New Scientist has a look at SpaceDev’s Dream Chaser project, a lifting body space plane based on NASA’s abandoned HL-20 project that the company hopes to launch into orbit using an Atlas V rocket. Only part of the story is online; to read it all, a subscription is required.
Or you can check the SpaceDev website, which has this description of the project:
“SpaceDev is currently working in conjunction with NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) office to develop and configure the system for ISS servicing. In parallel, SpaceDev has signed a memorandum of understanding with United Launch Alliance (ULA) and is evaluating man-rating the Atlas 5 launch vehicle and configuring it for use with Dream ChaserTM to provide a launch configuration based on the exceptional heritage of the Atlas family of launch vehicles.”
NASA clears hurdle on Soyuz
Orlando Sentinel
“NASA Administrator Michael Griffin on Tuesday won the approval of a key Senate committee in his battle to buy Russian spacecraft as a four-year replacement for the space shuttle.
“But the fight is far from over. And Griffin has less than two weeks to persuade the rest of Congress to allow the use of Soyuz spacecraft to take U.S. astronauts to the international space station after the space shuttle’s planned retirement in 2010.”
Obama Calls on Senate and House Leadership to Renew America’s Commitment to NASA
Text of Letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi
Dear Majority Leader Reid and Madam Speaker Pelosi:
This Administration’s lack of leadership for our nation’s space program has left Americans without access to space or the ability to support its astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) without paying Russia for transportation. The ISS is a world-class research facility, built with approximately $100 billion of U.S. taxpayers’ money. With the planned retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010, the U.S. will be paying Russia for rides to and from the ISS, and for emergency lifeboat services, using their Soyuz spacecraft. Furthermore, at the end of 2011, NASA will no longer even have the legal authority to continue paying Russia for Soyuz flights, so unless we act immediately, the U.S. will abandon its role in supporting, and benefiting from, missions to this amazing facility, leaving it to our international partners.
Continue reading ‘NASA Moves Toward Buying More Soyuz Vehicles’
The Rocketsandsuch blog has an interesting post about what might be causing re-entry problems with Soyuz spacecraft returning from the International Space Station. The last two missions to return from orbit experienced rough, ballistic re-entries because the pyrotechnic charges designed to separate the crew return module from the rest of the ship failed to fire properly.
Continue reading ‘Is Soyuz Unsafe?’
Stephen Colbert interviewed game developer and future millionaut Richard Garriott on Thursday night for his satirical “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central. The host had a telephone chat with Garriott, who was in Russia undergoing training for his upcoming flight to the International Space Station.
Continue reading ‘Richard Garriott Appears on The Colbert Report’
To rely on Russia for the future of the U.S. Space Program is Irresponsible and Dangerous
Press Release
12 September 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dave Weldon (FL-15) denounced the efforts by Senator Bill Nelson and others to obtain a waiver of the Iran Nonproliferation Act for NASA.
This waiver would allow the U.S. to purchase the Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft and force the U.S. to rely on Russia over the next five to seven years to transport American astronauts in space to reach the U.S.-led International Space Station.
Continue reading ‘Rep. Weldon: Relying on Russians is Crazy, Sen. Nelson Nuts’
A few interesting updates on the ongoing Griffin story….
An Interview with NASA Chief Mike Griffin
Space News’ Brian Berger talks to Griffin about the gap, shuttle retirement, and….well, mostly those two subjects.
NASA chief says he backs 2010 shuttle retirement
Houston Chronicle
“NASA administrator Michael Griffin on Sunday reaffirmed his backing for a White House directive that calls for the 2010 retirement of the shuttle, after a Florida newspaper published an internal e-mail in which he expresses dismay over the nation’s looming inability to launch its own astronauts.”
Nelson, Griffin to huddle Thursday
Orlando Sentinel
“NASA Administrator Michael Griffin is set to pow-wow with one of his biggest congressional allies on Thursday, but U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., likely has little good news to share.”
ESA MISSION UPDATE
5 September 2009
At the end of a flawless six-month mission, Jules Verne, Europe’s first Automated Transfer Vehicle, undocked from the International Space Station today at 23:29 hours CEST. The ATV has now embarked on the last leg of its journey in space, which will end with a controlled destructive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere on 29 September.
Continue reading ‘ESA ATV Undocks from ISS, Near Completion of First Mission’
An increasingly beleaguered Mike Griffin laid out NASA’s options for maintaining independent American access to the $100 million International Space Station that his agency largely built. And, wouldn’t you know it, the choices range from bad to potentially catastrophic.
Continue reading ‘Griffin: We’re Screwed No Matter What We Do’
With U.S.-Russian relations continuing to deteriorate over the conflict in Georgia and other issues, American officials seem to have finally woken up to the potential nightmare that the Russian government could cut off U.S. access to the International Space Station.
The Russian Soyuz vehicle would be the only way to access the station if NASA goes ahead with its plan to end shuttle flights in 2010. The shuttle’s successor, Orion, might not be available for 5 years. Complicating matters even further, NASA needs a waiver from Congress in order to purchase additional Soyuz flights. A 2000 law bars U.S. agencies from signing contracts with countries like Russia that are providing support to Iran.
Florida Senator Bill Nelson says that any waiver is dead for now. “In an election year, it was going to be very difficult to get that waiver to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to an increasingly aggressive Russia,” Nelson told AFP. “Now, I’d say it’s almost impossible.”
Vincent Sabathier, a human space exploration expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, noted that Russia suddenly reduced the flow of oil to the Czech Republic after that country signed an agreement to host an American missile defense tracking radar facility on its soil.
Continue reading ‘America & ISS: What to Do? What to Do?’
Probably feeling a bit overshadowed, Richard Garriott surfaced two days after the WhiteKnightTwo rollout to remind everyone that, unlike Virgin Galactic’s customers, he won’t have to wait another two years for a brief 300-second taste of space travel.
In fact, the son of Skylab’s Owen Garriott will only have to wait another two months before he flies to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on October 12. Instead of spending $200,000 for five minutes of weightlessness aboard SpaceShipTwo, the millionaire software developer will spend $3 million per day for the 10-day trip into orbit.
In this update from MSNBC, Garriott explains how the $30 million joyride will eat up the “majority” of the fortune he’s accumulated developing medieval fantasy games. Since “majority” can mean anything from 50.01 to 99.99 percent, that really doesn’t tell us very much. It’s highly likely the millionaut will make a good amount of that back in terms of publicity, speaking fees and the like.
The other interesting piece of news: Garriott will carry “the immortality drive” to the space station. The article describes it as “a computer project that will include a list of humanity’s greatest achievements, digitized human DNA and personal messages from Earthlings. The program will be stored on the space station in case calamity were to one day wipe out Earth.”
Continue reading ‘And Now for a Brief Word From That Other Richard…’
