News Summaries for December 7

Evidence Seen for Present-Day Liquid Water on Mars (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Planetary scientists have discovered evidence that liquid water may have flowed on the surface of Mars, albeit briefly, within the last several years. Scientists said Wednesday that images of gullies in crater walls in the planet's southern latitudes, taken seven years apart, showed flow features in the new images not seen in the older ones. Those features are thought to be debris left by water emerging from the side of the crater and flowing downhill for a short time before freezing or evaporating. The gullies themselves were previously believed to be created by water from an unknown subterranean source, but it wasn't clear if the mechanism that created the gullies was still active. Other scientists noted that the features seen in the images could have been created by avalanches of sand or dust, without any water present.

Shuttle May Launch Tourism (Source: Florida Today)
More than 150,000 out-of-town visitors and local spectators are expected to pack the hotels, restaurants and bars along the Space Coast to catch a glimpse of the first scheduled nighttime launch of the space shuttle in four years. "The response for this launch for our area hotels certainly is much better than the last (Sep. 9) launch," said a local Holiday Inn official. "The last launch didn't sell out, but this one did," he said. "All the hotels on beachside are sold out or close to it. The night launch has created a certain amount of excitement we haven't had in a while." The launch is a welcome lift to the sagging tourism industry, which is slowly marching back from a dismal October and poor September.

Editorial: On the Moon for Good (Source: TCPalm.com)
The space shuttles, the only manned U.S. spacecraft, are to be retired in 2010 and the work of caring for the International Space Station largely turned over to others. So what, then, for this nation's grand plans of astronauts returning to the moon and then going on to Mars? NASA has unveiled an ambitious and workable — assuming we're willing to pay for it — plan to put a permanent base on the moon. For those who believe in the potential and opportunity of space exploration, both manned and robotic, let us hope this plan passes quickly beyond the stage of big talk, handsome mockups and artists' renderings. With the plan comes a timetable, also ambitious and workable.

A four-person crew would return to the moon and begin work on the base around 2020. Crews would be there first for a week at a time, then arriving for longer and longer stays as the base was built out until 2024, when they would be there permanently...From 1969 to 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the moon. For many Americans, this latest program, if it succeeds, will be picking up where we should not have left off.

Decatur ULA Could Grow to Manned Missions (Source: Decatur Daily)
Decatur is the center of operations for the sole producer of launch vehicles for U.S. government satellites, said United Launch Alliance CEO Michael Gass, and one day it could play a role in manned space flight. It will take three to six months of information sharing and planning before ULA begins moving equipment to the Decatur plant for installation of a separate assembly line for the Atlas V. The planning and installation process for the Atlas line will cost up to $100 million. Lockheed is in talks with Bigelow Aerospace to evaluate the business and technical aspects of using the Atlas 5 for launching manned space vehicles.

Make Holloman a Spaceport (Source: Alamogordo Daily News)
The Otero County Economic Development Council says it has found a way to increase tourism and make the southwest part of New Mexico a player: bring a spaceport to Holloman Air Force Base. The Otero County Commission discussed writing a letter of support for the proposal last week, with the caveat that more planning needs to be done before the county can fully back it. An OCEDC official said putting the spaceport at Holloman would boost tourism, especially during the Holloman air show. But to generate enough revenue to build it, a half-percent gross receipt tax increase is needed. Any tax increases need to be put on a ballot and voters must agree.

China to Use Galileo Satellite Navigation System (Source: China View)
The European Union's Galileo satellite navigation system, a rival to the reigning global positioning system (GPS) of the United States, is expected to be operational in China in 2008. The 30-satellite system, with a navigational fix accurate to within one meter, will provide safe, reliable and accurate navigational information for Chinese users in fields of civil aviation, railway, waterway and road transportation. China officially joined the project in 2004 and invested 200 million euros in a Galileo training and application research center based in Southeast University in Nanjing. Unlike the military-managed GPS, Galileo will stay under civilian control, increasing the EU's strategic independence.

Lockheed Gets $22.9M Air Force Satellite Deal (Source: AP)
The Air Force said Wednesday it awarded a contract modification worth $22.9 million to Lockheed Martin. The pact will exercise an option to provide work for one year on MILSATCOM, the Department of Defense's primary acquirer of satellite communication system that meets warfighter requirements. Work on the contract will provide logistics support including software and database maintenance, systems engineering and testing. Funds worth nearly $9.6 million have already been obligated. Work will be completed by December 2007.

Mid-Atlantic Commercial Spaceport Counts Down to First Takeoff (Source: WVEC)
A rocket carrying a small experimental satellite for the Air Force and an even smaller one for NASA is scheduled to blast off Monday. It will be the first takeoff from the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, one of only six federally licensed commercial spaceports, and it's the result of a decade of work to get a regional space industry off the ground. MARS has three more launches scheduled for 2007 and eventually could be used to send supplies to the international space station, or even tourists into space, said Billie Reed, the spaceport's director.

Why a Night Launch is the Right Launch (Source: MSNBC)
Thursday's scheduled nighttime launch marks an easing in the safety restrictions that NASA put into effect after the Columbia disaster, almost four years ago. That disaster was caused by damage to the spaceship’s thermal protection system during launch, damage caused by a falling chunk of fuel tank insulation that was actually seen as it happened — but which had consequences that were not understood until it was too late. Since that disaster, NASA has specifically avoided launching in the dark, so that cameras monitoring the shuttle's ascent could get well-lit views of any damage done to the shuttle as it ascended. Until now. So why is this time different? It's because NASA has finally developed an array of new techniques to look for damage — and to respond if it occurs.

Contract Signed for Russia to Fly South Korean Astronaut (Source: Space News)
Russian and South Korean space officials on Thursday signed a contract for a South Korean astronaut to fly to the international space station aboard a Russian spaceship in 2008, officials said.

Aerojet To Market Russian Thrusters (Source: Space News)
Aerojet has secured the rights to market Russian-built electric spacecraft thrusters in the United States, Japan and South America, GenCorp Inc., Aerojet’s parent company, announced Dec. 6.

Soyuz Tank Issue Delays Corot Launch (Source: Space News)
The launch of the French Corot astronomy satellite aboard a newly designed Russian Soyuz rocket will be delayed by a week, to Dec. 27, following discovery of a leak in the rocket’s upper-stage hydrazine fuel tank, the French space agency, CNES, announced Dec. 7.

French Firm Acquires 25.5 Percent Stake in Eutelsat (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Eutelsat witnessed its second major shareholder transaction in 48 hours on Dec. 7 when France’s largest savings institution, CDC, announced it is purchasing the 25.5 percent Eutelsat stake held by the Eurazeo investment company.

Virginia High School To Design, Build and Launch Satellite (Source: Space News)
With some assistance and funding from Orbital Sciences Corp. students at Thomas Jefferson High School in Annandale, Va., will get the opportunity to build and launch their own satellite.

Future Dimming for Puerto Rico Telescope (Source: Space News)
At the world's largest radio telescope, astronomers searching for asteroids on a collision course with Earth are bracing for a more worldly threat: The steepest budget cuts and first layoffs since the observatory opened in 1963.

Next Falcon 1 Launch Could Slip to February (Source: Space News)
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will attempt its second launch of the Falcon 1 rocket in late January or early February, SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said Dec. 5.

Honeywell To Bid on Ares 1 Avionics Work (Source: Space News)
Honeywell Aerospace, the Glendale, Ariz. firm designing and building the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle’s avionics system, wants to do the same for the Ares 1 Crew Launch Vehicle.

Moon is a Way Station for NASA (Source: Space News)
One day after the U.S. space agency unveiled a lunar exploration strategy calling for a Moon base, NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale stressed that Earth’s nearest neighbor remains only a stepping stone to more distant destinations.