Posted Jun 30, 2011, by J VanDomelen
I’ll admit it. I, like other geeks in the mil/aero market, have a fascination with space. It’s a passionate subject, and one about which many people have a strong opinion. Tempers are flaring around the privatization of space exploration. The Obama Administration has called for NASA to focus funds elsewhere, and partner with private industry (commercial companies) when it comes to space exploration. … Read More
Tags:
Sir Richard Charles Branson,
Milaero,
spacex,
Elon Musk,
Geek,
Aerospace,
Virgin Galactic,
Mentor.com,
Mil-Aero,
Mentor,
Mentor Graphics
Posted Apr 26, 2011, by J VanDomelen
When the Space Shuttle retires as scheduled in June, NASA will be dependent on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Based on a recent $753 million contract NASA awarded to the Russian Federal Space Agency, these outsourced services cost U.S. taxpayers roughly $63 million per seat.
It’s doubtless a hefty price tag, but NASA lacks U.S.-based … Read More
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Aerospace,
nasa,
Virgin Galactic,
Soyuz,
Milaero,
Geek,
Mentor.com,
Mil-Aero,
ISS,
Elon Musk,
rad-hard,
spacex,
Mentor,
Boeing,
Russian Federal Space Agency,
Space Shuttle,
Mentor Graphics
Posted Apr 19, 2011, by J VanDomelen
This geek is in love with the developing private space flight industry. If you haven’t been an avid follower, my previous blogs on the President’s 2012 Budget Request for NASA and the latest announcements from X Prize, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic can get you up to speed.
It is terribly exciting to witness technological advancements stemming from private investment, commercial successes pioneering research … Read More
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nasa,
Military,
Obama,
Geek,
US,
Mentor,
Virgin Galactic,
x prize,
Aerospace,
Russia,
Mil-Aero,
Space Race,
Milaero,
spacex,
Mentor Graphics,
U.S.S.R.,
Mentor.com
Posted Mar 30, 2011, by J VanDomelen
The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2012, if approved, will revert NASA’s spending to 2010 levels overall. This geek wonders if, as federal funds for space exploration shrink, commercial investment in space innovations will grow. If the previous couple years are any indication, the private space race is likely to heat up and reach new heights (hopefully low Earth orbit, most often referred … Read More
Tags:
Milaero,
Mil-Aero,
Military,
Aerospace,
Geek,
Add new tag,
Mentor Graphics,
nasa,
Sir Richard Charles Branson,
Mentor.com,
LEO,
spacex,
Mentor,
Virgin Galactic
Posted Jan 10, 2011, by J VanDomelen
The President’s budget request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in fiscal year 2011, released 1 Feb. 2010, added $6 billion over five years. The $6 billion increase was accompanied by instructions as to how the money should be invested, which was hotly criticized at the time. Looking back nearly a year later, it’s evident that the additional funding has been a boon … Read More
Tags:
Military,
Milaero,
Mentor,
Aviation,
Computer,
Mentor Graphics,
Mentor.com,
Mil-Aero,
Aerospace,
Design,
Geek,
DoD,
George W. Bush,
Hardware,
Constellation,
Mars,
COTS,
Embedded Systems,
Electronic,
Engineer,
Moon,
spacex,
Virgin Galactic,
nasa,
Obama
Posted Dec 8, 2010, by J VanDomelen
In October, Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; staff of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA); and roughly 30 of the more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts dedicated the world’s first spaceway at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
The nearly two-mile-long runway was officially named the “Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway” at the event, at … Read More
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NMSA,
New Mexico Spaceport Authority,
Mentor.com,
Aerospace,
Aviation,
Mil-Aero,
Milaero,
New Mexico,
Aabar Investments,
Gov. Bill Richardson,
Electric,
electrical,
hybrid rocket motor,
Mentor,
Design,
Mentor Graphics,
Design Automation,
Embedded Systems,
Electronic,
Geek,
Sir Richard Branson,
Virgin Galactic,
SpacePort America,
Spaceway,
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson,
Sovereign Wealth Fund
Posted Nov 30, 2010, by J VanDomelen
Out of all the places on planet Earth, where do you suppose the first commercial spaceport is going to be built? New Mexico, of course! It makes perfect sense because one of the most famous unidentified flying objects (UFOs) allegedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. The story goes that a “flying disc” crashed near Roswell and the military immediately took control of the site, revealing that … Read More
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Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson,
Sir Richard Branson,
Virgin Megastore,
Virgin Records,
Aviation,
New Mexico,
Computer,
Project Mogul,
Richard Branson,
Roswell,
Aerospace,
electrical,
Mentor Graphics,
Electronic,
Mentor.com,
Design,
Mil-Aero,
Electric,
Milaero,
Geek,
Embedded Systems,
Mentor,
Virgin Group,
SpacePort,
Virgin Atlantic Airway,
Virgin Galactic,
US Air Force,
Virgin,
Student Magazine,
UFO,
SpacePort America,
Spaceway
Posted Nov 27, 2010, by J VanDomelen
Virgin Galactic, according to the company’s Web site, is an “airline offering suborbital spaceflights,” or flights into space with a reusable spacecraft. The Virgin Galactic vehicle is capable of carrying passengers into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). While in LEO, passengers gain a taste of what it is like to be free of Earth’s gravity, after which the craft descends, once again falling victim to Earth’s … Read More
Tags:
Mentor.com,
Mentor Graphics,
Vetronics,
Virgin Galactic,
Aviation,
Jet,
Virgin Mother Ship,
Burt Rutan,
LEO,
VMS,
WhiteKnightOne,
Low Earth Orbit,
WhiteKnightTwo,
Aerospace,
Mentor,
Electronic,
HTPB,
Eve,
Hybrid,
Design,
hybrid rocket motor,
Design Automation,
hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene new tag,
Geek,
Future of Flight,
Hardware,
SpaceShipTwo,
Mil-Aero,
Sir Richard Branson,
SpaceShipOne,
rad-hard,
Scaled Composite,
N2O,
nitrous oxide,
Milaero,
Military
Posted Sep 16, 2010, by J VanDomelen
Part 1 explored Boeing and Space Adventures’ new memorandum outlining a partnership to further increase the growing industry of commercial space flight. Part 2 aims to answer some pressing questions: What is Space Adventures’ background? Who is funding the effort? When is the Boeing Crew Space Transport-100 (CST-100) scheduled to be completed? And who are the players involved in this competitive game … Read More
Tags:
Mentor.com,
Mentor Graphics,
Mil-Aero,
Boeing,
Space Adventures,
commercial spaceflight,
Space Shuttle,
spacex,
Aerospace,
Virgin Galactic,
Milaero,
International Space Station,
Military,
Mentor,
nasa,
CST-100,
Scaled Composites,
Geek
Posted Sep 16, 2010, by J VanDomelen
With NASA’s Space Shuttle program coming to an end, the private space transportation industry is heating up. Many players are making plans to provide out-of-this-world service in the not too distant future. As I have discussed in previous blogs, a growing number of companies (such as SpaceX and Scaled Composites) and private incentive programs (such as Ansari X Prize) have been encouraging the privately … Read More
Tags:
Space Adventures,
Scaled Composites,
Mil-Aero,
Ansari X Prize,
Aviation,
Milaero,
nasa,
Richard Branson,
Aerospace,
commercial spaceflight,
Low Earth Orbit,
Mentor,
CST-100,
Mentor Graphics,
Boeing,
Mentor.com,
Brewster Shaw,
Hardware,
Geek,
LEO,
spacex,
Virgin Galactic,
x prize