NASA’s Office of Exploration Systems has announced a listing of Notices of Intent (NOI) letters submitted in response to the Human & Robotic Technology BAA which have been selected to submit full proposals.Due the large number of NOIs rejected NOI email notifications are not being sent out. Full proposals are due to NASA by 29 September 2004.

31 August 2004: Republican Party Platform 2000, 2004 “In addition, the Republican Party will remain committed to America’s leadership in space research and exploration. We will ensure that this Nation can expand our knowledge of the universe, and with the support of the American people, continue the exploration of Mars and the rest of the solar system. We consider space travel and space science a national priority with virtually unlimited […]

31 August 2004:Scientists Discover First of a New Class of Extrasolar Planets, NASA “Astronomers announced today the first discovery of a new class of planets beyond our solar system about 10 to 20 times the size of Earth – far smaller than any previously detected. The planets make up a new class of Neptune-sized extrasolar planets. In addition, one of the new planets joins three others around the nearby star […]

30 August 2004: A New NASA Rising (Book review), Space Daily “Sietzen and Cowing illustrate the newly geared mindset of NASA by comparing the jargon advocated by people like Craig Steidle- its new Associate Administrator- against the language once used under Dan Goldin’s stewardship. Now its concepts like ‘form follows function’, ‘spiral development’ and ‘affordable, sustainable, and credible’ are replacing the old mantras of ‘better, faster, cheaper’.”

29 August 2004: Combustible DeLay may be low key at RNC, AP “An ardent supporter of the aerospace industry, DeLay will speak at a “Space Jam” reception at Studio 450 honoring him Tuesday night, a month after he vowed to restore $1.1 billion that House Republicans tentatively cut from NASA’s budget. Sponsors of the invitation-only reception include Boeing , Northrop Grumman, Orbital, software company AGI and the Space Foundation. Brian […]

31 August 2004: Fred Whipple, World-renowned Harvard and Smithsonian Astronomer, Dies “Dr. Fred Lawrence Whipple, the oldest living American astronomer and one of the last giants of 20th century astronomy, passed away yesterday at the age of 97 following a prolonged illness.

30 August 2004: Debating the Aldridge report, The Space Review “Zubrin revealed that he had an opportunity to provide input to the Aldridge Commission by testifying but turned them down. He said the commission asked him to testify “on the condition that I not address any programmatic and technical issues.” … … “Zubrin’s harsh critique of the Aldridge Commission was the first time he had criticized it openly in a […]

From the Virtual AGC homepage: “The purpose of this project is to provide an emulation of the Apollo guidance computer, along with some ancillary items needed to make the emulation do something interesting. “Interesting” is, of course, a subjective notion, and there are plenty of additional components one might want to add to the simulation to make it more interesting.” Editor’s note: The MIT people behind this project could use […]

29 August 2004: Plan 1 for Outer Space, Washington Post “The government, meanwhile, hasn’t yet figured out how to keep one of its signature triumphs, the Hubble Space Telescope, from falling back to Earth in a fireball. NASA doesn’t want to endanger a crew of astronauts for the sake of an aging instrument that will eventually be replaced by more powerful telescopes. There is talk of a robotic mission to […]

26 August 2004: NASA JSC Standards of Ethical Conduct Determination: Reception at University of Houston Clear Lake honoring Rep. Tom DeLay, NASA JSC “On August 24, 2004, the University of Houston System is hosting a reception honoring The Honorable Tom DeLay, Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, at the Atrium II, Bayou Building, University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Boulevard, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres […]