Will an ISS Crew Ever Come Home on a Private Spacecraft?

India recently launched its first lunar mission, but the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has even bigger plans: to launch astronauts into space by 2012. And to put an astronaut on the moon by 2020. That’s according to a recent article in India’s Economic Times. Space seems to be getting crowded with the United States, [...]

Virgin Galactic is set to show its sub-orbital tourist spacecraft on Monday. There shouldn’t be too many surprises—the design of SpaceShipTwo is all over the company’s website. The “mothership”, WhiteKnightTwo, has already flown a couple of test flights publicly. But WhiteKnightTwo two won’t be going into space—SpaceShipTwo will. The spacecraft will carry two pilots and [...]

NASA’s administrator, Michael Griffin, is a Republican. But his job is to make NASA successful, and he knows that success requires political support. Dr. Griffin sent a note of thanks to Barack Obama, for his support in allowing NASA to continue purchasing rides to the International Space Station from Russia. Without new legislation, the practice [...]