Under President Obama’s leadership, he said, “the nation is embarking upon an ambitious exploration program that will take us farther into space than we have ever traveled before, while helping create good-paying jobs right here in the United States of America. _____ Space X launches first mission to the International Space Station A new era in space exploration began early Tuesday as SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon 9 rocket at 3:44 a.m. EDT at Kennedy Space Center. The launch -- the first by a private company -- was the second try this week after a glitch in one motor halted Saturday’s launch one second before liftoff. As the rocket headed for the International Space Station with SpaceX’s hopes to begin supplying the orbiting laboratory, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden saw the launch as the first step in bringing space jobs back to the United States. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, Russia currently resupplies the space station. “I want to congratulate SpaceX for its successful launch, and salute the NASA team that worked alongside them to make it happen,” Bolden said. “Today marks the beginning of a new era in exploration; a private company has launched a spacecraft to the International Space Station that will attempt to dock there for the first time. And while there is a lot of work ahead to successfully complete this mission, we are certainly off to good start.” Under President Obama’s leadership, he said, “the nation is embarking upon an ambitious exploration program that will take us farther into space than we have ever traveled before, while helping create good-paying jobs right here in the United States of America. “We’re handing off to the private sector our transportation to the International Space Station so that NASA can focus on what we do best -- exploring even deeper into our solar system, with missions to an asteroid and Mars on the horizon. The decision to end the shuttle program back in 2004 was a difficult one, he said. “But with the kind of hard work, determination and ingenuity for which NASA and this nation are known, we’re now on the brink of a new future. “A future that stands on the shoulders of Mercury and Gemini; Apollo and Shuttle. A future that embraces the innovation the private sector brings to the table, and a future that opens up the skies to endless possibilities. ? “Godspeed Dragon.” link
Random sidenote but its funny when the media says we have no capacity to go to space. The DoD's X-37 is a fully functioning orbital vehicle that was an old nasa project. It's actually in orbit right now. There's just a lot of blood in the water after Nixon forced the military and NASA to collaborate on the space shuttle and everyone got mad as a result so they wont ever send that thing to the ISS. Kinda sucks that we're sitting on fully functioning technology though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37
30 years ago the US built and launched a spacecraft that has travel 18billion kilometers and still works, and we are impressed with a rocket that goes into space?
Considering for several years now, Republicans have been criticizing Obama for canceling the Space Shuttle (which was actually canceled under Bush), claiming that he was an idiot and a traitor for allowing the US to depend on the Soviets to re-supply the Space station, plus Obama's idea to let Commercial enterprise to do the job was flaw and it could never happen ... Heck, yes ... it was his vision and not those lame Rebublicans' for sure.
Yes because SpaceX did it from scratch more or less. They designed their own rocket and capsule. It's the equivalent of another country doing it. Now granted they got money and some support from NASA but SpaceX did all the groundwork. And considering the speed at which they developed this, I'm really impressed. I thought the outsourcing of near earth vehicles by NASA to private companies was a mistake but this is actually looking really promising.
This is great news and one of the reasons I wasn't so worried about the space program when the shuttle was cancelled was because of private programs like this coming along. With Space X and Virgin Galactic we going to see a lot of great things happening in near earth orbit in the next 10 years.
Wake me up when anything they make is man rated. This is nothing. Also why is the Under President Obama’s leadership part not in quotes? Who said it?
Apparently it's something because it's the first private company to have done it. Unless you've already been into space with the Casey Rocket and we just didn't hear about it.
It is the first time NASA allowed anything private to dock with the ISS, which is has yet to complete. Private companies have been putting things in orbit for a while.
Alright, well let's watch and see what happens. Personally I find it distasteful to have to rely on the Russians to do anything.
yes, and Congress cut funding and gave Obama less money than he asked for SpaceX....and then ridiculed him that it would be ANOTHER Solyndra. I thought you were against the gov't helping to fund these type of hi-tech companies. Oh...I see now...when they work, it's arrogance and unfair credit taking by Obama, but when they fail, it's massive corruption and incompetence by Obama? So how's that cake tasting???
It's one thing to put a satellite into orbit. A lot of countries can do that. No one except Russians and US can dock to the Space station.
It's an interesting robotic spacecraft, used by the Defense Department for god knows what. What intrigues me, a supporter of manned space flight (and what could be getting your attention, as well), is this proposed version: X-37C In 2011, Boeing announced plans for a scaled-up variant of the X-37B, referring to the spacecraft as the X-37C. The size of the X-37C would be approximately 165 to 180% of the X-37B, allowing it to transport up to six astronauts inside a pressurized compartment housed in the cargo bay. The X-37C's proposed launch vehicle is the Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. X-37C may compete with Boeing's CST-100 space capsule. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37
A "private" company you say? Operating for a profit?! Good lord, capitalism! /sarcasm This is actually quite awesome.
Honest question, do you believe any of this crap? If you don't think Japan or the ESA could do what SpaceX just did you are high.
They don't have the rocketry expertise IMO. They could do it, sure. But it would take them a lot longer. (Either might be able to pull it off with a LM or Boeing heavy a la CEV but in my experience that's flaming hard to do because those rockets are not particularly well adapted to ISS' wacky inclination) (To be clear - I'm referring to the rocket part, not the docking. Obviously ESA and Japan can dock to ISS - they've been doing it with ATV and HTV for a while)
Honest question - do you read? Or do you just assume that something is crap because you feel it should be that way? http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2082/1 I mean, its getting ridiculous. If it doesn't work out, you guys paint Obama as some sort of crazy fool. When it does work out, you accuse him of having nothing to do with it or that anyone else would have done the same thing. It's just comical. And then you come back and tell me I am some sort of crazy fool for trying to give you the real story. Whatever.
