Ad Astra Volume 21 Number 2 – Summer 2009

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Ad Astra 2009 Summer (Volume 21 Number 2)

On The Cover: In its maiden flight, Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo accomplished the fastest and longest flight ever in the troposphere.

Featured Articles:

  • 16
    INTERNATIONAL SPACE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2009
    Standing on the brink: Hope springs eternal for the future of space. By Ian Murphy
  • 22
    SPACE TOURISM
    Has the depressed economy dashed our dreams of heading to the stars?
    by Doug Messier
  • 26
    POWER BEAMING FOR LUNAR EXPLORATION
    One of the major challenges is providing power for the outpost and the rovers that will house and transport the crew. One solution stands out above the rest.
    By Bruce Pittman, Dan Rasky, and Rob Kelso
  • 30
    FROM LEGOS TO LUNA: A NEW COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS
    MoonBots: A Google Lunar X Prize Challenge
    By William Pomeranz and Tiffany Montague
  • 32
    REALIZING A DREAM: LUNAR INDUSTRIALIZATION ENABLED BY PLATINUM GROUP METALS
    Future space applications promise revolutionary improvements in our quality of life.
    By Dennis Wingo
  • 34
    VISITING SPACE
    Don your space tourist hat for a trip to the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, New York.
    By Mark Williamson
  • 39
    SPACE AWARDS AT SCIENCE FAIRS
    By Carol Luckhardt Redfield
  • 40
    THE NEXT GENERATION
    Students Design Space Settlements and Innovative Technologies For Humanity’s Future
    By Lynne Zielinski
  • 42
    2009 NSS AWARD WINNERS
    By John K. Strickland
  • 10
    LETTER FROM
    HEADQUARTERS
    Milestone: Thirty five years ago the National Space Institute was created
    By Brett Silcox
  • 9
    LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
  • 13
    NSS ANNOUNCEMENTS
    NSS Online — Join us on Facebook
    NSS Chapter Awards
  • 14
    UPDATE FROM THE NASA NOMINATION HEARINGS
  • 44
    LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR
    The Perfect Storm
    By Gary Barnhard
  • 45
    SPACE SETTLEMENT
    The Inevitibility of Space Settlement
    By Mark Hopkins
  • 46
    BOOKS
    Look to the Stars, by Buzz Aldrin
    Reviewed by Marianne Dyson
    Voices from the Moon, by Andrew Chaikin with Victoria Kohl
    Reviewed by Stephen Adamczyk
  • 48
    MOVIE REVIEW: STAR TREK
    By Brandon Fibbs
  • 50
    CHAPTER LISTINGS
  • 54
    SIGNING OFF
    Endeavour performs a backflip

Ad Astra 2009 Summer (Volume 21 Number 2)

On The Cover: In its maiden flight, Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo accomplished the fastest and longest flight ever in the troposphere.

Featured Articles:

  • 16
    INTERNATIONAL SPACE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2009
    Standing on the brink: Hope springs eternal for the future of space. By Ian Murphy
  • 22
    SPACE TOURISM
    Has the depressed economy dashed our dreams of heading to the stars?
    by Doug Messier
  • 26
    POWER BEAMING FOR LUNAR EXPLORATION
    One of the major challenges is providing power for the outpost and the rovers that will house and transport the crew. One solution stands out above the rest.
    By Bruce Pittman, Dan Rasky, and Rob Kelso
  • 30
    FROM LEGOS TO LUNA: A NEW COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS
    MoonBots: A Google Lunar X Prize Challenge
    By William Pomeranz and Tiffany Montague
  • 32
    REALIZING A DREAM: LUNAR INDUSTRIALIZATION ENABLED BY PLATINUM GROUP METALS
    Future space applications promise revolutionary improvements in our quality of life.
    By Dennis Wingo
  • 34
    VISITING SPACE
    Don your space tourist hat for a trip to the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, New York.
    By Mark Williamson
  • 39
    SPACE AWARDS AT SCIENCE FAIRS
    By Carol Luckhardt Redfield
  • 40
    THE NEXT GENERATION
    Students Design Space Settlements and Innovative Technologies For Humanity’s Future
    By Lynne Zielinski
  • 42
    2009 NSS AWARD WINNERS
    By John K. Strickland
  • 10
    LETTER FROM
    HEADQUARTERS
    Milestone: Thirty five years ago the National Space Institute was created
    By Brett Silcox
  • 9
    LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
  • 13
    NSS ANNOUNCEMENTS
    NSS Online — Join us on Facebook
    NSS Chapter Awards
  • 14
    UPDATE FROM THE NASA NOMINATION HEARINGS
  • 44
    LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR
    The Perfect Storm
    By Gary Barnhard
  • 45
    SPACE SETTLEMENT
    The Inevitibility of Space Settlement
    By Mark Hopkins
  • 46
    BOOKS
    Look to the Stars, by Buzz Aldrin
    Reviewed by Marianne Dyson
    Voices from the Moon, by Andrew Chaikin with Victoria Kohl
    Reviewed by Stephen Adamczyk
  • 48
    MOVIE REVIEW: STAR TREK
    By Brandon Fibbs
  • 50
    CHAPTER LISTINGS
  • 54
    SIGNING OFF
    Endeavour performs a backflip