This Week in The Space Review:
Commercial space skepticism
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Commercial space ventures appear to be moving forward on all fronts, with developments ranging from commercial crew funding to the testing of suborbital vehicles. However, Jeff Foust notes that some both in industry and Congress are skeptical of the long-term success of these efforts, in part because of past experience.
Public-private partnerships for space
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What is the future for space exploration in an era of fiscal constraints and competing priorities? Lou Friedman argues that there is an increasing role for public-private partnerships to advance space exploration initiatives more cost effectively.
Iraqi bird: Beyond Saddam's space program
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In addition to trying to develop a launch vehicle, Iraq also worked on an its own satellite during the regime of Saddam Hussein. Dwayne Day describes that satellite effort and the country's future satellite plans.
India and space security
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In recent years India's space program has evolved from one almost solely dedicated to serving national needs to one with a more nationalistic, even militarized bent. Victoria Samson summarizes the takeaways from a recent conference that examined India's shifting attitudes towards space and their impact on space security.
Review: Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence
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The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) suffered a recent funding setback, but work continues to try and find evidence of other civilizations in the universe. Jeff Foust reviews a book that looks at the current state of SETI and the potential to not just listen but also transmit.
If you missed it, here's what we published in our previous issue:
Old Reliable: The story of the Redstone
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This week marks the 50th anniversary of the flight of Alan Shepard, the first American to travel in space. Drew LePage examines the history of the Redstone rocket that made Shepard's flight possible.
A muddled future
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The space shuttle Endeavour was set to launch Friday on its final mission, but was scrubbed hours before liftoff because of a technical issue. Jeff Foust notes the near-term uncertainty about when Endeavour will launch parallels the long-term uncertainty about the future of the Space Coast after the shuttle program ends.
Pomp and circumstances
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Friday's attempted launch of the space shuttle Endeavour was scheduled for the same day as the big royal wedding in England. Dwayne Day compares and contrasts the symbolism and significance of each.
Review: Martian Summer
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What's it like to spend a summer operating a spacecraft on Mars looking for water ice? Jeff Foust reviews a book that provides a unique, quirky look at how a team of scientists and engineers worked on the Phoenix Mars Lander mission.
Until next week,
Provided by The Space Review
