I was working at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas when the first shuttle lifted off.

NASA

Now, 30 years later, the shuttle has come to its end of life in the NASA Space Program. It does not seem like its been 3 decades , 135 flights and of course, many deliveries to the International Space Station.

The spaceship and the two other surviving shuttles will become museum pieces, like the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules and the Wright brothers’ flying machine before them. NASA astronauts, a dwindling breed, will have to hitch rides to the space station aboard Russian Soyuz capsules for at least three to five years.

National Geographic

Shuttles launched the Hubble Space Telescope and fixed its blurry vision; built the space station, the world’s largest orbiting structure; and opened the final frontier to women, minorities, schoolteachers, even a prince. The first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn, became the oldest person ever in space, thanks to the shuttle. He was 77 at the time; he turned 90 this week.

Atlantis will go on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex in 2013. Space shuttle Discovery is headed for a Smithsonian Institution hangar in Virginia. And Endeavour is bound for the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

NASA has new marching orders for space exploration and I look forward to seeing their progress. In the meantime, BRAVO for the work accomplished thus far!

…. as the green future unfolds.

NASA / Kathryn Hansen.

During the spring and summer melt, the sea ice atop the Arctic Ocean (shown here in this photo from July 12, 2011) begins to melt; the liquid water collects in depressions on the surface, pressing down on them and making them deeper until they become melt ponds. These freshwater ponds stay separated from the salty sea below and around it until cracks in the ice let the two mix.

Scientists who are part of NASA’s ICESCAPE mission (Impacts of Climate on Ecosystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment) are studying these melt ponds and the surrounding water and ice to see how changes in the Arctic impact the ocean’s chemical and biological makeup.

That is a really cool landscape, don”t you agree?

… as the green future unfolds.

In my quest to continue finding items of interest I believe Linda would love to see posted during her absence, I came across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and it’s Solar Decathlon’s solar power housing submission from Team China.

Solar Powered Housing Simple Affordable

The U.S. DOE “contest” poses the question, “How to design, build and operate solar powered housing” with emphasis on cost effectiveness and energy efficiency, all the while being pleasing to look at and live in.

Team China has stepped up to the plate addressing the affordability question with excellent, potential results.

As you can see by the video, their solar powered housing provides plenty of outdoor living area, collects and filters rainwater for personal use, all the while using energy efficient, super insulating materials. Their solar power housing naturally ventilates itself and is most definitely a “sustainable design.”

Now to Get Team China’s Solar Powered Housing to Washington

The next step that is vital to competing will be for Team China to disassemble their six recycled shipping containers and get their entry to Washington. This should be a breeze for their team since, conveniently enough, their solar powered housing Y shape use of shipping containers makes for a super simple shipping solution.

Linda has been writing about the production of an air car as early as 2008. Earlier this week, I received an email from a friend (since Linda is still away) that just seems ideal for a post here at Forcedgreen. So… while our hover cars might not make it to the assembly line, see what I received regarding the upcoming (potential? real?) production of the Air Car out of India:

Tata Motors in India is ready to introduce Air Car. Will it be the next big thing? Tata Motors is taking giant strides and making history for itself. First the Land Rover/Jaguar deal, then the world’s cheapest car, and now it is also set to introduce the car that runs on compressed air.

Air Car Production Can’t Come Soon Enough

With spiraling fuel prices it is about time we heard some breakthrough!

India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle.

The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy N. for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August 2011.

Air Car Costs

The Air Car, called the “MiniCAT” could cost around Rs. 3,475,225 (US $8,177.00) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.

The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 (US $2.00)

The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued, not welded, and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators, etc.

There are no keys – just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100 Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where 80% of motorists drive at less than 60 Km. The car has a top speed of 105 Kmph.

Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the air car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers.

Linda is still taking care of a family emergency, so I’m stepping in to keep things moving here at Forcedgreen until she returns and I’m about to tell you about Stormageddon.

The other night I watched Stormageddon on NatGeo. It is set to repeat itself on June 4 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time most likely). I would highly recommend you take the time to watch this profound documentary!

Historic snows and bitter cold across North America. Massive floods in Australia and Pakistan. Deadly mudslides in Brazil. Epic drought and wildfires in Russia. 2010 was one of the most destructive years in history. Now, Explorer presents the dramatic images of this catastrophic weather year — and introduces the people who risked their lives to capture them on film. – Explorer, Stormageddon, National Geographic Channel

Stormageddon is unlike any program you’ve seen to date.

This documentary goes above and beyond the idea of “global warming” digging deep into the reasons why weather and climate changes are escalating at what many find an alarming pace.

CO2, Methane, Water Vapor and More Explored on Stormageddon

70 foot tall walls of water, Alabama’s “perfect storm” and the most recent series of tornados (double the highest record to date) are just a few of the moments explored in the topic of climate change and the impact of global warming.

You’ll be surprised, perhaps, to learn that while CO2 plays a part, it is by far only one tiny aspect of what is going on and why things are happening more and more frequently.

It is with hope that Linda returns soon (she’s so much better at this than I am), but in the meantime do not miss Stormageddon – this one’s a definite “must watch” for every planetary citizen!

Sometimes A Video Is Worth A Thousand Forced Green Words

NASA

With the post “The Green Rebirth Of An Old Naval Air Station” , it is no secret that Forced Green is always impressed with the goings on at NASA Ames Research Center. And it is also no secret that one of Forced Green’s favorite innovative subject’s is Unimodal’s amazing SkyTran .

This past January, Plum TV’s Masters Of Innovation series with host Jim Brasher presented an episode called “Space Age Green”. This episode covers how the cutting-edge technology designed for space travel at NASA Ames Research Center is being re-purposed to make life on this planet a whole lot greener. From carbon net-zero office buildings to more efficient air travel, SkyTran’s Jetson-like pods for commuters and mushroom’s that clean up oil spills. Proving that of all the corporations and government entities talking the green talk, NASA is actually walking the green walk with a plethora of environment-friendly game-changers.

NASA – Masters Of Innovation ….as the green future unfolds.

A Burst Of Positrons Emerged From An African Thunderstorm – Earth Created Antimatter – And Possibly An Avenue To Future Clean Energy

Clouds of antimatter have been observed in our home galaxy, the Milky Way, and antimatter is created in the Sun’s solar flares but with the exception of particle accelerators, the phenomenon has never before been seen on Earth – Until Now -

Unknown until the launch of NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray space telescope on June 11, 2008, designed to monitor gamma rays, (the highest energy form of light), from its orbit 350 miles above the Earth. Fermi was above Egypt on Dec. 14, 2009, when a thunderstorm was raging in Zambia, some 2,800 miles to the south. The distant storm was below Fermi’s horizon, so any gamma rays it produced could not have been detected. Even though Fermi was out of “the line of sight” of the storm, (more…)