This is strongly related to my concept of the Apollo cargo cult. If we want to justify humans in space, we have to stop using the word “exploration,” because it simply raises the issue of letting robots do it. Talking instead about space development and particularly settlement implies humans, by definition. And if we can’t persuade the taxpayers that those are worthwhile goals, and instead try to sell them a bill of goods, then we don’t deserve taxpayer money for our hobbies. And cults.
Category Archives: Space Science
No Gravity Required
This is good news for space settlement:
The scientists ran their experiment on Arabidopsis plants—a go-to species for plant biologists. The control group was germinated and grown at the Kennedy Space Center (A), while the comparative group was housed on the International Space Station (B). For 15 days, researchers took pictures of the plants at six-hour intervals and compared them. Their results surprised even them: the plants in space exhibited the same growth patterns as those on Earth.
The researchers were looking for two specific patterns of root growth: waving and skewing. With waving, the root tips grow back and forth, much like waves. Skewing occurs when a plant’s roots grow at an angle, rather than straight down. Scientists don’t know exactly why these root behaviors occur, but gravity was thought to be the driving force for both.
So much for that theory. This means the potential for fresh food at ISS, if you’re a vegetarian (or even if not). They should be learning how to do weightless hydroponics. Of course, we still don’t know if animals, and particularly humans, can gestate, or how, and that’s true of partial gravities as well. And we’re not likely to until SSI gets funding for its variable-gravity lab.
A Close Asteroid Call
A Tonguska-sized rock just came within the moon’s orbit, with little warning.
There really is no excuse for us to not have a better survey of these objects, when you consider the money we’re wasting on things like SLS.
Carnival Of Space
Next Big Future has quite a few interesting links.
Water On Mars
NASA has to hope that Curiosity doesn’t find any. This is part of a broader issue. People who want to settle Mars had better hope we don’t find life there, or the biologists and greens will be decrying the “genocide” we might cause by contaminating the planet.
Meteor Watching
Should be a good weekend for the Perseids. The moon isn’t new, but it will be out of the way for most of the night.
Sarcastic Rover
Well, this twitter feed was inevitable. It’s pretty good.
Comeback Kid
Is Curiosity a sign of a new NASA?
I’ll believe there’s a new NASA when Webb and SLS are finally put out of their misery. But the problem isn’t just NASA — it’s Congress.
Humans Versus Robots
The pointless debate continues. And of course, it continues to carry its implicit and unshared assumption with it (e.g., that the purpose of this is “science.”).
The Venus Transit
Here’s a live webcast from Fraser Cain, Phil Plait, et al.