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Have you ever spent time scrolling through NASA's image gallery? Some of the pictures are absolutely mesmerizing. I particularly like "Blue Marble" (below the fold), which was stitched together using satellite data.
Satellites provide more than pretty pictures, though. Our ability to understand and predict climate change depends on continuous high-quality satellite data.
Unfortunately, this critical data stream is threatened by budget cuts and lack of political support. In 2005, the National Academies assessed the situation and deemed it "alarming". Three years later, the outlook has not improved.
Follow me over the fold to learn more about why this is important, how this critical resource is threatened, and what the next administration needs to do about it.
On May 31, 2010, NASA may send Space Shuttle Missions STS-133 to the International Space Station, which, if launched, will end all manned space flight by NASA until 2015 at the earliest, leaving the US without any manned space flight capabilities for a minimum of five years.
In order to get astronauts to the Space Station, NASA would have to rely on Russia's Soyuz Launch vehicle during this time period. However, the Iran Non-Proliferation Act generally forbids anyone from buying space technology from Russia, unless the President decides Russia is trying to prevent Iran from expanding its nuclear program.
Iran claims to have launched a satellite, no word on whether this is real, or whether the satellite made orbit. However, if there is an Iranian satellite in orbit, there will be a lot of yelling and screaming tonight from the Wingnuts, so some careful analysis is in order.
Over the past few weeks, various members of teh online liberal/progressive community, that included quite a few Kossaks, worked together in a democratic fashion to create the Netroots Platform
For those of you who have just joined us, check out Democracylover in NYC's mothership diary entry, to get the whole picture. For the Netroots Science & Technology Plank, we had 19 Contributors, and 11 different versions. Join me over the fold to read the final version
Ok, I am now doing penence for my eariler diaries questioning Obama about space. But I could use your help. Between last week, and this week, there were a series of articles that talked about Obama, and his space stance.
George W. Bush articulated a visionary space policy but then has refused to fund it adequately. John McCain insists on staying the course, spending billions on NASA and yet not really getting anything worthwhile for all that money.
Obama, however, has a plan. Titusville 08/01/08:
At the end of this diary, I shall argue that this plan should include Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has had plenty to reason to celebrate over the last fifty years. But for those of us who grew up on a steady diet of moon rockets and planetary voyagers, NASA's future is cause for concern. Barack Obama spoke eloquently on that uncertain future to a packed audience in Titusville, Florida this weekend. Standing not far from Kennedy Space Center, the democratic nominee said in part (Full text):
When I was growing up, NASA inspired the world with achievements we are still proud of. Today, we have an administration that has set ambitious goals for NASA without giving NASA the support it needs to reach them. ... More broadly, we need a real vision for space exploration. To help formulate this vision, I'll reestablish the National Aeronautics and Space Council so that we can develop a plan to explore the solar system – a plan that involves both human and robotic missions, and enlists both international partners and the private sector. And as America leads the world to long-term exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond, let's also tap NASA's ingenuity to build the airplanes of tomorrow and to study our own planet so we can combat global climate change. Under my watch, NASA will inspire the world, make America stronger, and help grow the economy here in Florida.
There's a big back story here, one composed of several interlocking problems and followed at present mostly by space enthusiasts and NASA personnel. Perhaps in the near future we can shed light on some of them. But for now, be advised that Obama's comments linked above, taken with other statements made by the Illinois Senator, suggest to those of us who follow space policy closely that Barack Obama knows the convoluted details rather well. And I can tell you as a resident of Brevard County, just the possibility that he gets it is already generating a refreshing wave of hope among voters on America's Space Coast.
This week has been a great week for spaceflight, and space development. And it all happened during the week of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of NASA (at least by some measures). We had the unveiling of WhiteknightTwo, the first public flights the X-Racer, some incredible events from SpaceX, and Senator Obama, offering a great comment on space policy. Join me over the fold for pictures, movies, and some great vision from our candidate.
It's been a strange week for Barack Obama. Nancy Pelosi shuts down the energy bill just when Obama decides that some off shore drilling may not be so bad. Democrats seem happy to help maintain the inflation ostensibly caused by the Republicans mismanagement of the Oil companies and lender banks. The housing bailout does just that by helping people stay in those outrageous mortgages and hoping to slow down the falling in real estate values. At best, short of some kind of turn around in real estate or a prolonged inflationary cycle these home owner bailouts will just postpone the crash. No energy bill means no significant relief for American auto drivers at the pump. But back to Barack Obama.
You undoubtedly heard that the Phoenix Mars Lander this week confirmed the existence of water ice at the location of the lander. News, yes, but as others have noted, scientists have had little doubt that there was water ice on Mars for quite some time.
In my last blog I wrote about my thoughts on the future of energy. I said I wanted to detail some of my views in upcoming blogs.. However, A subject has arisen that I think needs discussing sooner rather than later due to the upcoming election.
In the past a massive rocket topped off with 2 spacecraft with a computer no more powerful than a bargain bin calculator for a buck today. Lifted off and sent mankind to the moon! The year? 1969... Almost 40 YEARS ago!
So one can see why so many are angry that the best we can seemingly do is tinker around with Hubble.. Launch a space station who's science is easily beaten on earth 90 percent of the time. And deploy a number of probes....
Sadly, Likely clockwork.. Bush and his advisers launched a scheme to help him win the election by announcing a BIG new moon effort.. Too bad it turned out to be total crap in my view. Yes, it is only a matter of time before the new congress will shut down the Ares program...
Of the many issues I care deeply about, one stands above all others. I often find it hard to adequately explain my love of Space. I have no special knowledge of astronomy or cosmology or astrophysics. I simply know what little I have read from books by Carl Sagan or news stories about the latest robotic mission to Mars. Still, I am utterly convinced that we must regain our focus on Space. Space Exploration is so vitally important to the future of humanity, yet gets very little attention compared to all of the other political issues.
During a full Earth rotation, images obtained by Deep Impact at a 15-minute cadence have been combined to make a color video. During the video, the moon enters the frame (because of its orbital motion) and transits Earth, then leaves the frame. Other spacecraft have imaged Earth and the moon from space, but Deep Impact is the first to show a transit of Earth with enough detail to see large craters on the moon and oceans and continents on Earth.
This is all we got, folks. Guess we gotta take care of it.
Space policy made a pretty decent splash at Netroots Nation. We had an excellent panel on space policy, and an excellent platform meeting. For those of you who don't remember, we had Andrew Hoppin moderating, and Chris Bowers, Lori Garver, Patricia Grace Smith, and George Whitesides all speaking. You can about the panelists here.
I figured now would be a good time to remind everyone (again) about some upcoming space events, that would be worth going to. We have a couple of major events this week, as well as future events upcoming. I promise reports to any and all I attend, and I suggest that you attend as well
Generally, when I do a diary about space, its either about current events, proposing good space policy, or remarking on the fact that Senator Obama hasn't fully developed a space policy. But today's is a little different - its actually not about space, so much as reaction to 1 line, I wrote, about Senator Obama. What was the line, and who reacted? Well, come over to the flip side, and you can find out (although you can probably guess who was doing the reacting
Human life is important. We in the progressive space advocacy community believe in the mission of human space precisely because - if cause and effect can be deliberately confused - consciousness is practically the purpose of the universe, and worth elaborating upon ad infinitum. Yet space is so big and impersonal, terrifying the animal hindbrain beneath all our pretenses, that our reaction is highly emotional when danger in theory becomes catastrophe in fact. Something in us quails at the notion of death in space above and beyond death itself, and has in ways both subtle and overt held back progress on this most important frontier. I would like to argue for a fundamental change in emphasis in our approach to these risks, and raise some red flags about how space is being sold by our most promising entrepreneurs.
However, today I want to talk about something that, Senator Obama can do, which doesn't require massive new spending, but would show an openness to the idea of manned spaceflight, and would fit well within his comments and concerns about having a coherent space policy. Senator Obama, please bring back the National Space Council.
When I was growing up, NASA inspired the world with achievements we are still proud of. Today, we have an administration that has set ambitious goals for NASA without giving NASA the support it needs to reach them. ... More broadly, we need a real vision for space exploration. To help formulate this vision, I'll reestablish the National Aeronautics and Space Council so that we can develop a plan to explore the solar system – a plan that involves both human and robotic missions, and enlists both international partners and the private sector. And as America leads the world to long-term exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond, let's also tap NASA's ingenuity to build the airplanes of tomorrow and to study our own planet so we can combat global climate change. Under my watch, NASA will inspire the world, make America stronger, and help grow the economy here in Florida.
