Many folks would like to see us back on the Moon and developing its resources.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Where are we going? - Make it so!

It has been suggested that maybe I should summarize what these last posts
are about . That is, the ones about RPG books and my reading of all
these fiction stories that take place on the Moon and Mars.

What does this have to do with the Moon, Mars, and Beyond? Why should you care?

Probably a good idea since I could use your inputs as well.
Where do we want to go?

I have ordered a number of books about going to the Moon and Mars that
were written back 10, 20 years ago when we thought we would be out
there sooner rather than later. Ben Bova has written a number of good
books that I never read before . "WELCOME TO MOONBASE" is one of them
and reading at the moment, "MOONWAR". I have more of them coming.

Since I didn't go to the NSS ISDC2007 conference, I didn't get to meet
him in person. Trying to do that now through his books. Here is a clip of
Dr. Bova that Theresa Holmes took at the ISDC2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeA_9fLd8YQ

Robert A. Heinlein has written many Sci-Fi books and again, I only have
a few. Have ordered some of those and they date back to 1957.

These stories tell of living in space with all the problems and
emotions we as humans seem to bring to a quest. I hope to compare
them with where we are today and would like to go in the future.

I have also acquired a number of books on how to write better and what
to consider when telling a fiction story, since at the moment a lot of
going to the Moon and Mars is still fiction. How soon it will become
fact remains to be seen. You out there can have a part in making it happen.

In the mean time maybe some of these posts will be more what ifs, than
what is. I think we need to SEE the vision, to make it happen. Any
suggestions as to what you think it will be like would be helpful.

The GURPS books are role playing manuals that have the information on
how to build characters and design campaigns for conducting an
adventure in a given setting. They are very detailed and have a lot
of information right down to what you should be wearing and how you
would conduct yourself in a given situation.

I just received another book powered by GURPS, "TransHuman SPACE".
- LRK -
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/transhuman/
Snip
In the coming decades, technologies like genetic engineering, artificial
intelligence, and nanotechnology will transform humanity. A strange new
world is unfolding - nightmarish to some, utopian to others. Soon we'll
have the power to reshape our children's genes, build machines that
think, and upload our minds into computers.

And Earth no longer confines us. Space tourism, mining the Moon and
asteroids, a settlement on Mars: all are dreams poised to take wing.
Snip
http://www.amazon.com/Transhuman-Space-David-Pulver/dp/1556344546/

How do you see us conducting ourselves in the near future?
How are we going to get to the future?
What politics will be involved in making the future?

In my case, I hope to see how I might better take us on an adventure
to the Moon or Mars. I am reading them with an eye for how you would
conduct yourself in building a Lunar Base and what you would be doing
to handle the daily challenges. What would make it exciting?
The dangers, the conflicts, the politics, they will all be there
whether it be fiction or the real thing. How do we get there?

To add to the weight of books on the coffee table, I just received
"Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century", with W.W.
Mendell as the editor. The cover image can be seen at
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/index.html
and a link to reading it online can be found at
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/index.htm
or ordered through Amazon.com as I did. [used]

How far do you want your minds stretched?
Just the facts? Only the facts?
Or, some of what the facts might be?

Your comments and thoughts are much appreciated.
This is your journey as well as mine.
Let the force be with you.
Or, better yet, "Make it so!".

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
I was asked if there would be videos from the ISDC2007 conference.
Theresa Holmes says there will be video postings for the ones that she took.
See snip from e-mail posted to some of us on a working group to improve
the NSS Settlements section of the website.
http://www.nss.org/settlement/
- LRK -
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Snip

Meanwhile, anyone who wants to view (and use) the video interviews, etc.
that I shot and uploaded to YouTube over the weekend, the way to find
them is to go to Google, pick Video, then do an advanced search on the
keywords "NSS space ISDC." You'll find all of the videos I shot, plus
one from March announcing the conference.

Once I get home, I'll also be gathering all the videos into my SSTO
Project and SPS Project groups on YouTube. You'll be able to find them
all in one place by doing a search under Groups for either of the
groups. As time goes on, I'll be collecting more videos of interest to
folks in either group.

If you have a blog, you can either post the link provided by YouTube for
a given video, or you can embed the code for the YouTube Flash player
showing that particular video. It depends on the blog. What I'd like to
see is these videos spread all over the Internet. It's called going
Viral. It would be a great boost to NSS.

Snip

Theresa Holmes
Sophia Systems Design & Engineering, Inc.
http://www.save4yourseat2orbit.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/save4yourplaceinspace/
http://sophiasystems.spaces.live.com/
http://phoenix-rising.townhall.com/

==============================================================
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22NSS+space+ISDC%22

http://www.youtube.com/group/SSTOProject
http://www.youtube.com/groups_videos?name=SSTOProject
Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Thursday, May 24, 2007

ISDC 2007 - Featured Speaker Schedule

We are two days into ISDC 2007.
Have you been following the featured speakers?
Ron Wells mentioned that Jack Schmitt will be there, see Sunday schedule.
- LRK -

==============================================================

Larry:

You might want to post a notice to those attending the ISDC meeting in
Dallas this weekend, which you mentioned in your last newsletter. Jack
Schmitt will be there this Sunday afternoon and evening to receive the
first National Space Society Gerard K. O'Neill Memorial Space Settlement
award for his book "Return to the Moon", where he will also be
participating in a book signing. Members attending may have already been
informed, however, some in the Dallas area may want to attend for the day (if
they can get in on a single-day registration).

Ron

==============================================================

The On Line Registration is now closed.
If you happen to be in the area and would still like to attend parts of
the ISDC 2007 conference, here is the registration information.
http://isdc.nss.org/2007/register.html

Wish I was there but going to FT Drum, NY to see Army daughter before
she deploys to IRAQ.

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================

http://isdc.nss.org/2007/schedule.html

Snip

Sunday, May 27

8:00 am -- 6:00 pm Registration - West Registration Second Floor

9:00 am - 10:00 am
* Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars Society

10:00 am - 11:00 am
* Donna Shirley, Former Mars Exploration Program Director, NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
* Ben Bova, Author and Editor

11:00 am - 12:00 pm
* Dr. Alain Bensoussan, Former Chairman of the European Space Agency
(ESA) Council

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Featured Luncheon
* Rusty Schweickart, Apollo 9 Astronaut and Chairman, B612 Foundation

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
* Ken Davidian, Program Manager, Centennial Challenges Program, NASA
* Brad Edwards, President and Founder, Carbon Designs Inc.
* William Pomerantz, Director of Space Projects, X Prize

3:00pm - 4:00 pm
* Alan Hale, Discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp
* Wallace Fowler, Director, Texas Spacegrant Consortium

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
* Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, President, Space Generation Foundation
* Elizabeth Bozek, Chairman, Students for the Exploration and
Development of Space
* Jessy Cowan, Ames Research Center
* Andrew Hoppin, Ames Research Center

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
* Dr. Eugene Hargrove, Professor, University of North Texas
* Dr. Mark Lupisella, Researcher, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm - Dinner
* Speaker: Senator Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, Apollo 17 Mission Scientist
and former U.S. Senator
* Presentation of the inaugural O'Neill Award for Space Settlement to
Senator Schmitt
* Presentation of the NSS Chapter Awards

Snip

==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Bussard's fusion concept - a presentation at the 2007 ISDC - coming up.

Larry Klaes posted the link for a presentation about Bussard's fusion
concept.
We have mentioned both the 2007 ISDC (International Space Development
Conference <http://isdc.nss.org/2007/>)
coming up May 25-28, 2007 and Bussard's fusion concept
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Bussard>.

You might just be interested in seeing what some of the scheduled tracks
are about at the 2007 ISDC.
ISDC2007 View Tracks
<http://isdc2.xisp.net/%7Ekmiller/isdc_archive/isdc.php?link=trackViewForm>

The presentation for Bussard's fusion concept will be in Track 01,The
Transport Frontier.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
001 The Transport Frontier - to space - in space - from space
<http://isdc2.xisp.net/%7Ekmiller/isdc_archive/isdc.php?link=trackSelect&track_id=80>

Explores the principles and practice of transport in the new frontier.
From suborbital to interstellar, this track is about the means of
traveling to and from the many destinations in space.
Space Transport 101 -- Overview - Orbital Law - Orbital Mechanics &
Navigation
Stage 1- Suborbital & Earth to Orbit - Terrestrial Facilities -
Orbital Facilities - Space Tourism Transport
Stage 2- Trans-LEO - Cislunar & Lunar surface - Fuel Depots
Stage 3- Out to Mars & Aldrin Cyclers - Space Elevators - Solar Sails
- Nuclear Rockets - Key to the Solar System - Interstellar Flight
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Ligon
<http://isdc2.xisp.net/%7Ekmiller/isdc_archive/isdc.php?link=personSelect&person_id=516>
will be giving the talk.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Ligon is a former employee of Robert Bussard's Energy Matter
Conversion Corporation, and now works for Athena Controls. Mr. Ligon
holds two BS degrees from Virginia Tech, and is a frequent contributor
to Analog Science Fiction and Fact. His article "The World's Simplest
Fusion Reactor", published in Analog in 1998, won an Analab award.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a copy of the ABSTRACT:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. R. W. Bussard, of the Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation, released
a paper entitled �The Advent of Clean Nuclear Fusion: Superperformance
Space Power and Propulsion� at the 57th International Astronautical
Congress in Valencia, Spain, October 2-6, 2006. The EMC2 device derives
from earlier Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) devices pioneered
by P. T. Farnsworth and R. L. Hirsch in the 1960�s, but overcomes the
inherent losses in the earlier machines by utilizing a quasi-spherical
magnetic method of dynamically confining electrons to produce an
electrodynamic potential well. A device called WB-6 successfully
demonstrated a high rate of fusion in November 2005, and Dr. Bussard
believes the device can be scaled up to a size that will operate at over
100 MW. Furthermore, the technology should be capable of utilizing p-B11
fuel. Tom Ligon, a former employee of EMC2, will discuss the program,
its stunning implications for space travel, and what steps we need to
take to make it a reality.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the link to the Power Point file.
http://isdc2.xisp.net/~kmiller/isdc_archive/fileDownload.php/?link=fileSelect&file_id=422


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
A note from Larry Klaes informs us that:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A presentation on Bussard�s fusion concept at the 2007
International Space Development conference is online
here:

http://isdc2.xisp.net/~kmiller/isdc_archive/isdc.php?link=submissionSelect&submission_id=576


Look for the link button near the bottom under PPT at the
bottom right of the Web page.

Snip
==============================================================
ISDC 2007 *Confirmed Featured Speakers and Guests
*http://isdc.nss.org/2007/speakers.html*

*Snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/main/index.html
*Why Explore Space?*

"Today," writes NASA Administrator Mike Griffin, "NASA is moving forward
with a new focus for the manned space program: to go out beyond Earth
orbit for purposes of human exploration and scientific discovery."
Administrator Griffin makes the case for completing the International
Space Station, "the most complex construction feat ever undertaken," as
a stepping stone to future exploration.

"Using the space station and building an outpost on the moon to prepare
for the trip to Mars are critical milestones in America's quest to
become a truly spacefaring nation," Griffin writes. "I think that we
should want that. I want that. I want it for the American people, for my
grandchildren, for my great-grandchildren."
+ Read More
<http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/main/griffin_why_explore.html>
Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Saturday, May 19, 2007

GURPS - Fourth Edition & THE MARS ONE CREW MANUAL - arrived - Where To Now?

We reported that "WELCOME TO MOONBASE" book had arrived and we could
learn about living on the Moon.

Today "THE MARS ONE CREW MANUAL" arrived and I can prepare for a mission
to Mars.

With the arrival of GURPS 4th edition Basic Set, Characters and Campaign
books, and the GURPS Ultra-tech book we have the beginning of the set up
for a Role Playing Group experience that could take place on the Moon.

If you add the book "OUT OF THE CRADLE - EXPLORING THE FRONTIERS BEYOND
EARTH", you have visual images to put you into the vision.
http://www.amazon.com/Out-Cradle-Exploring-Frontiers-Beyond/dp/0894807706

Okay, I have some research to do.
Need to find out where I am going, if not for real, at least in my
imagination.
Want to come along?

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
Both packages arrived 5/19/07, must thank the Postal Lady for leaving
them at my door step. - LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.amazon.com/Mars-One-Crew-Manual/dp/0345318811/
*Items:*

* 1 of: The Mars One Crew Manual by Joels, Kerry Mark
Sold by: books_from_california

http://www.amazon.com/GURPS-Basic-Set-Characters-Fourth/dp/1556347294/
*Items shipped on May 16, 2007:*
Delivery estimate: May 22, 2007 - May 24, 2007
1 package via USPS

* 1 of: GURPS Basic Set: Characters, (4th Edition)
Sold by: Amazon.com
* 1 of: GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns, (4th Edition)
Sold by: Amazon.com
* 1 of: Gurps Ultra-tech (Gurps)
Sold by: Amazon.com

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/
Welcome to the Generic Universal RolePlaying System!

With */GURPS/*, you can be anyone you want -- an elf hero fighting for
the forces of good, a shadowy femme fatale on a deep-cover mission, a
futuristic swashbuckler carving up foes with a force sword in his hand
and a beautiful woman by his side . . . or literally /anything/ else!
*/GURPS/* has been the premiere universal roleplaying game for almost
two decades. The new Fourth Edition makes it even better!

Snip

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/basic/
Basic Set

Written by *Steve Jackson <http://www.io.com/%7Esj/>*, *Sean Punch*, and
*David Pulver* Edited by *Andrew Hackard* and *Steve Jackson
<http://www.io.com/%7Esj/>*
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Friday, May 18, 2007

Welcome to Moonbase by Ben Bova - illustrations by Pat Rawlings






















Book arrived in the mail today.

I have read the MOONBASE INC, EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT in the Appendices and I am
ready to sign up.
- LRK -

==============================================================
Welcome to Moonbase (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345328590/104-4212266-1879162

48 used & new
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0345328590/ref=dp_olp_2/104-4212266-1879
162
>
available from $0.14
==============================================================

I opened the handbook and started reading.
- LRK -

==============================================================

YOU ARE ONE OF THE SELECT FEW
CHOSEN TO PARTICIPATE IN
THIS MAGNIFICENT ENTERPRISE.
YOU ARE A LUNAR PIONEER.

WELCOME TO MOONBASE
A NEW WORLD. A NEW WAY OF LIFE.

==============================================================

Looks like I have my work cut out for me but if I do good I can ask to
extend my one year contract.

I hope MOONBASE is as nice as the illustrations.

Best dig into the handbook while waiting for my launch date.

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
http://www.asi.org/adb/b/01/exploration-book-list.html

THE ARTEMIS PROJECT
Lunar Exploration Book List

Snip

http://www.asi.org/adb/b/01/
*Non-Fiction Books about the Moon*

Snip
==============================================================
http://nss.org/resources/books/fiction/SF_007_powersat.html
NSS - Book Review: Powersat

Reviewed by: *Allen G. Taylor
<http://nss.org/resources/books/reviewers.html#taylor>
* Title: *Powersat*
Author: *Ben Bova *
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Date: Mass market paperback, October, 2006 (original: December, 2004)
Retail Price: $7.99
ISBN: 0765315661

Ben Bova's popular Grand Tour series of novels details humanity's
adventures in the near future, exploring and settling the solar system.
After writing about Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and
the asteroids, Bova finally got around to writing about Earth. Set in
the near future, /Powersat/ follows astronaut-turned-businessman Dan
Randolph as he tries to put Earth's first production solar power
satellite (SPS) into operation. Middle-Eastern terrorists, international
oil companies, and eco-Luddites all want to see him fail, while NASA and
the rest of the Federal bureaucracy are not particularly keen to see a
private company do what they could not. Randolph has an ally in Senator
Jane Thornton, an old flame, who is now running the presidential
campaign of Morgan Scanwell, the governor of Texas.

Snip

http://www.nss.org/resources/books/
READING SPACE: NSS Reviews and Recommended Reading

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Thursday, May 17, 2007

NSS - adAstra -to the stars - THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY - arrived

If you are a member of the NSS, you too probably have the magazine in
your mailbox.

If not, you might like to join the society and support going to space.
The adAstra magazine is just a bonus.
http://www.nss.org/

There is an article about space business booming along the Southwest
"Rocket Belt".

Also the Summer Star Planner Calendar, tracking space for your viewing.
Interesting article "Clear Skies: Understanding the Orbital Debris
Problem and Its Possible Solutions".

If you have not seen any of the Apollo DVDs by Spacecraft Films, there
is a nice review, "Reliving the Past, Inspiring the Future" by Robert Z.
Pearlman.

You will also find some nice pictures by the winners 2007 NSS Space
Settlement Art Contest.

Online you can view these:
Gallery for NSS Space Settlement Art Contest
http://www.nss.org/settlement/calendar/gallery.htm

You can also find articles at adAstra ONLINE
http://www.space.com/adastra/

Here is one online article by Al Globus.
Solar Power From Space: A Better Strategy for America and the World?
http://www.space.com/adastra/070517_adastra_solarpowersats.html

If you are interested in settling somewhere off world, like in space,
the Moon or on Mars, you might be interested in looking at the links on
the NSS web site in the Space Settlement Nexus section.

I have passed the link before but new material is being added and the list of online
reference material continues to grow.
http://www.nss.org/settlement/

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
If you use the Mozilla Firefox browser
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

you are probably aware of many add ons that are available.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:1

There are also scripts that can change the way some of the pages display.
One of the mangers for these scripts is from Greasemonkey.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748

Userscripts.org has some 6,196 scrpts available.
http://userscripts.org/
If you use Google image searches, a nice change to the way the image
search results are displayed is letting the image you mouse over display
with the enlarged version of the image showing on the same page instead
of having to click on it and it display in a different window, which you
will have to close and go back to your search results.

Googlenlarge
Enlarges pictures from Google image search and displays them in the
opposite corner.
http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/7863

Snip
==============================================================
Lunar Bases
http://www.astronautix.com/craftfam/lunbases.htm
The Lunar Base never seemed to be a high priority to space visionaries,
who were mainly interested in getting on to Mars. It was usually seen as
a proving ground for Mars vehicle technology, or as a place to mine
propellant for use in a larger space infrastructure.

Snip
==============================================================
Image search for "lunar base".
Do you have a preference? - LRK -

http://images.google.com/
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=%22lunar+base%22&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
Results 1 - 20 of about 2,510 for "lunar base". (0.36 seconds)

or if you want a lot of images, leave off the quotes and use - lunar base -. - LRK -
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&amp;hl=en&gbv=2&q=lunar+base&btnG=Search+Images
Results 1 - 20 of about 65,400 for lunar base.(0.19 seconds)

Snip
==============================================================
Check out Google's latest ideas
http://www.google.com/experimental/
See results on a timeline or map.
With the timeline and map views, Google�s technology extracts key dates
and locations from select search results so you can view the information
in a different dimension. Timeline and map views work best for searches
related to people, companies, events and places.

My test with - lunar base - interesting. - LRK -
http://www.google.com/views?q=lunar%20base+view:timeline
Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Monday, May 14, 2007

Apollo 10 - Launched: 18 May 1969 UT 16:49:00 (12:49:00 p.m. EDT)


==============================================================
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo10info.html
Apollo 10

*Launched:* 18 May 1969 UT 16:49:00 (12:49:00 p.m. EDT)
*Lunar Orbit:* 21 May 1969
*Returned to Earth:* 26 May 1969 UT 16:52:23 (12:52:23 p.m. EDT)

Thomas P. Stafford, commander
John W. Young, command module pilot
Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot*

==============================================================

So close you could almost touch the Moon, well not quite, but they went
to the Moon and the LM did a dry run.

What a thrill and the next trip to the Moon would see us land on lunar
regolith.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_10
Wikipedia says ---

*Apollo 10* was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Apollo>. The mission included the
second crew to orbit the Moon, and the test of the lunar module
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Lunar_Module> in lunar orbit. The
module came to within 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km) of the lunar surface
during practice maneuvers. According to the 2001 Guinness World Records
Apollo 10 has the record for the highest speed attained by a manned
vehicle: 39,897 km/h (11.08 km/s or 24,791 mph). The speed record was
set during the return from the Moon on 26 May 1969.

Snip

On May 22, 1969 at 20:35:02 UTC, a 27.4 second LM descent propulsion
system burn inserted the LM into a descent orbit of 112.8 km by 15.7 km
so that the resulting lowest point in the orbit occurred about 15° from
lunar landing site 2 (the Apollo 11 landing site). The lowest measured
point in the trajectory was 15.6 km above the lunar surface at 21:29:43 UTC.

Snip

Mission highlights

This dress rehearsal for a Moon landing
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing> brought Stafford and
Cernan's lunar module, nicknamed "Snoopy
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoopy>", to 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km)
from the lunar surface. Except for that final stretch, the mission went
exactly as a landing would have gone, both in space and on the ground,
where Apollo's extensive tracking and control network was put through a
dry run. Shortly after leaving low Earth orbit
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit>, the command/service
module separated from the S-IVB stage, turned around, and docked its
nose to the top of the lunar module still nestled in the S-IVB. The
CSM/LM stack then separated from the S-IVB for the trip to the moon.
Upon reaching lunar orbit, Young remained alone in his command module
"Charlie Brown <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown>," while
Stafford and Cernan flew separately in the LM. They checked out the LM's
radar and ascent engine, rode out a momentary gyration in the lunar
lander's motion (due to a faulty switch setting), and surveyed the
Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquillity. This test article of
the lunar module was not equipped to land, however. Apollo 10 also added
another first - broadcasting live color TV from space.

On May 22, 1969 Apollo 10's lunar module flew within 15.6 km of the
Moon <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon>'s surface.

Launched: May 18, 1969 from Pad 39B
Returned: May 26, 1969
Crew members:
Tom Stafford
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Stafford>, commander;
John Young
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Young>, command module pilot;
Gene Cernan
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Cernan>, lunar module pilot

Command module: Charlie Brown <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown>
Lunar module: Snoopy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoopy>

The command module is displayed at the Science Museum
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_Museum_%28London%29> in London
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London>. The lunar module is in
heliocentric orbit, thus making it the only intact lunar module ascent
stage out of all of the lunar modules sent into space (Apollos 5
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_5>, 9
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_9>, 13
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13> LM ascent stages burned up in
Earth's atmosphere, /Apollo 11 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11>/
LM ascent stage left in lunar orbit - eventually crashed on moon,
Apollos 12 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_12>, 14
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_14>, 15
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_15>, 16
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_16>, 17
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17> LM ascent stages deliberately
crashed into moon) .

Snip
==============================================================
Apollo 10 Videos
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/apollo/apollo10/html/onboard_activities.html
NASA Human Space Flight
Snip
==============================================================
Apollo 10 crew enjoy with zero gravity - YouTube - 49 seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InNaXl06Wyg
Snip
==============================================================
As You Remember It: The Launch of APOLLO 11 - Yahoo video - 9.56 minutes
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=38668&fr=
Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Lockheed Moon Base - by David S.F. Portree

Just posted by David, which I recommend you see.
- LRK -

==============================================================
Lockheed *moon base*
<http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2007/05/lockheed-moon-base.html>
By David S. F. Portree(David S. F. Portree)
The Rangers would gather data on lunar conditions for *moon base*
hardware designers. Design of preliminary ELO hardware based on Apollo
systems would begin as early as 1963 and last until to 1970. Meanwhile,
increasingly ambitious lunar *...*
Altair VI - http://altairvi.blogspot.com/ <http://altairvi.blogspot.com/>
==============================================================

And while you are there, http://altairvi.blogspot.com/ take a look at
his post from the week past.
http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2007/05/gurps-traveller.html
Traveller
and a post back in December of 2006
http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2006/12/worldbuilding.html
Fun With Fictons

I have Steve Jackson's GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System)
BASIC SET from 1987 with his GURPS FANTASY Magic System and Game World game.

I had just found it and a book "ROLE-PLAYING MASTERY" by Gary Gygax,
co-creator of THE DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game that I had bought 20 years
ago. Thought I would develop a game on my Amiga Computer. It too sits
out in the garage.

My reason for looking at them now was to think of how one might set up
an adventure game that took place on the Moon at an early Lunar Base.

If you look at some of David's blogs you will see examples of role
playing games with similar thoughts in mind and that I am a bit late
coming to the scene.

David mentions that he never really played the games but liked seeing
how they set up the Game Worlds. What are the rules for interaction?
How do you conduct yourself in the given world?

I have never played nor got into world setups but thought I should as it
might be a way to educate and entertain folks about going to the Moon,
Mars and Beyond. How would you survive in the hostile environment where
you had to work in a vacuum, with fine regolith grit getting into every
nook and cranny. Would the galactic cosmic rays do you in? Would your
life support back pack spring a leak? Would your lunar dune buggy drop
into an unseen crater?

Looks like one could learn a lot about exploring the Moon if someone
went to the trouble to write up the requirements for a world that took
in a Moon Base.

Thanks David for your blog and the work you did on the earlier site,
Romance to Reality.
http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2006/12/whither-romance-to-reality.html

And to all of you, thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
Some links from David S. F. Portree's blog
http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2006/12/worldbuilding.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Orions Arm
http://www.orionsarm.com/

ExploreMarsNow
http://www.exploremarsnow.org/

Furaha: Life on Alpha Phoenicis IV
http://home.casema.nl/gertvandijk/index.html

Epona
http://www.eponaproject.com/

Snip
==============================================================
Building a Better Moon Base
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/moonbase_biz_021002-1.html
*By Leonard David ldavid@hq.space.com>*
Senior Space Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
02 October 2002

The Moon is soon to be on the receiving end of a volley of robotic
probes launched by multiple nations. Spacecraft from Europe, Japan,
India, China, as well as the United States are expected to spark a 21^st
century renaissance in lunar exploration.

Rekindling that scientific link to Earth's natural satellite might spur
other endeavors too, and humans may once again bound across that
"magnificent desolation" as Apollo 11 astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, saw it
through his space helmet visor.

Snip
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficton


Ficton


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficton#column-one>,
search <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficton#searchInput>

In common usage, a *ficton* is a fictional setting
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictional_setting> created by writing any
fictional <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction> story or series of stories.

The term was coined by Robert A. Heinlein
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein> in his novel /The
Number of the Beast
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Number_of_the_Beast_%28novel%29>/. In
it, he defines it as a basic or indivisible unit of imagination. Now it
is more commonly used as above.

Some fictons look remarkably like our own world, and have the same
physical laws and history as ours. In the extreme case of historical
novels it may be impossible to prove that the events did not happen
exactly as described, so the ficton in which they occur is
indistinguishable from the factual universe; and in other cases of time
travel <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel> based alternate
history <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_history> tales like The
Cross Time Engineer <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Frankowski> and
fast growing 1632 series <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1632_series>, we
(eventually) know that a parallel universe
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_universe_%28fiction%29> has been
split off. In other fictons either history, physics or both are
radically different from the factual world, and there is a spectrum in
between; indeed, access to such a spectrum has been a facet of some
fictons (e.g. Raymond Feist
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Feist>'s Riftwar Saga
). A few fictons do not lie neatly
on this spectrum, notably the ficton in which the Star Wars
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars> series is set, which is
described as 'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."'


Snip
==============================================================
NASA Airs Its Plan for a Moon Base by 2024
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6582960
by Nell Boyce

/All Things Considered
<http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2>, /December
5, 2006 · NASA announces plans to build a moon base that would house a
new generation of lunar explorers. The plan calls for a return to the
moon by 2020, with a rudimentary base camp established by 2024. But the
ambitious plan faces some stiff technical and political challenges.

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Thursday, May 10, 2007

ISDC 2007 From Old Frontiers to New: Celebrating 50 Years of Spaceflight

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/

The 26th International Space Development Conference, NSS's annual event,
will be held in Dallas, Texas from May 25-28. This year the conference
will have two pre-conference events; the Symposium on Space Venture
Finance on Thursday, May 24 and the bi-annual meeting of the Aerospace
Technology Working Group (ATWG) from May 22 - 24.

The conference will include programs, presentations and exhibits focused
on space exploration and settlement, astronomy and scientific research,
commercial space ventures, space tourism, and other exciting topics. The
conference will also feature displays of real spaceflight hardware, such
as Armadillo Aerospace's historic 'Quad' rocket vehicle.

Snip
==============================================================

If you are interested in going to the ISDC 2007 best register soon.
http://www.nss.org/
http://isdc.nss.org/2007/register.html

Take a look at who is going to be speaking.
http://isdc.nss.org/2007/speakers.html

If you go to the conference I am sure you will find a lot of enthusiastic and
interested folks that want to see us developing space.

If you look at the blog link Google found you will see a different tone
and concern for how NASA is going about the Vision.

Your feelings may vary.

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
When you ask Google to tell you when someone posts a blog about "Moon
Base" you can never be sure what the post will be like.
Still, it can be enlightening to see what folks are thinking and writing
about.
- LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------

Google Blogs Alert for: *"Moon Base"*

Worst. Sequel. Ever.
<http://www.inthepinktexas.com/2007/05/10/worst-sequel-ever/>
By TJ Shroat
Perhaps in the course of meeting the energy demands of a *moon base*,
we'll develop technologies that help solve our terrestrial energy needs.
But maybe we should feel the urgency to develop that technology while
still on the Earth, *...*
In The Pink Texas - http://www.inthepinktexas.com

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Welcome to CoLab - You too might help us go to the Moon

You were were expecting to go to the Moon, but the construction date is in question.
What can you do right now to help planning for your Lunar Base?
How about joining a meeting in a virtual community that NASA is working on.

I received an e-mail from Jeroen Lapre' about a meeting he attended in
San Francisco, CA this last week. I missed it although is looks like we
all could attend a virtual CoLab that is a dedicated "island" in the 'Second Life"
online virtual world.

I signed up to see what it looks like.
Will have to learn how to get my bearings.
If you see CdrLuna Korabase, don't give him a bad time.
[even if he looks lost]

If you don't feel like walking around in a virtual world ,a regular web
site is in the planning as well.

Some links and info below.

Thanks for looking up with me. [now how do I tame the volcano?]

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
Note from Jeroen Lapre'. - LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Fellow Space Fans,

I am excited to inform you about a new initiative by NASA and the
innovative technology-entrepreneurial community called Colab:

http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/

As part of Colab, they are running monthly meetings that are open to the
public called Luna Philosophie:

http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/node/34

These meetings are held on the Full Moon of each month in San Francisco.
Check the above websites for the physical location, as these may change
from month to month.

It was an honor to be invited to give a work-in-progress presentation of
my Arthur C. Clarke Maelstrom II
<http://www.distant-galaxy.com/maelstrom2/MaelstromII.html> independent
HD digital short project.

What I found exciting about attending the 1st Luna Philosophie meeting
was the opportunity to meet interesting people from all walks of life
with a grass roots commitment to Space Exploration and Colonisation.

If you are in the Bay Area, please consider attending the next Luna
Philosophie to see how you can participate.

If you are located on a different part of this planet, please consider
joining Colab virtually:

http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/virtual

Hope to see you at the next meeting!

Best wishes,

Jeroen Lapre'
Digital Artist/Technical Director
www.ilm.com

Snip
==============================================================
http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/
Welcome to CoLab

NASA CoLab is a Collaborative Space Exploration Laboratory being
developed at NASA. CoLab will provide a framework for exciting
partnership projects between the nation�s space program and the thriving
technology-entrepreneurial community. In addition to the benefits to
collaborating with intellectual assets of the technology business
sector, the general public will benefit through various projects
supporting the NASA's goals. CoLab will feature a physical space in
downtown San Francisco, a collaborative online space where scientists
and engineers from NASA will collaborate with the entrepreneurial
technology community, and a space in "Second Life", a virtual learning
community with interactive content.

Snip
==============================================================
http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/node/34
May 2, 2007: First Luna Philosophie Meeting in SF

* News & Events <http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/taxonomy/term/1>

Luna Philosophie: "Humanity Evolving Into Space"

Please join us for the first meeting of Luna Philosophie, a time for
discussing humanity's evolution into space. This event is an initiative
of NASA CoLab, a new project aiming to increase public participation in
the nation's space program. Luna Philosophie will occur on (or close to)
every Full Moon, in San Francisco, as part of CoLab's efforts to bring
NASA and space to the dynamic creative communities of the San Francisco
Bay Area. Each Luna Philosophie meeting will have a different theme, and
will involve a presentation and open discussion for philosophizing.
Anyone who is interested in an open, creative dialogue on human, space
related topics is encouraged to attend!

*WHAT:* This first meeting of Luna Philosophie will provide an
introduction to NASA CoLab and the Luna Philosophie "Humanity Evolving
Into Space" concept in general.

*BONUS:* At 8pm we'll get a sneak preview of "Maelstrom II," a
development stage HD Digital short film project by Industrial Light &
Magic's Jeroen LaPre; Jeroen will share early footage from the film,
and, in the collaborative spirit of NASA CoLab, invite the community to
help him turn this Arthur C. Clarke short story into a polished digital
short film in time for Sir Arthur's 90th birthday!

See Jeroen's website
<http://www.distant-galaxy.com/maelstrom2/MaelstromII.html> for more
information.

*WHEN:* Wednesday, May 2, 2007 (Full Moon) at 6:30 PM; socializing
6:30-7PM; CoLab and Human Evolution Discussion 7-8PM; Maelstrom II
screening and discussion 8-8:30PM; socializing 8:30-9PM

*WHERE:* Citizenspace, 425 Second Steet, 3rd Floor, in San Francisco
(http://citizenspace.us/)

*WHO:* All are welcome, from space professionals to those who are unsure
what N-A-S-A stands for!

MISC: Please bring food and drink to share.

*RSVP:* http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/177855/
(not required but helpful for planning for space requirements)

*CONTACT:* Delia Santiago (dsantiago@arc.nasa.gov
dsantiago@arc.nasa.gov>) with any questions.

Please bring refreshments!

For more information on NASA CoLab, visit: http://colab.arc.nasa.gov

For more information on Luna Philosophie, visit:
http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/luna

Snip
==============================================================
http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/virtual
CoLab Virtual Overview

The virtual CoLab is a dedicated �island� in the �Second Life� online
virtual world, and will later be complemented by a traditional Web-based
community website.

You may visit CoLab
<http://slurl.com/secondlife/NASA%20CoLab/244/110/23> in the virtual
world Second Life at any time (download
<http://secondlife.com/community/downloads.php> of Second Life
application required). Regular weekly CoLab community organizing
meetings are held on "Space CoLab" island every Tuesday at 1pm Pacific
Daylight Time.

These online communities will complement and extend the offline physical
CoLab in order to:

� Engage stakeholders in designing and building the CoLab: consistent
with the values of the CoLab project

� Prototype the physical CoLab in Second Life virtual space as a test
bed before investing resources in building the actual physical CoLab

� Enable technology entrepreneurs outside the San Francisco Bay Area to
participate in and benefit from CoLab

� Help ARC communicate the value of CoLab to other NASA facilities and
external institutions

� Create expertise within ARC in the important new online technology
realm of �social software,� in order to help ARC more effectively
contribute to NASA�s public exploration efforts

*contact: Andrew Hoppin, ahoppin@arc.nasa.gov ahoppin@arc.nasa.gov>
or
send IM in Second Life to 'drew frobozz'*

Snip
==============================================================
http://secondlife.com/whatis/
What is Second Life?

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its
residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively
and today is inhabited by a total of 6,203,046 people from around the
globe.

* From the moment you enter the World
<http://secondlife.com/whatis/world.php> you'll discover a vast
digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences
and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a
perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.

* You'll also be surrounded by the Creations
<http://secondlife.com/whatis/creations.php> of your fellow
residents. Because residents retain the rights to their digital
creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other residents.

* The Marketplace <http://secondlife.com/whatis/marketplace.php>
currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions.
This commerce is handled with the in-world unit-of-trade, the
Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several
thriving online Linden Dollar exchanges.

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Monday, May 07, 2007

Off to the Moon - How might I be powered? - Fuel Cells considered.

Your laptop battery just went dead.
Your radio transceiver is quiet.
Your reading light just went out.
It is getting cold - oh, no it is getting hot.

What are you going to do?
Are we on the Moon or just back on Earth with gasoline prices going up
and in short supply?

You may well be aware of fuel cells that use hydrogen and oxygen to make
electricity and water. The Apollo missions used fuel cells to generate
electricity and provide drinking water. Fuel cells are used on the shuttle as well.

A more down to Earth application is the use of fuel cells to make electricity
that might power air conditioners or supply the power to an electric motor in
a bus or car.

Oxygen and Hydrogen are not the only fuels used in fuel cells.
- LRK -

Take a look at the Wikipedia link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell

You don't need to have Oxygen and Hydrogen gas as the fuel source.
How about using sludge and bacteria.
http://www.geobacter.org/research/microbial/

You may want to see who has been building Fuel Cells for NASA.
http://www.utcpower.com/fs/com/bin/fs_com_PowerHomePage/

Be aware that if you have a neat, new idea for a fuel cell, best check
to see if it is already been patented.
http://www.dmfcc.com/index.html

And if you need help with understanding patents.
http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.1

Or what the Future of Fuel Cells is.
http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.1

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell
Snip
History

The principle of the fuel cell was discovered by German scientist
Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838 and published in the January 1839 edition of the "Philosophical
Magazine".^[4] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell#_note-3> Based on
this work, the first fuel cell was developed by Welsh scientist Sir
William Robert Grove <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Robert_Grove>
in 1843. The fuel cell he made used similar materials to today's
phosphoric-acid fuel cell
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric-acid_fuel_cell>. It wasn't
until 1959 that British engineer Francis Thomas Bacon
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Thomas_Bacon> successfully
developed a 5 kW stationary fuel cell. In 1959, a team led by Harry
Ihrig built a 15 kW fuel cell tractor for Allis-Chalmers which was
demonstrated across the US at state fairs. This system used potassium
hydroxide as the electrolyte and compressed hydrogen and oxygen as the
reactants. Later in 1959, Bacon and his colleagues demonstrated a
practical five-kilowatt unit capable of powering a welding machine. In
the 1960s, Pratt and Whitney licensed Bacon's U.S. patents for use in
the U.S. space program to supply electricity and drinking water
(hydrogen and oxygen being readily available from the spacecraft tanks).

UTC <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTX>'s Power subsidiary was the first
company to manufacture and commercialize a large, stationary fuel cell
system for use as a co-generation
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-generation> power plant in hospitals,
universities and large office buildings. UTC Power continues to market
this fuel cell as the PureCell 200, a 200 kW system.^[5]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell#_note-4> UTC Power continues to
be the sole supplier of fuel cells to NASA for use in space vehicles,
having supplied the Apollo missions
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_mission> and currently the Space
Shuttle program <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_program>,
and is developing fuel cells for automobiles, buses, and cell phone
towers; the company has demonstrated the first fuel cell capable of
starting under freezing conditions with its proton exchange membrane
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_exchange_membrane> automotive fuel
cell.

In 2006 Staxon
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Staxon&action=edit>
introduced an inexpensive OEM fuel cell module for system integration.
In 2006 Angstrom Power
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Angstrom_Power&action=edit>,
a British Columbia based company, began commercial sales of portable
devices using proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technology, trademarked as
"micro hydrogen."^/
/ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources>

Types of fuel cells

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.geobacter.org/research/microbial/

Microbial Fuel Cells

We have found that dissimilatory metal-reducing microorganisms, such as
Geobacter and Rhodoferax species, have the novel ability to directly
transfer electrons to the surface of electrodes. This had led to the
construction of microbial fuel cells that are superior to previously
described microbial fuel cells in that: 1) they are much more efficient;
2) they do not require the addition of the toxic electron shuttling
mediator compounds employed in previously described microbial fuel
cells; 3) they have remarkable long-term stability; and 4) it is
possible to harvest electricity from many types of waste organic matter
or renewable biomass. Immediate application of these microbial fuel
cells will be for powering electronic monitoring devices in remote
locations, such as the bottom of the ocean. However, many other
applications are possible. Current research is focusing on elucidating
the mechanisms of electron transfer between the microorganisms and the
electrode in order to design better electrodes or genetically engineer
better microbes for higher rates of electricity production.

[Sediment Battery Preparation
<http://www.geobacter.org/research/microbial/Sediment%20Battery%20Preparation%20copy.pdf>
| .pdf (177 KB)]

*References*

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.utcpower.com/fs/com/bin/fs_com_PowerHomePage/
As a global leader in efficient, reliable, sustainable energy
alternatives, UTC Power delivers innovative, practical solutions that
can power your success.
Snip
http://www.utcpower.com/fs/com/bin/fs_com_Page/0,5672,0103,00.html
It's working every day. Everywhere.

Fuel Cells. Heat to energy solutions. Waste-power recycling. Power
plants on wheels. What may sound like science fiction to some, is
science fact at UTC Power. With hundreds of powered buildings and buses
operating in Europe and North America, our solutions are proving
themselves every day.

Our multi-million dollar research, development and testing investments
pay real dividends our customers can count on. UTC Power solutions
outperform virtually every other energy alternative. Unlike wind and
solar, our products work any time. You can count on their performance
without needing to count on nature's kindness.

Public safety facilities, schools, hospitals, phone companies and
forward-thinking businesses rely on UTC Power products every day. And
every hour of uptime with their mission-critical and life-safety
applications is further testament to our technology. It's not radical.
It's not experimental. It's not high risk. It's just good science,
working like it's supposed to for our clients every day.

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.dmfcc.com/index.html
*Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation* (DMFCC)* is a provider of
disposable fuel cartridges and intellectual property protection for
manufacturers of direct methanol and other liquid hydrocarbon fuel
cells. Methanol fuel cells are replacements for traditional batteries
and are expected to gain a substantial market share because they offer
longer operating time as compared to current lithium ion batteries and
may be instantaneously recharged by simply replacing the disposable fuel
cartridge. DMFC products are being developed for these applications by
companies such as Samsung in Korea, and by Toshiba, NEC, Hitachi and
Sanyo in Japan. Sales are expected to reach billions of dollars within a
few years. With state of the art proprietary products, a global standard
distribution network, and a comprehensive suite of fundamental fuel cell
patents, DMFCC has a mechanism in place to advance this exciting new
technology.

The direct methanol fuel cell was invented and developed at the
Caltech/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Southern
California (USC) and is protected by more than 56 issued and 62 pending
patents worldwide. DMFCC has license rights to the Caltech intellectual
property portfolio for direct liquid hydrocarbon fuel cells (including
direct methanol fuel cells, DMFC), electrode construction, membrane
electrode assemblies (MEAs), fuel cell systems, methanol sensor and
filter, electrolysis of methanol to form hydrogen, and methanol fuel
cartridges. Caltech and USC are founding shareholders in DMFCC. VIASPACE
Inc. and Itochu Corporation are also DMFCC�s current investors.

Snip
==============================================================
And if you need help with understanding patents.
http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.1

*CONTENTS* 14pg 64K 7fig
1. Introduction <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.1>
2. Development consultants vs patent attorneys
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.2>
3. Search patents before developing
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.3>
4. Inventors vs developers <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.4>
5. Patents as a source of information
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.5>
6. Patent It Yourself Book <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.6>
7. The three types of patents
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.7>
8. The intellectual property big picture
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.8>
9. Should you get a patent or just produce?
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.9>
10. Selling your idea to a larger corporation?
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.10>
11. Can you get a patent after disclosure?
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.11>
12. How long is a patent valid for?
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.12>
13. When to get a patent <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.13>
14. First to patent or invent?
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.14>
15. Provisional patents <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.15>
16. Should you get a US or other patent?
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.16>
17. Cost of a patent search
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.17>
18. Cost to get a patent <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.18>
19. Writing your own patent
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.19>
20. Using a patent attorney
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.20>
21. Patent searching <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.21>
22. Europe's network of patent databases
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.22>
23. US Patent Trademark Office
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.23>
24. Delphion Intellectual Property Network
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.24>
25. Canadian Patent Office <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.25>
26. Patscan computer patent search
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.26>
27. Reading the patent <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.27>
28. Reading the patent first page
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.28>
29. Reading the patent drawings
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.29>
30. Reading the patent field and background
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.30>
31. Reading the patent summary
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.31>
32. Reading the patent description
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.32>
33. Reading the patent claims
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.33>
34. Patentability <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.34>
35. Infringement <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.35>
36. Coverage <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.36>
37. Professional developers
<http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.37>
38. Legal disclaimer <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.38>
39. References <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.39>
40. Revision history <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.40>
>>>Copyright <http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html#patents.41>
>>>www.benwiens.com <http://www.benwiens.com/index.html>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Snip

Or what the Future of Fuel Cells is.
http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.1
*CONTENTS* 11pg 57K 11fig
1. Abstract <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.1>
2. Introduction <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.2>
3. Background <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.3>
4. How does a fuel cell work?
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.4>
5. Types of fuel cells <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.5>
6. Fuel cells for electric power production
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.6>
7. Fuel cells for transportation
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.7>
8. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.8>
9. Direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC)
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.9>
10. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.10>
11. Phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC)
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.11>
12. Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC)
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.12>
13. Alkaline fuel cell (AFC)
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.13>
14. Fuels <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.14>
15. Forms of energy <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.15>
16. Temperament vs temperature
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.16>
17. Fuel cells vs heat engines
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.17>
18. Second law analysis of fuel cells
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.18>
19. Companies involved in research
<http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.19>
20. Conclusions <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.20>
21. Notes <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.21>
22. References <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.22>
23. Symbols <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.23>
24. Revision History <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.24>
>>>Copyright <http://www.benwiens.com/energy4.html#energy1.25>

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Friday, May 04, 2007

"The Mars Underground" to Air on TV

Gunjan Gupta forwarded me the Mars Society Newsletter with info about an
upcoming TV special.

In case you didn't already get it I copied the information below.

Having said that it seemed a bit strange to get Gunjan's e-mail just
after having finished reading William K. Hartmann's book "MARS UNDERGROUND".

I know not EXACTLY the same as Hartmann wrote his book in 1997 and the
announcement is about a TV program in the now, but they are both about
the possibility of humans living on Mars.

Here is an Amazon.com link to the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Mars-Underground-William-K-Hartmann/dp/0812580397/

And here is a YouTube link to Space Week - Mars Underground Trailer,
which seems fitting. [WIDE SCREEN]
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3870028585763319179&q=%22mars+underground%22&pr=goog-sl

Can *Mars* really be a second home to Earth? SPACE WEEK launches Sunday,
May 6, with the network premiere of SPACE STATION AND BEYOND, and
returns to Earth's surface on Saturday, May 12.

Or this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GsKbdBgNMo

Also, another YouTube clip with Zubrin entitled "Mars Underground" which
may be what the special is about.
- LRK -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Viyl2Ly4nI

Then again, back in 2003, Space.com has an article about digging on Mars.
- LRK -
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_caves_030905.html*
Mars Underground: Digging Deep for Life *
*By Leonard David <http://www.space.com/php/contactus/feedback.php?r=ld>*
Senior Space Writer
posted: 12:30 pm ET
05 September 2003


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update

==============================================================
>
> Subject: [marssocietynewsletter] "The Mars Underground" to Air on TV
> From: "marssoc" <marssocinfo@aol.com>
> Date: Fri, 04 May 2007 20:02:14 -0000
> To: marssocietynewsletter@yahoogroups.com
>

"The Mars Underground" to Air on TV
May 4, 2007
For further information about the Mars Society, vist our website at
www.marssociety.org.

The movie "The Mars Underground" will air on nationwide TV next week!

The film, which tells the story of the people fighting to make humans-
to-Mars a reality in our time, has been termed the most inspirational
movie about Mars ever made. Heavily featuring members of the Mars
Society, it presents the entire vision of the human future on Mars
starting with the first landing and moving forward all the way to
terraforming the planet.

Don't miss it! If you know someone you are trying to convince to
join the Mars movement, make sure they see it too.

The Mars Underground will air on the Discovery Science channel on the following
dates:

Wednesday, May 9th 9PM
Thursday, May 10th 10AM & midnight
Saturday, May 12th 9 PM
Sunday, May 13th Midnight
Tuesday, May 15th 6 PM

Times may vary. Check your local listings to make sure.


Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marssocietynewsletter/

Snip
==============================================================
One persons view on the movie. - LRK -
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/677/1


Mars aboveground


by Dwayne A. Day
Monday, August 7, 2006

Robert Zubrin is not really the best spokesperson for his movement. In
public speeches he has trouble making eye contact with his audience and
has a number of common nervous verbal mannerisms�like saying 'um' in
between his sentences and 'okay' at their end�that diminish his message.
Nevertheless, he is smart, passionate-verging-on-zealous, and has a
message that appeals to the human desire to dream.

Filmmaker Scott Gill has accurately captured the appealing aspects of
Zubrin's message in a new documentary, /The Mars Underground/
<http://www.themarsunderground.com/>, that Gill debuted on August 3 to
an audience of approximately 100 people on the opening night of the Mars
Society conference in Washington, DC. The film focuses primarily on
Zubrin and his ideas about human exploration and settlement of the Red
Planet.

The documentary is available in DVD format overseas, but has not yet
been broadcast or distributed in the United States. As Gill explained,
he is hoping to air it on cable television first before signing a
contract for commercial sale, although so far he and his investor have
found no television outlet. Unless it makes it to television, the
documentary should be available on DVD by December. If the documentary
does make it to cable television it would be a boon for Zubrin and his
Mars Society, not only because it would be seen by tens or even hundreds
of thousands of people (as opposed to the few thousands who would see a
DVD), but also because the film does a better job at selling Zubrin�s
ideas than he does himself. After watching /The Mars Underground/, many
people will be convinced that exploring, settling, and even terraforming
Mars is far easier than NASA would have you believe. Heck, I�m a realist
and a skeptic, and it almost had me convinced. Almost.

Snip

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dwayne A. Day is not part of the Mars Society, nor does he belong to any
organization that would actually have someone like him as a member.

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLo6dGqfa14&mode=related&search=

Space Week -- Mars in High Resolution

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyjWiwESRYU&amp;mode=related&search=

Space Week -- The Rover Spirit

Snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Moon and Mars - Videos

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