Dateline March 31, 2006, News from the Internet

• Ken Murphy, at Selenian Boondocks, has provided 25 Good Reasons to go to the Moon. He also has words with Bob Zubrin and Greg Easterbrook. Here is Mr. Easterbrook's article.

• After all the initial support between suborbital companies, the competition is beginning. Richard Branson pointed out yesterday that "Virgin is the only company in the world that has actually achieved [test flights in space]." I take that to mean real money is about to be made. It is all well and good to play nice and pat each other on the back in the preseason, but the gloves come on when the games start to count. (How many metaphors is that? --djs)

  Virgin Galactic says it has received $13.1 million in deposits from more than 150 people while 45,000 people have an interest in the trip. That is 100 times as many people as have current gone into space in almost 50 years. That is a potential revenue (assuming a price drop to $100,000 after the first 150) of $4.5 billion dollars. That assumes no increased demand due to price drop and no repeat trips.

  In other news, Virgin pilots are getting first shot at piloting the new space ships.

• NASA has released it new communications policy after the George Deutsch debacle.

• Allan Boyle reports that Blue Origin's new test facility in Kent, Washington and in Van Horn, Texas are moving quickly. Larry Simpson, the Editor at the Van Horn Advocate who broke the story of the test site in Texas, said "It's amazing how fast you can move when the government's not involved," Simpson said. (That is just funny -djs).

• Australia has successfully launched the Supersonic Combustion Ramjet which travels at 5,000 m/hr (Mach 10). The SCR project is in cooperation with JAXA.

• Masten Space Systems is looking for sponsors for the Lunar Lander Challenge. Good luck!

• The new NewSpace News is out.

• Business 2.0 has another article on the emerging space tourism market. (I may have to subscribe the that magazine -djs). The March issue on The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Galaxy is still available.

• Some members are Congress believe we are already in a space race with China and "the United States could lose if it doesn't spend more money on the civilian space program." Jeff Foust doesn't think much of it.

• Allison Bateman's hair is going to the ISS with Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov. But my favorite was this quote by her father

  "By then," Daniel Bateman said, "we could fly the whole family up there for vacation since tourism will be there."

  From your mouth to reality.

• Here is an interesting article on how modern software practices and tools are making their way into the space exploration in both private and public arenas.

• US Space News has photos of the solar eclipse Wednesday from orbit.
  

Dateline March 30, 2006, News from the Internet

• NASA TV and HDNet are going to broadcast the Shuttle launches in High Definition. If only they could work on NASA TV content...
• SpaceDev has received a $1.25 million contract from the Air Force to develop nanosatellite for Situational Awareness in space. I wonder what symbology they use for space assets (my day job is showing --djs)
• The Soyuz liftoff went off without a hitch.
• t/Space has made Charles Duelfer Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. You may remember Mr. Duelfer from the report on Iraq WMDs.
• MarsDrive has created a contest called the Mars Sample Return and In-situ Propellant Design Competition. Sounds cool.
• Florida may use matching funds from unions making the total state space fund $500 million.
• More information on the first Virgin Galactic flights, including some insurance information.

Dateline March 29, 2006, News from the Internet

• Tom Delay, Adam Schiff, & Bill Nelson discuss space policy.
• Japan may end its ban on military space assets, such as reconnaissance satellites.
• The Russian Soyuz is ready to go to the ISS.
• The FaclonSAT-2 launched atop the ill-fated Falcon-I wasn't destroyed, but it isn't going back up either.
• SpaceDev continues to make money.
• NASA has moved ~$1 Billion dollars from technology research into CEV development. Some of those technologies (such as making oxygen from lunar soil) are part of the Centennial prize program.
• More info on who is signed up for Virgin Galactic's first round of flights.
• Photos of the total solar eclipse this morning.

Dateline March 28, 2006, News from the Internet

• Nasa has extended the CEV phase I contract. In other words they are putting off selecting a contractor for the CEV until August 31.
• Morris Jones talks about China's plans in space.
• NASA has a web site to view the total solar eclipse during the early hours of March 29. The video stream begins at 5am EST (4am CST). Totality should be at 5:55am EST.
• A Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) component the proximity communications link (PCE), had a successful communications downlink from the ISS this month.
• Apparently there are about 90,000 - 130,000 millionaires (based on the Zogby/Futron study of 2002) that would be willing to pay $200,000 for a suborbital flight.
• The 2006 Space Journalism prize is up for grabs again.
• NASA has restarted two canceled asteroid missions. Jeff Foust wonders where the money will come from.
• Greg Olsen talks with Forbes about his trip to the ISS and possibly going on the Russian/Space Adventures trip around the Moon for $100 million. (warning this is a video not for the bandwidth limited.)
• Ben Bova (noted Scifi writer) says scientist who are against the VSE are missing the point. (Thanks to Out of the Cradle for this one)
• In a press release yesterday, Space Adventures announced the first UAE citizen in space.

  Adnan Al Maimani will be the first national from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to launch from the future commercial spaceport to be located at the Ras Al-Khaimah International Airport.

  
  "I am honored to represent the UAE as the first national to fly to space, but even more thrilling is that I’ll launch from Ras Al-Khaimah," said Adnan Al Maimani. "I have been interested in space exploration as long as I can remember. Space Adventures is providing the opportunity to experience what I never thought could be possible in my lifetime. If I could fly today, I would!"

  
  Apparently we as humanity are united in the love of cool ass rockets and launching into space.
  

Dateline March 27 2006, News from the Internet

• Condolances to Elon and the team at SpaceX. Here's hoping the next one goes off without a hitch. Here is the first analysis of the failure.
• The Washington Post has an article of building a base on the Moon to support Mars.
• The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has sent back it's first picture. --->


• The Chicago Tribune doesn't think much of the ISS.
• USA Today Kevin Maney mocks the New Mexico spaceport plan. I think we should remember this one and come back to it in a few years.
• Canada is looking at an all Canada robotic mission to Mars.
• Mike Griffin really likes Tom DeLay. We I do to for the most part.
• Mike Griffin is set to testify to the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday regarding the 2007 NASA budget.
• Go Check out The Space Review. Great as always.

SpaceX Launch Today

I have had a family medical emergency this week, so sorry for no news updates. Next week should be back to normal. -djs

SpaceX is set to lanch the Falcon I today at 1:00pm PST (3:00pm CST). The static fire went off witout a hitch and we are go for launch. Out of the Cradle is once again live blogging the launch.

Static Fire Video

Dateline March 15, 2006, News from the Internet

• Time magazine (finally) has an article on NASA's return to the moon. As my political science professor used to say, Time for people who don't like to think and People for people who don't like to read.


• Michael Belfiore has a review of "Riding Rockets" by Mike Mullane.


• NASA is finally officially moving the shuttle launch to July. The new window is July 1 - 19.


• Dick Stafford has started a Frapper group for Future Space Access. No, I didn't know that that was either, but it appears to be a map of where everyone is, companies, individuals, and launch sites. It's pretty neat.


• John Nance's interview on Good Morning America is online.


• NASA is looking for someone to lease the Shuttle's runway after it gets shutdown.

Dateline March 14, 2006, News from the Internet

• Russia says the Clipper design is completed. "We are planning to put the Clipper into use by 2015." said Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of Russia's Energiya Rocket and Space Corporation. Clipper is Russia's long-planed, reusable space plane. I am not sure where they are getting their funding, but we will see.


• Jeffrey Williams is ready to hit a golf ball out of this world. He is set to lift off March 30 to the ISS with this golf clubs in tow.


• NASA has found high temperature materials in a comet. Scientists are not sure how these particles got into the comets.


• Russia has approved eight Brazilian experiments to go up to the ISS on March 30.


• John Nance discusses space tourism and will be featured on Good Morning America this morning on ABC. - ed Thanks to John Ahrens for the spelling correction of Mr. Nance's name.


• More on space tourism with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.


• A Swedish professor Dr. Niklas Järvstråt is planning a self-sustaining moon colony


• So three teams are competing for NASA COTS program. T/Space, SpaceX, and SPACEHAB. That's a pretty good way to split $500 million. Check out NASA's offical COTS page.


• Using tethers to adjust the orbit of the ISS.


• Astronomers has found a cold super-earth. The planet is about 13 time the size of Earth, and while rocky, it is the coldest planet found outside of our solar system. It orbits a red dwarf star 9000 light years from Sol. The finding has far reaching implications "suggesting that large rock-ice worlds might outnumber gas giants like Jupiter."


• Updates on the CEV wind-tunnel testing


• RLV and Space Transport News has a link to videoof Rick Tumlinson's talk at the Lunar Commerce Roundtable last October.


• Aero-News.net has more information on the Rocketplane Limited, Inc and Kristler merger. Apparently they are going to create a development team called Rocketplane Kristler.

Dateline March 13, 2006, News from the Internet

• Google Mars is up and running. Look around the red planet in elevation, visible, and infrared views. See the history of spacecraft on the surface. Impress you friends.


• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is circling Mars. Can't wait for the pictures to start rolling in.


• The Republican study committee has decided the VSE needs to be but to save money. Of course they want to keep the shuttle flying. What?? Tales of the Helosphere has comments.


• James Oberg talks about the discovery of water and why Enceladus matters


• STS-121 is pretty much pushed back to July.


• Sam Dinkin talks about all the news from SpaceX lately.


• Spaceport Sheboygan is coming along.


• The ESA telescope Corot is to be launched this year. It is designed to detect rocky extra-solar planets.


• Mark Williams is optimistic about private space's future.


• The Rocky Mountain News has an article on LM/Northrup's CEV proposal.


• A discussion on the future of space tourism activity. ed- They seem to imply that suborbital trips cost $20 million, which is false.


• Check out today's Space Review for (as always) interesting articles

Dateline March 9, 2006, News from the Internet

• SPACEHAB announced it has submitted a proposal for COTS with MDA and Ball Aerospace using their Apex module spacecraft design.


• In New Mexico (interesting state, isn't it?), the Space Technology and Applications International Forum is holding a conference on new and exotic propulsion techniques, like warp drive and worm holes.
• Pulsar has comments on the Dragon from SpaceX and the space issue of Business 2.0.
• An article on space tourism and safety.
• The Southwest spaceport environmental impact statement.
• Jon Goff also comments on Dragon.
• Info on the Rockplanet/Kistler merger.
• More comments on the Singapore spaceport.
• Some info on SpaceShip2 and WK2
• Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) wants NASA to "to work with her "to be creative" in finding outside sources of money to support ISS research." I would say the golf thing is a good start.

Dateline March 7, 2006, News from the Internet

• MSNBC has more on the Dragon capsule from SpaceX.


• A problem with an ECO sensor may delay the Shuttle launch from May to July


• C&Space, a Korean company, is testing a gas generator for a methane engine


• Beyond Space Enterprises is offering to launch your stuff into sub-orbit for $39.95


• Space Adventures has another tourtist approved. Japanese businessman Daisuke "Dice-K" Enomoto has won Russian approval to begin cosmonaut training in preparation for a trip to the International Space Station in September.

Dateline March 6, 2006, News from the Internet

BTW, I got mentioned in the Santa Fe Reporter on February 15 about the proposed New Mexico spaceport. That's cool! -djs

• The big news in the world of new space: The Space-X Dragon, a manned orbital spacecraft privately developed by Space Exploration Technologies. The Dragon can carry 7 passengers and/or cargo to and from orbit (COTS anyone?). The Dragon is designed to be launched on the soon to be built Falcon 9. The Dragon has been under development for years now, roped off in the El Segundo facility away from visitors. Hot damn! Space News also has an article. Flame Trench has one also.
  Some quotes from Elon:

  "What COTS really allows us to do is dramatically accelerate our plans for manned spaceflight and make sure it is something that meets NASA's requirements for crew and cargo service to the station," Musk said.
  
  "I feel very confident about being able to offer NASA an ISS-servicing capability by 2009 and am prepared to back that up with my own funding," Musk said.
  
  Musk indicated that he sees no problems meeting the aggressive timelines NASA has established under the COTS program.
  
  

• Michael Belfiore has more information on his upcoming book, The The Entreprenauts
• According to AW&ST, the pentagon funded a Orbital Space Plane in the 1990s. I have my doubts.
• NASA plans to speed up the delivery of modules to the Space Station. With what?
• China has delayed the Shenzhou-7 to 2008.
• Pulsar has cute article on New Mexico's new bill build the spaceport in southern New Mexico.
• Wired.com fixed that article about ProSpace. Here is the letter from ProSpace to Wired.
• The San Francisco Gate has an article on new space companies and satellites.
• What do we really know about Moon water?


• The Space Review is out:
  • NASA, astronomers, and the establishment of research priorities
  • Finishing the space station: an essential part of the Vision
  • Cronkite on space: inspiration, not information
  • From chaos, a new order
  • Interview: a tour of SpaceX (part 2)
    
    


• Spaceport Sheboygan is at it's final hurtles in the political process.


• This is what is wrong with aerospace contractors. And I hate to tell the author, but I worked at LM and it isn’t much better. ed- scroll down to Why I hope LM Wins CEV article

Competition

Just for reference, here is the Bob Zubrin comment in question:

it has typically been the case that such nations have felt the need to compete with each other to establish prominence, a tendency that has often had very negative consequences. However the emerging US-Chinese race for space offers a different prospect, that of a competition more in the spirit of the Olympics, where nations compete for honors, not empires; where the goal is not to take anything from anyone, but to see who can do the most to advance the frontiers of human achievement and human possibilities

After my resent rant on Robert Zubrin's trip to China, Mark Whittington replied that:

Dan, I think Bob might be thinking of wars as a negative consequence of competition. They did occur from time to time, during the last Age of Exploration. Alsom[sic] if the Chinese win, that would be a real negative consequence.

I am not sure in the grand scheme of things wars are a negative consequence. They are, sometimes, the act of nations competing. War is a form of competition (albeit a deadly one). I agree it would be a negative outcome if China won the next stage of our expansion. But that is not a product of competition, but in having the evil side win. If we chose not to compete, that doesn't take about the possibility for China to spread their values to the solar system, rather than us.

My point was, Zubrin is (IMHO) saying competition between nations as something to be avoided. I believe, on the other hand, it is a fact of existence. If you choose not to compete, you may (and likely will) still find yourself on the loosing side. As Rush said in "Free Will"

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice

I say we embrace real competition. Not this honor/Olympic nonsense Zubrin is pushing. Real contests have rewards at the end. If China and the US (whether public or private) go into space, one of our value systems will influence the future more than the other. The prize is furthering freedom or inhumanities. No agreements or treaties will change that.

Dateline March 2, 2006, News from the Internet

• Robert Zubrin has been invited to speak at the Chinese Beihang University. Not sure how I feel about this. I gotta admit, all this touchy feely crap about cooperation leaves me cold. And what does this mean:

  it has typically been the case that such nations have felt the need to compete with each other to establish prominence, a tendency that has often had very negative consequences. However the emerging US-Chinese race for space offers a different prospect, that of a competition more in the spirit of the Olympics, where nations compete for honors, not empires; where the goal is not to take anything from anyone, but to see who can do the most to advance the frontiers of human achievement and human possibilities

  Excuse me? Competition has had negative consequences? You mean like the exploration and colonization of the world? And what is this Olympic honor thing? We, as Americans (public and private), want to be colonize and spread our values in space. Frankly I don't think China is interested in human achievement unless it props up their evil, inhumane, government.


• New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has signed into law the plan to fund a private spaceport in Upham, New Mexico.
• ARABSAT 4A may be saved by slinging it around the Moon.
• New Voyage News has a contest designed to build up their Space Space Tourism Encyclopedia Wiki. I already posted some stuff on Space Adventures. Go have fun, win crap.
• Update: The Space Frontier Foundation has released the March edition of the New Space News. Check it out.
  

Dateline March 1, 2006, News from the Internet

• Update on the Falcon I launch in March.
• The CEV Phase II Call for Improvements: Amendment 2 is out.
• It looks like NASA has their Venture Capitalist advisor.
• More about NASA's ambitious shuttle schedule.
• Proton failed it's launch of ARABSAT 4A .
• Another possible killer asteroid. It is currently a Torino Level 2. I know it will likely be dismissed later, but damn this makes me want to spread out just a little. It is harder to hit a moving target. Could God be lobbing these things at us to get us to move our fat butts? Worth considering. 2004 MN4 is the only Level 4 we have seen. It was later downgraded to a Level 1. (Of course it still may hit us).
• Sometimes I think reporters are just stupid.

  This week is "March Storm," when 50 to 75 lobbyists will spend three days speaking with staffers from more than 250 offices on Capitol Hill. Some of the lobbyists represent the aerospace industry, but most have been hired by smaller space startups and entrepreneurs.

  They are volunteers, you dope! Jeff Faust also comments on this.
• More on the RocketPlane, Limited and Kristler buyout.
• Indias Chandrayaan-I mission to the moon appears to be on schedule.
• Noel Hinners thinks we need a Mars sample return mission. Sounds good, I can carry five or six big rocks. How many can you guys carry? We are ready to go. :)