Year: 2013

VentureStar, aka X-33 (Cancelled in 2001)

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on VentureStar, aka X-33 (Cancelled in 2001)
Lockheed Martin, News, Technology

At the end of the 20th century, the United States government was already set to developing a reusable space plane to replace the aging Space Shuttle program. The resulting launch vehicle would be able to launch satellites into orbit as 1/10th of the cost, while also having the ability to carry passengers up. Funded by … Read More “VentureStar, aka X-33 (Cancelled in 2001)” »

Quote by H. G. Wells

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on Quote by H. G. Wells
News, People, Quotes

“It is conceivable that some great unexpected mass of matter should presently rush upon us out of space, whirl sun and planets aside like dead leaves before the breeze, and collide with and utterly destroy every spark of life upon this earth… It is conceivable, too, that some pestilence may presently appear, some new disease, … Read More “Quote by H. G. Wells” »

Virgin Galactic Teams Up With TV Show

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on Virgin Galactic Teams Up With TV Show
Companies, News, Virgin Galactic

About a month ago, we covered Mars One, the organisation founded by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp that is planning to have people settle on Mars. Interestingly, their main source of income for this enterprise will be a reality-TV program about those colonists… fast forward to this week, and here we have it: Virgin Galactic is … Read More “Virgin Galactic Teams Up With TV Show” »

Today In History – October 4

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on Today In History – October 4
News

The 4th of October saw two notable events happening in close succession. On that Friday in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, and by many considered to be the start of the space race between the two super powers at the time, the Soviet Union and the United States. … Read More “Today In History – October 4” »

The Space Shuttle (1981 – 2011) – Part 3

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on The Space Shuttle (1981 – 2011) – Part 3
NASA (United States), News, Technology

Following from Hubble’s story in part two, the year is 1995 and in June of that year space shuttle Atlantis lifts off. It’s mission: to dock with MIR, the Russian space station that by some is seen as the predecessor to the International Space Station. This event led to what was at the time the … Read More “The Space Shuttle (1981 – 2011) – Part 3” »

Quote by Douglas Adams

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on Quote by Douglas Adams
News, People, Quotes

“There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world. The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

– Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1952 – 2001)

Celebrities Becoming Astronauts

Posted on By Space51Staff No Comments on Celebrities Becoming Astronauts
News, People, Profiles

With Bob Geldof just having announced that he too signed up to travel into space as a passenger on a commercial space flight, let’s have a look at a small portion of this eclectic mix of celebrities, scientists, and entrepeneurs who have taken the same leap of faith already and dug deep into their pockets for … Read More “Celebrities Becoming Astronauts” »