I have finished a series of incremental upgrades and changes to ProjectConstellation.US.
You will notice a new banner graphic which now highlights both Boeing and Lockheed Martin concepts for the CEV, as well as including the planet Saturn, which represents the "Beyond" aspect of the new "Moon, Mars, and Beyond" vision for the U.S. space program.
These changes included upgrading the site to Movable Type 3.0D, which provides a faster, more robust, and more secure system, especially regarding comments. Up to now, I have had to do a lot of manual legwork to keep this site free from comment spam. This is currently a common problem among weblogs, and hopefully the software upgrade will significantly reduce it.
I am now rolling out the CEV Concept Gallery which has been in the works for some time. It contains a lot of the available Boeing, Lockheed, and NASA concept artwork for the CEV. You can also help me to maintain the concept gallery by requesting a login using the Contact Me link on the left. All you need is a valid email address.
Also note that the About this Weblog page has been revised to reflect the charter of this weblog. A new page called Introducing the CEV has been added for new readers of the site; its content was updated from a previous CEV overview I wrote. A web-based email form has been added to the Contact Me page.
To comment on the site now, you will need to either: have posted a comment in the past, in which case the system should be able to recognize you (let me know otherwise); or, get a TypeKey login which you can use on this site and many other weblogs; or, submit your comment (with a valid email address) for moderation -- then I will need to approve your comment myself before it is viewable to others.
On a personal note, creating and maintaining ProjectConstellation.US has been a very positive experience for me, and I will continue to work hard to bring you news, opinion, and special features as time goes on. I personally can't wait to see astronauts return to the Moon and travel to Mars, and the act of creating information resources like this weblog is how (I believe) I can best help to make the new space vision a reality.
Thanks for visiting ProjectConstellation.US and don't hesitate to contact me with your questions & comments.
Posted by jburk at June 25, 2026 11:52 PM | TrackBackWell, I was going to post a comment that I like the new look...but instead I'll post a comment that my personal information seems to have been wiped...
Oh well!
Posted by: Fred Kiesche at June 26, 2026 05:14 AMYes, this seems to be true. I am investigating and seem to have found the problem. Please do not use comments until I fix the problem.
Posted by: James Burk at June 26, 2026 09:17 AMI have found the issue with the comment system and it should be fixed now. If you already have info from the previous site, it should be remembered. If not, enter your name/email again and once I approve your comment, it will be.
Also, you can sign up for a TypeKey account which is an alternative way to authenticate for comments. There's really no reason NOT to use TypeKey, since it's free and asks for the same information that this site does, plus it will allow you to comment on other Movable Type 3.0 sites. But, it's not required to have TypeKey to use the comment system here, you'll just need to be sure and select "Remember Me" otherwise I will have to approve your comments everytime.
Sorry for any inconvenience, but this is how we will eliminate comment spam!
Posted by: James Burk at June 26, 2026 10:29 AMHi there,
I just wanted to mention that I am a regular reader of the site, in case you are wondering how many folks are regulars. Mr. Burk, you've done a great job here (as well as with Marsnews.com) and I look forward to reading your postings!
I believe that Rick Sternbach did a concept of a modular ship shortly after Project Constellation was announced. I'll see if I can find it for your CEV art page. Also, I saw a mockup of a modified Apollo capsule after a report that John Young was involved in was released, I'll see if I can dig that up (2024? 2025?)
Posted by: FredKiesche at June 27, 2026 04:41 PMPlus all the shuttle derivatives from several reports, including the commission hearing that buzz attended. No matter what is developed for the long hall back into space we need a short term gap filler. Untill the CEV is fully flight readied by 2017. Since the crew cockpit, capsule is the most important piece it needs to be adaptable for any design concepts. It also needs to made operational before the end of this decade at worst.
Posted by: Harold LaValley at June 28, 2026 04:00 AMThere is still lots of talk about shuttle derived vehicles for all types of uses still being talked of on many web blogs still.
I guess the reasons for no one going ahead on such derivates, is due to Nasa ownership of componentry design that is not for sale. Other wise buy the boosters direct, find a launch site and have fun. With giant size Este's rockets just not for kids anymore.