Tag Archives: Mars

Climate Solutions, Earth and Ecology, Economics, Esoteric, Observation, Sustainable Energy

The Earthly Frontier: Building a Sustainable Future at Home

Solar Power: Harnessing Our Local Star

The pioneering spirit driving Elon Musk’s SpaceX to prepare for life on Mars is captivating, but a compelling alternative suggests we should use this same spirit to heal and nurture our home planet.

The sun, our local star, is central to this Earth-centric vision. According to NASA, Earth receives approximately 174 petawatts of incoming solar radiation in the upper atmosphere.

By efficiently harnessing just a fraction of this energy, we could significantly reduce our dependence on environmentally harmful fossil fuels.

Over the past decade, the cost of solar power has dramatically decreased and, with improvements in energy storage, (like Tesla’s Powerwall units, for example), solar energy is becoming a reliable, 24/7 power source.

Ephemeralization: Doing More with Less

However, the shift towards sustainable living extends beyond changing our energy source. This is where the principles of R. Buckminster Fuller, a visionary architect, systems theorist, author, designer, and inventor, come into play.

Fuller proposed the concept of “doing more with less,” forecasting a future where technological advancements lead to “ephemeralization,” a scenario in which we could fulfill everyone’s needs using fewer resources. This notion could help pave the way for a more environmentally sustainable world that also addresses issues of scarcity and inequality.

Building Efficiency: Embracing Integrative Design

Our journey towards a sustainable future is complemented by the principles of “integrative design,” a concept championed by Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Lovins’ approach focuses on a holistic systems design where individual components work together in synergy, maximizing energy and resource efficiency.

This concept applies prominently to building efficiency, an area where Lovins has made significant contributions. By considering elements such as orientation, insulation, window placement, and ventilation, buildings can be designed to maintain comfortable temperatures with minimal active heating or cooling.

This “passive house” approach dramatically reduces energy consumption, making buildings part of the climate solution rather than a source of the problem.

Lovins’ approach also applies to manufacturing and industry, which, together, account for over 40% of total U.S. energy consumption.

By redesigning industrial processes to minimize waste, utilize waste heat, and prioritize energy-efficient equipment, Lovins argues that industries can dramatically reduce their energy use without sacrificing output or quality.

Taken to the furthest logical conclusion, the principles of integrative design could revolutionize how we conceive of energy use across all sectors.

Circular Economy and Soil Regeneration: Emulating Nature’s Cycle

To create a genuinely sustainable society, we need to redefine our economic systems and our relationship with the land. Our shift must be from a linear economic model—where we extract, use, and discard resources—to a circular one that mimics nature’s endless cycles of growth, decay, and renewal.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has been instrumental in leading efforts to establish an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design.

A key part of this shift involves regenerating our agricultural systems. Soil health is vital for maintaining biodiversity, water quality, and carbon sequestration.

Regenerative agriculture, including practices like cover cropping, no-till farming, and composting, can restore soil health and enhance its capacity to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

According to the Rodale Institute, if current farmlands globally shifted to regenerative organic practices, it could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions. Transitioning towards such practices could significantly mitigate climate change and rejuvenate our food systems.

Economic Justice: Power to All

An Earth-centric future also calls for economic justice. In a world powered by the sun, where resources are used wisely, waste is minimized, and the soil is restored, basic needs—such as healthcare, education, and equal opportunity—could be universally provided.

Establishing these rights is not just about altruism—it’s about creating a society where every individual can fully contribute to the collective good.

Mars Can Wait, But Can Earth?

The dream of a city on Mars is undoubtedly inspiring, but we must not overlook the opportunities beneath our feet. Our planet is not merely a stepping stone to the stars; it is a star in its own right.

Mars can wait, but can the Earth? With the elements for a sustainable revolution already within our grasp, it’s up to us to weave them together, creating a future that embraces both sustainability and economic justice.

The Long Road to an Earthly Future

The real odyssey, the true journey that demands our audacity and pioneering spirit, lies not in the red sands of a distant planet or under the shadows of unfamiliar stars. Instead, it unravels here, beneath the azure sky and upon the rich, verdant expanses of our home, Earth.

This journey may be long and fraught with challenges. The road toward a sustainable, just, and abundant future will require us to reassess our values, reinvent our systems, and redefine our relationship with the environment.

It calls for us to weave together principles of ephemeralization, integrative design, circular economy, soil regeneration, and economic justice into the fabric of our societies.

Yet, even as we embark on this formidable quest, we should remember that the destination is not merely a point in the future. It is a process, a continuous evolution that offers us countless opportunities for growth, learning, and reinvention.

Every step we take towards this envisioned future—whether it’s a solar panel installed, a passive house built, or a plot of land regenerated—brings us closer to realizing our potential as a species.

Unlike the cold, alien landscapes of Mars, the Earth provides us with a setting that is intimately familiar yet brimming with untapped potential.

We have the knowledge, the technology, and the means. All we need now is the collective will to channel our exploratory spirit inward, to heal, nurture, and transform the world we already have.

So let the red planet wait. For now, we have an extraordinary world under our feet, a world that we are yet to fully comprehend and appreciate.

Our gaze should not be fixed on distant celestial bodies, but on the potential lying dormant in our societies and within ourselves. The future of humanity is not just out there in the cosmos, but also right here, on the third rock from the Sun. The Earth and its promise of a sustainable and equitable future, is real, and attainable.

Elon Musk, SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter

Why Elon Musk Really Bought Twitter V2

Straight from a follower named “Spam Bot” the real reason…

Yesterday we published a story featuring a theory floated by a lady who, apparently, worked for Tesla for a decade, who believes that Elon is a “humanist” and wants to save the planet and needs Twitter to help him better communicate his ideas and solutions. No, not reinstating Trump, but she claimed it was all about global warming.

Not long after that article hit the airwaves, “Spam Bot”, reacted and posted a message (see photo below) where he (or she? or they?) outlined what’s really goin’ on:

Here’s the posted text in its entirety:

“Elon’s plan will soon be clear. Setting aside the fact the guy is an Alien (he literally admitted it) the ultimate plan is frightening. Twitter is key.

He needed to get rid of the engineers to rewrite the app.

After the re-engineering Twitter will be re-coded to subliminally force everyone to either buy a Tesla, Cybertruck or generate an uncontrollable urge to get into a Boring company pod.

Then, using the vast Starlink constellation a signal will be sent and all the Teslas, trucks and Boring pods will suddenly lock trapping the passengers inside.

The controls will freeze and they will autonomously head to the nearest Starbase launch site where flamethrower bearing a highly advanced version of the recently previewed ‘Musk clone robots will force NeuraLink implants deep into each persons cerebral cortex and then send them, like lame zombie sheep into waiting Starships for the journey to Mars.

Controlling everyone via NeuraLink, humanity will quickly devolve into a slave species, serving the Mars overlords for all of eternity. (Except for brunette Goth virgins. Virgins will be celebrated as honored guests and taken to a great feast within the Martian temple.

Afterwards they will be stripped naked, tied up and boiled alive to be consumed by the festive Martians).

Earth will be plundered for its remaining natural resources and die off becoming just another sphere of lifeless space rock eventually breaking apart into smaller and smaller pieces until turning to dust, scattering, and finally leaving the galaxy to drift into the abyss. It’s all so clear – you just need to put the pieces together.”

The actual comment left on Flipboard

Ok, let’s all take a short pause to, um….

If anyone is offended (or frightened ) by that, apologies on behalf of Lynxotic. As a writer it is important to always have something to say. This, text, this outpouring of strung together amalgamation of brand names and alien motivations has rendered this scribe… almost speechless…

To unpack this, in spite of being dumbfounded, the first thing that comes to mind is that “Spam Bot” gives Elon too much credit. Sure, he has admitted to being an alien, yes he is the wealthiest person on the planet, sure, his companies do all seem to fit together in a neat little puzzle that could enable exactly such a scenario…. But, no, it is not likely (hahaha) that this scenario is true, at least not all of it.

Actually, the idea that it was Elon’s intention all along to fire nearly all of Twitter and the mass exodus was what he wanted all along, does kind of make sense. If he really does want to rebuild it from the ground up, what better way to get rid of nearly all the employees than to find a clever (?) way to get everyone to quit (without looking really bad for firing everyone just before the holidays) .

And it will be quite entertaining to see how this plays out. For example, as we note in a new article coming today, Mastodon is growing fast and there’s an interesting possibility that a migration en mass over there could be a major upgrade.

Maybe that was Elon’s plan all along!

Elon Musk’s Real Reason for Buying Twitter is…

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Hot-Lynx

Starlink @ 100K and Elon Musk is Tweeting the Milestone

Above: Photo Credit / Starlink

Starlink is way out ahead of the pack, which simultaneously grows in its shadow

The SpaceX’s Starklink satellite internet service has hit a milestone and Elon Musk took to Twitter to share the news. He confirmed that 100,000 terminals have been shipped out. According to an article from Slash Gear there are also more than half a million people on the waitlist globally.

This is all happening at a time when SpaceX is under siege from Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin and potential rivals are launching their own satellites to try and catch up. Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is going public and hopes to launch satellites for iOT connectivity, while OneWeb recently launched 34 internet satellites into space, while Amazon’s “kuiper” system is still planning its launches to proceed.

100K is huge considering the satellite launches only began back in November 2019 and the initial beta program was only available for select customers a year later.

Starlink’s main goal, also mentioned in Musk’s tweet is for the company to go global and serve the whole world. Currently, service is available for 14 countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria, Netherlands, India, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

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Science, Tech

Does Elon Musk have two Plans to Save Humanity?

Video
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1364905536194572289/pu/vid/640x640/rd4iQkl-Xvef86HI.mp4?tag=10

Having two plans to save the world, and being Elon Musk, the questions are fascinating and a bit bizarre

It was bound to happen, sooner or later. So many fantastic triumphs over evil – starting a company with a goal of accelerating sustainable energy and transportation. And then , not only succeeding at that but challenging the fossil fuel industrial complex, beating them, then basically forcing the major automakers across the globe to finally make the shift into all electric vehicles.

And SpaceX, though launching rockets is a messy thing, at least the Starlink Satellite Broadband internet project is something that will help humans all over the earth to decentralize, potentially a much needed option, if or when the coastlines begin to shrink and overpopulated coastal megalopolises are at the bottom of the ocean.

Forever win streak has an end in sight?

But Mars? There are some questions about that. For example, if the Earth rescue is so important, and if it succeeds (please!) then why would anyone want to live in a place like Mars?

Elon Musk replies cryptically to this lovely Mars Clip

As Shannon Stirone wrote in the Atlantic this week: Mars Is a Hellhole. And further: Colonizing the red planet is a ridiculous way to help humanity. Ok. There are issues. It’s a bit cold, an average surface temperature is a deadly 80 degrees below zero according to the article. Wow, and it has no magnetic field to help protect its surface from radiation from the sun or galactic cosmic rays; it has no breathable air.

Those are all enough for anyone to want to double down on the whole “let’s fix the earth” thing.

Unless…. Musk being the genius that he is, could it be that he is hedging his bets? Has he basically already decided that this whole Climate Change thing has already gone too far? And Earth is beyond saving?

Others have pointed out that by putting even a tiny fraction less effort into saving this planet in order to try and colonize another one, one that is 3.7 billion miles away, btw, could jeopardize the slim chance still there that climate change can be slowed, stopped, even reversed before it’s too late.

A list of goals and accomplishments that dovetail nicely into a world saved, or?

So what is the Mars thing really about then? I have to be honest it might be just fine. Give “Emperor Elan” the benefit of the doubt. Tesla’s are damn S3XY and they are also a perfect first step into transforming the world transportation and even energy generation and storage into something sustainable, and that’s downright perfect: utopia and having the time of your life all at once.

So, why not just throw in Mars and a nice little colony there, just for kicks? The whole mental-telepathy, Neurallink, thing, that’s gotta be useful too and, along with AI and Hyper-loop, let’s do it all, shall we?

Perhaps it does all fit together in some way that is invisible to the rest of us. Why, when Earth seems to need all our attention, particularly with political inaction and even obfuscation and attempted sabotage of the paths to a green future, why put so much into Mars right now?

Hopefully the answer is right around the corner, or at least less than 3.7 billion miles away.

source: twitter @RationalEtienne

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News, Science, Videos

NASA shares the Perseverance Rover’s epic arrival on Mars: video landing and even audio

Video

Above: Photo / NASA

Never before seen footage of rover descended through the Martian atmosphere 

Courtesy of NASA, now everyone can see firsthand how the Perseverance Mars Rover landed on the red planet. Launch in July of 2020 it reached it final destination on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at the landing site in Jezero Crater. 

https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1363899413450661899/vid/1280x720/n65fnFHX0GTEt5Mb.mp4?tag=13

The video of the landing has already provided what were, undoubtedly, some of the most iconic visuals we have seen in the history of space exploration.  Yet the Perseverance is only just getting started as its primary mission will be to search for signs of life (or rather to find out if remnants of past microbial life prove that it ever existed). 

Jezero Crater / NASA

In a press conference,  Michael Watkins the director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said: 

“This is the first time we’ve been able to actually capture an event like the landing of a spacecraft on Mars,” he continued,  “We will learn something by looking at the performance of the vehicle in these videos. But a lot of it is also to bring you along on our journey, our touchdown to Mars, and of course, our surface mission as well. These are really amazing videos.”

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In addition to the impressive photos that the cameras on the Mars rover has taken thus far, it also was equipped with two microphones that was able to capture the sounds of the wind blowing on the surface of Mars that you can listen to via soundcloud. 

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Books, Esoteric, Science, UFOs

Truths about Extraterrestrial Life and the Mysteries of Interplanetary Visitors

A gradual shift is happening; toward a lack of disbelief regarding interplanetary visitors

With all the recent stories about UFO’s and Aliens in the media these days, there’s a feeling in the air that it’s not as far fetched as many once believed that they could be present in our world or at least in contact in some form. Israel’s Professor Haim Eshed’s recent interviews as well as various US based witnesses have begun to put forth the simple yet compelling idea that Aliens have been known of by governments, and others, for decades, and have held off on divulging what they know while they wait for the right moment. When the public is “ready”. Interestingly, there is also the sense in the air that the “right time” might be coming soon.

Maybe it’s partially due to having had a President that has “unusual” ideas about medicine and windmills and various other topics. Why not just let the people know everything the government is hiding? Or maybe it really is something that can no longer be kept from the public for other reasons.

These books can shed light on deeply considered questions and theories for those that want to know what’s out there, ahead of any forthcoming announcements.

Beyond Area 51: The Mysteries of the Planet’s Most Forbidden, Top Secret Destinations

Click here to see “Beyond Area 51”
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Also available on Amazon.

The truth can’t be hidden forever. Unlock the secrets of Earth’s top secret destinations–including Area 51 and more.

Few have ventured into the many heavily guarded, top-secret locations scattered across the earth. Even fewer have emerged with stories to tell. Yet every now and then the common man is given an illicit glimpse of something extraordinary…

 In Beyond Area 51, Mack Maloney explores the truths behind the many myths and legends surrounding some of the world’s most mysterious locales. From the Homestead Air Force base in Miami, Florida to Russia’s Kapustin Yar, Maloney investigates incredible reports of extraterrestrial experimentation on animals, UFOs with road rage, and other unbelievable tales beyond our wildest imaginings. Filled with fascinating, true accounts, Beyond Area 51 will convince any skeptic of the infinite possibilities of what exists on, and beyond, our tiny planet. Click here to see “Beyond Area 51” and help indepe

The Stargate Conspiracy: The Truth about Extraterrestrial Life and the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt

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In recent years, alternative historians have gained remarkable insight into the mysteries of ancient Egypt–but according to Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, their discoveries tie into a dangerous conspiracy nearly fifty years in the making

.At the center of this conspiracy is a group of respected, powerful individuals who believe that the ancient Egyptian gods are really extraterrestrials who will soon return to earth. The conspirators have intimate and exclusive knowledge of this momentous second coming–but they insist on keeping it to themselves. What could be the purpose of such a conspiracy? Why are the conspirators so desperate to keep their information a secret? And what does it mean for mankind? In this riveting, well-researched book, Picknett and Price offer compelling evidence that the conspiracy exists–and expose the insidious motivations of the individuals and organizations behind it….Click here to see “Stargate Conspiracy” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon.

The Source Field Investigations: The Hidden Science and Lost Civilizations Behind the 2012 Prophecies

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Prepare yourself for a revealing tour through the most incredible scientific mysteries of the world with your guide David Wilcock, the New York Timesbestselling author of Awakening in the Dream.More than two million people have seen David Wilcock’s incredible tour of the 2012 prophecies in his Internet documentary, The 2012 Enigma.

Now, he expands his vision with a cutting-edge investigation into alternative sciences with deep insights into what is coming in our immediate future. A stunning synthesis of hidden science and lost prophecies, The Source Field Investigations exposes DNA transformation, wormholes, ancient conspiracies, the Maya calendar, and a new model of galactic energy fields triggering mental, biological, and spiritual evolution. Unlike the apocalyptic viewpoints depicted in big-budget disaster films, Wilcock believes that 2012 will be a watermark for widespread acceptance of a greater reality–and here, he lays out the blueprints for such a Golden Age. Click here to see “Source Field Investigations” and help independent bookstores. Also available on Amazon

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Cutting Edge, Lifestyle, News

Christmas Star: alignment of Jupiter and Saturn will be closest in 800 years

Photo / NASA

Coming a few days before Christmas this year, Jupiter and Saturn will appear within a hair’s breadth of one-another to the naked eye

Although most of us consider this to be one of the worst, if not the worst, year that we are aware of, it may close out with something miraculous. If you take the time to gaze heavenward on December 21st,, just after sunset, you might see it: A Christmas Star.

Already in early December the two giant orbs can be seen ever so gradually nearing each other, as if they are feeling some sort of mutual attraction, an odd couple. perhaps, Jupiter and Saturn.

And, according to celestial experts at NASA, they will continue to converge until they appear nearly co-joined: just 1/10th of a degree apart, with a barley perceptible gap in-between.

It was in 1226 that this could last have been witnessed

Though these couplings are known to occur in intervals of roughly 20 years, this year they will be the closest they have been to each other since 1623. In that year, however, they were too near the sun to look at, and because this year the event will take place on the winter solstice, you’d have to go all the way back to 1221 for a similar show. 

These two spectacular giants, which are the largest in the entire solar system, each with a personality, astrologically speaking, so divergent that they are said to be more like opposites, rather than twins or lovers. 

Jupiter, a king and believed to be bringer of good fortune, looks the part in a spectacular explosion of color and power, planet of miracles, hope, and opportunity. 

Saturn, meanwhile appears mysterious, unpredictable, even dangerous. Saturn has an air of the impossible and the forbidden. Best known, in astrological circles, for the so-called “quarter-life crisis” and for unexpected challenges to the status-quo. 

Across the USA,  a view of the two planets coming into near-alignment is going to be most visible and best viewed,  just after sunset, in the southwestern part of the sky.

In a glimpse into the relativity of all things in the universe, though this duo will appear to be close together — resembling a double star or a gleaming figure 8 shaped blob, the two planets will not , in reality, be that close. 

They will actually be more than 400 million miles apart. It is only from our lonely vantage on this little blue planet that they will appear to be “close” to each other.

Since it will be 2080 before a similar spectacle will grace our view, and that means that all but those who are currently quite young will not likely be alive, it is imperative to search the southwestern sky (from the USA) both the day before, after and of course on December 21st: as this is a rare opportunity to witness a spectacular and special event, and a last chance to do so for a long, long time to come. 

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Books, Esoteric

Strawberry Moon Eclipse Tonight Has Mars Red Energy to Spare

The Strawberry Moon is set to take place Friday night which will bring a penumbral lunar eclipse which is when the Sun, Earth and Moon are imperfectly aligned. The moon will appear slightly darker than usual around some parts of the world as the moon will be passing through parts of the Earth’s outer shadow.

According to Susan Miller of Astrology Zone:

“The news on television has been heavy and sad, and I wrote slower as a result. We are now starting three eclipses, each two weeks apart, June 5, June 21, and July 4-5. Eclipses demand change on a personal and societal level. With an eclipse coming on July 4, I feel my country, the US, will still have something more to go through. Eclipses enlighten us with a floodlight of truth, so that we can see all that we had been too blind to see. The coming two months will have lots more news, so we are only at the beginning.”

susan miller / astrology zone

This will also be the last full moon of the spring season. The moon will appear full for approximately three days from early morning Thursday June 4th to early morning Sunday June 7th.

Read More: SpaceX Starship Plans for The Moon, Mars and Earth-to-Earth Transport

According to NASA, the Algonquin tribes called the June full moon the “Strawberry Moon” based on the short season for harvesting strawberries in the north-eastern region of the United States. Other old European names for the moon have been referred to as the Mead or Honey Moon when honey was the most ripe and sweet for harvest.

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The eclipse will begin 1:45 p.m. ET and last around three hours and 18 minutes until 5:04 p.m. ET and can be most visible in Eastern Africa, the Middle East, Southern Asia and Australia. Those in New York can see the full moon set around 5:17 a.m. local time and will rise that day at 8:29 p.m. The Strawberry Moon eclipse is just one of the three eclipses to take place in June and July, with the annular solar eclipse (Ring of Fire) on June 21, 2020 and another penumbral lunar eclipse (Thunder Moon) on July 4, 2020.

The Strawberry Moon is only a partial penumbral lunar eclipse as only a portion of the full Moon will drift into Earth’s shadow, the next total lunar eclipse won’t happen again until March 16, 2128.

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Cutting Edge, Tech

SpaceX Starship Plans for The Moon, Mars and Earth-to-Earth Transport

Video
https://www.spacex.com/media/Website_TankerDock.mp4
video animation showing Video clip showing Starship tanker vehicle (essentially the Starship spacecraft minus the windows)

In a recent update to the SpaceX web site, Elon Musk and crew added some detail and updates to the plans for passenger and satellite cargo travel using its developing rocket tech. Naturally both SpaceX Starlink Satellite Launches and work for hire missions for NASA and others have been happening on a regular basis.

All of these and other projects also all serve to push the development of the systems for longer term projects, goals and plans.

https://www.spacex.com/media/mission_reusability.mp4
Video showing REUSABILITY – While most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, SpaceX rockets can not only withstand reentry but can also successfully land back on Earth and refly again.

“You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great – and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.”

— ELON MUSK, SPACEX

One that has a specific stated timeline is the Private Lunar Mission. First announced in the fall of 2018, Japanese fashion billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa has purchased the fist ticket to orbit the moon on a SpaceX flight. The undisclosed price of the ticket will help fund the ongoing project to perfect the Starship and it’s rocket booster side-kick Super Heavy (formerly known as BFR) which, together, represent a reusable transportation system that SpaceX hopes will, one day soon, take passengers into orbit and on interplanetary missions.

Diagram / SpaceX

Those missions, starting with the week-long moon mission for Maezawa, will eventually include the first manned mission to Mars, with an inaugural flight currently projected to happen by 2024. An initial cargo only flight is penciled in for 2022.

https://www.spacex.com/media/WebsiteStarshipStack_Anim_Render_Desktop.mp4
video animation showing the Starship Features and Design

Challenges A-plenty for Decades

Elon and SpaceX are certainly aware of the challenges of these incredibly ambitious plans and accelerated timelines.

https://www.spacex.com/media/DragonTrunk_Animation_Render_Desktop.mp4
video animation: The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth, and will soon become the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station.

The website details the plan for the potentially treacherous landing sequence once the Starship actually reaches Mars. This includes an entry into the Mars atmosphere, never before breached by a human, at 7.5 kilometers per second. These video simulations show the ideal plan for the Starship to conquer this task.

Earth to Earth Transportation System

The team of Starship and Super Heavy are also part of a planned Earth to Earth transportation system for long distance travel around the globe. With the advantages of leaving the earth’s atmosphere (for a short time based on the incredible speed of the system) where there is little to no friction and no weather or turbulence.

As can be seen in the table below, the average intercontinental commercial jet flight, such as London to Hong Kong, that currently takes 12 in-flight hours, would be reduced to 35 minutes. Basically this would mean that any distance on earth could be reached in an hour or less.

ROUTEDISTANCECOMMERCIAL AIRLINESTARSHIP
LOS ANGELES TO NEW YORK3,983km5 hours, 25 min25 min
BANGKOK TO DUBAI4,909km6 hours, 25 min27 min
TOKYO TO SINGAPORE5,350km7 hours, 10 min28 min
LONDON TO NEW YORK5,555km7 hours, 55 min29 min
NEW YORK TO PARIS5,849km7 hours, 20 min30 min
SYDNEY TO SINGAPORE6,288km8 hours, 20 min31 min
LOS ANGELES TO LONDON8,781km10 hours, 30 min32 min
LONDON TO HONG KONG9,648km11 hours, 50 min34 min

“Rocket-lag” vs. Jet-lag, that’s a topic for a whole other article.

With all these plans, in addition to the missions to and from the space station and trips to host various payloads, it begs the question, what was NASA doing during the years from 1972, when the last moon mission was completed, until SpaceX was first contracted to assist.

And with all the private space exploration companies vying for position and invested in by both public and private funding, will this push be sustained throughout the 2020s?

With the Global Climate Crisis looming and various governments and private behemoths showing little regard for cooperation or or philanthropic behavior, the outcome and timeline of off-earth projects seem almost certain to be impacted by terrestrial obstacles, virtually every step of the way.

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News, Tech

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Captures Incredible Panorama at 1.8 Billion Pixels and Names new Mars 2020 Rover

The most detailed views to date from Mars is here

Photo Image Courtesy of NASA – Curiosity Mars Rover – Highest resolution available – here –

Curiosity, NASA’s Mars rover first landed on the planet and has been there  since 2004 and has taken many images of the Martian surface. None have come close to the details the rover was able to capture and NASA released March 4th, 2020. The largest and highest resolution images ever taken by the Curiosity rover is comprised of over 1,000 individual images from the Mast Camera that spanned four days and six and a half hours of footage between November 24th and December 1st of 2019. To ensure consistent lighting the collection of images were only captured each day between 12-2 p.m. Mars time.

NASA Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada guides this tour of the rover’s view of the Martian surface

The main role of the Mast Camera is to take color images and video footage of surfaces and overall terrain ahead of the rover in Mars. The images are then able to be configured to create panoramas of the landscape. Which can be seen by the image NASA released  of the 1.8 billion pixel panorama. 

“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes.

This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.” 

-Ashwin Vasavada/ Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Panoramas shows “Glen Torridon” a region near Mount Sharp where Curiosity has  been exploring. The 360 view the camera was able to obtain gives scientists a little window to another world.  Even after seven years on the Red Planet – the mission to exploring Mars has just begun.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover produced this 360-degree panorama of “Glen Torridon,” a region on the side of Mount Sharp.

Mars 2020 Rover has a Name!

The next rover is set to land on Mars, February 18th, 2021 and NASA has just come up with its name…. PERSEVERANCE

Beautiful Images and Getting Better with Higher Resolution

From NASA: “In 2013, Curiosity produced a 1.3-billion-pixel panorama using both Mastcam cameras; its black-and-white Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, provided images of the rover itself. Imaging specialists carefully assemble Mars panoramas by creating mosaics composed of individual pictures and blending their edges to create a seamless look.”

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Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego built and operates Curiosity’s Mastcam. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington and built the Navigation Cameras and the rover.

“While many on our team were at home enjoying turkey, Curiosity produced this feast for the eyes,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which leads the Curiosity rover mission. “This is the first time during the mission we’ve dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama.”

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Tech

SpaceX Starship Aims for Suborbital Test Flight as Early as March

Photo / SpaceX

SpaceX is currently working around the clock to prepare its Starship rocket for its first suborbital test flight and, based on the production progress shared on Twitter, it could be happening in the very near future. In the beginning of February, Musk invited via social media all eligible applicants to attend a “Starship Career Day”, and called for a massive ramp up of staffing for production shifts – having teams work day and night in order to work 24/7 on the project.

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The career invitation targeted individuals in operations and engineering as well as supervisors and support personnel. Musk tweeted, “A super hardcore work ethic, talent for building things, common sense & trustworthiness are required, the rest we can train.” 

Elon Musk shared a tweet from the SpaceX development facility in Boca Chica, Texas showing a video of production for the rocket nose cone. The glimpse of the nearly completed nose cone reveals that the next Starship prototype test flight is fast approaching and presumably set for the upcoming Starship vehicle, SN1 (serial number 1). 

Another tweet, shows a video by Musk of the Starship high bay. According to NASA Spaceflight, the stacking for the Starship SN1 has already begun. The vehicle is to be assembled in smaller segments and then welded all together during the final assembly process. The hope is to have the entire vehicle stacked and moved by the end of the month to stay on track for a mid March launch.

Last year, the earlier prototype, “Starhopper” was seen near the Texas coast and rose nearly 150 meters (492 feet). The upcoming suborbital test flight called SN1 could reach heights of about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) and may launch as early as mid March 2020, per FCC filings.   

SpaceX teams are working hard to reach the end game for the Starship which is designed for Earth orbit, moon missions and eventually to go all the way to Mars. 

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