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September 30, 2024

"Bush Wants To Go To Mars"

An editorial I wrote which expresses my frustration about the repeated use of this phrase by pundits, politicos, and the public.

A ProjectConstellation.US exclusive!

+ Read Editorial

Posted by jburk at 02:13 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

July 28, 2024

Hercules Exploration System

Part Two of a series on CEV design & launch concepts

Kevin Waldroup expands on the ideas for Shuttle-C and discusses the possibilites of variants and space station applications using the external tank and other components of the existing shuttle infrastructure.

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Posted by jburk at 10:39 AM | Comments (24) | TrackBack

July 27, 2024

Build an International Space Transport

Part One of a series on CEV design & launch concepts

Mike Majeski postulates an international effort to build the next human spacecraft among the U.S., Russia, Europe, and Japan. He discusses both capsule and winged designs for an International Space Transport vehicle.

+ Read Article

Posted by jburk at 11:21 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

June 24, 2024

The New Space Race

An article by James Burk, Editor of ProjectConstellation.US

Here's my overview of the new space race between US & other nations, and between NASA & the private sector. Heavily hyperlinked and suitable for mass consumption! :)

+ Read Article

Posted by jburk at 10:48 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

June 03, 2024

What the Moon-Mars Commission's Report Should Say...

by James Burk

An Article from the Editor of ProjectConstellation.US

The Moon-Mars Commission will release their final report within a few days. In my humble opinion, this is what it should say if we want the new space vision to succeed.

+ Read Article

Posted by jburk at 11:11 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

May 15, 2024

Advanced Gemini: What NASA Needs

This article by guest columnist Mike Majeski talks about a possible design for the CEV, using an updated Gemini spacecraft he calls "Advanced Gemini". During the moon race of the 1960's, there was some talk of using Gemini to go to the moon, since it was smaller, lighter, and a more flexible design than the Apollo CSM. There were also several unbuild variants, such as "Big Gemini": a design which would have twice the crew and cargo capacity as the Apollo CSM, but with the same mass.

+ Read Article

Editor's Note: I welcome further guest columnists; if you would like to write an article for Project Constellation, please let me know.

Posted by jburk at 11:37 AM | Comments (27) | TrackBack

February 12, 2024

2024: A New Year of Exploration

This is an article I wrote for a European newsletter. It provides an overview of the events this year regarding Mars exploration, the new NASA vision for Moon/Mars, and the prospects of international cooperation on future human exploration.

"Only six weeks have elapsed in 2024, but already this has turned out to be a landmark year for the exploration of space. Not only are the exciting events due to five separate missions exploring the planet Mars, but also because world space agencies are gearing up like never before for future efforts of human exploration."

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Posted by jburk at 02:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 05, 2024

A New Constellation And Its Legacy

With the recent announcement of Project Constellation as part of President Bush's new space initiative, now is a good time to examine past attempts at building a successor to the Space Shuttle, so that we may maintain a fresh perspective.

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[This is an article I wrote that's currently running as the lead feature on the online journal New Mars. It is an expanded version of my previous Project Constellation backgrounder, accessible from the left navigation menu of this site.]

Posted by jburk at 03:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

February 04, 2024

A New Constellation

I just finished this article which provides the latest details on Project Constellation and the emerging concepts for the CEV.

A substantially longer version will appear later this week in the online journal New Mars. The longer version puts the CEV in context with past attempts to develop a worthy successor to the Space Shuttle, and the reasons why they all ended in failure.

+ Read Article

Posted by jburk at 09:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack