Space Programs
NASA, Soviet and Russian space programs and the International Space Station
Space Specs
It's no secret that the astronaut corps today, with an average age between 47 and 48, is a bit older than the in-their-primers of Mercury and Gemini. And eyesight, it turns out, is one measure of age. Approximately 80 percent of the current astronaut corps wears eye correction (i.e. glasses or cont...
November 12, 2010 |
By Mike Klesius
Can NASA Get Its Groove Back?
Remember when space exploration was “groovy” and excitement about seeing humans explore the Solar System within our lifetimes was palpable? What happened to NASA and America’s dream to boldly go? The pathway that assured us that space exploration is cool, amazing and pushes excellence has disap...
November 06, 2010 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Too Many Astronauts?
As the space shuttle program winds down, an obvious question faces NASA: How many astronauts will it need in an era of drastically reduced flights? Only three Americans live on the space station at any one time, typically, and those slots come open just twice a year. As for a moon base or Mars miss...
November 01, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Throttle Down
How Florida’s Space Coast is bracing for the end of the space shuttle program.
November 2010 |
By Tom Harpole
Strange Lunar Brew
A year ago, the LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission team announced the detection of water in the impact plume produced after the Centaur separated from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and crashed into the Moon. We now have more detailed information on the water a...
October 22, 2010 |
By Paul D. Spudis
The Authorized Version
NASA’s new authorization bill (S.3729) was passed by Congress before they cleared out of town and will soon be signed by the President, codifying into law the federal government’s formal abandonment of the Vision for Space Exploration. In its place is a mish-mosh of platitudes, entitlement program...
October 07, 2010 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Bon Voyage, Soyuz TMA-01M
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka are due to launch to the space station at 7:10 P.M., U.S. Eastern time today, from the Baikonur launch center in Kazakhstan. Fellow astronaut Ron Garan is at Baikonur with Kelly, providing live commentary via his...
October 07, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
An Artistic Sendoff for the Shuttle's Last Tank
Space shuttle historian Dennis Jenkins took a poignant ride alongside the vehicle's last external tank on Monday as it completed its long journey to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. A NASA contract engineer with 30 years in the shuttle program, Jenkins also is the author of Space Shuttle...
September 29, 2010 |
By Mike Klesius
Russian Animals in Space
Even if you don't understand Russian (and I don't) this TV Roskosmos mini-documentary on animals in space is worth watching. You'll see footage of the usual celebrities, including astro dogs Laika and Belka and Strelka. Laika's trainer Oleg Gazenko, a key figure in early space animal experiments wh...
September 28, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
A New Record for Mars 500
When I saw this new image of the six guys locked inside the Mars 500 mission simulation chamber in Moscow, I feared for their mental health.But they seem to be doing fine. In fact, they just broke the previous Mars chamber endurance record:
September 17, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Inspiration
Former space shuttle commander Frank Culbertson stepped up to the podium inside a hearing room in the Rayburn House office building yesterday morning, and talked about inspiration. He turned to his left and thanked moon walker Buzz Aldrin for a kind gesture last year during a visit to the Johnson S...
September 15, 2010 |
By Mike Klesius
Plymouth Rock: 90 Days in a Minivan
At first I was excited to read press reports of a Lockheed-Martin concept for a bare-bones human asteroid mission, using a pair of Orion capsules yoked together. Finally, a near-term plan! Because the Orion is mostly built, the first "Plymouth Rock" mission could fly as early as 2016, nine years ea...
September 03, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Case Closed
Mysteries solved, secrets revealed, and questions finally answered.
September 2010 |
By The Editors
The Force Is With Them
What changes the speed of spacecraft flying by Earth?
September 2010 |
By Sam Kean
A.W.O.L.
You may have read about the X-37B, the U.S. Air Force's new unmanned orbital spaceplane, in our January issue. The secretive satellite with space-shuttlesque delta wings made its first launch on April 22 of this year atop an Atlas V rocket, and has been in orbit since, visible on the web via a numb...
August 26, 2010 |
By Mike Klesius
The Moon: Creating Capability in Space and Getting Value for our Money
Of all the possible destinations in space, the Moon offers the proximity, accessibility, and materials necessary to learn how to use what we find in space to create new capabilities. Harvesting the resources of the Moon will allow us to make what we need in space, rather than carrying it with us f...
August 24, 2010 |
By Paul D. Spudis
Remembering Belka and Strelka
By some definitions, you could say that spaceflight began 50 years ago today.On August 19, 1960, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 5 capsule containing 40 mice, two rats, a rabbit, some fruit flies, plants—and a pair of dogs, Belka ("Whitey") and Strelka ("Little Arrow.") They were the first li...
August 19, 2010 |
By Tony Reichhardt
