After Bob Bigelow gave his presentation, Jesse Ventura approached him in the hallway with a camerman in tow. The former wrestler and Minnesota governor agreed with Bigelow’s talk about how China wants to claim the moon. I caught part of the discussion on my cell phone camera.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Robert Bigelow
Bob Bigelow — I’ll be somewhat controversial today — that got applause…
Space business is about to change….a new gunslinger in town, he’s not American, and he’s aiming at Solar System monopoly….he’s started to play the game, but we’re not even aware it’s happening…
In about 15 years, that game will end…
America has become weaker, not stronger, over the last 20 years….we will spend the next five years trying to recover from the recession…Are we weaker than we were in 1969, how close are we to being relegated to the number 2 position in the world across the board…
Who will be in the charge as the dominant force? China
Permanent problems
- enormous cost of entitlements
- overly generous retirement system
- poor results of education program
- pathetic lack of skills, honesty and ability in our government
- NASA is a shadow of what it used to be in 1960’s
Dr. Alan Stern
UCF PR — A former NASA leader whose career has touched nearly every aspect of manned and unmanned space flight has been named director of the Florida Space Institute.
S. Alan Stern will help the institute, a part of the University of Central Florida, develop projects that align UCF and Florida with the new emphasis in the space industry –unmanned flights, commercial flight, science missions and technology development.
“UCF’s Florida Space Institute is in an excellent position to leverage Florida, UCF and the State University System into new research and education roles with NASA, with other space agencies and with the budding commercial space industry,” Stern said. “I’m excited to lead FSI into this new era.”
An interesting report from Dow Jones this morning: Abu Dhabi investment company Aabar Investments has boosted its stake in Virgin Galactic, Virgin Group’s commercial spaceline, to 37.8% from 31.8%, according to the prospectus for a planned bond sale by Aabar’s parent company. Aabar–owned by Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co., or IPIC–invested an additional $110 million in Virgin Galactic in July, boosting its stake by 6%, IPIC’s preliminary bond prospectus […]
George Nield
FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation
Talks about Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford in 2005….three stories he told in speech:
- dropping out of college and learning calligraphy: created a range of type faces
- getting fired from Apple liberated him and led to a creative period in his life
- getting diagnosed with pancreatic cancer allowed him to stay hungry and stay foolish/
Jobs was named as inventor or co-inventor on more than 300 patents
Jobs had a knack for creating products that people didn’t even know they wanted
Many differences between telecom/Internet and space — cost of hardware, size and scale of infrastructure, etc.
We are underway here in Las Cruces…..ISPCS Chairwoman Patricia Hynes is making some opening remarks, giving an overview of where things are and where things are heading in the space area… Space industry in transition from government control to private companies whose goal is to make money….as director of NM Space Grant Consortium, can now buy commercial rockets to space for student experiments…. Announces new partnership with NASA Flight Opportunities […]
Hello again. Today was largely a rest day here. I used it to recover from two days of driving and the big Virgin Galactic shindig in the desert yesterday. There was a reception tonight for the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (try to say that 10 times…or even once). It lacked the star power of Sir Richard’s event. No royals, real or otherwise. And no Branson, for that […]
Hey everyone. I have put a photo gallery of images sfrom the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space dedication event on the Parabolic Arc Facebook page. See Kate, Bea, Buzz, Richard, Richard, Richard and SpaceShipTwo in all their glory! And if you haven’t already, Like the page and encourage others to do the same.
Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin
In the latest edition of The Lurio Report, Charlies Lurio reports on growing evidence that former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin wants his old job back:
I have now heard from two independent sources – though in both cases second hand – that Griffin was recently overheard telling Scolese that the main objective right now was to slow down the Commercial Crew program, because he figured he’d be back in charge of NASA under a new Republican White House. I suppose that a former official using his pals like this to undermine present policy is typical DC skullduggery, but I don’t have to like it. (Update: I hear that Griffin’s determination to get his old job back was being discussed “everywhere” at a recent major conference of aerospace professionals as well as later events.)
I figured as much months ago. And it’s bad news. Commercial crew will go bye bye if he’s installed back on the ninth floor of NASA Headquarters.
The Lurio Report News and Analysis of the ‘New Space’ Enterprise Charles A. Lurio, Ph.D., Writer/Publisher https://www.thelurioreport.com/ Contents: Quick Updates: SpaceX – Reusability and Other Issues Reusability Concept Change “Grasshopper,” a VTVL Testbed SpaceX Business Status and NASA vs. DoD Docking the Dragon With the ISS Are Private Reusables to Orbit Really More Plausible Today Than in the 1990’s? “You Saw It Here First” Department Official XCOR/Space Expedition Curaçao (SXC) […]