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NASA Engineer Unveils Plan for Orbiting, Solar Power Plant

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NASA veteran John Mankins is a space-based solar power expert. He’s all about using satellites as solar power plants for the Earth. His ...

3MIN News September 24, 2013: Solar Power; New ISON Data, Interplanetary Shock Impacts Earth

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http://www.suspicious0bservers.org/premiumnnThey want to blame you : http://youtu.be/l-RvUedfKpknnDonate Memberships for Others: http://tiny...

http://www.suspicious0bservers.org/premiumnnThey want to blame you : http://youtu.be/l-RvUedfKpknnDonate Memberships for Others: http://tiny.cc/f195ww or https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DJA3SBBF29BFNnn0bserver Shop: http://www.cafepress.com/s0snnOriginal music by NEMES1S nhttp://www.suspicious0bservers.org/shop/ [Get NEMES1S Music!]nhttp://www.soundclick.com/nemes1snnTODAY's New LINKS:nSolar Cell: http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-and-media/press-releases/presseinformationen-2013/world-record-solar-cell-with-44.7-efficiencynHarsh Environment: http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/the-most-inhospitable-places-on-earthnAuto-Cell Lead to Life? http://www.astrobio.net/exclusive/5703/did-autocells-lead-to-lifenSpaceweather ISON Gallery: http://spaceweather.com/gallery/index.php?title=comet&title2=isonnStereo ISON: http://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/comet_ison/nBruce Gary: Brucegary.net/ISONnNASA TRMM: http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.govnnBackground:nHow to Watch the Sun: Spaceweather 101 - http://youtu.be/ld5ecZuHECAnIce Age Soon? http://youtu.be/UuYTcnN7TQknAn Unlikely but Relevant Risk - The Solar Killshot: http://youtu.be/X0KJ_dxp170nnREPEAT LINKS:nnWORLD WEATHER:nNDBC Buoys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/nTropical Storms: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/nHurricaneZone Satellite Images: http://www.hurricanezone.net/westpacific/animations.htmlnWeather Channel: http://www.weather.com/nNOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.phpnPressure Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&CONT=glob&MODELL=gfs&MODELLTYP=1&BASE=-&VAR=pslv&HH=0&ARCHIV=0&PANEL=0&ZOOM=0&PERIOD=nSatellite Maps: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-app/satellite?LANG=us&CONT=namknForecast Maps: http://www.woweather.com/weather/maps/forecastmaps?LANG=us&CONT=ususnEL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-sat.htmlnTORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]nHURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/trackernnUS WEATHER:nPrecipitation Totals: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspxnGOES Satellites: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/nTHE WINDMAP: http://hint.fm/wind/nSevere Weather Threats: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-severe/severe-weather-trackernCanada Weather Office Satellite Composites: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/satellite/index_e.htmlnTemperature Delta: http://www.intellicast.com/National/Temperature/Delta.aspxnRecords/Extremes: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/records/nnSPACEWEATHER:nSpaceweather: http://spaceweather.comnSOHO Solar Wind: http://umtof.umd.edu/pm/nHAARP Data Meters: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html nPlanetary Orbital Diagram - Ceres1 JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=ceres;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orbnSDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ nHelioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/nSOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater nStereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images nSOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ niSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html nNASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=2038-01-23+00%3A44%3A00&window=-1&cygnetId=261nNOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/nGOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.htmlnGamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ nBARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.htmlnISWA: http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/nNOAA Sunspot Classifications: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/latest/SRS.txtnGONG: http://gong2.nso.edu/dailyimages/nGONG Magnetic Maps: http://gong.nso.edu/data/magmap/ondemand.htmlnnnMISC Links:nJAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/nRADIATION Network: http://radiationnetwork.com/nLISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.phpnQUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.phpnRSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]nMoon: http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pacalc.html Less

Titan Aerospace unveils the world's first solar-powered UAVs

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Originally published on August 26, 2013nnAircraft designer Titan Aerospace unveiled last week its Solara 50 and 60 unmanned aircrafts, the w...

Originally published on August 26, 2013nnAircraft designer Titan Aerospace unveiled last week its Solara 50 and 60 unmanned aircrafts, the world's first atmospheric satellites powered by the sun with a mission range of over 4 million kilometres.nnAn atmospheric satellite is a drone that can conduct most of the operations of an orbital satellite, but is much cheaper and more versatile. nnAmong the applications of a Solara aircraft there are disaster recovery, weather monitoring, communications relay, oceanographic research and earth imaging.nnAccording to reports, Solara 50 and 60 can be launched at night using power from internal battery banks. nnWhen the sun rises, the solar panels covering the crafts' wings and tails, store enough energy to allow them ascend to a position of 20 km above the sea level and to stay aloft continuously for five years, without ever having to land and refuel. nnThe aircrafts will operate in an atmospheric sweet spot known as the tropopause where winds are generally less than 5 knots.nnDespite its massive dimensions, Solara 50 only weighs about 160 kg, and can carry a payload of 32 kg. According to reports, differently from satellites, it is possible to get the payload back at the end of its five years endurance. nnAs for the speed, Solara 50 can travel at 104 kilometres an hour (about 64 MPH).nnAccording to reports, smaller versions of Solara have already flown, and Titan Aerospace is planning to start selling operational systems in less than a year which opens up possibilities like regional internet or a version of Google Maps with real-time images. nn--------------------------------------------------------nnTomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.nnFor news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:nhttps://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUSnnSubscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:nhttp://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUSnnStay connected with us here:nFacebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUSnTwitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUSnGoogle+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS Less

Amazing Science - Space Origami: Folding Solar Power Generators for Satellites & Space Stations

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Most people who know of origami think of it as the Japanese art of paper folding. Though it began centuries ago, origami became better known...

Facebook's Connectivity Lab: Drones, satellites to bring the Internet to underdeveloped countries

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Originally published on March 28, 2014nnCheck out our official website: http://us.tomonews.net/nCheck out our Android app: http://goo.gl/PtT...

Originally published on March 28, 2014nnCheck out our official website: http://us.tomonews.net/nCheck out our Android app: http://goo.gl/PtT6VDnCheck out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1fnn------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------nnFacebook is working on a fleet of drones, satellites, and lasers to bring Internet connectivity to underdeveloped parts of the globe where Internet access is not yet widely available, according to a report by Reuters.nnDubbed Internet.org, the ambitious project, a partnership with a number of other tech giants, aims to bring Internet connectivity to everyone across the planet using a fleet of solar-powered drones, as well as low-earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites.nnInvisible, infrared laser beams are expected to be used by the social media giant to help boost Internet connection speed provided by the various aircrafts.nnEarly this month, Facebook made a deal with Titan Aerospace to buy Solara aircrafts that can theoretically stay aloft up to five years between charges, according to a report by Gawker.nnThe aircrafts, which are able to provide BLOS voice and data communications services over a range exceeding 100 nautical miles, could be used for weather monitoring, disaster recovery, Earth imaging and communications.nnFacebook on Tuesday announced plans to acquire Oculus VR Inc, maker of virtual reality goggles it hopes could become the computing platform of the future.nn"We're going to continue building these partnerships, but connecting the whole world will require inventing new technology too," said Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in a post on the company's social media platform. nnFacebook has also hired aerospace and communications experts from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and its Ames Research Center for the new "Connectivity Lab" project.nn------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------nnWelcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.nnCheck out our official website: http://us.tomonews.net/nnFor news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:nhttps://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUSnnSubscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:nhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-WqkTyKK1_70U4bb4k4lQ?sub_confirmation=1nnStay connected with us here:nFacebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUSnTwitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUSnGoogle+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/nInstagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus Less

Zephyr UAS - Eco-friendly, yet powerful

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Zephyr is a High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) UAS/UAV which runs on solar power. This unmanned aircraft provides local satellite-like se...

Earth Narrowly Escaped Debilitating Solar Blast

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On July 23, 2012, Earth narrowly escaped a solar blast that could have knocked out power grids and disabled satellites and GPS. On July 23, ...

Near-Miss Solar Storm Could Have Crippled Life on Earth

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Two years ago, a NASA observatory picked up on a solar storm that came close to causing serious technical problems here on Earth. Two years ...

Solar Storm Makes Its Way Towards Earth

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There’s a big solar storm headed for Earth and when it arrives it’s expected to have an effect on the power grid, radio transmissions, a...

Google Plans Satellite Network For Global Internet Access

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The Wall Street Journal reports Google is planning to launch 180 satellites around the globe, offering broadband Internet access to everyone...

Solar Storm Warning August 10th-12, 2013

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Tuesday 2013-08-06 to 08 several Earth Directed Flares and CME's issued forth from the sun. The inbound solar wind and material is expected ...

Origami in Space: BYU-designed solar arrays inspired by origami

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Origami is a source of inspiration for BYU mechanical engineers who are working with the National Science Foundation, NASA/JPL and origami m...

Origami is a source of inspiration for BYU mechanical engineers who are working with the National Science Foundation, NASA/JPL and origami master Robert Lang to design complaint mechanisms for use in space and in other applications. nn(Video produced by BYU News. Producer Julie Walker, Photographer Brian Wilcox, Editor Samuel Reimer. Additional images provided by NASA/JPL, langorigami.com, BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research Group, Matthew Gong, and Carrie Henzie (Redpath Museum). nnSee more about BYU space research and collaborations with origami master Robert Lang at http://bit.ly/17WMdRXnnBYU engineers turn to origami to solve astronomical space problem; Partnership with NASA could send origami to the final frontiernnBYU engineers have teamed up with a world-renown origami expert to solve one of space exploration's greatest (and ironic) problems: lack of space.nnWorking with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a team of mechanical engineering students and faculty have designed a solar array that can be tightly compacted for launch and then deployed in space to generate power for space stations or satellites.nnApplying origami principles on rigid silicon solar panels -- a material considerably thicker than the paper used for the traditional Japanese art -- the BYU-conceived solar array would unfold to nearly 10 times its stored size.nn"It's expensive and difficult to get things into space; you're very constrained in space," said BYU professor and research team leader Larry Howell. "With origami you can make it compact for launch and then as you get into space it can deploy and be large."nnThe current project, detailed in the November issue of the Journal of Mechanical Design, is propelled by collaboration between BYU, NASA and origami expert Robert Lang. Howell reached out to Lang as part of landing a $2 million National Science Foundation grant in 2012 to explore the combination of origami and compliant mechanisms. (Joint-less, elastic structures that use flexibility to create movement.)nnBYU was already working with NASA through the Jet Propulsion Lab, where grad student Shannon Zirbel has been instrumental in the project. The research team plans to work together for several more years on various projects, but hopes NASA can put their work to good use before they're through.nn"It's hard to predict what the greatest outcome of this collaboration will be, but it would be a great success if a solar array based on our concept flew on a NASA mission," Lang said.nnThe particular solar array developed by the group can be folded tightly down to a diameter of 2.7 meters and unfolded to its full size of 25 meters across. The goal is to create an array that can produce 250 kilowatts of power. Currently, the International Space Station has eight solar arrays that generate 84 kilowatts of energy.nnHowell said origami through compliant mechanisms is a perfect fit for space exploration: It is low cost and the materials can handle harsh solar environments.nn"Space is a great place for a solar panel because you don't have to worry about nighttime and there are no clouds and no weather," he said. "Origami could also be used for antennas, solar sails and even expandable nets used to catch asteroids."nnThe research team has already looked beyond the final frontier for origami applications in engineering. Some applications Howell said may be possible include:nn Stents or implants that can be inserted through small incisions before expanding inside the bodyn Phones that can be compact when you're not using them and then unfold for usen Deployable housing or shelters that can be shipped or parachuted compactly and then expanded for emergency usenn"If we can extend the knowledge of origami artists to work in materials beyond paper, it will lead to powerful systems with unprecedented performance," Howell said. "We will do things no one has ever done before." Less

Caught on Video Fireball Slams Into Power Lines!

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A Montreal-area family was left stunned when a sort-of electrically fueled mass fireball blazed down power lines outside their home last wee...

Solar Storm - Full Documentary

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--- ABDH Media - Space ---nnSolar storms are caused by disturbances on the Sun, most often coronal clouds associated with coronal mass eject...

--- ABDH Media - Space ---nnSolar storms are caused by disturbances on the Sun, most often coronal clouds associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) produced by solar flares emanating from active sunspot regions, or less often from coronal holes. Most living stars produce disturbances in space weather with the field of heliophysics the science that studies such phenomena; itself primarily an interdisciplinary combination of stellar astronomy and planetary science. In the Solar System, the Sun can produce intense geomagnetic and proton storms capable of causing severe damage to technology including but not limited to large scale power power outages, disruption or blackouts of radio communications (including GPS systems), and temporary or permanent disabling of satellites and other spaceborne technology. Intense solar storms may also be hazardous to high-latitude, high-altitude aviation and to human spaceflight.[1] Geomagnetic storms are the cause of auroras.[2] The most significant known solar storm occurred in September 1859 and is known as the "Carrington event".[3] The damage from the most potent solar storms is capable of threatening the stability of modern human civilization.nn*Subscribe for more Educative & Space Documentaries (Like & Share)nn* Visit our website: http://www.advexon.comnn* ABDH Media Documentaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHx69kZbXbX6WgMq_njRvFAnn*NOVA | PBS Documentaries (HD): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYMWnCecPvpQJj8sBPUi4bAn n#ABDHn#spacen#spacedocumentaryn#AlienPlanets n#NEWFullScienceDocumentaries n#SpaceDocumentary2015 n#alien n#spacedocumentarynationalgeographic n#spacedocumentaryhdn#spacedocumentarybbc n#spacedocumentary2015hd n#spacedocumentaryplaylist #spacedocumentarynationalgeographic2015 #spacedocumentaryblackholes n#spacedocumentaryforkidsn#spacedocumentaryalienplanetsn#spacedocumentaryasteroidthedoomsdayrockn#spacedocumentary2015aliensn#aspaceodysseydocumentaryn#spacedocumentaryblackholesfdcn#spacedocumentarybriancoxn#spacedocumentarybestn#spacedocumentarybbc2015n#spacedocumentaryblackskyn#spacedocumentarybigbangn#bestspacedocumentary2015n#spacedocumentarycosmosn#spacedocumentaryconspiracyn#spacedocumentarychanneln#spacedocumentarychildrenn#discoverychanneldocumentaryspacen#spacecolonizationdocumentaryn#spaceshuttlechallengerdocumentaryn#spacetimecontinuumdocumentaryn#historychanneldocumentaryspacen#spacedocumentarydiscoverychannel n#spacedocumentarydarkmattern#spacedocumentarydiscoveryn#deepspacedocumentaryn#deepspacedocumentary2015n#spacedisastersdocumentaryn#spacedivedocumentaryn#spaceshuttledisasterdocumentaryn#davidattenboroughspacedocumentaryn#spaceelevatordocumentaryn#spaceexplorationdocumentary2015n#earthfromspacedocumentaryn#spaceexplorationdocumentary2015n#spaceengineeringdocumentaryn#edgeofspacedocumentaryn#emptyspacedocumentaryn#spacedocumentaryforchildrenn#spacedocumentaryfilmsn#spacedocumentaryfulln#spacedocumentaryfulllengthn#spacedocumentaryfuturen#spacedocumentaryfunnyn#2015spacedocumentaryfulln#spacedocumentarygalaxiesn#spacedocumentarygravityn#spaceuniversegalaxydocumentaryn#spacedocumentarynationalgeographic2015n#spacetraveldocumentarynationalgeographicn#spacedocumentarynationalgeographichdn#spacedocumentaryhd2015n#spacedocumentaryhd1080p n#spacedocumentaryinhd Less

StratoBus: half drone, halfway between a drone and a satellite! Official video

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Stratobus: official video from Thales Alenia Space - April 2016nnStratoBus is a stationary stratospheric airship, offering autonomous operat...

SOLAR WATCH: "Black Hole Sun" - Chunk Of Sun Headed Toward Earth At 2 Million Miles An Hour!

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The CELESTIAL Convergence | http://thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.com/nnJuly 31, 2013 - SUN - Scientists at NASA have released some incred...

The CELESTIAL Convergence | http://thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.com/nnJuly 31, 2013 - SUN - Scientists at NASA have released some incredible images revealing an enormous dark hole over our sun.nnCorey Powell, Editor of Discover Magazine, joined Bill Hemmer on America's Newsroom this morning to explain the giant black hole, and what it means for us here on Earth.nnn"The reason it's dark is that whole chunk of the sun basically ripped off, blew out and is coming our way at about two million miles an hour," said Powell.nnnWell, that doesn't sound good. Powell explained that this phenomenon happens frequently, but we don't often see something this large.nnnHe said that when the chunk of the sun hits Earth, it would cause auroras, and would wiggle the magnetic field. The major concern would be potential disruptions to GPS signals and interference with communication satellites and power lines.nn nn nnnThe CELESTIAL Convergence | http://thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.com/nnThe CELESTIAL Convergence is a online news magazine featuring Alien Disclosure, the nnET/UFO Phenomena, Earth Changes, the Paranormal, and Geological Upheavals.nnThis is a journey of truth, and the highlighting of clear patterns of cause and effect in the nnelectromagnetic celestial convergence of our solar system with the Sirius star system, and nnthe manifested transmutation with the Galactic Core of our Central Sun, Alcyone - Hunab Ku. nnFAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/video may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of nnwhich has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is nnmade available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, nneconomic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. nnIt is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for nnin section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this nnmaterial is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in nnreceiving similar information for research and educational.nnTAGS: CORONA, Coronal Hole, Dark Spot, ESA, Magnetic Field Lines, NASA, SOHO, Solar Activity Cycle, Solar Atmosphere, Solar Material, Solar Maximum, Solar Particles, Solar Watch, Space Weather Less

How Space Weather is Messing With Satellites

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Space is a rough place. It's freezing, there's no air.. and the weather is terrible! Trace explains what that 'weather' in space is doing to...

Space is a rough place. It's freezing, there's no air.. and the weather is terrible! Trace explains what that 'weather' in space is doing to our satellites. nnRead More: n150 Years Ago: The Worst Solar Storm Evernhttp://www.space.com/7224-150-years-worst-solar-storm.htmln"On Sept. 2, 1859, an incredible storm of charged particles sent by the sun slammed into Earth's atmosphere, overpowered it, and caused havoc on the ground."nnThe Day the Sun Brought Darknessnhttp://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/sun_darkness.htmln"On March 13, 1989 the entire province of Quebec, Canada suffered an electrical power blackout. Hundreds of blackouts occur in some part of North America every year. The Quebec Blackout was different, because this one was caused by a solar storm!"nnSpace weather's effects on satellitesnhttp://web.mit.edu/press/2013/space-weather-effects-on-satellites.htmln"Is your cable television on the fritz? One explanation, scientists suspect, may be the weather - the weather in space, that is."nn'Space weather' can mess with our communication satellites, including TVnhttp://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-satellites-space-weather-20130917,0,7793037.storyn"Circling Earth at an altitude of more than 22,000 miles are a host of satellites that give us access to some of the things we love most: the Internet, mobile phones and premium TV."nnSpace Weather and Younhttp://www.exploratorium.edu/spaceweather/sway.htmln"The sun is a dynamic system, and its dynamics can and do affect us here on earth."nnAirline Diverts Aircraft During Solar Stormnhttp://news.discovery.com/space/airline-diverts-aircraft-during-solar-storm-120124.htmn"Our planet is having an exciting few days. After being hit by a coronal mass ejection (CME) on Sunday, the sun unleashed another Earth-directed flare and CME, which also hit the magnetosphere on Tuesday at around 10 a.m. EST."nnSolar Dynamics Observatorynhttp://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/nnAre major solar flares coming in 2012?nhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/major-solar-flares-20121.htmn"While most solar flares and other types of space weather flung off the sun don't affect us all the way down here on Earth, particularly strong manifestations can create disruptions from time to time." nnWatch More:nBlack Hole Discovery:nhttp://testtube.com/dnews/dnews-574-space-friday-black-holesnBroadband On The Moon:nhttp://testtube.com/dnews/dnews-559-space-friday-roundupnAnimals See In Slow-Mo:nhttp://testtube.com/dnews/dnews-582-swat-flyn____________________nnDNews is dedicated to satisfying your curiosity and to bringing you mind-bending stories & perspectives you won't find anywhere else! New videos twice daily. nnWatch More DNews on TestTube http://testtube.com/dnewsnnSubscribe now! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannelnnDNews on Twitter http://twitter.com/dnewsnnAnthony Carboni on Twitter http://twitter.com/acarboninnLaci Green on Twitter http://twitter.com/gogreen18nnTrace Dominguez on Twitter http://twitter.com/trace501nnDNews on Facebook http://facebook.com/dnewsnnDNews on Google+ http://gplus.to/dnewsnnDiscovery News http://discoverynews.com Less

What Is A Solar Sail?

YouTube 3:56

I'm Fraser Cain, and I'm a sailor. Well, okay, I've got a sailboat that I take out on the water when its warm and the weather's nice here on...

I'm Fraser Cain, and I'm a sailor. Well, okay, I've got a sailboat that I take out on the water when its warm and the weather's nice here on Vancouver Island. I think it's one of the reasons I absolutely love the idea of a solar sail.nnHere's how they work: Light is made up of photons. Even though they have no mass at rest, they have momentum when they're moving, well, light speed. When they reflect off a surface, like a mirror or a shiny piece of metal, they impart some of this momentum to that surface. This effect is negligible here on Earth, but out in space, with forces perfectly in balance, that additional momentum can really add up.nnA spacecraft flying to Mars gets pushed off course by several thousand kilometers because of light pressure from the Sun.If mission planners didn't compensate for this drift, their spacecraft would miss the planet, or even worse, crash into it. Even though the total amount of pressure per square meter on a solar sail is minuscule, it's constantly streaming from the Sun, and it's totally free....And propulsion that you don't have to carry with you is the best kind there is.nnThis is more than just an idea. Solar sails have already been launched and deployed in space. The Japanese Ikaros satellite unfurled a 14-meter solar sail back in 2010. NASA launched its own Nanosail-D spacecraft in 2011. An even bigger solar sail, the Sunjammer, is planned for launch in 2014. The Planetary Society is working on a solar sail project as well.nnThe closer to the Sun you are, the better they work. In fact, a solar sail would be an ideal vehicle to explore the regions of Mercury and Venus, since they receive so much radiation. But you're probably wondering how a solar sail could get down to those planets because light is streaming from the Sun in all directions. It's all about raising and lowering your orbit. If you want to raise your orbit around an object, all you have to do is speed up. And if you want to lower your orbit, you just need to slow down.nnA solar sail launched from Earth would start out with the same orbital velocity around the Sun as the Earth. To get into a higher orbit, it tilts the sail so that the light from the Sun speeds it up. And to get into a lower orbit, it tilts in the opposite direction, and the light from the Sun acts like a brake.nnA solar sail might even be the ideal spacecraft to make the journey to another star. An interstellar solar sail could lower its orbit so that it's just above the surface of the Sun. Then, it would unfurl the full sail and capture the most possible photons. A series of powerful laser beams would then target the sail and increase its velocity to a significant fraction of the speed of light.nnOf course, you'd need a solar sail thousands of kilometers across, made of a material thinner than a human hair, and lasers putting out more energy than all of humanity. The idea is still intriguing, even though it's well outside our current technology. Once this technology gets better tested, we'll to see many more missions employ solar sails as part of their propulsion system. Less

NASA | RXTE Satellite Catches the Beat of a Midsize Black Hole

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Astronomers from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have uncovered rhythmic pulsations f...

Astronomers from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have uncovered rhythmic pulsations from a rare breed of black hole in archival data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite. The signals provide compelling evidence that the object, known as M82 X-1, is one of only a few midsize black holes known. nnDying stars form modest black holes measuring up to around 25 times the mass of our sun. At the opposite extreme, most large galaxies contain a supermassive black hole with a mass tens of thousands of times greater. Just as drivers traveling a highway packed with compact cars and monster trucks might start looking for sedans, astronomers are searching for a middle range of the black hole population and wondering why they see so few. nnM82 X-1 is the brightest X-ray source in Messier 82, a galaxy located about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. While astronomers have suspected the object of being a midsize, or intermediate-mass, black hole for at least a decade, estimates have varied from 20 to 1,000 solar masses, preventing a definitive classification. nnWorking with Mushotzky and Strohmayer, UMCP graduate student Dheeraj Pasham sifted through about 800 RXTE observations of M82 in a search for specific types of brightness changes that would help pin down the mass of the X-ray source. nnAs gas streams toward the black hole it piles up into a disk around it. Friction within the disk heats the gas to millions of degrees, which is hot enough to emit X-rays. Cyclical intensity variations in these X-rays reflect processes occurring within the disk. nnScientists think the most rapid changes occur near the inner edge of the disk on the brink of the black hole's event horizon, the point beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape. With such close proximity to the black hole, the effects of Einstein's general relativity come into play, resulting in X-ray variations that repeat at nearly regular intervals. nnAstronomers call these signals quasi-periodic oscillations, or QPOs, and have shown that for black holes produced by stars, their frequencies scale up or down depending on the size of the black hole.nnWhen astronomers study X-ray fluctuations from many stellar-mass black holes, they see both slow and fast QPOs, but the fast ones often come in pairs with a specific 3:2 rhythmic relationship. For every three flashes from one member of the QPO pair, its partner flashes twice. nnThe combined presence of slow QPOs and a faster pair in a 3:2 rhythm effectively sets a standard scale that gives scientists a powerful tool for establishing the masses of stellar black holes.nnA decade ago, Strohmayer and Mushotzky showed the presence of slow QPO signals from M82 X-1. In order to apply the tried-and-true relationship used for stellar-mass black holes, the researchers needed to identify a pair of steady fluctuations exhibiting the same 3:2 beat in RXTE observations. By analyzing six years of data, they located X-ray variations that reliably repeated about 3.3 and 5.1 times each second, just the 3:2 relationship they needed.nnThis allowed them to calculate that M82 X-1 weighs about 400 solar masses -- the most accurate determination to date for this object and one that clearly places it in the category of intermediate-mass black holes. nnThis video is public domain and can be downloaded at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11625nnLike our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast:nhttp://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.htmlnnOr find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook:nhttp://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFCnnOr find us on Twitter:nhttp://twitter.com/NASAGoddard Less

Extreme 'Solar Storm' Heading To Earth: Could Compound with Another CME On Impact!

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http://www.undergroundworldnews.com WASHINGTON — An extreme solar flare is blasting its way to Earth and could mess up some power grids, s...

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