So it Begins (We hope)

Apparently, Mike Griffin's comments on buying ISS cargo service from a private enterprise has had some effect. According to the Press release, SpaceHAB is beginning development of a fully commercial roundtrip delivery service to LEO. This system will be called Apex. According to Michael E. Bain, COO of SpaceHAB,

"Not only is Apex a viable option for commercially re-supplying the International Space Station, . . . It is also a flexible system that can act as an in-space resource module providing power, data, and thermal support or serve as an unmanned orbiting laboratory that brings experiment results safely back to earth."

Well they may have had this in mind before Mr Griffin, but it couldn't have hurt.

SpaceHAB, for those of you who don't know, are known mainly for their pressurized modules that have flown on numerous NASA Shuttle flights. They don't currently have any information other than the press release on their website, but I will keep looking and let everyone know.

Just waiting to buy my ticket.

The Self-Esteem of Scientist

The AAS Statement on the Vision for Space explorationn is a lovely paper on how science needs to be at the center of the Vision. However they make a statement that makes my eyes cross.

Exploration without science is tourism.

So let us look at a list of "tourists" in the past.

• Lewis & Clark
• Christopher Columbus
  
• Neil Armstrong
• Ferdinand Magellan
• David Livingstone
• Vasco da Gama
• Marco Polo
• Ernest Shackleton

I find it interesting that Astronomers are telling us all what exploration is. Don't get me wrong, I love astronomy. It is not exploration, however. It is study, research, even just plain fun, but it is not exploration.


Scientist in general kept saying how important science is to any space exploration we do (or don't do). I am starting to think they have low self-esteem. Are they worried we are going off to other planets without them?