Lifeboat Foundation

Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical “Skyscapes” that connect both Earth and night sky. Join Miguel here as he takes us through his photograph “The Colourful Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda.”

Around the same time that the first human ancestors of the genus Homo roamed the Earth, light from the Milky Way’s closest neighboring galaxy began its 2.5 million-year trek to our planet, creating the image we see today.

Homo, the genus that includes modern humans, is estimated to be between 1.5 and 2.5 million years old. Meanwhile, the Andromeda galaxy (M31) is 2.5 million light-years away from Earth. In the amount of time it took for that light to reach us, humans have evolved from the stone tool-wielding Homo habilis up to the point where we have the necessary technology to construct powerful telescopes, giving us the capability to observe, study, photograph and understand the wonders of the vast universe. [Andromeda Galaxy Photos: Amazing Pictures of M31].

It’s been a busy few days and now, a new picture of Mars without the camera lens cover. Plus, a new view from my robotic arm camera. Read: http://go.nasa.gov/2Q6txLp&h=AT2OsODL_mwl4ybu3wGRiR812vXmG4B…tm_fqcCRzw

More Mars pics: go.nasa.gov/InSightRaws

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this stunning image of a lunar crater on Nov. 3.

I hope you’re not all partied out after the InSight lander’s successful touchdown on Mars this week, because there’s another big spaceflight event just around the corner.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe will officially arrive at the near-Earth asteroid Bennu at about 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT) on Monday (Dec. 3), ending a 27-month deep-space chase. NASA will mark the occasion with a special webcast event from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EST (1645 to 1715 GMT), which you can watch live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.

The space agency will also air an “arrival preview program” at 11:15 a.m. EST (1615 GMT). You can catch that here at Space.com as well. [OSIRIS-REx: NASA’s Asteroid Sample-Return Mission in Pictures].

Continue reading “The Space Party Continues: NASA Probe Arrives at Asteroid Bennu Monday” »

Founder Richard Branson is “pretty confident” it’ll happen.

During my first full day here, I broke my first record by generating more electrical power than any previous robot on the surface of Mars. I’m in a sandy area with few rocks, soaking up the Sun. 🌞 More about where I landed: http://go.nasa.gov/2RvGiMl&h=AT18X8EjCOTXbtitHthnNUzrg5IiHWx…p1W1lBoVnw

Chang’e-4 mission will test plant growth on the Moon, and listen for radio emissions normally blocked by Earth’s atmosphere. Instruments on board the lander will carry out the first radio astronomy observations from the Moon’s far surface.

Right now, in the desert just east of Reno, Nevada, Tesla is drilling into recently laid asphalt to install more electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot of the Gigafactory. The company has hired so many new workers in recent years that it needs more space to let them charge their Nissan Leafs, Chevy Bolts, Toyota Priuses, and, of course, Teslas. But before long, those chargers will be ripped right back out, along with the asphalt, and moved to a new spot to make room for more factory space.

The technology needed for mining water ice on the moon and converting it into fuel is pretty straight forward. Various groups are already making the actual needed hardware. Paragon Space Development and Giner are already making key pieces of what is needed. If we are making large amounts of fuel on the moon then we are massively lowering the cost of all missions in space. The cost of anything from higher earth orbit and beyond becomes several times cheaper.

After the D-day invasion, the Allies made a temporary port. We need to move beyond thinking science missions to working on logistics and supply chains.