The Cross Heads

NASA’s boss-to-be proclaims we’re about to enter an “age of experimentation”

Meanwhile, over about the same time period, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, Orion deep space crew capsule, and ground support system upgrades cost nearly $50 billion before the unpiloted Artemis I mission in 2022, according to an analysis by the Planetary Society. That sum has now risen to just shy of $60 billion. The core […]

December 12, 2024 | artemis, human spaceflight, jared isaacman, moon, NASA, Science, Space, starship | No comments

NASA says Orion’s heat shield is good to go for Artemis II—but does it matter?

“We have since determined that while the capsule was dipping in and out of the atmosphere, as part of that planned skip entry, heat accumulated inside the heat shield outer layer, leading to gases forming and becoming trapped inside the heat shield,” said Pam Melroy, NASA’s deputy administrator. “This caused internal pressure to build up […]

December 6, 2024 | artemis, artemis II, bill nelson, human spaceflight, moon, NASA, orion, space launch system | No comments

Trump nominates Jared Isaacman to become the next NASA administrator

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday he has selected Jared Isaacman, a billionaire businessman and space enthusiast who twice flew to orbit with SpaceX, to become the next NASA administrator. “I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),” Trump […]

December 4, 2024 | artemis, Donald Trump, human spaceflight, jared isaacman, NASA, Science, Space, space policy, spacex | No comments

Rocket Report: A good week for Blue Origin; Italy wants its own launch capability

NASA taps Falcon Heavy for another big launch. A little more than a month after SpaceX launched NASA’s flagship Europa Clipper mission on a Falcon Heavy rocket, the space agency announced its next big interplanetary probe will also launch on a Falcon Heavy, Ars reports. What’s more, the Dragonfly mission the Falcon Heavy will launch […]

November 28, 2024 | blue origin, china, human spaceflight, italy, launch, rocket lab, rocket report, Science, Space, spacex | No comments

NASA is stacking the Artemis II rocket, implying a simple heat shield fix

A good sign The readiness of the Orion crew capsule, where the four Artemis II astronauts will live during their voyage around the Moon, is driving NASA’s schedule for the mission. Officially, Artemis II is projected to launch in September of next year, but there’s little chance of meeting that schedule. At the beginning of […]

November 21, 2024 | artemis, artemis II, human spaceflight, Kennedy Space Center, NASA, orion, Science, Space, space launch system, vehicle assembly building | No comments

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