This Changes Everything

It was the longest night of the year, but we can fucking land the first stage of a rocket that delivered 11 satellites into orbit safely back on  Earth!

Watch from T-15 seconds before the launch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bTbVbe4e4&feature=youtu.be&t=22m45s

Say "Thank You Spinning Molten Core!"

Mounting evidence supports the conjecture that Mars was probably habitable in the past.

I wonder what disaster befell that lonely red planet, or if Mars just failed to establish an ecosystem able to cushion fledgling life from disruptive events.

An absence of both tectonic plates and a magnetic field could well be the reason Mars has no life today. It's possible that Earth's molten spinning core, which directly powers our magnetic field, is also an indirect reason we have shifting tectonic plates. Both are nice to have, if you're a planet with aspirations of habitability.

The magnetic field protects Earth from cosmic rays that would strip away the upper atmosphere, including the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

The shifting tectonic plates replenish essential nutrients on the earth's surface of geologic time, ensuring that life continues into each new epoch.

So take a moment, look down at your feet, and tell the Earth's spinning liquid core that you appreciate all it does.
(Actually, there's some evidence Mars may have tectonic plates, but they move excruciatingly slow, maybe too slow to do what's required for efficient nutrient recycling.)

Mars Curiosity Landing Coverage

If you're not watching the Planetary Society's coverage of the Mars Curiosity Rover landing coverage, why not?

Here you go!

http://new.livestream.com/planetarysociety/planetfest

And, while you're listening, play with this too: Eyes on the Solar System! It's is a great way to see Mars. Check it out:

http://eyes.nasa.gov/index.html

SpaceX Ascends to Next Stage of Space Access

The folks over at SpaceX deserve our admiration and respect. They've accomplished something of a minor miracle already. And today, NASA recognized their prowess by giving them a contract for another $440 million toward continued development of their space access technologies.

SpaceX, pushing higher!

-http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20120803

Asteroid Mining

Well, dip me in pool of moondust and call me Harriman. Planetary Resources, a consortium of movers, shakers, and super-rich visionaries, have stepped up to the launch pad and announced to the world that they intend to own the future! Well, actually, Planetary Resources announced that it intends to mine asteroids, and to that end is looking for a few good people.

Have all my grade-school sci-fi dreams come true? Will I become a proud driver of robot mining drone Z33? Well, no, not immediately of course. But the human species just made a historically significant proclamation via Planetary Resources. This is the future folks, and I'm ecstatic to be along for the ride.

Re-Light that Candle!

So, recent news on a variety of fronts has me super excited. So, welcome (again) to SpacePush!

SpacePush will pursue a variety of strategies to portray space access as a visceral, exciting, and immediate activity vital to short and long term human interests, and ultimately, human survival. We hope to accomplish this using several methods. Initially, we'll provide commentary and analysis on recent space-related news.

In upcoming months we'll send journalists to space conferences , space events, and other activities that involve private and public space enterprise (well, ok, we'll send me and other space-cadets like me to local cons to sit on panels that talk about SpaceX and such, but baby steps, baby steps). Our ultimate goal is to help foster a self-sufficient human presence off planet. The multitude of technological innovations required to achieve this goal will not only accelerate the human condition in ways too myriad to fully predict, the end in itself will ensure our species' continued survival by providing havens from low probability/high impact catastrophes on planet Earth.

Xombies in Space!

Masten Space came out of nowhere (to me, anyhow, though I've fallen a little behind on my space news). Regardless, I'm happy to discover their efforts, and this sweet mid-air re-light video, too.



And check out the view from the camera on the vehicle!

Space and Climate

There seems to be an unfortunate correspondence between folks who want to see humans establish a physical presence off planet, and folks who're happy to ignore the consensus of climate scientists that anthropogenic climate change is real and requires attention.

Why is that?

I suppose it's tied in up in being able to act on crazy dreams. But that ability should be used with discretion, sez this space buff. Let's make sure our house is in order, even as we prepare to upgrade to living in the much larger mansion of the solar system.

"Imagination should give wings to our thoughts but we always need decisive experimental proof [...]." -Pasteur

When Gallaxies Collide!

An entertaining NASA PSA on colliding galaxies, starring Felica Day. Enjoy!

Hello World!

SPACEPUSH will pursue a variety of strategies to portray space access as a visceral, exciting, and immediate activity vital to short and long term human interests, and ultimately, human survival.

We hope to accomplish this using several methods. Initially, we'll provide commentary and analysis on recent space-related news. In upcoming months we'll send video journalists to space conferences, space events, and other activities that involve private and public space enterprise.

Our ultimate goal is to help foster a self-sufficient human presence off planet. The multitude of technological innovations required to achieve this goal will not only accelerate the human condition in ways too myriad to fully predict, the end in itself will insure our species' continued survival by providing havens from low probability/high impact catastrophes on planet Earth.