Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch Systems brings monster plane out of hangar for first time, Geekwire “Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd said the plane’s emergence from its hangar at California’s Mojave Air and Space Port was part of a “major milestone in its journey toward providing convenient, reliable and routine access to low Earth orbit.” The plane is designed to carry up to three Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rockets at a time into […]
“Governor A. Okoloise passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2017 at age 49. His family came to America from Nigeria when he was a boy. Gov, as we called him, worked at Johnson Space Center for the past 24 years. A dedicated space worker, he certified space life sciences and exercise hardware throughout the 90s. Most recently, he was responsible for the design, assembly and safety of the EMU Space […]
SpaceX set to join rare company by re-flying an orbital spacecraft, Ars Technica “Although the company has never placed a hard dollar value on the Dragon, the savings could be considerable. SpaceX received a contract worth $1.6 billion from NASA for 12 cargo supply missions to the station in 2008–about $130 million per flight. That would have included the cost of the booster, of course, so therefore an individual Dragon […]
via Planetary Exploration Newsletter: Mike passed away on Monday, May 29, 2017, at his home in University Park, MD. He had a deep love of science and gregarious nature, always able to make a positive difference in whatever he did. An obituary will be forthcoming. Mike was the beloved husband of Maxine C. A’Hearn; father of Brian J. (Zlata) of Oxford, UK, Kevin P. (Kanlayane) of Vienna, VA, and Patrick […]
Matthew Scott Isakowitz “Matthew found inspiration in Carl Sagan’s words, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Matthew’s invaluable contributions to the field of commercial spaceflight included working at Astranis, Planetary Resources, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Space Adventures, SpaceX, and the XPRIZE Foundation. He was loved by so many and will be greatly missed.” Keith’s note: I am just startled and shattered by this. Matt was only 29 and […]
NASA Won’t Pay You to Smoke Weed “Q: Does NASA pay $18,000 for people to stay in bed and smoke weed for 70 straight days? A: No. NASA conducts bed-rest studies, but it does not allow participants to smoke marijuana or even drink alcohol.” Facebook users flagged a story with the captivating headline “NASA Will Pay You $18,000 To Stay In Bed And Smoke Weed For 70 Straight Days.” Don’t […]
Rocket Lab Makes It Into Space On Its First Launch (with videos) “Rocket Lab broke new ground today when its Electron rocket reached space at 16:23 NZST. Electron lifted-off at 16:20 NZST from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. It was the first orbital-class rocket launched from from a private launch site in the world. “It was a great flight. We had a great […]
Boeing, DARPA to Design, Build, Test New Experimental Spaceplane “Boeing will develop an autonomous, reusable spaceplane capable of carrying and deploying a small expendable upper stage to launch small (3,000 pound/1,361 kg) satellites into low Earth orbit. Boeing and DARPA will jointly invest in the development. Once the spaceplane – called Phantom Express – reaches the edge of space, it would deploy the second stage and return to Earth. It […]
#NASA says it wants an agency wide education effort so its solution is to close an agency wide education office and shove education into SMD pic.twitter.com/VABnD6G1SN — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 23, 2017 Keith’s note: This is kind of strange. If the intent for the NASA Education Office was to do something “NASA-wide” then you’d think that an agency-wide organization/approach would be needed for that. This is what the NASA […]
Reopening the American Frontier: Exploring How the Outer Space Treaty Will Impact American Commerce and Settlement in Space, Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness LIVE “This hearing will examine U.S. government obligations under the Outer Space Treaty on its 50th anniversary, specifically compliance with Article VI of the Treaty that requires governments to authorize and continually supervise the activities of non-government entities. This hearing will also explore the Treaty’s potential […]