Fwd: This Week in The Space Review - 2015 February 9

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From: jeff@thespacereview.com (Jeff Foust)
Date: February 9, 2015 at 12:30:15 PM CST
Subject: This Week in The Space Review - 2015 February 9
Reply-To: jeff@thespacereview.com

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Welcome to this week's issue of The Space Review:


Commercial space exploration: no longer an oxymoron!
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Last month, the X PRIZE Foundation awarded more than $5 million to five teams competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE for milestones they achieved getting their landers ready for flight. Derek Webber, one of the judges of those prizes, argues that these prizes are themselves a milestone for a more commercial approach for space exploration.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2692/1

The gift of a Europa mission may have a cost
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NASA's 2016 budget proposal, released last week, included plans to formally start work on a project to send a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. Jeff Foust reports that while this is good news for mission advocates, that decision could have a funding catch.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2691/1

A new way of financing spaceflight
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The last few years has seen a surge of interest in alternative "cryptocurrencies" like bitcoin. Petr Konupek examines whether a similar alterative currency might stimulate spaceflight.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2690/1

Review: How to Build a Universe
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Communicating the complex and even counterintuitive history of the universe to general audiences can be a challenge. Jeff Foust reviews a book that makes an attempt to do so through a combination of distinctive graphics and a lively writing style.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2689/1


If you missed it, here's what we published in our previous issue:


For commercial crew, out of the blackout and into the spotlight
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Last month, a protest of NASA's commercial crew contracts was denied, allowing the agency and the winning companies to start sharing more details about their plans. Jeff Foust reports on those new details about the program, and continued criticism about some aspects of it.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2688/1

Increased competition will challenge ESA's space authority
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The long-established European Space Agency is facing a new challenge to its power from the European Union. Clemens Rumpf argues that, as space becomes more competitive globally, the old models that supported ESA activities may no longer hold.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2687/1

Supporting space at science fairs
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One approach to encouraging students to pursue space-related careers is outreach at science fairs. Ken Murphy describes how he and others in the Dallas area have used science fairs to recognize and reward promising students.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2686/1

Review: The Orbital Perspective
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Can seeing the Earth from space change your perspective about the Earth and motivate you to action after returning to Earth? Jeff Foust reviews a book by a former astronaut who describes how his trips to space crystallized a new perspective that was already forming before he left the ground.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2685/1


We appreciate any feedback you may have about these articles as well as
any other questions, comments, or suggestions about The Space Review.
We're also actively soliciting articles to publish in future issues, so
if you have an article or article idea that you think would be of
interest, please email me.

Until next week,

Jeff Foust
Editor, The Space Review
jeff@thespacereview.com
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