Daily Archives: September 17, 2014

SpaceX Crew Transport Vehicle Progresses To Manufacturing Phase | Video
The SpaceX Dragon Version 2 will be put through test flights and eventually fly crewed operational missions to the International Space Station. SpaceX #39;s contract with NASA is in its final phase...

By: VideoFromSpace

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SpaceX Crew Transport Vehicle Progresses To Manufacturing Phase | Video - Video

Expedition 41 Crew Profile: Elena Serova
Learn more about Russian cosmonaut Elena Serova, flight engineer for the Expedition 41/42 crew of the International Space Station. Serova, NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore and Soyuz Commander Alexander...

By: ReelNASA

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Expedition 41 Crew Profile: Elena Serova - Video

Kerbal Space Program - retrieving some crew members from the space station
Kerbal Space Program - retrieving some crew members from the space station.

By: Ferrie123

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Kerbal Space Program - retrieving some crew members from the space station - Video

Big Contracts! NASA Picks Boeing and SpaceX to #39;Ferry Astronauts #39; On Future Missions
http://www.undergroundworldnews.com CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA is a giant step closer to launching Americans again from U.S. soil. On Tuesday, the space agency announced it has picked...

By: DAHBOO77

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Big Contracts! NASA Picks Boeing and SpaceX to 'Ferry Astronauts' On Future Missions - Video

NASA on Tuesday awarded a pair of much-anticipated contracts, worth up to $6.8 billion combined, to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station to Boeing and SpaceX in a deal that would allow the U.S. to launch astronauts into space from U.S. soil for the first time in years.

Speaking from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the contracts set "the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of NASA and human spaceflight. Relying so heavily on contractors to take astronauts to space would allow the agency to focus on an even more ambitious mission--that of sending humans to Mars, he said.

The announcement of the commercial crew awards is a big step toward allowing the U.S. to end its reliance on Russia, which has been ferrying American astronauts to the space station since the retirement of the space shuttle three years ago. The arrangement hasnt been cheap: the Russians currently charge $71 million per seat, and NASA has in a single year sent more than $400 million to Russia for these taxi rides. If the schedule doesnt slip, and Boeing and SpaceX prove their vehicles are safe, NASA should see its astronauts launched on U.S. soil with American rockets by as early as 2017.

The awards represent a significant shift for NASA, which has long owned and operated its own rockets. Instead of going to space on government-owned vehicles, NASAs astronauts would essentially rent space on ships provided by Boeing and SpaceX.

The contracts highlight what commercial companies can accomplish and we are counting on them to deliver our most precious cargo, said Kathy Lueders, NASAs commercial crew program manager.

In addition to continuing to develop and test the companies vehicles, each contract calls for up to six flights to the space station once the ships are certified by NASA.

Boeings contract is worth up to $4.2 billion; SpaceXs is valued at $2.6 billion. Lueders would not say exactly why Boeing received more but indicated that SpaceX proposed doing the work for less. Both contracts have the same requirements and the companies proposed the value for which they were able to do the work, and the government accepted that, she said.

For SpaceX, which is already the first private company to deliver cargo to the space station, the award is further evidence that it has transformed from start-up to a major a player in an industry long dominated by large, traditional companies, such as Boeing.

The two companies represent vastly different cultures in the space industry. Boeing is a so-called old space stalwart with decades of experience, contacts and lobbying might. SpaceX is the upstart California-based company founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk that has gleefully played the role of disrupter.

Musk, who also runs Tesla Motors, sued the Air Force earlier this year on a separate contract to launch military payloads, such as satellites, into space. He argued that SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket was a less expensive alternative that should be able to compete against the United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which currently holds the contract.

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NASA awards space contracts to Boeing and SpaceX

Let the space race begin.

NASA announced on Tuesday that it has awarded two multibillion dollar contracts to Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, to develop spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The contracts will make the two companies the first commercial businesses to send NASA astronauts to space, fulfilling the governments commitment to commercial spaceflight ever since NASA retired its space shuttle fleet back in 2011.

But more than just a windfall for Boeing and SpaceX, which were awarded $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion respectively, the announcement also serves as an important first step toward kickstarting the commercial space industry, which includes other companies like Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic and Sierra Nevada Corp. that seek to make space travel accessible to the rest of us. As NASA astronaut Mike Fincke said at Tuesdays press conference: I look at these spacecraft as the keys to the doorway to space, where were trying to open the door to more and more people getting to see what weve seen from space, our beautiful planet and beyond.

According to NASA administrator Charles Bolden, the partnership will begin to end NASAs reliance on Russia, which has been taking astronauts to space since the U.S. shuttle program ended. The greatest nation on earth shouldnt be dependent on any other nation to get to space, Bolden said.

Partnering with these companies will also serve another important purpose for NASA. It will allow the agency to concentrate on what Bolden called a more ambitious missionnamely, sending humans to Mars. Bolden spoke at length about NASAs ongoing progress with the Orion spacecraft, which is being developed to send humans farther than ever before, including to an asteroid and Mars. Orion, which is set to launch its first uncrewed mission in December, could enable NASA astronauts to become the first to take samples of asteroids, or, Bolden added, perhaps the first to grow their own food and eat it in space.

While such accomplishments may be many years away, Boeing and SpaceX are operating on a much tighter timeline. Boeings CST-100 capsule and SpaceXs Dragon capsules are expected to complete NASAs rigorous certification process by 2017. They will not only have to meet NASAs safety standards, but must also run at least one crude test flight to the space station to get their certification. Then, once theyre certified, theyll be required to run at least two and up to six missions, carrying a crew of four astronauts to the Space Station. According to Kathy Lueders, manager of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, these astronauts will nearly double the scientific research potential on the Space Station.

Once the contracts are complete, SpaceX and Boeing will no doubt leverage the expertise theyve acquired working with NASA to build out their own commercial operations for non-astronauts. After all, building a space travel industry aimed at civilians is something that SpaceX founder Elon Musk, for one, has been particularly vocal about. Having access to NASAs financing and expertise is sure to accelerate that process.

At the conclusion of Tuesdays press conference, Fincke, who holds the American record for most time in space, provided some insight into what such a future might look like. Ive watched from the windows of our beautiful space station as the earth moved below, and from 250 miles up, a glance can reveal Paris, California, and Brazil at once, he said. These new ships give us the hope that more and more people will get to see that view, and take in that inspiration.

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NASA Picks Boeing and SpaceX to Build Its Space Taxi