The possibility of a joint U.S./Russian lunar program coming together in the late 2020’s is beginning to look like a viable options for the post ISS era. If by chance national space ambitions are not trumped by NewSpace accomplishments sometime in the next ten years, which is a distinct possibility, budget realities and changing fortunes […]
For the first time in its often turbulent history, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is set to receive the full level of funding. $1.243 billion, requested by the Obama Administration. The news comes as one small part of an Omnibus Spending Bill passed by House and Senate appropriators early this morning. While the agreement, as well […]
There is a distinct difference between the rosy image of the future NASA is drawing daily with its “Journey to Mars” campaign and the hard realities it must address when facing audiences somewhat more skeptical than the twitterverse. One of those is the NASA Advisory Council, an outside committee of experts which traces its origins […]
After media speculation that an announcement could have been forthcoming on Thursday, NASA’s oft delayed Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract has been pushed back once again. The new deadline, according to the story in Space News, is now no later than January 30th, 2016, and comes because the space agency needed “to allow additional time […]
With SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin all working on methane powered boosters, NASA is a little late to the party on this one, but maybe they’re bringing the good stuff. The Marshall Space Flight Center is testing a 4,000 lb. thrust pressure-fed methane rocket engine in anticipation of a developing larger descent/ascent engines […]
NASA held a media teleconference on Wednesday to announce the results of a critical review of the space agency’s Orion spacecraft, which had been tentatively scheduled for a first crewed launch in August of 2021. Based on the findings from the review, labelled Key Decision Point C, that launch is now not expected to take […]
Since leaving the moon in 1969, Buzz Aldrin has never been far from space advocacy, lending his name to a number of projects, and showing up at conferences long after other legendary astronauts have retired to a quieter life. That simply wasn’t in the cards for the second man on the Moon, in part because […]
InnerSpace Opinion “He who pays the piper, calls the tune.” On Wednesday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden sent a letter to Congress informing America’s elected representatives that due to consistent under-funding of the Commercial Crew program since its inception, his agency would be forking over an additional $490 million to Russia to pay for Soyuz crew […]
Shuttle Landing Facility / Image Credit NASA NASA News Release June 22, 2015 RELEASE 15-135 NASA Signs Agreement with Space Florida to Operate Historic Landing Facility A new agreement marks another step in the transformation of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to a multi-user spaceport. NASA’s historic Shuttle Landing Facility, the site of one […]
Yesterday, a House Appropriations subcommittee approved a draft NASA FY 2016 funding bill. As expected, the bill was set at the same overall funding level as that offered up by the Administration, at $18.592 billion. To that extent, the bill is non-controversial, but that is also about as far as it goes. Once again, the […]
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