The unmanned Shenzhou VIII spacecraft launched on Tuesday morning includes 17 life science experiments supplied by Chinese and German researchers, the Xinhua news agency reports. The spacecraft will dock with the Tiangong-1 space station to test technologies for later crew missions. “Among the research programs, 10 will be dominated by China and six by Germany, and the two sides will jointly carry out one program,” [spokeswoman] Wu [Ping] said. Zhao […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
The unmanned Shenzhou VIII spacecraft blasted off aboard a Long March 2F rocket early Tuesday on a mission to dock with China’s Tiangong-1 space station. The mission will test docking technology that will be used for two follow-up missions that will include crews beginning next year. Measuring 10.4 meters in length and weighing in at 8.5 metric tons, Tiangong-1 is a mini-space station that is roughly half the size of […]
This week on The Space Show…. Monday, Oct . 31, 2-3:30 PM PDT: We welcome back Futron’s David Vaccaro & Ian Christensen to discuss the new Futron Space Competitive Report. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, 7-8:30 PM PDT: We welcome Robeert Brand from Australia to discuss Do-It-Yourself Space as well as the Australian role in our space program. Friday, Nov. 4,, 2011, 9:30-11 AM PDT: We welcome back George Whitesides of […]
NASA PR — CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In an innovative agreement that will create new jobs, NASA today announced a partnership with Space Florida to occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center’s Orbiter Processing Facility-3, the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center.
Space Florida, the aerospace economic development agency of the state of Florida, has an agreement for use of the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 with the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company’s Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft, creating up to 550 jobs along the Space Coast. The 15-year use permit with Space Florida is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport.
NASA’s Robotic Lander Development Project in Huntsville, Ala., has successfully completed seven autonomous outdoor flight tests of a lander prototype, dubbed Mighty Eagle. On Oct. 14, Mighty Eagle ascended to three meters, translated 30 feet sideways and turned 90 degrees before setting down safely. On Oct. 17, Mighty Eagle successfully flew to a height of 30 feet, translated sideways 30 feet before landing. These tests are paving the way for […]
WASHINGTON — During a visit to South America, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Thursday signed two cooperative Earth science agreements with Agencia Espacial Brasileira (AEB), NASA’s counterpart space agency in Brazil.
One agreement formalizes NASA-AEB scientific collaboration on the Global Precipitation Measurement, or GPM, mission, while the other extends an agreement for the Ozone Cooperation Mission.
“Earth observation from space is vital to understanding our planet,” Bolden said. “The technically skilled and dedicated researchers in Brazil are excellent partners for NASA, and we look forward to many more years of successful international cooperation in space-based Earth science.”
Mojave Air and Space Port CEO Stuart Witt and Spaceport Sweden CEO Karin Nilsdotter. (Credit: Spaceport Sweden)
Spaceport Sweden PR — An agreement with the aim to mobilize, stimulate and facilitate the growth of the commercial suborbital human spaceflight industry across boarders at Kiruna, Sweden and Mojave, California, US was signed on Friday 21 October 2011 in San Francisco by Mojave Air and Space Port CEO, Stuart Witt and Spaceport Sweden CEO, Karin Nilsdotter.
Mojave Air and Space Port, owned by the East Kern Airport District, is California’s premier location and R&D center for the new commercial man rated space activity being America’s first commercially licensed spaceport, where Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne won the Ansari X-Prize in 2004 and numerous firms are currently developing suborbital space vehicles, subsystems and engines.
Spaceport Sweden is a pioneering initiative to establish space tourism in Europe and Sweden with the vision to become a world leading spaceport and hub for commercial human spaceflights and cross-industry innovation.
October 24, 2011
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Thank you for supporting NASA Administrator Bolden’s recent announcement to move forward on the Space Launch System (SLS). As you know, our communities have been deeply affected by the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program and the cancellation of the Constellation Program. Collectively, the Houston, Texas and Huntsville, Alabama communities have faced the loss of thousands of jobs in the aerospace industry, which has been devastating, particularly at a time when the economy struggles to recover.
NASA TV — Riding atop its Soyuz booster rocket, the Russian ISS Progress 45 cargo ship launched successfully from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:11 a.m. EDT (4:11 p.m. Baikonur time) on Oct. 30, 2011, bound for the International Space Station. It was the first launch of the Soyuz booster that is used for Progress and manned Soyuz launches since a third stage failure of another Soyuz rocket resulted […]
- One of Vega’s two payload fairing half-shells is unloaded in its shipping container from the MN Colibri docked at Kourou’s Pariacabo Port (photo at left), for transfer to the nearby Spaceport. (Credit: Arianespace)
ARIANESPACE PR — The first lightweight Vega was delivered to the Spaceport today, with this latest member of Arianespace’s expanded launcher family arriving only days after the service entry of its other new vehicle – the medium-lift Soyuz.
Vega came to French Guiana aboard the MN Colibri roll-on/roll-off ship, which docked yesterday at Kourou’s Pariacabo Port after a two-week Atlantic crossing from Europe, and was unloaded this morning for the launcher’s transfer by road to the Spaceport.
The four-stage Vega’s first flight has been set for next January 26, carrying LARES (LAser RElativity Satellite) and nine cubesat educational payloads of varying sizes.