Bill Housley
Science Fiction and Fantasy Author
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Into the Dark–Escape of the Nomad
Where’s The Cat?
Another Man’s Terrorist
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Space.com Top Stories
- China Media Claim Private Mars Colony Mission Is a Scam May 23, 2013Doubts have been growing in China about the legitimacy of Mars One.
- Space History Photo: Gemini 12 Splashdown May 23, 2013The Gemini 12 spacecraft floats to the ocean surface as a helicopter hovers above.
- Why Don't We Have Space Elevators Yet? May 23, 2013There's just one thing keeping space elevators from existence.
- Telescope Photographs Inky 'Strawberry Cocktail' Nebula for 15th Birthday May 23, 2013A new photo shows a nebula located 6,500 light-years from Earth in unprecedented detail.
- Warp Drive and 'Star Trek': Physics of Future Space Travel (Op-Ed) May 23, 2013Physicist Marc Millis discusses how close humanity really is to a faster-than-light drive like warp speed on "Star Trek."
- Hot Young Stars' Radiation Will One Day Erase This Picture | Video May 23, 2013The Thackeray globules, thick clouds of dust that are silhouetted again the pink glowing nebula (IC 2944) gas, is under attack from ultraviolet radiation emitted from nearby stars. The cloud lies 6500 light-years away in the Centaurus constellation.
- NASA Unveils Space Apps Contest Champions May 22, 2013A greenhouse plan for Mars and an interplanetary weather app took top prizes.
- McDonald Observatory: Searching for Dark Energy May 22, 2013Texas' McDonald Observatory is embarking on a search for dark energy.
- Private Mars Colony Is No Place for Children (Yet) May 22, 2013It would be irresponsible to bring kids into the world on the Red Planet, Bas Lansdorp says.
- Europe Opens New Asteroid-Hunting Center May 22, 2013The Near-Earth Object Coordination Center will serve as a hub for Europe's efforts.
- Massive Galactic Merger Scoped By Several Space Observatories | Time-Lapsed Simulation May 22, 2013The Herschel Space Observatory captured imagery of colliding galaxies, called HXMM01 (~ 11 billion light-years from Earth and when our universe was about 3 billion years old.) A merger of galaxies is simulated.
- Ancient Lunar Patterns | Space Wallpaper May 22, 2013This space wallpaper shows the ray pattern of dust that was ejected from the crater over a billion years ago, when an asteroid larger than a mile (1.6 km) across slammed into the Moon.
- See Jupiter, Venus and Mercury Dance in Sunset Sky May 22, 2013Don't miss your chance to see three bright planets in the night sky.
- Three Planets Appear In 'Sunset Triangle' | Video May 22, 2013On May 26th three planets, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury, will appear in a triangular formation on the western horizon just after sunset.
- Rare View of Ancient Galaxy Crash Revealed May 22, 2013The find sheds new light on the role such huge collisions played in galactic evolution long ago.
- More Evidence That Ancient Mars Could Support Life Found by Old Rover May 22, 2013The older cousin of Curiosity discovered a water-weathered rock hinting that Mars could have supported life in its ancient past.
- Moon Crash Scene Investigation Tonight: See Telescope Views of Meteorite Impact May 22, 2013Watch a webcast showing views of the moon's fresh, new meteorite impact site.
- Amazing Space Views of ESO's Very Large Telescope (Photos) May 23, 2013See amazing space photos taken by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory in Northern Chile.
- WEBCAST REPLAY: Slooh Webcast of Moon Meteor Crash Site January 9, 2013The online Slooh Space Camera will offer live views of the moon at 9 p.m. ET today (May 22).
- Space History Photo: Rendezvous Docking Simulator May 22, 2013A multiple exposure image of the Rendezvous Docking Simulator during a training.
NASA Breaking News
- NASA'S Hubble Space Telescope Reveals the Ring Nebula's True Shape May 23, 2013The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist.
- NASA Hosts Google+ Hangout with Recently Returned Space Station Astronauts May 22, 2013NASA will host a Google+ Hangout with the three recently returned International Space Station astronauts from 3-4 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 23.
- NASA Announces Global Best in Class Winners for the International Space Apps Challenge May 22, 2013A panel of international judges from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and other partner organizations has selected five "best in class" solutions as winners of the 2013 International Space Apps Challenge.
- Herschel Space Observatory Finds Mega Merger of Galaxies May 22, 2013A massive and rare merging of two galaxies has been spotted in images taken by the Herschel space observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important NASA participation.
- Massachusetts Students Speak Live With Orbiting NASA Astronaut May 21, 2013NASA Expedition 35 astronaut and flight engineer Chris Cassidy will speak live from the International Space Station with students at Talbot Innovation Middle School in Fall River, Mass., at 10:05 a.m. EDT, Thursday, May 23.
- NASA Calls For Phase II Visionary Advanced Concepts May 21, 2013NASA is looking for far-out ideas. NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program is seeking Phase II proposals for continuation of promising studies selected during the first phase of the visionary program.
- NASA and The White House Pay Tribute to Sally Ride May 20, 2013NASA and President Obama are honoring the life and legacy of Sally Ride on the day a national tribute was held for the first American woman in space.
- NASA, Bigelow to Discuss Private Sector Human Space Exploration and Development May 20, 2013NASA and Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas are holding a media availability at 1:30 p.m. EDT, Thursday, May 23, to discuss the agency's Space Act Agreement with the company for its insight on collaborating with commercial industry on exploration beyond Earth orbit. Journalists can participate in-person or by teleconference.
- Vanderbilt Takes Top Prize in NASA Student Launch Challenge May 20, 2013The Aerospace Club of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., took first prize in the 2013 annual NASA Student Launch Projects challenge, in which student teams design, build and fly small rockets with science payloads to an altitude of 1 mile and return them safely to Earth.
- NASA Administrator Visits California Centers, Meets Media May 20, 2013NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will hold media availabilities at all three of the agency's centers in California this week, highlighting progress on the asteroid mission, commercial crew transportation and space technology development.
LiveScience.com – Top Stories
- Top 10 New Species 2013 May 23, 2013Check out the wacky creatures that made the list this year.
- Solar Plane Set to Make Flight History May 23, 2013Swiss pilots seeks to make flight history by setting a new distance record on their solar-powered plane. Powered by NewsLook.
- Amazon River 'Breathes' Carbon Dioxide from Rain Forest May 23, 2013River bacteria can break down plant-based carbon, exhaling it as carbon dioxide.
- Solar Plane Completes Longest Leg of Cross-Country Flight May 23, 2013The Solar Impulse aircraft flew from Phoenix to Dallas in 18 hours and 21 minutes.
- Captive-Bred Wallabies May Spread Antibiotic Resistance May 23, 2013The natural pathogen resistance could be passed on to animals in the wild.
- The Career That's Growing in Popularity: Entrepreneurship May 23, 2013Thirteen percent of Americans have taken the leap into entrepreneurship, the highest number since 1999.
- Gulf Killifish Show Defects from Crude Oil Exposure May 23, 2013Study finds defects in fish contaminated by the 2010 BP spill.
- 3D Printers Demonstrate Rapid Robot Evolution May 23, 2013Robots in computer simulations can evolve complex traits in a matter of days.
- Cool Science Experiments for Hot Summer Days May 22, 2013These fun science experiments for kids are perfect to do outside where spills don’t matter, and a plastic wading pool makes a perfect laboratory.
- Speedy New Dinosaur Found in Canada May 22, 2013A new quick-footed plant-eatingplant-eating dinosaur has been discovered in southern Alberta.
- 7-Minute Workout: Fact vs. Fiction May 22, 2013The 7-minute workout may seem great, but does it really work? Experts explain.
- Tornado Recovery: What Moore Can Learn from Joplin May 22, 2013Joplin tornado survivors share advice.
- Why Do Dogs Howl? May 23, 2013Howling is a behavior dogs share with wolves.
- Google Glass Causing Congressional Privacy Concerns May 22, 2013Eight Congress members are questioning how Google Glass would impact the privacy of the 'average American' but others say these worries may be overblown. Powered by NewsLook.
- Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano Erupts May 22, 2013Ash and gas prompt local evacuation.
- Drowning In Devices? Your Next Gadget May Dissolve When You're Done May 22, 2013The UK’s National Physical Laboratory has developed a printed circuit board made that comes apart in hot water.
- Can We Protect Against the Next Moore Tornado? May 22, 2013Scientists are working to prevent devastation like that seen in Moore, Okla.
- Baby's Life Saved with 3D Printing May 22, 2013Using a 3D printer, researchers created a device that allowed a baby to breathe.
- Dogs Bring Swarm of Bacteria Into Your Home May 22, 2013Owning a dog may up the microbial diversity of your home.
- New Cave-Dwelling Scorpion Species Discovered May 22, 2013The arachnids were found lurking in rocky caverns in Brazil.
Discover Magazine — Space
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NASA Blog Updates
- Women@NASA May 23, 2013NASA DEVELOP @ GSFC: Katrina Laygo & Melissa Oguamanam
- Mission: Ames May 23, 2013Stairway to the stars. Climbing aboard the SOFIA Airborne Telescope
- NASA - Best Place to Work in the Federal Government May 22, 2013Launch Services Program Rocket Men
NASA Image of the Day
- Pavlof Volcano From Station May 23, 2013Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) photographed this striking view of Pavlof Volcano on May 18, 2013. The oblique perspective from the ISS reveals the three dimensional structure of the ash plume, which is often obscured by the top-down view of most remote sensing satellites. Situated in the Aleutian Arc about 625 miles (1,000 kilometers […]
Masten-space.com Blog updates–X-Prize winner!
- Xaero B Rises March 18, 2013Since last summer, even while we focused on Xombie flights for JPL and expanding Xaero’s flight envelope, we were working. Designing, tweaking, and starting to build the next iteration of Xaero that we affectionately (and creatively) call Xaero-B. We’re finally ready to pull the curtain back and share her with you! Xaero-B is intended to [...]
- February Flight Frenzy! February 1, 2013We finished our work early and now we have extra time for you! As a result, a special one-time deal can be yours this February. Think of it as our Valentine’s Day present to the space community. For projects that can fly by the end of February, we’re offering an open loop flight on our [...]
- Announcing Postgraduate Fellowships January 25, 2013We’re about to embark on a historic year for Masten Space Systems. Team members will be part of test flight firsts, the design and construction of some of the most advanced suborbital test vehicles ever built, and fulfillment of some unique contracts that will further establish Masten as the world leader in VTVL technology. We’re excited today [...]
- Introducing Scimitar October 9, 2012I’m often reminded of an inspirational quote from a truly great self-made man: “I’m on to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one Hold up, freeze Somebody bring me [...]
- Next September 18, 2012Last week we encountered a sub system failure in flight that necessitated turning the rocket off while still in the air. Landing at that point winds up considerably rearranging the rocket into rocket parts. Since then we’ve heard from a lot of folks offering support, encouragement, and concern. Thank you. Please know that the team [...]
- Xaero Test Update September 11, 2012Today, Masten Space Systems conducted a flight test of Xaero to 1 km altitude with the intention of testing flight controls at higher ascent and descent velocities. Our test objectives were met and initial results show the vehicle performed better than expected at altitude. However, the vehicle was lost during final approach to landing, and [...]
- Xombie 750 Meter Downrange Flight, Precision Landing August 16, 2012You may have noticed we’ve been flying Xombie a lot lately doing some interesting things. We just finished the third leg of a flight campaign on Xombie that expands the boundaries of what we believe to be the nation’s leading terrestrial landing testbed. We are working hard to deliver a way to test systems at [...]
- Xaero: 444 for the 4th! July 4, 2012Happy Independence Day from Masten headquarters! It’s been a while since we released a video but trust us, we’ve been busy! In addition to multiple client projects and bending metal in the shop on yet-to-be-unveiled rocket hardware, we’ve been spending a significant amount of time on Xaero, culminating in a flight to 444 meters AGL [...]
- Katana First Fire May 22, 2012Hello from Mojave! It’s time for some video of some new hardware! On Friday, we fired Masten Space Systems’ newest engine prototype, the Katana class KA5S at our test site in Mojave, CA. In this video, you’ll see a 2 second mid-throttle run on a new engine test trailer designed to test engines significantly larger than [...]
- Why Precision Landing? February 16, 2012We’ve received a number of inquiries about precision landing and why it’s important to us – shouldn’t we be focusing on high altitude suborbital vehicles? The short version is that it addresses a major market need and provides near-term customers for us as we develop our long-term launch capability. That said, it also is an [...]
Discovery Space News
- First Ever Topographic Map of Titan Produced May 22, 2013The first topographic map of the surface of Titan gives a fascinating new insight into Saturn's giant moon. Continue reading →
- NASA's Asteroid Mission a Dead-End to Mars? May 22, 2013NASA’s plan to capture an asteroid and re-position it around the moon for an astronaut visit sounds cool, but it’s a side-show on the road to Mars.
- Rough Roving: Curiosity's Wheels Show Damage May 22, 2013Close-up imagery of Mars rover Curiosity's aluminum wheels reveal obvious wear and tear -- is such damage expected so early into the mission? Continue reading →
- Violent Galactic Clash May Solve Cosmic Mystery May 22, 2013The mother of all cosmic collisions has been spotted between two galaxies containing a total of 400 billion stars, igniting the birth of 2,000 new stars per year! Continue reading →
- 3-D Printed Pizza to Feed Mars Colonists? May 22, 2013Enter the 3-D printer: your all-in-one solution to habitat-building, gun-making and now space pizza preparation! Continue reading →
- Can Space Tourism Save Earth? May 21, 2013Opening spaceflight up to the masses could help spark a global conservation ethic that stems the tide of environmental destruction on Earth.
- EXPOSED: Taking Astronomical Pictures May 21, 2013Ever wanted to take dazzling photos of the night sky? Here are some essential tips before you start slapping your DSLR to the back of your telescope!
- Curiosity Drills into Second Mars Rock May 21, 2013NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has drilled into another rock and plans are afoot to analyze the pulverized material. Continue reading →
- How Kepler Could Die and Keep Giving May 20, 2013NASA hasn’t given up on resurrecting its planet-hunting Kepler space telescope, but it can’t be saved, scientists expect it already has accomplished its goal of finding a habitable, Earth-like planet.
- UK to Send First Astronaut to Space Station May 20, 2013A former army helicopter pilot was on Monday named as the first 'home-grown' British astronaut to head to the International Space Station.
New Scientist
- Earth's tides are shoving the moon away faster May 22, 2013The North Atlantic is now wide enough to create exceptionally high tides, making the rate of the moon's retreat faster now than it was 50 million years ago
- String theory may limit space brain threat May 22, 2013Hypothetical conscious entities that randomly pop into existence may undermine our view of the universe – string theory may banish these Boltzmann brains
- Drake equation for alien life gets an upgrade May 22, 2013The planet-spotting Kepler telescope seems doomed, but its discoveries along with a new version of the famous Drake equation will sharpen the hunt for ET
- Over the rainbow: Patchwork view of Kansas from space May 20, 2013From 700 kilometres above Kansas, you can see how huge swathes of the state have been patterned by agriculture
- Astrophile: Saturn's egg moon Methone is made of fluff May 17, 2013Sitting in an icy nest near Saturn, tiny Methone is oddly smooth, perhaps because it is made of lightweight stuff that can flow to erase impact scars
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