#AstroForge is tracking several candidate asteroids, each of which is about 400 meters 📏 across. There is no shortage of potential targets. Scientists estimate that there are about 10 million near-Earth #asteroids ☄️, perhaps 3 to 5 percent of these are rich in #metals, so there are potentially hundreds of thousands of candidates for #mining. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/against-all-odds-an-asteroid-mining-company-appears-to-be-making-headway/

#AsteroidMining#NEA#SpaceMining

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📆 2016 thesis : It was found that a future space mission to harvest #asteroids ☄️ seems prosperous and even plausible in the near future if using a cost-effective mission architecture, perhaps even within a decade. The necessary knowledge increases quickly due to interests of profit and exploration and #space is among the fastest growing 📈 businesses today https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/8882371

• Remote Sensing Techniques
• Space Shuttles & Technology
• Targeting Asteroids
• Financial Feasibility
• Conclusions

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#Microorganisms 🦠 as #SpaceFood : The demand for food 🍽️ increases greatly when the duration ⏳ of #space endeavors lengthens. It will be essential that edible #microbial biomass also enables the production of #appealing 😋 foods. #3dFoodPrinting 🖨️ technologies make it possible to manufacture more complex food 🍗 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33974-7

Picture : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Impressora_3D.jpg

An extremely detailed diagram of the history of Science Fiction. The diagram has a rather monstrous aspect, with tentacle-like roots and branches. On the upper left corner are found the roots of the diagram: Fear and Wonder, giving way to Animism and Legend. Other portals into the diagram are Philosophy, Art, Exploration and Observation. These roots converge and possibly interact with other concepts such as the Enlightment, Science, Utopias, Romantic Movements. Important science fiction works, authors and genres emerge on the way, amidst a vast quantity of other entries: the Gothic Novel, Frankenstein, Jules Vernes, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Science Adventure, Fantasy Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, Weird Tales, Pulp Magazines, Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft, Sword+Sorcery, Modern Horrror, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Dune, Space Opera, Cyber Punk, Star Wars, Alien, Terminator, 2001 Space Odissey, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dracula, Metropolis, King Kong, Aldous Huxley, and so on. A timeline is indicated on the upper and lower boundaries of the diagram.
An extremely detailed diagram of the history of Science Fiction. The diagram has a rather monstrous aspect, with tentacle-like roots and branches. On the upper left corner are found the roots of the diagram: Fear and Wonder, giving way to Animism and Legend. Other portals into the diagram are Philosophy, Art, Exploration and Observation. These roots converge and possibly interact with other concepts such as the Enlightment, Science, Utopias, Romantic Movements. Important science fiction works, authors and genres emerge on the way, amidst a vast quantity of other entries: the Gothic Novel, Frankenstein, Jules Vernes, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Science Adventure, Fantasy Adventure, Alice in Wonderland, Weird Tales, Pulp Magazines, Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Magazine, H.P. Lovecraft, Sword+Sorcery, Modern Horrror, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Dune, Space Opera, Cyber Punk, Star Wars, Alien, Terminator, 2001 Space Odissey, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dracula, Metropolis, King Kong, Aldous Huxley, and so on. A timeline is indicated on the upper and lower boundaries of the diagram.

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Launch costs have fallen 95% 📉 (with another massive reduction expected in the coming years) thanks to reuse, improved engineering, and increased volumes.
“In economics, we assume that resources are limited; land is limited; natural resources are limited. With #space 🌌, it allows us to change that.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/may/03/were-in-a-new-era-the-21st-century-space-race-takes-off

#LaunchCost#SpaceMining

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NASA's visualization team created a beautiful preview of every phase of the Moon in 2025, hour by hour.

The best part: Watching how the Moon's appearance changes due to its inclination, oval orbit, and libration (wobble).

https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5415 #science #nature #nasa #astronomy #space

The phase and libration of the Moon for 2025, at hourly intervals. Includes supplemental graphics that display the Moon's orbit, subsolar and sub-Earth points, and the Moon's distance from Earth at true scale. Craters near the terminator are labeled, as are Apollo landing sites, maria, and other albedo features in sunlight.

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@lori_garver “It got funded as a rocket to nowhere, and we at #NASA had to figure out something to do with it”.
The #rocket is #unsustainable by design, relying on an old and potentially quite expensive 💰 way to get to #space 🌌. Much of #SLS is a holdover from the #SpaceShuttle. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/09/1065143/nasa-artemis-return-to-moon

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Two unusual things happened on Earth around 460 million years ago: a bunch of asteroid impacts near the equator & an intense global cold spell.

Possibly both were the result of an asteroid that broke up & gave our planet a pretty but deadly set of rings.

https://eos.org/articles/a-close-asteroid-encounter-may-have-once-given-earth-a-ring #space #science #nature

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"Documentary director redefines astronaut Eileen Collins as the 'Spacewoman'" by @Spacecom - Documentary about USAF Colonel Eileen Collins, test pilot instructor who became the first female Space Shuttle pilot and commander. She remains a historical figure to point to when encouraging girls and women they can learn to fly too. https://www.space.com/spacewoman-documentary-astronaut-eileen-collins-director-interview#NASA #space #aviation #pilot #avgeek #history

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When I worked for XCOR Aerospace in Mojave, we heard a story from co-worker Rick Searfoss who was a former NASA Space Shuttle commander. He knew Eileen Collins when they were test pilot instructors at Edwards AFB. Both applied to the NASA astronaut program. After he was selected, he said he called Eileen, understanding history would be made if she was selected too. She had to ask him to keep quiet until the White House made the announcement.😀 #NASA #space #aviation #pilot #avgeek #history

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Among Collins' claims to #NASA #space fame...
She commanded STS-93 Columbia. Chandra X-Ray Telescope was heaviest payload launched by a shuttle.
She commanded STS-114 Discovery, the "Return to Flight" mission of modified shuttle after 2003 Columbia accident. No gimmick having female commander - she was next in line to fly. On 114 she was first to fly the backflip maneuver for ISS to photograph/inspect incoming shuttles for launch damage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_pitch_maneuver #aviation #pilot #avgeek #history