Astronaut Autograph Club Gift Supports Scholarships (Souce: Astronaut Scholarship Foundation)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit organization, is offering just 350 memberships to its Astronaut Autograph Club, as a way of raising money for its scholarship program. Now in its fourth year, the club features such legendary astronauts as Mercury and Shuttle Astronaut John Glenn; first woman commander Eileen Collins, Space Walkers Tom Jones and Kathryn Thornton; and eight other American heroes! All of the astronauts will share their heroic story of traveling to outer space in a personalized letter that will accompany the hand-signed photo each month of 2007. A handsome photo box and two complimentary tickets to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex are also included in the $350 price (or $34.95 per month). Visit http://www.astronautscholarship.org/2007_aac.html or by call 321-269-6119.
Space Station Reboost Maneuver Falls Short (Source: SpaceToday.net)
An engine firing early Thursday designed to raise the orbit of the International Space Station ended far sooner than planned, a problem that, if unresolved, could jeopardize next week's scheduled launch of a shuttle mission to the station. The engines on the Progress M-58 spacecraft docked to the ISS were suppoed to fire for over 18 minutes, raising the station's orbit by 7.3 kilometers. However, the burn ended after just over a minute, raising the station's orbit by only 1 to 1.5 kilometers. The maneuever was designed to raise the orbit in preparation for the arrival of the shuttle Discovery, scheduled to launch on a mission to the ISS in a week. The maneuever has been rescheduled for December 2, although the cause of the early shutdown is still being investigated. A similar problem took place during a reboost maneuver in 2005 but was later resolved.
Vega Rocket Motor Successfully Test Fired (Source: Space News)
A new-generation solid-rocket motor that will serve as the first stage of Europe’s Vega small-satellite launcher and perhaps later as a strap-on booster for the heavy-lift Ariane 5 was successfully test fired Nov. 30.
Report: Russian Official Sharply Criticizes Assertive New U.S. Space Policy (Source: Space News)
A senior Russian space official sharply criticized an assertive new U.S. space policy signed by President George W. Bush, saying Wednesday that it would increase tension and could lead to military confrontation in space, the Interfax news agency reported.
Maser Leaves SpaceX for Top Job at Rocketdyne (Source: Space News)
Jim Maser is leaving rocket start up Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of El Segundo, Calif., to lead engine-maker Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, according to industry sources.
Space X Hires Former Air Force EELV Program Director (Source: Space News)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has appointed the former program director for the U.S. Air Force’s main rocket family to oversee development of its Falcon 9 program.
SpaceDev Selected for California Space Authority SpotBeam Award (Source: CSA)
SpaceDev has been selected by the California Space Authority (CSA) as a recipient of the 2006 SpotBeam Award for space innovation. The CSA SpotBeam Awards recognize California space companies that make extraordinary contributions to California's leadership in United States and international space arenas. SpaceDev is being recognized as a leader in the development of innovative space products and specifically for its award of a patent for hybrid propulsion technology.
Wallops Spaceport Planning Growth with New Research Park (Source: Daily Times)
NASA's Wallops Flight Facility is the only launch range that the space agency owns, and its mission is growing. Management here want the people of Accomack, and especially elected officials and appointed policymakers, to understand their mission and support it. The facility is gearing up for expansion, and in order to facilitate that growth, the officials say they need to work hand in hand with Accomack legislators, planners and staff. With a total estimated 2006 budget of $170 million, $140 million is spent regionally, the officials said. Some of that is in the form of salaries, "60 percent of which are paid to people who live in Virginia (Accomack) and consequently spend their money in the community," Massey said. The total workforce - between NASA, the Navy and NOAA - is nearly 1,800.
A Wallops Research Park sits just outside the main gate, including two manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles. The 200-acre research park is roughly divided between three owners - NASA, Accomack County and the Marine Science Consortium. $750,000 has been earmarked by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in state and county matching funds for the research park. A new payload processing facility has been built at the park, and it was specifically sited on the outside of the gate so that commercial users can take advantage of it, but the gates can be opened or closed, meaning it can switch over to NASA projects on the inside when necessary. The building has two bays - 60 feet and 90 feet tall - to assemble spacecraft. Visit http://www.delmarvanow.com/chincoteague/stories/20061130/2351008.html to view the article.
Humans Must Colonize Other Planets: Hawking (Source: Reuters)
Humans must colonize planets in other solar systems traveling there using "Star Trek"-style propulsion or face extinction, renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said. Referring to complex theories and the speed of light, Hawking, the wheel-chair bound Cambridge University physicist, told BBC radio that theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible. "Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid collision or a nuclear war could wipe us all out," said Professor Hawking. "But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe," said Hawking, who receivee the world's oldest award for scientific achievement, the Copley medal, from Britain's Royal Society on Thursday. Visit http://www.spacetoday.net/getarticle.php3?id=91298 to view the article.
Carbon Globules in Meteorite May Have Seeded Earth Life (Source: New Scientist)
Life on Earth may have started with the help of tiny hollow spheres that formed in the cold depths of space, a new study suggests. The analysis of carbon bubbles found in a meteorite shows they are not Earth contaminants and must have formed in temperatures near absolute zero. The bubbles, called globules, were discovered in 2002 in pieces of a meteorite that had landed on the frozen surface of Tagish Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Although the meteorite is a fragile type called a carbonaceous chondrite, many pieces of it have been remarkably well preserved because they were collected as early as a week after landing on Earth, so did not have much time to weather. Researchers were excited to find the globules because they could have provided the raw organic chemicals needed for life as well as protective pockets to foster early organisms.
Sega Expecting Continued Bipartisanship On Milspace (Source: Aerospace Daily)
U.S. Air Force Undersecretary Ronald Sega says he expects continued bipartisan support for military space programs following the Democratic takeover of Congress in January. Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), currently ranking member on the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee and in line to become its chairman, is viewed as a strong proponent of military space efforts. "I think Congressman Reyes was asked what he thought about our approach to space, the back-to-basics approach ... and he thought it was the right direction, the right way to go," Sega said. "And through my [tenure] here, I've noticed a bipartisan support for the direction we're going." Meanwhile, Sega said he believes the Air Force and the intelligence community are continuing to come together in their requirements for the future Space Radar system. "I think a common system makes sense and as we move down the road we're ... converging to that," he said.
A Space Dilemma: Extend Missions or Start Afresh? (Sources: Nature, NASA Watch)
"Possible extensions are not mentioned in the initial mission planning stages, so designing missions to last longer than planned is an easy way for mission scientists to buy into future budgets. There's also the public-relations value — in terms of public image, it is better to say a mission will last for five years and then extend its life, than to say it will last for ten years and lose it after nine. The latter scenario would be seen as a failure, says Lori Garver, a former NASA associate administrator. She sees no problem with deliberately underestimating the life of a spacecraft. By the time a mission is ready to be extended, the big pots of money have already been spent on it, she says."
Russia Will Develop Moonbase, Space Elevators (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Nikolai Sevastyanov, president of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, said Russia will build the first permanent lunar base in 2015. NASA managers claim that U.S. astronauts will land on the Moon in 2018 and manned lunar bases will subsequently be established. Chinese scientists are also spotlighting their intention to exploit the Moon's natural resources. However, delivering payloads from the Earth to the Moon and back is a major problem hindering the Moon's colonization. The same can be said about future manned missions to Mars.
Chemical-propellant launch vehicles with hydrogen-oxygen engines will not prove effective in this case. Modern chemical-propellant rocket engines are about to reach the limit of their performance capabilities. Scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a unique space elevator for lunar and Martian missions. Although a bit slower, the new system will cut back on interplanetary delivery expenses. A space elevator consists of satellites, spacecraft and payloads linked by long, thin, flexible elements. The simplest system links two spacecraft by means of a cable with a length of several dozen or even several hundred kilometers. This tandem, which resembles a space sling, revolves around its center of gravity, which in turn has a predetermined orbit. Either of the two spacecraft can therefore launch a payload along any required trajectory without any rocket engines.
The foundations of the space-elevator theory were laid by Russian scientists. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the father of astronautics, suggested using a space-tether system to create artificial gravity aboard orbital stations. Fridrikh Tsander, an early Russian space visionary, advocated placing a space elevator with a 60,000-km tether on the Moon. He believed that gravitational and centrifugal forces would stretch the tether and allow it to be used as a cableway to transport payloads. Visit http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russia_Will_Develop_Space_Elevators_999.html to view the article.
2 Ex-NASA Officials Take Issue with Investigation (Sources: Orlando Sentinel, NASA Watch)
"Investigators wrote that O'Keefe was "not happy" with the audit, and after discussing the matter with then-Inspector General Roberta Gross, she "subsequently [was] asked to resign." The report notes "Cobb [was] selected" to replace Gross and "Cobb subsequently terminate[d] the contract with PWC [PricewaterhouseCoopers]." In an interview, O'Keefe said that the chronology in the report omitted several important details and ignored the timing of events that would have shown they had no connection." Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-nasa2906nov29,0,5033108.story?coll=orl-home-headlines to view the article.
By Edward Ellegood
LinkedIn Group
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