Nominees for the Space Agency, NY Times “Unfortunately, General Bolden lacks deep expertise in space science and engineering and his past ties with the aerospace industry will raise conflict of interest problems. Before the Senate confirms him, it should probe how well fitted he is to guide the agency through a difficult transition from the space shuttle to follow-on vehicles designed to reach the Moon and beyond. … Although he […]

Scott Parazynski: Still on Cloud 10 “Just six days ago I’d wearily downclimbed to Everest’s base camp. As I sat in a small blue tent that evening tenuously perched over one particularly malodorous barrel, a loud rockslide thundered directly towards me. I briefly thought of the irony of it all: I had finally summited “The Mountain of My Dreams”, only to succumb to a tragic potty accident. Think of all […]

The Hubble Constant: High Interest, Miles O’Brien “I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Hubble Repair Missions. After all, I cut my teeth on the space beat covering the legendary STS-61 mission in December 1993 the first, the most dramatic – and certainly the most important – of the five astronaut telescope calls now inscribed in the space history books. So I must confess I am […]

Frank’s note: Readers, in this my last exercise in gauging your ideas before Keith slips back in the saddle, I thought Id ask your views about the moon-specifically on whether or not to make it the initial focus of the VSE. Again, Buzz Aldrin has provoked my thoughts by suggesting that the U.S. defer any manned landings on the moon at all, instead developing a multi-national lunar development regime and […]

Keith’s note: Scott and I are headed home (ahead: 24 hrs in transit). After a hectic day yesterday flying from Lukla (imagine taking of from a steeply pitched aircraft carrier stuck in the mountains) to Kathmandu we cleaned up, argued with Qatar Airways, made the traditional pilgrimage to the Rum Doodle Bar, and then rode home in a rickshaw. I want to thank Marc Boucher and Frank Sietzen for keeping […]

Frank’s note: I remember the sound the wheels made as they clanked on the asphalt pathways of Arlington National Cemetery. In my minds eye I see the sunlights glint on the brass buckles holding saddle to horse, for it was the horses that accompanied the procession that carried his flag-draped coffin that hot summers day. It was July 1999, less than three weeks before the commemoration of the 30th anniversary […]

Lost in Space, Op-Ed Buzz Aldrin, New York Post Frank’s note: In a recent op-ed published in the New York Post, Buzz Aldrin called the way the U.S. has managed the International Space Station as a form of Space Age colonialism. Aldrin said the U.S. treated its partners more like participants in the way NASA limited access to the station. He called for the admittance of such new space powers […]

Scott Parazynski and other IMG climbers reach the summit of Mt. Everest on 20 May 2009 at 3:55 am local time. OnOrbit video by Danuru Sherpa of Phortse, Nepal. Two more videos

Image: An Astronaut Holds Apollo 11 Moon Rocks atop Mt. Everest with the Moon High Above More images

Discovery Channel: “Our first Everest team reached the summit early this morning and we have Sherpa Cam footage beamed straight from the summit to your computer in record time. These videos were sent to us by Keith Cowing two to three hours max after summit. Discovery Channel along with the Everest climbers and crew members are proud to present what is probably the first and only footage of a successful […]