'Massive news' next week?

[docm]

In the NASAspaceflight.com forum its masnagin editor posted this in a thread about Lockheeds LSAM concepts;<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Chris Bergin - NSF Managing Editor<br /><br />We wanted to get this one turned into an article ahead of <b>the massive news next week.</b><br /> /><br />It's not STS related and it's not a public forum thread to refer to at this time. I shouldn't tease<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />'Massive news' next week? <br /><br />I'd heard that SpaceShipTwo's interior mockup will be at Wired Magazines 'NextFest' in NYC later this month. Anyone else have any ideas what he could be hinting about? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[summoner]

Come on Chris, spill the beans! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:271px;background-color:#FFF;border:1pxsolid#999"><tr><td colspan="2"><div style="height:35px"><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/htmlSticker1/language/www/US/MT/Three_Forks.gif" alt="" height="35" width="271" style="border:0px" /></div>

 

[thermionic]

Maybe Oppy reaching Victoria crater? That's a pretty big deal, I think.

 

[JonClarke]

Lunar lander announcement? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[josh_simonson]

Probably Ansari visiting the space station.

 

[docm]

All of that is expected news....no suprise value. To my mind his use of "massive" indicates something not on the radar. <br /><br />My guess would be either the LSAM contract or something to do with SpaceShipTwo. <br /><br />Those or one of the Mars landers saw a squirrel <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[nyarlathotep]

Perhaps they're finally declassifying what REALLY happened at Roswell.

 

[qso1]

A 30 percent increase in NASAs budget? Nah! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

More findings with respect to the Nakhla Meteorite? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Keep in mind that Chri's web site is mainly about NASA news, in particular human spaceflight. That eliminates anything to do with inmanned spaceflight or private ventures.<br /><br />I still think lander contracts are the best bet.<br /><br />Jon<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[mattblack]

Either that or a dropping of the 5-Segment "Stick" Ares 1. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

I would prefer it to be good news.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[mattblack]

Absolutely! I was merely guessing, though, and I'm thoroughly sick of SDV vs EELV ravings anyway!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Yep! It's about as old as capsules vs bricks with wings. <br /><br />Maybe a firmed up Mars commitment? I can dream, but that would be premature, I fear.<br /><br />Maybe a finalised Orion configuration?<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[shuttle_rtf]

Crikey, my ear's are burning <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br /> />Keep in mind that Chri's web site is mainly about NASA news, in particular human spaceflight. That eliminates anything to do with inmanned spaceflight or private ventures.<br /><br />I still think lander contracts are the best bet. <<br /><br />Sorta, but we're all space flight, every launch (big time with the Falcon 1 launches with Elon on site for example), STS, Atlas, Delta, Sea Launch, Pegasus, Russian etc. (that's just the site's mandate, not giving clues there).<br /><br />Lunar Lander contracts are ages away.<br /><br />The big news (yes, I would say massive - personal opinion, but it's certainly a lot bigger than the inside of SS2) is embargoed, likely for a few more days. We'll get to run it first and then it'll be all over every space flight site at the end of the week. Maybe it'll leak in the meantime (nature of media), but I doubt it.<br /><br />And its good/cool news, on a number of levels.

 

[subzero788]

You're a cruel, cruel man Chris <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" />

 

[j05h]

> Don't expect Little Green Men, but some pretty major discoveries,<br /><br />Biologic remains in the discolored cracks on Enceladus? Or bio-signatures in it's polar ejecta? The icy moons should have all sorts of surprises. I'd put the chances up their with a Nakla announcment per above or Mars life from Rovers - unlikely but would be great news.<br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[3488]

Both Newsartist & JO5H, I think are correct. <br /><br />1). There is SO MUCH good stuff still coming from both of the MERs, MGS, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express as well as the Cassini craft, that any one can uncover a major surprise at ANY moment.<br /><br />2). Or perhaps something has been found in the Stardust Aerogel!!!<br /><br />3). Or perhaps SOHO has revealed that the Sun is about to expand into a Red Giant & really the solar system is very much older than we think it is (do not think so however, hope not anyway).<br /><br />4). I hope that it is a Planetary Science finding. But I do suspect that it is to do with the Orion capsule or some other crewed spaceflight news!!<br /><br />5). Perhaps NASA is going to dump the ISS into the Pacific Ocean (don't think so somehow)!!!!!<br /><br />Points 3 & 5 by the way are me trying to be a bit humorous. <br /><br />I hope Jon Clarke is correct too. A long term international commitment to the exploration of Mars, would certainly be worthwhile, with perhaps a further commitment to solar system exploration in general. <br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[disownedsky]

<p>Or maybe someone has a low threshhold of "massive."</p>

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">You're a cruel, cruel man Chris</font>/i><br /><br />I second that! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /></i>

 

[oscar1]

He may be even crueler than you probably think, for Sunday is the first day of the week.

 

[josh_simonson]

>Or maybe someone has a low threshhold of "massive."<br /><br />In this arena, with multi-billion dollar budgets and multi-million pound rockets, 'Massive' is completely arbitrary.<br /><br /><br />Other possibilities:<br />Accelerated hubble servicing mission.<br /><br />Something to do with the CLV (NSF just interviewed someone involved in this and learned lots of juicy tidbits, the last of three articles based on that should be out this week).

 

[edkyle98]

It might be the upcoming Federal Trade Commission vote to approve (or not) the folding of Lockheed's and Boeing's launch vehicle production into the United Launch Alliance consortium. <br /><br /> - Ed Kyle

 

[josh_simonson]

>It might be the upcoming Federal Trade Commission vote to approve (or not) the folding of Lockheed's and Boeing's launch vehicle production into the United Launch Alliance consortium.<br /><br />I don't think that's "good/cool news on a number of levels", it's not especially good from a launch price standpoint, and it's impossible to categorize as 'cool' by any strech of the imagination.<br /><br />

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">The big news (yes, I would say massive - personal opinion</font>/i><br /><br />Guesses (Just for fun):<br /><br />(1) Opportunity arrives at Victoria Crater and shows evidence of current water at Mars.<br /><br />(2) MRO shows intriguing evidence of on Mars<br /><br />(3) NASA provides funding to Boeing to demonstrate a dummy CEV launched on a Delta Heavy. First launch is early 2008.<br /><br />(4) NASA announces puchase of an early Bigelow habitat to test for suitability for future microgravity research.<br /><br />(5) NASA gives greenlight for Hubble mission.<br /><br />(6) Scaled Composites unveils WhiteKnight2.</i>