Kentucky Space

Video: Titan's "Canyon Country"

Recently released by the Jet Propulsion Lab, this video is the result of work by an amateur researcher working with surface data produced by the Cassini mission. Such terrain bears strong similarities to the Karst topography of Utah, and might even suggest caves below the surface.

For Kentucky Space readers interested in the concept of "citizen science," astronomer Dr. Pamela Gay will be at the Kentucky Center on Friday, April 2 for a brief lecture sponsored by the IdeaFestival that will touch on this new phenomenon. Astronomy and planetary sciences are areas where amateurs can, and do, make significant scientific contributions. Follow @ideafestival on Twitter for more.

Wayne

Cassini , Kentucky Space, Saturn, Space

Cubesat and microscope

Here's an elegantly simple research idea from Google Lunar X PRIZE team Selene that might fly aboard a Cubesat. Study a single cell organism in microgravity with a telescope and stream the video back to Earth.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

NewSpace, Mars' sounds and PocketQubs

Via 62MileClub, DailyKos runs down a list of players in the new space race, complete with quite a few pictures and estimates of the funding and technology involved.

JPL has released a brief podcast of the sounds that can be heard from the Mars' rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

The picture above of a "PocketQub" was snapped on a recent trip to Morehead State University to talk with Profs. Bob Twiggs and Ben Malphrus. The personal satellite can be flown with whatever science or technology that can be put inside on missions measured in weeks or months at very low orbital altitudes, and vaporize on reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. This example is sitting on a magazine-sized brochure.

Please follow Kentucky Space on Twitter @kyspace.

Wayne

The Business case for Cubelabs

Taking a look at the business prospects for sub-orbital research payloads, the Space Business Blog noticed the work being done by NanoRacks and Kentucky Space to make microgravity research on the International Space Station an affordable and repeatable proposition. It likes, in particular, the modular nature of the solution and points out one very important benefit of using Cubelabs:

NanoRacks has developed a standard rack that plugs into a [mid deck locker] on station. NanoRacks worked with Bob Twiggs (co-creater of the CubeSat) from Kentucky Aerospace to build a standard experiment module called the CubeLab. Still 10cm-cubed, and plugs into their rack via a standard USB port. Very plug-and play! I like this. NanoRacks and Kentucky Space intend to offer this CubeLab technology as open-source for the benefit of the industry. One important nugget: the CubeSat has already passed significant ITAR hurdles, and since the CubeLab is based on similar technology to the CubeSat, a business using this open-source technology should have a significantly easier time attracting and working with international customers. NanoRacks goal is to offer Micro-gravity research opportunitis on the ISS, but I think the technology ports very well into the suborbital arena as well.

Space blogs typically focus on hardware and technology, but rarely on the business prospects for that hardware and technology in the developing frontier of commercial space. Read the entire piece from Space Business Blog.

More images from Kentucky Space may be found on Flickr. Jeffrey Manber provided a recent video update on NanoRacks here.

Wayne

Science literacy and the new moon race

The Google Lunar X PRIZE has announced a renewed emphasis on education, and points out the connection between new Moon race and lagging science literacy in the United States. Introducing herself, the new Education Manager for the prize, Chandra Gonzales, lays out the challenge:

One of the greatest challenges that I have seen in our education systems is the need to meet our world’s significant workforce shortages in the critical sciences, technology, engineering and math fields. Did you know that in the US alone, the Department of Education reported that only 18% of high school seniors are considered proficient in science and 5% of undergraduates earn degrees in science and engineering? I feel that it is imperative that educators work with industry to tackle this issue.

With a program built around teaching and flying the space sciences, Kentucky Space certainly understands the challenge as well. It's nice to see the Google Lunar X PRIZE connect "education to inspiration."

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

Carnival of Space 141

Featuring a host of links to space exploration, physics and astronomical news, the very latest Carnival of Space has been posted.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space

Kentucky Space audio from The Space Show posted

Audio of Kris Kimel's appearance on The Space Show Friday is has been posted. In his second appearance on The Space Show, Kris covered the breadth of Kentucky Space activities and answered a number of questions from callers across the country. Listen here.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

Video: NanoRacks, Kentucky Space flying in March to International Space Station

On a visit to Kentucky Space earlier this month, Jeffrey Manber provided an update on the work to make affordable, repeatable micro-gravity research available on the International Space Station. The first of three planned NanoRacks, along with the first two "Cubelabs," will fly on a Shuttle flight, STS-131, to the station in March. More about NanoRacks and this innovative approach to orbital research be found here.

Wayne

Cubelab, Kentucky Space, NanoRacks

Buying commercial space services

At the BBC, "Spaceman" Jonathan Amos provides an easy to understand description of the big changes that may be in store for NASA.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space

Follow Kentucky Space on Twitter

If you don't follow Kentucky Space on Twitter, please consider it. We're at http://twitter.com/KySpace, or @KySpace if you're a regular user.

@KySpaceADAMASat and @KySpace_KySat1 can also be found there. The suborbital ADAMASat mission has a February 24 launch date, and KySat-1 is expected to fly in November with NASA's Glory mission.

Wayne

CubeSat, Kentucky Space, Space