I've now updated the 2010 NewSpace Log through the end of August. It provides links to resources describing significant events, announcements, etc. related to NewSpace industry and community.

August saw several interesting developments such as NASA's announcement of two initiatives in support of entrepreneurial space efforts:
/-- Data purchase of lunar rover technical data from private organizations such as teams in the GLXP.
/-- NASA contracts for flights on Armadillo Aerospace and Masten Space vehicles.

Also NASA held a forum to discuss the industry response to the request for information on the planned commercial crew services program for access to low earth orbit.

The FAA announced that its new Center for Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation would be hosted by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium at New Mexico State University.

Hardware developments included a couple of items from the WK2/SS2 project:
/-- SNC tested RocketMotorTwo, which is intended to power SpaceShipTwo. This is only the 5th test of the rocket motor (at least of tests publicly released).
/-- The WhiteKnightTwo Eve suffered a landing gear collapse as it returned from a test flight at Mojave.

SpaceX carried out a drop test of the Dragon capsule that successfully demonstrated deployment of the drogue and landing parachutes.

An article about Armadillo Aerospace and its recently announced contract with NASA: NASA Enlists Caddo Mills-Based Armadillo Aerospace For A Boost to Suborbital Space - Unfair Park/Dallas News - Sept.3.10 (via spacetoday.net).
===
By the way, The Lurio Report had indicated a few weeks ago that Masten Space would be getting a CRuSR contract.

Here's an interesting overview of commercial spaceflight projects from the perspective of composite engineering: The Private Space Race: NASA passes the development torch to legacy contractors and NewSpace entrepreneurs, igniting a new competition in space transport - Composites World - Sept.2010 issue (via spacetoday.net)
===
An update from Paul Breed who is "getting excited about working on rockets again": Getting back to rockets - Unreasonable Rocket - Aug.31.10

Doug Messier reports on hints that Burt Rutan may be retiring soon: Burt Rutan May Be Retiring and Leaving Mojave - Parabolic Arc - Aug.28.10.
===
Doug also posts news of a change in top management of the Odyssey Moon team in the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition: Bob Richards Leaves as Odyssey Moon CEO - Parabolic Arc - July.28.10.

Here' s an article about the comparison made by NASA economist Alexander C. MacDonald of the scale of today's privately financed space projects with that of the big astronomy observatory projects of the 1800s and early 1900s: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos licked by James Lick in space race - Bruce Upbin/Tradigital/Forbes - Aug.28.10 . (Jon Goff mentioned this back in July).

Here is the paper: A Brief Note on the Economic History of Space Exploration in America, Alexander MacDonald (pdf)

The latest issue of The Lurio Report by Charles Lurio has been released. Here is the TOC:

More NewSpace 2010, Funding Dilemmas, Commercial Crew RFI, NMSU Wins Space Transportation “Center of Excellence”
Vol. 5, No. 13, August 27, 2010

Quick Updates:

NASA Funding Alarms
Planetary Society Protest
Senate Authorization as a Necessary Starting Point?
Response to RFI on Commercial Crew
Milestones from New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces
(‘Double-Barreled’) Commercial Space Transportation Center of Excellence Award!
ISPCS 2010, Oct. 20-21
Incident with WhiteKightTwo (WK2)
SpaceX Dragon Passes Parachute Test

Dear Acquaintances,

- NewSpace 2010: Selected Items and a Perspective -

Suborbital Spaceflight Panel
Orbital Spaceflight Panel
“Space: Open for Business”
Lessons from the New Space (Business) Trenches

Via Dick Stafford comes a pointer to Steve Jurvetson's Flickr gallery, which has these two recently added entries:
/-- Two SpaceX Dragons
/-- The Merlin
===
An interview with Peter Madsen of Copenhagen Suborbitals about their rocket project: Human cannonball astronaut: My rocket is my clothes - New Scientist.
===
Jeff Foust posts some commercial spaceport related news: Spaceport America update, a gubernatorial visit to MARS - NewSpace Journal

The Astrobotic team in the Google Lunar X PRIZE connects up with Caterpillar:
/-- Caterpillar Inc. joins sponsors of first expedition – Astrobotic Technology, Inc
/-- Astrobotic teams with Caterpillar on lunar robot - Pittsburgh Business Times
===
Another article about Copenhagen Suborbitals and their launch scheduled for next Monday: Copenhagen Suborbitals: Danish inventors produce first amateur rocket designed to send humans into space - Mail Online.

Greg Klerkx writes about developments in commercial spaceflight: Start-up enterprise: Launching the new space race - New Scientist.

Surprised he doesn't know that Rocket Racing has been using Armadillo Aerospace rocket engines.
===
Daily flights to suborbital space will require dealing with national airspace issues: Stanford researchers tapped to help make rules for commercial space travel: With tourism and other businesses expanding into space, government officials need experts to help craft the policies that will make exploration safe and easy - Stanford News (via spacetoday.net).

A great shot from the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge competes in a photo contest: Submissions: Help Us Create a Picture Show About Celebration - Picture Show - GOOD.
===
More talking with Mary Roach: Talking With Mary Roach, Author of Packing for Mars - Planetary Radio/The Planetary Society - Aug.16.10
===
A firm brags about its contribution to the Spaceport America runway: D.S. Brown's Runway Seals Support the Next Generation of Space Travel at New Spaceport America Facility in New Mexico - Business Wire

Here are video interviews with Pete Worden and Ed Mitchell: Episode 61 - Press:Here TV

And here is an article by the interviewer: Is Space the Valley's Next Frontier? - TechCrunch (via spacetoday.net).

Check out the new SpaceWiki, which seeks to organize

basic information on all the major players in the NewSpace Movement, and some of the "old guard" as well.

The Companies section, for example, provides the essentials on NewSpace firms like Blue Origin and Paragon Space Development.

At the recent NewSpace 2010 conference, the SpaceWiki team took pictures of many participants, including yours truly, and had nicely drawn caricatures made from them: People - SpaceWiki.

By the definition of a wiki, the site relies on collaborative input, interaction and updates. Looks to be a fun and informative place to hang out.
===
Some of the same people who created SpaceWiki have been involved with SolSeed, a wiki built around the theme of our biosphere spreading

outward from Earth, to transform more barren worlds into living ones, seeding the Solar System and eventually the Galaxy with life.

===
Some other collaborative style sites related to NewSpace include:
/-- Commercial Space Wiki
/-- Commercial Space Gateway
/-- PlanetSpace.com

Test pilot[, F-100 squadron commander] and aerospace engineer Bill Haynes was killed in a auto accident on Sunday. I did not know him but I'm told he was a vigorous advocate for commercial space and had been active in the Citizen's Advisory Council and in pushing for the DC-X project.

More about Haynes:
/-- Bill Haynes - Transterrestrial Musings
/-- Colonel Bill Haynes, RIP - Jerry Pournelle

Update: Rand Simberg has added a second posting about Colonel Haynes: Remembering Bill Haynes (Part 1?) - Transterrestrial.

Update 2: Bill Haynes Memorial Service - Transterrestrial Musings

Update Aug.19.10: A report from Rand Simberg about the services for Haynes: Meeting Bill Haynes - Transterrestrial Musings.

The first volume of a major two part biography of Robert A. Heinlein by William H. Patterson is coming out tomorrow: Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve .

Heinlein's writings are often cited by space enthusiasts, especially those of the Baby Boomer generation, as an inspiration for their passion about space. Several of his works involved private exploration and development of space (e.g. The Man Who Sold the Moon and the script for the film Destination Moon) and influenced many in the NewSpace community.

The biography was authorized in 2000 by Virginia Heinlein, who passed away in 2003. Patterson has made extensive use of the Heinlein Archives.

Here are three reviews:
/-- Heinlein memoir: LEARNING CURVE - the secret history of science fiction - Boing Boing - Cory Doctorow
/-- Michael Dirda - Review of "Robert A. Heinlein," by William H. Patterson, Jr.- Washington Post - Aug.12.10
/-- Scores, by John Clute - Strange Horizons Columns: - June.28.10

Some interesting comments about SpaceX from an administrator of space engineering graduate programs at the University of Michigan: Aerospace Must Revive Its Spirit - Aviation Week.

I recently performed an analysis of the very best students in my space engineering programs over the past decade, based on their scholarly, leadership and entrepreneurial performance at Michigan. To my amazement, I found that of my top 10 students, five work at SpaceX. No other company or lab has attracted more than two of these top students.
...
My colleagues in universities around the U.S. say they have had similar experiences. SpaceX is winning the battle for the best and most entrepreneurial young talent in the aerospace industry. And with this talent, SpaceX has built a work environment that is very different from those at most aerospace companies, one that values people with an entrepreneurial mind-set. Musk says the company is continuing to look for people who think and act like entrepreneurs. In fact, he considers this entrepreneurial mind-set to be even more important than the smarts of his new employees, opposing the more traditional hiring practices of his competitors.

McDivitt recently spoke about the culture during the early days of NASA and the Apollo program. He said, “The key difference between NASA then and now are the parking lots at night!” McDivitt was talking about the personal dedication, commitment and perseverance of the early NASA employees and contractors, which led to one of the U.S.’s biggest successes.

Today, the SpaceX parking lots are full at night, not because people are forced to put in extra hours, but just like at the early NASA, SpaceX is working in young teams, on the toughest challenges, and realizing that risk is an important aspect of any entrepreneurial activity. That’s why SpaceX attracts the best of the best to join its team.

In his latest report, Charles Lurio discusses Ecliptic Enterprises, a sell-shovels-to-the-miners type of NewSpace firm, which has had some recent success in expanding the market for its rocket and spacecraft camera systems. For example, a "Loral satellite carried a camera that has been providing continuous live streaming video of Earth [...] (DISH Network TV, DISHEarth-Channel 287)". The video below shows the view from that camera of the shadow of the Moon moving across the Earth during a recent eclipse:

The latest issue of The Lurio Report has been released. Here is the TOC:

The Lurio Report: Vol. 5, No. 12, August 13, 2010

Quick Updates:

NASA Authorization Passes Senate Floor, House Still on Hold
CRuSR Program
Committee Actions (continued)
Debut Experiments Using FY 2010 Money
Next Falcon 9 Flight Window
Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation Views Eclipse, New Sales

Dear Acquaintances,

- The Specter at New Space 2010 -

“... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...”
“... we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...”
Buying Time...and Using It

- NASA BAA Would Boost Google Lunar X-Prize -

Or: Bettering the Future for a Pittance Now

Here's an interesting interview with John Carmack and Richard Garriott at QuakeCon: Doom, Ultima Creators Talk Space at QuakeCon - GameLife/Wired.com

Ben Brockert posts a picture from the conference: John starts his QuakeCon keynote, opening with how the acquis... on Twitpic.
===
At item about the presentation given by Douglas Maclise of the CRuSR Program Office at the NewSpace 2010 conference back in July: CRuSR at NewSpace2010 - NASA CRuSR.

Unfortunately, John Carmack isn't posting his detailed updates often these days but at least he is now on Twitter: twitter.com/ID_AA_Carmack (via Ben Brockert).
===
The Republican and Democratic candidates for governor of New Mexico respond to questions about Spaceport America in construction near Las Cruces: Guv candidates talk about Spaceport America - NMPolitics.net - Aug.6.10 (via Parabolic Arc).
===
A Canadian perspective on commercial spaceflight: Canadian aerospace set to boldly grow in privatized space travel - Montreal Gazette - Aug.7.10

Nice to see the NanoRacks facility up and running on the ISS: Commercial Facility Activated on U.S. National Laboratory Onboard International Space Station - NASA (includes video).

NanoRacks is dedicated to helping stimulate Space Station research by having developed a very low-cost 1 kilogram platform that puts micro-gravity projects within the budgetary realm of hundreds of universities, smaller organizations and first-time commercial space research users

Book your experiment here.