New Mars Forums Forum

This post contains snippets of member posts provided by LinkedIn for 2026/09/08 Sam Stocks and others share their thoughts on LinkedIn Mon, Sep 7, 8:13PM (12 hours ago) Sam Stocks Space Talent Partner to VC-Backed Startups |… Jonny Kim Lieutenant Commander with Training Air Wing 2, NAS… Immensely grateful to NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the opportunity to serve and… see more Kiriti Rambhatla CEO@Metakosmos | Human Spaceflight Systems |… The most important thing the US just announced about space isn't another rocket. It’s a pipeline for talent… see more Jaime Martín Lozano Aerospace Engineer | Space Jobs & Industry Insights Blue Origin beats Rocket Lab to Mars NASA just selected Blue to build, launch and operate the Mars… see more Victoria Woodburn Space Reporter @ Payload || Covering the business and… A new nonprofit wants to send a spacecraft to another star for less than the cost of one episode of House of… see more The flight referenced in the snippet by Victoria Woodburn may be the one that showed up in the Internet feed recently, with an 80,000 year flight time to Alpha Centauri. That is probably a reasonable flight time using existing technology. Hopefully humans will develop something faster but sending a slow probe would put another deep space sensor beyond Earth, similar to the Voyagers. Such a sensor package could provide useful knowledge as the base line for triangulation increases. (th)

For Mr. Burk re new topic ... Thank you for looking in on us! SpaceNut commissioned development of a new Daily Recap PHP feature. It is ready to install and it is working in a test environment, but since the most recent hacker attack, we have lost our Webmaster, kbd512, so we can't install it. Would you be willing to install it for us? Here is a link to the software: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 33#p241133 You can see examples of the output in subsequent posts in Housekeeping. As a reminder, we have an ** image ** server (phpBB3) set up to support member images. That was installed by kbd512 and was working until the most recent hacker attacks. All it needs to resume working is to have the password to MySQL installed. We evaluated phpBB3 vs updating FluxBB, and decided to update FluxBB. That work was completed in 2024 with kbd512's supervision, and the software has been working fine since. We decided to use our phpBB3 test site as our image server. SpaceNut put links in the top of the main page so the sites are easy to find. We have a "lifeboat" site set up in phpBB3 for members to use when the main site goes down. (th)

For Mr. Burk re new topic ... Thank you for looking in on us! SpaceNut commissioned development of a new Daily Recap PHP feature. It is ready to install and it is working in a test environment, but since the most recent hacker attack, we have lost our Webmaster, kbd512, so we can't install it. Would you be willing to install it for us? Here is a link to the software: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 33#p241133 You can see examples of the output in subsequent posts in Housekeeping. As a reminder, we have an ** image ** server (phpBB3) set up to support member images. That was installed by kbd512 and was working until the most recent hacker attacks. All it needs to resume working is to have the password to MySQL installed. We evaluated phpBB3 vs updating FluxBB, and decided to update FluxBB. That work was completed in 2024 with kbd512's supervision, and the software has been working fine since. We decided to use our phpBB3 test site as our image server. SpaceNut put links in the top of the main page so the sites are easy to find. We have a "lifeboat" site set up in phpBB3 for members to use when the main site goes down. (th)

This announcement of the September 12th meeting came in from NSS North Houston. The first one came from the Mars Society chapter. I asked about online service and learned that NSS headquarters had inquired as well. Apparently an effort will be made to record the meeting. If that happens and the recording is made public, I'll let you know here. Hello NHSS members and friends, Join the North Houston Space Society on Saturday, September 12, for a presentation by George Salazar, a retired NASA engineer with more than 40 years of experience in human spaceflight. Please note this month’s meeting time and location: Saturday, September 12, 2026 1:00–3:00 p.m. Houston Saengerbund 1703 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX In the Heights Featured Presentation Challenges Certifying Human–Computer Interfaces (HCI) for Deep Space Missions What does it take to ensure that the displays, controls, and computer interfaces astronauts depend on are ready for missions to the Moon and beyond? George will introduce NASA’s human-rating certification process and trace the evolution of astronaut interfaces from Apollo to Artemis. He’ll explore the challenges of certifying modern hardware and autonomous systems for deep-space missions, including how to test human performance under the physical and psychological demands of spaceflight. The presentation will also look ahead to how digital twins—virtual representations of systems—might help evaluate future mission scenarios beyond those tested during certification

This post offers a pdf file created by GW Johnson to explain fundamental details of heat shield design, using a warhead design reference as a source. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hdcynhhi … 75mq1&dl=0 The pdf includes images drawn to illustrate the concepts. (th)

I wasn't going to post today, but stumbled on this: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/r … &FORM=VIRE Quote: Utube, Apollo Astronaut Harrison Schmitt: What We Found on the Moon Shouldn't Be There, 27:16 Apollo Astronaut Harrison Schmitt: What We Found on the Moon Shouldn't Be There YouTube Starmus 180.2K views But I have also been thinking about the materials of Post #9 further: https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 13#p241413 Quote: As a continuation of the previous post I have this crude drawing: I am now wondering if there can be ways to heat the interior of this device directly with sunlight from Heliostats during the Lunar Day. I feel that one of the strengths of such a system is that solar cells that work with infrared, may be more durable than solar cells directly in sunlight, exposed to UV and impactors. I want to avoid the use of fluids for now and try to work with vacuum compatible methods. So, the idea is to spill light off of a collection of heliostats on the Moons surface to heat a pile of slag blocks, and to allow the infrared from those heated blocks to produce electricity even during the night. For now, the pile of slag blocks would be similar to a pyramid in the greater part. Fiber Optic's could be suggested, but I would rather be more primitive than that. OK, here is my first try: So, presuming heliostats with mirrors are easy on the Moon, and that the Moon makes them a bit simpler by hot having very pronounced seasons, perhaps concentrated light can

This post contains links to two images created by GW Johnson to illustrate fundamentals of heat shield design. These are universal in nature and can be published independently of proprietary work Dr. Johnson may be doing. These would become part of the Appendix of a book, if such a book were to appear at some point. Update: Here is a pdf with revised images and explanations: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hdcynhhi … 75mq1&dl=0 Conical heat shield shapes: Blunt capsule shapes: (th)

As a follow up to #4, here is a snapshot of Google snippets for Mr. Salazar... George Salazar is a retired NASA systems engineer and Human-Computer Interface Technical Discipline Lead who served at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for over 40 years. [1] ( https://www.arci-conference.com/george-salazar.html ), [2] ( https://www.amazon.com/George-Salazar/e … t_ebooks_1 ), [3] ( https://raytexantimes.com/4281/uncatego … t-speaker/ ) Career HighlightsExpertise: Worked in telemetry, communications, speech control, command and data handling, audio, intelligent lighting, and displays and controls. Key Projects: Served as an X-38 avionics project engineer, led the Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade, and worked on touchscreen and voice-command interfaces for next-generation vehicles with SpaceX and Boeing. Patents & Awards: Earned patents for speech recognition and advanced telemetry systems, alongside honors like the NASA Silver Achievement Medal. [1] ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPItdHdojik ), [2] ( https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press- … ce-sectors ), [3] ( https://www.instagram.com/p/DRBNIZjjt00/ ), [4] ( https://www.arci-conference.com/george-salazar.html ), [5] ( https://www.amazon.com/George-Salazar/e … t_ebooks_1 ) Recent WorkAuthor & Speaker: Wrote the memoir "From the Barrio to NASA," detailing his path from Corpus Christi, Texas, to a career in aerospace, and regularly speaks to students to encourage persistence in STEM. [1] ( https://raytexantimes.com/4281/

Many thanks to SpaceNut for providing a link to the article offered in Post #5 Here is text from the closing: Bright Saver is the first and only nonprofit in the United States dedicated to plug-in solar, also known as balcony solar, built on a simple premise: no American should have to choose between saving money and fighting climate change. We sell our members these small plug-in systems at cost, the kind anyone can set up on a balcony, patio, or other small space, and we have already helped pass laws in 10 states that make it cheaper for people to power their own homes. Check your state on the legislation tracker, or join for $29 a year to help change the rules. Bottom line is that you can own one of these systems, and there is movement in most states to set up a framework for their connection to the grid. However, it seems to me there is an obvious application for these panels... The RV market is able to plug into a campsite, but if they have invested in these panels, then they can pull AC right out of the air when not connected to the campsite. Apparently the panels are smart enough to synchronize with whatever power source is active in a structure. The electronics to do that is impressive. This topic is available if anyone in the membership has the time and inclination to investigate. (th)

This post is about a startup venture working on a stand-up flying platform. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/transportati … 00988.html According to the article, the first articles are sold out for the next couple of years. The first version can fly for 11 minutes. That would be enough to jump from one skyscraper to another if you're not bothered by heights. The hoverboard-like aircraft is powered by the NA80, an in-house-developed flight control system. You simply stand on a platform, press the takeoff button, and steer yourself with a control stick. Sensors will track your body movement, automatically adjusting the fan to shift the center of gravity and keep you balanced. You'll then be able to reach up to 43 miles per hour and remain in the air for 11 minutes. EVTOLs are growing in popularity, but raise some safety concerns man piloting coolfly urban in snowy environment coolflyaircraft / YouTube The concept of a hoverboard coming to life is exciting — but CoolFly also wants it to be safe. The startup has been testing the Urban in a variety of conditions, including extreme cold during a presentation in February 2026. There's a backup control system, protection around the fans, a radar-assisted automatic landing system — and a parachute. If that's enough to get you on an air skateboard, the Urban could be available soon as a tourist attraction in China. CoolFly is also trying to bring its products to the United States through partnerships. While CoolFly says its ultralight aircraf

This post is about a startup venture working on a stand-up flying platform. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/transportati … 00988.html According to the article, the first articles are sold out for the next couple of years. The first version can fly for 11 minutes. That would be enough to jump from one skyscraper to another if you're not bothered by heights. The hoverboard-like aircraft is powered by the NA80, an in-house-developed flight control system. You simply stand on a platform, press the takeoff button, and steer yourself with a control stick. Sensors will track your body movement, automatically adjusting the fan to shift the center of gravity and keep you balanced. You'll then be able to reach up to 43 miles per hour and remain in the air for 11 minutes. EVTOLs are growing in popularity, but raise some safety concerns man piloting coolfly urban in snowy environment coolflyaircraft / YouTube The concept of a hoverboard coming to life is exciting — but CoolFly also wants it to be safe. The startup has been testing the Urban in a variety of conditions, including extreme cold during a presentation in February 2026. There's a backup control system, protection around the fans, a radar-assisted automatic landing system — and a parachute. If that's enough to get you on an air skateboard, the Urban could be available soon as a tourist attraction in China. CoolFly is also trying to bring its products to the United States through partnerships. While CoolFly says its ultralight aircraf

The collection for 2026/09/06 comes from a LinkedIn email received by NewMarsMember. Sandy Marshall Senior Strategic Communications Lead at NASA JPL Turning up the volume on deep space: Earlier this month, Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23), a new radio frequency antenna, went online - and yesterday, we celebrated the official ribbon cutting at the DSN’s Goldstone complex near Barstow, California. DSS-23 will expand NASA’s communication and navigation capabilities for missions at the Moon and beyond, and is the newest member of a global fleet of antennas in California, Spain, and Australia tracking 40+ spacecraft exploring the solar system and interstellar space. Congrats to everyone involved! Learn more about this next-gen dish and the Deep Space Network’s Aperture Enhancement Project: https://lnkd.in/ekDbqyjK and from the email itself ... LinkedIn Messaging icon Mynetwork icon Notifications icon Vanessa Wyche Director, NASA’s Johnson Space Center All throughout the year, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Johnson welcomes some of the… see more Lisa M. Chambers CEO, TECH CORPS | Expanding Career-Connected… Friday's Student TECH CORPS AI Project Showcase is still on my mind. This summer, TECH CORPS piloted its… see more Robert Pearlman Editor and Founder, collectSPACE.com Follow The European Space Agency (ESA) on Tuesday (Aug. 4) said that it has teamed with The Pokémon Company for this… see more Vanessa Wyche Director, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astronauts S