Commentary by Mike Snead, President, Spacefaring Institute™
Mike Snead’s narrated video presentation on space solar power-generated astroelectricity made to an ESA-hosted workshop. Continue Reading127 – Mike Snead’s space solar power presentation to ESA
Sixty years after humans first reached orbit, commercial orbital passenger spaceflight has yet to begin. This article explains why this “puzzle” exists and how to jumpstart a new commercial spaceliner industry. Continue Reading115 – Solving the commercial passenger spaceflight puzzle
107 – My commentary on why Space Policy Directive 4 goes much farther than just starting a U.S. Space Force; it starts America’s transition into a true human spacefaring nation Continue Reading107 – WOW! Examining Space Policy Directive 4 directing DOD to propose creating a U.S. Space Force and much more!
This article shows how America’s aerospace industry now has the capability to build a substantial and robust American LEO astrologistics infrastructure and provide aircraft-like fully-reusable space access for passengers. Continue Reading102 – DSIAC Journal article: American “astrologistics”
Disruptive American astrologistics: Unleashing the potential of America’s aerospace industry to assert American dominance in space. Continue Reading101 – Disruptive American astrologistics
America is, once again, focused on advancing its human spacefaring enterprise. This will require an integrated spacefaring logistics infrastructure be built to enable and promote civil, government, and military Continue Reading94 – Spacefaring logistics infrastructure planning (2018 update)
President Trump’s reconstitution of the National Space Council has generated important public discussion of America’s future in outer space as a true commercial human spacefaring nation. On October 5, 2017, Continue Reading76 – Space Review Article: Some commentary about the National Space Council’s inaugural meeting (Part 2)
On January 23, 2017, this article was published in The Space Review. A PDF of the article is here. The apparent intention of the Trump administration to reestablish the National Continue Reading71 – Space Review article: An engineer’s view of what low-cost, reusable, commerical passenger space transportation means
America faces two critical challenges this century. The first is responding to the uncertainty that the abnormally high and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level will have detrimental environmental consequences Continue Reading68 – Understanding Why Wind and Ground Solar Energy Cannot Replace Fossil Fuels
America faces two critical challenges this century. The first is responding to the uncertainty that the abnormally high and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level will have detrimental environmental Continue Reading67 – Understanding Why Nuclear Power Cannot Replace Fossil Fuels
In 2014, I wrote an update to the my 2008 paper, The End of Easy Energy and What to Do About It. The 2014 paper, The American Energy Security Continue Reading55 – Becoming Spacefaring: America’s Path Forward in Space (Revised)
American aerospace companies now recognize the potential $ trillion market in providing commercial spacefaring logistics services throughout the Earth-Moon system. This 7-minute video by ULA outlines some of their ideas. Continue Reading54 – United Launch Alliance (ULA) sees commercial future for space solar power
In 2008, I wrote a Spacefaring America blog entry focusing on the upcoming presidential elections. Barack Obama won that election and, as is now very clear, his administration had absolutely Continue Reading46 – Let’s make 2016 a very important year for America’s spacefaring future
A new effort is beginning to promote the development of fully-reusable space access. (More will be coming on this blog on this effort.) In 2006, I wrote a technical paper Continue Reading39 – Space Development Steering Committee’s website posts my paper “Technically-achievable, Near-term Space Logistics”
Recently, Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX) was successful in completing its first and final demonstration mission to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX used its Falcon Continue Reading31 – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon accomplishments in perspective
The following is an essay published in The Space Review on March 31, 2008. This essay responds to a earlier Space Review essay by Eric Hedman. ====== Continue Reading22 – Assessing the Practicality of Scramjet-Powered, Single-Stage Aerospaceplanes
A comment provided on my SA blog 17 asked several questions. This blog provides my responses. =====As the former NASA manager who ran the SSPS studies in the late 70s, Continue ReadingResponse to reader comments on SA Blog 17
The following is an essay published in The Space Review on December 4, 2007. This essay responds to a earlier Space Review essay by Taylor Dinnerman. ===== Taylor Continue Reading18 – Aerospaceplanes and Space Solar Power