A new, independent review of the Orion spacecraft is pretty damning, Ars Technica “Despite these concerns, NASA is pressing ahead with an effort to try and accelerate development of Orion to enable an August 2021 launch of Exploration Mission-2. Yet the GAO found this scenario improbable. “To stay on the aggressive internal schedule, the agency is counting on receiving higher appropriated funds than what it plans to request, which may […]
American Astronomical Society Endorses Vision Statement for Inclusive Astronomy, AAS “We believe that people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and physical abilities are capable of doing excellent science and shaping the future of our discipline. We know that identity is intersectional, and we see connections among barriers facing communities of color, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTIQA* people in science. We believe in equal opportunity. We share a vision […]
Keith’s note: A few moments ago at the NASA Advisory Council meeting Dava Newman was just gushing about a “Mission STEM” conference they are holding in Washington DC on 8-9 August with “hundreds of attendees” and partnerships with other agencies. Yet there is no mention of this event at NASA’s calendar, NASA’s Education webpage or even at missionstem.nasa.gov. If you look at the weekly NASA Education Express Message — July […]
Another view of 2 female: 11 male gender ratio of @SETIInstitute board of trustees https://t.co/5zOE82BVK5 #SETI pic.twitter.com/uL1BcacArV — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) July 27, 2016
Donald Trump addresses NASA and new media in his first Reddit AMA, Tech Crunch “Asked by the same Redditor the role NASA should “play in helping to Make America Great Again,” he responded with, “Honestly I think NASA is wonderful! America has always led the world in space exploration,” echoing similar comments by Peter Thiel, whose recent Republican Convention address took issue with expenditures on war rather than space exploration, […]
Keith’s note: The funeral of Dr. Thora Halstead will be held Friday, 29 July at 3:00 pm at Fort Myer’s Old Post Chapel in Arlington, VA. followed by internment at Arlington National Cemetery. Thora retired from NASA Life Sciences in 1994, where she was the Manager of the Space Biology Program; Life and Biomedical Sciences and Applications Division. – Thora Halstead, earlier post
Astronaut Mark Kelly “Thank you, everyone. I speak to you tonight as the proud son of two New Jersey cops; as a veteran of 39 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm and of 25 years in the United States Navy. And as a former NASA astronaut who flew four missions to space. My decades as a pilot, military officer, and astronaut gave me a unique perspective. From above, I saw […]
Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle: Action Needed to Improve Visibility into Cost, Schedule, and Capacity to Resolve Technical Challenges, GAO “GAO found that the Orion program’s cost and schedule estimates are not reliable based on best practices for producing high-quality estimates. Cost and schedule estimates play an important role in addressing technical risks. … For example, the cost estimate lacked necessary support and the schedule estimate did not include the level […]
Market doesn’t justify reusable launchers, expendable rocket makers argue, Ars Technica “Monday evening in Salt Lake City, some aerospace industry officials sat down to discuss this new development. The panel at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics forum on propulsion had a provocative title, “Launch Vehicle Reusability: Holy Grail, Chasing Our Tail, or Somewhere in Between?” Moderator Dan Dumbacher said of the panel, “We purposefully tried to get a […]
My Star Trek Episode at Everest, SpaceRef “As we approach the 50th anniversary of Star Trek (and in anticipation of participating in this week’s Star Trek-themed NASA Social), I thought I’d write about how many experiences in my life have intersected with- and have been affected by its legacy. In late April 2009 I found myself at Everest Base Camp for a month. I was living at 17,600 feet in […]