Archive for July, 2012

Oldspace vs. Newspace

Oldspace vs. Newspace

An article appearing at MSNBC.com (by the author of this post) examines several reasons why Spacex should be one of two primary  winners in the Commercial Crew competition.  One point which should be underscored is the relative difference between the launch vehicle components, and the crew capsules. Both Sierra Nevada’s Dreamchaser and the the Blue Origin entry are originally scheduled […]

Morpheus Lander Testing at KSC

Morpheus Lander Testing at KSC

NASA is about to begin a new round of testing with the Morpheus lander, this time on a specially prepared hazard field near the Shuttle Landing Strip at KSC.  Built by Johnson Space Center with input from Armadillo Aerospace, the Morpheus project is another example of the potential collaboration between the space agency and NewSpace companies.  Powered by […]

SpaceX Completes Dragon Design Review

SpaceX Completes Dragon Design Review

In a design review held June 14 at its Hawthorne, Ca. headquarters, SpaceX updated NASA on its progress in converting its Dragon capsule for crewed spaceflight as part of the commercial Crew Development Round 2. Covering a number of issues from cabin layout and environmental systems to launch pad modifications, SpaceX focused much of its presentation on safety and the role of […]

π