Effectiveness of Ares abort system called into doubt
Florida Today
NASA’s Orion spaceship and the astronauts onboard might not survive an explosive launch failure of the agency’s proposed Ares I moon rocket, analyses by Air Force safety experts show.
I had a very busy Saturday, so I didn’t get a chance to do any blogging. My main objective was to get from DC to Chicago to watch the USMNT vs. Honduras. It was a successful trip and a successful result, with the U.S. winning 2-1 in a very hard fought game.
Model of NASA's Orion spacecraft
House panel backs smaller NASA budget than Obama request
Orlando Sentinel
The House panel that oversees NASA’s budget recommended this week that the space agency receive $18.2 billion in funding next year — chopping about $500 million from President Barack Obama’s request of nearly $18.7 billion….
The Other Side of the Moon
Express Buzz
The ‘Maamen’ (Uncle) whom Shylaja refers to is ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, who took India on its maiden lunar adventure last year. Shylaja is Madhavan Nair’s niece – his sister Sarojini Amma’s daughter – and is writing a book on her uncle.
Artists conception of WhiteKnightTwo and the SpaceShipTwo space tourism vehicle. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)
Belgrade Lakes man to become space tourist
Kennebec Journal
Stephen LaVerdiere’s childhood dream of becoming an astronaut may not have panned out, but next year he plans to be the first Maine native to catapult into space.
Richard Garriott
Tourist Touts Commercial Space
Aviation Week
Space tourist Richard Garriott believes an “inflection point” is coming in which the cost of access to space will drop low enough to reveal a variety of viable new commercial space ventures beyond just tourism or communications.
An entrepreneur who made his fortune in the computer game industry, Garriott took his first trip to space last October, flying on a Russian Soyuz vehicle to the International Space Station and spending 12 days in orbit.
Private Space to the Government: “Get Out of the Way!”
Popular Mechanics
The mood at the Space Business Forum, an annual gathering of investors and space geeks held in New York City, was impatience to get the feds out of the way so the private sector can attract investments and grow quicker.
NASA's Ares I rocket lifts off in this artist's conception. (Credit: NASA)
Well, this is not going to impress the Augustine commission:
With a White House-ordered review of its next-generation Constellation rocket program just weeks away, NASA faces some unwelcome news: Key milestones for the agency’s Ares I rocket and Orion crew capsule are falling further behind schedule because of design flaws and technical challenges.
Model of NASA's Orion spacecraft
NASA PRESS RELEASE
NASA’s Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, is scheduled to be tested June 15 at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. The launch window extends from approximately 5:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. EDT.
Hey everyone. I’m on travel in the Big DC this week, so blogging has been a little spotty today as I’ve tried to take in the cultural, social and sporting activities of the nation’s capital. Today included a visit to the newly renovated American History Museum (great exhibits on Abe Lincoln, the Star Spangled Banner, and the Obama Inaugural), Artomatic (check out the Peeps on 7 and Barbara Richey’s art […]
Scaled Composites says that WhiteKnightTwo’s sixth test flight on June 2 was a success.
Space Adventures made it official today: Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté will fly to the International Space Station in September as a space tourist.
His goal: to fly a “humanitarian” and “poetic social” mission designed to “raise awareness on water issues to humankind” by taking a $35 million joyride into orbit on behalf of his charitable group, One Drop Foundation.
I don’t really understand it, either. But, he will be the first Canadian space tourist in orbit, which I guess is noteworthy in itself. The official Space Adventures press release follows after the break.
