Education Committee Update – June 2016

The Education Committee focused on College Night at the meeting on June 14, 2016.  A special committee was formed to move forward with this event. Confirmation has been received from Searstown to hold the event on September 29, 2016.  Marcia has submitted the application and contacted the Director of the Florida Tour Committee.  This event… [Continue Reading]

Space Budgets, Policy, Missions, Benefits, International Updates

Chinese Space Activity:  Is China militarizing space? Experts say new junk collector could be used as anti-satellite weapon  China celebrated the inaugural launch of its new Long March 7 workhorse launch vehicle last weekend. Among the multiple payloads was Aolong-1, or Roaming Dragon. Equipped with a robot arm, Roaming Dragon was designated to remove orbital space… [Continue Reading]

Commercial Space Transportation

 Dream Chaser: Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser to provide access to space for countries worldwide  U nder a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Sierra Nevada’s reusable Dream Chaser spacecraft will offer access to orbital space for member states that desire to conduct experiments. Sierra Nevada announced the agreement on… [Continue Reading]

Orion and Space Launch System

SLS Rocket Test:  An afternoon with the world’s most powerful rocket booster  Space vets cautioned ahead that Tuesday’s ear shattering ground test of the solid rocket motor developed for NASA’s Space Launch System exploration rocket would rattle fillings and cause loose clothing to wave in the wind. The warnings were true as the Orbital ATK… [Continue Reading]

International Space Station

Long Duration Spaceflight:  Williams to become NASA’s longest-duration space flier  NASA’s Jeff Williams, the current International Space Station commander, is in line on Aug. 24 to break the U.S. record of 520 days for time accumulated in space over a career that includes four spaceflights. The current record was established Mar. 1, 2016, as Scott Kelly… [Continue Reading]

2016 Elections – Human Space Exploration Update

Space Policy Platform:  Coalition for Deep Space Exploration recommends space priorities for next president  The space industry led CDSE urges a bi-partisan backed strategy by the new administration and Congress in keeping with the 2010 NASA Authorization Act for the preservation of U.S. space leadership. Those principles would improve commercial access to space, while backing key… [Continue Reading]

Blue Origin helps Florida get honor

TITUSVILLE – Blue Origin helps Florida get honor “Area Development,” the leading publication focused on site selection and facility planning, recently awarded Florida its 2016 Silver Shovel Award in recognition of projects undertaken in 2015. One of the 2015 projects mentioned as key to the award was the Blue Origin space project at Kennedy Space… [Continue Reading]

Commercial Space Transportation

Commercial Crew Progress:  Suni Williams details Commercial Crew Program progress during visit to NASA’s Plum Brook Station  Suni Williams, a veteran NASA astronaut and one of four “test astronauts” assigned to NASA’s commercial crew program visits the agency’s Plum Brook Station near the Glenn Research Center. Commercial Crew is focused on nurturing two private sector… [Continue Reading]