Massive solar storm to hit Earth in 2012 with ‘force of 100m bombs’, ANI, Yahoo India “Astronomers are predicting that a massive solar storm, much bigger in potential than the one that caused spectacular light shows on Earth earlier this month, is to strike our planet in 2012 with a force of 100 million hydrogen bombs. Several US media outlets have reported that NASA was warning the massive flare this […]

Measuring The NASA Stimulus, National Journal “… But placing a monetary value on those benefits proved more difficult, even for one of NASA’s greatest achievements. The “fact remains that we got to the moon in a decade, but are, as yet, unable to fully measure the present and future economic impact of the science and technology accumulated on the way to the moon (or the aggregate effect of technological progress […]

NASA past performance ratings higher for cost plus contracts than fixed price, FIerceGovernment “The more a company has a contractually risky relationship with NASA, the more likely it is that the agency will rate that contractor well during past performance evaluations, according to new research from INPUT, a Reston, Va.-based intelligence and analysis firm. INPUT obtained information on NASA past performance evaluations through Freedom of Information Act requests, releasing a […]

“SpaceUp DC is aspace unconference open to all, where participants decide the topics, schedule, and structure of the event. Unconferences have been held about technology, science, transit, and even cupcakes, but this is the first one focused on space exploration.” This event runs from 9:00 am – 5 pm EDT on 27 and 28 Aug 2010. Watch it live. Check their website for more information. Keith’s note: I cannot spend […]

“After answering the question of how the space potty works, astronaut Mike Massimino now visits the Advanced Water Recovery Systems Development Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Chemists have been working hard to develop a next-generation trash bag for future exploration, including testing different forms of trash…and fake vomit. Watch as Massimino and the scientists lend their noses in the name of exploration and see if NASA’s mixture is potent […]

NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers Two Planets Transiting the Same Star “NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered the first confirmed planetary system with more than one planet crossing in front of, or transiting, the same star. The transit signatures of two distinct planets were seen in the data for the sun-like star designated Kepler-9. The planets were named Kepler-9b and 9c. The discovery incorporates seven months of observations of more than 156,000 […]

Keith’s note: According to a letter released by PeTA, Paul McCartney writes: “Dear Mr. Bolden: I recently learned from my friends at PETA that NASA plans to fund an experiment in which squirrel monkeys will be exposed to dangerous doses of radiation and then caged for years to study the effects on them, which are likely to be cancer, brain tumours, and early death. As a supporter of NASA’s mission […]

The Moon: Creating Capability in Space and Getting Value for our Money, Paul Spudis “Of all the possible destinations in space, the Moon offers the proximity, accessibility, and materials necessary to learn how to use what we find in space to create new capabilities. Harvesting the resources of the Moon will allow us to make what we need in space, rather than carrying it with us from the Earth’s surface. […]

Exploding the Myth of Popular Support for Project Apollo, Roger Lanius “Because of the on-going dispute over the future of human space exploration, I have been reminded of the longstanding perception that in the 1960s NASA’s Apollo program enjoyed great public support. That is a misconception. The belief that Apollo enjoyed enthusiastic support during the 1960s and that somehow NASA has lost its compass thereafter still enjoys broad appeal . […]

Reader note: I took interest in Nmap Developers Release a Picture of the Web from slashdot.org. The article says: “The Nmap Project recently posted an awesome visualization of the top million site icons (favicons) on the Web, sized by relative popularity of sites. This project used the Nmap Scripting Engine, which is capable of performing discovery, vulnerability detection, and anything else you can imagine with lightning speed. We saw last […]