March 8, 2014

'Red Dragon' Mars Sample-Return Mission Could Launch in 2022 with SpaceX Capsule (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have blueprinted a low-cost Mars sample-return mission that would use a souped-up Dragon capsule from the private spacefligth company SpaceX and the firm's planned Falcon Heavy rocket to get to the Red Planet by the early 2020s.

The new study demonstrates the viability of the entry, descent and landing of the unmanned Dragon space capsule at Mars. Moreover, the spacecraft's descent technique would help set the stage for future human missions to the Red Planet, researchers said. The idea is to leverage emerging commercial capabilities to achieve Mars sample-return (MSR) without breaking the bank, perhaps in 2022. Click here. (3/7)

SpaceX Advances Drive for Mars Rocket via Raptor Power (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
SpaceX Co-Founder and Vice President of Propulsion Development Tom Mueller has revealed the company is deep into the development of the first “full flow methane-liquid oxygen” rocket engine. Known as the Raptor, nine of these immensely powerful engines – one or three cores – will be utilized to send SpaceX’s Super Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (SHLV) uphill on missions to Mars. Click here. (3/7)

Mojave Crater My be Source of Many Martian Meteorites (Source: Science News)
Many of the rougly 150 Martian meteorites that have been found on Earth may have been launched into space during the impact that created the Mojave Crater on Mars. The minerals in the meteorites, called shergottites, are similar to those found in the crater, and the age of the crater — which is at least 3 million years old — matches evidence of when the meteorites were ejected. But the meteorites may have crystalized as far back as 4.3 billion years ago, making them among the oldest known material from Mars. (3/7)

Disaggregation Gets Traction in 2015 Pentagon Budget Request (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force plans to take its initial steps toward adopting a new military space architecture in 2015, a move service officials say is evident in a budget blueprint that tables procurement of two large secure communications satellites and funds development of a new generation of low-cost weather satellites.

The space portion of the Air Force’s 2015 budget request, unveiled March 4, also calls for slowing production of the service’s next-generation GPS 3 constellation and purchasing two fewer launches than had been expected. In a March 5 briefing with reporters, Air Force officials said the upcoming fiscal year provided one of the first opportunities to act on the emerging architectural concept for military space called disaggregation, whereby capabilities are dispersed on a wider variety of platforms than currently is the case. (3/7)

Lasers to Clean Up Space Junk (Source: ANU)
Mount Stromlo Observatory will play a lead role in cleaning up space junk under a new $20 million Cooperative Research Center (CRC), announced by the Australian Government’s Industry Department. The new CRC will help scientists find and track tiny pieces of debris orbiting the Earth, which pose serious risk of collision with satellites, space stations and other space craft. (3/7)

Why Cosmos Should Matter, Especially to Hollywood (Source: Planetary Society)
For a town dependent on Stars, there are far too few people here who look up at the sky. But come this Sunday, March 9, everyone will have a chance to marvel at our sky's brilliance and fly through the depths of the Universe...all via their living room's flat screen. The epic series of science, space and humanity has returned. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

The new Cosmos, co-written by Sagan' partner, widow (and ever-inspiring) Ann Druyan, executive-produced by Seth MacFarlane, and hosted by astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson aims to change that. It looks to once again bring the majesty of space and time to the masses by way of an engaging narratives and mind blowing visual effects… with the hopes of stimulating interest in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.

Fox is changing the paradigm of TV distribution. It's not just changing it, it's blowing it up. It is releasing Cosmos on 10 channels simultaneously, Fox national network and all Fox and National Geographic affiliates -- a first in cross-network simulcast. Then, one week later, it will launch on 120 Fox International channels and 90 National Geographic affiliates. This will equal 400 million potential viewing households outside the United States. (3/7)

SpaceX Delays Static Test Fire for CRS-3 Mission (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
SpaceX has postponed a test fire of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket which had been scheduled to take place Mar. 7 at 1 p.m. EST. The Falcon 9 v1.1 on the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida is poised to launch the third of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) under the $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract SpaceX has with NASA. Liftoff is currently slated to take place at 4:41 a.m. EST on March 16. (3/7)

Univ. of Texas to Join Giant Magellan Telescope Project (Source: Space Today)
The regents of the University of Texas agreed Friday to join a project to build the world's largest telescope in Chile, agreeing to contribute $50 million to the effort. The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will consist of seven mirrors each 8.4 meters in diameter, aligned to create a single telescope with an effective aperture of 24.8 meters. Total cost of building the GMT is estimated to be $1 billion; the University of Texas plans to provide $100 million of that total.

The $50-million contributed approved by university regents Friday will be augmented by fundraising to reach the planned $100 million total. Another Texas university, Texas A&M, plans to provide $50 million for GMT construction. Several other institutions in the US, Australia, and South Korea are also partners on the GMT project, which expects to be completed in 2020. (3/8)

NASA Picks 108 Small Business Tech Proposals, Two From Florida (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected 108 research and technology proposals from U.S. small businesses that will enable NASA’s future missions while benefiting America’s new high technology-driven economy right here on Earth. The selected proposals now will enter into negotiations for contract awards as part of Phase II of the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The selected aerospace technology and innovation projects have a total value of approximately $87 million, supporting 99 U.S. firms in 26 states.

Two of the projects are from Florida, including: Accelerating Communication-Intensive Applications via Novel Data Compression Techniques, by Accelogic LLC of Weston, FL; and High Temperature Sensors Using Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanowires, by HARP Engineering LLC of Gainesville, FL. Click here for a complete list. (3/7)

Tethers Unlimited’s Trusselator Selected for NASA SBIR Phase II Award (Source: Parabolic Arc0
NASA announced today that it has selected Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) for award of a $750,000 contract to continue development of its “Trusselator” technology. The Trusselator is a device for in-­space additive manufacture of high-­performance truss structures for systems such as large solar arrays and antennas. (3/7)

FAA Appeals Judge's Ruling on Drone Regulatory Authority (Source: FAA)
The FAA issued a notice appealing a decision by an NTSB Administrative Law Judge in the civil penalty case, Huerta v. Pirker. "The FAA is appealing the decision of an NTSB Administrative Law Judge to the full National Transportation Safety Board, which has the effect of staying the decision until the Board rules. The agency is concerned that this decision could impact the safe operation of the national airspace system and the safety of people and property on the ground." (3/7)

NASA Enhances Dream Chaser Agreement with Sierra Nevada (Source: NASA)
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will host a news conference on March 11 to announce a newly expanded Space Act Agreement. Under this new agreement, Marshall will provide technical expertise to SNC as it plans for integration of on-orbit science payloads on its Dream Chaser spacecraft. Teledyne Brown Engineering, which will provide support to SNC under a Teaming Agreement, will also participate. (3/7)

NASA Selects 10 Proposals for Unprecedented Twin Astronaut Study (Source: SpaceRef)
Only one set of twins has ever been into space, and now those twins are providing an unprecedented opportunity for scientists to understand better the effects of microgravity on the human body.

NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) will fund 10 short-term, first-of-its-kind investigations into the molecular, physiological and psychological effects of spaceflight in a continuous effort to reduce the health impacts of human space exploration. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute is partnering with HRP to provide genetic counseling and assisting in the management of the research.

This unique opportunity is made possible by NASA's decision to fly veteran astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the International Space Station for one year, beginning March 2015, while his identical twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, remains on Earth. (3/7)

U.S. Senate Confirms Former Astronaut as New NOAA Chief (Source: Science)
The U.S. Senate yesterday confirmed former astronaut and earth scientist Kathryn Sullivan as the 10th administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency issued a press release to mark the voice vote, and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, who leads NOAA’s parent department, issued a statement saying she was “pleased” with the move. (3/7)

New Tool Could Help Spot Alien Life (Source: Science)
Earth’s atmosphere is heavy—it’s what keeps water from flying off into space. So astronomers looking for alien worlds that can harbor life have also been looking for heavy atmospheres. Now, they’ve found a way to gauge the atmospheric pressure of distant planets using molecules that couple up to form larger molecules called dimers, in this case, two oxygen molecules. When a planet passes in front of its star, starlight shines through the planet’s atmosphere and continues through space until it reaches us.

Dimers in the atmosphere absorb light like a color filter on a camera lens, creating anomalies detectable once the pressure of the planet is at least 0.25 bars—high enough to hold down liquid water. To gauge the pressure of the planet, researchers will measure the strength of the signals using the new James Webb Space Telescope once it comes online in 2018.

But the signals are also detectable only if the atmosphere is well oxygenated, and the only way scientists know how to make an oxygenated atmosphere is with photosynthetic life. If scientists find oxygen dimers on a planet, they may have not only found a world with water we can drink and air we can breathe, but also a living world. For now, though, the pressure is on to launch the James Webb Space Telescope into orbit. (3/8)

Why Earth Needs a Defense System Against Incoming Asteroids (Source: CBC)
The Earth was grazed by three space bullets this week in the cosmic shooting gallery that is our solar system. Each small asteroid carried more energy than a nuclear weapon, yet we didn't see them coming until the last minute and there is no system in place to protect us from getting hit.

Scientists estimate that these close encounters with small asteroids happen every couple of weeks, which means there are about 25 chances every year that the Earth could get hit by one of them. It is also estimated that there are more than a million small asteroids out there, crossing the Earth's orbit, and so far, only 10,600 have been found. Perhaps the odds have been on our side so far, but it's obvious that sooner or later, we are going to get pounded by one of these marauders from space. (3/7)

Challenger Center Shut Due to Poor Attendance (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Susan Unser and her husband, racing legend Al Unser Sr., have shuttered a NASA-based education learning center they opened three years ago behind their racing museum in the North Valley. The Challenger Learning Center of New Mexico is part of a larger network of similar centers around the country that aims to get students interested in science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on learning. The center provided a 2½-hour “mission” that allowed students to participate in a mock space mission.

“We had to make a choice,” Susan Unser said. “It’s sad, but we said we will give it three years to turn a corner.” The center closed Jan. 15. Unser said she will know soon whether another group will take over. She said there was not enough participation to make the endeavor financially successful. During March through May, the center was booked every day, but attendance was spotty during the rest of the year, she said. (3/8)

University of Arizona Findings Light a Fire Under Europa Mission (Source: Arizona Daily Star)
A recent study by a UA scientist provides new evidence that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a thin crust of ice over a vast ocean. NASA included money to plan a mission to Europa in its budget this week, agreeing with Europa researchers at the University of Arizona and elsewhere that Jupiter’s smallest moon is a good place to search for forms of life.

Veronica Bray began her study of Europa for her doctorate in 2004 while focusing on impact cratering of icy moons. She was attracted to Europa because of the “gigantic controversy about how thick the ice shell is.” The debate has carried on for many years because the overall thickness determines whether life can exist in the liquid-water ocean under Europa’s ice surface, she said. In order for life to exist, the ice crust must be thinner than 10 kilometers, or about 6 miles thick, she said.

If the crust is thicker, the ocean would not be able to receive the necessary ingredients for life such as energy and food, said Richard Greenberg. Greenberg came to the conclusion that the crust was thin in the mid-1990s when he was studying various crack patterns in Europa’s ice crust, he said. “There’s evidence that those cracks actually penetrated to the water layer below the ice,” he said. In order for that to happen, “the crust can’t be too thick.” (3/8)

Russia Must Focus on Profits in Space Industry (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia’s space industry must be improved to ensure a return on government investments in the sector, a senior official said Friday. "We can no longer tolerate the lag behind world standards,” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said. Rogozin, who oversees the space and defense sectors, said the government must focus on building public-private partnerships to make the space industry more profitable.

Last month, Rogozin said the government would introduce stiffer penalties for companies that did not manufacture and deliver spacecraft on schedule. “Another important aspect is to secure outside funding,” Rogozin said. “It’s embarrassing that Russia has 3 percent of the international space market.” Rogozin also emphasized the need for further international cooperation in space, and called for long-term planning for the country’s fleet of rockets to serve future needs through the 2040s. (3/8)

NASA's WISE Survey Finds Thousands of New Stars, But No 'Planet X' (Source: NASA JPL)
After searching hundreds of millions of objects across our sky, NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has turned up no evidence of the hypothesized celestial body in our solar system commonly dubbed "Planet X." Researchers previously had theorized about the existence of this large, but unseen celestial body, suspected to lie somewhere beyond the orbit of Pluto. In addition to "Planet X," the body had garnered other nicknames, including "Nemesis" and "Tyche."

This recent study, which involved an examination of WISE data covering the entire sky in infrared light, found no object the size of Saturn or larger exists out to a distance of 10,000 astronomical units (au), and no object larger than Jupiter exists out to 26,000 au. One astronomical unit equals 93 million miles. Earth is 1 au, and Pluto about 40 au, from the sun.

"The outer solar system probably does not contain a large gas giant planet, or a small, companion star," said Kevin Luhman of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds at Penn State University. But searches of the WISE catalog are not coming up empty. A second study reveals several thousand new residents in our sun's "backyard," consisting of stars and cool bodies called brown dwarfs. (3/7)

Virgin Galactic Nearing Approval for SpaceShipTwo Launch License (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic is in the “final phases” of its efforts to receive an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial launch license for SpaceShipTwo, and plans to resume powered test flights of that suborbital vehicle in the near future, the company’s chief executive said March 6.

“I think we’re in the final phases of our commercial launch application with the FAA, and that’s going well,” George Whitesides said in a luncheon speech at the Goddard Memorial Symposium here. Virgin Galactic had submitted that application to the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation last August, where it has been under review. “We hope to progress that to conclusion soon.” (3/7)

March 7, 2014

DiBello: International Aerospace Partnerships Bring Jobs to Florida (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
In October, the states of Florida and Israel formed a $2 million joint program to support research, development and commercialization of aerospace and technology projects. This January, Space Florida issued a joint request for proposals (RFP) for R&D projects sponsored by companies in both states. Research funding will be awarded to companies demonstrating the most promising partnerships — those that demonstrate near-term potential for commercialization and economic benefit to both states.

This is part of a larger state strategy to partner with other nations to create tomorrow’s innovation economy. Last fall, we participated in a trade mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil — another country with similarities when it come to the pursuit of space and aerospace programs. We’ve formed similar partnerships with the U.K. and Spain in recent years.

International trade and cooperation are key to growing Florida’s innovation economy and creating jobs. Space, aerospace, science and technology are growth sectors in the global marketplace that create high-wage jobs, and international aerospace-related markets hold great potential for growth in Florida, as we continue to position our state as the path to the U.S. market for these international technology companies. (3/6)

NASA Budget Keeps KSC Plans on Target (Source: Florida Today)
NASA’s proposed $17.46 billion budget in 2015 would keep Kennedy Space Center on track to support the first test flights of new human exploration vehicles, including the first late this year, officials said. “It allows us to stay the course as we continue to transform the center into the multi-user spaceport of the future,” said KSC Director Bob Cabana.

Cabana said just under $2.1 billion from various programs would flow through KSC, a tad more than in the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30. Most of the nearly $1.2 billion supporting human spaceflight activity reflects the agency’s $848 million request for the Commercial Crew Program, which is led from KSC and aims to launch astronauts from the Space Coast on private rockets and spacecraft by 2017.

The rest of the exploration-related funding KSC could see in 2015, plus some of the $96 million earmarked for facility construction, would help prepare the Vehicle Assembly Building, launch pad 39B and other infrastructure for a late 2017 inaugural launch of the giant Space Launch System rocket with an uncrewed Orion capsule. The proposed budget also includes $355 million to run KSC. (3/7)

Cabana Seeks Civil-Sector Diversification at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
“As the civil sector grows at KSC, that’s where I’m hoping that more jobs come into the area,” KSC Director Bob Cabana said. “Not necessarily through NASA-funded work, but through actually transforming KSC into a government-commercial spaceport where we have civil operations also.”

The agency had hoped to wrap up deals last month to lease launch pad 39A to SpaceX and turn over operation of the former shuttle runway to Space Florida. In 2015 the center’s Launch Services Program would continue to buy rockets to fly from the Cape and other locations. Basic modernization efforts would continue to power, water and waste water systems. (3/7)

Arabsat To Order Four Satellites (Source: Space News)
Arabsat of Saudi Arabia and Telesat of Canada, in a broadening of their strategic partnership, on March 6 said they would share the use of a new satellite for Arabsat-owned Hellas Sat of Greece and bundle its order with three Arabsat satellites. (3/6)

Space Society Supports 2015 Commercial Crew Budget (Source: NSS)
The Washington DC-based National Space Society (NSS) has been a consistent supporter of NASA's Commercial Crew program to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).  In the NSS position paper on the NASA Commercial Crew Program released today, the Society strongly endorses $848 million in the 2015 NASA budget for Commercial Crew, along with the $250 million supplemental Commercial Crew request. Furthermore, the $171 million "hold" placed on the program last year should be removed. (3/7)

The "Masters" Behind China's Lunar Rover (Source: Space Daily)
In contrast to how much of an influence the virtual persona of China's first moon rover has made on social media home and abroad, little is known about the people behind the loveable character. An unverified user named "Jade Rabbit Lunar Rover", who posts messages in the first-person of the rover, went viral on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo in the past three months. Click here. (3/6)

UNL Microgravity Team Develops Pill to Monitor Astronauts' Vitals (Source: Space Daily)
The Microgravity Team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is making strides in producing technology to aid in the health of astronauts - and NASA is taking notice. The team, which is a part of UNL's College of Engineering, has been working on a non-invasive method of detecting and monitoring human vitals by means of a swallowable pill. Click here. (3/6)

Still No Compesation From Russia for Proton-M Crash (Source: Tengri News)
Russia is still considering the amount of damages requested by Kazakhstan to compensate the environmental harm caused by the Proton-M carrier rocket crash. "We calculated the compensation amount and invoiced Russia; now it is Roscosmos's turn to respond. We are keeping in touch with Roscosmos about the damage compensation issue," Nurlan Kapparov, Minister of Environment and Water Resources, said.

Kazakhstan estimated the damage caused by the July 2013 accident at 13.5 billion tenge ($89.5 million). The calculations were sent to the Russian Federal Space Agency -- Roscosmos -- via a diplomatic channel for consideration and compensation of the environmental damages. Later, Russia said that Roscosmos would conduct its own evaluation and tests to check the calculations. (3/5)

GPS III Program Faces Cuts, More Delays in 2015 Budget (Source: Defense Systems)
The Air Force is planning to slow the development of the Global Positioning System III satellite program as a part of cuts detailed in the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget request that was unveiled on March 5. The Air Force originally planned to purchase two GPS III satellites next year, but now it is only planning on buying one. (3/6)

Arizona Working to Land Own Spaceport (Source: East Valley Tribune)
Arizona's chances of landing a spaceport may be improving. Without dissent the House voted Wednesday to spell out in law that companies offering space travel in the state can ask customers to sign a liability limiting their right to sue. More to the point, HB 2163 says such contracts are valid under Arizona law. Rep. Ethan Orr, R-Tucson, who sponsored the legislation, said Tucson-based Paragon Space Development Corp. hopes to offer space travel. But it needed the change in law to ensure it could get insurance coverage. (3/6)

Every Red Dwarf Star Has a Planet—200 Billion Such Stars in the Galaxy (Source: Popular Mechanics)
NASA announced 715 new exoplanets in every Dr. Seussian size and makeup imaginable, and nearly doubled the number of exoplanets known to humanity. And more keep on pouring in. With that horde of new worlds, you might have missed a smaller announcement by a group of astrophysicists who just tacked on eight more exoplanets right around the corner in our cosmic neighborhood.

These new exoplanets orbit small stars called red dwarfs, and three are located in their star's habitable zone—the temperate, liquid-water supporting distance from their star. But what's more exciting is the broad implication of their work: The astrophysicists have calculated that nearly every red dwarf—which make up 75 percent of the stars in the universe—has at least one planet. That would account for more than 200 billion planets in the Milky Way alone. (3/6)

NASA Admits to Selling Discount Fuel to Google Execs (Source: NBC Bay Area)
NASA now acknowledges that the government agency has been effectively giving a price break on jet fuel to a private company. In a letter to an Iowa senator, NASA’s associate administrator for legislative and intergovernmental affairs admits the agency was selling jet fuel at below market rates to H2-11, a company owned by the founders of Google.

Senator Chuck Grassley says he received the letter on Thursday although it's dated Feb. 24. In the letter, NASA's Seth Statler writes, “in light of the concerns expressed with those agreements, NASA has reviewed its pricing approach and…is now charging a ‘market rate’ for aviation fuel at Ames research center.” (3/7)

How NASA Would Pull Off Its Mission to Europa (Source: Motherboard)
On Tuesday, NASA released its 2015 budget proposals and requests, and there was a surprise under NASA's Science objectives. 15 million dollars had been set aside for “pre-formulation work for a potential mission to Jupiter's moon, Europa.” The plan is to aim to launch a probe sometime in the 2020s, which would arrive in the Jovian system in the 2030s.

There are ample reasons to dismiss the announcement as another quixotic non-starter from NASA. Jupiter is a radiation factory of epic proportions, and any exploratory spacecraft would have to be tough enough to endure the extreme environment—not to mention that it'd take years to even get there. Close-up Europa missions have been bandied about for decades, but these obstacles have always stopped them short.

Cynicism aside, the tiny fund to get the ball rolling marks the first time a Europa mission has ever been included in a federal budget request. On top of that, Europa's potential for supporting life has made it a popular destination in the public eye, even if the recent film Europa Report predicted some unsavory discoveries (but what space thriller doesn't?). So the more intriguing question is not whether the mission will come to fruition, but how NASA expects to pull it off. Click here. (3/6)

Two-Hour TV Show to be Broadcast 'Live from Space' (Source: Independent)
Dramatic pictures of an astronaut watching the aftermath of 9-11 terror attacks from 250 miles above the Earth are part of a ground-breaking Channel 4 season Live from Space to be shown later this month. The highlight of the season will be an unprecedented two-hour live broadcast from the International Space Station as it makes one of its 92-minute orbits of planet Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. The program is being made in conjunction with NASA, which has given Arrow Media unprecedented access to its astronauts and Mission Control in Houston. (3/7)

Arizona and Colorado Legislatures Consider Space Industry Legislation (Source: Space Politics)
The Arizona House approved this week legislation to provide liability indemnification for commercial spaceflight operators in the state. The bill, HB2163, passed unanimously Wednesday after goes on to the state Senate. The bill is similar to laws in several other states that requires spaceflight participants to sign a liability release agreement, and protects companies in the state, including both operators and suppliers, from lawsuits in the event of an accident.

According to the East Valley Tribune, the legislation improves the state’s “chances of landing a spaceport.” However, the primary beneficiary is World View Enterprises, the Tucson-based company that announced plans last year to carry people on high altitude balloons, and do so under an FAA launch license. The company has proposed performing those flights from near the northern Arizona city of Page, although the company is also considering potential locations in Nevada.

In Colorado, officials with several business organizations pressed the state’s legislature to approve a set of bills to support various industries in the state in a rally outside the state capitol on Thursday. Among the bills they support is HR1178, which would provide a sales and use tax exemption for “qualified property used in space flight.” The bill, introduced in the Colorado House late January, has yet to be considered by the full House, although its finance committee did favorably report it out last month and referred it to the appropriations committee. (3/7)

Judge: FAA Does Not Have Authority to Ban Commercial Drones (Source: Wall Street Journal)
On Thursday, an administrative law judge ruled that the FAA does not hold clear-cut authority to ban commercial drones in U.S. airspace. The judge overturned a $10,000 fine the FAA had levied against a drone pilot in 2012. Ben Gielow, general counsel of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, said the issue "is finally starting to get the attention it deserves at the highest levels of the FAA." (3/7)

The Future of Drones in the Insurance Industry (Source: Insurance Journal)
After a catastrophe hits, mobile units filled with adjusters are on site to evaluate property damage. Flash forward five years and an insured may never meet the property adjuster handling his or her claim. Instead, a drone is sent to evaluate damage within hours of it occurring. Claims are closed at breakneck speed as adjusters handle a much higher volume. Insurers see fewer workers’ compensation claims as adjusters remain safely ensconced in their cubicles. (3/7)

Galactic Gas Stations (Source: MIT News)
Future lunar missions may be fueled by gas stations in space, according to MIT engineers: A spacecraft might dock at a propellant depot, somewhere between the Earth and the moon, and pick up extra rocket fuel before making its way to the lunar surface. Orbiting way stations could reduce the fuel a spacecraft needs to carry from Earth — and with less fuel onboard, a rocket could launch heavier payloads, such as large scientific experiments. Click here. (3/5)

NextGen Cuts Raise Doubt About Program (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The Federal Aviation Administration's plan to shrink funding for its NextGen air-traffic overhaul is raising doubt in some about its commitment to a wholesale modernization of the system pilots use for navigation and safety. The slashed funding creates "new obstacles to meeting program milestones in the next several years," according to a statement from the Aerospace Industries Association. (3/5)

Cassini Marks 100th Titan Flyby (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
NASA's Cassini spacecraft marks its 100th trip past the Saturn moon Titan. The flyby, like the ones before, adds more to our knowledge about the mysterious, nitrogen-rich Titan -- a place that, in some ways, resembles an ancient Earth. "Methane is not only in the atmosphere, but probably in the crust," said Jonathan Lunine, a scientist on the Cassini mission at Cornell University. "It's a hint there are organics not only in Titan’s air and on the surface, but even in the deep interior, where liquid water exists as well." (3/5)

EDC Plans Govt. Contracting Opportunities Event (Source: EDC of FSC)
Join the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast (EDC) in partnership with the Government Contracting Advisory Team (GCAT) and the Brevard Small Business Assistance Council (BSBAC) for a lunch & learn event focused on secrets to success & opportunities in government contracting. Guest speakers from Harris Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation will discuss opportunities for subcontracting and share insight into how to successfully become a vendor/subcontractor. Click here. (3/6)

NASA's Shuttle-Ferrying Jet Dismantled for Move to Space Center Houston (Source: Collect Space)
The historic NASA jumbo jet that ferried retired space shuttles piggyback to their museum homes is now being prepared for its own lift to where it will be put on public display. Parked on a remote tarmac at Ellington Field in Houston, NASA's original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) can still be recognized as the specially-modified Boeing 747 it is, but the plane's tail (vertical stabilizer), elevons, engine nacelles and landing gear have now been removed.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), which is also known by its tail number "N905NA" or NASA 905 for short, is being readied for its final move. Forever grounded, the jumbo jet will be paired with a high-fidelity, full-scale mockup of the space shuttle (earlier named in a Texas-wide contest the "Independence") as the centerpiece of a $12 million, six-story attraction at the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center. (3/6)

Asteroid Break-Up Captured on Film for the First Time (Source: Guardian)
The break up of an asteroid has been captured on film for the first time. Experts pictured the P/2013 R3 asteroid breaking into ten pieces using NASA's Hubble space telescope. Although fragile comet nuclei have been seen falling apart as they near the sun, nothing resembling this type of breakup has been observed before in the asteroid belt. The pictures show the asteroid splitting up into smaller fragments between October last year and mid-January. Click here. (3/6) http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/mar/06/asteroid-break-up-captured-film-nasa-hubble

Nearby Star's Icy Debris Suggests 'Shepherd' Planet (Source: NASA)
An international team of astronomers exploring the disk of gas and dust around a nearby star have uncovered a compact cloud of poisonous gas formed by ongoing rapid-fire collisions among a swarm of icy, comet-like bodies. The researchers suggest the comet swarm is either the remnant of a crash between two icy worlds the size of Mars or frozen debris trapped and concentrated by the gravity of an as-yet-unseen planet.

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the researchers mapped millimeter-wavelength light from dust and carbon monoxide (CO) molecules in a disk surrounding the bright star Beta Pictoris. Located about 63 light-years away and only 20 million years old, the star hosts one of the closest, brightest and youngest debris disks known, making it an ideal laboratory for studying the early development of planetary systems. (3/6)

Here’s Why the Europa Mission is Real, and Could Very Well Happen (Source: Houston Chronicle)
One of the intriguing stories to come out of this week’s NASA FY 2015 budget unveiling is the fact that $15 million was included for a Europa robotic mission. The inclusion of this funding left some people asking: Is NASA for real? Or, as Joel Achenbach asked: Is NASA really going to send a probe to Europa? The answer is probably.

How is this possible? Especially in a time of very tight budgets? After all any credible mission to fly a large robotic mission to Europa, land and possibly penetrate the ice to see if life is indeed there would be incredibly expensive. And NASA has said it can afford no more Flagship-class science missions.

It’s possible because some very key members of Congress have expressed their desire to make this happen. And by key Congress people I mean, principally, Houston Congressman John Culberson, who is in line to become the next chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for NASA’s budget. Click here. (3/6)

Air Force Leaders Share Space Budget Rollout (Source: USAF)
Space was the topic of discussion for Air Force leaders March 5, during on-going talks about the fiscal year 2015 budget at the Pentagon. Undersecretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning, Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space Programs Dr. Troy Meink and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Director of Space Programs Maj. Gen. Robert McMurry, talked about the future of the space budget for fiscal year 2015.

"While building our FY15 budget," Fanning said, "we focused primarily on capability over capacity across the Air Force portfolio in order to build an Air Force that can fight and win in an increasingly contested environment in all domains. This extended to our space investments.” Space, once called the ‘final frontier,' is no longer a sanctuary; it’s a much more developed terrain, much more congested and contested than ever before. Click here. (3/6)

Boosters for Orion’s Launch Vehicle Arrive to Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Lockheed Martin)
The Orion spacecraft has moved another step closer toward its first test flight as the core and starboard boosters for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket contracted by Lockheed Martin for that flight have arrived to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket will undergo testing and processing at ULA’s Horizontal Integration Facility to prepare for Orion’s Exploration Flight Test-1 later this year.

Technicians offloaded the boosters from a specially designed ship called the Delta Mariner, which had traveled 8 days to Florida from the ULA facility in Decatur, Ala. where the rocket is manufactured. Once in the Horizontal Integration Facility, processing and testing will be completed in preparation for rolling the Delta IV Heavy out to Space Launch Complex 37 for launch. (3/6)

Unexpected Winner from Ukraine Crisis? Maybe NASA (Source: CNBC)
Right now there are two American astronauts at the Space Station. They only have one way back to Earth—a Russian capsule. Now, tensions between the two countries over Russia's movements in Ukraine have some worried that Hopkins and Mastracchio could end up stranded, and their American replacements grounded. To be sure, most agree that situation is unlikely:

There's no upside for Russian President Vladimir Putin in holding U.S. astronauts hostage. Plus, there are alternatives. If necessary, the Chinese have the capability of taking humans to and from a space station. However, the big winner in an otherwise losing situation in Ukraine could be NASA. Congress is looking to cut spending across the board, but it could be persuaded to put more money into the space program to accelerate both NASA and private-party efforts to return space station access to Americans. (3/6)

Ukraine Crisis Could End US Space Reliance on Russia (Source: Politico)
In previous budgets, Congress hasn’t fully funded commercial crew requests as a way of finding savings, to the chagrin of its advocates. “The president has been requesting approximately $800 million every year since his FY12 budget submission to fund the development of American vehicles to provide access to the ISS, only to have Congress, led primarily by the GOP but not exclusively, dramatically undercut that funding,” said Dale Ketcham of Space Florida.

But Russia’s incursion into Crimean region of Ukraine has put the spotlight on the U.S. and Russia’s codependence in space, and could provide the political capital necessary for the program to get full funding this time around. “Hopefully, this project, which was so much the signature program of this president, can now move to full funding given the refreshed ‘anti-Russian’ angle,” Ketcham said. An Obama administration official agreed that recent tensions may help muster support for the commercial crew program. (3/6)

Futuristic Moon Elevator Idea Takes Aim at Lunar Lifts (Source: Space.com)
An elevator to the moon might not be as crazy as it sounds. A moon-based elevator to space could radically reduce the costs and improve the reliability of placing equipment on the lunar surface. Such a lunar elevator would make the transport of supplies and materials from the surface of the moon into the Earth's orbit and vice versa possible. Indeed, valuable resources could be extracted from the moon, then sent into Earth orbit more easily than if they were rocketed from the Earth's surface.

It's no pie in the sky project according to the LiftPort Group of Seattle, Wash. A LiftPort strategic framework calls for establishing an operational Lunar Space Elevator Infrastructure (LSEI). The project would involve commercial, off-the-shelf technology, a Sputnik-like simplicity and a single heavy-lift launch solution. Click here. (3/4)

Did Dark Matter Kill the Dinosaurs? Maybe… (Source: New Scientist)
Its name has always made it sound ominous – and now dark matter could have a menacing role in Earth's history. A recent explanation for the identity of the mysterious stuff leads to a scenario in which it could be to blame for the extinctions of dinosaurs, or at least send a few extra comets shooting our way. It is intriguing because it brings together two big open questions: the identity of dark matter and whether there is a pattern to comet strikes on Earth.

It is also almost poetic to think that dark matter, which gets its name from its mysterious nature, could have helped to destroy ancient life on Earth. As the solar system orbits the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, it bobs up and down on a roughly 70 million year cycle. This means it would pass through such a dark matter disc every 35 million years. This cycle was reminiscent of previous analyses of comet impacts on Earth, which revealed that they appear to spike every 35 million years.

When this happens, the disc would exert a stronger gravitational pull on the solar system. Such a pull could disrupt the Oort cloud, a distant collection of frozen material thought to surround the solar system and produce some comets, including comet ISON, which last year caused a stir as it flew towards the sun. "The disc is more dense, so the effect of the gravitational tidal force is bigger," says Randall. (3/6)

NASA To Seek Ideas for $1 Billion Mission to Europa (Source: Space News)
One day after the White House unveiled a 2015 NASA budget request that funds new designs for a robotic probe to Jupiter’s ice-covered moon Europa, space agency officials said they would be requesting ideas soon for a mission with a price tag of $1 billion or less. “My desire, to be quite honest, would be a ... Europa mission that we could fly for a billion dollars, or less,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “That may or may not be possible,” Bolden conceded, but it will not stop the agency from trying.

“Something we’re going to do post-haste is put out [a request for information] for ideas,” John Grunsfeld, the former astronaut turned associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said at the symposium. NASA will ask for Europa mission concepts that could be done “for around a billion dollars.” Grunsfeld said NASA wants to figure out Europa’s “cost bogey,” meaning the rough cost to do meaningful science at the ice-covered moon. He did not say when the request for information would be released. (3/6)

Inmarsat Remains Confident Global Xpress Will Be a Hit with U.S. Military (Source: Space News)
Mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat on March 6 said deployed U.S. military forces will begin using the first Inmarsat Global Xpress Ka-band satellite this spring, before the satellite is declared operational, to debug the system and whet the military’s appetite in advance of commercial service starting in July.

Inmarsat officials said they remain as confident as ever about Global Xpress’ future popularity with the U.S. Defense Department. The spacecraft, built by Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, have military and civil Ka-band capacity and are designed to provide up to 50 megabits per second of throughput to mobile platforms using a 60-centimeter antenna.

Boeing has committed to purchasing a big chunk of the early Global Xpress capacity to sell to U.S. government users. Honeywell has made a similar commitment and will build the avionics package to adapt business jets to use Global Xpress. Europe’s Airbus Defense and Space, which is the biggest independent Inmarsat reseller, in December signed on for Global Xpress as well. (3/6)

March 6, 2014

Swiss Space Systems Opens Florida Office (Source: Space Florida)
Swiss Space Systems (S3) and Space Florida will hold a March 14 "inauguration event" for S3's new affiliate, S3 Operations USA. The U.S. office will be located at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. “By announcing this strategic partnership with Space Florida, a key state in the U.S. aerospace sector, S3 further reinforces its presence in the United States. S3 plans on becoming a leading player in the small satellite launch industry and suborbital flights, with its innovative & reusable SOAR launch system." Click here. (3/5)

SpaceX, ULA Go Toe-to-Toe Florida Launches (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
A miniature space race is underway in Washington, D.C., between execs with United Launch Alliance and SpaceX that may impact Central Florida’s space industry. The two companies, which conduct launches from the Cape Canaveral Spaceportand employ many Central Floridians, made a pitch to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense why their respective companies should be considered to handle more than 14 Air Force space payload launches through 2015.

The presentations focused on several aspects of both companies, including SpaceX’s young history, yet cheaper options compared to ULA; and ULA’s use of the RD-180 rocket engine that’s built in Russia, which could cause issues if U.S./Russia relations continue to deteriorate due to other political issues. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk emphasized his company's ability to charge the federal government $90 million per launch, which he said is significantly lower than the cost through ULA.

Despite the back-and-forth, the two executives did agree that a more competitive market would be better for taxpayers. A competitive private space industry is what’s keeping Central Florida’s space industry busy after the federal government shuttered the space shuttle program in 2011. In addition, more launches for either company would increase the need for more workers to assemble, launch and maintain launch vehicles, as well as potentially result in the need for more facilities. (3/6)

Time to End Our Dependence on Russian Spaceships (Source: PJ Media)
As the artillery rolls into Ukraine, and the notion that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is an ally has been revealed to one and all to be a fantasy, it’s time to finally end our policy insanity of relying on Russian spaceships for American access to space. Since the last space shuttle flight two-and-a-half years ago, our only means of getting NASA astronauts (or anyone) to the ISS has been on the Soyuz launch system, at an ever-rising cost, now over $70M a seat as of last August.

Alternate competing U.S. means to replace it are under development in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, but Congress has been continually underfunding the effort in order to instead funnel money to the Space Launch System, a giant rocket with no funded payloads and no apparent mission other than providing job security in the states and districts of those on the congressional space committees.

This issue goes beyond that of sending American taxpayer dollars to the Russian space establishment that could instead be purchasing lower-cost American flights from American providers and creating a new high-tech American industry. What is nuclear non-proliferation worth to us? This shouldn’t be an issue of civil space policy, but it is. The Iran/North Korea/Syria Non-Proliferation Act (INKSNA) states that we will not trade with any nation that supports any of those countries in the development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Russia has been doing both for years. (3/6)

Can Cape Canaveral Rise Again? (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Even with the space shuttle in retirement, Cape Canaveral remains a busy spaceport. But can Florida's Space Coast regain its hallowed place as the world's capital of human spaceflight? It would be easy to get the idea that the Florida Space Coast has gone dormant. The space shuttle's retirement in July 2011, along with the nearly 10,000 layoffs that came with it, reinforced the idea that Cape Canaveral and its surroundings are a place fit only for celebrating the past.

In truth, the Cape is still "heavy-lift country," where the Pentagon and NASA turn when they need a critical piece of hardware lofted into orbit. There are rockets rising from the Space Coast, even if people aren't in them. But that's changing. NASA is building a huge rocket to launch astronauts into deep space and has commissioned private space companies to build spacecraft that can carry passengers. That is bringing in new players to the Air Force station and the adjacent NASA spaceport but is also opening up new opportunities. Click here. (3/6)

Why Space Tourism Will Succeed (Source: Eilieen Collins, LinkedIn)
Space tourism will succeed because of two simple reasons: 1. Floating in space is fun; it’s freedom. It’s easy and it makes you feel powerful. That pesky force of gravity is gone, leaving you with plenty of energy to direct elsewhere. There are few limits on the human body when it is in space. I was able to do most Olympic gymnastics moves with a few bars attached to the walls of the international space station.

2. Looking at the Earth from space: It is SO beautiful! Imagine yourself in a spaceship, looking at the planet Earth rotating below you. Put your face up against the window, arch your back, and stretch out your arms. As you fly over oceans, deserts, mountains, and clouds, you feel like a Greek god viewing your planet. You see the curvature of the Earth, the electric flashes of random thunderstorms, and the thin film of air stuck to the surface. Click here. (3/4)

Ignorance Is Indeed a Defense: NASA Ames Edition (Source: Export Law Blog)
The NASA Office of Inspector General completed its investigation of unlicensed releases of ITAR-controlled technology to foreign nationals working at the Ames Research Center and — surprise! surprise! — it found no evidence of any violations of law. According to a summary of the OIG report, ITAR-controlled information was released without proper authorization to foreign nationals working at Ames.

However, this was not a violation of law, just “poor judgment,” which is a nice way of saying that ignorance of the law can be a defense if you work at NASA and are being investigated by the NASA OIG. The reason for this all being just a lapse of judgment and not an export violation is this: "We … found significant disagreement between scientists and engineers at Ames and export control personnel at the Center and NASA Headquarters as to whether the work the foreign nationals were performing at Ames involved ITAR-controlled technology."

For you and me, such confusion means you need to file a Commodity Jurisdiction request with the State Department to clear things up. For NASA workers it means that export controls are hard and engineers can’t be blamed for getting hard questions wrong. This statement is somewhat incredible in the context of this finding in the report: "a senior Ames manager inappropriately shared documents with unlicensed foreign nationals that contained ITAR markings or had been identified as containing ITAR-restricted information by NASA export control personnel." (3/6)

Another Year, Another Set of Bizarre Cuts to NASA's Budget (Source: Slate)
Every year, when NASA releases its White House budget request, I open the report with dread. Will it show that things are roughly the same as last year, or will there be more bad news, with slashes and cuts to vital programs? And this year, like every other, I read it to find … both. The real bad news is that the good news is only so-so, and the worse news is that the bad news is pretty bad.

In these maddening economic times, small cuts can be considered victories. In 2014 NASA got a total of $17.646 billion. The 2015 request is for $17.460 billion, a reduction of $186 million dollars, or about a 1 percent cut. That could’ve been worse. As we’ll see, though, it’s where those cuts are going that are bad. Some areas got more money, like Space Technology. That includes tech that will help the proposed asteroid retrieval mission. I have misgivings about this mission; the goal isn’t yet clear, nor the source of the estimated $2.6 billion it will cost in total. (4/6)

"Gravity" Inspires Chinese Space Scientists (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese spaceship plays a key part in Dr. Ryan Stone's thrilling journey back to Earth in the Oscar-winning film "Gravity." In real life, the chief designer of China's spaceships found the film more than merely entertaining; it was "very inspiring." Zhang Bonan, chief designer of the country's spaceship program, told Xinhua on Thursday that he had a professional interest in the movie.

As a national legislator, he is in Beijing attending the ongoing annual parliamentary session, and was happy to discuss how "Gravity" both reflects and affects his work in the week in which it won seven Oscars. "I am glad a foreign film portrays China's space program," he said. "It is a good promotion of us..The parts in the film about China's space station and spaceship are largely fictional. But I got a few ideas from them." For instance, it is important to prepare for the threats from space debris, especially on the near-Earth orbit, he said. (3/5)

Editorial: Belligerent Russia Could Deny U.S. Access To Space (Source: Investors Business Daily)
Putting an economic and political squeeze on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis could bring another Obama chicken home to roost — our president killed the U.S. space program and made us dependent on Putin. Since 2011, when America's space shuttle fleet was retired and our space program was dispersed to various museums, NASA, which proudly put the first human beings, Americans, on the moon some 45 years ago, has largely been fixated on things like monitoring nonexistent climate change and Muslim outreach. Editor's Note: Today I learned that Investors Business Daily is a hack right-wing publication. (3/5)

SpaceX Board Member: Beginning of Long New-Space Period (Source: CNBC)
What Elon's generally communicating to the government is that SpaceX is here and provides a wonderful alternative and competition globally for launch. They launch commercial satellites, they launch in the future astronauts to space, they bring cargo to space station. and having more than one option is good for competition. And for a sign of how dramatic that is there's been a three-year stretch where the U.S. market share of commercial satellite launch was zero. It was entirely Russians and Chinese launching the satellites. Now that SpaceX is on the scene, the U.S. is competitive once again. (3/5)

Kerbal Space Program and NASA Team for Asteroid Redirect Mission (Source: VG247)
Kerbal Space Program and NASA have teamed up to create a new Asteroid Redirect Mission based on the real exercise of the same name. It’ll feature realistic rocket parts and insight from the group. The content is due to be unveiled during a live presentation at SXSW, and is based on this real NASA project due to be completed in 2022. It involves a manned mission to an asteroid beyond Earth’s Moon.

The content will see players identifying asteroids ripe for redirection, then build a suitable rocket to move it. You’ll then have to position the craft precisely to line up the new trajectory and send your Kerbals down to the asteroids to conduct experiments and gather data while screaming through space as tremendous speeds. (3/6)

NASA's Going to Try to Lasso an Asteroid Before Congress Can Stop It (Source: Motherboard)
NASA’s new budget calls for an acceleration of its plan to capture an asteroid and bring it into lunar orbit, making the controversial idea more likely to happen. If you’ve forgotten, the plan is to send a robotic, solar-powered spacecraft to lasso an asteroid and bring it into orbit around the moon. From there, NASA will send a crewed mission to take samples of the asteroid and return them to Earth.

It’s an audacious plan and one that has more than a few detractors. Several members of Congress have gotten behind bills that would forbid the agency to do it, calling it a mission that “appears to be a costly and complex distraction” and Buzz Aldrin has said the whole thing is a waste of time. “Bringing an asteroid back to Earth? What’s that have to do with space exploration?” Aldrin asked at the Humans to Mars Summit last May.

“If we were moving outward from there and an asteroid is a good stopping point, then fine. But now it’s turned into a whole planetary defense exercise at the cost of our outward expansion.” To that NASA has said whatever, guys.
In NASA’s 2015 budget request, the agency has asked for $705.5 million for “Space Technology,” which includes the asteroid retrieval mission, a 22 percent increase over the amount it received in 2014. (3/6)

ULA and SpaceX Face Off in Congressional Hearing (Source: SPACErePORT)
ULA's Mike Gass and SpaceX's Elon Musk were featured witnesses at a Mar. 5 Senate hearing in Washington DC. With questioning from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), the back-and-forth was filled with sharply pointed barbs. Shelby seemed to take a posture of defending ULA, which builds rockets in his state, while Mikulski asked questions that allowed SpaceX to put its intended points forward.

Musk argued that ULA's monopolistic situation has caused its prices to rise unaccepably, leading to billions in wasted tax dollars. He offered that billions could have been saved if SpaceX rockets were used, and suggested that Falcon rockets should replace Atlas rockets (with their Russian engines) in the EELV program. He criticized the cost-plus contracting approach used by the Air Force to procure Atlas and Delta launches, recommending fixed-price contracts as the alternative.

ULA asserted that SpaceX's offered numbers were false, and said that Atlas and Delta reliability were key to meeting national security needs for assured space access. He explained that the reliability comes at a cost, and that fixed-price contracting doesn't work well for mission requirements that tend to shift. He said frequent schedule changes require contractor flexibility that cannot be priced adequately with fixed-price contracts. (3/5)

Near-Term Pool of Competitively Awarded EELV Launches Shrinks for SpaceX (Source: Space News)
Should SpaceX earn certification to launch U.S. national security payloads aboard its Falcon 9 rocket, the company will be eligible to bid on seven such missions from 2015-2017, half as many as originally expected, a top U.S. Air Force space acquisition officer said March 5.

The reduction is driven in part by a slowdown in procurement of GPS 3 navigation satellites beginning in the 2015 budget year, primarily because earlier-generation GPS satellites are lasting longer in orbit than expected. Another factor is a delay in the delivery of the first GPS 3 spacecraft to 2016, he said. (3/5)

Falcon 9 Performance: Mid-size GEO? (Source: Aviation Week)
Last month commercial fleet operator SES said it plans to launch the 5.3-ton SES-10 communications satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2016. The problem, however, is that SpaceX caps the advertised GTO performance of Falcon 9 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport at 4,850 kg. Elon Musk says while Falcon 9 is capable of lofting more mass to orbit than advertised, he says the current performance from the Cape is closer to 3,500 kg, due to latitude and plane changes.

Musk said while the Falcon 9 is able to compete in the mid-sized geosynchronous satellite range, it is “not quite at the 5-ton (5,000-kg) level when you consider plane-change maneuvers and higher altitude.” But given SpaceX's plan to gradually introduce fully and rapidly reusable first-stage rocket cores, both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy will see weight penalties affect performance. (3/5)

2015 NASA Budget DOA In Congress (Source: America Space)
Since 2010, the Obama Administration’s proposed annual NASA budget for human spaceflight (HSF) has been rejected by Congress. The Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2015 NASA budget will likely meet the same fate. Past proposed NASA HSF budgets by the Obama Administration, specifically the 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 budgets, died in large part because Congress was unwilling to accept proposed cuts to NASA’s human spaceflight programs, specifically the Orion and Space Launch System programs, in favor of a larger Commercial Crew program budget.

Given that history, Congress will surely be surprised by the Administration’s proposal to dramatically increase the Commercial Crew program budget from $696 million to nearly $1.1 billion while cutting the Orion and SLS programs by 7 percent. (3/4)

Rep. Schiff Calls Obama’s Proposed NASA Budget ‘Insufficient’ (Source: Pasadena Star-News)
In President Barack Obama 2015 proposed budget, funds set aside for science, NASA and planetary exploration fell below what some hoped to see. The fiscal budget calls for $1.28 billion in planetary exploration and $17.5 billion for NASA, slightly off from the $1.3 billion and $17.6 billion set aside for planetary science and NASA, respectively, in fiscal 2014.

“It’s plainly insufficient,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, “In order to meet the priorities the administration has laid out, we need a better budget for overall planetary science.” Schiff said the budgets, while “fine,” aren’t substantial enough and could impact endeavors like the 2020 Mars mission or the future mission to Europa, Jupiter’s moon. (3/4)

Mojave Spaceport Investigates Mysterious Resignation of CFO (Source: Parabolic Arc)
For the past two weeks, officials at the Mojave Air and Space Port have been investigating a mystery: Why did long-time Chief Financial Officer Erika Westawski suddenly resign on the morning that a financial audit was to begin? Westawski’s sudden departure caught everyone at the airport by complete surprise, CEO and General Manager Stu Witt said. Airport staff and an outside financial team have been working on an emergency audit to determine if anything is amiss with the airport district’s finances. (3/5)

'Cosmos' TV Series Is Coming to Fox (Source: Space.com)
When Carl Sagan's beloved 13-part "Cosmos" series first aired in 1980, it was broadcast on PBS. But a new reboot of the show, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, hasn't been pigeonholed in the realm of educational programming; it will launch in a much splashier fashion when it premieres on Fox and National Geographic Channel this weekend. (3/5)

Russia Plans to Launch New Glonass Satellite on March 24 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia is planning to launch another Glonass-M navigation satellite into orbit on March 24, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Glonass is Russia’s answer to the US Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian uses. (3/6)

NASA Awards Contract to Modify KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected Hensel Phelps Construction Co., of Orlando, Fla., to modify High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the processing of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Hensel Phelps will receive a fixed-price contract for $99.57 million, consisting of the base amount and three options. The period of performance is 782 calendar days, or about 2 years and one month. The potential maximum value of this contract is $112.70 million, if additional awarded options are exercised. (3/5)

Forget a Soft Landing, Let’s Just Harpoon That Asteroid (Source: Engineering.com)
To make in situ asteroid sampling easier, students at the University of Washington have been developing the Sample Return Systems for Extreme Environments (SRSEE). Comprised of a rocket impactor that would burrow into a target, the SRSEE’s impact would be so great that it would bore several meters into a target. Once planted inside an asteroid, ports on the SRSEE’s nose would capture samples of alien rock and deposit them in a capsule safely nested inside the once-ballistic impactor.

After gathering all the material it can, the interior capsule would be reeled in via tether to a satellite floating nearby. That satellite could then conduct experiments and beam its findings pack to earth, or begin its return journey home. While this whole plan seems like it might be a little too farfetched to be true, NASA has deemed it feasible enough to garner a $500K Innovative Advanced Concepts grant.

In fact, the U. Washington team developing the SRSEE project has already begun real world experiments testing the validity of their design. Earlier this year in the Black Rock Desert a number of SRSEE prototypes were floated to an altitude of 914m (3000ft) and sent crashing back to Earth. While the SRSEE prototypes survived their test Washington researchers determined they hadn’t reached a high enough altitude for “proper performance testing.” (2/26)

March 5, 2014

U.S. Ready to Go It Alone on Russian Sanctions (Source: Washington Post)
At the same time the U.S. is trying to give Russian President Putin an easy exit from Crimea, it is readying unilateral economic sanctions on businesses and individuals while trying to persuade European partners to do the same. Secretary of State Kerry also has announced a $1 billion aid package to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Rep. Edward Royce, R-CA, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged immediate sanctions against Russia. "We must place crippling sanctions on Russian high-ranking officials, state-owned banks and commercial enterprises," Royce said, "and key individuals behind the Russian intervention."  (3/4)

FAA NextGen Funding Drops 7.2% in Proposed Budget (Source: Aviation Week)
Base funding for the NextGen system will get a 7.2% cutback under the Federal Aviation Administration's 2015 budget request, a request that is down an overall $350 million from last year's budget. The $15.4 billion FAA budget also would trim funding for the Airport Improvement Program. (3/4)

Preparation for Mars: NASA Boosts Asteroid Mission (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's latest budget would funnel $133 million to a plan to push an asteroid close enough so that astronauts could land on it -- serving as practice for a later manned mission to Mars. The space agency's fiscal 2015 budget request totals $17.46 billion and preserves funding to key projects such as Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft. (3/4)

B612 Foundation & Broken Bells Partner to Protect Earth (Source: SpaceRef)
Broken Bells are proud to announce an exciting partnership with the B612 Foundation beginning with the band's April West Coast tour. During these dates, $1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the B612 Foundation to help fund their Sentinel Mission, one of the most important space missions for humanity—one that seeks to protect Earth while preparing for future exploration. (3/5)

Lack of EELV Price Transparency Could Hamstring Launch Negotiations (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Defense Department may not be able to take full advantage of new competition in the national security launch market because it cannot determine an accurate price for an individual launch by United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Denver, according to a new report from a congressional watchdog agency. The Government Accountability’s March 4 report, “The Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Competitive Procurement”, examined the EELV contract structure and forthcoming competition for new entrants.

“Minimal insight into contractor cost or pricing data meant DoD may have lacked sufficient knowledge to negotiate fair and reasonable launch prices,” the report said. “Coupled with uncertainties and possible instability in the launch vehicle industrial base, EELV program costs were predicted to rise at an unsustainable rate.” (3/4)

NASA Selects Stellar Interns as Student Ambassadors (Source: NASA)
NASA has inducted 105 top-performing interns, representing 29 states and 67 universities, into its 2014 Student Ambassadors Virtual Community. The NASA Student Ambassadors Virtual Community (NSAVC) is an online network designed to foster greater interaction and mentorship among outstanding interns of NASA higher education projects, thereby increasing student retention through the NASA educational pipeline and into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. (2/28)

Space Station Orbit to Be Raised Ahead of New Manned Mission (Source: RIA Novosti)
The orbit of the International Space Station will be raised next week by 1.5 kilometers to ensure safe docking of a Russian manned spacecraft. The thrusters on Russia’s Progress space freighter, currently docked with the ISS, will be fired up on March 13 for 218 seconds, giving the station a boost of 0.49 meters per second, the source said.
As a result, the average altitude of the ISS, which currently vacillates between 412 and 430 kilometers, will be increased by 1,500 meters. (3/5)

Travel Destinations for Science Buffs (Source: Discovery)
Given that most of the United States is still feeling the icy grip of winter, we'll begin our list with the state where many northerners are headed this time of year anyway, Florida. Just an hour away from Walt Disney World in Orlando is a place where dreams really did come true: the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The Kennedy Space Center launched the rockets from which American astronauts would first leave the Earth and later land on the moon. Later, it would be the launch site of space shuttle missions until the cancellation of the program in 2011. Visitors to the center can see the astronaut hall of fame, tour Saturn V Complex, and get an up-close view of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. (3/5)

Winklevoss Twins Book SpaceShipTwo Trip With Bitcoin (Source: NBC)
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, bitcoin investors and villains of "The Social Network," have signed on to be the 700th and 701st passengers on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane. And in keeping with their evangelism for the virtual currency, the twins paid their fare in bitcoins.

"Cameron and I contemplate our tickets into space — as seed capital supporting a new technology that may forever change the way we travel," Tyler Winklevoss wrote in a blog post, "purchased with a new technology that may forever change the way we transact." (3/5)

NASA Plots Daring Flight Mission To Europa (Source: Huffington Post)
NASA is plotting a daring robotic mission to Jupiter's watery moon Europa, a place where astronomers speculate there might be some form of life. The space agency set aside $15 million in its 2015 budget proposal to start planning some kind of mission to Europa. No details have been decided yet, but NASA chief financial officer Elizabeth Robinson said Tuesday that it would be launched in the mid-2020s.

NASA will look at many competing ideas for a Europa mission, so the agency doesn't know how big or how much it will cost, Robinson said. She said a major mission goal would be searching for life in the strange liquid water under the ice-covered surface. Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb said going to Europa would be more exciting than exploring dry Mars: "There might be fish under the ice." (3/5)

SpaceX to Compete for Air Force Launches This Year (Source: Aviation Week)
SpaceX says its Falcon 9 v1.1 medium-class launcher is expected to receive U.S. Air Force approval this year to compete against Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets for launches of sensitive national security payloads. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says Falcon 9 certification is expected this year, "in time to compete for the first round" of Air Force contracts to be awarded in 2014 under the EELV program. “We anticipate awards in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2014," she said.

Shotwell said in addition to three successful Falcon 9 v1.1 launches required by the Air Force, SpaceX is dealing with “much stricter” requirements than those imposed on Boeing and Lockheed Martin when they sought Air Force certification for Delta and Atlas launch vehicles more than a decade ago. Beyond that, she said SpaceX is subject to a comparable level of government scrutiny. (3/4)

Does The Future Of Humanity Lie In Space? (Source: Planet Save)
World-renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, are united by a common belief. They are members of an influential group of scientists and visionaries who believe that the long-term future of the human race lies in space, and that we need to grow beyond the confines of our home planet in order to ensure our long-term survival.

The logic behind this viewpoint is that sooner or later the Earth will inevitably endure another planetary catastrophe, such as the asteroid collision that lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. Failing that, they believe we have a pretty good chance of accomplishing our own extinction through mismanagement of the planet. Click here. (3/5)

World is Not Enough: Millionaires Bet on Space Travel (Source: CNBC)
The world's super-rich could soon switch from setting up home in the traditional property hot spots such as London to heading for outer space. Sub-orbital space travel — where a spacecraft breaches space but does not launch into orbit — could radically shift global markets, eradicating the premium for properties in major commercial cities, according to an annual report from Knight Frank. (3/4)

90-Foot Asteroid Doesn't Faze Astronomers (Source: USA Today)
Space is really, really big. But that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of rocks whizzing around in it. Which is why astronomers aren't packing up their cars and heading to the hills as a 90-foot asteroid swings between the Earth and Moon on Wednesday afternoon. This latest one goes by the name 2014 DX110. It's getting a lot of attention as a "close approach," but NASA is urging the public to take it all with a grain of salt. (3/5)

Japan Moves Forward with Replacement for H-2A Rocket (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Armed with an initial tranche of government funding for a next-generation rocket, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to partner with a private company to lead development of a launcher to replace Japan's H-2A rocket by the early 2020s. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the prime contractor for Japan's current H-2A and H-2B rockets, is almost certain to lead the industrial consortium to develop, manufacture and operate Japan's new H-3 rocket.

The budget still needs approval from Japan's parliament, the Diet. Development of the H-3 rocket is predicted to cost about $1.9 billion, or 190 billion yen, over the next eight years. Once the H-3 rocket is operational, JAXA hopes it will cut the H-2A rocket's $100 million launch cost to between $50 million and $65 million. JAXA says such savings could be achieved by exploiting commonalities in avionics and solid rocket motors with Japan's Epsilon rocket, which debuted last year and is tailored for launches of small satellites. (3/5)

Incredible HD Video of Earth From Space Brings Maps to Life (Source: WIRED)
The video above was taken by a satellite, from space. It has enough resolution to watch individual cars move down the road and identify specific planes at the Beijing airport. The footage is from Skybox Imaging, a company that has just started offering customers 90-second video of any point on Earth from its SkySat-1 satellite, upping the ability to monitor what’s going on down here on Earth from space.

In this clip, the SkyBox video sits on top of a static layer of satellite imagery and is overlain by a map layer from Mapbox, based on OpenStreetMap. The combination makes it super easy to see precisely where the planes and cars are headed. Based on the exact time the video was taken, a plane that has just landed could be identified using public flight logs. Click here. (3/4)

Musk: Europe Can't Handle Our NASA Contract (Source: Aviation Week)
The success of back-to-back launches of commercial communications satellites on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in December and January has drawn barbs from competitors in the commercial launch industry. Stephane Israel, chairman and CEO of European launch service provider Arianespace, has repeatedly criticized SpaceX for charging its U.S. government customers roughly twice the cost of a commercial Falcon 9 launch. SpaceX currently advertises Falcon 9 v1.1 mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) starting at $56.5 million per launch.

European Space Agency (ESA) Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain has also suggested SpaceX’s $1.6 billion fixed-price contract with NASA to deliver 20,000 kg (44,000 lb.) of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) is keeping Falcon 9 prices artificially low. Both officials assert SpaceX is billing NASA an estimated $120-140 million per launch, a range likely derived from a contract spec that calls for 12 such cargo runs by the end of 2015.

Elon Musk responded to the criticism, asserting that while NASA pays $120 million to SpaceX for each cargo flight, the price tag covers more than a Falcon 9 launch, including the cost of SpaceX’s recoverable Dragon cargo vessel and its safe return to Earth. He said Arianespace would be hard-pressed to execute SpaceX's contract with NASA. He added that Arianespace currently relies on $135 million in annual price supports from the 20-nation ESA just to break even. (3/4)

IG Report Finds Flaws in NASA's Mobile Device Management (Source: FCW)
NASA is not doing a good job managing its mobile devices, according to a new report authored by NASA Inspector General Paul Martin. The space agency's mismanagement of its 16,900 agency-issued tablets, smartphones, cell phones and AirCards came with a hefty price tag for taxpayers in 2013. About 2,300, or 14 percent of all agency-issued devices, went unused for seven months while costing taxpayers $679,000, according to the report. (3/4)

NASA Budget Proposal Would Mean Stability for in Alabama (Source: Huntsville Times)
Here's a look in seven numbers and two quotes at President Obama's 2015 budget proposal as it affects NASA's major Alabama center, the Marshall Space Flight Center. First, a quote from Marshall Director Patrick Scheuermann: "This is a good budget for Marshall Space Flight Center and it provides stability for our workforce, programs and projects."

Next, the numbers: $2.15 billion comes to Marshall. It's about the same as last year. $1.4 billion for the Space Launch System, also "consistent with last year." $193 million for space operations at Marshall, like the Payload Operations Center for the ISS. $41 million for Marshall's technology work including its centennial challenges and similar programs. $140 million for science at Marshall including solar research, climate research, etc. $71 million for construction and revitalization on the center in 2015. (3/4)

NASA Budget Puts Emphasis on Getting Astronauts Into Space Again (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA officials on Tuesday unveiled a $17.5 billion budget plan that makes launching astronauts into space a priority once again — though that goal still remains several years away. Under the 2015 funding proposal, which still requires the approval of Congress, NASA would pour billions of dollars into two programs aimed at solving a problem that has existed since the last shuttle flew in 2011 from Kennedy Space Center: NASA has no way of launching its own people into low Earth orbit, or beyond.

Instead, NASA has been forced to rely on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the International Space Station — an expensive arrangement that has drawn extra attention in recent days because of the standoff between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine. "We need to get going with giving America its own capability … so we are not dependent on any other nation," NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said during a budget briefing. (3/4)

Terminal Velocity Wins NASA Contract for Prototype Payload Return Capsule (Source: TVA)
Terminal Velocity Aerospace, LLC (TVA) has been awarded a contract by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) for development of a prototype small payload return capsule. Designed as a high-altitude drop test article, the prototype will demonstrate mission-enabling communications technologies and verify integrated performance, including functionality of its parachute recovery system.

This effort is directly in alignment with TVA's plan to develop a small reentry device (RED), called RED-4U, capable of returning the payload mass and volume equivalent of four CubeSats, commonly referred to in units of "U." Development of the prototype and its subsequent suborbital flight test will demonstrate two low-cost communications and tracking technologies, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Iridium, in flight conditions representative of an Earth entry, descent, and landing application.

Editor's Note: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, having flown multiple ADS-B payloads for NASA and the FAA on suborbital platforms, is supporting this program with TVA. (3/4)

Bolden: Americans and Russians Still Getting Along Fine in Space (Source: Washington Post)
There’s a place where the United States and Russia are still getting along swimmingly: About 250 miles above the surface of the Earth, where three Russians, two Americans and an astronaut from Japan are aboard the international space station. “Everything is nominal right now with our relationship with the Russians,” said NASA administrator Charles Bolden during a teleconference Tuesday. (3/4)

Russia, India to Discuss Space Cooperation (Source: Space Daily)
Russia and India have agreed to hold consultations on space cooperation and joint projects in this field, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said. "We also discussed GLONASS and think there is an enormous potential for cooperation in this area and the joint use of space services in general," Rogozin, who is co-chair of the Russian-Indian inter-governmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, said. (3/3)

Yutu Moon Rover Unable to Properly Maneuver Solar Panels (Source: Universe Today)
The serious technical malfunction afflicting the life and continued operations of China’s Yutu moon rover since the start of its second Lunar Night time hibernation in late January 2014 has been identified as an inability to properly maneuver the life giving solar panels, according to a top Chinese space official. “Yutu suffered a control circuit malfunction in its driving unit,” according to a newly published report on March 1 by the state owned Xinhua news agency. (3/3)

Funding for US-German Airborne Observatory Cut (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
NASA plans to mothball its infrared airborne observatory unless it can get some financial help from international partners. President Barack Obama's proposed budget for fiscal 2015 released Tuesday slashes funding for the U.S.-German project from $84 million to $12 million. (3/4)

NASA Budget Would Begin Work on New Science Missions (Source: Space News)
NASA’s 2015 budget would remain essentially flat at $17.5 billion under a White House spending proposal unveiled March 4 that would hold the line on the agency’s biggest space programs while laying the groundwork for major new astrophysics and planetary science missions. The budget request seeks about 1 percent less for NASA than what Congress approved for 2014 in an omnibus spending bill signed in January, but $600 million more than what the agency received in 2013, when automatic budget cuts known as sequestration were in full effect.

As part of the roughly $5 billion Science budget the administration proposed for 2015 — about $180 million less than the 2014 appropriation — NASA’s Astrophysics division would get $607 million, $14 million of which would be for preliminary work on the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope: a dark-energy and exoplanet observatory that would utilize one of the two 2.4-meter telescopes donated to NASA by the National Reconnaissance Office in 2012. Planetary Science, meanwhile, would get nearly $1.3 billion, about $65 million less than Congress approved for 2014. (3/4)

Editorial: British Investment in Environmental Sats Continues Positive Trend (Source: Space News)
The UK continues to raise its profile in space activity, most recently with a commitment to invest 15 million British pounds ($25 million) in a pair of international environmental satellite projects, both involving France. As part of a bilateral framework agreement between the two nations, Britain and France agreed to partner on the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer Next Generation instrument for the latest Metop polar-orbiting weather satellites being built for Europe’s Eumetsat weather satellite organization.

That investment totals 5.5 million British pounds. The U.K. also agreed to sink 7.5 million British pounds into the U.S.-European Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. Slated to launch in 2020, SWOT is the follow-on to the long-running series of U.S.-French Jason satellites whose once-experimental ocean topography measurements have become indispensable to weather forecasters. (3/3)

Why Aren’t We on Mars Yet? (Source: Space News)
One can only imagine what Wernher von Braun would have said if had he known, back in the days of Apollo, that not only would we not have landed humans on Mars by the year 2014, but we would still be decades away from achieving that goal. Undoubtedly, his reaction would have included stunned disbelief. Frankly, we should also be in a state of disbelief. After all, von Braun has not been the only prominent person to advocate for sending humans to Mars since the dawn of the Space Age.

Indeed, U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush each attempted to launch programs to land crews on Mars, and President Barack Obama has stated that Mars is the “ultimate” destination. Yet we seem no closer than when von Braun was advocating the humans-to-Mars goal so many decades ago. Click here. (3/3)

NASA Langley Wins, Loses Under Obama's FY15 Budget Request (Source: Daily Press)
NASA Langley Research Center would take a small fiscal haircut but come away with funding for a cutting-edge science lab under the president's proposed FY2015 federal budget. NASA Langley's budget would come in at $760 million, or $10 million leaner than last year, but the Hampton center would receive an additional $94 million to build a Measurement Sciences Laboratory for aeronautics research as part of its 20-year revitalization plan.

The trim would also mean about 30 fewer full-time employees at the center by 2015, and Deputy Director David Bowles said those losses are expected to come from routine attrition among their 1,880 employees. (3/4)

Budget Would Boost NASA Glenn (Source: Cleeland Plain Dealer)
Even though all the numbers in President Obama's $3.9 trillion budget blueprint for 2015 are subject to drastic change, NASA Glenn Research Center Director James M. Free was pleased with the 3.6 percent increase the proposal would give his facility over its 2014 funding. He said the proposed $587.7 million budget for Glenn, up by $20.5 million from last year, would keep Glenn's workforce around its current level of 3,000 civil servants and contractors -- if it becomes law. (3/4)

Why Companies are Lining Up to Test Golf Clubs (and Other Products) on the ISS (Source: Fast Company)
Since its launch in 2000, the space station has mainly served as a place in which astronauts from NASA and foreign space agencies conduct experiments involving health and the physical sciences. It was never intended to help private companies improve their products and market share. That's about to change. In 2011, following a directive from Congress, NASA handed off management for a portion of the space station's U.S. research modules to the specially ­created not-for-profit Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

Congress wanted to broaden access to the station and utilize it as a platform for innovation. In essence, that meant executives at the Melbourne, Florida–based CASIS would sell the virtues of the space station to American businesses, not-for-profits, and ­academics--sort of like you might sell office space in Silicon Valley, except with a profoundly more complicated commute. "There really is no business model for this," says Duane Ratliff, COO of CASIS, which now has 33 employees and a federally funded $15 million budget. "Our first challenge was: Can we identify the value that microgravity research has?"

That's hardly obvious. Soon after they started, the CASIS team concluded that use of the station should be geared toward pharmaceutical and material-science researchers. At least theoretically, a microgravity environment can be a unique place for drug companies to test medications for diseases that cause muscle wasting and bone loss (both conditions have been associated with low-gravity environments). "The biggest challenge," says Ratliff, "is getting someone like Merck or Novartis, who have never done research in space or even contemplated it, and explaining it to them." Click here. (3/4)

March 4, 2014

White House 2015 Budget Seeks $100M More for SLS (Source: Huntsville Times)
The 2015 budget proposal for NASA released by the White House today proposes to spend $100 million more each next year on space station research, new space technology and a new heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule, plus $250 million more to develop commercial crew carriers. The total budget line for NASA is $17.5 billion, down slightly from this year's $17.6 billion. (3/4)

NASA Budget Would Ramp Up Asteroid Mission (Source: Asbury Park Press)
NASA’s proposed budget for 2015 would ramp up funding to fly astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 as part of a stepping-stone approach to Mars. The $133 million for the mission, which would deflect a small asteroid into near-Earth orbit so astronauts could practice landing on it and study its characteristics, is part of the space agency’s proposed $17.46 billion budget released by the administration Tuesday.

Fiscal 2015 begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30, 2015. The budget also includes funding to continue NASA’s other top priorities: a deep-space Space Launch System rocket and the Orion multi-purpose vehicle it will carry to Mars, the James Webb Space Telescope due for launch in 2018, and the Commercial Crew Program that helps fund private efforts to send astronauts from the U.S. to the International Space Station.

The budget is about $185 million below the fiscal 2014 level but roughly $600 million more than NASA received in fiscal 2013, when sequestration cut discretionary spending across the board. NASA could have access to another $900 million as well -- its share of a $56 billion Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative that would be separate from the regular budget. (3/4)

Launch of Two Hundred 437MHz Satellites Aboard Next SpaceX Mission (Source: Southgate)
The largest ever launch of 437 MHz satellites is planned for March 16 at 0841 UT when 200 Sprite satellites will be launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS 3 mission. They will be deployed into a 325×315 km 51.5 degree inclination orbit. A Sprite is a tiny, 3.5 by 3.5 cm, single-board spacecraft that was developed by Zac Manchester KD2BHC. It has a microcontroller, radio, and solar cells and is capable of carrying single-chip sensors, such as thermometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, and accelerometers. Click here. (3/4)

Paradox Solved? How Information Can Escape from a Black Hole (Source: Space.com)
Every black hole conceals a secret — the quantum remains of the star from which it formed, say a group of scientists, who also predict that these stars can later emerge once the black hole evaporates. The researchers call these objects "Planck stars" and believe that they could solve a very important question in modern physics: the information paradox, or the question of what happens to information contained in matter that falls into a black hole. Click here. (3/4)

Tito: Inspiration Mars Sets Sights on Venus/Mars Flyby in 2021 (Source: Space News)
The past year has been one of hard work and due diligence for the Inspiration Mars Foundation (IMF), working toward the goal of providing America with a viable, challenging and inspirational mission to Mars that would accelerate our nation’s plans and progress for deep-space exploration.

In that time, the foundation funded and led a significant team effort involving industry, NASA centers, advocacy groups and academia to study and validate the goal of a fast, free-return human mission to Mars and define the best mission architecture to accomplish it. In the process, many of the original mission architecture assumptions have been revised through collaboration and consensus building. And as a result, the mission and vision of IMF are even more viable and still very much alive. Click here. (3/3) 

Space Florida Picks New Government Relations Chief (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida is pleased to welcome Sharon Spratt, the organization’s new Senior Director of Government Relations. Spratt will report to the president of Space Florida from Tallahassee and will oversee coordination of all federal, state, and local government relations and legislative initiatives for the organization. She will serve as Space Florida’s lead advocate to the Florida Legislature and Congress, and will also serve as the primary organizational point of contact to the Florida Governor’s office.
 
Prior to joining Space Florida, Ms. Spratt served as the director of government relations for Enterprise Florida (EFI) for four years and led the development and execution of EFI’s annual legislative agenda. In that position, she also conducted regular analyses of Florida’s economic development programs as they compared to other U.S. states, making recommendations to enhance Florida’s competitiveness in the marketplace. Prior to her work with EFI, Spratt served as a senior legislative assistant in the Florida House of Representatives. (3/4)

Pentagon Budget Scraps, Delays Lockheed Satellites, Postpones Others (Source: Reuters)
The U.S. Defense Department said its 2015 budget request includes $7.2 billion for satellites and other space-based programs but saves $2.1 billion over the next five years by scrapping plans for two Lockheed Martin Corp communications satellites.

Given difficult budget pressures, the Pentagon said the Air Force decided to skip buying the seventh and eighth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites that Lockheed was slated to build. It said it also planned to postpone work on two Global Positioning System III satellites, also to be built by Lockheed, until after fiscal 2019, since the GPS satellites already in orbit were lasting longer than forecast. (3/4)

DOD Budget Reveals Fear of Falling Behind (Source: Reuters)
The Pentagon's budget reveals in its details that the U.S. is prepared to cut troops and make other sacrifices in order to maintain the nation's technological advantage over rival nations. American dominance, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel warned recently "can no longer be taken for granted." The budget, which calls for a slimmer fighting force and retiring some aircraft and vehicles, seeks to tilt the spending balance toward new weapons systems and stronger cyber defense. (3/4)

Hadfield: Why Canada is Winning the Space Race (Source: Globe and Mail)
We seem to punch above our weight in terms of space contractors. Why do you think that is? "Well, we’ve been in the game longer than just about anyone, apart from the Soviet Union and the United States. We built world-class hardware from the very beginning." Click here. (2/27)

Canadian Scientist Joins NASA-Funded Simulated Mars Mission in Hawaii (Source: Montreal Gazette)
A Kelowna, B.C., scientist is joining the crew of a NASA-funded simulated mission to Mars after beating out hundreds of applicants from around the world. Ross Lockwood and five others will spend four months inside a sealed environment high on the slopes of a Hawaiian mountain. The main purpose of the mission, starting March 28, is to help the space agency develop psychological guidelines that will be used to select future astronauts capable of making a real trip to Mars. (2/27)

Canadian Province Commits To Growing Province’s Aerospace Sector (Source: Ottawa Citizen)
In its annual budget released Feb. 18, the BC government confirmed its commitment to the growth of the aerospace sector in British Columbia, saying that it would work with AIAC Pacific to deliver on its $5 million campaign promise in last year’s provincial election. (3/1)

Europe Explores Ideas to Clean Up Space Junk (Source: Space.com)
A new European proposal to get rid of space junk adds to a growing list of ideas to get rid of the manmade pollution currently orbiting the Earth. Called e.DeOrbit, the debris-hunting spacecraft would zoom to a polar altitude of between 500 and 620 miles (800 and 1,000 kilometers) and then approach a piece of debris. After using sensors to move in close, it would then capture the junk in some way, perhaps using a net, or harpoon, or tentacle.

The CleanSpace initiative from the European Space Agency is just one of several proposals to get rid of space junk, however, with other ideas ranging from lasers to electrical currents to even air bursts. As engineers work through the technical issues, week by week the issue is growing. (3/4)

Orbcomm Has 17 Satellites Slated To Launch in 2014 (Source: Space News)
Satellite machine-to-machine (M2M) messaging services provider Orbcomm on March 3 said its long-delayed second-generation satellite constellation is now scheduled for launch on two Falcon 9 rockets operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the first in mid-April and the second in November.

The first of the two launches, which is now second in SpaceX’s 2014 manifest behind a NASA-purchased cargo delivery run to the international space station, scheduled for mid-March, will carry six second-generation Orbcomm satellites. The second, set for November, will carry the remaining 11 satellites, Orbcomm Chief Executive Marc J. Eisenberg said. (3/4)

Orbital Sciences Examining 2-3 Russian Alternatives to Antares’ AJ-26 Engine (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences is investigating “two or three alternatives,” all of them Russian, to the current AJ-26 engine that powers the company’s Antares rocket, Orbital Chief Financial Officer Garrett E. Pierce said March 3. Orbital’s exploration includes filing suit against United Launch Alliance of Colorado in an attempt to break ULA’s exclusivity contract with the makers of Russia’s RD-180 engine, which powers the first stage of ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket.

Orbital and its suppliers have enough AJ-26 engines to complete Orbital’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) space station cargo-supply contract with NASA, which totals eight Antares missions, and several additional missions as well. (3/4)

European Commercial Space Plane Prototype Set for May Drop Test (Source: Space.com)
A European space plane project will take to the skies a few months from now for a crucial test. Europe’s biggest aerospace manufacturer, Airbus Group, plans to drop its scale-model prototype prototype Spaceplane from an altitude of 10,000 feet over Singapore in May. If that trial goes well, another unpowered drop test — this time from 100,000 feet — should follow next year, officials said. Click here. (3/4)

Band Seeks Space Gig (Source: Team Rock Radio)
Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler wants his band to be the first to play a show in space. He's hoping he can persuade Virgin mogul Richard Branson to let them fly on his Virgin Galactic spaceship when commercial flights begin. Adler tells Metal Injection he came up with his space plan after Metallica beat him to his ambition to play in Antarctica. "I think if we approached Richard Branson in the right way, we could help them prove how safe it is," the drummer explains. (3/4)

Nearly Every Star Hosts at Least One Alien Planet (Source: Space.com)
The vast majority of stars in our Milky Way galaxy host planets, many of which may be capable of supporting life as we know it, a new study suggests. Astronomers have detected eight new exoplanet candidates circling nearby red dwarf stars, which make up at least 75 percent of the galaxy's 100 billion or so stars. Three of these worlds are just slightly bigger than Earth and orbit in the "habitable zone," the range of distances from a parent star where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.

The new finds imply that virtually all red dwarfs throughout the Milky Way have planets, and at least 25 percent of these stars in the sun's own neighborhood host habitable-zone "super-Earths," researchers said. "We are clearly probing a highly abundant population of low-mass planets, and can readily expect to find many more in the near future — even around the very closest stars to the sun," study lead author Mikko Tuomi said. (3/4)

Declassified Air Force Program will Launch from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
A newly declassified military space program will place satellites on the lookout for threats to national-security spacecraft high above Earth. Four satellites launched in pairs, the first late this year from Cape Canaveral on a Delta IV rocket, will provide new eyes on exactly what is flying in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles up.

And should an adversary’s spacecraft move too close to U.S. assets — to learn more about them or potentially launch an orbital attack — the action won’t go unnoticed. Gen. Shelton said the program was made public as a deterrent. The hope is that if other countries know these spacecraft are up there, they might be less inclined to consider an aggressive move. (3/3)

NASA’s Gravity Dilemma (Source: WIRED)
The phenomenal success of the film Gravity, which culminated with seven Academy Awards on Sunday night, represented a unique challenge for NASA’s PR team. On the one hand, the $270 million (and counting) in box office reflects and enhances a broad public interest in space and space exploration. On the other hand, the portrayal of the final frontier wasn’t particularly sympathetic. It was one part awe-inducing exploration, 99 parts terrifying wasteland, accentuated by a hyperventilating Sandra Bullock careening through a vast emptiness.

Add to that the scientific errors made in the name of artistic license, and there is plenty of ammo with which space evangelists might attack the film. So what was the best way to parlay Gravity’s popularity into a positive public impression for NASA? A full embrace would seemingly endorse the film’s inaccuracies and space-based vision of overwhelming anxiety. Ignoring the moment would appear tone deaf and aloof, a missed opportunity to engage a large demographic. Sniping over imprecise plot elements would come off as petty and bitter.

The smart play, and the one NASA seems to have embraced, is a three-part strategy: acknowledge, support, and deflect. Over a series of 31 tweets that began a few hours before the Oscars telecast and ended after midnight eastern time, NASA congratulated the film and pointed followers to images of real astronauts in action via the hashtag #RealGravity. Click here. (3/4)

NASA Officials Visit Winnebago Tribe to See Contract Revenue at Work (Source: Omaha.com)
Ho-Chunk, Inc., which has secured a handful of federal government contracts over the past year and is owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, recently hosted two officials from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA officials Verron Brade, director, and Lori Moore, business management specialist, arranged the visit to Ho-Chunk’s headquarters in Winnebago, Neb., to better understand how the corporation and its subsidiaries reinvest government contracting revenue into the Winnebago community. (3/3)

What Happens If Russia Refuses to Fly U.S. Astronauts? (Source: Popular Mechanics)
With tensions escalating between Russia and Ukraine, the pressure is on President Obama to do more than issue stern warnings to the Russian government. Economic sanctions are one possible action, but one that could put the squeeze not only on Russia but also the U.S. manned space program.

NASA has relied on the Russian Federal Space Agency and its Soyuz rockets and spacecraft to get astronauts to and from the International Space Station, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars per seat. Any strong move by the U.S. in response to the Crimean crisis could spell the end of Americans flying on Russian spaceships, at least until tensions ease. NASA and its commercial partners have some projects in the works that can fill the gap, should Russia refuse to fly our astronauts. But these are at least two to three years from operational status.

Depending on how the Russian-Ukraine crisis develops, those could be two to three years with no Americans in space. The big question is: Could NASA accelerate this schedule if it had to? We asked Jeff Foust, an analyst with the Futron Corporation and a long-time observer of the commercial spaceflight industry. "I don't think you would be able accelerate it that much," he says, "maybe 2016, maybe 2015. (3/3)

Former NASA Commercial Crew Chief Ed Mango fined $2,000 (Source: Florida Today)
A federal judge today imposed a $2,000 fine on Ed Mango, a senior Kennedy Space Center official who had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of trying to influence a matter in which he had a financial interest. Facing up to six months in prison, based on recommended sentencing guidelines, Mango told U.S. District Judge Roy Dalton he took responsibility for his actions and was sorry, and wanted to continue his work in human spaceflight.

"I know I went over the line," said Mango, who stepped down last fall as manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "It will not happen again." Mango entered the courtroom with a dozen supporters. Several spoke on his behalf, including former astronaut Jim Voss and former shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach. (3/3)

NASA Will Seek Funds For Europa Flyby, Dark Energy Missions (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA’s upcoming $17.5 billion request for funds in fiscal 2015 will include a request for “pre-formulation” work on missions to exploit recently discovered water geysers over the south pole of Europa and sophisticated techniques to gauge the effects of dark energy on the observable Universe, along with stay-the-course spending on continuing major programs.

Internal NASA budget documents indicate space science would get almost $5 billion under the new budget to continue work on the James Webb Space Telescope and a Curiosity-based Mars rover to launch in 2020. But it includes some funding for a Europa mission spurred by the possibility that water found high in space over Europa’s south pole could give an unexpectedly quick look at the makeup of the Jovian moon’s subsurface ocean with a spacecraft designed to fly through it. (3/3)

Strange Signal From Galactic Center Is Looking More and More Like Dark Matter (Source: WIRED)
The more that scientists stare at it, the more a strange signal from the center of the Milky Way galaxy appears to be the result of dark matter annihilation. If confirmed, it would be the first direct evidence for dark matter ever seen. Dark matter floats throughout our galaxy, but is more concentrated at its center. There, a dark matter particle can meet another dark matter particle flying through space. If they crash into one another, they will annihilate each other (dark matter is its own antiparticle) and give off gamma rays. (3/3)

Why Google Might Launch the World’s Largest Constellation (Source: Big Think)
In 2011, NewSpace Global learned that some interesting players in Silicon Valley were exploring the potential of Cisco’s Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) project. Apparently, the technology had been proven viable; although questions concerning the 2nd Screen remained. Thus, when NSG sources indicated this month that a Silicon Valley tech giant – perhaps Google – may soon announce plans to launch a massive constellation of satellites, we were not surprised.

Although unconfirmed, sources indicate that this may result in “160 Skybox-sized” satellites launched at first, followed by hundreds more to total 1600 satellites. Yes, this would be more satellites than are currently operational. Yes, this is possibly apocryphal. No, we do not know if these satellites will be used for Earth observation or communications or both. But what we do know is that this story makes sense. On the next page are 10 reasons why NSG Analysts would not be surprised were GOOG to announce such plans. Click here. (3/3)

Ukraine: An international Space Situation (Source: Medium)
There are only two countries in the world today with the capability to send humans into space -- Russia and China. The US lost that capability on 21 July 2011 when the space shuttle was retired. The shuttles had been ferrying astronauts to and from our planet since 1981. Today, the US relies solely on Russia’s Soyuz craft to get NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

That puts the US in a precarious position. Despite widespread international condemnation, the Russian army has occupied the Crimean peninsula and looks set to stay for the forseeable future. President Obama has called this a breach of international law. Tensions are high. Three hundred and seventy kilometers above, looking down on the conflict, the NASA astronauts on the Space Station, Michael Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio, must be getting a little worried. Their flight home is dependent on Russia and the US getting along, and their commander, Oleg Kotov, is from the Crimea.

Let’s be clear: all-out conflict between the United States and Russia is a virtual impossibility at this stage. However, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has been known in the past to use all the leverage available to him to pressure his opponents into submission. It’s not inconceivable that the International Space Station may play some part in this, either by denying the US the use of Soyuz, or simply by charging exorbitant amounts for it. (3/3)

Russia Crisis Raises Space Station Questions, But NASA Has Options (Source: NBC)
hanks to its reliance on Russia, NASA is once again confronted with the nightmare of a diplomatic roadblock in a project originally made possible by diplomacy: the U.S.-Russian partnership in space exploration. And if Russia's confrontation with Ukraine and the West turns into the worst diplomatic crisis of our generation, as feared, it could have equally profound and disturbing consequences for space exploration. Click here. (3/3)

Ukraine: We Shouldn't Be Surprised (Source: Medium)
It’s not like the US wasn’t warned this might become a possibility. In 2008, when Russia marched into its tiny neighbor Georgia and the space shuttles were on the verge of retirement, US Senator Bill Nelson warned that the country’s space program would be severely limited without the capability to transport astronauts into space.

What’s more, the United States has a law -- the Iran North Korea Syria Nonproliferation Act -- that prohibits the country from buying space-related goods and services from Russia while the nation exports nuclear technology to Iran. NASA was granted a waiver to this law in 2005, and this was extended in 2009, but expires again in 2016. The light at the end of the tunnel is NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which is funding several American companies to build manned spacecraft.

The most famous is SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which has successfully docked with the International Space Station but isn’t yet ready for manned flight. If the conflict drags on, it’s likely that funds will be pumped into the program and development on the Dragon capsule, as well as other manned spacecraft, will be significantly accelerated. But that won’t bear fruit until at best 2016, and there are multiple European and American astronauts that are scheduled to make the trip on ten different Soyuz launches until then. (3/3)

South Africa's Cubesat Encounters Space Debris (Source: Xinhua)
South Africa's first nano- satellite experienced two very close encounters with defunct satellites in the past few days after three months in orbit, authorities said on Monday. The nano-satellite, the ZACUBE-1, came within an estimated 185m of the defunct Russian COSMOS 2151 satellite over Antarctica on Wednesday, the South African Department of Science and Technology (SADST) said in a statement.

Remarkably, a second warning was received on Thursday, with ZACUBE-1 predicted to come within 85m of yet another defunct Russian satellite, METEOR 2-5, over Brazil. ZACUBE-1 was developed by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and launched on Nov. 21 2013. The CPUT has independently confirmed with its ground station that ZACUBE-1 is still beaconing and has survived both close encounters. (3/3)

Virginia Spaceport Official Talks Wallops' Future, Florida Workers (Source: Space News)
We’re talking to other launch providers, but we’re under nondisclosure agreements. But, for example, it’s easy to go from MARS’s Pad 0B, which is for solid rockets. In fact, we have plans to modify the pad so it can launch Orbital’s Minotaur 6. If we modify the pad for Minotaur 6, it could also accommodate Lockheed Martin’s Athena or Athena 2. For Pad 0A, we certainly tried to design it such that it could accommodate other liquid-oxygen, kerosene rockets. We’ve also done studies on what it would take to do a hydrogen-fueled rocket, or a methane-fueled rocket.

There’s a pretty good core of our workforce who are Florida people. We have this remarkable workforce that has been impacted in a very big way by the shutdown of the shuttle. Some of those, not a lot, we’re talking smaller numbers, but a key group of Florida people with 25, 30 years of experience are working for us at MARS, or are subcontractors in Virginia. And we’re building around that with a lot of smart, young talent out of the local area.

You find people who are older and don’t necessarily want to sell their home in Florida but want to work another five or 10 years. So they’ll come up here and live. It isn’t driving back and forth every weekend. They are paid in Virginia, or Maryland, live here, and will go back once every couple of months. We have some subcontractors who, as we surge, will bring in people from Florida who will go back there. (3/3)

Incredible Technology: Inflatable Aircraft Could Cruise Venus Skies (Source: Space.com)
A big robotic airship could ply the skies of Venus for up to a year, giving scientists an unprecedented look at Earth's hellishly hot "sister planet," the craft's developers say. For the past year, engineers at aerospace firms Northrop Grumman and L'Garde have been working on an unmanned concept vehicle called the Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform. Using a mixture of powered flight and passive floating, VAMP could stay aloft for long periods, collecting a variety of data about Venus and its atmosphere. (3/3)

Asteroid Hunter Discovers Comet 'Weirdo' (Source: Discovery)
NASA’s reinvigorated Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft has discovered its first previously unknown comet since its reboot last year. But it turns out that this particular "dirty snowball" is a little… different. “This comet is a weirdo,” said NEOWISE principal investigator Amy Mainzer. “It is in a retrograde orbit, meaning that it orbits the sun in the opposite sense from Earth and the other planets.”

Although this is the first comet discovery of the new NEOWISE mission, the infrared space telescope discovered 21 other comets during its primary mission between 2009 and 2011 before its cryogenic hydrogen depleted. In September, the mission was switched back on to asteroid- (and now comet-) hunting duties — a task it can easily fulfill without the ultra-low temperatures its onboard coolant provided. (3/3)

NASA, Honeywell Celebrate 10 Years of Inspiring Students with FMA Live! (Source: NASA)
NASA and Honeywell kicked off the 2014 tour of "FMA Live! Forces in Motion" with middle school students at Wunderlich Intermediate School in Houston today. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this innovative collaboration designed to ignite students' interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
 
FMA Live! is a high-energy live show that features actors, hip-hop dance, music videos, interactive scientific demonstrations and video interviews with NASA scientists to teach Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion and universal laws of gravity. The name of the show comes from Newton’s second law of motion: force = mass x acceleration. (3/3)