Category: Blog

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Keep your eyes up (SpaceX Demo-2)

A year and a couple months ago, I wrote  about the SpaceX Demo-1 mission and why it was so important. That mission successfully sent an uncrewed Crew Dragon capsule to the ISS and returned it to Earth. Then, a little over a month later, a Crew Dragon exploded unexpectedly during a static fire test of its abort thrusters. This delayed a crewed mission, while SpaceX investigated the cause and made corresponding changes to the capsule. As is often and quite accurately said: space is hard.

But the wait is over. Wednesday afternoon (May 27, 2020), at 4:33 EDT, SpaceX will launch Demo-2 to the ISS. Aboard that capsule will be two astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, the first launched from US soil since the final shuttle launch (STS-135) in 2011.

Keep your eyes up. Times are weird right now, but we will get through this pandemic. And when we come out the other side, we will be well on the way to becoming the space-faring civilization that we are destined to be. Wednesday’s launch is a big step on the path. I urge you to watch the launch, if for no other reason than as a reminder that history is bigger than the mess we’re in right now.

Image: SpaceX

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Lava tubes

“This would be the first time any of the children saw the surface. The colonists had built underground, using existing caves and lava tubes where possible, building and burying structures where necessary. This was to protect themselves from solar and cosmic radiation. On Earth, the atmosphere and magnetic field serve this purpose. But Mars has little of either, so dirt and rock filled the role.”
– from Scratching the Surface: Generation Mars, Prelude

A new paper explores lava tubes in the Hellas Planitia as possible habitats for humans.

These lava tubes could be the safest place for explorers to live on Mars
These lava tubes could be the safest place for explorers to live on Mars

The Martian surface is a radiation hot zone. But these lava tubes might offer safety.
livescience.com livescience.com
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Geology of the Moon

The USGS recently released a comprehensive geologic map of the Moon.

 

USGS releases first-ever comprehensive geologic map of the Moon
USGS releases first-ever comprehensive geologic map of the Moon

Have you ever wondered what kind of rocks make up those bright and dark splotches on the moon? Well, the USGS has just released a new authoritative map to help explain the 4.5-billion-year-old history of our nearest neighbor in space.
phys.org phys.org

Digital versions available at https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Moon/Geology/Unified_Geologic_Map_of_the_Moon_GIS.

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Author reading

As part of the Generation Mars coronavirus response, I’ve decided to read the first book of the series, Scratching the Surface, on YouTube. The first installment is available now. The next will be released tomorrow (4/4).

If response is positive, I may consider some other YouTube goodies in the near future. Follow Generation Mars on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for timely updates.

- YouTube
- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be youtu.be