News Summaries for December 14

Aerospace Industry Expects Growth (Source: Baltimore Sun)
The aerospace industry is about to close out its third year of record growth, with civilian and military orders up, and officials expect more of the same for 2007, according to an annual forecast by the Aerospace Industries Association. Sales climbed $14.3 billion to $184.4 billion this year and are projected to rise to $195.4 billion next year, the forecast said. The industry is benefiting from a substantial increase in commercial orders, which are expected to outpace military sales next year, $54.6 billion to $53.5 billion respectively.

Orbital Awarded $27 Million SMC Contract (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. won a $27 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), in Los Angeles, for two launches of Hypersonic Test Vehicles (HTVs) aboard Minotaur 4 rockets, the company announced Dec. 14.

India Studies Feasibility of Manned Space Missions (Source: Hindustan Times)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has carried out detailed study on the feasibility of undertaking indigenous manned space mission to low earth orbit in about eight to 10 years time frame. Towards this objective, studies covering various aspects of design and development of manned capsule, man rating of launch vehicle, safety and reliability, crew training, critical long term facilities etc., were presented to a gathering of prominent scientists and technologists. Scientists have recommended the Indian manned mission initiative. However, no detailed study has been carried out on manned mission to moon.

United Technologies Sees Higher Profits in 2007 (Source: AIA)
United Technologies says its profits could climb up to 14% in 2007. "We have higher confidence now in the outlooks for 2007," CEO George David said Wednesday. "We think we'll continue to have very good economies worldwide, emerging markets especially."

French Police Search EADS Headquarters (Source: AIA)
French police on Tuesday searched the Paris headquarters of EADS in connection with an insider-trading investigation. Company officials confirmed that the search took place but did not provide details.

Problems Halt Attempt to Rewire Space Station (Source: AIA)
Discovery's construction crew was unable to fully retract the space station's six-year-old solar array Wednesday. NASA is considering more spacewalking repair work later this week or after the construction crew departs. "It just wasn't going to work for us today. But that stuff happens, and I'm sure we'll get through it," station commander Michael Lopez-Alegria said.

Boeing Delta II To Launch Pair Of Alcatel Alenia COSMO-SkyMed Satellites (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Boeing has been awarded a contract to launch two commercial satellites in 2007 for Alcatel Alenia Space Italia, the prime contractor of the Italian Space Agency. Two Delta II expendable launch vehicles will each carry into orbit a COSMO-SkyMed spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

State Department Defends National Space Policy (SpaceToday.net)
In the first public comments by a Bush Administration official since the release of the new national space policy two months ago, a State Department undersecretary said that the policy is not evidence that the US wants to weaponize space, but that the nation will do whatever is required to defend its space assets. He said the policy is intended to emphasize the importance of space to US commercial and government interests, and that the US must therefore take seriously unspecified threats to them by both nations and "non-state actors". He added that there was no need for a treaty banning space weaponization (as requested by China and Russia).

Design an Asteroid Tag, Win $50,000 (Source: Cosmos)
A $50,000 competition to design a 'tagging' mission to mark and track an asteroid in danger of hitting the Earth in 2036 was announced this week by The Planetary Society. Their Apophis Mission Design Competition, which invites participants to submit designs for a mission to rendezvous with and 'tag' a potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroid, allow the tracking of an asteroid accurately enough to determine whether it will impact Earth, and thus help facilitate the decision whether to mount a deflection mission to alter its orbit.

Water, Water Everywhere on Mars (Source: ScienceNOW)
Spirit and Opportunity are painting a considerably different picture of Mars from what NASA's mission scientists had expected when the twin rovers set down separately on the red planet in January 2004. Designed expressly to look for signs of water, both craft have found such signs in the rocks and soil lying in their paths. But what's surprising and disappointing is the water seems only to have lurked beneath the Martian surface. Lakes, rivers, and oceans seem to have been almost totally absent from the planet's history.

Wallops Island Launch Delayed Another Day (Source: HamptonRoads.com)
The planned launch of the Air Force Minotaur I rocket has been pushed back another day, to Saturday at the earliest, said officials at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Earlier in the week, officials had hoped for a Friday liftoff from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island.

NASA's Moon Plan Worries Mars Scientists (Source: AP)
The chief scientist behind the twin Mars rovers said Wednesday he supports a human presence on the moon but hopes the journey won't dead-end there. Steve Squyres of Cornell University said that while it makes sense to start with the moon, he fears that budget overruns will ground humans there and foil a manned mission to Mars. "The best way to explore Mars is with humans," Squyres said during an American Geophysical Union meeting.

NASA's decision to focus on lunar exploration is ill-timed, given that the Mars missions have revealed a great deal about the planet's ancient history, said Kenneth Herkenhoff, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist on the team managing the new Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061214/ap_on_sc/mars_moon to view the article.

Space Tourist's Computer Skills Could Prove Handy (Source: USA Today)
The next tourist on the International Space Station could prove to be very useful. Charles Simonyi, one of the inventors of Microsoft's Word program, is preparing to travel to the station just as NASA stopped sending the orbiting laboratory Word documents out of fear of transmitting computer viruses. We're not getting any (Word documents) on e-mail or in the daily summary," station commander Michael Lopez-Alegria grumbled Wednesday. He asked for an update on "where we are with this — I don't know if I can say it, but I will — virus situation."

Astronaut Terry Virts in Mission Control promised to send a memo to Lopez-Alegria, "but not via Word document attachment." Simonyi will probably be too late to trouble- shoot this particular problem, as he is not scheduled to arrive at the station until April. However, the multiple laptops aboard the station need constant maintenance and updating if he's inclined to help once he floats on board.

United Launch Alliance Plans Lift-Off from Vandenberg (Source: Spaceports Blog)
A history-making launch of the United Space Alliance Delta-2 from Vandenberg's Air Force Base is slated for 4:00 p.m. EST today. The National Reconnaissance Office has a secret satellite payload aboard the rocket to be launched by the newly formed organization that brings together the Boeing Delta and Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket lines under the United Launch Alliance banner effective December 1st.