Oct 14

UFO Spotted Over New York City

Posted in: Space Tech, Today's Chili

You see a lot of weird things living in New York City–honestly, it just sort of comes with the territory. That’s not to say that New Yorkers are entirely unflappable, of course–there are still those things that genuinely freak us out: silver orbs floating through the mid-afternoon sky, for example.

New Yorkers spotted just that above Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood at roughly 1:30 PM yesterday. “You really have to look up to see it,” a witness calling himself Rico told The New York Daily News. “It’s a little crazy. I guess that’s why they call it an unidentified flying object because they don’t know what it is.”

Fair enough, Rico, fair enough.

The FAA received several calls about the sighting. “We re-ran radar to see if there was anything there that we can’t account for but there is nothing in the area,” a spokesman for the organization told the paper. “There was some helicopter traffic over the river at that time and we checked with LaGuardia Tower. And they said they had nothing going low at that time.”

The objects, it seems, were just a bunch of silver balloons. At least that’s what they want you to think.

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Oct 13

Red Bull Halts “Space Dive” Parachute Stunt

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Red Bull makes people do weird things, and while I’ve admittedly performed some questionable activities while under the influence of various energy drinks, the idea of a space dive never occurred to me–perhaps it’s just that I’m not a person of vision. It’s probably better that way. These things are best left up to the professionals, right?

Red Bull, the non-stop marketing machine that it is, announced plans for the aforementioned “space dive,” in which one brave soul would jump from a balloon 120,000 feet up. The record-setting dive would require a custom space suit, since the parachutist, Felix Baumgartner, would be going so damned fast–breaking the sound barrier in the process.

The stunt is now dead in the water, however, in the wake of a lawsuit filed in a California court claiming that Red Bull stole the idea. Red Bull denies the allegations, but the dive is on hiatus until the suit is resolved.

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Oct 13

Earth-like, Habitable Planet May Not Actually Exist

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

It was fun while it lasted, right? All of that talk of giving up on Earth and just starting over again with a new planet, some 20 light years away. Hopefully you didn’t burn any irreparable bridges late last month when scientists announced the existence of Gliese581g, a so-called “Goldilocks” planet that was theoretically the right size and distance from the sun to potentially support human life.

Turns out that Gliese581g may actually just be a whole lot of noise–quite literally, in fact. During a meeting of the International Astronomical Union this week, Geneva-based astronomer Francesco Pepe questioned the existence of the planet, stating, “despite the extreme accuracy of the instrument and the many data points, the signal amplitude of this potential fifth planet is very low and basically at the level of the measurement noise.”

Pepe isn’t willing to rule out the possibility that the existence of the “planet” is, in fact, just an error. “Simulations on the real data have shown that the probability that such a signal is just produced ‘by chance’ out of the noise is not negligible, of the order of several percents,” he told the organization. “Under these conditions we cannot confirm the presence of the announced planet Gliese 581g.”

In the meantime, I’d hold off from destroying our own planet as much as possible–you know, just in case…

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Oct 12

NASA: Obama Charts New Path in Space

Posted in: NASA, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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President Obama this week signed bi-partisan legislation mapping the path of NASA for the next three years and extending operations of the International Space Station through 2020.

NASA administrator Charles Bolden issued a statement commending the President on his decision. “We have been given a new path in space that will enable our country to develop greater capabilities, transforming the state of the art in aerospace technologies,” Bolden wrote. “We will continue to maintain and expand vital partnerships around the world. It will help us retool for the industries and jobs of the future that will be vital for long-term economic growth and national security.”

Among other things, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 commits the space shuttle fleet to additional flights. The bill, which was passed by the House last week, also authorizes $58.4 billion to NASA for the next three years, aimed at continuing the development of a heavy-lift rocket.

“As the 2011 appropriations process moves forward, there is still a lot of hard work ahead of us in collaboration with the Congress,” Bolden continues. “We are committed to work together with the continued wide public support for NASA, and the bipartisan backing of Congress. Today’s vote of confidence from the president ensures America’s space program will remain at the forefront of a bright future for our nation.”

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Oct 11

International Space Station Getting First-Ever Space Twins Next Year

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Twins! In space! The New Jersey-born duo of Mark and Scott Kelly are set to become the first set of twins in space at the same time, in February of next year. Scott is already up there, charged with running the International Space Station. He began his six month mission last week, lifting off aboard a Russian shuttle.

In February, he’ll be joined be Mark, who will deliver supplies to the station. The duo will be aboard the Space Station together for eight days, after which Mark’s shuttle will return to earth.

As CNN points out, Mark is the older twin, beating Scott into the world by six minutes. However, it was Scott who made it into space first, in 1999, beating Mark by two years. The Kellys are 46.

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Oct 11

Virgin Galactics Commercial Spacecraft Tested

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili, Transportation

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Though it has not quite left our atmosphere, the budding commercial spaceflight industry is officially off the ground. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, also known as the VSS Enterprise, was tested for the first time over night. 

It left from Los Angeles after being launched 45,000 feet off the ground from its mothership. The VSS Enterprise accomplished both of its goals: to make sure it could leave the mothership without incident, and to land safely at the Mojave Air and Space Port. 
Virgin Galactic is not alone in this race to get commercial space flight running. As PCMag.com previously reported, Boeing has already been given a $50 million government grant and has partnered with Space Adventures, which has previously sent seven people to the International Space Station. Boeing’s spacecraft will fit seven people, but it will not be ready until 2015. Virgin is way ahead of that date, though, as this test proves. It has been taking orders since 2005, with each seat costing $200,000. 
It’s great to see that there’s competition — not just government funds — driving this industry. Hopefully this means that at some point, once all the testing is done and we learn that it is feasible, the price of a ticket will decline to a somewhat affordable point in which an average person will be able to purchase a ticket without wiping out their bank accounts.           
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Oct 08

The Rocket Project Documentary Hits the Science Channel

Posted in: science, sony, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

Rocket Project - Students

Back in July, a team of high school students gathered on the dusty flats of the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada with a single purpose: to launch a 29-foot rocket into orbit using some rocketry training, their knowledge of physics, and a couple of Sony laptops powered by Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors. The event was the culmination of The Rocket Project, and after several delays and weather mishaps, the students finally managed to launch their rocket into orbit successfully.

Following the students on that journey were a handful of documentary filmmakers who released short episodes of the students trials and successes, and now a complete half-hour Rocket Project Documentary will air on The Science Channel tonight at 9:00pm Eastern (check your local listings for additional airings.) If you miss the half-hour documentary though, the shorter Web episodes that follow the months-long story of the launch are still available at The Rocket Project Web site.
 

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Oct 05

ThinkGeek Celebrates Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary with Wampa Rug, C-3PO Backpack

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Robots Robotics, Space Tech, Tech Toys, Today's Chili

thinkgeek_c3po-and-wampa.gifThere are two things we really love here at Gearlog: Star Wars, and ThinkGeek. The two have come together to release two new products for the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. As of today, you can be the proud owner of the Wampa Rug, or the shiny C-3PO Bespin Backpack.

The Star Wars Wampa Rug is made of high-quality synthetic fur, has a plush pillow head, vinyl claws and measures 62-inches long by 30-inches wide. It sells for $99.99. Here’s the ThinkGeek’s description:

As you may recall from Empire, before Luke was preserved inside a dead tauntaun he had a fight with a hideous Wampa snow beast in the mountain caves of Hoth. Now you can catch your own Wampa and take him home to decorate your swank bachelor pad. The Star Wars fangirls will love the high-quality synthetic fur, plush pillow head and fearsome claws.

If you already bought a new backpack for this school year, it’s time to throw that one in the closet and grab the C-3PO Bespin Backpack. The pack is based on the classic scene from Empire Strikes Back when C-3PO was blown apart by stormtroopers. He’s carried around on the wookie’s back before Chewy is able to put him back together. The backpack features light-up flickering eyes, and is made from golden leatherette material. 

But, it’s not just a backpack — it comes with all the appendages to easily assemble a complete 3-foot-tall droid. Luckily, it’s not that large in backpack form; it measures 22-inches high, by 13-inches wide, by 8 inches deep. It sells for $59.99.

If you’re in the market for another space-related product, ThinkGeek recently released the Star Trek pizza cutter.

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Oct 01

Space Hotels Open for Business in 2015

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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It’s a fact, the Earth is a boring and stupid place. At some point in your life, you’ve probably been pressured by friends or family to take a vacation to some “exotic” or “exciting” destination. But like most tourists, your reaction was some combination of disappointment and anger. Paris? Way too many croissants. The Grand Canyon? A big dirt hole filled with donkey poop. Machu Picchu? Hey Incas, could you build your holy cities in a more out-of-the-way location, because this four-day hike wasn’t quite difficult enough?

But don’t fret, vacationers of Earth! There’s a new destination for you to throw your disposable earth dollars. Space!

Recently, Moscow-based private space company, Orbital announced their plans to create a space hotel that would accommodate tourists flown up from (semi?) private rocket company  OAO Rocket and Space Corporation Energia.

(The sleek, focus group-tested name for this exciting new futuristic space venture?!? The “Commercial Space Station”! Russia, you know we love you, but branding is not your strong point.)

The company hopes to have the infrastructure for space tourism up and running by 2016.

But the CSS will come into operation a full year after Boeing makes their “space taxi” operational and ready to take intrepid tourists to the “Sundancer” space habitat built by Bigelow Aerospace. The 180 cubic meter space condo can accommodate up to three visitors on a “long-term” basis and up to six for shorter stays.

The Sundancer will be followed by the “BA 330” capsule, which boasts a roomy 330 cubic meters and can hold six tourists on a long-term basis. Anybody else hoping for the awesomest season of Jersey Shore ever!?

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Sep 30

New Planet Could Support Extraterrestrial, Human Life

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Scientists yesterday announced the discovery a new planet roughly 20 light years away that seems to have all of the right criteria to support extra terrestrial life–perhaps even that of humans, should we ever, you know, completely destroy our home.

The planet has been deemed Gliese581 (or, even less appealingly, Gliese581g). It fits the criteria for what is adorably known as a “Goldilocks” planet–that’s one that sits a distance from its sun appropriate for sustaining human life. The planet has an average temperature of 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Given the planet’s atmosphere and gravity, scientists believe that water is also present. “Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet,” Gliese581’s co-discoverer Steve Vogt told the press. “We had planets on both sides of the habitable zone-one too hot and one too cold, and now we have one in the middle that’s just right.”

Just like really good porridge.

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