62 Mile Club

I am helping a  friend and colleague of mine organize a lunch in L.A.  next Friday, August 6th  to talk about his new citizen science oriented business. We’re looking to invite individuals who go on adventures or even vacations in the neighborhood of $5k- $20k and could be interested in citizen science oriented project.

Attached is a pdf (California Undersea Voyage 2010 )that generally describes what this group will be  doing with a sub in Catalina this Sep-Oct.

Interested individuals or groups can contact 62MileClub for more details.

On July 16th, Ed Salem presented an overview on the activities, accomplishments, and impact of the  Los Angeles Air Force Space & Missile Center. This event is part of a monthly series co-organized by  62MileClub and Frontier Associates. Our motto is if it lifts on the ground it’s fair game. To date, there is only a Google Groups account set up and no stand alone website. Please contact 62MileClub directly if one is interested in a copy of Mr. Salem’s presentation.

Ed Salem, Air Force Space and Missile Center presents at July 2010 Aerospace and Defense Forum

The  blog will remain mostly dark between July 21st – 28th. I’ll be at  the New Space 2010 Conference.

Space Station geeks might dig this animation used by NASA to familiarize astronauts with the International Space Station. What would you add to the station if you had the opportunity to create a design for it?

I was thinking of a mini greenhouse that could serve as a get away place for station inhabitants who are a bit weary on living without much  presence of terrestrial beauty like trees and grass.

• Art opening in Santa Monica  gallery featuring the paintings of Carlos Ramos which were inspired by Stanley Kubrick films.
• Concept Ship Tribute to artist John Berkey best known for his space and science fiction themed art.
• Cultural utilization of the International Space Station: 2005 – 2008 project spearheaded by a European group.
  • Related Book: Zero Gravity A Cultural User’s Guide
• SpaceArts.Info – The Space Arts database.
• Richard Garriott, private space explorer created a series of paintings on board the International Space Station and the first science fiction film (Apogee of Fear) shot in space.
  • Pics of Richard creating artwork in space.

Source: Gizmodo

NASA has kicked off a competition among university engineers to design an inflatable habitat that is “light-weight, safe, and reliable” to house future astronauts “in space and on other planetary bodies.” On the line is $58,000.

The eXploration Habitat (or X-Hab) “lofts,” as NASA is chicly terming them, must be designed to sit as an expansion atop the agency’s existing hard shell prototype, which will include (cramped) spaces for activities like suit maintenance and geological research. The challenge, open to all university seniors and graduate students, is intended to spur interest and research in math, science, and engineering, and will honor each of three winning teams with $48,000 and a shot to field test their prototype for a final ten grand.

Full article here.

Source: US Japan Live Forum

Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki will give a free lecture talking about her experience living on the International Space Station.

Naoko Yamazaki: Astronaut

July 25, 2010 : Lecture starts at 10:00am (Participants will be admitted into the theatre 30 minutes before lecture)
Lcoation:     Club House 3 Theatre Enter Gate 3–>Gate 3: 25002 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Woods, CA92637
Sponsor :    Live Forum Foundation USA, Space Online School (SOS), a non-profit educational organization.

Video of an earlier presentation by Naoki Yamazaki at Space Science Day 2009 before her flight to the International Space Station. Click here and scroll down for video.

Thank you to Jun Suto of S-CUBED LLC  for this event lead.

Source: UPI.com

JERUSALEM, July 9 (UPI) — Israel plans to invest $77.5 million over five years to jump-start a space program officials say could become a $10 billion civilian space industry.

Israeli President Shimon Peres, a strong supporter of Israeli aerospace initiatives for years, said he expects the industry to develop into a major source of business, Haaretz reported Friday.

Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu several months ago instructed government officials to develop a national space program to help the 25 Israeli firms in the civilian space sector expand their market.

The international space industry is undergoing major changes, including privatization, Israeli officials noted, adding the civilian space market is worth an estimated $250 billion a year. Sources within the Defense Ministry told Haaretz Israel could capture up to 5 percent of the market.

Full article here.

Source: New Mexico Spaceport Authority

TOUR PROVIDER SOUGHT FOR SPACEPORT AMERICA
LAS CRUCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) on July 12 seeking bids for a contractor to provide regular sightseeing tours of the Spaceport America facilities and construction jobsite to the public. The NMSA wants to start regular weekend tour service as early as September 1, 2010. Prospective bidders are encouraged to obtain details from the RFP section of the spaceport website at http://www.spaceportamerica.com/news/requests-for-proposals.html
Presently, members of the public can sign up for “Hard Hat Tours” of Spaceport America online at www.spaceportamerica.com. These tours are provided on an ‘as-needed’ basis. Under the proposed RFP, tours will be conducted every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with clearly defined operational schedules. NMSA Executive Director Rick Homans said, “These tours are unique in that they provide extraordinary public access to an active construction site. By following safety constraints and working with the contractors, visitors can watch as Spaceport America takes shape.”
For more Spaceport America RFP/ITB information, please consult the General Services Department, New Mexico State Purchasing Division website at: www.generalservices.state.nm.us/spd/spd.html

Construction of Spaceport America is proceeding as scheduled. Since construction began in August 2009, more than 600 construction jobs have been created, with more on the way. Spaceport America has been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog- FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The launches, tourism and construction at the spaceport are already delivering on the promise of economic impact to the people of New Mexico.
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(For additional information and images of Spaceport America go to www.spaceportamerica.com.)