Video: Danny MacAskill's Solar Eclipse Ride

For last week's total solar eclipse in Europe famed mountain bike rider Danny MacAskill traveled to his homeland on the Isle of Skye in Scotland to take his bike for a spin just as the moon was covering the sun. The video below chronicles that journey – and that ride – in epic fashion, wish some amazing shots of the island, as well as Danny's usual escapades on the trails there. If you've seen any of his other mountain biking films, you know what to expect here, and as usual Danny delivers in spades.

Video: Total Solar Eclipse from Spitsbergen, Norway

Yesterday we had a fun little video of a snowboarder enjoying some time in the backcountry of Norway while the total solar eclipse occurred last week. Today, we get a wonderful timelapse video of that phenomenon that was shot above the Arctic Circle in that same country in Spitsbergen region. This short clip – less than two minutes in length – gives us a wonderful view of the eclipse in a fantastic setting. Enjoy!

Total Solar Eclipse, March 20, 2015 - Spitsbergen, Arctic from Witek Kaszkin on Vimeo.

Video: Snowboarding in a Total Solar Eclipse

As I'm sure many of you know, last Friday a total solar eclipse occurred over Europe, bringing some unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for those who had the opportunity to witness it. In this video, one adventurous person trekked out into a remote region of Svalbard in Norway to capture the eclipse on video and then snowboard down a mountain while it was still taking place. His excitement over what he is seeing is endearing to say the least, and the landscape that he chose to shoot his video in is spectacular. This is a great example of someone taking advantage of the moment and creating a wonderful adventure for himself. One that he'll remember throughout his lifetime.

Solar Eclipse Svalbard from stian aadland on Vimeo.

Video: Riding Light

The speed of light is about 186,000 miles per second. That seems incredibly fast, and when compared to our day-to-day reference points, it definitely is. But when you think about how vast the universe is it becomes fairly evident that it isn't nearly fast enough. This video puts that into perspective in an amazing way, showing us just how fast the speed of light is relative to distances in our own solar system. It requires a bit of patience, but it takes us on a ride from the sun out to Jupiter at the speed of light in what is essentially real-time.

Riding Light from Alphonse Swinehart on Vimeo.

Adventure Tech: Planning for the Next Generation of Satellite Communications

For explorers and adventurers wandering into remote regions of the planet, satellite phones and data transmitters are the lifeline that allows them to stay in contact with the rest of the world, while also sharing updates on the progress of their expeditions. But today's satellite networks are aging rapidly, and are quickly becoming outdated. While they still handle voice calls fairly well, they lag far behind in data speeds. But two forward-thinking billionaires are in the planning stages for their own independent projects which will bring faster, more reliable voice and data coverage to the entire planet, and considering the track records of both of these gentleman, I wouldn't bet against either of them.

The first new satellite communications venture is being spearheaded by Elon Musk and his SpaceX program. Musk, who also runs electric car company Tesla Motors, and his researching building a high-speed train called HyperLoop, has announced plans to build a network consisting of hundreds of satellites in low-Earth orbit that would provide high speed data connections to the entire planet. The project is expected to take about 5 years to complete, and cost around $10 billion, but because the communications satellites will be at a relatively low altitude (750 miles up), they'll be able to exchange data at a far faster rate than current systems, which are as high as 22,000 miles.

Musk says that this project won't just benefit people on Earth however. He sees it as a stepping stone for what he eventually envisions as a permanent colony on Mars as well. That may seem far fetched at the moment, but considering the leaps that SpaceX has made in recent years (the company is one of the contractors that delivers supplies to the International Space Station), and their ambitious plans for the future, it doesn't seem completely out of the realm of possibility down the line.


Meanwhile, another rich visionary who has designs on the commercial space travel market is Richard Branson, who also has revealed similar plans for his own satellite communications network. The Virgin Galactic founder says he would also like to use his fledgling company to launch a network of low-orbit satellites as well, with the same aim of bringing improved communications and high speed data to the planet.

The concept would be to use Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo aircraft to launch small payloads carrying satellites that way about 500 pounds into orbit. This would be a far more efficient and cost effective way of getting those devices into space, and would speed up the time table dramatically. The problem is that the project took a step backwards with the recent crash of SpaceShipTwo, which claimed the life of a test pilot. Branson says he is committed to the concept none the less, and he hopes to begin deploying the first of these satellites in the next few years.

While both of these programs will obviously take some time to come to fruition, the payoff could be huge for our ability to say in contact while in remote areas. The fact that they'll include high speed data means that voice and video communications will improve dramatically, and likely drop in price when compared to current satellite offerings. But the traditional satcom companies like Iridium aren't exactly resting on their laurels either. Several have announced plans for their own next generation satellite systems which will hopefully deliver on the promise of faster performance as well.

Video: We Are Capable Of Greatness

This video combines excellent footage of the first test flight of the new Orion Spacecraft with narration provided by the late-great Carl Sagan. His words of inspiration express why man should continue to explore the stars, where he – and many people – believe our future will lie. Orion is the next step in that process, and while it is still several years away from going into service, we as a species are continuing to forge ahead as explorers, even in the 21st century.

Humans Explore: We Are Capable of Greatness from Space City Films, Inc. on Vimeo.

Video: Sunrise From the Edge of Space

Now here is something that you don't get an opportunity to see every day. This short video captures the amazing view of a sunrise caught from the edge of space. It was shot on a recent test flight for World View, a company that is preparing to take travelers into the upper atmosphere aboard a specially designed balloon. World View is gearing up to start offering flights possibly as early as 2015 or 2016. This is a sneak preview of what passengers aboard their capsule will see.

Video: Wanderers - A Vision of Exploration in Our Solar System

The spirit of exploration still lives on in mankind, although at times it feels like we have forgotten that we are truly explorers at heart. This video is a vision of what it would be like if man were to spread out across our solar system, seeking new places to colonize and chart. The amazing images depicted throughout the four-minute short film are all real places that exist in our solar system. Those images are set to the compelling narration of Carl Sagan, a man who always championed the cause of space travel and exploration. I am confident that one day we'll remember that we are explorers, and some of the scenes depicted here may just become reality.

Wanderers - a short film by Erik Wernquist from Erik Wernquist on Vimeo.

Video: The Milky Way Rises Over Mt. Everest in Timelapse

We've seen some impressive timelapse videos in recent months, and this one ranks right up near the top. It features an amazing starscape, that includes the Milky Way itself, as it rises over Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain on our planet. As you can imagine, this makes for quite a celestial show. Enjoy!

The Milky Way Rising over Mt. Everest. from Alex Rivest on Vimeo.

Video: What An Astronaut Sees From Space

Talk about amazing views! This video features some slick timelapse images captured from the International Space Station, with some great footage of what or planet looks like from orbit. It is filled with beautiful imagery of the Earth, from a perspective that few of us will ever get the opportunity to see for ourselves.

Thanks to the Adventure Journal for sharing this.

Astronaut - A journey to space from Guillaume JUIN on Vimeo.

In Defense of Space Travel

As you've no doubt heard by now, on Friday the commercial space industry suffered a major setback when the Virgin SpaceShipTwo crashed during a test run, killing one member of the crew, and critically injuring another. The aircraft was testing a new fuel mix that was expected to improve the efficiency of its rocket engines, when something went wrong, causing the plane to lose control and crash in the Mojave Desert. The investigation into what caused the crash is still ongoing, although preliminary indications point to the early deployment of the ship's rotating tailboom, which helps to steady the craft on reentry. It is not known whether it was an automated procedure that had failed, or if pilot error was involved.

For a number of years now, the commercial space industry has been trying to get off the ground, both literally and figuratively. There are a number of players that are trying to get a foothold in this space, and Virgin Galactic has widely been seen as the leader out of the gate. But numerous delays have kept space tourism grounded, despite the fact that hundreds of people have already prepaid the $200,000+ ticket price to fly with the company. Many of those delays have been due to safety concerns, as Virgin has worked hard to ensure that its aircraft are working properly, and are as safe as possible, before they begin taking customers into low Earth orbit.

Fortunately, the accident that occurred on Friday was with a test crew, and not a flight filled with passengers. It is sad to know that one of the pilots died in the crash, and I send my condolences to his family. But those test pilots also knew the risks that they were facing when they signed up for the job. The customers who are waiting patiently to take the first sub-orbital trips will expect a higher degree of safety when the service actually begins operating.


It probably comes as no surprise that I am a big proponent of space travel and exploration. The same spirit that sent early explorers around the world to chart the continents and oceans, lives on in various space programs, and while we are still decades away from truly traveling to other planets, we have started to take our first fledgeling steps in those directions. For years, the U.S., Russian, and European space programs have sent manned, and unmanned, missions out into space to learn more about not just our planet, but the others in our solar system as well. Sadly, we are now in a time when the Space Shuttle is grounded, and NASA has no replacement arriving in the near future. This lull in space exploration is the result of a poor economy, and a hard-sell to the public back home.

I could go on and on about how small NASA's budget is compared to a lot of other programs in the U.S. government. I could list off all of the advancements that have come as a result of the space program over the years, including some significant products that we use on a daily basis. But the reality is that economically, many people don't want see us spending money on endeavors in space at the moment, which is why we have scaled back our plans for the immediate future.

But the commercial space industry could potentially pick up the slack, and drive us in new directions in space exploration. Sure, those private space programs are years behind those run by governments, but they are making strides all the time. In another decade, it could be quite common for travelers to pay to go into orbit, and the idea of a private space station playing host to guests is not beyond the realm of possibility.

SpaceX, which is another brainchild of Elon Musk, is already charting new paths in terms of unmanned missions, but it is possible that the company could shift focus towards other uses for its proprietary rocket system as well. The possibilities are endless, and at this point, it seems more likely that the boundaries of space travel and exploration are going to come from the private sector, than from governments who are constricted by politics and budgetary restraints.

Personally, I am of the mind that we must continue to push the boundaries of exploration in space, from both commercial and governmental entities. As a species, I feel that our future is out amongst the other planets of our solar system, and someday beyond. Those days are a long way off still, as we must take baby steps to achieve those goals. Along the way, there will be setbacks like the one we saw last Friday, but from those mistakes, we will learn to improve our technology, make things safe, and push out beyond our planet, and on to others.

The great explorers of our past were often questioned about why they would want to travel to the places that they went. There were times when it was thought to be foolhardy to sail across the Atlantic for instance, and that doing so would mean certain death. But exploration has always been a part of our DNA, and that hasn't changed even though we've filled in most of the blank spots on the map of our planet. Exploration beyond our planet will one day be as important to us as Magellan sailing around the world, or Columbus crossing the Atlantic to discover the "New World." What new worlds await us beyond our own? Someday we'll find out, and we'll be the richer for having gone.

President John F. Kennedy is famously quoted as saying about the his intentions of putting a man on the moon: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

While those words are a bit dated in the post-Cold War world, their sentiment should still ring true. At times, it seems we have forgotten those words however, and with it our ambitions to go beyond our world. In time, we will need to look to that vision once again, and go searching for other worlds to explore. In the end, the rewards will be greater than we can imagine.

Video: Our Conquest - Inspiration for Exploration

Here's an inspiring short video that uses clips from a variety of sources, overlaid with John F. Kennedy's famous speech on why we must go into space, to inspire exploration. Many of the clips are from the early days of the space program itself, but some even include images of George Mallory on Everest as well. It is a good reminder of the importance of exploration, even in this day and age.

Our Conquest from we are gods on Vimeo.