News Summaries for February 1

Spacewalkers Hook Up Station's Permanent Cooling System (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Two NASA astronauts aboard the space station ventured outside for more than seven hours Wednesday to turn on the orbital lab's permanent cooling system. Spacewalkers Michael Lopez-Alegria and Sunita Williams disconnected an interim setup that supported the station during its first phase of construction and reattached fluid lines and electrical cables to one of two coolant systems that will service the outpost for its remaining life.

NASA Signs Commercial Space Transportation Agreements (Source: NASA)
NASA agreed to cooperate with PlanetSpace Inc. and Transformational Space Corp. (t/Space) to facilitate the commercialization of low-Earth orbit as they develop capabilities to transport goods and people to orbital destinations. The non-reimbursable Space Act agreements signed by NASA and the two companies involve no agency funding to the companies. The pacts establish milestones and objective criteria by which the companies can gauge their own progress, as part of the agency's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program. NASA will share information that will help the companies understand projected requirements for space station crew and cargo transportation launch vehicles, spacecraft and NASA human rating criteria.

Starchaser Seeks Survey Input (Source: spaceports.blogspot)
Starchaser Industries Ltd, the United Kingdom affiliate of New Mexico based Starchaser Industries Inc., is sponsoring an online space tourism survey featuring a variety of questions regarding the industry. This survey is a component of the overall assessment requested as part of Starchaser's recently awarded contract with the European Space Agency, specifically with regard to the commercial sustainability of space tourism. The survey covers 32 questions and takes about 10-15 minutes or less to complete. Take the survey now by clicking here and looking at top right.

Astronauts Unharmed by Toxic Ammonia Leak (Source: AIA)
Leaking toxic ammonia did not touch two U.S. astronauts on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The spacewalk is one of three planned over the next nine days. The astronauts on Wednesday switched the station's coolant lines from a temporary cooling system to a permanent one.

Private Spaceflight Industry Foresees Steady Progress in 2007 (Source: Space.com)
The budding personal space travel industry anticipates progress on a number of fronts in 2007, including favorable U.S. regulatory decisions, the availability of affordable insurance, new spaceport developments and increased testing of new spaceship designs. While noting the progress 2007 is expected to bring, the head of the newly formed Personal Spaceflight Federation (PSF) says the industry is still at the starting gate. “We’re still in the developing capabilities phase,” said Bretton Alexander, vice president of corporate and external affairs at Transformational Space Corp. (t/Space) and the first president of Washington-based PSF.

PSF is an industry alliance of more than a dozen businesses and organizations engaged in commercial human spaceflight. The organization was created to address regulatory, legislative and policy issues facing the industry, Alexander said. PSF members include spaceship developers and operators, spaceports, space destination and transportation agents. The list of companies involved in the industry include Bigelow Aerospace, a manufacturer of expandable spacecraft, as well as rocket and spacecraft developers such as Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), SpaceDev, Rocketplane-Kistler and XCOR Aerospace. Visit http://space.com/news/070201_venture_space.htmlto view the article.

China Calls for Space Treaty (Source: Guardian)
China said Thursday it is ready to work with other countries on an agreement to prevent an arms race in space amid an international uproar over its firing of an anti-satellite missile. "Since other countries care about this question and are opposed to weaponization of space and an arms race in space, then let us join hands to realize this goal,'' said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu. In recent years, China and Russia have called for an international space treaty but encountered strong opposition from the United States.

NASA Asks Virginia State Legislators to Support Aerospace (Source: Hampton Roads Daily Press)
A slew of NASA officials visited the state capital Wednesday to press their case for creating a culture in Virginia that supports its aerospace industry. Touting NASA's economic effect on the state officials urged legislators to invest state money in research, education and economic development. Virginia ranks fourth nationwide for its share of high-tech businesses - but 37th in its commitment to research, said Lesa B. Roe, director of Langley, citing a study by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Roe and others who spoke in Richmond - including Wallops Flight Facility Director John H. Campbell and Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra - weren't there to make specific requests of legislators. They outlined major themes that they saw as important to maintaining and growing the state's aerospace industry. They spoke about research at higher-education institutions but also of strengthening all math and science programs. "We need a pipeline for the future," Roe said. "We need advocacy for aerospace." Looking further into the future, Campbell said, Wallops is well-positioned for launching missions to the International Space Station or the moon - and might even accommodate space tourists.

British Magazine Offers Space Trip (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
British magazine New Scientist is offering readers the chance to win a trip to space simply by answering the question "What is the best patented invention and why?". The winner of the New Scientist contest will be blasted into space 100 kilometres (60 miles) above Earth, from where they will be afforded stunning views of the planet and experience weightlessness. The person who scoops the prize will have to undergo four days of training before they go into space for the one-and-a-half-hour round trip. Potential contenders should go to http://www.winatriptospace.co.uk and be prepared to outline what they think is the best-ever invention in just 250 words. The competition closes on April 30 and the winner will be announced on May 31.

Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction and Gala Planned (Source: Astronaut Scholarship Foundation)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is announces the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Class of 2007: Michael Coats, Steven Hawley and Jeffery Hoffman. The induction will include a gala event on May 4. The induction of these American heroes will be a whole weekend of celebration at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. More than thirty Hall of Fame astronauts will travel to the Space Coast to support the new class. Visit http://67.18.218.194/~asf/2007_ahof_sponsorship.pdf for information on sponsorship opportunities.