Kentucky Space

Euroluna to prep for Moon attempt with 2U cubesat

In December, the Google Lunar X PRIZE team Euroluna plans to launch a double CubeSat dubbed MiniRomit1 on a Neptune 30. According to the Southgate Amateur Radio Club, the

aim of MiniRomit1 is to test the imaging capabilities, on board computer and communication equipment, including ground stations in preparation for a mission to the moon in an attempt to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE.

More about the effort may be found on the team page at the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Euroluna is considering the equivalent of a 3U cubesat craft to fly to, land and rove on the moon.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space

"Frontier 1" in the news

In an article Sunday, the Lexington Herald-Leader pointed out the success of "Frontier 1," Kentucky Space's suborbital mission over the weekend.

'This is really a significant accomplishment,' [president of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation and managing partner of the nonprofit Kentucky Space consortium Kris] Kimel said. 'This spacecraft was built entirely by Kentucky students, and all systems worked perfectly.'

Frontier 1 was designed and built in Kentucky to test hardware and software systems that will be flown on an orbital satellite, KentuckySat 1, set to launch in November with NASA's Glory Mission...

'This exciting announcement shows that Kentucky is among the elite in innovation and scientific advancement,' Gov. Steve Beshear said.

Other news stories can be found at the San Diego Examiner and the Roanoke television station WSLS, among others sites reporting on the launch.

Wayne

Video of Saturday's Kentucky Space launch

One of two cubesats on board this Terrier-Improved Malamute rocket, "ADAMASat" spent several minutes in space and returned valuable performance data on some of the systems and technologies that will be used on Kentucky Space orbital flights slated for later this year.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

Watch Kentucky Space launch tomorrow!

Two cubesats developed by Kentucky Space and California students are scheduled for launch tomorrow, March 27 on a Terrier-Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket from the Wallops range in Virginia. The launch window is 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EDT, and a live stream of the event starts at 9 a.m.

"ADAMASat" will test components that will be used on an orbital mission now slated for November. Ground stations in Kentucky will collect performance data from the craft during its brief stay in space.

For the latest, Kentucky Space and ADAMASat are on on Twitter @KySpace and @KySpaceADAMASat, respectively. Please follow.

Wayne

Video of SpaceShipTwo captive carry

Video of this week's captive carry of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo has been posted. Check it out.

Wayne

Kentucky Space, Space

Lost Russian lunar rovers and the Carnival of Space

The latest Carnival of Space, which includes an interesting story from the Planetary Society's Emily Lakdawalla about the recent imaging of Russian landers Lunokhod 1 and Lunokhod 2 on the lunar surface, has been posted to Sisostronomy. Please check it out.

Wayne

Kentucky Space

Kentucky Space in the News

Here are a couple of recent links of interest about Kentucky Space.

For the UK College of Engineering Space Systems Laboratory, "SOCEM," which is now slated to fly this weekend, is just the beginning of a busy year. And in the article, "Space Science Mentor," the American Society for Engineering Education writes that Morehead State University's Dr. Ben Malphrus "lets students take on big tasks" as part of the university's space sciences program.

The picture above depicts the flight path of ADAMASat, one of two payloads on SOCEM. Ground stations in Kentucky will pick up data from the suborbital craft during its brief stay in space.

Wayne

Bag usual lunch for Universe of ideas

Your mother never had this in mind when she told you to eat your vegetables.

On April 2, join the IdeaFestival at the Kentucky Center for lunch and a lively discussion on the origins, distribution and future of life in the universe with noted astronomer, science writer and blogger Pamela Gay, futurist and U of L business professor Nat Irvin and U of L biologist and author Lee Dugatkin.

Lunch will be provided.

Explore a range of fascinating topics, including whether a second Earth may be discovered among the many hundreds of other planets now popping into view, and startling recent discoveries that the basic elements for life, such as water, are scattered throughout our solar system.

What is life? Would we even know it if we saw it?

The panel will be moderated by IF founder Kris Kimel. Click here to register for the limited seating for this event!

And to prove that one big idea opens the door to many others, one random winner from Lunch with IF attendees will receive an All-Access Pass to the 2010 IdeaFestival!

Wayne

Image of Enceladus geysers: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Kentucky Space

SOCEM highlights on NASA TV

NASA TV broadcast this segment on its Wallops "SOCEM" mission, which has been posted to the UK Space Lab channel on YouTube.
Weather scrubbed last Thursday's launch. A new target launch date should be announced soon.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

Next available flight date for SOCEM: March 22

The next available opportunity to fly SOCEM is March 22. A live video feed of the launch may be found at the bottom of this page.

Wayne

Kentucky Space