December 19 News Items

Space Florida to Assist PlanetSpace With NASA Bid (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Space Florida has agreed to assist PlanetSpace in its efforts to develop an orbital launch facility at Cape Canaveral. The facility, which could provide up to 346 new jobs, is part of PlanetSpace's attempt to develop commercial orbital transportation services as part of a request for proposals issued by NASA. The project would include manufacturing, training and research and development facilities expected to generate an economic impact of $313 million annually to the state. Space Florida is working with PlanetSpace to assist in any possible planned future commercial space launches near Kennedy Space Center, says Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida.

Editorial: Bringing Ares On Line Faster is Best Solution (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Congressman Dave Weldon is right to be concerned about the looming gap between the space shuttle's retirement in 2010 and the launch of NASA's next manned vehicle in 2015 or later. But he's also right that his plan to fill the gap isn't very likely to pass. Actually, it has about a daisy's chance on the moon. The longer the gap between the shuttle and the Constellation program, the more likely NASA is to lose thousands of experienced and talented workers -- especially at Kennedy Space Center, where shuttles launch. Meanwhile, U.S. astronauts will have to depend on Russian space vehicles to reach the international space station. That prospect grows more alarming as Russian President Vladimir Putin becomes increasingly hostile to U.S. interests. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed19107dec19,0,5454307.story to view the article.

Shuttle Sensor Culprit Found (Source: Florida Today)
A connector that passes electrical wires through the wall of Atlantis' external tank caused several sensor failures during a tanking test Tuesday. "We know exactly what we've got to work on now," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said. He said the problem might not be fixed before the scheduled Jan. 10 launch date. Atlantis will launch "as soon as practical." The faulty feed-through connection was found Tuesday by a diagnostic device that shoots a pulse of electricity down the sensor wire. It bounced back at the bad connector. During the test, some 500,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel filled the external tank. The connector failed only when cooled to 423 degrees below zero. "The sensors themselves are exonerated," Hale said. "We are still in the midst of troubleshooting. Part of this may be an installation problem."

'Active Glacier' Found on Mars (Source: BBC)
A probable active glacier has been identified for the first time on Mars. The icy feature has been spotted in images from the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. Ancient glaciers, many millions of years old, have been seen before on the Red Planet, but these ones may only be several thousand years old. Visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/sci_nat_enl_1198037222/img/1.jpg to view a photo.

US Budget Cuts a 'Body Blow' to Particle Accelerator (Source: New Scientist)
There is nothing but bad news for particle physicists at the moment. The US has now slashed funding for the International Linear Collider (ILC), just over a week after the UK pulled out of the project because of an £80 million shortfall in its budget. On Monday, the House of Representatives approved the US cuts in a 253-154 vote, and the Senate followed suit on Tuesday night. Funding for the ILC has been reduced by 75%, from $60 million over the next year to just $15 million. "This is a body blow to the future of the ILC," said Pier Oddone, director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The effects will be felt immediately because the budget agreement is belated and a quarter of the fiscal year has already passed, meaning that the majority of the research money has already been spent.

$700 million earmarked for JPL (Source: Pasadena Star News)
Nearly $700 million in funding for JPL science programs is included in the budget bill passed by the House of Representatives. "Based on this budget, I think JPL is going to be stable for the next year or two," said Charles Elachi, JPL's director. The omnibus appropriations bill sets aside $17.3 billion for NASA, of which $5.3 billion would go toward science. Of that, the bill specifies that NASA spend no less than $626.4 million on the Mars Exploration Program and $60 million on the SIM PlanetQuest mission searching for distant Earth-like planets. The vast majority of the Mars program is carried out at JPL, Elachi said. If the NASA budget gets Senate and presidential support as expected, Elachi said, JPL's work force of approximately 5,000 will be preserved.

India Adds Oomph to its Space Race (Source:
An event that will substantially enhance India's space and missile capabilities has gone almost unnoticed. After struggling for decades, India has for the first time successfully tested an indigenously developed cryogenic engine that enables efficient and effective delivery of heavy communication satellites as well as nuclear payloads via long-distance ballistic missiles. The cryogenic engine uses liquid oxygen and super-cooled hydrogen that improves a rocket's thrust and power. To date, the cryogenic technology has been restricted to an elite "cryo club" of China, Russia, Europe, Japan and United States. The engines are required to launch the geo-synchronous satellites that are used in communications, and it's a lucrative business that India will now be in a position to exploit.