Time Odyssey

It controls the rhythm of our lives like a Metronome ticking away and measuring the pace and tempo of our existence. Time is an enduring mystery. And, along with time’s arrow we are taking an inexorable voyage into an unknown future. Can we reverse the passage of time by something as simple and insubstantial as a light beam and perhaps draw back the curtain of the unknown and learn something about our collective and individual futures?

Many of us today, the world over, will be counting the seconds as Mid Night approaches and a New Year dawns. All of us during some moment of our lives have wondered about the fundamental nature of time. But, while it dominates our lives and all of us are bound up in its inexorable passage, few of us can give a precise definition of what Time with a capital “T” precisely is.

Today being the last day of 2010 AD we at Discovery Enterprise are going on a Time odyssey in search of the nature of time and explore it in all its majesty, wonder and mystery.

We will be going on a quest to seek a deeper understanding of time and explore the exciting possibility of time travel with Ronald L. Mallet and voyage with H. G. Well’s time traveller to the far future of 802,701 AD in the exciting and trilling motion picture, directed by George Pal, that brought this Wellsian classic to the silver screen.

With Dr. Michio Kaku we go on extraordinary exploration of the world in search of nature time in its various guises and forms. In this series Dr. Kaku discovers that humans have an innate sense of time passing and the clocks that drive our bodies. He reveals the forces of time that make and destroy us in a lifetime. He journeys to some of the Earth's most spectacular geological sites to look for clues to the extraordinary depths of time at a planetary level. Finally, he takes us on a cosmic journey in search of the beginning (and the end) of time itself.

We will also meet a strange subculture of enthusiasts who are obsessed with the whole notion of time travel in the short documentary entitled “Obsessed and Scientific” directed by Jay Cheel.

On the last leg of our journey, we go on a Cosmic Odyssey to the end of time itself to discover that our entire universe may be living on borrowed time.

Author's note: On behalf of Dennis, Ralph, Michael and my own humble self I would like to wish each of you a Happy New Year full of many blessings. May Father Time rain much good fortune on each and every one of you dear and loyal readers.

Understanding TimeTime – what is it? St. Augustine wrote, “What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know. But if I want to explain it to someone, I do not know.” Perhaps we should ask: Did time have a beginning? Its a very old question, indeed. But how can we imagine a world before time began? If we count backwards beyond the clock, beyond the calendar, three and a half billion years, we arrive at our own beginning – the dawn of life on earth. Science has a word for it: biogenesis -The gennesis of life. With life, nature created a new kind of time; more advanced, more evolved from the time of the physical world.


Memory and expectation provided us with a competitive advantage. Memory and expectation gave birth to the concept of a past and a future. Now flash forward three and a half billion years. Humanity rules the earth. Humanity is wrapped tight in ticking time. But time ticks on towards the unknown. In physics, space is represented as three dimensions. Time is represented as the fourth dimension.

To describe time, we are often asked to think of objects in motion. For instance, time has been compared to the cable that drives the quaint cable cars of San Francisco. The cable car attaches itself to something that’s hidden, something that’s to an extent,
mysterious. It is moved by a mechanism you don’t know and cannot see. It just moves you along – takes you on a ride. At birth, we are clamped to a buried cable, time. And at death, cast loose from its passage. Or are we? The answer lies somewhere in time, yet an understanding of time remains as elusive and mysterious as life itself.

World Exclusive video: Time Travel Scientist Dr. Ronald Mallett

Can a Highly Advanced Extraterrestrial Civilization Build Dr Ronald L. Mallett’s Time Machine and allow us to Journey into the Deep Past?

H. G. Well's The Time Machine

Obsessed and Scientific
Is time travel possible? In this fascinating short documentary, director Jay Cheel explores the real-life theories behind the science of time travel and the strange subculture of enthusiasts who are obessed with it. Meet Michio Kaku, world-renowned theoretical physicist and author of the book Hyperspace. Meet Rob Niosi, a hobbyist building his own full-scale home replica of H.G. Wells' time machine. Meet Larry Haber, the entertainment lawyer representing the family of John Titor, an alleged time traveller from the year 2036. Do these people know something about the world that the rest of us don't? Obessed & Scientific is a quirky look at the intersection of science-fact and science-fiction.

Michio Kaku’s TIME – Part 01 – Daytime

Michio Kaku’s TIME – Part 02 – Lifetime

Michio Kaku’s TIME – Part 03 – Earth Time

Michio Kaku’s TIME – Part 04 – Cosmic Time

Cosmic Journeys / Journey to the End of Time

Roll your own home

Here's an interesting idea. The human powered mobile rolling home

Now lets make air tight and pressurized. Give it a life support system and send it to the Moon with a couple of astronauts.  Seems like a good way to explore the Moon to me.

The New Twilight Zone - Paladin of the Lost Hour

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present an episode of “The New Twilight Zone” entitled “Paladin of the Lost Hour” which was one of the last television appearances of veteran actor Danny Kaye.


Mr. Gaspar (Danny Kaye) is the protector of a magical timepiece, a pocket watch that holds The Last Hour.


An old man standing at a grave, apparently grieving, is suddenly attacked by a couple of muggers. The man screams that someone must protect him. One of the muggers takes the only thing the man had—a pocket watch that starts to glow and burns the hand of the mugger. It floats through the air back to the old man, while another man visiting the grounds helps him. The old man, who reveals his name is Gaspar, wants to talk to Billy, the man who helped him. They go to Billy's apartment and talk about what happened at the cemetery. He goes there to visit his "girl" and Billy was visiting a friend's grave. Billy must go to work and lets Gaspar stay so Gaspar can rest.

Billy gets home to find Gaspar still in the apartment and cooking dinner. Billy discovers that Gaspar is homeless and dying. He offers to let Gaspar stay, and Gaspar discovers that Billy was visiting the grave of a man he fought with in the Vietnam War. They watch the news to discover how close a nuclear war could be, but Gaspar claims that it won't happen. It won't happen because "it's only eleven o'clock." Billy questions why Gaspar's watch is stuck at eleven o'clock, but Gaspar dismisses it. Gaspar then talks about how he'll miss Minna, his "girl" while Billy talks about his experiences in Vietnam. Billy explains that the grave he visits is of a man who sacrificed himself so that Billy would survive. Billy has been racked with guilt ever since. While Gaspar is asleep, Billy tries to pick up the pocket watch but it floats away from him. Billy watches in shock as it floats over to Gaspar. Gaspar awakens and catches it. He asks Billy if he knows what Gaspar means and then proceeds to tell Billy. It means master of the treasure, keeper of the secrets and paladin of the palace. He wants Billy to accompany him to the cemetery the next day because he believes he is going to die the next day.

At the cemetery, Gaspar tells Billy the story of how a pope from the 16th century decreed that the entire civilized world would observe the calendar in line with solstices and equinoxes. But the pope's calculations were off by one hour. That hour "slipped free and bounced through eternity." An hour that must never be used. An hour that must never toll. To do so, would bring eternal night, which would happen when his pocket watch turns twelve, midnight. And if he should die before passing it on to another "paladin", the watch will begin to tick. He offers it to Billy, to whom he believes the last hour can be trusted. Billy claims he couldn't be worthy, but Gaspar says he is. Gaspar tests him by asking Billy to allow one minute for Gaspar to call back Minna and enjoy one minute with her. Billy has an ethical problem with the request, and refuses it. Gaspar says that Billy's response was the correct answer, and that he passed the test. Gaspar then says he is going to give Billy a gift and lets the watch tick. A wild wind comes up and Billy sees a Marine in front of him. Although he says nothing, Billy smiles knowingly. As the Marine and the wind disappear, Billy notices Gaspar on the ground. He tells him that the Marine let him off the hook, relieving him his guilt. He never knew he saved Billy's life, but he now knows that he didn't die in vain. Gaspar opens his eyes and asks, "May I remember you to my old girl?" He gives Billy the watch and then dies.

Closing narration

“Like a wind crying endlessly through the universe, time carries away the names and deeds of conquerors and commoners alike. And all that we were, all that remains are in the memories of those who cared we came this way for a brief moment. A blessing of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty: God be between you and harm in all the empty places you walk.”


The novelette "Paladin of the Lost Hour", written by Harlan Ellison, won the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and the script won the 1987 Writers Guild of America Award for Anthology Episode/Single Program. The story is available in Ellison's collection Angry Candy and is available online.

The novelette and script were written at the same time. Although in the original story, it is not stated which man is black and which is white, Ellison wrote the script specifically with Turman in mind. The tale originally had a different ending. When the show's producers said that it needed to be changed, Ellison initially balked. It was only because the producers were also writers for whom Ellison had respect that he considered their idea. He eventually decided that they were correct, and changed both the script and the novelette.


The New Twilight Zone - Paladin of the Lost Hour

The New Twilight Zone - Paladin of the Lost Hour Alternate Playlist

The New Twilight Zone - Profile in Silver

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present an episode of “The New Twilight Zone” entitled “Profile in Silver” that takes us back in time to the fateful day of November 22nd , 1963.

Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald, a Harvard University professor of history from the year 2172 has travelled back in time and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard in 1963. He has worked for the last three years on this. When he is visited by a colleague from his own time, Dr. Kate Wang, we learn that his mission is to observe the assassination of John F. Kennedy, from whom he is descended (presumably from "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, JFK's grandfather).

The New Twilight Zone - Profile in Silver

Stan Rosen and Potentially Revolutionary Space Applications

Image via Wikipedia

I'm a regular listener to Dr David Livingston's Space Show but have never commented on his shows. Today I want to change that. On 26th December he interviewed Stan Rosen  who gave one of the most interesting and important interviews I have heard for a long time. He talked how Space applications, services and products we directly get from Space,  have improved our lives. He also outlined some potentially revolutionary applications that can change our world. Including:

• Orbital Research & Manufacturing Facilities
• Climate Alteration / Water Management
• Global Border Integrity Monitoring
• Earthquake Warning
• Nuclear Waste Disposal in Space
• Space Solar Reflector Applications
• Precision Remote Sensing of the Earth from the Moon

I thought I heard it all, there was some stuff I never thought of. Such as remote sensing from the Moon.  The Moon is half degree platform in the sky. A distributed aperture  optical  and RF collector system on the Moon would have great potential. 

I strongly suggest you listen to the interview, you will learn how real, practical Space applications can give us a better world.

Hyperspace – Staying Alive

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the sixth and final episode entitled “Staying Alive” of the highly acclaimed, six part BBC documentary series, “Hyperspace” hosted and narrated by veteran actor Sam Neill.



Take a walk on planet Earth, it’s a wonderful place. But don’t take it for granted because one day it might just vanish, forever. This is the story of the universe we live in and the dangers we face just by being here.

We’ll fly with the comets and asteroids which threaten all life on our planet. Here on Earth we will recreate our Sun’s head long plunge around the galaxy and watch disasters unfold witch can spell the end for us all. Our planet is under threat, our mission is to stay alive.

Hyperspace – Staying Alive

Sci-Fi Science – Shape shifting Transformer

Today on Discovery Enterprise we join Dr Michio Kaku for another exciting instalment of Sci Fi Science. According to Hollywood, evil robots are all around us, disguised as cars and trucks. But what the movies don't explain is what kind of mechanical power allows a Camero to stand up and move around like a human. Dr. Michio Kaku is on a quest to build a real life shape shifting Transformer robot.
On the way, he takes a ride in the amazing hydraulic cars of New York's 'Lunatic Low Riders' and explains the awesome power of a hydraulic smashing crane. At Pittsburgh Zoo, he gets an audience with Nature's greatest transformer — a colour changing, shape shifting, fifty pound hunk of muscle that can squeeze itself through a hole the size of a quarter. Over at Carnegie Mellon, researchers are more impressed with the abilities of the snake. Their robotic serpent can adapt itself to any terrain as it searches for the survivors of disasters. Its modular design impresses Michio as he puts the finishing touches to his very own version of Optimus Prime.

The first and second seasons of Sci Fi Science, hosted by Dr. Michio Kaku is a available on DVD from the Discovery Channel’s onlinestore.

Sci-Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible - Shapeshifting Transformer

The Search for Life - The Drake Equation

Today on Discovery Enterprise we go in search for a deeper understanding of the Drake Equation.

For many years our place in the universe was the subject of theologians and philosophers, not scientists, but in 1960 one man changed all that. Dr Frank Drake was one of the leading lights in the new science of radio astronomy when he did something that was not only revolutionary, but could have cost him his career. Working at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Greenback in Virginia, he pointed one of their new 25-meter radio telescopes at a star called Tau Ceti twelve light years from earth, hoping for signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence.

The Search For Life - The Drake Equation on YouTube

The Search For Life - The Drake Equation On YouTube on MegaVideo

The Twilight Zone: The Star

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present "The Star" which was the third and final segment of the thirteenth episode from the first season (1985-1986) of the television series The New Twilight Zone which first aired on December 20, 1985.



On an interstellar journey, far in the future, an astrophysicist and a priest debate about the existence of God in the wonders of the universe. The astrophysicist, Dr. Chandler, believes in the random patterns, but the priest, Father Matthew Costigan, believes it is God's grand design. While having their friendly debate and wishing each other a merry Christmas, their ship picks up a subspace signal from a long-dead world. Father Matthew, also a physicist, claims it is impossible that a world could have survived its star going supernova. The planet was so far from the star when it exploded that it escaped the worst.

Upon landing on the now-dead planet, the explorers discover that the planet holds the last remains of a race which was destroyed when the supernova hit. Their civilization was quite advanced, with remnants of art and other pieces of their culture. Along with a computer record of their entire history comes evidence that they had had a thousand years of peace before their extinction. The captain requests Father Matthew to determine when the star went supernova. He calculates that the star exploded in the year 3120 B.C.

To his dismay, however, Father Matthew realizes that it would have taken 3120 years for the light from this explosion to reach Earth, in the Eastern Hemisphere. This star was the same star that shone down on Earth the day Jesus was born, "The Star of Bethlehem".

This episode of the Twilight Zone is based on a short story, "The Star" by Arthur C. Clarke, which was first published in Infinity Science Fiction (November, 1955). However, while Clarke's story ended with the priest in despair after the revelation that the alien civilization had perished in order to light "the Christmas star," the TV episode included the addition of an epitaph by the aliens, revealing their optimism about their place in the universe.

Author's Note:
On behalf of my co-writers Dennis Chamberland Ralph Buttigieg and Michael Lombardi, I would like to wish all our dear readers a blessed and joyous holiday season and for the coming New Year we would like to bestow upon all of you this heartfelt wish:



As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family and our friends.
Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious way. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race, colour or creed.

Let us keep God of our own understanding in our hearts and to chant God’s name each day. Let us lead the world from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth and from wrong to right.

Let us remember that we are all one, embracing all, discriminating against none.

May your year be filled with peace, prosperity and love. May God's blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful new year.

The Twilight Zone: The Star

Star of Wonder

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward
leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Today on Discovery Enterprise we go in search of the Star of Bethlehem. For nearly 2,000 years, astronomers, theologians, sceptics and believers have pondered the story of Christ’s birth and the star of Bethlehem.

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.


−Matthew 2:1-12

Did some celestial spectacle actually mark Jesus’ birth, or is the biblical reference merely figurative? Did a new star really appear in the heavens? Could it have been what contemporary astronomers call a supernova, or exploding star? A bright comet? Or was the "star" really the close conjunction of of the brighter planets in our night sky - Venus, Jupiter or Saturn?


In today’s video presentations we present various perspectives on what the Star of Bethlehem may have been.

In the deepest sense it scarcely matters, for what is most significant about the Star of Bethlehem is not whether it existed or what it was, but what it symbolizes. For those of us who grew up in the Christian tradition it represents a message of hope and the dawning of a new ethical philosophy by which we choose to conduct our lives.

On behalf of my co-bloggers, Ralph Buttigieg, Dennis Chamberland and Michael Lombardi we would like to wish each of and everyone of you and those nearest and dearest to your heart our very best wishes for this holiday season and our fondest hopes for a prosperous new year! May We All Find Peace and Prosperity here on our planetary home - The Good Earth.



Rick Larson's The Star of Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM - WHAT WAS THE STAR?

The Star of Bethlehem, Grant Mathews

The Burke Baker Planetarium offers new insight in the search for the legendary holiday star in The Star of Bethlehem

Dragons for Deep Space?

from orbithanger.com

In a few years SpaceX's Dragon spaceships could be taking American astronauts to the ISS, but can ihey take astronauts further out? To the Moon and beyond? Elon Musk hinted as much when he mentioned that Dragon's heat shield could handle a return from the Moon or Mars. But it takes more then a heat shield to conduct a deep space mission so lets look at the Dragon a bit deeper. Firstly lets compare it to other spacecraft.

Apollo (CM) : Volume- 6.2 sq m  Mass - 5.56 MT

Soyuz : Volume 10 sq m  Mass 7.07 MT

Orion   Volume 19.55 sq m  Mass 8.9MT  (thats for the capsule only, the service module is another 12.3 MT)

Dragon Volume 10 sq m      Mass 4.2 MT

We know that Orion and Apollo can do Moon missions, that's what they were designed for. In fact Orion doesn't even need a Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle. LockMart have recently proposed a Farside Moon mission for Orion (he full 21 MT vehicle)  using a Delta V Heavy . So the much lighter Dragon should certainly be able to do Lunar mission. Also, do remember the Falcon 9 Heavy is a more powerful rocket then the ELLVs.

However a mission further out to say,  a NEO asteroid,  is another matter. The spaceship would need to operate for longer periods and be large enough to carry enough consumables for the voyage. Not to mention have enough room to house the astronauts in reasonable comfort. Lockheed Martin came up with a proposal for an asteroid mission with Orion too. They proposed using two Orions, one for the two person crew and another for the consumables.

Even two Dragons would have only slightly larger volume than a single Orion so that's out. However there may be away around the problem. Underneath the heat shield there the trunk. It contains the solar panels  and radiators but not much else. There's up to 34 sq m of unpressurised cargo space. That cargo can be a pressurised module. Egress from the capsule to the module would need to be provided . A hatch would be ideal although it would need to be cut through the heat shield. However  the   MOL program successfully flight tested  a Gemini capsule with a  connecting hatch back in the 60's.  Such a setup would provide Dragon with a more then double the volume of two Orions. So Dragons for deep space? Maybe.  

New Ways to Space: SpaceX

Properly the most well known New Space companies and the one closest to getting people in orbit is SpaceX with their Dragon spacecraft and Falcon launch vehicles. They recently became the first private company to successfully launch to orbit  and return to Earth a spacecraft:.  

Dragon is a free-flying, reusable spacecraft being developed by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Initiated internally by SpaceX in 2005, the Dragon spacecraft is made up of a pressurized capsule and unpressurized trunk used for Earth to LEO transport of pressurized cargo, unpressurized cargo, and/or crew members.

The Dragon spacecraft is comprised of 3 main elements: the Nosecone, which protects the vessel and the docking adaptor during ascent; the Spacecraft, which houses the crew and/or pressurized cargo as well as the service section containing avionics, the RCS system, parachutes, and other support infrastructure; and the Trunk, which provides for the stowage of unpressurized cargo and will support Dragon’s solar arrays and thermal radiators.

The following movie shows how a crewed Dragon would service the ISS.

Richard Feynman: The Best Mind Since Einstein

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present a documentary from the acclaimed PBS series “NOVA” about the greatest physicist since Albert Einstein, the late Richard P. Feynman.

Richard Feynman was one of the twentieth century’s most creative and unusual thinkers. He was an atomic bomb pioneer, Nobel prize-winning physicist for his work in quantum electrodynamics, acclaimed teacher and all-around eccentric, who helped solve the mystery of the space shuttle Challenger explosion. Feynman has also been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing, and introducing the concept of nanotechnology.

Another Nobel Prize winner, Hans Bethe, called him “a magician.” Feynman blazed a meteoric trail through physics, from the making of the atom bomb to his landmark theory of quantum electrodynamics to his devastating expose of the Challenger space shuttle disaster. But the ebullient Feynman also figured out how to be a master safecracker, bongo player, and graphic artist. NOVA takes you inside Feynman’s career to meet a man with restless intellect, raging curiosity, and a refusal to take any idea for granted.

In The Best Mind Since Einstein, discover why Feynman was an unrivaled storyteller and explainer of science.

Hear Feynman talk–not only about the meaning of existence and the impact of the atom bomb, but also flying saucers, anti-gravity machines, and why uncooked spaghetti always breaks in three pieces. Relive the moment when Feynman revealed the cause of the Challenger disaster by dropping a rubber ring into a glass of ice water. It was a piece of showmanship that brought him more attention than anything else in his career. But Feynman insisted that awards and honors meant little.

The real prize, he claimed was “the pleasure of finding things out.”

Richard Feynman: The Best Mind Since Einstein

Lost Worlds – Atlantis

Today on Discover Enterprise we are going to rediscover what could be the ancient city that inspired Plato’s tale of the vanished island of Atlantis.


The island of Santorini was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption over 3000 years ago. On the island of Santorini is the prehistoric city of Akrotiri that many historians believe is the inspiration behind Plato’s Atlantis.

Akrotiri is the name of an excavation site of a Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the Greek island of Santorini, associated with the Minoan civilization due to inscriptions in Linear A, and close similarities in artefact and fresco styles. The excavation is named after a modern Greek village situated on a hill nearby. The name of the site in antiquity is unknown. It was buried by the widespread Theran eruption in the middle of the second millennium BC; as a result, like the Roman ruins of Pompeii after it, it is remarkably well-preserved. Frescoes, pottery, furniture, advanced drainage systems and three-story buildings have been discovered at the site, whose excavation was started in 1967 by Spyridon Marinatos. Certain historians hold this settlement, as well as the disaster that left it unknown to most of history, as the inspiration behind Plato's story of Atlantis, as mentioned in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias.

In today’s feature video we are going to examine the archaeological evidence that supports this conjecture.

Lost Worlds - Atlantis

Naked Science - Swallowed by the Sun

As the sun continues to age, it will become increasingly hot and begin to expand, eventually swallowing up Earth and the inner planets of our solar system.

The temperatures on our planet will rise, turning the third rock from the sun into a scorched and uninhabitable wasteland. This is the fate awaiting our planet some four billion years in the future. But, what if these changes were to occur the day after tomorrow? The drastic transformations our planet will undergo are depicted vividly in today’s video feature. 

Carl Sagan Tribute Series

Today marks the fourteenth anniversary of Carl Sagan’s untimely passing on December 20th, 1996.

Dr. Carl Sagan was a highly accomplished luminary in the field of science. He was a highly successful populariser of science as well as a professional astronomer, astrobiologist, and Pulitzer Prize wining author.


Sagan pioneered the nascent field of exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). And, he will always be remembered and revered as a great teacher who communicated the joys and transcendence of scientific discovery. Carl Sagan’s name will also be forever linked to the greatest science television series in history – Cosmos.

Cosmos has been seen by more than 600 million people in over sixty countries.


Carl Sagan’s enduring legacy will always be his ability to convey the wonders of science to the general public and his skill in inspiring children to pursue careers in Science.



In order to honour this great teacher we are presenting the Carl Sagan Tribute Series which I recently came across on YouTube. This is a series of videos based on Carl Sagan's “Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space”. Excerpts from the audio book are edited together with pictures and videos set to a blend of awe inspiring music.


Carl Sagan Tribute Series


Carl Sagan: A Universe Not Made For Us (Carl Sagan Tribute Series Part 1)

Carl Sagan: Consider Again That Pale Blue Dot (Carl Sagan Tribute Series Part 2)

Carl Sagan: Wanderers (Carl Sagan Tribute Series Part 3)

Carl Sagan: The Gift of Apollo (Carl Sagan Tribute Series Part 4)

Carl Sagan: The Backbone of Night (Carl Sagan Tribute Series Part 5)

Hyperspace – Star Stuff

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the fifth episode of the highly acclaimed, six part BBC documentary series, “Hyperspace” hosted and narrated by veteran actor Sam Neill.

Let's go on a journey a journey like no other, a journey out into the depth of the Universe. Look up at the night sky, what do you see? The Planets, the Stars, a million points of light. You are looking at your universe in all its glory.

This show will take you there. You will experience first hand the wonders of the universe. Its power and it’s danger and to take a closer look we’ll even bring space down to Earth. Seek out Alien life, witness the birth of new worlds and you’ll discoverer what happens out in space effects all of us here on the one small planet we call our home.


Hyperspace – Star Stuff

New Ways to Space: Sierra Nevada Corporation

In February 2010 Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded $20 million by NASA under the Commercial Crew Development program for the development of the Dream Chaser. Based on the HL-20 lifting body it will take six people into Space. The launch vehicle would be an Atlas V rocket:

 SNC Space Systems Dream Chaser^TM Piloted Lifting Body Spaceplane Characteristics

• Derived from NASA HL-20
• Over 1200 hours of NASA wind tunnel testing
• Builds upon seven years of NASA development
• Low re-entry deceleration Loads (< 1.5 g)
• Large cross range → Frequent Landing Opportunities
• Low impact recovery (conventional runway landing)
• Exceptional crew safety: (safe, non-toxic space vehicle propulsion)
• Onboard hybrid propulsion & high lift provide flexible abort options
• Designed for Commercial Orbital Transportation Service: Simple maintenance, quick turnaround

SNC Space Systems Dream Chaser^TM - Hybrid Propulsion

• Based on our proven hybrid rocket propulsion technology
• Over 10 years of development
• Over 300 firings
• Based on motors designed for SpaceShipOne (SS1)
• Human flight rated motors
• Hybrid propellants are safe, non-toxic, storable & human flight tested
• Propellants: nitrous oxide (N₂0) & rubber (HTBP)
• Common Space Vehicle Hybrid Propulsion Modules (SVPMs)
• Modular construction simplifies production and handling
• Throttleable & restartable
• Thrust vectoring control (TVC) by N₂O injection; no nozzle gimbals
• Reaction Control System (RCS) uses N₂O

Earth Investigated: Deep Space Probes

Today on Discovery Enyerprise we follow deep space probe missions to the planet Mars and Saturn's moon, Titan, in hope of answering a most fundamental question: Is there life elsewhere in our solar system?



Earth Investigated: Deep Space Probes

Secrets of the Lost Empire: Easter Island

Today on Discovery Enterprise we premiering s new documentary series entitle “Secrets of Lost Empires”. In the first episode we return to the enchanting and mysterious island of Rapa Nui, better known today by its modern name of Easter Island.

In this first instalment of this acclaimed PBS series we travel to Easter Island to discover the secrets of this vanished civilization through the "moai," the massive headstones that these ancient islanders created to achieve peace and harmony, yet resulted in geological disaster.

Secrets of Lost Empires is a two part television series produced by PBS Nova, Boston (WGBH). Both series explore experimentally how ancient civilizations achieved notable constructions without modern machinery and construction methods. Each episode has guest experts who are challenged to develop and implement methods that may have been used. The original series was produced with the BBC and fully compiled in 1997 (although some episodes had been produced much earlier) and the second series was produced with Channel Four of the UK and fully compiled in 2000.

Secrets of the Lost Empire: Easter Island

New Ways to Space: Boeing

Boeing has also submitted a proposal to NASA for a commercial orbital taxi. Called the CST-100 its a capsule reminiscent of Apollo or Lockheed-Martins's Orion.  Information on the design is limited but we know it can carry 7 people and  has more volume then Apollo. It can be launched on a EELV or a Falcon 9. Below is Boeing promotional video:

New Ways to Space : Orbital Science

credit OSC

SpaceX is well on the way to provide  new  access to Space but there are other players. Not all of these spacecraft will fly but I'll be posting a few designs on Discovery Enterprise.  First, Orbital Science, which  has recently submitted its proposal for NASA's commercial program .

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that it has submitted a proposal to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in response to the Commercial Crew Development-2 contract solicitation. The company also provided several top-level details of its proposal for providing safe and affordable transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and for commercial activities in Earth orbit. Orbital’s concept includes the following details:

A “blended lifting body” vehicle that will launch atop an expendable launch vehicle and return to Earth with a conventional runway landing. This design derives from studies performed by Orbital for NASA under the Orbital Space Plane program between 2000 and 2003.

The vehicle would seat four astronauts, providing a cost-effective solution for NASA’s astronaut transportation needs, as well as enabling future commercial applications.

The proposal baselines using a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, but is flexible enough to accommodate other launch vehicle options.

Horizon - Aliens from Mars

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present a documentary from the acclaimed BBC science documentary series “Horizon” entitled “Aliens from Mars”.

Horizon unravels the story of space rock number ALH84001 and tries to answer the question, "Are we alone in the universe?"

Horizon - Aliens from Mars

Hyperspace – New Worlds

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the fourth episode of the highly acclaimed, six part BBC documentary series, “Hyperspace” hosted and narrated by veteran actor Sam Neill.

The Sun, brilliant, powerful and the giver of life, will one day become our enemy. If we are to survive we will have to leave the Earth.

We will need to seek out new homes and amazing new places to live and change other worlds to recreate the Earth we left behind. In the far future our Sun will become a monster. It will burn all life from our planet and destroy entire worlds and finally our Sun will even destroy itself. It’s going to happen. One day our Sun will die and when it does we will go with it. It’s time to think about the future.

Hyperspace – New Worlds

Pangaea Ultima and the End of Man

Today on Discovery Enterprise we continue our Two Hundred and Fifty Million year time odyssey with Clash of the Continents (Part 2) - The End of Man.

In the second part of Clash of the Continents we join our intrepid astronaut as he explores a future Earth drastically altered by geological forces into an utterly alien landscape. He will cross the vast desert of the super continent of Pangaea Ultima in search of traces of humankind and its once great cities. But, with all humanity’s landmarks dissolved away his only hope is to find a fossilized city that has survived nature’s implacably powerful forces. Perhaps he can find New Orleans, which would have been buried under the Mississippi Delta. What will the evidence he finds reveal: further evolution, or the destruction of our species?

Clash of the Continents Part 2 - The End of Man

Pangaea Ultima and the End of Eden

Today on Discovery Enterprise we will embark on a voyage through time and visit the Earth Two Hundred and Fifty Million years in the future.

Most likely, Two Hundred and Fifty Million years from now the Earth will once again be a super-continent, created as all the earths land masses drift back together over time. Imagine a spaceman looking for evidence of humankind.


Clash of the Continents - The End of Eden

The True Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Today on Discovery Enterprise we investigate the true historical events that inspired the famous horror classic penned by Robert Louis Stevenson.

One of the most frightening horror stories ever written was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Was this story, however, Robert Louis Stevenson's disturbing fantasy or was it based on a series of blood-curdling episodes that took place in the town of Edinburgh?

Lost Worlds - Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Earth Investigated - Spacemen

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present an episode of the highly acclaimed National Geographic documentary series Earth Investigated. This instalment’s main focus is humanity’s future in space.


Someday, in the distant future, humans may be forced to leave Earth and find a new home elsewhere in the galaxy. National Geographic meets the scientists who are making journeys to distant stars a reality.


National Geographic - Earth Investigated: Spacemen

Congratulations to SpaceX

Today SpaceX made history. They successfully launched their Dragon spacecraft on it first test flight on their Falcon 9 rocket. Whats more, the Dragon capsule was successfully returned to Earth and recovered. Its a major step towards Space commercialization  and giving the USA an independent way of getting into orbit.   Here's space.com's comparison of the Dragon with other manned spacecraft:(click on the graphic to see the full picture)

Source Space.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Lost Superpower of the Bible

Today on Discovery Enterprise we return to the topic of biblical archaeology and go in search of a civilization that many consider a major superpower of its time - The Hittites.

The Hittites are the forgotten superpower of the Bible. Hattusha, the capital was the heart of their empire. They were a highly advanced military powerhouse who struck fear into the hearts of all their enemies, yet the Hittites disappeared as quickly as they emerged--the greatest vanishing act in history.

Lost Worlds - Lost Superpower of the Bible

The Age of the Airship

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present a fascinating documentary concerning “The Age of Airships” and their possible future come back.

Airships flew years before the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane, yet it has been almost forgotten. The largest aircraft ever built was an airship. The first aerial bombardment of one nation by another was conducted using airships and they still are the only airborne aircraft carriers ever built. Follow the rise and fall of the airship and discover the shining future of air travel that never was.

Lost Worlds - Age of Airships

Hyperspace – To Boldly Go

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the third episode of the highly acclaimed six part BBC documentary series “Hyperspace” hosted and narrated by veteran actor Sam Neill.

We humans have come along way and have traversed our world in search of new lands, spreading to ever corner of the globe. But the time has come to look to new destinations, to boldly go once more into the unknown and cross the vast gulf between the stars and lay claim to new worlds.


Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the third episode of the highly acclaimed six part BBC documentary series “Hyperspace” hosted and narrated by veteran actor Sam Neill.

We humans have come along way and have traversed our world in search of new lands, spreading to ever corner of the globe. But the time has come to look to new destinations, to boldly go once more into the unknown and cross the vast gulf between the stars and lay claim to new worlds.

Hyperspace – Boldly Go

Einstein’s Biggest Blunder

In 1917, Albert Einstein inserted a term called the cosmological constant into his theory of general relativity to force the equations to predict a stationary universe in keeping with physicists' thinking at the time. When it became clear that the universe wasn't actually static, but was expanding instead, Einstein abandoned the constant, calling it the '"biggest blunder" of his life.


At the dawn of the twenty-first century, a new theory is being born. It threatens to demolish the foundations of 20th century physics. Its authors are two of the world’s leading cosmologists. If they’re right, Einstein was wrong.

If there is one thing “every schoolgirl knows” about Einstein and his theory of relativity, it’s that the speed of light is constant. Yet today a small group of brilliant physicists and astronomers have risked their scientific reputations to question the validity of this idea. Could the speed of light of change?

Einstein’s Biggest Blunder

Hyperspace – Black Holes

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the second episode of the highly acclaimed six part BBC documentary series “Hyperspace” hosted and narrated by veteran actor Sam Neill.

Our species is ignorant in bliss as we go about our lives unawares that in the depths of the cosmos lurk nature’s ultimate doom’s day weapons, powerful enough to tear apart our Solar System and leave our Earth a shattered burned out ruin.

You are about to enter the realm of the Universe’s ultimate enigmatic killing machine - The Black Hole.

Hyperspace – Black Holes

The Birth of the Solar System

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present another episode of the highly acclaimed documentary series Naked Science entitled "Birth of the Solar System". Where did our solar system come from? The advent of space flight and space-based telescopes has given us unexpected clues to how our solar system began.

x-37B spaceplane returns

Image via Wikipedia

The USAF x-37B spaceplane has (apparently) safely returned to Earth:

The X-37B robotic spacecraft, which resembles a miniature version of the space shuttle, touched down at Vandenberg Air Force Base early Friday morning, marking the first time an American unmanned vehicle returned from orbit to land on its own.

Until now, the space shuttle was the only reusable space plane capable of returning to earth.

"This marks a new era in space exploration," Paul Rusnock, the X-37’s program director for Boeing Co., which made the spacecraft, said in a statement.

The mysterious X-37B was launched April 22 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. That means it spent more than seven months orbiting the Earth.

 Unsurprisingly, there is much speculation as to what its real purpose is. But lets leave speculation aside for the moment and look at the facts. The USAF  moved away from the Space Shuttle after the Challenger disaster. It now  uses the EELVs, the Delta IV and Atlas V,  to put big payloads  into orbit and smaller rockets like Orbital Science's Minotaur for smaller payloads. However those vehicles can not bring things back to Earth from orbit. A shuttle like the X-37B can. The X-37B restores a very valuable capability.

Update: There's some great photos of the returned spaceplane here

Death of the Universe

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present another episode of the highly acclaimed documentary series Naked Science entitled “Death of the Universe”.

This instalment of Naked Science concentrates on how the universe was created in the Big Bang and the various scenarios scientists have devised concerning the Cosmos’ ultimate demise.
 

Once Upon A Time The Super Heroes

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present a documentary about your favourite comic book superheroes - Once Upon A Time The Super Heroes.

This is a documentary made in 2002 about the creation and evolution of comic book superheroes (with a greater leaning towards Marvel comics.)

It show us superheroes such as Batman, Superman, The Flash, The X-Men, Captain America, Silver Surfer, The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Daredevil; with more of a focus on Spider-Man because of the movie released at the time.


The documentary features the creators, writers & artists behind the superheroes such as Dave Gibbons, Alex Ross, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Travis Charest, John Romita, Joe Kubert, Jim Lee, Carmine Infantino, Joe Simon, Mark Evanier, Paul Dini, Neal Adams, Joe Quesada, John Buscema, Bill Sienkiewicz and radio interview with Jerry Siegel.

Once Upon A Time The Super Heroes