April 21 News Items

Wallops Rocket Launch Set for April 23 (Source: NASA)
The Missile Defense Agency, in partnership with NASA and the U.S. Air Force, plans to conduct a rocket launch between 3 and 3:30 a.m., April 23, 2007, from the NASA Wallops Island Facility, Virginia. Called the Near Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE), the mission involves launching a four-stage Minotaur I rocket carrying a satellite to collect scientific data that will be used to help with the development of future missile defense technology efforts.

Soyuz Returns to Earth (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two ISS crew members and a space tourist landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan on Saturday. On board the Soyuz were NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, who has spent over six months on the ISS. The third passenger on the Soyuz was space tourist Charles Simonyi, who spent just under two weeks in space as the fifth commercial passenger to visit the ISS. The landing was delayed a day, and the landing site shifted, because of flooding at the original site.

NASA Awards California Aircraft Support Contract to Boeing (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a contract to Boeing for engineering and technical support of several specialized research aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The sole-source, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract may be worth up to $28 million during its five-year performance period now through April 2012. Boeing will provide engineering and technical support for four heavily modified high-performance aircraft: two F-15s and two F/A-18s. The aircraft have been modified to conduct a variety of flight research missions in support of NASA and other government agencies and private industry.

Space Tourist, Astronauts Grieve for Virginia Tech Shooting Victims (Source: Space.com)
Five professional astronauts and an American visitor to the International Space Station (ISS) expressed grief Thursday for those killed and wounded during a student gunman’s attack at Virginia Tech. “We may be many miles away physically but our hearts are with the students, their families and university communities everywhere," said U.S. space tourist Charles Simonyi. Among those injured was student Kristina Heeger, daughter of Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson, who underwent surgery for multiple injuries and was reportedly doing well. Space Adventures sponsored Simonyi's visit to the Space Station.

NASA Modifies Orion Contract - Delivery Delayed, Tests Added, Cargo Vehicle Dropped (Source: NASA Watch)
NASA is making a significant modification to the Orion development contract with Lockheed Martin. The $385 million change in the contract will add two test flights of Orion's launch abort system, halt production of a pressurized cargo version of Orion, and most significantly, add two years to the design phase of Orion development - thus slipping the initial delivery of flight hardware. The change in delivery date is something NASA says that it had planned to do for some time and is not directly related to recent budget issues. Nor is it tied, according to NASA, to any developmental difficulties in the Orion program itself. Rather, the issue is one of getting the best phasing of all of the elements - spacecraft and launch vehicle.

In addition to better phasing of the overall Orion and Ares programs, this is also a lesson learned from the space station program wherein a lot of hardware was delivered early - often years early - and has been waiting in specialized storage facilities for its chance to fly. There is a significant cost associated with the workforce [at Kennedy Space Center] needed to assure that the hardware remains in perfect condition until it does fly. Delaying Orion delivery would reduce that cost significantly.

NASA has also deleted development of an unmanned, pressurized version of Orion, which would have been used for cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. The pressurized cargo version is no longer needed by NASA by virtue of the COTS contracts awarded to SpaceX and RpK for their own commercial ISS supply vehicles. However, design work will continue on the NASA cargo vehicle so as to have this capability in the agency's back pocket - just in case it is needed.

Space Florida Hosts Pre-Flight Event with Stephen Hawking (Source: Space Florida)
Final preparations are underway for renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking's zero gravity flight on April 26 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. But before his flight, the preeminent expert on cosmology and cosmic gravity will deliver a lecture during a pre-flight dinner at the JW Marriott hotel in Orlando. The event is being sponsored by Space Florida, the economic development organization responsible for sustaining and strengthening Florida's global position as the leader in space exploration, research, investment and commerce.

Two Dead in JSC Hostage Standoff (Sources: Houston Chronicle, Reuters)
A gunman and one hostage, both men, are dead after a violent incident at Johnson Space Center on Friday. The shooter was William Arthur Phillips, an employee with Jacobs Engineering. His victim, David Beverly, was a JSC employee. Phillips reportedly killed himself with a gunshot about three hours after taking Beverly's life. A female hostage, Francelia Crenshaw, had been bound with duct tape but was otherwise unharmed. According to Reuters, a mediocre job review led Phillips to buy a gun, then kill Beverly, whom he blamed for the appraisal.