New NASA budget request follows old path, but with a few changes

In-space satellite refueling system tests make progress

Battle lines are being drawn in the iron triangle

The caption with a graphic depicting satellites and debris in Earth orbit accompanying an article in the March 3 edition (page 22) on a new U.S. satellite system to monitor other spacecraft incorrectly described a dense ring of objects. The region described was low Earth orbit, not geosynchronous orbit.

Dennis Tito's ambitious plan to send a married couple on a fast near-term tour of the inner Solar System is losing lift in the face of technical and fiscal reality, but his can-do spirit and choice of working partners is paying off in technology. A deeper dive into mission requirements ruled out the space-tourism pioneer's hope that his personal wealth could seed a two-person Mars flyaround in 2018, and his revised plan for a 580-plus-day trip to Mars via Venus is a long shot.

The U.S. Air Force plans to launch two new, secretly developed satellites this year to spy on activities in the densely populated geosynchronous orbit belt, according to Gen. William Shelton, who leads Air Force Space Command. The spacecraft, classified until Shelton revealed their existence Feb. 21, were developed by the Air Force and Orbital Sciences Corp. under the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), service officials say.