The Space ReviewArticles, essays, and commentary about all facets of space explorationLong waves and space development- June 23, 2008 The early, hyperactive years of the Space Age benefited from the superpower competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, Nader Elhefnawy argues, long-term economic cycles also played a role, and can also explain the sluggish progress since then.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1156/1 Paper dragon: the Pentagon's unreliable statements on the Chinese space program- June 23, 2008 For years the US Defense Department has issued annual reports on China's military efforts, some of which have included claims about space weapons technology of dubious validity. Dwayne Day reviews those claims and suggests that these are signs that the Pentagon does not put a high priority on producing these reports.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1155/1 Financial risk analysis and the space industry revisited- June 23, 2008 Entrepreneurial space companies offer the potential for tremendous payoffs if their innovative technologies achieve a market breakthrough, but also carry high risks of failure. Taylor Dinerman examines how the challenge of assessing financial risks of these companies may be as difficult as the technology itself.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1154/1 In defense of the knights- June 23, 2008 Stephen Ashworth responds to a recent essay critical of space solar power, arguing that developments in areas like low-cost space access will make the technology economically feasible in time.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1153/1 Review: SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History- June 16, 2008 TFour years ago this week, SpaceShipOne soared into the history books as the first non-governmental manned spacecraft to reach space. Jeff Foust reviews a book that offers new details about the development and testing of this vehicle.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1148/1 Nothing ever happens on the Moon- June 16, 2008 While some space-related sci-fi series strive for realism, they can fall short in areas like plot and characters. Dwayne Day encounters this in his review of the latest installments of the Japanese anime series "Moonlight Mile".http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1149/1 Financial risk analysis for the space industry- June 16, 2008 Parts of the space industry are mature enough that investors and insurers know what they're getting into. However, as Taylor Dinerman notes, new ventures and new markets are much harder to understand, requiring a different kind of risk mindset.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1151/1 The Vision for Space Exploration and the retirement of the Baby Boomers (part 3)- June 16, 2008 Everyone agrees on the importance of low-cost space access, but previous efforts to achieve it, from the space shuttle to the X-33, have failed. Charles Miller and Jeff Foust argue that the right approach is to focus on the broader industry, not a specific program.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1152/1 University students prove they are up to the challenge- June 16, 2008 Earlier this month several teams of college students descended on a remote region of Utah to test their designs for Mars rovers. Kevin Sloan and Alex Kirk report on how the teams and their rovers fared.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1150/1 When we stayed at home to leave Earth- June 9, 2008 The Discovery Channel kicked off this week a six-hour documentary about the space program featuring "never before seen footage". Robert Pearlman notes that while that description is not entirely accurate, "When We Left Earth" does offer footage like you've never seen before.http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1144/1 |