Micro-Sat Communications Over Australia (Plus 2 DIY Space Projects)

Between my previous post about Planet Labs’ New Zealand remote terminal, and this post about Australian communications satellites winning an communications innovation award, it’d be easy to think something is in the water down under. Like Planet Labs, Australia is using micro satellites, but, for now, they are using the satellites for communications and not imagery. The Australians […]

Learn Why Space Matters–Hands-On: DIY Space

One of my favorite magazines is MAKE. One of my favorite events is Maker Faire (there’s a Denver Mini Maker Faire starting up this year on May 3 and 4–the big one is in San Mateo). And of course, I enjoy writing about space. Well, MAKE is starting off next week with DIY Space. MAKE […]

Name an ESA Space Mission

The European Space Agency (ESA) has a mission for you, should you be willing to accept, and perhaps have a creative flair. They would love for you to give their mission a name in a challenge imaginatively titled “Name That Mission.” The mission will be an ESA astronaut (shouldn’t the Europeans have a different name […]

Asteroid Deflection: So Easy, a 9-Year Old Understands It?

Planetary Resources linked this Youtube video of Neil de Grasse Tyson answering a few penetrating questions about why “bumping” asteroids out of the way is so hard. The thing is, the questions were asked by a 9-year old named Jacob. Jacob obviously is worried about asteroids hitting the Earth. Props to Mr. Tyson for actually […]

28 Years of Satellite Highlights

Please don’t blame me for the poster’s length. Sure, the above poster is an advertisement for Broadbandwherever, and it’s only for the first 28 years of satellite history, but it’s interesting and pretty nonetheless. It also shows the progression of capability endowed to each generation of satellites through the years. From the beeping Soviet Sputnik […]