My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer - Ansari Book Release Set

My Dream of Stars: From Daughter of Iran to Space Pioneer is the name of the book coming out March 2, 2010. The book, written by Anousheh Ansari and Homer Hickam, is now available for order from Amazon. The book describes her efforts to reach space orbit and the International Space Station as a commercial spaceflight participant.

In her memoir, Anousheh recalls her long path to success and to achieving her dream. She tells the readers of the prejudices and obstacles she had to overcome as well as her determination and hope, and the love and support that made it possible. It's Anousheh' s hope that her personal story would encourage and inspire people around the globe, especially the younger generation, to strive to overcome any barriers holding them back from their dreams. The 256-page hardcover book now $16.50 from Amazon.

WIll a SpaceShipThree be Advanced By New Commercial Space Policy in Washington?

While flights are being set to commence at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California for the first tests of SpaceShipTwo (SS2) to make way for the first human-rated commercial spaceflights from New Mexico in 2011, commercial space policy advocates will seek to advance a commercial ferry for Point-to-Point (P2P) exo-atmospheric spacecraft conceptualized as SpaceShipThree (SS3) inspired by the 1960's design of the Dyna-Soar.

Many commercial space launch firms are beginning to consider commercial human spaceflights to the International Space Station and/or probable Bigelow Aerospace commercial space stations over this decade. The success of SS2 in New Mexico in 2011/2012 may serve to inspire commercial options beyond the SpaceX Falcon 9 or the Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus 2 for future rapid crew exchange in low Earth orbit (LEO).

New Mexico Enacts Informed Consent Law for Commercial Spaceport America Flights

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has signed into law the Space Flight Informed Consent Act requiring commercial space travelers to be fully informed of the risks of flying from Spaceport America and thereupon waive the liability. Senate Bill 9 was signed into law Saturday following passage by the state legislature.

Richardson asked the New Mexico legislature earlier this year to pass the legislation saying, "To make sure New Mexico remains competitive against Virginia, Florida and Texas, I’m asking this body to pass legislation allowing participants to assume the risks of spaceflight."

Virginia was the first state in the nation to pass a similar law in 2007 with a July 1, 2013 sunset that the Virginia legislature is now completing the process of removing to make the liability immunity permanent. Florida became the second state in the nation to enact a informed consent liability waiver law in 2008; Texas worked on a similar measure in 2009, and now, New Mexico in 2010.

New Mexico is expected to become a leader in commercial suborbital space flight in the next 24-months while Virginia seeks to become more viable for commercial orbital space missions.

Evening in Grand Marais

Last evening I was invited to dinner with a group of friends at a house east of town. It was a beautiful evening with a full moon. Here are a couple pictures of the moon.




The view from my friend's house was impressive. As you can see, the bay is frozen, but not very thick. The first photo below was taken looking west toward town. When I arrived, my friends were just walking back from the frozen water's edge.




Since they told me not to bring any food, I figured I could at least bring a bin of agates and let people pick one out.

london in color in 1927

color film was very rare in 1927, which is partly what makes this silent color film of london so great! the film was created by Claude Friese-Greene who gives written commentary on the many common landmarks of london he shows. the one that made me laugh starts at minute 1:40 when he shows the greenwich observatory, and describes who astronomers are and what they like to tell you!



also, i wish more people wore hats on a regular basis today.

Project M: Robonaut to the Moon

The Johnson Manned Space Flight Center in Houston, Texas has an innovative solution to returning to the Moon but this time with a Robonaut or R2. A Robonaut-based, tele-operated mission to the Moon could be accomplished within 1,000 days of the go-ahead, NASA claims. With the NewSpaceEra coming with the American civil space program, the R2 may be a path into exploring the Moon to find economic viability for humans.

"This You??" Twitter Phishing Attack

There Is A New Phishing Attack Which Has Hit Twitter And I Thought It Would Be Important Bit Of News For Our Readers Who Are On Twitter. The Attack Spreads Through A Tweet With The Text Message “This You????” Followed By A Link. Clicking On The Link Spreads The Phishing Attack And Makes Your Account Details Vulnerable.
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A Vision To The Future

Here Is A Nice Video From Common Wealth Bank, The Video Was Published For Promoting Their Vision 2013 Project.
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STS-131 Discovery Set for April 5, 2010

Seated are Commander Alan Poindexter (right) and Pilot James P. Dutton Jr. From the left (standing) are Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Naoko Yamazaki and Clayton Anderson. Image credit: NASA

STS-131 Discovery is set for launch on Monday, April 5, 2010 at 6:21 EDT from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida as one of the final four flights of the space shuttle system set for retirement later this year. It will be will be the 38th and second-to-last mission for shuttle Discovery. Discovery will make the final space shuttle flight with STS-124 in the fall.

X-51 Waverider Hypersonic Flight Readied

The U.S. Air Force is gearing up for the first of four planned test flights of the the X-51 Waverider hypersonic aircraft designed to operate for much longer durations, cover far greater distances than previous platforms of its type and operating at speeds in excess of Mach 6, reports SpaceNews.

The approach on X-51 has been to demonstrate the technologies that could one day enable things like single-stage-to-orbit vehicles. While the technology is not ready to ferry passengers from New York to Los Angeles in under an hour, such a scenario is not all that far-fetched, Joe Vogel, Boeing’s director of hypersonics told SpaceNews.

A number of hypersonic projects have been in development in recent years ranging from the European IXV, the NASA HyBolt at Wallops Island, VA, the USAF/DARPA X37-B, the DARPA Falcon, and commercial proposals by PlanetSpace and commercial studies by FastForward. The investment in hypersonics has been continued but not what many say is needed for the substantial technology breakthrough.

Blog Readers Believe Earth-Like Planet to be Found During the Course of the Year 2010

The year 2010 is underway and it promises to be exciting for the space science community with space telescopes, science spacecraft, and ground observations underway all in-the-hunt for Earth-sized planets, the first moon of an exoplanet, new near-earth asteroids (NEO's), and a new planet within this solar system.

Most Spaceport Blog readers however believe that an Earth-sized planet will be the most favored discovery of the year ahead with a strong 28% saying it is the strongest possibility with the finding of hundreds of new NEO asteroids making a second with 17%. But 10% of poll participants said a new planet in the solar system would be found while a mere 7% said a new moon of an exoplanet would be found.

Remarkably, 26% of readers surveyed said an Earth-sized planet, hundreds of NEO's, a new planet in the solar system, and a new moon of an exoplanet would be found. This finding represents positive thinking even in a remote possibility that all would be found in 2010. A mere 9% said none of these space objects would be found in 2010.

earthquake in chile, telescopes seem undamaged

during the wee hours of the morning, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit chile southwest of santiago. there are several major observatories in chile which house some of the largest telescopes on earth. the gemini-south telescope lives at the southern-most observatory, which is about a 7 hour drive north of santiago. a friend has reported that he could feel a rumble at the telescope, but no damage occurred as a result of the earthquake and observations will carry on as normal tonight! i havent heard news from the other observatories, but they all live several hours farther north of the earthquake epicenter.

the earthquake generated a tsunami that is currently propogating across the pacific ocean. it is set to hit hawaii at 11 am local time. i have several friends using telescopes on mauna kea right now, and some in airplanes traveling there, so i'm sending positive thoughts their way! i'll keep you posted on any news as i hear it.

the big picture has an early set of photos from chile.

UPDATE: aside from some power outages and lack of communication soon after the earthquake, no major telescope facilities have suffered damage. the ESO facility in santiago reports no damage. the university in concepcion is another story... news from colleagues is that people they know working in concepcion have relocated to stay with friends in other cities (mainly santiago) until the infrastructure is fixed a bit. read more at SarahAskew.

This Week in Space: Bolden, Orbital Sciences on Human-Rating and Race with SpaceX

On this edition of "This Week in Space" - the NASA Administrator hits some Congressional turbulence over NASA's new budget, shuttles Endeavour and Discovery are on the move, new pics of ice geysers on one of Saturn's moons, Orbital Sciences says its safety first for its new commercial spaceship, astro-immigrants are spotted in the Milky Way, and Miles O'Brien testifies to the Senate on NASA's future.

Special note at 13:40 to 20:58 into the above-linked YouTubeVid with the interview of former NASA astronaut-tuned Senior VP at Orbital Sciences Corp Frank Culberston. He talks about the potential race with SpaceX to be the first commercial carrier to the ISS. Folks will be watching the Wallops Island and Cape Canaveral commercial launch pads!

Propulsion Technology Spotlights VSIMR

The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VSIMR) may be one of the keys to future human space flight providing a much higher ISP engine thrust and speeds of hundreds of thousands of miles per hour more traditional chemical rockets. The VSIMR has been designed by former NASA astronaut and MIT scientist Franklin Chang-Diaz.

With the new NASA budget proposing advanced space propulsion systems, the VSIMR is taking center stage. The yet-to-be-space-tested engine uses electricity to transform fuels like hydrogen, helium, or deuterium into plasma gas, which is then heated to 51.8 million degrees Fahrenheit and sent into tailpipes via magnetic field.

The VSIMAR propulsion system designers are now in talks with Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation and California-based SpaceX about boosting the system aboard either the Taurus-2 or Falcon 9 for LEO space deployment and testing at the International Space Station in 2013.

facebook friends

i just received the strangest and best facebook friendship request from a complete stranger that i could imagine. ever.

So here's the story... All of our dogs (Bernese Mountain Dogs) are named after astronomers... First was Tycho, then Zoey had "Galileo" in her registered name. Next was Ptolemy, shortened to Ptolli. Then Jago was registered with "Bernoulli" as her name is Welsh for Jacob... Then we took in a rescue whose name was Brandy. Giving Brandy a new start in life, we transitioned her name to Mandy and then 'Manda and then Amanda... After Amanda, came Tosca, named for Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli. So, just thought you might like to know that "somewhere out there" is a dog named after you! ;-).

i accepted.

Windows Mobile 7 Promo Video

After The Windows Mobile 6.5, Its Time For Windows Mobile 7.0 Operating System Powered Smartphones.
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Virginia Proposal Supports NASA FY11 Budget

The Virginia House of Delegates is expected to take-up House Resolution No. 21 next week commending the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) for fostering greater development of commercial space launch services and particularly supporting fiscal policies that serve to enable the Virginia spaceport to maximize its commercial space launch potential. The resolution is being offered by State Delegate Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott County).

The measure offered in the state legislature comes immediately after the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority passed an almost identical resolution February 23, 2010 at a meeting in Richmond and after Dulles, VA.-based Orbital Sciences Corporation issued a statement supportive of the new federal civil space policy.

Kilgore, the original patron of the Virginia Space Flight Liability and Immunity Act, is also on the verge of removing the July 1, 2013 sunset clause passed by the Virginia legislature and on Governor Robert F. McDonnell's desk next week. An identical bill is offered by State Senator Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk). No human-rated space flights have yet to be mounted from Virginia.

Northam is also expected to offer a Virginia Senate commending resolution of NASA FY 2011 federal budget next week.

Grand Marais Bay

There is a public comment period until the end of the month regarding building a breakwater to protect the Grand Marais Bay. Although I am in favor of building a breakwater, I am concerned that the Army Corps of Engineers is recommending the cheap way out. They are suggesting that the angle of the breakwater be changed from the original that was built in the late 1800s, to a 55 degree angle slanted toward town. It is important for bays to have rivers that flow into them to "flush" them out. Originally, the Grand Marais Bay had several creeks that flowed into it. First Creek was diverted in the late 1800s. Once the original breakwater was built, the Sucker River was responsible for carrying out the majority of the flushing responsibility. The 55 degree angle breakwater would be built west of the Sucker River. As a result, the west Grand Marais bay could suffer the same consequence as the East Bay, which is now a land-locked marsh.

If they decide to "cheap it out" and there are unforeseen consequences, then it is not likely that the Army Corps of Engineers will fix the problem. That is exactly what happened with the pier that was re-built and extended in the 1960s. The Army Corps admitted that the re-design of the pier caused the erosion east of town. Many people lost property and homes, and the erosion "killed" East Bay. If they do build the new breakwater and their is unanticipated erosion, who knows what will happen.

I agree that we need a new breakwater. However, I think it is important that it be built at the same angle as the original. Granted, that the erosion requires over 7,000 feet of breakwater to obtain the same angle as the original breakwater that was only 5,000 feet long. But we know that the original angle WORKED FOR OVER 60 YEARS. We don't know what will happen if they change the angle.

The environmental assessments have been completed, and we have until February 28th to submit a final round of comments on this project to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Please submit your letters of support!

The environmental assessment and a printable letter of support are online at:
www.saveyourharbor.com OR www.grandmaraismichigan.com

You can e-mail your comments to: gmbreakwallproject@gmail.com

You can mail your own letter to:
U.S. Army Engineer District, Detroit
ATTN: CELRE-PL-E (Les E. Weigum)
P.O. Box 1027
Detroit, MI 48231-1027

Please help us save our Grand Marais harbor but urge them to re-build the breakwater at the original angle.

Here are some photos of the history of the bay.

Recent photos of the harbor.






Harbor in 1964



Harbor in 1939



Harbor in 1903

Virginia Tax Measure for Space Not in Budget

Virginia state legislators are having the toughest legislative session in decades with the state budget cuts amounting to over $4-billion over the next two years. The cuts created an atmosphere that lead to the defeat of measures in the Senate and House of budget amendments to divert sales taxes and/or state income tax earnings from human spaceflight to the operational budget of the state's commercial spaceport. The proposal did not raise taxes, instead it earmarked potential revenue.

Since the measures lacked "revenue specific" numbers, the money committees of the legislature took the safe approach and did not include the measures in the state budget for the next two years, according to a spokesperson for State Senator William C. Wampler, Jr., a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

It is safe to expect an effort to get Wampler budget language into a bill to be codified (enacted into law) in 2011 as opposed to inclusion into the state budget. The measure is only expected to generate revenue for Virginia's commercial spaceport operations if commercial human spaceflight income or sales taxes has a nexus to state jurisdiction.

SpaceX Bid Protest Denied by GAO; Virginia Cleared for Moon Probe Launch in 2012

Space News and Aviation Week UPDATES!

Posted Feb. 14, 2010 --- The General Accountability Office on February 1, 2010 denied a bid protest brought by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) against the US Air Force. The decision enables Orbital Sciences Corporation to utilize the Minotaur-V to launch a lunar probe from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va. set now for late October 2012. The full decision has not yet been posted at GAO. SpaceX has the option to appeal to the United States Court of Claims.

Orbital Sciences Corporation is set to commence launching the new Taurus-2 booster from the Wallops Island site early next year and thereupon commence specific performance on the $1.9 billion NASA contract to provide re-supply and cargo to the international space station. PlanetSpace attacked the award of the ISS cargo contract to Orbital but it too was denied by the GAO.

Capitol Hill Hearings Begin Today

Two Congressional hearings are set to begin at the nation's capitol on the future direction of the federal civil space budget and how the commercial space launch industry will be engaged as suggested by the President's proposed NASA FY 11 budget. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden will testify at both hearings [Webcast]

The first hearing is today (Wednesday) beginning at 2:30 PM EST. The Subcommittee on Science and Space is chaired by former guest astronaut Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) of the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

The second hearing is Thursday, February 25, 2010 beginning at 10:00 AM EST before the Science and Technology of the U. S. House of Representatives.

mental calculation

the looks on the faces of the students in this 1895 painting by n. bogdanov-belsky are wonderful. i love moments when everyone is really focused on trying to figure something out. they are counting in their heads and feeling hopeful and confident that they can solve the puzzle shown on the board if they just think a little more...


try it - no calculating aids allowed!


via dark roasted blend

ps. the answer is discussed in the comments, so have a go at solving it before you peak!

Winter Scenes and Agate Photos

This posting includes a few miscellaneous winter photos. Last year I posted a picture of the deep snow on the south side of my house. Below is that shot, along with the same photo from this year. The difference illustrates the 75 inch deficit in our snow fall this winter.




For those of you who have followed the agatelady web page and blog, you know how much I like taking pictures of roadside Americana art. Here is a sculpture in a front yard in Curtis, MI.




To supplement my skiing time, I've kept a trail going behind my house. Every time I am out I knock down apples from the trees that for some strange reason never fell off the trees this past fall. I didn't see the deer myself, but friend Renee Beaver-Stocking saw an albino deer near the apple trees in the front of my house when she pulled up my driveway last night.



I have not included any agate photos on the blog as of late, so here are a couple of pictures from the new agate book. Both are photos found in Grand Marais by museum founder, Axel Niemi.

rockin' electron microscope

scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) were developed in the 1950s and are widely used in medical science. SEMs have the power to magnify objects hundreds of times more than regular optical microscopes because they monitor the way electrons react with a surface instead of focusing photons of light through lenses to form an image.

below is an image created by chris supranowitz using an SEM. can you guess what the long path is?


its the groove in a vinyl record. awesome!

in an SEM, an electron beam is carefully focused down to the sample. when the beam hits the sample surface, various electrons bounce back in different directions and x-rays are produced. these data are converted into a signal that maps the sample surface, and we see an image as a result.

you can also put your 3D glasses to use and check out the anaglyphs of many different objects featured in the study mentioned above!

UP 200 Dog Sled Race

This past weekend was the UP 200 Dog Sled Race. It is a qualifying race for the Alaskan Iditarod race. Just over 30 teams entered and started in the Marquette area on Friday night. The teams started arriving in Grand Marais late Saturday morning. Grand Marais is the turn-around point. Each team is required to rest 16 hours, split between the three checkpoints.

This first picture was taken at what we locals call "four corners." It is located on H58 where the paved road turns west toward Sable Lake. This shot was taken from the intersection looking toward Sable Falls. You can see the snowmobilers that were stopped. The dog sled teams turn right and head across a field right in front of where the snowmobilers were stopped.



The arrival gate was located right in front of the museum. Unfortunately, I did not have the museum open. I spent the end of last week going over the first proof of the agate book and didn't have time to organize the museum's inventory. Everything is still in bins from my last art show in December. When the dog sled teams arrive, their official time is noted.






Then, volunteer handlers assist the team and lead the dogs to the area behind the recreation center. The dogs are fed and rested, as are the mushers.




The Grand Marais Women's club sold food, which is one of the club's fundraisers. There was also a silent auction and other items for sale to benefit the UP 200.



The last team left Grand Marais around 11:00 pm.

Virginia Spaceport Budget Increased

The proposed $1.3 million dollar annual influx of Virginia funds for the operation of the state's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport was reduced by the Senate Finance Committee to about $300,000 in the FY 10/11 proposed budget. The House Appropriations Committee reduced the $1.3 million gubernatorial request to slightly over $1,000,000 for FY 2010/11 leaving the two budget figures to be reconciled in a joint House-Senate Conference Committee on the state budget.

One thing is now certain, Virginia will dedicate general fund revenue to assist in the commercial spaceport operations. It has now become a question of whether it be almost $300,000 or $1,000,000 beginning July 1, 2010. Spaceport advocates will push for the larger figure, in the 3-act political play.

Virginia faces up to a $4 billion state budget shortfall in anticipated revenue over the next two-years in one of the toughest budget sessions in decades. The spaceport operating fund of $1.3 million enjoyed the support of both former governor Tim Kaine and the new governor Robert F. McDonnell.

With the Senate and House now at a mid-point in the 2010 session it appears the July 1, 2013 sunset clause removal on the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act will be passed and placed on Governor McDonnell's desk for signature with a bill patroned by Del. Terry G. Kilgore. It was the first such human spaceflight liability limitation passed and enacted into law by a state legislature in the United States in 2007.

The state also appears on the cusp of extending the Virginia Aerospace Advisory Council depsite the lack of adequate state staffing resources to build a stratgeic plan for industry and workforce.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport orbital launch manifest (valued at more than $2-billion and bringing hundreds of jobs to the state) as of this date:

DATE MISSION PAD
Oct 2010 USAF ORS 1 0-B
Mar 2011 NASA COTS Demo 1 0-A
Oct 2011 NASA CRS 1 0-A
Jun 2012 NASA CRS 2 0-A
Oct 2012 NASA LADEE (Lunar) 1 0-B

Mar 2013 NASA CRS 3 0-A
Sep 2013 NASA CRS 4 0-A
Mar 2014 NASA CRS 5 0-A
Sep 2014 NASA CRS 6 0-A
Mar 2015 NASA CRS 7 0-A
Sep 2015 NASA CRS 8 0-A

Cross Country Photos

While skiing with friend, Dianna Bell, we left the normally groomed trail over by Sable Falls and skied on a snowshoe trail toward the sand dunes. When we got to the footbridge going over Sable Creek, we took our skies off and hiked into the dunes. It was such a glorious day -- second in a row with sunshine. That doesn't happen much in Grand Marais during the winter due to the lake effect clouds and snow. There was not much wind so the ice was floating off shore. You can see a couple of rows of icebergs hugging the shore, with the floating ice beyond that. Notice how there is more floating ice this day, compared to a week ago. If we get a strong wind from the north any time soon, it will continue to pile up the ice to form even bigger ice bergs.

Here are a few more photos from my ski trip the other day in the Seney Wildlife Refuge. The first photo shows the color contrast you can get in the woods during winter.



Throughout the Seney Refuge, there are creeks, rivers, and ponds that are managed to provide habitat for wildlife.



Along the ski trail we saw this tree that something had clawed the bark off. Some of the splinters were five inches long. We thought at first that a bear must have been looking for food, but then we realized that bears are supposed to be hibernating in the winter. We wondered whether it has been so mild that a bear woke up from hibernation a little early?



Along the edge of some of the fields the snow is starting to get a little sparse.



In the woods, though, there is still plenty of snow on the ski trails.

up in smoke

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