The latest presentation to the Future In-Space Operations (FISO) study group is now posted in the FISO Working Group Presentations Archive. Both slides (ppt) and audio (mp3) are available for the talk, Critical Risks for Extending Human Spaceflight by Mark Shelhamer, NASA JSC – FISO Lectures – April 2, 2014
Sample of his slides:
Here’s a video from Kennedy Space Center of a flight on Wednesday April 2nd of the NASA Morpheus VTOL Armadillo-style rocket vehicle:
In Mojave recently, Masten Space flew their XA.01-B “Xombie” vehicle with an Astrobotic Technology hazard avoidance guidance sensor : Astrobotic Technology Announces Successful Landing System Test – Astrobotic
Here’s the latest NASA Space to Ground update on ISS activities:
NASA’s Asteroid Initiative to redirected a small asteroid into the Earth-Moon system has not quite gotten off the ground yet, at least in terms of broad political support. However, with the Kerbal Space Program you can now go retrieve an asteroid on your own: ‘Kerbal Space Program’ Launches NASA ‘Asteroid Redirect Mission’ Update – IBT
A reader points me to this unusual story of a near-miss in the sky: Skydiver nearly struck by meteorite – NRK/Viten
[ Update Apr.8: Phil Plait now think it was just a rock bound up inside the parachute of the other skydiver : Skydiving meteorite: It was a rock. – Bad Astronomy/Slate.com. ]
Update Apr.22.14: Analysis with software designed to study ballistic debris indicates that it was in fact just a rock falling out of the chute: Forensic Ballistics: How Apollo 12 Helped Solve the Skydiver Meteorite Mystery – The Planetary Society