Commentary by Thomas Sullivan
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This space news will consist primarily of developments, events, research, and everything and anything that has to do with space. This space news differs from the other space news sources in that these posts will be updated at least twice per day.
Here you will also find are Space Book Store. Our Space Book Store includes books on NASA, the International Space Station, Space Tourism, Astronauts, and more. If you are a space enthusiast, you will enjoy our Space Book Store.
America is posed and ready to enter the “golden Years” of space exploration and it is without a doubt a great time to be alive if you have any thoughts of man entering the cosmos. It is now obvious that NASA will not be the only enterprise for the outward movement of man into space. Our Space News Journal will be here to cover these exciting developments.
Here you will also find space news about space tourism. The seed for space tourism has started it’s germination and space companies involved in this exciting endeavor already exist. Space tourism no longer resides within the realm of science fiction. Space tourism and space exploration technology is developing at a rapid pace and our Space News website will be at the forefront in terms of timely delivery of this important space news.
Space pioneers such as Burt Rutan, Sir Richard Branson, Anousheh Ansari, Paul Allen, Peter Diamandis, and many others are at the epicenter of this exciting development. Space companies will be competing for customers within the market place, and our Space News website will cover all aspects of these developments.
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| Image courtesy of Virgin Galactic. |
NASA has been an important entity for space exploration, but they are no longer the only player in the game today. NASA has taken the first steps and will continue to move man out into space, at least to the extent that a government agency can complete such a job. It appears as if the torch is being passed to space companies and competition within the market place will be a major force for putting man out into space.
Given the rapid, and for me unexpected development of space tourism, it is prudent to keep up with the most current space news. Hence the development of this space news journal. I could have privatized this space news journal where only I would read about these developments, but to me it makes more sense to share this news with the space enthusiast. The following is today’s current space news.
Space News - Videos
Space News
Universe Today
Space and astronomy news
Weekend SkyWatcher's Forecast - August 8-10, 2008
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for another weekend? As the seasons slowly begin to change for both hemispheres and the Moon grows more full, look for an optical phenomena known as a "nimbus" - or halo around the Moon. While it's nothing more than a thin layer of ice crystals in [...]
11th Annual Mars Society Convention on 14th-17th August
Next week, Boulder, Colorado will play host to the eleventh annual Mars Society conference. There will be a huge array of speakers, lectures and workshops anyone can get involved in to learn more about the future of manned exploration on Mars. The Mars Society is an international organization working to raise public awareness about the [...]
Could Jupiter and Saturn Contain Liquid Metal Helium?
The interiors of the two gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, are pretty extreme places. With atmospheric pressures of around 70 million Earth atmospheres, the phases of material become a bit difficult to understand. Usually when we think of a liquid metal, we have thoughts about liquid mercury at room temperature (or the reassembling liquid metal [...]
Next Generation Magnetoplasma Rocket Could be Tested on Space Station
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has announced his intentions to send an advanced spaceship propulsion prototype to the International Space Station for advanced testing. The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (Vasimir) is currently in an experimental phase, but Griffin hopes that a scale model will be ready for one of the remaining Shuttle-ISS missions before 2010. [...]
Where In The Universe Challenge #15
Betcha thought I forgot about this week's "Where In the Universe" challenge. Sorry its late, but summer is the time for vacations and partaking in hobbies like rock hunting and late night stargazing. Here's an image that might provide the opportunity for both. That's just a little hint for this week's [...]
Get Ready for September 10th: CERN Announces LHC Switch-On
It's official, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will begin operations in a little over a month. On September 10th, the most sophisticated particle accelerator will go online, injecting the first circulation of accelerated particles. Actual experiments involving collisions will occur once scientists are satisfied the LHC is fully optimized and calibration is complete. The LHC [...]
Our Solar System: An Island of Calm in a Violent Universe (and it's special, too)
We humans like to think we're special, but astronomically speaking we've been shot down quite severely and humbly put in our place. We're not at the center of our solar system, nowhere near the center of our galaxy and certainly not at the center of the universe. But now comes great news for [...]
Starlight Zone Interview
Update: A recorded version of the interview is available here or just listen in the embedded media below.
Nancy will be on the Starlight Zone today at 3:50 Central time (20:50 GMT) for a 5 minute interview with Col Maybury about the new Phobos images from Mars Express. The Starlight Zone is on [...]
Cassini Prepares For Close Flyby of Saturn's Geyser-Spewing Moon
Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus is of big interest to planetary scientists trying to understand the dynamics of the moon's geysers and fissures. On August 11, the Cassini spacecraft will swoop by Enceladus for a close flyby, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the surface, with the fractures, or "tiger stripes" near the moon's south [...]
New Study Finds Clumps and Streams of Dark Matter in the Milky Way
One of the leading theories for how the universe evolved after the Big Bang is the Cold Dark Matter Theory (CDM). This theory proposes that chilly dark matter moved slowly in the early universe, allowing matter to clump together to form the clusters of galaxies that we see, instead of matter being distributed evenly [...]
The Politics of Space: Obama Wants to Increase NASA Funding
Over the weekend, Democratic senator Barack Obama made a public statement during his presidential campaign trail in Titusville, Florida. Whilst responding to a question about oceanic research, Obama elaborated on his plans for the future of NASA. Previously, there have been hints that a possible Obama Presidency would see a reduction in space funding in [...]
Phil Plait for President
This news came out last week, but I've been out of town and now want to offer congratulations to the Bad Astronomer Phil Plait who is adding one more item to his long list of credientials and accomplishments. Phil will now be taking on the role of President….. of the James Randi Educational Foundation [...]
Perchlorate on Mars Could be Potential Energy Source for Life; Phoenix Team Fires Back at Allegations
It's been a busy few days for the Phoenix Mars lander rumour-mill. On Friday, an article was published in Aviation Week reporting an undisclosed source from the NASA team analysing results from the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) had come forward saying Phoenix scientists were in communication with the White House. Apparently there had [...]
Globular Clusters Like to Be Near the Center of the Action
Globular clusters are gravitationally bound, dense concentrations of stars. There can be hundreds of thousands of stars in a cluster, and they are so close together that it's hard to distinguish globular clusters outside of our galaxy from stars within our own galaxy just using ground-based telescopes: in other words, these big bunches [...]
Rosetta Begins Tracking Asteroid Steins for Flyby
Since waking up in early July from a brief hibernation, the Rosetta space probe has passed yet another milestone on the long journey to its rendezvous with the comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014: it has begun tracking the asteroid (2867) Steins. The spacecraft will perform a close flyby of the asteroid on September 5th, 2008, [...]
Conflicting Results from Phoenix Science Instruments Prompts Further Study
Scientists from the Phoenix lander are analyzing conflicting results from soil samples delivered to two science instruments on the Mars lander. Two different samples analyzed by the spacecraft's Wet Chemistry Lab both suggested one of the soil constituents may be perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance that is considered toxic. But results from the [...]
Live Now on Paranormal Radio: "The Lucifer Project"
In response to the recent articles on the Universe Today detailing the "Lucifer Project" doomsday scenario, I've been invited back as a guest on Paranormal Radio with Captain Jack. The twist is, that the show is starting now (6pm PST, 9pm EST)! Apologies for the late announcement.
The articles:
Project Lucifer: Will Cassini Turn Saturn into a [...]
The Colors Of Summer - Albireo and Ras Algethi By Dietmar Hager
Summertime conjurs up great images of enjoying a double dip ice cream cone, and what more wonderful way to enjoy than with two flavors? Would you like to have some fun while the Moon waxes this coming week? Then invite someone along for the ride and let's take a look at how differently people [...]
Elon Musk: "I Will Never Give Up" After Falcon 1 Loss
In a defiant message to his employees after Saturday's Falcon 1 loss, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) said, "I will never give up and I mean never." This statement, along with some positive details about what went right with the launch of the 47 tonne rocket, he outlined his [...]
SpaceX Surprise Launch of Falcon 1, Suffers "Anomaly" at an Altitude of 35 km, Rocket and Payload Assumed Lost
It was announced that the private space company, SpaceX, had set today as their launch window for their Falcon 1 rocket system to orbit the Earth. The press release reads:
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has scheduled the launch of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission for Saturday, August 2nd. The launch window will open at [...]
The White House is Briefed: Phoenix About to Announce "Potential For Life" on Mars
It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more "provocative" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on [...]
Lunar Missions Postponed by US Military X-37B Spaceplane Launch
It looks like a US Air Force robotic orbiter will push back the planned launch date of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). The double satellite launch, originally set for November this year, will now take place sometime early 2009. They will make way for the test flight [...]
John Glenn Speaks Out Against Future Moon Base
NASA's first man to orbit the Earth, John Glenn has said a plan to set up a Moon base to facilitate the manned exploration of interplanetary space is a very bad idea. Under the current US government direction, NASA hopes to (eventually) establish the manned outpost for future launches to Mars and beyond, thus avoiding [...]
50 Years of NASA
Fifty years ago this week NASA was born. On July 29, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the "National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958." NASA replaced NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, to meet the challenge of exploring beyond Earth, and in particular, to send a human into space. [...]
Latest from HiRISE: Stairs, Polygons, Dunes and Troughs
Meridiani Planum on Mars, where the Mars Rover Opportunity has been traversing the past four plus years, is not just covered with flat, endless plains. Of course, Opportunity has been entering and studying a few of the craters in the region. Here's a crater in Meridiani that's a whopper. This image from [...]
space tourism - Google News
©2008 Google
space tourism - Google News
China made easy: Tourism highlights - CNN
China made easy: Tourism highlights CNN - But avoid the tourist trap of Badaling and head to the slightly less trammeled Mutianyu section, a 90-minute drive northeast of the Forbidden City. ... |
Mark K. Matthews | Washington Bureau - Orlando Sentinel
Mark K. Matthews | Washington Bureau Orlando Sentinel, FL - "We feel the market is entirely different now," he said, pointing to renewed interest in space tourism and the growth of new rocket companies. ... |
Space tourism is nigh, but a new space age is not - Crosscut
Space tourism is nigh, but a new space age is not Crosscut, WA - Four years after Paul Allen won the X Prize with SpaceShipOne, Virgin Galactic has unveiled WhiteKnightTwo, bringing space tourism closer to reality. ... |
Colliers International and PKF Capital List Houston's Historic ... - MarketWatch
Colliers International and PKF Capital List Houston's Historic ... MarketWatch - PKF Capital is affiliated with PKF Consulting, the country's leading consulting services provider to the hotel and tourism industry. ... |
Tourism industry eyes a renewable future - Business Edge
Tourism industry eyes a renewable future Business Edge, Canada - With trips around Metro Vancouver expected to increase by 400000, the city will ban residents and businesses from selling parking space on private property. ... |
All roads lead to China on 08-08-08, but growth not as fast and ... - TravelBizMonitor
 TravelBizMonitor | All roads lead to China on 08-08-08, but growth not as fast and ... TravelBizMonitor, India - In the space of a decade, China has become the world's fourth largest inbound tourist market, with 132 million inbound tourists in 2007, generating the ... |
Tourism and Gaming Segways, air tours are newest attractions - In Business Las Vegas
 In Business Las Vegas | Tourism and Gaming Segways, air tours are newest attractions In Business Las Vegas, NV - Hughes agrees with that, noting that the Strip is too congested for everybody to be safe if pedestrians and Segway riders are competing for the same space. ... |
Bartlett admits his workload is unsustainable - ABC Online
 WA today | Bartlett admits his workload is unsustainable ABC Online, Australia - Mr Bartlett took over Ms Wriedt's Economic Development and Tourism portfolios on Monday, when she was taken to hospital. He says Ms Wriedt is in no state to ... Rethink on portfolios No cure for all Tasmanian minister's ex-lover denies claims legal action is ... |
Zim International Travel Expo moved to Bulawayo - The Herald
Zim International Travel Expo moved to Bulawayo The Herald, Zimbabwe - Mr Kaseke said the majority of the space at the exhibition centre had already been taken and urged stakeholders in the tourism sector to take space and not ... ZTA eyes Russian tourism market |
Letter from New York - Southern Star
Letter from New York Southern Star, Ireland - It should be to pay your respects; this isn’ta tourist attraction. To illustrate what I’m talking about, I looked on a New York City travel guide which had ... |
NASA Breaking News
A RSS news feed containing the latest NASA news articles and press releases.
NASA Awards Global Hawk Support Contract To Northrop Grumman
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center has awarded a multi-year contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation's Integrated Systems Division of San Diego for engineering and technical services in support of the center's planned operation of two Global Hawk aircraft.
NASA TV to Air Interviews With Hubble Servicing Astronauts
NASA Television will air interviews with each of the seven astronauts who will fly to the Hubble Space Telescope beginning at 8 a.m. EDT, on Monday, Aug. 11.
NASA Awards Glenn Research Center Support Services Contract
NASA's Glenn Research Center has awarded a follow-on contract to DB Consulting Group Inc. of Silver Spring, Md., for a variety of tasks including work involved in computer science, computer and software engineering, security, networking, application development and Web services at the center.
NASA's Johnson Space Center to Reopen Wednesday
NASA's Johnson Space Center, closed Monday afternoon and Tuesday because of tropical storm Edouard, will reopen for normal operations Wednesday.
NASA Awards Space Radiobiology Research Grants
NASA's Human Research Program will fund nine proposals from six states to investigate questions about the affects of space radiation on human explorers.
NASA to Broadcast Historical Highlights in High Definition
NASA Television will broadcast a special high definition feed of two hours of highlights from America's human spaceflight history as the agency celebrates its 50th anniversary.
NASA Awards Airspace System Research Contracts
NASA has awarded research contracts worth a total of $12 million to two industry teams to study how the introduction of new aircraft types may affect air traffic management efficiency, aviation safety and the environment in the future.
NASA Awards Medical and Environmental Support Contract
NASA has selected Innovative Health Applications, LLC , or IHA, of Cape Canaveral, Florida, to provide medical and environmental services at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
NASA Spacecraft Analyzing Martian Soil Data
Scientists are analyzing results from soil samples delivered several weeks ago to science instruments on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander to understand the landing site's soil chemistry and mineralogy
NASA Names Irvine Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics
NASA Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Research Jaiwon Shin on Monday announced that Thomas B. Irvine will be the deputy associate administrator for the agency's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, effective immediately.
NASA - Google News
©2008 Google
NASA - Google News
NASA Scientists Discover Unexpected Mineral on Mars - Voice of America
 BBC News | NASA Scientists Discover Unexpected Mineral on Mars Voice of America - By Art Chimes NASA scientists said on Tuesday that the Phoenix Mars Lander has detected the apparent presence of a chemically reactive salt called ... Update: NASA Says No To Martians, Maybe To Life NASA Dispels Internet Rumors About Life On Mars Nasa insists perchlorate doesn't rule out life on Mars |
Pilots' reports on low fuel - The Associated Press
Pilots' reports on low fuel The Associated Press - The Aviation Safety Reporting System — a database maintained by NASA — has reports from pilots expressing safety concerns about airline directives ... Pilots question safety,as airlines reduce fuel loads |
Mars Plus Water Plus Web Equals NASA Mess - Discovery Channel
 Telegraph.co.uk | Mars Plus Water Plus Web Equals NASA Mess Discovery Channel - 5, 2008 -- A grand experiment is unfolding on Mars that has already conveyed a key finding to NASA: Don't expect the Internet to bow to the rigors of the ... Video: NASA finds proof of water on Mars NASA: Too soon to say if chemical would inhibit life on Mars NASA mission: Mars soil may contain perchlorate |
NASA spends $25M for two unmanned aircraft to explore the earth - NetworkWorld.com
NASA spends $25M for two unmanned aircraft to explore the earth NetworkWorld.com, MA - NASA said this week it is snapping up two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft for use in high-altitude, long-duration Earth science missions and is paying ... |
NASA TV to Air Interviews With Hubble Servicing Astronauts - Space Ref (press release)
 Space.com | NASA TV to Air Interviews With Hubble Servicing Astronauts Space Ref (press release) - NASA Television will air interviews with each of the seven astronauts who will fly to the Hubble Space Telescope beginning at 8 am EDT, on Monday, Aug. 11. ... NASA TV to Air Interviews With Hubble Servicing Astronauts Shuttle to deliver final service call for Hubble Astronaut, a Mets fan, taking Shea home plate on shuttle |
NASA Cassini Prepares for Flyby of Enceladus - Space Ref (press release)
 TopNews | NASA Cassini Prepares for Flyby of Enceladus Space Ref (press release) - ... inside the little moon," said Amanda Hendrix, Cassini ultraviolet imaging spectrograph team member at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. ... Cassini to search for source of Saturn moon's plumes Cassini to again inspect Enceladus Cassini Prepares for Monday Flyby of Saturn Moon |
The battle goes on for NASA's Ares rockets - Flight International
The battle goes on for NASA's Ares rockets Flight International - By Rob Coppinger For NASA's Constellation programme, using 25-year-old Space Shuttle flight-proven systems seemed like a good idea for the agency's new Moon ... NASA GSFC Solicitation: Launch Transportation |
NASA astronaut to speak at MPCC - North Platte Telegraph
NASA astronaut to speak at MPCC North Platte Telegraph, NE - Nebraska native and astronaut Clayton C. Anderson will give a presentation about his career as a NASA astronaut and his experience aboard the International ... Nebraska astronaut to speak at Vietnam vets reunion Astronaut's family dedicates reading nook to their mother |
NASA Tanks For the Ride - SatNews Publishers
 Space Daily | NASA Tanks For the Ride SatNews Publishers, CA - This big tank rolled out at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans August 6, and loaded onto an enclosed barge for a five-day sea journey to NASA's ... LockMart External Tank Is Pacing Item For Hubble Space Telescope ... |
NASA GRC Solicitation: Development of a Long Life 600 W Hall Thruster - Space Ref (press release)
NASA GRC Solicitation: Development of a Long Life 600 W Hall Thruster Space Ref (press release) - If you are viewing this solicitation on the fedbizops website, you must check the NASA Business website for amendments, attachments and forms (this is due ... |
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