Venezuela's first Earth-observation spacecraft is also China's first export of a high-resolution optical-imaging spacecraft.

NASA's new Mars orbiter will advance human missions

Human spaceflight is just the beginning for burgeoning Chinese program.

A U.K.-based non-profit organization set up to promote the use of space assets in British industry has some lessons that can be applied by the Center for the Advancement of Science In Space (Casis), the non-profit Congress established to promote use of the International Space Station (ISS) by private-sector researchers. The Satellite Applications Catapult and its predecessor organization have a little more time under their belts, and they are already passing it along to Casis as the U.S. operation begins to get some traction.

It is a commonplace that any future attempts to explore outer space will of necessity be an international effort. No single nation can afford the price of admission, and even with everyone pulling together, it will be difficult and dangerous. A recent television schedule for upcoming activities on the International Space Station brought that home.

Thompson is a PwC partner, leader of U.S. Aerospace & Defense practice

Paul Anderson B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Ph.D. candidate in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado. GPA: 4.0 Research: Evolution of the geosynchronous orbital debris environment. Undergraduate Research: Development of Stability Conditions of Oblique Wave Trains

YouTube goes a long way in highlighting the creativity and delight some of today's university students take in being . . . well, a nerd. Whether at Purdue University creating an over-engineered automated soft-drink dispensing system or at the University of Michigan putting a fresh take on dance-a-thon turned hack-a-thon, present-day engineering students add to the tradition of poking fun at who they are while reveling in what they do.