Last week, NASA unveiled a $17.7 billion spending plan for 2014 that included proposals to capture a small asteroid and position it near the moon so that astronauts could explore it by 2025. In order to pull off this audacious mission the administration is considering developing a Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) satellite, which allows for greater flexibility than traditional crewed spacecraft.

Read the rest of NASA Could Use a Solar-Powered Satellite to Capture an Asteroid

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: asteroid, ion thruster, mars 2030, nasa, Satellite, SEP, Solar Electric Propulsion, solar propulsion, space exploration, spacecraft

When Stephen Hawking speaks, you listen. The world-renowned physicist gave a speech recently as he toured the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to support research for Lou Gehrig’s disease, a condition from which he suffers. In his speech, Hawking urges scientists to continue exploring space to secure the future of humanity. “ I don’t think we will survive another thousand years without escaping beyond our fragile planet,” he says.

Read the rest of Stephen Hawking Urges Continued Space Exploration So As We Can Outlive Our “Fragile Planet”

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: A Brief History of Mine, A Brief History of Time, ALS research, global warming, Lou Gehrig's disease research, space exploration, stem cell research, Stephen Hawking 70th birthday, Stephen Hawking speech, Stephen Hawking urges space exploration, Stephen Hawking visits Cedar Sinai

The world’s largest telescope array officially opened Wednesday in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) consists of 66 huge antennas directed towards the night sky to gather data and images of neighboring stars and some of the most distant, ancient galaxies. Its telescopes will have better resolution than the famous Hubble Space Telescope, and they will allow astronomers to shed light on how stars are born and how they die.

Read the rest of ALMA: The World’s Largest Telescope Array Powers Up in Chile’s Atacama Desert

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: ALMA observatory, ALMA telescope array, Atacama desert observatory, Chile telescopes, space exploration, space observing technology, space research, space technology, telescopes, the universe

NASA has announced plans to launch the world’s largest solar sail in 2014 – and it will be travelling an incredible two million miles from Earth. The giant solar sail will use photons from the sun for propulsion, paving the way for various exploration missions that could be accomplished only through the use of “propellantless propulsion” technology. The solar sail technology could be used in the collection and removal of orbital debris, communicating with the Earth’s South Pole or even in organizing commercial space travel.

Read the rest of NASA Unveils Plan to Launch World’s Largest Solar Sail in 2014

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: aerospace technology, DuPont Kapton, lightweight materials, NASA solar sail, NASA Sunjammer missio, orbital debris removal, polyimde space sail, propellantless propulsion, space exploration, space technology, space travel, star trek, Star Trek space travel

As more and more (and more) groups announce their intent to venture to Mars, it’s perhaps inevitable that we’d see some fairly odd life-sustaining science developing; and now Chinese state media is reporting that their nation’s space program has developed the ability to grow vegetables on the red planet! The technique—tested here on earth, in Beijing—would enable astronauts on China’s planned missions to the moon and to Mars to not only grow vegetables, but also to maintain an “ecological life support system” that would also produce air and water.

Read the rest of China Developing Space Gardens to Grow Vegetables on Mars

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: china astronaut, chinese space exploration, ecological life support system, life on mars, manned missions to mars, martian life, space exploration, vegetable gardening, vegetable mars

Newt Gingrich may have been decried as a lunatic when he declared his intent, if elected, to establish a colony on the moon — but he didn’t have the astronautical chops of SpaceX founder Elon Musk. At a recent presentation to London’s Royal Aeronautical Society, Musk stated that he envisions a “future 80,000-person colony as a public-private enterprise” on Mars. Previously Musk—also the billionaire brain behind Paypal, Tesla and the proposed solar-powered Hyperloop train—has said that he hopes for flights to Mars to be available through his private space travel company at a cost of around $500,000 per person.

Read the rest of SpaceX Founder Elon Musk Hopes to Establish 80,000 Person Colony On Mars

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: colonies, colonize mars, colony other planets, elon musk, Hyperloop, mars colony, mars exploration, martian colony, over population, paypal, space exploration, space travel, spacex, tesla

On Sunday, America watched with bated breath as the Curiosity Rover successfully touched down on the surface of Mars. For two years, the highly advanced, nuclear-powered rover will explore the surface of the Red Planet, allowing us to view live images of its surface for the first time in human history. The sophisticated Rover is so interesting, a few enterprising geeks at BattleBricks decided to immortalize it in miniature LEGO form.

Read the rest of Mini Mars Curiosity Rover Made Entirely of LEGOs by BattleBricks

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: curiosity rover, Doug Moran, kennedy space center, lego, mars, nasa, space exploration, Will Gorman

Heading off on a long journey to Mars on Saturday is NASA’s new Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory which, once it lands on the Red Planet, will be powered by nuclear energy. Unlike previous Mars rovers — the Spirit and the Opportunity — which were powered by the sun and couldn’t work in dark crevasses, on the wrong side of mountains or at night, the Curiosity will power through all of those times and spaces like a champ. Slated to have a 23-month stay, the Curiosity’s engine could theoretically last a few decades.

Read the rest of New Mars Curiosity Science Laboratory Will be Nuclear Powered Instead of Solar

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "solar energy", curiosity rover, curiosity science laboratory, exploring mars, mars colony, mars curiosity, mars exploration, mars robot, mars rover, mars science laboratory, nasa, nuclear energy, nuclear powered laboratory, nuclear powered robot, nuclear powered rover, science experiments on mars, space exploration, space travel, the space program, traveling to mars, trip to mars

In a fascinating use of time-tested technology to address uniquely modern problems, Japanese space agency JAXA is teaming up with Japanese fishing net maker Nitto Seimo to haul in some of the 100,000-plus objects of space junk orbiting the planet. A JAXA satellite will deploy and release a kilometers-wide net made by Nitto Seimo of ultra-thin triple layered metal threads. The net will gradually be drawn into Earth’s magnetic field and burned up along with the abandoned satellites, engine parts and other litter it’s collected.

Read the rest of Japanese Space Agency to Use Fishing Nets to Scoop Up Space Junk

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: eco design, fishing nets, green design, Japan, japanese space agency, JAXA, nitto seimo, space exploration, space junk, space waste, sustainable design, Waste

Believers in extraterrestrial life cheered today as the Japanese space agency, JAXA, successfully unfurled a solar sail in space for the first time. Solar sails offer the best hope for deep space exploration because they eliminate the need to carry fuel. Deploying them is no easy task — given, you know, the whole lack of gravity thing — but this morning’s action went off without a hitch.

Read the rest of Japanese Spacecraft Successfully Deploys First Solar Sail in Space

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "solar energy", Ikaros, Japan, JAXA, nasa, renewable energy, solar sail, solar sails, space exploration, space travel

We’ve brought you news about the IKAROS solar sail spacecraft before, and now the time has finally come for it to take flight! That’s right, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, is planning to launch the spacecraft powered by solar sails today at 6:22am Japan time and the event will be streaming live via the web for everyone to check out!

Read the rest of Japan Launching World’s First Solar Powered Spacecraft Today!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Ikaros, Interplanetary Kite-Craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Solar Backpack, solar car, Solar Power, solar sail spacecraft, solar sails, solar-powered spacecraft, space exploration, Venus satellite

Photo courtesy of JAXA

Solar backpacks and sun-fueled vehicles are impressive, but a solar-powered spacecraft just blows our minds.  Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to launch a spacecraft powered by solar sails. The craft, appropriately dubbed Ikaros (Interplanetary Kite-Craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun), will make its journey into deep space on May 18th.

Read the rest of Japan Gears Up to Launch “Ikaros” Solar Sail Spacecraft

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Ikaros, Interplanetary Kite-Craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Solar Backpack, solar car, Solar Power, solar sail spacecraft, solar sails, solar-powered spacecraft, space exploration, Venus satellite

This morning NASA launched the WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer), a solar-powered infrared telescope that will scan the skies for earth-threatening asteroids and comets. We love covering all things green, but solar power plants and eco-friendly architecture mean very little if the planet has been obliterated by an asteroid – which is why NASA’s new satellite is so exciting.

Read the rest of NASA Launches Solar-Powered Asteroid-Detecting Telescope

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: alternative energy, asteroids, comets, green design, nasa, solar, Solar Power, solar satellite, space, space exploration, sustainable design, wise

For centuries sailors have used stars to navigate around the world. Now space-sailors might be able to use the stars to move through the universe — literally! Instead of cruising to Mars on a giant tank of oil, we could soon sail through space using just the energy from sunlight. The Planetary Society — a non-profit space exploration organization — just announced that in 2010 it will send a satellite dubbed LightSail-1 into space that will be propelled by solar sails. The mylar-winged vessel will carry not a drop of fuel (making it much lighter than contemporary space craft) and will be the first in a three part program that aims to prove that solar sailing is a viable technology

Read the rest of Solar Space Satellite Will be Fueled Solely by the Sun’s Rays!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: green design, Green Transportation, light powered propulsion, light sailing, lightsail, planetary society, solar satellite, space exploration, sustainable design