NASA has announced future plans of sending bigger chunks of the proposed base on the moon and better Rovers. These will be implemented in order to get more out of Space missions and hasten the development of Space Commerce.

The deputy associate administrator for exploration systems for NASA, Doug Cook, pointed out that their organization's new plan involves sending larger habitats to the moon instead of the smaller pieces that were initially planned.

These larger stations should theoretically allow the astronauts to learn more about the moon much faster than if they sent smaller habitat sections since the construction would take a longer time.

The rovers were called by astronaut Mike Gernhart as "habitats on wheels." He pointed out that it's like a sports car and spacesuit all in one. What makes this whole package even better is the fact that it retains the same size as the standard unpressurized Rovers used by astronauts during the Apollo landings.

This is a very exciting time for space-exploration as these innovations will allow us to learn so much more than conventional means being used today. Hopefully, the endeavors of the people at NASA pay off.

 NASA recently held a contest for scientists and engineers to create a space glove that can match or even surpass the quality of current-generation Phase VI models. The winner was a one-man team from Maine named Peter Homer.

There were six entries all in all from groups around the US. At stake was a US$ 200,000 grand prize and another US$ 50,000 for runner-ups. Homer took the big money home and credited long hours at the sewing machine for the victory.

The gloves were judged according to flexibility, protection value, toughness and a burst test where the gloves were filled with water to see the maximum measure of the glove right before pressure popped it.

Shuttle spacesuit subsystems manager Bill Spenny was excited with the winning creation and commented "If you're looking for innovative ideas, evolutionary steps and better gloves, you can't beat it." This marks the first time that NASA has offered such a generous prize for a civilian design competition.

NASA says that the contest is intended to spark interest among civilians in the science of space exploration. The agency is getting ready to hold another Centennial Challenge celebration and accompanying activities on May 12 to "bring the heavens" closer to the people in a manner of speaking.

You've played the games, seen the cartoon, maybe even bought the action figures. Now Earthworm Jim, the spacesuit-wearing, laser gun-wielding numero uno representative of segmented invertebrates everywhere, is gearing up for another run. This time it's gonna be on the PSP.

Although the team working on Earthworm Jim for the PSP is different from the one who worked on the original title, the game promises to retain the feel and fun of the original. From what we've seen in this vid, it looks like they're doing a great job. All we're hoping for now is an in-game appearance by Boogerman.

Check out the vid.

Download: [Earthworm Jim Direct Feed Video]

Nintendo isn't pushing up daisies, but it is picking up worms. Specifically, one worm.

In a spacesuit.

Named Jim.

Ds-gamer.nl recently confirmed the rumors as true. Earthworm Jim, which we officially last heard from in 1996, is coming back with a new game for the Nintendo DS. Atari gave a double confirmation of this, with both a statement from Atari, as well as the upcoming release list below:

Nintendo DS:

 

August 15 2006 - Dig Dug Digging Strike
Oct 13 2006 - Asterix and Obelix Mission Wifix
Nov 10 2006 - Point Blank
Nov 17 2006 - Arthur and the Minimoys
Nov 24 2006 - Totally Spies 2 : Undercover
TBD - Earthworm Jim

Hopefully, this means a brand new game for the Earthworm Jim franchise, and not a port of the previous game. We wouldn't want seeing some fresh content featuring an earthworm in a spacesuit blasting things with a laser gun, though the idea of an earthworm in a spacesuit seems completely nuts to begin with.

I was after some mysticism and drama with the title, but let's just get to the point. The topic at hand is interesting enough.

Dig this: the spacesuits that will be used by NASA astronauts in the future will have "self-healing capabilities." ILC Dover LP, the company that has been making the spacesuits for NASA since the Apollo missions in the 60s will have these suits with amazing abilities ready as early as 2018 - just in time for NASA's return to the Moon.

These "abilities" will enable the spacesuits to self-repair holes, generate electricity and kill germs. Materials used in making the layers of the suit will enable it to heal itself - the rubber-like polymer gel sandwiched between layers of polyurethane will ooze out from surrounding areas to patch the holes in the suit. Vacuum chamber tests have been conducted to prove that up to 2mm wide holes can be patched up by the gel. The suit will also be able to alert the astronaut if there are any large holes in the spacesuit via the current-carrying wires incorporated to the material.

As for generating power, the suit will have flexible solar cells sewn into its outer layer. At the moment, the company building the spacesuits are still testing what kind of cells will be most suitable for this - either polymer or silicon-based cells.

Hopefully, these smart spacesuits will be ready for NASA's (and other nations') journey to the Moon and into the other parts of the cosmos.