Featured Articles

Start-up Firm Building New Space Capsule System

No links to this YET - but the October issue of Popular Science reports on a firm called T/Space which is developing, with NASA backing, and some project collaboration with Rutan's Scaled Composites, a capsule system called the CXV or Crew Transfer Vehicle capable of carrying three or four astronauts to low Earth orbit, and returning for a wet landing, like the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo had.

The launcher is an aircraft launched propane & liquid oxygen rocket. The whole emphasis has been on economy and simplicity of design - and seems to be making some real progress - possibly having things ready to go b\y '08 or '09 - an unheard of timeline for NASA projects.

Best of all, this will be privately owned/operated, flying as contractors to NASA, or whoever else wants/needs to get to orbit. Meanwhile, NASA is proceeding with its plans for vehicles to replace the shuttles also apparently based on a larger, more advanced capsule design for personnel, and a heavy lift cargo launcher, for well, cargo. NASA doesn;t plan to be ready to fly before 2012 at best, so the T/Space CVX could fill a gap to help keep the International Space Station in business until then.

The folks at T/Space emphasize that they are NOT building a shuttle replacement - but perhaps a modern replacement for the truly antiquated Soyuz technology.

This is truly good news - the US must maintain an effective capability for space, if for no other reason, to prevent a default ceding of the ultimate high ground to China, Russia, or whoever else goes after it.

14 September 2005 Roll Call:A few days before a federal commission was scheduled to decide the fate of Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota's two Senators preemptively released a lengthy statement pledging to work together on issues of importance to...

An Ohio State linebacker said that the Buckeye goal was to make sure that Texas QB Vince Young didn't leave as a Heisman candidate. Whoops. Heisman candidacy status: Intact. At any rate, it certainly wasn't Young's best night. 2 INT's,...

Letter in today's Argus Leader:Herseth voting record Published: 09/12/05 It's annoying to see letters promoting Rep. Stephanie Herseth's work in Congress. What's interesting about her sales angle is the notion that Herseth works well with Republicans. Many liberal voters have...

Do we still remember? Was it the day that changed us forever? Here are some thoughts from Mark Steyn, and Todd Bevan. My favorite contemporary pieces were this one by John Derbyshire, and a Sept. 12, 2001 piece by...

Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Inter prize Institute has a great piece on the Broken Yardstick that is the official poverty rate. (TH to Real Clear Politics). Here's the problem:According to the latest poverty rate estimates - released by the...

Chad Schuldt, the Clear Cut Kidder, thinks conservatives are failing because we have yet to shrink the size of government. Rush Limbaugh has an answer for that:But, you know, the idea that conservatives have taken over the government and the...

From Rush Limbaugh: Now, as inspired as I am about the heroic efforts of the rescuers and as awed as I am by the monumental cleanup task, I am disgusted by the looters, not just the looters of food and...

A Message from tdaxp

Send feedback to danhabbott@gmail.com

Browse the Archives

What's New with the Blogs

South Dakota Blogs

American Blogs

Pro-Freedom, Anti-Terror

South Dakota Blog Alliance

RadioActive Chief, Ryen McClaren, Sibby Online, South Dakota Politics, Straight Talk

tdaxp Blog Network

Jim River Report, tdaxp, Bloglines, Cobuyitaphobia, Junk Politics

Breaking News

South Dakota Mainstream Media

American Mainstream Media

British Mainstream Media

Everyone Else

Jim River Report Archives

1. today
2. this month
3. this year

How Popular is the Jim River Report?