Can you dock a Crew Dragon to the ISS?
Take your time. Attitude first, then position. Take your time. Equal and opposite. Always.
SPACEX - ISS Docking Simulator 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.
Thoughtful Mars lessons
This is a wonderful series of lessons on Mars and why/how humans will go there.
Mensa for Kids Middle Grade Treasures
Parents with young readers!
Sixteen authors, including yours truly, have teamed up to offer their books at a discount for a month (April 25 – May 25).
There are some great titles on this list. Please take a look!
Geology of the Moon
The USGS recently released a comprehensive geologic map of the Moon.
Digital versions available at https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Moon/Geology/Unified_Geologic_Map_of_the_Moon_GIS.
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 I see what they did there…
Ridiculous title, but the science behind it is quite interesting. Decades old data from Voyager 2 as it passed by Uranus suggests the planet is losing some of its atmosphere through an interesting mechanism. This could also hold clues to how Mars lost its atmosphere.
Futurism It can happen here
Did a comet explode in Earth’s atmosphere at the end of the Pleistocene?
Audiobook edition
Audiobook coming soon!
Narrated by Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society.
Rust as radiation shielding
About that radiation… what about rust as a shield?
The research focused on shielding for electronics, but could this scale? Imagine our Mars transit ships being the same color as the planet itself, coated in a layer of rust for protection.
NC State News