Eclectic junk from the four corners of the ‘Net. And pictures too!
Very nice, I hope the powers that be sign off on a Titan lander soon.
Instruments on NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have found evidence for seas, likely filled with liquid methane or ethane, in the high northern latitudes of Saturn’s moon Titan. One such feature is larger than any of the Great Lakes of North America and is about the same size as several seas on Earth.
This is a fascinating idea of how to lob a payload into space with water. Ok, not quite the water rockets you bought when you were a kid (or built as an adult), this uses the vacuum created by burning oxygen and hydrogen to force a column of water into a pocket of hydrogen gas that launches the rocket ( SCRAM jet) into low orbit. The payload needs to be pretty strong, the gee forces are going to be quite extreme. Also, as it needs water to work it can be lashed to a boat and towed to a launch site near the equator and if something goes wrong stuff won’t fall on the neighbors. If this system proves practical it may become the preferred way of lifting tough payloads to a waiting space station.
[via new scientist]
HYPACC
I was quite impressed when I learned that the sport of model rocketry was alive and well in the former Soviet Union. Every year in Baikonur, Kazakhstan the World Model Rocketry Championship is held. I stumbled upon a load of photos over at English Russian and decided to do a bit of research on the subject. I happened on the World Spacemodeling Championship website (Google translation here) that has information on the event. Looks like the next one is going to be on April 21. If you happen to be in the neighborhood you should plan on attending. Or you can read about what it’s like in this article on when Vernon Estes (namesake of Estes Rockets) visited there in 2006. Sounds like great event, not only do you get to see some world class model rockets fire off but you also get to tour some of the buildings at the famous Cosmodrome.
This is of interest if you are in southern California or, if people are lucky, in Arizona.
For the first time in years, the countdown for a Minuteman 3 missile test will include blasting open the 106-ton silo door at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The year’s first liftoff from the Central Coast also marks a return of closed-door missile tests. It’s planned for 12:01 a.m. Wednesday from Launch Facility 10 on north Vandenberg. The launch window remains open until 6:01 a.m. to accommodate any delays from unfavorable weather or technical problems.
Opening the doors isn’t a small matter. There are four explosives that are fired to generate gas that flings the multi tone octagonal door open so the missile can be launched in seconds. Normally the tests launches are done when the door has been winched open slowly but in this case it’s the whole show. It should be quite a site if you can be close enough to see the base when it launches.
The test is of an unarmed re-entry vehicle to see how well the missile works using GPS based satellite navigation instead of radio transponders.
Wow… And to think I thought there were just rocks craters and a few crashed lunar probes on the dark side of the moon.
It has long been a theory of some UFOlogists that the far side of the Moon could harbor a base for extraterrestrials. Presuming they come from a distant planet in some other solar system, they must have a base from which they can make their regular visits to the Earth. What better place than the far side of the Moon, which is perpetually hidden from sight?
Of course, i did a little looking around and found other people that think along the same lines.
From the bright boys at NASA., a simulator for your model rockets. Very cool! Plug in numbers for body size, type of nose cone, motor type and launch conditions and it will simulate the altitude your ship will obtain.