Spudnik2

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8143861/Potato-launched-into-space.html

I really loved this story when I read it.

I hope more children are encouraged to become more engaged in space and the possibilities it can produce.

Space has become a lot closer - the possibilities are becoming greater

Dr. Jeff Hoffman ... Astronaut ...

Was trailing through BBC news reals and found this, Dr. Hoffman attended and presented at the SHIFTboston competition two weeks ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11701594

UKSA... the continuation

Recently I have had a lot of questions regarding the actual benifit of 'space' ... Whether it is benifical to invest money, time and effort on a challenge that very few people engage in.

Well, I read this today [click here], and felt that it offered quite a lot of reassurance (myself included) that in fact, the UK does benifit on the space programme... If our country benifits from such a small agency, as it grows, I am sure the benifit will expand also.

It isn't just about benifit, however! We can learn a lot from exploration, just as we grow in understanding when delving deep into the sea, we expand our knowledge (sometimes unexpedtedly) when we blast off, or gaze off into the realms of the universe. And what better way to explore, than to voyage into a place where boundaries are non-existant ;)

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Swindon/UK-Space-Agency/113304375353362

I really was completely blind to the fact that there ever was such a thing as the UKSA, the population of the UK should be more proud of the space initiatives taking place.

SHIFTboston Ball,

SHIFTboston recently just published a time-lapse of the event, thought it was a nice transformation of the space.

http://vimeo.com/16148104

SHIFTboston competition update

It's been a hectic week! But finally I've managed to get my head together, sit down and post a quick review of the last week in Boston and of course, the competition event.

Boston was fantastic, only made better by the fact that I came in the top THREE!! Which is extremely exciting, Bryna Andersen won first place and her work can be seen on the SHIFTboston blospot.

The evening was a really exciting event with Space Architects, Astronauts, MIT Lecturers, Mars Project Workers, Students, Researchers, and other such Very Important Peoples from all over the world.

Bryna's work was:

"A concept for a microwave provision of terrestrial energy collected with lunar photovoltaics which combines an interesting program and the notion of creating Earth-normal gravity on the lunar surface in a massive rotating torus. The concept is based on American physicist Dr. David Criswell’s proposal for the Lunar Solar Power System."

space and you...

So space is out there, we see it every day and every night, whether that be gazing at the stars, or feeling and seeing the effects of the sun upon us.

But that's not what I'M interested in ...

                                    ...I want to know our effect on space...
            
                   ...our architecture.

Every generation has been affected by space architecture, or astronomical architecture.

What are your experiences, thoughts, ideals, knowledges of SPACE and what we build there?


            answers on a postcard  ..........................

Inspiration for investigating something has to come from somewhere; the Lunar-base Competition was that muse, So I guess a little more insight is necessary.

lunarbasecompetition - is the complete theoretical process I developed in habitating a structure on the moon.

The idea and developed thought process centred around the idea that gravity is one sixth of what we understand here on earth - and to that end, I felt that the structures should perform vertically - I mean, people should jump in and out of rooms, not walk through doors...

                              ...Who wants to walk when you can jump?

 Another idea: let the structures be completely expandable, build UP, and not accross.

the moons low gravitational field is excellent for ground-movement energy production, so I developed floor covert piezo generators (a quick info. link!) as well as utilizing the suns energy where very little atmosphere interferes with its radiation.

I also developed "legs" which stabalise the structures through compacted gas - so as to maintain an equilibrium and thus keeping the structures flat and stable.

Gravity; What Gravity?

So it is an interesting fact that by 2020, NASA hopes to start colonising the earth's moon. Eventually aiming to start habitating before 2030.

SHIFTboston recently created an inspiring and exciting global competition to design concepts for the lunar-base of the future, the breif having been designed by Dr. Marc Cohen himself.

The Ball will see some very influencial researchers speaking and lecturing as well as the final overall winner in the competition.

Be sure to check out the links:

AJ Journal

Arch Daily

Death by Architecture