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NASA's new rocket: The first (and last?) flight of Ares
The launch of the Ares I-X raises hopes at NASANASA’s new Ares I-X rocket was launched successfully from the Kennedy Space Centre, in Florida, on October 28th. It is part of the American space agency’s programme to replace its ageing shuttles and create a vehicle that could take people to the moon. The political backdrop to this test flight, which cost $455m and lasted only a few minutes before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean, is uncertainty over whether Barack Obama’s administration will continue the course set by President Bush (high in ambition, low in funding) or set out on a new path that matches the agency’s goals with its budget. Without more money, this will mean conceding that Americans will not return to the moon by 2020, as Mr Bush hoped. And a change in this direction might mean scrapping Ares in favour of something cheaper. ...
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News
- NASA Scales Back Mars Exploration Strategy to Fit Budget
NASA is fundamentally overhauling its Mars exploration strategy, ditching multibillion-dollar "flagship" missions in favor of cheaper, more efficient projects for now, agency officials announced Monday (Feb. 13). - NASA to exchange 'flagship' missions for small-ball projects
NASA is drastically scaling back its Mars exploration initiatives in exchange for smaller, more efficient missions, agency officials say. - Is NASA giving up on Mars? (+video)
NASA's 2013 budget includes deep cuts to its planetary science mission, particularly its efforts to send spacecraft to Mars. Instead, the space agency will focus on human spaceflight and infrared astronomy. Is NASA now heading down the wrong path? - NASA Space Shuttle-Carrying Jumbo Jet Retires After One Last Flight
One of only two planes ever to carry NASA's space shuttles on piggy-back rides across the country has taken its last flight after more than 20 years of service. - Is NASA giving up on Mars?
NASA's 2013 budget includes deep cuts to its planetary science mission, particularly its efforts to send spacecraft to Mars. Instead, the space agency will focus on human spaceflight and infrared astronomy. Is NASA now heading down the wrong path? - Obama wants $2.1 billion for NASA's Florida spaceport
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's proposed 2013 budget for NASA boosts spending at the Kennedy Space Center, which bore the brunt of job layoffs at the end of the space shuttle program last year, the center director said on Tuesday. The president's $17.7 billion budget request for NASA for the year beginning October 1 includes $2.1 billion for the Florida spaceport, an ... - NASA targets $830M annually to reach local astronaut launch by 2017
NASA and industry representatives met Tuesday in Cocoa Beach to discuss the next steps in developing commercial crew taxis. NASA officials said sustained funding of roughly $830 million a year is needed to fly crews on U.S. vehicles by 2017. - Why NASA's really into making video games
A screenshot from Sector 33, a new game from NASA--and one of many the U.S. space agency has created or commissioned. (Credit: NASA) Most people think of NASA as an organization full of rocket scientists. But while the U.S. space agency has spent decades launching spaceships and working on other important projects, it also puts some of its resources into much smaller efforts, such as making ... - NASA Bets on Space Tech's Down-to-Earth Future
NASA's proposed budget for 2013 puts a strong emphasis on space technology development. - Obama's 2013 NASA Budget Request Shifts Funds from Mars to Space Tech
The proposed 2013 federal budget unveiled by President Barack Obama today (Feb. 13) keeps NASA funding relatively flat next year, but bites deep into the agency's robotic Mars mission coffers while shifting new funds to human exploration and space technology.
