Dan Schmelzer provides a little tour of Wallops Island and its environs, with pictures.

I’ve never been there, and found this interesting:

As you may know, SpaceX and NASA are in preliminary discussions for the Falcon 9 to launch from Wallops for International Space Station servicing missions. After visiting the area around the spaceport, it strikes me that the rocket is large for launching as close as a couple miles from inhabited areas. I do not think that Wallops has launched a rocket even close to the size of the Falcon 9. Also, the infrastructure in the surrounding area — such as roads and railroads — don’t appear to be suitable for large rockets. I guess SpaceX would have to barge its rockets in. But if SpaceX does launch from Wallops, it would be quite a sight to see.

I wonder if they’ve done the quantity-distance calculation? While politically, it makes a lot of sense to use Wallops (it gives Senators Mikulski and House Majority Leader Hoyer reason to support it), the FAA may not allow them to do it if it’s too close to populated areas. We’ll see what happens with the launch license application.

I also wonder if the local residents know what they’re in for acoustically, since they’re used to much smaller rockets.

Ferris Valyn has a new set of links up, with an extensive discussion on whether or not so-called liberals are opposed to space expenditures. I think that it’s a pointless argument. Both support of, and opposition to, space spending (and government space spending) are bi-partisan (or rather, non-partisan). Both “liberals” and “conservatives” can have reasons to go either way. Of course, it’s silly to oppose VSE simply because George Bush proposed it, but many otherwise sensible people (at least on space issues) seem to do so.

While reading Michael Belfiore’s new book this weekend, I was struck by Brian Binnie’s description of his X-Prize winning flight. Well, Jeff Foust has a report on a speech that Brian gave this past weekend, on what an amazing experience it will be. And if you can’t oversell it, it makes it a double shame that Rocketplane may not be able to sell it at all.

While reading Michael Belfiore’s new book this weekend, I was struck by Brian Binnie’s description of his X-Prize winning flight. Well, Jeff Foust has a report on a speech that Brian gave this past weekend, on what an amazing experience it will be. And if you can’t oversell it, it makes it a double shame that Rocketplane may not be able to sell it at all.

While reading Michael Belfiore’s new book this weekend, I was struck by Brian Binnie’s description of his X-Prize winning flight. Well, Jeff Foust has a report on a speech that Brian gave this past weekend, on what an amazing experience it will be. And if you can’t oversell it, it makes it a double shame that Rocketplane may not be able to sell it at all.

Thomas James has a link roundup.

And don’t miss this speech from NASA’s head congressional liaison:

Scarcely a week after the Challenger accident, President Reagan gave his State of the Union. And to a nation still in mourning he declared,

Here’s an excellent example of why the monolithic, “study it forever and then select a single concept” NASA approach is the wrong way to do vehicle development. With private enterprise in the game, and competing concepts, we’ll be able to let the market sort out which is best. And I’ll bet that there’s market for both.

This isn’t good news, if true:

Urie said the funds being used to build the Rocketplane XP, a converted Learjet fitted with a delta wing and a rocket engine, were funneled into Rocketplane

From people attempting to leave it:

While these ventures have a futuristic outlook, what no one questions is whether the planet, already inundated with harmful emissions, needs yet more of them from space vehicles that serve no other purpose that to give rides for people with money to burn for a brief personal adventure.

Planes provide needed transportation and scientific rockets hopefully will benefit humankind. But do we really need to unload more fuel emissions into the skies with tourist rockets while we haven

Instapundit and John Miller remember Robert Heinlein, whose centennial celebration will be held tomorrow in Kansas City, the town of his birth. I wish I could attend.

I should note, though, that Glenn omits probably the most influential book on space entrepreneurs: The Man Who Sold The Moon.