Parabolic Arc

Pushback in House as Group Attempts to Delay Vote on NASA Funding

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:55:11 +0000

Commercial Space Advocates Rally To Stall NASA Authorization Bill
Space.com

A flurry of behind-the-scenes maneuvering took place late July 28 as opponents of a NASA authorization bill fought back efforts by leaders of the U.S. House Science and Technology Committee to bring the measure to a floor vote before lawmakers break for the summer district work period that begins Aug. 2.

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Video: Chris McKay Says Let’s Go Mars!

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:36:13 +0000

NASA planetary scientist Chris McKay talks about why and how we should go to Mars during the NewSpace 2010 conference.

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English Press Worries About Asteroid Due in 172 Years

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:24:25 +0000

Asteroid Ida - which is not heading toward Earth any time soon.

Apparently momentarily bored with covering the always entertaining (and occasionally Hitler loving) Royal Family, the British press has picked up on the possibility that the Earth will get hit by a rather large asteroid in 2182.

Giant asteroid ‘heading for Earth in 2182 and Asteroid Could Raze London are just two of the headlines blaring in English newspapers this week. Apparently, the amusingly named asteroid 1999 RQ36 has about a 1-in-1000 chance of hitting Earth, odds that The Sun mentions in the 12th paragraph of its story.

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Biggest Challenge to Low-Cost Suborbital Tourism: Actually Flying

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:54:18 +0000

Space.com reports on a panel discussion at NewSpace 2010 in which participants predicted that the price of suborbital space flights would drop significantly within four years as the volume of flights grew:

By 2014, a ticket for suborbital flight is likely to cost between $50,000 and $100,000 as the industry develops to offer hundreds or even thousands of flights annually, according to a panel of experts speaking Friday at the Space Frontier Foundation’s annual conference in Sunnyvale, Calif.

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Musk: Call Your Congressman on House Vote

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:02:17 +0000

SpacX Founder Elon Musk

Below is a plea from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to call your Congressman to vote against the NASA budget, which comes up for a vote in the House on Friday.

Although I agree with him, an email appeal seems a bit odd given that Musk said nothing about this on The Colbert Report last night. This was an opportunity to appeal directly to the “average citizen” in whose name this plea is nominally being made. (It’s also being made in the names of Musk and SpaceX, who stand to gain substantially under the Obama Administration’s commercial space initiatives.)

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For the Corporate Exec Who Already Has Way Too Much of Everything: A Trip into Space

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:09:14 +0000

XTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES PRESS RELEASE

Xtraordinary Adventures, in conjunction with RocketShip Tours, is taking reservations on The Lynx, XCOR Aerospace’s newest fully reusable rocket powered suborbital vehicle, to reward Corporate Executives worthy of the prize.

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Video: Elon Musk Perfecting American Accent

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:53:04 +0000

The Colbert Report

Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Elon Musk

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

Fox News

The South African space entrepreneur doesn’t make any news on The Colbert Report, but his American accent seems to be improving. It almost sounds real.

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NASA Solar Satellites Headed for the Moon

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:41:39 +0000

Recycled Solar Probes Heading For Lunar Orbit
Aviation Week

Two satellites of NASA’s five-member Themis constellation, launched in February 2007 to study geomagnetic storms, are approaching lunar orbit for a new mission called Artemis.

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DOD Looks to Downsize Solid Rocket Motor Industry

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:53:04 +0000

Pentagon Report: Solid-Motor Industry Must Downsize
Space News

The U.S. Defense Department is weighing ideas for sustaining what it says is an overcapitalized solid-rocket motor (SRM) industrial base that includes instituting a joint Air Force-Navy research and development program, accelerating technology work for next-generation missiles and purchasing space launch vehicles at more predictable annual rates, according to an interim report recently sent to Congress.

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Spaceport America to Get Paved Road

Doug Messier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:46:08 +0000

The road to Spaceport America on its groundbreaking day - June 19, 2009 (Photo Credit: Lucinda Land)

Spaceport America will soon have what every facility that sends millionauts on space joyrides really needs: a paved road.

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