A helium balloon that will take enterprising travellers into Earth's stratosphere is due to take off in just two years.
The 'Bloon' will climb to a height of 22miles thanks to a huge balloon measuring 420ft in diameter.
The five-hour experience would cost an astronomical £90,000 per person but would offer 'space tourists' the chance to glimpse the curvature of the Earth.
Mr Lopez-Urdiales explains how the balloon would vent air after cruising in the stratosphere. A parachute would then open, bringing the pod back to Earth
It weighs six tons, it’s spinning out of control and it’s going to plunge back to Earth sometime this month.
Nasa has warned that there’s a 1 in 3,200 chance that one of its dead satellites could hit someone when it plunges from orbit.
The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, ran out of fuel in 2005 and could land on any of six continents. Most of the satellite will burn up during re-entry, but a hefty half-tonne of metal will still plummet to the Earth’s surface.
According to a researcher of World War II superweapons, Nazi Germany reached the Moon first. Long before the world was galvanized by Neil Armstrong setting foot on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969 Luftwaffe volunteers orbited the Moon and briefly landed. They didn't walk on the lunar surface as spacesuits hadn't yet been invented.
This incredible tale also claims the disc-shaped space vehicle carried a Japanese officer with orders to report on the achievement directly to the Japanese Emperor, Hiro Hito.
As yet, a location for it hasn’t been decided, but Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand are all in the reckoning.
Sounds like the biggest waste of money since the Hadron Collider.
- That United Guy, Stockport, England, 15/9/2011 17:36
Scientist wont be happy until they have bankrupted us with their follies that waste vast amounts of energy but return no practical solutions to anything.
- James 001, West of Nowhere, 15/9/2011 13:38
The study focused on the possible effects of a particularly strong magnetic storm on the Van Allen radiation belts, the dangerous rings of high-energy particles that girdle the Earth. The belts are split into two distinct zones. The outer belt, which is made up of electrons, reaches from about 15,800 to 31,600 miles (25,500 to 51,000 kilometers) above the surface, while the inner belt, which consists of a mix of electrons and protons, reaches from about 4,000 to 8,000 miles (6,400 to 12,800 km) above. [Stunning Photos of Solar Flares & Sun Storms]
Scientists had known the outer belt could become far more intense during geomagnetic storms caused by high-energy particles spewed by the sun, such as the storm that supercharged Earth's northern lights display Monday night (Sept. 26). However, they have long thought such storms do not affect the inner belt.
Now computer simulations suggest that during a "superstorm" — which has occurred in the past and is likely to recur in the future ? the electrons in the inner belt, too, could become energized. Near-Earth radiation could then remain dramatically more intense for several years afterward.
"The increase in radiation in the inner zone may last for up to a decade and continue damaging satellites for years after a very strong storm," study lead author Yuri Shprits, a space physicist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told SPACE.com.
This radiation would damage satellites in that zone and potentially cut their lifetimes by five-sixths or more. [Related: Space Radiation to Rise for Astronauts, Airline Passengers]
"It would not destroy all satellites at once," Shprits said. "However, at least according to our calculations, a very strong storm can increase the radiation dose in the inner zone by a factor of 10, and within a few years we may lose a significant portion of the satellites that traverse the inner zone."
Hubble telescope captures new 'maps' of dark matter... but on this evidence, we may just have to take their word for it
FirstClassSkeptic wrote:If they actually could have put a payload on the moon, and then brought it back, they wouldn't have had to fake it. Or not a living payload, anyway. I have never heard of them sending a robot to the moon to scoop up rock and bring it back. Have they?
Return to Science, Nuclear Physics, Astronomy, Space Travel
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests