Some Public Service Announcements

So much information available, so little time to partake.
- LRK -

For you folks that may be in the San Jose, California area on the 4th
of July, 2010 you might want to stop in at The Tech Museum of
Innovation and take part in the July 4th Galaxy Forum USA.
 - LRK -

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

http://www.iloa.org/galaxyforum.html

Dear Larry,

The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) and Space Age
Publishing Company will be presenting an educational space event in
July, which will likely be of interest to your readers, called July
4th Galaxy Forum USA: Galaxy Education and Galaxy Enterprise in the
21st Century.  This event is open to the public and admission is free.

This event is part of an international program of Galaxy Forums, to
confirm and actualize Galaxy Education in the 21st Century as an
energizing, central focus and way forward.

We would like to publicize the event through your publication /
website.  Following is a brief notice:

Galaxy Forum USA
July 4, 2010, 9:30am – 11:30am, at the The Tech Museum of Innovation,
San Jose, CA.
201 South Market Street, San Jose, California 408-294-8324
Map - TinyUrl for http://tinyurl.com/2v9vz9k

Featured speakers include
Pamela Harman SETI Institute ASSET Program “Teaching Astrobiology”,
Ryan Nurmela and Michael Finnegan Quantum Camp “Comprehending Quantum”,
Patrick Hamill Department of Physics & Astronomy, San Jose State
University “Observing The Earth From The Moon”,
Steve Durst, Space Age Publishing Company, International Lunar
Observatory Association “International Lunar Observatory (ILO) Galaxy
First Light Imaging Program.”

Admission is free; please contact news@spaceagepub.com or call
650-324-3705 to reserve your place.
------------------------------------------------------

Recently signed up for the Kurzweilai.net news letter and here is a
link to the online web page.

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.kurzweilai.net/news/frame.html?main=news.html

http://www.kurzweilai.net/  [uses flash in a lot of places so might
not work if you have flash disabled. - LRK - ]
Subscribe to our influential free e-newsletter (we keep your email
address in strict confidence):

Non Flash version of website.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/index.html?flash=1
------------------------------------------------------

I have been trying to watch the launch of the Delta 4 rocket launching
the GPS 2F-1 navigation satellite.
It has had several down to the wire holds and reschedules.
Looking again.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d349/status.html
Mission Status Center

By Justin Ray

Welcome to Spaceflight Now's live coverage of the Delta 4 rocket
launching the GPS 2F-1 navigation satellite. Text updates will appear
automatically; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on
Twitter.

0012 GMT (8:12 p.m. EDT)
That issue in the Delta 4 rocket's countdown has been resolved, the
launch team just announced. Work to finish fueling the vehicle before
tonight's 11:00 p.m. EDT liftoff is underway.
0002 GMT (8:02 p.m. EDT)
The launch team has run into some sort of issue during the first stage
liquid hydrogen post-fueling vent and relief checks. Engineers are
assessing it.

The first stage liquid oxygen tank has been loaded and the upper
stage's LOX tank is being filled currently. The upper stage liquid
hydrogen has been tanked as well.

Weather remain favorable and there's an 80 percent chance of "go"
conditions at launch time tonight.
snip
------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

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

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

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

'LUNA GAIA: a closed-loop habitat for the moon '

I wonder if President Obama said we had been to the Moon because the present plans were only talking about how to get to the Moon and not what would be a desired follow on, once we could get there again?  An Apollo type visit would be just the same as before.  I thought we had plans to do more than just a visit.

My reading about how our government works suggests that being too specific and telling you what it really will cost, scares the politicians that don't want to be blamed for spending the money to do the job right.  If money is tight, cost estimates can keep an agenda from getting out of committee.  That means you might just talk about one piece of the journey at a time in hopes that it will be funded.

When we thought we were going to go back to the Moon to stay and to do the things that would make that possible, folks got excited and started working on how to actually make it happen.

Going to the ISS has not developed a closed-loop habitat as much as I thought it would.  It is too easy to take the garbage back or dump it into space.  We have to continually take up consumables.  When you talk about living on the Moon, you know you are going to have to learn how to do better at recycling.  That is something we could be doing more of here on mother Earth as well.

I think that the more we continue to plan for going to the Moon and the more we test what we can here on Earth, the more we will be able to keep the ideas in front of the public.  Politicians need to have solutions waiting for problems to present themselves.  If you say today you want to go to the Moon, you had better be prepared to support that with ways you can show that it can be done.

Take a look at what is being done at the International Space University.
- LRK -

http://www.isunet.edu/
Welcome to the International Space University

http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=546
Student Reports

http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=110&Itemid=251
Success Stories - ISU
 ---
SAFEN EARTH: space aid for energy needs on Earth
ACCESS Mars: Assessing Cave Capabilities Establishing Specific Solutions
DREAM: Disaster Risk Evaluation And Management
FuturIST: Future Infrastructure for Space Transportation
VAPOR: Volcanic Activity:processing of Observation and Remote sensing data

and see 'more' at bottom for the link to  'LUNA GAIA: a closed-loop habitat for the moon '

http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=251
 SSP 06 Strasbourg (France) - Student report

The Luna Gaia posits a pathway towards new technologies, philosophies, systems applications and infrastructure aimed at achieving a closed loop habitat model for human settlement on the Moon. Luna Gaia design solutions focus on the coupling power for all regenerative processes of a network of closed loop life support. Using proven and innovative solutions that produce relatively independent and highly reliable cycles of oxygen, water, energy, food growth and waste processing, the modular, hybrid bioregenerative network of systems particular to the Luna Gaia design architecture is ambitious but feasible.

Thie report also details ethical and philosophical considerations of lunar settlement and the wider implications for international law, policy and future interplanetary social governance.

Executive summary|
http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=343
Full report| http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=236
Request a copy --- Email copy request

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

Dr. Sarah Jane Pell participated in the SSP 06 team project - L U N A G A I A - A CLOSED LOOP HABITAT FOR THE MOON.
She is an Artist, Researcher and Commercial Diver and has some interesting presentations.
If you can't go immediately to the Moon, you can go under water.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahjanepell.com/
snip
Humans experience many coexistent and contrary needs in relation to any given space. We have a desire for socialising, communicating and being close to others and, in direct contrast, we desire privacy, individuality and opportunities for meditation and creativity. I am practice-based performance researcher and I explore these issues and how they signify human patterns, rituals, behaviours and performances of day-to-day life through my laboratories and further imagine how they relate as a space analogue missions.
snip
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You aren't going to go to space alone and you need to know how to get along with each other in a closed environment.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahjanepell.com/LunaGaia.htm
L U N A G A I A
A CLOSED LOOP HABITAT FOR THE MOON
SSP O6 Team Project, International Space University, Strasbourg

Luna Gaia posits a pathway to new technologies, philosophies, systems applications and infrastructure aimed at achieving a closed loop habitat model for human settlement on the moon. The framework supports an ideal profile for an optimum of 11 human crewmembers on the lunar surface for a period of 18-36 months. This presentation outlines the recommendations on the overall systems architecture, the engineering processes, as well as the research, development and orchestration of separately phased precursor missions by the year 2030. The Luna Gaia design solution focuses on optimizing the synergy between all regenerative processes of a network of closed loop life support systems. It also details the ethical and philosophical considerations of a lunar settlement and the wider implications for international law, policy and future interplanetary governance. Advancement of earth-based application of these processes are highlighted and strategies for effective information transfer and handling through education, media communication, outreach and advancement of futures research.
snip

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

Do take a look at her website.  Much information about her projects.
- LRK -

----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.sarahjanepell.com/Astro.htm
THE CULTURE OF SPACE

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/AnatomyBiology.htm
THE ART OF LIVING SYSTEMS

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/LunaGaia.htm
L U N A G A I A
A CLOSED LOOP HABITAT FOR THE MOON

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/neutral.htm
Neutral Buoyancy

http://www.sarahjanepell.com/Hydromedusa.htm
H Y D R O M E D U S A
Undersea to Outer Space
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Down under as well as above. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.slideshare.net/Aquanaut/nasa-arc-directors-colloquium-16-nov-2006-luna-gaia-a-closed-loop-habitat-for-the-moon-presentation?type=powerpoint
Tiny URL for above -  http://tinyurl.com/32q8u8r
NASA ARC Director's Colloquium 16 Nov 2006 - Luna Gaia: a closed loop habitat for the Moon

snip
==============================================================
http://www.lunarexplorers.net/
Welcome to the online home of the Lunar Explorers Society!

Working for a permanent presence of humanity on the Moon

The Lunar Explorers Society is an international space advocacy organization that aims to promote the exploration of the Moon for the benefit of humanity. We believe that the Moon is the next and most important step in the human exploration of the solar system. We are dedicated to help achieve this goal through furthering international cooperation, outreach activities and general enlightening of the public. In pursuing this aim we hope to bring the best of humanity to the Moon, and to bring the benefits of the Moon to all people on Earth through a sustainable exploration process.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/index.htm
Lunar Bases & Settlement Library

LUNA GAIA: A Closed-Loop Habitat for the Moon. Design for a >90%
self-sufficient 11-person base by a team of 30 space scientists.
International Space University, 2007, 168 pages. [PDF 7.0 MB off site]
(Note: link now not found on server - LRK -)
Try this link. ---
http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=251
Down load report. ---
http://www.isunet.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=236

snip
[A number of resources listed - LRK -]
snip
==============================================================

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

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

SPACE EXPLORATION WORKSHOP May 25-26, 2010 --- NSS ISDC 2010 May 27-31, 2010 --- IKAROS

Best be informed.
- LRK -

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

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/may/HQ_M10-081_Exploration_Charts.html
MEDIA ADVISORY : M10-081

NASA Announces Posting Of Space Exploration Workshop Charts

WASHINGTON -- Presentation charts for the opening-day briefings of NASA's Exploration Enterprise Workshop in Galveston, Texas, will be posted online at noon EDT, Monday, May 24.

The two-day workshop brings together a broad community of space exploration stakeholders from government, industry and academia. The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate's plans for human and robotic space exploration and the administration's fiscal year 2011 budget request for the agency will be discussed.

The charts represent a starting point that will be refined throughout the summer and coming years. They capture the results of planning as of May 25, but do not represent final plans. Any specific launch dates and missions are likely to change to reflect the addition of the Orion Emergency Rescue Vehicle, updated priorities, and new information from NASA's partners.

The charts provide a basis for engagement with outside organizations, including international entities, industry, academia and other government agencies. Involving outside groups helps NASA make informed decisions as program objectives and expectations are established. To view workshop presentations, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/new_space_enterprise/home/workshop_home.html

or

http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=2486

For more information about NASA's exploration programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Watch the talking.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/new_space_enterprise/home/workshop_home.html
May 25 - 26, 2010
Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center Galveston, TX

The first day of the conference will provide an overview of NASA's "point of departure" plans for technologies and missions. This will serve as a starting point for further refinement.

Day 1 of the conference will be streamed live!

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Also watch here.
- LRK -

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http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=230&lumeetingid=2486
 NASA Exploration Enterprise Workshop 25 - 26 May 2010
Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center Galveston, Texas

On Feb. 1, 2010, the President released the FY 2011 Budget Request.
The budget proposes several exciting new programs that seek to foster a sustainable human space exploration enterprise. NASA will host an Exploration Enterprise Workshop that brings together a broad community of stakeholders from industry, academia and the U.S. federal government to discuss these changes.

The Agency has completed the initial phase of planning for the new technology and robotic programs and will provide insight into the progress to date. The open workshop will also encourage participants to engage in discussions related to strategy building, development, and the implementation of the new plans for human and robotic exploration in space. The objectives are to:

   * Convey progress in planning toward the new programs
   * Discuss proposed program assignments
   * Solicit feedback, ideas and suggestions from interested parties
   * Prepare for the next steps once the new programs are implemented


The first day of the conference will provide an overview of NASA’s “point of departure” plans for technologies and missions. This will serve as a starting point for further refinement. Breakout sessions on the second day of the conference will focus on specific plans for maturing technologies, conducting flight demonstrations, and building commercial capabilities. In preparation for the event, several requests for information (RFI) will be released and discussed at the conference.


For inquiries, please contact: Penny Ritch, AIAA Customer Service, via phone at 703.264.7510 or via email at pennyr.aiaa.org

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

and out Chicago way, the NSS and folks.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://isdc.nss.org/2010/
National Space Society's
29th International Space Development Conference May 27-31, 2010
InterContinental O'Hare Hotel - Chicago, Illinois The National Space Society's 29th annual International Space Development Conference is just a few days away!  ISDC 2010 will feature leaders from across the space community:

Some of those attending this year's ISDC are:

   * NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
   * Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin
   * Scientist and author Freeman Dyson
   * Apollo 9 astronaut and B612 Foundation Chairman Rusty Schweickart
   * Former NSS Executive Director and new CEO of Virgin Galactic George Whitesides
   * X-Cor Aerospace President Jeff Greason
   * NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver
   * Civilian astronaut Richard Garriott
   * Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson
   * Mars Society President Robert Zubrin

These are just a few of the many Speakers that will be sharing their views on the future of space exploration.
http://isdc.nss.org/2010/?page=speakers

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

While out is Space with hardware being tested, and update from Japan's IKAROS.
See pictorial at the link below and wish them luck when they unfurl the sail.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/05/20100524_ikaros_e.html
IKAROS moves to Verification Experiment Phase

May 24, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the initial operation check of the Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator "IKAROS," which was launched on May 21, 2010 (Japan Standard Time,) from the Tanegashima Space Center.

We will take a few weeks to carry out the first verification experiments, namely deployment of the solar sail and solar power generation by thin film solar cells.

snip
Mission web site - LRK -
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html
-----------------------------------------------------

I am still reading about how our government makes decisions or not.
Not all that encouraging
-------------
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (2nd Edition) [Paperback]
John W. Kingdon
-------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?120426
Lunar Base Development Issues, Technology Requirements, and Research Needs by Peter Eckart
pp. 760-767, (doi  10.1061/40479(204)91)

Document type:  Conference Proceeding Paper
Part of:        Space 2000
Abstract:       The development, design, and construction of a lunar base will be an extremely complex technical task. It will be even more challenging to set up the funding scheme and the international cooperative structures that will be required to establish humankind’s first outpost on another planetary body. This paper provides a summary of development issues, technology requirements, and research needs of a lunar base program. Non-technical aspects covered include the rationale for installing a lunar base, financing, cost, management, and legal issues, as well as general development aspects. Technical aspects discussed include the impact of the lunar environment on base design and development, Earth-Moon transportation, and site selection.

The specific requirements of habitat design, thermal control, power supply, life support, communications, lunar surface transportation, extra-vehicular activities, and in-situ resources utilization are discussed, as well as logistics, cost, and modeling aspects. Also, it is outlined that a lunar base may very well serve as a testbed for technologies required for human Mars missions. The contents of this paper are based on countless lunar base-related studies that have been conducted in the past four decades and The Lunar Base Handbook that has been published recently and is also introduced here.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Lunar-Base-Handbook-Introduction-Design/dp/0073294446
The Lunar Base Handbook: An Introduction to Lunar Base Design (GNRL
USE) (Paperback)
Peter Eckart  $72.81 Copyright 1999

Product Description
Lunar Base Handbook provides an overview about the Moon and its environment, the current status of lunar base design, tools we need to design a lunar base, checklists and flow charts that outline the design process, and technological requirements of a lunar base.

The main audience for this book is engineers, but it is also interesting for scientists, managers, lawyers, undergraduates, and high school students, and readable for the interested layman.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/library/index.htm
Lunar Bases & Settlement Library

[A number of resources listed - LRK -]
snip
==============================================================

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

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

Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life" - follow up

Some TED talk links and articles.
- LRK -

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

Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life"
http://www.ted.com/talks/craig_venter_unveils_synthetic_life.html

About this talk

Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've created
the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic
DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the
beginning of a new era for science.
snip

[As a TED talk it is 18 minutes and chops off some of the questions
seen on other posts - LRK -]
Interesting comments below the video link.
-----------------------------------------------------

Another post with more information and links to the TED talk.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://integral-options.blogspot.com/2010/05/ted-talks-craig-venter-unveils.html
Integral Options Cafe

TED Talks - Craig Venter Unveils "Synthetic Life"

Life re-created. Blue colonies (top) indicate a successfully
transplanted genome, with self-replicating bacteria revealed in an
electron micrograph.
snip

Citation:

   Creation of a Bacterial Cell Controlled by a Chemically Synthesized Genome
   Daniel G. Gibson,1 John I. Glass,1 Carole Lartigue,1 Vladimir N.
Noskov,1 Ray-Yuan Chuang,1 Mikkel A. Algire,1 Gwynedd A. Benders,2
Michael G. Montague,1 Li Ma,1 Monzia M. Moodie,1 Chuck Merryman,1
Sanjay Vashee,1 Radha Krishnakumar,1 Nacyra Assad-Garcia,1 Cynthia
Andrews-Pfannkoch,1 Evgeniya A. Denisova,1 Lei Young,1 Zhi-Qing Qi,1
Thomas H. Segall-Shapiro,1 Christopher H. Calvey,1 Prashanth P.
Parmar,1 Clyde A. Hutchison, III,2 Hamilton O. Smith,2 J. Craig
Venter1,2,*

   We report the design, synthesis, and assembly of the 1.08-Mbp
Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 genome starting from digitized genome
sequence information and its transplantation into a Mycoplasma
capricolum recipient cell to create new Mycoplasma mycoides cells that
are controlled only by the synthetic chromosome. The only DNA in the
cells is the designed synthetic DNA sequence, including "watermark"
sequences and other designed gene deletions and polymorphisms, and
mutations acquired during the building process. The new cells have
expected phenotypic properties and are capable of continuous
self-replication.

   1 The J. Craig Venter Institute, 9704 Medical Center Drive,
Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
   2 The J. Craig Venter Institute, 10355 Science Center Drive, San
Diego, CA 92121, USA.

   * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jcventer@jcvi.org

   Received for publication 9 April 2010. Accepted for publication 13 May 2010.

Science has made the article available for free (download the PDF -
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/rapidpdf/science.1190719v1.pdf). You can
also read a free summary article at the Science site, written by
Elizabeth Pennisi.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5981/958

It took 20 years and an around $40 million to get to this point, which
is revealed online by the journal Science.

   Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've
created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by
synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement
marks the beginning of a new era for science.

   Venter, the man who led the private effort to sequence the human
genome, is hard at work now on even more potentially world-changing
projects.

   First, there's his mission aboard the Sorcerer II, a 92-foot
yacht, which, in 2006, finished its voyage around the globe to sample,
catalouge and decode the genes of the ocean's unknown microorganisms.
Quite a task, when you consider that there are tens of millions of
microbes in a single drop of sea water. Then there's the J. Craig
Venter Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to researching genomics and
exploring its societal implications.

   In 2005, Venter founded Synthetic Genomics, a private company with
a provocative mission: to engineer new life forms. Its goal is to
design, synthesize and assemble synthetic microorganisms that will
produce alternative fuels, such as ethanol or hydrogen. He was on Time
magzine's 2007 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

   In early 2008, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute
announced that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium
by painstakingly stitching together its chemical components. By
sequencing a genome, scientists can begin to custom-design bootable
organisms, creating biological robots that can produce from scratch
chemicals humans can use, such as biofuel. And in 2010, they
announced, they had created "synthetic life" -- DNA created digitally,
inserted into a living bacterium, and remaining alive.

       "Either he is one of this era's most electrifying scientists,
or he's one of the most maddening." ~Washington Post
snip

[TED talk link]

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

and from MEFEDiA feed
http://www.mefeedia.com/video/31298583
Craig Venter unveils "synthetic life"

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jcvi.org/
J. Craid Venter Institute
FIRST SELF-REPLICATING SYNTHETIC BACTERIAL CELL

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/video/
Video
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.tedmed.com/what
TEDMEDS  - Where do Healthcare and Medicine Collide with Brilliant
Minds and Uninhibited Imagination?
2010 Speakers
snip
http://www.tedmed.com/videos#Craig_Venter_at_TEDMED_2009
Craid Venter at TEDMED 2009
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Prey-Michael-Crichton/dp/0066214122
Prey [Hardcover]
Michael Crichton
(Author)

Amazon.com Review
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that
are too small to be seen with the naked eye but no less deadly or
intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park
such a blockbuster success.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/fileadmin/site/research/projects/first-self-replicating-bact-cell/fact-sheet2.pdf
Fact Sheet: JCVI’s Synthetic Genomics Research
4 page
snip
==============================================================

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

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

Scientists create synthetic cell, version 1.0

This is very, very, interesting and has many implications.
- LRK -
-----------------------------------------------------

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/press/press-releases/full-text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell-constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/
snip
As in the team’s 2008 publication in which they described the successful synthesis of the M. genitalium genome, they designed and inserted into the genome what they called watermarks. These are specifically designed segments of DNA that use the “alphabet” of genes and proteins that enable the researcher to spell out words and phrases. The watermarks are an essential means to prove that the genome is synthetic and not native, and to identify the laboratory of origin. Encoded in the watermarks is a new DNA code for writing words, sentences and numbers. In addition to the new code there is a web address to send emails to if you can successfully decode the new code, the names of 46 authors and other key contributors and three quotations: "TO LIVE, TO ERR, TO FALL, TO TRIUMPH, TO RECREATE LIFE OUT OF LIFE." - JAMES JOYCE; "SEE THINGS NOT AS THEY ARE, BUT AS THEY MIGHT BE.”-A quote from the book, “American Prometheus”; "WHAT I CANNOT BUILD, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND." - RICHARD FEYNMAN.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Check this out and stand by for more advances.
- LRK -

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May 20, 2010 3:12 PM PDT
Scientists create synthetic cell, version 1.0
 by Tim Hornyak

Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have created a synthetic cell that can survive and reproduce itself according to an artificial DNA sequence, promising designer genomes with which researchers can produce sophisticated artificial organisms.

The new bacterial cell, "Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0," is the result of a 15-year, $30 million effort by genetics pioneer Craig Venter. The study, led by the institute's Dan Gibson, is reported in the May 21 edition of the journal Science. The team of 25 researchers took Mycoplasma capricolum bacteria and completely rewrote its genetic code of more than 1 million base pairs of DNA. The data was sequenced as chemical DNA fragments and sewn together using yeast and E. coli bacteria.

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Read a lot more at the links.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://singularityhub.com/2010/05/20/venter-creates-first-synthetic-self-replicating-bacteria-from-scratch/#more-16798
Singularity Hub - The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Venter Creates First Synthetic Self-Replicating Bacteria from Scratch May 20th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Craig Venter wants to program life the way we program computers, and today he announced a momentous win: the first synthetic self-replicating bacterium. The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) used the four types of chemicals that make up DNA, and complex assembly methods utilizing yeast cells, to ’program’ the 1.08 million base pairs that make up the genome for the bacteria cell. As described in the journal Science, the result was a synthetic copy of the Mycoplasma mycoides, dubbed M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0, that can grow and divide like normal. The little “1.0″ highlights the vast potential of Venter’s project, as JCVI will be able to update and improve their synthetic organism base pair by base pair, gene by gene. Computers can now program sustainable synthetic life – welcome to the future.

snip
[See Video, links and more - LRK -].
-----------------------------------------------------

View the videos if you can.  Good talk.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/08/venters-successes-in-creating-synthetic-life-video/
Singularity Hub - The Future Is Here Today...Robots, Genetics, AI, Longevity, Singularity

Venter’s Successes in Creating Synthetic Life (video)
February 8th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Craig Venter is pushing the boundaries of what humans can do with DNA and aims to create new life to serve our needs. At TEDMED this past year, he discussed what he and his company, Synthetic Genomics, have accomplished by analyzing and manipulating the genes of simple organisms. While the presentation was titled “What could we do with synthetic life?” it would have been more apt to call it “What we have done so far is going to blow your freakin’ mind.” Venter gives an in depth look at the methods which will lead to custom made organisms.  Biofuel, new antibiotics, vaccines – Venter could one day make them all by using yeast and bacteria to reproduce artificially constructed genomes. As many have said, synthetic biology is likely to be the defining technology of the 21st century, and Venter plans on helping to write that definition. Check out his TEDMED video, in its entirety, after the break.

snip
[screen capture and video credit: TEDMED]

[The TEDMED video - 18 minute - and a time line guide provided by Aaron Saenz. ]
-----------------------------------------------------

Some of the crew and much more at JVCI.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/photos/
First Self-Replicating Synthetic Bacterial Cell
Photos

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/overview/
Overview

Genomic science has greatly enhanced our understanding of the biological world. It is enabling researchers to "read" the genetic code of organisms from all branches of life by sequencing the four letters that make up DNA. Sequencing genomes has now become routine, giving rise to thousands of genomes in the public databases. In essence, scientists are digitizing biology by converting the A, C, T, and G's of the chemical makeup of DNA into 1's and 0's in a computer.  But can one reverse the process and start with 1's and 0's in a computer to define the characteristics of a living cell? We set out to answer this question.
snip

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/video/
May 20, 2010 Press Conference
snip
[Don't miss this press release  and the questions that are part of it. - LRK -]
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.tedmed.com/what
TEDMEDS  - Where do Healthcare and Medicine Collide with Brilliant Minds and Uninhibited Imagination?
2010 Speakers
snip
http://www.tedmed.com/videos#Craig_Venter_at_TEDMED_2009
Craid Venter at TEDMED 2009
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/
J. Craid Venter Institute
FIRST SELF-REPLICATING SYNTHETIC BACTERIAL CELL
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jcvi.org/cms/fileadmin/site/research/projects/first-self-replicating-bact-cell/fact-sheet2.pdf
Fact Sheet: JCVI’s Synthetic Genomics Research
4 page
snip
==============================================================

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

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

AKATSUKI (PLANET-C) about to launch

I am glad someone is not just saying been there, done that. Japan to visit Venus with PLANET-C

I enjoyed Pioneer 12's visit to Venus.
Yours truly, standing in for a controller in Fig 2-12.  :-)
Pioneering Venus NASA SP-518
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19960026995_1996055001.pdf
373 p. 176.41 MB
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/missions/archive/pioneer.html
- LRK -

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

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/status.html
Mission Status Center
By Stephen Clark

Welcome to Spaceflight Now's live coverage of the launch of Japan's H-2A rocket with the Akatsuki probe bound for Venus. Text updates will appear automatically; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/

1659 GMT (12:59 p.m. EDT)
We have posted a preview of the Ikaros solar sail that is launching as a secondary payload aboard the H-2A rocket. 

1555 GMT (11:55 a.m. EDT)
The rocket is now fully fueled for launch. Launch controllers just finished loading liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into both stages of the H-2A rocket.

The first stage LE-7A engine consumes hydrogen during its six-and-a-half minute firing. The second stage's LE-5B powerplant will ignite twice to place the Akatsuki orbiter on track for Venus.

The H-2A's two solid rocket boosters burn solid propellant, which has already been packed inside the motors.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

What is scheduled to take place.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/100516timeline.html
H-2A/Akatsuki launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 16, 2010
Updated: May 19, 2010

NOTE: Launch sequence data assumes liftoff on May 20, 2010.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Always nice to have some company.
May you have fair winds on your sailing venture.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/planet_c/index_e.html
May 18, 2010 Updated
AKATSUKI/IKAROS Launch rescheduled to 6:58 a.m. on the 21st (Fri) The launch of the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" and the Small Solar Power Demonstrator "IKAROS" by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 was rescheduled at 6:58:22 a.m. on May 21 (Fri. Japan Standard Time, JST) after carefully studying the weather conditions.

Accordingly, the live launch report will begin at 6:30 a.m. on May 21(Fri., JST.) The report will be broadcast not only through the Internet, but also at JAXA i, Sagamihara Campus and other public viewing locations including some universities. You can also watch it through some CATV and cell phone providers.

   * Press Release
     http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/05/20100518_h2af17_2_e.html
   * AKATSUKI Special Site
     http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/index_e.html
   * Live Broadcast
      http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f17/live/index_e.html

snip

AKATSUKI (PLANET-C) is the next planetary exploration project for the Martian orbiter NOZOMI. This project’s main purpose is to elucidate the mysteries of the Venusian atmosphere. Though often referred to as Earth’s sister planet in terms of size and mass, Venus is actually very different. It is veiled in carbon dioxide, with a high temperature and thick sulfuric-acid clouds. Clarification of the causes for this environment will provide us with clues to the understanding of the birth of Earth and of its climate changes.  Therefore, Venus is a very important subject for exploration.

AKATSUKI will usher in a new era of Venusian exploration. The probe vehicle is scheduled to be launched in FY 2010 and is expected to reach Venus orbit.
snip
-----------------------------------------------------

Good pictures.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/100520gallery/
H-2A rolls out to launch pad for second time

The 174-foot-tall H-2A rocket moved from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad No. 1 at Japan's island spaceport around midday Thursday, local time. It was the second time the rocket has rolled to the pad. The first launch attempt Monday was scrubbed by thick clouds.
snnip
-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2a/index_e.html
Leading edge, efficient and economical technology Japanese main large-scale launch vehicle, H-IIA

H-IIA, Japan’s primary large-scale launch vehicle, is designed to meet diverse launch demands, at lower cost and with a high degree of reliability, by making the best use of the H-II launch-vehicle technology. The simplified design and improved efficiency of the manufacturing and launch processes of H-IIA have achieved one of the highest performance to cost ratio of launch system in the world, reducing the cost of launches by a half or more.

H-IIA launch service operations have been transferred to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD. ahead of the launch of H-IIA Flight 13. JAXA is in charge of launch safety management (including ground safety confirmation, flight safety assurance, and overall countdown control and supervision.)

For more information http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h2a/design_e.html
snip
==============================================================
http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html
Space yacht accelerated by radiation of the Sun

A Solar Sail gathers sunlight as propulsion by means of a large membrane while a Solar "Power" Sail gets electricity from thin film solar cells on the membrane in addition to acceleration by solar radiation. What's more, if the ion-propulsion engines with high specific impulse are driven by such solar cells, it can become a "hybrid" engine that is combined with photon acceleration to realize fuel-effective and flexible missions.

JAXA is studying two missions to evaluate the performance of the solar power sails. The project name for the first mission is IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun). This craft will be launched with the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI", using an H-IIA launch vehicle. This will be the world's first solar powered sail craft employing both photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise.
snip
==============================================================

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

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

Hearings ---The Future of U.S. Human Space Flight

I had tried to listen to the hearing of the Senate Commerce, Space & Transportation committee on Wednesday, May 12 2010, but got tired of Internet stalls of the video and finally quit listening.  In conversations with you folks I was pointed to the archived version.
Here is a Tiny URL for the link below.  http://tinyurl.com/2em5kxh
- LRK -
-------------------------------------

Hearings
The Future of U.S. Human Space Flight
Jena Longo - Democratic Deputy Communications Director 202.224.7824
May 12 2010 2:30 PM
Russell Senate Office Building - 253
-------------------------------------

If you play the video you will have about 25 minutes of nothing but the poster as the meeting didn't start on time.  It starts up with no sound so you will probably want to play with the slider to get to about the 26 minutes into the archived video.

Texts are available as PDFs below the Flash Video screen. Neil stuck with his, except for a sentence at the beginning which he missed.  Gene, however skipped some material because of the ad lib directed at Bolden, which is not in the typescript.

If you would just like to watch what Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan had to say you might take a look at the following link that Colin Mackellar in Sydney Australia made.  You can view the video and down load MP4 files for your own permanent record.
http://apollo11tv.com/testimony/

(Colin has a lot more Apollo 11 history at
http://honeysucklecreek.net/Apollo_11/index.html)

Just how we get to space and on what vehicle or combination of, doesn't seem to matter that much to me.  I would like to see work done to accomplish the end goal of being able to move off world and survive in the long term.  To me the Moon seemed like a good place to start.  Changing short term projects every new administration seems like a waste of time and money, but that is just my opinion.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
Nasa's Constellation Program - To the moon and beyond! (HD) ( CANCELED )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDja2xUslBA&feature=related

TheFutureIsRightHere  —  August 05, 2009  — On Sept. 16, 2010 at 1 p.m. EDT, the last Space Shuttle mission is expected to launch.  STS-134 (Space Transport System - stands for STS). After the shuttle's retirement, Nasa's Orion capsule will take its place. The new missions will most likely be called O.S.T.S. (Orion Space Transport System).  The Orion and the new Constellation program will take Americans back to the moon on 2020. For more information go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AresTV
snip
-------------------------------------

If you didn't watch the whole commission hearing and saw what Gene Cernan had to say, you might want to see Bolden's response when asked about the bail out quote.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kHDGIPSBMk&feature=youtu.be
The New U.S. Space Plan - To Bail-out Or Not Bail-out

AmericaSpace — May 12, 2010 — The "New" Space Plan

Beginning in 2011, the President no longer wants NASA to send astronauts to space. So, he's canceling Constellation. Instead, he wants NASA to subsidize and outsource human space flight.

None of the companies have ever launched a living thing. Not to worry, if the commercial launchers fall behind schedule or go over-budget, NASA will rescue them.

If the commercial launchers get into financial trouble, the NASA Administrator said NASA will bail them out. Even if it is the biggest bail-out ever.

Even bigger than GM's bail-out.

The NASA Administrator denies ever saying this.

But Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 Commander and last man to walk on the Moon heard what the NASA Administrator said.

And wrote it down.
snip
-------------------------------------

Still trying to figure out how we pass the laws we do and fund or not, those that have been passed.
To go to space or not to go to space, that is the question.
May I borrow a dollar?
Can I hitch a ride?

Listen, what do I hear?
http://www.zarya.info/Frequencies/FrequenciesPRC.php
Radio Frequencies - Peoples' Republic of China
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/End-Chaos-Quality-Ascendancy-Democracy/dp/0977066002/
The End of Chaos: Quality Laws and the Ascendancy of Democracy [Hardcover]
David G. Schrunk

Product Description
The book discusses the application of well established quality programs to laws and lawmaking. Quality programs have the potential to end the chaos of laws and to improve the effectiveness, cost-efficiency and user-friendliness of laws in the solution of societal problems. By this means governments will be able to ascend to the status of True Democracy, in which governments always serve the best interests of the people as a whole and reflect their highest aspirations.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (2nd Edition) [Paperback]
John W. Kingdon

Product Description
This text remains the authoritative work on agenda setting and policy formation. This report on original research includes many dow-to-earth illustrations and quotations from interviews, creating enjoyable and informative reading for undergraduate students.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

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

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

NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate

The below article is interesting as are the comments about having to tack what you want passed onto some other proposal.  What a tangled web we weave in this game of politics.  Hmmmm, and if we didn't need $58.8 billion for the war in Afghanistan, there would be more available for human space exploration.
- LRK -

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

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html
NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Order keeping it alive is added to must-pass bill funding the war
By STEWART M. POWELL
WASHINGTON BUREAU
May 13, 2010, 11:38PM

WASHINGTON — Backers of NASA's Constellation program scored a significant victory Thursday by winning the Senate Appropriations Committee's support to block the Obama administration from terminating any part of the $108 billion back-to-the-moon program before October.

And they did it by piggy-backing the restriction onto a must-pass wartime supplemental budget package involving combat dollars for Afghanistan.

Up until Thursday, the battle over NASA has largely been a political war of words — and this is the first time that a congressional committee has responded directly to President Barack Obama's NASA proposal since February, when the president declared the Constellation program should be shelved.

The maneuver was pushed by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas and proposed by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

By including the language in a $58.8 billion budget supplemental to underwrite the costs of combat, Hutchison and her allies virtually assured that the restriction will be adopted by the full Senate and House and signed by Obama — because the costs of the Afghanistan war must be funded.

The language declares that NASA funds “shall be available to fund continued performance of Constellation contracts, and performance of such Constellation contracts may not be terminated for convenience by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Fiscal Year 2010.”

snip
-------------------------------------

Wonder how the above affects S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
snip
-------------------------------------
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010
-------------------------------------

Thanks to you who are helping me keep score and watching which court the ball is in.
Keep your eye on the $$$.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://tinyurl.com/27xhovn
Recent Press Releases
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991
May 14 2010

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – Houston Chronicle

NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html

snip
==============================================================
Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy
process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

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

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

S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010

The last planned flight of shuttle Atlantis has lifted off to the ISS.
 Will it really be its last flight?
- LRK -

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

Shuttle Atlantis streaks into orbit on final planned flight, but . . .
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19514_3-20005035-239.html?tag=mncol;posts

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--The shuttle Atlantis blasted off on its 32nd and final planned mission Friday, closing out 25 years of service with a 12-day flight to deliver a Russian docking module and critical spare parts to the International Space Station.

With its three hydrogen-fueled main engines roaring at full thrust, the shuttle's twin solid-fuel boosters ignited on time at 2:20 p.m. EDT, instantly pushing the fully fueled 4.5-million-pound spacecraft away from pad 39A.

snip
-------------------------------------

Re-visit S. 3068, it still is in the news.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://appropriations.senate.gov/
http://appropriations.senate.gov/sc-commerce.cfm
http://appropriations.senate.gov/webcasts.cfm?method=webcasts.view&id=a5d75507-dc17-4f57-b550-4981ac513b07

http://hutchison.senate.gov/

MAY 12 - Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today expressed her disappointment in the Obama Administration’s proposal for NASA during a Commerce Committee hearing on the future of U.S. human space flight.

snip
-------------------------------------

What will be signed into law - or not - will play a role in how our space policy develops.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan”
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
snip
-------------------------------------

Again, you can track what our government is working on, and for S. 3068, see here.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010

A bill to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human Space Flight Activities, and for other purposes.  Sponsor: Sen. Kay Hutchison [R-TX]
Cosponsors: George LeMieux [R-FL]

Text: Full Text http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-3068
Status:  Introduced Mar 3, 2010
 Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments
 Reported by Committee ...
 Senate Vote ...
 House Vote ...
 Signed by President ...

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee.
[Last Updated: Apr 14, 2010 6:19AM]

Last Action: Mar 3, 2010: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Related: See the Related Legislation page for other bills related to this one and a list of subject terms that have been applied to this bill. Sometimes the text of one bill or resolution is incorporated into another, and in those cases the original bill or resolution, as it would appear here, would seem to be abandoned.
snip
-------------------------------------

Where will we go from here?
- LRK -


Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/lawmakers-bill-extend-shuttle-2015-hlv/
Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP, advance HLV

March 3rd, 2010 by Chris Bergin
Senator Kay Hutchison – in conjunction with Representatives Suzanne Kosmas and Bill Posey – has produced a 37 page Bill that proposes major refinements to NASA’s FY2011 proposal, and NASA’s forward plan.  The Bill is centered around a shuttle extension to 2015, in support of fully utilizing the International Space Station (ISS), along with saving elements of Constellation – such as Orion and a Heavy Lift Launcher (HLV).

Shuttle Extension:

Efforts to reverse the 2010 retirement date of the shuttle fleet have been ongoing for a few years, without being realized – partly due to a lack of support from successive NASA administrators.

Former NASA boss Mike Griffin even worked directly against extension – mainly via protection of the Ares I launch vehicle’s budget – often citing safety concerns which had no basis in post Return To Flight reality.

With a level of support for an extension of the shuttle manifest – in tandem with the development of a Shuttle Derived HLV – gained at the Augustine Committee review into NASA’s Human Space Flight program, the door was opened for building on a 2008 Senate Bill that had already actioned pre-emptive measures to protect shuttle-related assets from decommissioning.

snip
==============================================================
Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

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

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WHY MAN EXPLORES - EP125

I just finished reading a little booklet, only 94 pages, 4.25 x 7 x 0.25 inch in size.
Guess what?  It is on line and I commend it to you to read.
Most inspiring.
- LRK -

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WHY MAN EXPLORES - EP125
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/ep125.htm

Contents
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/contents.htm

Forward
http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/part1.htm
- PANEL -

NORMAN COUSINS
Moderator
PHILIP MORRISON
JAMES MICHENER
JACQUES COUSTEAU
RAY BRADBURY

[3] FOREWORD

This NASA Educational Publication (EP 125) was prepared from a transcript of a panel discussion held on July 2, 1976, in conjunction with the Viking missions to Mars.

The members of the "Why Man Explores" panel were selected as authorities in classical disciplines relating to exploration. The panel discussions were not rehearsed, and the transcript was prepared from audiotapes made during the session. This report is formulated in the direct conversational style in order to retain the impromptu atmosphere and to best convey the thoughts developed during the discussion.

Donald P. Hearth
Director, NASA Langley Research Center

[4] INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Donald P. Hearth

Good evening. NASA's Langley Research Center is pleased to sponsor this symposium. The United States has embarked on a truly historic step in man's exploration of our solar system with two Viking spacecraft. We feel that it is appropriate, at this point in time, to examine the basic reasons why man explores and why he has the urge to explore. When this event was scheduled, we recognized that it might not be possible to land the first Viking on Mars on July 4th because of technical problems or Martian surprises. After Viking I went into orbit on the 19th of June, the technical problems lessened and we began to learn some marvelous things about Mars. Last Saturday night, the Viking

Project Manager made a prudent decision to explore the planet from orbit somewhat longer, and to look for a harbor, somewhat safer than the original site. Yesterday, he found a safer harbor and the landing will be in the so-called "Northwest Territory." That name was selected in a very scientific way, by the way, because it is northwest of the [5] planned landing site. Current plans are to land on the 17th of July at 3:00 in the morning, Pacific time.

That's what exploration is really all about. When one explores the unknown, one should look for surprises and be prepared to alter one's course. But, why does man explore at all? It is not just the exploration of the solar system that is the topic of this symposium but of our own Earth and indeed of the entire universe. We are here
this evening to discuss this question.

I will now introduce the panel. Starting on your left is an author, philosopher, poet, Mr. Ray Bradbury. Next is an explorer, oceanographer, environmentalist, Captain Jacques Cousteau. Second from the right is an explorer, author, philosopher, Mr. James Michener.  And, next to Mr. Michener is a physicist, a cosmologist, and indeed a humanist, Dr. Philip Morrison. Finally, the moderator for this evening, the editor of Saturday Review, Mr. Norman Cousins.
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I don't want to take up a lot of space here, so just a paragraph or two from JACQUES COUSTEAU on pages 51-53.  He had been describing an unexpected under water find they found on the south coast of Dhia, a small island lying 8 miles north of Crete.
I trust you will read more on line.
- LRK -

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http://history.nasa.gov/EP-125/part5.htm
snip
When man explores for resources, his [51] motivations are clear. They are what we call, superficially, logic. But why would we spend one full year of our lives and over $2 million just to raise a tiny corner of the veil concealing a few episodes of our past? What is the origin of the devouring curiosity that drives men to commit their lives, their health, their reputation, their fortunes, to conquer a bit of knowledge, to stretch our physical, emotional, or intellectual territory? The more I spend time observing nature, the more I believe that man's motivation for exploration is but the sophistication of a universal instinctive drive deeply ingrained in all living creatures.  Life is growth-individuals and species grow in size, in number, and in territory. The peripheral manifestation of growing is exploring the outside world. Plants develop in the most favorable direction, which
implies that they have explored the other orientations and found that they are inadequate.

Some plants send feelers at great distances; they send avant-gardeshoots before they invade the space that has been acknowledged propitious. For young animals the world is to be explored and discovered from their birth on, and that [52] exploration only ends with death; for the young fox, wilderness is unlimited; for a tuna, the oceans are infinite. Still in the animal world, the physical need for exploration develops as well in individuals as in collectivities-tribes, schools, swarms, packs. In fact, if the baby human being shows the same motivation as a young cat, to explore with all his sensors the strange environment he was born into, the big difference is that the little baby soon stands erect. That radical change came in evolution the day described so well by Ovid, a few years after Christ was born. "God elevated the forehead of Man," wrote Ovid, "and ordered him to contemplate the Stars." Nobody has better described the advent of the mind. The little boy's drive for exploration is soon curtailed temporarily by language. The human species is the only one that has the ability to transfer to the new wave of men, through language, printed material, and electronic media, the results of the exploration of the world performed by previous generations.

Most individuals find their hunger and their thirst for discovery satiated by learning. Learning and experience are [53] factors that often extinguish curiosity, but for those who suffer from an unquenchable intellectual thirst, of course, learning is a fabulous springboard. The exploring part of a plant, of a creature, of a crowd, is always the most vigorous, the most enterprising. When the shoots of a plant, a wisteria, for example, slowly creep over a wall, they are the privileged parts of the plant-those that are favored with the largest circulation of sap. From a purely physiological standpoint, in the American conquest of the West, the American pioneers, who often were originally European outlaws or very rough adventurers, were biologically the cream of Europe; and it took Europe more that a century to recover from that loss of substance.

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A lot of interesting remarks about why we explore.  I hope you enjoy the read as much as I did.
- LRK -

Viking Mission to Mars
-  http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
-  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/viking/
-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_program

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061023-mars-life.html

Viking Mission May Have Missed Mars Life, Study Finds
Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
October 23, 2006

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/viking.pdf
Viking Mission to Mars
NASA Facts
8 page pdf

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

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Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development

http://history.nasa.gov/monograph45.pdf

NASA History has so many interesting publications and you folks keep reminding me what I am missing.  How about this one?
- LRK -

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http://history.nasa.gov/what.html

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NEW BOOKS!

Aeronautics and Astronautics: A Chronology, 2001-2005. (NASA SP-2010-4031) compiled by Noel Ivey and Marieke Lewis. This publication is only available online.
http://history.nasa.gov/sp4031.pdf

Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development. Monograph in Aerospace History, No. 45, 2009. (NASA SP-2009-4545) by Steven C. Fisher and Shamim A. Rahman, editors.
http://history.nasa.gov/monograph45.pdf

Cosmos & Culture: Cultural Evolution in a Cosmic Context. (NASA SP-2009-4802) edited by Steven J. Dick and Mark L. Lupisella.
Integrating concepts from philosophical, anthropological, and astrobiological disciplines, Cosmos and Culture begins to explore the interdisciplinary questions of cosmic evolution.
CASI Price: $25.00. GPO Price: $61.00. Other commercial vendors such as Amazon.com are also expected to sell this book.
http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4802.pdf

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You may well enjoy reading this 209 page monograph.
- LRK -

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Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development
http://history.nasa.gov/monograph45.pdf
snip
On April 25, 2006, NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center hosted a series of lectures on Apollo Propulsion development. This monograph is a transcript of the event, held as part of the celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the first rocket engine test conducted at the site then known as the Mississippi Test Facility. On April 23, 1966, engineers tested a cluster of five J-2 engines that powered the second stage of the Saturn V moon rocket.  This transcript has been edited for readability and clarity. The opinions expressed are solely those of the individuals presented. The report does not in any way promulgate policies or state the official opinions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the U.S. government.

John C. Stennis Space Center
History Office
B-1100
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
228.688.2646

2006 Event Title “On the Shoulders of Giants,” Apollo Propulsion Development Seminars.
Moderator: Steve Fisher, Rocketdyne
Speakers: Robert Biggs, Paul Coffman, Gerald Pfeifer, Clay Boyce, Gerard Elverum,
and Tim Harmon
Initial Transcription: Michele Beisler, Transcription/Technical Writing: B. Nicole Wells
(Jacobs Technology Facility Operating Services Contract)
Editors: Mr. Steve Fisher, P&W Rocketdyne, and Dr. Shamim Rahman, NASA Event Coordinator: Rebecca Strecker, NASA

snip
It gives us great pleasure to provide this historical compendium of what will likely be remembered as one of the most remarkable achievements in the evolution of rocket propulsion.  This achievement was the simultaneous development, testing, and flight use of a series of firstever propulsive devices that delivered Apollo 11 astronauts safely to the surface of the moon and back to Earth. These devices helped assure three individuals, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins a place in the history of humankind.

From the F-1 booster engine to the lunar module ascent engine of the Apollo vehicle stack – all built and delivered by the new United States space industrial base – these individual rocket propulsion development stories provide a glimpse of how technical ingenuity rose to meet the challenge of the race to the moon.

The development histories and lessons learned about the various engines are told by the engineers and project managers, and were recorded on DVD so that the lecture series held at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, could be replayed again and thus live on. Remarkably, to those who attended, it was apparent that these speakers recalled their Apollo challenges as if they had happened “just yesterday.” It was clear in their voices that the engines carried not just the hardware but also the hope of the nation that this “moon shot” could even be done at all.

Although this monograph comes some years after the actual date of the lectures, and describes work from decades ago, the lessons will continue to carry space exploration forward. The story told within is not how one particular engine was built, but rather how ordinary people persisted and were driven to do extraordinary work. The country owes these resourceful and dedicated engineers a debt of gratitude for giving us the technical precedents upon which today’s space programs rest in a continuing story of human exploration.

It would not have been possible without the sanction and enthusiastic support of NASA Stennis Space Center’s “front office” (center director, deputy director, and associate director),  and the excellent support and facilitation of the local NASA public affairs staff. The 2006 event was officially designated at NASA SSC as “On the Shoulders of Giants”, and in this monograph is more aptly designated by the title, “Remembering the Giants.”

Shamim A. Rahman, PhD,
NASA Stennis Space Center

Steven C. Fisher,
Technical Fellow, Boeing and
Pratt & Whitney
Retired
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I was hoping we would be able to stand on the shoulders of giants again and see us head for the Moon.
I guess for now I will just have to continue reading about what we did when we went to the Moon.
I know, been there.  We got distracted and didn't build on what had been started.

I thought we were going to get back to business and develop the lunar resources.
How about you?
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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http://history.nasa.gov/90_day_study.pdf  (159 pages)
Report of the 90-Day Study on Human Exploratlon of the Moon and Mars

SECTION 1
Executive Summary
On July 20, 1989, President Bush charted a new course for the human exploration of space:

"... a long-range continuing commitment. First, for the coming decade, for the 1990s, Space Station Freedom, our critical next step in all our space endeavors. And next, for the next century, back to the Moon, back to the future, and this time, back to stay. And then a journey into tomorrow, a journey to another planet, a manned mission to Mars.  Each mission should and will lay the groundwork for the next. "

With these words, the President provided specificity to the goal contained in the 1988 Presidential Directive on National Space Policy: to expand human presence and activity beyond Earth orbit into the solar system. President Bush has answered the question "Where are we going? _ We are going back to the Moon, and then we are going to Mars.  The shape of human exploration of space is clear.

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

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