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Going Up? Top Floor, Space Elevator Games 2009

Nicholos Wethington — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:56:08 +0000

BREAKING NEWS: LaserMotive successfully qualified for the $900,000 prize! Their official speed was 3.72 m/s. Way to go! See more below.

Though it's unlikely that anyone will be pressing the elevator button labeled 'Space' on one of the competitors' vehicles this year at the 2009 Space Elevator Games, there is hope that a winner will walk away with the $1.1 million prize. Three different teams will compete to see if any can send a laser powered vehicle up a thin but strong ribbon 1km (.6 miles) into the sky.(...)
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Bolden Revamps NASA Advisory Council

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:53 +0000

Miles O'Brien

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has restructured the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), adding several new committees in key areas of importance to the agency's future, including Education and Public Outreach, led by former CNN anchor Miles O'Brien and a Commercial Space, Information Technology Infrastructure committee led by Brett Alexander, the executive director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "I consider the NASA Advisory Council to be an extremely important external advisory group, one that is uniquely capable to advise me and the entire NASA senior leadership team on some of the important decisions our agency will face in the coming months and years," Bolden said. "I am confident that this new structure will serve as an effective forum to stimulate meaningful advice to me and the rest of NASA's leadership."
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Free NASA iPhone App

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:53:05 +0000

NASA announced last week they had developed the first iPhone application geared specifically for keeping track of all things NASA. I don't have an iPhone, so I didn't look into it, but the iPhone users I know seem to be very excited about it. So here's all the info you should need to hook up with NASA via your iPhone:

The NASA App is available free of charge on the App Store from Apple directly to the iPhone and iPod Touch or within iTunes.

What does it do?
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Committee Urges Multi-Destination Plan for NASA Human Space Flight

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:50:56 +0000

The Augustine Commission released their final report today, and while they didn't offer specific recommendations for NASA's human space flight program, they laid out five possible options, highlighting a flexible plan that allows for several destinations out of low Earth orbit. The report also encouraged commercial space ventures to handle trips to the International Space Station. "The different options speak for themselves," said head of the commission, Norman Augustine at a press briefing today following the release of the report. "We believe Mars is clear goal of the human spaceflight program, but for safety reason we ruled out going directly there. We've offered programs that are alternatives for building a heavy lift launch capability, as we believe that to be extremely important for the human space program, and we believe this is the time to create a commercial market to transport humans to Earth orbit."

But the strongest point the committee made is that NASA needs additional funds of $3 billion a year in order to accomplish much of anything.
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NASA Administrator Orders Study of Heavy Lift Alternatives

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:21:46 +0000

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden has asked for an evaluation of alternative heavy lift rockets, including DIRECT’s Jupiter launch vehicle. The evaluation is a “top priority,” according to NASASpaceflight.com, and a special team from the Marshall Space Flight Center has been commissioned to conduct the study, with the directive to have a report ready by the end of November. Looking at alternatives to the Constellation program is an apparent reaction to the final Augustine Commission report, which will be made public on Thursday.
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Ares I-X at the Launchpad

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:10:03 +0000

Ares at the pad. Credit: NASA

"The Stick" made it out to launchpad 39B without falling over. I have to admit, NASA's new rocket looked tall, super-skinny and pointy (as Dr. Brian Cox described it), as it rolled out on the crawler transporter. Somehow, it seems the Ares I-X should be wider. It's definitely tall — at 100 meters (327 feet,) it is 43 meters (143 feet) taller than the space shuttle. But appearances aside, this is an historic occasion. For the first time in more than a quarter century, a new vehicle is sitting out at the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

More pictures below:
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Tweet Your Way to the Next Space Shuttle Launch

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:58:25 +0000

Space shuttle Atlantis rolled out to Launch Pad 39A on Wednesday in preparation for the next shuttle flight, STS-129, currently scheduled for liftoff on Nov. 12, 2009 at 4:04 p.m. EST. And in case you haven't heard, for the first time, NASA is inviting those who use Twitter to view a space shuttle launch in person. The first 100 people who sign up on NASA's website will be granted access to Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 11 and 12 for the opportunity to take a tour of the facilities, view the space shuttle launch and speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers. The Tweetup will include a "meet and greet" session to allow participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the staff behind the tweets on @NASA. An additional 50 registrants will be added to a waitlist. Registration opens at noon EDT on Friday, Oct. 16. To sign up and for more information click here.
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NASA Astronaut Dies

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:48:39 +0000

Astronaut Frank Caldeiro, 1958-2009. Credit: NASA

NASA astronaut Fernando “Frank” Caldeiro died Saturday morning after a two and a half year battle with brain cancer. Although he never flew in space, Caldeiro served as the lead astronaut in several technical support roles. "Frank was a valued member of the astronaut corps and the Flight Crew Operations team," said Brent Jett, director, Flight Crew Operations. "He provided a wealth of experience and made significant contributions to the success of both the WB-57 project and the Space Shuttle Program. He will be missed by all those who knew him at NASA. Our hearts go out to his family." Caldeiro was 51.

More on Caldeiro:
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Russian Space Official: Shuttles Could Fly Beyond 2011

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:50:29 +0000

Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said earlier today in Moscow that he hopes that the US space shuttle program will be prolonged, adding he has been informed of the possibility of shuttles flying beyond 2011. "We have received information from certain sources that the use of space shuttles could be extended beyond 2011," Perminov was quoted in Interfax, adding that this information arrived through unofficial channels.
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NASA Has a Little Fun With Buzz

Nancy Atkinson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:42:42 +0000

Buzz Lightyear returns from 15 months in the ISS. Credit: NASA. Click for larger image.

Buzz Lightyear, that is. The action figure returned from space on Sept. 11, aboard space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission after 15 months aboard the International Space Station. Word has it that Disney is quite excited about his return, and will give him a ticker-tape parade on October 2, along with some of his his space station crewmates and the original Buzz, Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin, at Walt Disney World in Florida.

So what was Buzz doing on the ISS?
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Augustine Commission: Current Funding Won't Get NASA Out of Low Earth Orbit

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:07:03 +0000

In their preliminary report, a panel of independent space experts commissioned by President Obama concluded that any human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit is not viable with the money NASA is expected to receive under the budget for 2010 and beyond. The Augustine Commission proposed several different options for NASA's future path, which highlighted working closely with other countries and commercial spaceflight companies, as well as extending the life of the space shuttle through 2011. But NASA is on an "unsustainable trajectory," and going to the Moon or Mars is not possible on the current level of funding, the Commission said. The only way the US could conduct a "meaningful" human spaceflight program would be by adding at least $3 billion annually to NASA's budget.
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Fake But Funny NASA Press Release

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:17:47 +0000

It's nice to see the folks at NASA have a sense of humor and can poke fun at themselves. The following (fake) press release was part of the Flight Day 6 Execute Package sent up to the STS-128 crew on board space shuttle Discovery, now docked at the International Space Station: "Colbert Elated, Stewart Miffed." Also impressive is how NASA employees can seemingly come up with an acronym for almost any occasion:
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NASA May Have to Revamp Science Plans Without RTGs

Nancy Atkinson — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:38:51 +0000

A radioisotope thermalelectric generator schematic. Source: Internet Encyclopedia of Science

As if things weren't tight enough at NASA, now the US House and Senate have decided to cut the funding to restart production of plutonium-238 (Pu-238), the power source for many of NASA's robotic spacecraft. Under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, only the US Department of Energy is allowed to possess, use and produce nuclear materials and facilities, and so NASA must rely on the DOE to produce these power sources and the fuel. A report by the National Research Council says "the day of reckoning has arrived" and that NASA has already been forced to limit deep space missions due to the short supply of Pu-238.
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Kepler Scores its First Exoplanet Sighting

Anne Minard — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:06:00 +0000

First results from the Kepler mission. Credit: NASA

NASA researchers have published confirmation this week that the Kepler mission will be able to reveal the presence of Earth-sized planets around Sun-like stars. The mission's first scientific results appear today in the journal Science.

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Altman: Augustine Commission Allowing Constellation Program to "Take a Breath"

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:19:44 +0000

Astronaut Scott Altman speaking to children at the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences. Photo: Nancy Atkinson

Astronaut Scott Altman, commander of the recent servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope said the independent review of NASA's current plans is allowing both the space agency and the nation to step back, contemplate and plan the future. "The new administration wants to take a good hard look at the direction of future of the space program and I endorse that," Altman said. I think we'll come out of this with a more focused and hopefully a stronger movement forward. And the folks working on Constellation have the chance to take a breath while the Augustine Commission is at work and I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say."
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"Feelings" Are Back at NASA

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:27:04 +0000

Garver and Bolden after they were sworn into office. Credit: NASA

Steely-eyed missile men may still be a part of NASA, but the space agency's newly sworn-in administrator says he is an unabashed hugger and admits to crying easily. "One more thing you'll learn about me, I cry," said Charlie Bolden at an all-hands video meeting with the NASA centers. "I think it's important to be passionate." Bolden's Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said she's a hugger, too and as Bolden and Garver hugged on stage, Garver exclaimed, "Feelings are not something that were popular in the last few years at NASA, but they're back. Feelings are back!"
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On Apollo 11's 40th, Astronauts Reflect on Space Program

Anne Minard — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:37:41 +0000

Seven Apollo astronauts gathered at NASA headquarters this morning to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's lunar landing — on July 20, 1969.

"This is really a national celebration," said James Lovell, who flew on Apollo 8 and 13. "This is really a celebration for all the people who helped Neil and Buzz and Mike” make the trip to the moon, he said.

But the press conference was bittersweet, as all of the astronauts seemed to agree the space program has not gone where they hoped it would, in the years since that pinnacle of achievement. "I don’t think there was a soul in NASA that wouldn’t have thought we would have been on Mars by the year 2000," said Walt Cunningham, from Apollo 7.

Among the astronauts, there seemed to be seven different opinions about how to get back on track.

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Book Review: Magnificent Desolation, by Buzz Aldrin

Anne Minard — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:16:36 +0000

I very much enjoyed chatting with Buzz Aldrin a couple of weeks ago, for some stories leading up to the 40th anniversary of the July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 landing on the moon. I found him honest, personable and generous with his time.

But when his publicist offered to send a copy of his new book, "Magnificent Desolation," I didn't set my expectations too high. I didn't know what to make of an autobiography by a retired Air Force pilot and astronaut. Doesn't that history put the "Rocket Hero" pretty squarely in the category of techie or a jock — a non-writer type?

Well, color me impressed. The book arrived late last week, and I turned the last page this morning — looking for more to read!

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How to Handle Moon Rocks and Lunar Bugs: A Personal History of Apollo's Lunar Receiving Lab

Nancy Atkinson — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:49:01 +0000

Apollo 11 crew in quarantine talking with President Richard Nixon. Credit: NASA

50 lbs. of moon rocks. That's how much weight was allocated for the Apollo 11 astronauts to bring back lunar samples to Earth. But this would be the first time materials from another world would be brought to our planet. What should be done with these alien rocks, and could they possibly be a threat to life as we know it?

What started out as a seemingly straightforward idea of building a facility to store and study rocks from the Moon ended up becoming a power struggle between engineers building the facility and scientists who wanted to study the rocks and those who wanted to save the world from biological disaster — not to mention even more squabbling between the various governmental agencies and politicians. In the middle of it all was James McLane, Jr. one of the engineers tasked with the early planning for the Manned Spaceflight Center –now known as Johnson Space Center in Houston — and in particular, he led a group to determine the requirements and design concept of NASA's Lunar Receiving Laboratory.
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"That's the Way It Is" — Apollo Supporter Walter Cronkite Dies

Nancy Atkinson — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:08:04 +0000

Newscaster Walter Cronkite has passed away at the age of 92. He was admired and known for his enthusiastic coverage NASA's space missions, from the early Mercury launches, through the ground-breaking Gemini missions, to the subsequent moon landings — which at times left him speechless — and the space shuttle program.
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Apollo 11 Anniversary Link-O-Rama

Nancy Atkinson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:35:19 +0000

Apollo 11 landing site on Tranquility Base. Credit: NASA

The Apollo 11 40th anniversary is coming at us fast and furious! With restored images and video, mission audio, interviews, and special features, who can keep track of it all? Well, we're going to try. We'll post here all the links we can find that has anything to do with the anniversary. If you find something of interest elsewhere you think we should add, email it to Nancy or post it in the comments, and we'll add it. This will be Apollo 11 anniversary HQ!
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NASA Laments Missing Apollo 11 Film, Makes Do With What's Left

Anne Minard — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:31:53 +0000

The engineers who helped beam images of the lunar surface to Earth in 1969 are doing a little hand-wringing these days – because original film of the historic event got recycled at NASA rather than preserved.

Still, the agency has teamed up with a Hollywood restoration team to collect and improve on backup copies of the Apollo 11 feat. The clearer, digitized versions will be available in a few months.

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De-Orbit the ISS in 2016? Don't Bet On It

Nancy Atkinson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:19:21 +0000

There's been a fair amount of outcry this week regarding a quote in the Washington Post from International Space Station program manager Michael Suffredini that the ISS would be decommissioned, de-orbited and destroyed in 2016. Suffredini made that statement to the Augustine Commission, the presidential panel reviewing NASA's future plans, at a hearing in June. But please don't think ditching the space station is a done deal. Fiscal year 2016 is currently when the existing agreements between the international partners – and the all-important funding – expire. Suffredini also told the panel that discussions with the partners indicate all involved would like to see station operations continue past FY2016. NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries told Universe Today that the heads of the participating space agencies recently reaffirmed their common interest in using the station "to its full capacity for a period that is meaningful for our stakeholders and its users."
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Could Ares Be Axed?

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:02:56 +0000

The Constellation program's Ares rockets. Credit: NASA

Members of the Augustine Panel reviewing NASA's future plans have asked the space agency to consider different approaches to send astronauts back to the moon. According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, panel members have told NASA they want to see the effects of both "minor tweaks and wholesale changes to its Constellation Program," which includes the newly designed Ares rocket and the Orion crew capsule. Ares has been controversial from the start, but NASA has spent the past four years and more than $3 billion creating and defending the rocket. Would starting over just mean a bigger gap between the shuttle and whatever comes next?
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A Tale of Two Launches

Nancy Atkinson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:52:18 +0000

SpaceX Falcon 1 launch. Credit: SpaceX Webcast

While space shuttle Endeavour's launch on Monday was scrubbed –again — due to weather, another launch took place later, which successfully launched the first commercial payload on board a rocket built by a commercial space company. SpaceX launched their Falcon 1 rocket from Omelek Island at Kwajalein Atoll to put a Malaysian RazakSAT satellite in a near equatorial orbit. SpaceX was able to overcome troubles with a helium system as well as bad weather, both of which caused delays. But eventually, the Falcon 1 launched flawlessly.
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