The boilerplate test article was modified at Langley Research Center in Virginia for Orion recovery testing (Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann)

Space News has a couple of reports on how the two-week long government shutdown is affecting America’s efforts to develop new human spacecraft:

Sierra Nevada Corporation “has hit a literal wall in its test program because of the shutdown…..A full-scale test article of the company’s Dream Chaser lifting-body spacecraft is locked up and inaccessible at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center inside Edwards Air Force Base in California.”

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FMARS (Credit: Mars Society)

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (Mars Society PR) — The Mars Society is seeking six volunteers to participate as members of the crew of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) during an extended simulation of human Mars exploration operations on Devon Island in northern Canada (August 2014 through July 2015).

As currently planned, the crew will consist of four individuals chosen primarily for their skills as field scientists in areas including geology, geochemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, and paleontology. Two additional crew members will be chosen primarily for their skills in engineering areas. The ability of crew members to support both roles is considered a strong plus.

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A cosmonaut practices emergency egress from a mockup of Russia’s advanced crew transport. (Credit: Energia)

MOSCOW (Energia PR) — Under the project of the New-Generation Advanced Manned Transportation Spacecraft, tests have been run at S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation, Energia to try out crew activities during ingress into and emergency escape from command compartment of the reentry vehicle.

The tests were run using the reentry vehicle layout mockup and included the operations of settling the crew in the command compartment, as well as an emergency escape from the command compartment on the launch pad, and an unassisted egress from the reentry vehicle after its landing on solid ground outside its designated landing area.

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Video Caption: In November 2014, NASA will launch the Sunjammer with the worlds largest solar sail, which will unfurl from the compact spacecraft.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL., October 14, 2013 (CASIS PR) – The Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization managing research onboard the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, today announced the winners from the crowdsourcing contest “What Would You Send to the ISS?” This contest was designed to stimulate public interest in the space station by soliciting ideas from the public to innovatively use the station’s National Lab for terrestrial benefit.

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This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, Oct. 14, 2013, 2-3:30 PM PDT (5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT): No show today as I am working on the relocation of the studio. 2. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): DENNIS WINGO returns. Check out his latest articles on his blog, denniswingo.wordpress.com. 3. Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, 9:30-11 AM PDT […]

Falcon 9 v1.1 engine configuration. (Credit: SpaceX)

Chris Bergin over at NASASpaceFlight.com says that SpaceX has slipped the next launch of the Falcon 9 v1.1 to mid-November in order to deal with an engine problem that cropped up during its debut flight on Sept. 29.

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October 12, 2013 (FSDC PR) — The Florida Space Development Council’s Bumper Award, named after the first rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in 1950, is designed to recognize an individual or organization that has had the biggest impact on Florida’s space industry, or a Floridian that has had the biggest national impact in space. The 2013 Bumper recipient will be selected from a list of finalists that were identified by […]

Salute to Kern County Emergency Services Personnel Saturday, October 19, 2013 Mojave Air and Space Port 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. On Saturday, October 19, we are having a special salute to our Kern County Emergency Services Personnel Giving the public and the kids an opportunity to meet our EMS personnel on a non-emergency basis. Mojave Transportation Museum is pleased to recognize all of our Emergency Services Personnel! The California […]