Machete-tongued TV impresario Simon Cowell says he wants to send the next winner of “Britain’s Got Talent” into space aboard one of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo flight next year. The Sun reports:

Cowell said: “Richard Branson is the sponsor of the show with Virgin. We are trying to work out a way so that the winner of the show gets to go up in the spacecraft and will be the first person to perform in space.

“I’m being serious. You could be the first singer or dog act, whatever, performing in space.

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Thirty Percent for Science:
Planetary Society Calls for Increased Investment for the Future

The Planetary Society has called on the U.S. Administration to rebalance NASA’s portfolio of programs and missions so that Science is given 30 percent of the agency’s budget. “Science is the best place to invest in NASA,” Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye said, “In this era of constrained budgets, we must invest in areas with the greatest possible returns.”

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Vote for your favorite now. YouTube Space Lab finalists announced, vote for your favorite SA PR — On October 10, Space Adventures announced the YouTube Space Lab, a worldwide initiative, sponsored by Lenovo.  Over 2000 entries were received, and 60 finalists have now been chosen.  Voting has now been opened, so please vote for your favorite and help pick the two winners who will have their experiments flown to the […]

SA PR — Space Adventures’ sixth orbital spaceflight client, Richard Garriott, flew to the International Space Station in October 2008 and became the first second generation American astronaut. Man on a Mission is the story of his journey from son of an Apollo astronaut to famed computer game developer to finally achieving his lifelong dream of flying to space himself. Check for on-demand providers or for a movie theater near […]

Not content to simply dictate the design of NASA’s heavy-lift rocket, the rocket scientists in Congress have also ordered an independent assessment of the space agency’s strategic direction and management. That requirement, which will soak up about a $1 million of NASA’s limited funding, was put into the FY 2012 budget. The NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG), which was tasked with the job, has arranged for the study to be conducted by the National Research Council’s Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences.

This is, I think, a reasonable decision; OIG is largely focused on waste, abuse and mismanagement and lacks the personnel and expertise to assess strategic direction.

A full description of the planned assessment follows after the break. The report is due by December.

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ULA's Atlas V

The U.S. Air Force’s recent purchase of nine rockets from United Launch Alliance for $1.5 billion was just the beginning:

“There will be multiple EELV buys in (calendar year) 2012,” according to the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch and Range Systems Directorate.

This initial purchase of 9 boosters supports national security space requirements in Fiscal Year 2014, Air Force officials said, and a “second and larger procurement” will be made shortly as a block buy of rockets.

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Less than 14 months after publicly declaring that she would retire to Mars with hubby Elon Musk, it looks like British actress Talulah Riley will be spending her golden years right here on Earth. Yep, the marriage of the 26-year-old Riley and her 40-year-old SpaceX CEO has gone kaput. Alan Boyle of Cosmic Log broke the sad news today. “It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You […]

Space News is reporting that former astronaut Ken Bowersox quit as SpaceX’s vice president of astronaut safety and mission assurance. No reason has been given for the decision.

Bowersox joined SpaceX in June 2009 after a successful career at NASA. The space agency selected him as an astronaut in 1987. He flew the space shuttle five times as a mission specialist, pilot and commander. Bowersox served as Expedition 6 mission commander for the International Space Station and has logged 211 days in space.

“Ken Bowersox is a critical asset to the SpaceX team, as we prepare for crewed missions aboard our Dragon spacecraft,” said Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX, said at the time Bowersox was hired. “His experience in the U.S. astronaut corps, and aboard the International Space Station, will be invaluable in shaping the future of commercial manned spaceflight.”

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Space News reports that Orbital’s plan to launch its first Antares rocket by early March has gone by the boards:  A hold-down test of Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Antares rocket, a prerequisite for the launch vehicle’s maiden flight, likely will not be completed before April because of ongoing tests and certification work on the vehicle’s launch pad at Wallops Island, Va., a launch official said. Antares, formerly known as Taurus 2, […]

International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities Press Statement Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Washington, DC January 17, 2012 The long-term sustainability of our space environment is at serious risk from space debris and irresponsible actors. Ensuring the stability, safety, and security of our space systems is of vital interest to the United States and the global community. These systems allow the free flow of information across platforms […]