This is the archive for February 2007
Stephen Hawking going parabolic [Update]
This April 26th, Stephen Hawking will take a ride on a
Zero Gravity Corp. micro-gravity aircraft flight:
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Stephen Hawking Plans Prelude to the Ride of His Life - New York Times
*
Stephen Hawking to go weightless in April: Zero-gravity airplane flight could set the stage for space trip to come - MSNBC.com
He will have a "medical entourage" monitoring him during the flight. I would expect the zero-g part to go well but I wonder how he will deal with the high-g at the bottom of each parabola. With his weakened muscles, it seems like he might have trouble breathing .
If it does go well, he will consider a suborbital spaceflight when commercial operations start.
Dr. Hawking says he wants to encourage public interest in spaceflight, which he believes is critical to the future of humanity.
Ad Astra, Stephen!
[Update Mar.1.07: Zero-Gravity Corporation press release:
Professor Stephen Hawking to Experience Weightlessness Aboard Zero-Gravity Flight Out of Kennedy Space Center on April 26, 2007 - SpaceRef/Zero Gravity Corp.]
Briefs: New spaceports; Launch Mag; Space business news
More spaceports in development:
Russia and South Korea plan home-grown launch pads - New Scientist - Feb.28.07. Maybe
C&Space could do tourist flights from the one in South Korea.
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Dick Stafford reviews the latest issue of Launch Magazine:
LAUNCH Magazine, March/April 2007 - Dick's Rocket Dungeon. It includes
an article by James Oberg about future space tourism flights from South America.
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Check out the
Milbank Space Business Review Newsletter (via
Jesse Londin).
02/28/07 07:16 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Ares I/Orion delay
Griffin says the first operational flight of Ares I/Orion will be delayed 4-6 months because of the current budget shortfall. I'm impressed that NASA can predict such an event 8 years from now to a precision of a couple of months. (Of course, there is a big difference between precision and accuracy):
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Griffin: Budget cuts will delay Orion to 2015 - Florida Today
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Budget crunch to delay NASA's new moon ship - Houston Chronicle
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Testimony of Michael Griffin - Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences - SpaceRef
Griffin briefly mentions COTS and Centennial Challenges in his written testimony but I don't see anything new.
Briefs: TeamVision review; Sea Launch pad; ISS bad day scenarios
A review of the
TeamVision alternative to NASA's current Ares/Orion architecture:
TeamVision (Part 1) - Chair Force Engineer - Feb.27.07
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Photos of the
Sea Launch platform after the rocket explosion:
Sea Launch Platform Survives Sat-Launch Blast - Popular Mechanics
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I wonder if this new list of potential ISS catastrophes includes funding cuts:
Reports outlines ISS risks - spacetoday.net - Feb.28.07
02/28/07 07:15 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Briefs: Ride ads to space; Brazoria spaceless; More Astro Farmer views
Benjamin Riecken is attempting to raise money for a suborbital spaceflight ride by selling ad space on a display grid at his
My Trip in Space web site. He joins Michael Halls-Moore who opened a similar grid ad site at
BuyMeToTheStars.com last fall.
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The Brazoria, Texas spaceport looks down for the count:
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A spaceport's failure to launch - Personal Spaceflight
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Brazoria County pulls plug on spaceport plans - Houston Chronicle
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County votes to terminate Spaceport - The Facts - Feb.28.07
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More reviews of the
Astronaut Farmer from two spacers:
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The Dream Isn't Over - Chair Force Engineer
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Astronaut Farmer - The Unrealistic Bits - Rocketforge.org
02/28/07 06:17 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Briefs: NASA manned space relevance; Learning from the X-20
Some questions about the viability of NASA's manned space program after commercial orbital spaceflight begins:
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Getting out of the Business - Chair Force Engineer
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Anachronism? - Transterrestrial Musings
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The Chair Force Engineer also offers some interesting speculation on how the
X-20 might have saved the government a lot of money in the long run if it had been built and taught NASA a lot of lessons on RLV development before the Shuttle program was started:
Path of the DynaSoar - CFE - Feb.20.07.
02/27/07 11:13 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NASA
1 comment | Permalink |
Atlantis ET damaged by hail [Update]
The Shuttle Atlantis External Tank has suffered some damage during a hail storm on Monday. The March launch may have to be delayed till April:
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NASA examines Atlantis fuel tank foam for hail damage - Spaceflight Now - includes a picture of the ET foam damage
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NASA Eyes Fuel Tank Damage for March Shuttle Launch - Space.com
[Update: Atlantis will return to the VAB for repairs. It's flight will be delayed till late April or early May:
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Atlantis to Roll Back - NASA
*
Hail damage to Atlantis and ET - ROLLBACK - NASASpaceflight.com
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NASA: Atlantis Shuttle Launch Delayed to Late April After Storm - SPACE.com
]
02/27/07 10:43 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Shuttle
1 comment | Permalink |
Briefs: No space for Brazoria; Testing SS2; Forget the exciting stuff [Update]
Looks like the effort to develop a
spaceport in Brazoria, Texas won't get off the ground:
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Plans for Angleton space facility are at risk - Houston Chronicle - Feb.26.07
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County spaceport effort likely over - TheFacts.com - Feb.23.07
[Update: Dick Stafford also comments on the project:
Brazoria went small - Dick's Rocket Dungeon]
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Rand Simberg
comments on test flight rates for the SS2.
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I'm sure a great way to get more young people to pursue automotive engineering careers would be to tell them to ignore that auto racing nonsense and those sports cars for the elite and focus instead on the goal of improving 4-door sedans for the good of humanity:
What is common was once elite - Personal Spaceflight - Feb.27.07.
02/27/07 09:13 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
NASA and inflatable habitat development
Bigelow Aerospace recently
revealed that it was proposing to NASA the use of BA inflatable modules for NASA's lunar bases. The agency is also doing inflatable lunar habitat development with
ILC Dover, which has delivered a full scale prototype to NASA Langley for evaluation :
Camping on the Moon Will Be One Far Out Experience - NASA - Feb.23.07. See
Dover's Space Exploration Technology section. NASA and NSF are also planning to test an inflatable habitat in Antarctica.
02/27/07 08:52 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
8 comments | Permalink |
More on SpaceX and RpK progress
In the latest print issue of Space News, Brian Berger has an article about the recent announcement from NASA that
SpaceX and
Rocketplane Kistler have successfully
fulfilled their COTS milestone requirements so far. He contacted the two companies and got some additional info.
SpaceX:
* has "built a structural engineering model of the Dragon capsule"
* made the
Dragon's "heat shield support structure and nose cone" plus some other components
* currently assembling a Falcon 9 first stage;
* the first stage should be finished structurally, i.e. less the engines and internal plumbing, by end of March
* has test fired the upgraded
Merlin 1C engine dozens of times
* hoping to launch the Falcon 1 in mid-March
* First Falcon 9 demo flight in September 2008
RpK:
* raised $45M last fall and they are making progress towards an unspecified financial milestone in May
* is nearing completion of an agreement with NASA to use the Michoud facility in New Orleans to build the
K-1 and the cargo module for it.
* some K-1 components have been in storage at Michoud for several years. Other hardware will need to be shipped there.
* plans "to have the K-1 first stage assembled by September, followed sometime later by the second stage.
* After checking out the full system with both stages together, it will be partially disassembled and flown "to Australia in time for a mid- to late-2008 launch"
* First COTS demo flight in 2009
Briefs: SS3 and SS4; Zero-G NASA bid; DARPA space projects
Flight International has some new spaceflight related artices:
Whitehorn seems to
disagree with NASA about the agency buying tickets for astronaut training rides on SS2.
NASA plans to hitch a lift on SpaceShipTwo-27/02/2007-Flight International.
Whitehorn says two generations of vehicles after SpaceShipTwo program are being considered:
* SS3 - orbital passenger flights
* SS4 - deliver satellites to orbit
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Despite the restrictions,
Zero-G is still planning to bid for NASA's micro-gravity aircraft flight service:
NASA to outsource zero-gravity flight testing - Flight International
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DARPA has several rocket/space related items on its menu:
Rocket power tops DARPA's wishlist -20/02/2007-Washington DC-Flight International. These include:
* Demo of a "high-altitude, long-endurance UAV that can be rocket-deployed from the USA to provide rapid-reaction surveillance anywhere in the world".
* Lockheed Martin Falcon hypersonic test vehicle.
* "NanoPayload Delivery, to validate the feasibility of launching 1-10kg satellites to low-Earth orbit at short notice, possibly using modified air-to-air missiles fired from fighters."
* "Tiny, Independent, Coordinating Spacecraft programme to demonstrate difficult-to-detect robotic nanosatellites able to inspect other spacecraft in orbit"
02/26/07 12:22 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Space transport talk; Soyuz in French Guiana; Iran in space
The Space Show this
week is filled with guests who will discuss space transport related topics. Starts tonight with an interview with Lee Valentine and then continues the rest of the week with reps from TeamVision and Boeing, three veterans of Apollo, and finally Jim Benson. The
schedule is posted on my other blog.
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It's interesting that Russia will launch rockets from a spaceport owned by Europe and perhaps at the same time have its
military rockets pointed at Europe:
Official opening of the Soyuz launch base construction site in French Guiana - ESA - Feb.26.07.
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Iran points one of its missiles upwards for a suborbital spaceflight:
Report: Iran launches rocket into space - spacetoday.net - Feb.25.07.
Doesn't seem to prove a whole lot about either their military or civilian rocket capabilities. I wonder, though, what the US and world response would be if Iran or some other developing country flew a reusable suborbital space vehicle?
02/26/07 11:55 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
The Space Review this week
The latest issue of
the Space Review includes:
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Review: The Astronaut Farmer - Jeff Foust gives his view of the new space movie.
*
Moving beyond science - Gregory Anderson argues that moving into space involves more issues than just science.
*
A new hope for export control reform? - Jeff Foust reports on renewed efforts in the new Congress to reform export controls on space related technologies
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International community skeptical of US claims of asteroid "threat" - Taylor Dinerman reports on a sober and serious global response to an Apophis asteroid impact warning. [
Editor’s Note: The previous comment is a work of satire.]
*
Review: The Man Who Ran the Moon - Eve Lichtgarn reviews a book about the first administrator of NASA:
The Man Who Ran the Moon: James E. Webb, NASA, and the Secret History of Project Apollo By Piers Bizony. I wasn't aware that Webb had emphasized "progressive concepts designed to cross-pollinate universities, government and the private sector". I bet he would have been keen to take advantage of the new commercial suborbital RLVs for both NASA science and for student projects.
02/26/07 08:55 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Virigin Galactic/SS2 update
Leonard David provides an update on the status of the SpaceShipTwo project, Virgin Galactic, and the Mojave and New Mexico spaceports where the SS2 will initially will operate:
Virgin Galactic Spaceliner Steps Forward - Space News/Space.com - Feb.26.07.
At present, Virgin Galactic has $20 million in deposits, said Will Whitehorn, the company’s president. “We just surpassed the 200-customer level in terms of people who have actually made a financial commitment, put their money down and signed their contracts,” Whitehorn said.
Space travel registrations on the Virgin Galactic Internet Web site, number about 82,000 expressions of interest, Whitehorn said. “Those registrations are genuine … with quite a number prepared to sign in the next three or four years. But they do want to see a finished spaceship before they are prepared to commit. I don’t blame them for that. We’re hoping to have a working spaceship that’s actually commencing spaceflight in its test mode by the middle of 2008.”
They plan to do more than 100 test flights. Whitehorn
estimated the first commercial flights will occur by the end of 2009 and possibly sooner if the planned trial runs prove to be trouble-free.
02/26/07 07:48 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Transport Companies
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Colonizing blog; Rocketry videos; Astro Farmer;
Check out Darnell Clayton's
Colony Worlds weblog , which focuses on "reasonable ways to colonize our Solar System".
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Via
Dick Stafford comes a pointer to a big set of rocketry videos:
YouTube - RocketStage.
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An update on
The Astronaut Farmer debut in my
Space-for-All blog.
02/26/07 12:04 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
The wide, snowy spaces
Back from a weekend in beautiful
Canaan Valley, West Virginia, where we left behind some tracks in the deep snow:
We haven't cross-country skied since we left Sweden back in 2000 but took up right where we left off.
Kerima zipped along just fine and I only fell over my usual dozen times or so. I even managed
to keep us from getting lost without using a GPS. (The fact that the lodge was often in view had nothing to do with it.)
02/25/07 10:55 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
Taking a break...
Heading for the West Virginia hills to do some cross-country skiing. No more posting till Sunday night at the earliest. Here are some last minute items:
Spacetoday.net has lots of links to reviews of '
The Astronaut Farmer'. At a glance, there seems to be more negative than positive ones but there are definitely many of the latter. The premise of building a Mercury rocket in a barn is silly but I hope the movie at least boosts the meme among the general public that private space development is a good thing.
Here is Robert Pearlman's review:
Film Review - The Dream is Alive: 'The Astronaut Farmer' - SPACE.com
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An update on the next paying passenger to the ISS:
Charles Simonyi: Next Space Tourist Has Spacesuit, Will Travel - SPACE.com - Feb.23.07
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NASA Watch offers videos about the development of the GeneSat-1 project:
Today's NASA YouTube Feature: The GeneSat-1 Journey - NASA Watch
02/23/07 10:43 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
New Mexico funding cut for the X Prize Cup
I just got the following message. Probably not effective for people outside of New Mexico to push on NM legislators but certainly if you live in NM your support could make a difference:
All....we are at a critical point with the
X PRIZE CUP. We need a mass calling campaign starting tomorrow morning! Our messages of support for the X PRIZE and Spaceport America must get in before NOON tomorrow or we are in danger of loosing everything we have been fighting for! Please contact everyone you know who believes in what we are trying to accomplish. I will be on the phone at 8 in the morning. Please join me....here's what you need to know:
The Governor had pushed for $1 million to be allocated for assistance in producing the X PRIZE Cup this year. That money has been removed by an unknown senator. In order for us to have those appropriations returned to the legislation we need "all hands on deck" to call Senate Minority Leader Lee Rawson 505-986-4703 and promote their support of our event. Please also contact Senator Tim Jennings (D), Co-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and ask that he help convince Sen. Rawson to add back the $1 million originally proposed. This money is crucial to our ability to produce the "space" portion of this show. Without the state's support we are in jeopardy of loosing major assets of content.
Short Speaking points:
1. Education Program. Last year over 8,000 school kids from all over NM where bussed in for the event. Astronauts, engineers and the Governor entertained the classes.
02/23/07 12:43 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Events
4 comments | Permalink |
Commercial space progress - getting too obvious to ignore
So, lets see, we have:
* Bigelow building and orbiting sophisticated habitat modules not only for large scale LEO operations but also for
L1 and lunar bases.
* Two COTS contractors
meeting milestones towards development of low cost LEO space transport.
* Lockheed-Martin also
saying that its Atlas V can provide manned flights to orbit without any of those infamous Black Zones that NASA said precluded using it.
* A
dozen or so companies perfecting robust RLV technologies by building suborbital spaceflight vehicles. They will also nurture and expand the space tourism market far beyond the current ISS program.
So why again is NASA spending its limited number of tens of billions of dollars to build Ares I/V and Orion? Wouldn't it be far more cost effective to spend an extra billion or two to bolster and accelerate the progress displayed in the above list? Why not also shift some of those billions to NASA's great R&D facilities so they can focus on development of the many technologies needed to make space travel and settlement practical? Technologies like space tugs, orbiting fuel depots, artificial gravity via rotating structures, in situ utilization of materials on the Moon and asteroids, low mass radiation protection, advanced propulsion systems for faster travel to Mars, etc., etc. And a few of those freed up billions could go to space science missions and to education.
I know we've been over this many times but now real commercial hardware alternatives are starting to appear. It's still not too late for NASA to change course.
Could space debris clearing become a business?
Yet another mess in space:
Rocket explosion creates dangerous space junk - New Scientist - Feb.22.07.
Speaking of commercialization, how about a bounty system that rewards companies that use space tugs to retrieve small pieces of space junk and/or attach tethers or other high drag inducing devices to the larger pieces? The tugs, presumably using electric propulsion, would be refueled at an orbiting depot of some sort.
02/22/07 11:41 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category In Space Transport
4 comments | Permalink |
Maglevs in China
China also is looking at exotic propulsion schemes:
Maglev launch assist technology may enable commercial space travel - Physorg.com - Feb.21.07 (via
Curmudgeons Corner).
I have big doubts about catapult types of systems for launching from earth ever being practical but maglevs could certainly be useful someday at a Bigelow Moon base:
Mass Drivers - SSI
02/22/07 11:31 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Exotic Transport
No comments | Permalink |
Raising hurdles to commercial services for NASA
Keith Cowing comments on the apparent efforts by NASA to make it as hard as possible for commercial companies to provide parabolic microgravity aircraft flights and protect its own
internal program:
Making Commercialization More Difficult - Instead of Easier - at NASA - NASA Watch - Feb.22.07.
Zero-G has been trying to get the NASA microgravity flight business for years.
02/22/07 11:09 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NASA
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Time NewSpace review; New Space Adventures; Space tourism treasure hunt
Here's a long article in Time Magazine about
NewSpace developments:
The Space Cowboys - Time - Feb. 22.07.
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BTW: someone pointed out that the
Space Adventures website has had a spiffy new makeover.
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I've mentioned
Galaxy32.com before but it seems like their site has also gotten more elaborate since I first visited them. They are sponsoring an on line treasure hunt game in which the grand prize is a suborbital spaceflight ride. This game is free to play with no registration.
02/22/07 10:26 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NewSpace Industry
No comments | Permalink |
Progress towards Nova Scotia spaceport
Via the
Spaceports blog comes word that
PlanetSpace may obtain the land for its launch facility in Nova Scotia by June:
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PlanetSpace chair says deal is imminent - The Cape Breton Post
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Wanted: A place to launch a rocket - The ChronicleHerald.ca
02/22/07 10:14 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Spaceports
No comments | Permalink |
Bigelow reveals big time lunar plans
Robert Bigelow talked with Alan Boyle about Bigelow Areospace's plans to use their inflatable modules to assemble a multi-habitat complex at the
L1 point in the Earth-Moon system and then placing the complex on the lunar surface as a one piece Moon base:
Bigelow shoots for the moon - Cosmic Log - Feb.22.07.
Bigelow says that once the complex is assembled at L1, the
propulsion systems are full of fuel, and they are integrated into the overall structure in such a way that the entire structure lands as a unified base – which essentially was once a spaceship in L1, but is landed on the surface of the moon.
The habitats would then be covered with regolith for radiation and micro-meteorite protection. They have a unique method under development for moving the regolith that they will describe in detail at a later time.
The Bigelow L1/Lunar projects would be in cooperation with NASA but the agency is talking about a 2020 time frame for a lunar base. It sounds like Bigelow could be looking at an accelerated time scale. The first Sundancer and Galaxy habitats will be launched by 2010 and then he says the company would
start assembly of our first commercial space complex in 2010, 2011, 2012. By 2012, we should have two habitable modules in orbit, and one large propulsion and power system.
That will constitute the beginning of our opportunity. If we can do that, I would say that’s an exercise that’s applicable to the L1 scenario.
(Item via
Jon Goff.)
02/22/07 09:03 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
3 comments | Permalink |
More lunar exploration and development discussion
Buzz Aldrin and Taylor Dinerman laud the benefits of lunar exploration and development:
Let's Go Back to the Moon - Pajamas Media - Feb.21.07
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Leonard David reports on the recent 2007 Space Technology and Applications International Forum in which lunar utilization was a topic:
SPACE.com -- Jazzing Up Lunar Exploration Plans.
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Rand Simberg issues a
False Choice Alert.
02/22/07 09:23 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category The Moon
No comments | Permalink |
Orion in Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics has an article, with lots of great graphics, about the Ares I/Orion system and NASA's lunar exploration plans:
NASA's Mission to the Moon: How We'll Go Back - and Stay This Time - Popular Mechanics - March.07 issue (via
Futuresheet). Their are several side panels including an
interview with Rand Simberg from last year about Orion and NASA's exploration program.
More about the NASA/Virgin Galactic agreement
NASA is certainly making some progress towards becoming a more commercial spaceflight friendly and helpful organization but it certainly hasn't transformed itself into a new
NACA for the spaceflight industry. Apparently alarmed at some of the press reports, the agency had to make it very clear that the
agreement with Virgin Galactic is a very limited one and definitely does not include using the SS2 to train astronauts:
NASA Provides Additional Information on Agreement With Virgin Galactic - NASA - Feb.21.07.
Alan Boyle provides further info about the NASA/VG partnership:
Space worlds collide - Cosmic Log - Feb.21.07
02/21/07 11:14 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NewSpace Industry
2 comments | Permalink |
Space Exploration 2007 (SEC 2007)
The
Second International Conference and Exposition on Science, Engineering and Habitation in Space and the Second Biennial Space Elevator Workshop will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from Sunday, March 25 to Wednesday, 28 March 2007. I was informed today about the latest
Program Highlights and Schedule (MS DOC).
You can learn more about the meeting from the
interview earlier this week with conference coordinator Philip Richter on
the Space Show.
02/21/07 11:00 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Events
No comments | Permalink |
Virginia spaceflight liability legislation passes Senate
Jesse Londin reports that the
Spaceflight Immunity and Liability Act has taken a big step towards becoming Virginia law:
Virginia's Space Bill Passes Senate - Space Law Probe - Feb.21.07.
02/21/07 07:13 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Law and Regs
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Mealling and Masten interviews; Space tourism from UK
Michael Mealling of
Masten Space Systems is interviewed "about the similarities and differences between running an information technology startup and a space startup" :
The Andy Forbes Files.
Note that Michael and Dave Masten were also recently interviewed on
The Space Show.
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Virgin Galactic pushes the UK government to develop a regulatory regime to allow commercial passenger spaceflights from the British Isles:
MPs urged to back space tourism - BBC - Feb.21
02/21/07 02:33 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Ares V and space science; Ares emergency egress
Jeff Foust points out the iffy economics involved in using the Ares V for space science missions:
Heavy lift and space science - Space Politics - Feb.21.07 .
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Rand Simberg makes a similar argument:
Too Much For Too Little, Part 2 - Transterrestrial Musings
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NASA opens bidding for a contract to build an escape system for the Ares I that would be used when an emergency situation happens while it is still on the pad:
Ares $10 Million Emergency Egress System- Launchspace.com - Feb.21.07
02/21/07 02:26 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
NASA and VG to study point-to-point suborbital space travel [Update]
A reader points me to this article about
Virgin Galactic and NASA Ames collaborating on feasibility studies of point-to-point suborbital spaceflight:
Virgin Galactic and NASA to research hypersonic point to point travel - Flightglobal.com - Feb.21.07
[Update: Here is the press release from Ames:
NASA, Virgin Galactic, to Explore Future Cooperation - NASA Ames - Feb.21.07. I'll note that the agreement covers other areas in addition to hypersonic travel.]
Space Access '07 update
Latest update on the upcoming annual
Space Access Society meeting:
Space Access '07
March 22-24, Phoenix Arizona
Conference Information
Space Access '07 is just over a month away - time to book your flights and rooms, NOW. Rooms in particular! Our "space access" room block will be released for rental to outsiders March 1st, our hotel is sold out outside of our block, and nearby hotels are full or filling up fast. We strongly recommend making your arrangements this week, or you may end up paying more for your flights, paying more for your rooms, and having to commute into the conference anyway. Phoenix is a big cold-states tourist draw in late March, and baseball Spring Training in particular is filling up the hotels and flights. 'Nuff said...
SA'07 is at the Best Western Grace Inn, 10831 S 51st St in Phoenix Arizona, the same place as SA'06. We also have the same room rate as '06, despite our conference now being a month earlier in Phoenix's winter tourist "high season." Call the Grace Inn at 1 800 843-6010 for room reservations, and tell them you're attending "space access" for our $92.29 full American breakfast-included rate. (That's only $99 even after taxes.) The Grace Inn is ten miles from the Phoenix Airport in a pleasant suburban neighborhood, with shopping and dining a short walk away, free parking, and a free airport shuttle bus.
Confirmed presenters so far:
Andrews Space & Technology
Armadillo Aerospace/John Carmack
Jim Dunstan
FAA AST
Frontier Astronautics/Tim Bendel
Doug Griffith
ITAR Panel
Masten Space
NASA, Steve Cook, Ares Booster Development
NASA HQ, Ken Davidian, Centennial Challenges & ESMD Innovative Partnerships
Misuzu Onuki
Old Pueblo Instruments/Andrew Tubbiolo
Paragon Space/Kevin Sagis
PoliSpace/Jim Muncy
Pundit Panel, with Jeff Foust, Jon Goff, Rand Simberg, Henry Spencer
Rocketplane-Kistler
Kerry Scarlott
SpaceShot
SpeedUp/Bob Steinke
Unreasonable Rocket/Paul Breed
XCOR Aerospace
X Prize Cup
02/20/07 02:12 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Events
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: NASA budget and RLVs; NASA support; Space boosts NM [Update]
Jon Goff lists several problems he sees with NASA's vehicle development plans and lunar exploration architecture:
Thoughts on the NASA Budget - Selenian Boondocks. He also discusses what might have been a more productive alternate history for NASA RLV development:
A Path Not Taken - Selenian Boondocks.
[Update: Jon considers a range of possible consequences if NASA had gone with a small but very robust RLV design instead of the huge and extremely fragile Shuttle:
More on The Path Not Taken]
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On the other hand, planetary scientist Carolyn Porco is surprisingly positive about NASA's Ares vehicles and deep space exploration plans:
NASA Goes Deep - New York Times
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Daniel Schmelzer sees evidence that the private space projects in New Mexico are contributing to its economic development:
Via X Prize, Albuquerque Snags Tesla Motors - Carried Away - Feb.19.07
02/20/07 07:13 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
Rutgers Symposium on Lunar Settlements
Speaking of lunar projects,
Haym Benaroya at Rutgers asked me to remind everyone about the
Rutgers Symposium on Lunar Settlements, 3-8 June 2007, New Brunswick, NJ.
They would like to have all
abstracts (and registrations) in hand by mid-March.
02/20/07 12:10 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Events
No comments | Permalink |
Private lunar projects
Alan Boyle reports on potential private and commercial lunar projects:
Moon ventures could bring in good money: Experts explore commercial spinoffs from lunar exploration - MSNBC.com - Feb.19.07.
He mentions an effort by the
International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) to put a privately financed radio observatory on the Moon. The project is organized by
Space Age Publishing. More info is available at:
*
ILO - Space Age Publishing
*
SpaceDev’s ILO Mission - SpaceDev did a study of the ILO for Space Age Publishing
*
Slide presentation - SpaceDev
02/19/07 11:06 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category The Moon
2 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Ares IV view; Indian manned space; SRE-2 planned
Mark Wade has posted an item about the Ares I/Ares V combo:
Ares IV What? - Pausanias - Feb.19.07. He also gives his lunar exploration plan:
The Way Back - Pausanias - Feb.19.07.
---
India is moving towards a manned space program:
ISRO to send man into space - The Hindu - Feb.19.07
---
Following the
success of SRE-1, India plans a second test of a recoverable spacecraft:
India plans second SRE craft - Flight Int. - Feb.20.07
02/19/07 04:53 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
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ARCA test flight plans
ARCA has posted their
STABILO flight program (550kb-pdf) that leads to a manned suborbital spaceflight in 2009.
“The STABILO program was initiated at the end of 2005 and it will end in 2009. Basicaly, we will have two flights on each year. Right now we see for the STABILO system three main objectives:
- to teach us how to develop a reliable space tourism system
- to help EU not to loose contact with US advances on manned suborbital flight (Let's be honest: Europe is once again far behind US on manned spaceflight)
- to brake records, especially altitude records...I will say more on this after the following flight." - Dumitru Popescu, ARCA President
02/19/07 04:09 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Transport Companies
1 comment | Permalink |
Briefs: Ares I/Orion low ROI; Sea Launch repairs; Space books
Rand Simberg opens a discussion on the cost effectiveness, or lack thereof, for the Ares I/Orion system:
Too Little For Too Much - Transterrestrial Musings
---
The Sea Launch platform will probably go to Canada for repairs:
Returning Sea Launch to flight - NASA SpaceFlight.com
---
Charles Simonyi will contribute some books to an ISS library:
Next space tourist dreams of library in orbit - France24.com - Feb.18.07
02/18/07 11:55 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Space tug update
According to an article in the latest issue of Aviation Week,
Orbital Recovery is apparently having problems raising money for its
ConeXpress space tug, which would extend the life of comsats running out of fuel:
Europe Cools to On-Orbit Servicing - AvWeek - Feb.19.07 (subscription required).
ESA had considered providing $104 million for a demonstration flight in 2009 but the backers of the project have not come up with the necessary matching funds.
Magali Vaissiere, who heads the ESA telecom department, says weak satellite prices and the availability of inexpensive small telecom satellites that can be launched in a hurry appear to have dimmed the business case for COOS [commercial on-orbit servicing]: "We have more and more reservations about this technology. It's no longer among our priorities."
The article contrasts this with the continuing
DARPA support for the
Orbital Express project, which involves a spacecraft that will have many of the capabilities necessary for a space tug including "autonomous component exchange, refueling and automatic rendezvous/docking techniques using chase and target satellites".
The article also mentions a European startup
GEO Ring Services that is proposing a multi-component system for refueling and servicing satellites.
02/18/07 11:46 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category In Space Transport
1 comment | Permalink |
The Space Review this week
The new issue of
The Space Review includes these space transport related articles:
*
Another voice in the wilderness - With budget cuts forcing NASA to considered delays in the Ares I/Orion system development, Stephen Metschan of TeamVision discusses their
proposed alternative, which is based on the use of "existing medium class ELV’s" (I assume that includes COTS vehicles when they are ready).
*
Space tourism and carbon dioxide emissions - Steven Fawkes suggests that political and regulatory forces will push suborbital space tourism companies to minimize or offset the CO2 emissions from their vehicles. I sure hope the flight rate reaches a scale big enough to make a real contribution to global CO2. Of course, LOX/LH2 propulsion is always an option.
*
Past futures - Bob Clarebrough suggests some historical models for how commercial companies might go about making money with space travel.
Other articles:
*
Little red lies - Dwayne Day discusses the remaking of the film
Capricorn One.
*
The other side of the Fermi paradox - Michael Huang reviews a book about possible solutions to the Fermi paradox
*
Review: Into the Black - Taylor Dinerman reviews the book
Into the Black: JPL and the American Space Program, 1976-2004 by Peter J. Westwick.
02/18/07 11:01 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
11 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Ares I manifest; NEO threats; Interstellar flight
Latest forecast from NASA on Ares I/Orion first ten flights:
NASA Updates Ares I Launch Manifest - Launchspace.com - Feb.16.07
---
Rusty Schweickart and colleagues at the
B612 Foundation will host a series of meetings "to provide the UN with a 'decision process' for assessing and acting on the hazard posed by
Apophis and other near-Earth asteroids (NEAs)." :
Asteroid threat demands response, experts warn - New Scientist - Feb.17.07
---
Via
Slashdot comes a link to this interesting and substantial discussion of interstellar flight:
Strange Paths - Interstellar Ark - Feb.14.07
02/18/07 10:10 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
7 comments | Permalink |
FAA 2007 Developments and Concepts Report
Via
Space Law Probe I see that the FAA has at last posted the
2007 Developments and Concepts report (pdf). The 79 pages provide an excellent review of commercial and governmental ELVs, RLVs, rocket engines, composite LOX tanks, spaceports, etc. under development or in operation. As I noted in my own
brief review of 2006, there is a very impressive amount of "NewSpace" (i.e. innovative and low cost) hardware either in the testing phase or in an advanced stage of design and construction.
RpK completes COTS milestones
This press release came in the afternoon:
Rocketplane Kistler Completes NASA-COTS Milestone Ahead Of Schedule
Oklahoma City, OK, February 13, 2007 –
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) announced today that it successfully completed a Systems Requirement Review (SRR) February 6th, three weeks ahead of the schedule defined in the Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
RpK demonstrated a high level of technical maturity with both the first stage vehicle, the Launch Assist Platform (LAP), and second stage Orbital Vehicle (OV) nearing CDR phase. Design, development, and manufacture of the dedicated ISS cargo modules are also proceeding on schedule. RpK has established itself as a key player in the Commercial Space Industry, and the on-time achievements of programmatic milestones are highly visible validations of NASA’s selection of RpK.
Randy Brinkley, President of RpK, said, “This NASA partnership and teaming effort with RpK will enable an exceedingly reliable and affordable space transportation system. The demonstrated technical and programmatic progress demonstrated at the SRR is the result of the highly experienced and professional management and program team leadership, as well as the exceptional support of an experienced and very dedicated subcontractor team.” The subcontractor teammates include: Aerojet, Andrews Space, ATA, ATK, Automated Controlled Environments Inc., Draper, Honeywell, Irvin, Leighton, Lockheed Martin, MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates, Northrop Grumman Corporation , Oceaneering, Odyssey, Orbitec, Paragon, and Reynolds, Smith & Hills.
Cost-plus plus lots more regardless of performance
Meanwhile, NASA's design bureaus
make out nicely in the strange world of cost-plus (plus-extra) contracting:
This probably won’t help NASA win more money - Space Politics - Feb.16.07.
02/16/07 12:33 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NASA
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COTS contractors complete milestones
SpaceX and
Rocketplane Kistler are meeting their
COTS milestone requirements so far:
NASA Commercial Space Partners Complete Milestones - NASA - Feb.16.07 "These milestones demonstrate genuine progress toward a new way of doing business for NASA and pave the way for the commercial purchase of transportation services needed to maintain the International Space Station," said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. "If these companies can continue this rapid pace, the first demonstration launches are right around the corner."
Briefs: Explorer and the UAE; SS2 pics; Zenit/Sea Launch info
A tidbit of news concerning the Explorer suborbital vehicle supported by
Space Adventures,
Prodea Systems (Annousheh Ansari's company) and
Myasishchev Design Bureau (the graphic apparently is derived from photos of the
piggyback transport of the Buran fuselage during its development):
UAE set to witness commercial "space race" - ArabianBusiness.com - Feb.15.07 (via
spacetoday.net).
---
More images of the SpaceShipTwo interior:
Virgin spaceship on display - Design Week.
---
Mark Wade comments on the history of the Sea Launch vehicle system:
Zenit go Boom - Pausanias - Feb.15.07
02/15/07 02:35 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: SS2 interior design; Lo-budget, long time frame; Suborbital science
Designing the SpaceShipTwo interior:
Down-to-Earth Spaceship Design: British design firm Seymourpowell came up with the concept interiors for Virgin Galactic's spaceship. Still, they say design isn't rocket science - Business Week - Feb.15.07 (via
spacetoday.net).
---
David Riseborough, whose day job is at
C&Space in South Korea, ponders the potential of low budget space and technology development carried out over a long period of time:
A Lifelong Goal - Earth Space Continuum - Feb.15.07
---
More science experiments on suborbital spaceflights :
HEX2 a success: 4-rocket aurora experiment launches from Poker Flat - Physorg.com - Feb.15.07. Some of the manned suborbital RLV companies plan to offer an expendable second stage to take small payloads to orbit. Perhaps they should also offer a lower cost alternative in which the second stage carries a payload to a higher altitude. Many science payloads need to go considerably above the canonical 100kms but don't need to go into orbit.
02/15/07 06:42 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
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Next Iridium constellation to offer new features
Iridium Satellite plans to launch a new constellation around 2013 and wants to go beyond just offering higher data rates. They are considering expanding the capability of the satellites to include high resolution imaging and moisture sensors to enhance weather forecasting.
*
Iridium® NEXT' to be Unveiled at SATELLITE 2007: Iridium Identifying Design and Development Partners For Next Generation Constellation - Iridium Satellite LLC - Feb.15.07
*
Iridium Weighs Upgrade of Satellites - WSJ.com - Feb.15.07 (subscription required)
They now have over 175,000 subscribers and "revenue for the full year 2006 was $212.4 million and EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) was $53.9 million. Fourth quarter 2006 revenue was $53.2 million and EBITDA was $14 million." They believe continued performance like this will enable them to raise the $2B needed for the replacement constellation.
*
Iridium Announces Q4 and Full-Year 2006 Results: Year-End Outcome Underscores Sustained, Robust Performance Of Critical Global Network - Iridium Satellite LLC - Feb.14.07
02/15/07 06:19 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Business
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Space tourism progress in VA; SS2 in London; Romance and Rockets
The Virginia space tourism liability legislation is making progress in the state senate. Putting a time limit on the law convinced the trial lawyers association not to oppose it:
Proposed Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act Gains Momentum for Key Senate Vote - Spaceports
---
A mock-up of SpaceShipTwo is on display at a museum in London:
Space tourists glimpse their rocket - Metro.co.uk - Feb.14.07 (via
Space Pragmatism).
---
Alan Boyle on the issue of
Love and rockets.
The value of ISS tourism
Matt Bowes points me to this essay expressing his doubts as to whether the ISS space tourist visits advance us towards true private spaceflight:
Paying Russians for Trips into Space: Not Exactly Private Spaceflight - Space Liberates Us!
I agree that a fully commercial orbital space tourism business will not require travel to a distant country, several months of training, learning Russian, dealing with bureaucrats, etc. However, I think the following points should be considered:
* Until Tito went to the ISS, near term space tourism was considered a fantasy not only by the general public but by most people in aerospace.
* Tito's flight completely flipped this attitude and arguments over such a market became about its size and price elasticity, not its existence.
* The fact that several people have not only paid ~$20M but have put up with all the hassles to get to the ISS demonstrates the tremendous appeal of spaceflight.
* The ISS flights are extremely important when commercial space tourist companies seek out investors who must be convinced that there really are customers out there who will pay the high prices necessary to generate a return on their investments.
* As often noted here and elsewhere, virtually all major consumer services and products start off at very high price levels. Without an initial market of wealthy customers to generate profits and economies of scale, prices will never drop to the levels where mass markets can take advantage of them. This will be especially true of space tourism where we must bootstrap the simultaneous development of both reusable space transport and the markets to drive the high flight rates that will push down ticket prices.
PlanetSpace update
Tariq Malik reports that
PlanetSpace would like to use the
Silver Dart for suborbital point-to-point travel in addition to plain old up and down space tourism:
The Ultimate Glide: PlanetSpace's Suborbital Travel Plan - SPACE.com - Feb.14.07. No info on whether the company has obtained, or is making progress towards gathering, the funding to build the Silver Dart.
Also, the article doesn't mention whether the company still plans to pursue the
Canadian Arrow vehicle for suborbital space tourism. The boosters for the orbital version of the Silver Dart will be derived from the Canadian Arrow, which has yet to make a test flight. Seems like it would be a big help in fund raising if the company launched the Canadian Arrow and proved that it really can do rocket hardware.
The PlanetSpace website now offers this
Silver Dart Image Gallery
02/14/07 09:08 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Transport Companies
8 comments | Permalink |
A honeymoon in space
Maybe love will drive the new space race:
First Couple to Honeymoon in Space on Virgin Galactic
Launch Spacelove.org Website
Washington, D.C.- February 14, 2007- Loretta and George Whitesides, the first couple to honeymoon in space, launched a new website on Valentine's Day to share the excitement of their upcoming adventure with the public.
"Growing up, we both had the dream to go to space," said George Whitesides, newlywed and Executive Director of the National Space Society. "We feel incredibly lucky to be able to achieve that dream together."
Loretta and George are two of 100 Virgin Galactic 'Founders'- the people who have paid in full to be the first to fly on Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Spaceline.
"We hope that with our flight, we can help bring love and peace to a place that is very important to us – space," said Loretta, who is the Executive Director of Yuri's Night, a worldwide celebration of spaceflight.
The sub-orbital spaceflight will launch the couple over 100 km high, past the boundary of space. The flight will include several minutes of weightlessness, a view of the blackness of space and the curvature of the Earth.
The Space Love website will document the preparation and lead-up to the flight, and include suggestions for others who wish to celebrate their own honeymoons, anniversaries or even weddings in space.
George and Loretta are no strangers to weightlessness, with both having flown as crew for Zero G Corporation's weightless flights. "We have even had our first Zero G kiss," commented Loretta, adding, "weightlessness just has a magic to it."
For more information on their space honeymoon, please visit
www.spacelove.org.
For more information on Virgin Galactic please visit
www.virgingalactic.com.
Briefs: Rocketplane in Hawaii; Homer helping Anousheh; Atlantis booster problem
Rocketplane would like to fly suborbital flights out of Hawaii:
Okla. company plans space rocket rides blasting from Hawaii - AZ Central /AP - Feb.13.07. Need to work on their financing, though: "The company has so far raised $25 million of the $150 million needed to field a commercial fleet of space planes, [Chuck] Lauer said."
---
Homer Hickam will help
Anousheh on her bio:
Anousheh Ansari Teams up with Best-Selling Author Homer Hickam to Describe the Wonders of Space and Its Deep Impact on Her Life - SpaceRef - Feb.13.07.
---
Atlantis' smooth preparations for its March flight hit a snag:
Atlantis' booster requires troubleshooting - NASA SpaceFlight.com
02/14/07 12:45 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
3 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Lunar untruths; AIAA lunar base recommendations
Sam Dinkin gives his response to the
Beattie article concerning the value of lunar exploration and development:
Picking Apart a Lunar Multiple Untruth - Decisive Win - Feb.13.07
---
Meanwhile, the AIAA's Space Colonization Technical Committee (SCTC) issues a set of recommendations on how NASA should implement its lunar base goals from initial efforts in 2015 to a permanent colony of 1000 people in the 2025-2050 time frame:
*
AIAA Space Colonization TC recommends actions for implementation of lunar settlements - AIAA - Feb.13.07 (via
spacetoday.net).
*
Robust Implementation of Lunar Settlements with Commercial and International Enterprise [Moon Base 2015] - Feb.07 (pdf)
02/13/07 11:50 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category The Moon
25 comments | Permalink |
Charles [Simonyi] in Space website
Space Adventures press release:
Microsoft Word Inventor Shares His Outer-Space Adventure on www.charlesinspace.com
Dr. Charles Simonyi Adds Video and Expands Kids’ Space on his Web Site, Offering a Rare Glimpse into the World of Space Flight
Seattle, Wash. – February 13, 2007 -- Charles Simonyi, Ph.D., the fifth private space explorer, announced today that his Web site
www.charlesinspace.com now features rich new content including training video and personal interviews. Additionally, Dr. Simonyi is pleased to fully launch “Kids’ Space”, an interactive, educational portion of
www.charlesinspace.com designed to captivate future space travelers
Dr. Simonyi has been capturing the intensive preparation for his upcoming flight on video. From centrifuge training to re-entry simulation, these videos show what it takes to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Another new feature of the web site is video interviews with Dr. Simonyi. Hear his answers to questions like “Why are you going?” and “Are you afraid?” To find out why Dr. Simonyi wants to go and what he plans to take along, log onto
www.charlesinspace.com.
Briefs: Asteroid encounters; Space law; Lunar bounty
A discussion of near earth asteroids and the possibility of a manned mission to one:
Near-Earth asteroids could be 'steppingstones to Mars' - USATODAY.com - Feb.13.07
---
On public radio last weekend,
Glenn Reynolds answered a question about "what laws govern the outer edges of the universe" :
The Space Crime Continuum - Weekend America - Feb.10.07 (via
Space Law Probe).
---
Ken Murphy responds to
Donald Beattie's article in the Space Review this week about the value lunar exploration:
Some thoughts on "Just how full of..." - Selenian Boondocks - Feb.12.07.
02/13/07 07:46 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Genesis 1 status [Update]
Jim Oberg follows up on his recent
IEEE Spectrum article on
Bigelow Aerospace with this update on the status of the Genesis 1:
Private Space Module Orbiting in "Tip-top Shape" - IEEE Spectrum - Feb.12.07 - James Oberg.
[Update Feb.14.07: Jay Ingham, Deputy Program Manager at Bigelow Aerospace, has posted a summary of
Genesis 1 vehicle performance update, which includes some of the items mentioned in Jim's article.
Alan Boyle reviews some of the recent Bigelow news:
Bigelow's bigger vision - Cosmic Log - Feb.13.07
There are also some new images in the
wallpaper section.]
02/13/07 07:30 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
1 comment | Permalink |
Briefs: Post film space travel discussion; Space tourist winner;
Here is a discussion about space travel among some members of the audience who saw an advanced screening of
The Astronaut Farmer movie:
Filmgoers debate future of space travel - Houston Chronicle (via
spacetoday.net). I believe "Rob Pearlman" is Robert Pearlman of
collectSpace.
---
The winner of the suborbital spaceflight grand prize in the
Vanishing Point contest sponsored by AMD and Microsoft to promote the new Vista operating system has been announced:
Microsoft and AMD Award Space Trip to 'Vanishing Point' Winner: Winner will go to space courtesy of Rocketplane Limited - PRNewsWire/Microsoft - Feb.12.07
02/13/07 06:30 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space travel
1 comment | Permalink |
Rutan vs Benson in WSJ
The Wall Street Journal has an article today by Andy Pasztor about the feud between Burt Rutan and Jim Benson over who should get the primary credit for the
SpaceShipOne hybrid rocket propulsion system:
In Race to Take Tourists Into Orbit, Partners Split, Spar Bragging Rights Divided SpaceShipOne Creators; Virgin's $250 Million Bet - Wall Street Journal - Feb.13.07 (subscription required).
Rutan and Tim Pickens have always said that they designed the system and contracted
SpaceDev to build the major components. (Pickens gave their version of the story in
this Space Show interview.) In the article, Benson says the SpaceDev team "designed and built every single part and component" except for the bell-shaped exhaust nozzle at the rear and the outside motor casing." (Benson has been on the Space Show several times but I think he addressed the SS1 motor most directly in this
Oct.19, 2004 show.)
The article goes on to describe the competition between
Scaled and
Benson Space to build a vehicle to fly the first tourist on a suborbital spaceflight. The article reports that "Mr. Benson hopes to offer paying passengers the first regular rides as soon as December 2008 -- potentially many months before the Rutan-Branson venture, called Virgin Galactic."
02/13/07 06:07 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NewSpace Industry
No comments | Permalink |
Bigelow announcement on April 10th at Symposium
Bigelow Aerospace just sent this
press release:
Bigelow Aerospace Plans Important Announcement
Founder Robert T. Bigelow to Reveal New Information at National Space Symposium
Las Vegas, NV 02/12/07– We will be making a very important and exciting announcement at the National Space Symposium on the week of April 9 in Colorado Springs, and we hope you will plan to be in attendance.
For the first time, we will be presenting our business plans that we have kept to ourselves until now. This information that we plan to announce on April 10 at the Ball Aerospace Exhibit Center should help support the private space movement.
We look forward to seeing you there.
— Robert T. Bigelow
02/12/07 08:03 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
3 comments | Permalink |
Spacecraft and Satellite Dictionary
Just got this press release from Bruce Crawford:
Spacecraft and Satellite Dictionary
February 12, 2007: The International Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle Names Glossary name was changed to the Spacecraft and Satellite Dictionary in order to reflect the updates and improvements to the web site. The URL (
http://www.spacecraftnames.info/) remains unchanged.
By the end of 2006, the nations of the world had launched more than 4,470 rockets, placing more than 6,800 spacecraft in orbit since 1957. This was accomplished by deploying a variety of launch vehicles from a number of launch sites; placing spacecraft manufactured by various organizations in many different orbits; performing numerous missions; all of which have multiple names and designations. As space becomes more important, the number and types of spacecraft and launch vehicles will experience an explosive growth in this millennium. The
Spacecraft and Satellite Dictionary is a searchable database, listing more than 8100 names and designations with explanations and descriptions. The database was created and is maintained by
Bruce Cranford, P.E., who may be contacted for more information. The database is copyrighted. Advertising space available. Linking to this site provides your visitors with an easily accessible glossary.
02/12/07 11:55 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Technology
No comments | Permalink |
The Space Review this week
The latest issue of
The Space Review includes this space transport related article:
*
Ocean-based launch: extending a successful approach to new applications - Andy Turner of Loral discusses the various advantages of launching rockets from the ocean. He mentions a "small liquid-fueled reusable floating launch sounding rocket" called
Pelican proposed to the US government by a collaboration that includes
Interorbital Systems,
Microcosm, and
Robert Twiggs of Stanford. (See
links here for the Loral Aquarius SSTO concept.)
Other articles include:
*
Space for improvement: re-engaging the public with the greatest adventure of our time (part 2) - Bob Mahoney posts the second part of his discussion on how NASA could attract more public interest in its space activities.
*
20 minutes into the future: an interview with Michael Cassutt - The Space Review - Feb.12.07 - Dwayne Day interviews the writer for a number of space history and science fiction books and TV programs.
*
The space weapons debate, continued - Taylor Dinerman argues that the US administration and Congress must "chose effective and expensive [satellite] defense systems or they can choose to maintain this country’s vulnerability."
*
Just how full of opportunity is the Moon? - Donald Beattie disputes the value of NASA's lunar base plans.
*
Letter: Some do show tragedies while others complain about sins - Peter C. Klanowski refutes claims in a recent article by Dwayne Day that Arianespace tried to downplay its launch failures.
02/12/07 11:38 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Space Shows; French suborbital boost; Orion LES update
The Space Show has some programs this week related to space transport development and advocacy. Dave Masten and Michael Mealling of
Masten Space Systems will be on Tuesday night (7-8:30 PM Pacific).
Rand Simberg will be on the Friday show (9:30-11:30 AM Pacific). Rick Tumlinson will be on this Thursday (7-8:30PM Pacific) to discuss
Orbital Outfitters and other topics. On Sunday (12-1:30PM Pacific) Jeff Krukin of the
Space Frontier Foundation will be the guest.
Last week's shows with
Ken Davidian of NASA's
Centennial Challenges program and
John Powell of
JP Aerospace are now available on line.
---
A group in the French parliament wants to revitalize the European space program and one of their goals is the encouragement of companies developing suborbital vehicles for space tourism:
French Government Group Wants Europe To Join 2nd Space Race - Space News/space.com - Feb.12.07.
---
The launch escape system for the Orion capsule will provide a smoother ride than the LES for Apollo:
Orion LAS to be 'less harrowing' than Apollo - NASA SpaceFlight.com -
02/12/07 10:42 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
Responsive launcher program budget increased
Jeff Foust reports on some positive news for the Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) efforts. The ORS budget will get a substantial increase for 2008:
Milspace budget matters - Space Politics - Feb.12.07. This is good news since there had been rumors last year of maneuvers within the Pentagon to cut or eliminate this program.
DARPA's Falcon program is part of the ORS.
AirLaunch LLC and some of the
SpaceX Falcon 1 launches are funded by DARPA. I expect we will hear by this spring whether DARPA will fund the Phase 2C extension of AirLaunch's QuickReach vehicle development. This would lead to a demo launch in 2008. See this
QuickReach review paper (pdf).
As noted in this
recent press release from t/Space, their vehicle for ISS resupply would build upon the QuickReach system.
02/12/07 10:17 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Military Space
No comments | Permalink |
More on Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act
Jesse Londin provides more details about the new legislation passed by the Virginia House of Delegates that will help to immunize public spaceflight operators from liability lawsuits over accidents (except, of course, where there is gross negligence, blatant disregard for safety, etc.)."That's one small bill for state tort law. One giant leap for personal spaceflight business in Virginia." :
Virginia leads the way - Space Law Probe. The legislation still must pass the Virginia Senate and be signed by the Governor.
Though it was passed unanimously in the House, I wouldn't be surprised if some resistance starts to show up in the Virginia Senate. Often groups associated with personal liability lawyers will fight against such immunity laws, even when they apply only to small niche industries. They want to prevent the setting of precedents that might lead to similar legislation in more lucrative areas.
If it does become law, I expect it will make the
Virginia spaceport an attractive location for space tourism companies. Obtaining insurance against personal liability lawsuits is often cited as a huge hurdle for the industry and this law should make it easier to get such insurance for those companies operating in Virginia. I would also expect that other states with commercial spaceports will start to look at similar legislation.
02/10/07 01:47 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Law and Regs
5 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Falcon 1 delay; Sea Launch prelim diagnosis
Tariq Malik reports on the postponment of the Falcon 1 launch till next month:
SpaceX Pushes Second Falcon 1 Rocket Test to Early March - SPACE.com
---
The recent explosion of a Sea Launch rocket during liftoff may have been caused by a LOX tank pressurization failure:
Sea Launch Commander home - Zenit fault LOX tank related - NASA SpaceFlight.com. That could make the problem a lot quicker to fix than if it involves a flaw in the engines.
02/10/07 01:32 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Transport Companies
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Branson's enviro prize; Busy Poker Flat; Ares 1 chute
A reader points to the news that Richard Branson has started his own technology prize program with an environmental challenge:
$25M prize to beat greenhouse gas - CNN.com. As is to be expected, some will jump to claim that Branson's space tourism project will ruin the environment:
Branson defends space trips at eco-prize launch - Independent Online - Feb.9.07
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More sounding rocket launches from
Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska:
6 aurora-research rockets to launch from Poker Flat - Eureka Alert - Feb.9.07.
---
More info about the Ares 1 parachute test failure:
NASA investigation over Ares Parachute Drop Test failure - UPDATE - NASA SpaceFlight.com
02/09/07 07:05 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
12 comments | Permalink |
ARCA udpate
The following update was posted today on the
ARCA homepage:
The assembly process of the STABILO-1B spaceship for the Mission2 flight, is almost completed. The carrier balloon, five times bigger than the one used on Mission1 flight, will enter into fabrication at the middle of February. The new flight procedures will involve, beside the carrier balloon, two smaller balloons. In this situation we estimate a true air show.
· ARCA is building a new assembly hangar for the STABILO vehicle. The facility will be operational at the end of February and it will be equipped with environmental control.
· More than 90 journalists announced their intention to participate at Mission2 flight. We estimate to break the previous record of 90 journalists at Demonstrator2B flight in September 2004.
· At the end of February ARCA will publish a document regarding the STABILO flight program that will end in 2009.
02/09/07 03:26 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Transport Companies
2 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Moonbase hurdles; Excess astros; Ares 1 diameter
Jeff Foust writes about the challenges facing NASA's lunar plans:
Back to the Moon, To Stay? NASA's Plans for a Lunar Base - The New Atlantis - Winter 2007
---
A couple of aerospace veterans comment separately on the Lisa Nowak situation but come to some similar conclusions about the astronaut office:
*
What makes an astronaut crack? NASA has too many of them for just a few missions a year, resulting in fierce competition among overachievers to get on a flight - Los Angeles Times by Homer Hickam
*
'Stros Gone Wild - TCS Daily by Rand Simberg
---
The Chair Force Engineer ponders the significance of the diameter chosen for NASA's new booster:
The Danger of Diameters? - CFE
02/09/07 08:08 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
ISS EVAs; Waste in space
Two of the ISS residents have been real busy outside of the station this week:
3rd spacewalk sets NASA record - MSNBC.com.
That article plus this one,
Space station's hull to heave with spare parts - New Scientist - Feb.07, report that NASA plans to dump more and more waste materials off the ISS to burn up in the atmosphere. Seems shortsighted to throw away mass that was brought up to the station at a cost of several thousand dollars per kilogram. Could someday be used for spare parts or at least for radiation shielding. Someone should open an orbiting space scrap yard to take this stuff off of NASA's hands.
02/08/07 03:02 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NASA
No comments | Permalink |
NewSpace 2007 update
Here is the latest info from the
Space Frontier Foundation on the
NewSpace 2007 Conference, which they will hold during July 19th - 21st at the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia.
02/08/07 02:58 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Events
No comments | Permalink |
New Bigelow video
Bigelow Aerospace has now posted a second
video taken from the Genesis 1 spacecraft. This one nicely shows the earth's curvature in the background.
02/08/07 02:58 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
No comments | Permalink |
New "civilian space explorer" group
From
Dick Stafford comes word of the formation of the
Rocket Mavericks organization, which will pursue "civilian rocketry" as well as spacecraft development such as
Cubesats projects. They plan to sponsor a set of
competitions in these areas.
Among the several
founders is Stanford smallsat guru
Bob Twiggs and
Rocketman Ky Michaelson, leader of the
CSXT group, which launched an amateur rocket to over 120km in 2004.
The group describes itself as follows:
Mavericks is where the most independent, and most experienced high power rocketeers and civilian space explorers collaborate, compete and fly experimental projects that push beyond the hobby, to the next level of professional civilian rocketry and space exploration. Mavericks goes beyond sponsoring experimental launch services, and focuses on the complete needs of the civilian space explorer...
More info at
Reached your hobby peak? Become a rocket maverick - Rocketry Planet - Feb.7.07
02/08/07 02:24 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Rockets
2 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: SpaceX review; VA spaceflight liability; Benson Space contest
Jon Goff reviews some of the new info on the
SpaceX website:
SpaceX Website Update - Selenian Boondocks
---
Insurance for space tourism operations at a Virginia spaceport might become cheaper now than for spaceports in other states:
Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act Passes House 99 / 0 - Spaceports.
---
More about space tourism at
Benson Space:
*
Civilian Space Travel Winner Gets Second Shot at Space: Benson Space Company to Provide Free - and Tax-Free - Ride to Contest Winner - Benson Space Company - Feb.7.07
*
www.FreeTripToSpace.com - contest to start soon
02/08/07 06:36 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
3 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Globalstar problems; COTS competition; Orion radiator
Globalstar may need to rush the launch of its replacement constellation:
Globalstar warns of satellite problems - spacetoday.net - Feb.6.07
---
Florida Today bloggers point to some possible competition to the COTS contractors for future ISS resupply contracts:
NASA's COTS program not only game in town - The Flame Trench - Feb.6.07
---
More about radiators for the Orion capsule:
NASA Evaluates Improved Radiators For Orion - LaunchSpace.com
02/07/07 11:08 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
Falcon 1 launch delay; SpaceX website has new look
As noted by other sites already (e.g.
Carried Away and
Out of the Cradle), the Falcon 1 launch has been delayed into March due to personnel problems at the Kwajalein Army Range.
---
The
SpaceX website has had a major makeover. Check out the sections on the
Falcon 1,
Falcon 9,
Falcon 9 Heavy, and the
Dragon capsule. See this cool
video (mpg) of the Dragon coming in for docking with the ISS.
02/07/07 08:37 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Transport Companies
2 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: More COTS milestones; Orion Propulsion; Orion radiator
Daniel Schmelzer has parsed out all of the milestone dates and payments for the two COTS contractors from the
contract document. He includes the second set of milestones for crew demo flights, the first of which would occur in June 2011 for SpaceX and August 12 for RpK:
SpaceX versus RpK COTS - Carried Away - Feb.6.07
---
A profile of
Orion Propulsion in this article: Rocket Truck:
Orion Propulsion aims to be more than a 'test-house' - Huntsville Times - Feb.6.07 (via
spacetoday.net).
---
NASA puts out a request for bids on a radiator for the Orion capsule:
Orion Radiator Prototype Under Development - Launchspace.com - Feb.6.07
02/07/07 12:32 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
Chasing the dream of spaceflight...
It was certainly naive to think
Larry Ellison (Mr. Nice Guy bar) would eventually do the right thing and pay Brian Emmett's
taxes that were levied on the space tourism ride that he won in an Oracle contest. Instead, Brian had to give up the prize. Fortunately, Jim Benson has stepped up and hired Brian as a "test passenger" for the
Dream Chaser when it starts to fly in 2008:
Man gets second chance at space ride - MSNBC.com - Feb.6.07
Lunar Lander Challenge registration
The Lunar Lander Challenge (
official website), sponsored again by Northrop Grumman (kudos to the company), has opened its doors for registration for the 2007 competition that will be held next October at the X Prize Cup:
X PRIZE Opens Registration for Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge: NASA Sponsors $2 Million Prize as Rules are Tweaked to Permit Mid-mission Repairs - X Prize - Feb.6.07.
Here are the
Rules & Regulations and here is the
Registration Form (pdf).
I'll keep track of
entrants here.
02/06/07 10:24 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Prizes
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: Ares parachute problem [Update]; Ares 1 upper stage design mod
Keith Cowing reports on a problem during a test of the Ares 1 first stage parachute recovery system:
Ares 1 Parachute Test Fails - NASA Watch - Feb.6.07
[Update: Feb.7.07: As noted in the comments, NASASpaceflight.com has posted an update on the parachute failure:
NASA investigation over Ares Parachute Drop Test failure - NASA SpaceFlight.com. Certainly came down hard. The
Drop Test Vehicle (DTV) "is buried 30 feet below the surface".]
---
NASASpaceFlight.com reports on a change to the design of the Ares 1 upper stage:
Ares I Upper Stage change - receives additional capacity - NASA SpaceFlight.com - Feb.6.07
COTS agreement document
This
pdf document posted at Johnson Space Center contains the Space Act agreements between NASA and
Rocketplane Kistler (page 1) and between NASA and
SpaceX (page 54). It includes the terms of the contracts (e.g. intellectual property rights), summaries of the proposals, and a list of the milestones for each company and how much each will be paid as it achieves each milestone. (Via a HS reader.)
Centennial Challenges in 2008 NASA budget
Looking further in the NASA budget document, I found that the
Centennial Challenges program has been moved inside the "Innovative Partnerships Program" (IPP). On page 460, there is a table with the following entry for CC:
Project: Centennial Challenges
Commitment: Hold 3 Centennial Challenges competitions
Fy07 request: $10.0M
Fy08 request: $4.0M
The CC is described as follows (I won't block quote to save space):
"The Centennial Challenges program conducts prize competitions for revolutionary, breakthrough accomplishments that advance the Vision for Space Exploration and other NASA priorities. Some of NASA's most difficult technical challenges may require novel solutions from non-traditional sources of innovations. By making awards based on actual achievements, instead of proposals, NASA is tapping innovators in academia, industry and the public. This effort is modeled on successful past prize competitions, including an 18th century navigation prize, early 20th century aviation prizes, and more recent prizes offered by the US government and in the private sector.
"Despite the fact that none of the competitions held to date have resulted in the award of a cash purse to a winning team, the amount of team diversity (representing small and large businesses, high school and university students, and enthusiastic hobbyists and garage mechanics) and the variety of technologies implemented exceeded all expectations.
"As the prize purses increase, the amount of participation and level of technical maturity and ingenuity will also increase. In the past competitions with prize purses on the order of $300K each, it is estimated that the 10-15 participating teams represented an investment of $50-100K each. Teams invested on the order of $250-500K each in the competition with the $2M prize purse.
"With the FY 2008-2012 funding request of $4M/year for Centennial Challenges, new prize competitions will be initiated to support NASA's science (e.g., the Station-Keeping Solar Sail Challenge), aeronautic (e.g., the Micro Reentry Vehicle Challenge), and space exploration (e.g., the Human Lunar All Terrain Vehicle Challenge) goals. Centennial Challenges is continually working with each of the NASA Mission Directorates to ensure that competitions selected are addressing the current set of NASA's technology priorities."
02/06/07 05:13 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Prizes
4 comments | Permalink |
COTS in 2008 NASA budget
I checked the
2008 NASA budget document (4.2MB pdf) and found the section for "Commercial Cargo Crew Capability" , i.e. COTS. The request goes as follows (p. 334):
- FY08 236.0
- FY09 158.8
- FY10 41.3
-- -- -- 436.0
I think if the 2006/2007 money were included, this would sum to the $500M number usually mentioned as the total COTS funding.
There is also an interesting table titled "Schedule Commitments" (p.335) showing "Milestone Name" vs the expected confirmation date. For
SpaceX it goes roughly as follows:
- Prelim Design Review (PDR) - Jan.07
- Critical Design Review (CDR) - Aug.07
- Readiness Review (RR) - Feb.08
- Demo flight 1 - Sept.08
- Demo flight 2 - June.09
- Demo flight 3 - Sept.09
For
Rocketplane-Kistler:
- SRR (Systems Readiness Review?) - Feb.07
- Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) CDR - Aug.07
- Unpressurized Cargo Module (UCM) CDR - Sept.07
- ISS Test Readiness Review (TRR) - Oct.07
- Risk Reduction Flight - Nov.08
- Demo flight 1 with PCM - Jan.09
- Demo flight 2 with UCM - Mar.09
Don't know why there is no Demo flight 3 for RpK listed. The "Project Commitments" table says, "Successful demonstration of 3 flights per vendor for unpressurized cargo and pressurized cargo." I supposed the Risk Reduction Flight counts.
Other interesting info includes a note on page 336 that says,
Currently, there is no acquisition strategy for COTS Projects Phase I Capability D, crew transportation and for the Operational Phase (Phase II). However, NASA will begin developing those plans for the FY 2009 budget submit.
A "Project Risk Management" table on that page says,
The entire COTS program and projects are high risk. As each partner completes negotiated milestones, project risks are retired. Failure to meet these milestones will result in the inability to demonstrate cargo transportation to and from the ISS.
and
The Commercial Cargo Crew Capability Project Office (C4PO) will independently identify risks unique to each COTS partner and review them internally on a regular basis. Risks unique to each COTS partner will be treated as company proprietary. CEV/CLV projects [i.e. Ares 1/Orion capsule] and foreign purchases of space transportation capabilities [i.e. Russian Progress and ESA ATV] are NASA's path to meeting service obligations to ISS, if COTS is unsuccessful.
Briefs: ISS resupply thru 2020; Preparing 39B for shuttle and Ares
Rob Coppinger has posted his weekly spaceflight articles at Flight International and they include these NASA related items:
*
NASA's 2020 ISS plan may hit Moon return - The
extension of NASA's commitment to ISS resupply can be seen as a bonus for the COTS guys:
The increased station use will also benefit NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contractors, California-based Space Exploration Technologies and Oklahoma's Rocketplane-Kistler. If one or both can demonstrate cargo delivery and return capabilities by 2010 they can expect to be contracted to provide that until 2020.
*
NASA assesses ISS supply options - NASA is also looking at additional flights of the ESA ATV to bring cargo to the ISS.
*
Ares I-1 pad 39B to be modified - KSC deals with the complexities of using launch pad 39B in September 2008 for a shuttle to provide rescue backup to Atlantis on its Hubble mission and seven months later using it for a demo flight of the Ares 1 test vehicle.
Video from Genesis 1; Inflatables for lunar surface modules; [Update]
The camera on
Bigelow Aerospace Genesis 1 module can do
video as well as still shots.
---
Speaking of inflatable structures, I came across this paper today about using inflatables for surface habitats:
The Surface Endoskeletal Inflatable Module [SEIM], Constance M. Adams and Georgi Petrov - 4 Frontiers (pdf). More at
SEIM - synthesis-intl.com.
[Update Feb.6.07: A reader points to this
master thesis in architecture report by Janek Kozicki in Poland on the design of a Mars base using inflatable structures. It's not been translated yet but the graphics are fairly understandable.]
02/05/07 11:10 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
No comments | Permalink |
Pixels for AMSAT
AMSAT Germany, which built the big
A0-40 spacecraft (P3-D before its launch in 2003), is selling
pixel space to support their next major satellite project, the
P3-E, which is scheduled to be launched into a high eliptical orbit later this year. A donation will provide you with a pixel area on the
big picture shown on their website where you can put your name, logo, or other info. This will also make you eligible for a drawing for a prize that includes a trip to the launch site and to the laboratory where the spacecraft was built.
---
A similar promotion is being run for their
P5-A project, which will send a spacecraft to orbit Mars in the 2009-2010 time frame. A donation will buy you pixel space on the picture on the
ticket-to-mars.org website. More info about the project at
*
www.amsat-dl.org/p3ep5a.htm
*
www.go-mars.org
---
BTW: The
German Mars Society and the University of Munich have the
Archimedes project, which would add a surface probe to the P5-E spacecraft. The probe would detach from the P5-E for entry into the Mars atmosphere. After reaching the surface, it would release a helium balloon to carry a
science package from place to place as the wind carried it and as it rose and fell with the heating and cooling during day and night.
02/05/07 11:02 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Technology
No comments | Permalink |
Weird space news
I never expected to see a story like this on the news:
*
Space shuttle astronaut arrested at OIA on attempted kidnapping, battery charges - Orlando Sentinel - Feb.5.07
I'd like NASA astronauts to be a little less boring but not in this way. (A clever reader said it's another case of
Astronauts in Trouble.)
---
I had also noticed this story out of the corner of my eye but had forgotten that Henson was a co-founder of the
L5 Society until reminded by a reader :
*
Scientology Critic Arrested After 6 Years - Slashdot - Feb.5.07
*
Keith Henson - Wikipedia
02/05/07 09:41 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
3 comments | Permalink |
5th Int. Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion
I got this announcement today:
Dear colleague:
I have the pleasure to announce that the
Fifth International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion now has its official web site at:
http://lpw.uah.edu/Home.html
ISBEP 5 will be held on November 12 – 15 2007 at Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort (near Kona, Hawaii) (
http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=93 ). The presentations are planned for three days: 11/12 – 11/14. On Wednesday evening (11/14) we will have a luau with traditional keynote speech. The last day, Thursday, November 15, will be reserved for the trip to Volcanoes National Park: (
http://www.hawaii.volcanoes.national-park.com/ ).
If you are planning to attend the meeting and present a paper, it is time to submit your abstract. We have collected some number of abstracts already. See the details on abstract and paper submission at
http://lpw.uah.edu/Submissions.html
ISBEP 5 Proceedings will be published (as usual) as Conference Series of American Institute of Physics. Proceeding will have the same format, as those made for ISBEP 1 through 4: book, hardcover, 6x9-inch size.
ISBEP 5 will be held in the same tradition as all our previous meetings, assembled in Huntsville (2002), Sendai (2003), Troy (2004) and Nara (2005). All topics pertinent to the field of beamed-energy propulsion are welcome. These topics include, but not limited to:
» basic science and technology of laser, microwave, x-ray and particle-beam propulsion and micropropulsion (microthrusters);
» BEP mission and system analysis;
» power-beamed photon sails;
» hybrid and auxiliary BEP systems;
» beam-propelled aircraft;
» BEP flight experiments;
» lasers and other sources for BEP;
» beam generation, guidance and propagation for propulsion;
» new BEP concepts;
» directed-energy airspikes;
» research facilities for BEP tests;
» economics, politics and history of BEP.
I am looking forward to hearing from you if you would have any questions and hope to see you all next year at the sunny Keauhou Resort.
Please, pass this message to everyone who might be interested in participating in ISBEP 5.
Sincerely,
Andrew V. Pakhomov, Co-Chair
Andrew V. Pakhomov, Ph.D.
http://pakhomov.uah.edu
02/05/07 01:41 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Exotic Transport
1 comment | Permalink |
Briefs: Space Show; A. C. Clarke message; Sea Launch update
John Powell, CEO of
JP Aerospace will be on
the Space Show this Friday at 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific: And on Sunday, Feb. 11, Ken Davidian, chief of NASA's
Centennial Challenges program, will on during 12-1:30 PM Pacific.
---
Arthur C. Clarke sends a message to "Friends, Earthlings, ETs" :
EGOGRAM 2007 - Really Rocket Science - Jan.31.07 (via
SpaceFellowship).
---
The Sea Launch platform limps back home:
Sea Launch makes for home as investigation continues - NASA SpaceFlight.com - Feb.4.07
02/05/07 01:32 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
Observing from a Bigelow platform
Daniel Schmelzer notes the latest earth images from the Genesis 1 spacecraft and speculates on what sort of viewing ports the future manned modules from
Bigelow Aerospace will offer:
The View From a Bigelow Module - Carried Away - Feb.4.07.
He also points to an interesting
Bigelow Aerospace recruiting post.
02/05/07 01:19 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
3 comments | Permalink |
The Space Review this week
The latest issue of
The Space Review includes:
*
Space for improvement: re-engaging the public with the greatest adventure of our time (part 1) - Bob Mahoney examines why NASA has failed to make its spaceflight activities interesting to the public. Of course, I have my own big doubts as to whether watching government employees at work, even in space, can be made particularly exciting, especially if the PR is designed by committees.
*
Making sense of China’s weapons test - Nader Elhefnawy looks at possible motivations for China's recent ASAT and suggests some ways the US could respond.
*
I write sins, not tragedies - Dwayne Day looks at the reasons why when rockets fail, as in case of the recent Sea Launch explosion, those in charge typically release a statement filled with bland euphemisms rather than describing the actual event.
*
Stress-testing the vision - Jeff Foust reports on how NASA is dealing with the first major budget crisis in its efforts to fulfill the President's vision for space exploration.
*
The end of aerospace - Taylor Dinerman argues that national leaders should examine space policies separately from aviation.
02/05/07 12:40 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
2 comments | Permalink |
China ASAT test mess
Leonard David reports on the debris from the China ASAT test: China's Anti-Satellite Test:
Worrisome Debris Cloud Circles Earth - SPACE.com - Feb.2.07
Alan Boyle also reports on the aftermath of the test:
Orbital litterbugs - Cosmic Log - Feb.2.07. He provides a link to this
Center for Space Standards - China ASAT page, which provides graphic displays of the debris.
02/03/07 07:31 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Military Space
No comments | Permalink |
Briefs: NASA 2008 budget; Atlantis launch prep;
Jeff Foust reports on news about the 2008 budget proposal:
NASA FY08 budget proposal: $17.3B - Space Politics - Feb.2.07
---
An update on the preparations for the Atlantis flight in March:
Atlantis rollover and launch targets remain tight - NASA SpaceFlight.com
02/03/07 07:24 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NASA
No comments | Permalink |
JP Aerospace ads and activity
The
JP Aerospace program for
video advertising from 30km is highlighted at space.com:
Put Your Ads Where Space Begins - SPACE.com - Feb.2.07
JPA seems to be ramping up their flight activity this year. See the January 4th entry on the
JPA What's New page for a list of upcoming projects, which involve high altitude balloon/airships and rockets.
02/03/07 06:49 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Near Space
No comments | Permalink |
Commercial space timeline, NewSpace Glossary, RLV Table
Well, at least only 1/12 of the year is over before I finally posted my
Commercial Stairway to Space Timeline for 2007. (Nice thing about working for oneself is that you can ignore deadlines from the boss!)
As usual, it involves a generous amount of science fiction but I think there is a reasonable chance that much of it will actually happen in one form or another. Maybe companies A and B will fall short of their plans and disappear but companies C and D will succeed.
I also compare the 2006 timeline to what actually occurred. Some things didn't happen as predicted and some things did. Overall, there was a lot of progress made towards building a commercial spaceflight industry.
A couple of additional items:
I've started building a
NewSpace Glossary. I use a lot of jargon and buzzwords that new visitors to the site and to the topic of NewSpace probably aren't familiar with. Or at least they may not realize what their significance is in the context of NewSpace. I hope this page will explain many of those terms.
I've also updated the
RLV Projects Table. Besides revising entries with the latest info, I've dropped several projects that don't seem active while adding several new projects.
02/02/07 10:56 PM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category NewSpace
8 comments | Permalink |
Briefs: More on Sundancer orbit; Sea Launch platform OK; NASA budget
Jon Goff adds a third installment to his analysis of the advantages of the Sundancer orbit:
Sundancer Orbital Trajectory Implications (Part Three) - Selenian Boondocks - Feb.1.07
---
Nice to hear that the Sea Launch platform survived the explosion:
Rocket blast damage to Sea Launch platform called 'limited' - Mercury News/AP - Feb.1.07
---
Jeff Foust reports on the House vote on the government funding resolution that includes the NASA budget for 2006:
That’s not a nun, and other reaction to the budget - Space Politics - Feb.1.07
02/02/07 01:07 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
No comments | Permalink |
NASA signs agreement with PlanetSpace and t/Space [Update]
NASA signs an agreement with
PlanetSpace and
t/Space to provide them with technical support, but no funding, in their vehicle development projects.
*
Commercial Space Transportation Capabilities Agreements Signed - NASA
*
NASA agrees to advise spaceship ventures: Agency to work with PlanetSpace, t/Space, but will provide no cash - MSNBC.com
*
PlanetSpace Press Release (pdf) - includes some graphics of their vehicle design.
[Update: Here is a
press release from t/Space.]
This can help the companies in raising money from private sources and puts them in better shape to bid for the second phase of the
COTS program when NASA contracts around 2010 for regular cargo and crew delivery to the ISS.
Rocketplane Kistler and
SpaceX won the phase one COTS contract in which they share $500M to demonstrate such delivery capabilities. Those two will obviously be in a better position to bid for phase two but are not guaranteed to win it. NASA could in principle give phase two to another company if it had demonstrated the ISS delivery capability independently.
Briefs: NewSpace prospects; Earth travel via space; Moon base building
Leonard David reports on the prospects for NewSpace in the coming year:
Private Spaceflight Industry Foresees Steady Progress in 2007 - Space.com - Feb.1.07
---
Chirinjeev Kathuria of
PlanetSpace suggests point to point suborbital spaceflights might become practical:
Fly from India to US in 45 minutes? : aircraft, Planet Space, Silver dart, ISS, flights : IBNLive.com : CNN-IBN. I have big doubts that it will happen on the time scale he suggests.
---
Alan Boyle reports on various ideas suggested on how to build and operate NASA's Moon base:
Wanted: Home-builders for the moon: NASA’s post-2020 plan involves the usual (and unusual) space suspects - MSNBC.com - Feb.1.07
02/01/07 09:14 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category General
1 comment | Permalink |
New suborbital spaceflight contest [Update]
Carmaker
Audi and
New Scientist Magazine are sponsoring a suborbital spaceflight contests:
*
Win A Trip To Space
*
Contest: Audi Winner Will Join the 62-Mile-High Club - Edmunds Inside Line - Jan.31.07 (via
spacetoday.net)
*
Free Space Flight Up for Grabs - BBC video report (via a HS reader)
Don't know if they cover the taxes on this prize. Some countries don't tax winnings from contests.
[Update: This article -
Your chance to win a place in space - Metro.co.uk - indicates that the ride would be aboard the
XCOR Xerus vehicle. However, the contest
Terms and Conditions page says that
Space Adventures (which is partnering with the two sponsors) "reserves the right to decide which vehicle will be used".]
02/01/07 08:37 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Prizes
1 comment | Permalink |
Bigelow orbital speculations
Jon Goff posts his second report on the possible advantages of the orbit that
Bigelow Aerospace has chosen for the Sundancer space habitat:
Sundancer Orbital Trajectory Implications (Part Two) - Selenian Boondocks - Jan.31.07. (Here is
Part One if you missed it.)
02/01/07 12:52 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
No comments | Permalink |
More lunar lander challengers
Alan Boyle reports that up to ten teams may compete in the 2007
Lunar Lander Challenge at the next
X Prize Cup event in October:
Lunar lander liftoff - Cosmic Log - Jan.31.07. He profiles one team in particular called BonNova led by Allen Newcomb. (Don't know if its the same as the owner of this site
www.bonnova.com.) He is trying to raise money via a
sale of a vehicle on eBay.
02/01/07 12:26 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space Prizes
No comments | Permalink |
Bigelow Aerospace article; Atlas V for Bigelow habitats update
Jim Oberg has a very interesting article about
Bigelow Aerospace and the development of the Genesis 1 module:
Putting up the Ritz: Can pneumatic buildings breathe life into space tourism? - IEEE Spectrum - Feb.07 issue (via
spacetoday.net).
---
NASASpaceflight.com in turn provides more details about the study by Lockheed Martin into the use of an Atlas V to fly people to the Bigelow habitats:
Human Rated Atlas V for Bigelow Space Station details emerge - NASA SpaceFlight.com - Jan.31.07
02/01/07 12:09 AM |
Posted by TopSpacer | Category Space habitats
No comments | Permalink |
