Posted by Chris Radcliff in Space News on November 18, 2010
Molly McCormick, newspace biomechanical engineer and friend of SD Space, was recently given the task of reviewing NASA’s latest requirements for the Commercial Crew & Cargo Program. She posted her initial thoughts on Twitter, and I just had to share them here:
Having grokked NASA’s ISS Crew Transportation and Services Requirements document, CCT-REQ-1130, for several days, I now have some thoughts:
(This might be a good time to state that all opinions are my own and do not reflect anybody else’s in any way.)
1. It may actually make writing CCDev2 proposals easier; proposals=”what you’ll do/how you’ll do it” & they’re detailing “what you’ll do.”
Corollary: It will therefore have a homogenizing effect on all CCDev2 proposals, so NASA can’t distinguish btw diverse approaches as well.
2. Many of the performance requirements are actually quite reasonable, and even provide great experiential knowledge to leverage. BUT…
3. The testing requirements for verifying performance range from “nitpicky” to “onerous,” and even, in a couple instances, “offensive.”
I can respect nitpicky; that’s another word for thorough and I’m nitpicky myself. It will inflate cost, though. Substantially.
It’s not like NewSpace can’t/won’t meet the req’s; it just costs more/takes longer this way.
Cost more/take longer than it has to, but still cheaper/faster than NASA. :)
What are your thoughts?
Posted by Gerry Williams in Astronomy, Calendar, Education, Events, Mars Society, Science, Space News on September 29, 2010
Fri, Oct 1, 2010
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Presentation:
Humans to Mars – How We’ll Get There
It has been 38 years since we last stepped foot on the Moon, and Mars is beckoning to us. Plans are bring laid right now to return to the moon and go on to set foot on the Red Planet. Take a look at all the current plans for exploring and eventually colonizing Mars.
With Gerry Williams and The Mars Society-San Diego, at 3:00pm in the Eaton Room at the Town & Country Resort Hotel at 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego CA 92108.
This is a presentation of the CONJECTURE SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION. For more information, please visit:
http://2010.conjecture.org/
Posted by Gerry Williams in Calendar, Education, Events, Mars Society, Science, Space News on August 9, 2010
Tue, Aug 10, 2010
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Space is a world devoid of things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive bailout at 4,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startling bizarre space simulations — making it possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), “Packing for Mars” takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.
“Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void”
by Mary Roach
Mary Roach is the author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and Bonk:The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. Her writing has appeared in such publications as Salon, GQ, Vogue, and the New York Times Magazine. She lives in Oakland, California.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 from
7-8pm at
Book Works (http://booktour.com/venues/show/18648)
2670 Via De La Valle, Ste A230, Del Mar, CA, 92014
Author Mary Roach autographs “Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void” afterward.
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.
