Bigelow's Plans

Michael Belfiore has the scoop on Bigelow plans to launch on his 1/3 scale model station, the Genesis, this summer.

Freefloating inside will be 1,000 photocards and small personal objects
contributed by Bigelow employees. If all goes well, those items will be
continuously blown throughout the pressurized module in a kind of space collage.
Six onboard cameras will stream video to Bigelow's new website, which will
launch tomorrow or Friday. Seven external cameras will provide views of the
Earth from space and the outside of the module.

Cool or what?

Update: Bigelow has a new web-site. If you have any comments send them to Michael Belfiore and he will get them to Mr. Bigelow.

Dateline May 30, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• Eric Hedman asks if NASA is afraid to take risks.
• Let's help these kids see a launch.
• Pete at the ARC has started a blog.
• MRO has moved into it's final orbit around the red planet.

Military Space

• Chris Stone talks about Orbital strike constellations: the future of space supremacy and national defense

International Space News

• Taylor Dinerman talks about the future of France's space industry.

New Space News

• The Houston Chronicle agrees with Sen. Hutchison that some of these COTS companies could be used by NASA for even more work. Space Politics has more.
• The Lunar Lander Challenge is apparently picky about what propellant one uses.

Astronomy

• Michael Hung talks about Bob Park's belief in aliens who don't fly in space.

To Our Fallen Military, Thank You

To all those who gave their lives to protect our right to argue, complain, plan, and dream, thank you.

To all those soldiers who gave their lives to forward the cause of space and to fire our imagination, thank you.

• Lt. Col. Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, USAF
  
• Lt. Col. Edward H. White II, USAF
  
• Lt. Roger B. Chaffee, USN
  
• Lt. Col. Ellison Shoji Onizuka, USAF
  
• captain Gregory Bruce Jarvis, USAF
  
• captain Michael John Smith, USN
  
• Major Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee, USAF
  
• Col. Rick D. Husband, USAF
  
• Commander William C. McCool, USN
  
• Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson, USAF
  

To our friends in Israel,

• Col. Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force

Info on Lockheed's CEV

If this quote from Space.com's article on the CEV competition is true, it is pretty good:

‘Integrated marvel’
Lockheed Martin’s CEV design is "an integrated marvel" that is stuffed with the latest in avionics — fault-tolerant systems that offer autonomy, high reliability and redundancy, Karas said. Better yet, software and avionics upgrades can be plugged in without a lot of system and hardware changes.

Getting the six-person CEV spaceworthy before 2014 is doable, Karas said, noting that in NASA’s request for proposals the space agency had set the date as 2012. "We think we can do it in 2012 and even better … we can beat 2012 credibly for cost and schedule and not sacrifice the performance of the vehicle," he said.

Now if only it is true...

Dateline May 26, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• NASA JSC Solicitation: Lunar Lander Concept Studies
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) thinks NASA needs emergency funding of $2 billion dollars.
• Scott Kelly, Commander of STS-118, speaks about going to Mars.
• CEV Design Comparisons.
• US Space News disagrees with the Planetary Society.

New Space News

• Rocketplane is going to be on the cover of PopSci in Augusts.
• Watch Burt Rutan's ISDC 2006 speech. (Thanks to RLV & Space Transport News).
• 2006 Commercial Space Transportation Forecast from the AST/FAA.

Clarification on the RS-68 and ET

This From PhysBrain at Spaceflight Sandbox:

Just thought I'd offer a clarification to your comment about why NASA went with the RS-68 (because it could handle the 33' tank). The RS-68 was selected because it would be cheaper to make and throw away after each use than the SSME, but in order to use it (and probably a major reason why it wasn't selected in the first place) is that the current external tank size would not hold enough fuel to power the RS-68's. Once they realized that in the long term, it would actually be cheaper to make the modifications to RS-68 and build wider tank, they found that they also gained a significant increase in overall performance of the CaLV. Less fuel efficient, but more mass can now be thrown to the moon.

Clark Responds

I debated putting this up, as it is really just a flame war. But what the heck, the physics is good.

Clark responds to Space Cynic about radiation.

Dateline May 25, 2006: Space News from the Internet

This is going to be quick, as I am swamped today

• Peter Diamandis has won the Heilein Award.
• Russia's schedule on the Explorer suborbital craft they are building for Space Adventures.
• As a former boy scout and a Celstron owner, I applaud this move.
• The GOES-N launch aboard the Delta-IV was a success.
• Seth Shostak explains why we are not transmitting directly to other worlds for SETI.
• Bart Leahy talks about the evolution of space advocacy to a business-like advocacy.
• Mars Express has captured lava tubes on the red planet.
• ESA ISS Module Columbus arrives at Kennedy on May 30.
• LiftPort, the space elevator company, has released a book on space elevators (which I was asked to review a couple of days ago. I am working on it).
• ESA is working on a fleet of solar probes.

New Mexico Spaceport on CBS Evening News

The Second Space Age? - Video of Tonights segment on New Mexicos planned spaceport.

Being Cynical without Being Pissy

oldspacecadet at Space Cynic has responsed to my question of "Why?"

First off, let me just say I agree with a lot of what you guys say in principle. There is a lot of the "Dot-Com" boom anything with a cool name and graphics should be enough mentality in the new space arena.

Two problems, though. First, and I assume this is from years of disappointment, you guys come across as very sarcastic, demeaning, and generally mean. I don't know if it is intended, but I think it makes most space enthusiasts very defensive. Not great for winning an argument, IMHO.

Second, I disagree with your premise that

Instead, the interested person should reread the critical blog, then reread the Scientific American article carefully, and then do whatever research he or she needs to conduct within the primary literature in order for form a conclusion what would stand up to careful review.

I have to tell you, that is asking a lot from a country with permanent ADD. I theory that is what everyone should do. In practice very few people will. If you want to convince your audience, you have to bring facts to the table. You said here:

One small example -- the recent blog attacking the space radiation article in Scientific American. The blog's author made arguments that simply won't stand up to rational analysis nor will they get around the realities of the NRC's ALARA policy. Radiation may not be a showstopper for a manned mission to Mars, but it
presents very real, difficult problems that must be addressed with real analysis and real design tradeoffs rather than with glib dismissals. (That is this man's opinion after being trained in nuclear medicine, holding NRC designated user licenses for medical use of radionuclides, and working as a radiation safety officer in medical facilities as well as being formally trained in high level radiation bioeffects.) More Kool-Aid, anyone?

To break this down to a simple debate:

1. His arguments are bad
2. His premise is wrong
3. I am a Nuclear Scientist so I know (take my word for it)
4. Insult him (the Kool-Aid comment)

In my opinion, you aren't going to present the facts to back up your argument, point to someone who does, or leave it alone.

So, in general, good ideas, bad attitude.

Dateline May 24, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• More on the Deep Space Network troubles.
• NASA announces June 1 ISS spacewalk - NASA has announced some details of a scheduled June 1 spacewalk by the 13th International Space Station crew
• NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 23 May 2006
• Mr. Cowing's opinion on the ISS.
• US Space News thinks the CLV (stick) should be dropped and the CaLV used for both crew and cargo.

Astronomy

• Voyager 2, the probe heading towards the end of the solar system, has detected the "termination shock" to be a billion miles closer than expected in the southern region. This means that the heliosphere is not spherical.
• Hubble captures a 'quintuple' quasar

New Space News

• Sen. Hutchison says the private sector should help with the gap in space flight NASA faces between 2010 and 2014 when the CEV should come online. "It is a simple fact that NASA cannot do this alone."
• Jeffery Bells thinks space activists are pro-totalitarian nut jobs. I suppose he is entitled to his opinion...
• Lunar Lander draft rules are out.
• Sending water to the Moon.

International Space News

• In July, German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter will lift aboard Shuttle mission STS-121 to the International Space Station, to begin a six-month stay on the ISS.
• The ESA has announced the new Earth Explore missions.
• Galileo may be outsourcing to India and China.

Dateline May 23, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• Micro-satellite tested onboard ISS - NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams has tested a super-small satellite, the SPHERES, onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
• NASA may have problems in the future with the Deep Space Network and the Vision.
• While Opportunity continues to the Victoria Crater, it is seeing exposed bedrock.
• NASA has named Charles H. Scales as the new associate administrator for the Office of Institutions and Management.
• NASA and ATK are jumping on the Linux wagon:

  ATK's system will consist of a cluster of 110 nodes running at 2.24 teraflops, or more than 2.2 trillion operations per second. The system will perform aerodynamic simulations and structural-integrity evaluations on launch systems and solid propulsion rockets.
  
  NASA's system, a 128-node version announced May 1, will be at Goddard Space Flight Center. It will run at 3.3 teraflops and will be used to accelerate and expand data processing for applications tracking things such as weather changes and astrophysical
  phenomena.

• ILC Dover LP was awarded a 5-year IDIQ contract for advanced development of airbag landing attenuation systems for Earth entry capsules by NASA Langley Research Center.
• Jeffery Bell comments on NASA's design changes for the ESAS.
• According to Aviation Now, part of the reason the RS-68 was chosen was that it could handle a 33' Saturn V tank.

International News

• ExoMars is training on the volcano El Teide in Tennerife.
• Japan's Akari infrared sky surveyor has produced it's first pictures.

New Space News

• The Sydney Morning Herald has a pretty good article on Space Tourism.
• The Antelope Valley Press thinks Mojave is the only private spaceport needed.
• Space Systems/Loral is continuing on their Aquarius System, despite losing out on the COTS contract.

Cynicism, Optimism & Lunar Dust Flavored Kool-Aid

cynic
n 1: someone who is critical of the motives of others [syn: faultfinder] (from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

I have felt called to write a post regarding a new blog called Space Cynic for a few weeks now. The truth is, I just haven had the time or the energy. But, as Shubber Ali had the time to post a comment on one of my posts, I feel obliged to write my thoughts down about his controversial blog. (To be fair, there are three cynics posting besides Mr. Ali, TomsRants, Professor L, and oldspacecadet but they didn’t comment on my blog –djs).

The comment was, “The giggle factor may be falling, but it appears that the gullibility factor is still at an alltime (sic) high.” This was a comment about a post I maid on the giggle factor going away with regards to suborbital tourism.

Space Cynics sums themselves as:

“A view of alt.space from someone who won't drink the kool-aid.”

Okay, I never really like the term alt.space, but we will ignore that. The Kool-Aid analogy is perhaps a bit over done, but we get the idea. In a nutshell, Mr. Ali is tired of hearing promises from companies that don’t deliver. It is his mission, at least in this context, to poke holes in new space ideas he deems to have no substance (or money).

Now, I understand were Mr. Ali is coming from. I feel the same way about NASA. All the projects and missions I read about in detail as I grew up are just so much fairy dust. I still support NASA as the NASA Kool-Aid has the strength of a Moon landing in it (very similar to single malt scotch).

I am not sure if I have drank the “alt.space” Kool-Aid or not. I am excited about the future of space travel, I will definitely go up if I get the opportunity. I love space. A lot of ideas people propose are nuts, I agree.

So what?

Lets say, for arguments sake, I am a Kook-Aid coinsure. I guzzle the stuff day and night. I go to conference, and talk about space elevators and L-1 solar panels, and antimatter ships to Alpha Centari.

So what?

Lets say I buy stock in SpaceDev and Orbital Sciences and SpaceHAB (or whomever). Lets say I try to build a rocket in my garage. I even write my congressman to try and get more space money into private companies.

So what?

Does that hurt me in some way? Does that make me less noble than Mr. Ali who recognizes the con I am so helplessly falling victim to? If these projects are so worthless, then they will not be funded in the long run and the nation will move forward, weeding out the fluff. So I fail to see the damage that is done.

We all choose were to put our money and our time. People who gamble are stupid, in my opinion. People who spend money on clothes for dogs are stupid, in my opinion. Apparently, you believe I am stupid for putting so much time and money into private space development. Okay, I’ll accept your opinion and ignore it.

I guess, what I am wondering is, who are you trying to convert? It is very difficult to get non-space people to read a blog on space even if it is positive (I know J ). If you are trying to convert us “alt.spacers”, then I have to ask, why?

By the way, thanks for reading.

Dateline May 22, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• NASA Glenn, is looking for a PR firm.
• They are also looking for a partner on the Mars Scout proposal. "The ADAM Scout will be a Mars orbiter that will define Mars atmospheric structure, composition and climate over a full annual cylce. "
• The World socialist Web Site thinks NASA is gutting science. (Is that a joke? --djs)
• Scientific America doesn't like the science cuts at NASA either.
• More on the selection of the RS-68 over the SSME.
• Eric Hedman turns around and asks NASA the tough questions.
• Lunar Mission Designs.
• Jeff Foust considers presidential space policy.
• Some Book Reviews.

Military Space

• The Delta IV goes up this week for the first time in 18 months when the Delta IV Heavy didn't quite make it to space.
• The pentagon is not happy about cooperation with China's space agency.
• Origins of GPS.

International Space News

• An interview with ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair about the ISRO-NASA collaboration and IndiaÂ’s future plans in space exploration.
• China wants to built a Space Transport System (like the shuttle? -djs)

New Space News

• Mike Griffin talks about what effects COTS will have on Lunar exploration.

Review: A Traveler's Guide to Mars

A Traveler’s Guide to Mars, 1st Edition 2003
By William K. Hartmann
Workman Publishing, New York, NY
ISBN: 0761126066


First, it must be said that this book is loaded with information on Mars. With both classic and MSG topographical style maps of Mars, turn of the century drawings from the eyepiece, and photos from every probe sent to Mars, it definitely has the wow factor covered.

A warning, though, Dr. Hartmann is a planetary scientist and writes like one. IF you are not familiar with the study of geology, keep a dictionary handy. However, if willing to put in the effort, you will discover not only the facts we know about Mar but how we came to know those facts.

The thing that sets apart A Traveler’s Guide to Mars from a Mars Textbook is that humanity of it. Dr. Hartmann was there at almost every stage of modern Mars exploration. In side sections called “My Martian Chronicles” he gives the reader an insider’s look at the history, politics, passions, and debates within the scientific community during Mariner 9 to the Mars Global Surveyor.

All this humanity does not detract from the sheer volume of information on the red planet, though. The geologic history is here in great detail. Dr. Hartmann goes though all the major features or Mars, one at a time, all the while tying in into the history of Mars study. The flow of the book works really well, once you get into.

However, I do have some criticism. The flow of the book is not obvious until you get a few chapters into it, so I was floundering somewhat at the beginning. I fear that a casual reader, without the passion for Mars that I have, might give up and miss out on the wealth of information in this book.

Also, as I touched on above, I struggled with the terminology (I had to ask my wife, who is a geology hobbyist, about more than a few words). Keep a dictionary or a geology textbook handy and you should be fine.

Overall, this is a very good book and I would highly recommend it. It is the single most comprehensive study of Mars I have every read.

4 stars (out of 5)

More Proof the Giggle Factor is Falling Fast

This a quote from the Norman Transcript on the spaceport in Oklahoma:

We chuckled a few years ago when state Rep. Wallace Collins said he wanted to see Oklahoma as a leader in space tourism. The reality is the industry could be a boom for communities that get in early.

Hmm....

Dateline May 19, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• NASA is set to launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2008 (don't know why this is in a Kuwait news site- djs). Here is more from India. Ah, here is a US story on it.
• NASA has (officially) chosen the RS-68 engine for the HLV. Like everybody didn't already know that. Comm Space Watch has more.
• The risk of Asteroid Apohis smacking into the Earth in 2036 has decreased to 1 in 24,000. Still scares me a little.
• A team of astronomers has discovered a Jupiter sized planet, XO-1, using off the shelf equipment. Still costs $60,000 so it isn't off the shelf for me, of course. Here are more technical details of the new planet.
• Problems with the external tanks may cause delays in the STS-300 mission.

International Space News

• ExoMars, a full scale model of a Mars rover is a hit at the ILA 2006 conference in Europe. The real thing is slated for a 2011 launch.

New Space News

• Elon Musk, chairman of SpaceX, and Chris Farnetta, from Space Adventures, Ltd. spoke at the Future in Review conference to discuss their respective efforts to commercialize space.
• New Mexico's spaceport site will be visited by CBS news on Wednesday May 24.
• The AOPA is worried about new spaceports interfering with airplane traffic.
• SpaceX VP of international and government affairs writes an editorial on what is bad about the Boeing/Lockheed merger.

Dateline May 18, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is aerobraking to finalize it's Martian orbit. It is now in a 25 hour orbit.
• opportunity, one of the long lasting Mars rovers, is close enough to see the Victoria Crater, which it has been moving towards for more than a year.
• NASA has selected the crews for the two shuttle missions for 2007. If you were wondering, I am not in either group.
• Spirit took a picture of bumpy rocks on Mars.
• Apparently the GRC CEV announcement was a leak and a broader announcement is coming in June.
• GRC has given a contract to GASL, Inc to build a 7500 LBF main engine for the CEV.
• They found a planet that may be habitable in the HD69830.
• Astrobiology Magazine has an interview with Harrison Schmitt.

International Space News

• Planetary aerobots and other "intelligent" (or at least autonomous) robots from SciSys.
• Russia is doubling their Soyuz production with the help of foreign investors.

New Space News

• More on the SpaceX lawsuit that was dismissed.
• The Lunar Lander Challenge Weblog is up.
• Space Advocacy to save Earth.
• Space.com has a multimedia report on space tourism. It is very good, actually.

Dateline May 17, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• More info on NASA's NEO workshop.
• The National Academies Board of Science, Technology, and Economic Policy thinks NASA needs to pay more attention to civil aeronautical research.
• NASA has given a deadline of June 1 for getting media credentials for the next shuttle flight. Discovery is scheduled to lift off in July with a "dress rehearsal" the week of June 12.
• ISRO and NASA Sign MOU on Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Mission
• NASA MSFC RFI to Develop a Soil Moisture Remote Sensing Strategy ... USANASA/MSFC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources for initiating a long-term activity to develop a soil moisture remote sensing strategy.
• Five NASA fellowships have been awarded to university students for new ideas in space exploration.
• This is just weird. Apparently NASA in the bay area told employees they couldn't have a "National Day of Prayer" event. Well they have changed their mind after being threatened with a law suite. Now that is a good use of my tax dollars, telling people they don't have 1st amendment rights at NASA.

International Space News

• A video of the Berlin Air Show 2006 (which is pretty good actually -djs). Did you know German for Discover the ISS is "Der Blick In Die ISS." Well I thought it was funny.
• ESA Industry Space Days 2006 will be later this month.
• China to launch moon probe next April

New Space News

• Space--the new summer vacation?
• Space.com has an article on new spaceports being built around the world.
• Brian Binnie is part of the Man Law commercials for Miller Lite. (Hat tip to Hobby Space).
• SpaceX's lawsuit against the ULA has been complelety dismissed.

SpaceDev's Revenue for First Quarter Fiscal 2006

SpaceDev reported their revenue and earnings for the firsts quarter of 2006 this morning. Revenue was up 290% from $1.8 million last year to $7.2 million.

Income was down from $101,000 to $7000, but that was due to a stock option expense as well as additional expenditures related to preparation of two contract proposals during the first quarter of 2006. SpaceDev won a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate on one of the proposals. The other one was NASA's COTS program. SpaceDev is one of six finalists for COTS.

Article on SpaceHAB's Apex System

The AIAA Newsletter, Horizon, focuses on SpaceHAB's plan for the COTS program. It is full of lovely pictures and a two page write-up on SpaceHAB's Apex cargo delivery and retrieval program.

According to the article, Apex has been in development for two years and NASA's COTS timing could not have been more perfect. Below is a quote that makes me very happy:

While NASA is one of the more notable customers SPACEHAB is seeking for the Apex service, the company has seen significant interest from various and diverse market sectors. "Space is not just for government agencies. In fact, we have supported amazing technological and medical advances that have taken place in space to only later benefit those of us on earth,"

Hat tip to Hobby Space

Dateline May 16, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• NASA has released the accident report on why it's DART spacecraft did not successfully rendezvous with a satellite in orbit. Here is a overview by SpaceRef.
• How NASA is solving their ECO sensor problems.
• NASA Outfits Shuttle With New Fuel Tank that is redesigned to prevent shedding.
• More on Apophis which has a 1 in 6000 chance of smacking into Earth on April 13, 2036.
• Discovery is moving from the VAB to launch pad 39B on Friday from 2AM EDT to 8AM EDT.
• The Justice Departments take on Boeing's Settlement offer.
• Google Earth for the Solar System?
• NASA's Near Earth Object workshop is calling for papers on threat mitigation.
• Leonard David talks about uniting science and exploration.
• US Space News has more about the CEV LM.

International Space News

• Shin Sat to launch broadband services in China. It is expected to server 1 million of the 64 million Chinese broadband users.
• ESA awards broadband satellite contract - The European Space Agency awarded EADS Astrium a contract Monday to develop and build an innovative communications satellite. HYLAS, for Highly Adaptable Satellite -- is to will provide interactive high definition television and interactive broadband services from its orbital position over the United Kingdom, covering 22 nations in western and central Europe.

New Space News

• Photos of Daisuke Enomoto and his backup Anousheh Ansari training in Russia for their trips to the ISS.
• SpaceDaily explains why NASA isn't talking about who made the COTS cut.

Anousheh Ansari Climbing In.

SpaceDev Press Release on COTS

In case you missed it in the avalanche of news this morning, SpaceDev has made a press release on their selection as a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) finalist. COTS is a NASA program to purchase LEO launch services from private companies at a fixed rate. The final announcement of the winning three companies is scheduled for August 2006.

Dateline May 15, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• The Shuttle was moved on Friday to the VAB in preparation for a July launch. More here.
• The EELV checkout of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and the Delta II rocket is proceeding.
• NASA's Cargo Launch Vehicle Core Stage Engine notice has been cancelled. What this means is the possible use other SSME as the Core Stage Engine for the Cargo Launch Vehicle is officially dead. Instead, they are currently looking to purchase Rocketdyne's RS-25 engine.
• Glenn Research Center will oversee the development of the CEV.
• NASA is planning the outpost on the Moon.
• NASA is still having trouble hiring young people.
• NASA has tested a new automated safety system for redirecting off course rockets.
• NASA Budget fights are on-going.
• Problems continue with the Lockheed/Boeing EELV merger.

International Space News

• British built rover, Bridget, is being tested in Tennerife, a Canary Island. Bridget is a golf cart sized robot scheduled to launch in 2011. It is equipped with a drill and a "mars quake" detection device.
• India is happy about NASA's new cooperation in Asia. So is USA Today.

New Space News

• NASA Deputy Admin Shana Dale's speech at ISDC 2006. She discusses Red Planet Capital, the new venture capital arm of NASA.
  

  Red Planet looks to address several challenges that are not being met through the traditional procurement process, or through less traditional mechanisms like prizes, license agreements, and space act agreements, specifically:
  

  
  
  • To attract and motivate private sector innovators and investors who have not typically conducted business with NASA, including tapping more efficiently into the pool of small, leading-edge, organizations which are responsible for much of the innovative hi-tech thinking and research in the US;
    
  • To leverage existing external venture capital to encourage development of technologies and products likely to be of future use to NASA's mission;
    
  • To improve and expedite public/private partnership formation, through the redesign of administrative, management, and legal processes and procedures.
    We received a strong response to the RFI and hope to have a selection made in May.

• Elon Musk talks about how hard the rocket business is.
• More on the Lunar Lander Challenge.
• The Space Review interviews one of my favorite politicians, Newt Gingrich. I think he has drank the kool-aid, as it were.

  Gingrich: I am for a dramatic increase in our efforts to reach out into space,
  but I am for doing virtually all of it outside of NASA through prizes and tax
  incentives. NASA is an aging, unimaginative, bureaucracy committed to
  over-engineering and risk-avoidance which is actually diverting resources from
  the achievements we need and stifling the entrepreneurial and risk-taking spirit necessary to lead in space exploration.



• The Planetary Society has audio highlights from ISDC 2006.
• SpaceDev has a press release on their selection to the finals for COTS.

Asteroid Collisions

• More on the Apophis that has a 1 in 6250 chance of hitting Earth in 2036.

Bridget the British Mars Rover

Dateline May 12, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• NASA Director, Mike Griffin, disagrees with the National Academy of Sciences on the value of astrobiology.
• ISS status
• Sunita Williams will join Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian Mikhail Tyurin for a six-month mission starting in September.
• Director Griffin's speech at the ISRO-NASA MOU signing yesterday.
• NASA's Ames Research Center is testing the heat shields for the CEV.
• Florida Today has unveiled a spaceport website with a virtual VAB and center news.
• Discovery is going to try to move to the VAB again today at 10am EDT. The move was planned for yesterday, but an equipment glitch caused the delay.
• Tiffany Jenkins says in the British Herald, we must send mankind back to the moon.
• Charlie Duke talks about riding on the Saturn V.

New Space

• New Scientist has an article on the COTS Cuts reported here Tuesday.
• Bart Leahy discusses the debate between private investment and public funding. As Mark Whittington says, we need both. I don't think the question is "which on?", but "which one when and how?"
• Wisconsin continues with the Sheboygan spaceport.

International Space

• The May edition of France in Space is available at SpaceRef.com.
• ESA technology is helping Europe fight the bird-flu.
• ESA awarded the Gaia contract to EADS Astrium. Gaia's mission is to make the most precise map of our galaxy to date.
• Venus Express slipped into it's final orbit Sunday.
• Lockheed is building Vietnam's first satellite.

Politics

• House Democrats want more money for NASA's science programs.

Science

• Apparently if light travels backwards, it can break it's own speed limit. What does backward mean? Wish I had that physics degree I am always talking about...
• Genetic algorithms telling us how to design a nuclear spacecraft. I have written genetic algorithms and that is a scary thought.

CEV Head Shield Material Testing at the ARC

Private Spaceflight Roundup

The Economist has an article called Rocket Renaissance. It is a good

All this suggests that spaceflight, if not exactly entering the age of the common man, is at least entering the age of the moderately prosperous enthusiast. For entrepreneurs, it is no longer necessary to have billions of dollars to get into space; millions will now do. And for those who merely wish to travel there, and have a few hundred thousand in the bank, reality beckons, provided that at least one of the ideas actually works.

Here a table of the most likely suborbital vehicles to work (in the Economist's opinion).



I didn't realize the Jeff Bezos' vehicle had a name.

Dateline May 11, 2006: Space News from the Internet

NASA News

• Reports from Japan that NASA and JAXA were working on a supersonic jet were just not true, according to NASA.
• Gart McKinnionl, the British NASA hacker, has been extradited to the USA for trial.
• Laurance R. Doyle has a chat with two "Moon Men," James Lovell and Dr. Harrison Schmitt.
• Discovery's move to the Vehicle Assembly Building has been delayed due to equipment malfunctions. The move was suppose to happen at 8:30am EST this morning. No word yet on when it will happen.

Space in Movies/TV

• Filming of the Discovery Channel docu-drama, Race to Mars, is underway. It is set to debut along with the internet site, Mars Interactive, in Fall 2007.

New Space

• SpaceDev's First Quarter 2006 earnings will be released on May 16, 2006 and a conference call will be held at 1:00pm EDT.
• SpaceHab released their earnings on May 9, 2006 with a loss of $1.7 million, or $0.13 per share.

From Discovery Channel's Race To Mars.

SpaceHab Press Releases on COTS Cut

SpaceHab has a press release out, confirming their selection as on of the six COTS finalists.

"We are elated that NASA appreciates our technical solution and business approach for developing an achievable and sustainable commercial space services program," said Michael E. Kearney, SPACEHAB President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our plan is to stimulate commercial enterprise in space; develop reliable, cost effective access to low earth orbit; and create a market environment in which commercial space services are available to the Government and private sector customers alike."

More press releases from the other five finalists should be forthcoming.

Pete Worden's ISDC Speech

I really like Pete Worden. He is the kind of guy we need at NASA. Here is his ISDC Speech. Here are a few quotes to get you excited.

And I'd like to say that when I talk about "human presence" - I really mean "settlement" of the solar system. And I want to pause on that word - "settlement" because that's what we are truly embarking upon and that's the really exciting part of what we are about.

Now these are the key questions then: How do we sustain the vision for space exploration to lead us to settlement? How do we afford it? How do we nurture it? My answer - and I think a lot of yours' - is the private sector. This is not necessarily easy or straightforward. For a start why would the private sector individual spend the money on space exploration? And if they do what is the role of the Government? And in particular how do we address the number one item in all space activities - how to get to space to start with?

Some - and many in this room, I'm sure - believe the key to private sector funding of space activities, starting with launch vehicles is space tourism. Indeed, most of the private sector space ventures ongoing today such as Virgin Galactic and Bob Bigelow's Bigelow Aerospace are focused on tourism. I do not doubt that tourism has a big role to play - especially in the space launch area.

Some - and many in this room, I'm sure - believe the key to private sector funding of space activities, starting with launch vehicles is space tourism. Indeed, most of the private sector space ventures ongoing today such as Virgin Galactic and Bob Bigelow's Bigelow Aerospace are focused on tourism. I do not doubt that tourism has a big role to play - especially in the space launch area.

I maintain that the moon could become a reserve for doing things too dangerous to do on the earth, but with "earth-shaking" benefit, if you'll pardon that pun. For example, I think that the moon might be the key to mitigating global warming - another idea Teller and his colleagues pioneered - and one that I think is quite real - more on that later.

But I want to make this point that the issue of private ownership - or at least the equivalent - is going to be a critical issue not only for the United States - but also for our partners around the world.

So, I would maintain that our next step in space exploration would be to emulate the French and set the protocols and standards - in cooperation with our colleagues around the world - to be used for the moon and beyond. This is something that I would advocate could be done immediately. It doesn't cost you any money.

I think that now is the time to standardize communications protocols to make these and all subsequent missions inter-operable - a key requirement for private sector development. From this point I believe some business case - perhaps encouraged by private ownership - or usage agreement - of lunar real estate could finance and build much of the necessary infrastructure for long-range lunar development

.

Oh hell I could quote the entire speech. Just go read it for yourself. It is like a smarter, more distinguished me was made head of Ames.

First Round of COTS Cuts: Down to 6

According to Michael Belfiore and his source at NASA, the first round of COTS cuts has been made by phone. At least five of them are reported to be:

SpaceHab
Rocketplane Kistler
Andrews Space
Transformational Space Corporation (t/Space)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)

To me this is the most exciting part of the VSE (at least in the near term). Stay tuned!

Update: Michael says SpaceDev is, in fact, the last finalist. Alan Boyle has more on the story.
So it is a who's who of New Space companies.

Dateline May 9, 2006: Space News from the Internet

• Alan Boyle has comments on Peter Diamandis's plan to send colonist to Mars. I am not sure how credible he thinks it is since it "assumes that 100,100 contributors would drink the Red Planet Kool-Aid." To tell you the truth, as much as I like Dr. Diamandis and hope that it works, I think more a more traditional, capitalist approach is far more likely to get us off this rock. But that will take time. Investors like projects that can happen in five years or so with a good ROI.
  Alan does talk with NASA about Mars, and according to Dan McCleese, Mars Exploration chief scientist, the 2030 dates previously thrown around are no longer possible with the budget constraints. To tell you the truth, at this point I think Elon Musk has the best long term plan (vague as it may be) of getting people to Mars.
• Alan also comments on Dr. Diamandis's Nazi slave labor comments and his later apology.
• Alan (busy day for Alan) also comments on the Space Elevator Games being held at the X-Prize Cup this year. The Spaceward Foundation is currently working on the rules.
• NASA employees are getting older and NASA has no idea how to get younger people. They could start by actually hiring people. I have applied four times to MSFC have never heard a peep back. From what I hear they haven't hired engineers in years.
• All the shuttle seats are book. Sorry India.


• UP Aerospace is preparing for their July launch from New Mexico.
• RLV News has comments on the reliability of the Merlin engine from SpaceX. Apparently, the Falcon 9 would have made it to orbit anyway. Jon Goff talks about the Merlin Engine upgrade.
• XCORE and ATK will be working on LOX/methane engines for NASA.
• Forbes has an article on Mrs. Ansari's trip to Space.
• Discovery is moving into the Kennedy Space Center this week, in preparation for the July launch.
• Seed Magazine has a humorous look at some of NASA's predictions over the years. This is a good one:
  

  1975 NASA launches a six-man space station as a proof-of-concept for a larger 12-man space station, and afterwards decides that from then on concepts should be "proved" with large charts and graphs and artists' renditions that include tanned astronauts of all races and creeds.

• MountEverest.net has an article on Space Adventures. Dr. Diamandis responded to Burt Rutan's comments about them only being out to make money with "God bless us if we do."

View from Titan (from Huygens Probe)

Dateline May 8, 2006, Space News from the Internet

• Go check out the Space Review. Good as always. Jeff Foust has comments of Burt Rutan's comments at ISDC 2006. I have to disagree with Burt on one point. Regarding the Rocket Racing League, he says “Maybe there’s some money in it, but for God’s sakes, we’re not doing this for money, we’re doing this to fly humans in space.” Some of us have to be doing it for money or none of us will be doing it for long. This is a cash source to fund loftier goals.
• Peter Diamandis is setting up Mars colonization. Sign me up, Pete!
• Missile Defense (at least the Navy version) seems to be working.
• Michael Belfiore has a post on Space-Shot.com
• More on the Mars space suit by North Dakota students.
• The B612 is working to get Congress to declare someone responsible for saving us from killer asteroids.
• Peter Diamandis made a error in judgment on his speech, and apologized.
• China says they are upbeat about cooperation with NASA.
• STS-115 (after STS-121) may slip.
• Venus express is having problems.
• Tricia Ware has information on X-Prize Cup plans and the Lunar Lander Competition.
• Oklahoma's spaceport evironmental assessment is officially released.
• Armadillo is detouring their rocket to build a vehicle for the Lunar Lander contest.
• XP Cup will host two space elevator challenges.
• Richard Branson talks about trips to the Moon.
• More about Virgin Galactic.
• India is very proud of their space program.
• NASA is testing a space drill.
• Jeff Foust says Ansari may fly to the ISS before Charles Simonyi.
• The X-Prize Foundation will be releasing some marketing viral videos.

New Mars Space Suit

Dateline May 5, 2006, Space News from the Internet

• In Burt Rutan's speech at the ISDC 2006, he says NASA needs "a technological breakthrough in spacecraft design that would make it affordable and safe to send humans anywhere in the solar system." That is why Mark Whittington favors a lunar version of COTS. Hey me too! Here is more on Burt Rutan's speech. And even more. Here is Alan Boyles take.
• Clark Lindsey ISDC 2006 page is getting big. Go check it out.
• Jon Goff has notes from the Space Access 06 conference. Day 1 and Day 2 part 1.
• Constellation Services has made an agreement with Space Adventures to send cargo up with ISS tourists (so they can eat better food, I assume).
• Space.com has a lot of stuff on the ISDC 2006 as well. Burt Rutan's talk. Elon Musk's talk.
• Michael Belfiore has his tour of SpaceX up.
• The Lunar Lander contest is official. The X-Prize Foundation and NASA are officially offering $2.5 million for a lunar lander analog with two phases. The first contest will be in October at the X-Prize Cup in New Mexico.
• The Florida space agency was approved yesterday.
• Florida Today is unhappy with the cuts to the state space budget, from $50 million down to $43 million.
• Anousheh Ansari is officially the backup to Daisuke Enomoto, the next ISS tourist. I believe that makes here next on the list after him. She will be the first female space tourist.

The Lunar Lander Contest

Dateline May 4, 2006, Space News from the Internet

• Alan Boyle tours the SpaceX rocket factory.
• NASA is getting ready for tank testing for STS-121.
• Suborbital operators need to gauge radiation exposure for informed consent.
• Jack Kennedy has news of a Spaceport DVD coming from the Futures Channel.
• The X-Prize Foundation is setting up at New Mexico State University.
• RLV News will have notes from ISDC 2006 as it happens.
• The American Small Business League is suing NASA over fraudulent contract data.
• NASA is taking proposals to for educational programs.

Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Site of ISDC 2006

Dateline May 3, 2006, Space News from the Internet

• NASA has extended Boeing's contract to support the ISS.
• NASA has announced the covering ISDC 2006 this weekend live.
• A new cook on science and spirituality from some of Carl Sagan's lectures is coming out this November.
• Asteroid 2006 HZ51, at 800 meters in diameter, is the newest big asteroid that could smash into us. I has a 1 in 6 million chance of impacting the Earth in 2008 an 164 chances after that. It is likely that after more observations the chances will become zero. The important thing here is, there is nothing we could do a bout strike two years out. Scary isn't it?
• New Horizon is about to open its eyes.
• RLV News has an interview with Peter Kokh of the Moon Miner's Man Manifesto. He is part of the temporary conversion of the Mars Analog base in Utah to a lunar analog base.
• The X Prize Foundation is annoucing a new Centennial Challenge with NASA at ISDC 2006.
• New Mexico's Spaceport construction is underway. Infrastructure is being laid down and the spaceports design is being finished up.
• ISS Expedition 13 is going to test mini-sats, satellites the size of a volleyball.

The Beginnings of the New Mexico Spaceport

Dateline May 2, 2006, Space News from the Internet

• Alan Stern gives an update of status and plans of the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. Turns out it will be going thru the Trojan region near Neptune in 2014. The Trojan region is a pocket of ancient planetoids that we have only recently begun to discover. They have also doubled their data rates by using their redundant transmitters simultaneously. Exciting stuff.
• Discovery is being moved to the assembly building in Kennedy where it will be attached to the ET and SRBs. STS-121 has a launch window of July 1 - 19.
• MSFC is studying meteoroid impact on the Moon to see how safe moon bases will be.
• ESA researchers are at Concordia research station, located high on the Antarctic plateau for nine months to prepare for Mars missions as part of the Aurora program.
• The director of KSC is retiring.
• Harrison Schmitt and Jim Wetherbee will be at a free, open forum on human spaceflight on May 10. If you are in the area, go check it out.
• STS-121 appears to be on schedule for both shuttles.
• A summary of the space exploration workshop last weekend.
• The Arthur C. Clark Greenhouse woke up. There is a webcam, for those interested.

Eileen Collins with her Daughter

Dateline May 1, 2006, Space News from the Internet

• Space Review is out:
• Eric Hedman talks about a different way to implement the VSE
• Sam Dinkin gets more publicity for Spaceshot.com (not that I blame him...)
• Dwayne A. Day debunks the $1 million space pen myth
• Taylor Dinerman bios the new man at Ames, Pete Worden.
• Jeff Foust wraps it up with a discussion of the Space Frontier Foundations Teachers in Space program.
• Dennis Wingo discusses Dr Marburger's recent speech and the economics of space exploration. (Dennis received his degree from UAH, where I am currently pursuing my PhD. Small world and all that -djs) Jeff Foust comments.
• NASA's Exploration Workshop ended Friday. ComSpace has some presentations.
• New Horizons has reached the 100 day mark and is out past Mars
• Burt Rutan tells some kids in Mojave about SS2 and how he doesn't want to live in New Mexico
• NASA is going to launch with the Shuttle ET as is. MSFC doesn't think that is a good idea.
• Eileen Collins is retiring from NASA
• The NY Times is upset about Congressional pork and NASA
• ISDC 2006 starts on May 4. I wish I could go, but my kids are starting school this week and My son's birthday is in the middle of the conference. I will be at next years ISDC, though.
• Director Griffin is suddenly gung-ho on the COTS program. I just can't figure him out.
• The May NewSpace News is out.
• The People's Daily reports that China and the US may cooperate on lunar probes.
• John Strickland, Jr. puts his two cents in on the VSE

New Horizons Probe

Press Release from Mars Drive

MarsDrive presenting at the 2006 International Space Development
Conference MarsDrive would like to announce that it will be presenting
during the upcoming ISDC 2006 conference in Los Angeles. The goal of these
presentations is to introduce the Consortiums vision and mission as well as to
continue to increase public interest and support for space exploration
initiatives.

There will be two presentations given by MarsDrive staff members:

“The Drive to Mars” – Regan Walker, American Director.
3:00pm to 3:30pm

“Reaching Mars for Less” – Grant Bonin, Missions Director
3:30pm to 4:00pm

Thursday May 4th – Space Science Track- Salon 115 (E2)

Any interested media or space news members are invited to these sessions and if you would like to meet with MarsDrive staff members to find out just what we are all about and the finer details on what we are doing then this will be your chance at ISDC 2006. You can contact us for an interview via email at info@marsdrive.com or catch up with us during the conference.

We at MarsDrive view the space community and the general public at large as a tremendous source of knowledge and ingenuity. Through this conference and many like it, we seek to harness those traits for the advancement of not only MarsDrive, but of all individuals and groups who believe there is great benefit for mankind in the exploration and colonization
of Mars.

Please visit http://www.marsdrive.com/ to learn more about our
organization and partners.