DailyDirt: To Space And Back
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
The biggest challenge to modern space exploration isn't figuring out how to do it, it's marshalling the necessary resources and support — especially for cash-strapped government agencies like NASA. Here are just a few of the latest ways that people are working to make space a little more accessible (and a little more popular).
- SpaceX has successfully tested a recoverable rocket booster that could shave millions off the cost of a space launch. The booster delivered cargo to the ISS then performed a controlled ocean landing, leaving it intact for re-use. [url]
- NASA's ongoing efforts to drum up space-excitement via social media have garnered this Tron-like crowdsourced design for a new spacesuit prototype. The agency's many PR programs are hit-and-miss, but the new suit does look pretty damn cool. [url]
- A 2008 project where Japanese children sent cherry seeds into space has resulted in something of a minor mystery, with the resultant trees blooming years ahead of schedule. The experiment wasn't strictly scientific, but the results still defy explanation, and remind us that there are still a lot of simple things we don't know about space — and plenty of reasons to keep going back. [url]
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Filed Under: exploration, nasa, space
Companies: spacex
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If you are talking about human occupied mission(s) beyond the moon, then yes it is all about how to do it. There are so many technical hurdles yet to be overcome that any such mission would certainly result in loss of life. But why bother when robots are quite sufficient for the task at hand.
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