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NASA proposed to build the follow on to the space shuttle, the Crewed Exploration Vehicle, five years after the shuttle will be retired. NASA is trying to narrow that gap. The solution may be a race to build a commercial space vehicle.
The 2007 budget presented by the House Republican Study Committee has some good ideas to reduce the deficit. Unfortunately it also has a proposal that would sound the death knell for publicly funded human space flight in the United States.
Until now NASA only had the innocuous name Crew Exploration Vehicle for the next generation of space craft. Though still on the drawing board, NASA finally has christened its new class of ships.
The space shuttle, once thought to be the solution to cheap access to space, will be retired in 2010 having never achieved that goal. However, cheap access to space may yet be accomplished by the private sector.
People have argued about the need for space flight and complain about the money spent. I give facts about space flight and show why people need to explore beyond what they see.
Three major myths about space exploration have arisen and are believed by a great many people. Two of the myths have been around since the beginning of the Space Age. One myth, however, is of more recent vintage.
Forty or so years ago, astronauts had all the glory of the exploration of space. Now, robots are exploring places that currently no astronaut can go. For the past twenty five years, no human being has journeyed beyond low Earth orbit.
Recently Robert Bigelow, the Los Vegas hotel tycoon who has been working on an orbiting "space hotel" made a couple of announcements that have shaken up the commercial aerospace world.
The next US President will enter office in January, 2009 with a space program that is in transition. He or she will have the opportunity to shape what could be the Third Age of Space.
The standard for civilian space travel restricts the FAA from regulating amateur space travel until a fatal tragedy occurs. President Bush signed this document in 2004. The reality of space travel arrives with the Virgin Galactic space port in NM.
A look at the NASA program and what should be down about space exploration in America.
Constructed as a prototype vehicle for flight and endurance tests on the space shuttle design, the Enterprise paved the way for space flight for shuttles built after her.
Many years ago, the Astronomer Royal of Great Britain Richard vander Riet Woolley famously declared, "Space travel is utter bilge." It was a statement that haunted him for the rest of his life.
NASA is planning to explore other planets farther out in our solar system that will add even more years to the space missions resulting in the astronauts being away from home longer. The space agency has now been put in the position of pondering many issues.
Recently surveys on public attitudes toward space exploration taken by the Dittmar Associates firm had some disquieting news for NASA. It seems that there is a high level of apathy toward NASA programs on the part of 18 to 25 year olds.
After having the Columbia shuttle disaster and a number of other setbacks, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration is making plans to continue space exploration.
Barack Obama wants to slash funding for the NASA program to develop a replacement for the space shuttle that will not only fly to low Earth orbit, but also beyond to the Moon and Mars. He is doing this "for the children" as a means to pay for an education initiative.
One of the great questions that people are wrestling with in this the beginning of the second half century of the space age is what are the proper roles of the private and public sectors in the opening of the high frontier?
About a week before the Florida primary both Rudi Giuliani and Mitt Romney attended separate space policy round tables at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The round tables were sponsored by the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast.
From a seemingly near-vertical 60 degree launch position, your Shuttle carries you into space with convincing special effects to enhance the experience.
Atlantis and ISS are within Earth's protective magnetosphere. Beginning in 2011, NASA plans manned lunar launches, then manned and robotic launches to Mars. Astronauts will be at risk for radiation sickness from solar proton storms.
Florida is well known for all its tourist attractions. From the beaches to the House of the Mouse, there is a lot to choose from for a visitor. My favorite is the one I visited November 16, the Kennedy Space Center.
This is a description and review, along with a little history, of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, in Huntsville, AL.
With the recent failure of Columbia in 2003, and, of course, Challenger in 1986, many doubts are growing in the hearts of mankind over the safety, reliability, and sensibility of manned space missions.
2007 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Space Age, agreed by most to have begun with the launch Sputnik, on October 4th, 1957. While some are taking stock of the last fifty years, others are wondering what the next fifty years might bring.
Information about the progression of space tourism.
It's one of the delicious ironies of history that the first private space travelers were facilitated by the Soviet (then Russian) space program.
When President Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration almost two years ago, he left the question of how to pay for it unanswred. The question is important, as trhe Vision must be sustained for decades.
"This provision will help the United States maintain its global leadership in space by keeping exploration programs on track."
A research project called transhab, first developed by NASA, may well form the basis of the first commercially developed, privately operated space station.
Building and launching rockets can be a difficult thing to get right. This was illustrated spectacularly on March 24th when the first flight of SpaceX's Falcon 1 ended in failure and complete lost of the launch vehicle.
Finding information on the International Space Station and the NASA Space Shuttle program is easier than you might think, and very easy to view as they pass overhead in the night sky.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced Monday that the hatches separating the Space Shuttle Atlantis from the International Space Station closed had closed in preparation for the Shuttle's planned undocking from the Station on Tuesday
A spacewalk turned up what appears to be metal shavings inside the joint of key equipment aboard the International Space Station. What is it?
There are many ways to watch and listen to the space shuttle mission. Here are some tips on when to listen, and what will be going on in space.
Over 2,000 students from across the nation wrote essays to NASA, suggesting new names for the newest addition to the Internationanl Space Station (ISS).
Atlantis, designated STS-122 by NASA, plans to dock with the International Space Station on Saturday, February 9.
After several exceedingly wealthy individuals have gone for "space vacations," it seems that an industry will develop providing space travel to the rich.
The future of humanity is dependent on space travel.
Atlantis space shuttle installs Columbus science lab onto the International Space Station.
Sometime in the fall of 2010 the space shuttle will launch on its last mission. In the early Spring of 2015, barring unforeseen delays, the Orion space craft will become operational, available to take crews and supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA announced tuesday that a major upgrade will be ready for the Space Shuttle Atlantis' June 8th launch.
For nearly six months, a legion of worms has been traveling through space. Actually, over 100,000 have been aboard the International Space Station as a science experiment.
Senator Barack Obama has published a comprehensive space policy that is conspicuous in what it does not mention as in what it does. Unfortunately it constitutes a return to the 1990s during which astronauts flew in circles in low Earth orbit and commercial space was ignored.
"Suni" Williams, a 41-year old astronaut aboard the International Space Station, ran the Boston Marathon on a treadmill. Suni finished two hours behind the top female finisher.
Jeffrey Manber recently published a piece in the LA Times advocating closer cooperation with China in space. He does so without actually explaining adequately why this would be a benefit to the United States.
Included in NASA's contract with RSC Energia is a contract for a $19 million Russian space toilet system that has the ability to transform urine into drinking water.
3... 2... 1... LIFTOFF! What actually goes into getting a space vehicle into orbit?
Space Planes are planes capable of escaping the Earth's gravitational pull and flying into space.
For companies that pursue space travel or space exploration, insurance protection is necessary to safeguard against rare events, including those damages to a third party.
Anousheh Ansari is the first ever space blogger, as well as the first female space tourist. Read here about how personal hygeine is taken care of in space, what happens when you see flying yogurt and find out where you can get more space travel tips!
Space flight veteran Frederick Sturckow will lead the Atlantis crew on its trip to add the third set of solar wings to the space station on mission STS-117.
In a couple of years or so, George and Loretta Whiteskies, who were married in 2006, will take a long delayed honeymoon. Their honeymoon will be a first, as they will ride into space on board Virgin Galactic's sub orbital cruise ship, SpaceShipTwo.
Civil space policy has not been a top tier political issue in a Presidential race since Kennedy/Nixon in 1960, when the United States was still reeling from the implications of Sputnik.
Despite predictions of poor weather, Mother Nature cleared the skies yesterday, October 23rd, just in time for a picture-perfect launch from Cape Canaveral, on Florida's central east coast.
The monopoly of an enterprise by a government agency is incongruous with the nature of America's economy, which in almost all other areas is highly supportive of private franchise. In recent years, public interest has been sparked in the idea of private enterprise in space.
The Kennedy Space Center at the Cape is where you will learn all about the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) - their history and the future, and the nature and technology of space exploration.
Building 44 in NASA's Johnson Space Center, located in Houston, was evacuated due to reports of a gunman inside the building.
Watching live mission video and tracking orbits using NASA web-based software makes you part of the mission!
When thinking of women's contribution to the United States of America's space program, the name Sally Ride is most often one of the first to be mentioned.
The ascension of the Democrats to control of the Congress in the recent midterm elections has implications for America's space effort. For those who support the effort, the news was potentially mixed
The Aerospace Industries Association announced that presidential campaigns should publicly express their support of NASA's Constellation Program in order to ensure America's leadership in space exploration and further the efforts of education.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is located on Florida's Space Coast, just forty-five minutes from the popular Orlando attractions and theme parks.
A new book explores the meaning of the Apollo space program by interviewing the last living astronauts who walked on the moon.
If you're fascinated by the American Space Program in general and have a passion for the U.S. Space Shuttle in particular, you won't be able to resist a magnificent tome that is distributed by Specialty Press.
This article reviews Space Camp at the Kennedy Space Center.
The new Photon Laser Thruster produced by the Bae Institute makes it possible in the near future to travel to Mars in one week. The residual fallout from this technology can have immense benefits for commercial, aerospace, and civilian aerospace realms.
What if you had a shuttle launch and nobody came? Well, to hold the public's interest in the space program, NASA shows that it's big thinkers aren't out to launch.
The actions of the new Congress concerning funding NASA's program to send human explorers to the Moon and Mars can seem puzzling. This is especially so for anyone who is unfamiliar with the capacity of politicians to practice double think.
In 1969, we landed on the moon, and now, we have accomplished sending a satellite to Mars to collect data and pictures so we can explore this foreign planet.
Since India began pushing space research and exploration in the 70's it has launched a number of successful missions and plans on putting an Indian in space by 2014 and an Indian on the moon by 2020.
If you've always wanted to get involved in exploring space without setting aside six to eight years in a major university, then you should consider getting involved in looking for the missing 1999 Mars Polar Lander that NASA is letting the public attempt to find...
A California congressman wants to sell ad space on the space shuttle and other NASA equipment to fill the holes left in the space agencies pockets.
U.S. billionaire who helped develop Microsoft Word and two Russian Cosmonauts made it to the International Space station early Tuesday.
The crew of the STs-117 expedition aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis completed safety inspections Saturday in preperation for the expected Sunday docking with the International Space Station.
Peggy Whitson, Amateur Radio callsign KC5ZTD, and other "hams" aboard the ISS, talk to students around the world via amateur radio. An Italian school in Rome named for Galileo is looking forward to their contact on October 31!
Highlights about last august exceptional NASA's mission to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour
The Space Shuttle Atlantis' first part of the journey to space is already over--it trekked yesterday morning 3.4 miles from NASA's space shuttle assembly building to the launch pad in preparation for a December 6th mission to the International Space Station.
The space shuttle Endeavour launched on March 11, at 2:28 AM Eastern Time, carrying a payload for the International Space Station, including a sgement of teh Japanese Kibo lab module and a two armed Canadian built robot.
The space shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for a March visit to the International Space Station, will miss its launch window because of damage due to a hail storm. If all goes as planned, the shuttle will launch in late April.
Amateur radio operators have been communicating with the space shuttle and space stations for decades, and many "ham" stations across the country and on shortwave transmit live audio from current space shuttle missions!
According to NASA's website Mission Management Team Chair John Shannon has extended the STS-117 mission by two days so the crew can make repairs to the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Saturday, June 8, 2007, the Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center.
After 2 1/2 months in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, the shuttle Atlantis is rolled out to launch pad 39A for an aniticipated June 8 launch. The orbiter's external fuel tank was damaged in a Feburary hail storm.
For astronauts flying in space, especially for long periods, the lost of muscular strength and bone mass, among other problems, caused by prolonged exposure to micro gravity has been a concern to researchers.
The Pentagon's National Security Space Office has issued a report, entitled "Space-Based Solar Power as an Opportunity for Strategic Security." The report recommends that the US government enact policies to encourage the building of solar power stations in space.
Ever since October 4th, 2004, when the X Prize was won by SpaceShipOne's first private suborbital flights, another space race has been ongoing. The winner of this space tourism race will be the first to provide suborbital adventure flights for paying customers.
Think you can survive a shuttle mission? Try Kennedy Space Center's full day Astronaut Training Experience.
The first time that I ever heard of space tourism, Lance Bass of N'Sync was in training to go into space and was paying to go. Here is what has been happening since.
With the advancements in space technology, the opportunity for the private sector to get out into space and make money has become a reality
The Space Adventures company wants to take you on tour in space. If you've got an extra $100 million, you can tour this hot space location.
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