Conceptual image of OSIRIS-REx. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
NASA PR — NASA will launch a spacecraft to an asteroid in 2016 and use a robotic arm to pluck samples that could better explain our solar system’s formation and how life began. The mission, called Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, will be the first U.S. mission to carry samples from an asteroid back to Earth.
“This is a critical step in meeting the objectives outlined by President Obama to extend our reach beyond low-Earth orbit and explore into deep space,” said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. “It’s robotic missions like these that will pave the way for future human space missions to an asteroid and other deep space destinations.”
NASA selected OSIRIS-REx after reviewing three concept study reports for new scientific missions, which also included a sample return mission from the far side of the Moon and a mission to the surface of Venus.
TripAlertz PR — Could Lady Gaga get to wow the cosmos with her wardrobe? Will Team Conan or Team Fallon reign supreme? Is space the place for Charlie Sheen to cool his jets?
It’s the public votes that determine who will win an “Epic Journey into Space” with collective buying travel site TripAlertz.com, which vows to blast off voters’ chosen celebrity thanks to a space travel partnership with XCOR Aerospace. And beyond winning a space voyage for your favorite star, there are an infinite number of ways to win a trip for you, if you are a TripAlertz member. Joining is free and takes 20 seconds.
A Florida is looking to take the concept of fractional aircraft ownership to entirely new heights — space. Aurora Aerospace is looking for investors with $100,000 to $1 million to spend to help it purchase one of XCOR’s Lynx suborbital vehicle on a fractional ownership basis, said company co-founder Howard Chipman. Investors would share in the profits from commercial operations and also have an opportunity to ride on the vehicle […]
LOCKHEED MARTIN PR — DENVER — NASA’s designation of the Orion crew exploration vehicle as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) provides our nation with a sound solution for deep space mission capability within the currently proposed budgets.
UKSA PR — The UK Space Agency’s SKYLON technical assessment which was produced by the European Space Agency (ESA) has concluded that there are no significant barriers that would prevent successful continued development of the SKYLON Spaceplane.
The following letter was sent to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Dear Administrator Bolden:
It has now been more than seven months since the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 (“the 2010 Act” – P.L.111-267) was signed into law, and more than a month since the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-10) removed any remaining statutory obstacles to its full implementation. To this point, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has not made sufficient progress in carrying out the changes Congress required in the 2010 Act. Furthermore, NASA has not adequately complied with a number of reporting requirements designed to keep Congress apprised of NASA’s progress in implementing the Act.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. (Credit: Jay Baker)
OFFICE OF MARTIN O’MALLEY PR
Governor Martin O’Malley today unveiled a bold new initiative to increase the business development and commercialization opportunities of the state’s space industry at the Maryland Space Business Roundtable in Greenbelt. Speaking before over 500 members of the Roundtable, the Governor reinforced the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s commitment to this vibrant sector and outlined new policy initiatives and investments in Maryland: The Business of Space Science.
“Working side-by-side with our congressional delegation and our ‘Space Senator,’ Barbara Mikulski, we will pursue program policies to leverage our federal facilities and institutions of science and discovery to unlock the enormous economic and employment potential of Maryland’s space sector,” Governor O’Malley said. “The breakthroughs and innovations occurring in Maryland at NASA, NOAA, Johns Hopkins, APL and other institutions represent new frontiers for commercialization and business development in areas like carbon monitoring, manufacturing and life sciences.”
Orion redux!
Woot! Woot!
NASA PR — WASHINGTON — NASA has reached an important milestone for the next U.S. transportation system that will carry humans into deep space. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced today that the system will be based on designs originally planned for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Those plans now will be used to develop a new spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).
Boeing's CST-100 crew transport. (Credit: Boeing)
Recently in The Space Review….
Transition to commercial services for LEO transportation
A major issue of contention for NASA’s near-term plans has been how much reliance it should place on commercial providers for crew transportation to low Earth orbit. Mary Lynne Dittmar presents a paper she prepared last year with the late Mike Lounge on one approach to handle that transition.
A new rocket for science
Much of the attention SpaceX’s proposed Falcon Heavy rocket has received has focused on its use in exploration or national security applications. Alan Stern notes that the rocket also has the potential to revolutionize science missions.
The dangers of a rocket to nowhere
The debate about the future development of a NASA heavy-lift launch vehicle drags on in Congress and industry. Lou Friedman warns this process could lead to no NASA human spaceflight program at all. (more…)