News Summaries for December 10

Rods From God (Source: New York Times)
In an age of rogue regimes and pre-emptive war, states developing clandestine nuclear programs know better than to leave them in plain sight. Iran, for example, appears to have buried its uranium-enrichment halls under 30 feet of earth and concrete. No doubt, canny proliferators will soon dig even deeper and better-armored holes. But if they dig deeper, we can always go higher: hence the call for the “Rods From God.” More properly known as hypervelocity rod bundles, these weapons would simply be slender solid tungsten cylinders, 20 or 30 feet long and one or two feet in diameter. The rods would be sent into space and fired from satellites at bunkers on the ground, which they would hit at speeds of more than 10,000 feet per second, penetrating deep into the earth without any explosives.

Physicists have observed serious limitations to the idea, beginning with the high cost of lifting heavy tungsten poles into orbit. The rods were nevertheless included among “future system concepts” in a recent Air Force “Transformation Flight Plan,” which envisioned their “capability to strike ground targets anywhere in the world from space.” One study of nonclassified budgets released earlier this year indicated that spending on space-weapons research has grown by more than a billion dollars each year since 2000, with an eye toward establishing uncontestable “space superiority.” In August, the Bush administration adopted a revised “National Space Policy” that rejects any arms-control agreements that might hinder “freedom of action in space.”

Congress Passes Stopgap Funds Until February 15 (Source: Reuters)
The U.S. Senate, just minutes before a midnight deadline, on Friday passed legislation to keep the U.S. government (including NASA) running through February 15 after the outgoing Republican-led Congress failed to approve a series of regular spending bills. The Senate's unanimous vote followed a 370-20 approval in the U.S. House of Representatives of the stopgap funds. The money bill now goes to the president to sign into law. Without the legislation, many government programs ranging from farm subsidies to foreign aid could have come to a halt this weekend.

Approval of the stopgap-spending measure came after nine of the 11 appropriations bills for the fiscal year that began in October stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. Democratic Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the next chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, called the temporary spending bill "a blatant admission of abject failure by the most useless Congress in modern times." House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, a California Republican, put blame "squarely...at the feet" of retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, saying he had failed to move the spending bills through the Senate.

Galileo Faces More Delays, New Challenges from China (Source: Space News)
Europe’s Galileo satellite-navigation project is facing new obstacles: a commercial and strategic challenge from China and a fresh series of technical setbacks that are all but certain to cause further program delays, according to European government and industry officials. European Union ministers of transport, who are responsible for managing the system and for part of its financing, are scheduled to meet Dec. 11-12 in Brussels to be briefed by the European Commission on Galileo’s current status.

USAF Awards Missile Warning Design Contracts (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) awarded contracts to Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics for designs on a new missile warning satellite system. The companies will evaluate space and ground system approaches for the proposed Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS). The awards are worth $23.3 million (General Dynamics) and $24.8 million (Northrop Grumman).

NASA Considers Contracting Training Flights with Zero-G (Source: Space News)
NASA expects to decide in 2007 whether to buy parabolic aircraft services from an established commercial provider or continue to use its own dedicated aircraft — perhaps operated by a private firm. Florida-based Zero Gravity Corp. (ZERO-G) has flown 100 flights since it began carrying paying passengers in September 2004 and now would like to sign up NASA as a major customer. Gunning for the NASA business, the company recently signed a $7.5 million lease/purchase agreement for a dedicated Boeing 727-200F cargo plane and plans to make $2.5 million in modifications to meet NASA requirements.

Aerojet to Develop Booster for Air Force (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has chosen Aerojet to begin final negotiations on a contract potentially worth $109 million to develop a new hydrocarbon-fueled rocket engine, according to a company news release dated Dec. 4. The demonstration engine could play a role in future Air Force missions involving launching small satellites on short notice, according to the news release.

Orbital Restates Earnings for Last Five Years (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. has restated its earnings for the last five years to account for incorrect reporting of stock options, according to documents the company filed Dec. 7 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In the filing, the company explained that retroactive dating of the stock options was discovered during a voluntary independent review by a special committee commissioned by Orbital. The committee found no fraud or intentional misconduct. Orbital said in October that the errors were not significant enough to call for amended figures, but said in the filing that the errors could have an impact on a financial transaction.

Sky Broadband, Google Enter Into Partnership (Source: Space News)
Satellite broadband provider Sky Broadband and Internet search giant Google will join forces to bring customized online content to Sky Broadband’s satellite customers. The financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. Through the partnership, Sky Broadband will launch a portal for user-made videos produced by Google, and host a Google-powered customized email and communications platform. The companies also will look to collaborate on advertising and search ventures.

Ensuring the Future of Humanity - An Interview with Elon Musk (Source: Mercury News)
Mercury News auto editor Matt Nauman sat down with Elon Musk in a meeting room at Tesla Motors' headquarters in San Carlos...Question: Can you talk about your investing philosophy? Or, perhaps, how you prioritize the very things you're passionate about?...Answer: I'm not, strictly speaking, a venture capitalist or an investor who is out there looking for the highest return on capital. There are certain problems that I care about, and those are the things that I invest in to help solve. At least for me, the two most important problems that humanity faces are becoming a space-faring civilization and transitioning from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy to a solar-electric economy, which I think is the primary but not exclusive long-term basis for energy and transportation. Visit http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/16208327.htm to view the article.

New Mexico Council to Talk Space Funds (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
A proposed referendum that could provide gross-receipt tax funding to construct and operate a commercial spaceport in southern New Mexico will be discussed by the Las Cruces City Council on Monday afternoon. Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley has appeared at city council and New Mexico State University regents' meetings to appeal for support of the referendum, which must be approved by voters. In October, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners authorized county staff members to draft an ordinance for a spaceport sales tax and place the issue on a ballot.

"The state law has called for ... an election," McCamley told the county commission in October. "We're not trying to cram this down anybody's throats." McCamley's message to NMSU regents was essentially the same. He emphasized the financial and educational implications a commercial spaceport could have on the state, particularly southern New Mexico. If approved, a special election could be conducted April 3 to let residents vote on the proposed tax. The facility, called Spaceport America, will cost about $225 million. A one-quarter percent countywide sales tax would generate about $6.8 million a year for the spaceport. The state has already contributed about half of the funds for the spaceport construction.

Shuttle Soars Toward Space Station (Source Reuters)
Space shuttle Discovery blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, ending a ban on night-time flights imposed after the 2003 Columbia disaster, and began chasing the International Space Station on Sunday. With its twin booster rockets blazing, the shuttle and seven astronauts lifted off with a thundering roar and a brilliant white light that momentarily dispelled the darkness at the Kennedy Space Center. High winds had threatened to delay the flight for the second time in as many days but the gusts calmed, clearing the way for NASA's third shuttle mission in six months.

'Holy cow!' A Sight to See (Source: Florida Today)
Fire filled the sky at 8:47 p.m. and filled thousands with awe. "Holy cow! Have you ever seen something like this?" said Troy Backus of Salt Lake City, Utah. Backus and his family were among about 7,000 to watch the launch from the KSC Visitor Complex. The Backuses were glad they had chosen to see the shuttle launch over the light parade at Disney. Families stood in awe as the giant column of fire climbed into the sky and leaped to orbit in nine minutes. "I've still got goose bumps. The luck was with us," said Jessyca Darrah of New York. "This is truly, truly such an experience." Click here to view a photo gallery.