Asteroids and Other Space Bodies Can Legally be Bought and Sold in Space - http://clapway.com/2015/11/28/asteroids-and-other-space-bodies-can-legally-be-bought-and-sold-in-space123/

There is a brand new law that has recently been signed by US President Barack Obama. Details tell us that President Obama signed a space mining legislation law that will give United States space firms the right to own and sell natural resources mined from asteroids and other space bodies. However, this new law is having many experts scratching their heads as they believe this to be dangerous and even potentially illegal.

THE DANGER/LEGALITY IN SELLING NATURAL RESOURCES MINED IN ASTEROIDS

Some lawyers and scientific experts have spoken their minds about why they feel this legislation law was a critical mistake. A few unnamed experts have pointed out that this new law could conflict with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. They mentioned how the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 declares that states should avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies, and also that celestial bodies and outer space, in general, are not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation. Ram Jahku, a professor from the Institute of Air and Space Law, also agreed with these experts in expressing their belief that this new law basically contradicts the Outer Space Treaty. Others have also pointed out that the space mining could damage the environment surrounding the Earth as well. Many experts are no doubt frustrated and confused by this new law to sell natural resources mined from asteroids and other space bodies, but there are some who agree.

Image: TBIT

The U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology is one of the institutes who sees no problem with this new law. They have went on record as stating that they have denied any violation of the country’s international obligations. It should also be mentioned that many U.S entities have been wanting space resource extraction for some time now. Many space mining firms have expressed their interests of this for years now according to details. This already seems to be a law that has multiple sides having different opinions, so which side are you on?

Asteroids and Other Space Bodies Can Legally be Bought and Sold in Space

Whoa! #NASA is teaming up with #HoneybeeRobotics to develop a shotgun that will eventually be used to break up #asteroids. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/22/nasa-honeybee-robotics-asteroids123/

NASA is currently teaming up with Honeybee Robotics to create a shotgun that will shoot asteroids. The project, analogous to a space-related video game, will eventually help scientists study asteroids in further detail by bringing them closer to the moon. By doing so, researchers believe they will come one step closer to a human trip to Mars in the future.

Honeybee and NASA partner up to take down asteroids

Honeybee Robotics, a Brooklyn-based firm, has been working on different aspects of space robotics since 1986. Currently, the company is taking part in ARM, or the Asteroid Redirect Mission, with the goal of creating an extremely powerful shotgun that will break off a chunk of a large near-Earth asteroid.

Based on the impact of the blow, physicists will be able to study the various qualities of the space rock. Moreover, if scientists are able to get the asteroid into the moon’s stable orbit, it will be easier for them to collect samples for further study.

To carry out the mission, an unmanned spacecraft will be sent to space, which will be responsible for grabbing the stray pieces. In the process, researchers can observe any potential hazardous affects asteroids might have on the spacecraft. The information will ultimately help them engineer better technology, which might also make it easier to carry out a successful mission to Mars. Furthermore, it will create a better defense system for Earth, in the event of an asteroid collision situation.

When this will happen

To launch the project, researchers first have to choose an asteroid to shoot at; a few different possibilities have already been considered. The mission, however, is still in its preliminary stages. Although, there aren’t many details about the project currently, ARM is expected to initiate in 2020s.

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NASA and Honeybee Robotics Take Down Asteroids

Can NASA"s New Rocket Design Get Us to Mars? - http://clapway.com/2015/08/14/nasa-new-rocket-design-orion-102/

Recently NASA successfully completed a 9 minute test of the engine slated to preside at the heart of the US Space Agency’s next gen super rocket, which will launch the next generation of astronauts to asteroids, Mars and other deep-space locales.

The rocket, called the RS-25, was engaged at Stennis Space Center, in Mississippi.

NASA’S ROCKET TO LAUNCH NEW MANNED SPACECRAFT

The next major manned spacecraft, dubbed the Orion, will be powered by four of these RS-25 engines during its core launch stage of the Space Launch System (SLS). This new system is said to be capable of carrying astronauts to Mars.

The RS-25 fired its payload for 535 consecutive seconds, which is roughly the same amount of time the engines are expected to fire during a real SLS launch.

“There are probably some people in the control contre high-fiving, because that was a very successful test,” mentioned Gary Benton, RS-25 test project manager at Stennis Space Center once the engine’s performance had come to an end.

WHERE IS THIS ROCKET FROM?

The recent test was the sixth of seven hot-fire tests for the RS-25, which was formerly used as the main engine for NASA’s new-mothballed space shuttle fleet, noted ‘Space.com.’

OLD ROCKET, NEW DESIGN

This seven-test series is “designed to put the upgraded former space shuttle main engines through the rigorous temperature and pressure conditions they will experience during a launch,” explained NASA officials. They went on to clarify that “[t]he tests also support the development of a new controller, or ‘brain,’ for the engine, which monitors engine status and communicates between the vehicle and the engine, relaying commands to the engine and transmitting data back to the vehicle.”

“The controller also provides closed-loop management of the engine by regulating the thrust and fuel-mixture ratio while monitoring the engine’s health and status,” they added.

Orion and SLS are to be united in stellar pursuits for the very first time in 2018, on a flight dubbed Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1).

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BEFORE YOU FLY, LEARN TO OLLIE WITH A PENNY SKATEBOARD!

Can NASA"s New Rocket Design Get Us to Mars?

Philae Lander Post-Perihelion To Awaken - http://clapway.com/2015/08/13/philae-lander-post-perihelion-101/

Scientists of European persuasion have made an important change of plans for the Philae lander , a detached component of the Rosetta spacecraft with a spotty service record. The Europeans are now hopeful of retrieving new imagery and data on drill samples as soon as communications are restored.

WHY DOES PHILAE PERFORM BADLY?

This may be a misrepresentation of the facts; Philae was impeccably designed, and is fully capable of performing its duties, but upon beginning its final descent last November, the lander had a few issues, bounced on the surface several times, and came to rest in a small valley. Since the lander is solar powered, the absence of sunlight precludes its operating at full capacity, causing it to go into hibernation mode periodically.

SUMMER’S DELIVERY

But in June, the tenacious lander reawoke, much to scientists at the European Space Agency’s surprise, and caused the ESA to rush plans for Philae to perform as many experiments as possible before they risked the more dangerous drilling experiment.

However, as mentioned above, because of Philae’s position, periodic black outs are to be expected. “The problem is not power, but communications,” Aurelie Moussi from space agency CNES said in a webcast on Thursday. “We have to find something to do in a shorter duration.”

PHILAE EXPECTED TO UNVEIL MYSTERIES OF LIFE

Scientists are hopeful that new samples from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s surface will yield more insight into the fundamentals of planet formation, and how such a frigid and hostile environment can be host to the complex organic compounds capable of seeding life.

The Rosetta spacecraft has spent the past two weeks studying a part of the comet inaccessible to Philae, but as of August 11th the mother probe has returned to its position above Philae, and is awaiting its signal.

PHILAE IS DAMAGED

So far, no more contact between the two machines has been documented, but Barbara Cozzoni, Philae operations engineer laments that this may be because one of the lander’s transmitters is broken, along with two receivers that refuse to function properly.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Since the comet passed through its perihelion phase at 185 million kilometers (roughly 115 million miles) from the sun, activity on the comet has picked up drastically. Just as the hottest day of the year occurs after the summer solstice, so too will comet 67P’s most active day follow its perihelion. As of now, the comet is ejecting nearly 1,000 kg of dust and a volume of water sufficient to fill two bathtubs per second. Comparatively, upon Rosetta’s original rendezvous, comet 67P was losing only two small glasses of water per second.

In addition to this increased loss of matter and H20, magnificently powerful gas jets were also observed shooting from the comet’s surface. But this spectacle is sideshow to what Philae may reveal to us, soon.

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Philae Lander Post-Perihelion To Awaken