Spaceflight & Cosmology

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SKB
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Re: Space & Spaceflight

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Moon to get Vodaphone 4G network

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Professor Stephen Hawking 1942-2018


Stephen William Hawking CH CBE FRS FRSA, (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Hawking was an Honourary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009 and achieved commercial success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general. His book, A Brief History of Time, appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

Hawking had a rare early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that gradually paralysed him over decades. Throughout his life, he was still able to communicate using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device. Hawking died on 14 March 2018, at the age of 76.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43396008


(Cambridge University)
Professor Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018). Widely regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant minds, Stephen Hawking, who died this week at the age of 76, was known throughout the world for his contributions to science, his books, his television appearances, his lectures and through biographical films. He leaves three children and three grandchildren. All of us at Cambridge University will miss him greatly.

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SKB
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The Space Industry Bill, a new legislation that will allow rockets and satellites to be launched from the UK, has been given Royal Assent today and is now an Act of Parliament.
https://services.parliament.uk/bills/20 ... ybill.html

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Stephen Hawking’s ashes are to be interred in Westminster Abbey, near to Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-ca ... e-43472054

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Re: Space & Spaceflight

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Chinese space station to fall to Earth
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China's first space station, Tiangong-1 (meaning "Heavenly Palace"), launched in 2011 and abandoned since 2016, is destined to fall back to Earth soon. Chinese "experts" have identified that 8.3 tonne space station will hit around the Easter weekend. Where? Unknown!

Tiangong-1 Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiangong-1

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If the Chinese space station falls and impacts in America, does that mean Trump gets to charge the Chinese a metals import tax?!

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Flat Earther "Mad" Mike Hughes blasts off!


'Scientist' and limousine driver, "Mad" Mike Hughes has launched himself 1,875 feet into the Californian sky in a steam propelled rocket to witness the "alleged" curvature of the Earth, unique to a rounded Earth.

Hughes, a lifetime amateur rocket builder and daredevil, is a recent convert to the "Flat Earth" theory, after recieving sponsorship donations from the Flat Earth Society for his rocket endeavours. Before his flight, Hughes claimed that the Earth is "frisbee shaped".

It is not yet known if Hughes opinion of the Earth's true shape has been changed by his flight. Or if he really believed it in the first place....

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The Chinese Tiangong 1 space station is predicted to impact within the green zone on the map above, between 43ºN and 43ºS. Estimates of when are between 30th March and 2nd April.

ESA: http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2018 ... y-updates/

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LOP-G, the next International Space Station?

(Curious Droid)
The Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G) is a concept for a crew-tended cislunar (between the Earth and Moon) space station led by the International Space Station partners: ESA, NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA and CSA for construction in the 2020s. Plans are currently at an early stage of definition and envision a power and propulsion system, a small habitat for the crew, a docking capability, an airlock, and logistics modules. Formerly known as the Deep Space Gateway, the station was renamed in NASA's proposal for the 2019 United States federal budget.

The station would be used as a staging point for the proposed Deep Space Transport, which is a concept of a reusable vehicle that uses electric and chemical propulsion and would be specifically designed for crewed missions to destinations such as Mars. If funded, the Gateway will be developed, serviced, and utilised in collaboration with commercial and international partners for use as a staging ground for robotic and crewed lunar surface missions and for travel to Mars.

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The abandoned Tiangong 1 Chinese space station has re-entered Earth's atmosphere and burned up over the Pacific Ocean at around 01:16 BST (00:16 GMT/UTC) today.

Sadly, it came down short of Argentina, impacting just NW of Tahiti.

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The European Space Agency's trio of Swarm satellites have discovered the Earth has a second magnetic field - in the oceans!
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Obser ... _magnetism

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Australia doesn't exist, apparently!

Flat Earth theorists now claim that Australia is fake, does not exist and was "invented" to justify British prison ships offloading their convicts over the edge of the world....
:crazy: :lol:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/latest ... y-12472190

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The Flat Earth Society theories!
Image
(The Flat Earth Society)
As seen in the diagram above, the earth is in the form of a disk with the North Pole in the center and Antarctica as a wall around the edge. This is the generally accepted model among members of the society. In this model, circumnavigation is performed by moving in a great circle around the North Pole.

The earth is surrounded on all sides by an ice wall that holds the oceans back. This ice wall is what explorers have named Antarctica. Beyond the ice wall is a topic of great interest to the Flat Earth Society. To our knowledge, no one has been very far past the ice wall and returned to tell of their journey. What we do know is that it encircles the earth and serves to hold in our oceans and helps protect us from whatever lies beyond.

Image
Image
(The Flat Earth Society)
Day and night cycles are easily explained on a flat earth. The sun moves in circles around the North Pole. When it is over your head, it's day. When it's not, it's night. The light of the sun is confined to a limited area and its light acts like a spotlight upon the earth. The picture illustrates how the sun moves and also how seasons work on a flat earth. The apparent effect of the sun rising and setting is usually explained as a perspective effect. When the sun is further away from the North Pole, it's winter in the northern hemiplane (or hemisphere) and summer in the south.
So, if the Earth is truly flat, why can't I see the Channel Islands or the northern coast of Normandy from Portsmouth? Or Mont Blanc if I point a telescope at the French Alps, or Mount Everest if I look towards the east. And how is a round the world yacht race (such as the Vendee Globe) which circles Antarctica even possible?!

And as for the Sun and Moon circling the Earth, how are solar eclipses possible in the daytime?!

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Re: Space & Spaceflight

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This is wonderful news. We get to keep The Ashes in perpetuity.

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NASA's Insight lander launched to Mars from California



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Check out the link a British company producing videos from space. Just shows the quality that is available today even for commercial purposes. Useful also to see the sort of analysis they can do on the videos. Its also interesting to note they are being supported by DSTL. A constellation of these would come in handy!
http://earthi.space/press/earth-i-relea ... ken-space/
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NASA's Curiosity rover discovers ancient organic molecules on Mars

(NASA) 7/6/2018

NASA press release: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa ... e-on-mars/

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Professor Stephen Hawking's ashes are interred at Westminster Abbey
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BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-c ... e-44494389

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NASA/Lockheed-Martin X-33 VentureStar

(Curious Droid) 15th June 2018
The X-33 was the prototype replacement for the Space Shuttle and would feature a range of cutting-edge technologies that would make much cheaper to operate and quicker to turn around with much less personal.

Although 95% of the components had been made and delivered and a new flight centre had been built it was cancelled in a shock decision that would put back the reusable space program years.

Was this NASA's biggest mistake of recent years or was it just too advanced for the time? In this video we look at the X-33 and the reason why it ended up being scrapped.

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Sutherland in Scotland has been chosen for the UK Space Agency's vertical launch centre.



Meanwhile in Cornwall....


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Jupiter's number of moons has risen from 67 to 79, following the new discovery of TWELVE tiny moons. One of the twelve moons, named Valetudo is Jupiters new smallest moon and only measures 1km wide and has a eccentric orbit that crosses the orbits of other moons which will lead to its eventual destruction....
http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/ ... nd-jupiter

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(Scott Manley) 19th July 2018
The UK Government recently awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin and Orbex to being building and launching rockets out of a remote peninsula in the very north of the Scottish mainland.

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ESA & UKSA seek name for British-built Mars rover
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The British-built Mars rover is currently known as ExoMars, but a new name is being sought. Suggestions such as Marsy McMarsface are to ignored and discouraged.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44889596

My ideas:

Beagle 3 (as Beagle 2 already landed on Mars in 2003, but failed to deploy correctly.)
Pillenger (Colin Pillenger was inventor of Beagle 2, who sadly died in 2014.)

Both pictured together:
Image

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Liquid water lake possibly detected at Martian south pole?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44952710

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Lunar Eclipse


Two consecutive months of sun, not a cloud in the sky, temperatures in the 30's. Then on the day of the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century, theres a bloody thunderstorm and clouds all across the sky for the rest of the night and blocks out the lunar eclipse.

Typical.... :roll:

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