Outer Space
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New NASA Administrator - Michael Griffin
The new NASA Administrator, Mike Griffin, is a real space enthusiast and a man of great accomplishments. And best of all, he's made clear the course for the next few years--and the ultimate goal.
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The End of the Hubble Space Telescope
Efforts to save the Hubble Space Telescope seem to have run aground; does the great observatory now have only a few years of life left, or might we still find a way to rescue it?
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Life on Mars?
New findings of water, ice, and methane on Mars are pointing not only to the likelihood of past life on the Red Planet, but also to the possibility of life at present.
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Of Reactors and Regolith
For a manned mission to Mars, two needs must be addressed: available electrical power, and propellant for the trip home. Nuclear power and In-Situ Resource Utilization promise to address both.
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Liftoff Into 2005
A few items of note as 2005 gets underway; the year holds much promise for space exploration, with missions to Mars and Saturn underway and a mission to a comet coming up.
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You Spin Me Right Round
A new approach to artificial gravity suggests a possible solution to the health risks of long-term zero gravity, without actually abolishing weightlessness or requiring the construction of vast centrifuges.
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Up, Up, and Away!
SpaceShipOne claimed the Ansari X-Prize, but that's not the end of the story. Now near-term suborbital tourism has hit the fast track, and people are jumping on the bandwagon. Could you be flying in space within a few years?
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Over the Rainbow
The new movie "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is an irresistible piece of entertainment, a dazzling and heartbreaking look back at a future that never was, and a song in the air for anyone who ever wished he could fly over the rainbow.
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Strange New Worlds
As the number of planets discovered outside our solar system continues to grow, is it possible that one day soon we will find an Earth-like planet orbiting another star--perhaps even one with life?
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They, Robots
A recent movie "suggested by" the work of Isaac Asimov is renewing interest in a subset of science fiction. One of the early masterworks is surely Jack Williamson's The Humanoids, whose Prime Directive is "to serve and obey, and guard men from harm."
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Into the Wild Black Yonder
On June 21, the first private manned spacecraft flew into suborbital space. Now the countdown to someone claiming the Ansari X-Prize is really on; can true suborbital tourism be far off?
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Cry Havoc!
With high-value assets in space comes a changed security environment; it is necessary to protect those assets from attack. What would future combat in space actually look like?
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Almost Back in the Saddle?
The latest update on the Space Shuttle return-to-flight effort shows areas of key progress, as well as new challenges. Will America's manned space program resume flying on schedule?
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Ahead Warp Factor...One-Half?
Among the advanced propulsion systems that are possible in the future, a fusion engine holds some of the best promise--and is one of the most likely to be achieved. All aboard for Jupiter?
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Going Up?
Forget about rockets; some futurists are after a space elevator made of carbon nanotubes. Will the journey into orbit ever be as simple as pushing the button for the top floor?
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Once More, with Feeling
On January 14, 2004, President Bush articulated a new vision for American spaceflight. Within a few years, we may finally, definitively, be on course for Mars.
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If You Can't Beat the Laws of Physics...
What does theoretical physics have to say about faster-than-light travel? Conventionally, of course, it's illegal--but do forms of exotic matter give us possible ways to cheat?
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How Not to Go to Mars
With an historic opportunity right around the corner, the new direction of American spaceflight is probably about to be revealed. We can only hope and pray that it will not be brought down by the mistakes that always seem to rear their ugly heads.
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From the Earth to the Moon...Again
The powers that be are dithering over the Orbital Space Plane and the next destination of the American space program; all eyes are on the President to see what course he will set. With the Centennial of Flight approaching, is he about to send us back to the moon?
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The Modular Menace
Small modules hooked together in orbit have been practically a given for two decades of space planning. As a result we've stayed over budget, behind schedule, and in Earth orbit. How do we break free?
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The Winds of Change
The Columbia accident report is out, and it's time to set the new course for NASA. What changes have to be made to keep people in space, safely, and get us back on course for the real mission of exploration?
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On Wonder
There are many pragmatic arguments in favor of space exploration, but among people who have flown in space, there is also one overriding feeling: wonder.
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The Best Is Yet to Come
The month of June was a significant time for unexpected progress in the struggle to revolutionize space access. The Orbital Space Plane is now on a more advanced schedule, and a fresh young start-up is poised to succeed in the quest for a reusable launch vehicle. Finally!
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The Bad Old Days
An affectionate look back at some of the late, great science fiction masterpieces to which space exploration owes a heavy debt.
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The Future is Now
The legendary aviation pioneer Burt Rutan has revealed his entry into the race for the X-prize and the coveted space tourism market--and no sooner than he got in, he looked like winning. One hundred years after the first powered flight, have we witnessed the birth of the true Space Age?
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Reaching for Orbit
Two men operating a bicycle shop gave us powered, heavier-than-air flight. Many today try to give us cheap access to orbit--but many obstacles stand in their way.
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Prometheus Unbound
Prometheus gave man fire, and was punished by the gods. Project Prometheus is ready to give us the solar system; will Congress play along?
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''The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.''
Farewell, Columbia. Your mission goes on.
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A Digression on Cloning
A cult's claim to have birthed a human clone poses troubling questions. Are there answers?
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Next Stop: Orbit!
NASA's orbital spaceplane project is short on vision, but might do some good; the only question is, will it delay a manned mission to Mars?
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A Three Hour Tour
A look at the possibilities for interstellar exploration; is faster-than-light travel possible, or are there other avenues we might pursue?
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In Defense of the Wild West
Space exploration is at the mercy of those who see it as a government-only enterprise, and those who can't resist planning grand schemes that no government will ever fund. How do we break the stalemate?
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Not Your Grandpa's Rocket Engine
A near-term propulsion breakthrough promises to pave the road to Mars; bizarre budgetary decisions threaten to derail the project.
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Maybe the Right Stuff
Is the Bush Administration's ongoing rearrangement of NASA priorities going to revive the space program--or kill it?
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Mars or Bust
A look back at some of the Mars missions that never were...and should have been.
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Close Encounters of the Rationed Kind
A review of a new science fiction novel and some thoughts on that wondrous futuristic confection, the amazing ration bar.
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When Ares Comes Marching Home
Don't fire until you see the whites of their rocket exhausts! The shape of the Martian revolution to come.
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The Big Boom
Everything you always wanted to know about propelling a ship using nuclear bombs, but were afraid to ask.
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Duck and Cover
Asteroids and comets fly to and fro around us; what can we do if one decides to hit?
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Ferris Wheels in Space
An investigation of the how and why of artificial gravity; can we make it work, and what will it take?
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Annus Martis
We've rung in the New Year on Earth; what about the New Year on Mars? A discussion of the Martian calendar.
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"Live, from the Red Planet..."
A review of a new science fiction novel and a discussion of one of its most fascinating suggestions: a Mars mission funded by a television network.
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We, the Martians
There are a lot of competing ideologies out there; what sort of constitution will govern the settlers of Mars?
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To Breathe or Not to Breathe
A discussion of the most fundamental problem confronting a Martian settlement: Do you have a right to breathable air?
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Ever Upward
A reflection on the tragedy of September 11, 2001
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Moving Towards Mars
How the second crew of the International Space Station has changed the rules of the debate over a manned mission to Mars.
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The Orbital Invisible Hand
A look at the likely shape of orbital commerce in the era of the 1st generation reusable launch vehicle.
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U-Haul to the Stars
What the latest developments in the quest for a reusable launch vehicle mean for the future.
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Disposable Volkswagens
How our current state of affairs is holding back the conquest of space, and why there's not really all that much reason to worry.
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