learnteach (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
learnteach) wrote2011-07-08 11:35 am
learnteach) wrote2011-07-08 11:35 am
Did you look? DId you see?
http://gizmodo.com/5819368/watch-the-last-space-shuttle-flight-ever-updating-live?popular=true
Thoughts:
1985. That whaletennisshoebird has been hurled into space at supersonic speeds on shaky fireballs, bumped around in vacuum, and dropped into the trash of earth with a had landing at the end for 25 YEARS. Wow.
Houston control center: big screens, consoles, clutter, and flatscreens sitting on the desks. We're 25 years advanced in computer technology--look how far it's come. How far could control come if we built it today? The shuttle pushed advanced ceramics research, what could we do today with modern materials?
I was struck by how old some of the astronauts were.
The missions that are current for NASA are very much scientific and satellite based
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html
Some very fascinating ones.
I have a friend who promotes space tourism. There's 410 people who have put down deposits to Virgin Galactic, according to wikipedia. http://www.virgingalactic.com/ You can hear a lot more about this at any Yuri's Night Party and Moffet throws a good one.
A large amount of the next gen of work in space will be robotics (talk to Vytas) and especially telepresence with robotic behavioural backup. We won't see a lot of humans up there until some particularly pernicious biology problems are solved.
BTW, you can check out some of Vytas' thoughts--mostly on living in a cube--at
http://www.magicalrobot.org/BeingHuman/
Thoughts:
1985. That whaletennisshoebird has been hurled into space at supersonic speeds on shaky fireballs, bumped around in vacuum, and dropped into the trash of earth with a had landing at the end for 25 YEARS. Wow.
Houston control center: big screens, consoles, clutter, and flatscreens sitting on the desks. We're 25 years advanced in computer technology--look how far it's come. How far could control come if we built it today? The shuttle pushed advanced ceramics research, what could we do today with modern materials?
I was struck by how old some of the astronauts were.
The missions that are current for NASA are very much scientific and satellite based
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html
Some very fascinating ones.
I have a friend who promotes space tourism. There's 410 people who have put down deposits to Virgin Galactic, according to wikipedia. http://www.virgingalactic.com/ You can hear a lot more about this at any Yuri's Night Party and Moffet throws a good one.
A large amount of the next gen of work in space will be robotics (talk to Vytas) and especially telepresence with robotic behavioural backup. We won't see a lot of humans up there until some particularly pernicious biology problems are solved.
BTW, you can check out some of Vytas' thoughts--mostly on living in a cube--at
http://www.magicalrobot.org/BeingHuman/