Three NASA programs are killing America’s manned and womanned space program: a rocket called the Space Launch System, a space capsule called The Orion, and a new mini-space station with a macro price, The LOP-G. These programs are bleeding $36 billion from NASA’s budget, money we could use to land on the moon to stay. Funds we need to begin the colonization of Mars. The Space Development Steering Committee is.. Read More
Space Group Urges NASA to Change Its Approach to Mars
Elon Musk has revealed an audacious plan to get hundreds of people to Mars beginning in 2025. What role should NASA play to make sure Musk’s plan becomes a reality? If NASA ditches its own totally impractical and unaffordable Mars plan, can it help Musk get Americans to Mars ten years earlier than any previous plan has dared? Can it collaborate with Musk on Mars? Yes. If NASA adopts the role of infrastructure builder. NASA.. Read More
India’s first homegrown ‘space shuttle’ test successful
In the early hours of Monday morning, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its first “Re-usable Launch Vehicle,” which at full-size will be able to lift satellites into orbit. “We are very excited,” said Deviprasad Karnika, a spokesman for ISRO. “The team has been working on the project for the past 10 years, with the past five spent on designing the actual model.” Read the full story at.. Read More
D3 Competition for New Technologies to Upgrade Humanity
The Defense Department is sponsoring a “shark tank” style competition for new technologies capable of dramatically upgrading humanity and increasing peace, a hunt for the best technology ideas that could simultaneously advance diplomacy, development and defense, called the D3 competition. The D3 contest has included 500 teams from the State Department, the US Agency for International Development and the Department of Defense. One team advocates that we end our dependence on greenhouse-gas-producing fuels and lift millions out.. Read More
New Book by Shaun Moss Outlines a Permanent Mars Settlement
Shaun Moss has written a book entitled, The International Mars Research Station: An Exciting New Plan to Create a Permanent Human Presence on Mars. It is available as a Kindle download for $4.99 Get it here. Shaun describes the book: For years we’ve dreamed of sending people to Mars. With the emergence of disruptive new technologies from space companies and university researchers, it’s now possible to design mission architectures that can send.. Read More
Technically-achievable, Near-term Space Logistics
This is a post by Mike Snead, President of the Spacefaring Institute and Associate Fellow of the AIAA. If this comes as a surprise, so be it. The United States has a remarkably robust aerospace industrial base that has been capable, since the 1990s, of building an integrated, airline-like spacefaring logistics infrastructure throughout the Earth-Moon system. This infrastructure would be suitable for passenger—yes, passenger in every legal/ethical sense of.. Read More
Mars via the Moon
Hollister (Hop) David has several images worth seeing at his website. He argues for using Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 1 as an interplanetary hub. Moving from LE1 has several advantages: not only can you park outside of Earth’s gravity well without millions of piece of space junk flying about, but you are close to the moon where you can pick up water or other needed supplies. EML1 and 2 (just above.. Read More
Mars at One Tenth the Cost: The Modular Path to Money Saving
John K. Strickland Elon Musk’s SpaceX has enormous implications for Mars. When Musk’s reusable rockets and upcoming reusable spacecraft become a reality, Mars missions will be possible at one-tenth the cost of the Mars plan NASA now has on its books. One such low-cost Mars plan comes from the Space Development Steering Committee’s chief analyst John Strickland. Working with artist Anna Nesterova, Strickland has developed the following program. SpaceX’s Falcon-based.. Read More