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Space Exploration After the Shuttle liveblog
America's space shuttle program may have come to an end when Atlantis was laid to rest at the Kennedy Space Center, but that's done nothing to dampen our interest in the universe through which we float. NASA's Curiosity captivates us with pictures and data from the Martian surface, and private ventures are popping up to replace shuttered, publicly funded programs. Join the SS Engadget for our panel on the future of space exploration -- introduced by Patrick O'Neill of the ISS, steered by our captain Brian Heater, and manned by Tom Rivellini of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Alexandra Hall of Google's Lunar X PRIZE, and Michael Laine of the LiftPort Group. March 17, 2013 11:30 AM EST For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.
Live from Expand: Space Exploration After the Shuttle (video)
Space travel's undergone a major transformation over the past few decades, with the end of the shuttle and the rise of commercial companies. We'll be joined by representatives from Google Lunar X Prize, NASA, LiftPort and the International Space Station. March 17, 2013 12:30 PM EDT For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.
Visualized: A table full of space elevator robot prototypes
It's not every day you come across this sort of thing -- well, not unless your friends are the sort of folks who take it upon themselves to transform space travel as we know it. We popped into Liftport's workspace, during a recent visit to the Pacific Northwest, to check in on the progress of the Kickstarter-funded space company. Much of Liftport's innovation is occurring in a garage loaded with arcade cabinets, pinball machines in various states of disrepair and an army of cats with various levels of polydactylism. Above, you'll find prototypes of the company's various space elevator-climbing robots, which can be explored in more detail in the gallery below. We'll have more on our visit with Liftport soon.
Liftport turns to Kickstarter for space elevator experiment (video)
Space elevators are slowly making the transition from science fiction to science fact... but we're not quite there yet. LiftPort, a group that already holds the record for tallest elevator, is taking a second stab at the technology after going into "hibernation" in 2007. Founder Michael Laine has resurrected the company and taken to Kickstarter to drum up interest (as well as a little cash) in his latest project -- a lunar elevator. As Laine explains in the video, an elevator from the surface of the Moon to a rendezvous point between the Earth and its satellite is actually possible using current technology. And, thanks to its low gravity and lack of atmosphere, a much simpler construction site. The first step is a $1 million feasibility study that will involve a two kilometer tall elevator here on Earth. LiftPort has already far exceeded its Kickstarter goal of $8,000, but the point was never to fund the entire project. The hope was to garner some media attention and get people involved and invested (both financially and emotionally) by offering rewards. You could even pledge enough money to base jump from the top of the tethered research tower, which will be held aloft by helium balloons. For more info check out the video after the break and hit up the source link to pledge your hard earned cash.
