A Time for Balance and Cooperation…and Action

This week Congress is expected to resume its deliberations regarding the future of NASA. Vying for attention are many powerful interests. Some urge passage of legislation to bolster R&D and the emerging commercial launch sector. Others want laws that protect endangered NASA workforce talent. Still others urge minimal government involvement on the notion that an [...]

Space: The Next Frontier for America’s Fabled Garage and Dorm Room Geniuses?

Since World War II, the United States has productively invested an astronomical amount of money in the research and development of “pre-competitive” technologies to achieve its goals for both the Nation’s defense and its competitiveness within the global marketplace. The American Space Program is one of many shining examples of the payoff. Over time, subsequent [...]

8th Continent’s “Help For Haiti” urgently requests your help

All 8C members and Space 2.0 organizations are invited to join in. You can…. Add to the List>> Tell us about your organizations’ Haiti relief activities. Email us at info@8cproject.com Take Action >> Ways to help: + Free Access to Haiti Imagery (DigitalGlobe)….<more> + Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts (DigitalGlobe)….<more> + Text “Haiti” to 90999 (American [...]

Export control review seen as positive for space industries

Commercial high-technology products with potential military uses could be easier to sell overseas, if the federal government eases restrictions on exports that have been in place since the Cold War, tech companies said last week. The Obama Administration announced that it will undertake a comprehensive review of U.S. export controls, while extending the Commerce Department’s [...]

Google Earth Outreach tells renewable energy developers where to go

Earth imaging using the Digital Globe satellite network, via Google Earth, shows developers of renewable energy projects where to build, according to a story in Consumer Energy Report. Google Earth Outreach is a program of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Audubon Society to produce a visual record of sensitive wildlife habitats and [...]

From the NSS: Space industry grows as economy shrinks

The News: Plenty of interesting stuff  is coming out of the National Space Symposium, held this week in Colorado Springs. The Space 2.0 Connection: As promoters of entrepreneurship – and connectors of start-ups to risk capital – we at 8th Continent most appreciate this exchange, reported by Debra Werner in Space News: “There is never [...]

Should Stimulus $ Go to Startup Funding?

The News: In Sunday’s New York Times, Thomas Friedman sets off a flurry of commentary by suggesting that the U.S. Treasury should direct $20 billion to top VCs to invest in start-ups, a much more reliable job creation engine than General Motors or Bank of America. Other bloggers suggest that existing programs already do that [...]

Privately Funded SpaceX Achieves Earth Orbit

Fueled by venture capital dollars and private investment, today’s successful launch and orbit by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation’s (SpaceX) Falcon 1 liquid-fueled rocket heralds a significant milestone in the private sector’s conquest of space. The 8th Continent Project believes today’s event represents a clear signal to investors that the age of private sector commercialization of [...]

Here Comes The Money

As aerospace technologies such as solar films and satellite-based power transmission are explored and transferred into the burgeoning alternative energy industry, public and private funds continue to pour into high-level renewable energy and scientific research projects here in Colorado.  As a result, the state is growing a strong reputation as one of the key entrepreneur-driven [...]

Space 2.0 in-depth part IV

Like other companies we have examined that came to 8th Continent through our “Space 2.0″ business plan competition, another runner-up company called ViraTag, comprised of Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University students, is able to solve an important  health care demand with their space-derived technology. The company has developed in-vitro diagnostic virus detection kits [...]