Space Shuttle Endeavour Approaching The ISS (Image:NASA)

Welcome to another edition of the GeekDad Space Report! We have a quiet week coming up with no launches scheduled. The three launches scheduled last week all made it off the pad with a 1 day delay for the SDO launch due to high winds. Lets take a look at what else is going on in space!

Interesting Hubble Observations

In many ways, all of the Hubble observations are interesting, but here is a list of some of the standouts in the coming week. A more complete list can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) This Week On HST Website.

A SNAPSHOT Survey of the Local Interstellar Medium: New NUV Observations of Stars with Archived FUV Observations

How Far Does H2 Go: Constraining FUV Variability in the Gaseous Inner Holes of Protoplanetary Disks

Direct Age Determination of the Local Group dE Galaxies NGC 147 and NGC 185

This is a small list of the overall observations. You may also see some of these observations popping up in other weeks as many observation programs consist of several observations over time.

Manned Spaceflight

It was a fun week for manned spaceflight. The Space Shuttle Endeavour rocketed skyward to the ISS, docking with the orbiting laboratory. The crews of Endeavour and the ISS worked together to install the Tranquility module and start bringing it’s systems online. Tranquility’s famous cupola was moved into position last night and will be opened for amazing views Wednesday or Thursday. Endeavour is scheduled to land Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. To keep up with the latest on STS-130 be sure to check out NASA’s Shuttle Mission page.

An interesting note for the week in manned spaceflight. NASA used the song “The Ballad of Serenity” for a wake-up call to the crew of Endeavour this week for astronaut Bob Behnken. Using a favorite song for different astronauts is a common occurrence but this caught the attention of a lot of folks because of the Serenity link. This got a discussion going among some colleagues that work in the space business with me as well as space enthusiasts about what song they would want for their wake-up call if they were in space. Myself, I would want “Jupiter” from the Planets Symphony. I posed the question to @moonrangerlaura (a great space tweeter if you’re not already following her) and she said she would want either “The Ballad of Serenity” or “Rainbow Connection”. I also had the great fortune of meeting Felicia Day (@feliciaday, as if you weren’t already following her) this weekend. I posed the question to her, a tough question when asked out of the blue, and she said that she could not narrow it down to a particular song but that it would probably be something by Jimmy Hendrix. What song would you want for your wakeup call?

Have a great week everyone!

Artist Concept of SDO (Image: NASA)

Today marks the start of a new era in solar observations with the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO for short. As mentioned in this week’s GeekDad Space Report, SDO launched today aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral. SDO is the first observatory in NASA’s Living With a Star program. The goal of the Living With a Star program is to better understand how the Sun affects the Earth and near-Earth space. From the mission website:

SDO’s goal is to understand, driving towards a predictive capability, the solar variations that influence life on Earth and humanity’s technological systems by determining

• how the Sun’s magnetic field is generated and structured
• how this stored magnetic energy is converted and released into the heliosphere and geospace in the form of solar wind, energetic particles, and variations in the solar irradiance.

SDO will achieve these goals with three instruments.  The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), the Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) Variability Experiment (EVE) and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). The AIA is an array of four telescopes that will observe the surface and atmosphere of the sun. The AIA filters cover 10 different wavelength bands that are selected to reveal key aspects of solar activity. EVE will measure fluctuations in the sun’s ultraviolet output. Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the sun has a direct and powerful effect on Earth’s upper atmosphere; it heats it, inflates it, and inserts enough energy to break apart atoms and molecules. Researchers don’t know how fast the sun can vary at many of these wavelengths, so they expect to make many new discoveries about flare events. Finally, HMI will map solar magnetic fields and peer beneath the sun’s opaque surface using a technique called helioseismology. A key goal of this experiment is to decipher the physics of the sun’s magnetic dynamo.

SDO Atop The Atlas V (Image: NASA)

The observatory is going to sit in an inclined geosynchronous orbit which will allow continuous data coverage. The continuous coverage is very important as the observatory is going to capture more data than can be captured and stored for long periods. The SDO continuous data stream has a bandwidth of 130 Megabits per second. All of this data will generate amazing images of the sun at a resolution that is ten times greater than high definition television. The SDO command center is located at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD which is also where the observatory integration and testing occurred.

Be sure to check out the mission homepage for a great deal more information and some education outreach information. Also, be sure to check out this great video about the mission over at the NASA Living With a Star page. If you are a twitter user you can follow @nasa_sdo and @nasa_sdo_edu. Congratulations to the entire SDO team!

STS-130 Launch (Image: NASA)

Hello all from the Hoth-like D.C. Metro area! We are all digging out here but space exploration marches on!

The launch of a Progress supply ship went off on time this past week and rendezvoused with the ISS on Thursday. Meanwhile, at the Kennedy Space Center, the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour was delayed from Sunday the 7th due to weather and was successfully launched this morning.  Check out last week’s GeekDad Space Report for more information on the mission and the crew of STS-130. Endeavour is scheduled to arrive at the ISS early on Wednesday morning. You can check out a video of the launch on YouTube.

Launches (Sources: Spaceflight Now World Launch Schedule, Wallops Flight Facility Daily Range Schedule)

Monday, February 8-
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 39A (Map View)
Mission: STS-130
Launch Time: 09:14 GMT (04:14 EST)
Notes: Delivery of the Tranquility Module to the ISS and the final scheduled night launch of the Space Shuttle program.

Wednesday, February 10 -
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V
Launch Pad: SLC-41 (Map View)
Payload: Solar Dynamics Observatory
Launch Window: 15:26-16:26 GMT (10:26-11:26 EST)
Notes: Launch of a new observer of our local star.

Friday, February 12 -
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launch Vehicle: Proton
Payload: Intelsat 16
Launch Time: 00:39 GMT
Notes: New communications satellite set to service Latin America.

Interesting Hubble Observations

In many ways, all of the Hubble observations are interesting, but here is a list of some of the standouts in the coming week. A more complete list can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) This Week On HST Website.

The Physical Nature and Age of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

The Nuclear Structure of OH Megamaser Galaxies

The Disks, Accretion, and Outflows (DAO) of T Tau stars

This is a small list of the overall observations. You may also see some of these observations popping up in other weeks as many observation programs consist of several observations over time.

Asteroid Impact Captured

While we are talking about the Hubble Telescope, it appears the orbiting observatory may have captured the first image of an asteroid impact.  Wired Science has a report on the image which was captured by Hubble’s new Wide Field Camera 3.

Snowmaggedon From Space

Finally for this week, as I said at the start, I am among the many buried by a blizzard this past weekend. The MODIS instrument on the TERRA satellite captured a great view of the blanket of snow. Send warm thoughts!

Have a great week everyone!

Pluto has been revealed to be more dynamic than previously thought. New images, taken with Hubble’s revived Advanced Camera for Survey’s High Resolution Camera, reveal changing surface features where the changes are likely caused by ice sublimiating at the poles of the dwarf planet and then redistributing to other parts of the surface. The color is believed to be caused by ultraviolet light from the Sun breaking up methane on the surface. From the press release:

The Hubble pictures underscore that Pluto is not simply a ball of ice and rock but a dynamic world that undergoes dramatic atmospheric changes. These are driven by seasonal changes that are as much propelled by the planet’s 248-year elliptical orbit as its axial tilt, unlike Earth where the tilt alone drives seasons. The seasons are very asymmetric because of Pluto’s elliptical orbit. Spring transitions to polar summer quickly in the northern hemisphere because Pluto is moving faster along its orbit when it is closer to the Sun.

In addition to providing new insight into Pluto, the images are also going to help define observation plans for the New Horizons mission, due to arrive at Pluto in 2015. There is a great writeup about the press release over at Wired Science.  The camera that captured the new images was previously out of commission but was repaired during a unprecedented spacewalk during Hubble’s Servicing Mission 4 where the individual circuit boards were removed during a spacewalk and replacement electronics were installed.

The Crew of STS-130 (Image: NASA)

Hello all and welcome to the latest edition of the GeekDad Space Report! The launch scheduled for last week of a Russian Military communications satellite was a success, lifting off on time. We have two launches scheduled for this week, both to the ISS so the launch schedule for the year is starting to pick up. Let’s take a look:

Launches (Sources: Spaceflight Now World Launch Schedule, Wallops Flight Facility Daily Range Schedule)

Wednesday, February 3 -
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launch Vehicle: Soyuz Rocket
Payload: Progress 36P
Launch Time: 03:45 GMT
Notes: Unmanned ISS supply mission.

Sunday, February 7-
Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle Endeavour
Launch Pad: Launch Complex 39A (Map View)
Mission: STS-130
Launch Time: 09:39 GMT (04:39 EST)
Notes: Delivery of the Tranquility Module to the ISS and the final scheduled night launch of the Space Shuttle program.

Interesting Hubble Observations

In many ways, all of the Hubble observations are interesting, but here is a list of some of the standouts in the coming week. A more complete list can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) This Week On HST Website.

Narrowing in on the Hubble Constant and Dark Energy

The population of compact planetary nebulae in the Galactic Disk

The Wavelength Dependence of Accretion Disk Structure

This is a small list of the overall observations. You may also see some of these observations popping up in other weeks as many observation programs consist of several observations over time.

Mars Exploration Rovers

Alexis Madrigal has an article over at Wired Science about the new status of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Spirit is a rover no more and is, instead, now a stationary research platform. Controllers have given up on trying to move Spirit from the place it has been stuck for several months. The concern is now focused on Spirit’s ability to survive the Martian winter. The mission of Sprit, regardless of the outcome of the winter, can be called nothing but an amazing success. Sprit had a planned mission life of approximately 92 Earth days and has now operated for over 2219 Earth days.

WISE

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, also known as WISE, was previously reported on at GeekDad and Wired Science. Now WISE has made its first discovery of an asteroid. Space.com is reporting the discovery of a near earth asteroid, designated 2010 AB78. The asteroid is now 98 million miles from earth and it doesn’t look like it poses any threat to the Earth.

India Manned Space Mission

According to a report on CNN World, India is planning to launch a manned space mission in 2016. From the article:

The cost of the proposed mission is estimated at $4.8 billion, said S. Satish, spokesman for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Studies have begun on the design of the crew capsules that will be used to put a pair of astronauts 300 kilometers aloft for seven days, he said. The project budget has been sent for federal approval, he added.

A training facility for astronauts will also be built in southern India as part of the program, which Satish said would be solely Indian.

In 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to explore space in what was a joint mission with the then Soviet Union.

Congratulations to India on the kickoff of this manned space program!

One Big Jump

Popular Mechanics has a great story about Austrian Skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s upcoming record-setting skydive from the edge of space.  Sponsored by Red Bull, the jump will take place from a high-altitude ballon from 120,000 feet, 23 miles up. During his plunge, Baumgartner will break the sound barrier. The jump will take place later this year.

Space Shuttle & Space Station

As mentioned above, the Space Shuttle Endeavour will launch at the end of this week on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The crew compliment is (from the STS-130 Mission overview):

George D. Zamka - Commander
Terry W. Virts Jr. - Pilot
Nicholas J.M. Patrick - Mission Specialist (Follow on Twitter)
Robert L. Behnken - Mission Specialist
Stephen K. Robinson - Mission Specialist
Kathryn P. Hire - Mission Specialist

The general mission overview from the same site is:

Endeavour will deliver a third connecting module - the Tranquility node - to the station and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

This is also scheuduled to be the final night-launch of the Space Shuttle program.  After STS-130, there will only be four flights left for the Space Shuttle. Good luck to the crew of Endeavour!

Have a great week everyone!

Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128 (Image: NASA)

On this day in 1967 three brave astronauts lost their lives when a fire started inside their Apollo command module during a test on the launchpad. Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the 1986 Challenger disaster where seven more astronauts lost their lives. Finally, next Monday is the seventh anniversary of the Columbia tragedy where seven astronauts were lost. These three events are captured in the memories of the whole world.

This Friday, January 29, is a Day of Remembrance for NASA. The day is intended to remember the 17 astronauts who were lost in these three tragedies and  7 other astronauts who lost their lives in support of the space program. During a ceremony, to be held at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, a wreath will be laid at the Space Mirror Memorial. If you will be in the area, the ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. and is open to the public.

Traveling to space is dangerous but every year several people from all over the world risk their lives to further our exploration of space because they believe it is a cause that is worth the personal risk. Gus Grissom, who was among the three astronauts that lost their lives in the Apollo 1 launchpad fire, had the following words for the media about the risks inherent in spaceflight after his successful Gemini 3 mission:

If we die, we want people to accept it. We are in a risky business and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.

I thank these brave souls who lost their lives to further discovery and all those from around the world who risk their lives in the name of exploration and close with the word engraved on the Apollo 1 memorial:

Ad Astra Per Aspera

(A Rough Road Leads To The Stars)

Image of Mars from the MRO HiRISE Camera (Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Greetings all and welcome to another edition of the GeekDad Space Report. We expected to be coming off another quiet week for launches, however we were surprised with a launch by the Chinese government. Here are some stats on the launch:

Saturday January 16, 2010
Launch Site: Xichang Launch Facility, People’s Republic of China
Launch Vehicle: Long March 3C (Chang Zheng 3C)
Payload: Beidou-2 G1 (Compass-G1)
Launch Time: 16:12 GMT
Notes: A new satellite in the Chinese navigation constellation program.

We also have a launch scheduled for this coming week:

Thursday January 28, 2010
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launch Vehicle: Proton
Payload: Raduga Communications Satellite
Launch Window: 00:18 GMT
Notes: A communications satellite for the Russian military.

That’s it for launch information for the week so let’s take a look at what else is going on around and about space.

Interesting Hubble Observations

Here are some interesting observations scheduled for Hubble. A more complete list can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) This Week On HST Website.

The Cycles of Alpha Centauri

Globular Cluster Candidates for Hosting a Central Black Hole

Observing Cluster Assembly Around the Massive Cluster RXJ0152-13

This is a small list of the overall observations. You may also see some of these observations popping up in other weeks as many observation programs consist of several observations over time.

Student Program

NASA has announced a new student competition, the Environmentally Responsible (Green) Aviation High School Student Challenge. The competition is open to High School groups and individuals. Check out the NASA Press Release and if you have a High School level Geek-In-Training they may enjoy participating.

Mars

Want to help NASA pick targets for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)? Consider yourself invited. A new program allows students and the general public to select targets on the Martian surface to be imaged with the HiRISE camera, fulfilling the original nickname of the  ”The People’s Camera”. The program is HiWish and is definitely worth checking out!

Manned Spaceflight

Spaceflight Now is reporting on the movement of the Tranquility module out to the Space Shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad in preparation for the launch of STS-130. Tranquility will provide a “room with a view” for the crew of the International Space Station.

Have a great week everyone!

Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov participating in the first spacewalk of 2010. (Image: NASA)

Greetings all and welcome to another edition of the GeekDad Space Report. Coming off a quiet week for launches and going into another quiet week so lets dive into some other space news.

Astronomy

New images were released this week of the star Betelgeuse. As reported by Space.com, these images show a resolved disk of the Red Supergiant star, which is about 600 light-years away, in infrared and were taken with a group of ground-based observatories in Arizona. The telescopes were linked together using a method known as interferometry. The images show areas of convection, similar to our own sun, and provide a great insight into the life of Red Supergiants.

A solar eclipse this past Friday was observed by a set of rockets launched by India, as reported by an article on CNN. The rockets are designed to study the effects of the eclipse on the lower and middle parts of our atmosphere.

Wired Science had a report this week of a small astroid that passed by the earth at just one-third the distance to the moon. There were no worries about the astroid hitting the Earth as it was only 30 to 50 feet across and likely would have burned up entering the atmosphere.

Interesting Hubble Observations

Here are some interesting observations scheduled for Hubble. A more complete list can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) This Week On HST Website.

A SNAPSHOT Survey of the Local Interstellar Medium: New NUV Observations of Stars with Archived FUV Observations

Narrowing in on the Hubble Constant and Dark Energy

Mapping the Interaction between High-Redshift Galaxies and the Intergalactic Environment

This is a small list of the overall observations. You may also see some of these observations popping up in other weeks as many observation programs consist of several observations over time.

Other Science

A group of scientists are getting ready for the opportunities that are expected to come from upcoming sub-orbital flights.  The group is in training to be ready to fly with their experiments on sub-orbital flights according to MSNBC. They are undergoing training at the NASTAR Center, previously discussed as the location used by Virgin Galactic for pre-flight checkouts and for supporting the training regiment of Santa Claus.

Manned Spaceflight

Moving along the path towards the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), Aviation Week is reporting that three new spacesuit designs are undergoing tests at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX. The suits are to be pressurized to better understand the mobility they provide and how they will work with elements of the Orion module.

This past week on the International Space Station, the first spacewalk of 2010 took place to prepare a docking module on a new Russian element of the station according to the Florida Today’s Flame Trench blog.

Have a great week everyone!

A Portion of the WISE First Light Image (Image: Berkeley SSL)

Greetings all and welcome to another edition of the GeekDad Space Report. No launches this week and none from last week to report on, so lets dive right into news in the world of space.

AAS Meeting

This past week, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) held a meeting in Washington, DC and the mission results reported have been very interesting! Here are a couple of the results that have been reported:

Hubble

More results are being reported from the new Hubble Deep Field, discussed previously on GeekDad. Some of the galaxies discovered in these results are only 600 to 800 million years after the Big Bang itself. More information can be found in an article on the discoveries on Space.com.

Kepler

As reported by Wired Science writer Alexis Madrigal, Kepler has already made several discoveries in the short time that it has been operating.  If you are not familiar with the Kepler mission, check out the Wired Science article by Clara Moskowitz about Kepler’s mission.

Interesting Hubble Observations

Before starting the usual list of observations for the week for Hubble, I want to congratulate Astronaut John Grunsfeld. Space News is reporting that Grunsfeld is leaving NASA to assume the role of Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute. I have had the opportunity of meeting John personally back in my Hubble days and can say he is a great pick and will prove to be extremely valuable to STScI.

Back to the listing of Hubble Observations. Here is a list of some of the standouts in the coming week. A more complete list can be found at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) This Week On HST Website.

Probing the early universe with GRBs

Resolving the Smallest Galaxies with ACS

The population of compact planetary nebulae in the Galactic Disk

This is a small list of the overall observations. You may also see some of these observations popping up in other weeks as many observation programs consist of several observations over time.

Elsewhere In The Solar System

Mars

The BBC is reporting that a group of researchers from the Imperial and University Colleges London have found geographic features on Mars which look like drainage channels from large lake beds. The team utilized data fro the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for their study.

The Sun

The Solar-Heliospherical Observatory (SOHO) captured images of a comet being consumed by the sun, as reported by the Daily Mail.

WISE Mission

A fantastic view of space has been captured by the WISE mission as one of its first light observations Wired Science reporter Lisa Grossman is reporting. Additionally, Space News is reporting that the image was captured just after the cover to the telescope was ejected and was part of an effort to calibrate the instruments aboard the observatory.

Manned Spaceflight

As reported by the Associated Press, this past week the Space Shuttle Endeavour moved to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour is being prepared for a February 7 launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

Have a great week everyone!

Published in 1982 and put to film in 1984, Arthur C. Clarke’s 2010: Odyssey Two tells the story of a joint U.S. and Russian investigation into the events surrounding Dave Bowman, HAL, Discovery One and the Jupiter monolith mission from 2001: A Space Odyssey. A great story and a great film if you’ve never read or seen either of them.

With 2010 beginning to spread its wings, let’s take stock of what reality has planned for the space community this year. While I wish we were so far advanced in our space endeavors that we were actually planning to send a second human-mission to Jupiter, it is not to be just yet. However, the year promises to be an exciting one nonetheless.

NASA

If the schedule holds, then 2010 will be the year the Space Shuttle stopped flying. STS-133, currently scheduled for September 16th, will deliver a final set of modules and repair parts to the International Space Station. However, the shuttle may get a reprieve. The Obama administration is currently reviewing the recommendations delivered by the Augustine commission, where a few scenarios called for an extension of the program. Word on the street is that decisions are currently being made and announcements are expected as the year’s budget is presented.

In addition to the remaining shuttle launches, a whole host of Earth science satellites (GOES-P, Aquarius, & Glory) as well as a space weather satellite (SDO) are scheduled. As my fellow GeekDad, Brian McLaughlin, posted earlier this week, we can also expect to continue to receive great science from some of NASA’s existing programs. Hubble-fans are still raving over the images and data being collected by the refurbished & upgraded space telescope. Kepler is just beginning to build up its collection of exo-planets. Cassini is just hitting its stride and WISE is getting set to begin delivering more detailed infrared data as well. In the “cruise” category, Dawn (2011) and New Horizons (2015) continue to race towards their destinations.

European Space Agency

ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft completed its final Earth fly-by late last year as it makes its way out to a rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014. The Europeans are also cultivating candidates to participate in the Mars500 “super sleep-over”. Six crew members will participate in a 520 day Mars simulation, locked away from the rest of the world in a Moscow facility. After proving out the technology for an automated transfer vehicle with the Jules Verne, ESA’s second ATV, the Johannes Kepler, is set to send up supplies to the ISS in November 2010.

Russian Federal Space Agency

The Russians ended 2009 with a bang by declaring that they were gunning for Apophis. The details are sketchy, but at least someone is looking to test the concepts for asteroid deflection (hint, hint NASA). As the shuttle program winds down, the Soyuz will be the primary means of human transportation up to the ISS, charging guest-riders $51 million a seat. In addition to preparing humans for an extended Martian mission along with ESA (see Mars500 above), Russian engineers are also completing tests for the Phobos Grunt mission. The sample return spacecraft will launch in 2011 and land on Mars’ moon Phobos. After collecting soil samples, a return rocket will send the material back to the home planet in 2012.

China National Space Administration

The Chinese have been relatively quiet since the success of their Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008. They have mentioned that more launches for the Shenzhou series are yet to come, but a definite schedule has not been set. The Russian Phobos Grunt mission is being conducted in cooperation with CNSA. They plan to piggyback an orbiter (Yinghou-1) on the Russian launcher to study the magnetic field and atmosphere of the Red Planet. And finally, CNSA has launched a full-blown lunar exploration program. I would not be surprised to see a launch or two this year.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

The Japanese plan to follow-up the successful test of their own space-based automated transfer vehicle with a supply run to the space station using their second H-II Transfer Vehicle. In May 2010, the Venus Climate Orbiter dubbed Akatsuki/Planet-C will be launched aboard an H-IIA rocket. The spacecraft will settle into orbit around Venus later in the year, turning its science instruments towards the planet to collect atmospheric data. The satellite will join ESA’s Venus Express which has been studying the 2nd planet from Sol since 2005.

The Commercial World

Not to be outdone by governmental agencies, 2010 also promises to be a banner year for commercial spaceflight. Two companies in particular have important projects planned. First up, SpaceX will oversee the first launch of their Falcon 9 rocket. The launch will also be the first flight for the Dragon spacecraft. The goal for Dragon this year is to have a successful docking with ISS, however a human-rated version will soon follow.

After rolling out the stunningly beautiful White Knight 2, Virgin Galactic is expecting to run through test flights of WK2’s carry-along shipmate, Space Ship 2, in 2010.  The only downside to this is that regular flights for the paying public are not scheduled for another two years. However, that is two years it will take for me to even start to save up for the $200K  expense.

Summary

It is looking to be a great year for space enthusiasts. Hopefully, as the space highways continue to become more crowded, the competition to be “the first” will help to drive innovation and exploration in human spaceflight. During the height of the Augustine commission’s meetings and presentations, The Planetary Society put out their roadmap for the way forward. I was immediately drawn to their proposed list of space program goals:

• The first human voyages beyond the Earth-Moon system
• The first human voyages beyond the gravitational influence of Earth
• The first human exploration of near-Earth asteroids
• The first human voyages to another planet, culminating with a Mars landing and safe return to Earth
• The first human outpost on Mars with self-sustaining power and resources

Let’s see the world’s space programs take on these challenges!