Tag: Jim Stepp

     All of this cold weather has me thinking about taking a vacation.  I really want to head to some place warm and with no snow outside the window.  A place were all my worries would be hundreds of miles away.  If you feel like this too, I know where we can go.  Let’s start making our plans to go to the Aurora Station.

     Orion Span founder and CEO Frank Bunger unveiled the Aurora Station concept on April 5 at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, Calif.  What is the Aurora Station?  It is a new hotel that is expected to be the premier destination for space tourists.  The Aurora Station will be launched into low Earth orbit in late 2021.  The reservation counter is now open for rooms beginning in 2022.  Continue reading “The Next Vacation Spot”

     Ever since humans started to fly in to space, one overwhelming question has existed.  Can space travel change our bodies?  In the early years of space travel, this question wasn’t very important.  The men who went into space stayed there for a few hours to a few days.  A seven-day flight was considered an extremely long flight.  Today, the men and women who travel to the International Space Station stay in space for periods extending over a year.  There are some astronauts and cosmonauts who have two space times over two years. Continue reading “How Does Space Change the Human Body?”

    I am starting this article with a small disclaimer.  The Falcon Heavy Rocket was scheduled to launch after this article was due into the U Times.  Hopefully, the launch went well. Continue reading “SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket to Mars”

     We see the sun in the sky almost every day.  Most of us think the sun is a white or yellow orb that shines brightly in the sky, never changing, always the same.  This is not true, however.  The sun has massive eruptions, huge flares and spots that may be several times the size of the Earth. Continue reading “Solar Minimum Is Coming”

On Oct. 19, 2017, a new object was discovered passing through the inner solar system. The discovery of new objects passing through the inner solar system is not all that unusual.  What is unusual is where this object may come from.  It is not from our solar system.  If this is true, it will be the first extra-solar system object discovered passing through our solar system. Continue reading “A Visitor From Outside Our Solar System”

    Geopolitics played a big role in the push to space.  Attempts to be the first to get to space and even the moon were not done for altruistic reasons.  They were done to prove one political philosophy was better than another.  Was democracy better or was communism?  Who would be the best? Continue reading “October and the Space Race”

 Hello everyone.  It is time to get ready for the summer.  After this winter, I am sure you are ready for warn summer nights.  I know I am.  Listed below are the events that will be happening in the skies above our heads this summer.

    Probably the best way to keep up to date on astronomical events would be to join the UMPI/Aroostook County Astronomy Club’s Facebook page.  This page will provide you with interesting astronomy articles and information on upcoming astronomical events and club activities. Continue reading “Summer 2017”

Astronomy Day was first celebrated on California in 1973.  It was developed as a program to share information about astronomy with the general public.  In 1973, astronomy day was only held in the fall.  Today, it is held in the fall and the spring.

This year’s Spring International Astronomy Day is scheduled for April 29.  Throughout the world, thousands of people will have an opportunity to learn about astronomy and, weather permitting, look through telescopes at the sun and the nighttime sky.  These events are sponsored by groups such as astronomy clubs, observatories, planetariums, libraries and other entities that promote astronomy and space science. Continue reading “April 28 and 29 – International Astronomy Day events”