RLV and Space Transport News http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/ News on space transport and the entrepreneurial space industry en-us Nucleus CMS v3.32 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus//nucleus/nucleus2.gif RLV and Space Transport News http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/ <![CDATA[WK2 rolls out on Monday]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7515 Aircraft for space tourism to be unveiled - AP/International Herald Tribune.

Some items of interest:
/-- "White Knight Two will have the same wingspan — 140 feet (42.4 meters) — as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, a World War II U.S. bomber"
/-- "SpaceShipTwo is only about 70 percent complete"
/-- "the earliest flights to space could be late 2009 or early 2010"
/-- "Virgin Galactic has pledged more than $250 million toward the project; about $100 million has been spent so far"]]> Transport Companies http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7515 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:24:24 -0700 <![CDATA[Scaled Composites accident commemoration]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7513 Scaled Composites employees Eric Blackwell, Todd Ivens and Glen May in a SpaceShipTwo engine test facility accident. Alan Radecki says "a ceremony dedicating a memorial plaque was held today at Mojave's Legacy Park": Remembering Eric, Todd & Glen: Scaled's Memorial Dedication - Mojave Skies - July.24.08. The message of the day: "Our sorrow is great, yet the dream shall never die!"]]> Events http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7513 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:08:00 -0700 <![CDATA[Oshkosh schedule for XCOR and RRL]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7511 XCOR X-Racer flights at Oshkosh and the XCOR presentations about the Lynx: XCOR and Rocket Racing League at Oshkosh - Dispatches from the Final Frontier - July.24.08 ]]> Transport Companies http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7511 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:43:32 -0700 <![CDATA[Briefs: Euro space elevator conference; Florida space grants]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7507 European Spaceward Association will be hosting the 2nd International Conference on Space Elevator Climber and Tether Design (flyer - pdf) in Luxembourg on Dec. 6-7, 2008. (Via The Space Elevator Blog).
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The 4Frontiers Corporation and several other Florida organizations are awarded space grants : NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium and Space Florida Award $375,000 to 17 R&D Programs - Space Florida]]> General http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7507 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:05:40 -0700 <![CDATA[Briefs: Ares I/V evolution; Blackswift update;]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7504 NASA's Ares rockets updates - Hyperbola
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Boeing and ATK will collaborate with Lockheed-Martin on DARPA's hypersonic Blackswift (HTV-3X) project: Boeing Joins Lockheed Martin On Blackswift - Aviation Week - July.24.08 .

Last I heard, though, there were budget problems for the project: Hypersonic Plane Hits Turbulence; Budget Cut, Testing in Doubt - Wired - June.12.08.

]]> General http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7504 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:03:41 -0700 <![CDATA[Briefs: NOAA regs on earth picts; Krukin on STELLAR; Lunar sci-net]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7502 /-- NOAA Open Letter to Google Lunar X PRIZE Participants - Res Communis
/-- NOAA Regulations - The Launch Pad
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Here is a video interview with Jeff Krukin of GLXP team STELLAR at The Launch Pad blog.

(Here is also a recent item on Jeff's own blog that I've been meaning to post a link to : Would President Obama Give NASA A Non-Space Mission?)
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Leonard David reports on plans to develop a networking scheme for lunar science experiments from different countries: Lunar Networking: Multi-Nation Science on the Moon - LiveScience.com Blogs]]> The Moon http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7502 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:32:13 -0700 <![CDATA[Briefs: NanoSail-D; Solar-powered lasers; High power Hall thruster]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7500 NanoSail-D solar sail, which will be on the next Falcon I flight, is the topic in this article: Solar Sailing in Space: NASA prepares to test a satellite that can be propelled by light particles from the sun bouncing off its sails - Technology Review (via spacetoday.net).
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A Japanese project investigates an unusual space solar power collection and transmission approach: Will Space-Based Solar-Powered Lasers Solve Our Energy Future? - Daily Galaxy
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Lockheed-Martin announces a successful demo of its High Power Hall Current Thruster (HPHCT) system: Lockheed Martin Team Demonstrates High Power Electric Propulsion System for TSAT Program - L-M - July.23.08. Find info on Hall Effect propulsion here and here.]]> Space Technology http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7500 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:28:01 -0700 <![CDATA[Carnival of Space #64]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7498 Music of the Spheres blog hosts this week's: Carnival of Space.
]]> General http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7498 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:18:34 -0700 <![CDATA[Briefs: RRL on NS cover; Rocketplane video; SS1 in Mojave park]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7497 cover article for New Scientist is about Rocket Racing and is written by Greg Klerkx: Rocket racing prepares for take-off - New Scientist - July.23.08.
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A reader points to a recent promotional video from Rocketplane Global: New Promo Video of Rocketplane Global’s XP - The Space Fellowship - July.16.08.
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SS1 appears again in Mojave: SpaceShipOne Returns to Mojave (well, sorta...) - Mojave Skies]]> NewSpace http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7497 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:17:44 -0700 <![CDATA[Briefs: Paul Spudis in GLXP team; Space Prizes review; WK2 and XCOR schedules]]> http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7495 Odyssey Moon team in the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition announces Paul Spudis is joining them : Dr. Paul Spudis Announced as Chief Scientist of Odyssey Moon Limited - X PRIZE Foundation.

They are on quite a roll. This news follows the announcement in June that Alan Stern would join them and the announcement last week of a Second Customer and Second Mission.
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Space Prizes blog points to several space related competition news items: EAA Aviation Nation - Space Prizes
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Via Aleta in the comments here comes the following WK2 and Oshkosh X-Racer schedule update:
White Knight Two will have a rollout in Mojave [on Monday] with live coverage at Osh.

XCOR is scheduled to fly the Rocket Racer three times at Osh: Tues, Fri, Sat.

XCOR will give three talks on the Lynx, Mon, Sat and Sun.
]]> Space Prizes http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=7495 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:50:39 -0700