Hawaii Works on Space Tourism Plan (Source: MSNBC)
Space pioneers envision launching high-end Hawaii tourists from the sand to the stars, taking island-hopping to new heights. Hawaii won't win the race to become the first state with space tourism, but in a new twist, it probably will be the first place where travelers can use the planes for real transportation. Hawaii's planes would take off in one place and land in another — from an airport on the Big Island to a landing on Oahu. (7/10)
Spaceport America Gets Bonds, Power (Source: Las Cruces Bulletin)
In the latter part of the coming week, Spaceport America should have $58 million for the first round of construction contracts to build the $198 million spaceport between Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences. At a recent special meeting, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority board was given details of bids on this first series of bonds to begin construction. The bids were very favorable, spaceport officials told the board, amounting to an interest rate of less than 5 percent for an annual debt service of an estimated $4.37 million.
This gives the spaceport more flexibility in case gross receipts taxes (GRT) from Doña Ana and Sierra counties are less than expected. Though conservative estimates were used when GRT increases were proposed to county voters, that was before the recession hit. Should the GRT yield better funds than estimated, the bonds can be sold off earlier or additional bonds can be sought for other projects. (7/10)
India: Let Us Develop a Military Space Program (Source: Rediff)
How do we deal with military symmetry in our unfriendly neighbourhood? One obvious first step is creating asymmetry through the assimilation of our space prowess. We need to develop and deploy space-based assets so as to cumulate sensor inputs, datalink it to the networked military command and control system from where it can be fed to the field units and commanders. This will enhance the battlefield situational awareness through real-time projection of the battlefield.
For this, the Indian armed forces will have to attain network centric warfare (NCW) capability, but they are just inching, not marching towards that goal. NCW will pivot upon the networking of terrestrial, nautical & aerospatial radars; AEW platforms; air defense fighters, missiles & artillery batteries; communication centers; electronic warfare systems and aggregation of other air defence assets of army and navy.
Though we enjoy the edge over Pakistan in satellite technology, one cannot rule out China -- Pakistan's soul mate and an alleged, unapologetic proliferator -- sharing its know-how and intelligence with Pakistan. China is light years ahead of us in offensive space technology; so our endeavor should be 'space denial.' In case of Pakistan, we must go all out to achieve total 'space control.' India must also prepare a contingency plan for the worst-case scenario -- China emerging as a 'rogue space power.' (7/10)
Avanti Secures Funds to Switch Launch Vehicles (Source: Space News)
Start-up broadband satellite operator Avanti Communications Group raised some $68 million in cash from institutional investors and the British government to pay the additional costs it will incur in shifting the launch of its first satellite to an Ariane 5 or Soyuz rocket instead of a Falcon 9 vehicle operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), Avanti said. About a quarter of the funding is from the European Space Agency (ESA), from British ESA contributions.
Avanti's Hylas had been scheduled for launch in late 2009. The yearlong delay has been caused by unexpected difficulties Astrium has encountered in completing the payload. It remains unclear when the satellite will be ready for launch. SpaceX is also behind schedule with its new Falcon 9 launch vehicle, which previously had been slated to make its debut in 2007. Avanti announced in February 2008 that it had secured a Falcon 9 insurance policy valued at 89 million British pounds covering the satellite's launch and its first year in orbit. SpaceX said at the time that the Avanti contract was valued at $150 million including the Hylas flight and three additional Avanti launches for satellites Avanti has yet to order. (7/10)
Low-Cost Imaging Satellites Encouraged in Defense Bill (Source: Space News)
A U.S. Senate panel is taking aim at the Defense Department's plan for medium-level satellite imaging capabilities, calling for a new program to quickly field low-cost spacecraft and recommending changes to the Pentagon's latest strategy for engaging the commercial sector in this arena. (7/10)
House OKs Help for Firms Hurt by Shuttle Retirement (Source: Space News)
Legislation that includes language authored by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) to assist small businesses affected by the space shuttle's looming retirement was approved July 8 by the House of Representatives. The Kosmas amendment to the Enhancing Small Business Innovation and Research Act (H.R. 2965) would give preference to these small businesses when applying for grants through the Small Businesses Innovation and Research (SBIR) program, helping them make the transition from space shuttle work to work in other industries. (7/10)
UCF Student Among Team Members Winning NASA Internships for Supersonic Aircraft Designs (Source: NASA)
UCF's Alex Lepage is part of a second-place multi-university team that has won summer jobs at NASA this year, thanks to their participation in a contest to design a supersonic airliner. They were challenged to design a small supersonic airliner and submit a research paper limited to 25 pages. Designs had to be efficient, environmentally friendly, low sonic boom commercial aircraft that could be ready for initial service by 2020. (7/10)
NASA Awards Satellite Sensor Contract to University of Colorado (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a contract to the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for the development of the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS, a key instrument for the future National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, known as NPOESS. The total estimated value of the cost, no-fee contract is approximately $42 million. (7/10)
Two Florida Projects Win Innovation Fund Grants (Source: NASA)
NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program, working with the Office of the Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters, has selected 20 projects for the 2009 NASA Innovation Fund. The selected projects are led by NASA scientists and engineers and include partners from five universities, two small businesses, Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and the National Institute for Aerospace in Hampton, Va. More than 230 proposals were submitted this year. Each project is funded for a maximum of $50,000, with work to be completed by the end of September. The Florida (KSC) projects include: Repair Techniques for Composite Structures; and a Dust Tolerant Intelligent Electrical Connection System. (7/10)
Five California Projects Win Innovation Fund Grants (Source: NASA)
NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program, working with the Office of the Chief Engineer at NASA Headquarters, has selected 20 projects for the 2009 NASA Innovation Fund. The selected projects are led by NASA scientists and engineers and include partners from five universities, two small businesses, Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and the National Institute for Aerospace in Hampton, Va. More than 230 proposals were submitted this year. Each project is funded for a maximum of $50,000, with work to be completed by the end of September. The California projects are located at Ames, Dryden, and JPL. Click here for a list. (7/10)
Mars Rover Devours Budgets (Source: Nature)
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), NASA's souped-up 1-ton rover due for launch in 2011, needs yet more money. The latest budget overrun could for the first time delay other missions in the agency's cash-strapped planetary-science division. The rover's latest price tag is $2.286 billion — 40% more than the official $1.63 billion estimate made in 2006. But even that will not be enough. In a 'breach report' due to be handed to the US Congress by the end of July, NASA will report that the troublesome mission, now also called Curiosity, needs $15–115 million more on top of the $2.286-billion estimate. (7/10)
Astronaut Oefelein to Wed While Nowak Awaits Court (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Colleen Shipman, the alleged victim of Lisa Nowak's alleged bizarre kidnapping plot in 2007, is to wed William Oefelein, the third member of what was portrayed as an astronaut love triangle with Fatal Attraction overtones. According to police, Nowak had a relationship with Oefelein before Shipman began dating him and found romantic e-mails that Shipman sent to Oefelein, who was in space at the time of the incident. Nowak, a former mission specialist who flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2006, is free on bail, awaiting a November hearing in her case, and lives near Houston. (7/10)
General Dynamics Awarded National Air and Space Intelligence Center Contract (Source: 7/10)
The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems an Advanced Technical Exploitation Program (ATEP) contract. This five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract has a ceiling value of $600 million to be competed among the three awardees who received contracts. General Dynamics will provide around-the-clock intelligence analysis, software systems development and support, and sensor exploitation research and development of space-based and airborne sensor data. General Dynamics' solutions will directly support national priorities, including the Overseas Contingency Operations and missile defense, with timelines to meet that range from minutes to hours. (7/10)
Editorial: Bolden's Right: America Must Lead or Lose in Exploration of Space (Source: Florida Today)
The most telling moment in former astronaut Charlie Bolden’s confirmation hearing Wednesday as NASA’s next boss came in response to a question about how he planned to reinvigorate the agency. The two-time shuttle commander and retired Marine Corps major general told this story: When he’d go into a classroom in 1980 and ask students how many of them wanted to be astronauts, every hand went up. But today, he said, “I may see three hands. All of them want to go into business.” NASA’s inability to inspire a new generation of Americans — along with an inability to gain sustained political support for its efforts in Washington — shows the enormous challenges that Bolden will face when he takes the agency’s helm. (7/10)
July 9 News Items
Florida Effort Focuses on Dealing with Workforce Shifts (Source: Florida Today)
A regional approach to managing the space industry's job losses -- expected to be in excess of 3,500 when NASA retires the shuttle in 2010 -- is the goal of a meeting of government and industry leaders from seven Central Florida counties. They hope to keep the workforce intact by expanding other industries as the number of space industry jobs contracts.
"We could lose these workers to other states," Tyler Sirois, business liaison for the Regional Aerospace Workforce Initiative, said. "Our goal is to keep them in Central Florida. It's critical to the economy," the former legislative aide with Florida House of Representatives added. A $250,000 regional innovation grant from the Department of Labor will fund the effort that begins with bringing 80 to 90 economic leaders together Friday at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. (7/9)
NASA Administrator: Who Is Charles F. Bolden, Jr.? (Source: AllGov)
President Obama has chosen a former astronaut and Marine Corps aviator with strong ties to the defense industry to lead NASA in its transition from the Space Shuttle era to the next phase of space exploration. Born in the Jim Crow South, retired Marine Corps Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., faced pre-confirmation questions about his ties to the aerospace and defense industries, but seems destined for confirmed as NASA’s first permanent African American Administrator.
Born August 19, 1946, in Columbia, South Carolina, Bolden graduated in 1964 from C. A. Johnson High School in Columbia, where his father was the head football coach. He earned a BS in Electrical Science from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1968, and an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in 1977. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Bolden accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He flew more than 100 sorties into North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. As a pilot, he has logged more than 6,000 hours flying time. (7/8)
Bolden Identifies Four Challenges for NASA (Source: SPACErePORT)
During his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden identified four challenges he sees for NASA, including: 1) Building upon our success with the International Space Station; 2) Accelerating the development of next-generation launch capabilities; 3) Expanding our capability to understand Earth; and 4) Inspire the next generation of space industry workers. (7/8)
Bolden and Garver Respond to Senate Concerns (Source: SPACErePORT)
Charles Bolden told Senators that he wants NASA to become the pre-eminent research agency in the U.S., saying that the agency hasn't invested enough in basic research. He also said he sees NASA's focus as "beyond low Earth orbit", although Earth Science must also be addressed. When asked about the Space Station and its status as a National Lab, Bolden said with human Mars missions 20-years out, he can't easily inspire young people with promises of human Mars missions...but ISS is currently operating and can inspire young scientists and engineers. Ms. Garver remarked on the importance of ISS biomedical research. Both nominees view the ISS as a stepping stone to deeper-space exploration. (7/8)
Bolden and Garver Support Commercial Space (Source: Space Politics)
Both Bolden and Garver, on multiple occasions, mentioned commercial and entrepreneurial ventures, both as something NASA can enable and as something that can help NASA carry out its mission. Regarding the Space Station, Bolden said: “It is the way that we will allow commercial ventures, entrepreneurial ventures, to have a place where they can seek to go to carry cargo, and one of these days, maybe even carry crew.” And in his opening statement: “I dream of a day when any American can launch into space and see the magnificence and grandeur of our home planet Earth, as I have been blessed to do.” (7/9)
Atlas Rocket Team Continues Active Year of Launches (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Inside the towering assembly building at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41, United Launch Alliance technicians have begun stacking another Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for the year's third launch. Following a successful flight on April 3 that deployed a sophisticated Air Force communications satellite and the June 18 launch to the Moon with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS impactor experiment, attention has turned toward a planned mid-August liftoff of the secretive PAN mission. (7/9)
Top NASA Picks on a Glide Path Toward Their Jobs (Source: Congress Daily)
Charles Bolden, a former fighter pilot, astronaut and retired Marine Corps major general, received assurances of confirmation to be NASA administrator Wednesday, but was challenged by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to explain how he would restore the past excitement and prestige of an organization he said was "adrift." Rockefeller gave a similar assurance and challenge to Lori Garver, the nominee for deputy NASA administrator after 20 years of experience in civil space at NASA and in the private sector. (7/9)
Space Tourism: Tories Accuse Government of Dropping the Ball (Source: Times Online)
Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson's space tourism operation, has announced plans to launch suborbital spaceflights for paying customers from two bases, in the United States and Sweden. But though the British company has discussed the possibility of flying from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, among other sites, it still has no UK spaceport. Virgin Galactic's Will Whitehorn said the reason is simple. He'd love to fly from the UK, and praised Lossiemouth as an "ideal location", but the UK has no legislative or regulatory framework for space tourism.
Adam Afriyie, the Shadow Science Minister, has now discovered that the Government was warned about this four years ago. In 2005, it commissioned a report into the arrangements necessary to promote commercial spaceflight, and though it was never published, some details have been revealed in a parliamentary written answer. The report urged the British National Space Center to "establish precise responsibility for sub-orbital manned flight with the Civil Aviation Authority", and to review licensing procedures and insurance requirements. Yet, Afriyie says, little has been done. (7/9)
China Chooses First Female Astronauts (Source: Russia Today)
China could see its first female astronaut launch into space by 2012 as the Chinese Air Force has begun choosing graduates recently to fill the next team, reports China Daily newspaper. “The selection is underway. I believe Chinese women will be seen in space in the near future,” said China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei. While he wasn’t sure how many women would be selected, he did express certainty that women would be a part of the next team. (7/9)
NASA Drops Ares V from Launch Services Contract (Source: Flight Global)
NASA has dropped the Ares V cargo launch vehicle (CaLV) and Altair lunar lander from its Constellation program's Exploration ground launch services (EGLS) request for proposals citing, the CaLV's distant first launch. The Ares V ground systems' development was to begin in 2012, but in a revised planning chart presented at the 10 June EGLS pre-proposal conference Ares V and Altair are eliminated out to 2020. (7/9)
Why Neil Armstrong Remains an Elusive Hero (Source: Telegraph)
The greatest technological triumph of the 20th Century was the product of eight feverish years of research and development, $150 billion (at today’s prices) and 400,000 people. At the center of it all was the 38-year-old son of a minor civil servant from a small town in the Ohio corn belt. When Neil Alden Armstrong placed his boot on the lunar surface on July 20 1969 he took one small step into immortality, the first human being to touch another world. It was a mythic and insuperable moment, propelling him to global fame, and he has spent the rest of his life dealing with its consequences.
He once said he had no wish to play the part of a “human memorial.” An elusive, reluctant hero, he has long since given up signing his name in books and cards for fear of yet another autograph offer on eBay. “Mr Armstrong,” said one of his university colleagues, “can smell exploitation a mile [away].” Not always. His Ohio neighbors respected the Armstrongs’ privacy and they returned the favor by participating in the local community. Neil would visit Herald’s, a small barber shop where Marx Sizemore cut Armstrong’s hair. In 2004 Sizemore was approached by Todd Mueller, a dealer in celebrity memorabilia. Mueller wanted Sizemore to save some of Armstrong’s hair and sell it to him for $3,000. Sizemore told him he was nuts, but eventually agreed. Click here to view the article. (7/9)
NASA's Ares Partners Say They're Open to Moon-Rocket Alternatives (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The aerospace giants contracted to help build NASA's next-generation spaceships are quietly hedging their bets and stepping back from the Ares rockets that the agency has staked its future on after the shuttle retires next year. In recent weeks, Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Boeing Co. have reached out to NASA officials, lawmakers and a presidentially appointed panel reviewing America's human-spaceflight plan, expressing a willingness to change plans or offering alternatives to the rockets that until recently they strongly advocated. With contractors distancing themselves, the future of the Constellation program of rockets and capsules to return astronauts to the moon looks bleak, especially if the panel endorses alternatives.
Early last month, top executives from the major Constellation contractors — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, solid rocket builder ATK and rocket-engine manufacturer Pratt Whitney — were in Washington, vowing to oppose any alternatives. According to industry officials present, former astronaut and Boeing Vice President Brewster Shaw, Lockheed Vice President John Karas and other executives met with the staff of powerful U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby to discuss creating a media campaign to counter Ares I critics and alternative ideas. Shelby, R-Ala., is a fierce protector of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, which is designing the Ares rockets. But the campaign never materialized. Instead, Lockheed and Boeing have softened their positions and even indicated some support for looking at alternatives. (7/9)
A regional approach to managing the space industry's job losses -- expected to be in excess of 3,500 when NASA retires the shuttle in 2010 -- is the goal of a meeting of government and industry leaders from seven Central Florida counties. They hope to keep the workforce intact by expanding other industries as the number of space industry jobs contracts.
"We could lose these workers to other states," Tyler Sirois, business liaison for the Regional Aerospace Workforce Initiative, said. "Our goal is to keep them in Central Florida. It's critical to the economy," the former legislative aide with Florida House of Representatives added. A $250,000 regional innovation grant from the Department of Labor will fund the effort that begins with bringing 80 to 90 economic leaders together Friday at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. (7/9)
NASA Administrator: Who Is Charles F. Bolden, Jr.? (Source: AllGov)
President Obama has chosen a former astronaut and Marine Corps aviator with strong ties to the defense industry to lead NASA in its transition from the Space Shuttle era to the next phase of space exploration. Born in the Jim Crow South, retired Marine Corps Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., faced pre-confirmation questions about his ties to the aerospace and defense industries, but seems destined for confirmed as NASA’s first permanent African American Administrator.
Born August 19, 1946, in Columbia, South Carolina, Bolden graduated in 1964 from C. A. Johnson High School in Columbia, where his father was the head football coach. He earned a BS in Electrical Science from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1968, and an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in 1977. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Bolden accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He flew more than 100 sorties into North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. As a pilot, he has logged more than 6,000 hours flying time. (7/8)
Bolden Identifies Four Challenges for NASA (Source: SPACErePORT)
During his confirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden identified four challenges he sees for NASA, including: 1) Building upon our success with the International Space Station; 2) Accelerating the development of next-generation launch capabilities; 3) Expanding our capability to understand Earth; and 4) Inspire the next generation of space industry workers. (7/8)
Bolden and Garver Respond to Senate Concerns (Source: SPACErePORT)
Charles Bolden told Senators that he wants NASA to become the pre-eminent research agency in the U.S., saying that the agency hasn't invested enough in basic research. He also said he sees NASA's focus as "beyond low Earth orbit", although Earth Science must also be addressed. When asked about the Space Station and its status as a National Lab, Bolden said with human Mars missions 20-years out, he can't easily inspire young people with promises of human Mars missions...but ISS is currently operating and can inspire young scientists and engineers. Ms. Garver remarked on the importance of ISS biomedical research. Both nominees view the ISS as a stepping stone to deeper-space exploration. (7/8)
Bolden and Garver Support Commercial Space (Source: Space Politics)
Both Bolden and Garver, on multiple occasions, mentioned commercial and entrepreneurial ventures, both as something NASA can enable and as something that can help NASA carry out its mission. Regarding the Space Station, Bolden said: “It is the way that we will allow commercial ventures, entrepreneurial ventures, to have a place where they can seek to go to carry cargo, and one of these days, maybe even carry crew.” And in his opening statement: “I dream of a day when any American can launch into space and see the magnificence and grandeur of our home planet Earth, as I have been blessed to do.” (7/9)
Atlas Rocket Team Continues Active Year of Launches (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Inside the towering assembly building at Cape Canaveral's Complex 41, United Launch Alliance technicians have begun stacking another Atlas 5 rocket in preparation for the year's third launch. Following a successful flight on April 3 that deployed a sophisticated Air Force communications satellite and the June 18 launch to the Moon with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS impactor experiment, attention has turned toward a planned mid-August liftoff of the secretive PAN mission. (7/9)
Top NASA Picks on a Glide Path Toward Their Jobs (Source: Congress Daily)
Charles Bolden, a former fighter pilot, astronaut and retired Marine Corps major general, received assurances of confirmation to be NASA administrator Wednesday, but was challenged by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to explain how he would restore the past excitement and prestige of an organization he said was "adrift." Rockefeller gave a similar assurance and challenge to Lori Garver, the nominee for deputy NASA administrator after 20 years of experience in civil space at NASA and in the private sector. (7/9)
Space Tourism: Tories Accuse Government of Dropping the Ball (Source: Times Online)
Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson's space tourism operation, has announced plans to launch suborbital spaceflights for paying customers from two bases, in the United States and Sweden. But though the British company has discussed the possibility of flying from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, among other sites, it still has no UK spaceport. Virgin Galactic's Will Whitehorn said the reason is simple. He'd love to fly from the UK, and praised Lossiemouth as an "ideal location", but the UK has no legislative or regulatory framework for space tourism.
Adam Afriyie, the Shadow Science Minister, has now discovered that the Government was warned about this four years ago. In 2005, it commissioned a report into the arrangements necessary to promote commercial spaceflight, and though it was never published, some details have been revealed in a parliamentary written answer. The report urged the British National Space Center to "establish precise responsibility for sub-orbital manned flight with the Civil Aviation Authority", and to review licensing procedures and insurance requirements. Yet, Afriyie says, little has been done. (7/9)
China Chooses First Female Astronauts (Source: Russia Today)
China could see its first female astronaut launch into space by 2012 as the Chinese Air Force has begun choosing graduates recently to fill the next team, reports China Daily newspaper. “The selection is underway. I believe Chinese women will be seen in space in the near future,” said China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei. While he wasn’t sure how many women would be selected, he did express certainty that women would be a part of the next team. (7/9)
NASA Drops Ares V from Launch Services Contract (Source: Flight Global)
NASA has dropped the Ares V cargo launch vehicle (CaLV) and Altair lunar lander from its Constellation program's Exploration ground launch services (EGLS) request for proposals citing, the CaLV's distant first launch. The Ares V ground systems' development was to begin in 2012, but in a revised planning chart presented at the 10 June EGLS pre-proposal conference Ares V and Altair are eliminated out to 2020. (7/9)
Why Neil Armstrong Remains an Elusive Hero (Source: Telegraph)
The greatest technological triumph of the 20th Century was the product of eight feverish years of research and development, $150 billion (at today’s prices) and 400,000 people. At the center of it all was the 38-year-old son of a minor civil servant from a small town in the Ohio corn belt. When Neil Alden Armstrong placed his boot on the lunar surface on July 20 1969 he took one small step into immortality, the first human being to touch another world. It was a mythic and insuperable moment, propelling him to global fame, and he has spent the rest of his life dealing with its consequences.
He once said he had no wish to play the part of a “human memorial.” An elusive, reluctant hero, he has long since given up signing his name in books and cards for fear of yet another autograph offer on eBay. “Mr Armstrong,” said one of his university colleagues, “can smell exploitation a mile [away].” Not always. His Ohio neighbors respected the Armstrongs’ privacy and they returned the favor by participating in the local community. Neil would visit Herald’s, a small barber shop where Marx Sizemore cut Armstrong’s hair. In 2004 Sizemore was approached by Todd Mueller, a dealer in celebrity memorabilia. Mueller wanted Sizemore to save some of Armstrong’s hair and sell it to him for $3,000. Sizemore told him he was nuts, but eventually agreed. Click here to view the article. (7/9)
NASA's Ares Partners Say They're Open to Moon-Rocket Alternatives (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The aerospace giants contracted to help build NASA's next-generation spaceships are quietly hedging their bets and stepping back from the Ares rockets that the agency has staked its future on after the shuttle retires next year. In recent weeks, Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Boeing Co. have reached out to NASA officials, lawmakers and a presidentially appointed panel reviewing America's human-spaceflight plan, expressing a willingness to change plans or offering alternatives to the rockets that until recently they strongly advocated. With contractors distancing themselves, the future of the Constellation program of rockets and capsules to return astronauts to the moon looks bleak, especially if the panel endorses alternatives.
Early last month, top executives from the major Constellation contractors — Boeing, Lockheed Martin, solid rocket builder ATK and rocket-engine manufacturer Pratt Whitney — were in Washington, vowing to oppose any alternatives. According to industry officials present, former astronaut and Boeing Vice President Brewster Shaw, Lockheed Vice President John Karas and other executives met with the staff of powerful U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby to discuss creating a media campaign to counter Ares I critics and alternative ideas. Shelby, R-Ala., is a fierce protector of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, which is designing the Ares rockets. But the campaign never materialized. Instead, Lockheed and Boeing have softened their positions and even indicated some support for looking at alternatives. (7/9)
July 8 News Items
ESA and NASA Establish a Joint Mars Exploration Initiative (Source: ESA)
ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, David Southwood met NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, Ed Weiler to establish a way for a progressive program for exploration of the Red Planet. The outcome of the bilateral meeting was an agreement to create a Mars Exploration Joint Initiative (MEJI) that will provide a framework for the two agencies to define and implement their scientific, programmatic and technological goals at Mars. (7/8)
Astronauts Elected to Scholarship Foundation Board (Source: ASF)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is proud to announce its 2009-2010 Board and leadership team. Apollo 15 astronaut Colonel Al Worden is once again chair the Board of Directors for a fifth consecutive year. Joining him in this venture is Space Shuttle astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson as Vice Chairman. Attorney Michael Neukamm will once again serve as Treasurer/Secretary and Linn LeBlanc will continue to serve as Executive Director. (7/8)
Kosmas Boasts of Measure to Help Space Coast Businesses (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas managed to attach an amendment to House legislation that gives preference in receiving government loans to small businesses affected the upcoming retirement of the space shuttle, due to fly its final mission in 2010 or 2011. "The Kosmas Amendment was included in the Enhancing Small Business Innovation and Research Act (HR 2965), bipartisan legislation that reauthorizes and increases funding for the successful SBIR program. The bill passed the House 386-41."
“As we work to minimize the spaceflight gap, I want to make sure that the hundreds of small businesses involved with the Shuttle program have the support they need to move forward and keep their employees,” said Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, in a statement. “The SBIR program has proven successful in helping innovative businesses find a market for their products, and my amendment will give Shuttle-related small businesses a leg up in the grants process.” (7/8)
Interorbital Plans to Launch out of Tonga (Source: Parabolic Arc)
California-based Interorbital Systems plans to launch its Neptune 1000 rocket from the island of ‘Eua at the southeast end of the Tonga island chain in the South Pacific. “Over the past few days, I’ve been corresponding with our friend and fellow space enthusiast, King George V of Tonga, about our status of being quite near to beginning our flight test program. He has again stated that Interorbital has the Kingdom’s full support for setting up our private spaceport,” CEO Randa Milliron writes in a post on the Google Lunar X Prize website. (7/8)
Texas Congressman Supports Stimulus Funds For SpaceX (Source: Waco Tribune)
SpaceX, which tests rockets in McGregor, is competing for up to $150 million in federal stimulus dollars. SpaceX officials say they probably could double the size of its McGregor facility, from 80 to 160, if it receives a significant percentage of the $150 million. But securing the money won’t come easily. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, is fighting hard to get some, if not all, of the $150 million for spending on the Constellation program in his state.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said Wednesday he strongly supports efforts by SpaceX to compete for stimulus money. He said he arranged meetings between congressional leaders and SpaceX chairman Elon Musk. “This will be a tough fight,” said Edwards, “but we will do everything we can to help SpaceX receive a significant amount of these funds.” (7/8)
Stacking of Ares I-X Begins at Kennedy Space Center (Source: USA)
For the first time in more than a quarter-century, a new space vehicle will begin stacking on a mobile launch platform (MLP) at KSC, thanks to the hard work of employees from NASA and contractors United Space Alliance and Alliant Techsystems. The Ares I-X aft skirt, which was mated to a solid fuel segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at KSC, rolled over to the 528-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be lifted and placed on the MLP. On that platform, workers will secure the aft booster and continue adding segments of the first stage rocket, the upper stage simulators, the crew module mockup and the launch abort system simulator, taking the vehicle to a height of 327 feet. (7/8)
Weather Iffy for Endeavour Launch (Source: Florida Today)
NASA has reported no technical issues that would delay the start of a countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's 7:39 p.m. Saturday launch, but weather will be closely watched. "Everything is looking good," said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA test director, during a briefing at Kennedy Space Center. "All of our work is on schedule." The threat of showers and anvil clouds drifting within 20 nautical miles of Kennedy Space Center offers a 40-percent chance of conditions acceptable for liftoff, according to an Air Force forecast released this morning. (7/8)
Japan Plans September Test Launch of Upgraded H-IIB Rocket (Source: JAXA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are planning the launch of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle Test Flight with the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV, a cargo transporter to the International Space Station) onboard. The launch will be conducted on Sep. 11 at the Tanagashima spaceport. (7/8)
NASA Successfully Tests Alternate Launch Abort System for Ares/Orion (Source: NASA)
NASA has successfully demonstrated an alternate system for future astronauts to escape their launch vehicle. A simulated launch of the Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) took place Wednesday at Wallops Flight Facility. The unpiloted launch tested an alternate concept for safely propelling a future spacecraft and its crew away from a problem on the launch pad or during ascent. The MLAS consists of four solid rocket abort motors inside a bullet-shaped composite fairing attached to a full-scale mockup of the crew module.
The 33-foot-high MLAS vehicle was launched to an altitude of approximately one mile to simulate an emergency on the launch pad. The flight demonstration began after the four solid rocket motors burned out. The crew module mockup separated from the launch vehicle at approximately seven seconds into the flight and parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean. (7/8)
Hukill Joins Race for Kosmas' Seat (Source: Daytona Beach News Journal)
Third-term state Rep. Dorothy Hukill wants to become a first-term congresswoman. Hukill, a Port Orange Republican, announced Monday she will challenge U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas for the 24th District seat in 2010. Kosmas, a New Smyrna Beach Democrat, was elected last November. Four other Republican candidates have filed for the race. Editor's Note: During the 2009 Florida legislative session, Hukill sponsored a bill to establish a Space Transportation Research & Development Institute (STRDI). (7/7)
ESA Director of Science and Robotic Exploration, David Southwood met NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, Ed Weiler to establish a way for a progressive program for exploration of the Red Planet. The outcome of the bilateral meeting was an agreement to create a Mars Exploration Joint Initiative (MEJI) that will provide a framework for the two agencies to define and implement their scientific, programmatic and technological goals at Mars. (7/8)
Astronauts Elected to Scholarship Foundation Board (Source: ASF)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is proud to announce its 2009-2010 Board and leadership team. Apollo 15 astronaut Colonel Al Worden is once again chair the Board of Directors for a fifth consecutive year. Joining him in this venture is Space Shuttle astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson as Vice Chairman. Attorney Michael Neukamm will once again serve as Treasurer/Secretary and Linn LeBlanc will continue to serve as Executive Director. (7/8)
Kosmas Boasts of Measure to Help Space Coast Businesses (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas managed to attach an amendment to House legislation that gives preference in receiving government loans to small businesses affected the upcoming retirement of the space shuttle, due to fly its final mission in 2010 or 2011. "The Kosmas Amendment was included in the Enhancing Small Business Innovation and Research Act (HR 2965), bipartisan legislation that reauthorizes and increases funding for the successful SBIR program. The bill passed the House 386-41."
“As we work to minimize the spaceflight gap, I want to make sure that the hundreds of small businesses involved with the Shuttle program have the support they need to move forward and keep their employees,” said Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, in a statement. “The SBIR program has proven successful in helping innovative businesses find a market for their products, and my amendment will give Shuttle-related small businesses a leg up in the grants process.” (7/8)
Interorbital Plans to Launch out of Tonga (Source: Parabolic Arc)
California-based Interorbital Systems plans to launch its Neptune 1000 rocket from the island of ‘Eua at the southeast end of the Tonga island chain in the South Pacific. “Over the past few days, I’ve been corresponding with our friend and fellow space enthusiast, King George V of Tonga, about our status of being quite near to beginning our flight test program. He has again stated that Interorbital has the Kingdom’s full support for setting up our private spaceport,” CEO Randa Milliron writes in a post on the Google Lunar X Prize website. (7/8)
Texas Congressman Supports Stimulus Funds For SpaceX (Source: Waco Tribune)
SpaceX, which tests rockets in McGregor, is competing for up to $150 million in federal stimulus dollars. SpaceX officials say they probably could double the size of its McGregor facility, from 80 to 160, if it receives a significant percentage of the $150 million. But securing the money won’t come easily. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, is fighting hard to get some, if not all, of the $150 million for spending on the Constellation program in his state.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said Wednesday he strongly supports efforts by SpaceX to compete for stimulus money. He said he arranged meetings between congressional leaders and SpaceX chairman Elon Musk. “This will be a tough fight,” said Edwards, “but we will do everything we can to help SpaceX receive a significant amount of these funds.” (7/8)
Stacking of Ares I-X Begins at Kennedy Space Center (Source: USA)
For the first time in more than a quarter-century, a new space vehicle will begin stacking on a mobile launch platform (MLP) at KSC, thanks to the hard work of employees from NASA and contractors United Space Alliance and Alliant Techsystems. The Ares I-X aft skirt, which was mated to a solid fuel segment in the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility at KSC, rolled over to the 528-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be lifted and placed on the MLP. On that platform, workers will secure the aft booster and continue adding segments of the first stage rocket, the upper stage simulators, the crew module mockup and the launch abort system simulator, taking the vehicle to a height of 327 feet. (7/8)
Weather Iffy for Endeavour Launch (Source: Florida Today)
NASA has reported no technical issues that would delay the start of a countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's 7:39 p.m. Saturday launch, but weather will be closely watched. "Everything is looking good," said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA test director, during a briefing at Kennedy Space Center. "All of our work is on schedule." The threat of showers and anvil clouds drifting within 20 nautical miles of Kennedy Space Center offers a 40-percent chance of conditions acceptable for liftoff, according to an Air Force forecast released this morning. (7/8)
Japan Plans September Test Launch of Upgraded H-IIB Rocket (Source: JAXA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are planning the launch of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle Test Flight with the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV, a cargo transporter to the International Space Station) onboard. The launch will be conducted on Sep. 11 at the Tanagashima spaceport. (7/8)
NASA Successfully Tests Alternate Launch Abort System for Ares/Orion (Source: NASA)
NASA has successfully demonstrated an alternate system for future astronauts to escape their launch vehicle. A simulated launch of the Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) took place Wednesday at Wallops Flight Facility. The unpiloted launch tested an alternate concept for safely propelling a future spacecraft and its crew away from a problem on the launch pad or during ascent. The MLAS consists of four solid rocket abort motors inside a bullet-shaped composite fairing attached to a full-scale mockup of the crew module.
The 33-foot-high MLAS vehicle was launched to an altitude of approximately one mile to simulate an emergency on the launch pad. The flight demonstration began after the four solid rocket motors burned out. The crew module mockup separated from the launch vehicle at approximately seven seconds into the flight and parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean. (7/8)
Hukill Joins Race for Kosmas' Seat (Source: Daytona Beach News Journal)
Third-term state Rep. Dorothy Hukill wants to become a first-term congresswoman. Hukill, a Port Orange Republican, announced Monday she will challenge U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas for the 24th District seat in 2010. Kosmas, a New Smyrna Beach Democrat, was elected last November. Four other Republican candidates have filed for the race. Editor's Note: During the 2009 Florida legislative session, Hukill sponsored a bill to establish a Space Transportation Research & Development Institute (STRDI). (7/7)
July 7 News Items
Obama and Medvedev Add Space Cooperation to Bilateral Commission Plan (Source: Hyperbola)
During President Obama's visit to Russia on July 6 included the creation of a bilateral Presidential commission that includes a space cooperation working group. The working group is to be led by the head of Roscosmos, Anatoly Perminov, and the NASA administrator. The first meeting could be in September. (7/7)
Europe Targets Manned Spaceship (Source: BBC)
Europe has taken the first step towards building its own manned spaceship. The European Space Agency has asked industry to work out the requirements of the craft and its likely cost. Known as the Advanced Re-Entry Vehicle, it would be developed in phases - first as an unmanned vessel to carry cargo, and then as an astronaut crew ship. At the moment, Europe has no independent capability to transport humans into space and must hitch rides on American or Russian systems. Tuesday's announcement is just the start of a very long process, and there is no guarantee either ARV variant will be built. ESA member states will want to see industry's report before approving any development on the spaceship. (7/7)
Satellite Shows Big Thinning of Old Arctic Sea Ice (Source: AP)
New NASA satellite measurements show that sea ice in the Arctic is more than just shrinking in area, it is dramatically thinning. The volume of older crucial sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk by 57 percent from the winter of 2004 to 2008. That's losing more volume of ice than water in Lake Michigan. NASA scientist Jay Zwally said global warming is to blame. He said rapidly shrinking sea ice in the Arctic warms the rest of the globe indirectly. Older ice is more important in the Arctic because it is thicker, surviving the heat of summer and building over time. (7/7)
Astrium to Begin Designing Cargo-Return ATV (Source: Space News)
Astrium GmbH of Germany will begin design work on an unmanned vehicle to shuttle cargo to and from the international space station under a contract signed July 7 and valued at 21 million euros ($29.2 million), Astrium and the German space agency, DLR, announced. (7/7)
Humanity's Itch (Source: Eureka Times-Standard)
Civilizations before us had pyramids. They had so-called manifest destiny beckoning them to cross vast continental spaces to plant Western flags where American Indians had lived for millennia. They had walls crossing the breadth of their nation to keep hordes at bay, and coliseums and aqueducts to improve their quality of life and distinguish themselves from all that came before and much of what came after. Every civilization searches for its noteworthy achievement, the monument it will leave to subsequent generations as a high-water mark. We were here, and with our minds and hands, this is what we were able to do. This is a fundamental attribute of human society, and today we are no different.
Our noteworthy achievement, the one that advances that marker of human civilization and will be recorded -- we can hope -- for thousands of years in the future is our ability to break free of the gravitational bonds that anchor us to this planet and achieve space travel. And it's an achievement roughly 40 years ago that remains the pinnacle -- the Apollo moon landing. Truthfully, there's no shortage of innovation in this era, and many achievements could be hailed as our greatest contribution to the evolution of the species -- from nanotechnology and nuclear energy to genetics and Chicago-style pizza.
But it is no exaggeration to say that the survival of the human species depends on our success in reaching and ultimately settling other planets. Any clear-eyed examination of our own planet's history -- the 4.5 billion-year story -- shows that the only constant is change. Where one species is dominant in a given moment, another will surely rise to take its place as soon as the inevitable happens -- that is, extinction. (7/7)
What Are the Real Costs for Constellation? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
At the end of the day, space travel now is all about money – or lack of it. Getting astronauts back to the moon affordably is the key in these tight times. And making sure that a human exploration program fits within Obama White House budget constraints is a central guideline for the presidentially-appointed Augustine Panel. NASA officials told the panel on June 17 that Constellation's cost up to first flight of the Ares/Orion in 2015 would be $35 billion. But that is a new number and it clashes with other numbers that have been released by top NASA officials in recent months.
After the Orlando Sentinel did a story based on the work of Constellation Program budget analysts which put the real cost of the first crewed launch of Ares I and Orion to the international space station at well over $40 billion and rising, NASA pushed back. NASA's Doug Cooke on Apr.7 wrote: “The cost of this initial operating capability of hardware and systems is still at $36 billion.” But a day later on a NASA blog, NASA's Jeff Hanley wrote: “The development cost for achieving the first crewed flight today is roughly $30 billion, far short of estimates which have been recently bandied about.”
Yet just two months later, the figure given to the Augustine Panel was $35 billion, one billion less than what Cooke said and five billion more than Hanley’s estimate. Now, it is possible that as NASA cuts out tests for Ares and Orion and scales back the project like cutting down the number of seats in Orion from six to four, that money is being saved. But at the same time, according to NASA’s own study of ways to speed up the development of Ares and Orion, the program is at least $1.9 billion in the hole. Whatever the cost, sources close to the Augustine committee, say panel members have serious doubts about the $35 billion figure now being used by agency officials. (7/7)
Congress Moving to Loosen Restrictions on U.S. Satellite Exports (Source: AIA)
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are moving to ease limits on technology transfers that have stymied U.S. satellite makers for more than a decade. The efforts have the support of President Barack Obama, who said during the campaign that "outdated restrictions have cost billions of dollars to American satellite and space hardware manufacturers as customers have decided to purchase equipment from European suppliers." U.S. satellite makers have seen their share of the $120 billion market drop from 73% to 27% as a result of the export restrictions, and other countries have stepped up their own R&D efforts to make up for the lack of American products, according to Aerospace Industries Association VP Cord Sterling. (7/7)
States & Counties Poised to Battle for Virginia Spaceport Businesses (Source: DelMarVaNow)
It appears competition between Accomack County in Virginia and its northern neighbor, Worcester County, Md., is heating up in an effort to attract business associated with Orbital Science’s Taurus II rocket program and other growth at Wallops Island. Despite talk of cooperation between Maryland and Virginia at a groundbreaking for the project last week at Wallops, Accomack County officials Wednesday at a Board of Supervisors meeting appeared ready to fight Worcester for economic development dollars.
“We’ve got to be quick on our feet ... We’re not going to have another bite of the apple,” said Accomack Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Mallette, in response to remarks U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski made last week during a meeting with Worcester County, Md. commissioners. She urged Worcester County officials to rename the Pocomoke City Industrial Park to “something more 21st century” to better reflect technological upgrades and other amenities that are being added to the park in an effort to attract commerce associated with activities at Wallops. She said construction of a launch facility for Taurus II will create almost 300 new jobs now and bring another 400 high-tech jobs to the Wallops area by 2010. (7/7)
U.S. Space Program Should Align With Broader National Goals (Source: National Academies)
The U.S. civil space program should be aligned with widely acknowledged national challenges, says a new report from the National Research Council's Committee on Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program. Aligning the program with pressing issues – environmental, economic, and strategic – is a national imperative, and will continue to grow in importance. Coordination across federal agencies, combined with a competent technical workforce, effective infrastructure, and investment in technology and innovation, would lay the foundation for a purposeful, strategic U.S. space program that would serve national interests. Click here to view the report's recommendations. Editor's Note: This committee includes two members of the Augustine Panel, Lester Lyles and Wanda Austin. (7/7)
Moon-Landing Debunkers Won't Fade Away (Source: Florida Today)
Did NASA secretly stage history’s biggest scam by filming fake lunar landings — complete with phony astronauts and pseudo-moon rocks — on some Hollywood soundstage? Or, are the skeptics who believe these moon-hoax theories a collection of conspiracy theorists, money-grubbers and the perpetually paranoid? The debate continues. July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, er, “alleged” moon landing. NASA has trumpeted the purported touchdown of the Eagle lunar module as the human race’s “single greatest technological achievement of all time.” However, try this Google Web search: “Apollo moon hoax.” You’ll get nearly 3 million results.
And perhaps the nation’s foremost moon-mission doubter — who was famously punched in the face by astronaut Buzz Aldrin during a combative 2002 interview — still argues that NASA archive video and photographs reveal that the mission was rigged. “The fact is, this footage is them faking being halfway to the moon. I’m a filmmaker, and it’s my job to make fake things look real,” said Nashville media producer Bart Sibrel, who publicized his theories in the documentary “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon.” Sibrel said he is planning unspecified activities for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, but he declined to provide details, saying they are “still in the works.” (7/7)
During President Obama's visit to Russia on July 6 included the creation of a bilateral Presidential commission that includes a space cooperation working group. The working group is to be led by the head of Roscosmos, Anatoly Perminov, and the NASA administrator. The first meeting could be in September. (7/7)
Europe Targets Manned Spaceship (Source: BBC)
Europe has taken the first step towards building its own manned spaceship. The European Space Agency has asked industry to work out the requirements of the craft and its likely cost. Known as the Advanced Re-Entry Vehicle, it would be developed in phases - first as an unmanned vessel to carry cargo, and then as an astronaut crew ship. At the moment, Europe has no independent capability to transport humans into space and must hitch rides on American or Russian systems. Tuesday's announcement is just the start of a very long process, and there is no guarantee either ARV variant will be built. ESA member states will want to see industry's report before approving any development on the spaceship. (7/7)
Satellite Shows Big Thinning of Old Arctic Sea Ice (Source: AP)
New NASA satellite measurements show that sea ice in the Arctic is more than just shrinking in area, it is dramatically thinning. The volume of older crucial sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk by 57 percent from the winter of 2004 to 2008. That's losing more volume of ice than water in Lake Michigan. NASA scientist Jay Zwally said global warming is to blame. He said rapidly shrinking sea ice in the Arctic warms the rest of the globe indirectly. Older ice is more important in the Arctic because it is thicker, surviving the heat of summer and building over time. (7/7)
Astrium to Begin Designing Cargo-Return ATV (Source: Space News)
Astrium GmbH of Germany will begin design work on an unmanned vehicle to shuttle cargo to and from the international space station under a contract signed July 7 and valued at 21 million euros ($29.2 million), Astrium and the German space agency, DLR, announced. (7/7)
Humanity's Itch (Source: Eureka Times-Standard)
Civilizations before us had pyramids. They had so-called manifest destiny beckoning them to cross vast continental spaces to plant Western flags where American Indians had lived for millennia. They had walls crossing the breadth of their nation to keep hordes at bay, and coliseums and aqueducts to improve their quality of life and distinguish themselves from all that came before and much of what came after. Every civilization searches for its noteworthy achievement, the monument it will leave to subsequent generations as a high-water mark. We were here, and with our minds and hands, this is what we were able to do. This is a fundamental attribute of human society, and today we are no different.
Our noteworthy achievement, the one that advances that marker of human civilization and will be recorded -- we can hope -- for thousands of years in the future is our ability to break free of the gravitational bonds that anchor us to this planet and achieve space travel. And it's an achievement roughly 40 years ago that remains the pinnacle -- the Apollo moon landing. Truthfully, there's no shortage of innovation in this era, and many achievements could be hailed as our greatest contribution to the evolution of the species -- from nanotechnology and nuclear energy to genetics and Chicago-style pizza.
But it is no exaggeration to say that the survival of the human species depends on our success in reaching and ultimately settling other planets. Any clear-eyed examination of our own planet's history -- the 4.5 billion-year story -- shows that the only constant is change. Where one species is dominant in a given moment, another will surely rise to take its place as soon as the inevitable happens -- that is, extinction. (7/7)
What Are the Real Costs for Constellation? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
At the end of the day, space travel now is all about money – or lack of it. Getting astronauts back to the moon affordably is the key in these tight times. And making sure that a human exploration program fits within Obama White House budget constraints is a central guideline for the presidentially-appointed Augustine Panel. NASA officials told the panel on June 17 that Constellation's cost up to first flight of the Ares/Orion in 2015 would be $35 billion. But that is a new number and it clashes with other numbers that have been released by top NASA officials in recent months.
After the Orlando Sentinel did a story based on the work of Constellation Program budget analysts which put the real cost of the first crewed launch of Ares I and Orion to the international space station at well over $40 billion and rising, NASA pushed back. NASA's Doug Cooke on Apr.7 wrote: “The cost of this initial operating capability of hardware and systems is still at $36 billion.” But a day later on a NASA blog, NASA's Jeff Hanley wrote: “The development cost for achieving the first crewed flight today is roughly $30 billion, far short of estimates which have been recently bandied about.”
Yet just two months later, the figure given to the Augustine Panel was $35 billion, one billion less than what Cooke said and five billion more than Hanley’s estimate. Now, it is possible that as NASA cuts out tests for Ares and Orion and scales back the project like cutting down the number of seats in Orion from six to four, that money is being saved. But at the same time, according to NASA’s own study of ways to speed up the development of Ares and Orion, the program is at least $1.9 billion in the hole. Whatever the cost, sources close to the Augustine committee, say panel members have serious doubts about the $35 billion figure now being used by agency officials. (7/7)
Congress Moving to Loosen Restrictions on U.S. Satellite Exports (Source: AIA)
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are moving to ease limits on technology transfers that have stymied U.S. satellite makers for more than a decade. The efforts have the support of President Barack Obama, who said during the campaign that "outdated restrictions have cost billions of dollars to American satellite and space hardware manufacturers as customers have decided to purchase equipment from European suppliers." U.S. satellite makers have seen their share of the $120 billion market drop from 73% to 27% as a result of the export restrictions, and other countries have stepped up their own R&D efforts to make up for the lack of American products, according to Aerospace Industries Association VP Cord Sterling. (7/7)
States & Counties Poised to Battle for Virginia Spaceport Businesses (Source: DelMarVaNow)
It appears competition between Accomack County in Virginia and its northern neighbor, Worcester County, Md., is heating up in an effort to attract business associated with Orbital Science’s Taurus II rocket program and other growth at Wallops Island. Despite talk of cooperation between Maryland and Virginia at a groundbreaking for the project last week at Wallops, Accomack County officials Wednesday at a Board of Supervisors meeting appeared ready to fight Worcester for economic development dollars.
“We’ve got to be quick on our feet ... We’re not going to have another bite of the apple,” said Accomack Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Mallette, in response to remarks U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski made last week during a meeting with Worcester County, Md. commissioners. She urged Worcester County officials to rename the Pocomoke City Industrial Park to “something more 21st century” to better reflect technological upgrades and other amenities that are being added to the park in an effort to attract commerce associated with activities at Wallops. She said construction of a launch facility for Taurus II will create almost 300 new jobs now and bring another 400 high-tech jobs to the Wallops area by 2010. (7/7)
U.S. Space Program Should Align With Broader National Goals (Source: National Academies)
The U.S. civil space program should be aligned with widely acknowledged national challenges, says a new report from the National Research Council's Committee on Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program. Aligning the program with pressing issues – environmental, economic, and strategic – is a national imperative, and will continue to grow in importance. Coordination across federal agencies, combined with a competent technical workforce, effective infrastructure, and investment in technology and innovation, would lay the foundation for a purposeful, strategic U.S. space program that would serve national interests. Click here to view the report's recommendations. Editor's Note: This committee includes two members of the Augustine Panel, Lester Lyles and Wanda Austin. (7/7)
Moon-Landing Debunkers Won't Fade Away (Source: Florida Today)
Did NASA secretly stage history’s biggest scam by filming fake lunar landings — complete with phony astronauts and pseudo-moon rocks — on some Hollywood soundstage? Or, are the skeptics who believe these moon-hoax theories a collection of conspiracy theorists, money-grubbers and the perpetually paranoid? The debate continues. July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, er, “alleged” moon landing. NASA has trumpeted the purported touchdown of the Eagle lunar module as the human race’s “single greatest technological achievement of all time.” However, try this Google Web search: “Apollo moon hoax.” You’ll get nearly 3 million results.
And perhaps the nation’s foremost moon-mission doubter — who was famously punched in the face by astronaut Buzz Aldrin during a combative 2002 interview — still argues that NASA archive video and photographs reveal that the mission was rigged. “The fact is, this footage is them faking being halfway to the moon. I’m a filmmaker, and it’s my job to make fake things look real,” said Nashville media producer Bart Sibrel, who publicized his theories in the documentary “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon.” Sibrel said he is planning unspecified activities for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, but he declined to provide details, saying they are “still in the works.” (7/7)
July 6 News Items
In Light of National Debt, What Priority Should Space Have? (Source: CNN)
In 2003, Former President George W. Bush announced plans to phase out the space shuttle program by 2010 and instead shift the focus and funding to what was named the Constellation program — a plan to send man back to the moon by 2020. This is all part of a bigger plan to eventually send a manned space mission to Mars. None of that may happen any time soon. The country is broke and in a nasty recession and as a result, the Constellation Program is being reconsidered because of budgetary constraints. Here’s my question to you: In light of the ballooning National Debt, what priority should the U.S. space program have? Click here to view reader responses. (7/6)
Japan's Now-Finished Lunar Mission Found No Water Ice (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
High resolution imaging sensors on the Japanese Kaguya lunar orbiter have failed to detect any signs of water ice in permanently shaded craters around the South Pole of the Moon. (7/6)
Falcon-1 Launch Planned on July 13 (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The fifth flight of the SpaceX Falcon-1 rocket will launch the RazakSat Earth-imaging spacecraft for Malaysia. The satellite also features the name MACSat, or Medium-sized Aperture Camera Satellite. It will be launched from the Kwajelein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. (7/6)
Craig Technologies Employees at KSC Recognized for Performance (Source: Craig)
The Earned Value Management System (EVMS) team at Kennedy Space Center received a Group Achievement Award for EVMS at the 2009 NASA/KSC Honor Awards Ceremony on May 15th. Craig Technologies has provided project and business management, and administrative support to Kennedy's Ground Operations Project Office (LX) in support of NASA's Constellation Program with SAIC since July 2007. (7/6)
Former Astronaut John Herrington Heads Tulsa's Bid for Retired Shuttle (Source: Examiner)
The Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium has turned to home-grown space experience in its bid to obtain one of America's space shuttles after their retirement. John Herrington will chair a committee working on landing a shuttle in Oklahoma. Herrington, NASA's first federally-registered Native American astronaut, is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Born in Wetumka, Herrington flew on STS-113, a 2002 mission to the International Space Station. (7/6)
Interplanetary Internet Gets Permanent Home in Space (Source: New Scientist)
The interplanetary internet now has its first permanent node in space, aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The new software will make sending data from space less like using the telephone, and more like using the web. In the modern era of the web and information on demand, teams still have to schedule times to send and receive data from space missions. But the newly installed system aboard the ISS could one day allow data to flow between Earth, spacecraft, and astronauts automatically, creating what is being dubbed the "interplanetary internet". (7/6)
NASA Experts Scale Back Moon/Mars Plans Fearing Funding Cut (Source: Telegraph)
US space experts are downsizing plans to send astronauts back to the moon and possibly to Mars amid fears of funding cuts by the Obama administration. With NASA engineers now floating cut-rate rocket alternatives, some politicians and former astronauts fear that the 2020 deadline will be foiled by financial constraints. Noting a space exploration budget of six billion dollars in 2009, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said: "NASA simply can't do the job it's been given - the president's goal of being on the moon by 2020."
Norman Augustine, chair of the panel reviewing NASA's options, admitted it all comes down to money. "With a few exceptions, we have the technology or the knowledge that we could go to Mars if we wanted with humans. We could put a telescope on the moon if we wanted," he said. "The technology is by and large there. It boils down to what can we afford?" Click here to view the article. (7/6)
Alternate Orion Aboard System Test Planned at Virginia Spaceport (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The test launch of the boilerplate Max Launch Abort System for the Ares-1 rocket is now being re-set at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, VA for July 8 in the early morning. It has been delayed three previous times. See the odd-looking vehicle and its mission profile here.
The MLAS is a backup safety system for NASA's new generation of manned space vehicles and is designed to propel the crew to safety in event of a launch emergency. An alternate design to the current Orion escape system, the MLAS demonstration vehicle consists of a full-scaled composite fairing, a full-scaled crew module simulator and four solid rocket abort motors mounted in the boost skirt with motor mass simulators in the forward fairing. (7/6)
Astronauts and Filmmaker Host Space Documentary Events in Florida (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Wonder of it All is a feature documentary focusing on the rarely told human side of the men behind the Apollo missions expressed through thoughtful and candid accounts from seven of the surviving Moonwalkers. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt reflect on their childhood, training, the tragedies, the camaraderie and the effect their space travel had on their families. They fulfilled the dream of humankind to set foot on another world and in so doing, forever changed the way we view ourselves. This film gives us the unique opportunity to preserve the thoughts of these great modern heroes.
Filmmaker Jeffrey Roth will be joined by Apollo moonwalker Ed Mitchell on July 25 to sign DVDs at Borders Books in Boca Raton. Roth will also host signings on July 23 in Oviedo, and July 24 at Kennedy Space Center. Click here for other U.S. dates and locations. (7/6)
Vibration Analysis Delays Ares I-X Stacking (Source: Aviation Week)
Crews at Kennedy Space Center will wait to start stacking the Ares I-X test vehicle so engineers will have more time to analyze three vibration-loads issues that could threaten range safety during its suborbital test flight, which probably will slip into October. Stacking is expected to begin the week of July 6. Constellation Program Manager Jeff Hanley, who oversees development of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, said July 2 that the extra analysis may give test managers more confidence that they won't have to destack the vehicle later to correct one of three potential problems. If it doesn't, more work may be necessary before stacking can begin.
One of the issues involves concerns by some engineers that the shaking of the four-segment space shuttle solid-rocket booster that forms the active portion of the Ares I-X stack will overwhelm the hydraulic mechanism that drives the thrust vector control system that helps guide the vehicle during powered flight. Engineers also want more calculations on whether the vibrations would disable the avionics box linking the flight termination system on the vehicle with the range safety officers who would destroy it if it veers off course. And they want extra analysis on whether any of the secondary structures inside the steel boilerplate simulating the Ares I upper stage - ladders, railings and the like - could shake loose. (7/6)
Space Tourism: a European Perspective (Source: Space Review)
Space tourism is generally perceived as primarily led by American companies, but there are a number of efforts elsewhere, particularly in Europe, seeking to get involved as vehicle developers and spaceport operators. Jeff Foust reports on a recent conference where these efforts, and some of the obstacles to future development, were discussed. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1411/1 to view the article. (7/6)
Apollo and America's Cold War (Source: Space Review)
As the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission approaches, we are reminded of the superpower space race that made that mission possible. Taylor Dinerman looks back on the geopolitical forces that drive the race to the Moon. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1409/1 to view the article. (7/6)
Russia Sends Three Military Satellites Into Space (Source: Xinhua)
Russia successfully put three military satellites into orbit early Monday. A Russian Rokot carrier rocket carrying three Cosmos-series satellites was launched by the Space Forces from the Plesetsk spaceport in northwest Russia. Rokot is a modified version of the RS-18 two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile. (7/6)
Editorial: NASA's Not Dreaming Far Enough (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Claiming that close-in shuttle missions and robots afar are all we can do is no longer acceptable. Man on the moon was the most profound scientific achievement of our lifetimes because of all it symbolized in the conquering of human knowledge gaps — and it happened too long ago. It's time for "change" to reverse NASA satisfaction with the mundane, and replace it with the other-worldly — so that potentially all mankind can benefit. (7/6)
NASA's Ares I Starting To Take Shape at Marshall (Source: Aviation Week)
Four years after NASA embraced Ares I as the next route to space for U.S. astronauts, the new crew launch vehicle is beginning to move from computer-aided-design workstations to the floors of various "fab labs" here that in some cases date back to the Saturn V program in the 1960s. However, the Ares I's destiny is very much up in the air as a panel headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine pores over options for U.S. human spaceflight. The panel is pitting progress, and problems, here against human-rating the Delta IV heavy that already is flying cargo, and against a few other concepts that are still in the "paper-rocket" stage. NASA engineers on the Ares I project are using an approach that dates back to the 1930s, when Wernher von Braun and his colleagues at the German army's Kummersdorf ordnance center near Berlin started developing rockets in-house before farming out production to industry. Click here to view the article. (7/6)
Bizarre Blast is New Class of Supernovae (Source: Cosmos)
A mystery explosion recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006 was the first of a whole new class of supernova. The explosion showed some odd characteristics, which caused researchers to struggle understanding the nature of the explosion. The astronomers who detected the event were not sure whether it happened in our cosmic neighborhood or at the edge of the universe. And, unusually, the object (also known as SCP 06F6) was located in an empty part of the sky and has no visible host galaxy. (7/6)
Forty Years Ago Man First Walked on the Moon (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Forty years ago on July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong realized the oldest dream of human civilizations when he became the first man to walk on the moon. As an estimated 500 million people around the world waited with bated breath crowded around fuzzy television screens and radios, Armstrong stepped down the lunar module's ladder and onto the lunar surface. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong intoned, his words slightly distorted by distance and communications equipment, in a phrase now etched forever into the history books. Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins launched from Florida's spaceport on July 16, 1969. (7/5)
US Manned Space Flight in Doubt 40 Years After Moon Walk (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
US ambitions to send astronauts back to the moon as a prelude to missions to Mars have been put in doubt by budgetary constraints 40 years after man's triumphant landing on Earth's nearest neighbor. After the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, former president George W. Bush decided to phase out the shuttle flights and set a more ambitious mandate for America in space. The space shuttles, which have carried crews of astronauts into space since 1981, were conceived as reusable vehicles to transport heavy, bulky equipment into Earth's orbit, primarily for the construction of the International Space Station. But the shuttle has kept the United States stuck in a low orbit for too long at a time when other countries like China are emerging as rivals in space, argues Michael Griffin, the former NASA chief who championed the Constellation program. (7/5)
In 2003, Former President George W. Bush announced plans to phase out the space shuttle program by 2010 and instead shift the focus and funding to what was named the Constellation program — a plan to send man back to the moon by 2020. This is all part of a bigger plan to eventually send a manned space mission to Mars. None of that may happen any time soon. The country is broke and in a nasty recession and as a result, the Constellation Program is being reconsidered because of budgetary constraints. Here’s my question to you: In light of the ballooning National Debt, what priority should the U.S. space program have? Click here to view reader responses. (7/6)
Japan's Now-Finished Lunar Mission Found No Water Ice (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
High resolution imaging sensors on the Japanese Kaguya lunar orbiter have failed to detect any signs of water ice in permanently shaded craters around the South Pole of the Moon. (7/6)
Falcon-1 Launch Planned on July 13 (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The fifth flight of the SpaceX Falcon-1 rocket will launch the RazakSat Earth-imaging spacecraft for Malaysia. The satellite also features the name MACSat, or Medium-sized Aperture Camera Satellite. It will be launched from the Kwajelein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. (7/6)
Craig Technologies Employees at KSC Recognized for Performance (Source: Craig)
The Earned Value Management System (EVMS) team at Kennedy Space Center received a Group Achievement Award for EVMS at the 2009 NASA/KSC Honor Awards Ceremony on May 15th. Craig Technologies has provided project and business management, and administrative support to Kennedy's Ground Operations Project Office (LX) in support of NASA's Constellation Program with SAIC since July 2007. (7/6)
Former Astronaut John Herrington Heads Tulsa's Bid for Retired Shuttle (Source: Examiner)
The Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium has turned to home-grown space experience in its bid to obtain one of America's space shuttles after their retirement. John Herrington will chair a committee working on landing a shuttle in Oklahoma. Herrington, NASA's first federally-registered Native American astronaut, is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Born in Wetumka, Herrington flew on STS-113, a 2002 mission to the International Space Station. (7/6)
Interplanetary Internet Gets Permanent Home in Space (Source: New Scientist)
The interplanetary internet now has its first permanent node in space, aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The new software will make sending data from space less like using the telephone, and more like using the web. In the modern era of the web and information on demand, teams still have to schedule times to send and receive data from space missions. But the newly installed system aboard the ISS could one day allow data to flow between Earth, spacecraft, and astronauts automatically, creating what is being dubbed the "interplanetary internet". (7/6)
NASA Experts Scale Back Moon/Mars Plans Fearing Funding Cut (Source: Telegraph)
US space experts are downsizing plans to send astronauts back to the moon and possibly to Mars amid fears of funding cuts by the Obama administration. With NASA engineers now floating cut-rate rocket alternatives, some politicians and former astronauts fear that the 2020 deadline will be foiled by financial constraints. Noting a space exploration budget of six billion dollars in 2009, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said: "NASA simply can't do the job it's been given - the president's goal of being on the moon by 2020."
Norman Augustine, chair of the panel reviewing NASA's options, admitted it all comes down to money. "With a few exceptions, we have the technology or the knowledge that we could go to Mars if we wanted with humans. We could put a telescope on the moon if we wanted," he said. "The technology is by and large there. It boils down to what can we afford?" Click here to view the article. (7/6)
Alternate Orion Aboard System Test Planned at Virginia Spaceport (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The test launch of the boilerplate Max Launch Abort System for the Ares-1 rocket is now being re-set at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, VA for July 8 in the early morning. It has been delayed three previous times. See the odd-looking vehicle and its mission profile here.
The MLAS is a backup safety system for NASA's new generation of manned space vehicles and is designed to propel the crew to safety in event of a launch emergency. An alternate design to the current Orion escape system, the MLAS demonstration vehicle consists of a full-scaled composite fairing, a full-scaled crew module simulator and four solid rocket abort motors mounted in the boost skirt with motor mass simulators in the forward fairing. (7/6)
Astronauts and Filmmaker Host Space Documentary Events in Florida (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Wonder of it All is a feature documentary focusing on the rarely told human side of the men behind the Apollo missions expressed through thoughtful and candid accounts from seven of the surviving Moonwalkers. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt reflect on their childhood, training, the tragedies, the camaraderie and the effect their space travel had on their families. They fulfilled the dream of humankind to set foot on another world and in so doing, forever changed the way we view ourselves. This film gives us the unique opportunity to preserve the thoughts of these great modern heroes.
Filmmaker Jeffrey Roth will be joined by Apollo moonwalker Ed Mitchell on July 25 to sign DVDs at Borders Books in Boca Raton. Roth will also host signings on July 23 in Oviedo, and July 24 at Kennedy Space Center. Click here for other U.S. dates and locations. (7/6)
Vibration Analysis Delays Ares I-X Stacking (Source: Aviation Week)
Crews at Kennedy Space Center will wait to start stacking the Ares I-X test vehicle so engineers will have more time to analyze three vibration-loads issues that could threaten range safety during its suborbital test flight, which probably will slip into October. Stacking is expected to begin the week of July 6. Constellation Program Manager Jeff Hanley, who oversees development of the Ares I crew launch vehicle, said July 2 that the extra analysis may give test managers more confidence that they won't have to destack the vehicle later to correct one of three potential problems. If it doesn't, more work may be necessary before stacking can begin.
One of the issues involves concerns by some engineers that the shaking of the four-segment space shuttle solid-rocket booster that forms the active portion of the Ares I-X stack will overwhelm the hydraulic mechanism that drives the thrust vector control system that helps guide the vehicle during powered flight. Engineers also want more calculations on whether the vibrations would disable the avionics box linking the flight termination system on the vehicle with the range safety officers who would destroy it if it veers off course. And they want extra analysis on whether any of the secondary structures inside the steel boilerplate simulating the Ares I upper stage - ladders, railings and the like - could shake loose. (7/6)
Space Tourism: a European Perspective (Source: Space Review)
Space tourism is generally perceived as primarily led by American companies, but there are a number of efforts elsewhere, particularly in Europe, seeking to get involved as vehicle developers and spaceport operators. Jeff Foust reports on a recent conference where these efforts, and some of the obstacles to future development, were discussed. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1411/1 to view the article. (7/6)
Apollo and America's Cold War (Source: Space Review)
As the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission approaches, we are reminded of the superpower space race that made that mission possible. Taylor Dinerman looks back on the geopolitical forces that drive the race to the Moon. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1409/1 to view the article. (7/6)
Russia Sends Three Military Satellites Into Space (Source: Xinhua)
Russia successfully put three military satellites into orbit early Monday. A Russian Rokot carrier rocket carrying three Cosmos-series satellites was launched by the Space Forces from the Plesetsk spaceport in northwest Russia. Rokot is a modified version of the RS-18 two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile. (7/6)
Editorial: NASA's Not Dreaming Far Enough (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Claiming that close-in shuttle missions and robots afar are all we can do is no longer acceptable. Man on the moon was the most profound scientific achievement of our lifetimes because of all it symbolized in the conquering of human knowledge gaps — and it happened too long ago. It's time for "change" to reverse NASA satisfaction with the mundane, and replace it with the other-worldly — so that potentially all mankind can benefit. (7/6)
NASA's Ares I Starting To Take Shape at Marshall (Source: Aviation Week)
Four years after NASA embraced Ares I as the next route to space for U.S. astronauts, the new crew launch vehicle is beginning to move from computer-aided-design workstations to the floors of various "fab labs" here that in some cases date back to the Saturn V program in the 1960s. However, the Ares I's destiny is very much up in the air as a panel headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine pores over options for U.S. human spaceflight. The panel is pitting progress, and problems, here against human-rating the Delta IV heavy that already is flying cargo, and against a few other concepts that are still in the "paper-rocket" stage. NASA engineers on the Ares I project are using an approach that dates back to the 1930s, when Wernher von Braun and his colleagues at the German army's Kummersdorf ordnance center near Berlin started developing rockets in-house before farming out production to industry. Click here to view the article. (7/6)
Bizarre Blast is New Class of Supernovae (Source: Cosmos)
A mystery explosion recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006 was the first of a whole new class of supernova. The explosion showed some odd characteristics, which caused researchers to struggle understanding the nature of the explosion. The astronomers who detected the event were not sure whether it happened in our cosmic neighborhood or at the edge of the universe. And, unusually, the object (also known as SCP 06F6) was located in an empty part of the sky and has no visible host galaxy. (7/6)
Forty Years Ago Man First Walked on the Moon (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Forty years ago on July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong realized the oldest dream of human civilizations when he became the first man to walk on the moon. As an estimated 500 million people around the world waited with bated breath crowded around fuzzy television screens and radios, Armstrong stepped down the lunar module's ladder and onto the lunar surface. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong intoned, his words slightly distorted by distance and communications equipment, in a phrase now etched forever into the history books. Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins launched from Florida's spaceport on July 16, 1969. (7/5)
US Manned Space Flight in Doubt 40 Years After Moon Walk (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
US ambitions to send astronauts back to the moon as a prelude to missions to Mars have been put in doubt by budgetary constraints 40 years after man's triumphant landing on Earth's nearest neighbor. After the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, former president George W. Bush decided to phase out the shuttle flights and set a more ambitious mandate for America in space. The space shuttles, which have carried crews of astronauts into space since 1981, were conceived as reusable vehicles to transport heavy, bulky equipment into Earth's orbit, primarily for the construction of the International Space Station. But the shuttle has kept the United States stuck in a low orbit for too long at a time when other countries like China are emerging as rivals in space, argues Michael Griffin, the former NASA chief who championed the Constellation program. (7/5)
July 5 News Items
Wallops Island facility To Be 'Cape Canaveral of North' (Source: Baltimore Sun)
There isn't much to see yet at the grandly named Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, just the skeleton of an old launch gantry on a piece of oceanfront leased from the federal government. But promoters expect something remarkable to blossom on this sun-baked spit of sand and scrub on the Eastern Shore. David Smith, a state official from Virginia, which joined with Maryland six years ago to operate a commercial spaceflight center with the lofty acronym MARS, says the area is on track to become "the Cape Canaveral of the North."
For now, though, it's the Wal-Mart of spaceports. "They can do more with a dollar than anyone else within NASA," said Robert Strain, director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, which operates the Wallops Flight Facility where MARS is based. The facility operates out of a one-room former gas station on NASA property, not far from a busy highway that takes beach-bound visitors to the southern end of Assateague Island. It employs six people. Spaceport officials like to tout their cut-rate location, a barrier island just off the Delmarva Peninsula. From here, they say, it's a shorter shot to the orbiting International Space Station, which means lower bills for rocket fuel. Insurance is cheaper, too, since flights go almost entirely over water (trajectories from Florida cross Europe and the Middle East). (7/5)
Augustine Panel Timeline Leaves Little Room for Florida Input (Source: SPACErePORT)
Based on its target to deliver its findings by August, the Augustine Panel is expected to receive its subcommittee input and perhaps deliver an early draft of its report to the Obama Administration prior to its July 30 meeting at Kennedy Space Center. With such a tight schedule, and with no plans for a tour of KSC's infrastructure, the panel's meeting in Florida (the last field meeting before its final one in Washington) could provide little or no opportunity for substantive input from KSC and the state's space advocates. (7/5)
Kosmas Comments on NASA Budget, Shuttle Retirement (Source: Florida Today)
Space Coast Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas made the following comments in response to Florida Today's question about her efforts to support Kennedy Space Center: "We're trying to ensure that NASA has the funding to complete the manifest for the remaining eight shuttle launches -- that we remove the hard deadline of September 2010 so that for safety reasons and weather reasons, we're not trying to cram in our eight launches." (7/5)
Space For More: ISRO Bets on 25% Growth in 2009-10 (Source: Economic Times)
The economy may be witnessing a downturn, but the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is hopeful of registering a 25% top line during 2009-10. During 2008-09 it achieved revenues of Rs 1,000 crore. Mr G Madhavan Nair, chairman of Isro, chairman, Space Commission and secretary, department of space said: “Nearly 15-20% of the revenue is expected from launching satellites on behalf of other countries...We are also enhancing our satellite launch capability with higher payloads at a steady pace. This is expected to attract clients, from other countries and commercial organizations, who are keen to place satellites and equipment in space.” (7/5)
Florida Ranks Last in Stimulus Money Received Per Person (Source: Palm Beach Post)
Floridians have received less federal stimulus money than any of their fellow Americans, despite an unemployment rate here that ranks among the highest in the country and a budget crisis that few states can match. "It just shows how inept Florida's government officials are," Florida TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro said. "Relying on Washington has always been a bad deal for Florida." Florida received just $505 per person, which ranks last among the 50 states, all U.S. territories combined and Washington, D.C., according to a Palm Beach Post analysis. (7/5)
Augustine Panel Finds 'Side-Mount' Ares Alternative "Capable" (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A study done by NASA engineers at various agency centers on behalf of the Augustine Panel has found that shuttle program manager John Shannon's "side-mount" alternative to the Constellation rockets is capable and affordable. The alternative rocket is similar to the current space shuttle, except that the orbiter mounted on the side of the fuel tank is replaced by a podlike container resembling a giant car-top carrier. The design is called the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle, or HLV, and was presented to the Augustine Panel at its first public hearing June 17.
Although it is "less capable than the current Constellation" rocket plans, the rocket "is technically viable and delivers 79.9 [metric tons] to [Low Earth Orbit] and 53.1 [metric tons to the moon.]” It added: "HLV low development costs allow work to begin now and take advantage of essential contractor and civil service skills before they are lost." The Aerospace Corporation, an independent aerospace research group, separately has been asked by the committee to evaluate another alternative, the Jupiter rocket project. (7/5)
Northrop Grumman's Ronald Sugar: Quietly in Command (Source: LA Times)
The former whiz kid from South Los Angeles often shuns the limelight. 'If you met him on the street, you'd never know he runs one of the world's largest defense companies,' a Wall Street analyst says. Much like Northrop Grumman Corp.'s stealthy B-2 bomber, the company's chief executive has flown under the radar for most of his career overseeing the development of many of the nation's top-secret weapons. Unassuming and devoid of the cigar-chomping flamboyance that distinguished aerospace executives in the past, Ronald Sugar often shuns the limelight. Click here to view the article. (7/5)
Rocket Alternatives Gaining Traction Against Ares (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Augustine Panel has deemed some alternatives to Ares as worthy of further study, including ideas written off by NASA engineers a few years ago as being underpowered, unsafe and unimaginative. One of them is being promoted by the head of NASA's shuttle program. Another is the product of a group of freelance engineers calling themselves the Direct team. Last week, the Augustine Panel said it wants Aerospace Corp., an independent-research group, to analyze Direct's Jupiter rocket, which would use the shuttle's giant external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters to launch a capsule instead of an orbiter. Last year, when the Direct team first began touting its shuttle-derived design, NASA officials treated members like refugees from a Star Trek convention. NASA's former head of space exploration told Congress that their idea "defied the laws of physics."
But Jupiter, like most of the other designs being scrutinized now, started out as a NASA idea and has been around for years. That is partly what makes it worthy of further study in the committee's eyes. Still, the sudden reconsideration of rocket designs that NASA dreamed up and then rejected is embarrassing for the agency. NASA has already invested four years, and $9 billion, in its Constellation program, though the Ares I and Ares V moon rockets are beset by technical difficulties and cost overruns. Click here to view the article. (7/5)
Boeing Pitches In-Line Shuttle-Based Rocket Alternative (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
It's not just the Jupiter rocket getting a second look, or only independents and small companies pitching ideas. One set of proposals came from The Boeing Co., which is NASA's partner in developing Ares but appears to be hedging its bets. Boeing engineers presented Augustine Panel members with a range of alternatives, including a rocket that resembles Direct's project: a shuttle external tank and solid rocket boosters with a capsule on top. The company also pitched a side-mount concept similar to the one presented by NASA to the Augustine group. A Boeing official said the company remains committed to Constellation. (7/5)
There isn't much to see yet at the grandly named Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, just the skeleton of an old launch gantry on a piece of oceanfront leased from the federal government. But promoters expect something remarkable to blossom on this sun-baked spit of sand and scrub on the Eastern Shore. David Smith, a state official from Virginia, which joined with Maryland six years ago to operate a commercial spaceflight center with the lofty acronym MARS, says the area is on track to become "the Cape Canaveral of the North."
For now, though, it's the Wal-Mart of spaceports. "They can do more with a dollar than anyone else within NASA," said Robert Strain, director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, which operates the Wallops Flight Facility where MARS is based. The facility operates out of a one-room former gas station on NASA property, not far from a busy highway that takes beach-bound visitors to the southern end of Assateague Island. It employs six people. Spaceport officials like to tout their cut-rate location, a barrier island just off the Delmarva Peninsula. From here, they say, it's a shorter shot to the orbiting International Space Station, which means lower bills for rocket fuel. Insurance is cheaper, too, since flights go almost entirely over water (trajectories from Florida cross Europe and the Middle East). (7/5)
Augustine Panel Timeline Leaves Little Room for Florida Input (Source: SPACErePORT)
Based on its target to deliver its findings by August, the Augustine Panel is expected to receive its subcommittee input and perhaps deliver an early draft of its report to the Obama Administration prior to its July 30 meeting at Kennedy Space Center. With such a tight schedule, and with no plans for a tour of KSC's infrastructure, the panel's meeting in Florida (the last field meeting before its final one in Washington) could provide little or no opportunity for substantive input from KSC and the state's space advocates. (7/5)
Kosmas Comments on NASA Budget, Shuttle Retirement (Source: Florida Today)
Space Coast Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas made the following comments in response to Florida Today's question about her efforts to support Kennedy Space Center: "We're trying to ensure that NASA has the funding to complete the manifest for the remaining eight shuttle launches -- that we remove the hard deadline of September 2010 so that for safety reasons and weather reasons, we're not trying to cram in our eight launches." (7/5)
Space For More: ISRO Bets on 25% Growth in 2009-10 (Source: Economic Times)
The economy may be witnessing a downturn, but the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is hopeful of registering a 25% top line during 2009-10. During 2008-09 it achieved revenues of Rs 1,000 crore. Mr G Madhavan Nair, chairman of Isro, chairman, Space Commission and secretary, department of space said: “Nearly 15-20% of the revenue is expected from launching satellites on behalf of other countries...We are also enhancing our satellite launch capability with higher payloads at a steady pace. This is expected to attract clients, from other countries and commercial organizations, who are keen to place satellites and equipment in space.” (7/5)
Florida Ranks Last in Stimulus Money Received Per Person (Source: Palm Beach Post)
Floridians have received less federal stimulus money than any of their fellow Americans, despite an unemployment rate here that ranks among the highest in the country and a budget crisis that few states can match. "It just shows how inept Florida's government officials are," Florida TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro said. "Relying on Washington has always been a bad deal for Florida." Florida received just $505 per person, which ranks last among the 50 states, all U.S. territories combined and Washington, D.C., according to a Palm Beach Post analysis. (7/5)
Augustine Panel Finds 'Side-Mount' Ares Alternative "Capable" (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A study done by NASA engineers at various agency centers on behalf of the Augustine Panel has found that shuttle program manager John Shannon's "side-mount" alternative to the Constellation rockets is capable and affordable. The alternative rocket is similar to the current space shuttle, except that the orbiter mounted on the side of the fuel tank is replaced by a podlike container resembling a giant car-top carrier. The design is called the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle, or HLV, and was presented to the Augustine Panel at its first public hearing June 17.
Although it is "less capable than the current Constellation" rocket plans, the rocket "is technically viable and delivers 79.9 [metric tons] to [Low Earth Orbit] and 53.1 [metric tons to the moon.]” It added: "HLV low development costs allow work to begin now and take advantage of essential contractor and civil service skills before they are lost." The Aerospace Corporation, an independent aerospace research group, separately has been asked by the committee to evaluate another alternative, the Jupiter rocket project. (7/5)
Northrop Grumman's Ronald Sugar: Quietly in Command (Source: LA Times)
The former whiz kid from South Los Angeles often shuns the limelight. 'If you met him on the street, you'd never know he runs one of the world's largest defense companies,' a Wall Street analyst says. Much like Northrop Grumman Corp.'s stealthy B-2 bomber, the company's chief executive has flown under the radar for most of his career overseeing the development of many of the nation's top-secret weapons. Unassuming and devoid of the cigar-chomping flamboyance that distinguished aerospace executives in the past, Ronald Sugar often shuns the limelight. Click here to view the article. (7/5)
Rocket Alternatives Gaining Traction Against Ares (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Augustine Panel has deemed some alternatives to Ares as worthy of further study, including ideas written off by NASA engineers a few years ago as being underpowered, unsafe and unimaginative. One of them is being promoted by the head of NASA's shuttle program. Another is the product of a group of freelance engineers calling themselves the Direct team. Last week, the Augustine Panel said it wants Aerospace Corp., an independent-research group, to analyze Direct's Jupiter rocket, which would use the shuttle's giant external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters to launch a capsule instead of an orbiter. Last year, when the Direct team first began touting its shuttle-derived design, NASA officials treated members like refugees from a Star Trek convention. NASA's former head of space exploration told Congress that their idea "defied the laws of physics."
But Jupiter, like most of the other designs being scrutinized now, started out as a NASA idea and has been around for years. That is partly what makes it worthy of further study in the committee's eyes. Still, the sudden reconsideration of rocket designs that NASA dreamed up and then rejected is embarrassing for the agency. NASA has already invested four years, and $9 billion, in its Constellation program, though the Ares I and Ares V moon rockets are beset by technical difficulties and cost overruns. Click here to view the article. (7/5)
Boeing Pitches In-Line Shuttle-Based Rocket Alternative (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
It's not just the Jupiter rocket getting a second look, or only independents and small companies pitching ideas. One set of proposals came from The Boeing Co., which is NASA's partner in developing Ares but appears to be hedging its bets. Boeing engineers presented Augustine Panel members with a range of alternatives, including a rocket that resembles Direct's project: a shuttle external tank and solid rocket boosters with a capsule on top. The company also pitched a side-mount concept similar to the one presented by NASA to the Augustine group. A Boeing official said the company remains committed to Constellation. (7/5)
July 4 News Items
Constellation Battle Numerous Risks - Orion Loses Unmanned Capability (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is undergoing further reductions in its capability - including the elimination of the vehicle’s unmanned ability - as Constellation managers attempt to resolve numerous issues ahead of the Orion Project PDR (Preliminary Design Review). Issues noted in the recent “Top Risks” review list 10 serious issues with the Ares and Orion vehicles, ranging from Ares I-X, through to Orion itself. Ares I-X stacking operations on a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) - one of the key processing milestones - have been delayed by over a week, due to what appears to be issues repairing a broken crane that is being tasked with transferring the assembled Aft Booster for its stacking in the VAB.
“Currently Ares I-Y is scheduled for March 2014 with no powered second stage. Many believe that the program needs to demonstrate two unmanned flights prior to the first manned flight, today’s manifest has only one. The board decided not to change the manifest at this time, but a detailed CR (Change Request) with all the proposed changes, including Orion and Ground Operations impacts and test needs, will come to the board in October.” Ares I itself has three top risks, with First Stage nose first re-entry, now classed as a 4×4 risk and increasing. Range Safety System certification is classed as a 4×5 risk and increasing, while TVC certification is now a noted as a 3×5 risk. (7/4)
Rocket Racing League Gets Financing, New Leadership, New Planes (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The Rocket Racing League has completed a $5.5 million dollar financing round, ensuring the next phase of development of the league. It also announced the appointment of a new President & CEO and the commencement of manufacturing activities for its next generation Rocket Racer. The financing round puts the League on track for execution of its plans to launch the world’s first interactive sport pitting pilot against pilot in manned rocket powered airplanes competing through a Raceway-in-the-Sky. Ramy Weitz is the league's new chief, taking over from Granger Whitelaw who will remain actively involved as Co-Founder, director. July 2009 also marks the kick-off of the manufacture of the League’s next generation Rocket Racer, in a collaborative partnership with Texas' Armadillo Aerospace and Velocity, Inc., of Sebastian, Florida. (7/4)
Brazil Plans to Expand Alcantara Spaceport (Source: Xinhua)
Brazil plans to expand its Alcantara spaceport by building 12 more rocket launching pads at there. Defense Minister Nelson Jobim described the project as one of "international importance." "We must not be naive. There are nations who are seeking to prevent Brazil from entering the exclusive circle of nations that launch rockets," Jobim said. Alcantara, which is located at Maranon in Amazon state, has the broadest launch angle in the world because it is very close to the Equator, a factor that dramatically reduces launching costs, according to the minister.
The base, which was established in 1983, had an original covering area of 62,000 hectares. But the area was then reduced to 8,713 hectares to give more land to home Quilombolas, name for descendants of runaway slaves during time of slavery. Wednesday's proposal would expand the base to 11,287 hectares, still far from the original area. If the plan is approved by the Congress, 2,000 Quilombolas would be transferred to a nearby area. (7/3)
NASA Chimps Earn Florida Comforts After Taking a Punishing Step for Mankind (Source: Times Online)
Lounging on his back with the breeze ruffling his hair, Marty the chimpanzee is scratching his belly as he watches for the golf cart that delivers bananas at around this time every day. From his shady lair he can gaze at the blue sky and open fields that stretch for miles around. But his Utopian existence and relaxed demeanour speak nothing of the horrors he endured in the five decades before he was granted peace at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. One of dozens of infant chimpanzees seized in Africa for the US Air Force in the 1950s, he was recruited into the military’s air and space research program, which helped to pave the way for America’s first manned spaceflight in 1961 and, ultimately, the Apollo 11 Moon landing 40 years ago this month. (7/4)
The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is undergoing further reductions in its capability - including the elimination of the vehicle’s unmanned ability - as Constellation managers attempt to resolve numerous issues ahead of the Orion Project PDR (Preliminary Design Review). Issues noted in the recent “Top Risks” review list 10 serious issues with the Ares and Orion vehicles, ranging from Ares I-X, through to Orion itself. Ares I-X stacking operations on a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) - one of the key processing milestones - have been delayed by over a week, due to what appears to be issues repairing a broken crane that is being tasked with transferring the assembled Aft Booster for its stacking in the VAB.
“Currently Ares I-Y is scheduled for March 2014 with no powered second stage. Many believe that the program needs to demonstrate two unmanned flights prior to the first manned flight, today’s manifest has only one. The board decided not to change the manifest at this time, but a detailed CR (Change Request) with all the proposed changes, including Orion and Ground Operations impacts and test needs, will come to the board in October.” Ares I itself has three top risks, with First Stage nose first re-entry, now classed as a 4×4 risk and increasing. Range Safety System certification is classed as a 4×5 risk and increasing, while TVC certification is now a noted as a 3×5 risk. (7/4)
Rocket Racing League Gets Financing, New Leadership, New Planes (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The Rocket Racing League has completed a $5.5 million dollar financing round, ensuring the next phase of development of the league. It also announced the appointment of a new President & CEO and the commencement of manufacturing activities for its next generation Rocket Racer. The financing round puts the League on track for execution of its plans to launch the world’s first interactive sport pitting pilot against pilot in manned rocket powered airplanes competing through a Raceway-in-the-Sky. Ramy Weitz is the league's new chief, taking over from Granger Whitelaw who will remain actively involved as Co-Founder, director. July 2009 also marks the kick-off of the manufacture of the League’s next generation Rocket Racer, in a collaborative partnership with Texas' Armadillo Aerospace and Velocity, Inc., of Sebastian, Florida. (7/4)
Brazil Plans to Expand Alcantara Spaceport (Source: Xinhua)
Brazil plans to expand its Alcantara spaceport by building 12 more rocket launching pads at there. Defense Minister Nelson Jobim described the project as one of "international importance." "We must not be naive. There are nations who are seeking to prevent Brazil from entering the exclusive circle of nations that launch rockets," Jobim said. Alcantara, which is located at Maranon in Amazon state, has the broadest launch angle in the world because it is very close to the Equator, a factor that dramatically reduces launching costs, according to the minister.
The base, which was established in 1983, had an original covering area of 62,000 hectares. But the area was then reduced to 8,713 hectares to give more land to home Quilombolas, name for descendants of runaway slaves during time of slavery. Wednesday's proposal would expand the base to 11,287 hectares, still far from the original area. If the plan is approved by the Congress, 2,000 Quilombolas would be transferred to a nearby area. (7/3)
NASA Chimps Earn Florida Comforts After Taking a Punishing Step for Mankind (Source: Times Online)
Lounging on his back with the breeze ruffling his hair, Marty the chimpanzee is scratching his belly as he watches for the golf cart that delivers bananas at around this time every day. From his shady lair he can gaze at the blue sky and open fields that stretch for miles around. But his Utopian existence and relaxed demeanour speak nothing of the horrors he endured in the five decades before he was granted peace at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. One of dozens of infant chimpanzees seized in Africa for the US Air Force in the 1950s, he was recruited into the military’s air and space research program, which helped to pave the way for America’s first manned spaceflight in 1961 and, ultimately, the Apollo 11 Moon landing 40 years ago this month. (7/4)
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