NASA SAA UPDATE
A LEGO space shuttle headed to orbit helps mark the Tuesday signing of a Space Act Agreement between NASA and The LEGO Group to spark children’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
To commemorate the beginning of this partnership, the small LEGO shuttle will launch with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission, targeted to launch Nov. 30 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA PRESS RELEASE
NASA has selected 13 companies for negotiations leading to potential contract awards to conduct systems analysis and trade studies for evaluating heavy-lift launch vehicle system concepts, propulsion technologies, and affordability. The selected companies are:
Paragon’s state-of-the-art ECLSS Human-Rating Facility (EHF) allows component and subsystem testing at flight pressure in a safe and cost effective manner in a laboratory environment. This facility, which predates the CCDev program, is being used for CCDev. (Credit: NASA)
CSF PRESS RELEASE
Overview:
Paragon Space Development Corporation (Paragon), a leader in designing and manufacturing spacecraft thermal control and life support systems, is developing the Commercial Crew Transport – Air Revitalization System (CCT-ARS) under its CCDev Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA. Paragon is developing the flight design through its Preliminary Design Review and manufacturing and testing a full-scale Engineering Development Unit (EDU) under the SAA.
SNC Dream Chaser Pressure Shell. (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation published a press release and photos outlining progress to date among the five contractors in NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. The pictures above and below show progress by Sierra Nevada Corporation on its 7-person Dream Chaser shuttle.
Gov. Bill Richardson and Richard Branson with SpaceShipTwo.
Virgin Galactic President George Whitesides sees some problems with a recent study about soot emissions from commercial space planes impacting the upper atmosphere and affecting the global climate:
Whitesides had two major criticisms of the study. “One of the things that’s a little disappointing is that the authors didn’t include a range of uncertainty in their model,†he said. “What’s the confidence around that number? I don’t think we know that.â€
Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center
Last month, the nation’s leaders completed a lengthy public debate about the future of its civilian space program that included the Augustine Committee report, the Administration’s controversial prescription for change, and many hours of Congressional hearings, lobbying and debate.
Whatever shortcomings there were in that contentious discussion (and there were many), it was at least based upon some careful thought about where we want to go in space, how we want to get there, and how we could reasonably afford to pay for it.
The compromise that came out of Congressional sausage factory — flawed thought it might be — represents a fairly reasonable path forward within our constrained budget and political realities. It supports a nascent commercial sector to drive down costs and bring innovation to the space sector. The budget plan will undoubtedly need adjustments in the years ahead to account for the realities associated with actually executing programs, but it’s a decent start.
Sadly, all that effort may now be wasted….
The Space Show schedule for this week… Monday, November 8 , 2010, 2-3:30 PM PST. We welcome back Chris Carberry, Executive Director of Explore Mars, Inc. along with Artemis Westenberg from The Netherlands who is part of Explore Mars, Inc. and also the President of the Mars Society Netherlands. Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 7-8:30 PM PST: We welcome back Derek Weber who will talk about spaceports and his new Apogee […]
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an update on Astrobotics lunar mining plans, including interviews with Red Whittaker and David Gump:
Astrobotic’s planned 2014 mission consists of a robot that would use a circular bucket wheel and a large bin to collect lunar soil for the inaugural attempt to mine the moon at its south pole, said Chris Skonieczny, Astrobotic’s principal researcher and a CMU doctoral candidate in robotics.
ISRO's PSLV-C15 rocket lifts off with five satellites aboard on July 12, 2010.
Curbs on DRDO, ISRO go
Deccan Herald
US President Barack Obama on Saturday made the much-awaited announcement of taking important Indian defence and space research institutions like the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Limited off the high-tech ban list.
Speaking at an Indo-US business meeting, Obama said the “dual-use†rules, by which high-tech exports by American manufacturers to the DRDO and ISRO are banned, would be amended and updated. The “dual use†refers to technology that can be utilised for both civilian and defence purposes.
Artists conception of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft in orbit
SpaceX Awaiting FAA Approval of Dragon Re-entry License
Space News
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is awaiting U.S. regulatory approval to launch its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo vessel as soon as Nov. 20 after more than a year spent tying up loose ends associated with the recoverable space capsule’s re-entry license application, which the company submitted in final form to federal regulators Oct. 29, according to government and industry sources.
The Delta II rocket with the COSMOS Sky-Med radar imaging satellite lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
PowerSat's plans for beaming energy from space
Tom Abate from the San Francisco Chronicle has an excellent overview of last weekend’s Space Studies Institute’s Space Manufacturing 14 conference that deals with space-based solar power and other ventures:
Today, said conferee John Mankins of Artemis Innovation Management Solutions, such arrays would be far more economic, thanks to efficiencies in everything from solar cells to rocket launchers – not to mention the environmental benefit of supplying electricity without adding greenhouse gases.
Mankins estimated that it would cost $10 billion over 10 years to mount a large orbital solar program – which seems like a lot until compared with the 40-year, $50 billion investment that the United States and other countries have poured into determining the feasibility of Earth-based fusion reactors.
