Masten Space Systems' 'Xoie' lunar lander.

XCOR/MASTEN PRESS RELEASE
May 25, 2010

XCOR Aerospace and Masten Space Systems, two of the leaders in the New Space sector, have announced a strategic business and technology relationship to pursue jointly the anticipated NASA sponsored unmanned lander projects.

These automated lander programs are expected to serve as robotic test beds on Earth, on the lunar surface, Mars, near Earth objects and other interplanetary locales, helping NASA push the boundaries of technology and opening the solar system for future human exploration.

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NASA’s chief technologist Robert Braun says that the Langley center will play a major role in developing new space technologies.

Two images of the Phoenix Mars lander taken from Martian orbit in 2008 and 2010. The 2008 lander image shows two relatively blue spots on either side corresponding to the spacecraft's clean circular solar panels. In the 2010 image scientists see a dark shadow that could be the lander body and eastern solar panel, but no shadow from the western solar panel. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

NASA MISSION UPDATE

NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has ended operations after repeated attempts to contact the spacecraft were unsuccessful. A new image transmitted by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows signs of severe ice damage to the lander’s solar panels.

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Artist's conception of Boeing's commercial crew module. (Credit: Boeing)

Human-Rating Commercial Vehicles
Aviation Week

NASA will try to “tailor” the approach it takes to human-rating commercial vehicles for its astronauts, looking for middle ground between the prescriptive approach it has taken with its own human spacecraft and the analysis it gave Russia’s Soyuz vehicles before U.S. astronauts started flying on them.

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JOINT STATEMENT BY SPACE ORGANIZATIONS
ON THE FY 2011 NASA BUDGET
May 20, 2010

We the undersigned, a diverse group of organizations with a vital interest in our Nation’s space program, make the following statements:

• We strongly support the top line FY2011 NASA budget.

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NASA's Orion spacecraft - now with 100 percent fewer astronauts

Orion Lifeboat Making Waves for Boeing’s Commercial Crew Plans
Space News

Boeing is willing to build a crew capsule for NASA on a commercial fixed-price basis but is troubled by the agency’s plans to continue funding development of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle to serve as a space station lifeboat, according to a Boeing executive.

“With the recent announcement of a crew rescue vehicle as part of Orion, we do now recognize that we would have a cost-plus, government-funded capsule competing against a commercially fixed-price capsule,” Jayne Schnaars, Boeing’s vice president of business development for space exploration, said during a presentation at the Women in Aerospace conference here May 18. “So we’re working with NASA to say, ‘We want this business, we know we can do it, help us.’”

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Miles O’Brien talks to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about the upcoming launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

The Space Review looks at the challenges and potential of commercial human spaceflight.

Monday, May 24, 2010, 2-3:30 PM PDT: David Hook of Planehook Aviation Services will update us on new policy and regulatory issues for both general and commercial aviation. Friday, May 28, 2010, 9:30-11:00 AM PDT: We welcome back Michael Potter regarding a special event and screening of “Orphans of Apollo”. Sunday, May 30, 12-1:30 PM PDT. Chris Carberry of Explore Mars, Inc. talks to us about this new program.

Hey everyone. I’m in the midst of a short visit to Southern California which is, I can safely say, much as I remember it from my last visit here. So, is that good? Bad? Indifferent? Yes. So, intermittent updates for the next few days, barring anything particularly newsworthy…

Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides talks to MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan about Virgin Galactic’s space tourism plans. Ratigan’s basic question was: When? Whitesides answer was: vague. Ratigan: “The only question I have for him is, ‘When do we blast off, sir?’”… Whitesides: “Well, it’s going to be sooner than you think. I think, we don’t give a specific date because, you know, we want to make sure that the experience is […]

Mars500 habitat

Russia announces participants in Mars flight simulation mission
RIA Novosti

The names of the participants in a 520-day simulation of an expedition to Mars were announced on Tuesday.

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