MarsBlog.net

Steven den Beste takes a critical look at the concept of space elevators.

Posted on October 30th, 2003 under Space Technology. Comments Off

From today’s hearings on the Future of NASA:

Bob Zubrin’s testimony

Wesley Huntress’ testimony

Rick Tumlinson’s testimony

Sean O’Keefe’s testimony

Harold Gehman’s testimony

Posted on October 29th, 2003 under Space Policy. Comments: 2

In case you can’t be there or catch it on CSPAN, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation will webcast Wednesday’s hearings on the future of NASA, scheduled for 9:30AM EST.

[via Carl Carlsson]

Posted on October 28th, 2003 under Space Policy. Comments: 2

Looks like the House Science Committee is having some qualms about the OSP program.

The rapid advance of technology and the efficiencies it brings are truly amazing. Why, NASA hasn’t even cut metal yet and the House is already saying the program is over-budget and needs to be re-scoped (who knows — they may be right). At this rate, it won’t be long before we find Congress meddling in, starving, and cancelling new NASA programs before NASA even has time to say “paper queen”.

Posted on October 27th, 2003 under Space Technology. Comments: 1

This ought to be interesting.

On the invitation of Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Mars Society president Robert Zubrin will present testimony to the full Senate Commerce Committee of Oct. 29 on the subject of the future of the US space program. The hearing will begin Oct. 29 at 9:30 AM in Russell Senate Office Bldg room 253. NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe and former Associate Administrator for Space Science Wes Huntress will also be testifying.

Zubrin’s invitation to testify follows a series of meetings that Mars Society members have conducted with Congressmen and Senatorial staff all over the nation, asking for a destination-driven space program with Mars as its goal. In contacting Dr. Zubrin, Senator’s McCain’s staff also expressed great interest in the arguments presented by the Mars Society president in his op-ed “Two Roads for NASA,” published in the Oct. 6 issue of space News and reprinted below.

In his testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee, Zubrin intends to forcefully present the arguments in the “Two Roads” op-ed, and then show the committee a plan for a dynamic, cost-effective, destination- driven NASA that fully realizes the hopes of the American people for an agency that really opens the space frontier.

Commenting on his plans for the hearing, Zubrin said, “I intend to make my testimony count.”

Press interest in the hearing is extremely high. Several major news agencies have already contacted the Mars Society to find out more about what will be said, and indicated that they plan to cover the event.

Posted on October 25th, 2003 under Space Policy. Comments: 2

Bruce Sterling, described as a “science fiction author, journalist, and cultural critic” (you just know that’s not good), offers a list of “10 technologies that deserve to die”. Rather than actually present novel ideas or an unexpected perspective, which would have made the article worth reading, he practices Earth-friendly commentary: recycling and reusing threadbare hippie themes and ideas.

Rather than a full-on fisking (Does anyone do real fiskings anymore? That seems so, I don’t know, last month…), I’ll just hit the high points of this bland attempt to be self-consciously clever.

(more…)

Posted on October 24th, 2003 under Luddism. Comments: 2

Another (perhaps better) use for the propulsion portion of Prometheus: Asteroid Tugboat Backed for Trial Run.

[via Carl Carlsson]

Posted on October 21st, 2003 under Space Technology. Comments Off

Did you know that the week of October 11 was “Keep Space for Peace Week?

No?

Me neither. But it seems our luddite friends over at Global Network were out in force at Vandenberg…well, sorta:
Missile Protests Continue.

Oct. 11 was the last day of Keep Space for Peace Week, an international campaign organized by the Global Network Against Weapons in Space (GNAWS), which has 170 affiliate groups worldwide encompassing “literally millions of people,” National Coordinator Bruce Gagnon said. GNAWS sponsored dozens of nationwide protests last week – and hundreds of protests over the past 11 years – calling for the end of government spending on space-based military technology like the missile defense shield.

“Literally millions,” eh? I guess that’s why a whole thirty people showed up for the protest.

Then there’s this:

Patrice Acuna, an 83-year-old Isla Vista resident who attended the protest, said she has marched for peace, civil rights and other causes throughout her life.

“I don’t like the way this country is going,” Acuna said. “No matter how hard I march, things just keep getting worse; it’s kind of depressing.”

Hmm…you think maybe marching is a useless tactic, then? Hello?

Posted on October 21st, 2003 under Space Policy. Comments: 1

Some Indians, at least, are denying that China’s recent manned space flight will lead to a Sino-Indian space race. And they seem a little defensively huffy about it…”We never wanted one, anyway. Hmph!”

Posted on October 21st, 2003 under Chinese Space, Indian Space, Space Policy. Comments: 2