Terrifying Climate Change Scenarios

In this video, NASA runs two simulation scenarios are shown what the change in temperature will begin to look like if Carbon Dioxide raise to certain levels. You can see in the video how much change is happening. This could be terrifying for the next generations as they will have to deal with these problems. This isn't to say we don't have some time to figure it out, but in a grand scale, there isn't much time. This could potentially change our way of living irreproachably. There is a good amount of controversy over whether or not this is actually happening but there is solid evidence and the risk seems far to great.



To really see the danger, you need to think about how just a little change in temperature is a pretty big deal. Last summer, a heat wave that killed off most of the grass in our yards and the local farmers were hit pretty hard by it. Many others crops were fine and we survived although wounded. What if this happened every season, around the world. Food shortages would be extreme among many other horrible problems. Nature is extremely delicate in terms of what mankind can do. We also rely entirely upon nature and are just as delicate.

There isn't much we can do to stop it until we find a perfect solution. We however can make tiny changes in our daily routines to prolong the effects. Get energy efficient light bulbs, turn off the lights, invest in properly insulating your home, and plant some trees.

NASA Successfully Test 3D Printed Rocket Parts

NASA's newest endeavors include printing complex rocket parts with a 3D printer. Recent test show the parts rival the previous method's product. Parts were tested at 6000 degrees and were a huge success."We saw no difference in performance of the 3-D printed injectors compared to the traditionally manufactured injectors," claims Sandra Elam Greene, the overseer of the test. "Two separate 3-D printed injectors operated beautifully during all hot-fire tests."



The benefit to these test is that building rocket parts become much cleaner and faster. Complex parts can be built in just one piece of 3D printed materials. This can save the production cost nearly 60%. This is huge for our space program as well as many other applications.


3D Printing has recently made many headlines with people designing weapons that can be printed from home. Of course the printers that NASA is using and what the normal person can use are two different stories but that doesn't mean you can make some pretty neat stuff from home.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept of 3D printing then maybe this video can shed some light for the unfamiliar:

Hubble's Successor: James Webb Space Telescope

Top View of the James Webb Space Telescope

      Although the Hubble Space Telescope has been very near and dear to our hearts, it must be phased out so that newer technology can be utilized. The newer James Webb Space Telescope(JWST)  offers many new prospects into the world of Science. JWST's job will be to locate the very first galaxies that were created in the big bang. This will help to relate our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy, to the Big Bang itself.


       James Webb Space Telescope will be primarily run in the infrared range of the spectrum. Some visible capabilities are available however that is not the missions concentration. It was designed to have a very large mirror that is about 21.3 feet in diameter.  The sun shield alone is nearly the size of a tennis court. These things will not fit onto the rocket during launch however they can be folded up until the James Webb Space Telescope reaches space.



         NASA has set the launch date for 2018, but I for one can not wait until I start to see images coming from it. It would be interesting to see the state of galaxies that were first formed. The Hubble Space Telescope had been giving us the best pictures since 1990, and has made history itself. It was the first to ever be worked on by astronauts. There are no maintenance missions planned for the future and we are just using it until it dies off and we launch the James Webb Space Telescope. The Hubble is intended to be running until 2014, which is a 4 year gap until the intended launch of JWST.

Awesome Stuff NASA Gave Us

NASA HQ in the 60s located in Texas. A Historical Landmark

I was browsing the NASA website when I found a few interesting things about what NASA has given us over the years. You would be absolutely surprised by the random inventions that affect our daily lives. I would like to give a few some light.

Shock Absorbent Foams were developed by NASA to help prevent bad effects of g-force on their astronauts. They needed something to take the shape of impressed objects and then return their original shape. This material goes into the making of fighter jets, furniture, beds, shoes, and sports equipment. This was obviously an invention that helps us in our daily lives exponentially.

I have to say that there is a field of NASA inventions that I cant live without. Truthfully, you and your grandchildren might struggle a bit too. Its called a water filter and they didn't invent just one. In the 1970s they designed a Microbial Check Valve to determine if the water their astronauts are drinking is safe. That invention paved the way for everything else. We can know drink safe water in areas where chemical contamination has occurred with large water treatment plants. NASA was even able to develop a way to turn our human waste into drinkable water. This may sound gross to you now, but as the population explodes, this could become the most important invention ever made. NASA could be credited with making a world where your grandchildren can exist.

The moral of the story is that NASA needs to continue on their path with as much funding we can spare. They develop things that are absolutely essential to human expansion. We need to think more about cutting cost in places other than education and research.
  

Amateur Astronomers: NASA wants YOU!

   

NASA artist rendition of OSIRIS-REx

 There is a brand new project where NASA has called for amateur astronomers to help with discovering near-Earth objects(NEO). They need help studying the characteristics of asteroids that may occasionally find themselves a bit too close to Earth.
         As of April 18, 2012, NASA has started a project entitled "Target Asteroids!" that will help support the satellite called OSIRIS-REx (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explore) to improve our understanding of the asteroids or NEOs. OSIRIS-REx will be launched in 2016 set on course to meet with an asteroid (1999 RQ36) in 2019.It will take a bunch of measurements and telescope observations. In 2023, OSIRIS-REx will return back to Earth having collected 60 grams or 2.11 ounces of surface material from 1999 RQ36.
          In 2014, the project will open its doors to participants, including both students and teachers.

NASA Earth Day Contest will Award FREE Launch Tickets!

           Wouldn’t you like to have tickets to a free launch? I know I would, which is why we are very happy to hear there is a contest for Earth Day 2012 that NASA is hosting! You need to create an original way of viewing the Earth. NASA has been taking photos of the Earth for years from space. We can see how the Earth is changing both naturally and unnaturally. We can predict the outcomes of our global actions and learn more on early warnings for natural disasters. This is why for the 2^nd year in a row, NASA will be looking for the best submission.

            The best part of it all is that the best submission will be awarded with a behind the scenes look at the next launching of a NASA Earth observing satellite. That launch is set for January 2013 by an Atlas V rocket. What better way to support Earth day by handing out tickets to see the thing that helps us save the earth do its job.

            Tips for winning would be to keep the submission short. You don’t really want to go to long because it may become boring and drawn out. This would be considered more of a commercial for Earth in light of Earth Day. Try for 1 to 2 minutes or even less. Make sure to use photos and imagery that NASA has gathered over the year. Just remember to be creative and have fun. Represent our Earth well on Earth Day 2012 and possibly earn some free launch tickets!

NASA's Interest in Commercial Space Travel

Atlas 5

         More and more you hear about spaceflight taking off year after year. Someone always has some mission planned to go into space with civilians and not astronauts and scientist. There are entrepreneurs out there with the sole intention of taking the space market by storm. Businessmen always want the next big thing and I don’t know of a more interesting vacation then spending a little while in space. Just the fact that its soon becoming a reality that we can begin to capitalize spaceflight.

           The big names such as Boeing have been relentlessly trying to cut the cost of their Atlas 5 rockets to prevent being overrun by start up companies with newer more efficient ideas. One such man by the name of Elon Musk claims he is developing new ideas to take the industry by storm with cheaper and far more efficient means. It seems like having some new minds on the subject besides just the normal would be beneficial to our research in space.

          The whole idea behind this is NASA. They feel like if they can get the ball rolling, they can lower the cost of getting their stuff and crew to the International Space Station or ISS. In fact they have spent an awful lot of US taxpayer money on it. There is a strong possibility that this will work if you think about it. If companies start competing for the cheaper prices, it could allow NASA to use their equipment for things that are new to science. If taxpayers had the ability to rent a shuttle rather than buy one, they could spend much more of their money on newer research. Why spend so much when there already going there and you just have to buy the space.

International Space Station

          It all seems like an excellent idea, but there is a strong possibility it wont work out. Unfortunately I would hate to see all of that money go to a dead end. There are so many more things out there that can be learned with that cash. Although the risk is great, the reward would save so much more money for years to come. We all know eventually were going into space on a more frequent basis so we might as well give our country a kick start on an international industry!

Moonbuggy 2012 Winners!

What an eventful race! The results are in and here are the winners! The engineering students competed in the 19th annual Moonbuggy race at tje U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Al. The winners of the High School division are the team from Petra Mercado High School in Humacao, Puerto Rico. The victors from the University of Alabama in Huntsville took the win in the college division! Congrats Teams!

Here is the college divisions winning buggy:

Here are the High School winners and their moonbuggy:

747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

To get a shuttle from place to place can be pretty intense. The NASA team has special equipment for this job. They have modified two 747 jetliners to provide transport for their shuttles. Where passengers would sit, there is nothing. Everything had to be designed specifically house the shuttle which sits directly on top. These entered commercial service in 1969.

The things that make these shuttle so special can be listed and are not so much different from the ones you fly in to see grandma on the holidays:

There are 3 struts which provide extra support from the interior to help hold the shuttle.
There are 2 additional vertical stabilizers which enhance directional stability
Removal of all interior furnishing and equipment forward of the No.1 door.
Extra Instrumentation to help monitor the electrical loads during the entire journey.

These sound like they are extra technological and awesome however I wouldn't look forward to flying in one. No AC or anything of that nature would make for an annoying ride!

These are generally used to get the shuttle to places it needs to go where ground travel just seems unfeasible.

The Moonbuggy Race 2012

Today starts the 2012 moonbuggy race in which over 500 high school college and university students from 20 different states will be facing off against over moonbuggys. Student start working on their moonbuggy in the fall semester every year to prepare for the event. The pilots must be in teams of 1 male and 1 female. "The annual NASA Great Moonbuggy Race is a unique and exciting way to get high school and college students involved in hands-on robotic design and operation," said Leland Melvin. It last until tomorrow.Awards are given to the three teams in 2 separate age divisions that post the fastest race times among other factors.

The whole thing can be watched at the NASA website!

Good Luck Guys and Gals!!!