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by Edward Ellegood
Florida Space Development Council
December 22, 2016
One of John Glenn’s Last Acts Was to Praise Reusable Rockets
On Thursday night, just hours after John Glenn died, the Smithsonian Institution’s held its 2016 American Ingenuity Awards banquet. This year the magazine honored Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, and as part of the ceremony former astronaut Mae Jemison read a rather extraordinary letter John Glenn had written less than two weeks before, on Nov. 28. The letter commended Bezos for his achievements with Blue Origin, which mark critical steps toward developing a low-cost, reusable launch system. Blue Origin plans to offer suborbital tourism flights in 2018 aboard its New Shepard vehicle, and it has announced plans for ambitious orbital and deep space flights soon thereafter. Bezos wants to enable millions of people to live and work in space. — Ars Technica
Blue Origin Rocket Factory Takes Shape at Florida Spaceport
In a recent e-mail, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos shared pictures of the company’s 750,000-square-foot (69,677-square-meter) facility, which is being built at Exploration Park on Kennedy Space Center property. Blue Origin will use the factory to manufacture the two-stage super-heavy-lift New Glenn launch vehicle. The New Glenn vehicles are expected to build on the reusability technologies that the company has been testing on its New Shepard suborbital vehicle in Texas. Bezos proudly declared, “The team has made extraordinary progress—as you can see here, the first steel is now going up.” Bezos expects the rocket factory to be completed by the end of 2017. — SpaceFlight Insider
Artist’s rendition of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket factory. Image Credit: Blue Origin
Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicles compared to past and current rockets. Image Credit: Blue Origin
How Three Black Women Helped Send John Glenn Into Orbit
When John Glenn was waiting to be fired into orbit aboard Friendship 7 in 1962, there was one person he trusted with the complex trajectory calculations required to bring him down safely from his orbital spaceflight: Katherine Johnson, an African-American mathematician who worked in Nasa’s segregated west area computers division. “Get the girl, check the numbers,” Glenn said before boarding the rocket. “If she says they’re good, I’m good to go.” Johnson was one of three female African-American mathematicians known as the “computers in skirts” who worked on the Redstone, Mercury and Apollo space programs for Nasa. Now, thanks to an award-tipped movie, Hidden Figures, Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan are about to become more widely celebrated. — Guardian
Mary Jackson at NASA Langley Research Centre. Photograph: Bob Nye/NASA
Celebrating the Life of National Space Society Governor and American Hero John Glenn
by Fred Becker
The National Space Society celebrates the life and contributions of the visionary champion of space exploration, Honorable Senator John Glenn, who passed away December 8. “John Glenn was an inspiration for the National Space Society and all those who believe humanity’s destiny lies in the stars,” said Mark Hopkins, Chairman of the Executive Committee of NSS. Hugh Downs, NSS Board of Governors Chair, said, “It was an honor to work with John Glenn as a member of the NSS Board of Governors. John had the courage of his convictions based on his knowledge of science. He did not fall for the myths that surrounded the medical risks of human space travel at the time. His understanding of the science was as important as his getting into the capsule and orbiting the Earth. It is hard to imagine today how important that was for the the U.S. at the time.” Senator John Glenn served the National Space Society as a governor for over two decades. He was an advocate for a strong NASA along with the rest of the National Space Society. He appeared at the 2012 International Space Development Conference along with fellow astronaut Scott Carpenter where they both received the NSS Space Pioneer Award, for actually pioneering space! — NSS
Remembering the Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast
by Jesse Greenspan
Christmas Eve Broadcast to Earth
On December 24, 1968, astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders entered into lunar orbit aboard the Apollo 8 spacecraft. That evening, in a live radio and television transmission, Borman reads a passage from the Book of Genesis.
On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, blasted off from present-day Cape Canaveral in Florida. The plan called for the three astronauts onboard to come within about 70 miles of the moon, circle it several times and return safely home, all while broadcasting their feats to the world below. — History.com
Liftoff of Apollo 8. (Photo by Ralph Morse/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
J.J. Abrams, HBO Developing Space Exploration Drama
The empire of J.J. Abrams is on the verge of expanding. After finding success with Westworld, HBO is once again collaborating with the Star Wars: The Force Awakens director and his company, Bad Robot Productions, EW has confirmed. The network and Abrams are developing Glare, a drama series documenting the colonization of another planet. — Entertainment Weekly
Dear President Trump: Here’s How to Make Space Great Again
Defense thinkers feel embattled in space, focused on protecting our existing investments rather than developing new ones that seize strategic advantage. The first step to make space great again is for the United States to offer a constructive vision that can satisfy many American space needs, including defense. The Trump administration has an opportunity to transcend pessimism in space and focus America where it thrives: aggressive yet peaceful competition. A new Trump national space policy should declare that the US will be the first nation to mine an asteroid; the first nation to extract resources from Earth’s moon and operate a commercial transportation service to and from the lunar surface; the first nation to operate a propellant depot and on-orbit refueling service; the first nation to operate a private space station; the first fleet of fully reusable launch vehicles; the first profitable solar power satellite; the first to build a comprehensive system to defend Earth from hazardous asteroids and comets. — WIRED
SOURCE/GETTY IMAGES
A Trump Administration Path to Advance Commercial Space Solar Power
Should space-based solar power be part of the Trump Administration’s space strategy? Mike Snead makes the argument that it’s essential for the next administration to start work on a technology that can assure long-term energy independence. — Space Review
Illustration of one concept for a space solar power system, which could give the US energy independence and resolve concerns about climate change in the process. (credit: Spacefaring Institute)Boeing to Relocate Space Unit to Washington DC Area (Source: Washington Business Journal)
The Possibilities and Challenges Facing Commercial Space Stations
While all the ISS partners have now agreed to extend operations of the station through at least 2024, the station’s life is finite. In the first of a two-part essay, Cody Knipfer examines some of the issues associated with the future of the ISS and potential commercial successors. — Space Review
Mars One Secures Hong Kong Investor
Mars One, the first publicly traded venture to propose the colonization of another planet, has secured an investment of €6 million from the Hong Kong based investment firm World Stock & Bond Trade Limited. Mars One Ventures AG is now trading publicly at the Frankfurt stock exchange. — Aviation Week
Colorado’s Lockheed Working on Mars Base Camp Concept
It’s a vision that could begin circling Mars by the year 2028 with humans onboard. It’s called the Mars Base Camp – a concept from Colorado’s Lockheed Martin Space Systems. “The idea is to get a lot of science, understanding of Mars and prepared for a human landing thereafter,” said Rob Chambers, Lockheed Martin’s Orion Production Strategy Lead. Similar to the way the International Space Station which orbits the Earth, the Mars Base Camp would circle the red planet by the end of the next decade. “For those of us that live in Colorado, the concept of a base camp makes a lot of sense, in the sense of that’s where you depart from to ultimately go to the peak of the mountain or, in this case, down to the surface of Mars,” Chambers said. — 9 New Colorado
Japan Launching ‘Space Junk’ Collector
Japan launched a cargo ship Friday bound for the International Space Station, carrying a ‘space junk’ collector that was made with the help of a fishnet company. The vessel, dubbed “Kounotori”, blasted off from Tanegashima attached to an H-IIB rocket. Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are experimenting with a tether to pull junk out of orbit around Earth, clearing up tonnes of space clutter including cast-off equipment from old satellites and pieces of rocket. The launch was successful as “the satellite was removed from the rocket” and put into the planned orbit about 15 minutes after the liftoff, JAXA spokesman Nobuyoshi Fujimoto on Tanegashima told AFP. More than 50 years of human space exploration since the Soviet-launched Sputnik satellite in 1957 has produced this hazardous belt of orbiting debris. — Phys.org
China’s Space Exploration Plans Unveiled
The Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Space Science Center has officially unveiled five space exploration plans to be accomplished during the 13th Five Year Plan period (2016-20). — Space Daily
The Einstein Probe satellite that will carry two X-ray telescopes of differing sensitivities to search for black holes, gravitational waves, gamma-ray bursts and other phenomena.
Japan Helping Newcomers to Space Get Off the Ground
The Japanese government is looking to strengthen partnerships with other countries in space exploration, particularly with those that are relative newcomers. Areas of collaboration include looking for ways to expand the aerospace market and providing training and technical support. Japan hopes offering support to countries looking to develop space programs will lead to new opportunities for Japanese space startups and established aerospace companies. The ultimate goal is to make Japan a larger and more powerful competitor in the industry. In September, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency signed a cooperation agreement with Turkey’s Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications that grants the country access to Japan’s experiment module Kibo at the International Space Station. Yosuke Tsuruho, Japan’s minister in charge of space policy, attended a signing ceremony in the Turkish capital, Ankara, to mark the occasion. — Nikkei
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
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