Marcia Smith on U.S. space policy after the election, The Space Economy podcast The U.S. election has left the public with many questions, including when or if President Trump will concede. The Democrats won the House of Representatives as expected, but lost seats. The fate of the Senate rests upon two run-off elections in Georgia scheduled for January 5th. Some members of House and Senate committee’s on space lost their […]

At the beginning of April we wrote a letter to you, our readers. For the first time in twenty years of operation we asked for your help. To those of you who read our letter and are supporting us, thank you. We don’t have a paywall, out content is freely available. But to continue on, and do our job, we need the support of many more of you. We know […]

Earth Blue, Rocket Red and Lunar Silver: A New Identity for Artemis Program to the Moon, NASA “With this in mind, NASA is unveiling the new Artemis program identity, a bold look that embodies the determination of the men and women who will carry our missions forward. They will explore regions of the Moon never visited before, unlock mysteries of the Universe and test the technology that will extend the […]

Leadership Changes in Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Memo As you know, NASA has been given a bold challenge to put the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024, with a focus on the ultimate goal of sending humans to Mars. In an effort to meet this challenge, I have decided to make leadership changes to the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. […]

For Climbing Robots, the Sky’s the Limit, NASA “Robots can drive on the plains and craters of Mars, but what if we could explore cliffs, polar caps and other hard-to-reach places on the Red Planet and beyond? Designed by engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, a four-limbed robot named LEMUR (Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot) can scale rock walls, gripping with hundreds of tiny fishhooks in each […]

Apollo 11 in Real Time “This website replays the Apollo 11 mission as it happened, 50 years ago. It consists entirely of historical material, all timed to Ground Elapsed Time–the master mission clock. Footage of Mission Control, film shot by the astronauts, and television broadcasts transmitted from space and the surface of the Moon, have been painstakingly placed to the very moments they were shot during the mission, as has […]

Virgin Galactic and Social Capital Hedosophia Announce Merger to Create the World’s First and Only Publicly Traded Commercial Human Spaceflight Company, Virgin Galactic and Social Capital Hedosophia “VIRGIN GALACTIC (“VG”) and SOCIAL CAPITAL HEDOSOPHIA (“SCH”), a public investment vehicle sponsored by Social Capital and Hedosophia, announced that the boards of directors of each company have approved a definitive agreement under which VG and SCH will merge, with the current shareholders […]

Times Square to Transform Into Tranquility Base, the Moon Landing Site, in Honor of 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11, Aldrin Family Foundation and The People’s Moon “The Aldrin Family Foundation will host a day-long, free family celebration in support of The People’s Moon project on July 20 in Times Square in honor of the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements of all time – landing a human on […]

Fire at SpaceX Starship facility in Cocoa causes damages to equipment, Florida Today “Emergency crews responded to a SpaceX prototyping facility in Cocoa Monday afternoon, putting out a small fire that caused damages to equipment and infrastructure but no injuries.” Marc’s note: Emre Kelly (@EmreKelly) of Florida Today is reporting there is about $50-$100K in damages. UPDATE: Cocoa Fire Department now says damages at #SpaceX facility estimated between $50K and […]

NASA Takes Grassroots Approach To Future Spacesuits, Aviation Week “There are spacesuits. And then there are spacesuits.” “NASA’s most successful have been very much safety- and mission-driven. Some have been worn inside a spacecraft during launch and entry in case of decompression, to enable mission abort and astronaut rescue.”