News Summaries Through Oct. 30

Graying Space Industry Looks for its Stars of the Future (Source: Flight International)
Plans for a return to the Moon, a manned mission to Mars and the birth of space tourism are garnering a lot of headlines, but it is attrition due to an aging workforce that may offer most of the opportunities in the space industry in the coming years. A report commissioned by NASA last year found that, by 2011, nearly half of the organization's scientists and more than a quarter of its engineers will be eligible for retirement. Only a quarter of engineers and scientists at the agency are under 40. The industry in Europe is also affected by the same demographic factors. Click HERE to view the article.

A Second Childhood For The Rocketeers (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Those who forget space history are condemned to repeat it - with better video quality... I've been watching video clips from the Wirefly X-Prize Cup at Las Cruces Airport and my reaction is an overpowering sense of deja vu. We've already seen this in cable TV documentaries. We already saw most of the X-Prize Cup events in grainy, silent black and white newsreel footage from Weimar Germany in the 1920s. None of the rockets on display at Las Cruces incorporate anything new that could significantly reduce the cost or difficulty of spaceflight. Most of the participants exhibited a level of engineering more characteristic of hobby rocketeers than serious market-oriented businesses.

The lunar lander competition was the most senseless event at Las Cruces. The strangest thing about it was its sponsorship by NASA and Northrop Grumman. Neither NASA nor Northrop Grumman need any help in designing lunar landers. Grumman built the original Apollo Lunar Module. And NASA has the world's most successful planetary landing team in the JPL/Lockheed-Denver collaboration that has repeatedly soft-landed probes on Mars, which is a far more hostile planet than the Moon. Lunar landings don't have the added complications of heat shields, parachutes, and high winds.

But the whole point of the X-Prize Cup is spectacle rather than research, so these issues were totally ignored. Since the vehicles had to hover on rocket thrust alone, their empty weight had to be drastically cut. Visit http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/A_Second_Childhood_For_The_Rocketeers_999.html to view the article.

X-Prize Space Elevator Race Ends With No Winners (Source: Space.com)
The Beamed Power and Tether Challenges at this year's Wirefly X Prize Cup did not produce any prize winners, though teams came close in both competitions. The winner of the Beamed Power Challenge had to create a crawler capable of climbing a 55-meter-long ribbon at a speed of at least one meter per second using external power (solar, infrared, microwave, laser, or other). The University of Saskatchewan (USST) crawler came closest, making the climb in 57 seconds, two seconds short, and it was unable to descend on its own power. The prize will roll over to $500,000 next year.

Despite Setbacks, Teams Set Sights On Lunar Lander Prize (Source: Space.com)
Rival space groups are vowing to push forward on vertical takeoff and landing rocket technology to vie for prize money in a NASA-sponsored lunar lander prototype competition. Last week’s Wirefly X Prize Cup held in Las Cruces, New Mexico saw multiple flights of just one craft trying to snag a chunk of a $2 million purse under NASA’s Centennial Challenges program. Flying its rocket-propelled “Pixel”, lone contestant, Armadillo Aerospace of Mesquite, Texas, made repeat attempts to claim a cash award—only to be thwarted by landing difficulties and related hardware woes. While Armadillo Aerospace rocketeers left empty handed, they are keen on re-flying at the 2007 Cup. But given the intervening year, other teams are likely to enter flight vehicles too.

The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge rules call for a rocket-propelled craft with an assigned payload to climb vertically, reach a defined altitude, fly for a pre-determined amount of time and then vertically land on a target that is a fixed distance from the liftoff point. After remaining at that spot for a period of time, the vehicle must re-fly, stay aloft for the same amount of time, then land again on its original launch pad. Visit http://space.com/news/061027_lunarlander_update.html to view the article and photos.

Rocket Racing League Gets a Boost (Source: CNET)
Before this year's X Prize Cup, only one group of pilots had signed up to be regular contestants in the Rocket Racing League (RRL), an aerospace outfit that plans to host live rocket-racing events around the country in the mold of the Grand Prix. Now, after a delay in the league's debut, the RRL has signed on two more teams and unveiled its first official rocket--the Mark-1 X-Racer ceremoniously named "Thunderhawk" at its headquarters in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Originally, the RRL had planned to fly its rockets at the 2006 X Prize Cup, but hiccups in team organization and engine technology pushed the timing back, according to event representatives. Don Grantham, former pilot and COO of the RRL's first team, "Leading Edge," said the league is also looking to line up sponsors and broadcasting deals for its inaugural race.

Rocket Racing Revving Up (Source: MSNBC)
Rocket science has become a common way to refer to anything that's difficult to do - but turning rocket science into a marketable entertainment event is almost as difficult as the science itself. The folks behind the Rocket Racing League are hoping to produce a watchable, profitable package by next summer. It may be taking longer than they thought. When the league's creation was announced last year, chief executive officer Granger Whitelaw hoped to have four flame-throwing rocket planes ready to race against each other in a demonstration fly-off by now. Instead, the first X-Racer is still under development at California-based XCOR Aerospace. Visit http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/10/26/8800.aspx to view the article.

County: Voters Will Decide New NM Spaceport Tax (Source: Las Cruces Sun)
Doña Ana County commissioners have approved a step that could eventually place a tax for a proposed spaceport in Upham before county voters. The move, passed 4-1 Tuesday, allows county staff to draft an ordinance for a spaceport sales tax and place the issue on a ballot. Three commissioners strongly favored the measure, saying it could lead to economic development, while two others said they're skeptical because several questions remain unanswered about the spaceport project.

Politics, Semantics, and Reality Collide: the "Space Tourism" Debate (Source: Space Review)
There is an ongoing debate in the space community whether to call commercial passengers on spacecraft "space tourists" or some other title. Michael Turner turns to linguistics, marketing, and other fields to conclude that the debate may not matter much in the long run. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/736/1 to view the article.

Boeing Delta II Launches NASA Solar Eruptions Study from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Boeing)
A Boeing Delta II rocket launched a NASA spacecraft to provide a new perspective on solar eruptions. NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft will capture images of solar eruptions and other related events from two nearly identical observatories. Following a 25-minute flight from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the Delta II placed STEREO in a highly elliptical orbit to complete the mission.

An Orbiting White Elephant (Source: The Week)
With NASA's space shuttles flying again, work has resumed on the International Space Station. With an eventual price tag of more than $200 billion, is it worth it? Just what are they building up there? Only one of the most complex—and expensive—construction projects of all time. Orbiting 220 miles above Earth, the International Space Station will eventually consist of six laboratories, several storage modules, and living quarters to accommodate a crew of six. Visit http://www.theweekmagazine.com/article.aspx?id=1699 to view the article.

COTS Winners Start Showing Their Hands (Source: Space Review)
Two months after SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler won COTS demonstration awards from NASA, the companies are providing some additional details about their vehicle plans. Jeff Foust reports on what officials from the two companies shared about their efforts at a meeting last week. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/733/1 to view the article.

NASA May Pay Russian Company to Work on Orion (Source: Flight International)
NASA is considering buying engineering services from Moscow-based Energia in a move that could see the Russian space company contribute to development of the US space agency's Orion crew exploration vehicle. Russian involvement could result from a NASA solicitation for the procurement of hardware and services. These include cargo and experiment delivery using Russian Soyuz and Progress vehicles for the Space Station and engineering work for the Space Shuttle's Russian-designed docking mechanism, which has been specified for the Orion. "If the Orion program decides to utilize some form of [the docking system] - a decision not yet made - that effort could also be included in the scope of this contract," says a NASA source. The source adds that the contract, which specifies Energia as the supplier, may be placed with the Russian Federal Space Agency (FSA).

Decision on Hubble Mission Coming (Source: Florida Today)
NASA will announce next week whether it is safe enough to launch a final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, who has said repeatedly that the agency will fly the servicing mission if it's not too risky, was briefed Friday on all of the safety issues. He is to make his decision in coming days and announce it at a Tuesday news conference.

NASA Langley’s Current Projects Should Give Employees Security (Source: Virginian-Pilot)
NASA Langley Research Center will play a vital role in sending humans back to the moon and on to Mars while continuing its more traditional research role in support of Earth-bound aircraft, the head of NASA said. Even so, Michael Griffin offered no guarantees of job security for the center's roughly 3,600 civil service and private contractor employees. Some jobs, he said, may be shifted as the Bush administration and Congress focus more of NASA's budget on space exploration.

Faced with tight budgets, the center has shed about 600 civil service and private-sector jobs during the past few years. A Langley gantry is being used to test a landing system for the Orion lunar spaceship. The center is using the gantry to test two types of air bags to cushion a 6,375-pound, 16-1/2 -foot-diameter module that represents Orion. Plans call for Orion, to land on the ground instead of the sea landings employed by Apollo.

Supply Chain Problems Force Eurockot to Transfer Launch (Source: Space News)
The company that markets commercial launches of Russia’s Rockot vehicle has transferred the planned 2007 launch of a Thai Earth observation satellite to a competing rocket vehicle because of hardware shortages at a Rockot motor manufacturer. In the latest example of a supply-chain problem washing through Russia’s space sector, the German-Russian Eurockot Launch Services company has subcontracted the launch to the Russian-Ukrainian ISC Kosmotras company, which operates the Dnepr silo-launched rocket.

Japan’s GX Rocket Debut Delayed Another Five Years (Source: Space News)
Technical problems continue to plague Japan’s Galaxy Express (GX) rocket development program, pushing the vehicle’s debut to no earlier than 2011, five years later than originally planned, according to a recently released report by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The culprit continues to be the GX’s liquid natural gas-fueled second-stage engine, whose projected development cost has nearly tripled, to $292 million.

China Launches Broadcasting Satellite (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
A Chinese Long March 3B launch vehicle has successfully entered the Xinnuo 2 (Sinosat-2) broadcasting satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) in the early hours of Sunday local time, from the Xichang spaceport. The launch marks another milestone in China's conservative, yet progressive, road towards becoming a global power in both the launch business and space exploration.

China Launches Two Research Satellites (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China successfully fired off two experimental satellites aboard the same Long March-4B carrier rocket from a spaceport in the country's north. The two satellites, launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, will conduct space-related experiments including exploring space environment and measuring radiation in space. The two satellites, both with a designed life of more than two years, were manufactured respectively by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and DFH Satellite.

Russian Parliament Approves Space Pact with India (Source: Domain-B)
An Indo-Russian space co-operation agreement has received the final clearance with the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russian Federal Assembly. This clears the way for joint space exploration and transfer of space technology to India. The draft Indo-Russian space cooperation agreement, signed by President Vladimir Putin in December 2004, lays down a mechanism for enhanced cooperation in peaceful exploration of space, including the protection of secret information and intellectual property rights and settling disputes. Once signed into law, the accord would speed up collaboration in the Global Navigational Satellite System (GLONASS), the alternative to the Pentagon-controlled US Global Positioning System (GPS).

Military Use of Galileo To Be Permitted but Not Mandatory (Source: Space News)
European governments will be able to equip their military forces to use the future Galileo satellite navigation system but will not be mandated by the European Union to do so, European Commission Vice President Guenter Verheugen said Oct. 16.

Q&A on New Space Policy (Source: Foreign Policy)
The Bush administration’s new space policy is more aggressive and unilateral than its predecessors. Some critics warn that the policy’s stated refusal to sign arms-control agreements might fuel a space arms race with countries like China. FP spoke with space security expert Theresa Hitchens to find out what this new move means for the final frontier. Q: The White House said that the new U.S. space policy is essentially an extension of the previous one. Is this true? Visit http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3624 to view the article.

A Dangerous Step Toward Space Warfare (Source: Technology Review)
Experts say the new U.S. National Space Policy will push the world closer to a space arms race. The release of the U.S. National Space Policy (NSP) on October 6 has worried many experts, who say the policy marks a strategic shift toward a more military-oriented, unilateral approach to space for the United States. They fear that the policy, if followed, could begin an arms race leading to catastrophic space warfare. The NSP reads, in part, "The United States considers space capabilities… vital to its national interests. Consistent with this policy, the United States will: preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space; dissuade or deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so; take those actions necessary to protect its space capabilities; respond to interference; and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests."

Russia Can Repel Asteroids To Save Earth: Official (Source: DefenseNews)
Russia is prepared to repel asteroids to save Earth “if necessary,” deputy head of the Russian space agency Viktor Remishevsky said Oct. 24. ”If necessary, Russia’s rocket-manufacturing complex can create the means in space to repulse asteroids threatening Earth,” Remishevsky said, without giving further details. According to Russia’s Institute of Applied Astronomy, about 400 asteroids and over 30 comets currently present a potential threat to the planet. The institute’s specialists are particularly concerned about an asteroid known as Number 2907, a kilometer-wide chunk of space rock that they believe “with a large degree of certainty” will strike the Earth on December 16, 2880.

Protection of "Special Regions" on Mars is Aim of Astrobiology Study (Source: Astrobiology)
The findings of a recent Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG)-led study to determine the potential for terrestrial life to propagate on Mars will be considered when NASA revises its policies and plans for future missions to Mars to ensure that areas of the planet designated as “special regions” are protected from the potentially damaging effects of the delivery of Earth microbes via spacecraft sent to the martian surface.

Europe Goes Searching for Rocky Planets (Source: ESA)
Europe's COROT space telescope is proceeding smoothly towards its launch in December 2006. Once in orbit, COROT will become the first spacecraft devoted to the search for rocky planets, similar to our own Earth. In the decade since the discovery of the first exoplanet, more than 200 other planets have been detected from ground-based observatories. COROT promises to find many more during its two-and-a-half-year mission, and to expand the frontiers of our knowledge toward ever smaller planets. It will look for the tiny drop in light caused by a planet as it slips across the face of its parent star.

Radiation Threats To Astronauts Addressed In Federal Study (Univ. of Colorado)
A better understanding of solar storms and how best to protect astronauts from space radiation is needed as NASA pushes toward manned missions to the moon and Mars in the coming decades, according to a new National Research Council report. Researchers have been stepping up studies on radiation biology and space shielding in recent years, said Daniel Baker, chair of the committee that issued an NRC report this week titled, "Space Radiation Hazards and the Vision for Space Exploration." The report probes the physical risks and technology obstacles of extended space journeys and is tied to a 2004 presidential mandate to return to the moon by 2020 and then send human travelers on to Mars.

Lockheed 3rd-Quarter Earnings Rise 47 Percent on IT, Space Units (Source: AP)
Lockheed Martin's third-quarter earnings soared 47 percent on higher sales in its space and information-technology divisions. The company also raised its outlook for 2006. Lockheed earned $629 million in the third quarter, up from $427 million in the same period of 2005. Quarterly revenue was up 4 percent to $9.6 billion from $9.2 billion.

Boeing Defense Unit's 3rd-Quarter Operating Profit Falls 33% (Source: BizJournals)
Boeing's third-quarter earnings in its Integrated Defense Systems unit fell 33 percent even as two of the unit's three branches logged improved sales numbers. The unit's operating earnings dropped for the third quarter to $879 million from $1.31 billion in last year's quarter. Overall, IDS' revenue for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 grew 4 percent to $7.79 billion from $7.47 billion last year. The company said that reduced activity in non-space systems caused a decrease in revenue, while the 2005 profit figures include a one-time $569-million gain from the sale of Rocketdyne to Pratt and Whitney.

Northrop Margins Widen, But Legal Costs Hurt (Source: MarketWatch)
Northrop Grumman reported that third-quarter net income rose as profit margins widened in its aerospace, electronics and ship-building units, but a proposed legal settlement subtracted more than $112 million from earnings. Northrop recorded the $112.5 million expense in the quarter as part of a proposed settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over claims relating to microelectronics parts produced by the space and electronics unit of TRW. Quarterly sales rose 2% to $7.43 billion from $7.29 billion. First Call's revenue estimate was $7.73 billion. Northrop's sales rose 6% in information and services, 5% in electronics and 1% in ships.

Orbital Finds Misdated Options, Will Restate Earnings (Source: Washington Post)
Orbital Sciences Corp. joined the parade of companies that have disclosed problems in their compensation practices, saying an internal review found some misdated stock options. The company said the review found no fraud or intentional misconduct in connection with the errors and that it would revise past financial statements. The company's stock lost as much as 19 percent of its value Friday. Orbital says it will record costs of about $300,000 in 2006, $2.5 million for the period from 2001 to 2005 and $11.5 million for periods before 2001.

Orbital Preliminary 3Q Profit Climbs on Higher Satellites and Space Systems Revenue (Source: AP)
Orbital Sciences Corp. said Friday its preliminary third-quarter profit increased 27 percent mostly due to higher revenue in its satellites and space systems segment. Net income rose to $8.6 million, or 14 cents per share, from $6.8 million, or 11 cents per share, during the same period last year.

Loral Stock Deal Draws Shareholder Protest (Source: Space News)
Two Loral shareholders are seeking to block the company’s proposed sale of $300 million in preferred stock to Loral’s principal owner, saying the transaction is a “sweetheart deal” negotiated with insider information not available to other potential buyers.

Globalstar IPO Set To Fund Replacement Sats for Low-Orbit Constellation (Source: Space News)
Globalstar Inc. has told prospective investors in its initial public offering of stock (IPO) that it is able to generate a profit even while billing its satellite-telephone customers between 20 percent and 60 percent less than its principal regional or global satellite competitors. The Milpitas, Calif., company is seeking to raise $100 million on the U.S. Nasdaq exchange in an IPO expected to occur Nov. 2.

Spacehab Divests Retail Internet Business, The Space Store (Source: Business Wire)
Spacehab has consummated the sale of its space-related merchandise internet and retail entity, The Space Store. The transaction was made with a private investor who will continue to operate the internet business under its existing name and website address. "While The Space Store was a unique means for bringing the excitement of space to the average enthusiast, it simply does not support our goals associated with arranging, processing, and delivering cargo to orbit," stated Michael E. Kearney, Spacehab President and Chief Executive Officer. The Space Store carries hundreds of different space items including NASA flight suits for adults and kids, space food, astronaut mission patches, space toys, and more.