Infrastructure: Websites
Space Flight Laboratory | Univ. of Toronto Instit. for Aerospace Studies
This university-based organization that's "building Canada's future in space" developes small satellites and flight payloads for a wide range of space research applications. They also utilize graduate students in their endeavors, help arrange university-developed payload launches, and provide hands-on training.
"Meet the Entrepreneurs" of the Commercial Human Spaceflight Industry | CSF
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is the industry association site for the commercial human spaceflight industry which now includes about 20 companies. Each of the CEOs of these companies are profiled on this section of their site.
Silicon Valley Space Club - Overview
“Bringing the spirit of Silicon Valley to Space Commercialization” The SVSC was started several years ago focused on this mission. Weekly telecons are held with members to review meetings attended, upcoming events, recent milestones and collaboration formation, and advocacy actions underway and to be taken on behalf of fostering space commercialization. The SVSC has members from all industry sectors including NASA, space R&D, entrepreneurs, professional media, space commercialization advocates, and more.
Remote Sensing/Image Analysis Lab | Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory | Columbia University
This Remote Sensing Image Analysis Laboratory, within the new award-winning Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory building at Columbia University, provides research and education facilities for studying our planet. It is sponsored by both NASA and Intel and demonstrates the important linkage between academia, industry and government in addressing our global environment challenges.
HobbySpace - Home
This pioneering site links space endeavors to broad public interests. Increasingly, its profiling of “alt-space” goals and progress is blazing a trail in that area too. Lindsey’s “Tenants” below provide the best window into his motivations.
“HobbySpace Tenants: * The development of space will only be successful when the general public becomes directly involved. * Incremental, step-by-small-step development can achieve permanent human settlement. * Private, commercial entrepreneurial enterprises can make most of these steps. * Small, niche markets can be sufficient to support those companies.”
California Launch Vehicle Education Initiative (CALVEIN) MAE Projects
“The CSULB-based California Launch Vehicle Education Initiative (CALVEIN) integrates engineering hands-on education with technology development for tomorrow’s low cost launch vehicles and small spacecraft and provides payload developers with flight opportunities. Technologies include advanced propulsion systems such as aerospike and LOX/methane rocket engines, low cost telemetry systems, wireless sensor applications, (and more).” This education and training program is done in collaboration with Garvey Spacecraft.
Commercial Space Wiki
This wiki site is managed by Ken Davidian who has a professional government-based focus on the NewSpace/entrepreneurial space market including several commercial space activities he supported associated with NASA, his former employer. He brings special value to this site because he is now working as the Encourage, Facilitate & Promote Lead in the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation. He is thus associated with FAA oversight and facilitation of the emerging suborbital personal spaceflight market. He is also aligned with an informal AIAA-based Commercial Space Group who are advocates for this market and he is linked to several student groups working in this area, as well. Davidian does an audio walkthrough of this site during an interview with David Livingston of The Space Show.
Space Flight Simulation and Analogues
Performing experiments in space is an expensive and time-consuming process. An investigator would be extremely fortunate to fly one experiment a year for several years in a row. For this reason, scientists are constantly looking for ground-based models that simulate the effects of microgravity on their experimental subjects. Although no ground-based model can perfectly simulate the effects of microgravity, models allow scientists to gather preliminary data and expand their knowledge of certain phenomena observed in space without the cost or complication of a space flight experiment. This Special Topic at SpaceBio provides an overview of various ground-based models.
Odyssey Moon Limited
“Odyssey Moon Ventures”: http://www.odysseymoon.com is a U.S.-based company that includes former NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Jay Honeycutt as President, and Robert Richards, co-founder of the International Space University as founder-CEO. Odyssey Moon Ventures coordinates all the company’s U.S. programs and commercial launch operations, including the development and commercialization of innovative technologies for frequent, low cost and reliable access to the Moon. Odyssey Moon is part of an innovative multi-national partnership of aerospace, financial, science, education, legal and policy entities offering unique commercial lunar business services and products for humanity’s permanent return to the Moon.