Due to budget constraints experienced by NASA, the Russian RKA, the Japanese JAXA, the European ESA, and the Canadian ASC-CSA in the early 1990s their respective projects (the Japanese Kibo laboratory, the Soviet Mir-2, the American Freedom, and the European Columbus) were merged together into a single multi-national program managed collaboratively by the participating space agencies. The station’s ownership and use is laid out in a series of intergovernmental treaties and agreements that divided the station into two areas. Russia retains full ownership of the Russian Orbital Segment and is …

Originally established on July 29, 1958 by President Eisenhower through the National Aeronautics and Space Act the agency became America’s civilian space program for aeronautics research to encourage development of peaceful applications for space science. Since then the majority of U.S. efforts in space exploration has been lead by NASA, running the gambit from the Apollo moon-landing missions, and the Skylab space station, to the Space Shuttle program. Currently they’re supporting the International Space Station (ISS) and overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Commercial Crew vehicles …

Despite its closure in 2011 the Vehicle Assembly Building (or VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre still holds the distinction of being one of the largest single story buildings in the world thanks to its mammoth size at over one million cubic feet. To give you a sense of just how big that is, the interior can form rain clouds below the ceiling on exceptionally humid days. The building as a result has not only a moisture reduction system to minimize the gathering of condensation, but over ten thousand tons …

While all the focus in recent months has been upon the Mars Curiosity Rover, another of NASA’s creations has reached a milestone as we enter the New Year and the Mars Opportunity Rover’s ninth year of service gathering data on the red planet. Touching down on January 3, 2004 – joined three weeks later by Mars Spirit Rover – the two were originally sent on a 90-day mission to search for signs of historical water activity on the Red Planet, but would instead go on to surpass their designers’ and …

While Curiosity is still on the hunt for evidence that life might have existed millions of years ago on Mars, NASA’s already begun talks for launching another Volkswagen sized rover to the red planet in 2020. Making use of spare parts and blueprints from the first mission to keep the costs down, the agency is focused on exploring the surface and believe technology already proven by their novel landing will allow them to do so again despite the tough fiscal times facing them. While its true purpose is yet to …

While I’d earlier joked about President Nixon being responsible for giving the final go ahead for development of the space shuttle program in 1972, I thought I should put together a short post about how the program actually came together after President Kennedy vowed America would beat the Communists to the Moon having already lost to the Soviet Union when they successfully put Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into orbit for the first manned space flight.
Officially called the Space Transportation System (STS), NASA’s Space Shuttle program was the sole manned launch …

While the Canadian Space Agency wasn’t officially established until December 1990, its roots stretches back much further to the end of the Second World War and the following fifteen years as Canada undertook a number of small launcher and satellite related projects. From this would come the development of the hugely successful Black Brant sounding rocket, resulting in over 800 versions being launched since it was first produced in 1961, and still remains one of the most popular sounding rockets seeing repeated use by both the CSA and NASA. Along …

In addition to our efforts providing technical expertise and training for the rover program, Canada is perhaps more famously known for its development of the Canadarm in 1981, which would go on to accompany the shuttles ninety times into space. And while its service of 30 years ended with the Space Shuttle program in 2011, its legacy continues on board the International Space Station (ISS) where future generations of the arm have been developed to assist with repairs and the delivery of supplies.
And while the Canadarm2 is now regaled to …

When I went to #NASATweetup for the final Shuttle launch, I was also featured on The National – and because of that, my family and I were fortunate enough to have a short reel of Super 8 film transferred to digital.  The clip was also used on the broadcast.  It’s pretty amazing to see the difference in technology in the twenty-nine years between the two launches… even if my footage is really really bad.  The fact that I shot it on my PHONE is astounding alone.
Here’s what my dad shot …

I did a little rundown of #NASATweetup at work to let people know (in general terms) what I thought NASA did that made these events so successful.  Since I haven’t had much of a chance to go in-depth with my trip yet, and since I do a lot of work in social media and community building, I thought I’d share my thoughts.
Supporting and Expanding the SpaceTweeps

First off, NASA brings in as many people as they can for each Tweetup, but it’s obviously not as many people as want to go. …