its final voyage. It will become a museum after returning to Earth

Discovery - the first to perform the manoeuvre in 2005 - is the first in the fleet to be retired this year.

Endeavour and then Atlantis will close out the 30-year shuttle programme later this year.
Discovery is the oldest of the three and the most travelled, with 143million miles logged over 39 flights and 26 years.

The robot it carried - Robonaut 2 or R2 for short - will remain at the space station, where it is hoped it will eventually serve as an astronaut assistant.

A Twitter update from the robot, posted by a human at mission control, said: 'We're here! Home Sweet Home!'

En route: Astronauts inside Discovery control the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System/Orbiter Boom Sensor System. Equipped with special cameras, it inspects the shuttle's thermal tile system

World's Most Outrageous Construction Projects

Shawn Conner | Image: Imre Solt

 

Charting the world's construction projects with the biggest scope and the price tags to match.

From the great pyramids of Egypt to the temples of the Aztecs to the detoxification of Charlie Sheen, man has never shied away from undertaking huge, near-impossible projects.

In the still-young 21st century, this means taller, longer, and with more shopping.

The following list of the world’s largest construction projects was compiled based on environmental impact, cost, and sheer epic scope. Many were planned and started before the worldwide economic recession; some are paying the price, while others may not have been such a bright idea in the first place. If you don’t look too closely, a few of these massive undertakings even seem designed to benefit humanity.

One thing is for sure – they all seem like a massive headache for everyone concerned.

 

Image: Flickr / elqomri

9. Burj Khalifa: The Dubai Tower

HOW MUCH?
US$1.5 billion.
WHAT IS IT?
At 2,717 feet (828 metres) tall the Burj Khalifa, or Burj Dubai, is the world’s tallest building. Construction began in 2004 and ended last year; the skyscraper houses office space and residencies.
THE DOWNSIDE?
The Burj Khalifa’s construction coincided with the global financial crisis, and the government was forced to borrow from its neighbour Abu Dhabi. Like the Olympic Village in Vancouver, a majority of the residences remain vacant. 

 

Image: Flickr / Vincent Desjardins

8. New York City: One World Trade Center

HOW MUCH?
US$3.1 billion.
WHAT IS IT?
One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the U.S. and the main edifice of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. Construction on the new office building began in 2006 and is expected to be completed by 2012, and ready for occupancy the following year. As you might expect, nearly everything about this building, which is also a memorial to 9/11, has been controversial, including the name; some were referring to it as “the Freedom Tower” but it is now officially One World Trade Center.
THE DOWNSIDE?
Some might wonder whether another towering office building is what’s needed in the area. These people would be left-wing, bleeding-heart wimps.

 

Image: Flickr / stepnout

7. Dubai: Dubailand

HOW MUCH?
Dubai has collected US$6 billion from private investors . . . and that’s just for Phase I (four phases of development are planned).
WHAT IS IT?
Hey, Dubai! Quit showing off! We get it already, you’re an oil-rich country and you don’t know what to do with all that money. But would it kill you to be a little more discreet? At three billion square feet, this is the largest collection of theme parks in the world.
Dubailand is part of Dubai’s effort to diversity from an oil-based economy and expand its tourism industry. When – and if – it is ever completed, the project will include a Legoland, Dreamworks Studios Theme Park, Marvel Superheroes Theme Park and Tiger Woods Dubai (a proposed Tiger Woods-designed golf course and residential development), among other entertainment options.
THE DOWNSIDE?
North American comic-book fans will have to travel thousands of miles to get to the Marvel Superheroes Theme Park.

 

Image: Flickr / antonello_mangano

6. Italy: Strait of Messina Bridge

HOW MUCH?
US$8 billion, including cover charges, two-drink minimums, and “tips.”
WHAT IS IT?
A 3.3-kilometre bridge linking Sicily to the Italian mainland.
THE DOWNSIDE?
The on-again, off-again, on-again project has been plagued with controversy, including fears that much of the money would be diverted to the Sicilian and Calabrian mafias, which control most public works projects in the south of Italy. Prime Minister Berlusconi denies this is the case, saying that if any money is diverted it will be to the country’s population of 18-year-old nightclub dancers.

 

Image: Flickr / SheepGuardingLlama

5. Las Vegas: CityCenter

HOW MUCH?
US$9.2 billion.

WHAT IS IT?
At 16,797,000-square-feet, CityCenter is the largest privately funded construction project in U.S. history. This multi-use plaza ate up the last remaining real estate on the Las Vegas strip. MGM Resorts International began the project – described as “a city within a city” with its hotels, casinos, retail and dining and entertainment facilities – and investment fund Dubai World became an equal partner in an effort. Because the Vegas strip wasn’t gaudy enough.
THE DOWNSIDE?
Since construction began in 2006, six construction workers have died, making CityCenter one of the most lethal projects this side of Spider Man on Broadway.

 

Image: Flickr / Imre Solt

4. Dubai: The World

HOW MUCH?
US$18 billion, according to a 2005 estimate.
WHAT IS IT?
“The World” is a reproduction of the Earth made out of islands. But why make it? If you’re the ruler of Dubai the question is more like, “Why not?” It was Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s idea to construct a rough shape of the world map using artificial islands, which would then be sold for development (resorts, etc.). The thing is, according to Wikipedia, The World is just “one of several artificial island developments in Dubai,” begging the question of just what it is they’re smoking over there.
THE DOWNSIDE?
As of last year, only a single island had any type of building on it – a show home. All the other projects having been cancelled or delayed either due to the 2008 financial crisis or people coming to their senses. And, while the developer and Dubai government deny it, a participant in a related lawsuit has alleged that the islands are also sinking back into the sea.

 

Image: Flickr / slumber.six

3. Soundouping, China: Three Gorges Dam

HOW MUCH?
Over US$22.5 billion by the time the last farmer is displaced.
WHAT IS IT?
The world’s largest hydroelectric power station. When completed in 2012, Three Gorges Dam will supply 10 per cent of China’s energy. The dam also increases the Yangtze River’s shipping capacity and reduces both coal consumption and the potential for flooding.
THE DOWNSIDE?
The dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced 1.3 million people. It is also causing significant ecological changes, including an increase in the risk of landslides. On the plus side, when the project is completed, workers making Gap clothing for 12 cents per hour will be able to see what they’re doing.

 

Image: Flickr / lee_in_the_sun

2. Abu Dhabi: Yas Island

HOW MUCH?
US$40 billion.
WHAT IS IT?
A 25-square-mile island resort with a Formula One racetrack, an arena, theme parks (Ferrari World, Warner Bros), three golf courses, polo fields, hotels (seven and counting) and just about anything else you care to name, including an IKEA.
The idea was announced in 2006, and developer Aldar Properties completed Phase I in 2008. Perhaps Aldar, an Abu Dhabi company, felt the need to compete with Dubai, Abu Dhabi’s showier neighbour to the north. There’s no end in sight for the entire project, though 2014 and 2018 have been suggested.

THE DOWNSIDE?
To protect the island’s surrounding ecosystem, Aldar has pledged “support to Emirates Wildlife Society,” plant mangroves and monitor water quality. And we all know how eco-friendly Formula One racetracks are.

 

Image: Flickr / NASAGoddard Photo & Video

1. Outer Space: ISS (International Space Station)

HOW MUCH?
Over $100 billion, making it the most expensive object ever constructed – after Michael Jackson’s nose.
WHAT IS IT?
A space station. Forget about earthbound construction projects and farmers schlepping dirt away to make canals. Sixteen nations have banded together in constructing the ISS in low-earth orbit, where teams of astronauts research cool stuff and eat food out of tubes. In-orbit construction on the ISS began in 1998 and completion is scheduled for the end of this year; it will remain operational until at least 2015.
THE DOWNSIDE?
Critics contend that the time and money spent on the ISS could be better spent on other projects, like robotic spacecraft missions, space exploration, or sending James Cameron to Mars.

The International Space Station Time Line 1998 to 2010 (Video)

i.usatoday.net — In just ten years the International Space Station has grown and grown. Watch the pieces come together as they are sent up from Earth. This is the ISS assembly diagram, piece by piece. I had no idea the Space Station had grown to this size. This is really cool... 

if you want a detailed view of each component,  Click here:  http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm?243

 

INSANELY awesome solar eclipse picture

From: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/

Earlier today Europe, Asia, and Africa got to see a nice partial solar eclipse as the Moon passed in front of the Sun, blocking as much as 85% of the solar surface. The extraordinarily talented astrophotographer Thierry Legault traveled from his native France to the Sultanate of Oman to take pictures of the eclipse. Why there, of all places? Heh heh heh. It’ll be more clear when you see this ridiculously awesome picture he took:

Holy solar transits! Click to embiggen, which you really really should do.

Can you see why he traveled so far to get this shot? The silhouette of the Moon taking a dark bite out of the Sun is obvious enough, as are some interesting sunspots on the Sun’s face… but wait a sec… that one spot isn’t a spot at all, it’s the International Space Station! This was a double eclipse!


That’s why Thierry sojourned to Oman; due to the geometry of the ISS orbit, it was from there that he had the best chance of getting a picture of the station as it passed in front of the Sun during the relatively brief duration of the actual solar eclipse. But talk about brief; the ISS was in front of the Sun for less than second, so not only did he have one chance at getting this spectacular once-in-a-lifetime shot, but he had only a fraction of a second to snap it!

To give you an overall idea of what you’re seeing here: the Sun is 147 million kilometers away (less than usual because this eclipse happened, coincidentally, very close to perihelion, when Earth was closest to the Sun). The Moon is 390,000 kilometers away. The Sun is about 400 times bigger than the Moon, but also about 400 times farther away, making them look about the same size in the sky. If you’re still having a hard time picturing the scale, take a look at the dark sunspot in the lower right of the big picture: it’s about twice the size of the Earth!
The space station, on the other hand, is 100 meters across (the size of a football field) and orbits about 350 km (210 miles) above the Earth’s surface. So the Moon was very roughly 1000 times farther away than the ISS when this picture was taken, and the Sun 400,000 times more distant. Yet all three lined up just right to make this extraordinary photograph possible.

Thierry has taken some of the most amazing pictures of the station passing in front of the Sun and Moon I’ve ever seen — his shot of the ISS and the Moon shortly before last week’s lunar eclipse was beautiful — but this one really stands out. It took an extraordinary amount of planning, scheduling, travel, and plain old good thinking to make this picture happen. Congratulations to him for getting it, and I thank him for sending it to me!

[More eclipse pictures can be found linked from Stuart's Astronomy Blog as well as on the BBC's Sky at Night Flickr pool of pictures.]

Incredible Pics from ISS by NASA astronaut Wheelock [Pics]

triggerpit.com — On September 22, 2010, Colonel Douglas H. Wheelock assumed command of the International Space Station. He is also known as Astro_Wheels on twitter, where he has been tweeting pictures to his followers since he arrived at the space station.

Go Discovery! It was October 23, 2007 at 11:40am EST when I had my first ride to space on Discovery. She’s beautiful… just sad that this will be her last voyage. Looking forward to climbing aboard the flight deck when Discovery arrives at the Space Station in November. (9-23-2010)

Click here for the Gallery: http://triggerpit.com/2010/11/22/incredible-pics-nasa-astronaut-wheelock/

Robonaut 2 en route to International Space Station

• By: Jeffrey Van Camp
• From: http://www.digitaltrends.com/
  

NASA and GM have finished the Robonaut 2, a robot designed to assist astronauts on the International Space Station. It will launch Nov. 1.

Robonaut 2, or R2, is packed and ready to launch into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery on Nov. 1. The humanoid robot, or android, will assist astronauts aboard the International Space Station. It is not known precisely what tasks R2 will perform, but it is designed with “advanced control, sensor, and vision technologies.” Sounds useful enough.

The robot is a collaboration between NASA and General Motors, which began in 2007. Workers from NASA and GM spent the last few years at the Johnson Space Center in Houston building the robot.

“One of GM’s core goals is to lead in advanced technology and quality,” said Alan Taub, GM’s vice president of Global Research and Development. ”This partnership and the development of R2 are providing us with innovative technologies that will help us achieve these goals in both our future products and plants.”

GM believes that the advancements made in sensor capabilities will help the company improve safety in future vehicles. Already, several GM vehicles offer crash avoidance features that use sensors to warn of incoming danger and help drivers parallel park. In addition, some of the advancements in robotic hand dexterity could help GM design better manufacturing plants.

The original Robonaut was built by NASA and DARPA about ten years ago, and designed for space travel. NASA and GM have been working together since the 1960s, when the two collaborated on navigation systems for the original Apollo missions. GM helped develop the Lunar Rover.

Though strange looking, Robonaut 2 is undoubtedly a more constructive use of advanced technology than this pleasurable robot.

Astronaut checks in with Foursquare from space

From: http://www.intomobile.com/


With over four million users, Foursquare is becoming quite popular and we’re seeing people check in from all sorts of places. I don’t think anyone was expected to see a check in from space though and that’s exactly what an astronaut did.

Douglas Wheelock used the location-based service to check in from the International Space Station today and he received a NASA Explorer badge for his efforts. It’s neat to see this type of location-based service gain traction even off the Earth.

The move is a neat PR boost for Foursquare but there’s definitely something to the check-in movement. I was at game 4 of the Giants-Phillies baseball playoffs and one of my companions said, “You haven’t really gone somewhere unless you check in on Foursquare.”

I don’t quite buy that but it does show that check-in services and LBS are hitting the mainstream. Foursquare is the undisputed leader in this category but there are a ton of challengers to the crown.

SCVNGR just updated its iPhone and Android apps and it offers check-in services with more of a gaming element. I’ve been impressed with the company’s ability to score deals with companies to offer real-life rewards like restaurant discounts and season tickets to the Boston Celtics.

Yelp has also seen some success with its check-in service for restaurants and this is the one type of LBS service that I will routinely use
.
I do think the big player in this market will eventually be Facebook with its Facebook Places offering. While this is still a bare-bones offering, it has the weight of the world’s largest social network behind it.

It’s not a zero sum game though, as Foursquare said it had a huge amount of signups after it announced it would integrate with Facebook Places. All of the other major check-in services will try and leverage this service, too.

[Via Foursquare]

A Big Fiery Ball Lights Up Earth's Horizon

Click to ENLARGE

img251.imageshack.us — An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (Expedition 22) snapped this spectacular shot on 3 January 2010 at 12:28:57 GMT while orbiting 181 nautical miles (335.21 kilometers or 208.29 miles) above the North Pacific Ocean at latitude 1.5, longitude -114.6.

Blink and you'll miss it: Shuttle Atlantis and Space Station pass in front of the Sun

By David Derbyshire and Claire Bates

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Against the awesome backdrop of the sun, they are at first little more than specks.

Look a little closer, however, and you can make out the outline of solar panels, and next to it a dart-shaped silhouette.

This extraordinary image shows the Space Shuttle Atlantis docking with the International Space Station in front of the sun.

It was taken by astro-photographer Thierry Legault who, had he blinked at the crucial moment, would have missed it.

The back of the shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station can be seen passing in front of the Sun

The back of the shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station can be seen passing in front of the Sun

For despite detailed planning and even travelling from France to Spain to take the image, the actual event was visible for just 0.54 of a second because of the speed of the two spacecraft.

The 48-year-old Frenchman travelled to Madrid so he would be in the ideal location to watch the transit of the two spacecraft.

This placed him in the centre of a five-mile wide visibility band that stretched across Spain, southern France and Northern Italy.

'I came to Spain as the rest of Europe was expecting poor weather on Sunday,' he said.

'I had to be standing less than 500 metres from the centre of the visibility band and there were no second chances if I had missed.'

It is even more impressive when you consider the two spacecraft were 250 miles away and moving at 4.6 miles per second or 16,500mph.

Mr Legault caught the moment just 50 minutes before the space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station.

Mission completed: The Space Station after work was completed by Atlantis crew Ken Ham (top) and (left to right) Piers Sellers, Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Tony Antonelli

Stunning backdrop: The Space Station and Atlantis spacecraft (right) with Earth below them

The snapshot was taken in broad daylight at 1.28pm on May 16 using a specialised SBIG ST-10XE mounted camera and a 14in telescopic lens.

To ensure the quick-moving craft could be captured in direct sunlight with his camera, he combined a pin hole-sized aperture, letting in only a little light, with a extremely fast shutter speed.

Also, because he used to a prism on the lens to filter out the light, the sun appears almost ghostly and without flares.

The Shuttle was in the process of performing a back flip so that astronauts on board the orbiter could study the heat shield for any damage caused during the launch.

Expert: Photographer Thierry Legault with his giant telescopic lens and specialised equipment that took the amazing picture

The six crew on board Atlantis were delivering an antenna, Russian module and other spare parts to the orbiter.

In doing so they have doubled the number of crew at the Space Station to 12.

It is Atlantis' final journey before it is decommissioned. The Shuttle is due to return to Earth on May 26.

The space enthusiast worked out the ideal sighting of the station using the Celestial Observer website called calsky.com.

He used a Canon camera with a telescope attached and an exposure lens that allowed him to point it directly at the Sun.

This image released last year showed the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope in silhouette in the lower left hand corne. The sun appears ghostly because in order for the picture to be taken a prism attached to the camera filtered out most of the sunlight

Journeys to the International Space Station - The Big Picture - Boston.com

From Boston.com
Journeys to the International Space Station - The Big Picture - Boston.com

The Space Shuttle Discovery hurtles toward space after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:21 a.m. on April 5th, 2010. The seven-member is delivering the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station's truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station's exterior. (NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar)

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The Soyuz TMA-18 space ship is rolled out of a hangar to the launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, March 31, 2010 for the start of the new Soyuz mission to the International Space Station on April 2, 2010. (REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin) #

Click here to see the whole gallery 38 pictures in total - Journeys to the International Space Station - The Big Picture - Boston.com

ISS to get 'Man Cave' Complete with Robot Butler

Written by Nancy Atkinson

From http://www.universetoday.com/

Cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko floats inside Leonardo during its first flight to the ISS. Leonardo will become a permanant module later in 2010. Credit: NASA

There might be a new favorite hang-out for astronauts aboard the International Space Station later this year. The Multi Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) known as Leonardo – which will be going to the ISS on the upcoming STS-131 mission carrying cargo and supplies — will be transformed after the mission into a Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM), and brought up to stay on the station on STS-133 as a storeroom for supplies. But it might also become a haven to get away from it all.

"The thought is, the PMM might become sort of a 'man cave'," said Mike Kinslow, the Boeing payload manager out at Kennedy Space Center. "It won't have all the background noise of fans, computers and other equipment running like in the laboratories, so it will be a quieter atmosphere that might appeal to the astronauts during their off-duty hours."

No plans for a big screen TV Kinslow said, but there will be ports for computers, and since internet is now available on the ISS, Leonardo could be the location of choice to compose emails to loved ones back home, or do a little Twittering.

Another interesting piece of hardware scheduled to fly on the PMM is the Robonaut 2, NASA's second generation of dexterous robots with a human-like torso that can work with tools and one day are envisioned to be able to do EVA work outside the ISS. But for now, R2 will be tested inside the station in zero-g. "It will be used on orbit for routine maintenance indoors only." said Kinslow, "This is not an external unit."

It has a "head" with a vision system, with hands that can do work, controlled by virtual-reality-like operation. Any chance R2 could be programmed to serve drinks or bring food into the man cave?

See our article on how General Motors is going to use R2 for manufacturing cars.

Turning Leonardo into a permanent module will take some work, said NASA Payload Manager Joe Delai. "Once it returns from this flight we will beef up the external shield and change things internally to become a permanent module. It will be about a four month process to get it ready."

Leonard being attached to the ISS on a previous mission. Credit: NASA TV

The MPLMs were built in Italy, but are owned by the U.S. and provided in exchange for Italian access to U.S. research time on the Station. Four modules were built; three flew to the ISS. STS-131 will be Leonardo's seventh trip to space.

Kinslow said shields for an MPLM are lighter weight because they are only meant to be on orbit for 2 weeks at a time. "Leonardo will be plated with a multilevel Kevlar blanket, the same type of exterior shielding other modules have, which is similar to armor plating, to protect against meteorite or debris impact. Internally, not a lot of changes will be made," he said. "It already has a ventilation system like a normal module, but will need a computer system and a few other additions."

Leonardo won't be outfitted with a sleep station or crew quarters because it might be in a more vulnerable position for radiation or debris hits. "They don't really want crew to get in and sleep because of the shielding," Kinslow said. "It will be a storage module, and we're discussing putting exercise equipment in there."

The PMM will be berthed on the Node 1 nadir, or Earth-facing port. Leonardo measures about 6.5 meters (21 feet) long and 4.5 meters (15 feet) in diameter.

STS-131 is currently scheduled for an April 5 launch, and STS-133 is shooting for a September 2010 launch.

Just a note on the ISS internet: T.J. Creamer, who is on board the station now told Universe Today that they aren't able to have streaming video or download large files. "In terms of download speeds – you know, back in the old days, it kind of compares to 9.6 and the 14.4 kilobyte modems, so it's not really fast enough to do large file exchange or videos, but it certainly lets us to do browsing and the fun reading we want to do, or get caught up on current events on that day. It's a nice outreach for us, and of course you've heard about the Twittering which is a nice feature that we can partake in also."