MOJAVE, Calif. — SSI is pleased to announce the publication of papers from the 14th Space Manufacturing Conference. Thirteen papers from the conference at the NASA Ames Research Center are now available for download at no cost. They cover a broad range of key areas including space transportation, closed environment life support systems, in-situresource utilization, space solar power, and emerging technologies such as 3-D printing.

Please see this page to download papers from Proceedings of Space Manufacturing 14.

(more…)

Prof. John Lewis gave a dinner talk about Asia’s road to the moon during the Space Studies Institute’s Space Manufacturing Conference last month. A full archive of videos is located here. View the archive of PowerPoint presentations given during the conference here.

Robin Snelson has put video and PowerPoint archives online from the Space Studies Institute’s Space Manufacturing 14 Conference, which was held in Silicon Valley at the end of October. The video archive is here. You can view PowerPoint presentations here.

The Space Transportation session from the SSI Space Manufacturing Conference held last month at NASA Ames Conference Center.

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.

(more…)

Miners hoping to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush at Auburn Ravine in 1852. (Credit: California State Library)

Session 5: Engineering Materials from Non-Terrestrial Resources
Chair: Dr. Peter J. Schubert

Electrical Energy Storage Using Only Lunar Materials
Dave Dietzler, and Dr. Peter J. Schubert, Packer Engineering Inc.

In-Situ Production of Construction Materials by Combustion of Regolith/Aluminum and Regolith/Magnesium Mixtures
Prof. Evgeny Shafirovich, Christopher White and Francisco Alvarez, University of Texas at El Paso

Electro Dynamic Debris Eliminator (EDDE) Opens LEO for Aluminum Recovery and Reuse
Jerome Pearson, John Oldson and Dr. Eugene Levin, Star Technology and Research, Inc., Joseph Carroll, Tether Applications, Inc.

Building a Vertical Take Off and Landing Pad Using In Situ Materials
Dr. Paul Hintze, NASA Kennedy Space Center
(more…)

International Space Station

Closed Environment Life Support Systems

Dr. William Jewel, Cornell University, and Dr. Lee Valentine, Space Studies Institute
“The Engineering Trade Space for a Robust Closed Ecological Life Support System: A Suggested Technology Road Map”

Dr. Peter Curreri, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and Michael Detweiller, Junction Solutions
“Habitat Size Optimization of the O’Neill-Glaser Economic Model for Space Solar Satellite Production”

Sherwin Gormly, Dynamic Corporation, NASA Ames Research Center, and Michael Flynn, NASA Ames Research Center
“Membrane Based Habitat Wall Architectures for Evolving Structures and Comprehensive Resource Recycle in ‘Homestead’ Stage Space Colony Development”

(more…)

Space Transportation Session

Chairman: Gary C. Hudson, HMX Inc.
“Earth to LEO Roadmap: Technologies and Possibilities”

Dallas Bienhoff, The Boeing Company, and Jeff Goff, Altius Space Machines, Inc.
“Top Ten Technologies for Reusable Cislunar Transportation”

Joe Carroll, Tether Applications
“Tether Sling Concepts for LEO and Beyond”

(more…)

Jeff Greason – XCOR — space is an endeavor and enterprise I have believed in for as long as I remember — now finds himself in the space business– believed in the early space shuttle projections — flying every week — no point in going any place just to go…need something to do with it… — if you are going to explore and you have no idea about what to […]

Asteroid Ida

The question of where humanity should go next in space will be the topic of a round table on Friday, Oct. 29 at the Sheraton Sunnyvale Hotel.

“Moon, Mars, Asteroids: Where to Go First for Resources?” will bring together some of the world’s top experts to debate our next step in the settlement of space. The round table, sponsored by the Space Studies Institute, will be held from 7:00 to 10 p.m., including a post-debate reception. Admission is free to registered conference attendees and the general public.

(more…)