Carnival of Space 314

The Carnival of Space 314 is up at Dear Astronomer.

Universe Today – A new project that aims to map the Universe’s structure has looked back in time to create a 3-D map showing a portion of the Universe as it looked nine billion years ago. It shows numerous galaxies and interestingly, already-developed large-scale structure of filaments and voids made from galaxy groups.

Needed: A Way To Plot Design Space of Space Launch Systems.  A guest post by Joseph Friedlander on Next Big Future  
My nominees for the most important criteria:
* Mass lifted per liftoff (shipload cargo load altogether)
* Mass lifted per liftoff (largest container size)
* Cost of engineering development, political palatbility, and G-forces

A guest post by Joseph Friedlander The “”In Praise of Large Payloads for Space” series continues with Part 3: Uploading—-Featuring the ALDEBARAN 2.

The ALDEBARAN 2 can launch more in one mission than ever orbited by all 135 shuttle missions—including the orbiters and ETs themselves, not just the payloads. And do it again next month.The United States has spent $196 billion on the space shuttle . Wouldn’t the ALDEBARAN 2 have been a better investment? A total of 355 people from 16 countries occupied 852 mission slots on the STS (Space Transportation System). Less than 600 people have EVER been to space in a half century of trying. In an all out evacuation mode the ALDEBARAN 2 could probably shuttle 50,000 people PER SORTIE to a waiting moonbase in case of planetary emergency.  A fleet of 300, flying once a month, could evacuate 180,000,000 people in a year—the population of the USA in 1960.

Reaction Engines Ltd have signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for a €1 million study into the next European Launch System.

The “Skylon-based European Launch Service Operator” contract has been finalised by the Launcher Directorate of the European Space Agency in Paris, France and work has started to study how the SKYLON spaceplane can meet Europe’s Space access demands in terms of cost, flexibility and responsiveness, from the early 2020’s.

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