Space Colonization?

 Once the 1960's dream!

Now soon to be a fact with several Moon bases, a new space station and going to to Mars, if not further afield?

Elon Musk is the man with the vision and the re-usable rocket is making way for this to happen, but what is the reality of living on a dust swept bowl and how will scientists cope with possible mental breakdowns as currently is occurring on the International Space Station (ISS)?

This will not be the first time, the Russians under the Soviet Union faced a prolonged flight, which is the longest for anyone to be in space alone!

There are so many questions related to space travel and the effects of it on the human body, China has done well with their station by introducing gravity and it is hoped that other things like converting water ice to hydrogen will power what is needed with solar and recycling urine?

But this can only go to a point, growing food and a change to metabolism and body strength will be new issues that are not yet known about fully, the money and the prestige will make people famous but it may be another seventy years before we see real population growth?

Controversy over Lithium Extraction!

 Some alternatives to Lithium are being trialed?

But the mining of this dangerous material, which has much safety coverage in Europe has not in Africa and nothing is being done to improve the situation by governments, but rather counting the big bucks that they are pulling in for their own benefits!

For now this is the cheapest alternative for Electric powered vehicles, but nations in Europe are adopting Hydrogen and other wind sails to end the need for Lithium production and exploitation?

But Lithium and Cadium are still needed for Mobile Phones and computer chips and is extensive in the space industry, so what appears to be humanitarian may not be so much true as many want others to think!

Iran has entered the Space race!

 Three satellites on one ICBM?

The United States was the first nation to condemn Iran for their achievement of possibly putting up their own spy satellite with two others and what this will mean for the years ahead in mapping and communications having not to rely on others, but there is much more to this success and that will include a manned mission a robot, if not a manned landing on the Moon and much more!

Space is now more complicated than it was fifty years ago with the Moon landings, real or not since there is some doubt how the U.S. got there when we are struggling with our modern tech to do the same?

China and India are leading the way, while Japan has gone its own way and all have proved to be doing and discovering new things that Russia and the U.S. don't want to do, but in the years to come much will be achieved as we exhaust the discoveries within our solar system, even the distant worlds still to be observed beyond Pluto/

Private ventures by Elon Musk will be amazing in going to the outer gas giants, while Boeing has developed and new Space shuttle and Space tourism is some venture for the near future as the ISS is coming to the end of its thirty-year life and the possibility of more than one Moon base becomes a reality?

Space anomalies?

 Outer solar system Hunting.

NASA and other space agencies believe that there maybe one or two pineapple sized black holes near to the orbit of Pluto, while there is also the probability that another cold ice giant lurks in the ort cloud, since it is becoming hard to measure some of these very distant objects.

Planet 9 or X does now not seem anymore to be a priority and more focus is being spent on a Moon base over the International Space station, while the people's republic of China may want to share a Moon base with Russia, but not its new military space station!

In the past year many other nations around the world have joined the space race, with the Gulf states, New Zealand and Africa, they have a plethora of ideas that may change our outlook to be of more interest in the known solar system?

Space tourism is now up and running with the Galaxy flier and Musk has achieved his return rockets, that will prove invaluable on Mars and other places?

Artemis 1 Failed Again?

 ''To the Moon or not!

One has to wonder if the United States in all their pride will ever make it to the Moon again, the President just does no have the ump that John F. Kennedy had and NASA spends millions on avoiding finding life, but using the missions to boost the U.S. arms industry?

It looks at this time, following hurricane Ian that China and Russia might get there first and leave the U.S. to focus on the building of the new Gateway space station that will orbit the Moon, following the demise of the ISS (International Space Station) from 2023 to 2030!

Many nations have now sent a plethora of robotic craft to the Moon and made many new and strange discoveries and one expects that over the next one hundred years much more will be gathered as we live up there!

A year or two of Changes!

 COVID-19 has changed Everything?

Sickness, lockdown, uncertainty and having to close down our website has taken its toll, but we are back and are hoping to kick on, if not also catch up slowly?

There are many changes because of this Pandemic in travel, transport and technology from medical to the factory floor and sadly many of our older friends and family have succumb to this lack of air disease!

We are moving into space tourism and from electric battery possibilities to gas, but it was Russia who lead the way or already have done it as well as being so advanced in robotics that they are now fitted and operating on the ISS!

Yet the west and Europe still maintains that S-Korea and Japan are the future for these developments, when they are not apart from gaming and even Canada is now responsible for most of that?

Russia Aborts!

Space remains a dangerous Business?

Just like the Space shuttle, we can become over confident and routine about any form of travel and then disaster strikes with the loss of lives! Today that was averted when the Russian Soyuz aborted and landed safety, but history of space shows us the many disasters and losses over the years since 1957!?

Space is still in its infancy and those designers and engineers may have access to newer kit, computers and materials but the old problems of human mistakes remain? 

We see the genius of Elon Musk being wasted on his spiff of marijuana, what if something in his flawed design not seen lead to a similar incident with space tourism one knows not many of these fantasy spaceships have lifeboats?

We are some 500 years away from anything like even the first science fiction Star trek ship, if one is ever built? Outer space flight is revealing obstacles and debris in the outer reaches! We still are not clear on the effects of radiation in stellar space, we know that in our own space around the gravitational field of our sun it could lead to sterilisation! 

New Technology! Part-Three.

Driverless?

Where will we be in fifty years when it comes to the design of transport that does not need a human driver? The automobile will perhaps be the first to change shape from a box to a saucer, while trains will be much slimmer and more aerodynamic for long distance travel?

Many existing Tube, Metro and Underground railways along with levitation and monorails are driverless! The problems with this technology is that of employing in a car, there have been several death resulting from computer malfunction and human recognition?

What other areas would benefit are perhaps hazardous work places and the Nuclear industry, even mining as well as hostile Space and the Oceans? Much of what we already have working in these areas are either military or government funded research and it would seem that we still have a long way to go in some areas over that of others?

Classic and Vintage Vehicles. Part-Two.

The Easter Weekend?

This weekend will be marked by a host if not plethora of fairs, shows and galas covering every form of old machinery from ships, to locomotives, cars, to farm implements, steam engines to even early computing?

This will be the world over and their is so much to see, more so outside the U.K. and the U.S. Many countries have developed this own industries and some of their old stuff is much better than ours?

Maintaining them is a love and their is no end of collectors and people wanting to get involved in restoration and may it long continue? If you have the opportunity please visit and don't mind the cost, enjoy teach both the young and old?

Because we do  not know what our little ones one day might invent, get an idea to go with in another direction and come up with something completely different?

Space now is too becoming vintage, one knows that both in Russia and the United States there are some great collections in museums to be seen of the early space race from 1957 to 1971 worth investigating!

Strange visitor to near Earth?

Approached and made a sharp Turn?

Astronomers are mystified to this object that last week entered our solar system at high speed and departed at an almost 90 degree angle, faster than it come in? The object was small, possibly no longer than forty metres and its trajectory was very unstable, leaving many wondering was it a tailless comet or a wayward asteroid?

Those who had to chase it out of our system found it hard and it is not known if any images of it are available? The much speculation of an alien visitor of course has been dismissed, but since we have been sending signals out into space it would not be surprising that if there are other intelligent life forms they may want to investigate us?

Nano Technology.

Shrinking Computing.

With this ''around a long time technology'' a breakthrough in its use, is allowing it to be adapted and fitted to a host of systems! Space will be one of its best platforms to shrinking Satellite sizes, even down to that of the newish basic computers?

These basic computers have been around for a while and they allow the ability to connect other devices such as screens, storage devices, printers and other! This means that the days of the laptop may be coming to an end?

Power and computing capacity still remains a problem and the return of the desktop is coming back, but this is perhaps due to thefts of mobile phones and the 2 in ones which is lucrative for criminals in relation to on-line banking!

U.S.A. Space Expansion.

Trump Promises.

Space exploration will perhaps make the United States of America great again, much has been promised and one thinks Mr. Trump will try! The Space-X testing and return missions are improved and now working, but they are a chance thing, which remain to dangerous to put humans into space?

Co-operation with Russia may lead to the combination of Shuttle technology to develop newer systems to have that very good re-usable platform again? Plans to build a Moon base and to have a half point station to Mars will lead within the next thirty years to getting people living on the red planet.

Space also offers much research into the use of tougher materials for building, that will be cheaper than relying on metals? There are many new needs of investigations to get underway in relation to sending robotic ships to land on Pluto, investigate Uranus and Neptune and a few more interesting places too?

The Electric Bike.

A Chinese Success.

It would only be time when some one would come up with a novel idea such as this new fold-away electric bike? China had already done it with the motorised plough, who did not need a tractor to haul it!

The ability to fold such a machine is to make it theft proof and cut out the need to find a place to park it up. Speed and range are limited, but if it can get the worker from A to B that is perhaps enough?

This bike is putting out the gauntlet to other nations and manufacturers to do better, to make a speedier version one that has perhaps more appeal to the west? It is a good start and shows that when the Chinese their act together they can beat the world at many things?

Engines. Part-One.

The heart of every Machine.

If one visits the Science Museum in London, U.K. or nearly every country in the world, you are confronted by the engines of all the great machines that have ever been built. For mechanics this is a day out, for others perhaps after looking at a couple one can get bored easily?

But it is the engine from the petrol to the hydro-electric fusion that has been the heart of motive power this last 125 years. Engines have helped in the development of getting into space, going to the depths of our oceans, building all forms of structures and tunnels.

 Ford T-Model car, Mark 1 tank, Holland Submarine, Sputnik, Ferrari, Porche,Apollo Rockets, Queen Mary, Spitfire, Volkswagen Beetle, Drones, Hydro Power, Trains, Mustang P-51, Rolls-Royce, MiG-15, SR-71, Bullet train, Antonov 225 Mirya, X-Planes, Mars Rovers,

Steam was one thing, Diesel another, fusion is something else and nuclear elctro fusion will take us out of our solar system?

Military transport Aircraft. Part-Two.

Enter the Giants.

The United States have a choice of three heavy transports from the C-141 Star lifter, C-17 Globe master and the enormous C-5 Galaxy. This has proven invaluable for them as a world superpower over the years.

Initially the Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation to have developed their three types, but all from one manufacturer Antonov with the An-22, An-124 Ruslan and the An-224 Mirya (Dream).

Both superpowers have also the back up of their own large civilian commercials such as the Boeing 747-2/400F' and the Ilyushin IL-89/96.

These dominate heavy lifting capability around the world, in the moving of missile systems, radars, and extra warheads, The Boeing 747-400 and the Russian Antonov An-224 were adopted and developed for both the NASA Space shuttle and the Soviet Buran to piggy back between landing and relaunching.

Most of the aircraft are capable of the movement of between 150 to 250 fully laden combat troops, with essential equipment from vehicles to artillery. Apart from Surface to Surface missiles, there is of course the need to move medium range mobile carriers for Nuclear ICBMs.

Today some of these aircraft also work with the United Nations in medical and food relief to disaster zones.

Commuter Trains. Part-Two.

Most Efficiant System.

As yet there is no alternative to the need for Communter and Metro or Underground trains? In recent years many of the newer classes of trains operating around the world have ended the need for seperate locomotives, thus there is no need to turn anything as the unite just moves from A to B and B to A.

The only time some driver unit's are taken off is for maintenance, but then that whole train is taken out of service. Metros and Underground systems have opted for seperate engine units to pick up current under each coach and there is no need of the traditional idea of a Loco.

The design of many new trains is space for standing over seating and more windows allowing in light and seeing almost from one car to another. This has had to be done in relation to theft and other crimes on older stocakge.

France, Japan, Spain, Germany have been the world leaders in many new designs, but so has the United Kingdom, U.S.A. and China. Many new systems such as the Maglev and the mordern Monorails are coming of age now on shorter usage and being combined with existing infrustructure of Motorways/Autobahns and Airports.

48 to 8 Hours.

Getting up to the Space Station.

Twenty years ago it took just over two days to get up to the Russian MIR Space station, this week we saw the three way Russian, ESA, U.S. mission do it in less than eight hours even with a technical fault. What amazing achievements with the tried and tested second generation MM Soyuz-Progress vehicles over that of the flamboyant yet very dangerous U.S. Space shuttle.

Timings into space are speeding up, while duration flights of just over one year at the moment cuts a possible manned trip to Mars in the next 30 years. The joint Moon base, will perhaps prepare us for that giant return trip to Mars, in say 50 years from now. 

There remains so many dangers in space travel, after nearly 58 years from Sputnik, that the next 50 will give us enough time to develop better space ships perhaps between the ISS and the Moon base. Familiarity with living their will be the key to any future Mars mission and then further out?

Space and Under the Oceans.

The race is on?

The need now to develop a replacement of the U.S. Space shuttle is now well underway with Boeing taking the lead, all of this is based on British ideas from forty years ago of designing a re-usable space plane. The former Space shuttle was a great spacecraft, but it became a glider on return, Soviet Russia developed a totally robotic version known as the Buran, but it was also technically a glider on return to Earth.

Britain and Europe were working on a rocket aircraft that was manoeuvrable going up and coming down and could be diverted if the weather was causing problems. Meanwhile there are many new underwater developments, which are connected as much to future space travel to planets and Moons in our solar system, which may have oceans worth investigating either with robotic and eventually manned missions.

Lights in the Sky.

More Activity.

There would seem to be more lights seen now at night than ever before and they are being recorded. At one time these were generally described as UFOs and people who claimed to see them as cranks.

But now with the advent of car and traffic cams, phones and tablets, bloggies and many other devices people just leave them running on them or in their respective vehicles to see what they will capture.

These lights may be meteors or they could be failed test rockets. There are also many secretive projects being carried out world wide. If they are Aliens, they are making a big statement by wanting us earthlings to see them!

Space Travel.

What's new Pussycat?

Since the retirement of that fantastic space plane, the U.S Space Shuttle what does the future hold? it looks like Mars is the next target for human exploration between 2025 and 2035, it is hoped to send two missions on long range space ships to the red planet.

The first is a one way commercial venture, while the second will perhaps be a fully focused government funded scientific mission. but both hope to set up their own Martian bases. Much of the research into the establishment of these bases has for years been carried out in Antarctica and Soviet/Russian Cosmonaut underwater training facilities.

The current fleet of ROBOT/ Rovers on Mars is sending back a variety of interesting data, which reveals possible past life possibilities, probable existing atmospheric conditions?