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The LA Times spread news today of that NASA managers on Monday decided to move back the scheduled launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and moon mapping mission to no earlier than Thursday.
The combination orbiter probe and earth satellite comprises the beginning of a Nasa mission to get humans back to the moon by 2020. The orbiter will satellite map the moon in a detail oriented way that has ever been attempted. It does this by searching out the sites showing the most potential for a future lunar colony and similar earth from space idea. Basically the satellite map is looking for ice or other things humans can use if they were to move in. In doing this the earth satellite will aim an empty rocket toward a crater on the moon’s south pole. The crash will send debris into the lunar surface. Before actually hitting the moon, the satellite will fly through the small moon pieces, taking measurements in hopes of finding evidence of water. Water is deemed most valuable not only because it would save colonists from having to lug it from Earth, but also because it could be broken down into oxygen and hydrogen for use in respiration as well as rocket fuel.
When you think of it, living in space would certainly make all Americans at least feel lighter, so it’s ironicly fitting our ever enlarging overweight population. I just want to know which airline decides to fly to the moon, one return trip and you’d hold platnium status for the amount of miles you need to travel to get there!
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The Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum and Google are marking the museum’s golden anniversary in an appropriate way by joining together on a global design competition inspired by the building’s master architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
“Throughout the Guggenheim’s 50th anniversary year, one of our most important goals is to engage new and ever-broader global audiences to understand and appreciate art and architecture,” says Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenhiem Foundation and Museum. “Our collaboration with Google is certainly providing us with a technologically exciting means to do just that.”
Design-It: Shelter Competition invites the public to use Google SketchUp and Google Earth to create virtual 3-D shelters located anywhere on earth map. The competition recently started on June 8, Wright’s birthday. You can get started by downloading the Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google SketchUp programs on the competition website. Next you must pick a location for the structure via Google Earth Maps. Participants can then use SketchUp 3-D modeling software to design a 100-square-foot live/work shelter, submit their completed entries to the Google 3D Warehouse, and then to the competition’s website.
Once the competition ends, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture will select 10 student finalists, in addition to the public online voting from September 7 thru October 10 to find the Grand Prize winner. Simultaneously, an knowledgable jury featuring the likes of architect Neil Denari, Newsweek architecture critic Cathleen McGuigan, and Pentagram partner Lisa Strausfeld will choose the Juried Prize winner.
Two winners will be announced on October 21, the 50th anniversary of the museum’s opening. The champions receive airfare and 2-night accommodations for 2 in New York, where they’ll receive private tours of the Guggenheim and Google Earth Maps offices, and Google SketchUp Pro licenses. The Juried Prize winner also gets $1,000 to spend during their junket—or perhaps to save for a real project. Check out some of the images that are coming in, amazing!
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Google with their Google Earth application is pushing awareness of the World Oceans Day with a variety of visualizations of different data dealing with the world’s oceans. In the past Google has done it’s part in going green and marketing their backing of Earth Day, but now as climate and global warming issues continue to arise, we see World Oceans Day in the spotlight. This certainly was not a major recognized “go green day” in the past decade, but Google Maps, Google Earth and all of Google’s free software toolset continues to make headlines.
World Oceans Day offers the opportunity to celebrate the wonders of the underwater world and look carefully at our interactions with the sea. An increasing number of people are moving to the coasts, but for many of them what goes on beneath the surface is still a mystery. As a result the ocean is often left out of sight, out of mind. To counter that, here’s a sample of different ways to visualize the wet portion of our planet.
The list of visualizations on the World Oceans Day website include things that were eaten by an ocean cruising albatross, mosaic art pieces, earth satellite maps view where the ocean is overfished, and even satellite maps for the wind levels and sea levels across the globe… the Google Earth Browser Plugin is required to see this exciting imagery.
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The beloved Green Living website has published some excellent information regarding how using Google Earth, Google PowerMeter, and Google SketchUp among others are becoming useful tools in fighting to keep the Earth green.
Google in combined efforts with Canada will give 10,000 home access to a powerful new tool for managing their home energy use with Google PowerMeter. As I previously wrote about this Google Tool, it’s web-based application that displays a time-series graph showing how much power they have used and when. For obvious reasons this information will make sure you don’t over use your home’s energy by running the dryer when your family sits down for TV while the dishwasher is running. In addition you can see where your problem appliances are taking up too much energy and need to be replaced. These all great things that will save you money and keep your house green.
The Green Living article also talks about other free software that has been developed using Google Earth to aid in keeping the world green. Some tools simulate the advanced global warming and show what will happen when sea levels rise over time. Download Google Earth free and install these programs to see for yourself, it’s fascinating. One program lets you adopt land for lost or loved ones. Using Google Maps one man identified environmental destruction of the Alberta Tar Sands (picture shown in this blog). Finally Google SkethUp allows ambitious hobbyists and non-profits to visualize Models of Green Energy Projects.
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The day when Curtis Melvin, a PhD student at George Mason University, decided to start the “North Korea Uncovered” project is now marked in history; April 4 2007. Two years since it has became the definitive reference for the country’s economic and geographic secrets, thanks to an army of amateur spies.
Mr. Martin described the project like this - “This Google Earth project offers an extensive mapping of North Korea’s economic, cultural, political, and military infrastructures. Through the topic menu, users of this program have easy access to geographical information on North Korea’s agriculture projects, aviation facilities, communications, hospitals, hotels, energy infrastructure, financial services, leisure destinations, manufacturing facilities, markets, mines, religious locations, restaurants, schools, and transportation infrastructure. In addition to locations of economic interest, this map also displays anti-aircraft locations, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Northern Line Limit Line (NLL), incarceration facilities, political monuments, political residencies, military bases, and nuclear facilities.”
As you can tell from the granularity displayed, the earth satellite map project really includes everything you can imagine in a city, from military buildings and communication towers, agricultural and poultry farms, nuclear power plants, including not so secret anymore North Korean prison camps. We can even divulge into the surroundings viewing the problematic poverty; signs that Kim Jong-il, the country’s leader, continues making history as one of notable evil dictators.
You might wonder how did Curtis get all this information. Martin used his own personal trips to the country along with a network of curious amateur spies who have been visiting the country over these two years. Truly courageous and amazing work.
