NASA weighs request for space visitors

Grok Headline matches for NASA weighs request for space visitors

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.

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]

Helping NASA keep track of its
employees, associates and visitors

Helping NASA keep track of its
employees, associates and visitors 06/05/2005 11:57 PM
I spent a fascinating three days last week in Washington, D.C. where I was invited to be on an external review team for a large-scale identity management project at NASA.

NASA Weighs Robot Mission to Telescope

NASA Weighs Robot Mission to Telescope 06/02/2004 10:17 AM
NASA's administrator, Sean O'Keefe, announced that the agency was seeking proposals for a robotic mission to extend the Hubble Space Telescope's life.

NASA Weighs Robot Mission to Maintain
Telescope

NASA Weighs Robot Mission to Maintain
Telescope 06/02/2004 12:56 AM
NASA's administrator, Sean O'Keefe, announced that NASA was seeking proposals for a robotic mission to extend the Hubble Space Telescope's life.

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]

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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: 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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 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 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!…

House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane

House Asks NASA to Postpone Space Plane 10/28/2003 11:06 PM

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 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

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.

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 Space Probe Crashes in Utah Desert
(Reuters)

NASA Space Probe Crashes in Utah Desert
(Reuters) 09/08/2004 12:23 PM
Reuters - A space capsule returning solar particles to Earth after a three-year mission that probed the origins of the solar system crashed in the Utah desert before it could be captured in a mid-air recovery, officials at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Wednesday.

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.

New Scale Technologies and NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center Announce Joint
Development Agreement for Mini Cryo
Motors

New Scale Technologies and NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center Announce Joint
Development Agreement for Mini Cryo
Motors 12/17/2004 06:31 PM
Space Act Agreement focuses on qualification of New Scale’s SQUIGGLE™ motors at 4 degrees Kelvin for spacecraft and commercial applications. The objectives are to qualify SQUIGGLE ceramic motors for use by NASA in future spacecraft missions, and to validate SQUIGGLE technology for use in commercial cryogenic applications. [PRWEB Dec 4, 2004]

Beyond the Moon: Inside Bush's space
plan (part 2 of 3) | SpaceRef - Your
Space Reference

Beyond the Moon: Inside Bush's space
plan (part 2 of 3) | SpaceRef - Your
Space Reference 01/18/2004 09:16 AM
second installment up .. more detailed account .. Part 2 .. 2

spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=916
track this site | 4 links

UP Aerospace, Inc. Slashes Cost-Barrier
to Space by 95% -- Provides Affordable
Space Access to Business and Education
Markets

UP Aerospace, Inc. Slashes Cost-Barrier
to Space by 95% -- Provides Affordable
Space Access to Business and Education
Markets 06/17/2005 06:23 PM
UP Aerospace, Inc. (www.upaerospace.com), the world’s only private company with a fleet of space-flying rockets, has dramatically lowered the industry’s cost for space access. [PRWEB Jun 7, 2005]

International Space Station Crew to
retry Space Walk

International Space Station Crew to
retry Space Walk 06/30/2004 04:49 AM

The 2 Crewmembers of the ISS will attempt for a second time to repair a circuit breaker to a broken gyroscope. If everything goes as planned and no further spacesuit problems they will spend approx 6 hours replacing the circuit breaker. [NASA]

SPACE.com: space news, games,
entertainment and science fiction

SPACE.com: space news, games,
entertainment and science fiction 01/06/2004 04:31 AM
SPACE.com: space news, games, entertainment a... SPACE.com: space news, games, entertainment a... SPACE.com: space news, games, entertainment a .. Mars Rover success .. .. up there .. Space

space.com
track this site | 4 links

FLASH! Space Ship One makes space
history

FLASH! Space Ship One makes space
history 06/21/2004 12:28 PM
“SpaceShipOne has rocketed into the history books to become the first private manned spacecraft to fly to the edge of space and back. The craft, built by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, went over space’s 100km (62 mile) boundary, said mission control. It was carried to 50,000ft (15km) by its launcher White Knight at which point it was unleashed. It fired its rockets to continue its trip.” The BBC’s servers are being hit hard at the moment - if you can’t get the story, try again later.

Google Lockergnome

Space odyssey The 'father of the
internet' on taking the net into space

Space odyssey The 'father of the
internet' on taking the net into space 09/18/2004 10:13 PM
BBC Sep 19 2004 2:33AM GMT

Three and a half-year old SETI@home
project identifies candidate radio
signals from space, heads for Arecibo to
take second look | SpaceRef - Your Space
Reference

Three and a half-year old SETI@home
project identifies candidate radio
signals from space, heads for Arecibo to
take second look | SpaceRef - Your Space
Reference 03/13/2003 10:21 AM
the SETI@home screensaver that crunches data in search of intelligent signals from space has produced a list of candidate radio sources that deserve a second look

track this site | 11 links

Grok Description matches for NASA weighs request for space visitors
GrokA matches for NASA weighs request for space visitors

NASA weighs request for space visitors

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: