Too much XS–in government space

Every now and then, an article, like this one posted in USA Today, shows up. The gist of the article is: the Pentagon is looking for a “cheap” way to get satellites into space. In this particular case they’re looking at a “space plane” called XS-1. We’ve heard this before, with pretty much the same […]

SpaceX Merlin Rocket Engine LiveScribe Love

I decided give you all a little hint about the next post I’m working on. This old LiveScribe, um, video(??) is narrated by Tom Mueller, SpaceX’s Vice President of Propulsion Development. What that position typically means is he’s in charge of a lot people who know how to build rocket engines and motors, how to […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, part 18—“Look at the stars, look how they shine for you…”

“…Yeah, they were all yellow.” So, a small confession before continuing: One of the reasons you haven’t seen any lessons for the past few weeks regarding the imagery colors is because I’ve been stuck on this color thing for a little while. I think part of dilemma is just going through, color by color, has been […]

Is there really a “Space Race?” (cue “Chariots of Fire”)

“there can be only one?” There are headlines so full of assumptions, you sometimes have to take a step back, and think long and hard about the “angle” of the article. In this instance, I’m referring to The Age, an Australian newspaper with an article, dated November 9, headlined “China to win space race unless […]

Why Space Really Matters: following the Haiyan Super Typhoon

The NBCNews.com website posted an article with a few pictures taken from different satellites of the Haiyan Super Typhoon. And the Washington Post has managed to one-up NBC News with a lot more typhoon images from more satellites. Such images are helping thousands of people. There’s a lot of information out there regarding this typhoon, […]