RIP W. Morgan Sheppard.

Actor W. Morgan Sheppard, who played character roles in Max Headroom, Star Trek, Babylon 5 and Doctor Who, has died at the age of 86. http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2019/01/w-morgan-sheppard-1932-2019.html One of his best know roles was the Big Time TV broadcaster "Blank Reg" on Max Headroom. 

OUTATIME

I hope that someone out there has enjoyed this blog, it has certainly being a learning experience for me.

Where to find me in the future:
Twitter: @madscienceskill

Facebook: jimsharkeywriter
                 It came From SF Bay (Bay Area Science fiction events page).
                Spacesuit Movie and TV Shows page

Tumblr:   http://madscienceskill.tumblr.com/
                http://50museumsin1year.tumblr.com/

Instagram: madscienceskill

io9: https://kinja.com/MadScienceSkill

I also write articles for: Spaceflight Insider

So long and thanks for all the fish!

BattleBots is Back!

The first episode of the new incarnation of Battlebots will air in just over an hour. Here's a tease video in the meantime.

SpaceX strongback fire during launch of TurkmenAlem52E/MonacoSAT - HD

Disney's Tomorrowland - Vision Of Tomorrow Featurette

This new promo video for Disney's Tomorrowland  movie focuses on Walt's futurist side. I'm really hoping that they include more of this kind of footage when the Blu-ray is released.

RoboGames Return!

The first weekend of April marked the return of RoboGames to the San Mateo Expo grounds after a 1-year hiatus.Coverage of the heavyweight robot combat is scheduled to be released later this year on DVD and online streaming.2015 is shaping up to be a good year for robot combat, Battle Bots is returning to TV this summer,

Today is the 10th anniversary of Spaceship One winning the Ansari X-Prize

It's hard to believe that it's been a decade since Spaceship One completed its second qualifying sub-orbital flight to win the $10 million X-Prize. Spaceship One now holds a place of honor in the National Air and Space Museum alongside the Bell X-1 and the X-15.
The anniversary was commemorated in Mojave,Ca. Guests included:
Anousheh Ansari: first female private space explorer, and benefactor of Ansari XPRIZE for Suborbital Spaceflight
Chuck Beames: Executive Director of Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch
Brian Binnie: SpaceShipOne’s Test Pilot for the award winning flight
Richard Branson: Founder of Virgin Group with Virgin Galactic’s revolutionary SpaceShipTwo (VSS Enterprise)
Mike Melvill: SpaceShipOne’s Test Pilot for the first record breaking flight
Burt Rutan: Visionary Aerospace Engineer of SpaceShipOne

Below is a video of the webcast of the celebration.

10 years ago SpaceshipOne made first commercial space flight

Today is the 10th anniversary of SpaceshipOne's first flight into space. This was a first for a non-governmental spaceship  and later the same year, SpaceshipOne won the Ansari XPrize for make two spaceflights within two weeks. 2004 was also the year the Sir Richard Branson announced plans for Virgin Galactic to offer commercial sub-orbital flights.
Ten years later and that still hasn't happened yet but Branson claims that SpaceshipTwo will carry passengers by year's end. We'll see.

Back to the Know Future!

I considered just walking away from this blog and leaving it to the Russian spammers who still occasionally post to the comment section. I've been very busy lately with other things, including writing for Examiner.com and The Spaceflight Group .After a lot of thought, I've decided on an end date for this blog and have re-committed to updating it on a more regular basis, 2-4 times a month until that time.I still have a lot to say about the future and why it is/isn't what we were promised in Science Fiction and the pronouncements of futurists

 

I've just started reading a book about the 1964-65 New York World's Fair which is a subject I've been interested in. Also expect to see a review of the graphic novel Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? The first unmanned test launch of NASA's Orion space capsule is scheduled for this year and next year might see the launch of non-government unmanned missions trying to win the Google Lunar X-Prize. So hopefully, this blog will continue well into next year. But, you may wonder, what is the specific end date? In the end, only one dated seemed really fitting...

                                       

NASA Trailer Achieves Crowdfunding Goal to Run Before Star Trek: Into Darkness

NASA Trailer Achieves Crowdfunding Goal to Run Before Star Trek: Into Darkness

Last launch of Space Shuttle Columbia took place 10 years ago today.

washington dc 172, a photo by jim.sharkey on Flickr.

Pictured above is the memorial to the crew of STS-107 in Arlington national Cemetery.

NASA Ames to host public event for shuttle flyover

NASA Ames to host public event for shuttle flyover(Click link for Examiner.com story).

HET: Humans and robots working together...In SPACE!

NASA Ames Research Center recently released this video about the HET (Human Exploration Telerobotics) program. The goal is to develop robots that can help astronauts with tasks that are repetitive or tedious. Robot discussed in the video include Robonaut2 and SHPERES, both of which are currently being tested on the International Space Station.

Group announces private asteroid-hunting space mission

Group announces private asteroid-hunting space mission
Click on the title to go my Examiner story about this morning's press conference.

Maker Faire returns to San Mateo May 19-20

Maker Faire returns to San Mateo May 19-20

Astronomy and Space Events at Cal Day

On Saturday, April 21 UC Berkeley will hold its Annual Open House with over 300 events in including tours of the Space Sciences Laboratory. The full schedule is available at http://calday.berkeley.edu/

Here's a list of astronomy and space related events :

Touch a Meteorite!
9:00-4:00
145 McCone Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2192

Why Are There Stars? New Answers to an Old Question
10:00-11:00
2 LeConte Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2222

Astronomy Demonstrations and Hands-On Activities
10:00-3:30
Hearst Field Annex
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2220

Astronomy Undergraduate Lab Tour
10:00-3:30
Hearst Field Annex
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2382

Portable Planetarium Shows
10:00-3:30
Hearst Field Annex
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2219

Solar Viewing
10:00-3:30
Lawn North of Sproul Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2221

The Expanding Universe: An Interview With Saul Perlmutter, 2011 Nobel Laureate
11:00-11:45
1 Pimentel Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2130

Art in Science: The Intersection of Image and Research
11:00-3:00
Free Speech Movement Café Moffitt Library
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2140

Space Sciences Laboratory
11:00-5:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2241

Walking Tour of Space Sciences Laboratory
11:00-5:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2242

Make a Comet!
12:00-12:30
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2247

2012 Is Not the End of the World: Astronomy and the Maya Calendar
12:00-1:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2263

ChronoZoom: Visualizing the History of Everything
1:00-1:30
141 McCone Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2380

Is Anybody Out There?
1:00-2:00
2 LeConte Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2103

Neutron Imaging: Can You See a Flower Through a Granite Wall?
1:00-2:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2246

Stardust Lab Tour
1:00-2:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2243

Cool Careers in Space Science
2:00-3:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2244

Stardust Lab Tour
2:00-3:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2243

Two Amazing, Rare Celestial Events Visible Soon From California
2:00-3:00
105 Stanley Hall
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2104

Make a Comet!
3:00-3:30
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2247

High-Energy Astrophysics: From Neutron Stars to Supermassive Black Holes
3:00-4:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2245

Can Ice Tell Us About Past Climate and the Sun? A Cosmochemist's Perspective
4:00-5:00
Space Sciences Laboratory (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance)
http://calday.berkeley.edu/detail.php?eventID=2264

Space Enthusiasts gather at SpaceUp San Francisco

My Examiner.com article about SpaceUp San Francisco.
  Space Enthusiasts gather at SpaceUp San Francisco

Bay Area Space and Science Events for the week of 4/2/12-4/8/12

Getting ready for Day 2 of SpaceUpSF. Here's some other Space events in the Bay Area this week.
Bay Area Space and Science Events for the week of 4/2/12-4/8/12

SpaceUp San Francisco March30-April1

This weekend the SpaceUp SF unconference will be held at Citizen Space in San Francisco. It promises to be a fun two days of Space, NASA, robots, New Space, Sci-Fi, moonpies and did I mention Space?(I like Space.)It will be held at the appropriately
named Citizen Space. This Barcamp-style "unconference" is an event where they participants determine the schedule and all are encouraged to be on a panel or lead a talk. Cost for the weekend is $50 (that includes 3 meals, snacks and a T-shirt). As of this writing, tickets are still available. Register at http://spaceupsf.org/registration/

If you can't make it in person, don't panic. Spacevidcast will be streaming portions of the event here: http://www.spacevidcast.com/. I also wrote a brief article about SpaceUp SF at Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/nasa-in-oakland/spaceup-rockets-into-san-francisco-march-31-april-1

Neil deGrasse Tyson - We Stopped Dreaming (Episode 1) (Quieter music)