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In The News

Dec. 27, 2006	NASA's Top Exploration and Discovery Stories of the Year NASA moved forward in 2006 to extend humanity's exploration of the solar system and learn more about the universe and our home planet.
Dec. 19, 2006	Launcher Systems Pass COTS Review US launcher developer Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has completed the system requirements review (SRR) for its Falcon 9 booster and Dragon capsule cargo variant for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) programme. Flight International
Dec. 18, 2006	Mining The Moon For A Nuclear Future The race to return to the moon is on. Earlier this month NASA unveiled its mission statement to revisit earth's satellite and create a permanent base there. While it may become the jumping off point for further exploration of our solar system and beyond, there are more earthly prizes in sight, with some scientists believing that it has the potential to solve the world's dependence on fossil fuels. CNN.com
Dec. 18, 2006	NASA and Google to Bring Space Exploration Down to Earth NASA Ames Research Center and Google have signed a Space Act Agreement that formally establishes a relationship to work together on a variety of challenging technical problems ranging from large-scale data management and massively distributed computing, to human-computer interfaces.
Dec. 18, 2006	International Deals to Mold Lunar Base Use Even though a planned NASA lunar base is more than a decade away, international agreements and other legal groundwork laid today will shape how nations use the moon before the first shovel of lunar dirt is turned, space experts say. The Huntsville Times
Dec. 18, 2006	Google to Join NASA's Space Program Google will boldly go where no search engine has gone before, joining NASA's space program to make wealth of space data and imagery more easily available to the world under a deal to be announced Monday. ITWire
Dec. 16, 2006	Is This Why We're Really Going to The Moon? Is it the helium-3 we're really after? Helium-3 consists of two protons and one neutron (instead of two). It's ideal for the production of fusion power because it's non-radioactive, and the single high-energy proton produced during the fusion process can be contained using electric and magnetic fields. Houston Chronicle-Blog
Dec. 15, 2006	To the Moon on a Student Travel Pass Why are we all so fond of December? Because it's the Christmas season and we get presents. They are different for different people, of course, a lollipop for one and an ocean liner for another. Russian News and Information Agency-Opinion
Dec. 14, 2006	NASA's Moon Plan Worries Mars Scientists The chief scientist behind the twin Mars rovers said Wednesday he supports a human presence on the moon but hopes the journey won't dead-end there. CBS News
Dec. 13, 2006	3 Firms Join Forces to Vie for Ares Work Three aerospace companies opened a program office Tuesday to compete for work on NASA's Ares I crew rocket. Huntsville Times
Dec. 12, 2006	Hoping to Fuel An Interest in Space Exploration, Professionals Help High Schoolers Build a Rocket While others their age are learning to send their ideas into cyberspace, some Clear Lake and Clear Brook high school students are working to send their ideas into actual space. Houston Chronicle
Dec. 12, 2006	Let's Not Forget: NASA is Tied to Space Shuttle until 2010 USA TODAY's view about NASA missed the simplicity and elegance of NASA's vision and the fiscal constraints it faces ("NASA, the costly frontier," Our view, Return to the moon debate, Wednesday). USA Today-Opinion
Dec. 12, 2006	All Systems Go for profit, Houston Major aerospace companies have begun discussing commercial opportunities from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the Moon as their home nations' space agencies get to grips with NASA's plans to establish a permanently manned lunar outpost in 20 years' time. Flight International
Dec. 12, 2006	Lockheed and NASA agree Orion Changes Details have emerged of Orion crew exploration vehicle design reconciliation decisions between NASA and prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Flight International
Dec. 11, 2006	It's Countdown for Spaceport America and It Faces Its Toughest Challenges as 2007 Looms New Mexico's plan for a $225 million spaceport faces a series of tests in the next few months, the toughest of which could be next April's tax raising votes in seven counties, but if successful the prize is potentially a new industry with an annual turnover of $759 million by 2020. Flight International
Dec. 11, 2006	Life on the Moon Stephen Hawking keeps saying it: we've got to get off this planet and colonize space if the human race is to survive long-term. NPR-Boston
Dec. 11, 2006	Back to the Moon! But Why? There's water on Mars, so we're going to live on the Moon. Does that strike anybody as weird? New York Times-Essay
Dec. 11, 2006	NASA won't put price tag on moon base It will be cheaper to build a permanent moon base and keep it running, than it will be to get to the moon. Just do not ask how much, NASA's boss says. CNN
Dec. 10, 2006	Private Spaceflight Industry Building Toward Takeoff A private spaceflight industry, dubbed "new space" by some of its proponents, is steadily emerging from the dusty desert hangars and closely guarded office-park high bays that incubated it, ready to leap off launch pads across the globe into a role self-consciously reminiscent of civil aviation 80 years ago. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Dec. 10, 2006	'New Space' Spawns Supplier Tier, Too The new industry getting underway to deliver paying customers to space won't be limited to the companies that actually build and fly complete spacecraft. Also in the wings are the companies that supply parts and pieces for the businesses that may one day become "majors" in the personal spaceflight industry. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Dec. 10, 2006	Observations from the Second Space Exploration Conference: Listening to the Next Generation I was able to attend the conference as a student exhibitor in the Future Exploration Leaders Gallery. The exhibit area was among the best I have seen. Exceptional exhibits by many of the major aerospace companies and some newcomers who I had never seen before. Spaceref.com
Dec. 10, 2006	A Condo on the Moon... It's getting hard to find many Americans who remember where they were the last time men set foot on the moon. Not only had most of us quit paying attention to lunar landings by then, but 48% of us hadn't even been born by December 1972, when the last moon walkers left the lunar surface and headed for home. Time
Dec. 10, 2006	Fly Us to the Moon Three years ago, when the Bush administration announced plans to send a manned mission to Mars, a base on the moon was a part of those plans. Last week, the planning process went a step farther when NASA announced plans for a permanent lunar base, started soon after astronauts return there around 2020. That small step may not be a giant leap, but it is progress toward an important goal: manned exploration of the solar system and beyond. Milwaukee Sentinel Journal-Editorial
Dec. 8, 2006	Space Tourism to be Fashion's Final Frontier You've booked your seat on the spaceship and passed the medical -- but what to wear for that flight into the final frontier? Reuters
Dec. 7, 2006	Launching Orion On Thanksgiving Day, a Russian cosmonaut named Mikhail Tyurin drove a gold-plated golf ball off the side of the International Space Station, a promotional gimmick that earned the Russian Space Agency undisclosed millions. It was one small swing for man, and one giant leap for mammon-kind. Belleville News Democrat-Editorial
Dec. 6, 2006	NASA, the costly frontier Ask most Americans what vision for human space exploration excites them and the conversation is likely to touch on popular science and science fiction as much as anything NASA is up to. USA Today-Editorial
Dec. 6, 2006	Return to the Moon / Abundant justification for NASA's Plan to Prepare for Long-Range Space Travel CLIMBERS might have conquered Mount Everest "because it was there," but NASA needs more reason than that to justify its multibillion-dollar annual investment in space exploration. Fortunately, there is abundant cause to pursue an ambitious program for sending humans beyond Earth orbit. Houston Chronicle-Editorial
Dec. 6, 2006	Moon base plan by NASA holds out promise of a new frontier NASA's plan to permanently colonize the moon holds out the promise of a dramatic advance in space exploration, but the ambitious project requires massive financing and a high level of global cooperation. AFP
Dec. 5, 2006	NASA Small Business Forum With the recent "Vision for Space Exploration" announced by President Bush, a conference begins tomorrow here in Houston, bringing together the people, technologies and ideas to make that vision a reality. Boeing's Russ Carroll says there will also be discussion about NASA's small business initiatives. KUHF-Houston NPR
Dec. 5, 2006	NASA Plans Permanent Moon Base NASA announced plans on Monday for a permanent base on the Moon, to be started soon after astronauts return there around 2020. New York Times
Dec. 4, 2006	New space exploration Web site takes flight The Coalition for Space Exploration has launched a new space advocacy Web site to help connect space exploration supporters. Houston Business Journal
Dec. 4, 2006	NASA Trimming Moon Project Costs Some government auditors worry that NASA could come up billions of dollars short of the money needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon. Florida Today
Dec. 4, 2006	NASA Outlines Lunar Strategy NASA has settled on a half dozen reasons to justify a U.S.-led global initiative to return human explorers to the moon, ranging from exploration and scientific discovery to improved international relations, according to the space agency official who led a yearlong evaluation. Houston Chronicle
Dec. 3, 2006	Next Private Frontier: Space Last month, India successfully tested an antiballistic-missile system and quietly announced a space program intended to reach the moon in 2020. Philadelphia Inquirer-Opinion
Dec. 1, 2006	Building a New Rocket: It IS Rocket Science Go to any hobby shop, and model rocket kits line the shelves. Complete with instructions, building materials, even paint, these one-stop-shopping kits are a young rocket enthusiast's dream. Space Daily
Nov. 29, 2006	Astronomers discuss opportunities from planned return to moon The moon has very little atmosphere, and lots of dust. Those are some of the things being considered this week at the home of the Hubble Space Telescope, where astronomers are discussing the opportunities offered by NASA's plan to return to the moon, including the possibility of a telescope on the lunar surface. USA Today
Nov. 28, 2006	NASA Puts Paid to Ares I Launch Vehicle Power Rumours NASA has unequivocally stated that its Ares I launch vehicle will have sufficient thrust to put the Orion crew exploration vehicle into orbit, countering rumours that the launch vehicle - derived from the Space Shuttle's solid rocket booster (SRB) - would not have the required power. Flight International
Nov. 27, 2006	NASA Auditions Robots for Lunar Exploration Missions Arizona's famous Meteor Crater is a long way from the Moon. But for a menagerie of intelligent robots hoping to earn supporting roles in NASA's lunar exploration plans, the massive impact crater east of Flagstaff is center stage. Space.com
Nov. 17, 2006	NASA Says Ares I Can Do the Job NASA has completed a milestone first review of all systems for the Orion spacecraft and the Ares I and Ares V rockets. The review brings the agency a step closer to launching the nation's next human space vehicle... and answers questions about a possible shortage of available thrust with the Ares I launch vehicle. Aero-News Net
Nov. 17, 2006	NASA Review Orion for manned Spaceflight NASA this week completed its first review of all systems for the Orion spacecraft and the Ares I and Ares V rockets. The review brings the agency a step closer to launching its next human space vehicle. The Engineer
Nov. 16, 2006	NASA Completes Milestone Review of Next Human Spacecraft System NASA has completed a milestone first review of all systems for the Orion spacecraft and the Ares I and Ares V rockets. The review brings the agency a step closer to launching the nation's next human space vehicle.
Nov. 15, 2006	Space Exploration Conference Brings Together Government, Industry Leaders Top leaders from industry, academia, NASA and other government agencies will gather at the 2nd Space Exploration Conference, Dec. 4-6 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
Nov. 15, 2006	NASA Mulls Moon Strategy NASA is set to roll out next month a U.S. national strategy for lunar exploration, one that outlines both robotic exploration needs and the rationale for sending humans back to the Moon. CNN
Nov. 15, 2006	Marshall Engineers Look to Saturn V to Design New Moon Rocket Tucked away in a Marshall Space Flight Center lab is an 18-foot wide plywood circle engineers are using to figure the best designs for moon rockets and a complicated computer guidance stage. Huntsville Times
Nov. 14, 2006	Private Texas Spaceport Launches Test Rocket A remote West Texas spaceport being built and bankrolled by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos launched a test rocket Monday for the first time. CNN
Nov. 9, 2006	NASA Lunar Mission Gets off the Ground With its heavy cranes, arc welders and steel rolling machines, the nondescript metalworking shop in a hangar hard by the runways at Cleveland's Hopkins Airport looks like countless other industrial factories in this rustiest of Rust Belt cities. Seattle Times
Nov. 9, 2006	Making the Vision for Space Exploration a Long-Term Reality Paul Eckert, Boeing Space Exploration international strategist, discusses the upcoming AIAA 2nd Space Exploration Conference in Houston next month. Eckert is joined by NASA and AIAA representatives on the radio program. The Space Show
Nov. 8, 2006	How the Moon Sheds Its Skin Blasts of gas from deep beneath the lunar surface are giving the Moon a surprisingly fresh-faced look, suggests a new study. If they are, our picture of the Moon's geological past will have to change just as dramatically. New Scientist.com
Nov. 8, 2006	What will life be like 100 years from now? Speculation can be dangerous, especially when science is at the mercy of power-drunk politicians. The Independent
Nov. 8, 2006	Boeing to Open Office at UNO Boeing Company is joining the competition in New Orleans' race to space. Partnering with the University of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans, Inc. and the Louisiana Economic Development Group, the aerospace giant announced Wednesday the opening of a new office in the city to aid NASA in American space exploration. Times-Picayune
Nov. 8, 2006	Moon's Escaping Gasses Expose Fresh Surface A fresh look at Apollo-era images combined with recent spectral data leads researchers to re-examine conventional wisdom about the Earth's moon. Several lines of evidence suggest that the moon may have seen eruptions of interior gasses as recently as 1 million years ago, rather than 3 billion years ago -- the date that had been most widely accepted.
Nov. 8, 2006	Rocketplane Kistler And Atk Announce Agreement For K-1 Launch Vehicle And Cots Program Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City, November 8, 2006 - Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) announced today that ATK will become the lead contractor for RpK's K-1 launch vehicle, which was recently awarded a Space Act Agreement by NASA for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
Nov. 7, 2006	Ice on the Moon We've known for many years that the Moon has no atmosphere and hence, no stable surface water. Modern inquiries into polar ice started with a paper written in 1960. The Space Review
Nov. 4, 2006	Space Center Builds Momentum Board cites profit, camp growth, urgeslong-range vision. This has been another good year for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, according to CEO Larry Capps and Irma Tuder, elected chairman of the Space Center board on Friday during the group's annual meeting. Huntsville Times
Nov. 3, 2006	Irvin Aerospace Selected to Design Parachutes for NASA's Orion Spacecraft rvin Aerospace, the world's first parachute engineering, design and manufacturing company founded in 1919, was selected by Jacobs Sverdrup for NASA to develop parachutes for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Following the space shuttles retirement in 2010, NASA plans to replace the aging shuttle fleet with a number of reusable Orion spacecraft. Orion is expected to carry crew members to the International Space Station, the Moon and beyond.
Nov. 3, 2006	VSE - the other alternatives From Lockheed Martin to the Congressional Budget Office, it seems like everyone has a proposal for how to change the VSE (Vision for Space Exploration). Spaceflight.com
Nov. 3, 2006	NASA Will Build Rollercoaster for Ares I Escape NASA Constellation have approved the Rollercoaster Escape System to be used as the Emergency Egress Systems (EES) for astronauts and pad crew to race away from the Ares I pad, should an emergency be called. Spaceflight.com
Nov. 3, 2006	Professor to Serve on NASA Committee One of Purdue's professors may help NASA put the first man on Mars.
Nov. 2, 2006	The Role Small Businesses Play in Supporting the Vision for Space Exploration Jim Chilton, Boeing vice president and program manager, Exploration Launch Systems, discusses an upcoming small business form and new office opening in New Orleans. Chilton is joined by NASA and All Points Logistics Inc. The Space Show
Nov. 2, 2006	Boeing to hold small business conference, open office at University of New Orleans Nov. 8 The Boeing Company, in association with the University of New Orleans, Greater New Orleans Inc., and the Louisiana Economic Development group, will hold two events on Wednesday, November 8, to highlight Boeing's plans to work with the small business and education communities of Louisiana in helping NASA take astronauts back to the moon. Spaceref.com
Nov. 2, 2006	Low-cost Tech Called Key to Space Program In an era of tight budgets and lofty goals for space exploration, low-cost innovation is critical, and Jefferson County-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems may have to adapt, says a public- policy specialist who has studied NASA's organizational structure. Denver Post
Oct. 31, 2006	NASA Approves Mission and Names Crew for Return to Hubble Shuttle astronauts will make one final house call to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope as part of a mission to extend and improve the observatory's capabilities through 2013.
Oct. 30, 2006	FAA put on guard for space tourism Space tourism -- as well as the spacecraft and spaceports that are needed to support it -- could soon pose a new regulatory burden for the Federal Aviation Administration, which currently oversees the safety of 20,000 airports and 50,000 commercial flights a day. Atlanta Journal Constitution
Oct. 29, 2006	Over the Moon About Mission With its heavy cranes, arc welders and steel rolling machines, the nondescript metalworking shop located inside a hangar hard by the runways at Cleveland's Hopkins Airport looks like countless other industrial factories in this rustiest of Rust Belt cities. Chicago Tribune
Oct. 24, 2006	NASA May Pay Energia to Do Work on Orion Crew Vehicle NASA is considering buying engineering services from Moscow-based Energia in a move that could see the Russian space company contribute to development of the US space agency's Orion crew exploration vehicle. Flight International
Oct. 24, 2006	Shockwaves Force a Redesign of Orion Flare The discovery of drag-inducing shockwaves during windtunnel testing of NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle has led to a redesign of the flared section between the launch abort system (LAS) tower and the Orion crew exploration vehicle. Flight International
Oct. 23, 2006	No Skating on the Moon, Apparently O.K., so the Moon isn't made of green cheese. But what about ice? New York Times
Oct. 20, 2006	NASA Exploration Program Proceeding With Engineering Review NASA's Constellation program, which includes the Ares rockets and Orion spacecraft design to return astronauts to the moon, is in the midst of a system requirements review (SRR) that should be complete by the end of November, according to agency officials. Aerospace Daily
Oct. 20, 2006	Kids gather for X Prize Cup Science-minded students from throughout the region are getting an up-close look at a far-out subject today at the Las Cruces International Airport. Las Cruces Sun-News
Oct. 19, 2006	New Russian Spaceship Will Be Able To Fly To Moon - Space Corp Russia's Rocket and Space Corporation Energia said Wednesday it will create a new spaceship capable of flying to the Moon.
Oct. 19, 2006	Space Elevator Visions Going Up On a windy expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert, the gangly 22-pound contraption began to climb up a thin carbon-fiber belt hung from a crane. Los Angeles Times
Oct. 18, 2006	Doubt Cast on Lunar Ice Deposits Hopes that the Moon's south pole has significant water ice deposits that could be used to set up a lunar base appear to be unfounded, a study says. BBC News
Oct. 18, 2006	CBO Launch Alternatives for NASA Range From $26B To $38B A new study from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examines a variety of alternative launch programs to support NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon by 2018 that range from $26 billion to $38 billion through 2017. Aerospace Daily
Oct. 17, 2006	Space Tourism Prophets Predict Profits Two years ago, SpaceShipOne's rocket flights proved that the private sector could put humans into space -- and that private investors were willing to put millions of dollars into such feats. MSNBC.com
Oct. 12, 2006	New U.S. Space Policy Stresses Security President Bush's new U.S. space policy is heavy on national and homeland security, doesn't even mention the moon, and offers a glimmer of hope for U.S. companies and their offshore trading partners hobbled by State Department enforcement of export control regulations. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Oct. 11, 2006	NASA Selects New Education Assistant Administrator NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale announced Wednesday the selection of Joyce L. Winterton as the agency's new assistant administrator for education, effective Oct. 16. She succeeds John M. Hairston, Jr., who has served in an acting capacity since June.
Oct. 11, 2006	NASA Media Day Highlights Space Exploration Progress Media are invited to an Exploration Media Day at NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, on Wednesday, Oct. 18. Reporters will have the opportunity to tour facilities, see hardware being built, observe test demonstrations and pose questions to NASA exploration managers.
Oct. 10, 2006	NASA Announces New Student Aeronautics Competition NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Washington, announced a new aeronautics competition for high school and college students. The competition is sponsored by the directorate's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, and it is part of NASA's mission is to inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists, and explorers.
Oct. 09, 2006	COTS Companies Spend Big on Private Rockets The two entrepreneurial companies that NASA chose to share almost a half billion dollars in government seed money already have made a comparable investment in private funds to start a commercial space transportation industry. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Oct. 09, 2006	Constellation Program Already Looking To Mars Seemingly minor exploration procedures and processes NASA's Constellation Program is selecting today will gain significance in the decades ahead, rippling across the Solar System to Mars and beyond. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Oct. 09, 2006	NASA gears up for Ares I-1 Flight Test NASA is beginning detailed planning for the first round of flight tests for the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), with documentation - acquired by this site - showing the full outlines of the test flight objectives. NASASpaceflight.com
Oct. 09, 2006	NASA Develops Two Versions of J-2X Engine for Ares Boosters I and V Sea-level testing of a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) J-2X engine's turbomachinery begins at NASA Stennis Space Center's A-1 test stand this month as the US space agency continues detailed design work for two versions of the engine, one for International Space Station (ISS) flights and one for lunar missions. Flight International
Oct. 09, 2006	ATK takes another step toward moon with parachute test ATK Space Launch Systems, whose Box Elder County plant builds the space shuttle booster rockets, has taken another step toward the moon. Deseret News
Oct. 09, 2006	Von Braun got rocket for center, Buckbee recalls Dr. Wernher von Braun faced a giant task in the late 1960s with the Saturn V, but it wasn't with the rocket that was going to loft Americans to the moon. The challenge was how to bring one to Huntsville. Huntsville Times
Oct. 6, 2006	NASA Administrator Michael Griffin Says Sgency Had 'Lost Its Way' Until Recent Changes in Defence of Space Policy NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has defended the agency's stance on aeronautics and space exploration, but has acknowledged that, until recently, that NASA had "lost its way." Flight International
Oct. 6, 2006	NASA Orion Crew Vehicle Will Use Voice Controls in Boeing 787-Style Honeywell Smart Cockpit NASA's Orion crew vehicle's smart cockpit will monitor the vehicle's health, use synthetic, enhanced and virtual vision systems, have advanced on-screen symbology and may eventually employ a talking computer. Flight International
Oct. 5, 2006	Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle First Stage Contract Modification NASA is extending a previous contract action with ATK Thiokol of Brigham City, Utah, to continue design and development of the first stage for the Ares I crew launch vehicle. The extension has a maximum value of $35 million
Oct. 5, 2006	Student Telescope Program at Goldstone Turns 10 The Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope Program in California's Mojave Desert celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Since its inception in October 1996, the program has partnered with NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in creating an educational program for K-12 students
Oct. 5, 2006	NASA Seeks Undergrads to Experiment in Lunar And Zero Gravity NASA is calling on college undergraduates interested in performing reduced gravity experiments onboard the agency's "Weightless Wonder" aircraft to submit their proposals by Monday, Oct. 30.
Oct. 4, 2006	Joint Lockheed, Boeing Rockets to be Built in Decatur Alabama's Tennessee Valley would be a big winner under a federally approved venture between Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., which plan to assemble spacecraft at the Boeing factory in Decatur. The Ledger
Oct. 4, 2006	NASA Seeks Private Investor Backing For Mission to Mars NASA has set up its own venture capital fund to invest in businesses with technology that could help it on its mission to Mars. The Independent
Oct. 3, 2006	NASA Awards Applied Physics Lab R&D, Engineering Contract NASA announced Tuesday it has entered into a five-year contract with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL), Laurel, Md., which will allow for procurement up to $750 million in services for aerospace research, development and engineering in support of the agency's miss
Oct. 3, 2006	NASA HQ Special Notice: 2nd Space Exploration Conference This announcement serves as a notification for the upcoming 2nd Space Exploration Conference. During this conference, discussions will be held on how to make the Vision for Space Exploration a long-term reality. Spaceref.com
Oct. 3, 2006	Public Gets Peek at Future Craft Future passengers aboard Virgin Galactic spaceliners can look forward to cushioned reclining seats and lots of windows during suborbital flights aboard SpaceShipTwo. Florida Today
Oct. 2, 2006	ATK Completes Milestone Test in Development Program for the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle NASA's next-generation crew launch vehicle may be years away from flying its first astronauts to space, but Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) is already completing tests and building hardware to ensure that Ares I will fly on schedule.
Oct. 1, 2006	NASA Extends Prize Funding for Space Elevator Challenges to 5 Years The Spaceward Foundation in collaboration with NASA today announced a significant expansion of the Power Beaming and Tether Challenges. These two events are collectively.
Oct. 1, 2006	Small-scale Contractors Look to help with Rockets NASA will need the help of hundreds of companies to design, make and test the millions of parts that will be used to build the rockets to return to the moon and eventually to Mars. Birmingham News
Oct. 1, 2006	Rocket found in desert after crashing A rocket that was the first launched from a commercial spaceport in New Mexico - and the first to crash - has been found in the desert, company officials said Saturday. The Santa Fe New Mexican
Oct. 1, 2006	U.S., Chinese Space Officials Find Common Ground The U.S. and China will discuss sharing data from respective lunar orbiter flights in 2007-08 and explore carrying each other's instruments on later unmanned Moon missions, following the first U.S./Chinese space-cooperation talks. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Oct. 1, 2006	Weightless Over Cleveland - Part 1: Floating Teachers A few weeks ago I had an experience - one that I will remember for a lifetime. Along with several dozen teachers, I flew aboard a jet aircraft as it went through a flight profile designed to produce authentic weightlessness - the kind space travelers experience - albeit in small, bite-sized chunks. Spaceref.com
Sept. 29, 2006	A Fusion of Art, Media As an artist and sculptor, Tim McElyea got to display his work in galleries nationwide. Today, his work is reaching the heavens. As Media Fusion Inc. approaches its 12th year in business, its latest challenge is to communicate NASA's vision for its Ares lunar program. Huntsville Times
Sept. 29, 2006	Colonies in Space Romantic Notion An idea whose time hasn't come: Colonies in space. The notion never goes away, though. At the Space 2006 conference of the American Aeronautics and Astronautics Association in San Jose, Calif., the participants debated whether to colonize the moon or Mars or just plain space with large orbiting residential satellites, according to an article in Wired.com. Washington Times
Sept. 29, 2006	NASA Parries Criticism of Lockheed's Shuttle Pact NASA officials Thursday defended the $3.9 billion contract given to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. against criticism from federal watchdogs that the award was too large and open- ended. Denver Post
Sept. 29, 2006	NASA Ends One Chapter in Human Spaceflight, Prepares for the Next NASA is marking a historic moment in the life of the nation's largest rocket engine test complex. The Stennis Space Center conducted the final space shuttle main engine test on its A-1 Test Stand Friday. Although this ends the stand's work on the Space Shuttle Program, it will soon be used for the rocket that will carry America's next generation human spacecraft, Orion.
Sept. 29, 2006	NASA's rollercoaster escape for Ares I Looking like it would appear more at home at the nearby Disney attractions in Orlando, NASA is favouring a Rollercoaster Escape System for the Ares I pad. NASASpaceflight.com
Sept. 29, 2006	Small businesses look for share of NASA's rocket work About 500 small business representatives at a NASA conference in Huntsville looked for ways to profit from the Ares I and Ares V rocket projects. WTVM-TV
Sept. 28, 2006	New company aims to send tourists to space Rocket entrepreneur Jim Benson is launching a new space tourism business -- at a time when some mainstream investors increasingly are willing to bet on such exotic endeavors. Moneyweb
Sept. 27, 2006	Griffin, Chinese leaders talk space exploration NASA and Chinese space leaders are talking about collaborating on earth science and climate research, but the two countries are far from partnering on human missions. Florida Today
Sept. 27, 2006	Boeing's Thermal Protection System For Orion Spacecraft NASA has awarded the thermal protection system design and development contract to the Boeing Company; Fiber Materials Inc. (FMI) will be the principal subcontractor. The new TPS design will be used with the Orion crew exploration vehicle - the spacecraft that will take astronauts back to the moon. Space.com
Sept. 27, 2006	NASA opens door to new era NASA quite literally opened the door Tuesday on a new era in space exploration at Kennedy Space Center. For the first time since the end of the Apollo program in the mid-1970s, NASA raised an 80-foot-tall door on the west side of the KSC Operations & Checkout Building. Florida Today
Sept. 27, 2006	Committee to Review NASA's Plan to Develop Orion, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, and GAO Concerns Tomorrow at 2pm the House Committee on Science will hold a hearing to review the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) efforts to develop the Crew Exploration Vehicle, now dubbed "Orion."
Sept. 27, 2006	Project Orion: NASA's Next Spaceship Takes Shape The pieces are coming together for NASA's next spaceship Orion as space agency engineers begin working with lead contractor Lockheed Martin to shape the vehicle's cockpit. Space.com
Sept. 26, 2006	Pressing ahead with Ares I - Davis Danny Davis, manager of the Upper Stage of the new Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), has rounded up his interview with NASASpaceflight.com by addressing some of the outstanding questions relating to the vehicle that is hoped will return man to the moon at the end of the next decade. NASASpaceFlight.com
Sept. 25, 2006	U.S., China Open Space Cooperation Talks NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will open potentially historic talks in Beijing this week on U.S.-Chinese space cooperation. But Griffin must "thread the political needle" between a tough Bush administration policy on China and Chinese military secrecy and communist bureaucracy already disarming U.S. interest in manned flight collaboration. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Sept. 25, 2006	NASA Planning for Navigation on Moon, Mars Spaceflight operations planners at NASA are studying new ways to navigate beyond low Earth orbit, where the Global Positioning System that serves well on the space shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) won't work. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Sept. 25, 2006	Orion Uses Heritage Hardware for Savings NASA's success in narrowing the expected four-year gap in U.S. human space access will hinge on how well Lockheed Martin meets the cost goals it set to win the $8-billion Orion crew exploration vehicle (CEV) prime contract. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Sept. 24, 2006	NASA's Past May Help Its Future NASA is raiding the National Archives to learn how to get back to the moon. The effort offers an intriguing paradox: While the space agency recently awarded a $3.9-billion contract to Lockheed Martin to build a 21st-Century lunar vehicle, it also has been digging through old boxes in a Texas storage facility for the 1960s-era blueprints for the Apollo spacecraft. Detroit Free Press
Sept. 23, 2006	Atlas V Rockets May One Day Ferry Tourists into Space Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin is testing the waters of space tourism. It is teaming up with Bigelow Aerospace to study how a human-qualified version of its Atlas V rocket could be developed to deliver paying passengers to a Bigelow space hotel in low-Earth orbit. New Scientist
Sept. 22, 2006	NG/Boeing Team Left NASA Confused One factor in NASA's decision to pick Lockheed Martin as prime contractor for the $8 billion Orion crew exploration vehicle was confusion over just how the losing Northrop Grumman/Boeing team works. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Sept. 22, 2006	X Prize Cup to Host NASA's Lunar Lander Challenge The future will take to the skies over New Mexico next month as teams compete in the Lunar Lander Challenge sponsored by NASA under their Centennial Challenges program. Space.com
Sept. 22, 2006	Orion moon capsule mock-up has test spin For the last 10 minutes, I've been trying to nuzzle the Orion space capsule up to the international space station to dock, but I keep drifting left, smack into a European lab. San Jose Mercury News
Sept. 22, 2006	NASA It's Not, But Desert Spaceport Nears First Launch Visitors to Spaceport America must first navigate the frontier before reaching the final frontier. Christian Science Monitor
Sept. 21, 2006	Private Space Habitat Could Launch by 2010 If the planned Jan. 30 launch of Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis 2 space module on a Russian Dnepr rocket is successful, Las Vegas entrepreneur Robert Bigelow plans to send a human-rated habitat into orbit in either the second half of 2009 or the first half of 2010. Space.com
Sept. 21, 2006	Boeing layoff will not affect Decatur jobs A layoff of Boeing Co. satellite-launch employees will not affect the Decatur plant, according to a local spokesman. Decatur Daily
Sept. 21, 2006	Boeing awarded £14m Boeing has received a NASA contract to design and develop a thermal protection system (TPS) for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, America's next generation spacecraft that will carry astronauts into space. The Engineer
Sept. 20, 2006	Teachers in Space Two more companies say they are setting aside seats in their yet-to-be-built suborbital craft to give teachers a free ride to the edge of space: The Space Frontier Foundation reports that Masten Space Systems has signed up for its "Teachers in Space" program, and the chairman of the Canadian-American venture PlanetSpace told me he wants to participate as well. It's just the latest small step toward a giant leap in out-of-this-world educational opportunities. MSNBC
Sept. 19, 2006	NASA specifies Orion heatshield NASA Ames Research Center is purchasing SLA-561V, a thermal protection system (TPS) material, from the Orion crew vehicle prime contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems for use in developing the Orion capsule's re-entry heatshield. Flight International
Sept. 19, 2006	ESA to Sponsor Space Tourism Work The European Space Agency is ready to partner with private firms to help grow the passenger space travel industry. Space.com
Sept. 18, 2006	The New Space Race The future of the space industry is a 27-square-mile piece of desert in New Mexico near the White Sands Missile Range, about an hour's drive from the nearest city, Las Cruces. The skies are clear 320 days of the year--ideal for flight--and the only mark of civilization is a largely barren rocket launchpad. MSNBC
Sept. 18, 2006	Chinese space program: perspective from Moscow The United States, Russia, the European Union, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Japan are the world's leading space powers today. The Chinese space program is far more advanced than that of Japan, Beijing's traditional rival.
Sept. 17, 2006	Space tourism: The final frontier? Space tourism has come pretty far in a historically short period of time. The idea was a joke in the late 1990s, but today it is firmly established in the world consciousness with the fourth genuine space tourist, entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian American who is also the first Muslim woman to go into space as well as the first female private space voyager. San Francisco Chronicle
Sept. 16, 2006	Lockheed Martin Lunar Landers Revealed After recently winning the Orion CEV contract, Lockheed Martin is looking to the future, with a new study exploring a variety of possible Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) strategies and configurations. NASASpacelight.com
Sept. 16, 2006	Northrop Won't Fight Decision Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday that it would not appeal NASA's surprising decision to award a multibillion-dollar contract to rival Lockheed Martin Corp. to build an Apollo-like capsule that would return humans to the moon. Los Angeles Times
Sept. 16, 2006	A Hotel That's Out of This World The biggest gambler around Las Vegas is not a high roller going all in with a pair of deuces. He's a real-estate magnate who's betting $500 million that he can open the first inflatable motel in outer space. Austin American Statesman
Sept. 15, 2006	Houston Sees Economic Boost from Space Missions Work on both Constellation and the new space vehicle projects will create jobs at all ten NASA facilities in the United States. But the program offices for both are here in Houston at the Johnson Space Center and that could be a boon for the local economy. Voice of America
Sept. 15, 2006	Boeing Wins NASA Contract The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Friday it selected aerospace company Boeing Co. for a contract to help design and develop a heat shield for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Houston Chronicle
Sept. 15, 2006	NASA Awards Thermal Protection Contract for Orion Spacecraft NASA has selected The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., to support the design and development of a lunar direct return-capable heat shield for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The hybrid firm fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract has a 16-month period of performance, with a maximum value of approximately $14 million, including all priced options.
Sept. 14, 2006	Astronomers Reveal First Alien I.D. Chart It is only a matter of time before astronomers find an Earth-sized planet orbiting a distant star. When they do, the first questions people will ask are: Is it habitable? And even more importantly, is there life present on it already? For clues to the answers, scientists are looking to their home planet, Earth.
Sept. 13, 2006	NASA's hopes of manned flights before 2014 are dashed as Orion programme hits first hold-up NASA will fail to meet its goal of flying manned Orion missions before 2014, as the first delay emerges for the new spaceship's development timetable just a week after its prime contractor, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, was selected. Flight International
Sept. 11, 2006	Orion rises The four astronauts float through the tunnel connecting the Orion crew module and the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM). It is 6 April 2018 and the four US explorers are hours from landing on the Moon, the first such visit by human beings in 46 years. Flight International
Sept. 11, 2006	Part Apollo, Part Boeing 787 The Apollo program, which sent a dozen men to the Moon, ended in 1972. It's so long ago that fewer than half of all Americans are old enough to have watched one of its missions on live TV. Yet some of the technology behind Apollo is about to be brought out of retirement for NASA's return to the Moon, scheduled for 2020. Technology Review
Sept. 10, 2006	Cost, Technology and Past Performance Drove Orion Decision Engineers from NASA and Lockheed Martin will spend the next few months nailing down design details on the Orion crew exploration vehicle (CEV), working together for the first time now that the final whistle has blown on the competition to build the space shuttle replacement. Aviation Week & Space Technology
Sept. 8, 2006	Onward, Upward Orion: Next Spacecraft Headed For Moon, Beyond In my astronaut career, I was fortunate to be assigned to four space shuttle missions. I spent about 1,138 hours - more than 47 days - in space, traveled 19 million miles and circled the planet more than 740 times. Hartford Courant.com
Sept. 7, 2006	Orion, a new frontier and the last man on the moon With a single announcement from NASA last week, the nation took a giant leap forward in realizing its plans to return humans to the Moon by 2020 and then press on to Mars and destinations beyond -- known in space policy circles as the Vision for Space Exploration. Houston Chronicle
Sept. 7, 2006	Lockheed to sell interests in two launch ventures Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday it would sell its interests in two satellite launch businesses to Space Transport Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Reuters
Sept. 6, 2006	The last real shot at manned flight? Orion contract a boost for local economy This past week the Bush administration put a down payment on its promise to return astronauts to the moon and eventually land a manned vehicle on Mars. It's a tall order, but a risk that is also worth taking. Rocky Mountain News
Sept. 6, 2006	NASA Drop Test Proceeds Well For Ares I First Stage Booster A CH-47 Chinook helicopter lifts a parachute drop test vehicle to an elevation of 10,000 feet above a Yuma, Ariz., test range as part of a series of tests that will aid in development of the booster recovery system for NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle. Space Daily
Sept. 5, 2006	Days of Apollo: Collecting Rocks, and Making History, on the Moon The summer of nineteen sixty-nine was a special time in history. That was when men from Earth -- American astronauts -- flew their Apollo Eleven spacecraft to the moon, landed and returned home safely. The world honored the astronauts as heroes. Voice of America
Sept. 4, 2006	Virtual-reality tasks aid work on Ares I Student suits up to help Marshall team design tools and job procedures The tools to build America's next rocket - the Ares I - took form this summer at Marshall Space Flight Center partly because of the virtual-reality work of college student Valerie Collins. Huntsville Times
Sept. 3, 2006	Selection of Lockheed Martin Starts Shuttle Replacement Clock NASA's selection of Lockheed Martin to build the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle kicks off an intense race to fly a CEV as soon as possible after the last space shuttle mission in 2010--without repeating the schedule-driven mistakes that caused previous fatal spaceflight accidents. Aviation Week
Sept. 1, 2006	NASA's Orion Capsule Will Fly in Seven Years NASA has announced that Lockheed Martin will build America's new space capsule, called Orion. Expected to orbit Earth by 2014, Orion is expected to reach the moon by 2020. Although the capsule design has not been deemed to be especially exciting, unlike earlier capsules, Orion will be reusable. Melissa Block talks with U.S. Air Force Chief Scientist Mark Lewis about the spacecraft. National Public Radio
Sept. 1, 2006	Lockheed Martin to build Orion spacecraft Lockheed Martin will build NASA's shuttle successor, Orion, the space agency announced Thursday. NASA intends for the new spacecraft to carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. Its first test flight is scheduled for 2014. Galveston Country Daily News
Sept. 1, 2006	NASA's Exploration Systems Progress Report NASA recently completed a series of tests that will aid in the design and development of a parachute recovery system for the rocket and capsule that will return astronauts to the moon and later support missions to Mars. The system will be used for the first stage booster of the Ares I crew launch vehicle and for Orion, the new crew exploration vehicle.