Friday, March 08, 2019

Houston Metro’s 20-year transit plan could be obsolete before it’s finished
The flight of SpaceX's Dragon and the coming age of commercial spaceflight

When the SpaceX crewed Dragon — sans crew except for a test dummy named Ripley — lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center and then docked with the International Space Station, many hailed the mission as the start of a new age of commercial spaceflight. The pronouncements were a little premature. As of this writing, the Dragon still must undock from the ISS and then splashdown successfully, having returned to Earth. Then the SpaceX spacecraft must undergo a launch abort test. No earlier than July, the Dragon will fly again, this time with a crew of astronauts. Only after the successful completion of these tests will people ride to and from the ISS onboard Elon Musk’s modern, high-tech space capsule.

SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down in Atlantic to Cap Historic Test Flight

1,954-mile ‘energy park’ would pay for border wall, create economic boom
Pentagon’s R&D Request Will Be the Biggest Ever, Shanahan Says
Nanosponges sop up toxins and help repair tissues
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
A Brother on the Moon
China’s lunar rover is awake again after an extended nap
NASA: To The Moon (And Definitely Beyond)
SpaceX's 1st Crew Dragon Undocks from Space Station for Return to Earth

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

AMERICA’S MISSION TO EXPLORE JUPITER’S MOON EUROPA IS SAFE — FOR NOW

Fortunately, recent reports indicate both the Europa Clipper and the Europa Lander are safe for now. The latest NASA spending bill funded the Europa Clipper, now scheduled to launch in 2023, for $280 million. It funded the Europa Lander, due to depart Earth in 2025, for $195 million. Wherever Culberson is spending his forced retirement, he at least has the satisfaction that the exploration of Europa, which may contain life in a warm-water ocean thought to reside under its icy surface, will continue.

NASA to replace Europa Clipper instrument

I was SO WRONG about Captain Marvel - An apology video

NASA is going back to the future with nuclear rockets
A New Idea about How Cancer Begins
Ten years after the ‘Berlin patient,’ doctors announce a second person has been effectively ‘cured’ of HIV
The Martian
The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories
TO THE MOON
Trump Hails SpaceX Crew Dragon Launch, Says NASA's 'Rocking Again'
Elon Musk and Jim Bridenstine are the odd couple behind NASA’s big plans

Friday, March 01, 2019

WILL TRUMP’S SPACE FORCE BE AN ISSUE IN 2020 CAMPAIGN? COUNT ON IT

Still, the politics of establishing a Space Force are iffy and not necessarily shaped by rational judgment. Democrats may not be as motivated to support a new branch of the military because it is something President Trump wants. The issue may well be fought over in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

SpaceIL back on course for the moon after computer glitch
NASA is going back to the future with nuclear rockets

Tucked into the recent spending bill that was passed by Congress is a line item for $100 million for NASA to develop nuclear thermal rocket engines, according to a recent article in Space News. The space agency has dabbled in nuclear rockets off and on since the early 1960s. However, NASA plans to conduct a flight demonstration by 2024 is new.

‘Apollo 11’ Review: Houston, We’ve Got a Classic
The Problem With AOC’s Green New Deal: It Ignores Fusion Power
The Cruel Stars: A Novel
The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories
SpaceX is about to send its crew module to the space station in a vital first test
Canada becomes first nation to formally commit to NASA’s lunar Gateway
China’s Get-Rich Space Program