NASA’s plan to field a rocket-launched Orbital Space Plane by 2010 is getting mixed reviews from the U.S. space agency’s standing body of advisors and other policy analysts here.
Since unveiling the plan Nov. 13, NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe has drawn praise for taking a fully integrated look at the agency’s space transportation needs and proposing what many agree is the most practical solution to the agency’s pressing problems.
By refocusing the Space Launch Initiative on the Orbital Space Plane and scaling back the pursuit of a fully reusable launcher, NASA expects to free $1.2 billion between 2003-2007 for upgrading the space shuttle, flying five shuttle flights a year, and ensuring that the space station program is adequately funded.
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NIMA Asks Industry for Commercial Imagery Software The U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) is working with three commercial software companies to develop a system that could eliminate the need to use hard copies of the satellite imagery the agency distributes. --Jason Bates
NASA Projects Could Aid Homeland Security Although NASA has yet to take on new roles or responsibilities in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, the U.S. space agency has research projects under way that could yield powerful new tools for the planned Department of Homeland Security. --Brian Berger
