Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

July 25, 2014

NASA Seeks Proposals for Commercial Mars Data Relay Satellites
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 25, 2014
NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to investigate the possibility of using commercial Mars-orbiting satellites to provide telecommunications capabilities for future robotic missions to the Red Planet. "We are looking to broaden participation in the exploration of Mars to include new models for government and commercial partnerships," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Depending on the ou ... read more

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'Challenges' in quest to find water on Earth-like worlds: study A study of unprecedented detail has revealed astonishingly little water on three distant planets, hinting at potential obstacles in the search for Earth-like worlds rich in H2O, astronomers said Thursday. ... more		Russian Cargo Craft Launches for 6-Hour Trek to ISS The unpiloted ISS Progress 56 resupply spacecraft, packed with nearly three tons of cargo for the Expedition 40 crew, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 5:44 p.m. EDT Wednesday (3:44 a.m. Thur ... more		Sierra Nevada Completes Major Dream Chaser NASA CCiCap Milestone Sierra Nevada has announced it has successfully passed Milestone 9, the Risk Reduction and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Advancement Testing milestone, for several critical Dream Chaser systems u ... more
				Emirates paves way for Middle East space program with mission to Mars The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to launch a mission to Mars by 2021. A first for the Arab world, the mission and accompanying Space Agency are a big deal for the UAE - scientifically an ... more		NASA Partners Punctuate Summer with Spacecraft Development Advances Spacecraft and rocket development is on pace this summer for NASA's aerospace industry partners for the agency's Commercial Crew Program as they progress through systems testing, review boards and q ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

William Cress Corporation - We Build To Last

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

ISS Crew Opens Cargo Ship Hatch, Preps for CubeSat Deployment The six-person Expedition 40 crew enjoyed an abbreviated workday Thursday, having worked late the previous night to welcome the arrival of a Russian cargo craft a little less than six hours after it ... more		China to launch satellite for Venezuela The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has signed an agreement with Venezuela for in-orbit delivery of a second remote sensing satellite for the country, the company said on T ... more		HawkEye 360 expands signals intelligence network with operational deployment of Cluster 12 York confirms successful deployment and health of 21 satellites for SDA Tranche 1 mission Spain faces uphill battle to cut Israel military ties: experts		China to launch HD observation satellite this year China will launch Gaofen-2, a high-definition Earth observation satellite, to space this year, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND ... more
				ATV-5: loaded and locked ESA's fifth Automated Transfer Vehicle is now scheduled for launch to the International Space Station at 23:44 GMT on 29 July (01:44 CEST 30 July) on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in Ko ... more		This time for the PLA: Chinese army shows off dancing robots To the sound of Shakira's Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) robots demonstrated their dance steps, screaming recruits drilled with bayonets and tanks rolled as China's military offered a rare moment of openness Tuesday. ... more

Federal auditors say NASA doesn't have funds for big rocket One of NASA's headlining programs is the Space Launch System, a giant rocket program aimed at eventually delivering astronauts to the moon, Mars, asteroids and the deep space beyond. The space agency signed a long-term deal with Boeing earlier this summer to continue work on the mission. ... more		Are we alone? Alien pollution might reveal the answer Earthlings often wonder if life exists on other planets, and researchers said Wednesday that hunting for traces of pollution from distant worlds could provide the answer. ... more		Climate change causing havoc with global water cycle: UN Schools shut, flights cancelled as Typhoon Ragasa nears Hong Kong Over 60,000 Europeans died from heat during 2024 summer: study		Russian cargo craft docks with ISS, science satellite fails A cargo craft successfully docked with the International Space Station, the Russian space agency Roskosmos said Thursday. ... more
SpaceX Soft Lands Falcon 9 Rocket First Stage Following last week's successful launch of six ORBCOMM satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage reentered Earth's atmosphere and soft landed in the Atlantic Ocean. This test confirms that the F ... more		China's biggest moon challenge: returning to earth China's lunar probe, Chang'e-5, will be launched around 2017 and its mission to collect samples from the moon and return to earth is the most challenging yet, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer ... more		Transiting Exoplanet with Longest Known Year Astronomers have discovered a transiting exoplanet with the longest known year. Kepler-421b circles its star once every 704 days. In comparison, Mars orbits our Sun once every 780 days. Most of the ... more		New Fort Knox: A means to a solar-system-wide economy Creating an economic zone of influence that encompasses our solar system will be the single most difficult endeavor the human race has ever attempted. The biggest hurdle isn't even the engineering; ... more

	Seeing Earth As An Exoplanet: What Signs Of Life Are Visible? An extraterrestrial spacecraft lurking in a satellite's orbit near Earth would be able to see city lights and pollution in our atmosphere. But what if it searched for signs of life on Earth from afa ... more		Voyager Spacecraft Might Not Have Reached Interstellar Space In 2012, the Voyager mission team announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft had passed into interstellar space, traveling further from Earth than any other manmade object. But, in the nearly two years ... more

Tariff uncertainty delays World Cup orders for China's merch makers

EU business lobby head says China rare earths snag persists

IEA feels the heat as Washington pushes pro-oil agenda

Wake up, robot		UEA research shows oceans vital for possibility of alien life		India could return to Mars as early as 2017		World's Largest Spacecraft Welding Tool Will Build Core Stage of NASA's Space Launch System		Next ISS Cargo Spacecraft Rolls Out to Pad
Curiosity's images show Earth-like soils on Mars		Lunar rock collisions behind Yutu damage		Astronauts to Test Free-Flying "Housekeeper" Robots		NASA's Next Giant Leap		Russian Resupply Spacecraft to Deliver Snails to ISS for Experiments

GOES-R Magnetometer Ready for Spacecraft Integration

Space Systems/Loral conducting technology studies for NASA

NASA sends odor-resistant clothes to ISS

Brown Dwarfs May Wreak Havoc on Orbits of Nearby Planets

Lockheed provides support services for ISS program

Human or robot? Hit Swedish TV series explores shrinking divide

ISS 'space truck' launch postponed: Arianespace

NASA names Kennedy Space Center building for Neil Armstrong

Getting a grip on robotic grasp

Aerojet Rocketdyne Tests 1 Newton Thruster for Green Propellant Infusion Mission

SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 Flights Deemed Successful

Squishy robots

SSERVI: Serving NASA's Mission to the Moon and Beyond, Part 1

Sierra Nevada Contacts All Six On-Orbit ORBCOMM Generation 2 Satellites

NASA Announces Early Career Faculty Space Tech Research Grants

Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts, Reveal Details of How 'Man in the Moon' Formed

NASA Mission To Reap Bonanza of Earth-sized Planets

Manned mission to Moon scheduled by Roscosmos for 2020-2031

NASA Rover's Images Show Laser Flash on Martian Rock

Medical advances turn science fiction into science fact

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