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.
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
Tips for a successful mission to Mars: keep the crew in touch with family and friends, make sure the video games are good, and pack better food and drink. Read more.
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
Life at a tech start-up moves at a mile a minute. One second you’re readying HD video cameras for launch into space and the next you’re setting up a ground station network across the globe. Developing an engaging platform to view this HD video is no different
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
The Canadian Space Commerce Agency (CSCA) recently highlighted the “state of crisis” of Canada’s space infrastructure.
Although this statement paints a not-so-pretty picture, what became clear during yesterday’s CSCA conference was that the potential for growth is huge. So, what does the future hold? All signs point to commercialization (and public opinion) playing a major role in shaping the space industry — both in Canada and abroad.
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
NASA announced this week that it will consider a 500-day test trip to Mars aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
At approximately 16-months-long, this simulation will mark the longest manned mission in space — a marathon in the world of manned space missions. Space Station missions typically last about six months, so this Mars test would push the bounds of what a human body can withstand. Physiological and psychological tests will have to take place before one can be attempted.
Read more.
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
Well, that’s a wrap! Between the food, the awesome response to Alpha One, and the amazing attendees, SXSW Interactive has treated our team well. Armed with new insights into how users will want to interact with the platform, and loads of info on how the interactive world is evolving, the team back at HQ can’t wait to implement everything the SXSW crew brings back with them (including any awesome food stuffs).
Next week, the blog will get back to the regularly scheduled space talk. In the meantime, check out a few more highlights from UrtheCast’s time in Austin, Texas: Read more.
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Recreating an amazing moment is hard. As any performer will tell you, the toughest part of a stellar performance is the next time you walk onto that stage. The same is true when you begin to make a splash at the start of a week-long conference like SXSW. Read more.
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
SXSW is not just about shaking hands, wheelin’ deals, and basking in the spotlight of creative prowess (okay, for some it’s totally about that), it’s also about the celebration of creativity. You might even say it’s the cultural renaissance fair of our modern age. (From digital gurus, to inspiring tech startups, to music, to film… what’s not to love!)
Nowadays, anyone can be a creator-designer-photographer-journalist-curator, merely by way of our digital world. So each year you’ve got to find creative ways to make heads turn — the same is true at SXSW. (Filming Earth from space and delivering it via an open-source, interactive platform is pretty creative, no?)
Now that the UrtheCast cameras are nearing completion and agreements have been solidified with MDA, RSC Energia, and the European Space Agency, we’re looking a little closer to home, directly at our interactive platform. Each year, the cultural significance of a conference like SXSW is heightened, which is why UrtheCast is journeying to the centre of it all, Austin Texas, to unveil Alpha One — the first iteration of our powerful new platform. So, beginning next week, SXSW attendees will be able to see, scroll, tap, pan, and zoom high-definition video footage on the UrtheCast platform.
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
VANCOUVER, March 09, 2012 – UrtheCast is excited to announce its attendance at 2012’s South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference in Austin, Texas. From March 12-15, UrtheCast team members will be at SXSW unveiling Alpha One — the first iteration of UrtheCast’s platform of HD Earth video from space.
Now that the UrtheCast cameras are nearing completion and agreements have been solidified with MDA, RSC Energia, and the European Space Agency, we’re looking a little closer to home, directly at our interactive platform. Beginning next week, SXSW attendees will be able to see, scroll, tap, pan, and zoom high-definition video footage of Austin, Texas. Read more.
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Like Mars, the moon is being renewed as a go-to place for space exploration — another space race alongside commercial space travel. So, what is the moon hiding beneath its crust that has the world wanting to mine its depths? It’s got a lot to do with water and precious resources.
Did you know that the moon may be able to serve as a giant launch pad for exploration into deep space? Mining the moon could play a major role in launching the human race into outer space.