The Finnish Astronaut (Suomalainen Astronautti) T- shirtFruit of The Loom Ringer t-shirt.
Material is 100%`bomull. In the front is theRead more »
The Finnish Astronaut Hat
The Finnish Astronaut Hat
The Finnish Astronaut (Suomalainen Astronautti) T- shirtFruit of The Loom Ringer t-shirt.
Material is 100%`bomull. In the front is theRead more »
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My rocket, VSS Unity, flew to New MexicoSaturday 2/15/20, time 8:20 PM VSS Unity flew to Spaceport America on February 13, 2020. Now all the necessary equipment has been transferred to Spaceport America, where commercial space flights will begin in the near future. Virgin Galactica still needs to do some test flight before Sir Richard Branson goes into space. More information-> Virgin Galactic |
Spaceport America is waiting Virgin Galactic to start space flights in 2020Saturday 2/1/20, time 9:47 PM Spaceport America, in New Mexico, is waiting for Virgin Galactic to start commercial space flights this year. According Albuquerque Journal Spaceport America is now making profit. It did cost $220 million. Virgin Galactic has been tenant since 2009, but VG has not done yet spaceflights from Spaceport America. I visited Spaceport America in 2011 and it is very impressive place. More information: www.abqjournal.com |
Finnish Satellite Workshop 2020, Espoo, Finland 20-22 January 2020Tuesday 1/28/20, time 11:50 AM Finnish Satellite Workshop with Finnish remote sensing days I participated in the Finnish Satellite Workshop, a Finnish satellite seminar held on 20-22 January 2020 at Aalto University in Espoo. The seminar has grown since last year and the number of registered participant was now 558. There were total 87 presentations in two halls this year. Each presentation was 20 minutes long. Unfortunately, it was not possible to attend all sessions. Among others, about 30 satellite projects were introduced at the seminar. Below you will find some notes of the presentations that for me were most interesting. Small satellites The smallest satellites are 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and weigh approximately 1.5 kg. The size of a satellite of this size is defined as 1 unit (1 U). The satellite needs both a power supply and a communication system in order to function. In addition, its cargo may be, for example, a camera and a measuring device. There are several types of measuring instruments. Building a small satellite (1 U) costs about EUR 50,000 - 200,000 and sending it to an altitude of 400 - 700 km costs about EUR 50,000 - 100,000. The Suomi100 satellite is a small satellite (1 U). It was launched into space on 3 December 2018 on Falcon 9 rocket, and there is a camera and a measuring device aboard. The Suomi100 satellite has taken several pictures which are available online. Further information: finland100satelliitti.fi
Slightly larger satellites The satellite can also be for example 3 units (3 U) in size, measuring 10 cm x 10 cm by 30 cm. The modular structure makes it possible to construct and transmit satellites in a reasonable manner. The largest satellites presented at the seminar were 16 U in size, enabling them to carry powerful cameras and measuring instruments to study the mineral shadow of asteroids, for example.
Measuring environmental changes One field to make use of small satellites relates to various environmental issues. This year, several projects to measure climate change were introduced. Satellites are able to measure CO2 concentrations, ice levels, desertification, predict hurricanes or any other changes in the nature in a very short time. The new satellites have smaller and more accurate cameras than the old ones, the quality of images is thus constantly improving. In some cases, the data collected by the satellites may be available to you in a refined form via some phone applications in real time.
KitSat, Finnish satellite for training purposes At the previous seminar in January 2019, Jari Mäkinen introduced the KitSat project. Now the project has been launched. In 2019 , 50 satellites were sold and this year's forecast is to sell 400 satellites. KitSat is a small satellite (10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm) that can be used for training and teaching purposes. It is demountable and has the elements of a real satellite. You can fly it, shoot pictures, and communicate with it just like with a real satellite. KitSat is a Finnish start-up that has literally taken off. Many of us do not know how satellites work and what they look like - KitSat meets this need. Further information: KitSat
The third satellite seminar I attended the seminar for the third time. The content and organization of the seminar worked well. Jaan Praks and his team certainly know how organize a seminar. I will definitely participate again next year! Further information: Finnish Satellite Workshop 2020    |
I bought my ticket 10 years agoTuesday 1/21/20 On January 21, 2010, Area announced that the second Finn had bought a trip to space. I was the buyer of the trip and I went public on 4/02/2010 on morning television. In 2010, I was supposed to fly into space 2013. I didn't fly, and at the moment it looks like I'm flying in 2021.
2010 my first appearance on television, interviews with various magazines and radio 2011 visit to Spaceport America, meeting with Richard Branson and other Virgin Galactic customers 2012 I did buy Rocket Uno and Virgin Galactic meeting in England 2013 visit to rocket factory in Mojave, Zero-G flight and centrifuge training for G-forces 2014 astronaut fitness school started and 100km walk in 22 hours 2015 Virgin Galactic Meeting in England 2016 Rocket Uno in two car shows (Helsinki and Lahti) 2017 Eukonkanto World Championships 2018 Rocket-Uno version 3 2019 Apollo 50th Anniversary Gala in Florida and Virgin Galactic Meeting 2020 Rocket-Uno version 4 will be ready by 01.05.2020 and Richard Branson will be 70 years old 18.07.2020 = Virgin Galactica's 1st Commercial Flight to Space? 2021 own flight to space |
2020 Finnish Satellite Workshop in the next weekThursday 1/16/20, time 8:32 PM In the next week (20-22.1.2020) there is a three-day space seminar, Finnish Satellite Workshop 2020. I will go to the seminar to learn more about satellites and other space-related issues. The seminar has dozens of speakers from different countries and has nearly 100 different presentations. There will be a problem with which presentations to choose! As last year, the seminar will be held in Dipoli, Espoo, and 250 people will attend. Jaan Praks, professor at Aalto University, is the organizer of the event, just like last year. For more information: |
Rocket-Uno version 4Sunday 1/12/20, time 9:00 PM I bought a new spare Uno, KUU-3, which will give parts to KUU-1. The plan is to build a transparent rocket to the right-side door. There will be two rockets in the front of the car and a Space Communication Center(SCC). SCC will be installed to the back of the car. Version 4 should be ready by 01.05.2020. KUU-1 is coming to Stadin Crusing Pre-Partyyn 01.05.2020. Some pictures:
 Two Unos, KUU-3 and KUU-1.
 Two rockets to the front of the car.
 Parts for the Space Communication Center (SCC). |
What happened in 2019 and what do I expect from the year 2020?Tuesday 12/31/19 The top events in 2019: Virgin Galactic In February, Virgin Galactic (VG) made another test flight to space. This time the flight reached 89.9 km and there were 3 astronauts in the rocket. I was expecting to hear about more test flights to space, but eventually there were no more. VG staff and equipment moved from California to New Mexico near Spaceport America during the summer. VG is thus preparing for launching commercial flights. The transfer was completed in the summer to minimize inconveniences caused to the families involved. In mid-October, VG introduced us the space suit that will be produced by Under Armour. The costume looks really great, and I may keep the costume for myself after the flight. At the end of October, VG was listed on the New York (NYSE) Stock Exchange. All these actions aim at launching commercial space flights in 2020. My personal journey with expectations began in January 2010. It will not take long any more! My own projects Tuning Rocket-Uno has continued throughout the year. In the summer, Uno got a new three-rocket-rack on its roof. In the autumn, construction of the space communication center began. When the communication center will be completed in the spring 2020, Rocket-Uno version 4.0 will be released. I have plans up to the version 8.0. In the version 7.0, Uno will have an electric motor, and Uno version 8.0 will be sent to space to accompany Elon Musk's Tesla. Versions 5.0 and 6.0 are smaller projects, I will reveal more of them later. My “Space Week” in Florida, summer 2019, was the result of long-term planning. During the week I participated in 12 different space events that culminated 16 July 2019 in the Apollo Gala held under the Saturn V rocket. I met several astronauts of the era during that week and ended up drinking beer with Al Worden, an Apollo 15 pilot. Stories are plenty from this week, and they will be remembered even when I’ll sit in a rocking chair! The Finnish Space Research Society turned 60 years. The milestone was celebrated in different ways throughout the year, the main event was a banquet on 5 October 2019. Sports and fitness are in my mind all year round. I keep myself in good shape and I am ready to go spaceflight anytime!
Expectations for the year 2020: I am 90% sure, that VG will finally make the first commercial space flight in 2020. And this flight will carry Richard Branson and five other people into space. It will be a remarkable occasion and I expect to get an invitation to celebrate the event. I will continue with physical exercises and tuning Rocket-Uno – there will be enough to keep me busy on my free time. |
Merry Christmas!Tuesday 12/24/19, time 12:44 PM Now at Christmas time, you can listen to Richard Branson's thoughts and see views of space from the Virgin Galactica rocket. This Christmas, I did not get yet into space, but before Christmas 2021 I've probably been there :). Video-> Virgin Galactic |
Beth Moses Describes Her Life-Changing View From SpaceSunday 12/15/19, time 8:16 PM Beth Moses flew on the Virgin Galactic rocket to the space in February 2019. She says the view was simply incredible. I will probably see the same view in 2021. More information: Forbes |
The second rocket, Etta, got her tankTuesday 12/3/19, time 8:56 PM Virgin Galactic will build several rocket. The first rocket has made two test flights to the space. The new rocket, Etta, got her tank installed. The oxygen tank is needed in space because there is no oxygen in the space. A few other things still have to be done and then Etta can also fly to the space. More information-> Virgin Galactic Picture of the tank, picture Virgin Galactic
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Rikard Steiber had a ride with the Rocket-UnoTuesday 11/26/19, time 4:14 PM Rikard Steiber is one of the Virgin Galactic's astronauts. He lives in the United States and visited Finland because of Slush. I contacted him and he got a ride with the Rocket-Uno. He was very excited about the car. I told her I could pimp her Tesla with rockets, but he wasn't interested. Rikard was the second VG astronaut, which I've met in Finland. He's a really nice person!
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Virgin Galactic was listed on the New York stock exchangeWednesday 10/30/19, time 12:33 PM Virgin Galactic was listed on the New York (NYSE) stock exchange on October 28, 2019. Former Facebook CEO, Chamath Palihapitiyan, invested $ 800 million in Virgin Galactic and got a 49% stake in the company. The company has a market capitalization of approximately $ 3.2 billion. One share (SPEC, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc.) costs about $ 12. So now you can buy a stake in a company that aims to send ordinary people into space. Virgin Galactic was founded by Richard Branson in 2004, and the first tickets to space were sold in 2005. Currently, around 600 persons have purchased tickets from 60 different countries. If you buy a space ticket now it costs $ 250,000. Virgin Galactic has been loss-making for years, but as space flights will start then also profit will come. In 2020, Virgin Galactic plans to make 16 commercial flights to space and generate $ 31 million in revenue. In 2020, the company will still make a loss of about $ 100 million, in 2021 there will be no loss or profit, and by 2023 the profit should reach $ 274 million. To achieve this goal, 2023 Virgin needs to have 5 rockets which can be launched into space. In other words, no dividend is coming in the next years, but after 2023 the dividend may come. You cannot list a company on the stock exchange unless you are serious. Now Virgin is serious and everyone has the opportunity to buy their stake in Virgin Galactic. I will buy at least 10 shares myself. What if stock owners get a discount on space travel in the future! More information: |
Space suit is readyWednesday 10/16/19, time 8:41 PM Today the in-flight space suit was introduced at New York. The suit is made by Under Armor. I got invitation to New York but it was a little too far for me to go there. It would have been a fun evening with Virgin Galactic. After my fligt I can keep my suit. Technical details from the suit Under Armour The space suit, picture Under Armour
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The Finnish Astronautical Society celebrates its 60th anniversarySaturday 10/5/19, time 9:44 AM Today, the Finnish Astronautical Society celebrates its 60th anniversary in restaurant Carelia at dinner. The guest of honor is Juhani Westman, who in 1959 was one the founders of the Finnish Space Research Society. Further information: Finnish Astronautical Society |
The second rocket, "Etta", will be ready soonTuesday 9/24/19, time 12:37 PM Virgin Galactic wants to send thousands of people to the space in the near future. For that they need a fleet of rockets.
The second rocket is now half finished. More information: Virgin Galactic |
Apollo 11 movieFriday 8/23/19, time 3:28 PM I went to see an Apollo 11 movie which is made using original films. The animations attached to the movie were great. I recommend!
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Mothership, VMS EVE, did move to Spaceport AmericaThursday 8/15/19, time 10:25 PM Virgin Galactic is preparing to start launching space flights from Spaceport America. They need to move equipment and staff there. VMS EVE flew to New Mexico on 12.08.2019. I did see VMS EVE flying at Spaceport America 2011. It was great to watch. Photo: VMS EVE at Spaceport America. (Virgin Galactic)  |
I have returned back the earth after my tripTuesday 7/30/19, time 10:08 PM After my memorable space week I have returned to the earth. I was two times television to tell my trip: Ylen aamu-tv 22.07.2019 (morming television in Finland channel YLE1) "Kuulentoa juhlistanut avaruusturisti odottaa jo omaa matkaansa." and Huomenta Suomi 23.07.2019 (another morning televison in Finland channel MTV3) Klipit - Suomalainen avaruusmatkailija tapasi Apollo-astronautteja However, my favorite memory is the hat with the signatures of three astronauts. I did use this hat during my space week. I got the signatures of three different astronauts: Al Worden (Apollo 15), Bruce Melnick (STS-41, STS-49) and Dave Mackay (Virgin Galactic).
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My space week in Florida 12-18.07.2019Monday 7/22/19, time 9:20 PM Thanks to Virgin Galactic, I spent one of the best weeks of my life in Florida in July 2019. My heroes are Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard and the Apollo astronauts. I could never have imagined, for example, wearing Alan Shepard’s pilot jacket from 1947, drinking beer and playing golf with Apollo astronauts. Or that I attend an annual astronaut parade at Cocoa Beach, listen to a concert where Neil Amstrong's son was playing, or take a private tour of the Kennedy Space Center and the Boieng Factory. Florida has an extensive history of conquering space. When I talked to the locals, everyone seemed to have some connection to space. One’s grandfather may have been building some part of the rocket, and I heard over and over again stories about rocket launches that have probably been hundreds over the past 50 years. My space week exceeded all my expectations. Here are my observations in the form of a diary. If anyone else would like to make the same trip, I’ll be happy to give some tips. It all started with the dinner ticket Thanks to Virgin Galactic, I was able to get hold of a dinner ticket for the Apollo Gala on July 16, 2019, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 flight departure. Ticket prices ranged from $ 1,000 to $ 3,500. Mine was a modest $ 1,000 ticket, the buyers of the most expensive tickets had the privilege to sit at the same table with one of the Apollo astronauts. After I got the gala ticket, I decided to take as much space activities as possible while in Florida. So, I attended several events organized by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, the Aldrin Family Foundation and the Virgin Galactic. The two above mentioned can be accessed by anyone who buys tickets in time. A golf tournament and a pub tour all in one day The week began with golf together with astronauts Al Worden (Apollo 15), Bruce Melnick (STS-41, STS-49) and Laura Shepard (daughter of Alan Shepard) on Friday, July 12, 2019. We were total about 100 players. The astronauts circled among the players so everyone could exchange at least a few words with them. The actual golf tournament was computer-assisted, we hit the balls on the second floor. The evening continued with a relaxed pub tour - beer drinking and chatting with the astronauts. Al Worden turned out to be a very laid back and fun person. He is now 87, but seems to be quite busy as there is a demand for senior astronauts in various positions. Al is actively contributing in e.g. a program called Back To Space, a program created to attract young people to work in the space industry. The United States has a great history in the space sector, but today's young people don't find it interesting in terms of their careers. Probably the main reason for this lies in the short-sighed policy, which can end your career short. Sometimes NASA gets the money needed but sometimes the funding stops ending the process. Entertaining public events as well as space-related reflections at the weekend Saturday, July 13, 2019 featured a big astronaut parade at Cocoa Beach. There were about thirty astronauts in their cars and children of the astronauts were present, too. The cars were mainly convertible Corvettes and Mustangs. Neil Armstrong's 1967 Corvette was also on the parade. Its selling price would reportedly be $ 2,000,000 if it were for sale. After the parade, a party in the marketplace took place with many kinds of space themed stalls. The evening ended in a free outdoor concert with Rick Armstrong (Neil Armstrong's son) playing. Sunday, July 14, 2019 was a day for panel discussions. I attended three panels: Apollo Astronauts Children Tell About Their Life; Women In Space; and The Future Of Space. The panels were really interesting and gave me a peek behind the scenes. In the evening, we visited the renovated Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center. The biggest new items were the statue of the Apollo 11 Pilots in the new park, and the lunar module. The Saturn V rocket is truly impressive and you only realize its dimensions when you see it in its natural size. It is over 100 meters long and has about 5,000,000 parts. Everything had to function flawlessly when the rocket was launched. Monday chilling out with Virgin Galactic customers On Monday July 15, 2019, I spent time with American Virgin Galactic customers. They have seen several rocket launches and were well aware of the state of the space project. SpaceX, Blue Origin and Boeing are for them familiar companies, and are being closely monitored by them. Tuesday July 16 was The Day The Apollo Gala on July 16, 2019 was organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. The gala venue was perfect, a place that already was familiar to me: under the Saturn V rocket. There were about 500 guests. Three Apollo astronauts and one Apollo flight controller were present: Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9), Michael Collins (Apollo 11), Gerald Griffin (controller) and Charles Duke (Apollo 16). The gala program had just the right amount of speeches allowing plenty of time to have easy conversations with other guests. Both mens’ and womens’ costumes were stunning. Me being the only Finn on the spot, wore an outfit in the colors of the Finnish flag, a nice blue suit with a white shirt. To add some personal touch, I had my Rocket Design Shoes on my feet and a propeller hat on my head. The propeller hat was my response the organizers request to have some "twist" in the suit. The gala was definitely a memorable experience! Networking is always worth :) On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, I met Gisli Gislason, an Icelandic customer of Virgin Galactic. Gislin believes that I'm crazy, and maybe that's why we have so much fun together. As he personally knows Elon Musk, I asked Gisli to order form Musk one small electric motor with battery for my Fiat car, the Rocket Uno. Well, we’ll see what’s to come. Towards the end of the week we got a peek into something that others can't Thursday, July 18, 2019 we were taken on a Virgin Galactic Private Tour at Kennedy Space Center. We visited the huge hall where the Saturn V rockets were assembled. An impressive experience, the height of the hall is over 100 meters and there was actually room to assemble four Saturn V rockets at one time. Now the hall has been redesigned to house a new SLS rocket (Space Launch System), which is even larger than the Saturn V. The SLS rocket is expected to be used in space flights for the next 30 years. The first launch of the SLS rocket is expected to take place in the near future. If everything goes as planned and the necessary funding is provided, its rocket will allow the United States to return to the moon in 2024. We also visited the Boieng plant, where new CTS-100 (Crew Space Transportation) capsules are being built. The factory was absolutely immaculate and the capsules were assembled with doctor's equipment. Everything was very very clean. Each capsule can be used 10 times and is able to transfer 4-5 people at a time to the ISS (International Space Station). The capsule test flight should take place by the end of this year. It is not allowed to take any pictures in the factory and no ordinary tourists can enter it. Through Virgin Galactic, I get to go to places I wouldn't otherwise get. After the tour, we had lunch. This same day, July 18, 2019, Rickard Branson turned 69 and he joint us for the lunch and gave us a speech. Richard told us that he vividly remembers Apollo 11 flight. He recalls watching TV the landing on the moon at home with his family. After the speech, Richard returned to his island of Necker and did not stay to attend the dinner with us in the evening. The week culminated in Virgin Galactic's own dinner, once again under the Saturn V rocket. A total of 100 people were present. Dave Mackay and Beth Moses, pilots at the Virgin Galactic were also present. It is them who flew a Virgin Galactic rocket into space in February. They told about their experiences on the flight. They said that the sky is really black up there and the colors of the earth are even more incredible when you see it with your own eyes. They said the rocket flew up and down nicely. I can’t wait to have that experience in the space! And what’s now? Virgin Galactic will have to take a few more test flights before commercial flights can begin. The first flight will quite likely come true next year. I assume that I will be invited to follow the first flight, and that means I will have a travel to Spaceport America in the United States ahead. There will definitely be a memorable party after the flight, and I don't want to miss it! Back to Alan Shepard's pilot jacket from 1947 ... It was so cool, it was just my size and suited me perfect. If it were for sale, and if I had the money to buy it, I would buy it. Pictures: http://en.suomalainenastronautti.fi/albumi/picturesoftheapollogalaandspaceweek2019/ |
Morning television on Monday and TuesdaySaturday 7/20/19, time 4:18 PM I will come and tell about my trip: Yle aamu-tv Monday 7:45 and MTV Huomenta Suomi Tuesday 8:07. This is a picture from my trip: Statue of Apollo 11 -astronauts at Kennedy Space Center.
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