House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane

Grok Headline matches for House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane

"counterterrorism officials who report
to the incumbents in the White House are
working on a plan to postpone elections
if we're attacked"

"counterterrorism officials who report
to the incumbents in the White House are
working on a plan to postpone elections
if we're attacked" 07/13/2004 08:44 PM

counterterrorism officials who report to
the incumbents in the White House are
working on a plan to postpone elections
if we're attacked

counterterrorism officials who report to
the incumbents in the White House are
working on a plan to postpone elections
if we're attacked 07/12/2004 07:26 PM
USA Today .. reports

usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07 -12-postpone-elections_x.htm
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Maryland Game Developer Vision
Videogames Receives NASA Space Act
Agreement To Develop Space Station Game

Maryland Game Developer Vision
Videogames Receives NASA Space Act
Agreement To Develop Space Station Game 05/31/2004 01:55 PM
Vision Videogames of Towson, Maryland received a Space Act Agreement from The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) earlier this month to develop their PC/PS2/Xbox game, Space Station:SIM, due for consumer release this Christmas season. The Space Act Agreement is a continuation of one received by GRS Games before Vision Videogames management bought out the company in March 2004. It allows Vision Videogames a flow of information from, and access to, NASA personnel so the company can gather information to build their game. “The game has captured everyone’s imagination. We have individuals and international agencies including JAXA (The Japanese Space Agency) volunteering to help us with drawings, science, music – anything you can imagine,” says company president Bill Mueller. In Space Station:SIM, the player assumes the roll of the Chief Administrator of NASA, creating astronaut crewmembers with unique needs, abilities and personalities while managing their activities and personal relationships like “The SIMS®”. [PRWEB May 31, 2004]

Private Rocket Plane Heads to Space

Private Rocket Plane Heads to Space 06/21/2004 12:14 PM
MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) -- A rocket plane soared toward space Monday in a historic attempt to make the first privately financed spaceflight.

Private rocket plane touches space

Private rocket plane touches space 06/21/2004 12:12 PM
SiliconValley.com Jun 21 2004 4:18PM GMT

New Look for NASA for the Next Space Age

New Look for NASA for the Next Space Age 06/25/2004 12:42 AM
Responding to outside recommendations, NASA has begun a top-to-bottom reorganization that will make it leaner and more focused on its goals.

India Plans Hypersonic Space Plane by
2007

India Plans Hypersonic Space Plane by
2007 01/01/2004 02:40 PM
MaximusTheGreat writes "While India has announced plans for a hypersonic plane (speeds greater than mach 5) before, this is the first time a firm date for test ...

Plane used often by White House carried
13 Bin Ladens out of US post-9/11

Plane used often by White House carried
13 Bin Ladens out of US post-9/11 07/22/2004 03:00 PM
Still losing sleep over fears that Osama bin Laden's kin were forced to suffer in commercial coach class when they flew out of the US a week after 9/11? Well, check today's Washington Post:

At least 13 relatives of Osama bin Laden, accompanied by bodyguards and associates, were allowed to leave the United States on a chartered flight eight days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a passenger manifest released yesterday. One passenger, Omar Awad bin Laden, a nephew of the al Qaeda leader, had been investigated by the FBI because he had lived with Abdullah bin Laden, a leader of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth, which the FBI suspected of being a terrorist organization.

The passenger list was made public by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who obtained the manifest from officials at Boston's Logan International Airport. Lautenberg's office was given the document in recent weeks and released it before today's issuance of the final report of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. Although much was already known about the "bin Laden flight," Lautenberg provided additional details, including the information that the plane, a 727 owned by DB Air and operated by Ryan International, began its flight in Los Angeles and made stops in Orlando, Dulles International Airport and Boston before continuing to Gander, Newfoundland; Paris; Geneva; and Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft, tail number N521DB, has been chartered frequently by the White House for the press corps traveling with President Bush.

Link

Update: BoingBoing reader Ken says, "Here's the aircraft's website run by the charter company. They fled in style. Link"
[Ed: image above grabbed from this online photo tour of transcontinental luxury service model N521DB, described on charter company DB Air's website as a "club room in the sky." ]

Pilot wants to know if people flying in
his plane are "Christians" - asks people
to raise their hands

Pilot wants to know if people flying in
his plane are "Christians" - asks people
to raise their hands 02/10/2004 09:18 AM
CNN.com - Passengers: Pilot promotes faith on flight .. Pilot's proselytizing scares passengers .. FLYING THE PLANES!!!!

cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/02/09/airline.christianity/index.html
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First-Of-A-Kind Private Rocket Plane
Heads to Space (Reuters)

First-Of-A-Kind Private Rocket Plane
Heads to Space (Reuters) 06/21/2004 09:07 AM
Reuters - SpaceShipOne lifted off early on Monday in the initial stage of the world's first attempted commercial space flight.

Majority Leader Asks House Panel to
Review Judges

Majority Leader Asks House Panel to
Review Judges 04/13/2005 10:04 PM
Deflecting all questions about his ethical conduct and political future, Tom DeLay stepped up his crusade against judges.

Bush Asks House and Senate to Send Him
an Energy Bill

Bush Asks House and Senate to Send Him
an Energy Bill 04/16/2005 11:45 AM
In his weekly radio address, President Bush said "American families and small businesses across the country are feeling the pinch from rising gas prices."

Nasa blasts iPaqs into space

Nasa blasts iPaqs into space 05/07/2004 10:43 AM
Personal Computer World May 7 2004 2:17PM GMT

NASA Considers Space Visitors

NASA Considers Space Visitors 04/12/2004 04:56 AM
The Russian Space Agency wants to make room for paying customers to travel to the international space station. NASA is considering the proposal, which would mean lengthening the time astronauts stay on the station to a year.

Senator Asks White House to Explain Khan
Leak (Reuters)

Senator Asks White House to Explain Khan
Leak (Reuters) 08/09/2004 11:36 AM
Reuters - A U.S. senator asked the White House to explain how and why the name of an al Qaeda informant was leaked to the press, saying it may have hurt the war on terror, a letter from the lawmaker said on Monday.

New Crew to Leave for Space Station on
Oct. 11, NASA Says

New Crew to Leave for Space Station on
Oct. 11, NASA Says 09/25/2004 03:21 AM
A new crew will be sent to the International Space Station next month, even though there are concerns about adequate oxygen and other supplies.

NASA Expects Space Shuttles to Fly Again
by Next Spring

NASA Expects Space Shuttles to Fly Again
by Next Spring 04/30/2004 11:17 PM
NASA has made sufficient progress modifying the space shuttle fleet to warrant growing confidence that the spacecraft can safely resume flying next spring.

NASA weighs request for space visitors

NASA weighs request for space visitors 04/12/2004 02:19 PM
globetechnology.com Apr 12 2004 6:46PM GMT

NASA Taking Chances on Space Station

NASA Taking Chances on Space Station 06/25/2004 12:30 AM
Abcnews.go.com - Thu Jun 24, 07:38 am GMT

NASA: Space Station Running Low on
Oxygen (AP)

NASA: Space Station Running Low on
Oxygen (AP) 09/24/2004 06:09 PM
AP - Oxygen and food will be worrisomely low on the international space station by Christmas, and it's crucial that a Russian supply ship get there by then, a top NASA official said Friday.

NASA Taking Chances on Space Station
(AP)

NASA Taking Chances on Space Station
(AP) 06/23/2004 05:34 PM
AP - NASA is taking bigger chances and more of them — even bending its own safety rules — to keep the international space station running with a two-man crew and no shuttle visits.

NASA Finally Gets Down to Business Side
of Space

NASA Finally Gets Down to Business Side
of Space 07/21/2004 02:44 AM
On the 35th anniversary of man's first landing on the moon, NASA came to the international air show in Farnborough, England, to take one giant leap into the business side of space exploration.

NASA Acknowledges Space Shuttle Risks
(AP)

NASA Acknowledges Space Shuttle Risks
(AP) 04/06/2005 07:34 AM
AP - After a two-year struggle to keep big chunks of foam from coming off the shuttle fuel tank during launch, NASA acknowledged Tuesday even marshmallow-size pieces could doom the spacecraft under the worst circumstances.

Frances Damages NASA Space Center

Frances Damages NASA Space Center 09/07/2004 12:57 AM
Abcnews.go.com - Mon Sep 6, 10:40 pm GMT

Hollywood to Help NASA Catch Space Probe

Hollywood to Help NASA Catch Space Probe 09/08/2004 03:09 AM
In a meeting of the cinematic with the scientific, Hollywood helicopter stunt pilots will try to snatch a returning NASA space probe out of the air before it hits the ground.

Should NASA send government employees
into space?

Should NASA send government employees
into space? 01/07/2004 04:20 PM

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin ushered in an era of government-operated manned space flight.  In the intervening 42 years we've seen the following:

• several accidents in which NASA flight accidents have killed off government employees who had become public heroes, a popular schoolteacher, etc., causing widespread international grief (plus a bit of euphoria in the Palestinian world after the crash of the Columbia)
• an inability by NASA to take the risk or massive expense out of manned space flights
• improvements in technology have led to various private groups (see http://www.xprize.org/) deciding that personal space travel has become practical

Perhaps it is time to ask the question "Why should NASA operate manned space flights?"  I.e., is sending a human into space an inherently governmental function?

In some ways it would appear that the U.S. government must be involved. No private individual or company can afford to set up a worldwide tracking and communications network.  No private individual or company can afford to invest in fundamental research and development on new kinds of jet and rocket motors.

Yet the same arguments could be made for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  It makes sense to have the government fund infrastructure that facilitates flight.  The FAA pays weather briefers and air traffic controllers.  The FAA funds airport design, construction, and maintenance.  The FAA researches instrument approaches to airports and publishers procedures that it believes to be safe.  The FAA certifies airplanes, pilots, and airlines.

But the FAA doesn't buy the planes or have its employees fly them.

When the U.S. government goes flying it is extremely risk-averse.  Army helicopter pilots train in expensive Bell Jet Ranger turbine-powered helicopters ($600/hour).  The Black Hawk helicopters have airbags to lessen injuries to occupants in the event of a crash.  The Feds look at a piston-powered Robinson R22 ($150/hour; the standard private sector trainer) or a homebuilt helicopter with horror.  They'd never want to be responsible for an 18-year-old Army kid going into one of those death machines.  Roughly half of the crashes of homebuilt airplanes supposedly occur on the very first flight.  The FAA is well aware of the dismal statistics but they're happy to check your work, give you an Experimental certificate for your new kitplane, and wish you good luck.

Conclusion:  there are plenty of activities that the Federal government facilitates but considers too risky to undertake.  They don't want a Federal employee doing it but if Irving Goldberg, a divorced retired dermatologist, wants to do it they will actually facilitate his risk-taking.

Why not do space travel the same way?  NASA can fund all of the infrastructure, do research, sell rockets cheap, and then shake the hand of any adventurous folks who want to head up beyond the Wild Blue Yonder.  In the small airplane world we have Angel Flight in which private pilots volunteer their time and airplanes to transport medical patients and their families, to the tune of approximately 15,000 missions per year.  Similarly in the private space travel world the government could ask these adventurers "Say, as long as you're going up into space, would you mind conducting this experiment for us?"

It was a national tragedy when Christa McAuliffe died on the Challenger.  It is only a minor local news event when an adventurous soul crashes his or her small aircraft.

Panel: Reduce NASA Role in Space
Launches (AP)

Panel: Reduce NASA Role in Space
Launches (AP) 06/14/2004 11:26 AM
AP - A White House commission will recommend that NASA give private corporations a broader role in space launches — and a greater share of the financial burden — to ensure President Bush's goal of ultimately flying to Mars, according to documents obtained Monday.

NASA Takes Giant Step Toward Space
Return

NASA Takes Giant Step Toward Space
Return 12/29/2004 10:15 PM
Sci-Tech Today Dec 30 2004 1:24AM GMT

NASA Takes Major Step in Return to Space
(AP)

NASA Takes Major Step in Return to Space
(AP) 12/28/2004 09:35 PM
AP - NASA takes a major step toward returning astronauts to space when engineers this week ship an improved rocket fuel tank that has been refitted to avoid the falling debris that caused the destruction of Columbia and the death of seven astronauts.

NASA can't deliver, so Russia will take
over supplying space station

NASA can't deliver, so Russia will take
over supplying space station 12/13/2003 12:24 AM
Canadian Press via Canada.com Dec 12 2003 11:03PM ET

NASA Safety Questioned by Space Shuttle
Crew

NASA Safety Questioned by Space Shuttle
Crew 04/11/2005 08:28 PM
Sci-Tech Today Apr 12 2005 12:50AM GMT

NASA names space exploration panel
leader

NASA names space exploration panel
leader 06/02/2004 01:05 AM
AP via New Jersey Online Jun 2 2004 4:49AM GMT

NASA Plans Robotic Fix for Hubble Space
Telescope

NASA Plans Robotic Fix for Hubble Space
Telescope 08/11/2004 07:26 PM

Direct and Related Links for 'NASA Plans Robotic Fix for Hubble Space Telescope'

The U.S. space agency says it will move ahead with plans to have a robot fix the aging Hubble Space Telescope. Kudos to NASA for changing their minds and deciding to try to repair Hubble!…

NASA pumps $400m into nuclear space
probe

NASA pumps $400m into nuclear space
probe 09/22/2004 07:54 AM
Fission-fuelled trip to Jupiter

NASA Starts Planning to Retire Space
Shuttle

NASA Starts Planning to Retire Space
Shuttle 04/02/2005 04:23 AM
Even as NASA prepares to resume flights of the space shuttle, the agency has begun forming detailed plans to retire the spacecraft in five years, if not before.

McCain goes on the offense, asks White
House to condemn ad that denies
Kerry’s war record

McCain goes on the offense, asks White
House to condemn ad that denies
Kerry’s war record 08/06/2004 08:10 AM
washpost

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42740-2004Aug5.html
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Panel Urges NASA to Save Hubble Space
Telescope

Panel Urges NASA to Save Hubble Space
Telescope 07/14/2004 03:15 AM
An expert panel from the National Academy of Sciences said that NASA should commit itself to a servicing mission to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope.

To Return Shuttle to Space, NASA Calls
on Cool Leader

To Return Shuttle to Space, NASA Calls
on Cool Leader 04/16/2005 10:55 PM
Col. Eileen M. Collins is scheduled to lead the first space shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster.

NASA Voyager Heads Into Deep Space:
Should We Expect Visitors Soon?

NASA Voyager Heads Into Deep Space:
Should We Expect Visitors Soon? 05/31/2004 02:13 PM
The pathfinding spacecraft, Voyager 1—launched by NASA a quarter century ago bearing descriptions of Earth and word-and-picture directions on how to get here for any interested extraterrestrial spectator—is now nearly 9 billion miles away and closing in on the "heliopause." [PRWEB May 29, 2004]
Grok Description matches for House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane
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House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane

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