(Update) New Venus Arrival! Japan’s AKATSUKI Orbiter

Japan is initiating a hoped for startΒ of a new eraΒ in Venusian exploration with the orbit insertion around the veiled planet on December 7 of its AKATSUKI spacecraft. However, the exact whereabouts of the orbiterΒ is not known due to loss of contact with the craft by...

Beyond Low Earth Orbit: β€œGateway” Habitats Advocated

A NASA, university and industry team is studying mid-decade human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Detailed by the team are options for long-duration β€œGateway” habitats. An interim look at such a prospect is being briefed at high-levels within NASA, a plan that...

Book Review: Trailblazing Mars – NASA’s Next Giant Leap

Trailblazing Mars – NASA’s Next Giant Leap by Pat Duggins; University Press of Florida; Gainesville, Florida; $24.95 (hard cover); 2010. The distant reddish hue of Mars in the night sky is a magnet for exploration. Eye-catching glimpses of the red planet were first...