NASA

Waiting On the Worlds To Change

Waiting On the Worlds To Change

The inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States is a remarkable event in more ways than one, but for the American space program, it could prove to be hinge-pin in history. At this point, there is no way to know what policy directions the Trump White House may provide […]

Posted in: NASA
John Glenn, The Club of Firsts and The Empty Chair

John Glenn, The Club of Firsts and The Empty Chair

The passing of John Glenn on December 8th, 2016, signified the end of an era in American spaceflight in more ways than one. The loss of Glenn marked not only the death of the first American to orbit the Earth, but also the last of the famed “Mercury 7” group of test pilots who formed […]

Posted in: NASA
Counting the Costs of International Space Projects

Counting the Costs of International Space Projects

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. As U.S. space pundits await signals over what direction NASA’s policy will take under the Trump Administration, this photo of the European Space Agency’s general meeting should serve as reminder of some of the downsides of increased international participation in large space projects. Exercising leadership and […]

Posted in: NASA, Trump
A View To a Kill: Congress Takes Aim at NASA’s ARM

A View To a Kill: Congress Takes Aim at NASA’s ARM

While NASA watchers are still guessing at what direction the incoming Trump administration will assign to America’s space agency, it is increasingly obvious that it won’t include the outgoing Obama administration’s badly beleaguered and generally unloved Asteroid Redirect Mission, or ARM. That mission would see a small boulder plucked off a Near Earth Asteroid by […]

Posted in: NASA
NASA’s Space Poop Challenge

NASA’s Space Poop Challenge

Two inextricably linked stories for the reader to digest: Space Food Bars Will Keep Orion Weight Off and Crew Weight On “Because flights to deep space will not rely on resupply spacecraft to deliver what astronauts need and dispose of trash, the Orion crew will have to take everything they need with them and bring […]

Posted in: NASA, SLS / Orion
Pluto’s “Heart” May Be Proof Of An Ocean Below

Pluto’s “Heart” May Be Proof Of An Ocean Below

When NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sailed past Pluto on July 14th, 2015, it gathered a treasure trove of information regarding what used to be the 9th planet. Among the most intriguing was an odd “heart shaped” feature on Pluto’s surface which is clearly of more recent origin than what surrounds it. Now, a new study […]

Posted in: NASA, Outer Planets
NASA RFI Suggests Support for Orion May Be Slipping

NASA RFI Suggests Support for Orion May Be Slipping

As it prepares for possible changes to U.S. space policy with the election of a new president, NASA has quietly opened the door to what could be a major revision to its flagship Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The story, written at Ars Technica by veteran space reporter Eric Berger, concerns a Request for […]

Posted in: NASA, SLS / Orion
With Trump Victory, Is The Moon Rising In A Big Way?

With Trump Victory, Is The Moon Rising In A Big Way?

Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election has raised a number of interesting questions regarding what substantive changes, if any, may be coming in the way of American space policy. Whereas Hillary Clinton’s transition team was reportedly prepared to show up at NASA headquarters when the doors opened the morning after her victory, […]

Posted in: NASA, SLS / Orion
Safety Panel Objects to SpaceX Astronaut Boarding Plan

Safety Panel Objects to SpaceX Astronaut Boarding Plan

SpaceX is facing a potential roadblock in its path to sending astronauts to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew program. Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Tom Stafford, a veteran astronaut who flew during the Gemini and Apollo eras, and who happens to be chair of the ISS Oversight Panel, an independent safety committee […]

Posted in: NASA, SpaceX
Candidate Op/Eds on Space, Do They Really Matter Anymore?

Candidate Op/Eds on Space, Do They Really Matter Anymore?

At this point, the space policy positions being taken by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are probably a great deal more relevant for the long term future of human space exploration than those offered by the U.S. presidential candidates, but for what it is worth, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have op/eds in Space […]

Posted in: NASA
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