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http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?cat=23 The adm. Biography
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?cat=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20 Rear Adm. Stiegle named head of COMMERICIAL SPACEFLIGHT FEDERATION TODAY
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/members.shtml Member Organizations
hey admiral, this guy is a d&g er but has a really interesting web site.
http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/
he doesn't post enough links to check out his sources, but has some fascinating insights on EVERYTHING. lol. today's post is about magnetic fields and plate tectonics and whirlpools. yup. whirlpools. fascinating.
http://www.space.com/11349-space-race-private-space-tourism-50-years-human-spaceflight.html The space race is heating Up
http://httpspacexcommultimediavideosp.blogspot.com/2011/04/something-big-coming-4-5-11-spacex.html Something Big coming for SpaceX 4-5-11
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/science/space/08space.html?_r=1 Bigelow exibited
lunar swirls - a puzzle yet to be solved
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/118592329.html
http://www.spacex.com/company.php Company Profile and people SpaceX
# of 129
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110316/NEWS02/103160333/Cost-ride-Soyuz-rises-again-US?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|s Russians are upping the cost per person $Big BUCKS Time for Private Companies to scale up production and performance IMHO
http://bigelowaerospace.com/ production facility Expasion coming as well Things are getting Much bigger
Compare Mid lift launch rockets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_mid-heavy_lift_launch_systems Falcon9 included as operational USA
lunar orbiter data available now at nasa
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110316084103.htm
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Delivers Treasure Trove of Data
ScienceDaily (Mar. 16, 2011) — NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) team released March 15, 2011 the final set of data from the mission's exploration phase along with the first measurements from its new life as a science satellite.
With this fifth release of data, striking new images and maps have been added to the already comprehensive collection of raw lunar data and high-level products, including mosaic images, that LRO has made possible. The spacecraft's seven instruments delivered more than 192 terabytes of data with an unprecedented level of detail. It would take approximately 41,000 typical DVDs to hold the new LRO data set.
"The release of such a comprehensive and rich collection of data, maps and images reinforces the tremendous success we have had with LRO in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and with lunar science," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Among the latest products is a global map with a resolution of 100 meters per pixel from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC). To enhance the topography of the moon, this map was made from images collected when the sun angle was low on the horizon. Armchair astronauts can zoom in to full resolution with any of the mosaics -- quite a feat considering that each is 34,748 pixels by 34,748 pixels, or approximately 1.1 gigabytes.
"Because the moon is so close and because we have a dedicated ground station, we are able to bring back as much data from LRO as from all the other planetary missions combined," said LRO Project Scientist Richard Vondrak of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
LRO's Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment is providing new data relating to the moon's surface. These include maps of visual and infrared brightness, temperature, rock abundance, nighttime soil temperature and surface mineralogy. The data are in the form of more than 1700 digital maps at a range of resolutions that can be overlaid easily on other lunar data sets.
The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project, which collects information to help identify surface water-ice deposits, especially in permanently-shadowed regions of the moon, also has new data. This release includes new maps of far-ultraviolet (FUV) brightness, albedo and water-ice data as well as instrument exposure, illumination and other conditions.
As a complement to the high-resolution digital elevation maps, representing 3.4 billion measurements already released by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter team, the group is delivering new maps of slope, roughness and illumination conditions. New maps from the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector, and the latest data from the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation and the Miniature Radio Frequency instruments, also are featured.
"All these global maps and other data are available at a very high resolution -- that's what makes this release exciting," said Goddard's John Keller, the LRO deputy project scientist. "With this valuable collection, researchers worldwide are getting the best view of the moon they have ever had."
The complete data set contains the raw information and high-level products such as mosaic images and maps. The data set also includes more than 300,000 calibrated data records released by LROC. All of the final records from the exploration phase, which lasted from Sept. 15, 2009 through Sept. 15, 2010, are available through several of the Planetary Data System nodes and the LROC website.
To access LRO data, visit: http://pds.nasa.gov
LRO was built and is managed by Goddard. The exploration phase was funded by NASA's Exploration Systems Missions Directorate. LRO operates under NASA's Science Mission Directorate. For more information about LRO, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lro
lunar data at:
http://pds.nasa.gov
info on LRO at:
http://www.nasa.gov/lro
weather/earhtquake prediction for christchurch nz. this guy says flares do have a correlation with earthquakes and with tides, ie the moon. pretty uncanny predicton of the feb quake and now the predictions for march and april.
http://www.predictweather.com/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=334&type=home
let's hope not. otherwise, every nuclear power plant in the world has the potential to create a fault under it or near it simply because of the plasma they contain.
Is a solar flare the result of a magnetic storm or is the magnetic storm the result of the solar flar.
Since the Earths core has a high Iron concentration and strong magnetic field, what effect does a solar storm/ magnetic storm have on the internal flow of the earths core.
Could such a change of flow cause a plate such as the Pacific plate to move.
I think these are questions that Earth science should look at.
link to site with videos showing orbits and explaining facts about meteors and their origin. very nice videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/celestia4allCreator
a new link!
recent coronal mass ejection video/movie
http://sungrazer.nrl.navy.mil/index.php?p=images/fast_cme.gif
probably more on this site if one can access it.
is this a horse designed by a committee?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110308094157.htm
Science News
Report Identifies Priority Missions for Planetary Science in the Next Decade
gravity, graviton, binary stars, a discussion of how complex models are. comments are better than the article. imo
http://www.universetoday.com/83759/astronomy-without-a-telescope-unreasonable-effectiveness/#more-83759
Astronaut Garrett Reisman Joins SpaceX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joining Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance Team as SpaceX Prepares to Carry Astronauts
Hawthorne, CA– Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is proud to announce that NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman is joining the company as a senior engineer working on astronaut safety and mission assurance.
“We’re excited about the great team that we are building. Our talent is the key to our success. Garrett’s experience designing and using spaceflight hardware will be invaluable as we prepare the spacecraft that will carry the next generation of explorers,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Technology Officer.
Dr. Reisman will join former NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox’s team in preparing SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to carry astronauts. In December, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully return from orbit. In the coming years, NASA will use Dragon for at least 12 cargo missions to the International Space Station, creating strong flight experience before the first manned mission.
“I am excited to help SpaceX because I care deeply about the future of human spaceflight,” said Dr. Reisman. “I see commercial spaceflight as our country’s best option for a robust and sustainable human spaceflight future.”
Beyond safety, Dr. Reisman’s experience as an operator of both American and Russian spaceflight hardware will help SpaceX in the development of human interfaces including controls, displays, seats, suits and environmental control systems.
“After the Space Shuttle’s last flight later this year, America will be dependent on our Russian partners for getting NASA astronauts to space. NASA’s commercial crew development program is our only hope for a quick, safe and affordable alternative, and SpaceX is well-positioned to lead this effort given the strength of their performance during the NASA COTS program,“ said Reisman.
Both the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft have been designed from the start to one day carry astronauts.
Dr. Reisman comes to SpaceX from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration where he has served since 1998. He has flown on two Space Shuttle missions, which include launching with STS-123 and returning with the STS-124 crew, as well as flying on STS-132. During these two missions, he logged over 3 months in space including over 21 hours of extravehicular activity (EVA) in 3 spacewalks. Dr. Reisman served with both the Expedition-16 and the Expedition-17 crews as a Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station. Early in his time at NASA he was assigned to the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch, worked in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch, and was a crewmember on NEEMO V in 2003, living on the bottom of the sea in the Aquarius habitat for two weeks.
Dr. Reisman holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is an FAA Certified Flight Instructor. Dr. Reisman is from Parsippany, New Jersey.
About SpaceX
SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft that is increasing the reliability and performance of space transportation, while ultimately reducing costs by a factor of ten. With the Falcon rockets, SpaceX has a diverse manifest of launches to deliver commercial and government satellites to orbit. After the Space Shuttle retires, the Falcon 9 and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will start carrying cargo, including live plants and animals, to and from the International Space Station for NASA. Falcon 9 and Dragon were developed to one day carry astronauts.
Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Valor Equity Partners. The company has over 1,250 employees in California, Texas and Florida. For more information, and to watch the video of the Falcon 9 and Dragon launches, visit the SpaceX website at SpaceX.com.
Notes to myself
Pictures showing in edit mode but not from viewers mode.
need to finish this also
http://www.i711.com/account_state.php
I've been on this stupid computor since 5 am again, but finally getting some results. It's been raining all and night again, so I figured another day at craming at this.
WOW I'm getting source code.Now it I can get it working in the Ibox. The RSS2 is set for 20. Maybe I can shorter it to 10.
I might have to do it on another site then copy and paste into the Ibox.
I hate to see the shuttles go to, but it has to be done, if not for safety reasons then for change. You can't move forward without change.
A lot of people are trying to hang on to what's been working for them right now because of the "scare" impact of the recession.
On the small scale, the Commercial Saceflight Website is a prime example.
By using a newer version of CKediter a subpage can be created that will display news articles like a chart in the Ibox and other sites as they are written. Or I can do a block that will via a RSS feed. Either method would provide us with the news as it happens.
The problem is just getting people to change.
Take a look at this page. He's going to make me look strange because he just now reduced it to links. lol
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/press_releases.shtml
He had it set up like this. look how long the page has become.
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?cat=0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20
That's the page I want to put in the Ibox but I need it to be shorter.
I'm not going to say much more since it looks like he's working on it.
Let's see what happens.
IQ2 will hold a presentation on space.
a journey into space - mar 16 2011
http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/space
i just found this site and have not signed up for the service. still checking it out.
Discovery wrapping up her mission at the ISS and prepping for her return home and then of to the record books What a shame I hate to see these flights ending OH Well
glory satellite launch failure this morning
http://www.space.com/11030-nasa-glory-climate-satellite-failure.html
massive flare on the backside of the sun
http://www.spaceweather.com/
In Historic First, Three Scientists to Fly on Commercial Spacecraft
By John Gedmark, February 28th 2011
Funded agreements announced for 8 to 17 flights on suborbital vehicles
Washington, D.C., Monday, February 28, 2011 – Three scientists, including a former NASA executive, will become some of the first scientists to fly on a commercial spacecraft — and they will fly multiple times — under the terms of two funded agreements announced between the nonprofit Southwest Research Institute and two commercial spacecraft providers, Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace.
The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), a nonprofit research institute with annual revenue exceeding $500 million, will purchase a total of 8 to 17 scientific research flights on two vehicles – Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx Mark I – to fly both scientists and scientific payloads to the upper atmosphere and space. The scientists selected for the flights are Dr. Alan Stern, Dr. Dan Durda, and Dr. Cathy Olkin, and the science payloads will include biomedical, microgravity science, and astronomical imaging projects. All three scientists selected have trained for suborbital spaceflight aboard zero-G aircraft, in NASTAR centrifuges and aboard Starfighter F-104 jet fighters in the last year.
Dr. Stern, the former head of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, stated, “We at SwRI are very strong believers in the transformational power of commercial, next-generation suborbital vehicles to advance many kinds of research. We also believe that by putting scientists in space with their experiments, researchers can achieve better results at lower costs and a higher probability of success than with many old-style automated experiments.”
George Whitesides, President and CEO of Virgin Galactic said, “This agreement signals the enormous scientific potential of the Virgin spaceflight system. Virgin Galactic will be able to offer researchers flights to space that are unprecedented in frequency and cost. Science flights will be an important growth area for the company in the years to come, building on the strong commercial success already demonstrated by deposits received from over 400 individuals for Virgin’s space experience.”
XCOR Aerospace’s COO, Andrew Nelson, stated, “When someone issues a commercial contract with their own money, this means something,” and XCOR’s chief executive officer, Jeff Greason, added, “I look forward to the pioneering work this partnership will achieve.”
Commercial Spaceflight Federation Executive Director John Gedmark added, “This is a historic moment for spaceflight — a scientific research institution is spending its own money to send its scientists to space. I expect that these scientists will be the first of many to fly to space commercially. As the scientific community realizes that they can put payloads and people into space at unprecedented low costs, the floodgates will open even wider.”
Dr. Dan Durda, one of the Southwest Research Institute scientists selected to fly, said, “We’re another step closer to the era of routine ‘field work’ in space research. More and more researchers will soon fly with their own experiments in space, and do it regularly enough to allow the important advances that come with iterative investigations. I’m looking forward to that future and helping it become a reality.”
The announcements come as more than 300 scientists, educators, engineers, and students are registered to attend the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference which began today in Orlando, Florida at the University of Central Florida, to discuss the topic of scientific applications of commercial suborbital spacecraft. The conference runs through March 2nd.
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.
2011 Next-Gen Suborbital Researchers Conference a Hit, 2012 Follow-up Conference Planned": http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?p=1467
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
www.commercialspaceflight.org
Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) held in Orlando, Florida, this week set records for the number of presentations, sponsors and attendees.
admiral, you should sticky this paragraph:
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.
More Than 50 Astronauts, Scientists, Educators, and Industry Leaders Urge Congress to Fully Fund Commercial Crew": http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?p=1461
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
www.commercialspaceflight.org
Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation welcomes the support of more than 50 former NASA astronauts, scientists, educators, and industry CEOs and leaders who sent a letter to Congress yesterday urging full funding of the Commercial Crew Program as critical to America’s leadership in...
was just outside and watched the iss go over. wonder and awe.
I see I have a little clean up to do. But I also see some nice boards being created.
They are in their own category and they are free. I'm trying to encourage people from Ihub to join the group. If I start finding and pulling the now banned tech media group It would be nice to have some experienced Ihubers to show them the ropes. I would love to have you play a larger role here. It may not look like it, but I've been here working since 5am this morning.
can you get ihub to put these boards in their own category and still make them free? it would be educational for younger people (and cheapskates like me) to have access without paying. if they won't do it, maybe some other ( google ) would host it. i think ihub is very good at this, they just need a nudge. there is so much info out there, but finding it is difficult because it seems so fragmented.
http://www.space.com/10964-shuttle-discovery-debris-strike.html
( photo here could not copy )
Debris appears to strike the exterior of Space Shuttle Discovery following launch on Feb. 24, 2011.
CREDIT: NASA TV
View full size image
HOUSTON – A piece of foam debris that detached from the space shuttle Discovery's fuel tank and may have struck the orbiter during its Thursday launch poses no threat to the spacecraft or its astronaut crew, NASA officials said today (Feb. 25).
"The foam liberated at a time when it's relatively late in the [flight] profile, and well past our time of concern," said LeRoy Cain, NASA's mission management team chair.
Discovery blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., yesterday at 4:53 p.m. EST (2153 GMT).
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The foam piece — which officials said measured roughly 8 by 10 inches (20 by 25 centimeters) — came off the space shuttle's external tank at around 3 minutes and 51 seconds after launch. Preliminary analysis showed that the foam chunk may have hit the bottom part of the orbiter as it fell into the plume of the shuttle's main engines.
But NASA officials said the debris impact is not much of a worry. It occurred well after the aerodynamically sensitive time when such foam loss could have seriously damaged the shuttle as it rocketed into the upper atmosphere.
Cain said that Discovery's crewmembers will continue to perform all the normal debris inspections to make sure the vehicle is safe. Today, the astronauts spent most of the day carrying out assessments of the shuttle's thermal protection system.
Heat shield surveys have been a standard part of every NASA shuttle flight since the 2003 loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew. Columbia broke apart on re-entry as a result of wing damage incurred by a foam impact.
Still, Cain noted that Discovery's external tank, which underwent a series of modifications after cracks were discovered on key structural points following the shuttle's scrubbed launch attempt on Nov. 5, performed well.
"Overall, the performance of [the tank] was really exceptional," Cain said. "From a preliminary standpoint, things look really good for all the space shuttle elements. Discovery is performing very, very well in orbit."
The space shuttle Discovery is flying an 11-day mission to the International Space Station to deliver a new storage room and a humanoid robot named Robonaut 2 to the station. The shuttle is slated to arrive at the orbiting outpost tomorrow (Feb. 26) at 2:19 p.m. EST (1919 GMT).
"All is going very well, the systems are behaving very well," said Brian Lunney, lead flight director for Discovery's STS-133 mission. "The vehicle is in great shape – no notable anomalies to talk about. Everything is going well there, and we're ready for our rendezvous tomorrow."
You can follow SPACE.com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow as she covers Discovery's final space voyage from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Visit SPACE.com for complete coverage of Discovery's final mission STS-133.
A perfect launch ... Sad to see her last mission ,but what can I say except perfect launch as I see it...
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Shuttle_Discovery_in_good_shape_for_final_flight_999.html... sad about this event //Let us see what the future brings folks
Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Orlando Less Than 2 Weeks Away – Register Today": http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?p=1433
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
www.commercialspaceflight.org
The 2011 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference will be held in Orlando, Florida 28 February through 2 March. That’s less than two weeks away! If you or your colleagues and students have not registered on line yet, you still can, until the end of Friday February 18th; just go to: http://n...
Third call for eSpace incubator program for entreprenurial space companies. "eSpace serves as the liaison among industry, government and academia to develop aerospace into a more agile, entrepreneurial industry," said Diane Dimeff, executive director for eSpace.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/eSpace_Seeks_Entrepreneurial_Space_Companies_For_Incubator_Program_999.html
if they were all ihubbers to start with, ask ihub to post something on the front page about a board of interest. the name should catch some who could be asked to contact others.
look for former users on twitter.
60% chance of an m class flare and 20% for an x class. got your faraday cage built?
also just found this little gem. i will check it out as i have a computer am not using right now.
http://www.einsteinathome.org/
I'm going to try and move the discussion group to Ihub again. Since the Tech Media download and stab in the back, they have no home. I'm just not sure how to let all of them know this is the place to come yet. I have a few ideas, but I sure could use some more.
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Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) held in Orlando, Florida, this week set records for the number of presentations, sponsors and attendees. The annual conference brings the research and education communities together with suborbital vehicle providers and government funding agencies to explore the [...] Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) held in Orlando, Florida, this week set records for the number of presentations, sponsors and attendees. The annual conference brings the research and education communities together with suborbital vehicle providers and government funding agencies to explore the exciting new era of suborbital spaceflight. CSF is a proud co-sponsor of the event, which was attended by about 350 people. NSRC organizing chairman Dr. Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute stated, “When we first conceived the idea for NSRC, many people were skeptical that such a meeting would generate much interest. Some even thought the research and education communities were simply not interested in suborbital science. But just as in 2010, people have voted with their feet and come to NSRC by the hundreds. And once again we heard an amazing variety of proposals to exploit the capabilities of next-gen suborbital spaceflight — in fact, the number of presentations by researchers and educators increased 40 percent over last year.” Stern added, “Clearly, many people are very interested in the capabilities that next-gen suborbital can provide to the research and education communities.” Bretton Alexander, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, stated, “The interest from researchers in these new commercial suborbital spacecraft was immediately apparent at this week’s Florida conference. The excitement in the air was contagious. It’s becoming increasingly clear that scientists and educators can’t wait to put payloads and experiments onboard these vehicles.” In addition to featuring more than 120 presentations spread among 20 technical sessions, this year’s NSRC also featured four discussion panels, a press conference, presentations or booths by 25 sponsors, and a public evening presentation by Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. “This year’s NSRC, like 2010’s, has been a galvanizing event for both the suborbital industry and the space research and education communities, demonstrating that the level of researcher and educator interest in next-gen suborbital is dramatically growing,” added Stern. “In response to the high turnout at NSRC in Orlando, we are today announcing that NSRC-2012 will take place in the San Francisco area next February 27-29, and will be hosted by NASA Ames Research Center. I’m looking forward to that already!” About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation # # # |
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Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation welcomes the support of more than 50 former NASA astronauts, scientists, educators, and industry CEOs and leaders who sent a letter to Congress yesterday urging full funding of the Commercial Crew Program as critical to America’s leadership in space. Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation welcomes the support of more than 50 former NASA astronauts, scientists, educators, and industry CEOs and leaders who sent a letter to Congress yesterday urging full funding of the Commercial Crew Program as critical to America’s leadership in space. The letter states, “We are writing to urge you to fully fund NASA’s plan to use commercial companies to carry crew to the Space Station because it is critical to the health of the Nation’s human spaceflight efforts,” adding, “We include 14 former NASA astronauts, 5 former NASA senior executives, 13 educators and nonprofit leaders, and 24 space industry leaders from a wide variety of firms and institutions, both large and small.” The letter adds, “By hiring American businesses, NASA’s Commercial Crew to Space Station program also generates thousands of high tech American jobs across states ranging from Florida, to Alabama, to Texas, to California, to Virginia, to Colorado, to Nevada, and to Maryland, rather than sending these jobs overseas to Russia to build Soyuz capsules and rockets.” “It has been very gratifying to see the support for Commercial Crew from a broad cross-section of the community, ranging from former Apollo and Shuttle astronauts to scientists and former NASA Center Directors,” stated John Gedmark, Executive Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Notable signatories include former Apollo-era NASA astronauts such as Owen Garriott (Skylab 3, STS-9) and Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9); former NASA Johnson Space Center Director Gerry Griffin, who also served as Deputy Director of NASA Kennedy Space Center and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; former NASA Ames Center Director Scott Hubbard, who also served as a Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) member; former NASA Associate Administrator for Science Alan Stern; former FAA Associate Administrator Patti Grace Smith; and former Columbia Accident Investigation Board member John Logsdon. To view the full letter, please visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1509 About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation # # # |
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Funded agreements announced for 8 to 17 flights on suborbital vehicles Funded agreements announced for 8 to 17 flights on suborbital vehicles Washington, D.C., Monday, February 28, 2011 – Three scientists, including a former NASA executive, will become some of the first scientists to fly on a commercial spacecraft — and they will fly multiple times — under the terms of two funded agreements announced between the nonprofit Southwest Research Institute and two commercial spacecraft providers, Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace. The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), a nonprofit research institute with annual revenue exceeding $500 million, will purchase a total of 8 to 17 scientific research flights on two vehicles – Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx Mark I – to fly both scientists and scientific payloads to the upper atmosphere and space. The scientists selected for the flights are Dr. Alan Stern, Dr. Dan Durda, and Dr. Cathy Olkin, and the science payloads will include biomedical, microgravity science, and astronomical imaging projects. All three scientists selected have trained for suborbital spaceflight aboard zero-G aircraft, in NASTAR centrifuges and aboard Starfighter F-104 jet fighters in the last year. Dr. Stern, the former head of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, stated, “We at SwRI are very strong believers in the transformational power of commercial, next-generation suborbital vehicles to advance many kinds of research. We also believe that by putting scientists in space with their experiments, researchers can achieve better results at lower costs and a higher probability of success than with many old-style automated experiments.” George Whitesides, President and CEO of Virgin Galactic said, “This agreement signals the enormous scientific potential of the Virgin spaceflight system. Virgin Galactic will be able to offer researchers flights to space that are unprecedented in frequency and cost. Science flights will be an important growth area for the company in the years to come, building on the strong commercial success already demonstrated by deposits received from over 400 individuals for Virgin’s space experience.” XCOR Aerospace’s COO, Andrew Nelson, stated, “When someone issues a commercial contract with their own money, this means something,” and XCOR’s chief executive officer, Jeff Greason, added, “I look forward to the pioneering work this partnership will achieve.” Commercial Spaceflight Federation Executive Director John Gedmark added, “This is a historic moment for spaceflight — a scientific research institution is spending its own money to send its scientists to space. I expect that these scientists will be the first of many to fly to space commercially. As the scientific community realizes that they can put payloads and people into space at unprecedented low costs, the floodgates will open even wider.” Dr. Dan Durda, one of the Southwest Research Institute scientists selected to fly, said, “We’re another step closer to the era of routine ‘field work’ in space research. More and more researchers will soon fly with their own experiments in space, and do it regularly enough to allow the important advances that come with iterative investigations. I’m looking forward to that future and helping it become a reality.” The announcements come as more than 300 scientists, educators, engineers, and students are registered to attend the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference which began today in Orlando, Florida at the University of Central Florida, to discuss the topic of scientific applications of commercial suborbital spacecraft. The conference runs through March 2nd. About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121. # # #
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The 2011 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference begins today in Orlando, Florida. The conference promises to be a watershed gathering for researchers, educators, and industry/government, as a forum to discuss utilizing new commercial suborbital vehicles for research and education. The 2011 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference begins today in Orlando, Florida. The conference promises to be a watershed gathering for researchers, educators, and industry/government, as a forum to discuss utilizing new commercial suborbital vehicles for research and education. Registration is available at the door, and the conference will last from February 28 to March 2. Please visit http://nsrc.swri.org/ for more information. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is a co-sponsor of the conference. Commercial Spaceflight Federation Executive Director John Gedmark will be delivering a keynote address to the conference attendees at 11 am on February 28, and the Federation will also be moderating a panel on “Payload Integration” at 10:30 am on March 1. For the entire conference, over 120 presenters—a 40% increase over 2010—will discuss everything from flight test progress to planned experiments in 7 different research fields to training and roles for research and educator payload specialists. In total, the meeting will feature 20 sessions, 4 discussion panels, a press conference, presentations or booths by 20 sponsors, and a public night presentation by Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. The meeting will also include invited talks by experts in diverse fields that include microgravity sciences, atmospheric science, space life sciences, planetary science, education, and crew training. |
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The X PRIZE Foundation, a member of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, announced this week “the official roster of 29 registered teams competing for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, an unprecedented competition to send a robot to the Moon that travels at least 500 meters and transmit video, images, and data back to the [...] The X PRIZE Foundation, a member of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, announced this week “the official roster of 29 registered teams competing for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, an unprecedented competition to send a robot to the Moon that travels at least 500 meters and transmit video, images, and data back to the Earth.” The X PRIZE Foundation noted that, “Recently, NASA, the U.S. civil space agency, announced that it will purchase data related to innovative lunar missions from six Google Lunar X PRIZE teams, with contracts worth as much as $10 million each.” This is a demonstration of the power of public-private partnerships in space exploration and discovery. X PRIZE Foundation chairman and CEO Peter Diamandis noted the progress made in the competition to date, stating, “Teams have purchased launch vehicles, they are well into their design process, and we have even seen NASA recognize the value of this competition by purchasing data from several competitors. I want to congratulate the teams that have registered. We are excited to see what they will accomplish in the coming years.” Tiffany V.C. Montague, Manager of Google Space Initiatives, stated, “From the Wright brothers’ first flight to the Lewis and Clark expedition, the most successful and revolutionary discoveries often come from small, entrepreneurial teams. At Google, we share with this global group of innovators a passion for tackling tough technological and scientific challenges, and we wish them the best of luck as they begin the mission phase.” For more information, visit the Google Lunar X PRIZE website at: http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/. |
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The 2011 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference will be held in Orlando, Florida 28 February through 2 March. That’s less than two weeks away!
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Space Technology Office to Support High-Payoff Programs Including Centennial Challenge Prizes, Commercial Suborbital Science, and Parabolic Flights Space Technology Office to Support High-Payoff Programs Including Centennial Challenge Prizes, Commercial Suborbital Science, and Parabolic Flights Washington, D.C., Tuesday, February 15, 2011 – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation today welcomed the strong support for space technology investments in the new NASA FY2012 proposed budget, including such high-profile programs as Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research, Centennial Challenges, and NASA’s commercial parabolic flight program. CSF President Bretton Alexander stated, “Consistent with the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, these investments in space technology R&D represent a renewed focus by NASA on innovation, which is the seed corn of American economic competitiveness. Between 2005 and 2009, NASA’s technology programs were cut more than 50%, and we applaud NASA’s plan to reverse this decline. Robust funding for technology R&D will help ensure that the United States remains a global leader in space.” Specific technology programs that are part of the new NASA budget include: - NASA’s Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) program, funded at $15 million per year, which will give scientists and students access to conduct research using low-cost commercial suborbital vehicles. - NASA’s Centennial Challenges Program, funded at $10 million per year, which offers incentive prizes in the mold of the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE to spur innovation in diverse areas of space technology. - NASA’s Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology Development and Training (FAST), funded at $2 million per year, a commercial parabolic flight program to conduct research and technology development on “zero gravity” aircraft. - Other exciting NASA technology programs, including: Cryogenic Propellant Transfer and Storage, In-Space Propulsion, Space Power Generation and Storage, Nuclear Systems, Lightweight Materials and Structures, Human-Robotic Systems, Autonomous Systems, Next-Generation Life Support, Adaptive Entry Systems, and In-Situ Resource Utilization. CSF Executive Director John Gedmark stated, “These will be some of NASA’s most high-profile, exciting programs. They are what the nation needs to generate new technology breakthroughs and precisely the kind of programs that will inspire the next generation to go into fields of science and engineering.” NASA’s decision to increase technology funding follows a letter released last September by a group of 14 Nobel Laureates to Congress that emphasized the importance of technology investment, stating: “Innovative technology development must once again become a high priority at NASA…. We urge that NASA’s total technology investment be increased.” CSF Executive Director John Gedmark concluded, “Yesterday’s technologies are not sufficient to keep America in first place in the global race for economic competitiveness. Technology innovation is what got America to the moon in the 1960s, and we need a renewed focus on technology to drive NASA forward in the 21st century. NASA and private industry can work together to find innovative technological solutions to today’s spaceflight challenges.” About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121. # # # |
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Commercial Crew Will Eliminate Reliance on Russia, Save Money for the US Taxpayer, and Tap Private-Sector Innovation to Create New Jobs |
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