This week on TED.com: Why design?

      About this Talk

Legendary designer Philippe Starck
<http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/197> -- with no pretty slides
behind him -- spends 18 minutes reaching for the very roots of the
question "Why design?" Along the way he drops brilliant insights into
the human condition; listen carefully for one perfectly crystallized
mantra for all of us, genius or not. Yet all this deep thought, he
cheerfully admits, is to aid in the design of a better toothbrush.


  About Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck designs deluxe objects and posh condos and hotels around
the world. Always witty and... Read full bio »
<http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/view/id/176>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm, I wonder if you signed up to get word about the latest TED Talk?
Maybe you did and this is redundant, maybe you didn't and you are
wondering why I would include it on a lunar-update list.
Hmmm, maybe because we are going to have to live here on Mother Earth
while we work at living on the Moon and having new ways to think about
problems can be helpful all the way around.

So how would you walk on the lunar regolith dunes with so fine a grain?
So how does a cockroach climb the walls and how would you run on a sand
dune?

Do you want to make a lunar base in a fractal design?

In any case, I found the talks interesting and copied some links to the
latest ones below.
Enjoy.
- LRK -

http://www.ted.com/
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks

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.ted.com/index.php/talks

*Philippe Starck:*
Why design?

Legendary designer Philippe Starck -- with no pretty slides behind him
-- spends 17 minutes reaching for the very roots of the question "Why
design?" Along the way he drops brilliant insights into the human
condition -- yet all this deep thought, he cheerfully admits, is to aid
in the design of a better toothbrush.

*Ron Eglash:*
African fractals, in buildings and braids

"I am a mathematician, and I would like to stand on your roof." This is
how Ron Eglash greeted one African family while researching fractal
forms across the continent. He talks about his work exploring the deep
fractal math underpinning African architecture, art and even cornrow
hair braiding and shows how one African tradition forms the basis for all modern
computing.

*Robert Full:*

Secrets of movement, from geckos and roaches

UC Berkeley biologist Robert Full shares his fascination with feet --
such as spiny cockroach legs that allow them to scuttle at full speed
across loose mesh, and amazing gecko feet that have billions of
nano-bristles, handy for running straight up walls. Also watch for
wonderful slow-mo video of cockroach, crab and gecko gaits.

*Larry Brilliant:*

The case for informed optimism

Google.org director Larry Brilliant uses a clip from an old Frank Capra
movie to show that we've known about global warming for 50 years -- yet
we've done almost nothing to solve it. He explores this and other
mega-trends that could easily inspire mega-pessimism. But, he says,
there is a more powerful case for optimism, and he tells us why.
Recorded at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, Oxford,
UK.

*2008 TED Prize winners announcement!*

On November 21 we announced the three TED Prize winners for 2008. Each
TED Prize winner receives $100,000 to further his or her work -- plus
one WISH. A wish to change the world, with the help of the TED community
to grant that wish.

Snip

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http://blog.ted.com/


Why design? Philippe Starck on TED.com
<http://blog.ted.com/2007/12/starck.php>

Legendary designer *Philippe Starck
<http://www.ted.com/speakers/view/id/176>* -- with no pretty slides
behind him -- spends 17 minutes reaching for the very roots of the
question "Why design?" <http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/197> Along the
way he drops brilliant insights into the human condition; listen
carefully for one perfectly crystallized motto for all of us, genius or
not. Yet all this deep thought, he cheerfully admits, is to aid in the
design of a better toothbrush. /(Recorded March 2007 in Monterey,
California. Duration: 17:07.)/

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

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

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

NASA ANNOUNCES WEB COVERAGE OF NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A prelaunch webcast, live blogs, podcasts,
pictures and videos will highlight NASA's Web coverage of space
shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station.
For continuous online updates visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The shuttle is scheduled to lift off at 4:31 p.m. EST on Thursday to
begin mission STS-122.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking-old.html
December 3, Monday
6:30 a.m. - STS-122 B-Roll Video Feed - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
7 - 9 a.m. - Live Interviews with STS-122 Lead Space Station Flight
Director Sally Davis - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
9:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 16 Interview with WJMK Radio Chicago and WGN
Radio Chicago - JSC (Public and Media Channel)

December 4, Tuesday
11:25 a.m. - ISS Expedition 16 Interview with Chicago Sun Times (within
ISS Commentary Hour) - JSC (Public and Media Channel)

December 26, Wednesday
3 a.m. - ISS Progress 27 Docking to ISS Coverage (docking scheduled at
3:26 a.m.) - JSC (Public and Media Channels)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, take note:

NASA SCHEDULES AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION MEETING MEDIA EVENTS
Monday, Dec. 10, through Friday, Dec. 14
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/agu2007.html

And for overhead - The best meteor shower of 2007 peaks on Friday,
December 14th.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/03dec_asteroidshower.htm?list965414
snip
"It's the Geminid meteor shower," says NASA astronomer Bill Cooke of the
Marshall Space Flight Center. "Start watching on Thursday evening, Dec.
13th, around 10 pm local time," he advises. "At first you might not see
very many meteors�but be patient. The show really heats up after
midnight and by dawn on Friday, Dec. 14th, there could be dozens of
bright meteors per hour streaking across the sky."
snip
----------------------------------------------------------------------

On the Moon you won't see those streaks of light in the sky but they
might punch a hole in your pup tent. :-)
- 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://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
Dec. 3, 2007

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov

Jeanne Ryba
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
jeanne.m.ryba@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-173

NASA ANNOUNCES WEB COVERAGE OF NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A prelaunch webcast, live blogs, podcasts,
pictures and videos will highlight NASA's Web coverage of space
shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station.
For continuous online updates visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

A live webcast featuring NASA astronaut Robert Satcher will start the
in-depth coverage of the mission at 11:30 a.m. EST on Dec. 5.

A blog will update the countdown beginning about six hours before
Atlantis is scheduled to lift off on Dec. 6 at 4:31 p.m. EST.
Originating from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the blog is the
definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch.

During the 11-day mission, Atlantis' crew of seven astronauts will
deliver the European Space Agency's new Columbus laboratory, setting
the stage for expanded science capabilities on the orbiting outpost.
Visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the crew's
progress and watch the spacewalks live from the space station.

As Atlantis' flight wraps up, NASA will offer a blog detailing the
spacecraft's return to Earth.
 
-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Snip
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http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/agu2007.html

Dec. 4, 2007

Tabatha Thompson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3895
tabatha.thompson-1@nasa.gov

Steve Cole/Kathryn Hansen
AGU Press Room, San Francisco
415-348-4440
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-174

NASA SCHEDULES AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION MEETING MEDIA EVENTS

SAN FRANCISCO - NASA researchers will present new findings to the
media on a wide range of Earth and space science topics during the
2007 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The AGU
meeting runs Monday, Dec. 10, through Friday, Dec. 14, at the Moscone
Convention Center in San Francisco. All press briefings will take
place in the AGU Press Room, Room 2010 of Moscone West at 747 Howard
Street, at the intersection with 4th Street.

In addition to several press briefings highlighting results from NASA
scientists, researchers also will present noteworthy findings during
a variety of scientific sessions that are open to registered media.

For a full listing of NASA media events and detailed information on
how media may participate, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/agu2007.html

 
-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov

Snip
==============================================================
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/03dec_asteroidshower.htm?list965414
NASA Science News for December 3, 2007

Mark your calendar: The best meteor shower of 2007 peaks on Friday,
December 14th.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/03dec_asteroidshower.htm?list965414

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml!
<http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml%21>

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.thespacereview.com/index.html

Welcome to this week's issue of The Space Review:

Aerospaceplanes and space solar power
---
A key obstacle to space-based solar power is the low-cost access to
space needed to make any such project economically feasible.  Mike
Snead argues that the basic technology needed for such
"aerospaceplanes" exists today.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1016/1

The spooks and the Sputniks
---
For all the criticism of their missteps, the CIA did a good job of
analyzing the Soviet space program during the Cold War.  Dwayne Day
examines one historical document that provides an overview of how the
agency viewed the Soviet space efforts a decade after the launch of
Sputnik.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1015/1

China and India want to play
---
Some recent reports have suggested that China and India are looking
for ways to cooperate with the US and other nations in human
spaceflight, including the ISS.  Eric Hedman explores the ways such
cooperation, despite various political pitfalls, could be beneficial
for all involved.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1014/1

Robert Goddard and the "colonial cringe"
---
When Robert Goddard proposed some of his rocketry concepts, he was
derided by many of his fellow Americans.  Taylor Dinerman writes how
this reaction was typical of an era when many Americans deemed their
own art and science inferior to Europe.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1013/1

How to beat the ban of humans on Mars
---
Congress is considering an appropriations bill for NASA that, in one
form, includes a prohibition on work related to the human exploration
of Mars.  Michael Huang suggests some ways around that measure should
it become law.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1012/1

Review: Space Is the Place
---
The concept of "space art" to many is limited to illustrations of
distant planets and galaxies.  Jeff Foust reviews an exhibition of
alternative space art that goes in very different -- if not bizarre
-- directions.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1011/1

Snip


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

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

ALTAIR VI D.S.F. Portree's Blog - Lunar railroad(1998)

http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2007/11/lunar-railroad-1998.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
Generally speaking, the most efficient form of cargo transport in terms
of energy expended is a pipeline and the least efficient is a truck on a
road. Somewhere in between are barges on canals and railroad cars on
tracks. In April 1998, David Schrunk, Madhu Thangavelu, Bonnie Cooper,
and Burton Sharpe proposed using robots teleoperated from a near-polar
moon base (perhaps at Newton crater) to build a railroad around the
moon's south pole (bottom image above) at about 85° of latitude. The
circular railroad, which would begin and end at the base, would be used
to build and service solar arrays paralleling its entire 950-kilometer
length.

Snip
--------------------------------------------------------------

It is December 1, 2007 and I have David S. F. Portree's blog listed on
my blog site's 'Links I Like' as one that you should consider for
interesting writing about things Moon, Mars, and Beyond.
http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2007/12/rpif-report.html

On his November 30, 2007 post, he writes about a lunar railroad that
David Schrunk, etal., presented at the Space 1998 Conference back in 1998.
- LRK -

--------------------------------------------------------------
/"Physical Transportation on the Moon: The Lunar Railroad," David
Schrunk, Madhu Thangavelu, Bonnie Cooper, and Burton Sharpe, Space 98,
Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference and Exposition on
Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, Rodney G. Galloway
and Stanley Lokaj, editors, pp. 347-353; paper presented at the Space 98
Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 26-30, 1998./
--------------------------------------------------------------

You know David Schrunk, etal. from their book, "The Moon: Resources,
Future Development and Colonization". They have a revised version out now.
http://www.amazon.ca/Moon-Resources-Future-Development-Settlement/dp/0387360557/

You see you are not alone in your interest about humans exploring space.
- LRK -

If you are looking for a lot more information and things to read, then
also take a look at all the material that David Brndt-Erichsen has added
to the National Space Society web site for space settlement. Just
recently he added G. Harry Stine's book Space Power to the SSP Library.
http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/spacepower/

More links below.
You will see, much to enjoy.
- 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://altairvi.blogspot.com/
Altair VI
David S. F. Portree's blog

Saturday, December 1, 2007
RPIF adventures
http://altairvi.blogspot.com/2007/12/rpif-report.html

What, December already? Two months have passed since I became Manager of
the Regional Planetary Information Facility (RPIF) at the U.S.
Geological Survey's campus in Flagstaff, Arizona. I like the job because
it places me close to planetary scientists doing exciting work and
because it makes me custodian of an astonishing collection of planetary
maps and unique space history resources.

I enjoy helping researchers. A big part of my job is to make our
collection more accessible. I'm overseeing the creation of a reference
core for our collection, along with weeding superfluous materials,
putting materials online, and proactively seeking new materials. The
goal is a leaner, meaner RPIF that can serve a meaningful outreach
function for the USGS Astrogeology Branch.

That said, I don't have the option of writing when I want to write. I've
grown used to that freedom during my past dozen years of freelancing.
There's been some mention of making use of my writing skills, and I plan
to be proactive about it. But distributing maps, getting our collection
organized, and getting all of our materials into storage conditions
conducive to their preservation are consuming all of my time right now,
and probably will continue to do so for some time to come.

Snip
==============================================================
http://www.amazon.ca/Moon-Resources-Future-Development-Settlement/dp/0387360557/
The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Settlement (Paperback)
by David Schrunk (Author), Burton Sharpe (Author), Bonnie L. Cooper
(Author), Madhu Thangavelu (Author) "People have speculated about the
origin of the Moon for centuries ..."
Snip

Review
"...a comprehensive overview of the peculiar challenges and opportunites
presented by the industrial colonisation of the moon...an inspiring
read..." �Chemistry & Industry
"As a reference book for forward-looking engineers and architects, 'The
Moon' can be recommended... it presents a convincing and detailed
account of the reasons for returning to the Moon and the ways in which
this may be achieved." �Peter Bond, The Journal of the British
Astronomical Association
"Anyone who has an interest in the future development and colonisation
of the Moon will find this book an informative and stimulating read."
�C. Welch, Space Flight --This text refers to an out of print or
unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Settlement describes
feasible human settlement of the Moon in the coming century. Small
scale, tele-operated and autonomous robotic in-situ resource utilization
(ISRU) projects are first, followed by electric power, communication,
and transportation networks manufactured from lunar resources. These
infrastructure networks are field tested an commissioned in the polar
regions of the Moon, and permanent human settlements are then
established. Through several phases of development, the utility networks
grow, and the number of permanently inhabited bases increases to inculde
all areas of interest on the Moon. The book stresses that the envisioned
"Planet Moon Project" will link the technological and cultural expertise
of humanity to the virtually limitless resources of space. From that
beginning, the people of the Earth reap substantial benefits from space,
and the human species will evolve into a spacefaring civilization.

Snip
==============================================================
Go to the National Space Society web site for much information.
- LRK -

http://www.nss.org/settlement/
Space Settlement Nexus

http://www.nss.org/settlement/library.html
The NSS Space Settlement Library contains over 18,000 pages on site,

http://www.nss.org/settlement/space/index.html
Orbital Settlements

http://www.nss.org/settlement/moon/index.html
Lunar Bases and Settlement

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

http://www.nss.org/settlement/mars/index.html
Settling Mars

http://www.nss.org/settlement/asteroids/index.html
Asteroids

http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/index.htm
http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/library/index.htm

http://www.nss.org/settlement/L5news/index.html
The L5 News was published from September 1975 until April 1987.

http://www.nss.org/settlement/roadmap/index.html
The NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement

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

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