Recently in Space Race Category

"'An automated rendezvous does all sorts of things for your missile accuracy and anti-satellite programs,' said John Sheldon, a visiting professor of advanced air and space studies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. 'The manned effort is about prestige, but it’s also a good way of testing technologies that have defense applications.'" In order to keep pace with the increasingly proficient Chinese space program, President-elect Obama may be considering retying NASA to the Pentagon, "because military rockets may be cheaper and ready sooner than the space agency’s planned launch vehicle, which isn’t slated to fly until 2015...Obama has said the Pentagon’s space program -- which spent about $22 billion in fiscal year 2008, almost a third more than NASA’s budget -- could be tapped to speed the civilian agency toward its goals as the recession pressures federal spending."

Hmm. On one hand, I would think making NASA yet another fiefdom of the Pentagon would greatly facilitate its ability to lock down the funding it needs for various exploratory endeavors, recession or no. And if the types of conveyance vehicles NASA needs are basically sitting around gathering dust in some Pentagon-owned warehouse next to the ark of the covenant, well then it only makes sense to combine the two programs. No need to reinvent the, uh, rocket.

On the other hand, putting the brass in charge is probably going to have deleterious effects on the types of projects NASA pursues in the future. And, in a perfect world, there's something to be said for having a civilian space program completely outside the purview of the military. In fact, now that i think about it, won't combining the Pentagon and NASA space programs cut back on the types of international cooperation that have guided our efforts in space in recent years? GIven the current economic climate, I guess this is the best way for NASA to continue pursuing its goals in the short term. Still, there could well be trouble ahead.

"Said John Logsdon, a George Washington University professor who co-wrote the book honored at the NASA party, 'There is a natural tension built into this situation... Mike is dead-on convinced that the current approach to the program is the right one. And Lori’s job is to question that for Mr. Obama. The Obama team is not going to walk in and take Mike’s word for it.'" The Orlando Sentinel suggests that NASA head Michael Griffin isn't being particularly helpful to the transition team at the agency: "NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is 'not qualified' to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned."

I've been quite complimentary of Mike Griffin here in the past. He seems like a smart, take-no-guff fellow, and I'm in general agreement with his views on space exploration. But this sort of tantrum reflects poorly on him. Knowing nothing other than what's written in this article, it sounds like Griffin, a holder of six advanced degrees, is indulging his engineer's exasperation with the laypersons who seem to be meddling with his current experiment. But if Griffin wants to see the vision he's outlined for NASA make it into the next administration, I suspect honey would garner more flies than vinegar at this moment.

"'It was very emotional for me,' he said. 'I thought, "Oh my God, we're getting closer."'" I'll say...Richard Branson and Burt Rutan unveil their space tourism mothership, the White Knight Two. "Virgin Galactic envisions a future where space voyages will become as common as airplane travel. It wants to fly 500 people into space in the first year for $200,000 a head...So far, more than 250 wannabe astronauts have paid the full amount." Hmm...maybe it's time to start putting ads on this site.

"'They're taking an Apollo-like approach,' Gilbreth said. 'Our program is much more ambitious than Apollo. We're going to put four people on the moon for seven days, eventually for six months. China is looking for a minimum capability. We're looking to put an outpost on the moon.'" NASA officials concede that China will beat the US back to the moon. "The goal of NASA's Constellation program is to return astronauts to the moon by 2020...Gilbreth said the Chinese could accomplish that by 2017 or 2018."

Moreover, that US date will likely slip five years when Pres. Obama takes office in January. In all honesty, this is one of the few areas where I emphatically disagree with our nominee. There are plenty of places to acquire $18 billion for education without raiding the space exploration budget...defense bloat, for example.

"Human beings evolved in gravity, and it makes perfect sense that some systems -- especially the immune and skeletal systems -- might not do well without it." A new NASA study finds microbes and viruses may be particularly lethal on long space flights. "Even though astronauts are not now getting sick on their missions, we see very clearly statistically significant and reproducible change in immune functioning after two weeks in space."

"Fact:...The density of Saturn is so low that if you were to put it in a giant glass of water it would float." And another pilfered link, which I meant to post last week: Megg of Quiddity points the way to 10 Cool Facts about Space (although, to paraphrase The Smiths, some facts are cooler than others.)

"If the current proposals to restart human exploration fail politically, indeed, the human space flight endeavor conducted under government auspices might well lose its momentum. I obviously hope that doesn’t happen. But it’s far from a slam dunk that we’re going back to the Moon and on to Mars." Two companion pieces to today's reflection on 50 years of Sputnik which I missed earlier: The Grey Lady hypothesizes about the next fifty years of space travel (suggesting its future as a public enterprise might be dubious) and takes a moment to consider the pop culture ramifications of the space age. "'At the level of government, I think we’re still struggling as to why we’re sending people to space,' Dr. Logsdon said. 'It’s a decent question, and I think it’s an unanswered question.'" (My answer to this question, for what it's worth, is here.)

"It was the sound of wonder and foreboding. Nothing would ever be quite the same again -- in geopolitics, in science and technology, in everyday life and the capacity of the human species." On the eve of its fiftieth anniversary (Oct. 4), the NYT remembers the Sputnik launch. "It was an unprepossessing agent of alarm. A simple sphere weighing just 184 pounds and not quite two feet wide, it had a highly polished surface of aluminum, the better to reflect sunlight and be visible from Earth...The Russians clearly intended Sputnik as a ringing statement of their technological prowess and its military implications. But even they, it seems, had not foreseen the frenzied response their success provoked."

"For Barbara Morgan and her crewmates, class is in session." Congrats to schoolteacher Barbara Morgan, who rocketed off into space today aboard the Endeavor, fulfilling both a lifelong dream and the mission originally set for Christa McAullife and the Challenger crew 21 years ago. Godspeed.

NASA prepares a probe, named Phoenix, to dig for water on Mars. "Upon reaching Mars in May 2008, the spacecraft is to land just as the winter ice begins to recede around the polar cap."

"I have long wanted to go into space, and the zero-gravity flight is the first step toward space travel." Physicist Stephen Hawking experiences zero gravity aboard the Vomit Comet. "Hawking said he hoped his flight would provide a boost for commercial spaceflight, in line with his oft-expressed belief that humanity's future depended on moving beyond Earth...'I think that getting a portion of the human race permanently off the planet is imperative for our future as a species. It will be difficult to do this with the slow, expensive and risk-averse nature of government space programs,' Hawking said, working in a veiled reference to NASA. 'We need to engage the entrepreneurial engine that has reduced the cost of everything from airline tickets to personal computers.'" I'm in full agreement...far be it from me to differ with a man as intelligent, knowledgeable, and solid on the mic as Mr. Hawking.

"What would happen if an astronaut became mentally unstable in space and, say, destroyed the ship's oxygen system or tried to open the hatch and kill everyone aboard?" Yet another use for that miracle of miracles, duct tape, is discovered: restraining crazy astronauts in space. Hmmm. Somehow I doubt that would've worked on Ash.

"To not utilize that station the way I think it ought to be utilized is just wrong." Forty-five years to the day after his historic orbit, space pioneer and former US Senator John Glenn makes a case for the International Space Station.

New photos released by NASA from the Mars Global Surveyor seem to suggest the possibility of surface water on Mars, which would make any attempt to visit -- or colonize -- the red planet considerably easier (although, obviously, it's still no walk in the park.)

In "world of the future" news, NASA announces it plans to establish a permanently-staffed base camp on the moon by 2024, preferably at one of its poles. (Here's the rationale.) A moonbase within 18 years? I'm all for it...just keep an eye out for monoliths and make sure Sean Connery runs a tight ship.

As threatened in the past, Dubya has apparently signed a new National Space Policy that heavily emphasizes the weaponization of space. "Theresa Hitchens, director of the nonpartisan Center for Defense Information in Washington, said that the new policy 'kicks the door a little more open to a space-war fighting strategy' and has a 'very unilateral tone to it.'"

"'This is the cleanest orbiter than anyone ever remembers seeing," Griffin said in a post-landing news conference. He added that with Discovery's successful completion of all its on-orbit tasks, it had finished 'as good a mission as we have ever flown.'" Congrats to the crew of Discovery on a safe and successful landing.

"Blue Origin proposes to launch its reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) on suborbital, ballistic trajectories to altitudes in excess of 325,000 feet (99,060 meters) from a privately-owned space launch site in Culberson County, Texas." Some details emerge about the New Shepard Reusable Launch System, currently being developed by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, where -- full disclosure -- one of my best and smartest friends from college is currently employed. "Also on the group's to do list at the site is putting in place a vehicle processing facility, a launch complex and vehicle landing and recovery area, as well as an astronaut training facility, and other minor support amenities."

A belated happy 230th Independence Day to you and yours, and here's hoping the recent spate of scary news (North Korean missiles, incipent war in Gaza) didn't detract too much from the festivities in your parts. (Also, with regards to more joyous fourth of july rocket launches, congrats to the crew of Discovery STS-121 on a successful return to space yesterday.)

Also in news-of-the-future, China sets a lunar launch date of 2024.

"'It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species,' Hawking said. 'Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.'" Stephen Hawking makes the case for colonies in space. And Stephen Hawking is a very smart man (and, of course, not a bad MC.)

The European Space Agency releases the first new pics from their recent "Express" mission to Venus. The Venus Express probe entered Venusian orbit on Tuesday.

A very happy belated birthday to my sister Gillian, who turned 27 yesterday. (We celebrated on Monday, but, as y'all might know, I haven't posted here since then.) Update: Also, a very happy Yuri's Night to you and yours -- tonight is the 45th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first-ever trip into space, as well as the 25th anniversary of the first space shuttle mission. (By way of Blivet.)

"Is this the right message to be sending to taxpayers in America, Russia, Europe and Japan -- that it's OK to do a stunt like this?" The Russian space agency weighs the financial pros and safety cons of an orbital chip shot from the ISS. "The golf shot is hardly the first commercial venture in space. The cash-strapped Russian space agency has taken three 'space tourists' to the orbiting laboratory for a reported $20 million apiece. An Israeli company, Tnuva Food Industries, paid the Russians $450,000 to show two cosmonauts drinking milk, and Pizza Hut paid $1 million to slap a logo on the side of a Proton rocket and have cosmonauts deliver a pizza to the space station. The Russians aren't alone. Last year, the Japanese space agency arranged for the filming of an instant ramen noodle commercial on the space station."

The LA Times examines the beginnings of the second lunar space race, which will involve, among others, the US, Europe, China, and India. "Some researchers even have a name for the first lunar city: Jamestown, in honor of the first English settlement in the New World."

I've been extremely derelict in my space coverage around here lately. So, as a quick catch-up: Welcome back, Stardust, and Godspeed, New Horizons.