July 21st, 2014
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A new free NASA monograph is available that uses case studies to show government support for commercial activities. This intriguing monograph is titled: Historical Analogs for the Stimulation of Space Commerce. With the rise of a range of private-sector entrepreneurial firms interested in pursuing space commerce, the process whereby their efforts might be incubated, fostered, […]
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A fascinating collection of declassified U.S. documents reflect the covert side of lunar programs, made available as a National Security Archive electronic briefing book. This special posting today marks the 45th anniversary of the first humans to set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Called “Soldiers, Spies and the Moon: Secret U.S. and […]
The site is the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.On July 15, California-based JP Aerospace lofted the artwork of Makoto Azuma, a “flower artist,” via high-altitude balloons. The mission carried a bonsai and a flower arrangement for the Japanes…e artist to the edge of space for a photo shoot. Ten on board HD cameras captured the botanicals […]
A National Research Council report has suggested that the benefits of 3-D printing for space missions are today undetermined. Advocates of 3-D printing have suggested the technology could enable in-orbit manufacture of replacement parts and reduce launch logistical requirements. The specific benefits and potential scope of the technology’s use remain undetermined, the NRC report contends. […]
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta comet mission is closing in on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. New photos taken by the spacecraft’s camera system now show that the comet is a contact binary, consisting of two parts in close contact. “This shape is most surprising,” says comet researcher Ekkehard Kührt from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum […]
Since 2003, Slooh has connected telescopes to the Internet for access by the broader public. Slooh’s automated observatories develop celestial images in real-time for broadcast to the Internet. Now the new news! Slooh will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing with a high-definition lunar broadcast on Sunday, July 20th starting at 5:30 […]
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Armed Services’ Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a joint hearing titled, “Options for Assuring Domestic Space Access,” on Wednesday, July 16, 2014. Witness Panel 1 1) The Honorable Alan F. Estevez Principle Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for […]
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has given the go to three companies to work on a reusable first stage launch vehicle capable of carrying and deploying an upper stage to launch small satellite payloads of 3,000 to 5,000 pounds (1,361 kg to 2,268 kg) into low-Earth orbit. They are: — The Boeing Company […]
The U.S. Geological Survey has issued a new global geologic map of Mars –the most thorough representation of the Red Planet’s surface. “This map provides a framework for continued scientific investigation of Mars as the long-range target for human space exploration,” according to a USGS press statement. The new map brings together observations and scientific […]
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) office of Commercial Space Transportation has published a “Record of Decision” giving approval for a SpaceX Texas Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas. This decision provides final environmental determination and approval “to support the issuance of launch licenses and/or experimental permits that would allow Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to […]
