On December 5th, the United States Air Force (USAF) announced it had selected two space firms to develop a flight demonstration vehicle named Pathfinder as part of its 250 million USD Reusable Booster System (RBS) Flight and Ground Experiments program. Lockheed-Martin and Andrews Space will compete for individual tasks throughout the 5-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, launched from the Wright-Patterson Air [...]
Post Tagged with: “Human Spaceflight”
New Diagnostic Technology to Be Tested on ISS
Just one drop of blood is enough to diagnose a broad variety of diseases such as diabetes, heart malfunctions, kidney or liver damage. Results are available within minutes. The new device, developed by Irish private company Radisens Diagnostics is currently being adapted by ESA for use aboard the International Space Station to monitor astronauts’ health. The contract was signed [...]
Virgin Galactic Selects First Commercial Astronaut Pilot
On Oct 27, 2011, Virgin Galactic announced that Keith Colmer will become their first commercial astronaut pilot, having been selected from a pool of over 500 applicants. “I am extremely honored to have been the first astronaut pilot selected through competition to join the team,” said Colmer about his selection.”Keith brings the kind of tremendous multi-dimensional talent and skill set [...]
Future Private Market for Human Spaceflight
On October 26, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to provide aerospace companies and NASA an opportunity to testify about progress being made toward the goal of establishing a commercial capability to fly humans to and from low Earth orbit and the long-term non-Government commercial market for private launch services. John Elbon, Boeing CCDev spokesman, presenting [...]
Living on Tiangong
Source Morris Jones for Space Daily: With China’s first space laboratory, Tiangong 1, settled into orbit, it’s now time to consider the missions that will follow. We’re expecting China to perform two docking tests with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft in November this year. If that mission goes well, astronauts will fly to Tiangong 1 in the first half of 2012 aboard [...]
Space Safety Magazine – Issue 1 – Fall 2011
Inside the Fall Issue of the Space Safety Magazine Welcome to the First Issue of the Space Safety Magazine The Need for an Integrated Regulatory Regime for Aviation and Space Space Toxicology The Vision: An International Institute for Space Safety Introducing IAASS Jerome Lederer Space Safety Pioneer Award Vladimir Syromiatnikov Safety-by Design Award Commercial Space Debris Removal Safety of Nuclear [...]
Lockheed Martin Urges Human MPCV Test Flight in Moon Orbit
According to Aviation Week, Lockheed Martin has discussed with NASA a test flight scenario for a human mission to Moon orbit by 2016. Lockheed Martin is completing development, test and production of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), the next generation NASA space capsule to be launched on top of the Space Launch System (SLS), an evolvable heavy lift rocket for deep space missions. [...]
Neil Armstrong’s Testimony
On September 22, 2011, at 10 am EDT, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing titled “NASA Human Spaceflight Past, Present, and Future: Where Do We Go From Here?”, which has been webcast on the committee’s site. The witnesses included former astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, as well as former NASA administrator Mike Griffin and MIT planetary [...]
NASA Releases Commercial Crew Draft RFP, Announces CCDEV2 Optional Milestones
Source NASA: WASHINGTON — NASA unveiled Monday an outline of its acquisition strategy to procure transportation services from private industry to carry U.S. astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station. The agency also announced the addition of optional milestones for the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) initiative. “This is a significant step forward in America’s amazing story of [...]
Countdown
An inspirational video from artist Celinee Desrumaux, celebrating human space exploration. My references are various, from Chris Ware for his extraordinary layout and (sometimes abstract) images, Hans Richter, Len Lye, Stanley Kubrick or Godfrey Reggio (with his qatsi trilogy). I must also quote the speech of JFK ( youtube.com/watch?v=6z1DidldxUo ) I would like to thank the people who support me, a BIG thank [...]
