Sep 29, 2007

While NASA prepares itself to once again visit the Moon, it looks as if the US House of Representatives is proposing a bill that would ban all human missions towards Mars. (New Scientist Space) Is there life on Mars? Who knows, but if the US House of Representatives gets its way, no human will be making the trip to find out. Its proposed yearly budget for NASA...

Sep 29, 2007

(Image: Ion Propulsion System Hot Fire Test for Deep Space 1, Credit: NASA / JPL) Probably not, as chemical rockets are the undisputed champions when it comes to launching anything from Earth’s surface to beyond the sky. However when it comes to general interplanetary travel, chemical rockets may find themselves taking a back seat towards their...

Sep 29, 2007

After previously committing to send its own citizens to orbit above the heavens, India has finally laid out a date for when it will join the space power club. (MSNBC) India plans a manned space mission by 2015, using indigenous systems and technology, a top scientist said Thursday. [...] “We are trying to develop the technologies which are required for...

Sep 24, 2007

(Image: Humans working on Mars. Credit: NASA/Johnson Space Center) NASA is adding the red planet to its “celestial road map” by planning on landing a man on Mars by the year 2037. (Earth Times) ‘We are planning many missions. Our long-term game-plan is to put man on Mars by 2037, so that by 2057, when the International Aeronautical Congress...

Sep 24, 2007

(Hat Tip: MarsNews.com) Even though building micro gravity space stations may be cheaper in the long run, it may not be the healthiest choice for future colonists. In a cruel twist of fate, it seems that micro gravity not only weakens our immune system, but ironically strengthens the defenses of dangerous bacteria. (Space.com) Bacteria express different sets of...

Sep 24, 2007

(Hat Tip: Hobby Space, Video below post) It looks like a new rocket is in town, which may not only be able to lift cargo into orbit sooner than Ares I and Ares V rockets (which have yet to be built), but may be much more affordable as well. (Direct Launcher) DIRECT is an alternative approach to launching missions planned under NASA’s new mandate: The...

Sep 23, 2007

The Carnival of Space was held by Henry Cate over at Why Homeschooling (the founder of this whole project) and most of the posts focused on the Google X-Prize Lunar Lander Challenge. Some interesting posts include: Brian Wang from Advanced Nanotechnology on how to win the lunar challenge. Brain Dunbar (of Space For Commerce) highlights the three general...

Sep 23, 2007

(Image Credit: NASA) With NASA preparing itself for a second encounter with the lunar surface, some scientists are attempting to lessen the load by landing lunar bases on the Moon ahead of the men (as well as women). (MSNBC) Doug Cooke, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for exploration systems, said that the space agency’s revised lunar plan...