This Week in The Space Review -
Special issue: 50 years of human spaceflight and 30 years of the space shuttle
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Whither human spaceflight?
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Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight, and it comes at a time of uncertainty about NASA's future human spaceflight plans. Jeff Foust discusses some of the root causes of that uncertainty and what it means for the long-term future of human spaceflight and space exploration.
Vostok: an aerospace classic
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The legacy of Vostok goes far beyond Yuri Gagarin's flight 50 years ago. Drew LePage examines how the Vostok design evolved over the decades into applications far beyond human spaceflight.
Review: Fallen Idol: The Yuri Gagarin Conspiracy
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For decades there have been conspiracy theories claiming that Yuri Gagarin was not the first Soviet cosmonaut. James Oberg critically reviews a documentary claiming to have new evidence about those allegations, but finds it lacking.
Gagarin's flight and the Cold War
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Yuri Gagarin's flight 50 years ago was one of the major milestones in not just space exploration, but the Cold War. Taylor Dinerman explores the lasting impact that event had on Russia and its competition with America.
At the altar of smoke and fire
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This year will mark the end of many aspects of the shuttle era, including the various cultures associated with it. Dwayne Day describes one of those little-appreciated mini-cultures: those who photograph the shuttle launches.
Space shuttles and the wisdom of the crowd
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On Tuesday, the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch, NASA will announce where the orbiters will go after the final launch later this year. Ben Brockert discusses the results of an online experiment to predict where the shuttles may go.
An open letter to Senator Mikulski
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On Monday NASA administrator Charles Bolden will appear before a Senate appropriations subcommittee to discuss the agency's FY12 budget proposal. Lou Friedman offers an open letter to the chairperson of that subcommittee, asking her to make a critical examination of the agency's future.
If you missed it, here's what we published in our previous issue:
Tough decisions ahead for planetary exploration
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Last month the planetary science community rolled out a study identifying its priorities for missions in the next decade. Jeff Foust reports on how the difficult choices included in that report are further complicated by NASA's latest budget proposal.
In praise of Mercury
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Last month NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft slipped into orbit around Mercury, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet. Lou Friedman describes his "personal, not scientific" connection to that rocky world.
The Big Bird and the turkey
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While all the KH-9 reconnaissance satellites were launched on Titan rockets, would it have been possible to launch one on a space shuttle? Dwayne Day examines that question as the KH-9 program approaches declassification and the shuttle its own retirement.
Space law and the new era of commercial spaceflight
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As commercial spaceflight, including both suborbital and orbital human flights, become more common, these applications will raise new legal issues. Christopher J. Newman and Ben Middleton discuss some of the issues that space law experts will have to grapple with in the near future.
Review: First Contact
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The field of astrobiology has increasingly entered the mainstream of scientific research as scientists make new discoveries on Earth and beyond. Jeff Foust reviews a book that provides an overview of the field and assesses the prospects for life elsewhere in the universe.
Until next week,
Provided by The Space Review
