NASA manager mused about what to tell Columbia crew if they had known space shuttle was doomed, AP “When NASA started flying shuttles again, Hale told the new team of mission managers: “We are never ever going to say that there is nothing we can do.” NASA developed an in-flight heat shield repair kit. … Hale said he is now writing about the issue because he wanted future space officials […]

Reader note: “Thought you might find this sadly amusing. I am NASA contractor. I just received notice today [29 Jan 2013] that my personal data was compromised in the Laptop theft from a NASA HQ employee on 10/31/12. The letter I received notes that NASA understands the ‘seriousness’ of this matter – so much so that it only took 3 months to notify me of this breach. Apparently the idiocy […]

Columbia: Thinking Back – Looking Ahead, Excerpt from “New Moon Rising”, by Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith Cowing “At the end of the event, Rona Ramon, Ilan’s widow, spoke last. Steeling her emotions with grace and clarity, she spoke elegantly and briefly. She thanked all for coming. And then she talked of her husband, and the flight of the lost shuttle. “Our mission in space is not over” she told […]

Stephen Dwornik “While at NASA, he acted as a Project Manager for the Surveyor Program (seven unmanned moon landing spacecrafts). Mr. Dwornik co-authored several books including Atlas of Mercury. One of his fond memories was providing the first substantial NASA grant monies to a young astronomer named Carl Sagan. After Mr. Dwornik’s retirement from NASA, he enjoyed a second career with Ball Aerospace, including volunteer work helping to create a […]

CuriousMars: California Dreamin’ on a Martian Day, Craig Covault, SpaceRef “There are already plenty of stars around Malibu, California, but could the place be actually like the planet Mars? The NASA rover Curiosity is about to find out. Two California locations, including an area near the Santa Monica Mountains stretching north from Malibu, were searched in late January for rocks strikingly similar to the Martian rocks that Curiosity is about […]

Remembering Adrian “We are sad to let you know that Adrian Hooke died on January 7. He was at home in Malibu with his wife. In his classic fashion, he continued his work on CCSDS and DTN right up through early December.” “Adrian was an admitted Space geek for 46 years. He worked on the Lunar Modules for Apollo 9, 10, 11, and 12, from 1966 to 1969. He was […]

NASA’s Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus, Briefing to FISO Telecon Jan. 30, 2013 Marcia Smith, SpacePolicyOnline.com, NRC Committee Member (link fixed) “- NASA does not and cannot set its own strategic direction. — A national consensus is required — There is no national consensus at this time – The administration should lead in developing that consensus, working with Congress, and holding technical consultations with potential international […]

Rocket Launch Colors the Sky Red With Lithium (with photos) “NASA successfully launched a Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital rocket at 5:50 p.m. EST this evening from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. During the flight, two red-colored lithium vapor trails were produced. Reports from those viewing the launch or vapor trails came from as far away as the Outer Banks, N.C.; eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”

Code Red: NASA Safety Panel’s Warning on Funding Uncertainty, AIP “Earlier this month the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel issued its 2012 Annual Report. Looking for hazards across the space agency’s wide-ranging portfolio of on-going and proposed operations and facilities, the panel assessed six issues and concerns. Only one of the six in the three-color-coded graphic was red: the continuing issue of funding uncertainty. “NASA’s budget is the ‘elephant in […]

Let NASA Pursue a Balanced Planetary Exploration Program, Planetary Society “We must also emphasize that the serious budget cuts to NASA’s Planetary Science Division have not been averted. The new rover mission is conceived to fit within the already reduced budget environment proposed by the Obama Administration in February 2012, which, if fully implemented, would result in deep cuts across the entire planetary exploration program. Likely outcomes include early termination […]