Tag: space exploration

Reaching the stars will require serious out-of-the-box thinking

Sten Odenwald, an astronomer with the National Institute of Aerospace, has an article up at HuffPost that many will find disheartening: The Dismal Future of Interstellar Travel | Dr. Sten Odenwald. I have been an avid science fiction reader all my life, but as an astronomer for over half my life, the essential paradox of my fantasy world can … Continue reading Reaching the stars will require serious out-of-the-box thinking →

NASA – The Tyranny of the Rocket Equation

This NASA document has been around for a while, but it remains relevant.  If you're going to engage in space travel, you have some unyielding scientific and engineering realities to contend with.  This article is a bit dry, but it's a pretty good introduction into the realities of spaceflight. Tyranny is a human trait that … Continue reading NASA – The Tyranny of the Rocket Equation →

Interstellar travel: Raising children in space

BBC Future has an article looking at how living in space might effect humans and society, and asking, among other things, should we have babies in space? “Mars,” sang Sir Elton John in Rocket Man, “ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.” Sir Elton might be lacking in Nasa-related experience, but he had a … Continue reading Interstellar travel: Raising children in space →

Minimum crew size for an interstellar generation ship

John Hawks takes a look at a fascinating article in Popular Mechanics that looks at what the minimum crew size would need to be for an interstellar generation ship, and relates it to what is known about genetics in anthropology. Popular Mechanics asks, "How Many People Does It Take to Colonize Another Star System?". The basic problem … Continue reading Minimum crew size for an interstellar generation ship →

SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket

Recently, I've observed how the multistage rocket system probably isn't going anywhere and that the best approach might be to embrace it and make it work as effectively as possible.  I've noted the appeal of VTOL (vertical take off and landing) rocket. Well, it turns out SpaceX was way ahead of me on both points. … Continue reading SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket →

The hard working but unloved multi-stage rocket

If you've ever read about rocket technology, particularly the issues involved in how much fuel is needed to get somewhere, you quickly run into a stark reality.  The payload, the part of the rocket that you want to get somewhere, is inevitably a tiny portion of the size and weight of the rocket. The rest … Continue reading The hard working but unloved multi-stage rocket →

For interstellar travel, transmission is much cheaper

It will always be a lot cheaper to send a radio signal to an interstellar destination than any kind of physical presence.  Our discussion the other day on the difficulties of interstellar travel left me pondering this, something that is well known to astronomers and other thinkers in this area. Given sufficiently advanced technology, the … Continue reading For interstellar travel, transmission is much cheaper →

The struggling space age

The Washington Post has an interesting summary of the state of the space industry, contrasting the "New Space", private companies, with "Old Space", Nasa.  The article is interlaced with interesting photos and is well worth the time investment.  Another article on NBC talks about the White House's new space transportation policy. I'm a space enthusiast. … Continue reading The struggling space age →