– Beyond the Moon: Inside Bush’s space plan (Part 1 of 3), 14 Jan 2004 – Beyond the Moon: Inside Bush’s space plan (part 2 of 3), 15 Jan 2004 – Beyond the Moon: Inside Bush’s space plan (Part 3 of 3), 16 Jan 2004 “The advantages were obvious. The new capsules would not require a huge new rocket like Apollo’s Saturn V — even though the Apollo capsules did. […]

A Decade of the Vision for Space Exploration: An Alternative Retrospective, Paul Spudis “Reflecting on the last decade of U.S. space accomplishment, it is apparent that the strategic direction of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) first outlined by President Bush on January 14, 2004 has dramatically transformed the civil space program of the United States. Instead of drifting aimlessly, as had been our wont, we are now poised to […]

The Vision for Space Exploration: After the Vision, What Next? (Part 5), Paul Spudis “Many of us working in or with NASA recognized that the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) was a breakthrough, the necessary fulcrum needed to change our approach and direction to spaceflight. It was a program that would have opened the door to a wide variety of previously unobtainable missions. In this five-part series to establish […]

The Vision for Space Exploration: A Brief History (Part 1), Paul Spudis “Near the end of my recent two hour co-appearance with Dr. Jim Vedda on The Space Show (October 19, 2012), an ongoing misconception emerged about the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) and prompts me to detail some of the history of the VSE and its original intent. Such a review is timely as discussions rage about NASA’s current […]

Failure to Launch, Failure to Lead, Paul Spudis, Air & Space “Two Presidential announcements on space In the aftermath of a major Space Shuttle accident, an incumbent President decides that our civil space program needs a bold new strategic direction. In a major public speech, he outlines a path to return to the Moon and go to Mars. The space agency responds with full-color sales brochures, committee meetings, community workshops, […]

Building Europe’s vision for space exploration “Europe’s vision for launching astronauts and robot explorers out into the Solar System will come into sharper focus on 21 October when the ministers responsible for space activities meet in Brussels to discuss Europe’s goals for space exploration. Events can be followed live on the web. Ministers from the 29 ESA and EU states will rendezvous in Brussels this week for their second International […]

Malice, Mischief and Misconceptions, Paul Spudis, Air & Space “The space community has fractured since the disastrous roll out of NASA’s “new direction.” Preceding the administration’s budget announcement, endless delays and rampant speculation about administrators, rockets, and program design and direction kept people guessing. The current trench warfare is not a pretty sight, but it is not unexpected given the lack of a clear direction. Word has it that more […]

NASA Lost its Way, Paul Spudis, Air & Space “Although the purpose of the VSE was clear to the White House and the Congress, it became increasingly clear over time that NASA was having difficulty understanding the mission. They eventually embarked on a multi-year study to define exactly why they had been tasked to go to the Moon and to understand what they might do once they got there. The […]

NASA and Space – The Future vs. the Past, John K. Strickland “Under Admiral Craig Steidle starting early in 2004, the VSE was a forward looking program that was open to new ideas and the development of fundamentally new, innovative technology. Griffin shut the door firmly on most of those new ideas in 2005. Instead, he looked backward at what had been stolen away from him and the space community […]