NASA International Workshop on Exploration Day 3 Report Outs, Summaries

10 agencies participated:
- ASI Simonetta Di Pippo
- CONAE Roberto Alonso
- CSA Pierre Allard, William Harvey
- CNES Richard Bonneville
- DLR Juergen Drescher
- ESA Bruna Gardini
- JAXA Kohtaro Matsumoto
- Roskosmos Konstantin Pichkhadze, Artem Ivankov
- UK(BNSC) David Parker
- Ukraine Oleg Fedorov

General support for the Vision as it has been laid out; including Lunar Exploration. Every country is going through an evaluation of what the Vision means to them, their interests, and roadmaps.

+ Presentation & Summaries (NASA)

NASA International Workshop on Exploration Day 3 Report Outs, Summaries

10 agencies participated:
- ASI Simonetta Di Pippo
- CONAE Roberto Alonso
- CSA Pierre Allard, William Harvey
- CNES Richard Bonneville
- DLR Juergen Drescher
- ESA Bruna Gardini
- JAXA Kohtaro Matsumoto
- Roskosmos Konstantin Pichkhadze, Artem Ivankov
- UK(BNSC) David Parker
- Ukraine Oleg Fedorov

General support for the Vision as it has been laid out; including Lunar Exploration. Every country is going through an evaluation of what the Vision means to them, their interests, and roadmaps.

+ Presentation & Summaries (NASA)

Constellation shines brightly as NASA reaches for stars

In the olden days, sailors navigated by the stars, and so when they were naming a ship, they decided to call it "USS Constellation."

Saturday, National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts and officials came aboard USS Constellation at the Naval Academy to announce the beginning of a new space program called Constellation.

+ Full Article (Trident - US Naval Academy)

Election Wrapup

So Bush got reelected... I didn't vote for him, but I accept the result. I will always welcome people of any political persuasion to this blog and invite you all to comment on the issues discussed.

I have some more comments in this thread.

On the Congress side, little has changed for those with NASA centers in their constituency. There will be a new chair of the House Science Committee's Space Subcommittee due to the term limits that will keep Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) from chairing another term, but that won't happen until the new congress begins session.

So all in all, no changes in a continuation of NASA's transformation and implementation of the Vision for Space Exploration.

The Great (well, OK) Space Debate

Thursday’s event was less a debate than a preview of what will happen to NASA after January 20, 2025...The participants in the debate reflected how space rated in both campaigns: while knowledgeable about space topics, neither Lori Garver, representing Kerry, nor Frank Sietzen, representing Bush, rank high in the hierarchy of either campaign organization.

+ Read Roundup (The Space Review)

Update: Here's another roundup:
A Space Vision on Trial (Washington Dispatch)

Other Debate Roundups:
Representatives of Bush, Kerry Debate Space (Space.com)
Bush, Kerry Campaign Reps Debate Space Issues (Aerospace Daily & Defense Report)
Debating Space: A Tale of Two Policies - One Real, One TBD (SpaceRef.com / Keith Cowing) -- has a distinct pro-Bush slant despite his alleged effort to be unbiased

Representatives of Bush, Kerry Debate Space

It may not have had the global audience of the last Bush-Kerry debate, but about 100 members of the civil space community watched with rapt attention as representatives of the two campaigns conducted a spirited debate Oct. 14 about the future of space between representatives of the two campaigns.

Former NASA associate administrator for policy and plans, Lori Garver, represented Sen. John Kerry. Frank Sietzen, an aerospace journalist, represented President George Bush.

+ Read Article (Space.com)

International Space Exploration Meetup Day

International Space Exploration Meetup Day is September 7th, and groups are forming up across the country to meet & discuss Moon-Mars.

Visit Meetup.com to find out where the Meetup Day is in your neighborhood. If you live near Seattle, I will be hosting the Meetup at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville and discussing some of the projects I've been working on like MarsHome.org, an effort to build the first permanent base on Mars.

+ Find Meetup

Moon Viewed as Policy Battleground

"For attendees of the 5th annual Return to the Moon conference being held here from July 16-18, it is up to the private sector to help realize President Bush's new vision for space exploration and to revitalize humanity's forays to the Moon and beyond."

+ Read Article (Space.com)

Editor's Note: While I was invited, I was not able to make it to Return to the Moon V (and also will not make it to the Mars Society conference in August). However, I wish the best to all my fellow space activists!

Independence Day in America

Happy July 4th!

...and congratulations to the Cassini mission! The images of Titan coming out are stunning!

I hope everybody has a happy and safe July 4th!

China's First Astronaut Meets Buzz Aldrin & Senator Bill Nelson

"Later during the visit, Nelson returned to the topic of U.S.-Chinese cooperation. “So when are China and the United States going to cooperate together in space exploration, Mr Ambassador?"

“I want us to go to Mars,” Nelson said, “and I think we ought to go to Mars together.”

+ Read Article (Space.com)