I thought I would start with a picture taken from the ISS (http://www.nasa.gov/content/an-astronauts-view-from-space) I like the way it has captured the depth in the clouds and yet on the horizon it reminds us exactly how thin and vulnerable our atmosphere can be.
NASA’s New Mega-Rocket for Deep Space Will Be Launch Ready by 2018 (http://www.space.com/26964-nasa-mega-rocket-2018-sls-test-launch.html?cmpid=550993) and by 2030 we may see the first man on mars, I was not born when man first landed on the moon so I’m hoping to be around for this and may be the colonization of mars.
A majestic zoom toward a distant galactic core from a deep-sky Hubble Space Telescope (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHnFsthOuMA&feature=youtu.be&list=UUllDaJE5yvO0PbjqvIn3iCw) and plenty of other video’s too keep you busy.
Where Should The European Rover Land? it’s a very good question when you’re looking for life that does or may have existed in the past and also the four sites that have been narrowed down are nowhere near each other, so you just can not pop over to one for the other sites once you have finished at the initial landing site. (http://www.universetoday.com/114302/exomars-hunting-where-should-the-european-rover-land/) I still believe Europa or titan will be our best chance of fining life in our solar system.
Laniakea, Hawaiian for “immeasurable heaven.” and also the name given to the supercluster our galaxy the milkyway is in, our cluster is known as the local group. so our cluster and Virgo cluster and Norma-Hydra-Centaurus make up the the supercluster, its just like we’ve added a new line to our address. (http://www.space.com/27016-galaxy-supercluster-laniakea-milky-way-home.html?cmpid=514648_20140903_30948636)
So China who wants to do everything by themselves, have come up with what I think is a brilliant idea which is to send a recoverable orbiter to the moon and back, bring samples with it (http://www.space.com/27011-china-moon-orbiter-recoverable-prototype-launch.html?cmpid=514648_20140903_30929456) if this works just imagine the possibilities, Mars, Jupiter moon’s, Saturn’s moon’s or just about anywhere in our solar system.
A second possible proto-planet has been found around the young star HD100546 (http://www.universetoday.com/114347/second-possible-proto-planet-found-in-system-pretty-close-to-earth/) if this is the case then we can start to witness and learn how our own solar system was born (http://scitechdaily.com/researchers-discover-new-evidence-planets-forming-335-light-years-earth/).
Plate tectonics found on Europa well that’s what we think and without sending a mission to Europa we can speculate as much as we like, (http://www.nature.com/news/plate-tectonics-found-on-europa-1.15851) if this found to be correct then it makes Europa the best chance of finding life elsewhere in our solar system.
NASA is going back to the future with $6.8 billion in backing for Apollo-style spaceships designed by Boeing and SpaceX (http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/boeing-spacex-win-6-8-billion-apollo-style-space-taxis-n204706) I think this is good news as we are back and forth to the ISS it can only save costs in the long run and also if any one wants to buy me a ticket….. and here are some images (http://www.space.com/13309-cst-100-photos-boeing-private-space-capsule.html?cmpid=514648_20140916_31713096).
We now have the landing Site for Rosetta’s Philae Lander (http://www.universetoday.com/114561/comets-head-selected-as-landing-site-for-rosettas-historic-philae-lander/?utm_content=bufferc4223&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer), now this is going to great bit of engineering if this works and here’s a link to see how this should work (http://www.universetoday.com/114154/how-do-you-land-on-a-comet-very-carefully/). we just have to wait and see.
MIT Researchers Developing Flexible, Form-Fitting Next-Generation Spacesuit (http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113238090/astronaut-spacesuit-shrink-wrapping-091914/#FY29o6cZILguwYOW.99) even if we only use these new slim fit suits to do jobs around the ISS it will make the astronauts job so much easier and less dangerous, not alone on another planet gathering samples, general movement.
And finally I’ll finish with not one but two probes have arrived and successfully entered Mars’s obit. The first to arrive was MARVEN followed by MOM which was a record braking mission but first MARVEN, (http://www.universetoday.com/114699/maven-arrives-at-mars-ready-to-go-to-work/?utm_content=buffer93e9f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer) MARVEN is looking at Mars’s Atmosphere and try to find out why Mars is slowly losing it’s atmosphere to space. India’s first mission into space not only went all the way to Mars but also was the first to be successful in braking into orbit during the history creating insertion maneuver (http://www.universetoday.com/114887/mom-eyes-the-limb-of-mars-after-history-creating-arrival/) and just too rub it in it costed less than most space movies at $74 million.
Well that’s all for this month until next time.
Bill's Astronomical Month (BAM!!!) 