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Month: June 2014
Keeping Focus on Commercial Crew

NASA’s Commercial Crew Partners Focus on Testing, Analysis to Advance Designs “NASA’s aerospace industry partners are taking their designs and operational plans for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) through a series of comprehensive tests, evaluations and review boards this summer as they move through important milestones – all with an eye on launching people into orbit from American soil by 2017. To meet milestones established in Space Act Agreements […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 30, 2014
LDSD Test Flight a Success

NASA’s First Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator Test Flight a Success [With Full Flight Video and Highlights], NASA “NASA representatives participated in a media teleconference this morning to discuss the June 28, 2014 near-space test flight of the agency’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD), which occurred off the coast of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. A high-altitude balloon launch occurred at 8:45 a.m. HST (11:45 a.m. PDT/2:45 p.m. […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 29, 2014
Another NASA Stakeholder Survey That Will be Ignored

NASA Notice of Information Collection: Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery “The proposed information collection activity provides a means to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration’s commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 29, 2014
Astrobotic's Autonomous Landing System Tested

Astrobotic’s Autonomous Landing System Tested in Masten’s Xombie Flight, SpaceRef Business “Astrobotic Technology’s newly developed autonomous landing system was put to the test recently when it controlled Masten Space Systems’ XA-0.1B Xombie suborbital technology demonstration rocket during a flight test at the Mojave Air and Space Port.” Related: NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Flight Opportunities Program.

  • NASA Watch
  • June 28, 2014
SpaceX Vs ULA Spat Heats Up

Keith’s note: SpaceX has field an amendment to their initial complaint about ULA. The amended complaint includes new information from a 20 June letter from Sen. John McCain to Under Secretary of Defense Frank Kendall. McCain’s letter questions the lack of transparency around the cost of the Russian RD-180 engines that ULA currently uses for EELV launches. – Text of SpaceX complaint amendment – Text of McCain’s letter Elon Musk […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 27, 2014
Successful DSN Ranging Session with ISEE-3 (Update)

Keith’s 26 June Update: Just as our DSN window closed today we were able to get 2 way Doppler lock and ranging at a 47.5 kHz offset.  DSN got the four ranging points needed from ISEE-3. This is the first time since 1999 that DSN has talked to the spacecraft. A follow-up session tomorrow should get us a lot more recording time. Hats off to the DSN guys – especially […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 27, 2014
More Space Station Models Ordered

NASA JSC Solicitation: International Space Station Models “NASA/JSC is conducting market research to seek potential sources who can provide International Space Station (ISS) scale models (1/100th and 1/44 scales) with cases. Each ISS model is to be manufactured to the specifications below and must include a Custom Designed Transit Case.” Keith’s note: What does NASA do with these models? They seem to order them every year. I have asked before […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 27, 2014
Hearing on NRC Human Spaceflight Report

Pathways to Exploration: A Review of the Future of Human Space Exploration Witnesses will be: – Governor Mitch Daniels, Report Co-Chair (testimony) – Dr. Jonathan Lunine, Report Co-Chair (testimony) Committee Reviews Report on Future of Human Spaceflight, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology “The report confirmed that NASA lacks a plan for human space exploration. The NASA Authorization Act of 2014, which recently passed the House with bipartisan support, […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 25, 2014
We Almost Did The ISEE-3 Spin-up Burn (Update)

ISEE-3 Status 24 June 2014: We Almost Did The Spin-up Burn “During our session with Arecibo today we came very, very close to firing the thrusters on ISEE-3 for its spin-up maneuver. But we were not able to complete the process and fire the thrusters. The spacecraft was completely configured for a thruster firing during today’s pass. We reduced the number of pulses from 11 to 1 to make certain […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 25, 2014
Russian Angara to Launch Friday

Russian Angara 1.2PP Rocket set for Launch Friday [With Video], SpaceRef Business “This Friday after years of delay, Russia is set to launch the Angara 1.2 Pervy Polyot (First Flight) rocket on its maiden voyage, a suborbital demonstration flight. The Angara project started in 1993 with the goal to develop a new national space launch system. The Angara 1 light class of small launchers is intended to replace the Kosmos-3M, […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 25, 2014