Video Caption: The first test to ensure Orion will successfully jettison its Forward Bay Cover (FBC) was conducted by Lockheed Martin on Dec. 19. The FBC protects the top portion of the crew module during launch, orbital flight, and re-entry. When Orion reenters the Earth’s atmosphere from deep space, the FBC will be jettisoned at an altitude of approximately 23,000 feet. This event is crucial to mission success and crew […]

Singapore Satellite Industry Forum 2013 — Opening Keynote SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell talks at the event last summer and discussed the price points for a reusable Falcon 9. The comments begin at the 13:17 mark. “If we get this right, and we’re trying very hard to get this right, we’re looking at launches to be in the 5 to 7 million dollar range, which would really change things […]

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL., January 13, 2014 (CASIS PR) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), is proud to announce its first sponsored payloads berthed with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, January 12. Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Cygnus capsule successfully berthed with the ISS, marking the completion of its first full ISS resupply mission. CASIS is tasked with managing and promoting research on board the ISS U.S. National Laboratory.

Research on board Orbital’s Cygnus capsule included a range of experiments from physical science, life sciences and education related payloads. On its test flight in September 2013, the Cygnus capsule transported three CASIS-funded education payloads from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). However, this flight signifies the first major payloads that CASIS brokered through its own outreach activities.

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More than three months into the fiscal year, Congressional appropriators have finally released the FY 2014 omnibus budget. If approved, NASA would do very well given the constrained fiscal environment, with essentially a flat budget of $17.65 billion that is only marginally lower than the $17.7 billion requested by President Barack Obama.

Orion and the Space Launch System are fully funded at more than $3 billion, the commercial crew program gets nearly $700 million but far less than requested, and a provision prohibiting space cooperation with China would remain in place.
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NSS Press Release

The Washington DC-based National Space Society (NSS) strongly opposes the passage of House of Representatives bill HR 3625. This bill would (a) require NASA to obtain legislative permission to cancel four of its most expensive human spaceflight and science programs, and (b) allow contractors for these programs to have immediate access to hundreds of millions of dollars in funds which currently are held in reserve to pay the government’s obligations in the event of such termination. The four covered programs are the Space Launch System, the Orion crew capsule, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the International Space Station.

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This artist’s concept shows the Voyager 1 spacecraft entering the space between stars. (Credit: NASA)

NASA Takes a Look Back at 2013

NASA science this year uncovered new knowledge about our home planet and the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Analysis showed the Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered interstellar space and, at 12 billion miles away, is the most distant man-made object ever created.
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The International Space Station, backdropped by the blackness of space and the thin line of Earth’s atmosphere. (Credit: NASA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (January 13, 2014) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization managing research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, today re-issued a solicitation for proposals in the field of remote sensing.

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Skylon with the SABRE engine. (Credit: Reaction Engines)

LONDON (Reaction Engines PR) — Reaction Engines Ltd is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (‘CRADA’) with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ).

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This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, Jan. 13, 2014, 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome CHARLES POOLEY & ED LeBOUTHILLIER regarding the release of the long awaited Microlaunchers book. The book titled “Microlaunchers: Technology for a New Space Age” is now available and Charles and his co-author will be here to talk about it. I will give away one copy […]

Virgin Galactic produced video of the third powered flight of SpaceShipTwo from the Mojave Air and Space Port on Dec. 10, 2014. The vehicle fired its hybrd motor for 20 seconds, reaching a top speed of Mach 1.4 and an altitude of 71,000 feet. The vehicle is designed to carry space tourists on suborbital flight. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson is set to fly on the first commercial mission later […]