Oviedo, Fla. (OCP PR) – Orbital Commerce Project/Black Sky Training in conjunction with its training partner, Dr. Paul Buza, a recognized expert in both DCI and hypobaric hypoxia, announced today that they have begun a study into the effects of hypobaric hypoxia on people taking neuro-psychiatric prescriptions. This study will determine if there is any change the patient’s physiological and psychological profile during high altitude flight.

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Jeff Feige Orbital Outfitters Clients include XCOR, SpaceX and NASA Primarily produce spacesuits Lately been involved in developing vehicle mockups Spacsuits are not stand-alone off-the-rack but are integrated subsystem of the vehicle — need to be integrated with environmental and life support systems, seats, doors, etc. Many questions to consider in developing suits How much mobility? What are realistic emergency scenarios Would occupants have to bail out? What are you protecting […]

Percy Luney
Vice President, Space Florida

Space Florida is administering NASA’s $3 million Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge through a new non-profit, the Space Florida Small Satellite Research Center. Luney was at Space Access 12 to solicit ideas and and answer questions from attendees on proposed rules set to be released for public comment on Tuesday. (more…)

Xombie on the pad.(Credit: Draper Lab)

Dave Masten
Founder and CTO, Masten Aerospace
Mojave, California

Xearo

• Xaero capable of reaching 100,000 feet
• Next generation beyond Xoie, which won the Lunar Lander Challenge
• Under flight testing now
• 88 tether flights
• 2 successful free flights
• Installing an aeroshell on Xaero changed flight characteristics
• “By the time we figured out what was going on, we were 88 tether flights in.”
• Building a second Xaero within the next few months to do high altitude flights up to 100,000
• Masten has too many customers for the first Xaero, which will be used for low-altitude flights

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Rand Simberg
Space Property Rights Initiative

American Western Frontier Developed by Two Acts

• Pacific Railway Act of 1862 — granted railroads land to develop transcontinental lines
• Homesteading Act of 1862 — granted land to settlers who would settle and develop land

Historical context for Outer Space Treaty of 1967

• Decolonization and socialism
  IGY
• Cold war competition
• For all mankind
• Antarctical model
• Scientific preserve
• No incentive for competion and development

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Michael Kelly
Chief Engineer, Office of Commercial Spaceflight
Federal Aviation Administration
“Commercial Human Spaceflight: The Coming Safety Challenge

Changes at FAA

• AST split in several offices, including chief engineer’s offic
• Former astronaut Pamela Ann Melroy has been added as senior adviser for human spaceflight — flew on STS-92, 112 and 120 — previously serve as Deputy Program Manager for Space Exploration Initiatives at Lockheed Martin after leaving the astronaut corps
• reorganizing field offices
• adding a second position at Mojave, new positions at Wallops and JSC
• Planned tech center with 50 people at KSC will not happen
• Moritorium on regulations has been expanded to Oct. 1, 2015 — although FAA can propose rules if there is an accident

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XCOR test fires its Lynx 5K18 engine with lightweight aluminum nozzle; United Launch Alliance (ULA) and XCOR to apply the nozzle and XCOR’s liquid hydrogen (LH2) pump technology to new LH2 engine development. (Photo Credit: Mike Massee / XCOR)

Mark Street
XCOR Aerospace

35 employees

none of four founders were rich, so they wanted to bring down cost to the point where they could afford it….

goal is to create engines that are safe, reliable reusable and affordable

first rocket had 15 pounds of thrust

designed to be operated frequently – eliminates fatigue…have not yet found a wear mechanisms on engines yet

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Artist conception of G-Lab. (Credit: SSI)

SSI PR — Today, the Space Studies Institute is announcing a new Great Enterprise Initiative and two special Projects that we hope will hasten the day when permanent space settlement arrives, fulfilling Professor Gerard K. O’Neill’s vision of forty years ago.

We are announcing two major Projects. The first is G-Lab, a space-based variable or partial gravity laboratory, described below in more detail. The second is E-Lab, a terrestrial “systems-of-systems” integration lab that will bring together promising closed environment life support technologies into a comprehensive life support solution for space settlement. We will describe the E-Lab effort in the near future. We plan to be meeting with potential donors an sponsors of both of these Projects in the near future.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (CASIS PR — APRIL 12, 2012) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the non-profit organization managing the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, today announced a deal with NanoRacks, LLC, to reserve space on the first commercial platform available for researchers outside the ISS in the extreme environments of space. In June, CASIS will issue a formal solicitation to the research community and private enterprise for their proposals to use this one-of-a-kind platform for anything from earth observation to materials, and biological sciences.

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Spacecraft powered by a fission fragment rocket engine being studied under a NIAC Phase 1 grant. (Robert Werka, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center)

NASA PR — National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters is releasing a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) for further studies of innovative advanced concepts. NNH12ZUA004N, entitled NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, will be available as of April 19, 2012 by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and then linking through the menu listings Solicitations to Open Solicitations.

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