SpaceQ Space news and analysis.

Last week in space for Canada was all about reacting to the final release of the Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee (“The Augustine Report”) and next week in space for Canada is likely to focus on the Canadian Science Policy Conference, being held in Toronto from October 28th – 30th but that leaves a gap this week where we can provide a brief …

Canada is mentioned five times in the US Human Spaceflight Plans Committee Report. Three are general references to Canada’s participation in the space station Freedom and the International Space Station. The other mentions are more significant.

The Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee has released it’s long awaited report (PDF) and it states that the U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory. However if NASA had a less-constrained budget with increasing annual expenditures by approximately $3 billion in real purchasing power they could sustain a viable exploration program.

NASA’s Human Space Flight Review Committee chaired by Norman Augustine will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. EDT today to discuss the committee’s final report which is being released today. The highly anticipated report will have a significant affect on future US manned space flight and consequently affects Canada’s space program.

This week in space for Canada is essentially “All about the Benjamin’s” although it only indirectly refers to the fourth single released from the Shaun “Puffy” Combs album No Way Out.

The US space program is scheduled to fly its last Space Shuttle mission late next year meaning Canada’s astronauts will have to ride a Russian Soyuz rocket if they are to visit the International Space Station (ISS). The Russians have been charging space tourists $35 million US of late and will be charging the US space program $51 million US per flight starting in 2016 …

This week in space for Canada is much more boring than last week and will likely not focus on any one specific professional entertainer. Instead, we’re going to highlight those who are moderating space focused policy documents, discussions and commentary, providing access to important information and contributing to the development of new relationships among existing players which may or may not eventually compensate for the …

Guy Lalibert the the founder of Cirque du Soleil landed in the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft on the steppes of Kazakhstan earlier today after completing his 11 day Poetic Social Mission. Returning with Lalibert were International Space Station Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt who have just completed a six-month stay.

This week in space for Canada is all about Canadian billionaire and Cirque du Soleil entrepreneur Guy Lalibert, his trip to the International Space Station and his upcoming presentation from the ISS on October 9th titled “Moving Stars and Earth for Water” which is part of his plan to raise awareness of water-related issues through the ONE DROP Foundation.