Friday, May 31st, 2013
by Theras Wood Not only is Wade Larson a co-founder of UrtheCast, he’s a veteran business strategist in the Earth Observation market. During this year’s TEDx event in Waterloo, Wade explained how he came up with the idea of sending an HD video camera to the International Space Station — and how UrtheCast intends toRead more…
Thursday, May 30th, 2013
by Theras Wood
Besides its awe-striking size, thousands of completed science experiments, and a list of impressive inhabitants, the International Space Station (ISS) is a project unlike any other in terms of sheer scale — a beacon for what can be accomplished when the world cooperates in space exploration.
Are we gushing yet?
As the “most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken,” the ISS is even more ‘international’ in nature than the 5-space-agency cooperative might suggest, involving 15 of the world’s most wealthy nations. (Space exploration, of course, comes with a hefty price tag.) Read more.
Thursday, May 9th, 2013
by AJ Plunkett
As the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield had many important duties aboard the giant Earth-orbiting laboratory, not the least of which was overseeing the safety of the crew.
But as Hadfield’s time aboard the ISS comes to a close, a review of his tenure reveals what has been obvious to everyone following his adventures on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook, and to every student who participated in a video chat or amateur radio conversation with him:
Chris Hadfield has made the unreachable corners of outer space personal, fun, and incredibly interesting.
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
by Theras Wood
Space and the arts are no strangers, having been pretty friendly over the years.
It’s not, for instance, uncommon for astronauts to know how to wield a guitar, with the most recent renaissance man aboard the ISS being Canada’s Earth-space ambassador, Commander Chris Hadfield.
Now, after a series of (gone-viral) live chats with celebs and students, and clever info segments about life’s minutiae aboard the Station, Hadfield will be holding his last live broadcast with Earth on Monday, May 6.
Friday, April 5th, 2013
from Fast Company, April 5, 2013
Urthecast says that two high-resolution cameras, one for video and one for stills, will be launched into space in October on a Russian rocket and bolted to the International Space Station’s hull by the end of the month. Then, a few months later, they’ll be turned on and start streaming content live to the Earth. Read more…
Friday, April 5th, 2013
Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) April 05, 2013 ///// Announced today, the hotly anticipated launch date for the world’s first Earth video camera in space has been set for October 16, 2013. Launched within the Progress 53P Space Cargo Ship, aboard a Russian ‘Soyuz’ Rocket, two UrtheCast cameras will launch to the ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, along with a payload of Space Station supplies.
“This is a watershed moment for UrtheCast, paving the way for the rest of our plan as we work to complete a ground station network, the interactive UrtheCast web platform, and rigorous camera testing,” said UrtheCast President and CEO Scott Larson. “Being placed on the Russian Space Agency’s Progress manifest solidifies a decisive step towards UrtheCast’s official platform launch.”
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
by Theras Wood
On March 13, 2013, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Astronaut Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station. It was an important day for Canada, for the CSA, and for the 53-year old space veteran who’s been training for this moment since he was 14 years old.
“The ISS is an orbiting research vessel of unprecedented capability, and Canada is in the thick of it,” explained Hadfield in his official statement as commander, “… the 130 experiments currently on the ISS are pushing back the edge of what is possible.”
Friday, February 22nd, 2013
by AJ Plunkett
First a pioneer in space satellite communications, then in space robotics, Canada has taken another step into space history by blazing a trail in space refueling.
More importantly, it’s a step towards refueling satellites in space using robotics, which could be key to maintaining global communications and promoting human exploration of the universe.
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
from Business Insider, Jan. 30, 2013
Soon the rest of humanity will get to watch what astronauts see when they look out of the windows of the International Space Station.
“There’s something that astronauts have that’s described as the overview effect,” says Wade Larson, co-founder of Urthecast. “They often get very philosophical, and even emotional, when they describe this effect when they step out of the Earth’s gravitational pull, and looking back and seeing what the planet looks like. It’s a sense of connectedness and you know, the big picture in the sense of ecological fragility.” Read more…
Friday, January 25th, 2013
There’s just something about the combination of LEGO and space — of fun and science — that sets imaginations running wild. From LEGO men travelling into the stratosphere, to science experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS):