How Not to Mine the Cosmos
Opinion By Dale Skran A group composed primarily of Canadian academics associated with the Outer Space Institute published a white paper on April 20, 2020, titled “Vancouver Recommendations on Space Mining.” This paper appears to be part of a campaign against the...
National Space Society Supports NASA’s New Lunar Lander Decision
"Many outside NASA do not realize that NASA’s public-private partnerships leverage commercial space services in a way that maximizes the return on precious taxpayer dollars.” — National Space Society leadership. WASHINGTON, D.C., US, May 5, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ --...
NASA Announces Three Commercial Suppliers for New Lunar Lander
The National Space Society (NSS) applauds NASA’s April 30 announcement by NASA Administrator James Bridenstine that SpaceX, Dynetics, and Blue Origin’s National Team have been chosen to provide human landing systems to carry crew to the Moon for Artemis III, the third...
Podcast Review: Apollo 7: The Forgotten Mission
Matthew Goriachkovsky, a recent graduate of University of California, Irvine, has written and produced a new podcast, Apollo 7: The Forgotten Mission. Well-researched, very listenable, and often hilarious, it features interviews with Walt Cunningham (the mission’s lunar module pilot), oral history interviews from the mission’s late commander Wally Schirra, space historian Francis French, and two of the late Donn Eisele’s children, Kristy and Andrew Eisele.
Milestones in the 84th Flight of Falcon 9
By Dale Skran On Wednesday April 22 a SpaceX Falcon 9 launched another 60 Starlink satellites into orbit (see image above), bringing the total in the network to over 400, and allowing for initial service to northern latitudes. Other key facts on this launch include:...
Book Review: John Houbolt – The Unsung Hero of the Apollo Moon Landings
It was in mid-1959 that John Houbolt recognized that the future of spaceflight would depend on the ability to have two spacecraft rendezvous and dock, and he worked to solve the theoretical problems. The author’s writing is clear and unambiguous, as though he had been present at the meetings he describes. The author has an uncanny ability to sort through the plethora of reported conversations and how they impacted the many decisions that were made in the pivotal years of 1961-62.
A Dream Goes On Forever: O’Neill and O’Leary’s Legacies
This Space Available, by Emily Carney. When I started researching and writing this series last year, it was months before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived Stateside, entering the U.S. – and the entire world – by force into an uncertain new era. As these events and this series unfolded, reviewing Dr. Gerard K. O’Neill and Dr. Brian O’Leary’s differing ideals and careers gained a new poignancy and sadness.
Power-Beaming Demonstrated on International Space Station
International Space Station astronaut Jessica Meir completed the first U.S. Naval Research Laboratory power-beaming demonstration in orbit February 12, 2020, using relatively simple components suitable for STEM activities. Meir showed how NRL’s LEctenna™, a...
Decades of Magical Thinking: Dr. Brian O’Leary’s Final Years
This Space Available, by Emily Carney. In the last article in this series, Dr. Gerard K. O’Neill’s final years were discussed. After receiving a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 1985, O’Neill kept on keeping on despite the illness he was facing, attempting to save his flagging Geostar venture, teaching at Princeton, and still promoting his ideas about long-term space settlement. Around the same period in his life, O’Neill’s former colleague and friend Dr. Brian O’Leary faced health challenges of his own – but his approach to treating them was much different.
Boeing Elects to Perform Second Orbital Flight Test
By George Mancuso Boeing announced on April 6th it would fly a second uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) of its CST-100 Starliner. The flight goal is to confirm that problems encountered during last year’s OFT-1 December 20th flight have been corrected. Boeing will...
A Roundup of Recent Progress in Space Development
By Dale Skran With most of us under some form of pandemic lockdown, and focused on the terrible events unfolding around us, it is easy to lose track of events, many of which, quite reasonably, get little attention in the current dire situation. I thought some of you...
Book Review: Welcome to the Moon
If the goal is to inspire and inform a younger generation to be involved in space, including lunar settlement in particular, Dyson’s book accomplishes this in spades. I highly recommend it for students, teachers and parents.
Anyone wanting to get a Giant Moon Map and a set of copies of this book for their favorite school can apply at aldrinfoundation.org/giant-moon-map.
For bloggers associated with the National Space Society blog, please refer to the NSS Blogging Guidelines of Sept. 27, 2018 for information on NSS blogging standards and expectations.
