Earth Observatory Image of the Day: Antarctica

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this composite image on January 27, 2009. Few features are visible on the ice-covered landscape.

More: continued here

Early Attempts To Contact Aliens

I personally think that humans could do with improving how we communicate with each other before we sic ourselves on the rest of the universe.  Just my humble opinion…

The desire to contact intelligent life on other planets is much older than the UFO craze and the SETI movement. Several 19th century scientists contemplated how we might communicate with possible Martians and Venusians.

These early proposals – which predate by 150 years the first extraterrestrial message that was sent in 1974 – were based on visual signals, as the invention of radio was still decades away.

Read More…

Bob Hoover – flying skills extraordinaire

Bob Hoover is a legend, more in the aviation industry than in space, but in this short documentary excerpt you’ll here an interesting reference to the Space Shuttle.  It’s also one of the the most amazing demonstrations of flying skills that you will ever see, and I mean true skills, not daredevil stuff.  Watch and enjoy (3 minutes).

Group wants retired orbiter in Brevard

More: continued here

ATK Successfully Conducts NASA Ares I-X Separation Test

ATK Successfully Conducts NASA Ares I-X Separation Test

More: continued here

AIP FYI #10: House Passes Economic Stimulus Bill; Senate Readies Bill’s Consideration

AIP FYI #10: House Passes Economic Stimulus Bill; Senate Readies Bill’s Consideration

More: continued here

JPL to Host High-Tech Conference for Small Business

JPL to Host High-Tech Conference for Small Business

More: continued here

NASA Seeks Technologies For Testing During Reduced Gravity Flights

NASA Seeks Technologies For Testing During Reduced Gravity Flights

More: continued here

European Space Tourism Studies

There have been a lot of studies about space tourism done in Europe.  Flight International has a listing today.  Here are a couple:

Future High-Altitude Flight – an Attractive Commercial Niche? was a 12-month, €127,000 ($170,000) European Union Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) project that ended in October 2007. It concluded that a European air-launched suborbital tourism vehicle was feasible and made technical recommendations.

In 2007 the Survey of European Privately-Funded Vehicles for Commercial Human Space Flight was a €150,000 European Space Agency project that examined UK space tourism company Starchaser Industries as an example of entrepreneurial suborbital operators.

Read more…

Boeing Receives Contract Extension for Transformational Satellite Communications System

Boeing Receives Contract Extension for Transformational Satellite Communications System

More: continued here