Russian engineers are making final preparations for the launch that will carry the Expedition Thirteen crew and Brazilian astronaut Marcus Pontes to the International Space Station today, having rolled their Soyuz TMA-8 rocket to its launch pad on Tuesday.
Category Archives: International Space Station
Shuttle schedule pressure: before and after Columbia
Before the Columbia disaster, NASA was under intense schedule pressure to complete the International Space Station. Today they find themselves struggling to fly an aging and fragile space shuttle that has been placed squarely in the critical path for the new exploration vision. Two recent newspaper articles provide a sobering … Continue reading
STS-121 Launch Delayed to July Window
NASA has delayed the next space shuttle launch from May until at least the first of July, in order to replace suspect engine cut-off (ECO) sensors in the external fuel tank. Discovery is slated to fly mission STS-121, the second of two engineering test flights in the return to flight … Continue reading
Space advocates beware journalists with agendas
Sorry outside distractions kept me from posting recently so I’m going to do a bit of catch up. First up, is an article that appears to have taken a wonky turn posted a couple days ago on Wired News. Okay kids, adjust your tinfoil hats and take a look… “The … Continue reading
Part-Two of: A conversation with Paul Spudis
Dr. Paul D. Spudis is a Senior Staff Scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland and Visiting Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. Spudis was formerly with the Branch of Astrogeology, U. S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona and the … Continue reading
Part-One of: A conversation with Dr. Paul Spudis
Dr. Paul D. Spudis is a Senior Staff Scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland and Visiting Scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. Spudis was formerly with the Branch of Astrogeology, U. S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona and the … Continue reading
Could COTS come to the rescue of NASA’s Shuttle budget overrun?
Only a handful of days remain until NASA’s FY2007 budget is revealed. There’s been plenty of speculation about what’s going to be in there, and more to the point what isn’t: as things currently stand, the Shuttle has a funding shortfall of several billions of dollars between now and its … Continue reading
Lucky 13
Nasa has announced the crew for the next space station increment, which will be Expedition 13. I wonder how Williams and Vinogradov will feel about being on the first NASA mission designated with a 13 since Apollo. (Funnily enough, the thirteenth shuttle flight was designated STS-41-G). I suspect that their … Continue reading
Mike Griffin gets it
Hey everyone – lets stop bitching about “Apollo on steroids” for a minute or two, and listen to what the NASA administrator actually has to say about space commerce and NewSpace participation in the Vision for Space Exploration. We may not agree with everything, but we might be pleasantly surpised: … Continue reading
Back from a business trip
Observant OotC readers will have noticed that Mark has been holding the fort for the last week or so. I’ve been off doing day-job work in Australia. I’m back now though, and I thought that might be a good excuse for a Great Big List-O-Links Roundup: Leonard David at Space.com … Continue reading
Thoughts on an ISS milestone
Five years of crewed operations, and the ISS is still half finished, understaffed, gutted of science, and headed for even more descoping. Along with the Shuttle, it has become a dead end in terms of future US space exploration goals. That’s what you get when you design by committee, and … Continue reading
Handbook? We don’t need no stinking handbook!
…Um, yes you do according to Eric Anderson President and CEO of Space Adventures Ltd., who has a soon to be released book titled “The Space Tourist’s Handbook.” Dubbed the “ultimate guide for those who have ever dreamed of traveling to the final frontier,” the handbook provides you with a … Continue reading
NASA’s Budget Plans Putting the Squeeze on Shuttle and Station
NASA is struggling to make a budget that funds all of Shuttle, Station and the new ESAS architecture. Keith Cowing details the possible fallout. The options he discusses are not pretty. Discuss this at the Ootc Forums
Newest Space Tourist(?)
The rumor mill has it that the next space tourist to visit the International Space Station will be Japanese investor and former board director of the Livedoor Internet firm, Daisuke Enomoto. The Russian Space Agency, (RKA) leaked the name Enomoto on their website according to report from Xinhua, the Chinese … Continue reading
Back-pedal Mode… Activated
The damage control for Griffin’s USA Today “Shuttle and Station were mistakes” interview has begun. Discuss this at the OotC Forums
Griffin Thinks Shuttle and Station Were Mistakes
And he’s not afraid to say so in the media: Asked Tuesday whether the shuttle had been a mistake, Griffin said, “My opinion is that it was. … It was a design which was extremely aggressive and just barely possible.” Asked whether the space station had been a mistake, he … Continue reading
Senate Approves NASA Budget at $16.4 Billion
Space.com is reporting that the senate has passed the budget for NASA, giving the agency a $200 million dollar increase over last year, but about $60 million less than the request. All the major NASA undertakings, including shuttle, station, VSE, Hubble and aeronautics are funded. Now it just has to … Continue reading
NASA’s Leader Knows His Stuff
Ever get tired of dealing with bosses who don’t understand the issues, and think they can blindly apply management principles without a working knowledge of what they are managing? NASA’s new top man Michael Griffin is not that kind of guy.
The Date is Set
NASA has confirmed that July 13 is the launch date for the Space Shuttle return to flight. Godspeed Discovery.
Griffin Can’t Promise Station Completion
Michael Griffin states that he can’t promise that all currently planned elements will be included in the final station configuration.
Griffin Blunt About Prospect of 28 Shuttle Flights
NASA administrator Michael Griffin states that there is no way the space shuttle can fly the 28 flights currently manifested to complete construction of the International Space Station before the shuttle is retired in 2010.
Krikalev Performs Manual Progress Docking at ISS
Russian Cosmonaut and current commander of the International Space Station Sergei Krikalev performed an unscheduled manual docking today of a newly arrived progress space freighter. The freighter was to have used its automated KURS docking system, but a ground-related problem sending the command for final approach and docking led to … Continue reading
Astronaut Testifies From Orbit
ISS Astronaut John Phillips recently became the first person to testify from space, before a meeting of the House Science Space Subcommittee.
ISS Construction Plans Changing
NASA administrator Michael Griffin was quoted today from the Paris Air Show, saying that the Space Shuttle is unable to complete all remaining Internaitonal Space Station contruction and resupply flights before its retirement in 2010, and that as a result space station construction plans are changing. The new plan is … Continue reading
CSI Aims to Provide Space Station Resupply Services
At least one commercial provider stands ready to take up logistics supply to the ISS. Constellation Services International is ready to start resupply flights within 25 months of getting a contract.