Engine Test Fire - SpaceX

Rockets...Need I say more?

After my latest article History and Innovation, I could not decide what I wanted to research and write next. As more time goes by I'm sure something will come to mind.

Until then, this post is dedicated to pure unadulterated rocket porn! Well, thats one way of putting it. What I mean by that is great pics and videos posted by commercial rocket companies over the past couple of years of their rockets being fired. You might just learn something from it too, so enjoy the post!

Commencing awesomeness in 3...2...1...

In air banking. Conceptual image of VMS Eve SpaceShip Two in flight - Virgin Galactic

Are ventures like Virgin Galactic nothing more than an expensive joy ride for the rich?

Virgin Galactic has booked over 450 passengers on a trip to space, which costs $200,000 per ticket. The price includes 2 days of flight preparation, and a trip to space and a feeling of weightlessness that lasts about 4 minutes...

What? 4 minutes? That's it? For $200,000 I get 4 minutes in space?

Although it is much cheaper than what it costs to send a NASA Astronaut to space (which hovers somewhere around $50 million), $200,000 is still expensive to say you were in space for 4 minutes. Although it is very subtle, the fact that the price has been dropped so low, and you don't have to be deemed a government approved astronaut to go is a big deal. We must look at companies like Virgin Galactic, XCOR, Space Adventures, and other space tourism companies in the context of history and innovation.

In this post, we will look into the development and history of great things that have changed the way we lived, and why we can be optimistic that space travel will fall along the same progression.

In the next 18 months, we will see the first regular paying customers take trips to space aboard Virgin Galactics SpaceShip 2. The story of this company's creation, and the momentum it has created for a new commercial space industry never gets old in its telling. Their story is a great victory in making space travel available to everyone. 

This post serves to introduce (or re-introduce) you to how Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company was created. Enjoy!...

Photo by Johan J.Ingles-Le Nobel

Whats Next?

Space is limitless in the number of destinations we can pursue. From moons, and planets, to solar systems, and galaxies, we are only at the beginning of what space can offer us. Although we can agree that certain destinations are much more favorable than others, we cannot always agree on the path we will take to get to these destinations, and in what order we wish to pursue them. As we enter this post-shuttle era, many intelligent engineers/scientists/space-enthusiasts have offered plans for how we should pursue our future in space, many of which which are both practical and affordable. Unfortunately, our Congress (in their finite wisdom) has decided to ignore them and pursue their own plan for NASA, which involves a rocket known as the Space Launch System (SLS), and spacecraft known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Sadly, when you take a look at this plan and it's details, it becomes apparent that this plan is not about pushing NASA forward. The current NASA plan has much more to do with party politics, preserving a lavish NASA workforce, and maintaining old contracts with out of touch aerospace firms. At the same time, certain members of Congress have also used this plan as an excuse to try and gut NASA funding for commercial rocket companies which, if given the chance, could provide much greater capabilities in space at a fraction of the SLS and MPCV cost. 

In this post, I will introduce (or re-introduce in some cases) you to some of the better plans we should pursue on our path towards greater space exploration. I will also address the current plan being developed regarding the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Space Launch System in some detail.

STS-133 - Shuttle Before Launch (NASA)

Good Riddance...

It has been 30 years since the first space shuttle was launched, and this year the shuttle program will be at an end. Although I worry about the future of NASA, I do not mourn the loss of this program. To be honest, I do not pay much attention to Space Shuttle launches, what the Astronauts are doing, or how many more launches we have left. I am a fan of the future of space travel, and that is why it is hard to enjoy the Space Shuttle, and the current manned work at NASA. The courage and spirit NASA had years ago to really push boundaries was stifled, regulated, and destroyed by ignorant politicians who believe space exploration yields nothing of great importance. The Space Shuttle represents a poorly made decision 30 years ago to destroy the chance of a successful post-apollo era. This was done by extremely limiting NASA's budget, and forcing NASA to pour their efforts into a semi-reusable vehicle that never was intended to be NASA's center of attention.

In this post, we will discuss the rocky history of the Space Shuttle, why NASA was forced to build it, and the promises this "Shuttle" could never keep.

You will notice above a new part of D Minus Zero has opened, called "How-To". The goal of this section is to teach you how to get involved in space related projects, by providing the information that will help you get started. The first post is How To Get Involved With High Power Rocketry, please check it out and let me know what you think. Take care!

The Civilian Astronaut is Born

With so many companies (Virgin, XCOR, Armadillo etc.) now on the verge of flying regular paying customers to the edge of space and back, it's interesting to note that we don't know much about the edge of space. Not a lot of research has been conducted at sub-orbital altitudes (around 100 km up), so a great need has risen for research conducted by scientists aboard sub-orbital vehicles. Is it a dream of yours to one day go to space (sure it is, why wouldnt it be...)? Would you like to get paid to do it while participating in some awesome science research? Then I recommend getting to know Astronauts 4 Hire.

This post will talk about Astronauts 4 Hire, and what it takes to be a civillian astronaut/scientist. We will also take a look into their first research mission involving Space Beer (yum...).

VMS EVE carries VSS Enterprise on her first manned flight, seen soaring over Mojave. Photo by Mark Greenberg

The Future of Space Lies in the Desert...

It is amazing to think that we are only a year or two away from seeing the first flights of regular paying passengers aboard Virgin Galactics Spaceship 2 and XCOR Lynx vehicles. These companies work tirelessly everyday to bring about a revolution that will be hard to miss. Many people may not be aware that these 2 companies live next door to each other at the Mojave Air and Space Port, in Mojave California. Not only are they located there, but so is Masten Aerospace, another New Space group with its own unique approach to getting to space. Prior to these companies being there, this was home to Rotary Rocket, a company with a very unique helicopter/rocket hybrid to get to space. All these amazing companies, in such close proximity to one another, begs a question. Why would these companies all settle at the Mojave Air and Space Port? Hopefully I may be able to answer that question.

This blog post will cover the Mojave Air and Space Port, it's history, and why Mojave became the place that will bring civillian space travel to the world.

Astrobotic Red Rover at LaFarge Slag Heap

The Team to Beat...

As of February 17th, 2011, 29 private teams are now competing for the Google Lunar X Prize. Each team is trying to be the first one to send a rover to the moon, land it, and have it move around the surface and take HD video. This competition started in 2007, and each team has slowly made progress on their rover/lander designs and planning their mission. So what is happening now with the competition that gets me very excited? One team in particular has really stepped up to move the competition forward, maybe faster than other teams were expecting (or hoping...). Astrobotic Technology Inc., founded by Red Whittaker, is really bringing attention to the competition and their company when they partnered with SpaceX to launch their rover on a Falcon 9 vehicle. Not only do they have the potential to win the competition, but they have the chance to make research trips to the moon commonplace.

In this post, we will look at Astrobotic Technology Inc., the founder, their history in robotics, and why they have a great chance of winning the Google Lunar X Prize with their vehicle, the Red Rover. 

- Soyuz TM-32 Preparing to launch Dennis Tito -

It is your time, private space explorer!
What if you could pay for a ticket to space, the same way you buy an airplane ticket to your favorite vacation destination? Could space travel be that easy? It already is, thanks to a company called Space Adventures. They are the first and only company to date, to have sent private space explorers to the International Space Station. They have finally opened the door for the rest of us, the private space explorers, to go to space.

In this post, I'll be covering the company Space Adventures, the space flights it offers (present and future), and the amazing individuals it has flown to space thus far.