The
San Diego Space Society was founded in 2008 with the purpose of raising
awareness and educating the general public to the benefits of human
exploration of space and San Diego's role in space development, as well
as to the idea of creating a spacefaring civilization within our
lifetimes.
SD Space meets monthly at the Serra Mesa Branch Library and participates in space-related events around San Diego Country and Southern California. The general public is welcome to attend any meeting listed on this site.
The Space Elevator is a radical new way to access space less expensively than possible with chemical rocket technology. The technology offers solutions to many of the problems facing communities today, including but not limited to the need for clean, renewable energy.
The Space Elevator uses a carbon nanotube ribbon that stretches from the surface of the earth to a counterweight in space. Climbers ascend the ribbon, lifting cargo and passengers to earth orbits and launching space ships to distant planets.
The 2009 Space Elevator Conference focuses on all aspects of Space Elevator development, engaging an international audience of scientists, engineers, educators, managers, entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and students. This conference will feature topical discussions in all of the four pillars of Space Elevator development: science/technical, political/social, legal, and economic. Other topics include the space missions and the style of life on Earth that Space Elevator technology will enable.
There are many reasons why we prefer sending humans to explore space, but this recent photo gives a visible reminder of one of the intangible benefits:
Location:
Gerry Williams’ Studio 106 (map) 2323 Broadway, San Diego, CA
Get together with other SD Space members to work on space-related projects. Our last Build Day featured lots of hands-on fun and friendly space banter, as evidenced by this great time-lapse video from Gerry Williams:
Yesterday the JFK Presidential Library announced a new site – WeChooseTheMoon.org – that utilizes the latest social media tools to remember and re-create the historic Apollo 11 mission. Here’s the press release:
JFK Presidential Library Launches New Site That Invites the World on Board Apollo 11 — 40 Years Later
AOL and The Martin Agency Partner with Kennedy Library to Mark 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today announced an interactive new website to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing and President Kennedy’s grand vision that made that achievement possible. WeChooseTheMoon.org will go live at 9:32 a.m. on July 16th, 2009 – exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic launch. The site, powered by AOL, will recreate Apollo 11’s lunar mission, minute by minute, with an interactive experience that lets visitors experience the mission as it happened, using archival audio, video, photos and “real time” transmissions.
The countdown to the online launch begins today at WeChooseTheMoon.org. People interested in experiencing the virtual recreation of Apollo 11 can pre-register to receive event email reminders and get regular “real time” updates during the four-day mission in July. Additionally, users will be able to follow the event on Twitter and through new AOL programming features coming at http://news.aol.com/.
“This site represents a unique opportunity for viewers to ‘go back in time’ and experience one of mankind’s most amazing achievements,” said Tom Putnam, director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “From actual mission audio transmissions and archival video to mission factoids and news reels, visitors to WeChooseTheMoon.org will be able to track every step of the Apollo 11 mission, as it happened, 40 years later.
“We’re incredibly thankful to AOL for powering the site and promoting it across their extensive online network, and for our 15-year agency partner, The Martin Agency, for dreaming up this inspiring concept,” Putnam said. “Students, historians and anyone who finds space exploration fascinating are in for a treat at WeChooseTheMoon.org.”
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization. The Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the Kennedy Library Foundation seek to promote, through educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, and culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.
I’ll be following along, likely with the same excitement as I had when I was a kid 40 years ago. Here’s hoping that children today will do the same!
The Space Elevator is a radical new way to access space less expensively than possible with chemical rocket technology. The technology offers solutions to many of the problems facing communities today, including but not limited to the need for clean, renewable energy.
