April 3 News Items

Gordon, Miller, Sen. Nelson Call for Removal of NASA Inspector General (Source: House Science Committee)
Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon released a letter to the President calling for the removal of Robert Cobb as inspector general of NASA. Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Brad Miller and Senator Bill Nelson, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Matters both signed the letter. The action resulted from a report from the Integrity Committee of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) that found Mr. Cobb had abused his authority by creating a hostile work environment and had created the appearance of a lack of independence in his relationships with top NASA officials and in his review of his staff’s work.

Progress on the SeaLaunch Investigation and Recovery (Source: SeaLaunch)
SeaLaunch reports significant progress in the investigation into the cause of the unsuccessful launch on January 30 and repairs to the Odyssey Launch Platform. The national space agencies of Russia and Ukraine formed an interagency commission in early February to investigate the cause of the incident and determine the necessary corrective actions. The commission recently concluded its investigation and issued a summary statement to SeaLaunch, indicating an anomaly within the first stage engine caused early termination of thrust, resulting in the loss of the mission.

The Sea Launch Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) is meeting this week in Ukraine, with representatives of the interagency commission and Sea Launch partner companies, to evaluate the commission’s findings regarding the root cause of the anomaly and recommended corrective actions. The FROB is comprised of Sea Launch technical leadership and U.S. aerospace industry experts as well as customer representatives. Upon completion of the meetings, the FROB Chairman will determine whether to close the FROB and begin implementation of the recommended corrective actions or to keep the FROB open for further investigation and evaluation.

Cornell's Satellite Wins First Prize of a NASA Launch (Source: Cornell U)
Over the past two years, Cornell's CUSat satellite project has engaged and educated a parade of engineering students, sometimes changing their careers. Now the final product -- an innovative experiment in outer space maneuvering and inspecting -- has received the go-ahead for a NASA launch into orbit. Cornell's CUSat was chosen March 27 as the winner of the University Nanosatellite Program's Nanosat-4 competition sponsored by the Air Force and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Embry-Riddle Team Places in Aviation Maintenance Olympics (Source: ERAU)
A team of students from Embry-Riddle’s Aviation Maintenance Science Department took third place in the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) Olympics held in Orlando. The team is composed of AMS students Christopher Blair, Derek Collins, and Luke Urshan, with student Garrett Parlette as their coach. First place went to a team from Southwest Airlines. The event pitted teams against each other in two compulsory events: data research and troubleshooting. They also competed in five arena floor events: aircraft hardware identification, hydraulic tube fabrication/repair, safety wiring, flight control rigging, and electrical. The teams were scored on speed and on the quality of their work.

Anousheh Ansari to Simulate Space Launch at NASTAR Training Program (Source: ETC)
Environmental Tectonics Corp. announced that the world’s first private female space explorer, Anousheh Ansari, has agreed to participate in the inaugural Space Launch Training program of the National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center in Southampton, PA. Scheduled for Oct. 2-4, the center’s first training program will commence operations to train both passengers and pilots for spaceflight.

NASTAR’s new training programs include space launch simulations with realistic G forces, real-world visuals and authentic cockpit or cabin modeling. In addition to serving space launch customers, NASTAR Center will offer tactical flight training for military pilots, both U.S. and international; civilian pilot training in situational awareness and upset recovery; support to researchers in gravitational physiology, human factors, equipment validation, and other applications requiring a high-G environment; and “serious entertainment.” Visit http://www.nastarcenter.com for information.

DayJet Gearing Up for Florida Service (Source: AIA)
DayJet received three Eclipse 500 very light jets on Saturday. The company plans to start taxi service by the summer with on-demand service on routes of 300 to 600 miles in Florida.

NASA to Set New Height, Weight Requirements for Astronauts (Source: AIA)
In 2009, NASA will announce new height and weight limits for astronauts. The new requirements are the result of NASA's plan to switch from the space shuttle to smaller vehicles. "It would be the wrong thing to do to select people who aren't going to fit in your spaceship," says Duane Ross, NASA's head of astronaut selection.

Vietnam Establishes Space Technology Institute (Source: Xinhua)
Vietnam's Space Technology Institute, which mainly involves in developing satellite technologies, equipment, remote sensing technology and application, and space dynamics, was inaugurated Tuesday. The institute's functions include researching into designing and assembling small satellites, applying space technologies in life, and constructing space facilities, including laboratories and earth stations.

Long-Awaited Cosmic-Ray Detector May Be Shelved (Source: New York Times)
When Samuel Ting, the Nobel Prize-winning particle physicist, proposed back in 1995 to use the International Space Station to plumb the depths of the universe for antimatter, it was hailed by NASA as good news for the station, which suffered from the perception that it had no scientific use. NASA agreed in 1995 to carry the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the space station. But now the agency says its remaining shuttle flights are booked.

Dr. Ting and his collaborators hoped to shed light on why the universe appears to be made overwhelmingly of matter, although the laws of physics, including Einstein’s E=mc2, suggest that matter and antimatter should have been born in equal amounts in the Big Bang. Are there reservoirs of antimatter somewhere way out in space? In addition to antimatter, Dr. Ting and his team argued that they might detect signals from the mysterious dark matter that accounts for 25 percent of the universe, or see some other significant surprise.