Tag Archives: Mars

It Happened in Space – Mars PropM Rovers

Posted on January 18, 2013 by asteitel

Long before the Sky Crane lowered Curiosity into Gale Crater, before the twin MER rovers Spirit and Opportunity bounced across the Martian surface, even before Sojourner was a glimmer in its designers’ eyes the Soviet Union launched the twin Prop-M … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

NASA’s Plan for Mars Makes the Old New Again

Posted on December 5, 2012 by asteitel

Yesterday, NASA announced a bold new plan of exploration for the coming decade on Mars. It’s exciting. I love plans that include a methodical exploration of other worlds that will help answer the bigger questions out there, like why Mars developed … Continue reading →

Posted in Planetary Science, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Obama’s Second Term and the National Future in Space

Posted on November 18, 2012 by asteitel

The relationship between space exploration and politics is a complicated one. The President is the only person who can pick a major goal like going to the Moon, but proposals that big have to go through congress for funding. To … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Moon, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Felix Baumgartner: Unwitting Role Model

Posted on October 28, 2012 by asteitel

Two weeks ago, Austrian daredevil and skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped 120,000 feet from a balloon. It was neat, but that’s about it. It was a stunt funded by RedBull. My opinion on the jump as a whole can be found … Continue reading →

Posted in Manned Spaceflight, Planetary Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Cost of Curiosity

Posted on September 28, 2012 by asteitel

The other day I was in a coffee shop, quietly writing and sharing a table with a woman also on a laptop. She caught me staring blankly out the window and asked what I was working on; apparently I looked … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury, Moon, Rockets, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Reducing, Recycling, and Reusing on Mars

Posted on September 6, 2012 by asteitel

Two weeks ago, NASA announced it’s next Discovery class mission, those low cost missions that focus on answering one question. The agency chose the InSight mission to Mars. In the press conference, the agency cited the mission’s low cost and … Continue reading →

Posted in Planetary Science, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Apollo’s Youthful Glow

Posted on August 11, 2012 by asteitel

Since Curiosity landed on Mars last Sunday night, the internet has been buzzing not about the Sky Crane that delivered the rover to the surface but about “Mohawk Guy.” Bobak Ferdowsi is a 32-year old flight director at JPL who looks more … Continue reading →

Posted in Apollo, Gemini, History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments