Dutch airlines KLM will handle ticket sales and promotions for Lynx suborbital flights out of Curaçao, according to media reports. KLM has registered for the first flight from the island in the Dutch Antilles, which is set for 2014. The company will enable frequent fliers to put their points toward flights into space. The flights, which will go to an altitude of 100 kilometers, are being managed by Space Experience […]
Popular Science‘s “Best of What’s New 2010” list includes four projects that we have been closely following here at Parabolic Arc: Masten Space Systems Xombie rocket (Easiest way to space) SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket (First astronaut-worthy private rocket in orbit) Boeing X-37B spaceplane (Most mysterious aircraft) Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne/Boeing X-51A Waverider (Fastest jet engine). Congratulations to all the winners!
UKSA PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 11, 2010
The British space industry has grown by nearly eight per cent through the recession and is now worth over £7.5 billion to the economy, a UK Space Agency report revealed today.
The report, ‘The Size and Health of the UK Space Industry,’ is the latest update of a biennial survey of British companies involved in the sector. It shows the space industry has grown by more than 10 per cent on average over the last two years.
DARPA Falcon hypersonic technology vehicle (HTV)
DARPA PRESS RELEASE
Following an extensive six-month review, the independent Engineering Review Board (ERB) chartered to examine data collected during the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle’s (HTV-2) first flight has completed its review. The ERB concluded that the anomaly resulted from flight control authority limitations to operate at the angle of attack the vehicle was programmed to fly for the speed and altitude of the flight.
Following up on a visit to India by Prime Minister David Cameron, British Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts visited the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) this week to explore deeper space collaboration between the two nations. The Deccan Herald reports:
As a first concrete example of this strengthened partnership, Willetts invited India to partner with the UK in its TechDemoSat programme.
TechDemoSat is an industry-led technology demonstration satellite which aims to provide a low-Earth-orbit test bed to help demonstrate the technical maturity and commercial viability of innovative new space technology.
CSA PRESS RELEASE
Oct. 25, 2010
The Canadian Space Agency has awarded a contract valued at $3 million (CAD) to Engineering Services Inc. (ESI) of Toronto, Ontario, to develop prototypes of a robotic arm, control stations and exploration tools. In the coming months, these technologies will be integrated into terrestrial prototypes of lunar or martian rovers. The contract also includes an option for a second arm worth $500,000. The investment is part of the Government of Canada’s 2009 Economic Action Plan and aims to accelerate the research and development of new technologies for space exploration.
ROSCOSMOS PRESS RELEASE
From Lunokhod to Selenokhod
On Nov. 17, we will celebrate one of the most outstanding achievements in the Russian space program. Lunokhod-1 reached the Moon 40 years ago.
Lunokhod 1 was the first of two unmanned lunar rovers landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of its Lunokhod program. The spacecraft which carried Lunokhod 1 was named Luna 17. Lunokhod was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another celestial body.
JAXA PRESS RELEASE
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been engaged in collecting and categorizing particles in the sampler container* that were brought back by the instrumental module of the asteroid exploration spacecraft “Hayabusa.”
Based on the results of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and analyses of samples that were collected with a special spatula from sample catcher compartment “A”, about 1,500 grains were identified as rocky particles, and most of them were judged to be of extraterrestrial origin, and definitely from Asteroid Itokawa.
NMSA PRESS RELEASE
LAS CRUCES, NM — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has issued Requests For Proposals (RFPs) for the day-to-day operations of Spaceport America, announced Rick Homans, Executive Director of the NMSA.
“Issuing these RFPs represents another major milestone on the path toward serving commercial spaceflight companies at Spaceport America,†Homans said. “The companies that win these awards will be on the front lines as we establish day-to-day operations for our launch customers.â€
International Academy of Astronautics
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, a “Heads of Space Agencies” Summit will be held on 17 November 2010 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. with the primary support of Lockheed Martin Corporation and supporting sponsorship from EADS Astrium and Space News.
No, the Mars500 crew hasn't gone crazy -- yet. They were just celebrating Halloween. Or so they say! (Credit: ESA)
Mars500 Diary
“Are we alone?â€
10 November 2010
Courtesy of ESA
In his latest diary update, Diego explains the daily routine with a European experiment they are conducting inside the Mars500 modules, and also shows his Halloween photos, prompting the question: “Are we alone?â€
As the days get longer and more monotonous in the Mars500 modules, we get more time to think about the conditions that surround us. One of the questions that crosses our minds from time to time is: “are we alone?” I am not talking about tortured souls that haunt the storage module on Halloween, or about life beyond Earth (the latter being a fascinating topic by itself), but about other actual living beings that might share this space with us, without us noticing.
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A video that looks at commercial space from Florida Today.