(Source: RLV News)

An article in The Engineer reviews progress in developing inflatable space habitats, including work by Anglo-Italian aerospace materials firm AeroSekur:

It’s all very well producing an inflatable balloon but if people are going to live in it you have to start thinking about other issues - in particular that of interfaces such as the exits and the entrances - and that’s quite a difficult engineering problem,’ said Mark Butler, Aero Sekur’s chief executive. ’For instance, if you put them on the circumference, you have to start dealing with high hoop stresses and model those. We also need to look at how to inflate these modules and how to pack them and, where possible, use regenerative life-support systems. It’s a tough engineering problem, but we’re getting there.’

• Space Inflators | In Depth -- The Engineer

(Source: Reaction Engines)

During August the first tube manipulation machine was commissioned. Its installation at our manufacturing facility has enabled the assembly of the first production heat exchanger module to begin.

The lack of published news this month is due to internal preparations for significant events, which will be covered in next month's Update.

Be sure to check us out in October!

Ray Bainbridge, founder of Space Chariots, a suborbital flight services provider, is working on a new project called Space Cafe, which was advertised in the Sunday Times. Unfortunately, I don't get the paper, and there's nothing on the website yet, but more information as I get it...

British-born commercial astronaut Richard Garriott reviews the potential impact of NewSpace:

• The new space race? -- Public Service News

UKSA chief says space spin-offs could benefit social care:

• Space spin-offs to benefit elderly -- Public Service News

This is a test to see if Twitter posting fixed...

The recent switch to OAuth authentication for the Twitter API has broken the Rocketeers Twitter feed :-(. I'll try to get that fixed today, and clear the news backlog...

ESA is inviting students to propose experiments to fly on sounding rockets and stratospheric balloons. The winning teams will have the opportunity to design and build an experiment for the BEXUS balloons or the REXUS rockets.

The BEXUS (Balloon-borne Experiments for University Students) 12 and 13 balloons will be launched in October 2011 and the REXUS (Rocket-borne Experiments for University Students) 11 and 12 sounding rockets will be launched in March 2012, all from Kiruna in northern Sweden.

The REXUS/BEXUS programme is realised under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB). The Swedish share of the payload has been made available to students from other European
countries through a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Continue reading...

The British Science Festival 2010 is being held in Birmingham from 14-19 September:

• Programme of events

A gala dinner at the Festival will feature the launch of The New Optimists, a compilation of refreshingly positive views from UK scientists. From the Amazon page:

"The New Optimists is the most exhilarating of books. It looks to the future, not with rose-tinted glasses, but with a clear vision, aware of difficulties and challenges yet convinced that research and experiment can help the human race to overcome them." Excerpt from the Foreword by Jenny Uglow In the late eighteenth century, a small group of scientists gathered in Birmingham to form the Lunar Society, a debating group of scientists, artists, philosophers and businessmen. Their vision changed the face of the world. Today s inheritors of this vision, over 80 medics, life scientists, engineers, chemists, computer and digital media scientists, environmental and energy experts have combined in The New Optimists to share with us their view of the world and what the future holds. And the future is positive. The New Optimists takes us on an exhilarating journey into the minds of some of the UK s leading scientists and reveals just how much is happening in our research centres and universities, driving towards the common good. From tackling the big challenges, such as curing cancer, to living in harmony with our environment, the book reveals how scientists are breaking new barriers as they overcome obstacles to progress. From the role of behaviour in human health to role of science in society, The New Optimists opens your mind to the endless possibilities of focused and responsible research and helps us face the future with confidence."

• The New Optimists website