Astroland Rocket Is Lifed Off.

There’s a great profile of Elon Musk and his impressive company, SpaceX, in the New York Times. And, although SpaceX’s biggest accomplishment so far is, arguably, winning a huge contract to send supplies to the International Space Station…that wasn’t his main goal. SpaceX is really about sending humans into space. The exact quote: “Really, the [...]

Just a few days ago, in this space, I defended NASA’s Ares booster against opponents testifying at the Augustine Commission—the committee that is re-evaluating America’s manned space program. After reading an interview with Buzz Aldrin, I’m having second thoughts. Moon rocket, not Mars rocket Ares is designed to return to the moon. Aldrin thinks this [...]

Okay, so I’m being a little dramatic. But the story of the first black astronaut is fascinating and tragic. I’m not talking about Guion Bluford, who was the first African-American to fly in space. (He first flew on the Shuttle in 1983.) I’m talking about the lesser-known Robert Henry Lawrence, who was selected as an [...]