A nostalgic view from 1991 brought to you by my old newsletter Space Colonization Progress. Ahhhh memories!
Update: all issues of SCP are now available on the Vintage page
Experiencing the Overview Effect
First coined by philosopher Frank White in his book of the same name, the Overview Effect instilled a profound cognitive change of awareness for astronauts who have made it to space thus far. When seeing the Earth from space these individuals report having an overwhelming sense of wonder and awe, unity with nature and all of humanity. Hopefully, more of us will be able to experience this phenomenon in the near future when space becomes more accessible to more people. Until then, you can get a sense of what they felt in a YouTube series called NASA Down to Earth.
Small sat news
The latest from SatSure on the rise of Newspace over the last decade, productizing geospatial analytics, investment strategies and more
Orbion teams up with Xplore to provide “Space as a Service”
As reported in Space Daily, Orbion will deliver its Aurora Hall-effect thrusters to power Xplore’s space vehicle called Xcraft to explore the inner solar system.
Mining for ices in the solar system
George Sowers of the Colorado School of Mines has published the final report of his NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I study: Thermal Mining of Ices on Cold Solar System Bodies.
Alternate Artemis architecture
Here’s how to triple the stay time on the lunar surface with no increase in cost
What’s missing from space exploration?
“Manufacturing” says Made in Space CEO Andrew Rush as quoted in the Jacksonville Daily Record. “You need a reason to go. Every frontier we’ve ever opened as a people was because there was an economic reason for us to go and live and work in that place … That’s what we think is the missing piece in space exploration, . . . that economically-focused motivator to go and innovate and do new things.”
NASA’s power source for lunar bases and beyond
Meet Kilopower
Axiom partners with SpaceX to launch private tourists to the ISS
In what is sure to be a historic flight next year, Axiom has inked a deal with SpaceX to be the first space tourism company to arrange for three private astronauts to be ferried to the ISS on a Crew Dragon. A fourth space flight participant will be a SpaceX trained astronaut. Axiom has plans for a permanent replacement of the ISS to provide a permanent habitat, scientific and industrial facility in LEO
Property rights and space settlement
Does the Outer Space Treaty allow the establishment of property rights for space settlement? Rand Simberg explains that through the use of multilateral agreements among like-minded nations, the accord may actually be more permissive then originally thought