Archive for November, 2013

SpaceX Thanksgiving Day Launch Attempt Aborted at T plus 2 Seconds

SpaceX Thanksgiving Day Launch Attempt Aborted at T plus 2 Seconds

It was back to the hanger for SpaceX, as the second attempt to launch the Falcon  9 SES-8 mission made it all the way through a smooth countdown and right up until the moment of engine ignition when launch computers aborted the count at t plus 2 seconds.  After going back into a hold to […]

Posted in: SpaceX
To the Explorers,  Thank You

To the Explorers, Thank You

The precise origins of Thanksgiving are, like almost everything else in the historical record, a matter of debate.  While account of the first Thanksgiving feast held in Plymouth Colony is  1621 is one of the cornerstones of America’s own origin story,  the roots run far deeper, back into the origin story of humanity itself  and […]

Posted in: Mars
SpaceX Aims for Thanksgiving Day Launch

SpaceX Aims for Thanksgiving Day Launch

After a challenging day on Monday, November 25th, which saw three different holds in the effort to launch the first Falcon 9 v1.1 out of Cape Canaveral, SpaceX is set to try again on Thanksgiving day. The initial launch attempt, which took place at dusk with brisk winds from the East and under gloomy, mostly […]

Posted in: SpaceX
SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 Stands Ready to Enter the Fray

SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 Stands Ready to Enter the Fray

Update: Following this evening’s abort, SpaceX  released this statement “We observed unexpected readings with the first stage liquid oxygen system so we decided to investigate. The launch vehicle and satellite are in great shape and we are looking forward to the next launch opportunity on Thursday at 5:38 p.m. Eastern time.” Original story SpaceX Prepares […]

Posted in: SpaceX
Mr. Tito Goes to Washington (And Inspiration Mars Goes Off the Rails)

Mr. Tito Goes to Washington (And Inspiration Mars Goes Off the Rails)

Displaying a some ironic sense of timing regarding his faith in the federal government’s ability to put together complex programs in a short time frame,  the world’s first space tourist and founder of Inspiration Mars, Dennis Tito went to Washington yesterday, where in a prepared statement, he essentially asked NASA to assume Inspiration Mars concept […]

Posted in: Inspiration Mars, Mars, NASA
Orbital’s Really Good Year Keeps Rolling

Orbital’s Really Good Year Keeps Rolling

Orbital Sciences Corporation’s really good year kept rolling Tuesday evening with the 8:15 p.m. EST flight of a Minotaur 1 rocket out of the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport.  Orbital’s next launch, and the culmination of what will be a breakout year for the company, will be its first under  NASA’s CRS program. That mission is […]

SpaceX Completes Commerical Crew Safety Review Milestone

SpaceX Completes Commerical Crew Safety Review Milestone

Note, the next launch of the Falcon 9 v1.1., and the first from Cape Canaveral, is provisionally set for Monday, November 25th. NASA Press Release RELEASE 13-337 NASA Commercial Crew Partner SpaceX Achieves Milestone in Safety Review Engineers and safety specialists from NASA and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) met in late October to review the […]

If I Like My Space Program, Can I Keep It?

If I Like My Space Program, Can I Keep It?

As with so much else, nobody really knows.  In the week which came between two launches towards the one destination almost everyone agrees is the ultimate goal of human spaceflight, at least at current technology levels, three press events shed a little light on the upcoming decision point facing the American space program.  First, the […]

Will “777” Be a Lucky Number for the European Space Agency?

Will “777” Be a Lucky Number for the European Space Agency?

According to a release from the European Space Agency, Europe is one step closer in plans for producing the next generation replacement for the market dominating Ariane V commercial booster. The new booster, dubbed Ariane VI, marks a curious retreat in capabilities from its predecessor, and the wholesale adoption of a business plan which seems […]

India Takes First Step to Mars

India Takes First Step to Mars

Rising space power India has successfully launched its MOM, Mars Orbiter Mission on the first leg of an 11 month journey intended to place the 1350 kg spacecraft into orbit around the Red Planet on September 24, 2014. The Mars orbiter was launched into a preliminary parking orbit aboard the highly successful PSLV, Polar Satellite […]

Posted in: India Space, Mars
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