tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20983660694371516232012-02-13T08:03:40.675-05:00Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.comBlogger6641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-10346799475080517822012-02-13T08:02:00.002-05:002012-02-13T08:03:40.680-05:00

They also serve who only stand and wait. — John Milton, "On His Blindness"Space Florida space reporter James Dean looks at the status of the Bigelow space station as the company waits for commercial crew to begin flights later in the decade. Underpinning it all is the availability of more affordable transportation to get people to and from Bigelow’s planned private space stations. And flights

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-67752459237085938582012-02-12T08:14:00.001-05:002012-02-12T08:15:12.561-05:00

July 21, 2011 — Shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach displays an orbiter Atlantis banner for STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson. Image source: NASA. Florida Today space columnist John Kelly has a lengthy interview with Mike Leinbach, former Shuttle launch director who now consults for United Launch Alliance. We talked this week about a wide range of space topics and the most important thing I

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-16346846536711694982012-02-10T20:27:00.000-05:002012-02-10T20:27:51.397-05:00

Aviation Week reports that NASA's proposed Fiscal Year 2013 will have only a minimum reduction from last year's adopted budget. NASA will take only an $89 million cut in its topline spending request for fiscal 2013 compared to this year’s operating plan, sources said Friday, but the $17.711 billion NASA budget proposal due out Feb. 13 will axe the joint effort with Europe to return samples from

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-30939232833567846902012-02-09T20:52:00.000-05:002012-02-09T20:52:30.942-05:00

This is starting to repeat like a broken record ... From Spaceflight Now, yet another Dragon delay: The target launch date for SpaceX's first test flight to the International Space Station is now no earlier than late April, the company announced Thursday, as the California-based firm and NASA continue extensive software testing to prove the Dragon spacecraft can safely approach the 450-ton

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-5935766814185435862012-02-09T06:15:00.000-05:002012-02-09T06:15:06.005-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. It's one of the most famous, yet also most mysterious, locations at Kennedy Space Center. The Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Operations and Checkout building has been the KSC home for astronauts since Gus Grissom and John Young launched on Gemini 3 in 1965. On Febrruary 7, NASA posted on YouTube the above video that takes you on a tour of the Crew Quarters.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-78045659121023167862012-02-08T20:58:00.001-05:002012-02-09T06:15:35.380-05:00

Last September, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiled plans to develop a reusable rocket. The Popular Mechanics web site has published an interview with Musk that updates their progress. Last fall, the company announced an experimental test vehicle called Grasshopper to prove and refine the reusability concept. "There is no question in my mind that it will work," Musk says with trademark confidence.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-34495621025733176902012-02-08T19:59:00.001-05:002012-02-09T06:15:49.147-05:00

Click the arrow to watch an Astrogenetix video about its research aboard the ISS. Biotech firm Astrogenetix has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA that continues research at the International Space Station. According to the Astrogenetix press release: Astrogenetix Corporation, a subsidiary of Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC), has entered into a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA, (

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-24579625146920503422012-02-07T19:32:00.001-05:002012-02-07T19:33:11.144-05:00

The mobile launcher as it climbs the LC-39B ramp on November 16. Image copyright © 2011 SpaceKSC.com. NASA reports that the mobile launcher originally designed for Ares I passed recent tests prior to its planned conversion for Space Launch System. The 355-foot-tall mobile launcher, or ML, behaved as expected during its move to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-50479714409524848792012-02-07T19:13:00.011-05:002012-02-08T06:37:29.038-05:00

Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Manager Ed Mango, left, and Deputy Program Manager Brent Jett host a Program Strategy Forum Monday at Kennedy Space Center. Image source: NASA. At a press conference attended only by a dozen people, NASA announced its next round of competition that could result in the selection of the nation's first commercial crew spacecraft. Click here for the NASA press

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-65632529136932542532012-02-06T06:49:00.001-05:002012-02-07T07:45:09.442-05:00

Florida Today reports that the SpaceX Dragon demonstration flight scheduled for early April "can be seen as a test of whether it was a good idea to retire the shuttle and have the private sector take over the job of carrying crew and cargo to the space station. As NASA unveils its budget next week, officials are likely to ask for more money to keep the commercial initiative on track." John

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-52019880593483403152012-02-05T07:45:00.000-05:002012-02-05T07:45:16.355-05:00

SpaceRef.com has posted a synopsis for Tuesday's NASA Commercial Crew Forum. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will present an updated status of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) strategy on Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012. The Forum will be held at the Press Site at Kennedy Space Center from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Program Forum's topics will include: 1-Information on the

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-44555167434134302032012-02-05T07:38:00.002-05:002012-02-05T07:39:37.209-05:00

Florida Today space columnist John Kelly writes, "It’s beginning to look more and more like the Atlas V rocket is going to one day carry astronauts into Earth orbit." Transitioning Atlas V from launching satellites and robotic space probes to delivering people to the International Space Station would represent a major breakthrough in cooperation among the nation’s private, military and civilian

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-65031698267078676202012-02-04T08:27:00.001-05:002012-02-05T06:17:50.302-05:00

Alan Shepard with his 1962 Corvette. The relationship between astronauts and Corvettes goes back to the beginning of the Mercury program. To this day, some employees at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center drive Corvettes. Members of the Cape Kennedy Corvette Club will be the guest speakers Monday night at the monthly meeting of the Air Force Space & Missile Museum

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-59507547558112026842012-02-02T19:11:00.000-05:002012-02-02T19:11:26.939-05:00

Florida Today reports new launch and landing dates for upcoming missions. The first week of April is considered a "realistic target" for the launch of the SpaceX Dragon to the International Space Station. The launch of the next Soyuz craft to the ISS is now planned for May 15, six weeks later than originally scheduled. The designated craft was rendered unusable after the descent module

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-64025991332752065772012-02-02T15:30:00.001-05:002012-02-02T16:59:39.008-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. Political comedian Stephen Colbert has recorded a promotional video for NASA and the International Space Station. Among other things, he roots for the discovery of an astronaut ice cream flavor called Caramel Space Chimp Swirl ...

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-46771937575854081912012-02-01T19:53:00.003-05:002012-02-04T16:07:10.368-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the NASA tribute video, "Sixteen Minutes from Home." The loss of Columbia nine years ago set in motion a sequence of events that still impact humanity's future today. Seven more astronauts lost their lives. Once again, we were reminded of the consequences of hubris. The Challenger investigation report limited itself to the physical cause of the accident and the NASA

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-2421884119364661182012-01-29T20:34:00.000-05:002012-01-29T20:34:47.863-05:00

SpacePolicyOnline.com reports that a recent test of the next Soyuz spacecraft damaged it "beyond repair," which may delay the next launch. The spacecraft that carries crew members is also named Soyuz, and on Friday Russia announced that the Soyuz spacecraft assigned for the next crew launch, expected on March 30, failed a test. Anatoly Zak at RussianSpaceWeb.com reports today that Russian

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-74188483549551645402012-01-29T20:26:00.001-05:002012-01-29T20:26:32.199-05:00

It's nice having Florida Today as my hometown newspaper, because almost every issue has something newsworthy on space exploration. In today's Sunday edition are two commentaries by Florida Today columnists. Space columnist John Kelly writes that Republican candidates are short on the details when it comes to space policy. Opinion page editor Matt Reed writes that Newt Gingrich has a seductive

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-22864923023421197892012-01-28T06:17:00.003-05:002012-02-08T06:41:58.702-05:00

Click the arrow to watch NASA's video on the 25th anniversary of the Challenger accident. The accident of Space Shuttle Challenger, mission 51-L, interrupting for a time one of the most productive engineering, scientific and exploratory programs in history, evoked a wide range of deeply felt public responses. There was grief and sadness for the loss of seven brave members of the crew; firm

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-77368878850924304802012-01-27T18:35:00.004-05:002012-01-28T05:47:52.199-05:00

Click on the arrow to watch the video on the Florida Today web site. You may be subjected to an ad first. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke to a campaign rally this afternoon at Astrotech in Cape Canaveral. He offered no specifics about his space policy other than he'd organize a study before making recommendations. Elsewhere, eight leaders in the aerospace industry issued

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-80338173480117960402012-01-27T06:07:00.002-05:002012-01-27T06:11:21.688-05:00

Click the arrow to watch ABC News science editor Jules Bergman on January 28, 1967. Test pilots die with almost distressing regularity. It's part of the business, and they accept the risk. — Jules BergmanThe above video aired on ABC News the day after a fire in the spacecraft took the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. It shows you the astronauts not only in

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-19534760107294047942012-01-26T16:07:00.001-05:002012-01-27T06:11:36.041-05:00

Click the arrow to watch NASA Administrator Charles Bolden's statement. The next week marks three solemn anniversaries in the history of space exploration — the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire on January 27, 1967; the destruction of Challenger on January 28, 1986; and the loss of Columbia on February 1, 2003. NASA released the above video by Administrator Charles Bolden. At Kennedy

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-68379586373275060692012-01-25T19:53:00.008-05:002012-01-26T14:46:26.668-05:00

Click on the arrow to watch the video of Newt Gingrich's speech on the Florida Today web site. You may be subjected to an ad first. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich delivered his promised space policy speech this afternoon at the Holiday Inn Express Space Coast Convention Center in Cocoa. After the speech, Gingrich participated in a space roundtable at Brevard Community College

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-75772591409509046552012-01-25T07:42:00.000-05:002012-01-25T07:42:17.452-05:00

Florida Today reports that Space Florida will "seek approval to spend more than $10 million to renovate a former shuttle hangar at Kennedy Space Center, modernize a Cape Canaveral launch pad and update the state’s space master plan." During a meeting in Tallahassee, board members also will consider a proposal that would give the agency title to a $100 million facility being built to house the

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-23124324857662895682012-01-24T06:21:00.003-05:002012-01-24T07:26:47.990-05:00

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum has released a brief recording of a conversation Kennedy had with Foy Kohler, his ambassador to the Soviet Union. Kennedy and Kohler discuss the president's idea to merge the American and Soviet space programs. As I wrote last May 25, on September 20, 1963, Kennedy addressed the United Nations to propose a joint U.S.-Soviet moon mission that

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-78958013150415191102012-01-23T20:09:00.001-05:002012-01-24T08:58:16.555-05:00

Florida Today reports that NASA has issued a procurement notice in advance of its planned February 7 solicitation for the latest round of commercial crew funding. In a procurement notice — read it here — NASA said it planned to award grants in the form of Space Act Agreements to "multiple" companies to best meet its goals within available funding ... Companies must submit proposals within 45

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-81723670780604479532012-01-23T08:30:00.001-05:002012-01-23T09:28:44.174-05:00

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Sunday he plans to give "a visionary speech" Wednesday when he appears at Brevard Community College. Riding the momentum of his South Carolina win on Saturday, Newt Gingrich said Sunday he planned a week of big speeches offering “big solutions for a big country.” “I’ll be at the space coast

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-32361676331732070782012-01-21T07:49:00.000-05:002012-01-21T07:49:18.486-05:00

Florida Today reports that a recent Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne campaign could be aimed at SpaceX. The company, whose engines power United Launch Alliance’s Delta and Atlas rockets and propelled space shuttle crews to orbit, touts its record of producing “smoke and fire” in 14 launches last year, rather than “smoke and mirrors.” “While the other guys launch powerful press conferences, we power

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-58855803605255031922012-01-21T06:58:00.000-05:002012-01-21T06:58:53.837-05:00

An artist's concept of Enterprise on temporary display aboard the Intrepid museum in New York City. Image source: Intrepid museum. All sorts of false and absurd allegations have been made about how the orbiter Enterprise will be displayed at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. One Houston writer falsely claimed that Enterprise would be displayed "next to a strip club."

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-6435775387219770512012-01-20T13:19:00.004-05:002012-01-20T21:04:43.750-05:00

MSNBC reports that the SpaceX demonstration flight of Dragon to berth at the International Space Station will be delayed until late March. SpaceX had planned to launch its unmanned supply ship from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Feb. 7. But the company said more testing was needed with the spacecraft, named Dragon. On Friday, officials confirmed that the Dragon's launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-89363864465439098292012-01-19T08:49:00.000-05:002012-01-19T08:49:16.500-05:00

The business magazine Forbes takes a look at commercial space and raises the question, "Can Commercial Space Bank On NASA Contracts?" There are two principal issues. First, uncertain budgets and launch market commitments make NASA an unreliable customer, causing large R&D investments to be very risky. Second, working with NASA imposes contract complexities, schedule delays and added costs that

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-90760167109371198802012-01-18T07:07:00.008-05:002012-01-19T19:55:47.543-05:00

Florida Today reports that groundbreaking ceremonies will be held today for the Atlantis orbiter museum at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Kennedy Space Center and visitor complex operator Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts will conduct the ceremonial groundbreaking in the shuttle plaza area of the complex starting at 11 a.m. Members of the public who pay for a ticket to the

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-54403149980165406792012-01-16T20:24:00.003-05:002012-01-19T08:32:26.822-05:00

Space News reports that SpaceX has postponed its February 7 Dragon launch to the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has postponed the scheduled Feb. 7 launch of its Dragon logistics capsule to the international space station for unspecified reasons, according to a company spokeswoman. “We believe there are a few areas that will benefit from additional work and

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-17795408469377968532012-01-16T07:53:00.000-05:002012-01-16T07:53:49.156-05:00

Qn, a publication of the Yale School of Management, published in December an article titled, "Is There Profit in Outer Space?" Unlike many articles these days about commercial space, this one looks primarily at Orbital Sciences. Orbital will send the Cygnus cargo ship to the International Space Station later this year. For years, the bulk of Orbital Sciences Corporation's work has been

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-77860400474732494822012-01-15T20:06:00.000-05:002012-01-15T20:06:53.844-05:00

February 3, 2011 — Las Vegas TV station KLAS reports on Bigelow Aerospace plans for an inflatable space station. Click the arrow to watch the video. While doing research on YouTube, I came across the above video. It's a compilation of reports by KLAS Channel 8 in Las Vegas on February 3 and 4, 2011, about the Bigelow space station. A year later, the optimistic timeline projected in the TV

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-34097944431268873732012-01-15T06:40:00.001-05:002012-01-15T06:42:50.497-05:00

In his January 1 column, Florida Today space columnist John Kelly posed the question, how to save the space program. He invited his readers to submit their own ideas: I’m sure you have ideas about those, and others. I want to hear your ideas, too. I aim to utilize the column to shine the light on wasteful spending, off-mission projects, opportunities for collaboration and anything else you

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-17108666522602131782012-01-14T07:31:00.000-05:002012-01-14T07:31:16.003-05:00

A sign welcoming guests to Spaceport USA. Image source: FloridaMemory.com. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was once known as Spaceport USA. In the 1985 IMAX film The Dream is Alive, Walter Cronkite referred to KSC as "America's spaceport." Now that the private sector is welcome at KSC, the "America's spaceport" theme may be more true than ever. Florida Today reports that "Kennedy

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-23387542975925910032012-01-13T14:47:00.001-05:002012-01-13T14:47:37.365-05:00

An Orion prototype at the Dryden Flight Research Center in June 2011. Image source: NASA. Aviation Week reports that NASA is discussing potential missions for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. “If you step back and think of what we’re doing, we’re looking at a capability — both SLS [the heavy-lift Space Launch System] and MPCV/Orion — that can support multiple destinations,” says William

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-74352279522636339872012-01-12T09:34:00.001-05:002012-01-12T09:38:43.620-05:00

Click the arrow to watch a computer animation of SpaceX plans to launch a reusable Falcon 9. NASASpaceFlight.com reports that SpaceX "will begin testing on a vertical propulsion landing system later this year, part of a long-term project to evaluate the potential of creating a fully-reusable version of their Falcon 9 launch vehicle. SpaceX believe a fully and rapidly reusable orbital class

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-42905555784236292912012-01-12T07:10:00.000-05:002012-01-12T07:10:40.871-05:00

Three articles in this morning's Florida Today detail more business coming to the Space Coast. United Launch Alliance has been awarded a $1.5 billion contract to launch nine military satellites. The launches will be at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California. The new contract calls for five Atlas V launches and four Delta IV missions by June 30,

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-91228385240359586672012-01-12T06:15:00.000-05:002012-01-12T06:15:29.426-05:00

Florida Today reports that a former Melbourne High School science teacher will launch on March 29 to the International Space Station for a six-month tour of duty. Following in the steps of Christa McAuliffe and Barbara Morgan, Joe Acaba will be designated an educator astronaut and hopes to have time for teaching lessons while aboard the ISS. Acaba first flew into space on the STS-119 shuttle

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-69580253791918169042012-01-11T21:38:00.000-05:002012-01-11T21:38:48.992-05:00

The XCOR Lynx could have its first test flight by the end of 2012. Image source: XCOR. FlightGlobal.com reports that XCOR hopes to launch its first test flights this year. Taxi tests are scheduled to begin in October or November, which will be quickly followed by a short hop and finally a brief first flight by the end of the year. The Lynx Mk1 design will be limited to flight tests. For

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-24258247720409596292012-01-11T08:11:00.001-05:002012-01-11T08:13:31.371-05:00

The third launch of the U.S. Air Force X-37B is scheduled for October. Image source: Space.com. Florida Today reports it will be a busy launch year at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Citing a busy 2012 launch schedule, the director of Florida’s storied rocket range said Tuesday that’s proof there is life after NASA’s shuttle program. “We are alive and well, and we are in business here in

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-41567970396715985302012-01-10T09:19:00.001-05:002012-01-11T08:16:12.687-05:00

Aviation Week reports that "work is deliberately slowed" on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle "to avoid the 'unsustainable' cost growth that scuttled NASA’s plans to use it to send astronauts to an outpost on the Moon." One of the few surviving elements of NASA’s Constellation program of human exploration spacecraft, Orion is now recast as a multi-destination deep-space crew vehicle with an

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-19933455237645343962012-01-08T19:56:00.000-05:002012-01-08T19:56:18.358-05:00

CKCC president Pete Johnson and retired astronaut Jon McBride, who is a member. Image source: Florida Today. The Chevrolet Corvette was the ironic muscle car of the 1960s space program. Most astronauts drove a Corvette, racing them on the back roads of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as well as the streets of Cocoa Beach. Out of that era came the Cape Kennedy Corvette Club. Astronauts past

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-25894260565824347962012-01-07T06:15:00.000-05:002012-01-07T06:15:07.791-05:00

An Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle test January 6 at Langley Research Center. Image source: NASA. Florida Today reports that Kennedy Space Center is preparing to build NASA's new Orion spacecraft. The effort marks a huge first for Florida’s Space Coast. It will be the first time a NASA spacecraft production operation takes place at the launch site rather than a factory elsewhere. NASA

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-58812504876135117082012-01-06T11:30:00.000-05:002012-01-06T11:30:52.650-05:00

NASASpaceFlight.com reports on renovation work under way at Kennedy Space Center. One of the largest projects involves the revitalization of the KSC Water and Wastewater Systems, which have been in place since the spaceport’s initial construction, back during the drive towards the Apollo moon missions. This effort is now into phase 3 of a multi-phased effort which will – through various

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-65842597857994204102012-01-06T08:24:00.005-05:002012-01-06T08:34:13.051-05:00

Astronaut Barbara Morgan appears at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex through January 8. Barbara Morgan was an Idaho grade school teacher when she was selected in 1985 for NASA's Teacher in Space program. Morgan was assigned as the backup for Christa McAuliffe for the STS-51L Challenger flight. After Challenger and its crew were destroyed on January 28, 1986, Morgan remained with

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-66121159314229303592012-01-05T08:28:00.000-05:002012-01-05T08:28:19.223-05:00

Aviation Week reports that SpaceX will no longer launch two Orbcomm payloads during its February 7 launch, to appease NASA. SpaceX and Orbcomm announced their initial intent to include the deployment of two second-generation Orbcomm satellites on March 14. Following the announcement, NASA’s space station program raised concerns that the dual Orbcomm deployments might pose a belated collision

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-31428096954365237682012-01-05T06:43:00.002-05:002012-01-05T06:43:30.534-05:00

Florida Today reports that the International Space Station crew is ready for the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo module in February. U.S. flight engineer Don Pettit likened the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the pioneering opening of the American West in the 19th century. “It’s sort of the first of many wagon-training wagons coming up here to bring us supplies,” Pettit said

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-87648150805610306382012-01-03T20:05:00.000-05:002012-01-03T20:05:03.085-05:00

The latest issue of Space Coast Business offers a look at the region's 2012 economic outlook and finds things aren't as apocalyptic as some were claiming one year ago. In the article "Titusville: The Game Isn't Over", author George White notes that "the local population has not suffered the expected domino effect" after the retirement of the Space Shuttle. "The early part of the year there was

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-37978157748570293152012-01-02T20:14:00.000-05:002012-01-02T20:14:10.840-05:00

In their Monday Debate editorial feature, Florida Today posed the question, "Should the Space Program Be Privatized?" The format publishes pro and con opinion columns. Click here for the "pro" position by Charles Parker. Mr. Parker is a high school and community college teacher and a former minister. Click here for the "con" position by Fernando Rendon. Mr. Rendon is a business agent for the

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-54183876021570228732012-01-02T08:02:00.001-05:002012-01-02T08:02:54.682-05:00

Florida Today reports on NASA plans to begin the third round of Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) competition. NASA in February plans to open competition for a third round of funding to further development of private spacecraft that could taxi astronauts to the International Space Station later this decade. The request for proposals will reflect the revised contracting strategy announced in

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-85409555023768005842012-01-01T19:45:00.000-05:002012-01-01T19:45:31.494-05:00

In his Sunday column, Florida Today journalist John Kelly poses the question, how to save the space program? Saving the space program is important to me, and to many of you. Launching people and spacecraft from our soil to Earth orbit is important to United States’ leadership around the world and to our national security. A thriving, bustling spaceport is critical to a healthy, growing economy

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-33730443406997279722011-12-31T19:41:00.000-05:002011-12-31T19:41:07.920-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has posted a video on YouTube promoting its Vehicle Assembly Building tours, featuring the orbiter Endeavour.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-39672774610367246992011-12-29T19:19:00.000-05:002011-12-29T19:19:24.670-05:00

Space Coast congressional representatives Sandy Adams and Bill Posey have claimed that China has surpassed the United States in space capability and has "plans to colonize the Moon," according to Posey. Back in the reality-based world, China has not launched taikonauts into space since September 2008. Their last human-related flight was Shenzhou 8 in late October, sending two test dummies to

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-79837180389814304952011-12-29T06:05:00.002-05:002011-12-29T06:47:27.769-05:00

Florida Today has a lengthy article by reporter James Dean on the 2012 presidential race and whether it will significantly affect federal space policy. After the space shuttle’s retirement this year, frustration over the decline in the nation’s human spaceflight capability might leave President Barack Obama open to attack in the 2012 campaign. But experts say the Republicans vying to replace

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-17286944942721747342011-12-24T05:52:00.001-05:002011-12-24T06:04:48.260-05:00

Video of the Comet Lovejoy filmed by astronaut Dan Burbank aboard the International Space Station on December 21. Video source: NASA. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-32269788760460247742011-12-23T17:49:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:49:24.391-05:00

Space.com reports that earlier today "An unmanned Soyuz-2 rocket launched the Meridian military communications satellite from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Russian northern region. But the rocket failed to reach orbit, making it the fifth failed space mission for Russia in 2011." "This area of the space industry is in sort of a crisis," Russian space agency chief Vladimir Popovin told reporters in

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-35647631237557079522011-12-22T14:51:00.000-05:002011-12-22T14:51:02.320-05:00

Although one NASA official said on December 15 that the recent budget cut by Congress would delay the operational status of commercial crew flights until 2017, one report suggests NASA is still on track to narrow the field of finalists. Space News reports that NASA will solicit final proposals from the CCDev participants on February. A formal Request for Proposal had been scheduled for December

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-4764272550892638162011-12-20T20:28:00.000-05:002011-12-20T20:28:09.877-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. U.S. astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, and ESA astronaut André Kuipers are scheduled to launch at 8:17 AM EST from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The above video is today's press conference at Baikonur.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-39839890465454299152011-12-20T19:58:00.000-05:002011-12-20T19:58:47.310-05:00

I was at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Monday at sunset. At this time of year, the angle of the sun makes for some spectacular photos. The sun sets behind the Rocket Garden. Birds roost on guy-wires stabilizing a Titan II. The entrance marquee wishes Happy Holidays in the languages of all fifteen International Space Station participants. This one is in Russian. The

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-21615726396870279382011-12-17T08:52:00.000-05:002011-12-17T08:52:59.063-05:00

KSCVC's external tank and solid rocket boosters sitting in a storage yard on December 3. The Los Angeles Times reports that the external tank and solid rocket boosters once on display at the entrance to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be sent to the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles. According to the article, "The museum intends to have Endeavour displayed

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-52663083082834651752011-12-16T19:49:00.001-05:002011-12-16T21:28:23.386-05:00

MSNBC.com's Future of Technology web site has four videos posted December 12 on commercial space: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-10336675821135988802011-12-15T19:31:00.000-05:002011-12-15T19:31:43.538-05:00

NASA uses "good acquisition practices" in its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, but is hindered by uncertain Congressional funding, a Government Accountability Office audit has concluded. Click here to read the report. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. According to the report: NASA’s current funding level is almost 50 percent less than the funding level it anticipated when

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-6404885343294790802011-12-15T19:24:00.000-05:002011-12-15T19:24:46.461-05:00

The Government Accountability Office issued an audit report today approving of NASA's management of International Space Station resources. Click here to read the report. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. The report concludes: Extending the operational life of the ISS to 2020 will allow NASA and the United States to capitalize on the nearly two decades and billions of dollars invested in its

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-75503507887319498462011-12-15T18:19:00.000-05:002011-12-15T18:19:18.681-05:00

In response to November's cut of commercial crew funding by Congress, NASA officials said today that they do not expect the first operational crew flights to be until at least 2017. NASA has also dropped plans to issue a formal Request for Proposal from the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) candidates which would have solicited the designs that would have led to selecting one of more vehicles

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-28978438065625399872011-12-15T11:44:00.000-05:002011-12-15T11:44:05.016-05:00

NASA releases reports every 60 days on the progress of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. The main article is about the progress made by Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS). Regarding CCDev, the report states: NASA’s industry partners continue to demonstrate design and development progress for their commercial crew transportation systems. During the past two months,

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-2067011007327547032011-12-15T09:06:00.000-05:002011-12-15T09:06:19.246-05:00

SpaceFlightNow.com has posted photos of the orbiter Enterprise when it was used at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1985 to test Space Launch Complex 6. Click here to see all the photos. SpaceFlightNow.com also has an article on display plans for Enterprise at the Intrepid museum in New York City. And if you want to pay for it, SpaceFlightNow.com has downloadable NASA videos of Enterprise from

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-42258971695074320382011-12-13T13:27:00.017-05:002011-12-15T10:57:33.798-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. The video shows Stratolaunch taking off and landing at the KSC Shuttle Landing Facility. Stratolaunch Systems will announce today a new generation of commercial spaceflight capability that could launch and land at Kennedy Space Center. Here is the entire press release: Entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen announced today that he and aerospace

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-85789171786643502982011-12-12T20:48:00.000-05:002011-12-12T20:48:27.107-05:00

Florida Today reports that Boeing has hired retired STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson. The Boeing Co. today announced it has hired retired Navy captain and former NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson, commander of the last shuttle mission in July, to help design the company's commercial crew capsule. A veteran pilot and commander of three shuttle missions, "Fergie" retired from NASA last Friday and

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-66934431479091432042011-12-12T09:34:00.000-05:002011-12-12T09:34:16.918-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver was the keynote speaker at the 2011 NASA Future Forum in Seattle, Washington. Garver spoke on December 9. The above presentation by Ms. Garver is a good overview of the current state of the U.S. space program. Well worth the watch. And as Lori says, in response to those who claim U.S. spaceflight has ended, it's only

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-68431689050791595952011-12-11T20:35:00.002-05:002011-12-11T20:36:47.587-05:00

Perhaps feeling outflanked by United Launch Alliance competitors, SpaceX has hired lobbying firm Patton Boggs to represent its interests. According to the Legal Times blog: Former U.S. senators Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and John Breaux (D-La.) are part of a team of Patton Boggs lobbyists advocating for a commercial space transportation company, according to paperwork filed with Congress on Thursday.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-60387158064337173792011-12-11T18:43:00.003-05:002011-12-12T20:22:39.736-05:00

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. Image source: NASA. NASA has officially transferred the title for Enterprise to the Intrepid museum in New York City. NASA transferred title and ownership of space shuttle Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum during a ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 11, at the museum in New York City. The transfer is the first step toward

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-64209053360745507772011-12-11T07:51:00.004-05:002011-12-11T19:26:01.218-05:00

The replica orbiter Explorer, a longtime landmark at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, is due to move out this morning for Space Center Houston. The construction site is the eventual location for a new museum that will house the orbiter Atlantis. Below are photos taken yesterday of the construction site. UPDATE December 11, 2011 — Florida Today reports on the move this

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-87114656576337953832011-12-11T06:38:00.001-05:002011-12-11T06:39:56.432-05:00

Florida Today columnist John Kelly writes that Congress is losing patience with NASA's Webb telescope cost overruns, and "that could be a major threat to space exploration." The most important takeaway for all of this is that more members of Congress are expressing frustration. Threats are rising. As credibility drops, so might the willingness to continue to fund projects like this, and space

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-34151652155957478942011-12-09T18:28:00.013-05:002011-12-10T07:58:01.132-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. According to the latest This Week at NASA, the new launch date for the SpaceX Dragon is February 7, 2012. But there's no guarantee it will be allowed to berth with the International Space Station. According to the video: Pending completion of its final safety reviews, testing and verification, SpaceX might also send Dragon to rendezvous with the

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-19478295266395924402011-12-09T18:11:00.000-05:002011-12-09T18:11:34.466-05:00

Florida Today reports that this is the ninth annual Space Week at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The field trip is a full-day adventure aimed at revving up the kids’ interest in space exploration, and encouraging them to study science, math, engineering and technology. “What we’re trying to do is get the next generation of kids excited about what we’re doing … so they can be our

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-6616083033339076862011-12-07T08:53:00.001-05:002011-12-07T08:53:41.874-05:00

Florida Today reports that United Launch Alliance CEO Michael Gass wants to accelerate NASA's selection of a Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) finalist. A speedy decision would provide certainty as the space agency deals with budget pressures roiling Washington, Michael Gass, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, told an audience at the National Press Club on Tuesday. ULA is a partner

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-41672782749852379222011-12-07T08:40:00.000-05:002011-12-07T08:40:44.864-05:00

JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station in May 2009. Image source: NASA. Some space advocates think human spaceflight means exploration, and exploration only. It's not hard to find on space-related web sites comments posted by those who demean the International Space Station. They believe that the government space program's sole purpose

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-58904820064133680662011-12-06T13:50:00.000-05:002011-12-06T13:50:01.637-05:00

NASASpaceFlight.com reports that the NASA and Roscosmos bureaucracies continue to delay the historic flight of the SpaceX Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s Dragon demonstration flight to the International Space Station (ISS) is understood to be moving into the February/March timeframe, while approval for the combination of the C2/C3 (D2/D3) missions – which would result

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-52376295639480037752011-12-05T20:58:00.000-05:002011-12-05T20:58:35.974-05:00

I shot the above image this afternoon at sunset. The Moon was over the entrance to the bus tours at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Whenever I see the Moon over north Merritt Island, I think, "We got there from here."

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-62969281562728600392011-12-03T19:19:00.000-05:002011-12-03T19:19:30.089-05:00

The iconic KSCVC external tank and solid rocket boosters are now in storage. On November 30 I wrote about the removal of the iconic external tank and solid rocket boosters from the front of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. They've been moved to make room for the new Atlantis museum. The tank and boosters are being stored in a transfer yard on Space Commerce Road until KSCVC can find

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-82223533544702582172011-12-02T20:38:00.003-05:002011-12-03T07:27:56.239-05:00

Click on the arrow to watch the video. Astronaut Ron Garan, recently returned from the International Space Station, posted a tweet on his Twitter account recommending a video he made "explaining how ISS science experiments can help improve life on Earth." NASA's primary mission for human spaceflight for the rest of this decade will be the ISS. For a public that equates NASA with launches,

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-3040645999271492352011-12-01T19:56:00.001-05:002011-12-01T19:59:40.722-05:00

Space News reports that the recent vote by Congress to cut commercial crew funding by more than half may force NASA to choose a winner sooner than anticipated. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk thinks that works in his favor. “I always expected that for the next phase, NASA would down-select from four (companies) to two and that the two would probably be Boeing and SpaceX. Given the lower funding for

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-14991852275380825172011-11-30T20:03:00.001-05:002011-11-30T20:24:22.543-05:00

LMU, the magazine of Loyola Marymount University, has published an interview with Tom Mueller, Vice-President of Propulsion and Development at SpaceX. The article is in a question-and-answer format. I like the last Q&A: What’s next in space travel? Until now, the trajectory has been all wrong. We went to the moon in 1969. Then we got stuck in low-Earth orbit with the space shuttle. And now we

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-17991118986346270462011-11-30T10:19:00.001-05:002011-11-30T10:19:15.956-05:00

Bigelow Aerospace has opened a discussion forum on their web site. Click here to access the discussion forum. You need to register in order to post.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-277658463197765012011-11-30T06:56:00.005-05:002011-11-30T08:57:49.746-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the Florida Today video. You may be subjected to an ad first. Florida Today reports that work has begun on the new Atlantis museum at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Visitor Complex hopes to receive Atlantis from NASA by this time next year, rolling it into a partially completed, $100 million exhibit building under a timeline accelerated several months

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-84500807159629024062011-11-29T18:29:00.001-05:002011-11-29T18:31:14.975-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the interview. You may be subjected to an ad first. A colleague shared with me the above link to an interview with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on the AOL blog Translogic. The interview was posted on October 24.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-29099653486823455482011-11-29T17:10:00.002-05:002011-12-04T17:34:31.753-05:00

Florida Today reports that a proposed redrawing of Florida's Congressional districts would leave the Space Coast with one representative instead of two. Right now, District 15 includes Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and is represented by Bill Posey. District 24 includes Kennedy Space Center and is represented by Sandy Adams. Under the redistricting, all of Brevard County would fall into

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-47709800854409205902011-11-28T08:10:00.001-05:002011-11-28T08:11:38.177-05:00

Like all space geeks, I love launches. But while everyone else watches the spacecraft soar into the heavens, I like to watch the reactions on the faces of those watching the spacecraft. Young or old, they experience a moment of rapture. Nothing else on Earth seems to trigger this feeling of pure ecstasy. Below are photos of the crowds at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Saturday

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-24421108385836727402011-11-26T18:41:00.003-05:002011-11-26T21:00:02.079-05:00

The National Academies has published a 92-page report titled, Sharing the Adventure with the Public: The Value and Excitement of "Grand Questions" of Space Science and Exploration. Click here to download the free report. Select "Download Free PDF." When prompted to log in, select "Continue as Guest." The report is a summary of a three-day summit November 8-10, 2010 at the University of

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-87675586787862075732011-11-26T17:48:00.000-05:002011-11-26T17:48:34.445-05:00

Space News reports that SpaceX will expand its operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, funded in part by Space Florida. Falcon 9s fly from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, which previously was used by the now-retired Titan rocket program. Currently, only one vehicle can be processed at a time at a hangar adjacent to the launch pad. To accommodate an expected

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-40964455756832647862011-11-24T15:41:00.002-05:002011-11-25T06:41:42.744-05:00

Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean in 1969 Corvettes provided by Jim Rathmann. Image source: Wired.com. Florida Today reports that racing legend Jim Rathmann passed away Wednesday in Melbourne at age 83. Rathmann is known to space historians as the man who put Mercury astronauts in Chevrolet Corvettes. According to CorvetteBlogger.com: After winning the 1960

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-35366058023710014322011-11-24T10:58:00.000-05:002011-11-24T10:58:12.565-05:00

Click the arrow to watch the video. NASA rolled out on November 16 the new mobile launcher that will be used for the Space Launch System. NASA has released a time-lapse video of the rollout. Click the above image to watch. Click here to see photos I shot that day of the rollout.

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-789128804012563432011-11-24T10:24:00.003-05:002011-11-25T09:19:35.936-05:00

An artist's concept of the Phobos-Grunt orbiter and lander system. Image source: Lavochkin Association via ESA. Roscosmos lost contact with the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft two weeks ago, the latest in a series of setbacks for the Russian space agency. The European Space Agency has announced that it briefly established communications contact with the spacecraft on November 22, and two-way contact

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-91873047340347320122011-11-23T19:16:00.000-05:002011-11-23T19:16:40.261-05:00

An Associated Press video clip of Senator Bill Nelson demonstrating his "monster rocket." Click the arrow to watch (it may be preceded by an advertisement). I got a rocket in my pocket and a roll in my walk So, baby don't fuss me with that North Forty talk There ain't nothing you can tell me I don't already know I got a rocket in my pocket and I'm raring to go A-Let's go some place so we can

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-40630266100742051232011-11-23T07:17:00.001-05:002011-11-23T07:27:46.939-05:00

The orbiter Enterprise on display at the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C. Image source: National Air & Space Museum. CollectSpace.com reports that NASA has signed over the prototype orbiter Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Now the orbiter's rightful owner, Intrepid announced that a few months after touching down in New

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-6838457794051366732011-11-22T08:06:00.000-05:002011-11-22T08:06:15.388-05:00

Mark Kelly with Gabrielle Giffords at a ceremony where Kelly received the Legion of Merit award from Vice-President Joe Biden. Image source: Space.com. Jeff Foust, the host of the excellent Space Politics blog, has posted a review of the book Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly. As you probably know, Rep. Giffords' husband was an astronaut and commander of

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2098366069437151623.post-57491521432175814022011-11-22T07:51:00.001-05:002011-11-22T07:52:14.086-05:00

Two Florida papers criticized Congress on Sunday for cutting the Fiscal Year 2012 commercial crew budget by more than half. The Orlando Sentinel commented: Almost three weeks ago, at Kennedy Space Center, government and business leaders celebrated the prospect of a return to U.S. manned space flight within four years and more than 500 new jobs. That was before Congress got hold of NASA's

Stephen C. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12096182599872295149noreply@blogger.com0