Centennial Challenges Ceremony, Lots of Masten Activity, LaserMotive Expands, Much More

Centennial Challenges technical symposium and recognition ceremony - RLV News - They are in Washington DC on February 25-26. Here's the technical symposium agenda.

Winning mission patch for the last Shuttle mission - Space for All

Last Chance to Enter Kids’ Science Challenge! - Space for All

Masten Space Xombie highlights video - RLV News

21st Century Space Operations: Challenges and Opportunities - MIT Entreprise Forum - Central Coast - This was on February 17, and on e of the speakers was Dave Masten.

Tom and Dave go full-time - LaserMotive:

Although the focus for Team LaserMotive is on the 2010 Level 2 prize in the Power Beaming Challenge (scheduled for May), LaserMotive, LLC, has its eye on the future applications of power beaming.

For example, LaserMotive is already working to develop ways of recharging unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the “drones” used by the military. The majority of drones that are lost are lost during takeoff and landing for refueling.

Rocket Racing League Announces "Inaugural Show" - AVweb

Moon dreams - The Economist - This discusses private space plans, including Space Adventures, Bigelow, and the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams:

Now, though, the private sector is arguing that the new spending plan actually makes it more likely America will return to the moon. ...

If the United States is to return to the moon, it needs to do so in a way that is demonstrably superior to the first trip—for example, being led by business rather than government. Engaging in another government-driven spending battle, this time with the Chinese, will do nothing more than show that America has missed the point.

Humobots in space - COSMIC LOG - The Google Lunar X PRIZE is featured in this discussion of lunar robotics.

CanSat teachers attend introductory workshop - ESA

Masten Space provides flight to New Mexico student team - RLV News - From Masten's press release:

Masten Space Systems announced that it is offering the winner of the Next-generation Suborbital Research Conference 2010 Student Suborbital Experiment Competition a free zero gravity flight. The winning proposal was New Mexico State University’s “Experimental Validation of a Robotics-Based Inertial Property Identification Algorithm for Orbiting Spacecraft.”

Here are some twitter updates:

@paulsrobotics: working late preparing some robots for Motorama this weekend! (Broadcasting live at http://ustre.am/54fd)

@Doug_Comstock: Check out the NASA Pavilion at Innocentive where you can help NASA solve 3 important challenges. Visit http://tinyurl.com/NASA-Pavilion

@LaserMotive: Press release on LaserMotive expansion and personnel additions: http://bit.ly/cxl32j

@csf_spaceflight: CSF Welcomes Historic NASA Commitment of $75 Million for Commercial Suborbital Flights and Payloads: http://is.gd/8GjCJ #NSRC