News Summaries for February 10

Florida Budget Recommendation Includes $7 Million for Space (Source: EOG)
The FY-07/08 state budget proposed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist includes $7 million for specific space industry development activities and programs of the new Space Florida agency. This mirrors the amount appropriated in FY-06/07 by the Florida Legislature, as requested by then Gov. Jeb Bush. In addition to Space Florida programs, Gov. Crist's proposed budget includes millions of additional dollars for economic development incentive programs that could support the recruitment of space-related projects to the state. The state's total budget for FY-07/08 is proposed at $71.2 billion. Click here to view Gov. Crist's budget information.

Space Florida Plans Tallahassee Meetings on Feb. 12 (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida's board and board-led committees will meet in Tallahassee on Feb. 12, starting at 9:00 with committee meetings focusing on education, research, workforce, economic development, and spaceport operations. A meeting of the full board will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the Challenger Learning Center. A focus of the board meeting is the development of a strategic business plan for submission to the Governor and Legislature, due on March 1.

Lockheed Books Commercial Atlas Sale (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services has signed its first contract since it separated from its joint venture with Russia, agreeing to launch the Inmarsat 4 F3 mobile communications satellite aboard an Atlas 5 rocket by early 2008, Inmarsat officials said Feb. 8.

French Group Urges European Space Competitiveness (Source: Space News)
France's Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices, in a report released last week, found that China’s recent anti-satellite demonstrations, plus Chinese and Indian plans for lunar exploration, are clear signs that a second global space race has begun and that Europe should join it. A French parliamentary group is proposing that sanctions be imposed on any European government that does not give preference to European launch vehicles for its government civil and military satellites.

THEMIS Launching Aboard Delta II On Feb 15 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Launch of NASA's THEMIS spacecraft is scheduled for Feb. 15 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch window is 6:08 to 6:26 p.m. EST, a duration of 18 minutes. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center is responsible for the launch of THEMIS aboard a Delta II rocket with the launch service being conducted by the United Launch Alliance.

Virginia House Passes Spaceport Bill (Source: Space Law Probe)
Attention, states that are serious about spaceports: take a look at the legislation pending in the forward-thinking Commonwealth of Virginia -- House Bill 3184 -- the nation's first Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act, which flew through the 100-member House of Delegates last week by a vote of 99-0. The Act would grant to spaceflight entities immunity from negligence or wrongful death claims brought by suborbital flight participants (passengers and crew). That's one small bill for state tort law, one giant leap for personal spaceflight business in Virginia. The next step foe the Virginia House measure is deliberation by the Senate Courts of Justice Committee; if approved by the Senate Committee the bill moves to the floor of the Senate and then to Governor Tim Kaine for signature, amendment, or veto in the spring. Visit http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HB3184H1 to view the legislation.

Branson Defends Space Trips at Eco-Prize Launch (Source: The Independent)
Sir Richard Branson defended his plans to offer trips into space while at the same time setting up a $25 million prize for scientists to devise a way of absorbing carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere. The Virgin Earth Challenge seeks an invention that will successfully remove significant quantities of carbon dioxide over a period of 10 years without harming the environment. Flanked by Al Gore, Sir Richard was asked how he could justify such a prize when he owns an airlineand has set up a separate space tourism company. "...What we are doing is making sure we acquire the most carbon dioxide-friendly planes. We're making sure that 100 per cent of profits we make from our transportation businesses are put back into things like the prize." Virgin Galactic, his space-tourism company, will use hybrid rocket motors and turbo-fan engines that will be "almost" environmentally benign, he said.

NASA, USAF to Jointly Upgrade RS-68 Rocket Engine (Source: Space News)
NASA and the U.S. Air Force agreed to cooperate on the development of the RS-68B engine. The RS-68 engine currently is used to power the Delta 4 rocket, one of the rockets developed for the Air Force under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. NASA intends to use the updated version of the engine to power the main stage of the Ares 5 heavy-lift rocket the agency plans to start developing after 2010 for human lunar missions. “The use of this engine will save billions of dollars in future life cycle costs for future lunar missions as compared with our original plans to use the space shuttle main engine,” Griffin said.

Suborbital Launches Planned From Poker Flat, Alaska (Source: Fairbanks Daily)
Scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of New Hampshire have experiments ready on the launch rails at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks, and another scientist is waiting in New Hampshire to launch an additional experiment from Poker Flat. The experiments are being flown on NASA sounding rockets. NASA is launching 10 of the suborbital rockets from Poker Flat during January and February. Four successful launches occurred in January.