So it works! Congratulations NASA – finally some good news. But I guess America has currently more important projects than to use these news rockets to fly to the moon and establish a base.

So much about the popular vote: NASA asked people to name the new Node-3 for the International Space Station. That was easy bait.

Stephen Colbert put his viewers to the task and they voted like mad for him. So he won the vote – but NASA pulled back and just named a bloody treadmill after him.

That is sooo lame.

NASA should have named the Node-3 "Colbert". I am sue that would have stirred up a lot of of good & weird PR – and NASA needs PR these days.

The ATV was a very successful mission for ESA. Well done!  Maybe we can expand the program to bring not just cargo, but also Astronauts into space?

The Space Shuttle program is kinda old and no replacement is in sight. And we can’t rely on the Russians forever …

Congratulations to NASA and their Phoenix mission – it’s a great success! I am looking forward to many more breath taking images like this one (check out the small BBC slide show here).

PS: Look at the sky – we should rename Mars into Pinko.

*Thanks to Edosan for sending me this one*

BBC News: Robot space truck docks with ISS (with video)

Europe’s space adventures are getting better and better. Our latest 1 billion Euro toy docked safely to the International Space Station. Well done ESA!

While some people regard this only as an oversized pizza delivery system, some ESA people already see it as Europe’s ticket to human space travel. So far ESA has to rely on the American or Russian rockets to deliver it’s Astronauts into space. It’s about time we get our own space taxi … especially since the Americans will focus on going back to the moon.

The Ariane 5 has shown it’s a reliable delivery system and capable to lifting satellites and supplies into outer space.

Ah, space the final frontier … amazing that so much of nothing can be so exciting. Let’s solve our global problems and than push ahead exploring the cosmos.

*Thanks for Edosan for this nice image*

Compared to the Universe were are not that big. But even our home planet isn’t that big. Even our small layer of atmosphere isn’t that big. Even the amount of drinkable water and agricultural land isn’t that big.

So we should take a LOT of care to keep our tiny niche in the universe in order and clean. It will take a long time till we discover a new place as good as this one.

*Thanks to Edosan for sending me this great shot*

Click image for a bigger one.

Although the Space Shuttle is now old and obsolete technology it’s still the best spaceship humanity has to jump into space. I really hope that commercial space travel takes off soon, because government controlled Chinese, American and Russian space travel seems stuck somewhere 1968 … it’s time for some new ideas and cheaper forms of space exploration.

Thanks to Edosan for sending me this amazing picture.

Here are some of NASA’s design sketches for the next moon landing – as commanded by George W. Bush. The whole mission, the proposed systems and attitude is so 1960’s.

Once again it’s a race – with the Chinese – to be the first to establish a base. All systems like the crew capsule, the lander and the final landing (with parachute) are just a remix of old technologies. It’s almost like some old man at NASA and in politics try to recreate the golden age of space exploration – and America’s greatness.

More? The Constellation Program @ NASA