Hello!
Twice in one week, the public will gather around #LaunchAmerica, building excitement around the development of this new space age, bringing with it new ways for companies to become involved in the space economy.
A lot of attention has been paid to the aesthetics of this launch, and the intention behind every element of the design. The Dragon suits are symbolic and play an important part in this larger cultural moment…
Roundup: fresh and evergreen
#spaceexploration
"...Bridenstine has something to offer each of his constituencies. For the White House, he is moving forward to the Moon. Within the space agency, he can continue to build support by establishing a credible plan that demonstrates progress. In Congress, he can explain that he is putting SLS and Orion on a path to succeed. For the commercial companies, he can say, look, I'm giving you a chance."
A 2024 Moon landing may sound crazy, but NASA is giving its best shot
By Frank Tavares, NASA's Ames Research Center
"When we design for space, we're free to experiment with new ideas and materials with much more freedom than we would on Earth. And after these prototypes are designed for other worlds, we can bring them back to ours." – Lynn Rothschild, the principal investigator NASA Ames Research Center
Could Future Homes on the Moon and Mars Be Made of Fungi?
By Patrick Chase for Medium
"The results suggest a persistent idealism about space—a belief that it’s a place to which humankind has a common claim (at least until those aliens show up). But that vision won’t be realized by default. It requires considered decisions: boring committee discussions and multilateral negotiations informed by public interest, public pressure, and public consent. Governments are constantly interpreting the Outer Space Treaty, asking themselves how to conform to it and what values it expresses. It’s a good foundation. In so many realms, from climate change to economic inequality and more, we’ve seen how hard it is to fix the problems we create. In space, we have a chance to get it right from the start."
Welcome to the New Space Age Space is about to get a whole lot more accessible—and potentially profitable.
By Jeremy Keehn for Bloomberg
#futurefashion
"Suits are the charismatic mammals of space hardware. They evoke the human experience.” – Cathleen Lewis, the curator of international space programs and spacesuits at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution
"He understands that the look of something is part of the story it tells. It can create an emotional connection that translates into market power, as well as subliminal recognition of a group that comes from a shared identifiable style."
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Suit Is Like a Tuxedo for the Starship Enterprise: It also may herald the return of wearable tech.
by Vanessa Friedman for NYTimes
"Fiber computing and the revitalization of the American textiles manufacturing industry requires a complete system, not just creating a button that can be a switch, but also where the information goes, who gets it, what is done with it, and how products are efficiently manufactured. When you buy an iPhone, you don’t just buy the camera; you pay for the network that has required investments of hundreds of billions of dollars, the advances in touch screens, the increased efficiencies that have been developed for manufacturing them, and all of the other capabilities that go into the device. These are things you never see; they are in the background. You just want to turn it on and have it work. The same will happen with fiber or fabric computing. It’s evolving rapidly and you will see it come to fruition in our lifetime!"
AFFOA Continues to Make Progress on Fiber Computing Technologies
by Cary Sherburne for What They Think
"While plastic is more durable than glass, it is much easier to scratch. However, a discovery by NASA scientist Ted Wydeven, would change this. While developing a water purification system for a spacecraft, he coated a filter with a thin, plastic film. The surprisingly tough film formed the basis for an abrasion-resistant coating for space helmet visors. The concept was commercialized in 1983 by Foster-Grant to make scratch-resistant sunglasses."
Space exploration provided explosion in materials development
by Paul Heney for Design World
#multimedia
Listen
One Giant Leap for SpaceX, Vox
Space Travel, Privatized, The Daily
The Crew Dragon Countdown Begins, Planetary Radio
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