While I’m generally loath to bandy about the phrase “NewSpace”, it seems particularly fitting in the context of a just-released video that does a darn fine job of summarizing where we are at this particular moment in time in developing a more commercially-oriented space industry in the U.S. Were I … Continue reading
Category Archives: Suborbital
Space Economy Leadership Summit Debrief
Howdy everyone! I took a couple of vacation days this week, so that of course means Space Conference! This time around it was the Space Economy Leadership Summit just down the road in Austin at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel on Congress Avenue. Put together by Phillips & Co., it … Continue reading
Armadillo Competes for NG Lunar Lander Challenge
Howdy everyone! Here in North Texas we had a treat this weekend as Armadillo Aerospace made its bid for the $1,000,000 purse of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge at the Caddo Mills Municipal Airport just east of Dallas. Festivities kicked off in the hangar shortly after 9am on Saturday … Continue reading
EVA Reviews Richard Branson’s “Business Stripped Bare”
Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur Richard Branson, as you might guess, is on my list of people who I would love to interview for EVA Interviews: The Business of the new Space Ageâ„¢. I haven’t yet asked him to be my guest as I have a few … Continue reading
Space Business is heating up!
There are an increasing number of entrepreneurial space-related events and conferences happening, and here are a few that I’ve gotten notice of recently: On short notice is the half-day symposium on THE SPACE ECONOMY, occurring next Friday morning, March 13th in D.C. The agenda can be found here. There are … Continue reading
“Giant Leap”
I sooooo want to do this! I even said so over a year ago when Popular Science did an article on this topic. If this is suborbital space tourism then sign me up! (h/t to Hobbyspace)
Carnival of Space #57 – This One’s for the Ladies!
Howdy everyone! Welcome to this week’s spectacular Carnival of Space! I’m your host Ken, the Lunar Librarian here at Out of the Cradle. We don’t have to go far this week to find space. This last weekend in Washington, D.C., the National Space Society held their 27th annual International Space … Continue reading
Space Access 2008
Space Access Society Space Access 2008 Phoenix, AZ 03/27 – 03/29/2008 Librarian’s Note: Not a fancy website, these are guys who are working on making sure we have frequent and regular access to low-Earth orbit outside of NASA. They’re focused on rockets, not pretty graphics. Blog Coverage Henry Cate’s Agenda … Continue reading
Fatal explosion at Mojave Air and Space Port
Details are sketchy, but it looks like the explosion centered around nitrous oxide storage tanks, leading to two fatalities and four serious injuries. A Scaled Composites truck was sighted near the blast. Scaled, maker of the first private craft to reach space, SpaceShipOne, is based at Mojave, and currently developing … Continue reading
Armadillo Aerospace is finally getting noticed
Apparently by some big players: Somewhat to his surprise, three major aerospace companies are talking to Armadillo Aerospace about flying sensor systems on Armadillo vehicles, using them as high-altitude platforms, Neil Milburn, program manager for Armadillo Aerospace, said in a June 15 interview: Those flights are expected to begin in … Continue reading
ISDC News Wrap-up
Howdy everyone! I’m almost done convalescing after co-chairing the ISDC, and have done a little scouting around the web to see the news that came out of it. Much of which I only got to see bits and pieces of whilst patrolling the conference making sure that everything was going … Continue reading
International Space Development Conference – Online Registration Closes Soon!
Howdy everyone! Regular visitors to the Lunar Library know that yours truly is one of the co-chairs for the International Space Development Conference coming up over the Memorial Day weekend here in Dallas. This is the largest citizen space conference in the world, and gathers together leaders in industry, academia, … Continue reading
Live blogging at Space Access ’07
I’m a little late to the punch here, but the Space Access ’07 conference is well under way, and it’s worth checking out the sterling job being done by the guys live blogging it: Henry Cate at Why Home School Clark Lindsay at HobbySpace RLV News Rand Simberg at Transterrestrial … Continue reading
Are the Brits entering the space shuttle business?
Okay, normally I wouldn’t do this but it is too dang cool not to… Top Gear is a British television program that features cars set up for exotic crashes and explosions. This video clip on YouTube shows a Reliant Robin decked out as a space shuttle and actually “launched.†You … Continue reading
Missing out on the trip of a lifetime
This guy has had to turn down the suborbital spaceflight he won from an Oracle promotion, because he can’t afford to pay the tax on the value of the prize. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the guy – if it was me’ i’d be devastated. Luckily for me … Continue reading
If you liked the picture…
…that I posted under those beautiful shock diamonds, then you might want to have a look at XCOR’s rocket engines gallery, where they’ve got even more. Also, I see from the aRocket mailing list that you can now buy poster size prints of it from XCOR, via the Mohave Air … Continue reading
A common fallacy about launch vehicle economics
Over at Transterrestrial Musings, Rand Simberg has a good explanation of the difference between average and marginal flight costs for space launch vehicles, and why higher flight rates should lead to lower average costs per flight.
Sam Dinkin introduces FreeSpaceShot.com
Sam Dinkin of FreeSpaceShot.com gives us the run-down on his new free skill game, where contestants can compete for flights to space, and even a shot around the Moon. Continue reading
Blue Origin joins the flying hardware club
Alan Boyle from Cosmic Log reports that Blue Origin has performed a test flight from its newly constructed facilities near Van Horn, Texas. Frustratingly, so far Blue Origin is continuing its normal pattern of secrecy, so there is no information on how the flight went.
Hmmmmm…
Anousheh Ansari is safely back on Earth, and still blogging. I strongly recommend that you read everything she has written; her style is lucid and heartfelt, she includes detail and emotion that most astronauts to date have not, and she really conveys the feeling of ‘being there’. If you are … Continue reading
X-Prize plus two years
It’s been two years since SpaceShipOne soared into space on a suborbital trajectory to win the X-Prize. If things have seemed a little quiet since then, you’re probably hearing the silence left over when all the laughing stopped. If the X-Prize did one thing, it was to strike a decisive … Continue reading
All I want for Christmas is…
… a charter flight to space. And you can have it, too, for a cool $1.7 million. It’s in this year’s Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog. Your very own SpaceShipTwo flight with five of your closest friends, and a stay at Richard Branson’s retreat in the Virgin Islands to top it … Continue reading
UP Aerospace launch falls short of space
Looks like UP Aerospace’s inaugural launch from Spaceport America didn’t go as high as they had hoped. Condolences from the OotC team to everyone who worked so hard on this launch. It’s always disappointing when something goes wrong, but I’m sure that they will learn from it and try again. … Continue reading
Blue Origin gets vehicle testing go-ahead
Alan Boyle at Cosmic Log is reporting that Blue Origin has won an experimental permit to conduct flight tests from their Van Horn, Texas, launch site. With permit in hand, Blue Origin can proceed with plans for unmanned testing at the West Texas site. The company said in its environmental … Continue reading
Rocket Racing League gets a new team
A new team has joined the Rocket Racing League. The new team, RRL’s second, was founded by Navy Lt. James Bridenstine. The chief pilot for the first Rocket Racing League team, Leading Edge, has an Air Force background, flying F-15s and F-16s. This looks like it’s heading for an entertaining … Continue reading