Starlink is a global ISP built at ZERO COST to SpaceX, enabling NASA's Artemis launch
There is lots of good news lately for SpaceX, especially NASA choosing the Hawthorne, CA-based company to build a $2.89 billion lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis Moon landing slated for 2024. Key to that single-source contract, which eliminates two competitors including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, was SpaceX’s willingness to restructure payments to fit the $750 million appropriated by Congress this fiscal year for the project.
Already the lowest Artemis bidder, Elon Musk’s company was willing to make the deal work for the customer, which is unusual thinking for space contractors, with many asking, Where did SpaceX get the money?
Cyber-stalking from 240 miles in the sky
"In space, no one can hear you…stalk?" That's the phrase that comes to mind as I sift through the sensationalist coverage of astronaut and decorated combat veteran Anne McClain's brief sojourn into the world of cyber-stalking. And while the act of checking up on an estranged spouse's financial activity is relatively common in a world where roughly half of all marriages (at least in Western countries) end up in divorce, the fact that Ms McClain chose to do so while orbiting the Earth at over 17,000 mph adds a degree of novelty to an otherwise mundane story.
Indeed, the purported "scene of the crime" introduces several new wrinkles to the matter, including under which jurisdiction her apparently illegal actions should fall. According to official sources, inhabitants of the International Space Station (ISS) are subject to the laws and regulations of their home countries. So, a Japanese astronaut is subject to Japanese law, a Russian to Russian law, etc.
Seagate launches massive 8TB NAS HDD for SOHO, SMB, and creative professionals
Large hard drives are surprisingly controversial. In the world of computers, it is often assumed that larger capacity drives are a positive. For a long time, that was indisputably true. With that said, as drives grew to gargantuan proportions, critics were quick to point out that the larger the drive, the more you can potentially lose at failure. Those people will often suggest utilizing multiple smaller drives, combined with regular backups -- good advice.
Unfortunately, many businesses are limited in space physically -- there are only so many bays and connections for drives. It is for this reason that a larger HDD is preferable. Today, Seagate is launching a massive 8TB NAS HDD. While not the first HDD of this capacity, Seagate claims it is the largest-ever NAS optimized drive. Who is the drive for? The company says "small- and Medium-sized Businesses (SMB), Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and creative professional segments". Of course, there is no reason why it can't also be utilized by home users who value a high quality -- and high capacity -- NAS optimized drive.
Microsoft and NASA announce Sidekick -- HoloLens-based tech support for astronauts
When it comes to geeky stuff, space exploration is definitely on the top of the list. I am sure many of you dreamed of becoming astronauts as kids; representing your country by working for NASA. Of course, life is unpredictable and we rarely realize our dreams; only a small percentage of humans get to become astronauts with NASA.
Do you know what else is super-geeky and awesome? Virtual reality. Microsoft's implementation with HoloLens takes this to an entirely different level -- beyond just strapping a screen to the user's face. Microsoft has truly captured the imaginations of many. NASA has certainly taken notice, as today it announces a partnership with the Windows-making company to bring HoloLens to space, with a new project called Sidekick.
Microsoft goes 'Total Recall' as HoloLens-powered OnSight takes NASA scientists to Mars
I was just a young man when the movie Total Recall was released. My dad and I saw it in the theater and it blew my mind. If you aren't familiar, it is an action/mystery/science fiction film that ultimately takes place on Mars. One of the most famous scenes is where a female alien has three breasts, but I digress. The Schwarzenegger film sparked a curiosity in me about one day actually visiting Mars.
Unfortunately, traveling to Mars is pretty much a death sentence; even if you did survive the long trip there, getting home would be almost an impossibility. In other words, with current technology, you could probably never get back to Earth. In 2015, however, visiting Mars might be easier than we think; virtually, at least. Microsoft is empowering NASA to experience Mars with the all-new HoloLens-powered technology called OnSight. Will the Curiosity rover be getting some company?
NASA sends HTC/Google Nexus One...into space
Launched with Android 2.1 Eclair in January 2010 the HTC-built Google Nexus One is more than two years old, but that is not stopping NASA from re-launching the smartphone... into space this time around.
Part of the PhoneSat program designed to create "small, low-cost, and easy-to-buid nano-satellites", in 2013 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will launch Google's former Android flagship smartphone into space. According to HTC, NASA will not unbox the Google Nexus One and strap it on a rocket, as it was already put through thorough testing. The smartphone's first contact with space was in 2010, when it was attached to a rocket and launched to the edge of space, while also recording every step of the trip.
GAO: More security training leads to less compliance, including Los Alamos, NASA
A US Government Accounting Office report released yesterday (PDF available here) reveals an astonishing and counter-intuitive trend: Government agencies' compliance with directives intended to improve information security has declined in inverse proportion to the amount of training they receive.
In a report to the House Government Management Subcommittee yesterday, the GAO cited increased awareness of the provisions of the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), due to increased awareness training among the 24 federal agencies tested: 91% of employees in those agencies received testing in fiscal 2009, up 3% from the previous year. But specifically in light of increased exposure to the Gumblar Trojan and the Conficker worm, at least 17 of those agencies were reported to have enacted deficient responses to these increasing threats, including essentially assigning the entire job of security to just one person -- against FISMA's mandate.
NASA to stream daily video feed from ISS
Streaming digital video showing activities inside and outside the International Space Station and the view of Earth from up there will now be available for about twelve hours every day, according to NASA. The feed will also contain audio of communications between Mission Control and the astronauts, including (for instance) live video of maintenance activities outside the station during today's prep for the incoming space shuttle.
The ISS is 200 miles up and moving at 17,500mph, posing a unique assortment of problems not encountered in the average video stream. Satellite coverage can occasionally drop out as well. (On the upside, there's a sunrise or a sunset every 45 minutes, and many views of activity outside show the Earth below looking ridiculously lovely.) When no spacewalks are underway, video will originate from inside the station during on-duty hours. Don't expect The Real World: ISS from the video setup, though; off-camera time is expected to run about 12 hours each day, from 2pm to 2am EDT. During those hours, the familiar location-and-path map will be streamed from Mission Control in Houston.
Cisco and NASA grow a Planetary Skin
NASA and Cisco announced on Tuesday that they'll work together on Planetary Skin, an online monitoring platform that will capture, collect, and analyze environmental data gathered by satellites and sensors (airborne, maritime, terrestrial and human) around the globe.
The data will be accessible to governments, businesses and the general public -- anyone looking to measure and verify environmental data. And since no one's interested in dried-up old skin,
NASA puts out the call for low-gravity tech
On NASA's annual Day of Remembrance for the astronauts (and cosmonauts) who died in the effort to conquer space, the space agency put forth a call to action that might interest even earthbound geeks. They're looking for tech projects in need of testing in near-weightless conditions.
The FAST (Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology Development and Training) program is seeking tech projects to take up in high-flying parabolic aircraft. It's a public-private collaboration -- the planes are owned and flown by outfits such as the Zero Gravity Corporation, and managed by the Johnson Space Center's Reduced Gravity Office. (We now pause while you enjoy the mental image the name engenders.)
Navigon GPS to use NASA data for 'panoramic' 3D views
NEW YORK, N.Y. - At the CES Unveiled press event Tuesday, Navigon previewed the 8100T, a device touted as the first in-car GPS navigation system to offer panoramic 3D views of mountains, valleys, and other highlights of the surrounding landscape.
During a stop by BetaNews at the booth, J. Michael Martin, channel marketing manager, showed how the upcoming Navigon 8100T will use maps based on NASA terrain data -- along with a built-in graphics accelerator --to capture experiences such as driving up hills and peering down through ravines on its wide-screen 4.8-inch display.
NASA's Phoenix Mars lander: Long may it rest in peace
The Phoenix spacecraft appears to have finally passed away, although not before accomplishing its main NASA missions around exploring the terrain and weather conditions of the so-called "Red Planet."
On Monday, managers of the NASA spacecraft announced they are suspending any operations related to the vehicle until next spring, given that they haven't received any transmissions from it for a week.
NASA to explore strange, new virtual worlds
The Learning Technologies Project Office of NASA is actively considering hopping on the video game bandwagon by releasing its own massively multiplayer online game.
NASA has apparently gotten wind of the fact that young people are intensely interested in MMORPG games, and is now actively pursuing the possibility of developing or at least hosting its own game in an effort to renew students' interest in what it calls the "STEM" subjects: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
NASA to Use Microsoft Photosynth for Shuttle Launch
Microsoft said Monday that it had partnered with NASA to give an unprecedented look at the Endeavour Shuttle launch through Photosynth, its platform that uses standard camera images to create navigable 3D views. 360 degree views of the shuttle boosters, Vehicle Assembly Building, and launchpad will be available, NASA and Microsoft said.
MSNBC, a joint partnership between NBC and Microsoft, will also provide additional multimedia surrounding the launch, as well as linking back to the Photosynth collections. "This collaboration with Microsoft gives the public a new way to explore and participate in America's space program," NASA Space Operations Associate Administrator William Gerstenmaier said. He added that the technology could be used for future missions.
Google Joins NASA for Space Research
Google announced late Wednesday it had signed a memorandum of understanding with NASA that would allow it to collaborate on research projects with the space agency, as well as build a new one million square foot office complex at the NASA Ames Research Center.
The new complex would not be far from its current Mountain View, Calif. headquarters, dubbed the "Googleplex."
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