Monthly Archives: January 2010

Fusion Drive

Posted on January 24, 2010 by johnhare

guest blogger john hare Anytime a mission, manned or robotic, is proposed to destinations beyond Mars, travel times of years to decades are involved. Efforts to reduce trip times depend on some propulsion system well beyond the capabilities of chemical … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments

More Random “Lunar One-Way-to-Stay” Thoughts: A Business Case?

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Jonathan Goff

The more I think about the Lunar One-Way-to-Stay concept, the more intriguing it is. Fundamentally, it’s one of the only ways with existing transportation systems to get the cost of early lunar experimentation anywhere near low-enough to be useful and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigelow Aerospace, Commercial Space, International Space Collaboration, International Space Competition, Lunar Commerce, Lunar Exploration and Development, NASA, Space Development, Space Transportation | 26 Comments

Xoie in the Wind

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Jonathan Goff

Here’s an old video from our 195s tethered flight the day before our NGLLC Level 2 competition slot.  Winds gusting past 30 knots, and it’s still rock solid.  If you count tethered flights, I think it’s the longest duration VTVL … Continue reading →

Posted in MSS | 9 Comments

Test Flights Rumor

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Jonathan Goff

One of the more disconcerting rumors mentioned in Florida Today’s article about Obama’s plans for NASA, is the idea of “annual test flights” at KSC, to retain workforce skills.  These tests were compared to Ares I-X, and made it sound … Continue reading →

Posted in NASA | 35 Comments

Random Thoughts: Lunar One-Way-to-Stay (For a While)

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Jonathan Goff

If you’ve read enough space blogs, forums, and usenet groups, you’ve probably heard of the one-way-to-stay Mars mission, but what most people don’t realize is that in 1961 and ’62 such an approach was also seriously suggested and investigatedfor early … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunar Exploration and Development | 48 Comments

Additional AV-017 Flight Experiment Information

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Jonathan Goff

I’ve mentioned, here and in my propellant depot paper, the post-flight cryogenic fluid management experiments ULA carried out on the AV-017 flight this past fall.  I don’t have time this morning to comment on it, but I just found out … Continue reading →

Posted in Propellant Depots | 17 Comments

Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2010 by johnhare

guest blogger john hare We have another year of hope ahead of us, let us do what we can to fulfill that hope and further our dreams for a prosperous new year. For a very long time many of us … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments