June 29th, 2016
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A major U.S. launch provider has outlined a plan to enable a cislunar space economy based on their need for propellant and refueling in Earth orbit. Dubbed the “Cislunar 1000 Vision,” the initiative foresees a self-sustaining economy that supports a 1,000 people living and working in space roughly 30 years from now. A central […]
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Flinging spacecraft to Mars is a multi-nation affair – driven to a large degree by the on-going quest to probe the Red Planet for signs of life, either long-gone or still in attendance. Over the decades, billions of dollars has been spent to pick away at the question: Is there life on Mars? In 2016, […]
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now in Sol 1383 operations. Since landing in August 2012, the robot has snagged a total of 333,808 Images. Last Sol, Curiosity was slated to take a Mastcam video of Phobos – a moon of Mars – crossing in front of the Sun, reports Ryan Anderson a planetary scientist at […]
Update: Videos To view the Chinese reentry module landing via a You Tube/CCTV video, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw4_H33K3vg Also, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFybXN7aRHM New booster China’s maiden voyage of its Long March 7 booster yesterday is a prelude of things to come this year – focused on […]
UPDATE: Chinese media is reporting the successful launch of the Long-March-7. CCTV (China television) is broadcasting the liftoff of the vehicle, also showing staging of the booster as it roared toward space. Still to come, full technical details on the outcome of this premier mission. China’s new generation booster is ready for launch between […]
Earlier this week, the White House Office of the Press Secretary released “100 Examples of President Obama’s Leadership in Science, Technology, and Innovation.” This Impact Report is admittedly a self examination of Obama’s interest and investment in science and technology, a review that includes a section (#84-87) on “Reinvigorating America’s Space Program,” underscoring efforts and […]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a new report on commercial space: Industry Developments and FAA Challenges. GAO has taken a look at the U.S. commercial space launch industry noting it has changed considerably since the enactment of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. Space tourism The Federal Aviation Administration […]
NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars is now in Sol 1380. Over last weekend, the wheeled robot stopped after about 55 feet (17 meters) of a planned drive of 213 feet (65 meters) drive. “The rover is fine, the drive just tripped one of the very conservative limits on how the rover’s suspension was expected to […]
A new alternative approach to a national security space strategy has been authored by two leading experts in the field. Their report — Toward a New National Security Space Strategy: Time for a Strategic Rebalancing has been written by Theresa Hitchens and Joan Johnson-Freese. The report notes that “the United States has the most to […]
The innovative and pioneer-pushing Blue Origin is ready to fly its New Shepard suborbital vehicle this Sunday. Blue Origin is an entrepreneurial space firm backed by Amazon.com mogul, Jeff Bezos. This rocket system is undergoing extensive testing – all prelude to offering rides to paying passengers to the edge of space. You can watch this […]
