Posted by Jesse Clark in Calendar on June 14, 2010
Wed, Jun 23, 2010
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Location:
Pizza Port – OB (map)
1956 Bacon St., Ocean Beach, CA 92107
Breathable atmosphere? Check. SD Space t-shirts? Check. Beer? Check. Good Conversation? Well, we need your help with that last one. Join members of SD Space and fellow space enthusiasts/advocates at Pizza Port for a night of relaxed fun talking about space exploration news, our future in space, and anything else that comes to mind.
Don’t worry if you can’t make it this time; there will be another one in a few weeks—location and date to be announced here. No need to RSVP, either; just stop on by and look for the space geeks table. SD Space members will be wearing their t-shirts for easy identification. See you there!
Posted by Jesse Clark in Calendar, Chapter Updates on June 11, 2010
Sat, Aug 7, 2010
The San Diego Space Society, partnering with the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, will be participating in the 2010 Julian Starfest – hosted by the San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA). 
We’ll have the SD Space and Mars Society display tables, Mars Rovers, our air rockets and other hands-on activities for all to enjoy as well as Hubble IMAX materials from the Science Center.
Our very own Sandy Eulitt is bringing her monster 29″ Dobsonian telescope “Cyclops” for all to view at the evening star party.
Email events@sdspace.org if you are interested in going.
Posted by Jesse Clark in Chapter Updates on June 8, 2010
Sneak Preview: SDSpace has created two patches. When and how can you get them? Details to come soon.
Posted by Derek Nye in Space News on June 4, 2010
Today, on what SpaceX called a “test flight,” Their Falcon 9 launch was near perfect! Beautiful first stage ignition, amazing stage separation (with amazing view), and second stage ignition. Before flight of the Falcon 9, even Elon Musk, founder of the company was skeptical whether or not it would achieve earth orbit. Some employees stated they would be happy if it simply separated from the launch pad! But after the second stage ignition, it only took a couple of minutes to hear that the rocket had achieved earth orbit!
Why was this important?
This is the first time that a commercial company has proven themselves against the space giants like NASA, the United Launch Alliance, and other big aerospace firms. They needed to prove they could build a reliable human-capable launch vehicle, which has been the job of huge government-contracted space firms up to now. SpaceX had set a first in 2008 when they sent their Falcon 1 rocket up to orbit, and now they have achieved it for the second time with a much larger vehicle. As you scale the vehicle up, you also scale your potential problems with flight. The fact that Falcon 9 did so well was a testament to the amazing job put forth by SpaceX employees. Also, being able to achieve earth orbit on first launch proves how reliable the Falcon 9 can be.
Chalk up a victory for Commercial Space!
It proves again that governments are not the only ones that build rockets, people with passion do. Keep in mind that SpaceX and commercial space companies have a long way to go. However, if this is any sign of its future, it is bright one.
Congratulations to Elon Musk, SpaceX Employees, and commercial space supporters. It only gets better everyday!
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Space News on June 3, 2010
As mentioned before, we’re showcasing Derek Nye’s commentary over at D Minus Zero. Nye, an SD Space member and newspace enthusiast, is answering the question, “Why should we care?” His latest post is about MirCorp and the birth of private space:
We can thank a company named MirCorp, founded in 1999, and which was only in existence for little over 3-4 years, for helping kickstart an industry. This company’s first mission was to acquire the Mir Space Station. …
For the first time in human history, people not affiliated with a government, were able to buy a place in space. They bought a space station the way you buy a house, except this house happens to have the best scenic view you could imagine!
Read more at D Minus Zero.
