Dennis Wingo has a new piece on his blog entitled, “A Singular Suggestion Toward a Radical Idea for Lunar Industrial Development.” With technology advancement continuing in many fields such as robotics, telepresence, autonomous operations, swarms, and augmented and virtual reality, the cost of space exploration and economic development of the Moon, Mars and the rest of the solar system is decreasing. With this idea in mind, Dennis explains that the.. Read More
SpaceX Upcoming Abort Test
America has had no access to space for humans on American vehicles since 2011. That space gap is about to stop, not thanks to a space-military-industrial complex goliath, but thanks to a private industry David–SpaceX. Before NASA will let SpaceX fly humans in its Dragon V2 capsule, the space agency requires that SpaceX test its “launch abort system,” the system that will carry astronauts to safety if their launch rocket.. Read More
Space Solar Power Initiative Established by Northrop Grumman and Caltech
Northrop Grumman Corporation has signed a sponsored research agreement with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the development of the Space Solar Power Initiative (SSPI). Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop Grumman will provide up to $17.5 million to the initiative over three years. The team will develop the scientific and technological innovations necessary to enable a space-based solar power system capable of generating electric power at cost parity with grid-connected fossil fuel power.. Read More
Deep Space Smackdown — Dragon 2 vs. Orion
There’s a race between the future and the past boiling between a space upstart and an aerospace giant—Elon Musk’s 13-year-old SpaceX and Lockheed Martin, a company whose roots go back 103 years. At the heart of the matter is a potential competition for a future in deep space between two spacecraft, SpaceX’s Dragon 2 versus Lockheed Martin’s Orion. The Dragon 2 has been contracted by NASA for short runs only—to take.. Read More
Need For a New Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle Strategy
by Gerald Black Gerald Black is a retired aerospace engineer with more than 40 years experience in the industry. After graduating from college, he first worked for Bell Aerosystems Co. in the Buffalo, New York area from 1967 to 1968 as a Rocket Test Engineer. One of the engines he helped test was the engine for the ascent stage of the Apollo Lunar module. Later he worked for more than 39 years for.. Read More
Congress Poisons Space Program with Pork
In the latest NASA authorization bill, a cabal of pork-seeking congressmen complain that too much money is going into the program that will end America’s manned space gap—NASA’s Commercial Crew program. America has not been able to get its citizens into space on American vehicles for four years. Instead, America pays the Russians to take its astronauts to the International Space Station on Soyuz rockets at a cost of over.. 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