Monday’s CSExtra finds a new call for an extension of NASA’s space shuttle program, plus a report that Orion’s future as a space station life boat could be in doubt. Also, communities across the country compete for a retired space shuttle orbiter. 1. From the Houston Chronicle: An editorial calling on President Obama for an extension [...]

Sunday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space policy and NASA’s future.  1. From Spacepolitics.com: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden hints that astronauts could circle the moon as part of a NASA test flight in the early 2020s.  Bolden raises the prospect in remarks late Friday to the International Space Development Conference in Chicago. http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/05/29/is-a-circumlunar-mission-in-nasas-plans/  A. NASA [...]

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Saturday’s CSExtra contains news about discussions on the cancellation of Constellation, the SpaceX launch of Falcon 9 and other stories.     1. From Space News: NASA is now weighing a competition for the development of a life boat for the International Space Station. On April 15, President Obama said Orion, a piece of the cancelled Constellation [...]

An important step: More economical access to space – that’s one possible outcome from the May 26 first flight of the X-51A Waverider. This super-slick unpiloted vehicle made the longest ever supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight off the Southern California coast. The more than 200-second burn by the X-51’s Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne-built air breathing [...]