In 1997, frozen oceans and spewing volcanoes were found on the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons in our solar system. As this could be a critical combination for life to begin, many proposals were sent to send probes to Europa… and rumor was that they were all denied. I filed a FOIA request for all documents pertaining to these proposals, and to the possible life on Europa. The request was filed with NASA, and documents were released in 2006. The first part of the release is an index of documents relating to Europa, and possible life on it. The…
Author: John Greenewald
Background This overview and collection of documents and other material related to the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) offer a glimpse of CIA’s overall contribution to the analysis of Soviet capabilities in science and technology during the Cold War. It is by no means intended to be definitive, or even complete, with respect to all the activities associated with the Agency’s scientific and technological capabilities, analysis, and resulting reporting. It does, however, highlight some key events and selected activities that contribute to our understanding of the unique role OSI played in the Agency’s history. Document Archive The Original Wizards of…
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) Final Report documents the analyses and findings of the 90-day Agency-wide study. Work on this study began in May 2005 and was completed in July 2005. Download the full report [758 Pages, 24mb]
Background Project Horizon was a 1959 study to determine the feasibility of constructing a scientific / military base on the Moon. During this time, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force had responsibility for the U.S. space program. On 8 June, 1959, a group at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) produced for the U.S. Department of the Army a report entitled Project Horizon, A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Military Outpost. Some reasons cited were military and scientific advantages over other nations. The program would also assure demand for the rockets ABMA was designing. According…
Background Challenger was destroyed in the second minute of STS-51-L, the orbiter’s tenth mission, on January 28, 1986 at 11:38:00 a.m. EST, when an O-ring seal on its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed. The O-rings failed to seal due to a variety of factors, including unusually cold temperatures. This failure allowed a plume of flame to leak out of the SRB and impinge on both the external fuel tank (ET) and SRB aft attachment strut. This caused both structural failure of the ET and the SRB pivoting into the orbiter and ET. The orbiter’s attitude rotated out of the…