Before one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind, a team of daring space pioneers and a pair of experimental rocket projects came together and set forth in the nation’s first pursuit to further humankind’s understanding of the Earth and the heavens. With the eyes on the sky and the future of space exploration beyond the horizon, flight controllers inside NASA’s Mercury Control Center watched the American space program take flight. And so here, the story of American space exploration began.
Jeff Foust reports on the recent Planetary Defense Conference 2013 in Flagstaff, Arizona and the discussions and studies presented their regarding possible what to do if a large object was found heading towards earth: Planetary defense: deflection and disruption – The Space Review
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Res Communis posts the latest collection of space and aviation law, regulation and policy links: Library: A Round-up of Reading
By far the biggest challenge is lowering the cost of getting to space. Progress is being made on that front by new companies like SpaceX, which is aiming to develop a fully reusable rocket system that could lower the costs by as much as 100 times below today’s average space transport prices. The amazing video below shows a recent test of a prototype first stage booster that is demonstrating vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. (You can follow progress in new rocket vehicle development at NewSpace Watch, where I post daily on the latest developments.)
In the following video, Elon Musk, founder and chief of SpaceX, talks with Salman Khan of Khan Academy about a range of topics including lowering the cost of rockets and Mars settlements:
