This week in Space with Miles O'Brien

"Spacewalkers continue working on repairs, an interview with EVA'er Dave Wolf, success for Atlas 5 rocket and a new shot from Hubble."

Spaceflightnow.com

"Thank You for Supporting the Future of Human Spaceflight" - Elon Musk

"We recently asked for your help to protect the future of human spaceflight – and the response was impressive. Your phone calls and the efforts of supportive members of Congress helped stop the NASA Authorization bill from being pushed through the House of Representatives before important improvements could be made. 

This bill would have authorized over five times more taxpayer dollars to fly NASA astronauts on the Russian Soyuz than to develop an American-made commercial alternative that would energize our economy and create jobs right here at home.

We still have a tough fight ahead of us, but many in Congress are starting to recognize that commercial vehicles like Dragon and Falcon 9 are the nation's best option for ending our reliance on Russia to transport astronauts to the International Space Station and preserving America's leadership role in space. It's not over yet. When the House returns from its summer recess in September, NASA Authorization bill H.R. 5781 will be up for vote again.

We hope you will continue to fight for the opportunity to show how a true public/private partnership can transform America's space program.

We thank you for your support and look forward to working together to ensure an exciting future for American spaceflight.

--Elon--"

The Perseids Meteor Shower expected to peak 12-13 August 2010

 

During the next few days the Perseids meteor shower will peak with an expected 50 to 80 meteors per hour. Perhaps the most famous of all meteor showers, the Perseids have been observed and recorded as far back as 36 AD by the Chinese (that is almost 2000 years ago). However, credit for the discovery of the shower’s annual appearance is given to Adolphe Quetelet of Belgium, who, in 1835 reported a meteor shower that occurred in August emanating from the constellation of Perseus. Thus the name "the Perseids" because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lays in the constellation of Perseus. The first observer to provide an hourly count was E. Heis from Munster, Germany who recorded a maximum rate of 160 meteors per hour back in 1839. Computations of the orbit of the Perseids between 1864 and 1866 by Schiaparelli (Italy) revealed a strong resemblance to a periodic comet named 19P/Swift-Tuttle which had been discovered in 1862. This was the first time a meteor shower had been positively identified with a comet. Every 133 years this huge comet swings through the inner solar system and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel. When the Earth passes through the debris, specks of comet debris hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate in flashes of light producing “shooting stars” with long tails.

The Perseids meteor shower is visible between mid July to mid August each year and this year should be no different from years past where most observers in the Northern hemisphere observed a spectacular shower of “shooting stars”. 2010 is a good year for Perseids because the Moon won’t up during the midnight to dawn hours of greatest activity. As Perseus rises and the night deepens, meteor rates will increase. The best time to observe is during the darkest hours before pre-dawn on Friday morning, August 13^th, when most observers will see dozens of Perseids per hour. I am definitely going to stay up to observe the Perseids; I only hope that I can find a dark enough of a spot away from the city lights of Los Angeles.

If you are not sure where Perseus lies in the sky, the following sky chart from NASA Science News should help you find it in the night sky.

Thirteenth Annual Mars Society Convention (2010)

The Thirteenth Annual Mars Society Convention was held this year in Dayton, Ohio August 5-7, 2010. My dear friend and MDRS-88 colleague and award winning author David Levine was invited to give a talk highlighting our mission. He attended the conference and blogged daily about the various presentations and talks given. Attached are the links to his blog "The Days Are Just Packed". Thursday, August 5th. Friday, August 6th. Saturday, August 7th.

"The Mars Diaries" edited by David D. Levine: The story of Crew 88 of the Mars Desert Research Station in their own words

When we were at the MDRS, David had the great idea of taking all of our blogs and compiling them into a book that we can keep as a souvenir or gift to friends and relatives. He has completed his promise and compiled "The Mars Diaries" which is now available for purchase from lulu.com. It will also be available from Amazon.com in 6-8 weeks. I just received several copies and they look absolutely fabulous. Bianca's blog is in Dutch and Diego's is in Spanish but David had them translated into English as well. Thanks David!