Replanting boot prints on the Moon. Hurling expeditionary crews to distant and dusty Mars and other destinations. Executing a 21st century outreach campaign to faraway worlds demands a safe, sustainable, and affordable transport vehicle system. In January 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush set NASA in motion to begin developing a new spaceship to carry humans into Earth orbit and beyond. Tagged the Crew Exploration Vehicle, CEV for short, it would be the first piloted vehicle to explore beyond Earth orbit since the space agency
February 7th, 2005
NASA 2006 Budget Presented: Hubble, Nuclear Initiative Suffer
While NASA fared better than many federal agencies in U.S. President George W. Bush’s 2006 budget request, the White House is not seeking as much money for the U.S. space agency as previously planned. The White House is seeking $16.45 billion for NASA in the 2006 budget. That’s an increase of 2.4 percent over what the U.S. space agency has in its 2005 budget, but still about $500 million less than what the agency had been expecting.
February 4th, 2005
Games Join Space Race Wired
If NASA is ever able to put a man on the moon again, or on Mars, it’s very likely that the agency will owe a bit of thanks to a small Maryland video-game developer. In recent months, Vision Videogames has been putting the finishing touches on SpaceStationSim, a game timed for publication when the next space shuttle launches, supposedly this spring. As its title suggests, the game lets players pretend they’re astronauts on the International Space Station in a 3-D, simulated environment. But pure fantasy this is not. In fact, Vision Videogames designed the game using technical specifications from NASA as part of a Space Act agreement. And now the company is under contract to play a crucial role in the development of the crew exploration vehicles, or CEVs, that could someday prowl around the moon or Mars.
January 31st, 2005
Orbital Joins Lockheed Martin-Led Crew Exploration Vehicle Team BusinessWire
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB – News) announced today that it has joined a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT – News) led “all-star” team of aerospace industry innovators competing to design and build NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Orbital’s teaming agreement with Lockheed Martin continues the company’s history as a key participant in the development of a next-generation human space transportation system. In chronological order, Orbital has contributed to NASA’s Space Transportation Architecture Studies, the Space Launch Initiative, and, most recently, the Orbital Space Plane program, all of which have led to the decision by NASA to develop and build the CEV.
January 24th, 2005
Northrop Grumman, Boeing Finalize Space Exploration Teaming Agreement Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) have completed and signed a formal agreement to compete as a team for NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and related human lunar exploration systems. Under the agreement, Northrop Grumman will serve as the team’s leader and prime contractor during the initial development phase of the CEV, known as Spiral 1. During this period, which will demonstrate the CEV’s ability to operate safely with astronauts in low-Earth orbit, Boeing will serve as Northrop Grumman’s teammate and principal subcontractor. During Spiral 2, which will begin the expansion of human space exploration to the moon and beyond, Boeing will serve as prime contractor for the lunar mission elements. For this work, Northrop Grumman will serve as Boeing’s teammate and principal subcontractor. A formal request for proposals to begin development of the CEV system is expected from NASA in March. The space agency is expected to award two CEV system development and demonstration contracts by late summer.
December 1st, 2004
Fly Higher, Fly Lighter: ‘Ballute’ Technology Aimed at Moon Missions
NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate is on the lookout for new concepts for its Vision for Space Exploration — the White House-backed Moon, Mars and beyond agenda. And on November 16th, NASA selected a concept from Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation for inflatable thin-film ballutes for return from the Moon. Not only Moon-to-Earth traffic could benefit by using the ballute/aerocapture technique. So too could missions to Mars, as well as future probes to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, and other distant destinations.
November 30th, 2004
The Lame Duck that Soared Tech Central Station
When the history of this lame duck Congress is written, historians may make little notes about the dustup over intelligence reform. However, their long memories are likely to record that, by funding the President’s space initiative, this was a lame duck that soared. The $16.2 billion that Congress authorized for NASA, a five percent increase in its budget, made it official that mankind is headed outwards again — to the moon, to Mars, and beyond. The House also passed a revised commercial space bill, which just a short time ago, was pronounced deader than Tom Daschle’s political career.
November 9th, 2004
Boeing, Northrop team up on spaceship
Two aerospace giants, the Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp., said Tuesday they will form a partnership to compete for the contract to build NASA
October 14th, 2004
Burt Rutan: Building ‘Tomorrowland’ One Launch at a Time
Nobody can claim that Burt Rutan, the innovative aerospace designer, doesn