Top Stories of 2009

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Space Solar Power Study

Here is the formal press release:


New Space Solar Power Organization Announced

The Space Solar Alliance for Future Energy
Will Pursue Recommendations of New NSSO-Led Study


Study Concludes Space Solar Power Could Deliver Clean, Renewable Energy for Planet,
But Requires a Coordinated National Program of Investment


Wednesday, October 10, 2007: The Space Solar Alliance for Future Energy (SSAFE), a new organization advocating investment in space-based solar power technologies to address the planet's future energy needs, was announced today at the National Press Club.

The coalition of thirteen leading research organizations and space advocacy groups focused their inaugural event on the announcement of a new study of space-based solar power led by the National Security Space Office (NSSO).

The study concludes that space-based solar power deserves substantial national investment as a path towards addressing America's future energy needs via a renewable energy source with no carbon emissions or hazardous waste. In the Space Solar Power concept, developed in the late nineteen-sixties by Dr. Peter Glaser, energy from sunlight is collected in space and transmitted wirelessly for use on Earth.

Mark Hopkins, Senior Vice President of the National Space Society, stated, "As the United States makes decisions now to answer the energy challenges of the next 50 years, space-based solar power must be a part of the answer. While the technical challenges are real, significant investment now can build Space Solar Power into the ultimate energy source: clean, green, renewable, and capable of providing the vast amounts of power that the world will need. Congress, federal agencies and the business community should begin that investment immediately."

The new Space Solar Alliance for Future Energy (SSAFE) will promote the findings of the NSSO-led study, and seek to communicate the benefits of the technology to business, government and the general public.

According to Air Force Colonel-Select M.V. 'Coyote' Smith, the leader of the study, "When we started this work I had my doubts about the technology. But as the facts poured in, it became obvious that my initial assessment was wrong. Not only is this possible, but space-based solar power is probably the greatest opportunity to develop a safe, clean source of energy that can readily be shared with all of humanity."


The founding members of SSAFE are the National Space Society, Space Frontier Foundation, Space Power Association, Aerospace Technology Working Group, Marshall Institute, Moon Society, ShareSpace Foundation, Space Studies Institute, Spaceward Foundation, AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee, ProSpace, Space Enterprise Council, and Space Generation Foundation.


###

Editors:

Still images of a space solar power system created for today's announcement are available at:

http://www.nss.org/settlement/ssp/mafic.htm


Video animations in NTSC and HD are available upon request. Email: katherine.brick@nss.org


The NSSO-led study will be made available at:


http://ssp.space-frontier.org


New National Space Society white paper on Space Solar Power:

http://www.nss.org/legislative/positions/NSS-SSP-PositionPaper.pdf


The website of the new Space Solar Alliance for Future Energy is:

http://ssafe.org/



SSAFE Founding Organizations and Contacts:



National Space Society
http://nss.org
Mark Hopkins, Senior Vice President
loby4space@aol.com
310-775-3546

Space Studies Institute
http://ssi.org
Lee Valentine, Executive Vice President
lee@ssi.org
412-418-0177

Space Enterprise Council
http://www.uschamber.com/space
David Logsdon, Executive Director
dlogsdon@uschamber.com
202-463-5332

Aerospace Technology Working Group
http://www.atwg.org/
Ken Cox
kcox12@houston.rr.com
281-728-3072


Space Frontier Foundation
http://space-frontier.org
Margo Deckard, Space Solar Power Project Manager
mardeckard@aol.com
937-367-8737

Marshall Institute
http://marshall.org/
Jeff Kueter, President
kueter@marshall.org
202.296.9655

Moon Society
http://www.moonsociety.org/
Peter Kokh, President
KokhMMM@aol.com
414-342-0705

ProSpace
http://prospace.org
Frank Johnson, President
fjohnson3@gmail.com
240-460-8578


Space Generation Foundation
http://www.spacegeneration.org/
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, President
loretta@spacegen.org
626-429-6603

Space Power Association
http://www.spacepowerassociation.org
John Mankins, President
sunsat@spacepowerassociation.org
703-858-1574

Spaceward Foundation
http://spaceward.org
Ben Shelef, Co-founder ben@spaceward.org
650-969-2010

ShareSpace Foundation
http://sharespace.org
Lisa Cannon
lcannon@buzzaldrin.com
310-458-4717

AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee
http://www.aiaa.org/portal/index.cfm?GetComm=195&tc=tc
Klaus Heiss, Chairman
klaus.Heiss@verizon.net
703-535-8774

The 50th Anniversary of the Space Age

Today is the 50th anniversary of the space age when the world heard the beep beep of Sputnik.

SpaceX Releases Demo Flight 2 Review

SpaceX has released a pdf file of the Demo Flight 2 Review from March 20, 2007.

Quantum Communications

Researchers have sent a cryptographic key 144km (~90 miles) using spooky interaction between entangled quantum particles. This could enable instantaneous communications across the vastness of space.

Bill Richardson on Space

The Democratic presidential candidate and Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, spoke to a group of space professionals in Washington last month. He said space is a "a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity" and that he would use the Spaceport America model for his national space policy. He is the only Democratic candidate I would consider voting for, mostly for his views on space.

New Space Carnival 5

New Space Carnival 5 is up.

Carnival of Space IV

The Carnival of Space IV is up.

Genesis II Launch Moved to Late June

This just from Bigelow Aerospace:


Las Vegas, NV 05/17/07 – Bigelow Aerospace has been informed by its launch provider ISC Kosmotras (“Kosmotras”) that additional testing of the Dnepr rocket and its ground equipment is being required by Russian authorities.

Due to last year’s Dnepr failure, these new and additional tests have been requested to identify any remaining issues with the system and enhance the overall chances of achieving our primary objective of mission success. Unfortunately, these procedures will create an additional four week delay. We now expect the launch of Genesis II to occur in late June.

Again, no one likes launch delays and we wish the situation were otherwise. However, we experienced similar delays on the Genesis I campaign and, of course, were quite pleased with the end result. Moreover, since Genesis II contains a variety of important mementos, photos, and other personal items as part of our pilot “Fly Your Stuff” program, both Kosmotras and Bigelow Aerospace are proceeding with great caution in order to safely and successfully deliver the spacecraft to orbit.

The path to space has never been and will never be simple or easy. However, whether it’s Genesis II or the ongoing work with our future spacecraft Galaxy and Sundancer, we at Bigelow Aerospace are dedicating ourselves to building the foundation for a brighter future, and we hope that all of you will continue to share in the adventure.

Sharper Image to Sell Zero-G Flights

Sharper Image has signed an agreement with Zero-G to sell tickets to public flights. Zero-G is the only FAA approved public supplier of "weightless" flights.

[update 12:07 pm CST: Had the wrong link. Fixed now -djs]

Boeing to Bid on the CLV Upper Stage

Boeing is leading a team hopping to build the upper stage for the CLV.

Space Access 2007

If you didn't know, Space Access 2007 has been going on this week. There are several bloggers there, including:

http://www.transterrestrial.com/
http://spacepolitics.com/
http://www.hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2007/03/space-access-07-introduction.html

Some neat stuff going on...

New Mexico Spaceport to Cost Less

New Mexico's Spaceport America is coming in below estimates. Early estimates were $225 million and the number now looks to be closer to $195 million with $3.96 million having already been spent.

Nowak to Face Trial as Early as July

Former astronaut Lisa Nowak, who was arrested on charges of attempted kidnapping of a romantic rival, could face trail as early as July. The trial will be set in Florida, where Nowak confronted her "rival" for the affections of another astronaut. The State Attorney's office said the trial has been scheduled for July 30 and should last two weeks.

What Can the Next President Do?

Mark Whittingham has some ideas in today's Associated Content.

Atlas Launch Tonight

There is a night launch of an Atlas tonight. The launch is of a STP-1, an Air Force program to launch 7 separate satellites and test the Orbital Express in-space refueling system.

Space Review is Out

New Space Review:

Death throes and grand delusions
If you believe the Russian space company Energia, it has grand plans to industrialize the Moon and harvest helium-3. Such statements, Dwayne Day argues, are symptoms of deeper problems with both the company and Russian space policy.Monday, March 5, 2007

Current issues in NewSpace
Many of the concerns facing the entrepreneurial space industry have shifted over the years as markets have emerged and regulatory barriers overcome. Jeff Foust reports on what those in the industry see as some of the key issues now facing emerging space companies.Monday, March 5, 2007

So that’s what they mean by sustainable and affordable
Recent documents suggest that NASA is planning to launch only a couple Orion spacecraft a year for the indefinite future. Taylor Dinerman argues that this makes international and commercial partners critical to the long-term success of the Vision.Monday, March 5, 2007

Space program co-ops and Astronaut Farmer
In a movie, Charles Farmer assembles an orbital rocket in his barn to fulfill a lifelong dream. Sam Dinkin reviews the real-life history of personal efforts to go to space.Monday, March 5, 2007

A plea to those who are passionate about human spaceflight
It’s one thing to say that the space community needs to educate and reach out to the public. However, Chris Carberry says that the community itself needs to do more political work to ensure a bright future for space exploration.Monday, March 5, 2007

Dateline October 10, 2006: Space News from the Internet

New Space News

• Bigelow is selling advertising on the Genesis II, due to launch early next year.
• John Goff has some thoughts on space tugs and cryo fuels in space.

NASA News

• NASA is planning the first flight test of the Ares I in 2009.
• NASA is developing two versions of the J-2X engine.
• It looks like NASA is doing studies of what would make them more exciting to the public. About time if you ask me. Of course they could save the trouble and actually do some stuff. Clark has some thoughts as well.
• I got to agree with Mike Griffin on the ISS, much as I would like to chunk it into the Sun.

International Space News

• Russia is working on a space tug, Parom.

Astronomy News

• Hubble has (indirectly) shown that planets do in fact form from discs (well maybe...)
• Black hole jets appear to be made of protons and electrons. The jets observed by Swift contain about the mass of Jupiter if it were pulverized and blasted out into intergalactic space. (cool, huh?)
• "Space Scientists" never seize to amaze me. Now they are complaining about our new space policy being unilateral. Its our space policy, we can't plan the rest of the world.