Spotlight
British-Born Astronaut Awarded OBE
Astronaut Piers Sellers has been awarded an OBE, Order of the British Empire, in recoginition of his contributions to science. Born in East Sussex, UK, Dr. Sellers became an American citizen and flew on three space shuttle missions, most recently in May 2010. According to the BBC, Sellers is one of only five UK-born people to have flown in…
New Orbital and Suborbital Research Opportunities
As NASA and its partners complete the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), the facility and its expanded six-person crews are now able to devote more time to new research. Despite the limitations on crew size and facilities during the assembly phase of the station, NASA performed more than 100 experiments there during the…
Christmas 2010 Was Busiest Ever for NORAD
NORAD Tracks Santa, which is designated by the Space Foundation as a Certified Imagination ProductTM, logged a record number of phone calls and emails on Christmas Eve 2010. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) runs the program, which for more than 50 years has tracked Santa and provided updates to children around the world.…
Vote for Best NASA Student Video by Feb. 6
NASA has opened online voting for its Optimus Prime Spinoff Award student video contest. The public is invited to vote for its favorite videos, made by students in grades three through eight, developed to help educate America’s youth about the benefits of NASA’s technologies. A panel of NASA judges will select the winners in each…
See Historical Coverage of Challenger Accident
January 28 marked the 25th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. For those who are too young to remember the events of that day, news reports and coverage can be seen on YouTube: CBS news coverage of the accident and memorial service NBC news coverage CNN coverage Also, on the Internet: See the January 20, 2011,…
ESA Member States Increase Funding
Despite growing economic woes in Europe, 14 of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) soon-to-be 19 member nations will increase their contributions for 2011. Last month, Romania took the first step to becoming the 19th ESA Member State by signing an Accession Agreement to the ESA Convention. Later this year, the Government of Romania will conclude…
Guest Commentary by Attorney Frank Thomas
Reprinted with permission from the Nov. 7, 2010, issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I was 10 when Sputnik appeared. The Russian orb, scantly a pebble, was the first human object to skim the final frontier on Oct. 4, 1957. My friends and I, like kids across the country, responded by running outside. Eyes and necks…
Craig Barrett to Speak at Symposium
Education advocate and retired Intel Chief Executive Officer/Chairman Craig R. Barrett, Ph.D., will speak about the crisis in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and potential solutions at the 27th National Space Symposium Corporate Partnership Dinner, April 12, 2011, at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event, which recognizes the companies and…
ISU Symposium Slated for February
The International Space University (ISU) is hosting a symposium February 15 – 17, 2011, with the theme, The International Space Station: Maximizing the Return from Extended Operations. The symposium will address the opportunities offered by extending operation of the International Space Station (ISS) to at least 2020. Closing keynote comments will address possible future directions…
Space Foundation Creates New Cyber Position
Recognizing the increasingly important role of the cyber domain and how it relates to the needs and missions of corporate and military customers, the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation has hired cyberspace expert Art Ratkewicz to fill a new manager – cyber initiatives position. Ratkewicz has served at Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), U.S. Strategic Command,…