Latest Odyssey Space Research Stories

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online SpaceX completed a design review of the crew version of its Dragon spacecraft, which became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station in May. The company's June 14 review provided details about each phase of a potential crewed mission. This included how the company plans to modify its launch pads to support these missions, the spacecraft's docking capabilities, the weight and power requirements for...

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk will participate in a media availability at 11:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, June 13, in the SpaceX facility at 1 Rocket Rd. in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk will be there to view the Dragon spacecraft that returned to Earth May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station. (Logo:...

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden offered his congratulations to the International Space Station Expedition 31 crew and mission flight control teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., following Friday's successful first-time berthing of a commercial company spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon, to the space station. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)...

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., completed wind tunnel testing for Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorn, Calif., to provide Falcon 9 first stage re-entry data for the company's advanced reusable launch vehicle system. Under a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement, Marshall conducted 176 runs in the wind tunnel test facility on the Falcon 9 first stage to provide SpaceX with test data that will be used to develop a re-entry database for the recovery of the...

NASA astronauts stepped into SpaceX Dragon capsule recently to get a feel for how the spacecraft might ride after long hours. The group of astronauts and industry experts climbed inside the Dragon capsule and tested out positioning of displays and assessed how comfortable the spacecraft was. “There are very important systems that need to be in place before you can put humans in a spacecraft,” Jon Cowart, NASA’s partner manager for SpaceX, said in a press release. “You’ve got...

NASA has awarded a $165 million contract extension to Lockheed Martin Corp. of Gaithersburg, Md., to provide continued mission control systems services, development, maintenance and operations support as part of the Facilities Development and Operations Contract, or FDOC. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin provides support for the hardware, software, data and displays systems used to train for and execute all human spaceflight missions supported by the Mission Operations Directorate at...

DENVER, Sept. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin's [NYSE:LMT] state-of-the-art Space Operations Simulation Center (SOSC) has completed its first orbital simulation test with hardware and data that was flown on NASA's STS-134 space shuttle Endeavour mission to the International Space Station. The test for STORRM (Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation) demonstrated the center's ability to replicate on-orbit conditions that affect relative navigation, lighting and...

DENVER, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA's designation of the Orion crew exploration vehicle as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) provides our nation with a sound solution for deep space mission capability within the currently proposed budgets. This path forward will soon enable humans to venture out into the cosmos to explore and study interplanetary destinations never before seen or touched by mankind. NASA's commitment will ensure that our nation maintains a strong global leadership...

NASA selected the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory of Cambridge, Mass., to provide advanced guidance, navigation and control system development and avionics technology development and analysis at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The new contract is valued at $45.8 million.The services provided are primarily under the direction of Johnson's Engineering Directorate for use in the guidance, navigation and control systems of the space shuttle, International Space Station, future...

Legislation Supports Domestic Commercial Crew Initiatives to Reduce Reliance on Russian Soyuz and Bring Critical High-Tech Jobs Back to the USSpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) applauds the efforts of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for their unanimous, bipartisan approval of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. This landmark legislation ushers in a new era in human spaceflight by embracing the commercial sector as a full partner and recognizing commercial crew...