Last month, the Space Frontier Foundation (SFF) submitted a white paper titled “Space Solar Power ( SSP)—A Solution for Energy Independence & Climate Change” to the Obama-Biden Transition Project, which was published by the Obama transition team.

Jeff Greason, president and CEO of XCOR Aerospace, has selected Jules Klar, the president of Great American Travel who founded “$5-a-Day Tours” in 1961, as the agent for flights on XCOR’s spaceplane, the Lynx Mark I—which is now under construction at the XCOR facilities at the Mojave spaceport.

Usually no means no, but not to the folks building Spaceport America, a commercial spaceport currently in development and earmarked for space tourism. In fact, Steve Landeene, executive director of the New Mexico Space Authority (NMSA), viewed the loss of a tax increase referendum in Otero County, New Mexico, that would support Spaceport America as little more than a temporary setback.

We knew it was going to happen: sports free from the limitations of gravity. Following the bouncing ball takes on a whole new meaning when the ball can bounce of the ceiling, walls, floor, and especially when it's still in the hands of the player, also bouncing off the ceiling, walls, and floor.

During his flight to the International Space Station from 10 October to 24 October 2008, video game designer and first second-generation astronaut Richard Garriott had to planned a spacewalk outside the International Space Station wearing a to-die-for timepiece: the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk watch. Alas, neither Garriott nor the Spacewalk walked in space.

Spaceflight participant Richard Garriot returned to the Kazakhstan steppes on October 24, after spending 12 days in space. Garriott, son of former astronaut Owen Garriott and therefore the first second-generation US astronaut, kept himself occupied during that whole flight. In fact, you may wonder how he had time to sleep.

Jim Benson, 63, founder of SpaceDev, the first publicly traded space company, died October 10, 2008, from a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor, with which he was diagnosed in 2007.

What is the next best thing to going into space? Being next in line for a trip.

Some folks are never satisfied. Not with paddling down the Amazon, tracking gorillas in Rwanda, diving to the Titanic, or hunting for meteorites in the frozen Antarctic.

In sports, coming in second is almost as bad as finishing last. First place wins the gold medal, the blue ribbon, the biggest trophy, and the bottle of champagne. Second place doesn’t.