An F/A-18 research jet simulated various flight conditions NASA’s Space Launch System may experience as it makes its way from the launch pad to space. (Credit: NASA/Dryden)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (NASA PR) — Raise your hand if, in a math class, you ever said, “When will I ever use this in my life?”

Four young engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., can answer that question: They are using math to develop algorithms, or complex step-by-step equations, that can make an F/A-18 fighter jet fly like the Space Launch System (SLS) — NASA’s next heavy-lift launch vehicle.

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Gov. John Hickenlooper

DENVER, Colo. (Governor Hickenlooper PR) — Gov. John Hickenlooper joined the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) on November 25, 2013 to announce that Maj. Gen. Jay H. Lindell will be Colorado’s Aerospace and Defense Industry Champion.

Lindell will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the state’s aerospace strategic plan and developing and implementing strategies surrounding the state’s military bases, including leading efforts surrounding all Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) activities.

“Maj. Gen. Lindell will be a great advocate and passionate voice for ensuring that the state’s various industry networks and groups within aerospace and defense are united,” Hickenlooper said. “We know his extensive experience will help align military assets in preparation of consolidation and workforce training, and we are fortunate to have such a dedicated person to lead our efforts.”

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Cecil Airport in Jacksonville now has a tenant and a large state grant to help develop its spaceport operations: JAA will match the $1.8 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation and Space Florida, the state organization responsible for fostering growth in Florida’s space industry. The final cost of the hangar could be more than $4 million and will be completed by early 2015, according to Todd Lindner, JAA’s […]

Sen. Barbara Mikulski

GREENBELT, Md. (NASA PR) — The state of Maryland and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., have embarked on a new partnership effort, the main goal of which is to attract high technology companies to Maryland, which in turn will enable both future missions of NASA and the economic future of Maryland.

The agreement, signed by U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Goddard Space Flight Center Director Chris Scolese will help in several ways. Goddard will obtain specialized skills and technologies needed for its numerous mission applications. It will help the center engage in technical exchanges with local tech companies regarding new trends, theories, techniques and problems in aerospace technology. And finally, it will provide an opportunity for the development of local educational and labor resources specific to Goddard’s needs.

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We called manual abort. Better to be paranoid and wrong. Bringing rocket down to borescope engines … — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2013   Update, 7:08 pm EST: Sounds like this is going to be a significant delay if they need to bring the rocket back to the hangar. This could postpone the Falcon 9 launch of Thaicom 6 — scheduled for Dec. 20 — into 2014. Launch aborted […]

SpaceWorks Enterprises’ updated Spaceport Field Guide is now live and available. In the past, the Guide was a KMZ file that opened in Google Earth, meaning you had to have Google Earth installed on your computer to use it. Now, it is an embedded Google Map on our website with no download required. View the guide here: https://www.spaceworkssoftware.com/products/free/spaceport-field-guide.shtml

Mark Becnel, left, and his brother, Eric Becnel, with a mockup of the Chargersat-1 in the UAH Engineering Design and Prototyping Facility. The brothers plan to start a cube satellite production company after graduating with master’s degrees in aerospace engineering. (Credit:
Michael Mercier | UAH)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (November 12, 2013) – Two students soon to earn their master’s degrees in aerospace engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) see so much opportunity in small satellites that they have formed a company to develop the technologies.

Mark and Eric Becnel are aiming their company Radiobro at providing turnkey cube satellite services to researchers who have experiments they’d like to fly, but who don’t have the resources to build their own satellites to fly them.

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thanksgiving Day has already arrived in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Island in the Atlantic Time zone. About a half hour from now, the holiday will officially commence on the East Coast, where folks in New York are preparing for a parade and engineers in Florida for a launch. Six hours after it arrives in the East, Thanksgiving will begin in American Samoa, our western-most territory. […]

Arlington, Virginia, November 27, 2013 (ZERO-G PR) -– Zero Gravity Corporation^® (ZERO-G^®) has successfully completed the latest ZERO-G^® Weightless Lab microgravity research flight.  On November 17, ZERO-G clients tested equipment for future suborbital missions, studied the geology of Mars, deployed cubesats, evaluated fluid dynamics and analyzed customized devices for consuming liquids in space.

“ZERO-G’s research program gives universities, corporations, government and individuals seeking to conduct serious investigations unprecedented access to microgravity,” stated Terese Brewster, President and COO of ZERO-G.  “Now in our fourth year, ZERO’s Weightless Lab continues to provide an international clientele with Martian, Lunar, zero and hyper-gravity environments for the study of terrestrial and space applications.”

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SpaceX will make another attempt to launch the Falcon 9 rocket with the SES-8 satellite on Thursday at 5:38 p.m.  The weather looks good for the Thanksgiving Day launch. Orbital Sciences Corporation has delayed its next Antares/Cygnus launch by two days: Orbital and NASA have identified Tuesday, Dec. 17 as the targeted ‘no earlier than’ launch date for Orbital’s first ISS commercial resupply mission from Wallops. The new date comes […]