Reaching Earth's low orbit is not safe at all. In fact, it is one of the most dangerous parts of the expedition and astronauts really fear it. The reason is simple. We just have to look at the video
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Monday, 31 May 2010
Why is space exploration important?
Nowadays a lot of people ask why should we keep on spending such a big quantity of money on space exploration. It may seem a nosense to look at other worlds while ours is seriously damaged. However, the real fact is that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
It is easy to demonstrate it, we should just take into account that there are lots of devices we couldn't live without. Here we have a small list in which we can see some essential objects for our life:
It is easy to demonstrate it, we should just take into account that there are lots of devices we couldn't live without. Here we have a small list in which we can see some essential objects for our life:
1.Calculators
2.Cell phones
3.Digital wristwatches
4.GPS finders
5.Infrared cameras
6.Laser surgery
7.Materials used in running shoes
8.Pace maker batteries
9.Personal computers
10.Radiation-blocking sunglasses
11.Satellite TV
2.Cell phones
3.Digital wristwatches
4.GPS finders
5.Infrared cameras
6.Laser surgery
7.Materials used in running shoes
8.Pace maker batteries
9.Personal computers
10.Radiation-blocking sunglasses
11.Satellite TV
12.Water-purification systems
Given this useful list, I think we ought to ask ourselves a simple question. Do these things compensate a space exploration?
It is not a matter of curiosity, or of awareness of our role in the space (which might be a good argument), but of comfortability of our society.
Japanese robotic lunar base
The country of the rising sun is bound to combine the two main projects of future, robotics and space exploration, in one single mission. If Japanes PM Yukio Hatoyama realizes his will to create a colony made up by humanoid robots will be built on the Moon surface by 2015. Japan will have to invest $2.2 million with the aim of accomplishing scientific research and collecting necessary data for the future human colonization.
The base will be set up near the south pole because of the good conditions in that location: solar power, moderate temperatures... As a leading country in Artificial Intelligence, Japan has made a big effort in innovative technology so that the robots can be given enough autonomy to investigate Moon's surface by themselves, though their activity will be controlled from Earth.
Several nations have recently announced their interest in our satellite. There is plenty of helium in the Moon. This a very safe and ecofriendly resource that produces a lot of energy. It is a great leap for Japan. The hegemony of Russia and US in the sapce race doesn't exist any longer as the EU, Japan, India and China are developing their own programmes.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Man on the moon - R.E.M.
This song makes a reference to the Moon Landing Conspiracy Theory, and therefore we think that it would be a good idea to take a look at it
Did we really reach the moon?
40 years ago, the whole world was excited because of the arrival of the mankind to the moon. Almost every single human being was proud of the amazing accomplishment science had achieved. However, nowadays there is some people who seriously doubt whether we really reached the moon or not. In this article, we are going to examine the arguments in favour and against this fact.
According to http://www.apfn.org/apfn/moon.htm these are the reasons not to believe the human lunar landing.
1. Apollo 14 astronaut Allen Shepard played golf on the Moon. In front of a worldwide TV audience, Mission Control teased him about slicing the ball to the right. Yet a slice is caused by uneven air flow over the ball. The Moon has no atmosphere and no air.
2. A camera panned upwards to catch Apollo 16's Lunar Landerlifting off the Moon. Who did the filming?
3. One NASA picture from Apollo 11 is looking up at Neil Armstrong about to take his giant step for mankind. The photographer must have been lying on the planet surface. If Armstrong was the first man on the Moon, then who took the shot?
4. The pressure inside a space suit was greater than inside a football. The astronauts should have been puffed out like the Michelin Man, but were seen freely bending their joints.
5. The Moon landings took place during the Cold War. Why didn't America make a signal on the moon that could be seen from earth? The PR would have been phenomenal and it could have been easily done with magnesium flares.
6. Text from pictures in the article said that only two men walked on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. Yet the astronaut reflected in the visor has no camera. Who took the shot?
7. The flags shadow goes behind the rock so doesn't match the dark line in the foreground, which looks like a line cord. So the shadow to the lower right of the spaceman must be the flag. Where is his shadow? And why is the flag fluttering if there is no air or wind on the moon?
8. How can the flag be brightly lit when its side is to the light? And where, in all of these shots, are the stars?
9. The Lander weighed 17 tons yet the astronauts feet seem to have made a bigger dent in the dust. The powerful booster rocket at the base of the Lunar Lander was fired to slow descent to the moons service. Yet it has left no traces of blasting on the dust underneath. It should have created a small crater, yet the booster looks like it's never been fired.
According to http://www.apfn.org/apfn/moon.htm these are the reasons not to believe the human lunar landing.
1. Apollo 14 astronaut Allen Shepard played golf on the Moon. In front of a worldwide TV audience, Mission Control teased him about slicing the ball to the right. Yet a slice is caused by uneven air flow over the ball. The Moon has no atmosphere and no air.
2. A camera panned upwards to catch Apollo 16's Lunar Landerlifting off the Moon. Who did the filming?
3. One NASA picture from Apollo 11 is looking up at Neil Armstrong about to take his giant step for mankind. The photographer must have been lying on the planet surface. If Armstrong was the first man on the Moon, then who took the shot?
4. The pressure inside a space suit was greater than inside a football. The astronauts should have been puffed out like the Michelin Man, but were seen freely bending their joints.
5. The Moon landings took place during the Cold War. Why didn't America make a signal on the moon that could be seen from earth? The PR would have been phenomenal and it could have been easily done with magnesium flares.
6. Text from pictures in the article said that only two men walked on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. Yet the astronaut reflected in the visor has no camera. Who took the shot?
7. The flags shadow goes behind the rock so doesn't match the dark line in the foreground, which looks like a line cord. So the shadow to the lower right of the spaceman must be the flag. Where is his shadow? And why is the flag fluttering if there is no air or wind on the moon?
8. How can the flag be brightly lit when its side is to the light? And where, in all of these shots, are the stars?
9. The Lander weighed 17 tons yet the astronauts feet seem to have made a bigger dent in the dust. The powerful booster rocket at the base of the Lunar Lander was fired to slow descent to the moons service. Yet it has left no traces of blasting on the dust underneath. It should have created a small crater, yet the booster looks like it's never been fired.
However, these theories have been refuted by the NASA. If you want to see them, here you have a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_conspiracy
Monday, 10 May 2010
INTRODUCTION TO SPACE
Space is not as far away as you probably expected. If you take a look at the picture on the left you´ll find that astronauts don't usually go further than 500km. For example the international space station orbits around th Earth at 350km (which is nearer than Madrid to Bilbao).Many people wonder why governments spend so much money on this. It is not because of a strange expansionst aim, but of the existance of positive reasons. For instance, space is a very good place to develop medecins as there is no gravity. Besides, space exploration allows us to accomplish many developments in technology such as GPS.
The space race began in early 40´s and it has been very tense. For decades it has been a source of conflict between the USA and the USSR. Due to their antagonism they wanted to gain more prestige than each other and so they began to discover what the space is like. Thanks to this dispute, mankind reached the moon.
This desire of knowing more about space has lead us to our current plans, which consist in returning to the Moon and sending a manned expedition to Mars. In this blog we will take a look to all these topics.
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