We Sincerely Thank NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Who Was Kind Enough To Address Our NASA Social

3 tube (41, 42 & 25) regenerative built inside a case I found at Walgreens. Coils for multi bands. Works great, quite sensitive, but the vents aren't cutting it. Going to need a cooling fan.  Listening to BBC at the moment.

I was fortunate enough to see the full-size model of this craft at @nasagoddard and was given a description & full explanation of the ambitious mission. Thanks, NASA Social!

Mission Possible: Redirecting an Asteroid

As part of our Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), we plan to send a robotic spacecraft to an asteroid tens of millions of miles away from Earth, capture a multi-ton boulder and bring it to an orbit near the moon for future crew exploration.

This mission to visit a large near-Earth asteroid is part of our plan to advance the new technologies and spaceflight experience needed for a human mission to the Martian system in the 2030s.

How exactly will it work?

The robotic spacecraft, powered by the most advanced solar electric propulsion system, will travel for about 18 months to the target asteroid.

After the spacecraft arrives and the multi-ton boulder is collected from the surface, the spacecraft will hover near the asteroid to create a gravitational attraction that will slightly change the asteroid’s trajectory.

After the deflection is verified, the robotic vehicle will deliver the boulder into a stable orbit near the moon. During the transit, the boulder will be further imaged and studied by the spacecraft.

Astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will launch on the Space Launch System rocket to explore the returned boulder.

Orion will dock with the robotic vehicle that still has the boulder in its grasp. 

While docked, two crew members on spacewalks will explore the boulder and collect samples to bring back to Earth for further study.

The astronauts and collected samples will return to Earth in the Orion spacecraft.

How will ARM help us send humans to Mars in the 2030s?

This mission will demonstrate future Mars-level exploration missions closer to home and will fly a mission with technologies and real life operational constraints that we’ll encounter on the way to the Red Planet. A few of the capabilities it will help us test include: 

Solar Electric Propulsion – Using advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technologies is an important part of future missions to send larger payloads into deep space and to the Mars system. Unlike chemical propulsion, which uses combustion and a nozzle to generate thrust, SEP uses electricity from solar arrays to create electromagnetic fields to accelerate and expel charged atoms (ions) to create a very low thrust with a very efficient use of propellant.

Trajectory and Navigation – When we move the massive asteroid boulder using low-thrust propulsion and leveraging the gravity fields of Earth and the moon, we’ll validate critical technologies for the future Mars missions. 

Advances in Spacesuits – Spacesuits designed to operate in deep space and for the Mars surface will require upgrades to the portable life support system (PLSS). We are working on advanced PLSS that will protect astronauts on Mars or in deep space by improving carbon dioxide removal, humidity control and oxygen regulation. We are also improving mobility by evaluating advances in gloves to improve thermal capacity and dexterity. 

Sample Collection and Containment Techniques – This experience will help us prepare to return samples from Mars through the development of new techniques for safe sample collection and containment. These techniques will ensure that humans do not contaminate the samples with microbes from Earth, while protecting our planet from any potential hazards in the samples that are returned. 

Rendezvous and Docking Capabilities – Future human missions to Mars will require new capabilities to rendezvous and dock spacecraft in deep space. We will advance the current system we’ve developed with the international partners aboard the International Space Station. 

Moving from spaceflight a couple hundred miles off Earth to the proving ground environment (40,000 miles beyond the moon) will allow us to start accumulating experience farther than humans have ever traveled in space.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Tri-State Freethinkers to Protest Ark Encounter

Tri-State Freethinkers to Protest Ark Encounter

Tri-State Freethinkers to Protest Ark Encounter and Rally for Science and Reason Afterwards

Tri-State Freethinkers will protest the grand opening of the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY on July 7 at 10am.  Joining them will be American Atheists, Secular Coalition of America, Freedom from Religion, United Coalition of Reason, Secular Student Alliance, Kentucky Secular Coalition, and Young…

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hgBHWkjVks4

Bill Nye says "Change the world!" at Reason Rally On June 4th, 2016, Bill Nye, clad in his customary suit and bow tie, took center stage at Reason Rally in Washington DC.

It’s jelly time! Gently pulsing jellies are beautiful to watch, but don’t let these unassuming invertebrates fool you. Their graceful trailing tentacles and oral arms are covered with stinging cells for snaring prey.

Buster the Atheist Pug returns to demolish a creationist's 'testimony'

John Mather (Nobel Prize in Physics-2006) of NASA explains why the James Webb Space Telescope will allow us to finally see the birth of stars. Recorded live at Goddard Space Flight Center on 07/29/2016

Fake NASA Images? NO! A Simple Test You Can Perform

Seen the two NASA photos of Earth with differing land mass sizes? SDHoS was asked a question about the apparent differences in land mass size between two photos of the Earth, one from 1978 and the other from 2012. The apparent differences were used by the flat earth crowd and various other conspiracy theorists to support the claim that the photos were faked. Could this be true??? No. The observed…

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Huckster of the Month: AntiVaxxer 'Dr' Sherri Tenpenny

Meet ‘Dr’ Sherri Tenpenny. The Encyclopedia of American Loons describes her as follows:

“Sherri Tenpenny, an osteopath who doesn’t appear to practice medicine in any recognizable way anymore, is an abysmally crazy promoter of woo, antivaxx views and conspiracy theories.”[1]

Upon investigation, we were not let down. The reality lived up to the expectations set by that glowing review. (more…)

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Nonreligious Americans to Storm Capitol Hill

Press Release: Nonreligious Americans to Storm Capitol Hill

          Washington, D.C.­­

Hundreds of nontheists are expected to converge on Capitol Hill today and Friday as part of the Reason Rally Advocacy Days.

Hosted by the Secular Coalition for America, the Advocacy Days will bring nonreligious Americans from across the country to our nation’s capitol to lobby for secular and science­based public policy. (more…)

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