30 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶STS-122 Update
Per NASA:
NASA managers will hold a flight readiness review on Friday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center marking the next major milestone for mission STS-122.
NASA officials, space shuttle program managers, engineers and contractors will discuss the readiness of space shuttle Atlantis, the flight crew and payloads to determine if everything is set to proceed for launch. Managers will also select an official launch date at the end of the session. Launch is targeted for Dec. 6 on a mission to install the Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station.
A briefing following the meeting will include Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier, Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale, International Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffredini and Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach.
The briefing will be broadcast live on NASA Television no earlier than 4 p.m. EST.
Keywords: international_space_station,launch_schedule,nasa,space,space_shuttle,sts_122
29 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶Space Race '08
Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:
Republicans
Mike Huckabee
"Whether we ought to go to Mars is not a decision that I would want to make, but I would certainly want to make sure that we expand the space program, because every one of us who are sitting here tonight have our lives dramatically improved because there was a space program — whether it’s these screens that we see or the incredible electronics that we use, including the GPS systems that got many of you to this arena tonight. ... Or whether it’s the medical technologies that saved many of our lives or the lives or our families, it’s the direct result of the space program, and we need to put more money into science and technology and exploration." --
Space Politics, 29 November 2007
Tom Tancredo
"The question is a serious one and it deserves a serious answer, and that is this: Look, we’ve been — how many times up here, how many questions have dealt with the issue of deficit spending, the debt out of control? And yet, we have somebody saying, “But would you spend more money on going to Mars?" And the suggestion that we need to spend more money on space exploration. This is it, folks. That’s why we have such incredible problems with our debt, because everybody’s trying to be everything to all people. We can’t afford some things, and by the way, going to Mars is one of them.." --
Space Politics, 29 November 2007
It joins the previous entries:
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." -- The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007
Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" -- Boston.com, 9 June 2007
Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" -- Florida Today, 7 August 2007
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
-- The New York Times, 5 October 2007
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
-- Space News, 14 November 2007
Barack Obama
"Barack Obama’s early education and K-12 plan package costs about $18 billion per year. He will maintain fiscal responsibility and prevent any increase in the deficit by offsetting cuts and revenue sources in other parts of the government. The early education plan will be paid for by delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, using purchase cards and the negotiating power of the government to reduce costs of standardized procurement, auctioning surplus federal property, and reducing the erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office, and closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole. The rest of the plan will be funded using a small portion of the savings associated with fighting the war in Iraq.." -- Official Education Plan, 20 November 2007
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
-- Space Politics, 10 October 2007
Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." -- Space Politics, 4 June 2007
John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.
We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." --
A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007
Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. --
Space Politics, 28 September 2007
28 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶STS-122 Update
After completing necessary preparatory work, the
International Space Station is Go for next week's STS-122 shuttle launch.
Shuttle program managers will meet Friday to set the official date. According to Florida Today, they are expected to proceed with plans for launch on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 4:31 p.m. EST.
Keywords: international_space_station,launch_schedule,nasa,space,space_shuttle,sts_122
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶Crossing The Terminator
Per Spaceflight Now:
Using a computer model simulation, Haruichi Washimi, a physicist at UC Riverside, has predicted when the interplanetary spacecraft Voyager 2 will cross the "termination shock," the spherical shell around the solar system that marks where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed.
According to Washimi's simulations, the spacecraft is set to cross the termination shock in late 2007-early 2008. ...
Because Voyager 2's crossing of the shock is expected to be an abrupt and relatively brief event, scientists are working to ensure that the most is made of the opportunity. With an idea of when the spacecraft will cross the shock, they are better able to maximize coverage of the crossing.
...
"After it crosses this boundary, Voyager 2 will be in the outer heliosphere beyond which lies the interstellar medium and galactic space. Our simulations also show that the spacecraft will cross the termination shock again in the middle of 2008. This will happen because of the back and forth movement of the termination-shock boundary. This means Voyager 2 will experience multiple crossings of the termination shock. These crossings will come to an end after the spacecraft escapes into galactic space."
...
Its sister spacecraft Voyager 1, which was launched Sept. 5, 1977, crossed the termination shock in December 2004 - earlier than Voyager 2 because of a shorter trajectory. Both spacecraft are currently operational, but power sources have degraded and some of the instrumentation no longer works optimally. In the future, the spacecraft will encounter their next milestone in space: the heliopause, which is the boundary where the interstellar medium brings the solar wind to a halt.
Keywords: nasa,space
26 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶Backyard Mars
If you're out and about tonight, be sure and take a look at the moon, because
Mars will be nearby, and particularly bright. Or so they say. Mars is moving toward its perigee for the year of 55 million miles on December 18.
Keywords: astronomy,mars,moon,space
21 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶Happy Thanksgiving
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
And, to start the holiday off, here's a bit of
ATW-appropriate holiday music.
And, then, for Black Friday, there's always
B.B. King's All Over Again -- "I`ve got a good mind to give up living, and go shopping instead."
Keywords: b.b._king,blog,moon,movies,youtube
20 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶Space Race '08
Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:
Democrats
Barack Obama
"Barack Obama’s early education and K-12 plan package costs about $18 billion per year. He will maintain fiscal responsibility and prevent any increase in the deficit by offsetting cuts and revenue sources in other parts of the government. The early education plan will be paid for by delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, using purchase cards and the negotiating power of the government to reduce costs of standardized procurement, auctioning surplus federal property, and reducing the erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office, and closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole. The rest of the plan will be funded using a small portion of the savings associated with fighting the war in Iraq.." --
Official Education Plan, 20 November 2007
It joins the previous entries:
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." --
The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007
Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" --
Boston.com, 9 June 2007
Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" --
Florida Today, 7 August 2007
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
--
The New York Times, 5 October 2007
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
--
Space News, 14 November 2007
Barack Obama
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
--
Space Politics, 10 October 2007
Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." --
Space Politics, 4 June 2007
John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.
We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." --
A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007
Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. --
Space Politics, 28 September 2007
15 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶Giant Comet!
The sun is no longer the largest object in our solar system.
That honor, at least, if you measure by volume, not goes, unlikelily enough, to a comet.
Following a recent unexected eruption,
Comet Holmes has a diameter of 869,900 miles (as of Nov. 9), about 5,000 miles greater than the sun (which, obviously, remains far more massive).
For the astronomy types in the audience, Holmes can be seen by the naked eye, and in some detail with a backyard telescope.
Keywords: astronomy,space,sun
14 November 2007
+ 0 - 1 | § ¶Moving Harmony
Per NASA:
The new Harmony node is now in position to receive the European and Japanese modules to be added to the International Space Station.
Station crew members moved Harmony from its temporary location on the left side of the Unity node to its new home on the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny Wednesday morning. Disengagement of the first set of bolts holding Harmony to Unity began at 3:58 a.m. EST.
Flight Engineer Dan Tani operated the station's robotic arm. Commander Peggy Whitson operated the common berthing mechanisms, first to free Harmony after Tani had grappled it with the arm, and later to drive bolts firmly securing it to the front of Destiny.
Driving of the final bolts to attach Harmony to its new home was completed at 5:45 a.m.
After its Wednesday move, Harmony is in position to welcome visiting space shuttles. It also will offer docking ports to the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, scheduled to arrive next month, and Japan's Kibo experiment module, to become a part of the International Space Station next year.
Keywords: international_space_station,nasa,space
+ 1 - 0 | § ¶Homesteading Space
I just happened to notice last week that our book, Homesteading Space, has a
page on the publisher's Web site. We're still the better part of a year out from publication, so there's not a lot of info there yet, although I was amused or bemused or something to see that it lists the length at 704 pages, which ... really? Surely not. Did we write a 700-page book? I'm expecting that number to drop. We'll see.
Keywords: books,garriott,history,outward_odyssey,skylab,writing
+ 1 - 0 | § ¶Space Race '08
Another installment in my series of posts about space-related comments by presidential candidates:
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
“Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has pledged to pursue 'a successful and speedy transition' from the soon-to-be retired U.S. space shuttle fleet to 'a next-generation space transportation system that can take us back to the Moon and beyond.'”
--
Space News, 14 November 2007
It joins the previous entries:
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." --
The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007
Newt Gingrich
"...he said he would ... offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. 'Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process.'" --
Boston.com, 9 June 2007
Mitt Romney
"Regarding NASA's plans to return to the moon and Mars, he said he hadn't decided if that was the exact plan he'd pursue, 'but I have no reason to change that at this point.'" --
Florida Today, 7 August 2007
Democrats
Hillary Clinton
"But in a telephone interview afterward, she said that in the short term she would subordinate Bush administration proposals for human exploration of the Moon and Mars to restoring cuts in aeronautics research and space-based studies of climate change and other earth science issues.
Travel to the Moon or Mars 'excites people,' she said, 'but I am more focused on nearer-term goals I think are achievable.'"
--
The New York Times, 5 October 2007
Barack Obama
“I’m inspired by the idea of going to Mars,” he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. “I’m also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won’t give you an answer right now.”
--
Space Politics, 10 October 2007
Bill Richardson
"He did say that he sees space as 'a bona fide area of economic growth and opportunity'..." --
Space Politics, 4 June 2007
John Edwards
"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress.
We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration." --
A Blog Around The Clock, 9 July 2007
Various
Dodd said that “we’re doing okay” and left it at that. Biden professed his support for robotic programs, and when asked about human spaceflight, said, “With clear leadership we can do anything, good luck.” Kucinich said he would double spending “across the board on civilian projects and privatize where we can”, and gave a shout-out for NASA Glenn Research Center, in his district. Richardson said spaceflight was “important” and added that “we should also encourage private companies”, as he has been doing in New Mexico. --
Space Politics, 28 September 2007
Keywords: politics,space
13 November 2007
+ 0 - 0 | § ¶STS-122 Update
Per NASA:
The European-built Columbus module has been loaded into the cargo bay of space shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the launch of STS-122 on Dec. 6. Columbus will be attached to the International Space Station and will serve as a laboratory and research center for station astronauts.
The Columbus segment was waiting at the launch pad Saturday when space shuttle Atlantis was rolled into place Saturday at Launch Pad 39A. Once Atlantis' payload section was covered by the Rotating Service Structure, technicians and workers opened the cargo bay doors and carefully moved the cylindrical Columbus into the shuttle. The module has already been packed with four specialized racks outfitted for experiments. Each rack is about the size of a refrigerator. The segment can hold 10 racks.
And, in preparation for the launch,
from the station:
International Space Station crewmembers move Pressurized Mating Adaptor-2 from the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny to the Harmony node early Monday, clearing the way for Harmony's relocation to its permanent home.
Harmony, with PMA-2 on its outboard end, is scheduled to be moved from its temporary position on the Unity node to the front of Destiny on Wednesday.
Keywords: international_space_station,launch_schedule,nasa,space,space_shuttle,sts_122
08 November 2007
+ 2 - 0 | § ¶Moon HD
Ever wonder what the view would be like if you were in a spacecraft orbiting the moon?
Video sent back from Japan's Kaguya spacecraft can give you a pretty good idea. The video was created with with first HDTV camera send to the moon, and is rather cool.
Keywords: moon,space
07 November 2007
+ 0 - 2 | § ¶STS-122 Update
Discovery is now safely on the ground, so I've started the ATW countdown clock for the STS-122 mission, with less than a month to go until the scheduled Dec. 6 launch.
Roll-out of Atlantis to the pad is planned for Saturday, starting at 3 a.m. CST.
Keywords: ksc,launch_schedule,nasa,space,space_shuttle,sts_122,vab
+ 0 - 2 | § ¶STS-120 Update
Discovery is scheduled to land today at 12:02 CST.
For the first time since STS-107, the shuttle will be making a cross-country fly-over to reach KSC, meaning that it may be possible for some in the ATW audience, particularly north Mississippi and central Alabama to hear the double sonic booms as it passes over.
If you're interested, here's a Space.com story about
what's happening when and
here are the ground tracks.
Keywords: birmingham,ksc,mississippi,nasa,space,sts_120
01 November 2007
+ 0 - 3 | § ¶STS-120 Update
Per NASA:
Friday’s spacewalk, already pushed back from Thursday, has been pushed back again one more day to Saturday. The shuttle and station crews will continue spacewalk preparations, transfer activities and enjoy some off-duty time today.
The spacewalk preparations include studying procedures, building tools and resizing a spacesuit glove. Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will conduct the excursion.
Parazynski will ride the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, the shuttle’s robotic arm extension, attached to the station’s robotic arm to access a damaged solar array. Wheelock will provide guidance to the arm operators while they are maneuvering Parazynski.
The International Space Station Program changed the priority of the fourth spacewalk from inspection of a rotary joint to repair of a solar array.
A fifth spacewalk planned to occur during the STS-120 mission has been pushed back until after Discovery leaves.
Keywords: eva,international_space_station,nasa,space,space_shuttle,sts_117
