2011
Find Your Way and Friends at an Amusement Park
Many GPS-enabled smartphones focus on locating the essentials: restaurants, hotels, museums, and other tourist spots. However, some more unique options are also available. Roadside America by This Exit encourages road-trippers to take a detour by providing a map of thousands of the funniest and weirdest attractions, from the largest ball of twine to a park made entirely of concrete.
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Just as the United States measures progress in early mathematics and science proficiency, other nations also track student progress. Many of these countries, including the United States, participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) evaluation process.
2011 – Cosmic Discovery
Observatories, space probes, and the scientists that operate them push humanity’s frontiers further out into the Universe. A range of exciting space science missions are in development that will expand humanity’s knowledge of the Sun, the planets and other bodies in the Solar System, the composition… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative…
Global Space Education
The worldwide space sector employs hundreds of thousands of skilled workers who require high levels of education and competency. To maintain this workforce over time, space employers require a steady supply of trained workers capable of performing tasks in key scientific and engineering disciplines.
2011 – U.S. Launch, Payload Snapshot
The United States continued to operate the world’s most diverse fleet of orbital launch vehicles in 2011. While its total of ## successful launches was not the world’s highest, it led in terms of diversity, with ## different types of orbital rockets launched throughout the year. In addition, 2011 saw progress toward the introduction of a new rocket system, the Antares (known prior to December 2011 as the Taurus II) and the announcement of three new launch systems, the Falcon Heavy, the Space Launch System, and the as-yet unnamed vehicle under development by Stratolaunch Systems.
2011 – Orbital Launch Reports and Forecasts Snapshot
Orbital launch activity increased by ##% in 2011, rising to ## launches from a total of ## in 2010. Continuing a trend that began in 2004, Russia was the nation that conducted the most launches, with a total of ##. China followed with a total of ## launches, conducting ## more ## than the United States.
2011 – Russia Launch, Human Snapshot
Russia’s ambitious plans to develop a new human-rated rocket system to eventually replace the Soyuz came to an official halt in October when Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced its decision to cancel the development of the Rus-M rocket. Originally planned to have its first flight in 2015, the rocket was to launch primarily from the new Russian launch facility of Vostochny in eastern Siberia. Launching from Vostochny would have relieved Russia of the need to rely on its Baikonur spaceport, which is leased to Russia by Kazakhstan and currently provides the only launch facilities for crewed Soyuz rockets.
2011 – Space Products and Services Overview Snapshot
Space products and services are things used by people on Earth which rely on the data or connections provided by satellites, as well as items that use technology originally developed for use in space activities but which are now applied to non-space applications. There are currently almost 1,000 operational satellites in orbit around the Earth.
2011 – United Kingdom Government Space Budget – Snapshot
Civil space activities in the United Kingdom (UK) are primarily funded through the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), which became operational in April 2011, and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). Space budgets for FY 10/11, which ran from April 2010 through March 2011, had not been published by the UKSA as of January 2012.
2011 – Spanish Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), the primary organization responsible for space activities in Spain, received appropriations from Spain’s national budget of €## million (US$##million) in 2011, an increase of 3% over 2010 levels. INTA also receives revenue from its own commercial operations. Spain’s contribution to ESA is not funded through INTA, but through the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). In 2011, Spain’s ESA contribution was €## million (US$## million), an increase of ##% from the 2010 ESA contribution.