The lost NASA tapes: Restoring lunar images after 40 years in the vault, Computerworld Keith’s note: There are three projects outlined in this story – Lunar Orbiter, Apollo (NASA), and Apollo (someone else): “The most visible of the archeologists is arguably Dennis Wingo, head of Skycorp Inc., a small aerospace engineering firm in Huntsville, Ala. He’s the driving force behind the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project, operating out of a […]

Moon rocket test shaky, Orlando Sentinel “The violent shaking that threatens to destroy the Ares I rocket that NASA hopes will one day return astronauts to the moon is also threatening to delay — or even cancel — the first flight of its test version, the Ares I-X. Air Force officials who have safety jurisdiction over all launches from Kennedy Space Center are worried that the rocket’s vibrations could knock […]

Preview: Confessions of a Moon Rock Courier “I have been home from my trip to Mt. Everest in Nepal for a month. That trip lasted for a month and a half. I was gone longer than I have been back. While I have readjusted to my life here, part of me is very much still there. And to be honest, I like that situation. That said, I am still trying […]

Endeavour test date set; knob jammed in Atlantis, SpaceflightNow.com “While the knurled knob is pressing against the pane in two locations, it’s not yet clear whether the glass has suffered any measurable damage. But access is tight and engineers considering removal options must make sure they don’t inadvertently damage the glass. Replacing a pressure pane, one official said, could take months because part of the cockpit instrumentation would have to […]

NASA Solicitation: Request for Information Regarding The Weekly Notes of Dr. Wernher Von Braun “The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a full collection of Dr. Wernher von Braun’s “Weekly Notes,” written during the 1960s and 1970s. Dr. Von Braun was the first director of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and is considered a key figure in the development of the Saturn V rocket and NASA’s Apollo program. […]

NASA Hosts STS-125 Space Shuttle Crew Tweetup in Washington “NASA will host a Tweetup with space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-125 crew July 21 at the agency’s headquarters building in Washington. The astronauts will discuss their recent servicing mission to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social messaging medium Twitter. This Tweetup is an opportunity to meet and speak with the STS-125 crew […]

Court filings detail Sea Launch’s bankruptcy, Spaceflight Now “Sea Launch reported assets between $100 million and $500 million and estimated debt of almost $2 billion. The company will explore the potential sale of one or more of its business units during the bankruptcy proceedings, officials said. The company has long been on shaky financial ground and has “struggled to recognize the success envisioned” when it was formed in 1995, according […]

Keith’s note: The Expedition 21 poster is now online. You can download Large and Medium versions.

LRO Status 6/23/09 6:35 pm EDT, LRO Team Blog “About a week and half after reaching the commissioning orbit we will begin activating the remaining instruments and start calibrating them. These have not been turned on yet for a number of reasons. First, the insertion at the moon is a critical and time constrained phase of the mission and the prime focus is safely delivering LRO into the right orbit. […]

Keith’s note: The Augustine Committee hearing held last week is now archived for viewing on USTREAM.