make it rain
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
April 9, 2024
Moon's Shadow over Lake Magog
Captured in this snapshot, the shadow of the Moon came to Lake Magog, Quebec, North America, planet Earth on April 8. For the lakeside eclipse chasers, the much anticipated total solar eclipse was a spectacle to behold in briefly dark, but clear skies. Of course Lake Magog was one of the last places to be visited by the Moon's shadow. The narrow path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse swept from Mexico's Pacific Coast north and eastward through the US and Canada. But a partial eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?
Total solar eclipse 2024: Pictures from around the web
April 8, 2024
The highly anticipated total solar eclipse is here and we're rounding up the best images of the phenomenon from across the web and social media. Here is where you'll find the first and the latest eclipse images, as they come in.
The path of totality will cover parts of Mexico, America and Canada. For more information on the event, you can check out our Total Solar Eclipse Guide or our live blog for regular updates, as they happen. If you would like to, you can also share your images with us by emailing them to spacephotos@space.com.
cont.
https://www.space.com/total-solar-eclipse-2024-photos-from-the-web
Sierra Space completes first flight tests of Ghost cargo spacecraft
2024-04-09
Sierra Space has completed the first test of its logistics spacecraft, the Sierra Space Ghost. This solution aims to deliver critical defense supplies to any location on Earth within 90 minutes.
Sierra Space’s Axelerator incubator program has developed a new system called Ghost, which includes a deployable decelerator to protect a pre-staged payload during re-entry from orbit. This system is designed to last five years while in orbit and is equipped with pre-determined supplies that can be quickly reoriented for targeted re-entry.
With this new technology, operators on the ground could order pre-staged supplies already in an on-orbit inventory or positioned with rapid launch capability and deploy them down to Earth within 100 yards (90 meters) of where they are needed.
“As we continue to innovate at speed, this test enables us to build, test, learn and accelerate the development of a revolutionary new operational asset for national security,” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space. “We envision having an inventory of Sierra Space Ghost vehicles strategically positioned and readily accessible and deployable within 90 minutes to critical locations anywhere on Earth.”
The recent testing campaign included dropping the Ghost in three different configurations from up to 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) using a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
In the initial test, the system was deliberately dropped without a parachute to calculate the impact force. After witnessing tumbling during the first drop, modifications were made before proceeding to the next test. The second test involved a parachute, with the objective of achieving a precise landing to comprehend flight dynamics and speeds. The final experiment showcases the Ghost’s return capability by separating the shield portion from the payload portion mid-flight.
The next stage of the tests will be to develop the operational infrastructure and architecture, communication systems, and data recording to ensure seamless spacecraft operations.
Space, the next frontier for cargo?
Using space as a channel for rapidly transporting critical military assets is not a new idea. In the 1950s, NASA’s ambitious Project Icarus (later renamed Ithacus) imagined using a rocket “capable of carrying 1,200 troops to any trouble spot on Earth in 45 minutes.”
More recently, the US Department of Defense has shown interest in the potential to use the SpaceX Starship rocket as a point-to-point cargo vehicle. The US Air Force Research Laboratory (ARFL) awarded Elon Musk’s company a $102 million contract to explore these applications.
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/sierra-space-ghost-flight-tests
Autonomous vertical farming startup to grow crops in space in 2026
April 9, 2024 - 2:24 pm
A vertical farming startup from the UK is taking its technology to new heights.
The UK Space Agency has awarded Vertical Future £1.5mn to build an autonomous farm in orbit. The high-tech veggie garden will be installed on the world’s first commercial space station.
Currently being constructed by US-based Axiom Space, the station is due to open its doors to eager astronauts in 2026.
Space stations are an ideal testing ground for growing fruit, veggies, and even pharmaceuticals in microgravity. The lessons learnt here will likely be critical to feeding hungry humans once (if?) we set up shop on the Moon or Mars.
“The further we go into space, the more we will need to produce while we’re there, be it food, biomaterials, or medicines,” Dr Jen Bromley, chief scientific officer at Vertical Future, told TNW. “Plant-growing facilities are seen as a part of the solution.”
Headquartered in London, Vertical Future designs, manufactures, and deploys fully-robotic vertical farms. The plants are grown under LED lights in metal boxes stacked on a shelving system towering several metres high.
Robots — capable of moving up and down and left to right — keep the crops healthy. Everything from seed treatment to harvesting is fully automated.
Adapting the farms for space
In space, Vertical Future’s system will need to overcome a whole new set of challenges. “The main issue is watering and feeding [the plants],” said Bromley. “In microgravity, any fluid movement needs to be carefully controlled as water doesn’t pool the same way it does on Earth.”
Vertical Future is exploring using a kind of “pillow” that will safely contain the liquid for use by the plants. This builds upon previous research at NASA where astronauts manually injected the pillows with fertirrigant (fertiliser mixed with water). The startup will now work on automating the process.
Astronauts have been experimenting with growing plants in space for decades, although these efforts have remained small-scale. Right now on the international space station (ISS), the crew receive regular shipments of freeze-dried meals to cover their dietary needs.
But when astronauts venture further into space — travelling for months or years — the vitamins in prepackaged foods will break down, presenting a problem for their health. Freshly grown fresh fruits and vegetables are the only viable solution.
“Plants are not just important for astronaut nutrition, there is a proven psychological benefit to eating fresh produce,” Bromley points out. “The experience of texture and flavours from fresh food cannot be underestimated for astronaut well-being. As we travel further and spend longer in space that is critical.”
Vertical Future will build the first space farm prototype this year. It plans to test the system at the ISS next year prior to deployment at the new commercial space station the year after.
Making vertical farming work on Earth
Vertical farming was all the rage a few years back. Startups promised a future where food could be produced locally and more sustainably. Investors rushed in to take their slice of the plant-based pie.
Last year, however, investment in vertical farming was a fraction of what it was just three years prior: €100mn, compared to over €500mn back in 2020, according to Pitchbook data.
While vertical farms are admittedly a great idea, the costs in both money and energy are still high compared to traditional agriculture. For this reason, even today only a tiny fraction of the foods you eat daily are grown in vertical farms.
Vertical Future used to just grow crops and sell them to restaurants and supermarkets but it wasn’t profitable so they pivoted. Now, the company focuses on selling the growing towers. Anyone from supermarkets to pharmaceutical companies can buy them.
The company believes the outcome of its space-farm mission will provide valuable lessons for growing crops back on Earth. From footwear and the computer mouse to smoke detectors and even treatments for cancer, experiments in space have long proven that solving problems can sometimes benefit from a bit of — pun intended — rocket science.
https://thenextweb.com/news/vertical-future-farming-startup-grow-crops-axiom-space-station
Spaceship Spotted on Indiana Interstate Really Gets Around and Has a Fun History
April 8, 2024
On Monday, April 8th, I never once saw anyone driving a Mitsubishi Eclipse. I had planned to chew Eclipse Gum during the event but left it at home on the table. I did, however, play "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler; one out of three ain't bad.
But even if ALL of that had come to pass, I still wouldn't have held a candle to a certain Hoosier motorist who went all out for Total Solar Eclipse Day. I doubt anyone was cruising the Indiana roadways with a more appropriate vehicle than this:
Now THAT'S the ride you take for a spin when there's a total solar eclipse. But Monday, April 8th wasn't its only day to shine. A glance at the comment section will tell that tale; this "driving saucer" makes the rounds. And the following post proves this thing has stamina. Here it was cruising Indianapolis eight years ago:
So, what possesses someone to create a street-legal UFO or spaceship car? Well, in the case of Steve Anderson, it was simple inspiration. It was a toy that gave birth to the idea of converting a 1991 Geo Metro into a working space mobile. And that inspiration was hardly random. Andersonwho passed away in 2020was quite the collector. A toy that inspired a spaceship, as you will see, can't be surprising with this guy:
Like that toy, the former proprietor of A-OK Hardware in Indianapoliswho must have bequeathed his creation to a loved one, or else we wouldn't have seen it todayis ALSO an inspiration. Amongst all the unique items in his collection, he looked at a toy spaceship and thought, "You know what? I can make one of these things to drive."
He realized he could do something and then just did it. Inspiration caught, as far as I'm concerned.
https://wbkr.com/spaceship-on-indiana-highway/