Monday, May 14th, 2012
Last week, UrtheCast’s Co-Founder and Executive Vice-President, Wade Larson, flew to Beijing, China — one of the most populous cities in the world — to present UrtheCast’s case study in competition for top spot at this year’s G-Startup challenge. Up against some of the most innovative startups in mobile technology, UrtheCast poised itself to catch the eyes and minds of industry leaders and investors.
Monday, May 14th, 2012
VANCOUVER, May 14, 2012 — UrtheCast emerged onto the technology scene in December of 2010 with a singular vision: to offer the world an interactive internet platform of high-definition (HD) video footage of Earth — video footage to be streamed in near real-time from the International Space Station, for free. Last week, UrtheCast’s Co-Founder and Executive Vice-President, Wade Larson, flew to Beijing, China, to present UrtheCast’s case study in competition for top spot at this year’s G-Startup challenge. Up against some of the most innovative startups in mobile technology, UrtheCast poised itself to catch the eyes and minds of industry leaders and investors. Read more.
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
When the Edoardo Almaldi Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-003) docked with the International Space Station at the end of March 2012, its payload included new experiments, replacement parts for equipment, personal items for the crew, and the regular supplies you might expect — you know, little things like food, water, and oxygen. Read more.
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
It’s a peculiar pairing, yes, but don’t the oddest pairings bare the best results? Case in point: CBC Music, the Coalition for Music Education, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are partnering to bring us some music that’s way out there — 370 kilometres out there.
Canadian Astronaut, musician and songwriter, Chris Hadfield will cowrite a music track with Canada’s own Ed Robertson (of Barenaked Ladies fame) from aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As a veteran of two space shuttle missions, Hadfield will launch to the ISS in December 2012, and will act as the Station’s commander — the first time a Canadian astronaut has held this high distinction.
Monday, May 7th, 2012
Imagine peering into the ultimate microscope, after years and years of painstaking work, finally on the brink of being able to see back in time. Back to when the universe was born, back to the very beginning of everything – and someone says, “Sorry! Money’s run out!” and unplugs it all.
Might be frustrating. Maybe. Just a tad.
A few months ago, scientists all over the world were faced with just that feeling when cost overruns and tight budgets led some in the U.S. Congress to question spending billions of additional dollars on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Read more.
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
April was a busy month for Hollywood director James Cameron. First he made waves with his announcement that he would be visiting the Mariana Trench, one of the deepest parts of the ocean floor. Then, just for good measure, he revealed that he is taking part in a new venture known as Planetary Resources that intends to mine asteroids. Yes, that’s right, asteroids.
While the idea of mining asteroids might have seemed wildly outlandish just a few years ago, thus far the skeptics have remained relatively quiet. Even NASA has come out in support of the venture. Of course, it helps that Planetary Resources has assembled an extremely impressive leadership team. Read more.
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
It’s getting busier in outer space, and a United Nations panel is now calling for stronger regulations on how humans conduct themselves beyond Earth’s boundaries. In particular, the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space wants to keep an eye on the increased activity of private sector space enterprise.
The call for increased regulation was sent out barely a month before a group of high-profile entrepreneurs — operating under Planetary Resources Inc. – announced their intention to mine asteroids for minerals and other resources. By some estimates, this venture could make the company trillions of dollars.
Planetary Resources’ April 24 announcement was followed, within hours, by the musings of bloggers on the legalities of how such exploration could be done and the issue of celestial ownership. It’s just one type of scenario that the U.N. subcommittee appeared to be trying anticipate after almost two weeks of meetings in late March.
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
At 5:57 A.M. on July 21, 2011, the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at the tarmac at Kennedy Space Center for the final time. For many, the landing brought about an end of an era along with a tinge of sadness. After all, the Shuttle fleet had flown over 130 missions since launching in April of 1981, and was a source of pride for many over the program’s 30-year span of deployment. Read more.