Michael Mealling at IgniteATL’s first event on September 3, 2009. (Thanks to Clark Lindsey at Hobby Space.)
NASA will hold a media briefing at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 24, to discuss new science data from the moon collected during national and international space missions.
Frank de Winne's WEAR training session.
ESA PRESS RELEASE
Life aboard the International Space Station is hard work. Crewmembers have a multiplicity of complex tasks, potentially involving thousands of tools, components and other items. But ESA astronaut Frank De Winne has begun testing the prototype of an unusual helper designed to make astronaut life easier.
The ESA-designed Wearable Augmented Reality (WEAR) is a wearable computer system that incorporates a head-mounted display over one eye to superimpose 3D graphics and data onto its wearer’s field of view.
Controlled by voice for hands-free operation, WEAR includes onboard location and object identification to show astronauts precise information about what they are looking at, as well as providing step-by-step instructions to guide them through difficult, lengthy procedures.
Three European volunteers start medical checkup before Mars 500 experiment
Itar-Tass
Three European volunteers, who wish to take part in the Mars 500 experiment imitating a manned flight to Mars, are undergoing a medical checkup in Moscow, head of the European Space Agency (ESA) Moscow office Rene Pischel told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.
NASA Scientist Charged with Aiding Wife’s Firm
Washington Post
A prominent NASA scientist from Silver Spring has been charged in federal court in Maryland with using his position for the financial benefit of his wife, who owns a company that develops science exhibits and educational tools. Mark R. Schoeberl, an atmospheric scientist who has worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center since the 1980s, is charged in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt with one felony count of acts affecting a personal interest.
Video of Spaceport America’s runway, which is under construction in New Mexico.
Roskosmos has delayed the launch of the Phobos-Grunt mission by two years due to integration and testing issues.
Vivek Kundra
U.S. Chief Information Officer
White House Blog Post
Today, I am excited to announce that we have launched Apps.gov to help continue the President’s initiative to lower the cost of government operations while driving innovation within government.
The following is an essay from the FAA’s website. It discusses the agency’s effort to both promote and regulate the emerging commercial space industry.
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It’s Next
“Leaving Earth†is a five-part series that examines the role FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation plays in the fast-growing and exciting field of commercial space. Its mission, similar to what FAA’s mission was up until 1996 when it promoted the airline industry, is to encourage, facilitate, and promote U.S. commercial space transportation. Each part of this series will discuss important factors that will shape the future of the commercial space industry.
[Editor’s Note: The FAA got out of the business of promoting the airline industry after ValuJet flight 592 caught on fire and slammed into the Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The subsequent investigation revealed lax safety standards at ValuJet, weak safety oversight by the FAA, and a tendency to put industry concerns above passenger safety. Read more here.]
Orbital eyes launch into human space flight
East Valley Tribune
Orbital Sciences Corp. is eying a move into manned space flight, and that could bring more business to the company’s Chandler operations if NASA and the Obama administration are willing.
The Space Review looks at the Augustine Commission, an old Mars movie and the flight of a Xombie
Garver: No Change for the Sake of Change
Space News
Garver cited international agreements Bolden signed mid-September that will ease future cooperation with Canada and Europe. She also touted the agency’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration program as a good model for doing business with private companies.