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Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on global space activities. The NASA fostered commercial spaceflight of the SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon spacecraft on Wednesday grabbed the attention of the space community in the U.S. and abroad. Much of the reporting suggests the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program initiated by NASA six years ago along with the strides made by SpaceX are opening a door for private sector spaceflight. After lifting off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon capsule completed a two orbit unmanned test flight before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean right on target. Also, Japan looks to a thruster problem as the reason its Venus probe failed to maneuver into orbit around the neighboring planet this week.
1. From the New York Times: Wednesday’s successful Falcon 9/Dragon mission is a validation of the new course the White House has chosen for the space agency, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/science/space/09rocket.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=NASA&st=cse
A. From the Washington Post: The successful flight of the Falcon 9/Dragon is evidence a NASA/private sector partnership can work, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. However, Garver believes some will remain skeptic. “Change is hard, especially in government, but that’s what the President wants to bring,” she tells the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2010/12/08/ST2010120802515.html?sid=ST2010120802515
B. From Space.com: A chorus of domestic U.S. experts offer praise for SpaceX.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/missionlaunches/spacex-dragon-launch-response-101209.html
C. From the Orlando Sentinel: The SpaceX mission was a reminder of America’s “can do” days in space, writes columnist Mike Thomas
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/os-mike-thomas-spacex-120910-20101208,0,1787694.column
D. From Florida Today: SpaceX founder Elon Musk finds the SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon test flight “mind blowing”.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20101209/NEWS02/12090312/Dragon+spacecraft+debut+proves+to+be++mind+blowing+
E. From Spacepolicyonline.com: NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services office plans two more demonstration flights of Falcon 9 and Dragon in 2011, as well as the first mission with an actual cargo delivery to the International Space Station. SpaceX founder Elon Musk raises the possibility of combining the two test flights into a single docking demonstration by mid-2011.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1274:spacex-success-questions-whether-two-more-demos-are-needed&catid=83:news&Itemid=76
F. From the Wall Street Journal: Elon Musk’s achievement is historic and signals a new race to space, as a private company accomplishes something only six state space programs had managed previously, Russia, India, Japan, China, the European Space Agency and the United States.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703493504576007293723135976.html?KEYWORDS=NASA
G. From the Los Angeles Times: SpaceX achieves a “pivotal moment” for private spaceflight.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-spacex-launch-20101209,0,7012313.story
H. From the Associated Press via the Huntsville Times: NASA takes a “giant leap” with the flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon.
http://www.al.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/company-is-first-to-return-spacecraft-from/5d538eb3a89448ac849eb4c9913b7fa6
I. From the Economist: SpaceX achieves a small but significant milestone that will invite the private sector into spaceflight. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/12/private_spaceflight
2. From the Mainichi Daily News of Japan: Japan’s first Venus probe appears to have experienced a thruster failure that prevented the Akatsuki spacecraft from maneuvering into orbit around the planet this week. The failure caused the spacecraft to spin, and then enter a ‘safe mode’ that prevented a successful braking maneuver.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101209p2a00m0na006000c.html
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