Bob Richards describes Moon Express and the bounty of resources that await us on the moon.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
A full-scale Lynx mockup. (Credit: Douglas Messier)
UPDATE: Florida Today reports that Brevard County commissioners approved the matching grant by a 3-1 vote, with Trudie Infantini voting against it because she opposed up-front cash payments in advance of job creation. Assistant County Manager Stockton Whitten says that traditional property tax breaks cannot be used in this case because XCOR’s facility would be on Kennedy Space Center property, which is federal land outside of county control.
XCOR Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nelson was in Florida today to discuss the possibility of XCOR building and operating Lynx suborbital vehicles on the Space Coast:
XCOR Aerospace Inc., known until now as Project Planet as the company made its way through economic development channels in Florida, will reveal possible plans for building rocket engines and a suborbital spacecraft on the Space Coast in an appearance before the Brevard County Commission.
The commission is scheduled to approve matching funds for a nearly $1 million state grant to lure the company.
Oviedo, FL (BST PR) –- Black Sky Training announced today that it has begun to build its rocket powered flight trainer. After 6 years in development, BST’s pilot training course for rocket powered flight has been reviewed by the FAA and is now awaiting the prototype, and airworthiness certification to allow BST to receive a required Letter Of Deviation Authority. The LODA will allow BST to train student pilots for […]
Lynx mockup. (Credit: Douglas Messier)
Mojave, California (July 24, 2012): XCOR Aerospace announced today that the Lynx suborbital vehicle’s Payload User’s Guide (PUG) is now available online from XCOR’s website (www.xcor.com/contact/pug).
XCOR Program Manager Khaki Rodway noted that “publication of the guide is a significant evolutionary step for XCOR, our payload integration partners, and scientists and educators who are ready to use our suborbital reusable launch vehicle such as the participants in NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program and our other commercial research customers.” The end user who downloads the Payload User’s Guide online will also be registered to receive automatic updates.
BOSTON, July 23, 2012 (Virgin America PR) — Today, at this year’s Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention, Virgin America announces a suite of enhancements to its Elevate® frequent flyer program that promise to make travel even more rewarding for the airline’s most loyal guests.
As of this summer, the airline’s top flyers can enjoy new Elevate Gold and Elevate Silver status levels within the program, with perks that include: priority check-in, security clearance and boarding; points earning bonuses; free checked bag allowances; enhanced digital/social rewards; private discounts; an expanded advance purchase upgrade window for the airline’s exclusive eight-seat First Class; complimentary space-available upgrades to the carrier’s premium Main Cabin Select service; and complimentary access to the best seat assignments within Main Cabin.
Today, Virgin America also announces that in keeping with its mission to elevate the travel experience – and the concept of loyalty rewards – to new heights, the Elevate member who earns the most status points between August 8, 2012 and August 7, 2013, will earn the ultimate roundtrip flight reward*: a sub-orbital space flight on Virgin Galactic. These Elevate enhancements, which go into effect August 8, 2012, are timed to coincide with the airline’s fifth anniversary.
NEW YORK (zero2infinity PR) — zero2infinity is now one step closer to manned flight: an agreement was just signed with Final Frontier Design to buy a pressurized space suits. zero2infinity just entered into an agreement with Final Frontier Design and became one of the first in line to buy a pressurized space suits. The aim of Ted Southern and Nikolay Moiseev, the associates behind FFD, is to develop the next […]
Some very sad news to report: Sally Ride, who became the first American woman in space aboard the shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Ride was the first to break through into the all-male astronaut corps and inspired women everywhere. She will be sadly missed.
Below is a statement published on the Sally Ride Science website, followed by tributes from President Barack Obama and NASA.
“Sally Ride died peacefully on July 23rd, 2012 after a courageous 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, joy, and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless.
The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) was successfully launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore on July 21. IRVE-3 is part of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator or HIAD project — within the NASA Space Technology Program’s Game Changing Development Program.
This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, July 23, 2012, 2-3:30 PM PDT (5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT):MARSHA FREEMAN joins us to discuss the recent GLEX conference and her interviews with Russian space officials regarding their plans for the Moon and their space program. 2. Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): We welcome back BRENT SHERWOOD to discuss […]