Online: The Tricorder Project

The Tricorder Project
The Tricorder Project, 28 March 2012
http://www.tricorderproject.org/tricorder-mark2.html

To introduce you to the Tricorder project, I'd like to begin with a story from the development of the very first Tricorder that I built. The first educational discoveries with the Tricorder came only moments after completing it, and walking about the workshop to "see what can't be seen". Upon holding the Tricorder near a power adapter plugged into the wall, you could see the oscillating magnetic fields on the magnetometer visualization. There they were, slowly bouncing back and forth, right in front of you. My father had taught me how transformers work from a young age — two coils are wound together, each having a different number of windings, where an oscillating magnetic field from one coil would induce a voltage in the other coil proportional to the ratio of their number of windings. I know how transformers work — I have known since he explained it to me, I know the equation that determines the output given the input and a certain number of windings — but I had never seen it work until then, until I had this Tricorder in my hands. It grounded my knowledge of the electromagnetic phenomena at work in transformers with something that I could easily watch and see, and use to see inside /any/ transformer, right in front of me. And from that moment on, it seemed like much of the mystery of how they worked I now understood — I could think about what was going on inside them easier and more naturally, now that I had visually grounded the science going on inside. This is why I built the Tricorder.

Online: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives' photostream

San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives' photostream
Flickr, 12 March 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/sets/72157627981313215/


These set contains all things Space related! NASA missions, planets, space suits, you name it!

Online: Evadot and Kentucky Space think YOU can hack space

Evadot and Kentucky Space think YOU can hack space
EVADOT, 7 March 2012
http://evadot.com/2012/03/07/evadot-and-kentucky-space-think-you-can-hack-space/

In just a little while, when the Umpa Lumpas finish manufacturing the first batch, we’re going to start offering CubeSat prototype kits for a fraction of what it costs today.

Online: Evolution of the Spacesuit

Evolution of the Spacesuit
EchoMon, 28 February 2012
http://echomon.co.uk/evolution-of-the-spacesuit/

Check out these images of space suit development over the years....

Charged Up: Electric Rockets Are Set to Transform Space Flight

Charged Up: Electric Rockets Are Set to Transform Space Flight
Technologist, 23 February 2012
http://www.txchnologist.com/2012/charged-up-electric-rockets-are-set-to-transform-space-flight

As a result rocket scientists are increasingly turning to electric rockets, which accelerate propellants out the back end using solar-powered electromagnetic fields rather than chemical reactions. The electric rockets use so much less propellant that the entire spacecraft can be much more compact, which enables them to scale down the original launch boosters.

Online: Autonomous Truss Robot Video

Autonomous Robotic Truss Reconfiguration and Manipulation
YouTube, 22 February 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ynr7VGiusQQ#!

This video presents a robot capable of autonomously traversing and manipulating a 3D truss structure. The robot is able to approach and traverse multiple structural joints using a combination of translational and rotational motions. A key factor in allowing reliable motion and engagements is the use of specially designed structural building blocks comprised of bidirectional geared rods. A set of traversal plans, each comprised of basic motion primitives, were analyzed for speed, robustness, and repeatability. Paths covering eight joints are demonstrated, as well as automatic element assembly and disassembly. We suggest that the robot architecture and truss module design, such as the one presented here, could open the door to robotically assembled, maintained, and reconfigured structures that would ordinarily be difficult, risky, or time consuming for humans to construct.

Wallops Evolving Into Smallsat Launch

Wallops Evolving Into Smallsat Launch
Aviation Week, 26 January 2012
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2012/01/25/11.xml&headline=Wallops%20Evolving%20Into%20Smallsat%20Launch%20Center

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, long a center for sounding rocket science campaigns, is becoming a site for small satellite launches as well, according to NASA’s new chief technologist.