MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — The TEDxNASA@SiliconValley event, which will feature presentations on “extreme green ideas,” will be streamed live online on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Some cool images courtesy of SpaceX. Above, technicians prepare the Dragon spacecraft for thermal vacuum chamber testing in a SpaceX clean room shown above in Hawthorne (Los Angeles) California. The open bays will hold the parachutes. NASA has given SpaceX a launch date of Nov 30, 2011 for Falcon 9 Flight 3, which will send a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.
This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston…. Monday, August 15, 2011, 2-3:30 PM PDT: Taped interviews from Small Sat will be made available for this program. This program will be available on The Space Show website early Monday morning California time. Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 7-9:00 PM PDT: This is an open discussion program. Our primary focus will be on the recent statement made by Rachel Maddow […]
A Seasteading floating city. (Credit: Seasteading Institute)
Here’s an interesting space colony analog: autonomous floating city states.
A libertarian group, the Seasteading Institute, wants to build these facilities out in the ocean. The stated goal is to conduct experiments in new ways of living in and governing human societies:
Right now, there is no open space for experimenting with new societies. That’s why we work to enable seasteading communities — floating cities — which will allow the next generation of pioneers to peacefully test new ideas for government. The most successful can then inspire change in governments around the world.
We’re opening this new frontier because humanity needs better ways to live together to unlock our full potential.
My analysis of the Brazilian space program: Will a new space power rise along the Atlantic? Brazil is making a major push to turn its equatorial spaceport into a major hub of launch activity. Doug Messier reports on the various initiatives underway and the challenges the country faces to join the ranks of the world’s space powers. And the rest: The evolving ecosystem of NewSpace When most people think of […]
December is going to be a busy month for NASA’s COTS program. If all goes well, a SpaceX Dragon will be berthed with the International Space Station (ISS) on Dec. 9. Also in December, Orbital Sciences Corporation’s new Taurus II rocket will soar into space from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia.
If the flights are successful, they will pave the way for commercial cargo delivery delivery to ISS during the first quarter of next year by Dragon and OSC’s Cygnus freighter.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Aerojet PR) — Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY – News) company, announces the successful testing of the state-of-the-art Upper Stage Engine Technology (USET) Hydrogen Turbopump Assembly (TPA) at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
SURREY STL PR — Surrey experts in space technology have today launched a Facebook competition challenging the British public to develop innovative applications that will run on its smartphone-powered satellite due for launch into space next year.
STRaND-1 (Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator) weighs just 4kg and is a collaborative effort between engineers at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and University of Surrey researchers. It is being built in their free time to test innovative ideas for lower cost space missions.
WASHINGTON — NASA PR — NASA has announced the creation of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. The new organization, which combines the Space Operations and Exploration Systems mission directorates, will focus on International Space Station operations and human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
“America is opening a bold new chapter in human space exploration,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “By combining the resources of Space Operations and Exploration Systems, and creating the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, we are recommitting ourselves to American leadership in space for years to come.”
Seattle, WA (Andrews Space PR) — Andrews Space announces the formal launch of several new products in its 100 Series avionics suite, which is targeted for CubeSats, NanoSats and the emerging suborbital market.
Andrews Space (Andrews) has been developing an integrated suite of CubeSat form factor cards that conform to the 10×10 cm cross section of a CubeSat standard. This avionics suite features a high performance flight computer, subsystem controller, communications card, instrumentation card, motor / valve driver board and an electrical power system.