Progress Made in Atlas-Centaur Investigation (Source: Florida Today)
A faulty valve and the resulting fuel leak in flight caused the Atlas 5 rocket's upper stage to stop firing too soon, leaving a pair of top secret spy satellites shy of their intended orbit after launch from Cape Canaveral earlier this month. A review team has confirmed that a valve did not close completely on the upper stage. The launch vehicle leaked fuel during the coast phase of the flight sometime between the first and second burn of the upper stage engine. The lost fuel caused the Centaur's final burn to end four seconds too soon on a 15-minute burn.
NASCAR Team Tests Car on Shuttle Runway (Source: Florida Today)
A team in NASCAR's elite Nextel Cup Series wrapped up its second visit to Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on Friday, using the nearly 3-mile-long runway to gauge aerodynamics of its race cars. Evernham Motorsports took a test version of one of its new Dodge Avengers -- the Car of Tomorrow that debuted this season in Nextel Cup -- to the runway for a shakedown. "We're preparing for some COT racing at Talladega. The type of testing we were doing is called straight-line testing. You run up to a certain speed . . . the car is instrumented and you're collecting data. You're seeing what you can get for front or rear downforce and what you can do to take drag away from the car." NASCAR rules limit teams to seven tests on Nextel Cup-sanctioned tracks but there is no limit on how many times a team can test at a nonsanctioned speedway, or anywhere else for that matter.
Private Space Module Has Success (Source: AP)
A prototype of an inflatable space station module has successfully expanded and deployed its solar panels after being launched into orbit. A Russian rocket lofted the Genesis II module, developed by Bigelow Aerospace of Nevada, into space on Thursday. The 15-foot-long module's flexible exterior was folded around an inner core for launch and had to expand from a diameter of about 6.2 feet to 8 feet. The solar panels also had to extend to supply power. Both actions were confirmed. Genesis II also transmitted pictures of itself in orbit.
Daytona Native McKinney Receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal (Source: NASA)
Roslyn McKinney, assistant manager of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at Kennedy Space Center, recently received one of the agency's highest awards, the Distinguished Service Medal. She earned the award for identifying and promoting opportunities for KSC's diverse and talented work force. The award is given to any federal service employee who, by distinguished service, ability or courage, has personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission.
Tampa Native Hendriksen Receives NASA Distinguished Service Medal (Source: NASA)
With a Kennedy Space Center career spanning more than 40 years, Deputy Chief Counsel Douglas Hendriksen recently received one of NASA's highest employee honors, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Hendriksen was recognized "for his extraordinary legal career with the Office of the Chief Counsel" at KSC.
No Extension for Orbital Express Mission (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force will deactivate the Pentagon's Orbital Express satellites the week of July 2, eliminating any chance of NASA using the experimental spacecraft to test robotic techniques applicable to future Mars sample return missions.
Zenit Launches Russian Military Payload, Paves Way for New Commercial Rocket (Source: Space News)
The June 29 launch of a two-stage Zenit rocket from Russia's Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan marks the return to flight of the hardware that caused a Sea Launch Co. failure in January and inaugurates the launch pad and ground facilities that will be used for Sea Launch's new Land Launch offering, according to Sea Launch Co. President Rob Peckham.
Thales Alenia Space Wins Contract To Build Palapa-D Telecommunications Satellite (Source: Space News)
Indonesia's PT Indosat Tbk has selected Thales Alenia Space to build the Palapa-D telecommunications satellite in a contract that includes the satellite's late-2009 launch aboard a Chinese Long March 3B rocket, Indosat and Thales Alenia Space announced June 29.
Report: Panel Agrees Japan Should Shoot Down Missiles Targeting U.S. (Source: Space News)
Japan should use its missile defense systems to shoot down a ballistic missile targeting the United States, most members of a government panel largely agreed Friday, according to media reports.
Sunnyvale Jobs at Stake as Lockheed Lobbies for NASA Cash (Source: San Jose Business Journal)
Aerospace executives are pushing for a $1.4 billion increase in funding for NASA space exploration to put astronauts on the moon and keep Silicon Valley engineers on the job. The NASA space exploration budget was cut last year, delaying the launch of the first Orion six-man space capsule. Companies like Lockheed Martin, which will build the capsule and may also build a section of the rocket that will launch it, worry that a growing gap between the planned retirement of the space shuttles and the first launch of Orion will force experienced engineers and technicians to find jobs outside of the space program.
'Nations Must Team Up to Develop Re-usable Space Vehicle' (Source: The Hindu)
Outlining a roadmap for the world aerospace industry, President Kalam today called for international cooperation for developing a hypersonic, re-usable space vehicle with higher payload efficiency and lower cost which could revolutionise space transportation. "There is a need for all countries to work together to develop a single-stage-to-orbit, fully re-usable launch vehicles which can bring down the cost of the launch from the present $20,000 per kg of payload to $200 per kg," he said. Kalam was speaking after inaugurating a two-day international conference on `high speed trans-atmospheric air and space transportation.'
Space Tourism Prototype on Display (Source: Alamagordo Daily News)
The New Mexico Museum of Space History received a new addition Thursday a rocket that flew one mile above Britain in 2001, according to Starchaser Industries. It was not the rocket that ferried James "Scotty" Doohan's ashes into space in April, which many people present thought was the case. That rocket was fired by another company, Up Aerospace. Starchaser's Nova Four rocket would hold one person. The rocket is a prototype and the company plans to build another version, three times as large, that will hold three people. The company wants to send people into space by 2010.
June 29 News Items
Aerojet Demonstrates Advances in Controllable Solid Propulsion (Source: GenCorp)
Aerojet, a GenCorp company and a core propulsion provider for NASA's new space exploration vehicle, ORION, as well as several Missile Defense Agency propulsion programs, recently conducted an internally funded test firing of large-scale controllable solid rocket motors. Controllable solid rocket motors are an advanced propulsion capability that combines the simplicity of using solid propellants with the flexibility normally associated with use of liquid propellants. Aerojet is developing an electromechanical valve control system to provide faster responding, smaller and more reliable controllable solids that can be used on larger scale applications, like ORION.
Why Human Psychology Will Make Sending People to Mars Hard (Source: Economist)
One of the two reviews posted on Amazon.com about Valentin Lebedev's “Diary of a Cosmonaut” calls it a “profound” book “about what it's like to be in a flying tin can for more than half a year”. The other reviewer would “not recommend reading its pages to [his] worst enemy”. He thinks Dr Lebedev's account of months of increasingly territorial behaviour and flagging conversation with his lone colleague on the good ship Salyut 7 is a “painfully boring” portrayal of why human space exploration is as pointless as it is frivolous.
Dr Lebedev's mission would, nevertheless, seem entertaining compared with a trip to Mars. The round trip, including a stay on the surface, would take about 17 months. Which is why it is surprising that within a few days of its being advertised, more than 3,000 people have applied to take part in an experiment planned by Russian and European agencies to simulate such an outing. Much like “Big Brother” contestants, the three groups of six who will be locked into simulation modules in Moscow will be ordered to complete tasks while others observe their behaviour. Those tasks have yet to be decided. But a pretend take-off, an exploration of a fake Martian surface and dealing with fictitious media headlines are on the cards. The pretend cosmonauts will have to speak fluent Russian and English and keep track of nearly two years' rations. Visit http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9401568to view the article.
Mars Rover to Make Risky Crater Descent (Source: AP)
NASA's aging but durable Mars rover Opportunity will make what could be a trip of no return into a deep impact crater in an attempt to peer further back than ever before into the geologic history of the Red Planet. The descent into Victoria Crater received the go-ahead because the potential scientific returns are worth the risk that the solar-powered, six-wheel rover might not be able to climb back out and would be forced to end its days there. The rover has been roaming the surface for nearly 3 1/2 Earth years, so scientists want to send it in while it still appears healthy and before the inevitable breakdown of vital parts that would certainly trap it there.
"This crater, Victoria, is a window back into the ancient environment of Mars," said a NASA official. Blasted open by a meteor impact, Victoria Crater is a half-mile across and about 200 to 230 feet deep — far deeper than anything else the rovers have explored. "Because it's deeper it provides us access to just a much longer span of time," said Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover mission from Cornell University
NASA Spending Bill Headed for Senate Vote (Source: Space News)
A spending bill including $17.45 billion for NASA cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee June 28.
Lawmakers, NASA Spar over Earth Science Budget (Source: Space News)
A top NASA official told a House panel June 28 that the agency's budget for Earth science is adequate, but another witness, along with a key Democratic lawmaker, begged to differ.
Northrop Grumman Seeks Teacher Applications for Weightless Flights Program (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman continues to accept applications from math and science teachers at accredited middle schools, as well as college students studying to become teachers, for its foundation-sponsored Weightless Flights of Discovery program. The program includes zero-gravity aircraft flights and hands-on
workshops in eight locations around the country: Baltimore; Bethpage, N.Y.; Colorado Springs; Dallas; Los Angeles; New Orleans; and Washington DC. Flights currently are planned for late summer and autumn this year. To obtain an application visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/community/weightless.html
Aerospace States Support NASA Budget Increase (Source: ASA)
Lieutenant Governors and delegates from states represented in the Aerospace States Association (ASA) earlier this year passed a resolution encouraging Congress to add $1 billion to NASA's budget for FY-08. They also recommended that Congress set NASA's budget at an annual level of not less than one percent of the overall federal budget. Visit http://www.aiaa.org/pdf/public/NASA_Sciences_Funding_Letter_House.pdf to view the resolution.
House Subcommittee Evaluates NASA's Earth Science Programs (Source: House Science Committee)
The Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics heard from a panel of expert witnesses who discussed NASA's FY08 budget request and plans for the agency’s Earth science programs. At the hearing, Space and Aeronautics Ranking Member Tom Feeney (R-FL) made the following statement: “Today’s hearing on NASA’s Earth Sciences and Applications programs, and the FY08 budget request, gives our Committee an opportunity to review NASA’s management of – and rationale for – its current array of Earth-observing missions, and an opportunity to understand how the agency will incorporate the recommendations of the Earth Sciences Decadal Survey into its future plans."
“NASA’s Earth Sciences program is one of that agency’s unsung achievements. When discussing NASA, our nation’s collective attention is often focused on human spaceflight, or stunning images returned from distant planets and orbiting observatories. But rarely does the national press carry front-page stories or images taken from NASA’s Earth-observing satellites, except perhaps, during hurricane season. Having said that, most of the weather and climate prediction tools used daily by forecasters is often a direct product of NASA-sponsored research. And a good portion of climate change research is also made possible by data taken from NASA-developed sensors, satellites, and sophisticated research and analysis products."
Technical Societies Call for Increase to NASA Budget (Source: PRNewswire)
Leaders from 11 professional science and engineering societies called on Congress today to boost NASA's fiscal year 2008 budget or risk losing the nation's scientific and engineering primacy. In a letter, the group asked Congress to support an increase to NASA's FY08 budget of $1.4 billion for aerospace research and technology. The budget is currently under review on Capitol Hill. The signatories represent the thousands of scientists committed to keeping the United States competitive in science and engineering research and development. The letter states, "... we know first-hand that our colleagues continue their work despite the interrelated and disturbing trends of reduced federal research funding, a shrinking workforce in the science and engineering disciplines, and a calamitous decrease in the number of students choosing to carry on this commitment in the future."
The letter agrees with the National Academy of Sciences finding that NASA is "being asked to accomplish too much with too little." NASA does not have the resources to support the space exploration-related programs while maintaining critical space science, earth science, and life and physical science programs. To view a copy of the letter, visit http://www.aiaa.org/pdf/public/NASA_Sciences_Funding_Letter_House.pdf.
Aerojet, a GenCorp company and a core propulsion provider for NASA's new space exploration vehicle, ORION, as well as several Missile Defense Agency propulsion programs, recently conducted an internally funded test firing of large-scale controllable solid rocket motors. Controllable solid rocket motors are an advanced propulsion capability that combines the simplicity of using solid propellants with the flexibility normally associated with use of liquid propellants. Aerojet is developing an electromechanical valve control system to provide faster responding, smaller and more reliable controllable solids that can be used on larger scale applications, like ORION.
Why Human Psychology Will Make Sending People to Mars Hard (Source: Economist)
One of the two reviews posted on Amazon.com about Valentin Lebedev's “Diary of a Cosmonaut” calls it a “profound” book “about what it's like to be in a flying tin can for more than half a year”. The other reviewer would “not recommend reading its pages to [his] worst enemy”. He thinks Dr Lebedev's account of months of increasingly territorial behaviour and flagging conversation with his lone colleague on the good ship Salyut 7 is a “painfully boring” portrayal of why human space exploration is as pointless as it is frivolous.
Dr Lebedev's mission would, nevertheless, seem entertaining compared with a trip to Mars. The round trip, including a stay on the surface, would take about 17 months. Which is why it is surprising that within a few days of its being advertised, more than 3,000 people have applied to take part in an experiment planned by Russian and European agencies to simulate such an outing. Much like “Big Brother” contestants, the three groups of six who will be locked into simulation modules in Moscow will be ordered to complete tasks while others observe their behaviour. Those tasks have yet to be decided. But a pretend take-off, an exploration of a fake Martian surface and dealing with fictitious media headlines are on the cards. The pretend cosmonauts will have to speak fluent Russian and English and keep track of nearly two years' rations. Visit http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9401568to view the article.
Mars Rover to Make Risky Crater Descent (Source: AP)
NASA's aging but durable Mars rover Opportunity will make what could be a trip of no return into a deep impact crater in an attempt to peer further back than ever before into the geologic history of the Red Planet. The descent into Victoria Crater received the go-ahead because the potential scientific returns are worth the risk that the solar-powered, six-wheel rover might not be able to climb back out and would be forced to end its days there. The rover has been roaming the surface for nearly 3 1/2 Earth years, so scientists want to send it in while it still appears healthy and before the inevitable breakdown of vital parts that would certainly trap it there.
"This crater, Victoria, is a window back into the ancient environment of Mars," said a NASA official. Blasted open by a meteor impact, Victoria Crater is a half-mile across and about 200 to 230 feet deep — far deeper than anything else the rovers have explored. "Because it's deeper it provides us access to just a much longer span of time," said Steve Squyres, the principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover mission from Cornell University
NASA Spending Bill Headed for Senate Vote (Source: Space News)
A spending bill including $17.45 billion for NASA cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee June 28.
Lawmakers, NASA Spar over Earth Science Budget (Source: Space News)
A top NASA official told a House panel June 28 that the agency's budget for Earth science is adequate, but another witness, along with a key Democratic lawmaker, begged to differ.
Northrop Grumman Seeks Teacher Applications for Weightless Flights Program (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman continues to accept applications from math and science teachers at accredited middle schools, as well as college students studying to become teachers, for its foundation-sponsored Weightless Flights of Discovery program. The program includes zero-gravity aircraft flights and hands-on
workshops in eight locations around the country: Baltimore; Bethpage, N.Y.; Colorado Springs; Dallas; Los Angeles; New Orleans; and Washington DC. Flights currently are planned for late summer and autumn this year. To obtain an application visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/community/weightless.html
Aerospace States Support NASA Budget Increase (Source: ASA)
Lieutenant Governors and delegates from states represented in the Aerospace States Association (ASA) earlier this year passed a resolution encouraging Congress to add $1 billion to NASA's budget for FY-08. They also recommended that Congress set NASA's budget at an annual level of not less than one percent of the overall federal budget. Visit http://www.aiaa.org/pdf/public/NASA_Sciences_Funding_Letter_House.pdf to view the resolution.
House Subcommittee Evaluates NASA's Earth Science Programs (Source: House Science Committee)
The Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics heard from a panel of expert witnesses who discussed NASA's FY08 budget request and plans for the agency’s Earth science programs. At the hearing, Space and Aeronautics Ranking Member Tom Feeney (R-FL) made the following statement: “Today’s hearing on NASA’s Earth Sciences and Applications programs, and the FY08 budget request, gives our Committee an opportunity to review NASA’s management of – and rationale for – its current array of Earth-observing missions, and an opportunity to understand how the agency will incorporate the recommendations of the Earth Sciences Decadal Survey into its future plans."
“NASA’s Earth Sciences program is one of that agency’s unsung achievements. When discussing NASA, our nation’s collective attention is often focused on human spaceflight, or stunning images returned from distant planets and orbiting observatories. But rarely does the national press carry front-page stories or images taken from NASA’s Earth-observing satellites, except perhaps, during hurricane season. Having said that, most of the weather and climate prediction tools used daily by forecasters is often a direct product of NASA-sponsored research. And a good portion of climate change research is also made possible by data taken from NASA-developed sensors, satellites, and sophisticated research and analysis products."
Technical Societies Call for Increase to NASA Budget (Source: PRNewswire)
Leaders from 11 professional science and engineering societies called on Congress today to boost NASA's fiscal year 2008 budget or risk losing the nation's scientific and engineering primacy. In a letter, the group asked Congress to support an increase to NASA's FY08 budget of $1.4 billion for aerospace research and technology. The budget is currently under review on Capitol Hill. The signatories represent the thousands of scientists committed to keeping the United States competitive in science and engineering research and development. The letter states, "... we know first-hand that our colleagues continue their work despite the interrelated and disturbing trends of reduced federal research funding, a shrinking workforce in the science and engineering disciplines, and a calamitous decrease in the number of students choosing to carry on this commitment in the future."
The letter agrees with the National Academy of Sciences finding that NASA is "being asked to accomplish too much with too little." NASA does not have the resources to support the space exploration-related programs while maintaining critical space science, earth science, and life and physical science programs. To view a copy of the letter, visit http://www.aiaa.org/pdf/public/NASA_Sciences_Funding_Letter_House.pdf.
June 28 News Items
Texas, a Titan in Space Travel (Source: Star-Telegram)
America's path to outer space has always gone through Texas, and an interactive exhibit on view for the next six weeks at the state's official history museum in Austin explains that link in sometimes spectacular detail. "Made to Walk the Skies: Texas & Space Travel" offers visitors to the Texas State History Museum a glimpse of everything from meals that astronauts eat to an Apollo spacesuit to the giant Titan rocket that was used to launch all the manned Gemini spaceflights during the 1960s.
Dnepr Launches with Genesis II - Bigelow to Report Status Soon (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
After over six months of delays, a Russian Dnepr launch vehicle - a converted RS-20V Voevode (SS-18 Satan) ballistic missile - has finally launched from the ISC Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex near Yasny, Russia, carrying Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis II space station prototype test article. The launch was identified as a success. The status of the spacecraft's health will follow later via a statement from Bigelow Aerospace founder, Robert Bigelow.
Genesis II Calls Home, Says It’s Doing Fine (Source: Bigelow Aerospace)
Bigelow Aerospace has established contact with its second pathfinder spacecraft, Genesis II. Launched Thursday from, Mission Control in Las Vegas made first contact at 2:20 p.m. PDT. Initial data suggests sufficient voltage powering up Genesis II’s batteries as well as expected air pressure. While the actual confirmation of solar panel deployment and spacecraft expansion are expected later, the data suggests that deployment and expansion have been successful. In the coming weeks, BA also hopes to activate the first-ever Space Bingo game aboard Genesis II as a fun activity for the public.
Genesis II is identical in size and appearance to Genesis I – approximately 15 feet (4.4 meters) in length and 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) in diameter at launch, expanding to 2.54 meters (eight feet) in diameter after expansion in orbit. Inside is where the differences can be seen, as Genesis II includes include a suite of additional sensors and avionics that didn’t fly on Genesis I. Moreover, while Genesis I contained 13 video cameras, Genesis II will nearly double that figure to 22 cameras located on both the inside and outside of the spacecraft. The skin is made of several layers that include proprietary impact-resistant materials. Testing on the ground has shown that the expandable shells of a Bigelow module are much more resistant to space debris than the modules on the International Space Station.
Alabama Senator Ensures Funding for Projects (Source: Sen. Shelby)
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has announced the inclusion of hundreds of millions of dollars for Alabama-based space programs in an appropriation bill that is now heading for Senate approval. Included are the MSFC-based Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program (LPRP) at $278.2 million; funding for the Space Shuttle Program (and its Propulsion Office at MSFC); $1.225 billion for the MSFC-based Crew Launch Vehicle program; $500K for an Alabama A&M University Geospatial Data Analysis Center; $1.2 million for a University of Alabama Remote Sensing Center; $750K for an Advanced Space Propulsion Material Research and Technology Center at Alabama A&M; $2 million for an Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking System; $2.15 million for the Space Nuclear Power Systems project at MSFC; $1.5 million for Sensor Applications for Non-Destructive Evaluation; $1.25 million for an MSFC Level 4 Data Center Prototype; $2 million for Composite Material Research for Space Exploration to assist MSFC; $1.5 million for an Advanced High Temperature Materials Research partnership between Southern Research Institute and MSFC; $2 million for University of Alabama research on methane/LOX ignition and rocket engine R&D; $500K for U.S. Space and Rocket Center Museum Improvements; and $500K for a Radially Segmented Launch Vehicle (RSLV) LOX/Methane Technology Maturation project at MSFC.
Space Travel Insurance Comes at a Price (Source: Asahi Shimbun)
For anyone considering a shot in space but who worries about insurance problems, put your mind at rest. Japan's first space traveler life insurance will be offered from April next year. The insurance is a joint initiative between JI Accident and Fire Insurance Co. and Lloyd's Japan Co. The two companies agreed to underwrite the insurance because policies for conventional overseas travel do not cover trips into space. The premiums will cost between 5 million and 7 million yen for coverage of 100 million yen, or 10 million to 20 million yen for 200 million yen in coverage, they said. The new insurance will be targeted at people taking trips organized by Space Adventures Ltd. of the United States. They will board spacecraft in either the United States or Russia, before making the 90-minute trip into space and back.
ZERO-G Weightless Experience Adopts ASAP Aviation Platform (Source: BusinessWire)
Florida-based Coastal Technologies Group Inc. (CTGi), a leader in accrual and route optimization for the telecommunications industry, announced that ZERO-G has joined a growing list of aviation companies to use their leading-edgee ASP- based Aviation Management and and Optimization platform. The technology will dynamically optimize flight assignments, minimize non revenue flight miles, and manage margins against a backdrop of ever increasing fuel and regulatory costs," said Richard Kane, CEO for Coastal Technologies Group and a world record holding commercial pilot. ZERO-G will be using CTGi’s software to help manage sales channels, seat reservations, operations, work flow management, and document management.
Wyoming Rocketeer Eyes Sky (Source: Casper Star-Tribune)
Partners of Frontier Astronautics, owners of an old Atlas E missile silo in Wyoming, organized an open house Wednesday to showcase a vehicle being built on behalf of space start-up company SpeedUp. SpeedUp's goal is to deploy a reusable, vertical takeoff and landing, suborbital rocket that can propel the paying public 30,000 feet into the sky in a matter of minutes and return them safety to Earth. "You can think of it as reverse bungy jumping," he said. The launches would occur at the silo site. But first the company needs to raise about $3 million in capital to further develop and perfect his vehicle, and part of Wednesday's rocket test was intended to attract potential investors.
Senate Subcommittees Approve 2008 Funds, Including NASA Mars Activity (Source: Federal Times)
Senate subcommittees approved a $32.3 billion spending bill for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation and the Energy Department, and a $54.6 billion spending bill for agencies including the Justice and Commerce departments and NASA. ... Unlike the House bill, the Senate version does not include language blocking NASA from pursuing exploration of Mars.
America's path to outer space has always gone through Texas, and an interactive exhibit on view for the next six weeks at the state's official history museum in Austin explains that link in sometimes spectacular detail. "Made to Walk the Skies: Texas & Space Travel" offers visitors to the Texas State History Museum a glimpse of everything from meals that astronauts eat to an Apollo spacesuit to the giant Titan rocket that was used to launch all the manned Gemini spaceflights during the 1960s.
Dnepr Launches with Genesis II - Bigelow to Report Status Soon (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
After over six months of delays, a Russian Dnepr launch vehicle - a converted RS-20V Voevode (SS-18 Satan) ballistic missile - has finally launched from the ISC Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex near Yasny, Russia, carrying Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis II space station prototype test article. The launch was identified as a success. The status of the spacecraft's health will follow later via a statement from Bigelow Aerospace founder, Robert Bigelow.
Genesis II Calls Home, Says It’s Doing Fine (Source: Bigelow Aerospace)
Bigelow Aerospace has established contact with its second pathfinder spacecraft, Genesis II. Launched Thursday from, Mission Control in Las Vegas made first contact at 2:20 p.m. PDT. Initial data suggests sufficient voltage powering up Genesis II’s batteries as well as expected air pressure. While the actual confirmation of solar panel deployment and spacecraft expansion are expected later, the data suggests that deployment and expansion have been successful. In the coming weeks, BA also hopes to activate the first-ever Space Bingo game aboard Genesis II as a fun activity for the public.
Genesis II is identical in size and appearance to Genesis I – approximately 15 feet (4.4 meters) in length and 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) in diameter at launch, expanding to 2.54 meters (eight feet) in diameter after expansion in orbit. Inside is where the differences can be seen, as Genesis II includes include a suite of additional sensors and avionics that didn’t fly on Genesis I. Moreover, while Genesis I contained 13 video cameras, Genesis II will nearly double that figure to 22 cameras located on both the inside and outside of the spacecraft. The skin is made of several layers that include proprietary impact-resistant materials. Testing on the ground has shown that the expandable shells of a Bigelow module are much more resistant to space debris than the modules on the International Space Station.
Alabama Senator Ensures Funding for Projects (Source: Sen. Shelby)
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has announced the inclusion of hundreds of millions of dollars for Alabama-based space programs in an appropriation bill that is now heading for Senate approval. Included are the MSFC-based Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program (LPRP) at $278.2 million; funding for the Space Shuttle Program (and its Propulsion Office at MSFC); $1.225 billion for the MSFC-based Crew Launch Vehicle program; $500K for an Alabama A&M University Geospatial Data Analysis Center; $1.2 million for a University of Alabama Remote Sensing Center; $750K for an Advanced Space Propulsion Material Research and Technology Center at Alabama A&M; $2 million for an Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking System; $2.15 million for the Space Nuclear Power Systems project at MSFC; $1.5 million for Sensor Applications for Non-Destructive Evaluation; $1.25 million for an MSFC Level 4 Data Center Prototype; $2 million for Composite Material Research for Space Exploration to assist MSFC; $1.5 million for an Advanced High Temperature Materials Research partnership between Southern Research Institute and MSFC; $2 million for University of Alabama research on methane/LOX ignition and rocket engine R&D; $500K for U.S. Space and Rocket Center Museum Improvements; and $500K for a Radially Segmented Launch Vehicle (RSLV) LOX/Methane Technology Maturation project at MSFC.
Space Travel Insurance Comes at a Price (Source: Asahi Shimbun)
For anyone considering a shot in space but who worries about insurance problems, put your mind at rest. Japan's first space traveler life insurance will be offered from April next year. The insurance is a joint initiative between JI Accident and Fire Insurance Co. and Lloyd's Japan Co. The two companies agreed to underwrite the insurance because policies for conventional overseas travel do not cover trips into space. The premiums will cost between 5 million and 7 million yen for coverage of 100 million yen, or 10 million to 20 million yen for 200 million yen in coverage, they said. The new insurance will be targeted at people taking trips organized by Space Adventures Ltd. of the United States. They will board spacecraft in either the United States or Russia, before making the 90-minute trip into space and back.
ZERO-G Weightless Experience Adopts ASAP Aviation Platform (Source: BusinessWire)
Florida-based Coastal Technologies Group Inc. (CTGi), a leader in accrual and route optimization for the telecommunications industry, announced that ZERO-G has joined a growing list of aviation companies to use their leading-edgee ASP- based Aviation Management and and Optimization platform. The technology will dynamically optimize flight assignments, minimize non revenue flight miles, and manage margins against a backdrop of ever increasing fuel and regulatory costs," said Richard Kane, CEO for Coastal Technologies Group and a world record holding commercial pilot. ZERO-G will be using CTGi’s software to help manage sales channels, seat reservations, operations, work flow management, and document management.
Wyoming Rocketeer Eyes Sky (Source: Casper Star-Tribune)
Partners of Frontier Astronautics, owners of an old Atlas E missile silo in Wyoming, organized an open house Wednesday to showcase a vehicle being built on behalf of space start-up company SpeedUp. SpeedUp's goal is to deploy a reusable, vertical takeoff and landing, suborbital rocket that can propel the paying public 30,000 feet into the sky in a matter of minutes and return them safety to Earth. "You can think of it as reverse bungy jumping," he said. The launches would occur at the silo site. But first the company needs to raise about $3 million in capital to further develop and perfect his vehicle, and part of Wednesday's rocket test was intended to attract potential investors.
Senate Subcommittees Approve 2008 Funds, Including NASA Mars Activity (Source: Federal Times)
Senate subcommittees approved a $32.3 billion spending bill for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation and the Energy Department, and a $54.6 billion spending bill for agencies including the Justice and Commerce departments and NASA. ... Unlike the House bill, the Senate version does not include language blocking NASA from pursuing exploration of Mars.
June 27 News Items
Senate Panel Boosts NASA Funding (Source: Space News)
A U.S. Senate panel has recommended providing $17.45 billion for NASA next year, or about $150 million more than the White House requested.
UF Part of New BioEnergy Research Center (Source: SSTI)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will invest up to $375 million over five years in three new Bioenergy Research Centers, one of which includes the University of Florida as a partner. The centers' research will emphasize understanding how to reengineer biological processes to develop new, more efficient methods for converting the cellulose in plant material into ethanol or other biofuels that serve as a substitute for gasoline. DOE believes this research is critical because future biofuels production will require the use of feedstocks more diverse than corn, including cellulosic material such as agricultural residues, grasses, poplar trees, inedible plants, and nonedible portions of crops. UF is a partner in the the Wisconsin-based Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
GenCorp Reports 2007 Second Quarter Results (Source: GenCorp)
GenCorp reported that sales from continuing operations for the second quarter 2007 totaled $192.3 million, 15% above the $167.2 million for the second quarter 2006. Sales for the first half of 2007 were $343.1 million compared to $295.5 million for the first half of 2006, an increase of 16%. Sales increases in 2007 reflect growth in the Company's Aerospace and Defense business. Net income for the second quarter 2007 was $12.5 million, compared to a net loss of $7.3 million for the second quarter 2006.
Russia, China Sign Deal to Jointly Explore Mars, Phobos (Source: RIA Novosti)
The Russian and Chinese space agencies signed a deal in Moscow on joint exploration of Mars and its satellite Phobos. The deal between Russia's Federal Space Agency and Chinese National Space Administration is a follow-up of a general agreement for Sino-Russian space cooperation signed in August 2006. China is expected to contribute several critical parts for the Russian Fobos-Grunt rover, which is currently under construction.
First African-American Spacewalker to Visit UCF Science Camp (Source: UCF)
Bernard Harris, the first African-American to walk in space, will address about 50 middle school students attending a science camp that bears his name Thursday, June 28, at the University of Central Florida. Harris will attend the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp from 1 to 4 p.m. in room 202 of the Chemistry Building on UCF’s main campus. He will speak with the students and watch as they participate in a raft-building competition. The two-week camp, which concludes Thursday, focuses on forensics. Students are analyzing fingerprints, footprints and DNA and taking classes in chemistry, biology, physics and communication. The classes are taught by middle and high school teachers.
Harris Protests NMT Award to Raytheon (Source: Space News)
Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Florida, has protested the U.S. Navy's award of a billion-dollar contract to Raytheon to build a new line of shipboard satellite communications terminals.
ESA Awards Future Launcher Contracts (Source: Space News)
NGL Prime S.p.A., a joint venture of Astrium Space Transportation and Finmeccanica, has signed contracts with the European Space Agency (ESA) to study next-generation rockets and to design a vehicle for launch in 2010 to test reusable rocket materials, the company announced June 26.
Panel to Guide NM Spaceport Tax Revenues for Schools (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
A panel that will help decide how to spend part of the revenue collected through a Doña Ana County spaceport sales tax will be made up of members from local school districts, New Mexico State University, the aerospace industry, the County Commission and the public, county commissioners decided. An estimated $1.6 million in sales tax revenue will be collected next year to fund spaceport-related projects in area schools. The tax, narrowly approved by voters in April, will also will fund construction of Spaceport America, located about 45 miles north of Las Cruces.
Asteroid Mission Planned for July Launch at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceToday.net)
NASA is pressing ahead with plans to launch a spacecraft to the asteroid belt next month despite technical problems that could delay the launch until this fall. The Dawn mission is scheduled for launch on July 7 on a Delta 2 rocket. The launch has already been delayed a week because of a faulty crane at the launch site used to assemble the launcher; workers have also encountered mechanical problems with some vehicle components. If NASA can't launch the spacecraft by July 11 the launch would be delayed until September, at a cost of $25 million, to avoid delaying the August launch of the Phoenix mission to Mars. Dawn is a Discovery-class mission that will visit two of the largest asteroids in the main belt, Ceres and Vesta.
NASA Announces Constellation Management Changes in Florida (Source: NASA)
Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons recently announced the appointment of John J. "Tip" Talone Jr. to the new position of associate program manager of the Constellation Program at the center. Philip E. "Pepper" Phillips will replace Talone as the director of the Constellation Project Office. In his new position, Talone will continue reporting directly to the center director and the Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, acting as a liaison between Parsons and the program. Talone will ensure technical and operational issues are identified and resolved, represent the Constellation Program and KSC to external entities, and provide program insight into NASA and contractor activities throughout the development cycle of the program.
Committee Chairmen React to ISS National Laboratory Report (Source: House SCience Committee)
House Science Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Space Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO) issued the following reactions to NASA’s Report to Congress on the ISS "National Laboratory" initiative: Chairman Gordon: “The nation has invested a great deal in the development of the International Space Station, and it clearly is in America’s interest that we get a meaningful return on our investment in this unique and potentially highly productive orbital facility. Thus, we need to make sure that NASA commits the resources and attention required to effectively utilize the ISS in the years ahead. Beyond that, I want to encourage NASA to continue to pursue arrangements that will permit other federal agencies, as well as the private sector, to make good use of the ISS. The ISS National Laboratory report delivered to Congress should be considered just the first step in that effort.”
Chairman Udall: “The International Space Station has the potential to benefit both NASA’s future exploration missions as well as to help address terrestrial needs. However, realizing that potential will require NASA’s commitment to ensuring that the ISS is adequately maintained, supported, and utilized once it has been assembled. It will also require NASA to reach out to other potential users and to work with them in ways that enable the public and private sectors to make cost-effective, productive use of the Station. NASA’s ISS National Laboratory report indicates that there are some promising opportunities on the latter front, and we will be following NASA’s progress closely in the months ahead.”
Martinez Pledges to Keep Fighting for Space Program in Congress (Source: Florida Today)
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) pledged to help minimize the time between the end of NASA's shuttle program and the first flights of new Apollo-style spacecraft. In a news conference after meeting with Kennedy Space Center officials, Martinez said a gap longer than the five-year hiatus now envisioned would be devastating to the state of Florida. "The economic impact that (KSC) has on the region's economy -- ... all of Florida -- would be dramatic. It would be stark," said Martinez, R-Orlando. "And so what we need to do is make sure that we continue to be there and fight for the program...to ensure that the worst-case scenario doesn't happen. We don't want to get there."
RS&H Tapped to Design Emergency Egress System for Orion (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Reynolds, Smith and Hills (RS&H) has been selected by NASA to design the emergency egress system for the next-generation Orion space exploration vehicle that is expected to launch in 2014 from the Kennedy Space Center. The new escape system will allow astronauts to travel safely across the launch tower and quickly enter into tram cars, then be whisked down a track to safety, much like a souped-up roller coaster. The Jacksonville-based firm -- which has offices near KSC -- already has designed the new lightning protection system for Orion at Launch Pad 39 and is completing the design for its new mobile launcher.
A U.S. Senate panel has recommended providing $17.45 billion for NASA next year, or about $150 million more than the White House requested.
UF Part of New BioEnergy Research Center (Source: SSTI)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will invest up to $375 million over five years in three new Bioenergy Research Centers, one of which includes the University of Florida as a partner. The centers' research will emphasize understanding how to reengineer biological processes to develop new, more efficient methods for converting the cellulose in plant material into ethanol or other biofuels that serve as a substitute for gasoline. DOE believes this research is critical because future biofuels production will require the use of feedstocks more diverse than corn, including cellulosic material such as agricultural residues, grasses, poplar trees, inedible plants, and nonedible portions of crops. UF is a partner in the the Wisconsin-based Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
GenCorp Reports 2007 Second Quarter Results (Source: GenCorp)
GenCorp reported that sales from continuing operations for the second quarter 2007 totaled $192.3 million, 15% above the $167.2 million for the second quarter 2006. Sales for the first half of 2007 were $343.1 million compared to $295.5 million for the first half of 2006, an increase of 16%. Sales increases in 2007 reflect growth in the Company's Aerospace and Defense business. Net income for the second quarter 2007 was $12.5 million, compared to a net loss of $7.3 million for the second quarter 2006.
Russia, China Sign Deal to Jointly Explore Mars, Phobos (Source: RIA Novosti)
The Russian and Chinese space agencies signed a deal in Moscow on joint exploration of Mars and its satellite Phobos. The deal between Russia's Federal Space Agency and Chinese National Space Administration is a follow-up of a general agreement for Sino-Russian space cooperation signed in August 2006. China is expected to contribute several critical parts for the Russian Fobos-Grunt rover, which is currently under construction.
First African-American Spacewalker to Visit UCF Science Camp (Source: UCF)
Bernard Harris, the first African-American to walk in space, will address about 50 middle school students attending a science camp that bears his name Thursday, June 28, at the University of Central Florida. Harris will attend the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp from 1 to 4 p.m. in room 202 of the Chemistry Building on UCF’s main campus. He will speak with the students and watch as they participate in a raft-building competition. The two-week camp, which concludes Thursday, focuses on forensics. Students are analyzing fingerprints, footprints and DNA and taking classes in chemistry, biology, physics and communication. The classes are taught by middle and high school teachers.
Harris Protests NMT Award to Raytheon (Source: Space News)
Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Florida, has protested the U.S. Navy's award of a billion-dollar contract to Raytheon to build a new line of shipboard satellite communications terminals.
ESA Awards Future Launcher Contracts (Source: Space News)
NGL Prime S.p.A., a joint venture of Astrium Space Transportation and Finmeccanica, has signed contracts with the European Space Agency (ESA) to study next-generation rockets and to design a vehicle for launch in 2010 to test reusable rocket materials, the company announced June 26.
Panel to Guide NM Spaceport Tax Revenues for Schools (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
A panel that will help decide how to spend part of the revenue collected through a Doña Ana County spaceport sales tax will be made up of members from local school districts, New Mexico State University, the aerospace industry, the County Commission and the public, county commissioners decided. An estimated $1.6 million in sales tax revenue will be collected next year to fund spaceport-related projects in area schools. The tax, narrowly approved by voters in April, will also will fund construction of Spaceport America, located about 45 miles north of Las Cruces.
Asteroid Mission Planned for July Launch at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceToday.net)
NASA is pressing ahead with plans to launch a spacecraft to the asteroid belt next month despite technical problems that could delay the launch until this fall. The Dawn mission is scheduled for launch on July 7 on a Delta 2 rocket. The launch has already been delayed a week because of a faulty crane at the launch site used to assemble the launcher; workers have also encountered mechanical problems with some vehicle components. If NASA can't launch the spacecraft by July 11 the launch would be delayed until September, at a cost of $25 million, to avoid delaying the August launch of the Phoenix mission to Mars. Dawn is a Discovery-class mission that will visit two of the largest asteroids in the main belt, Ceres and Vesta.
NASA Announces Constellation Management Changes in Florida (Source: NASA)
Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons recently announced the appointment of John J. "Tip" Talone Jr. to the new position of associate program manager of the Constellation Program at the center. Philip E. "Pepper" Phillips will replace Talone as the director of the Constellation Project Office. In his new position, Talone will continue reporting directly to the center director and the Constellation Program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, acting as a liaison between Parsons and the program. Talone will ensure technical and operational issues are identified and resolved, represent the Constellation Program and KSC to external entities, and provide program insight into NASA and contractor activities throughout the development cycle of the program.
Committee Chairmen React to ISS National Laboratory Report (Source: House SCience Committee)
House Science Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Space Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO) issued the following reactions to NASA’s Report to Congress on the ISS "National Laboratory" initiative: Chairman Gordon: “The nation has invested a great deal in the development of the International Space Station, and it clearly is in America’s interest that we get a meaningful return on our investment in this unique and potentially highly productive orbital facility. Thus, we need to make sure that NASA commits the resources and attention required to effectively utilize the ISS in the years ahead. Beyond that, I want to encourage NASA to continue to pursue arrangements that will permit other federal agencies, as well as the private sector, to make good use of the ISS. The ISS National Laboratory report delivered to Congress should be considered just the first step in that effort.”
Chairman Udall: “The International Space Station has the potential to benefit both NASA’s future exploration missions as well as to help address terrestrial needs. However, realizing that potential will require NASA’s commitment to ensuring that the ISS is adequately maintained, supported, and utilized once it has been assembled. It will also require NASA to reach out to other potential users and to work with them in ways that enable the public and private sectors to make cost-effective, productive use of the Station. NASA’s ISS National Laboratory report indicates that there are some promising opportunities on the latter front, and we will be following NASA’s progress closely in the months ahead.”
Martinez Pledges to Keep Fighting for Space Program in Congress (Source: Florida Today)
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) pledged to help minimize the time between the end of NASA's shuttle program and the first flights of new Apollo-style spacecraft. In a news conference after meeting with Kennedy Space Center officials, Martinez said a gap longer than the five-year hiatus now envisioned would be devastating to the state of Florida. "The economic impact that (KSC) has on the region's economy -- ... all of Florida -- would be dramatic. It would be stark," said Martinez, R-Orlando. "And so what we need to do is make sure that we continue to be there and fight for the program...to ensure that the worst-case scenario doesn't happen. We don't want to get there."
RS&H Tapped to Design Emergency Egress System for Orion (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Reynolds, Smith and Hills (RS&H) has been selected by NASA to design the emergency egress system for the next-generation Orion space exploration vehicle that is expected to launch in 2014 from the Kennedy Space Center. The new escape system will allow astronauts to travel safely across the launch tower and quickly enter into tram cars, then be whisked down a track to safety, much like a souped-up roller coaster. The Jacksonville-based firm -- which has offices near KSC -- already has designed the new lightning protection system for Orion at Launch Pad 39 and is completing the design for its new mobile launcher.
June 26 News Items
NASA Details Plan to Open ISS for Outside Use (Source: Space.com)
NASA is pressing ahead with plans to use part of the International Space Station (ISS) as a national laboratory, a move that would reserve about half of the outpost's U.S. science facilities for outside use by 2011. The plan hinges on the completion of the half-built $100 billion space station by September 2010. "What we're trying to do is open up the U.S. segment of the space station to be utilized by a variety of folks, both governmental and maybe commercial, in the future so that we can take the maximum advantage of the space station," said a NASA official.
"Previously, we had anticipated that all the research conducted on the station would be research within NASA's mission portfolio," said Mark Uhran, the space agency's associate administrator for the ISS. "Now what we're looking to do is make the facility available to other government agencies or private firms to pursue their own research interests." The level of interest among non-NASA agencies to use the ISS could ultimately decide how long the space station remains in operation beyond its current 2016 design lifetime.
NASA: Researchers Can Use Space Station for Free, If They Can Get There (Source: Boston Globe)
Part of the international space station may host research experiments from outsiders after it's completed in three years, according to NASA officials. The agency is talking with several government agencies and private businesses that want to conduct research at the station. There will be no fees for using the station, but researchers will have to find their own way there, as the space shuttles will be grounded after 2010.
NASA is pressing ahead with plans to use part of the International Space Station (ISS) as a national laboratory, a move that would reserve about half of the outpost's U.S. science facilities for outside use by 2011. The plan hinges on the completion of the half-built $100 billion space station by September 2010. "What we're trying to do is open up the U.S. segment of the space station to be utilized by a variety of folks, both governmental and maybe commercial, in the future so that we can take the maximum advantage of the space station," said a NASA official.
"Previously, we had anticipated that all the research conducted on the station would be research within NASA's mission portfolio," said Mark Uhran, the space agency's associate administrator for the ISS. "Now what we're looking to do is make the facility available to other government agencies or private firms to pursue their own research interests." The level of interest among non-NASA agencies to use the ISS could ultimately decide how long the space station remains in operation beyond its current 2016 design lifetime.
NASA: Researchers Can Use Space Station for Free, If They Can Get There (Source: Boston Globe)
Part of the international space station may host research experiments from outsiders after it's completed in three years, according to NASA officials. The agency is talking with several government agencies and private businesses that want to conduct research at the station. There will be no fees for using the station, but researchers will have to find their own way there, as the space shuttles will be grounded after 2010.
June 25 News Items
Sen. Martinez Discussing Future Of Space Program Monday (Source: CFL13.com)
As NASA continues making preparations to bring Atlantis back to Central Florida from California, Florida U.S. Senator Mel Martinez is making preparations to talk about the future of the space program. Martinez will be at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday. He plans on meeting with NASA leaders about funding for the space agency. As it stands now, the shuttle is due to retire in 2010 and be replaced by new space vehicles. But budget cuts at NASA have some concerned those projects would have to be delayed. Martinez says he wants to find ways to make sure that doesn't happen.
Canada Needs a New Space Policy (Source: CDFAI)
In order to meet Canada's national security challenges in the 21st century, the government must develop and implement a truly independent national space policy and strategy and devote much greater attention and resources to space, says a new study released by the Canadian Defense & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI). "The economic and military significance of space services has grown dramatically over the last decade. Canadian policy remains relatively unchanged. Unless the government moves forward, Canada will have little influence on the manner in which existing and emerging crucial space security issues are managed."
The report details the evolution, current state and future direction of global space thinking, investment and activities and Canada's place therein. Space, or more accurately the hundreds of satellites on orbit providing a range of crucial services, has become part of the world's and Canada's critical economic infrastructure. It has also become a vital enabler of modern military, defence and security operations. In the future, space will become an independent environment of global competition and conflict. Canada's national security will require the nation to become a major contributor to the protection and defence of this critical infrastructure.
Small Business Organization Concerned About NASA Contracting (Source: ASBL)
A new Small Business Administration (SBA) policy set to take effect on Jun. 30 will allow NASA to continue to count contracts to Fortune 1000 firms towards their federally mandated 23 percent small business contracting goal. In 2006 NASA lost a federal lawsuit and was forced to disclose that it had included billions of dollars in contracts to many of the nation's largest defense and aerospace firms towards their small business contracting goal. Despite this finding, the new SBA policy will allow NASA to continue including awards to firms such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin in their small business contracting statistics until the year 2012.
The SBA was previously forced to shelve a grandfathering policy allowing this federal contracting practice, after receiving more than 6000 objections to the proposed policy. New SBA Administrator Steven Preston resurrected the unpopular grandfathering policy shortly after he was appointed to office, renaming it "five-year re-certification." The Senate is expected to propose legislation to remove Fortune 1000 firms and all large businesses from federal small business contracting programs before the end of 2007.
NASA Aims to Move Up Endeavour Launch (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is aiming to move up the planned launch of shuttle Endeavour to Aug. 7 and sistership Atlantis is headed for a weekend return to Kennedy Space Center. Now targeted for an Aug. 9 liftoff, the launch of Endeavour on an International Space Station construction mission will mark the orbiter's first post-Columbia flight. "That'll be Endeavour's first launch in five years," said KSC spokesman George Diller.
Armadillo Aerospace: Scaling Up for Modularized Spaceships (Source: Space News)
Since 2001 Armadillo Aerospace has made more than 100 rocket-powered test flights using three different propellant combinations and some 50 engines in a dozen vehicles. The company also has used various kinds of attitude control systems and several generations of electronics boxes to control their launch vehicles. Officials at the Texas-based company believe this step-by-step approach is helping them make significant inroads into computer-controlled, vertical-takeoff and vertical-landing technology that will lead to a new type of human suborbital - and eventually orbital - vehicles in the coming years.
The company's plan is to push forward on a new generation of reusable vehicles. These will be fashioned around mass-produced, modular, bolt-together units composed of dual, liquid oxygen/ethanol propellant tanks mounted on top of an engine. "In theory, we can bolt together as many as we need, whether it's 16 or 64 of them," Carmack said. The modular approach permits Armadillo Aerospace to scale both boosters and upper stages to handle any size payload that is necessary. He sees modularized propulsion systems as the scaleable foundation that takes the company through commercial operations and, eventually, all the way to orbit.
Dayton Laboratory Researches Effect of Small Debris on Space Vehicles (Source: AIA)
Researchers at the University of Dayton are shooting slugs into metal plates with the fastest light-gas gun in the world. They hope to simulate the impact of small chunks of space debris on space vehicles and other equipment. NASA tracks thousands of pieces of debris in space that are larger than a baseball, but research is needed into the effect of smaller, untracked particles, senior research engineer Kevin Poorman says.
French Firm a Leader in Civilian Rocket Market (Source: Wall Street Journal)
If American rocket makers stumble, French firm Arianespace is in line to provide civilian rockets to carry payloads into space. NASA administrator Michael Griffin likes the company's Ariane 5 rocket. Watching the rocket take off, Griffin said the launch system is "probably the best in the world, very smooth and very impressive."
Raytheon Protests Award of Contract to Rivals (Source: Reuters)
Raytheon has filed a protest with the government over its award of a cargo contract to a team of rival contractors. A team led by L-3 Communications Holdings won the contract to supply cargo aircraft over the next five years to the Army and Air Force (using Florida's Cecil Field as a location for the operations). "Raytheon filed a bid protest on Friday with the Government Accountability Office regarding the Joint Cargo Aircraft award announced June 13, 2007. We will have no further comment at this time," Raytheon said.
Squeeze on NASA Earth Science Budget Causing Alarm (Source: Congressional Quarterly)
A squeeze on funding for satellites to look down on the Earth’s environment at a time of growing need for research into the effects of climate change is creating alarm among scientists and on Capitol Hill. NASA is seeing its science budget shrink and its satellite Earth observation capacity endangered even as the agency’s overall mission grows. Since President Bush announced his Vision for Space Exploration, the administration has reduced future-year funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate by a total of $4 billion, according to a House panel. A two-year study released by the National Research Council found that NASA’s Earth science budget had declined 30 percent since 2000 and was threatened to fall even further.
IHMC CEO Appointed to NASA Advisory Council (Source: IHMC)
Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) CEO Dr. Ken Ford has been appointed to serve on the prestigious NASA Advisory Council. As member, Ford will join an elite cadre of 34 recognized experts from across the nation, including pioneering Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong, to advise NASA Administrator Michael Griffin on issues and policies important to NASA missions of exploration, science, and engineering.
Ford previously worked in senior positions at NASA Ames Research Center. In addition to the NASA Advisory Council, Ford also serves on the National Science Board, the Air Force Science Advisory Board, and was recently reappointed to serve on the board of Space Florida.
RpK Tells NASA It Will Get $500M in Financing by July (Source: Space News)
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK), one of two U.S. companies receiving financial assistance from NASA to build launchers capable of cheaply delivering cargo to the international space station, says it expects to have $500 million in private financing lined up by late July. RpK's disclosure follows NASA's acknowledgement that the Oklahoma City-based company missed a May 31 deadline for showing NASA that it had secured the rest of the money it needs to complete the K-1 reusable launcher and to demonstrate by 2010 that it is ready to make cargo runs to the space station.
Russia Assures ILS of Steady Supply of Proton Rockets (Source: Space News)
International Launch Services (ILS), the U.S.-based company that sells the Russian Proton-M rocket commercially, has received assurances by the Russian government and by Proton's builder that a steady production of six commercial rockets per year will be available. Nine months after ILS's reorganization following the exit of Lockheed Martin as majority shareholder, the company is benefiting from the reorganization of Russia's space-hardware sector.
Proton's prime contractor, the government-owned Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow, has been given broad new responsibilities and now has control over the full Proton production process. In particular, the Breeze-M upper-stage engine, which has caused ILS difficulties in the past, now is under Khrunichev control. Breeze-M engines, which used to require 60 days of production, now are produced in 45 days.
Investigation of Atlas 5 Launch Problem Begins (Source: Space News)
The Air Force and United Launch Alliance are reviewing telemetry and other data to determine the cause of the problem experienced during the June 15 launch of a classified payload aboard an Atlas 5 rocket. The Centaur upper-stage engine experienced "degraded performance" during the launch, but it was not considered a failure. The classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite still is expected to be able to perform its mission.
Bigelow Prepares for Launch of Genesis 2 (Source: Space News)
Bigelow Aerospace is expected to launch its next expandable space module, Genesis 2, some time the week of June 25. As the second privately built pathfinder spacecraft for Bigelow Aerospace, Genesis 2 will be placed into Earth orbit by a Dnepr rocket launched from the ISC Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex near Yasny, Russia.
Austrian Officials Release Suspected Russian Spy (Source: Space News)
Austrian authorities on June 21 released a senior Russian space agency (Roskosmos) official who had been detained 10 days earlier on suspicion of spying. Vladimir Vozhzhov was delivered to the Russian embassy premises and was expected to return to Moscow shortly. The official Roskosmos Web site identifies Vozhzhov as the deputy head of the agency's international cooperation department. He was in Vienna as part of the official Russian delegation to the 50th session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Cape's Delta 4 Launch Pad Repaired (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
With cracks on its launch pad freshly patched up, the giant Delta 4-Heavy rocket has returned to the oceanfront complex aiming for a middle-of-the-night blastoff in late August to haul a missile observation satellite into orbit for the U.S. Air Force. This version of the Delta 4 is the biggest unmanned rocket available in the U.S. inventory today.
As NASA continues making preparations to bring Atlantis back to Central Florida from California, Florida U.S. Senator Mel Martinez is making preparations to talk about the future of the space program. Martinez will be at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday. He plans on meeting with NASA leaders about funding for the space agency. As it stands now, the shuttle is due to retire in 2010 and be replaced by new space vehicles. But budget cuts at NASA have some concerned those projects would have to be delayed. Martinez says he wants to find ways to make sure that doesn't happen.
Canada Needs a New Space Policy (Source: CDFAI)
In order to meet Canada's national security challenges in the 21st century, the government must develop and implement a truly independent national space policy and strategy and devote much greater attention and resources to space, says a new study released by the Canadian Defense & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI). "The economic and military significance of space services has grown dramatically over the last decade. Canadian policy remains relatively unchanged. Unless the government moves forward, Canada will have little influence on the manner in which existing and emerging crucial space security issues are managed."
The report details the evolution, current state and future direction of global space thinking, investment and activities and Canada's place therein. Space, or more accurately the hundreds of satellites on orbit providing a range of crucial services, has become part of the world's and Canada's critical economic infrastructure. It has also become a vital enabler of modern military, defence and security operations. In the future, space will become an independent environment of global competition and conflict. Canada's national security will require the nation to become a major contributor to the protection and defence of this critical infrastructure.
Small Business Organization Concerned About NASA Contracting (Source: ASBL)
A new Small Business Administration (SBA) policy set to take effect on Jun. 30 will allow NASA to continue to count contracts to Fortune 1000 firms towards their federally mandated 23 percent small business contracting goal. In 2006 NASA lost a federal lawsuit and was forced to disclose that it had included billions of dollars in contracts to many of the nation's largest defense and aerospace firms towards their small business contracting goal. Despite this finding, the new SBA policy will allow NASA to continue including awards to firms such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin in their small business contracting statistics until the year 2012.
The SBA was previously forced to shelve a grandfathering policy allowing this federal contracting practice, after receiving more than 6000 objections to the proposed policy. New SBA Administrator Steven Preston resurrected the unpopular grandfathering policy shortly after he was appointed to office, renaming it "five-year re-certification." The Senate is expected to propose legislation to remove Fortune 1000 firms and all large businesses from federal small business contracting programs before the end of 2007.
NASA Aims to Move Up Endeavour Launch (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is aiming to move up the planned launch of shuttle Endeavour to Aug. 7 and sistership Atlantis is headed for a weekend return to Kennedy Space Center. Now targeted for an Aug. 9 liftoff, the launch of Endeavour on an International Space Station construction mission will mark the orbiter's first post-Columbia flight. "That'll be Endeavour's first launch in five years," said KSC spokesman George Diller.
Armadillo Aerospace: Scaling Up for Modularized Spaceships (Source: Space News)
Since 2001 Armadillo Aerospace has made more than 100 rocket-powered test flights using three different propellant combinations and some 50 engines in a dozen vehicles. The company also has used various kinds of attitude control systems and several generations of electronics boxes to control their launch vehicles. Officials at the Texas-based company believe this step-by-step approach is helping them make significant inroads into computer-controlled, vertical-takeoff and vertical-landing technology that will lead to a new type of human suborbital - and eventually orbital - vehicles in the coming years.
The company's plan is to push forward on a new generation of reusable vehicles. These will be fashioned around mass-produced, modular, bolt-together units composed of dual, liquid oxygen/ethanol propellant tanks mounted on top of an engine. "In theory, we can bolt together as many as we need, whether it's 16 or 64 of them," Carmack said. The modular approach permits Armadillo Aerospace to scale both boosters and upper stages to handle any size payload that is necessary. He sees modularized propulsion systems as the scaleable foundation that takes the company through commercial operations and, eventually, all the way to orbit.
Dayton Laboratory Researches Effect of Small Debris on Space Vehicles (Source: AIA)
Researchers at the University of Dayton are shooting slugs into metal plates with the fastest light-gas gun in the world. They hope to simulate the impact of small chunks of space debris on space vehicles and other equipment. NASA tracks thousands of pieces of debris in space that are larger than a baseball, but research is needed into the effect of smaller, untracked particles, senior research engineer Kevin Poorman says.
French Firm a Leader in Civilian Rocket Market (Source: Wall Street Journal)
If American rocket makers stumble, French firm Arianespace is in line to provide civilian rockets to carry payloads into space. NASA administrator Michael Griffin likes the company's Ariane 5 rocket. Watching the rocket take off, Griffin said the launch system is "probably the best in the world, very smooth and very impressive."
Raytheon Protests Award of Contract to Rivals (Source: Reuters)
Raytheon has filed a protest with the government over its award of a cargo contract to a team of rival contractors. A team led by L-3 Communications Holdings won the contract to supply cargo aircraft over the next five years to the Army and Air Force (using Florida's Cecil Field as a location for the operations). "Raytheon filed a bid protest on Friday with the Government Accountability Office regarding the Joint Cargo Aircraft award announced June 13, 2007. We will have no further comment at this time," Raytheon said.
Squeeze on NASA Earth Science Budget Causing Alarm (Source: Congressional Quarterly)
A squeeze on funding for satellites to look down on the Earth’s environment at a time of growing need for research into the effects of climate change is creating alarm among scientists and on Capitol Hill. NASA is seeing its science budget shrink and its satellite Earth observation capacity endangered even as the agency’s overall mission grows. Since President Bush announced his Vision for Space Exploration, the administration has reduced future-year funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate by a total of $4 billion, according to a House panel. A two-year study released by the National Research Council found that NASA’s Earth science budget had declined 30 percent since 2000 and was threatened to fall even further.
IHMC CEO Appointed to NASA Advisory Council (Source: IHMC)
Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) CEO Dr. Ken Ford has been appointed to serve on the prestigious NASA Advisory Council. As member, Ford will join an elite cadre of 34 recognized experts from across the nation, including pioneering Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong, to advise NASA Administrator Michael Griffin on issues and policies important to NASA missions of exploration, science, and engineering.
Ford previously worked in senior positions at NASA Ames Research Center. In addition to the NASA Advisory Council, Ford also serves on the National Science Board, the Air Force Science Advisory Board, and was recently reappointed to serve on the board of Space Florida.
RpK Tells NASA It Will Get $500M in Financing by July (Source: Space News)
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK), one of two U.S. companies receiving financial assistance from NASA to build launchers capable of cheaply delivering cargo to the international space station, says it expects to have $500 million in private financing lined up by late July. RpK's disclosure follows NASA's acknowledgement that the Oklahoma City-based company missed a May 31 deadline for showing NASA that it had secured the rest of the money it needs to complete the K-1 reusable launcher and to demonstrate by 2010 that it is ready to make cargo runs to the space station.
Russia Assures ILS of Steady Supply of Proton Rockets (Source: Space News)
International Launch Services (ILS), the U.S.-based company that sells the Russian Proton-M rocket commercially, has received assurances by the Russian government and by Proton's builder that a steady production of six commercial rockets per year will be available. Nine months after ILS's reorganization following the exit of Lockheed Martin as majority shareholder, the company is benefiting from the reorganization of Russia's space-hardware sector.
Proton's prime contractor, the government-owned Khrunichev Space Center of Moscow, has been given broad new responsibilities and now has control over the full Proton production process. In particular, the Breeze-M upper-stage engine, which has caused ILS difficulties in the past, now is under Khrunichev control. Breeze-M engines, which used to require 60 days of production, now are produced in 45 days.
Investigation of Atlas 5 Launch Problem Begins (Source: Space News)
The Air Force and United Launch Alliance are reviewing telemetry and other data to determine the cause of the problem experienced during the June 15 launch of a classified payload aboard an Atlas 5 rocket. The Centaur upper-stage engine experienced "degraded performance" during the launch, but it was not considered a failure. The classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite still is expected to be able to perform its mission.
Bigelow Prepares for Launch of Genesis 2 (Source: Space News)
Bigelow Aerospace is expected to launch its next expandable space module, Genesis 2, some time the week of June 25. As the second privately built pathfinder spacecraft for Bigelow Aerospace, Genesis 2 will be placed into Earth orbit by a Dnepr rocket launched from the ISC Kosmotras Space and Missile Complex near Yasny, Russia.
Austrian Officials Release Suspected Russian Spy (Source: Space News)
Austrian authorities on June 21 released a senior Russian space agency (Roskosmos) official who had been detained 10 days earlier on suspicion of spying. Vladimir Vozhzhov was delivered to the Russian embassy premises and was expected to return to Moscow shortly. The official Roskosmos Web site identifies Vozhzhov as the deputy head of the agency's international cooperation department. He was in Vienna as part of the official Russian delegation to the 50th session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Cape's Delta 4 Launch Pad Repaired (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
With cracks on its launch pad freshly patched up, the giant Delta 4-Heavy rocket has returned to the oceanfront complex aiming for a middle-of-the-night blastoff in late August to haul a missile observation satellite into orbit for the U.S. Air Force. This version of the Delta 4 is the biggest unmanned rocket available in the U.S. inventory today.
June 24 News Items
Arianespace to Sign Contract For Rockets Valued at $3.5 Billion (Source: Wall Street Journal)
French rocket operator Arianespace has entered into an agreement with an estimated value of more than $3.5 billion to buy 35 launchers from its long-established prime contractor, the Astrium space unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. (EADS). Announced during the closing weekend of the international air show in Le Bourget, the five-year agreement underscores that Arianespace plans to continue ramping up its tempo launching heavy-lift Ariane 5 rockets from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Kennedy Space Center Now 'Storm Ready' (Source: CFNews13.com)
Kennedy Space Center has been declared "storm ready" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. KSC is the first government site in the state to earn the certification. The StormReady program is designed to reduce the number of injuries and property damage from severe storms. "You have the ability to provide warning to residents or workers or employees. You have the ability to educate them in terms of severe weather -- the impacts of severe weather -- and you have the facilities where people can ride out severe weather events," said Bob Lay. One thing KSC cannot protect is a space shuttle on a launch pad. Earlier this year, hail damaged the external fuel tank, which delayed launches. NASA said they have no way to make the shuttle more storm ready [aside from returning it to the VAB].
Boeing Orbital Express Achieves Another First (Source: Boeing)
Boeing announced that the Orbital Express system, a program to validate spacecraft servicing capability led by DARPA, has performed a fully-autonomous "fly-around and capture" of its NextSat client spacecraft, marking another industry first for the innovative program. During the five-hour test on June 16, Boeing's Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft used its onboard cameras and advanced video guidance system to separate from, circle and re-mate with the Ball Aerospace NextSat client spacecraft. The test primarily used passive sensors with no active exchange of relative navigation information or involvement by ground controllers.
Space Station's Lack of Back-Up Computers is Questioned (Source: New Scientist)
Even the all-purpose keyboard reboot command Ctrl-Alt-Delete would have failed to fix this computer glitch. Last week, six of the International Space Station's computers crashed at once, raising questions about the lack of any independent back-up. The German-made computers control the station's orientation and oxygen supply. By Sunday the computers were running again, though only thanks to some improvised rewiring. They will be replaced in July, but NASA engineers are investigating whether the ISS might also need back-up processors and software, similar to the space shuttle's last-resort computer, which runs its own separate programming. Meanwhile, European Space Agency officials are examining two computers of the same type that crashed, which are part of the agency's Columbus lab module, due to be flown up to the ISS later this year.
One Down, Three More Shuttle Missions To Go in 2007 (Source: USA Today)
The safe landing of space shuttle Atlantis paves the way for NASA to stick to an ambitious schedule for building the International Space Station this year. NASA plans three more shuttle missions in the remaining six months of 2007, which will require a flight rate that the agency hasn't achieved since 2002. Each flight is a complex and jam-packed mission to add to the station, which is just over halfway done. "If we don't get one of those gotchas, I feel pretty good about three more launches this year," said Michael Leinbach, shuttle launch director.
Spaceport America: We must Have Counties’ Support (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
State legislators were reassured Friday that it was in the best interest of two southern New Mexico counties to hike their gross receipts tax to help fund Spaceport America in southern Sierra County. The issue was raised by Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, a member of the Legislative Finance Committee. Spaceport officials intend to partially pay for the project with proceeds from gross receipts increases in three counties — Doña Ana, Otero and Sierra — totaling about $58 million. Voters in Doña Ana County narrowly passed its tax hike in April. Spaceport officials said at the time it would have been impossible to go forward with the project without support from Doña Ana County, which will account for about $49 million of the $58 million. Otero and Sierra have yet to set a date for their referendums. "As I recall, the issue was if this resolution here doesn't pass then we don't have a spaceport," Adair said, referring to the April election. "If it does pass, then we're good to go... What's the incentive for Otero and Sierra counties?"
Satellite Destruction Using Google Earth And Orbitron (Source: Information Week)
Researchers have used off-the-shelf software as part of an experiment to demonstrate the vulnerability of critical space infrastructure. After a brief stop by Wikipedia to brush up on China's destruction of its Feng Yun 1C weather satellite in January, you download Sebastian Stoff's Orbitron satellite tracking software and Google Earth, to make your attack easier to visualize. You pick a target. Why not Feng Yun 1D, since the Chinese don't appear to care much for their weather satellites? You plot the satellite's position ten minutes hence using your computer and you feed the predicted latitude, longitude, and altitude to your hidden launch pad control center. Using literature that's been available since the 1960s, you -- or your launch control staff, if you've got the requisite payroll of a Bond villain or an international terrorist cabal -- compute the amount of fuel needed to get your one-stage rocket and its warhead to the satellite's future position.
You plot a "solution" or flight plan that takes into account the liftoff phase, the controlled orbit insertion phase, and the ballistic fall onto the target. You double check your math, because you've got a small chunk of change invested in this scheme. Lacking the standard red launch button, you settle for clicking the "Destroy Satellite" dialog box (you had to code this yourself). Your computer dutifully asks for confirmation: "Are you sure you want to Destroy Satellite? This operation cannot be undone ." This, more or less, is what Adrian Gheorghe, Professor of Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia, and Dan Vamanu, a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering in Bucharest, Romania, did as an experiment to demonstrate the vulnerability of critical space infrastructure.
ESA and CNES Sign Assistance Contracts for Ariane (Source: ESA)
ESA and the French National Space Agency (Centre National d'Études Spatiales – CNES) signed two contracts covering the provision of assistance to ESA by CNES for parts of the Ariane launcher program. A reorganization of the European launcher sector establishes "Astrium Space Transportation" as the sole Prime Contractor for both development and production of Ariane launch vehicles. Meanwhile, there will be direct ESA management of all new ESA-funded Ariane programs while making use of the existing knowledge and experience within CNES. Prior to this change, ESA delegated the management of the Ariane Program to CNES.
Moon Jobs May Crater (Source: Rutgers University)
Think your job is tough? In the not-too-distant future, some jobs will challenge workers placed far, far away from it all. On the moon, in fact. According to an associate professor at Rutgers, the lunar settlements of tomorrow – or, for that matter, the space stations of today – carry long-term implications for the mental health of employees working in isolation for extended periods. Depression and anxiety will reach new levels among those employees, creating mental and cardiovascular health problems as well as a sharp decline in productivity. Existing research already finds that workers in earthbound, quasi-isolated work environments, such as remote Australian mining towns or Antarctic stations, experience higher levels of depression. Just imagine what might happen if those workers were placed in the extreme isolation of a lunar environment, where interaction with their coworkers may determine their very survival.
Russian Space Agency Signs Contracts for Soyuz Launches from Kourou (Source: Roscosmos)
Roscosmos has signed a contract for four launches of European satellites from Kourou (French Guiana). The first launch is scheduled for 2009.
Air Force Orders Additional SBIRS Satellites (Source: Launchspace)
The Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Program Office intends to issue a contract for the production of one additional SBIRS Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite (GEO 3) and two additional Highly Elliptical Orbit payloads (HEO 3 and 4), according to Air Force documents released Thursday. The SBIRS program office anticipates releasing the sole source Request For Proposal next month to Lockheed Martin with a contract award in January 2008. In related news, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems a $6.4 million contract modification to continue work on the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) program.
From Special Ed To NASA (Source: Philadelphia Inquirer)
On the JSC door labeled "Trajectory Operations and Planning" is the name of Jarmaine Ollivierre. The talk inside is of vector propagation - predicting with pinpoint accuracy where the International Space Station will be in the next minute, the next day, the next week as it rounds Earth at five miles per second. Anticipating the precise course so it can be tweaked to avert a big bang isn't easy, Ollivierre said. For a young aerospace engineer, it's heaven. Ollivierre, 31, is one of Say Yes to Education's stellar successes: the former special education student at Belmont Elementary now holds a bachelor's in aeronautical engineering and another in physics from Tuskegee University, and a master's in technical management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Group Battles for Florida's Place in Space (Source: Florida Today)
The clock is counting down to the mothballing of the space shuttle in 2010, but Florida's efforts to save 5,000 Kennedy Space Center jobs have been on hold. Space Florida, the quasi-governmental agency in charge of recruiting new aerospace business, hadn't convened a board meeting since January while it waited for Gov. Charlie Crist to appoint new members, which he did Friday. "We don't want to rush these appointments," Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, Crist's point man on space, said Thursday. "We're being deliberative."
Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said Florida's space recruitment efforts have been so frustratingly slow and bureaucratic, it might be a good thing that the board was unable to meet. "We're in an economic war with these other states and we're yielding to them," he said. Space Coast lawmaker Bob Allen fought Gov. Jeb Bush's reorganization of space recruiting efforts that resulted in the creation of Space Florida, but remains on the board. He said Florida is not being aggressive enough, and says the 2006 Florida Space Act requires Space Florida to conduct too many studies while states like Alabama, Colorado and California move ahead with aggressive recruiting. "I don't need another study to tell me that it's tough doing business with the Air Force and the Department of Defense," he said.
In an interview from the Paris Air Show, Space Florida President Steve Kohler insisted the lack of a board quorum before Friday hadn't stopped his recruiting efforts. Kohler said he was still able to have "progressive" meetings with industry representatives at the prestigious trade show, but he didn't want to tip off competitors by giving any details. "We're not being held back, we're moving forward," he said. Space Florida recently announced a deal for SpaceX of El Segundo, Calif., to launch Falcon 9 rockets from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Kohler is also working to hammer out an agreement with NASA to harness the massive Shuttle Landing Facility for commercial use. Kohler said he's not giving up on Richard Branson, and that the Shuttle Landing Facility's proximity to Disney World and other attractions still makes it a viable option for space tourism.
Albuquerque Business to Offer Drinks from Space (Source: Albuquerque Tribune)
It came from outer space. Tiny microorganisms that flew through space and survived harsh temperature fluctuations and microgravity could soon be invading your beer 'fridge. Rich Glover, president of Microgravity Enterprises of Albuquerque, shot the little creatures - OK, they're yeast cells - 75 miles into the sky on a rocket at the New Mexico SpacePort in April. The yeast-ronauts' mission? To make it home alive so they can ferment sugar in the first commercial "space beer." Microgravity Enterprises' space drinks will be available to the public starting in July. Space 2 O, an electrolyte water, is set for release July 1. Antimatter, an energy drink, is set for release July 15. And Comet Tail Ale, a space beer, should be available in late July or early August.
French rocket operator Arianespace has entered into an agreement with an estimated value of more than $3.5 billion to buy 35 launchers from its long-established prime contractor, the Astrium space unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. (EADS). Announced during the closing weekend of the international air show in Le Bourget, the five-year agreement underscores that Arianespace plans to continue ramping up its tempo launching heavy-lift Ariane 5 rockets from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Kennedy Space Center Now 'Storm Ready' (Source: CFNews13.com)
Kennedy Space Center has been declared "storm ready" by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. KSC is the first government site in the state to earn the certification. The StormReady program is designed to reduce the number of injuries and property damage from severe storms. "You have the ability to provide warning to residents or workers or employees. You have the ability to educate them in terms of severe weather -- the impacts of severe weather -- and you have the facilities where people can ride out severe weather events," said Bob Lay. One thing KSC cannot protect is a space shuttle on a launch pad. Earlier this year, hail damaged the external fuel tank, which delayed launches. NASA said they have no way to make the shuttle more storm ready [aside from returning it to the VAB].
Boeing Orbital Express Achieves Another First (Source: Boeing)
Boeing announced that the Orbital Express system, a program to validate spacecraft servicing capability led by DARPA, has performed a fully-autonomous "fly-around and capture" of its NextSat client spacecraft, marking another industry first for the innovative program. During the five-hour test on June 16, Boeing's Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations (ASTRO) servicing spacecraft used its onboard cameras and advanced video guidance system to separate from, circle and re-mate with the Ball Aerospace NextSat client spacecraft. The test primarily used passive sensors with no active exchange of relative navigation information or involvement by ground controllers.
Space Station's Lack of Back-Up Computers is Questioned (Source: New Scientist)
Even the all-purpose keyboard reboot command Ctrl-Alt-Delete would have failed to fix this computer glitch. Last week, six of the International Space Station's computers crashed at once, raising questions about the lack of any independent back-up. The German-made computers control the station's orientation and oxygen supply. By Sunday the computers were running again, though only thanks to some improvised rewiring. They will be replaced in July, but NASA engineers are investigating whether the ISS might also need back-up processors and software, similar to the space shuttle's last-resort computer, which runs its own separate programming. Meanwhile, European Space Agency officials are examining two computers of the same type that crashed, which are part of the agency's Columbus lab module, due to be flown up to the ISS later this year.
One Down, Three More Shuttle Missions To Go in 2007 (Source: USA Today)
The safe landing of space shuttle Atlantis paves the way for NASA to stick to an ambitious schedule for building the International Space Station this year. NASA plans three more shuttle missions in the remaining six months of 2007, which will require a flight rate that the agency hasn't achieved since 2002. Each flight is a complex and jam-packed mission to add to the station, which is just over halfway done. "If we don't get one of those gotchas, I feel pretty good about three more launches this year," said Michael Leinbach, shuttle launch director.
Spaceport America: We must Have Counties’ Support (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
State legislators were reassured Friday that it was in the best interest of two southern New Mexico counties to hike their gross receipts tax to help fund Spaceport America in southern Sierra County. The issue was raised by Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, a member of the Legislative Finance Committee. Spaceport officials intend to partially pay for the project with proceeds from gross receipts increases in three counties — Doña Ana, Otero and Sierra — totaling about $58 million. Voters in Doña Ana County narrowly passed its tax hike in April. Spaceport officials said at the time it would have been impossible to go forward with the project without support from Doña Ana County, which will account for about $49 million of the $58 million. Otero and Sierra have yet to set a date for their referendums. "As I recall, the issue was if this resolution here doesn't pass then we don't have a spaceport," Adair said, referring to the April election. "If it does pass, then we're good to go... What's the incentive for Otero and Sierra counties?"
Satellite Destruction Using Google Earth And Orbitron (Source: Information Week)
Researchers have used off-the-shelf software as part of an experiment to demonstrate the vulnerability of critical space infrastructure. After a brief stop by Wikipedia to brush up on China's destruction of its Feng Yun 1C weather satellite in January, you download Sebastian Stoff's Orbitron satellite tracking software and Google Earth, to make your attack easier to visualize. You pick a target. Why not Feng Yun 1D, since the Chinese don't appear to care much for their weather satellites? You plot the satellite's position ten minutes hence using your computer and you feed the predicted latitude, longitude, and altitude to your hidden launch pad control center. Using literature that's been available since the 1960s, you -- or your launch control staff, if you've got the requisite payroll of a Bond villain or an international terrorist cabal -- compute the amount of fuel needed to get your one-stage rocket and its warhead to the satellite's future position.
You plot a "solution" or flight plan that takes into account the liftoff phase, the controlled orbit insertion phase, and the ballistic fall onto the target. You double check your math, because you've got a small chunk of change invested in this scheme. Lacking the standard red launch button, you settle for clicking the "Destroy Satellite" dialog box (you had to code this yourself). Your computer dutifully asks for confirmation: "Are you sure you want to Destroy Satellite? This operation cannot be undone ." This, more or less, is what Adrian Gheorghe, Professor of Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia, and Dan Vamanu, a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering in Bucharest, Romania, did as an experiment to demonstrate the vulnerability of critical space infrastructure.
ESA and CNES Sign Assistance Contracts for Ariane (Source: ESA)
ESA and the French National Space Agency (Centre National d'Études Spatiales – CNES) signed two contracts covering the provision of assistance to ESA by CNES for parts of the Ariane launcher program. A reorganization of the European launcher sector establishes "Astrium Space Transportation" as the sole Prime Contractor for both development and production of Ariane launch vehicles. Meanwhile, there will be direct ESA management of all new ESA-funded Ariane programs while making use of the existing knowledge and experience within CNES. Prior to this change, ESA delegated the management of the Ariane Program to CNES.
Moon Jobs May Crater (Source: Rutgers University)
Think your job is tough? In the not-too-distant future, some jobs will challenge workers placed far, far away from it all. On the moon, in fact. According to an associate professor at Rutgers, the lunar settlements of tomorrow – or, for that matter, the space stations of today – carry long-term implications for the mental health of employees working in isolation for extended periods. Depression and anxiety will reach new levels among those employees, creating mental and cardiovascular health problems as well as a sharp decline in productivity. Existing research already finds that workers in earthbound, quasi-isolated work environments, such as remote Australian mining towns or Antarctic stations, experience higher levels of depression. Just imagine what might happen if those workers were placed in the extreme isolation of a lunar environment, where interaction with their coworkers may determine their very survival.
Russian Space Agency Signs Contracts for Soyuz Launches from Kourou (Source: Roscosmos)
Roscosmos has signed a contract for four launches of European satellites from Kourou (French Guiana). The first launch is scheduled for 2009.
Air Force Orders Additional SBIRS Satellites (Source: Launchspace)
The Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Program Office intends to issue a contract for the production of one additional SBIRS Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite (GEO 3) and two additional Highly Elliptical Orbit payloads (HEO 3 and 4), according to Air Force documents released Thursday. The SBIRS program office anticipates releasing the sole source Request For Proposal next month to Lockheed Martin with a contract award in January 2008. In related news, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems a $6.4 million contract modification to continue work on the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) program.
From Special Ed To NASA (Source: Philadelphia Inquirer)
On the JSC door labeled "Trajectory Operations and Planning" is the name of Jarmaine Ollivierre. The talk inside is of vector propagation - predicting with pinpoint accuracy where the International Space Station will be in the next minute, the next day, the next week as it rounds Earth at five miles per second. Anticipating the precise course so it can be tweaked to avert a big bang isn't easy, Ollivierre said. For a young aerospace engineer, it's heaven. Ollivierre, 31, is one of Say Yes to Education's stellar successes: the former special education student at Belmont Elementary now holds a bachelor's in aeronautical engineering and another in physics from Tuskegee University, and a master's in technical management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Group Battles for Florida's Place in Space (Source: Florida Today)
The clock is counting down to the mothballing of the space shuttle in 2010, but Florida's efforts to save 5,000 Kennedy Space Center jobs have been on hold. Space Florida, the quasi-governmental agency in charge of recruiting new aerospace business, hadn't convened a board meeting since January while it waited for Gov. Charlie Crist to appoint new members, which he did Friday. "We don't want to rush these appointments," Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, Crist's point man on space, said Thursday. "We're being deliberative."
Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said Florida's space recruitment efforts have been so frustratingly slow and bureaucratic, it might be a good thing that the board was unable to meet. "We're in an economic war with these other states and we're yielding to them," he said. Space Coast lawmaker Bob Allen fought Gov. Jeb Bush's reorganization of space recruiting efforts that resulted in the creation of Space Florida, but remains on the board. He said Florida is not being aggressive enough, and says the 2006 Florida Space Act requires Space Florida to conduct too many studies while states like Alabama, Colorado and California move ahead with aggressive recruiting. "I don't need another study to tell me that it's tough doing business with the Air Force and the Department of Defense," he said.
In an interview from the Paris Air Show, Space Florida President Steve Kohler insisted the lack of a board quorum before Friday hadn't stopped his recruiting efforts. Kohler said he was still able to have "progressive" meetings with industry representatives at the prestigious trade show, but he didn't want to tip off competitors by giving any details. "We're not being held back, we're moving forward," he said. Space Florida recently announced a deal for SpaceX of El Segundo, Calif., to launch Falcon 9 rockets from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Kohler is also working to hammer out an agreement with NASA to harness the massive Shuttle Landing Facility for commercial use. Kohler said he's not giving up on Richard Branson, and that the Shuttle Landing Facility's proximity to Disney World and other attractions still makes it a viable option for space tourism.
Albuquerque Business to Offer Drinks from Space (Source: Albuquerque Tribune)
It came from outer space. Tiny microorganisms that flew through space and survived harsh temperature fluctuations and microgravity could soon be invading your beer 'fridge. Rich Glover, president of Microgravity Enterprises of Albuquerque, shot the little creatures - OK, they're yeast cells - 75 miles into the sky on a rocket at the New Mexico SpacePort in April. The yeast-ronauts' mission? To make it home alive so they can ferment sugar in the first commercial "space beer." Microgravity Enterprises' space drinks will be available to the public starting in July. Space 2 O, an electrolyte water, is set for release July 1. Antimatter, an energy drink, is set for release July 15. And Comet Tail Ale, a space beer, should be available in late July or early August.
June 22 News Items
Atlantis Lands in California (Source: Florida Today)
Commander Rick Sturckow has guided the space shuttle Atlantis to a perfect touchdown at the Edwards Air Force Base in California. Atlantis completed a 5.8 million mile journey that saw its crew of seven astronauts add a new set of solar arrays to the International Space Station. The crew also delivered a new permanent resident to the space station and brought home record-breaking station resident Sunita Williams. Landing attempts at Kennedy Space Center were called off due to overcast skies.
Gov. Crist Appoints Four to Space Florida Board (Source: EOG)
Gov. Charlie Crist has appointed four Floridians to serve on the board of directors of Space Florida. They include Kenneth Ford of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; Gary Spulak of Embraer; Kenneth Haiko of Packaging Corporation of America; and Ravindra Mehta of Mehta Engineering.
Do It Yourself Anti-Satellite System? Military And Civilian Satellites Need Protection (Source: Science Daily)
Satellite tracking software freely available on the Internet and some textbook physics could be used by any organization that can get hold of an intermediate range rocket to mount an unsophisticated attack on military or civilian satellites. Such an attack would require modest engineering capability and only a limited budget. That is according to a team of researchers writing in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructures. Military satellites, global positioning systems, weather satellites and even satellite TV systems could all become victims of such an attack.
The team's findings suggest that dozens of systems on which military and civilian activities depend make near-space a vulnerable environment. The team used a so-called "mathematical game" and textbook physics equations for ballistics to help them build a computer model to demonstrate that anti-satellite weaponry is a real possibility. Accuracy and elegance are not issues in carrying out a satellite attack, the researchers say, as long as the projectile hits the satellite. "While it may be true that, when it comes to nuts and bolts, things may not be quite as simple as they sound here, the bare fact remains - it can be done." Their conclusions suggest that the risk of deliberate satellite sabotage should be placed higher on the security agenda.
Government Wants to Sack Energia Space Corp. Head (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian space industry source said the government is set to seek the resignation of the president of the country's head rocket and space enterprise, Energia. State-controlled Energia designs Soyuz piloted spaceships and Progress carrier rockets, launches communications satellites, and operates the Russian segment of the International Space Station. Energia President Sevastyanov unexpectedly left the Le Bourget air space show in France Wednesday for Moscow along with Energia's delegation. During his tenure, Sevastyanov has not been on good terms with the Federal Space Agency, a government regulator in the space industry. The Energia head has been repeatedly criticized primarily for his daring projects on Moon exploration, which the agency called lunacy and looked to restrict Sevastyanov's powers. The Energia board has moved to suspend Sevastyanov's powers.
Arianespace to Launch Insat 4G for India (Source: Arianespace)
The Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, has once again chosen Arianespace, this time to launch its Insat 4G communications satellite. Three months after Ariane 5 successfully orbited the Insat 4B satellite, the organizations announced their plans to launch the new satellite at the end of 2008 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites to date.
India Space Costs Well Below Europe and U.S. (Source: The Hindu)
The satellite launching fee charged by ISRO will come down drastically once the country set up the GSLV rocket launching pads, a top government official said. An Indian official said France per-kilogram launch charges are $21,000 by Europe, $25,000 by the U.S., and $14,000 by India. "This is due to the high technical capabilities of Indian scientists.", he said. This efficiency was achieved despite the fact that the Indian government spent only two percent of its revenue on space, compared to 11 percent by the U.S. and nine percent by European countries. India was also the cheapest for building the satellites, he said, adding that for building a 35 MH satellite, European countries spend between $1.8 million to $2.4 million, while Indian scientists could do the job for one million dollars.
Education Experts Testify on Usefulness of NASA and Other Federal STEM Support (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Education experts from around the country described their interactions with federal agencies, including NASA, at recent Congressional hearings. They discussed the effectiveness and appropriateness of resources and assistance provided by those agencies. The witnesses recounted with enthusiasm many formal and informal educational collaborations with the agencies, such as ask-a-scientist online discussions, teacher summer institutes, films, workshops, etc. However, they pointed out that while the agencies have a substantial amount of content knowledge, they do not have expertise in pedagogy, classroom practice, curriculum materials, or teacher professional development.
The "two major assets" that other R&D agencies can bring to K-12 education are their STEM workforce and their facilities, said Michael Lach, Director of Mathematics and Science for the Chicago Public Schools. He added that agency-developed curricula and lesson plans were frequently not helpful, especially if they were not easily adaptable to local concerns and state standards. The testimony of George Nelson, former astronaut and Director of STEM Education at Western Washington University, echoed this comment: "There is a huge inventory of poorly designed and under-evaluated mission-related curricula [that is] rarely used in classrooms and with no natural home in a coherent standards-based curriculum."
Iris Weiss noted that such materials "may add to the incoherence" of the educational system. "Some teachers can pull together...materials and organize them into a coherent curriculum," she said, but most "have neither the time nor the capacity," and critical prerequisites may be neglected. She testified that more stringent criteria should exist for agency education programs: Do they target priority areas for K-12 education? Do they have the capacity to address those needs effectively and to evaluate the impacts? Do their efforts reach a large number of teachers or students? Questioned about a recent report which found that few federal education programs have been rigorously evaluated, Weiss agreed,"there is no question we need to be doing a more rigorous job of evaluating programs." However, she noted that some types of evaluation, such as randomized controlled trials, might sound good in theory but were not necessarily practical in the real world of the classroom.
The witnesses suggested that the most appropriate roles for federal mission agencies might be workforce preparation in the form of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral support and experiences; the provision of data to be used in curriculum development; and opportunities for teachers, students and parents to be exposed to scientists and the conduct of science in informal settings. Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) declared that "Congress must authorize adequate evaluation capacity" for federal STEM education programs. They indicated that they would be looking to an inter-agency National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) committee to track, coordinate, prioritize, and review K-12 STEM education programs across the government.
NASA Ames Selects Florida Firm for Training Support (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA/ARC has selected Honourcode of Cantonment, Florida, to provide technical, programmatic and high performance expertise in applied systems engineering. Honourcode will provide a 4-day Applied Systems Engineering workshop for The Ames Project Excellence (APEX) Development Program, and 20 hours of expert technical assistance and consultation focused on software project management and systems engineering (appropriate for and relevant to NASA flight programs and projects).
NRO Shortfall May Delay ULA Missions (Source: Aerospace Daily)
The June 15 shortfall of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle with a pair of classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) ocean surveillance spacecraft onboard may delay upcoming military missions by the Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture. Among them could be the first Boeing-built Wideband Gapfiller System (WGS) satellite, designed to begin replacing the aging Defense Satellite Communications Spacecraft (DSCS) constellation. The Atlas V's Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL-10 engine in its Centaur upper stage shut down early, leaving the NRO L-30 payloads in slightly lower altitudes and inclinations than desired.
Spacehab Gets $35M NASA Astrotech Contract (Source: AP)
Spacehab was awarded a $35 million contract to support spacecraft processing requirements for several upcoming NASA missions. Spacehab shares jumped 10 cents, to 74 cents. The stock has traded between 41 cents and $1.35 during the past 52 weeks. The NASA award is a major contract for Spacehab, which brought in $50.7 million in revenue from operations in fiscal 2006. The contract was awarded to Spacehab's Astrotech Space Operations division. The work will take place at Vandenberg Air Force Base at the Western Range in California.
Spacehab Signs Agreement with NASA for Commercial Transportation Spacecraft (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the Company's development of a commercial transportation system capable of ferrying pre-manufactured cargo and manufacturing equipment to low-Earth orbit. Execution of this agreement allows Spacehab to develop a highly reliable, low risk, up-mass alternative system for cargo delivery to space and complements its recently announced plans to manufacture biomedical and advanced materials on the International Space Station (ISS).
Eureka! Is life on Europa? (Source: Cincinnati Enquirer)
'Follow the Water." That is NASA's motto for the future of the space program. Where there is water, there could be life. And the discovery of life outside Earth could be the biggest story of the 21st century. Mars is a good place to look, but astronomers believe Europa, a tiny moon of Jupiter - one of its 63 known moons - may harbor more water than all of the oceans on Earth. Although not in the budget this year, NASA would like to send an orbiter to confirm the amount of water on Europa. (Since no plans have been finalized nor money allocated, this mission could be years in the future). Then NASA would fly a craft to drill through the ice (about 2 miles thick) and deposit a small remote-controlled submarine into the depths. This "hydrobot" would swim around with cameras and other sensors to see what lurks below.
Shipman Arrives with Former Astronaut, Gives Deposition (Source: Florida Today)
It took 90 minutes for Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman to tell her side of the love triangle in the case of former astronaut Lisa Nowak’s alleged attempt to kidnap her in February from an Orlando International Airport parking lot. Shipman and former astronaut Bill Oefelein left the King Reporting Office in Suntree holding hands and smiling. Neither made any comments as they got into attorney Kepler Funk’s black Porsche SUV. Nowak told police she drove from Houston to Orlando to talk with Shipman about their mutual love interest, former shuttle pilot Oefelein. Nowak carried with her a duffle bag filled with a BB pistol, wig, trenchcoat, hat, knife, steel mallet, surgical rubber tubing and black plastic garbage bags. Nowak is charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and attempted vehicle burglary with a battery.
Spy Chief Scraps Stealth Satellite Program (Source: MSNBC)
Spy chief Mike McConnell has junked a multibillion-dollar spy satellite program that engineers hoped would someday pass undetected through the space above other nations. The move from the director of national intelligence comes after several years of congressional efforts to kill the program, known publicly as the next generation of “Misty” satellites. The new satellite was to be a stealthy intelligence spacecraft designed to take pictures of adversaries and avoid detection. Little is known about the nation’s classified network of satellites, which represent some of the most expensive government programs and receive almost no public oversight. Because of their multibillion-dollar price tags, sensitive missions and lengthy development schedules, spy agencies go to great pains to keep details from becoming public.
Arianespace to Launch THOR 6 Satellite (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace will launch the THOR 6 satellite for Telenor into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) in the middle of 2009, aboard an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This is Arianespace’s first contract with Telenor Satellite Broadcasting. Built by Thales Alenia Space, THOR 6 will weigh about 3,000 kg at launch. It will provide direct-to-home (DTH) television services for the Nordic countries and Central Europe. It’s design life is about 15 years.
Arianespace to Launch Pan-African Satellite Rascom 1 (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace will launch the Rascom-1 satellite for Thales Alenia Space. Rascom 1 is scheduled for a launch into geostationary transfer orbit in the last quarter of 2007. It will be launched by an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Rascom 1 will provide at least 15 years of telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa, as well as domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access.
NASA Readies Florida, California for Shuttle Landing (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA prepared landing sites in Florida and California for the Atlantis astronauts' return to Earth on Friday after stormy weather at Kennedy Space Center kept them from touching down Thursday. Friday's forecast at Kennedy, on the Atlantic coast of central Florida, included more storms. Better weather was expected at Edwards Air Force Base, northeast of Los Angeles, though high winds could be a factor late in the day. To raise Friday's odds of returning to Earth, astronauts elevated their altitude slightly, a move that increases the number of landing opportunities at both sites from four to five.
NASA Authorizes Contract for Ares I Materials (Source: NASA)
NASA has authorized a contract with a maximum value of $16.7 million with Alcoa North American Rolled Products to supply aluminum lithium plates and metal ingots for early development of the Ares I crew launch vehicles upper stage. The firm fixed-price contract has a period of performance through Aug. 5, 2008.
Spacehab Signs Agreement with NASA for Commercial Transportation Spacecraft (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the Company's development of a commercial transportation system capable of ferrying pre-manufactured cargo and manufacturing equipment to low-Earth orbit. Execution of this agreement allows Spacehab to develop a highly reliable, low risk, up-mass alternative system for cargo delivery to space and complements its recently announced plans to manufacture biomedical and advanced materials on the International Space Station (ISS).
ESA Launches New Program for Air Traffic Management Via Satellite (Source: ESA)
Pilots and flight controllers will benefit from exchanging data and communicating via satellite and terrestrial systems in the future Single European Sky. This is the aim of a new program set in motion by ESA Member States. The Single European Sky was launched by the European Commission (EC) in 2004, proposing a new approach to air traffic management in Europe that would unlock viable growth in air transport. The EC has set up a specific program, Single European Sky Air traffic management Research (SESAR), addressing administrative, operational and technical concepts for communication, navigation and surveillance for air traffic safety. Within this wide scope, satellites have the opportunity to demonstrate their potential for safety-of-life communications.
Chairmen: President’s Lack of Willingness to Discuss NASA Budget ‘Deeply Disappointing’ (Source: House of Reps)
House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO), and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson (D-TX) today issued the following statement in response to the Administration’s letter rejecting their request for a meeting of Members of Congress with President Bush to discuss NASA’s budgetary situation: “We are deeply disappointed that the President has decided not to seize the opportunity to meet with Members of Congress to discuss how best to ensure that NASA will have the resources needed to carry out a balanced and robust program of science, aeronautics, and human space flight and exploration initiatives.”
“We intend to work with NASA supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress to try to give NASA the resources it will need to carry out the tasks that the nation has asked it to undertake. However, the President’s disengagement will make that effort immeasurably more difficult.” Chairmen Gordon, Udall and Lampson have spent considerable time during the past several months fighting for more NASA funding, including Rep. Lampson personally arranging for Administrator Griffin to meet with Chairman Obey on the House Appropriations Committee, and with other key Members.
Nine Teams to Compete in Lunar Lander Contest (Source: New Scientist)
Competition between prototype lunar landers is heating up, with nine teams planning to compete in the NASA-sponsored Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. The $2 million prize competition is designed to spur innovation for future vehicles that could take off and land vertically on the Moon. The event will be held on Oct. 27-28 in New Mexico. The "Level 1" winning vehicle must rise at least 50 meters, hover for 90 seconds, then land on a concrete pad 100 metres away, before making a similar flight back to the launch pad. A "Level 2 test" requires a hovering time of 180 seconds, and the vehicle has to land on an uneven surface that simulates the Moon. Click here to view the article.
Space Summit Idea Gets 'Tepid' Response (Source: Aviation Week)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski has received what she calls a "tepid" response to her request that President Bush convene a bipartisan summit with lawmakers to discuss the future of the U.S. space program. The administration's letter to Mikulski (D-Md.), signed by outgoing Office of Management and Budget Director Robert Portman and White House Science Adviser John Marburger, does not address the summit idea directly, instead inviting Mikulski to meet with Portman, Marburger and NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. "While I appreciate the response ... I regret the president did not address this invitation himself," Mikulski, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, said in a June 20 statement. "I will continue to seek a new dialogue with the president. Only through the active cooperation of the White House and the Congress can we have a healthy, robust and balanced space program."
Mikulski's summit request, made in April, also was signed by Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), Commerce Science and Space Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), and 13 House members. The letter calls for "a national commitment to our space program to put it on a path for success." According to the White House response..."While some difficult choices have been required in recent years, we believe NASA remains generally well-positioned to carry out a balanced civil space effort and to maintain the nation's leadership in this sector."
Commander Rick Sturckow has guided the space shuttle Atlantis to a perfect touchdown at the Edwards Air Force Base in California. Atlantis completed a 5.8 million mile journey that saw its crew of seven astronauts add a new set of solar arrays to the International Space Station. The crew also delivered a new permanent resident to the space station and brought home record-breaking station resident Sunita Williams. Landing attempts at Kennedy Space Center were called off due to overcast skies.
Gov. Crist Appoints Four to Space Florida Board (Source: EOG)
Gov. Charlie Crist has appointed four Floridians to serve on the board of directors of Space Florida. They include Kenneth Ford of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; Gary Spulak of Embraer; Kenneth Haiko of Packaging Corporation of America; and Ravindra Mehta of Mehta Engineering.
Do It Yourself Anti-Satellite System? Military And Civilian Satellites Need Protection (Source: Science Daily)
Satellite tracking software freely available on the Internet and some textbook physics could be used by any organization that can get hold of an intermediate range rocket to mount an unsophisticated attack on military or civilian satellites. Such an attack would require modest engineering capability and only a limited budget. That is according to a team of researchers writing in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructures. Military satellites, global positioning systems, weather satellites and even satellite TV systems could all become victims of such an attack.
The team's findings suggest that dozens of systems on which military and civilian activities depend make near-space a vulnerable environment. The team used a so-called "mathematical game" and textbook physics equations for ballistics to help them build a computer model to demonstrate that anti-satellite weaponry is a real possibility. Accuracy and elegance are not issues in carrying out a satellite attack, the researchers say, as long as the projectile hits the satellite. "While it may be true that, when it comes to nuts and bolts, things may not be quite as simple as they sound here, the bare fact remains - it can be done." Their conclusions suggest that the risk of deliberate satellite sabotage should be placed higher on the security agenda.
Government Wants to Sack Energia Space Corp. Head (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian space industry source said the government is set to seek the resignation of the president of the country's head rocket and space enterprise, Energia. State-controlled Energia designs Soyuz piloted spaceships and Progress carrier rockets, launches communications satellites, and operates the Russian segment of the International Space Station. Energia President Sevastyanov unexpectedly left the Le Bourget air space show in France Wednesday for Moscow along with Energia's delegation. During his tenure, Sevastyanov has not been on good terms with the Federal Space Agency, a government regulator in the space industry. The Energia head has been repeatedly criticized primarily for his daring projects on Moon exploration, which the agency called lunacy and looked to restrict Sevastyanov's powers. The Energia board has moved to suspend Sevastyanov's powers.
Arianespace to Launch Insat 4G for India (Source: Arianespace)
The Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, has once again chosen Arianespace, this time to launch its Insat 4G communications satellite. Three months after Ariane 5 successfully orbited the Insat 4B satellite, the organizations announced their plans to launch the new satellite at the end of 2008 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Arianespace has orbited 13 Indian satellites to date.
India Space Costs Well Below Europe and U.S. (Source: The Hindu)
The satellite launching fee charged by ISRO will come down drastically once the country set up the GSLV rocket launching pads, a top government official said. An Indian official said France per-kilogram launch charges are $21,000 by Europe, $25,000 by the U.S., and $14,000 by India. "This is due to the high technical capabilities of Indian scientists.", he said. This efficiency was achieved despite the fact that the Indian government spent only two percent of its revenue on space, compared to 11 percent by the U.S. and nine percent by European countries. India was also the cheapest for building the satellites, he said, adding that for building a 35 MH satellite, European countries spend between $1.8 million to $2.4 million, while Indian scientists could do the job for one million dollars.
Education Experts Testify on Usefulness of NASA and Other Federal STEM Support (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Education experts from around the country described their interactions with federal agencies, including NASA, at recent Congressional hearings. They discussed the effectiveness and appropriateness of resources and assistance provided by those agencies. The witnesses recounted with enthusiasm many formal and informal educational collaborations with the agencies, such as ask-a-scientist online discussions, teacher summer institutes, films, workshops, etc. However, they pointed out that while the agencies have a substantial amount of content knowledge, they do not have expertise in pedagogy, classroom practice, curriculum materials, or teacher professional development.
The "two major assets" that other R&D agencies can bring to K-12 education are their STEM workforce and their facilities, said Michael Lach, Director of Mathematics and Science for the Chicago Public Schools. He added that agency-developed curricula and lesson plans were frequently not helpful, especially if they were not easily adaptable to local concerns and state standards. The testimony of George Nelson, former astronaut and Director of STEM Education at Western Washington University, echoed this comment: "There is a huge inventory of poorly designed and under-evaluated mission-related curricula [that is] rarely used in classrooms and with no natural home in a coherent standards-based curriculum."
Iris Weiss noted that such materials "may add to the incoherence" of the educational system. "Some teachers can pull together...materials and organize them into a coherent curriculum," she said, but most "have neither the time nor the capacity," and critical prerequisites may be neglected. She testified that more stringent criteria should exist for agency education programs: Do they target priority areas for K-12 education? Do they have the capacity to address those needs effectively and to evaluate the impacts? Do their efforts reach a large number of teachers or students? Questioned about a recent report which found that few federal education programs have been rigorously evaluated, Weiss agreed,"there is no question we need to be doing a more rigorous job of evaluating programs." However, she noted that some types of evaluation, such as randomized controlled trials, might sound good in theory but were not necessarily practical in the real world of the classroom.
The witnesses suggested that the most appropriate roles for federal mission agencies might be workforce preparation in the form of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral support and experiences; the provision of data to be used in curriculum development; and opportunities for teachers, students and parents to be exposed to scientists and the conduct of science in informal settings. Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) declared that "Congress must authorize adequate evaluation capacity" for federal STEM education programs. They indicated that they would be looking to an inter-agency National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) committee to track, coordinate, prioritize, and review K-12 STEM education programs across the government.
NASA Ames Selects Florida Firm for Training Support (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA/ARC has selected Honourcode of Cantonment, Florida, to provide technical, programmatic and high performance expertise in applied systems engineering. Honourcode will provide a 4-day Applied Systems Engineering workshop for The Ames Project Excellence (APEX) Development Program, and 20 hours of expert technical assistance and consultation focused on software project management and systems engineering (appropriate for and relevant to NASA flight programs and projects).
NRO Shortfall May Delay ULA Missions (Source: Aerospace Daily)
The June 15 shortfall of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle with a pair of classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) ocean surveillance spacecraft onboard may delay upcoming military missions by the Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture. Among them could be the first Boeing-built Wideband Gapfiller System (WGS) satellite, designed to begin replacing the aging Defense Satellite Communications Spacecraft (DSCS) constellation. The Atlas V's Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL-10 engine in its Centaur upper stage shut down early, leaving the NRO L-30 payloads in slightly lower altitudes and inclinations than desired.
Spacehab Gets $35M NASA Astrotech Contract (Source: AP)
Spacehab was awarded a $35 million contract to support spacecraft processing requirements for several upcoming NASA missions. Spacehab shares jumped 10 cents, to 74 cents. The stock has traded between 41 cents and $1.35 during the past 52 weeks. The NASA award is a major contract for Spacehab, which brought in $50.7 million in revenue from operations in fiscal 2006. The contract was awarded to Spacehab's Astrotech Space Operations division. The work will take place at Vandenberg Air Force Base at the Western Range in California.
Spacehab Signs Agreement with NASA for Commercial Transportation Spacecraft (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the Company's development of a commercial transportation system capable of ferrying pre-manufactured cargo and manufacturing equipment to low-Earth orbit. Execution of this agreement allows Spacehab to develop a highly reliable, low risk, up-mass alternative system for cargo delivery to space and complements its recently announced plans to manufacture biomedical and advanced materials on the International Space Station (ISS).
Eureka! Is life on Europa? (Source: Cincinnati Enquirer)
'Follow the Water." That is NASA's motto for the future of the space program. Where there is water, there could be life. And the discovery of life outside Earth could be the biggest story of the 21st century. Mars is a good place to look, but astronomers believe Europa, a tiny moon of Jupiter - one of its 63 known moons - may harbor more water than all of the oceans on Earth. Although not in the budget this year, NASA would like to send an orbiter to confirm the amount of water on Europa. (Since no plans have been finalized nor money allocated, this mission could be years in the future). Then NASA would fly a craft to drill through the ice (about 2 miles thick) and deposit a small remote-controlled submarine into the depths. This "hydrobot" would swim around with cameras and other sensors to see what lurks below.
Shipman Arrives with Former Astronaut, Gives Deposition (Source: Florida Today)
It took 90 minutes for Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman to tell her side of the love triangle in the case of former astronaut Lisa Nowak’s alleged attempt to kidnap her in February from an Orlando International Airport parking lot. Shipman and former astronaut Bill Oefelein left the King Reporting Office in Suntree holding hands and smiling. Neither made any comments as they got into attorney Kepler Funk’s black Porsche SUV. Nowak told police she drove from Houston to Orlando to talk with Shipman about their mutual love interest, former shuttle pilot Oefelein. Nowak carried with her a duffle bag filled with a BB pistol, wig, trenchcoat, hat, knife, steel mallet, surgical rubber tubing and black plastic garbage bags. Nowak is charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and attempted vehicle burglary with a battery.
Spy Chief Scraps Stealth Satellite Program (Source: MSNBC)
Spy chief Mike McConnell has junked a multibillion-dollar spy satellite program that engineers hoped would someday pass undetected through the space above other nations. The move from the director of national intelligence comes after several years of congressional efforts to kill the program, known publicly as the next generation of “Misty” satellites. The new satellite was to be a stealthy intelligence spacecraft designed to take pictures of adversaries and avoid detection. Little is known about the nation’s classified network of satellites, which represent some of the most expensive government programs and receive almost no public oversight. Because of their multibillion-dollar price tags, sensitive missions and lengthy development schedules, spy agencies go to great pains to keep details from becoming public.
Arianespace to Launch THOR 6 Satellite (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace will launch the THOR 6 satellite for Telenor into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) in the middle of 2009, aboard an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This is Arianespace’s first contract with Telenor Satellite Broadcasting. Built by Thales Alenia Space, THOR 6 will weigh about 3,000 kg at launch. It will provide direct-to-home (DTH) television services for the Nordic countries and Central Europe. It’s design life is about 15 years.
Arianespace to Launch Pan-African Satellite Rascom 1 (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace will launch the Rascom-1 satellite for Thales Alenia Space. Rascom 1 is scheduled for a launch into geostationary transfer orbit in the last quarter of 2007. It will be launched by an Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Rascom 1 will provide at least 15 years of telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa, as well as domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access.
NASA Readies Florida, California for Shuttle Landing (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA prepared landing sites in Florida and California for the Atlantis astronauts' return to Earth on Friday after stormy weather at Kennedy Space Center kept them from touching down Thursday. Friday's forecast at Kennedy, on the Atlantic coast of central Florida, included more storms. Better weather was expected at Edwards Air Force Base, northeast of Los Angeles, though high winds could be a factor late in the day. To raise Friday's odds of returning to Earth, astronauts elevated their altitude slightly, a move that increases the number of landing opportunities at both sites from four to five.
NASA Authorizes Contract for Ares I Materials (Source: NASA)
NASA has authorized a contract with a maximum value of $16.7 million with Alcoa North American Rolled Products to supply aluminum lithium plates and metal ingots for early development of the Ares I crew launch vehicles upper stage. The firm fixed-price contract has a period of performance through Aug. 5, 2008.
Spacehab Signs Agreement with NASA for Commercial Transportation Spacecraft (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the Company's development of a commercial transportation system capable of ferrying pre-manufactured cargo and manufacturing equipment to low-Earth orbit. Execution of this agreement allows Spacehab to develop a highly reliable, low risk, up-mass alternative system for cargo delivery to space and complements its recently announced plans to manufacture biomedical and advanced materials on the International Space Station (ISS).
ESA Launches New Program for Air Traffic Management Via Satellite (Source: ESA)
Pilots and flight controllers will benefit from exchanging data and communicating via satellite and terrestrial systems in the future Single European Sky. This is the aim of a new program set in motion by ESA Member States. The Single European Sky was launched by the European Commission (EC) in 2004, proposing a new approach to air traffic management in Europe that would unlock viable growth in air transport. The EC has set up a specific program, Single European Sky Air traffic management Research (SESAR), addressing administrative, operational and technical concepts for communication, navigation and surveillance for air traffic safety. Within this wide scope, satellites have the opportunity to demonstrate their potential for safety-of-life communications.
Chairmen: President’s Lack of Willingness to Discuss NASA Budget ‘Deeply Disappointing’ (Source: House of Reps)
House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO), and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson (D-TX) today issued the following statement in response to the Administration’s letter rejecting their request for a meeting of Members of Congress with President Bush to discuss NASA’s budgetary situation: “We are deeply disappointed that the President has decided not to seize the opportunity to meet with Members of Congress to discuss how best to ensure that NASA will have the resources needed to carry out a balanced and robust program of science, aeronautics, and human space flight and exploration initiatives.”
“We intend to work with NASA supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress to try to give NASA the resources it will need to carry out the tasks that the nation has asked it to undertake. However, the President’s disengagement will make that effort immeasurably more difficult.” Chairmen Gordon, Udall and Lampson have spent considerable time during the past several months fighting for more NASA funding, including Rep. Lampson personally arranging for Administrator Griffin to meet with Chairman Obey on the House Appropriations Committee, and with other key Members.
Nine Teams to Compete in Lunar Lander Contest (Source: New Scientist)
Competition between prototype lunar landers is heating up, with nine teams planning to compete in the NASA-sponsored Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. The $2 million prize competition is designed to spur innovation for future vehicles that could take off and land vertically on the Moon. The event will be held on Oct. 27-28 in New Mexico. The "Level 1" winning vehicle must rise at least 50 meters, hover for 90 seconds, then land on a concrete pad 100 metres away, before making a similar flight back to the launch pad. A "Level 2 test" requires a hovering time of 180 seconds, and the vehicle has to land on an uneven surface that simulates the Moon. Click here to view the article.
Space Summit Idea Gets 'Tepid' Response (Source: Aviation Week)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski has received what she calls a "tepid" response to her request that President Bush convene a bipartisan summit with lawmakers to discuss the future of the U.S. space program. The administration's letter to Mikulski (D-Md.), signed by outgoing Office of Management and Budget Director Robert Portman and White House Science Adviser John Marburger, does not address the summit idea directly, instead inviting Mikulski to meet with Portman, Marburger and NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. "While I appreciate the response ... I regret the president did not address this invitation himself," Mikulski, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, said in a June 20 statement. "I will continue to seek a new dialogue with the president. Only through the active cooperation of the White House and the Congress can we have a healthy, robust and balanced space program."
Mikulski's summit request, made in April, also was signed by Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), Commerce Science and Space Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), and 13 House members. The letter calls for "a national commitment to our space program to put it on a path for success." According to the White House response..."While some difficult choices have been required in recent years, we believe NASA remains generally well-positioned to carry out a balanced civil space effort and to maintain the nation's leadership in this sector."
June 21 News Items
Preservation Groups May Seek New Spaceport Site (Source: New Mexico Politics)
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is expected to name El Camino Real National Historic Trail to the list of America’s 11 most endangered places. A well-preserved portion of the trail runs very close to the spot that is to become Spaceport America. The announcement will likely be accompanied by a request that the FAA, in considering a license for the spaceport, analyze whether it should be located further from the trail or at another site altogether. The FAA has to consider environmental impact before issuing a commercial spaceport license, and the preservation groups have been expressing concern about the trail for months.
Florida/NASA Grant Program Funds 17 Projects (Source: FSGC)
The Florida/NASA Matching Grants Program will provide over $469,000 in combined NASA and state funding for 17 projects at six institutions statewide. The winning institutions include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida State University, SpaceTEC, University of Central Florida, and University of Florida. The grant-funded projects include spaceport and range technology initiatives, space-based research and payload projects, and space education and workforce development projects. The grant program is administered by the NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium and Space Florida.
Embry-Riddle and SpaceTEC Win Space Workforce and Education Grants (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's TeachSpace program, and the NSF-sponsored SpaceTEC consortium, are the recipients of two grants to provide rocketry and high-altitude balloon science workshops to Florida teachers. The projects represent a $35,000 investment in aerospace education/workforce development by NASA, Space Florida, and the two institutions.
Embry-Riddle Hosts Summer Minority Engineering Institute for Teachers (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle will host the 31st annual SECME Summer Institute in Daytona on June 23 through July 1. The Summer Institute will bring together more than 200 educators, administrators, parents, and students at the K-12 levels to receive innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professional development. “The program’s theme, a Launch Pad for the Next Generation of Explorers, mirrors the focus on aviation and aerospace that has distinguished Embry-Riddle for more than 80 years,” said an ERAU official.
SECME is a pre-college alliance focused on expanding the participation of minorities in engineering. SECME links engineering universities, school systems, and corporate/government investors. The SECME Summer Institute includes an Aviation and Aerospace Academy, a Parent Mini-Academy, and an Education Stakeholders Forum. Among those attending will be National Student Program Mousetrap Car Competition finalists at the middle-school and high-school levels and their chaperones, as well as a representative of the new class of college-bound SECME/ExxonMobil State and Overall Scholars.
Among many other activities, teachers may attend presentations on Engineering the Future and a mini-TeachSpace workshop conducted by Embry-Riddle professors on the topics of Human Factors in Space Exploration and Rocket Propulsion. Besides Embry-Riddle, the SECME Summer Institute is sponsored by the Exxon/Mobil Foundation, Lockheed Martin, John Deere, and Dupont.
Companies Want More European Support for a Space Champion (Source: EuroNews)
A "Space Alliance" partnership between Thales of France and Italy's Finmeccanica has expanded with the recent purchase of Alcatel's stake in Alenia Space and Telespazio, giving the Franco-Italian joint venture has 40% of the European satellite manufacturing market. The venture's chief executive said more support is needed from European governments over crossborder ties. "The goal of this alliance is to create a European space champion at a time when we feel that there's not enough European money being put into this area compared with what the US is spending on space technology."
India's Space School Struggles to Take Off (Source: DNA)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is working on a moon mission, is facing a tough challenge on the ground in its endeavour to establish the Indian Institute of Space Science Technology (IIST). ISRO, which has announced the commencement of three courses from the academic year 2007-2008, is yet to find an exclusive faculty and a campus for the IIST. Although ISRO has ambitious plans of setting up an academic township in the scenic hill station of Ponmudi, 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the acquisition of land is yet to begin.
SATOP Program Boosts Businesses With NASA Expertise (Source: Florida Today)
Toby McCormick has sold plenty of his nose filters from his store on Merritt Island, while George Woodruff is developing more robotic lifts for the United States military from his shop in Titusville. The two entrepreneurs are among the many small businesses in Brevard County, Florida and around the nation that have developed with help from the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, also known as SATOP. The NASA-funded program that started in Brevard County about 12 years ago -- and has since expanded to other states -- provides technical and engineering assistance to businesspeople in need of some expertise to advance their business plans.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is expected to name El Camino Real National Historic Trail to the list of America’s 11 most endangered places. A well-preserved portion of the trail runs very close to the spot that is to become Spaceport America. The announcement will likely be accompanied by a request that the FAA, in considering a license for the spaceport, analyze whether it should be located further from the trail or at another site altogether. The FAA has to consider environmental impact before issuing a commercial spaceport license, and the preservation groups have been expressing concern about the trail for months.
Florida/NASA Grant Program Funds 17 Projects (Source: FSGC)
The Florida/NASA Matching Grants Program will provide over $469,000 in combined NASA and state funding for 17 projects at six institutions statewide. The winning institutions include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida State University, SpaceTEC, University of Central Florida, and University of Florida. The grant-funded projects include spaceport and range technology initiatives, space-based research and payload projects, and space education and workforce development projects. The grant program is administered by the NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium and Space Florida.
Embry-Riddle and SpaceTEC Win Space Workforce and Education Grants (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's TeachSpace program, and the NSF-sponsored SpaceTEC consortium, are the recipients of two grants to provide rocketry and high-altitude balloon science workshops to Florida teachers. The projects represent a $35,000 investment in aerospace education/workforce development by NASA, Space Florida, and the two institutions.
Embry-Riddle Hosts Summer Minority Engineering Institute for Teachers (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle will host the 31st annual SECME Summer Institute in Daytona on June 23 through July 1. The Summer Institute will bring together more than 200 educators, administrators, parents, and students at the K-12 levels to receive innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professional development. “The program’s theme, a Launch Pad for the Next Generation of Explorers, mirrors the focus on aviation and aerospace that has distinguished Embry-Riddle for more than 80 years,” said an ERAU official.
SECME is a pre-college alliance focused on expanding the participation of minorities in engineering. SECME links engineering universities, school systems, and corporate/government investors. The SECME Summer Institute includes an Aviation and Aerospace Academy, a Parent Mini-Academy, and an Education Stakeholders Forum. Among those attending will be National Student Program Mousetrap Car Competition finalists at the middle-school and high-school levels and their chaperones, as well as a representative of the new class of college-bound SECME/ExxonMobil State and Overall Scholars.
Among many other activities, teachers may attend presentations on Engineering the Future and a mini-TeachSpace workshop conducted by Embry-Riddle professors on the topics of Human Factors in Space Exploration and Rocket Propulsion. Besides Embry-Riddle, the SECME Summer Institute is sponsored by the Exxon/Mobil Foundation, Lockheed Martin, John Deere, and Dupont.
Companies Want More European Support for a Space Champion (Source: EuroNews)
A "Space Alliance" partnership between Thales of France and Italy's Finmeccanica has expanded with the recent purchase of Alcatel's stake in Alenia Space and Telespazio, giving the Franco-Italian joint venture has 40% of the European satellite manufacturing market. The venture's chief executive said more support is needed from European governments over crossborder ties. "The goal of this alliance is to create a European space champion at a time when we feel that there's not enough European money being put into this area compared with what the US is spending on space technology."
India's Space School Struggles to Take Off (Source: DNA)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is working on a moon mission, is facing a tough challenge on the ground in its endeavour to establish the Indian Institute of Space Science Technology (IIST). ISRO, which has announced the commencement of three courses from the academic year 2007-2008, is yet to find an exclusive faculty and a campus for the IIST. Although ISRO has ambitious plans of setting up an academic township in the scenic hill station of Ponmudi, 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the acquisition of land is yet to begin.
SATOP Program Boosts Businesses With NASA Expertise (Source: Florida Today)
Toby McCormick has sold plenty of his nose filters from his store on Merritt Island, while George Woodruff is developing more robotic lifts for the United States military from his shop in Titusville. The two entrepreneurs are among the many small businesses in Brevard County, Florida and around the nation that have developed with help from the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, also known as SATOP. The NASA-funded program that started in Brevard County about 12 years ago -- and has since expanded to other states -- provides technical and engineering assistance to businesspeople in need of some expertise to advance their business plans.
June 20 News Items
Mikulski Miffed by Response to Calls for Space Summit (Source: Space News)
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikilski (D-Md.) chastised the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush June 20 for what she characterized as its "tepid response" to a bipartisan congressional request for a summit to discuss civil space issues.
Russia's Space Agency Strikes Multiple Deals at Paris Air Show (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's space agency signed three contracts, five agreements, and an MOU at an international air show in France. Russia's space agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace signed a contract for the first four Soyuz launches from the Kourou space center in French Guiana. Reshetnev Applied Mechanics signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space for satellite components. The Lavochkin design bureau signed a contract with Germany's Kayser-Threde to use Russian Fregat boosters for technical and scientific experiments.
Roscosmos signed an agreement with the Italian space agency [ASI] on joint research on board Russian Foton-M and Bion-M research spacecraft. In addition, the two agencies signed an executive agreement on cooperation in the development of a third stage booster for a modernized version of the European launch vehicle Vega. Roscosmos also concluded a cooperation agreement with the Japanese space agency (JAXA) to install a Russian multi-purpose gamma-ray spectrometer on board BepiColombo spacecraft, scheduled for launch with the use of Soyuz ST carrier rocket in 2011. Roscosmos also signed an agreement with NASA on joint scientific research under the Mars orbit exploration program and a memorandum on understanding with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on testing prototypes of space equipment in orbit.
Storms Could Delay Atlantis Landing in Florida (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Heavy weather could delay the return to Earth of space shuttle Atlantis. NASA's greatest concern is visibility for landing the shuttle, all 113,398 kilograms (250,000 pounds) of it, without power and no second chance to approach the runway. Thursday's prediction is for storms, rain or cloud cover at 900 meters (3,000 feet) -- too low for the landing.
Volunteers Sought for Mars Test (Source: BBC)
The European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking volunteers for a simulated human trip to Mars, in which six crew spend 17 months in an isolation tank. They will live and work in a series of interlocked modules at a research institute in Moscow. Once the hatches are closed, the crew's only contact with the outside world is a radio link to "Earth" with a realistic delay of many minutes. It sounds like Big Brother, but there are no plans to televize the test.
The modular "spacecraft" measures some 550 cubic metres (19,250 cubic feet), the equivalent of nine truck containers. It is based at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems in the Russian capital. The goal is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience on a journey to Mars. With the exception of weightlessness and radiation, the crew will experience most other aspects of long-haul space travel, such as cramped conditions, a high workload, lack of privacy, and limited supplies.
E'Prime Aerospace Corporation Selects Merrill Lynch as Financial Advisor (Source: E'Prime)
E'Prime Aerospace Corp., a U.S. company with more than 2,000 shareholders, has selected Merrill Lynch, one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies, as its financial advisor. The "Merrill Lynch Team" will act as the "financial advisor and cash flow manager for E'Prime Aerospace Corporation" with the "mission to become the 'essential partner' to E'Prime."
The Merrill Lynch financial advisory component may enhance E'Prime's ability to capitalize on current and future operations including forming strategic launch service agreements with the Department of Defense (U.S. Air Force); NASA; and commercial customers including telecommunications, aerospace, security, and defense industries. "E'Prime Aerospace Corporation is committed to providing innovative, reliable, and cost-effective launch services to commercial and governmental space industries," stated E'Prime Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James D. Oldham, III.
Wanda Austin Picked to Lead Aerospace Corp. (Source: Space News)
The Aerospace Corp. has selected Wanda M. Austin to succeed William F. Ballhaus Jr. as president and chief executive officer. Austin, who is senior vice president of the Aerospace Corp.'s national systems group in Chantilly, Va., will replace Ballhaus upon his Jan. 1, 2008, retirement, according to a June 20 company press release.
NSS Executive Director Takes Second Job with Virgin Galactic (Source: Space News)
George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society (NSS), has taken on a second job as a senior advisor to Virgin Galactic. According to sources, Whitesides will continue to serve as head of NSS, splitting his time between the two jobs.
Arianespace to Launch Rascom Satellite (Source: Space News)
The Libyan-led pan-African Rascom satellite project is heading for a December launch aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket after what appears to have been a rare head-to-head competition between European and Chinese launch-services providers.
NASA Signs Commercial Space Transportation Agreements (Source: NASA)
Through three new Space Act agreements, NASA is expanding cooperation with companies interested in commercializing access to space. The companies are developing capabilities to transport goods and people to low Earth orbit. NASA signed nonreimbursable Space Act agreements, which do not provide any government funding to the companies, with SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., SPACEHAB of Houston, and Constellation Services International (CSI) of Laguna Woods, Calif. The pacts establish milestones and objective criteria by which the companies can gauge their progress in developing orbital cargo transportation capabilities.
NASA's Missed Opportunity (Source: Planetary Society)
It might be reasonable to accept that NASA Administrator Mike Griffin's recent comments on global warming were only a faux pas by a blunt, bright guy who likes to be unconventional. Indeed, Griffin has expressed regret about his comments. But that misses a greater point - this was a major opportunity to promote his agency, the U.S. space program and their value to the public at large. He downplayed one of NASA's most valued and widely recognized functions - teaching us about our own planet and monitoring it from the unique vantage of space. In doing so, Griffin also undermined public support for his most cherished program - the Vision for Space Exploration.
California Boeing Plant to Stay Open Six Months Longer (Source: Los Angeles Times)
Southern California's last major airplane factory got a reprieve Tuesday as Boeing Co. announced it would keep open its Long Beach production line for the C-17 Air Force transport for at least six more months." The "sprawling plant next to Long Beach Airport had been scheduled for closure by mid-2009 with the rollout of the last C-17. ... But Boeing told its Long Beach workers Tuesday morning that the company would invest its own money to keep the line going until at least 2010, with the hope of securing more orders from the Air Force and foreign nations.
British Investment Firm Acquires Intelsat (Source: SpaceToday.net)
UK private equity firm BC Partners will acquire a majority stake in satellite operator Intelsat in a deal that values the company at just over $5 billion. BC Partners will purchase 76 percent of the company from its current owners. The deal will bring the company's total debt level to over $15 billion. The sale is not expected to result in changes in top management of the company, although Intelsat's plans for fleet expansion are uncertain. BC Partners beat out bids from other private equity firms as well as a joint bid by EchoStar and Liberty Media, controlling shareholder of DirecTV.
NM Spaceport Construction Set to Start in Spring (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The Spaceport America project remains on schedule, leading to a probable April 2008 start to construction for the facility in southern Sierra County. "I'm very optimistic," said Mike Holston, the spaceport's project coordinator. "Cost and schedule, right now, are key issues for us," Holston said. "...There's an awful lot of work that has to go into the schedule in trying to pre-load and accomplish as much as we can." The latest line-item cost estimate for the facility still stands at $198 million. Officials hope to open the door to the facility in late 2009 or early 2010.
Editorial: Resiliency in Orbit (Source: Florida Today)
Fixes on-the-fly during this Shuttle mission show the growing value of international cooperation in space. There's a reason they call it the International Space Station. The best minds of several nations came together over the past few days to fix a potentially crippling computer problem on the outpost, while spacewalking astronauts from shuttle Atlantis calmly trouble-shot other problems. It was an impressive display of cool-headed resiliency that shows the cross-cultural maturation of the project, and provides valuable lessons for NASA as it tries to draw other countries into its plans for a moon base. And eventually, international journeys to Mars.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikilski (D-Md.) chastised the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush June 20 for what she characterized as its "tepid response" to a bipartisan congressional request for a summit to discuss civil space issues.
Russia's Space Agency Strikes Multiple Deals at Paris Air Show (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's space agency signed three contracts, five agreements, and an MOU at an international air show in France. Russia's space agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace signed a contract for the first four Soyuz launches from the Kourou space center in French Guiana. Reshetnev Applied Mechanics signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space for satellite components. The Lavochkin design bureau signed a contract with Germany's Kayser-Threde to use Russian Fregat boosters for technical and scientific experiments.
Roscosmos signed an agreement with the Italian space agency [ASI] on joint research on board Russian Foton-M and Bion-M research spacecraft. In addition, the two agencies signed an executive agreement on cooperation in the development of a third stage booster for a modernized version of the European launch vehicle Vega. Roscosmos also concluded a cooperation agreement with the Japanese space agency (JAXA) to install a Russian multi-purpose gamma-ray spectrometer on board BepiColombo spacecraft, scheduled for launch with the use of Soyuz ST carrier rocket in 2011. Roscosmos also signed an agreement with NASA on joint scientific research under the Mars orbit exploration program and a memorandum on understanding with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on testing prototypes of space equipment in orbit.
Storms Could Delay Atlantis Landing in Florida (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Heavy weather could delay the return to Earth of space shuttle Atlantis. NASA's greatest concern is visibility for landing the shuttle, all 113,398 kilograms (250,000 pounds) of it, without power and no second chance to approach the runway. Thursday's prediction is for storms, rain or cloud cover at 900 meters (3,000 feet) -- too low for the landing.
Volunteers Sought for Mars Test (Source: BBC)
The European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking volunteers for a simulated human trip to Mars, in which six crew spend 17 months in an isolation tank. They will live and work in a series of interlocked modules at a research institute in Moscow. Once the hatches are closed, the crew's only contact with the outside world is a radio link to "Earth" with a realistic delay of many minutes. It sounds like Big Brother, but there are no plans to televize the test.
The modular "spacecraft" measures some 550 cubic metres (19,250 cubic feet), the equivalent of nine truck containers. It is based at the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems in the Russian capital. The goal is to gain insight into human behaviour and group dynamics under the kinds of conditions astronauts would experience on a journey to Mars. With the exception of weightlessness and radiation, the crew will experience most other aspects of long-haul space travel, such as cramped conditions, a high workload, lack of privacy, and limited supplies.
E'Prime Aerospace Corporation Selects Merrill Lynch as Financial Advisor (Source: E'Prime)
E'Prime Aerospace Corp., a U.S. company with more than 2,000 shareholders, has selected Merrill Lynch, one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies, as its financial advisor. The "Merrill Lynch Team" will act as the "financial advisor and cash flow manager for E'Prime Aerospace Corporation" with the "mission to become the 'essential partner' to E'Prime."
The Merrill Lynch financial advisory component may enhance E'Prime's ability to capitalize on current and future operations including forming strategic launch service agreements with the Department of Defense (U.S. Air Force); NASA; and commercial customers including telecommunications, aerospace, security, and defense industries. "E'Prime Aerospace Corporation is committed to providing innovative, reliable, and cost-effective launch services to commercial and governmental space industries," stated E'Prime Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James D. Oldham, III.
Wanda Austin Picked to Lead Aerospace Corp. (Source: Space News)
The Aerospace Corp. has selected Wanda M. Austin to succeed William F. Ballhaus Jr. as president and chief executive officer. Austin, who is senior vice president of the Aerospace Corp.'s national systems group in Chantilly, Va., will replace Ballhaus upon his Jan. 1, 2008, retirement, according to a June 20 company press release.
NSS Executive Director Takes Second Job with Virgin Galactic (Source: Space News)
George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society (NSS), has taken on a second job as a senior advisor to Virgin Galactic. According to sources, Whitesides will continue to serve as head of NSS, splitting his time between the two jobs.
Arianespace to Launch Rascom Satellite (Source: Space News)
The Libyan-led pan-African Rascom satellite project is heading for a December launch aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket after what appears to have been a rare head-to-head competition between European and Chinese launch-services providers.
NASA Signs Commercial Space Transportation Agreements (Source: NASA)
Through three new Space Act agreements, NASA is expanding cooperation with companies interested in commercializing access to space. The companies are developing capabilities to transport goods and people to low Earth orbit. NASA signed nonreimbursable Space Act agreements, which do not provide any government funding to the companies, with SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., SPACEHAB of Houston, and Constellation Services International (CSI) of Laguna Woods, Calif. The pacts establish milestones and objective criteria by which the companies can gauge their progress in developing orbital cargo transportation capabilities.
NASA's Missed Opportunity (Source: Planetary Society)
It might be reasonable to accept that NASA Administrator Mike Griffin's recent comments on global warming were only a faux pas by a blunt, bright guy who likes to be unconventional. Indeed, Griffin has expressed regret about his comments. But that misses a greater point - this was a major opportunity to promote his agency, the U.S. space program and their value to the public at large. He downplayed one of NASA's most valued and widely recognized functions - teaching us about our own planet and monitoring it from the unique vantage of space. In doing so, Griffin also undermined public support for his most cherished program - the Vision for Space Exploration.
California Boeing Plant to Stay Open Six Months Longer (Source: Los Angeles Times)
Southern California's last major airplane factory got a reprieve Tuesday as Boeing Co. announced it would keep open its Long Beach production line for the C-17 Air Force transport for at least six more months." The "sprawling plant next to Long Beach Airport had been scheduled for closure by mid-2009 with the rollout of the last C-17. ... But Boeing told its Long Beach workers Tuesday morning that the company would invest its own money to keep the line going until at least 2010, with the hope of securing more orders from the Air Force and foreign nations.
British Investment Firm Acquires Intelsat (Source: SpaceToday.net)
UK private equity firm BC Partners will acquire a majority stake in satellite operator Intelsat in a deal that values the company at just over $5 billion. BC Partners will purchase 76 percent of the company from its current owners. The deal will bring the company's total debt level to over $15 billion. The sale is not expected to result in changes in top management of the company, although Intelsat's plans for fleet expansion are uncertain. BC Partners beat out bids from other private equity firms as well as a joint bid by EchoStar and Liberty Media, controlling shareholder of DirecTV.
NM Spaceport Construction Set to Start in Spring (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The Spaceport America project remains on schedule, leading to a probable April 2008 start to construction for the facility in southern Sierra County. "I'm very optimistic," said Mike Holston, the spaceport's project coordinator. "Cost and schedule, right now, are key issues for us," Holston said. "...There's an awful lot of work that has to go into the schedule in trying to pre-load and accomplish as much as we can." The latest line-item cost estimate for the facility still stands at $198 million. Officials hope to open the door to the facility in late 2009 or early 2010.
Editorial: Resiliency in Orbit (Source: Florida Today)
Fixes on-the-fly during this Shuttle mission show the growing value of international cooperation in space. There's a reason they call it the International Space Station. The best minds of several nations came together over the past few days to fix a potentially crippling computer problem on the outpost, while spacewalking astronauts from shuttle Atlantis calmly trouble-shot other problems. It was an impressive display of cool-headed resiliency that shows the cross-cultural maturation of the project, and provides valuable lessons for NASA as it tries to draw other countries into its plans for a moon base. And eventually, international journeys to Mars.
June 19 News Items
NM Spaceport Authority to Hear Where Project Stands (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority will meet in Las Cruces for an update on the Spaceport America project. The meeting will also feature a presentation on the aerospace and tourism market and a resolution honoring former Lt. Gov. Casey Luna, now a member of the authority. The $198 million project cleared a major hurdle in early April when voters in Doña Ana County approved a tax increase to help fund construction of the facility. The facility is awaiting licensing from the FAA to begin construction. The authority is also working toward finalizing and signing a lease with anchor tenant Virgin Galactic.
NASA Exec Preaches to Colorado Choir (Source: Denver Post)
NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale on Monday outlined the Bush administration's proposed 2008 agency budget of $17.3 billion in a meeting at the Denver Chamber of Commerce. "I'm trying to get people energized, but this meeting was easy - Colorado's already there," Dale said after the meeting at the chamber with representatives from industry, government and education. More than 164,000 Coloradans work in the space business - building satellites for NASA, planning the agency's next trip to the moon and developing instruments to study Earth from space, according to the Colorado Space Coalition, a group composed of business, government and university interests.
Colorado is third, behind California and Florida, in space-related employment, said Elliot Pulham, president of the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation, a nonprofit promoting space science exploration. Several people attending the chamber meeting told Dale they worried that fewer young people are excited about space exploration and its underpinnings - science, mathematics and engineering. Dale said NASA plans to continue its education programs, worth about $200 million annually, but will begin tracking those programs more carefully.
Eventful Voyage Nearing End - Failures, Repairs, Homemade Tools Made it Exciting (Source: Florida Today)
Wrapping up a mission that had more dramatic than mundane moments, Atlantis will separated from the International Space Station, bound for a Thursday landing at Kennedy Space Center. Passing the final hurdle, Russian computers controlled the space station's orientation for about an hour Monday morning, proving the computers are stable. ISS crews had improvised a repair and helped restore the Russian computer system after a critical failure that was corrected with bypasses of failed circuits. "We faced some adversity together," Atlantis Commander Rick Sturckow said. "But the problems were overcome and the mission was a success.
SpaceDev Dream Chaser Could Provide Crew Launch and Cargo Transport (Source: MarketWire)
SpaceDev has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate its development of reliable, safe and affordable transportation of passengers and cargo to and from Earth orbit. Under the Agreement, NASA will provide information about the agency's projected commercial demand for crew and cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS) as well as technical support regarding commercial vehicle requirements for rendezvous and docking with the ISS. NASA will also provide inputs to the development program through regularly scheduled technical exchange.
"This Agreement will allow us to work closely with NASA to share data, concepts and updates on our program's progress. Having a continuous interchange with NASA will help accelerate our ability to make strides to meet our country and industry's near and long term needs for space transport. We are committed to the use of the NASA Langley derived HL-20 as the foundation of our space transport program."
NASA Signs Agreement with CSI (Source: CSI)
Constellation Services International (CSI) has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the development of CSI's low-risk LEO Express space cargo system. NASA will provide information about the agency's projected demand for cargo services to the Space Station, as well as requirements regarding rendezvous and docking with the ISS.
CSI has invested over six years and several million dollars developing a commercial space station cargo services that uses 100% proven off-the-shelf technology. LEO Express can use over a dozen existing launch vehicles, plus most of the new launch vehicles being developed by private industry.
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority will meet in Las Cruces for an update on the Spaceport America project. The meeting will also feature a presentation on the aerospace and tourism market and a resolution honoring former Lt. Gov. Casey Luna, now a member of the authority. The $198 million project cleared a major hurdle in early April when voters in Doña Ana County approved a tax increase to help fund construction of the facility. The facility is awaiting licensing from the FAA to begin construction. The authority is also working toward finalizing and signing a lease with anchor tenant Virgin Galactic.
NASA Exec Preaches to Colorado Choir (Source: Denver Post)
NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale on Monday outlined the Bush administration's proposed 2008 agency budget of $17.3 billion in a meeting at the Denver Chamber of Commerce. "I'm trying to get people energized, but this meeting was easy - Colorado's already there," Dale said after the meeting at the chamber with representatives from industry, government and education. More than 164,000 Coloradans work in the space business - building satellites for NASA, planning the agency's next trip to the moon and developing instruments to study Earth from space, according to the Colorado Space Coalition, a group composed of business, government and university interests.
Colorado is third, behind California and Florida, in space-related employment, said Elliot Pulham, president of the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation, a nonprofit promoting space science exploration. Several people attending the chamber meeting told Dale they worried that fewer young people are excited about space exploration and its underpinnings - science, mathematics and engineering. Dale said NASA plans to continue its education programs, worth about $200 million annually, but will begin tracking those programs more carefully.
Eventful Voyage Nearing End - Failures, Repairs, Homemade Tools Made it Exciting (Source: Florida Today)
Wrapping up a mission that had more dramatic than mundane moments, Atlantis will separated from the International Space Station, bound for a Thursday landing at Kennedy Space Center. Passing the final hurdle, Russian computers controlled the space station's orientation for about an hour Monday morning, proving the computers are stable. ISS crews had improvised a repair and helped restore the Russian computer system after a critical failure that was corrected with bypasses of failed circuits. "We faced some adversity together," Atlantis Commander Rick Sturckow said. "But the problems were overcome and the mission was a success.
SpaceDev Dream Chaser Could Provide Crew Launch and Cargo Transport (Source: MarketWire)
SpaceDev has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate its development of reliable, safe and affordable transportation of passengers and cargo to and from Earth orbit. Under the Agreement, NASA will provide information about the agency's projected commercial demand for crew and cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS) as well as technical support regarding commercial vehicle requirements for rendezvous and docking with the ISS. NASA will also provide inputs to the development program through regularly scheduled technical exchange.
"This Agreement will allow us to work closely with NASA to share data, concepts and updates on our program's progress. Having a continuous interchange with NASA will help accelerate our ability to make strides to meet our country and industry's near and long term needs for space transport. We are committed to the use of the NASA Langley derived HL-20 as the foundation of our space transport program."
NASA Signs Agreement with CSI (Source: CSI)
Constellation Services International (CSI) has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to facilitate the development of CSI's low-risk LEO Express space cargo system. NASA will provide information about the agency's projected demand for cargo services to the Space Station, as well as requirements regarding rendezvous and docking with the ISS.
CSI has invested over six years and several million dollars developing a commercial space station cargo services that uses 100% proven off-the-shelf technology. LEO Express can use over a dozen existing launch vehicles, plus most of the new launch vehicles being developed by private industry.
June 18 News Items
Orbital Sciences Begins Work on Delta-2 Class Launcher (Source: Space News)
With NASA facing sharply higher prices for Delta 2 rockets after the Air Force stops using the venerable launcher next year, Orbital Sciences Corp. has begun early development of a new launch vehicle to step into the void. "We have initiated the first phase of development of a launch vehicle we are currently calling Taurus 2," Orbital Sciences spokesman Barron Beneski said June 14. "It is intended to be a Delta 2-class space launch vehicle but at a substantially lower price."
Over-Voltage Caused ISS Computer Failure (Source: Itar-Tass)
A fivefold over-voltage resultant from the unfolding of extra U.S. solar batteries caused a computer failure at the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), a source at the Energia Aerospace Corporation said. The German-made computers withstood the 2.5-time over-voltage last September, when the first segments of solar batteries were unfolded. The June 11 over-voltage hit the computers hard, he said. New, better-protected power units will be delivered to the ISS onboard a Progress freighter. The Progress will be launched two weeks earlier than planned because of the ISS situation. Initially, the launch was scheduled for August 6. The U.S. segment of the ISS will provide for the station’s orientation in the meantime, and engines of the docked Progress will be used if necessary.
SatMex Rejects the Only Two Auction Bids for Company (Source: Space News)
Having failed to auction itself off at acceptable prices, Satellite-fleet operator Satmex now will turn to its existing shareholders for cash - and to the Mexican government for badly needed regulatory reform, according to Chief Executive Raul Cisneros. A meeting of Satmex shareholders has been scheduled for mid-July to determine whether the struggling operator can count on them once again. Those shareholders include several U.S.-based creditors who took ownership stakes in Satmex following its emergence from bankruptcy proceedings in 2006. Satmex has three satellites - two aging spacecraft and the new and promising Satmex 6. The company had hoped to use funds raised at auction to order a Satmex 7 satellite for replacement capacity.
RocketPlane Kistler Misses COTS Financial Milestone (Source: Space News)
NASA says it intends to continue subsidizing development of Rocketplane Kistler's K-1 reusable rocket despite the company's failure to meet a May financial milestone. Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) of Oklahoma City was one of two companies selected by NASA last August to share $500 million to develop international space station resupply vehicles under the COTS program. RpK is required to show NASA that they are making steady progress toward planned 2009 flight demonstrations.
NASA spokeswoman Beth Dickey said: "RpK has made progress in developing its capability and NASA is hopeful the company can complete this milestone with some schedule adjustments. NASA is fully committed to encouraging a robust commercial crew and cargo space transportation capability and is working with RpK on a plan that would provide the company additional time to meet its goal while also meeting NASA's needs." Will Trafton of RpK said the company completed an initial $40 million financing round in October and is pushing ahead with NASA's concurrence on a plan to achieve full funding for the K-1 earlier than previously planned. He said RpK has met all of its K-1 technical and programmatic milestones to date.
Orbital Sciences Reaping Profit on Small Satellites (Source: Space News)
Global demand for small commercial telecommunications satellites this year is stronger than expected and Orbital Sciences Corp. is the company reaping the biggest benefits, David W. Thompson, Orbital's chairman, said. "With new plant capacity capable of handling more satellites, the company is seeing "strongly increasing [profit] margins - in the 7-plus percent range in 2007 and moving to 8-9 percent as we move toward the end of the decade." The company has booked five firm orders and options for four more of these satellites so far in 2007, an order intake that testifies to the health of this end of the market.
Orbital estimates that the global market for small commercial telecommunications satellites totaled $500 million in 2006 and that it captured half of it. The company faces occasional competition from Lockheed Martin and Loral, but its major competitors are Thales Alenia Space and Astrium Satellites, both of Europe. The company recently won a multi-satellite order from SES, adding the world's second-largest satellite-fleet operator to its customer base. Intelsat, the largest fleet operator, is already an Orbital Sciences customer. Small satellites now account for 35-40 percent of the total commercial telecommunications satellite market when measured by units sold.
Air Force Requests Bids for T-Sat Contract (Source: Space News)
The prime contract for the U.S. Air Force's Transformational Satellite Communications (T-Sat) system space segment covers up to five satellites, plus one ground spare, and could be worth as much as $15 billion. The Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) said the work also will include the system's command, control and communications infrastructure. The contract is slated for award by the end of this year, with the first satellite expected to launch during the fourth quarter of calendar year 2015. Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which have designed competing T-Sat systems under Air Force study contracts, reiterated their intent to vie for the prime contract.
"V-Prize" Suborbital Transport Competition Planned (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The V-Prize is now being organized to establish a competition for point-to-point hypersonic suborbital spaceflight from Virginia to Europe in the next decade. The detailed rules and prize amount will be forthcoming in late 2007 or early 2008. A TransAtlantic space flight from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Easetrn Shore using the assets of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is the first requirement of the V-Prize. Organizers are building upon the Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act effective July 1st of this year.
No deadline rule has yet to be set but the Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act expires July 1, 2013 unless extended by the Virginia state legislature. A European landing site has not been selected as of yet. Attorney and space policy advocate Jack Kennedy of Wise, Virginia and SFF Teacher in Space Advocate Megan Seals of Reston, Virginia are leading the corporate sponsorship V-Prize organizing effort.
Space Power, Now and in the Future (Source: Space Review)
The Defense Department recently sponsored an effort to develop the underpinnings of a comprehensive theory of space power analogous to sea power or air power. Taylor Dinerman writes that, while such a space power theory might takes decades to develop, there are many lessons that can be learned today regarding the effective use of space to further national goals. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/891/1 to view the article.
Presidential Candidates and Space Policy (Source: Space Review)
To date the various candidates for the 2008 presidential election have been silent on space. Donald Beattie contends that when they do take up space policy, they should examine the relative size of human spaceflight programs within NASA and their missions. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/890/1 to view the article.
NASA and the Case for Earth: a Bad Marriage (Source: Space Review)
NASA has been criticized recently for appearing to de-emphasize Earth sciences research. Hans L.D.G. Starlife argues that, for the benefit of both NASA and Earth sciences, NASA should turn its attention away from the Earth. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/889/1 to view the article.
Success At Woomera With Scramjet Reaching Mach 10 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has today launched one of the world's fastest air-breathing engine experiments, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay announced. The scramjet engine experiment reached speeds of up to Mach 10, approximately 11,000 km per hour, or ten times the speed of sound. Scramjets are air-breathing supersonic combustion ramjet engines that could make it possible for a two hour flight from Sydney to London.
China Committed To Peaceful Use Of Outer Space (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China will as always continue to make its contributions to the peaceful uses of outer space, said Tang Guoqiang, head of the Chinese Delegation at the 50th Session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). China will support and participate in the work of the committee under various items, said Tang. Recognizing the exploration and use of outer space should serve peaceful purposes and seek benefits for mankind, Tang stressed the need to "adopt further measures to prevent an outer-space weaponization and an arms race." Click here to view the article.
MDA Delays Launch of Missile Tracking Satellites to 2008 (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is delaying until sometime in the spring of 2008 the planned launch of two experimental missile tracking satellites. Launch of those satellites had been scheduled for November. However, the agency still plans to go ahead with the launch of a related classified demonstration payload before the end of the year. That launch initially was slated to follow the launch of the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Block 06 satellites, according to an agency official but the STSS Block 06 launch is being moved to a spring launch because of launch range conflicts and a delay in the completion of vacuum testing of the two satellites.
Space Camp May Add Middle East Site (Source: Huntsville Times)
As U.S. Space Camp celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer, a company in Dubai is making plans to open a Space Camp in the Middle East. The company has already paid the U.S. Space & Rocket Center a non-refundable $250,000 deposit, said Mike Kelly, vice president for licensing. Another $1.5 million payment is expected this fall. He told members of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission recently that the Dubai company's long-range goals are for more than one Space Camp in the region, but that precise locations have not yet been decided.
SES Signs Contracts for 10 Satellite Launches with Arianespace and ILS (Source: SES)
SES, the world’s pre-eminent satellite operator unveiled new groundbreaking satellite launch vehicle contracts covering the majority of the satellite launch requirements for the SES group from the period 2009-2013. These “multi-launch agreements” ensure that each SES satellite will have a primary as well as a back-up launch vehicle, each with two launch slots, providing utmost planning security and flexibility for the company’s ambitious launch schedule. SES Satellite Leasing Ltd. has signed separate agreements with Arianespace and ILS for 5 satellite launches each. Arianespace will provide Ariane 5 or Soyuz boosters to be launched out of the European Spaceport in Kourou (French Guyana). ILS will provide Proton Breeze M boosters launching from the Baikonour spaceport in Kazakhstan. The multi-launch agreements include options for additional launches, and represent the largest single launch services contract to date both for Arianespace and ILS. Terms of the contracts remain confidential.
Lompoc's Pioneer Space Center to Launch Careers (Source: Lompoc Record)
In 2008 there will be a building in Lompoc where students can step into space and launch a career: The Pioneer Space Center is planned for the campus of La Canada Elementary School. The announcement was made last week by Lompoc Unified School District Superintendent Frank Lynch. “This is a no-brainer for us because of the community we live in,” Lynch said. “We are all touched by Vandenberg Air Force Base. This is going to be a good way for students with no background in aerospace to gain first-hand experience.”
China to Increase Payload Capacity of Carrier Rockets for Lunar Exploration (Source: Xinhua)
China plans to develop a new generation of carrier rockets with an increased payload capacity in order to advance its lunar exploration program, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The payload capacity of China's Long March series of carrier rockets will be increased from its current weight of 9.5 tons to 25 tons, an official with the corporation said. "The development will greatly increase China's ability of peaceful uses of outer space," the official said, without specifying when the rockets will be ready for launch. Huang Chunping said the new generation of carrier rockets would have a large enough payload from which to launch a space station.
With NASA facing sharply higher prices for Delta 2 rockets after the Air Force stops using the venerable launcher next year, Orbital Sciences Corp. has begun early development of a new launch vehicle to step into the void. "We have initiated the first phase of development of a launch vehicle we are currently calling Taurus 2," Orbital Sciences spokesman Barron Beneski said June 14. "It is intended to be a Delta 2-class space launch vehicle but at a substantially lower price."
Over-Voltage Caused ISS Computer Failure (Source: Itar-Tass)
A fivefold over-voltage resultant from the unfolding of extra U.S. solar batteries caused a computer failure at the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), a source at the Energia Aerospace Corporation said. The German-made computers withstood the 2.5-time over-voltage last September, when the first segments of solar batteries were unfolded. The June 11 over-voltage hit the computers hard, he said. New, better-protected power units will be delivered to the ISS onboard a Progress freighter. The Progress will be launched two weeks earlier than planned because of the ISS situation. Initially, the launch was scheduled for August 6. The U.S. segment of the ISS will provide for the station’s orientation in the meantime, and engines of the docked Progress will be used if necessary.
SatMex Rejects the Only Two Auction Bids for Company (Source: Space News)
Having failed to auction itself off at acceptable prices, Satellite-fleet operator Satmex now will turn to its existing shareholders for cash - and to the Mexican government for badly needed regulatory reform, according to Chief Executive Raul Cisneros. A meeting of Satmex shareholders has been scheduled for mid-July to determine whether the struggling operator can count on them once again. Those shareholders include several U.S.-based creditors who took ownership stakes in Satmex following its emergence from bankruptcy proceedings in 2006. Satmex has three satellites - two aging spacecraft and the new and promising Satmex 6. The company had hoped to use funds raised at auction to order a Satmex 7 satellite for replacement capacity.
RocketPlane Kistler Misses COTS Financial Milestone (Source: Space News)
NASA says it intends to continue subsidizing development of Rocketplane Kistler's K-1 reusable rocket despite the company's failure to meet a May financial milestone. Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) of Oklahoma City was one of two companies selected by NASA last August to share $500 million to develop international space station resupply vehicles under the COTS program. RpK is required to show NASA that they are making steady progress toward planned 2009 flight demonstrations.
NASA spokeswoman Beth Dickey said: "RpK has made progress in developing its capability and NASA is hopeful the company can complete this milestone with some schedule adjustments. NASA is fully committed to encouraging a robust commercial crew and cargo space transportation capability and is working with RpK on a plan that would provide the company additional time to meet its goal while also meeting NASA's needs." Will Trafton of RpK said the company completed an initial $40 million financing round in October and is pushing ahead with NASA's concurrence on a plan to achieve full funding for the K-1 earlier than previously planned. He said RpK has met all of its K-1 technical and programmatic milestones to date.
Orbital Sciences Reaping Profit on Small Satellites (Source: Space News)
Global demand for small commercial telecommunications satellites this year is stronger than expected and Orbital Sciences Corp. is the company reaping the biggest benefits, David W. Thompson, Orbital's chairman, said. "With new plant capacity capable of handling more satellites, the company is seeing "strongly increasing [profit] margins - in the 7-plus percent range in 2007 and moving to 8-9 percent as we move toward the end of the decade." The company has booked five firm orders and options for four more of these satellites so far in 2007, an order intake that testifies to the health of this end of the market.
Orbital estimates that the global market for small commercial telecommunications satellites totaled $500 million in 2006 and that it captured half of it. The company faces occasional competition from Lockheed Martin and Loral, but its major competitors are Thales Alenia Space and Astrium Satellites, both of Europe. The company recently won a multi-satellite order from SES, adding the world's second-largest satellite-fleet operator to its customer base. Intelsat, the largest fleet operator, is already an Orbital Sciences customer. Small satellites now account for 35-40 percent of the total commercial telecommunications satellite market when measured by units sold.
Air Force Requests Bids for T-Sat Contract (Source: Space News)
The prime contract for the U.S. Air Force's Transformational Satellite Communications (T-Sat) system space segment covers up to five satellites, plus one ground spare, and could be worth as much as $15 billion. The Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) said the work also will include the system's command, control and communications infrastructure. The contract is slated for award by the end of this year, with the first satellite expected to launch during the fourth quarter of calendar year 2015. Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which have designed competing T-Sat systems under Air Force study contracts, reiterated their intent to vie for the prime contract.
"V-Prize" Suborbital Transport Competition Planned (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The V-Prize is now being organized to establish a competition for point-to-point hypersonic suborbital spaceflight from Virginia to Europe in the next decade. The detailed rules and prize amount will be forthcoming in late 2007 or early 2008. A TransAtlantic space flight from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Easetrn Shore using the assets of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is the first requirement of the V-Prize. Organizers are building upon the Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act effective July 1st of this year.
No deadline rule has yet to be set but the Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act expires July 1, 2013 unless extended by the Virginia state legislature. A European landing site has not been selected as of yet. Attorney and space policy advocate Jack Kennedy of Wise, Virginia and SFF Teacher in Space Advocate Megan Seals of Reston, Virginia are leading the corporate sponsorship V-Prize organizing effort.
Space Power, Now and in the Future (Source: Space Review)
The Defense Department recently sponsored an effort to develop the underpinnings of a comprehensive theory of space power analogous to sea power or air power. Taylor Dinerman writes that, while such a space power theory might takes decades to develop, there are many lessons that can be learned today regarding the effective use of space to further national goals. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/891/1 to view the article.
Presidential Candidates and Space Policy (Source: Space Review)
To date the various candidates for the 2008 presidential election have been silent on space. Donald Beattie contends that when they do take up space policy, they should examine the relative size of human spaceflight programs within NASA and their missions. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/890/1 to view the article.
NASA and the Case for Earth: a Bad Marriage (Source: Space Review)
NASA has been criticized recently for appearing to de-emphasize Earth sciences research. Hans L.D.G. Starlife argues that, for the benefit of both NASA and Earth sciences, NASA should turn its attention away from the Earth. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/889/1 to view the article.
Success At Woomera With Scramjet Reaching Mach 10 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has today launched one of the world's fastest air-breathing engine experiments, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Mr Peter Lindsay announced. The scramjet engine experiment reached speeds of up to Mach 10, approximately 11,000 km per hour, or ten times the speed of sound. Scramjets are air-breathing supersonic combustion ramjet engines that could make it possible for a two hour flight from Sydney to London.
China Committed To Peaceful Use Of Outer Space (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China will as always continue to make its contributions to the peaceful uses of outer space, said Tang Guoqiang, head of the Chinese Delegation at the 50th Session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). China will support and participate in the work of the committee under various items, said Tang. Recognizing the exploration and use of outer space should serve peaceful purposes and seek benefits for mankind, Tang stressed the need to "adopt further measures to prevent an outer-space weaponization and an arms race." Click here to view the article.
MDA Delays Launch of Missile Tracking Satellites to 2008 (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is delaying until sometime in the spring of 2008 the planned launch of two experimental missile tracking satellites. Launch of those satellites had been scheduled for November. However, the agency still plans to go ahead with the launch of a related classified demonstration payload before the end of the year. That launch initially was slated to follow the launch of the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Block 06 satellites, according to an agency official but the STSS Block 06 launch is being moved to a spring launch because of launch range conflicts and a delay in the completion of vacuum testing of the two satellites.
Space Camp May Add Middle East Site (Source: Huntsville Times)
As U.S. Space Camp celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer, a company in Dubai is making plans to open a Space Camp in the Middle East. The company has already paid the U.S. Space & Rocket Center a non-refundable $250,000 deposit, said Mike Kelly, vice president for licensing. Another $1.5 million payment is expected this fall. He told members of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission recently that the Dubai company's long-range goals are for more than one Space Camp in the region, but that precise locations have not yet been decided.
SES Signs Contracts for 10 Satellite Launches with Arianespace and ILS (Source: SES)
SES, the world’s pre-eminent satellite operator unveiled new groundbreaking satellite launch vehicle contracts covering the majority of the satellite launch requirements for the SES group from the period 2009-2013. These “multi-launch agreements” ensure that each SES satellite will have a primary as well as a back-up launch vehicle, each with two launch slots, providing utmost planning security and flexibility for the company’s ambitious launch schedule. SES Satellite Leasing Ltd. has signed separate agreements with Arianespace and ILS for 5 satellite launches each. Arianespace will provide Ariane 5 or Soyuz boosters to be launched out of the European Spaceport in Kourou (French Guyana). ILS will provide Proton Breeze M boosters launching from the Baikonour spaceport in Kazakhstan. The multi-launch agreements include options for additional launches, and represent the largest single launch services contract to date both for Arianespace and ILS. Terms of the contracts remain confidential.
Lompoc's Pioneer Space Center to Launch Careers (Source: Lompoc Record)
In 2008 there will be a building in Lompoc where students can step into space and launch a career: The Pioneer Space Center is planned for the campus of La Canada Elementary School. The announcement was made last week by Lompoc Unified School District Superintendent Frank Lynch. “This is a no-brainer for us because of the community we live in,” Lynch said. “We are all touched by Vandenberg Air Force Base. This is going to be a good way for students with no background in aerospace to gain first-hand experience.”
China to Increase Payload Capacity of Carrier Rockets for Lunar Exploration (Source: Xinhua)
China plans to develop a new generation of carrier rockets with an increased payload capacity in order to advance its lunar exploration program, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The payload capacity of China's Long March series of carrier rockets will be increased from its current weight of 9.5 tons to 25 tons, an official with the corporation said. "The development will greatly increase China's ability of peaceful uses of outer space," the official said, without specifying when the rockets will be ready for launch. Huang Chunping said the new generation of carrier rockets would have a large enough payload from which to launch a space station.
June 17 News Items
ILS to Launch 5th-Generation Satellite for Arabsat (Source: ILS)
International Launch Services (ILS) has been selected to launch a fifth-generation satellite for Arabsat. ILS will launch the satellite, either Arabsat-5A or BADR-5, in the 2009-2010 timeframe on a Proton Breeze M vehicle from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. ILS partner Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center builds the Proton in Russia. A consortium of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space is building the satellites and is responsible for delivering the satellites in orbit.
South African Satellite Ready for Launch (Source: BusinessReport)
South Africa will launch its second microsatellite into low Earth orbit next month. If all goes well, the R26 million Sumbandila satellite (SumbandilaSat) will take to the heavens from Severemosk, Russia. Sumbandila is Venda for "lead the way" and the announcement shows that open collaboration works better than unsupervised secrecy. The satellite will be launched after midnight from a Russian nuclear-powered missile submarine in the icy Barents Sea as part of a Russian navy exercise.
Russian Launch Vehicle to Take Australian Satellite into Space from Kourou (Source: Interfax)
Australia's Singtel Optus Ltd. plans to launch a telecommunications satellite with a Soyuz-ST launch vehicle from Kourou in French Guiana. "The payload of the Russian vehicle's first launch from Kourou has been agreed upon. Australia's Singlet Optus plans to launch its telecommunications satellite with a Soyuz-ST," the press service said, citing Arianespace President Jean-Yves Le Gall. "A contract with Arianespace to launch four Russian launch vehicles from the South American pad is expected to be signed in Le Bourget next week," it said.
Six Russian Computers Resume Pperation at ISS (Source: Itar-Tass)
All the six computers of the Russian segment of the International Space Station have resumed operation, NASA’s ISS program manager Mike Saffredini said on Saturday. He said that all the six machines were working, including the command and managing computers. The Russian and American computers can “see” each other and exchange information.
India Plans Astrosat Launch in 2008 (Source: DNAIndia.com)
India's multi-wavelength astronomical observatory "Astrosat" will be launched in 2008 with the challenges in its design and control system being overcome, eminent astrophysicist and former ISRO chairman Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan has said."It will be launched next year," Kasturirangan said, adding that the biggest challenge of creating a control system in space for the Astrosat had been overcome with the use of high-speed wheels to facilitate tilting of the telescopes at the desired angles. Orbiting 600 km above the earth's surface, the Rs 200 crore Astrosat would facilitate study of astrophysical objects ranging from nearby solar system objects to distant stars and objects at cosmological distances, he said.
U.S. Air Force Wants Advisory Group To Help Oversee Satellite Programs (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. Air Force, already increasingly dependent on outside experts to help oversee development of new space systems, also is looking for such assistance for many of its existing satellite programs. As part of the service's efforts to enhance technical review of major space projects, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, head of space acquisitions, said in a recent interview that he hoped to create a permanent cadre of veteran advisors to help vet progress on projects across the board.
International Launch Services (ILS) has been selected to launch a fifth-generation satellite for Arabsat. ILS will launch the satellite, either Arabsat-5A or BADR-5, in the 2009-2010 timeframe on a Proton Breeze M vehicle from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. ILS partner Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center builds the Proton in Russia. A consortium of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space is building the satellites and is responsible for delivering the satellites in orbit.
South African Satellite Ready for Launch (Source: BusinessReport)
South Africa will launch its second microsatellite into low Earth orbit next month. If all goes well, the R26 million Sumbandila satellite (SumbandilaSat) will take to the heavens from Severemosk, Russia. Sumbandila is Venda for "lead the way" and the announcement shows that open collaboration works better than unsupervised secrecy. The satellite will be launched after midnight from a Russian nuclear-powered missile submarine in the icy Barents Sea as part of a Russian navy exercise.
Russian Launch Vehicle to Take Australian Satellite into Space from Kourou (Source: Interfax)
Australia's Singtel Optus Ltd. plans to launch a telecommunications satellite with a Soyuz-ST launch vehicle from Kourou in French Guiana. "The payload of the Russian vehicle's first launch from Kourou has been agreed upon. Australia's Singlet Optus plans to launch its telecommunications satellite with a Soyuz-ST," the press service said, citing Arianespace President Jean-Yves Le Gall. "A contract with Arianespace to launch four Russian launch vehicles from the South American pad is expected to be signed in Le Bourget next week," it said.
Six Russian Computers Resume Pperation at ISS (Source: Itar-Tass)
All the six computers of the Russian segment of the International Space Station have resumed operation, NASA’s ISS program manager Mike Saffredini said on Saturday. He said that all the six machines were working, including the command and managing computers. The Russian and American computers can “see” each other and exchange information.
India Plans Astrosat Launch in 2008 (Source: DNAIndia.com)
India's multi-wavelength astronomical observatory "Astrosat" will be launched in 2008 with the challenges in its design and control system being overcome, eminent astrophysicist and former ISRO chairman Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan has said."It will be launched next year," Kasturirangan said, adding that the biggest challenge of creating a control system in space for the Astrosat had been overcome with the use of high-speed wheels to facilitate tilting of the telescopes at the desired angles. Orbiting 600 km above the earth's surface, the Rs 200 crore Astrosat would facilitate study of astrophysical objects ranging from nearby solar system objects to distant stars and objects at cosmological distances, he said.
U.S. Air Force Wants Advisory Group To Help Oversee Satellite Programs (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. Air Force, already increasingly dependent on outside experts to help oversee development of new space systems, also is looking for such assistance for many of its existing satellite programs. As part of the service's efforts to enhance technical review of major space projects, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, head of space acquisitions, said in a recent interview that he hoped to create a permanent cadre of veteran advisors to help vet progress on projects across the board.
June 16 News Items
European Space Freighter for ISS Hit by Fresh Delay (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The European Space Agency announced the latest in a long series of delays in the maiden launch of a robot craft designed to resupply the International Space Station. The "Jules Verne", which ESA had previously hoped to launch in the last quarter of 2007, will now lift off "not earlier than mid-January 2008." The unmanned craft, billed as the most sophisticated automated spacecraft ever made, was originally pencilled for launch in late 2004. The Jules Verne, named after the 19th-century French writer, is the first so-called Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Launched by an Ariane-5 rocket, it is designed to dock with the ISS, delivering 7.5 tons of food, water, pressurised air, fuel and experiments. Its engines can also reboost the station's orbit to overcome the effects of lingering atmospheric drag. After six months, the vehicle undocks, bearing station waste, and then burns up in a controlled re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.
Astronaut Sets New Women's World Record (Source: Florida Today)
NASA astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams set a new world record for the longest spaceflight ever by a woman, surpassing a benchmark set 11 years ago on Russia's former Mir space station. Williams, who blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on shuttle Discovery last Dec. 9, eclipsed the old record -- 188 days, four hours. NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid set the previous record during a six-month stint on Mir. Williams' record was established on the 44th anniversary of the launch of the first female to fly in space -- Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. The overall record for the longest U.S. space mission -- 196 days -- is held by former NASA astronauts Carl Walz and Daniel Bursch, who flew on the fourth expedition to the International Space Station. Their mission stretched from December 2000 to June 2001.
Hawaii Plans New Space Research Center, Simulated Moon Base on Big Island (Source: PISCES)
Hawaii lawmakers took a bold step toward independent leadership in space exploration by passing a bill, which was signed June 7 by Gov. Linda Lingle, establishing initial funding for a new research and education center at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) plans to offer space technology education for students of all ages, attract high-tech industry, and bolster the island's technical work force through research and training programs using a simulated lunar settlement on the island's volcanic terrain.
The PISCES program will teach space explorers how to live off the land on the moon to produce oxygen for breathing, manufacture rocket fuel, construct habitats, grow food, and use sunlight for heating and electricity. In addition to state funding, the center will be financially supported by partnerships with industries, universities and the governments of space-faring nations. "Several countries are planning lunar exploration missions, and PISCES will be a full partner in these efforts," said the new PISCES director. Visit http://pisces.hilo.hawaii.edu for information.
Moscow Demands Austria Release Russian Space Agency Official (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia is demanding that Austria immediately release the Russian space agency official arrested in the country earlier in the week, and allow him to return home, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. A 51-year-old Russian Federal Space Agency official was arrested Monday on suspicion of espionage, and an Austrian Air Force officer was arrested on suspicion of supplying the Russian with secret information about electronic instrumentation devices from a German helicopter construction company. The space agency confirmed that the arrested man was an employee. Russia's Foreign Ministry assessed Austria's step "as an unfriendly one damaging bilateral relations." The Russian ministry said the Austrian authorities' actions are out of line with the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which states officials that are part of delegations at UN events enjoy immunity from personal arrest and detention.
Space Tourism Could Benefit All, Says EADS (Source: Reuters)
Europe's leading space firm has defended plans for tourist rides in space after the European Union's industry chief slammed them as a gimmick for the rich. EADS Astrium said this week it planned to build a craft to carry people outside the earth's atmosphere from 2012 as long as they were prepared to pay up to 200,000 euros ($268,000) for a ticket. Speaking with passion about the project, EADS Astrium chief executive Francois Auque refused to be deterred. "The argument that you are working for the rich and beautiful and wealthy is completely incorrect, because our objective is to use the money of the rich to develop technologies that could be useful for everybody," he said. "Space tourism is the cherry on the cake." One spin-off could be quicker development of hyper-sonic long-distance travel in conventional planes, a spokesman said.
Indian Space Institute Location Selected (Source: NewIndPress.com)
Picturesque Ponmudi will not just be a cool holiday spot in the future; it is going to be the place where India’s space scientists are moulded. After checking out a number of spots in the district, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has finally zeroed in on Ponmudi for setting up the main campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). The IIST will be built on 100 acres at Ponmudi - 55 km east of the city - in two years time.
Virginia Facility Falls Into New Role for NASA's Moon Plans (Source: Virginian-Pilot)
The scene looked like the set of a low-budget film about aliens from outer space. A "spaceship" - consisting of a welded, cone-shaped steel frame with super-sized orange air bags attached - hovered some 35 feet above ground, suspended on cables strung between a massive gantry. Video cameras stood by to capture the action as it hurtled earthward. The 6,700-pound metal module was packed with high-tech instruments to measure such things as velocity, pitch and G -forces. The cameras could record 1,000 frames a second, storing enough data in four seconds to fill a DVD. And the air bags? It's possible they will be used to help cushion the landing of NASA's next lunar spacecraft, the Orion, on its return to Earth.
Here at NASA Langley Research Center, the "drop" test conducted earlier this week was more than just another day at the office. Five years ago, test engineers at Langley feared the worst for their fabled Landing and Impact Research Facility. Built in 1965 to train Apollo astronauts for moon landings and later recycled to conduct crash-impact tests on aircraft, the facility in 2002 was targeted to be closed and demolished because of federal budget cuts. But now, as NASA strives to send humans back to the moon by 2020 and then on to Mars, the agency this summer plans a $2.5 million upgrade to the gantry for the Orion work.
One Union, United Space Alliance Agree to Contract (Source: Florida Today)
NASA shuttle contractor United Space Alliance reached a contract agreement Friday with one of its unions, while another union continued a strike against the company. The 74-member National Federation of Public and Private Employees District 1 voted unanimously to approve a collective-bargaining agreement during a meeting Friday. Details of the agreement were not disclosed. Meanwhile, a strike by the 570-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 continued for a second day Friday. The Machinists union and the company have not been able to reach a contract agreement over matters such as wage provisions, health care contributions and job security. No contract talks were scheduled as of late Friday.
Launch Towers to be Toppled Today (Source: Florida Today)
More than 3,600 tons of steel will crash to the surface at Space Launch Complex 36 this morning, when the old mobile service towers are toppled as part of the ongoing project to demolish the historic site at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Approximately 50 pounds of dynamite strapped to the base of each tower will be detonated about two minutes apart between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to knock the 209-foot-tall towers down. “A majority of the steel will be recycled,” said project officer Jonathan Vanho of the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron. The steel that can’t be recycled will be taken to a landfill at the spaceport.
Editorial: Missing Out on Outer Space (Source: The Hill)
In December 1972, America abandoned the moon. With the completion of the Skylab missions two years later, and after a brief rendezvous with the Russians, our nation’s human space effort was grounded. We had won the battle for space and demonstrated the power of a free people, but the Cold War, the emergence of global terrorism, an oil embargo, civil rights and other issues competed for our nation’s attention and priorities. Our nation now faces a similar gap in manned space flight if our political and congressional leaders don’t act soon.
The American space effort will be stalled and U.S. space leadership will be running out of time. The American astronauts that will fly to the space station will be totally dependent upon Russia, Japan and Europe. We will have to rely on the generosity and goodwill of other nations to maintain a minimal presence in space, as America will be grounded...Shifts in the world’s geopolitical climate are too unpredictable to rely on our allies for access to space — some who clearly intend on challenging our space leadership and whose governments are willing to make the necessary investments to be successful in space exploration.
Astronauts Fix Computers on ISS, Repair Thermal Blanket (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Astronauts on Friday repaired two main computers at the International Space Station after an unprecedented systems breakdown that lasted 48 hours. Technical teams were monitoring the computer system to see how it reacted to the adjustments. Astronauts used a jumper cable to bypass a faulty power switch. Russian flight controllers blamed the glitch on installation of the International Space Station's new solar panels. Russia may send its cargo vessel Progress to the ISS earlier, on July 23 instead of its planned August launch, to deliver spare parts for the computers.
Astronauts also fixed a tear in Atlantis's heat shield during a third spacewalk. Astronauts used surgical staples to pin down a corner of a loose thermal blanket. NASA engineers stressed that the hand-size opening posed no threat to the crew, unlike the broken tile that caused the Columbia to break up on re-entry in February 2003.
Loral Submits Bid in Intelsat Auction (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Loral is among several groups that submitted rival bids to acquire Intelsat Ltd., the largest global commercial-satellite operator, as part of an auction that could wrap up as early as the next few days. Loral, which is believed to be working with partners to finance its bid, is one of three satellite companies vying for Intelsat. The other two bidders, EchoStar and Liberty Media, banded together to put in a competing bid for the Washington-based satellite-services provider. Intelsat is expected to draw bids of $4.5 billion to more than $5.5 billion.
NASA, Confident of Station Fix, Sticks to Schedule (Source: Bloomberg)
NASA said the shuttle will leave the space station next week as scheduled, confident that downed computers are no danger to crew members left behind. When Atlantis pushes away June 19, it will leave behind NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson and cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Koto. If the computers aren't fixed by then, Russia may move up the Aug. 8 launch date of a cargo ship by two weeks to bring spare computer parts.
Atlas 5 Rocket Experiences Problem During Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
An Atlas 5 rocket carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launch from Cape Canaveral this morning. Officials called the flight a success, but tonight the Air Force announced the rocket had a problem. Aviation Week reports the NRO payload was launched into the wrong orbit today because of a problem with the Atlas 5 rocket. The magazine said the Centaur's second burn was shorter than planned. The report also said the spacecraft, believed to be a pair of ocean surveillance satellites, likely have enough onboard fuel to reach the proper orbit on their own. Whether those unplanned maneuvers would limit the satellites' useful life isn't known.
The European Space Agency announced the latest in a long series of delays in the maiden launch of a robot craft designed to resupply the International Space Station. The "Jules Verne", which ESA had previously hoped to launch in the last quarter of 2007, will now lift off "not earlier than mid-January 2008." The unmanned craft, billed as the most sophisticated automated spacecraft ever made, was originally pencilled for launch in late 2004. The Jules Verne, named after the 19th-century French writer, is the first so-called Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Launched by an Ariane-5 rocket, it is designed to dock with the ISS, delivering 7.5 tons of food, water, pressurised air, fuel and experiments. Its engines can also reboost the station's orbit to overcome the effects of lingering atmospheric drag. After six months, the vehicle undocks, bearing station waste, and then burns up in a controlled re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.
Astronaut Sets New Women's World Record (Source: Florida Today)
NASA astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams set a new world record for the longest spaceflight ever by a woman, surpassing a benchmark set 11 years ago on Russia's former Mir space station. Williams, who blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on shuttle Discovery last Dec. 9, eclipsed the old record -- 188 days, four hours. NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid set the previous record during a six-month stint on Mir. Williams' record was established on the 44th anniversary of the launch of the first female to fly in space -- Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. The overall record for the longest U.S. space mission -- 196 days -- is held by former NASA astronauts Carl Walz and Daniel Bursch, who flew on the fourth expedition to the International Space Station. Their mission stretched from December 2000 to June 2001.
Hawaii Plans New Space Research Center, Simulated Moon Base on Big Island (Source: PISCES)
Hawaii lawmakers took a bold step toward independent leadership in space exploration by passing a bill, which was signed June 7 by Gov. Linda Lingle, establishing initial funding for a new research and education center at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) plans to offer space technology education for students of all ages, attract high-tech industry, and bolster the island's technical work force through research and training programs using a simulated lunar settlement on the island's volcanic terrain.
The PISCES program will teach space explorers how to live off the land on the moon to produce oxygen for breathing, manufacture rocket fuel, construct habitats, grow food, and use sunlight for heating and electricity. In addition to state funding, the center will be financially supported by partnerships with industries, universities and the governments of space-faring nations. "Several countries are planning lunar exploration missions, and PISCES will be a full partner in these efforts," said the new PISCES director. Visit http://pisces.hilo.hawaii.edu for information.
Moscow Demands Austria Release Russian Space Agency Official (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia is demanding that Austria immediately release the Russian space agency official arrested in the country earlier in the week, and allow him to return home, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. A 51-year-old Russian Federal Space Agency official was arrested Monday on suspicion of espionage, and an Austrian Air Force officer was arrested on suspicion of supplying the Russian with secret information about electronic instrumentation devices from a German helicopter construction company. The space agency confirmed that the arrested man was an employee. Russia's Foreign Ministry assessed Austria's step "as an unfriendly one damaging bilateral relations." The Russian ministry said the Austrian authorities' actions are out of line with the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which states officials that are part of delegations at UN events enjoy immunity from personal arrest and detention.
Space Tourism Could Benefit All, Says EADS (Source: Reuters)
Europe's leading space firm has defended plans for tourist rides in space after the European Union's industry chief slammed them as a gimmick for the rich. EADS Astrium said this week it planned to build a craft to carry people outside the earth's atmosphere from 2012 as long as they were prepared to pay up to 200,000 euros ($268,000) for a ticket. Speaking with passion about the project, EADS Astrium chief executive Francois Auque refused to be deterred. "The argument that you are working for the rich and beautiful and wealthy is completely incorrect, because our objective is to use the money of the rich to develop technologies that could be useful for everybody," he said. "Space tourism is the cherry on the cake." One spin-off could be quicker development of hyper-sonic long-distance travel in conventional planes, a spokesman said.
Indian Space Institute Location Selected (Source: NewIndPress.com)
Picturesque Ponmudi will not just be a cool holiday spot in the future; it is going to be the place where India’s space scientists are moulded. After checking out a number of spots in the district, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has finally zeroed in on Ponmudi for setting up the main campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST). The IIST will be built on 100 acres at Ponmudi - 55 km east of the city - in two years time.
Virginia Facility Falls Into New Role for NASA's Moon Plans (Source: Virginian-Pilot)
The scene looked like the set of a low-budget film about aliens from outer space. A "spaceship" - consisting of a welded, cone-shaped steel frame with super-sized orange air bags attached - hovered some 35 feet above ground, suspended on cables strung between a massive gantry. Video cameras stood by to capture the action as it hurtled earthward. The 6,700-pound metal module was packed with high-tech instruments to measure such things as velocity, pitch and G -forces. The cameras could record 1,000 frames a second, storing enough data in four seconds to fill a DVD. And the air bags? It's possible they will be used to help cushion the landing of NASA's next lunar spacecraft, the Orion, on its return to Earth.
Here at NASA Langley Research Center, the "drop" test conducted earlier this week was more than just another day at the office. Five years ago, test engineers at Langley feared the worst for their fabled Landing and Impact Research Facility. Built in 1965 to train Apollo astronauts for moon landings and later recycled to conduct crash-impact tests on aircraft, the facility in 2002 was targeted to be closed and demolished because of federal budget cuts. But now, as NASA strives to send humans back to the moon by 2020 and then on to Mars, the agency this summer plans a $2.5 million upgrade to the gantry for the Orion work.
One Union, United Space Alliance Agree to Contract (Source: Florida Today)
NASA shuttle contractor United Space Alliance reached a contract agreement Friday with one of its unions, while another union continued a strike against the company. The 74-member National Federation of Public and Private Employees District 1 voted unanimously to approve a collective-bargaining agreement during a meeting Friday. Details of the agreement were not disclosed. Meanwhile, a strike by the 570-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 continued for a second day Friday. The Machinists union and the company have not been able to reach a contract agreement over matters such as wage provisions, health care contributions and job security. No contract talks were scheduled as of late Friday.
Launch Towers to be Toppled Today (Source: Florida Today)
More than 3,600 tons of steel will crash to the surface at Space Launch Complex 36 this morning, when the old mobile service towers are toppled as part of the ongoing project to demolish the historic site at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Approximately 50 pounds of dynamite strapped to the base of each tower will be detonated about two minutes apart between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to knock the 209-foot-tall towers down. “A majority of the steel will be recycled,” said project officer Jonathan Vanho of the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron. The steel that can’t be recycled will be taken to a landfill at the spaceport.
Editorial: Missing Out on Outer Space (Source: The Hill)
In December 1972, America abandoned the moon. With the completion of the Skylab missions two years later, and after a brief rendezvous with the Russians, our nation’s human space effort was grounded. We had won the battle for space and demonstrated the power of a free people, but the Cold War, the emergence of global terrorism, an oil embargo, civil rights and other issues competed for our nation’s attention and priorities. Our nation now faces a similar gap in manned space flight if our political and congressional leaders don’t act soon.
The American space effort will be stalled and U.S. space leadership will be running out of time. The American astronauts that will fly to the space station will be totally dependent upon Russia, Japan and Europe. We will have to rely on the generosity and goodwill of other nations to maintain a minimal presence in space, as America will be grounded...Shifts in the world’s geopolitical climate are too unpredictable to rely on our allies for access to space — some who clearly intend on challenging our space leadership and whose governments are willing to make the necessary investments to be successful in space exploration.
Astronauts Fix Computers on ISS, Repair Thermal Blanket (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Astronauts on Friday repaired two main computers at the International Space Station after an unprecedented systems breakdown that lasted 48 hours. Technical teams were monitoring the computer system to see how it reacted to the adjustments. Astronauts used a jumper cable to bypass a faulty power switch. Russian flight controllers blamed the glitch on installation of the International Space Station's new solar panels. Russia may send its cargo vessel Progress to the ISS earlier, on July 23 instead of its planned August launch, to deliver spare parts for the computers.
Astronauts also fixed a tear in Atlantis's heat shield during a third spacewalk. Astronauts used surgical staples to pin down a corner of a loose thermal blanket. NASA engineers stressed that the hand-size opening posed no threat to the crew, unlike the broken tile that caused the Columbia to break up on re-entry in February 2003.
Loral Submits Bid in Intelsat Auction (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Loral is among several groups that submitted rival bids to acquire Intelsat Ltd., the largest global commercial-satellite operator, as part of an auction that could wrap up as early as the next few days. Loral, which is believed to be working with partners to finance its bid, is one of three satellite companies vying for Intelsat. The other two bidders, EchoStar and Liberty Media, banded together to put in a competing bid for the Washington-based satellite-services provider. Intelsat is expected to draw bids of $4.5 billion to more than $5.5 billion.
NASA, Confident of Station Fix, Sticks to Schedule (Source: Bloomberg)
NASA said the shuttle will leave the space station next week as scheduled, confident that downed computers are no danger to crew members left behind. When Atlantis pushes away June 19, it will leave behind NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson and cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Koto. If the computers aren't fixed by then, Russia may move up the Aug. 8 launch date of a cargo ship by two weeks to bring spare computer parts.
Atlas 5 Rocket Experiences Problem During Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
An Atlas 5 rocket carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launch from Cape Canaveral this morning. Officials called the flight a success, but tonight the Air Force announced the rocket had a problem. Aviation Week reports the NRO payload was launched into the wrong orbit today because of a problem with the Atlas 5 rocket. The magazine said the Centaur's second burn was shorter than planned. The report also said the spacecraft, believed to be a pair of ocean surveillance satellites, likely have enough onboard fuel to reach the proper orbit on their own. Whether those unplanned maneuvers would limit the satellites' useful life isn't known.
June 15 News Items
Atlas V Launches from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Sources: ERAU & Florida Today)
An Atlas V rocket carrying two national security satellites has successfully launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The rocket was launched by United Launch Alliance, a Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture. It was originally scheduled to launch on Thursday but was delayed by technical issues with the Eastern Range. Status of the mission beyond payload fairing separation is limited due to the classified nature of the payloads. This was the ninth Atlas V launch and was the first for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Arabsat Nears Deal on Two More Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Arabsat is expected to sign a contract June 16 with Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space for the construction of two fifth-generatoin Arabsat telecommunications spacecraft, to be launched in 2009 and 2010, according to industry officials.
Satellites Are Key Component of New Air Traffic Control System (Source: AIA)
Airline industry leaders say implementation of a GPS-based air traffic control system is an essential part of the FAA's planned system revamping. The FAA's new program will rely on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, which uses airplane transponders and GPS satellites to determine aircraft position with much greater accuracy than the current radar system. The FAA is expected to announce which of three finalists will perform the work later this summer.
Russians Fail to Fix Computers (Source: Florida Today)
The Russians' bid this morning to restore power to command, control and navigation computers has failed again, leaving the International Space Station in the same troublesome configuration it's been in since late Wednesday. During a series of communication passes overnight, the Russians worked with the station crew to try to troubleshoot the computers to no avail. They just the crew members to get some sleep while the teams on the ground in Moscow and Houston keep trying to figure out what keeps crashing the critical computer systems.
Russians: Possible 'Fatal Flaw' in Space Station (Source: ABC)
A source inside the Russian space agency has told ABC News that there could be a "fatal flaw" with the station's main computer. After working for a couple of days, the Russians still have no idea what the problem is, and they are pointing the finger at the Americans. They say that setting up the solar array sent electromagnetic interference into the computer, shutting it down. On the positive side, the space agency says that the station could fly for a few months without correcting its flight, meaning that even if the astronauts were forced to leave, there may be more time to fix the computer problems down the road. Meanwhile, shuttle astronauts James Reilly and Danny Olivas from the Space Shuttle Atlantis plan to take a spacewalk Friday afternoon to repair a tear in the shuttles thermal blanket using a surgical staple. Part of the blanket peeled back during the launch.
Dnepr Launches German Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Dnepr rocket launched a German radar satellite early Friday. The Dnepr lifted off from a silo at the Baikonur spaceport and placed the TerraSAR-X satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 514 kilometers. The spacecraft, built by Astrium for German company Infoterra, carries an X-band radar that will be used to provide medium- and high-resolution radar imagery of the Earth's surface. The launch is the second this year for the Denpr, a converted ICBM; another Dnepr, carrying the Genesis 2 spacecraft for Bigelow Aerospace, is expected to launch in the near future from the Yasny launch site in Russia.
EU Official Balks at Space Tourism (Source: The Peninsula)
The European Union's industry commissioner yesterday blasted companies' plans to offer space flights to tourists, calling them a gimmick for the privileged elite. "It's only for the super rich, which is against my social convictions," European Commission Vice President Guenter Verheugen told Reuters. EADS Astrium, the space division of the European aerospace consortium, said this week it planned to build a craft that would be able to carry a handful of tourists on brief forays outside the earth's atmosphere from 2012. Other groups are considering similar ventures including British entrepreneur Richard Branson, whose Virgin Galactic service expects to make its first commercial flight next year.
The EADS aircraft, about the size of an executive jet, would be able to carry four passengers around 100 kilometres from the earth, where they would be able to experience about three minutes of weightlessness and see the curve of the earth. At a price of $200,000-$266,000), the experience would be reserved for a small number of rich sensation-seekers, although as many as 15,000 passengers a year are expected to be ready to pay for a trip by 2020, according to consultants Futron.
Marshall Programs Get Boost (Source: Huntsville Times)
If the NASA budget makes it through Congress unscathed this year, the agency should have more money than the White House asked for, including full funding for rockets that Marshall Space Flight Center is developing, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer said Thursday. A new draft of the NASA budget increases President Bush's space agency money request by about $290 million to $17.6 billion for fiscal 2008. The bill will go to the House Appropriations Committee next week, said Cramer, a member of the committee, "and I feel optimistic that it will get voted on by the House sometime before we recess in August."
Subcommittee Urges Criminal Investigation of NASA General Counsel (Source: US House of Reps.)
The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology urged the Department of Justice today to investigate and possibly prosecute Michael Wholley, the general counsel of NASA, for obstruction of justice and destruction of government records. In their letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Congressmen wrote that Mr. Wholley personally destroyed video records of an April 10 agency meeting between NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and the staff of the Office of the Inspector General with full knowledge that the meeting was relevant to an ongoing Subcommittee investigation.
Honey, the Baby's Spacewalking (Source: CNN)
An elementary school science teacher Chicago doesn't have to turn on the news for an update on NASA's space mission. She just turns on her video baby monitor. Since Sunday, one of the two channels on Natalie Meilinger's baby monitor has been picking up black-and-white video from inside the space shuttle Atlantis. The other still lets her keep an eye on her baby. "Whoever has a baby monitor knows what you'll usually see," Meilinger said. "No one would ever expect this."
Meilinger silenced disbelieving co-workers by bringing in a video of the monitor to show her class on Tuesday, her students' last day of school. At home, 3-month-old Jack and 2-year-old Rachel don't quite understand what their parents are watching. "I've been addicted to it and keep waiting to see what's next," Meilinger said. Summer Infant, the monitor's manufacturer, is investigating what could be causing the transmission, communications director Cindy Barlow said. She said she's never heard of anything similar happening. "Not even close," she said. "Gotta love technology."
NASA Urges Patience as Russians Work on Computer Glitches (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Russian engineers troubleshooting computer problems aboard the space station have coaxed three of six critical guidance and control computers back into operation after a crippling shutdown Wednesday. A few hours later, apparently still experiencing problems, the two operating command-and-control computers, along with a lone guidance computer, were shut back down to give engineers time to assess telemetry. Additional troubleshooting and work to restore the computer system to more normal operation will be attempted \Friday when the space station passes back within range of Russian ground stations.
E'Prime Aerospace Corp. Retains Launch Customer Despite Troubles (Source: ERAU)
Less than a year after selling over 386 million of his E'Prime shares to the corporation in a $3 million stock buyback deal (which also included a $1 million reimbursement of funds he loaned the company, and a $280,000 per-year consulting position with the company), E'Prime director Bob Davis was removed from his position by his fellow board members over issues raised in a 2006 audit. The issues included inaccurate claims by Davis that certain missile production assets to be used by the company were not constrained by international treaty requirements. An internal investigation is ongoing. Despite these troubles, Melbourne-based M Star Global Communications has assured E'Prime that it remains committed to launching four KA-band satellites aboard the company's proposed Eagle rockets.
Obsolete Chips in Space (Source: MSNBC)
How many people are still cranking along with a 12-year-old computer at work? If that's your situation, you might have a bit more sympathy for the astronauts trying to cope with the computer problems on the international space station. The system that controls the station's orientation as well as other key functions on the Russian side of the outpost basically uses 12-year-old chips that were designed using a 21-year-old architecture and sent into orbit seven years ago.
Congressional Subcommittee Proposes Increase in NASA Funding (Source: Planetary Society)
The subcommittee responsible for the NASA budget has proposed an increase of $286 million in the agency’s funding above the Administration’s proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. This brings the total proposed NASA budget to $17.6 billion, or a 6% increase over the NASA’s current funding levels. Over half of the increase, or $180 million, goes towards NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, which has endured severe cuts in science spending over the past two years. A large part of the added funds will go to Earth science missions and the restoration of the exoplanet-hunting Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), which has been put on hold for budgetary reasons.
An Atlas V rocket carrying two national security satellites has successfully launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The rocket was launched by United Launch Alliance, a Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture. It was originally scheduled to launch on Thursday but was delayed by technical issues with the Eastern Range. Status of the mission beyond payload fairing separation is limited due to the classified nature of the payloads. This was the ninth Atlas V launch and was the first for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Arabsat Nears Deal on Two More Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Arabsat is expected to sign a contract June 16 with Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space for the construction of two fifth-generatoin Arabsat telecommunications spacecraft, to be launched in 2009 and 2010, according to industry officials.
Satellites Are Key Component of New Air Traffic Control System (Source: AIA)
Airline industry leaders say implementation of a GPS-based air traffic control system is an essential part of the FAA's planned system revamping. The FAA's new program will rely on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, which uses airplane transponders and GPS satellites to determine aircraft position with much greater accuracy than the current radar system. The FAA is expected to announce which of three finalists will perform the work later this summer.
Russians Fail to Fix Computers (Source: Florida Today)
The Russians' bid this morning to restore power to command, control and navigation computers has failed again, leaving the International Space Station in the same troublesome configuration it's been in since late Wednesday. During a series of communication passes overnight, the Russians worked with the station crew to try to troubleshoot the computers to no avail. They just the crew members to get some sleep while the teams on the ground in Moscow and Houston keep trying to figure out what keeps crashing the critical computer systems.
Russians: Possible 'Fatal Flaw' in Space Station (Source: ABC)
A source inside the Russian space agency has told ABC News that there could be a "fatal flaw" with the station's main computer. After working for a couple of days, the Russians still have no idea what the problem is, and they are pointing the finger at the Americans. They say that setting up the solar array sent electromagnetic interference into the computer, shutting it down. On the positive side, the space agency says that the station could fly for a few months without correcting its flight, meaning that even if the astronauts were forced to leave, there may be more time to fix the computer problems down the road. Meanwhile, shuttle astronauts James Reilly and Danny Olivas from the Space Shuttle Atlantis plan to take a spacewalk Friday afternoon to repair a tear in the shuttles thermal blanket using a surgical staple. Part of the blanket peeled back during the launch.
Dnepr Launches German Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Dnepr rocket launched a German radar satellite early Friday. The Dnepr lifted off from a silo at the Baikonur spaceport and placed the TerraSAR-X satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 514 kilometers. The spacecraft, built by Astrium for German company Infoterra, carries an X-band radar that will be used to provide medium- and high-resolution radar imagery of the Earth's surface. The launch is the second this year for the Denpr, a converted ICBM; another Dnepr, carrying the Genesis 2 spacecraft for Bigelow Aerospace, is expected to launch in the near future from the Yasny launch site in Russia.
EU Official Balks at Space Tourism (Source: The Peninsula)
The European Union's industry commissioner yesterday blasted companies' plans to offer space flights to tourists, calling them a gimmick for the privileged elite. "It's only for the super rich, which is against my social convictions," European Commission Vice President Guenter Verheugen told Reuters. EADS Astrium, the space division of the European aerospace consortium, said this week it planned to build a craft that would be able to carry a handful of tourists on brief forays outside the earth's atmosphere from 2012. Other groups are considering similar ventures including British entrepreneur Richard Branson, whose Virgin Galactic service expects to make its first commercial flight next year.
The EADS aircraft, about the size of an executive jet, would be able to carry four passengers around 100 kilometres from the earth, where they would be able to experience about three minutes of weightlessness and see the curve of the earth. At a price of $200,000-$266,000), the experience would be reserved for a small number of rich sensation-seekers, although as many as 15,000 passengers a year are expected to be ready to pay for a trip by 2020, according to consultants Futron.
Marshall Programs Get Boost (Source: Huntsville Times)
If the NASA budget makes it through Congress unscathed this year, the agency should have more money than the White House asked for, including full funding for rockets that Marshall Space Flight Center is developing, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer said Thursday. A new draft of the NASA budget increases President Bush's space agency money request by about $290 million to $17.6 billion for fiscal 2008. The bill will go to the House Appropriations Committee next week, said Cramer, a member of the committee, "and I feel optimistic that it will get voted on by the House sometime before we recess in August."
Subcommittee Urges Criminal Investigation of NASA General Counsel (Source: US House of Reps.)
The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology urged the Department of Justice today to investigate and possibly prosecute Michael Wholley, the general counsel of NASA, for obstruction of justice and destruction of government records. In their letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Congressmen wrote that Mr. Wholley personally destroyed video records of an April 10 agency meeting between NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and the staff of the Office of the Inspector General with full knowledge that the meeting was relevant to an ongoing Subcommittee investigation.
Honey, the Baby's Spacewalking (Source: CNN)
An elementary school science teacher Chicago doesn't have to turn on the news for an update on NASA's space mission. She just turns on her video baby monitor. Since Sunday, one of the two channels on Natalie Meilinger's baby monitor has been picking up black-and-white video from inside the space shuttle Atlantis. The other still lets her keep an eye on her baby. "Whoever has a baby monitor knows what you'll usually see," Meilinger said. "No one would ever expect this."
Meilinger silenced disbelieving co-workers by bringing in a video of the monitor to show her class on Tuesday, her students' last day of school. At home, 3-month-old Jack and 2-year-old Rachel don't quite understand what their parents are watching. "I've been addicted to it and keep waiting to see what's next," Meilinger said. Summer Infant, the monitor's manufacturer, is investigating what could be causing the transmission, communications director Cindy Barlow said. She said she's never heard of anything similar happening. "Not even close," she said. "Gotta love technology."
NASA Urges Patience as Russians Work on Computer Glitches (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Russian engineers troubleshooting computer problems aboard the space station have coaxed three of six critical guidance and control computers back into operation after a crippling shutdown Wednesday. A few hours later, apparently still experiencing problems, the two operating command-and-control computers, along with a lone guidance computer, were shut back down to give engineers time to assess telemetry. Additional troubleshooting and work to restore the computer system to more normal operation will be attempted \Friday when the space station passes back within range of Russian ground stations.
E'Prime Aerospace Corp. Retains Launch Customer Despite Troubles (Source: ERAU)
Less than a year after selling over 386 million of his E'Prime shares to the corporation in a $3 million stock buyback deal (which also included a $1 million reimbursement of funds he loaned the company, and a $280,000 per-year consulting position with the company), E'Prime director Bob Davis was removed from his position by his fellow board members over issues raised in a 2006 audit. The issues included inaccurate claims by Davis that certain missile production assets to be used by the company were not constrained by international treaty requirements. An internal investigation is ongoing. Despite these troubles, Melbourne-based M Star Global Communications has assured E'Prime that it remains committed to launching four KA-band satellites aboard the company's proposed Eagle rockets.
Obsolete Chips in Space (Source: MSNBC)
How many people are still cranking along with a 12-year-old computer at work? If that's your situation, you might have a bit more sympathy for the astronauts trying to cope with the computer problems on the international space station. The system that controls the station's orientation as well as other key functions on the Russian side of the outpost basically uses 12-year-old chips that were designed using a 21-year-old architecture and sent into orbit seven years ago.
Congressional Subcommittee Proposes Increase in NASA Funding (Source: Planetary Society)
The subcommittee responsible for the NASA budget has proposed an increase of $286 million in the agency’s funding above the Administration’s proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. This brings the total proposed NASA budget to $17.6 billion, or a 6% increase over the NASA’s current funding levels. Over half of the increase, or $180 million, goes towards NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, which has endured severe cuts in science spending over the past two years. A large part of the added funds will go to Earth science missions and the restoration of the exoplanet-hunting Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), which has been put on hold for budgetary reasons.
June 14 News Items
Stardust Memories as Space Becomes Final Frontier in Funerals (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
A Canadian company, Columbiad Launch Services, is taking orders for a launch service provided by an Earth-bound ballistic gun, which fires a missile-shaped vehicle to a height of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles), at which point the ashes are scattered into space and allowed to drift to Earth. Pioneering and poetic -- or borderline macabre, according to your view -- burials in space seem set for a rosy future. Since the cremated remains of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the TV sci-fi series Star Trek, rocketed into the cosmos a decade ago, the ashes of more than 300 other deceased have followed suit. Of more than 300 "celestial burials" that have taken place since 1997, most concern men and women who during their life fell in love with the heavens, and whose loved ones believe a space send-off is the most fitting tribute of all.
By 2012, as many as 10,000 such burials could be conducted each year, says a Houston, Texas aerospace company, Space Services Inc., the vanguard in an unusual but highly promising, er, undertaking. To be clear, what is being sent in space is not the full remains -- just a symbolic thimbleful of ashes, typically weighing a few grams, which are encased in a small capsule. There are no bodies or body parts. The capsules are then loaded into a small scientific or commercial satellite that has a bit of spare payload for sale. Under the company's "Earth Return Service," the ashes are sent in a sub-orbital loop, reaching an altitude of some 72 miles before the craft parachutes back to Earth for recovery. The cost: $495 for a gram, $995 for seven grams.
Atlas Launched Scrubbed, Friday Attempt Planned (Source: Florida Today)
A problem with the range safety system that protects the people and property from an out-of-control rocket mishap has forced the cancellation of today's Atlas V launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch and range safety teams worked into the final minutes of the window trying to get the system cleared for flight, but could not do so.
Secret Spaceflight Readied At Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Aviation Week)
Two top secret National Reconnaissance Office/Navy ocean surveillance spacecraft to track terrorist movements at sea are being readied for launch from Cape Canaveral on June 14. Liftoff is planned between 11:18 a.m. and noon EDT on board a nearly 200-ft.-tall U.S. Air Force Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. One unusual aspect of this secret U.S. military flight is that the Atlas V is powered by Russian RD-180 engines designed during the Cold War. It is likely that Air Force fighters will fly patrols near the launch site to guard against any airborne terrorist attacks on the mission.
ERAU Students Compete in Women's Air Race (Source: ERAU)
Heather Cupitt and Ashley Szasz, both very recent graduates of the Aeronautical Science program at Embry-Riddle, are representing the university in the 2007 Air Race Classic, an all-women's race originally known as the "Powder Puff Derby." They will be competing against 46 other teams from around the nation in a four-day navigation contest, June 19-22, from Oklahoma City to St. Johns, Newfoundland. Details of their experiences are on their website: http://www.freewebs.com/riddleracers/. They will update their website during the race as time allows. Please sign their electronic guestbook to cheer them on.
Is the Space Station a Money Pit? (Source: Time)
Today, the most underachieving machine NASA ever dreamed up got into trouble again, when computers that control the station’s oxygen, water supply and orientation failed. The good news is, the shuttle and station astronauts are not in much danger at all. The bad news is, the station has once again proven itself unworthy of all of the time, money and attention that has been lavished on it over the last two decades...If your SUV occasionally needs a trip to the shop, imagine what it takes to keep a complicated leviathan like this going.
The latest breakdown occurred in computers built and supplied by Russia. The station carries at least a 56-day reserve supply of oxygen, and while it doesn't keep as much water on board, there's more than enough to keep anyone from going thirsty for a good while. A bigger potential problem is the loss of precise control over station orientation. Part of the reason for Atlantis's current visit is to install a new pair of solar arrays, just two of several such reflective wings that help supply the station with power. But collecting solar energy means being able to keep yourself pointed toward the sun, not so easy if you're drifting off center. The computers also help orient the station to avoid space debris and move into position for docking with the shuttle or arriving cargo ships. For now, the shuttle's thrusters and the station's own gyroscopes will keep things reasonably stable, but that is not a permanent fix.
The larger question, as always, is why we're bothering with this whole program in the first place. The station was originally proposed 23 years ago as an $8 billion orbiting laboratory that would perform cutting-edge biological research, manufacture new and highly marketable materials impossible to make in the gravity environment of Earth and generally pay for itself many times over. Close to two decades past deadline and now carrying a projected $100 billion price tag, it has not returned a lick of good science — nor is it likely to. Meantime, it's diverting billions from NASA's budget that could better be spent on the agency's brilliantly successful unmanned space program, as well as its promising efforts to return astronauts to the moon and eventually explore Mars.
Dawn Spacecraft Never Damaged; Set To Launch July 7 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Marc Rayman who is helping oversee the Dawn launch campaign team at KSC says: "the report of a worker falling [on the Dawn spacecraft] is wrong; I don't know how such a rumor even got started. A tool made inadvertent contact with the back of the solar array (i.e., the side without solar cells). There is no reason to expect this to have an effect on our plans to launch on July 7."
Proton-M Rocket With US Satellite To Lift Off July 7 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The launch of a U.S. telecommunications satellite, DirecTV-10, on board a Russian Proton-M rocket has been scheduled for July 7. The DirecTV-10 is a commercial telecommunications satellite designed and manufactured by Boeing to provide service across continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.
Rocketplane Kistler Missed May COTS Milestone (Source: Space News)
NASA says it intends to continue subsidizing development of Rocketplane Kistler's K-1 reusable rocket despite the company's failure to meet a May financial milestone.
EADS Seeks Investors in Space Tourism Vehicle (Source: Space News)
Europe's biggest aerospace company, EADS, has concluded that carrying wealthy tourists to 100 kilometers in altitude for several minutes of weightlessness could be a multibillion-dollar industry in 20 years and is seeking co-investors to build a rocket plane it already has designed.
House Panel Recommends Increasing NASA and NOAA Budgets (Source: Space News)
A House appropriations subcommittee voted June 11 to give NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) more money for 2008 than the White House was seeking for either agency.
Major Computer Problem Looms Over Space Station (Source: Reuters)
A major, new problem popped up on the Space Station as space shuttle astronauts finished installing a new solar-power unit -- the failure of key computers that could in an extreme scenario force the crew off the station. The failure occurred in computers on the Russian segment of the 16-nation station, computers that control navigation and key life-support systems on the huge orbital base. Without them, the station cannot maintain proper orbit and the crew cannot stay on board. The station relies mostly on big gyroscopes to maintain its proper orientation but also uses control jets and navigation systems run by the troubled computers to help. NASA expects to be able to fix the problem and there are numerous alternatives short of taking the crew off the station. NASA is considering extending the visit of space shuttle Atlantis to use its attitude-control jets and life support to supplement the station's while engineers work on the problem.
European Firm Rockets into Space Tourism (Source: BBC)
The European aerospace giant EADS is going into the space tourism business. Its Astrium division says it will build a space plane capable of carrying fare-paying passengers on a sub-orbital ride more than 100km above the planet. The vehicle, which will take off from a normal airport, will give the tourists a three-to-five-minute experience of weightlessness at the top of its climb. Tickets are expected to cost up to 200,000 euros, with flights likely to begin in 2012. EADS Astrium is the company that builds the Ariane rocket, which lofts most of the world's commercial satellites.
Its space jet is a very different concept, however. From a certain angle, the vehicle resembles an ordinary executive aircraft - but its engineers claim it is in fact "revolutionary". The production model will use normal jet engines to take off and climb to 12km. From there, a rocket engine will kick the vehicle straight up, taking it beyond 60km in just 80 seconds. By the time the rocket shuts down, the craft should have sufficient velocity to carry it above 100km - into space.
Sen. Martinez, Rep. Crenshaw Hail Cargo Plane Contract Benefiting Cecil Field (Source: Sen. Martinez)
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) and Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) welcomed the decision by the Department of Defense awarding the team of L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Boeing, and Alenia North America the contract for building the military’s next cargo plane. The team has already announced plans for production and final assembly of the C-27J Spartan aircraft at Cecil Commerce Center near Jacksonville.
Editorial: An Ethical Disaster (Source: Florida Today)
The astronauts of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis are making the daunting and dangerous seem almost routine. The ship's crew -- and everyone involved in the mission -- represent NASA at its best in meeting the highest standards of dedication and professionalism. The same cannot be said of NASA's inspector general Robert Cobb. He's an ethical disaster who damages the office every day he remains on the job, and should be fired by President Bush, who appointed him in 2002, for numerous indefensible actions. They include abuse of employees, lax agency oversight, derailing investigations and chummy relationships with NASA bosses -- including his golfing and drinking buddy, former Administrator Sean O'Keefe -- whom he was supposed to monitor.
MacDonald Dettwiler Selling Space Assets (Source: Reuters)
Canada's MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates has put its surveillance and space businesses up for sale, but potential buyers are balking at the roughly $1 billion asking price, The Wall Street Journal reported. Four U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Alliant Techsystems expressed interest but opted against a bid, the Journal said.
Liberty, EchoStar Plot Intelsat Bid (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Liberty Media Corp. and EchoStar Communications Corp. are preparing a surprising joint offer for satellite-communications provider Intelsat Ltd., which is accepting final bids for its auction today. The pairing represents a bold cooperation between satellite-TV broadcaster EchoStar and media holding company Liberty, which is slated to take control of competing satellite-broadcaster DirecTV Group Inc. in the coming months. The two firms still could decide against making a formal bid. Intelsat is expected to draw bids of $4.5 billion to more than $5.5 billion, according to people familiar with the auction.
Scientists in Costa Rica Set Plasma Engine Record (Source: Reuters)
Scientists in Costa Rica have run a plasma rocket engine continuously for a record of more than four hours, the latest achievement in a mission to cut costs and travel time for spacecraft. The Ad Astra Rocket Company, led by Costa Rican-born former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz, said it hopes to use its rocket engines to stabilize space stations in a few years, and then to power a trip to Mars within two decades. "The first objective is to move small spacecraft in low orbit by 2010," said a company executive. Scientists at Ad Astra's Houston laboratory are conducting tests aimed at boosting the engine's overall power, while in Costa Rica they focus on endurance.
No Injuries at NASA Glenn Fire (Source: FOX)
Fire ripped through insulation outside a testing building at the NASA Glenn Research Center. There were no injuries and none of the work supporting the current space shuttle flight was affected. No damage estimate was immediately available for the fire at the deicing research building. The building is being renovated. NASA Glenn consists of 24 major facilities and buildings on 350 acres next to the airport and the 6,400-acre Plum Brook Station about 45 miles west in Sandusky.
New Evidence Points to Oceans on Mars (Source: EurekAlert)
Scientists have found new evidence to support the presence of large oceans on Mars in the past. The research suggests that changes in Mars’ orientation with respect to its axis might be responsible for large variations in the topography of shoreline-like features on the planet. Scientists have studied these features for more than 30 years, and the current study presents a new, alternative explanation for how they formed. Geophysicists have discovered that irregularities in proposed Martian shorelines might be explained by surface deformation from “true polar wander.” Through this phenomenon, Mars' spin axis and poles shifted by nearly 3,000 kilometers along the surface sometime within the past 2 or 3 billion years.
Russian Space Official Arrested for Spying in Austria (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian national detained by Austrian police on allegations of spying is an employee of the Russian Space Agency. Police in the town of Gmunden in northern Austria had arrested the man in connection with suspected involvement in military espionage. The paper also said an Austrian Air Force officer who allegedly passed on classified information to the Russian spy, had been detained following a lengthy surveillance operation conducted by Austrian military counterintelligence. The Austrian suspect, who served as a technician in the Austrian Air Force and had many contacts with civilian firms in Germany, could have supplied the Russian spy with electronic research data.
Shuttle Workers Ready to Strike (Source: Florida Today)
A union representing 580 space shuttle program workers at the Kennedy Space Center indicated that a strike is looming, after an unsuccessful meeting Wednesday with a federal mediator. "We will be going on strike," union spokesman Bob Wood said. "I don't see much of anything that would stop it at this point. That's what we're moving toward." Representatives of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 2061 and District 166 met with United Space Alliance and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, seeking to resolve a contract dispute. The union said the company's proposal remained unchanged from one the union previously rejected.
Europe Delays ATV Launch Again, Aims for January 2008 (Source: Space News)
The launch of Europe's unmanned cargo-transfer vehicle to the international space station has slipped again, to mid-January at the earliest. The European Space Agency (ESA) council agreed June 14 after deciding that neither the vehicle nor the orbital complex would be fully ready for the vehicle's arrival before then.
U.S. Defense Official Says China Budget Figures are Understated (Source: Space News)
The Defense Department accused China of deceptively shrouding what it spends on rapidly expanding weapons programs including technology to disrupt U.S. space programs.
Kazakhstan Terminates Joint Space Project with Russia (Source: Interfax)
Kazakhstan has decided to close Ishim joint space project with Russia. Creation of a new aerospace rocket complex will be halted due to economic unreasonableness. The idea was to create Ishim as a complex for launching small aerospace vehicles. It was to be based on MiG-31 planes capable of lifting a small rocket. Benefiting from its own engine, the rocket would separate from the plane at the scheduled altitude, ascend higher and place a payload into orbit.
Editorial: Challenges Ahead for NASA (Source: Denver Post)
Trips into outer space have become so common that the public hardly pays attention. But a 4-by-6-inch hole created in space shuttle Atlantis' thermal blanket during Friday's launch has prompted some to take notice. It's a stark reminder that NASA is dealing with an aging fleet of vehicles that need to be upgraded for the 21st century. NASA's next manned spacecraft, Orion, and accompanying rockets will be designed to take astronauts to the space station and eventually to the moon and Mars. But NASA and aerospace industry leaders are concerned about funding, and the gap between the time the last shuttle flies and Orion makes its debut.
Lockheed Martin chief executive Robert Stevens recently said NASA's $17.3 billion proposed 2008 budget is less than the annual sales of candy and gum and less than half what Americans spend on their pets. Congress needs to ensure that it is funding the space program at levels that allow NASA to make a quick and safe transition to new spacecraft.
Alexander Joins X PRIZE Foundation as Executive Director, Space (Source: X Prize Foundation)
The X PRIZE Foundation announced today the appointment of Bretton Alexander to the position of Executive Director, Space Prizes and Wirefly X PRIZE Cup. Alexander previously worked for presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as Senior Policy Analyst for space issues in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In his new role, Alexander will work to secure financing, create rules, recruit teams, develop rollout and media plans and investigate international partnerships for all future space-related prizes for the X PRIZE Foundation. Additionally, he will create and manage content for the annual Wirefly X PRIZE Cup and Holloman Air and Space Expo.
Fire Alarm Aboard ISS Caused by Computer Error (Source: Itar-Tass)
A fire alarm indicator activated in the Russian segment Zarya on board the ISS caused a false fire alarm. It was an ordinary incident of computer failure on board the ISS, the NASA expert said. There were similar incidents caused by malfunctioning of the same meters established in different places on board the ISS in the past as well, he said. Neither fire nor signs of fire fumes were found.
Sea Launch Concludes Investigation of Launch Failure (Source: SeaLaunch)
The Sea Launch Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) has concluded its review of the findings of an interagency CIS Joint Commission, which has been investigating the cause of the unsuccessful launch of January 30, 2007. All systems have been cleared for operations, pending completion and tests of all repairs on the Launch Platform. The commission concluded on March 12 that the failure initiated in the liquid oxygen (LOx) turbopump section of the RD-171M main engine. Following the initial FROB meeting in April with the commission, the Sea Launch partners performed internal inspections of already manufactured and tested RD-171M engines, with the objective of confirming the LOx feed system and pumps were free of debris.
NASA's Dawn Spacecraft Damaged (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The Dawn mission won't be delayed past it's July 7 launch date target, despite news of damage occurring on part of the spacecraft. A solar array appears to have been damaged - when a worker fell, or as now being stated, dropped an item on to the power generating panels - engineers are carrying out evaluations on Dawn to find out what is the full extent of the damage.
Spacewalkers Face Workaday Glitches (Source: LA Times)
Two astronauts spent nearly seven hours outside the International Space Station on Wednesday struggling with problems familiar to any driveway tinkerer: bolts that wouldn't give and crossed wiring. In the end, spacewalkers Steve Swanson and Pat Forrester were able to partially retract an old set of solar panels and prepare a 10-foot, wheel-like rotary joint that will allow a new set, brought by the shuttle Atlantis, to track the sun. During a second spacewalk, astronauts encountered wiring a problem while installing a set of mechanical assemblies on the new solar arrays.
Controllers were able to activate one of the assemblies remotely, but not the other. As a result, ground controllers decided not to fully remove the restraining bolts that held the rotary joint in place during the trip to space. Completion of the job will be left to a future spacewalk.
Japan to Launch Lunar Orbiter on August 16 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Japan will launch a lunar orbiter on August 16 to collect data for research of the moon's origin and evolution. The probe will consist of a main unit, which will circulate 100 kilometres (60 miles) above the moon, and two small satellites. It will be launched from the spaceport on the isle of Tanegashima off the southern tip of Kyushu Island, southern Japan, aboard a domestic H-IIA rocket for a one-year mission.
June 13 News Items
NASA Checks Into Potential Hit on Shuttle (Source: MSNBC)
Sensors on the shuttle Atlantis have recorded hits on the leading edges of the wings, around the area where Columbia suffered fatal damage four years ago. However, NASA emphasized that the hits probably did no damage to Atlantis. Officials said the areas would be inspected to make certain that the wing will be safe. The sensor system was upgraded after the 2003 Columbia tragedy. The hits could have been caused by a collision with a small meteorite or a piece of space junk in orbit. However, an official said it was more likely that the detections were caused by "thermal settling" or deformation rather than an actual impact.
Apparent Software Glitch Causes False Fire Alarm (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Fire alarms tripped inside the Russian section of the international space station today, triggering emergency procedures and concern on the ground until the astronauts reported it was an apparent false alarm. At 5:20 p.m. EDT, alarm tones could be heard on air-to-ground radio, prompting U.S. flight controllers to ask for a status report. No signs of a fire were found.
Northrop Grumman Expands Weightless Flights Program With ZERO-G (Source: NASA Watch)
The Northrop Grumman Foundation will sponsor the national Weightless Flights of Discovery, an innovative science and engineering education program that incorporates zero gravity flight experiences for teachers. This year's program will also include university students planning careers as teachers. The Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery will operate out of eight cities across the U.S. from August through December 2007.
Flights will be conducted in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, Co., New Orleans, Newport News, VA, Dallas and Bethpage, NY. The program will include eight workshops and 16 flights in all, and will prepare teachers to lead students in topics that relate to 30 National Science Standards. Last year's program was co-sponsored by the Florida Space Research Institute and resulted in Florida's record for flying the greatest number of K-12 teachers.
Sensors on the shuttle Atlantis have recorded hits on the leading edges of the wings, around the area where Columbia suffered fatal damage four years ago. However, NASA emphasized that the hits probably did no damage to Atlantis. Officials said the areas would be inspected to make certain that the wing will be safe. The sensor system was upgraded after the 2003 Columbia tragedy. The hits could have been caused by a collision with a small meteorite or a piece of space junk in orbit. However, an official said it was more likely that the detections were caused by "thermal settling" or deformation rather than an actual impact.
Apparent Software Glitch Causes False Fire Alarm (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Fire alarms tripped inside the Russian section of the international space station today, triggering emergency procedures and concern on the ground until the astronauts reported it was an apparent false alarm. At 5:20 p.m. EDT, alarm tones could be heard on air-to-ground radio, prompting U.S. flight controllers to ask for a status report. No signs of a fire were found.
Northrop Grumman Expands Weightless Flights Program With ZERO-G (Source: NASA Watch)
The Northrop Grumman Foundation will sponsor the national Weightless Flights of Discovery, an innovative science and engineering education program that incorporates zero gravity flight experiences for teachers. This year's program will also include university students planning careers as teachers. The Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery will operate out of eight cities across the U.S. from August through December 2007.
Flights will be conducted in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, Co., New Orleans, Newport News, VA, Dallas and Bethpage, NY. The program will include eight workshops and 16 flights in all, and will prepare teachers to lead students in topics that relate to 30 National Science Standards. Last year's program was co-sponsored by the Florida Space Research Institute and resulted in Florida's record for flying the greatest number of K-12 teachers.
June 12 News Items
Kazakh Aerospace Agency Considering Commercial Tours to Baikonur (Source: Itar-Tass)
The director of Kazakhstan's National Aerospace Agency wants to launch commercial tourism to the Baikonur Space Center -- one of the world's most important space facilities, which is leased by Russia. He said the issue will be discussed with the Russian Space Agency. Mussabayev admitted, however, there are certain problems with visiting Baikonur by regular Kazakhstanis and foreigners likewise. In the first place, all installations there are covered by special security procedures and controlled by security services.
Leadership Assignments Strengthen Spacehab for Future (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab announced the appointments of James Royston to the position of Spacehab President; Michael Bowker as Chief Operating Officer; Roscoe Moore as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic and Technical Officer; and, Brian Harris as Vice President, Business Development.
Mysterious Signal Hints at Subsurface Ocean on Titan (Source: New Scientist)
The Huygen probe's tentative detection of low frequency radio waves on Saturn's icy moon, Titan, could signal an underground ocean of liquid water, a new study says. If so, it would be good news for the possibility of life beneath the surface of this bizarre world. Titan's crust is thought to be made largely of water ice, kept rock hard by the prevailing surface temperature of -178° Celsius. But theoretical models of the moon's interior suggest that ammonia-rich water deep beneath the surface could stay liquid, perhaps forming a global ocean. Now, French scientists may have the first observational evidence of such an ocean.
Spacewalkers Install Truss, Mission Extended for Shuttle Repairs (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Two members of the STS-117 crew completed the first spacewalk of their mission on Monday, installing a new truss segment to the ISS, as mission managers decided to extend the mission and add an additional EVA to repair a torn thermal blanket on the shuttle. Astronauts hooked up the power, data, and cooling connections on the new truss segment and removed launch restraints so that the segment's radiators and solar panels can be deployed. The spacewalk was the first of three originally scheduled for the mission, but NASA shuttle managers decided to add a fourth EVA to allow astronauts to put a torn thermal blanket on the aft section of the shuttle Atlantis back into position. While officials didn't believe the torn blanket was a safety risk to the crew, they were concerned about damage to that section of the orbiter during reentry if left exposed.
TGV Touts Rocket Tests (Source: MSNBC)
Oklahoma-based TGV Rockets announced a milestone in its rocket development program today, saying that it "has successfully completed critical test firings of a technologically advanced throttleable rocket engine that the company believes will one day be able to facilitate the shuttling of equipment and sensor payloads on quick turnaround suborbital missions for the military and to help dramatically reduce the cost of geospatial imagery." The rocket tests, conducted over the past couple of months at NASA's Stennis Space Center, bring the company closer to its goal of replacing a "multibillion-dollar imaging satellite with a $10 million-class rocket ship." Further testing is under way, under the aegis of a larger space vehicle development program funded through the Naval Research Laboratory, TGV said.
Group Sponsors Exporting Workshops for Central Florida Aerospace Business (Source: SCWTC)
The Space Coast World Trade Council and Small Business Development Center of Brevard Community College will sponsor two programs focusing on exporting from the Space Coast. On June 22nd a luncheon will be held at Melbourne International Airport from 11:30 AM to 1 PM on "How to Export" featuring Enterprise Florida's renowned Misty Kane, and expert on trade missions and opportunities overseas. On July 20th an "AES Certification Workshop" with instructors from the US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division will offer two three hour sessions to choose from at BCC - Palm Bay Campus. Call Bonnie Cantillon at 321-724-5769 for details and information or email at bcantillon@bellsouth.net.
Russians Plan to Send Space Vehicles to Venus, Jupiter (Source: Itar-Tass)
After the mission to Mars's satellite Phobos, Russian scientists plan to send robotic expeditions to Venus and Jupiter. A meeting will be held in the near future to discuss uniting of the European and Russian Venus research programs, he said adding that the joint program would envisage creation of a station on Venus. The mission will consist of three parts. Russia will make a descending capsule that must "live" on the Venus surface for more than an hour. Besides, a balloon will be flown over the planet to study the atmosphere, and an orbital vehicle will be launched to study the plasma surrounding and clouds around Venus. Specialists from ESA and Roskosmos had a conference last April to discuss also an expedition to Jupiter. "We did not fly there before, and so it is very interesting for us together with Europe to organize a mission to Jupiter and its satellite Europe."
Two Senior Departures at NASA Headquarters (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA's Associate Administrator for Legislative Affairs, Brian Chase (a former staffer for Florida Congressman Dave Weldon), will be leaving the agency soon to go run the Dallas office of Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX). In addition, longtime NASA Headquarters Deputy Chief of Staff and White House Liaison J. T. Jezierski will be leaving NASA soon to go work for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
The director of Kazakhstan's National Aerospace Agency wants to launch commercial tourism to the Baikonur Space Center -- one of the world's most important space facilities, which is leased by Russia. He said the issue will be discussed with the Russian Space Agency. Mussabayev admitted, however, there are certain problems with visiting Baikonur by regular Kazakhstanis and foreigners likewise. In the first place, all installations there are covered by special security procedures and controlled by security services.
Leadership Assignments Strengthen Spacehab for Future (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab announced the appointments of James Royston to the position of Spacehab President; Michael Bowker as Chief Operating Officer; Roscoe Moore as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic and Technical Officer; and, Brian Harris as Vice President, Business Development.
Mysterious Signal Hints at Subsurface Ocean on Titan (Source: New Scientist)
The Huygen probe's tentative detection of low frequency radio waves on Saturn's icy moon, Titan, could signal an underground ocean of liquid water, a new study says. If so, it would be good news for the possibility of life beneath the surface of this bizarre world. Titan's crust is thought to be made largely of water ice, kept rock hard by the prevailing surface temperature of -178° Celsius. But theoretical models of the moon's interior suggest that ammonia-rich water deep beneath the surface could stay liquid, perhaps forming a global ocean. Now, French scientists may have the first observational evidence of such an ocean.
Spacewalkers Install Truss, Mission Extended for Shuttle Repairs (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Two members of the STS-117 crew completed the first spacewalk of their mission on Monday, installing a new truss segment to the ISS, as mission managers decided to extend the mission and add an additional EVA to repair a torn thermal blanket on the shuttle. Astronauts hooked up the power, data, and cooling connections on the new truss segment and removed launch restraints so that the segment's radiators and solar panels can be deployed. The spacewalk was the first of three originally scheduled for the mission, but NASA shuttle managers decided to add a fourth EVA to allow astronauts to put a torn thermal blanket on the aft section of the shuttle Atlantis back into position. While officials didn't believe the torn blanket was a safety risk to the crew, they were concerned about damage to that section of the orbiter during reentry if left exposed.
TGV Touts Rocket Tests (Source: MSNBC)
Oklahoma-based TGV Rockets announced a milestone in its rocket development program today, saying that it "has successfully completed critical test firings of a technologically advanced throttleable rocket engine that the company believes will one day be able to facilitate the shuttling of equipment and sensor payloads on quick turnaround suborbital missions for the military and to help dramatically reduce the cost of geospatial imagery." The rocket tests, conducted over the past couple of months at NASA's Stennis Space Center, bring the company closer to its goal of replacing a "multibillion-dollar imaging satellite with a $10 million-class rocket ship." Further testing is under way, under the aegis of a larger space vehicle development program funded through the Naval Research Laboratory, TGV said.
Group Sponsors Exporting Workshops for Central Florida Aerospace Business (Source: SCWTC)
The Space Coast World Trade Council and Small Business Development Center of Brevard Community College will sponsor two programs focusing on exporting from the Space Coast. On June 22nd a luncheon will be held at Melbourne International Airport from 11:30 AM to 1 PM on "How to Export" featuring Enterprise Florida's renowned Misty Kane, and expert on trade missions and opportunities overseas. On July 20th an "AES Certification Workshop" with instructors from the US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division will offer two three hour sessions to choose from at BCC - Palm Bay Campus. Call Bonnie Cantillon at 321-724-5769 for details and information or email at bcantillon@bellsouth.net.
Russians Plan to Send Space Vehicles to Venus, Jupiter (Source: Itar-Tass)
After the mission to Mars's satellite Phobos, Russian scientists plan to send robotic expeditions to Venus and Jupiter. A meeting will be held in the near future to discuss uniting of the European and Russian Venus research programs, he said adding that the joint program would envisage creation of a station on Venus. The mission will consist of three parts. Russia will make a descending capsule that must "live" on the Venus surface for more than an hour. Besides, a balloon will be flown over the planet to study the atmosphere, and an orbital vehicle will be launched to study the plasma surrounding and clouds around Venus. Specialists from ESA and Roskosmos had a conference last April to discuss also an expedition to Jupiter. "We did not fly there before, and so it is very interesting for us together with Europe to organize a mission to Jupiter and its satellite Europe."
Two Senior Departures at NASA Headquarters (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA's Associate Administrator for Legislative Affairs, Brian Chase (a former staffer for Florida Congressman Dave Weldon), will be leaving the agency soon to go run the Dallas office of Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX). In addition, longtime NASA Headquarters Deputy Chief of Staff and White House Liaison J. T. Jezierski will be leaving NASA soon to go work for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
June 11 News Items
Israel Launches Spy Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Israel launched a small reconnaissance satellite on its own Shavit booster early Monday. The Shavit booster lifted off from the Palmachim Air Force Base in Israel and placed the Ofeq-7 satellite into low Earth orbit. The 300-kilogram satellite is designed to provide high-resolution imagery for the Israeli military (with Iran believed to be a priority imaging target). Ofeq-7 will replace the aging Ofeq-5 satellite, which has been operating for about five years. This was the first Israeli launch since a September 2004 failure of a Shavit carrying the Ofeq-6 satellite. The rocket was launched in a rare "retrograde" orbit, heading west over the Mediterranian.
NASA Funds Florida Tech Professor for Extragalactic Research (Source: FIT)
Eric Perlman, Florida Tech associate professor of physics and space sciences, has earned $490,400 in funding over three years from NASA’s Long-term Space Astrophysics grant program. Perlman will conduct observational and theoretical work on jets, which are energetic outflows from the centers of some bright galaxies. They emerge typically from the regions immediately surrounding the central black hole, with a velocity nearly equal to the speed of light.
Satellite-Based Air Traffic Control Touted as Safer, More Efficient (Source: AIA)
UPS is pioneering a GPS-based navigation system for its aircraft in Louisville in an effort to safely land more airplanes per hour and prevent delays. Their system is similar to the Federal Aviation Administration's planned overhaul of the nation's aging air traffic control system. Advocates say the proposed modernization will improve efficiency and increase safety.
Russia Gradually Losing Ground in Space Exploration - Expert (Source: Interfax)
With each passing year Russia is ceding its positions in space exploration, says the head of a Russian space research center. "Russia has stopped space studies involving its space stations. Today foreign spacecraft carry Russian equipment or Russia helps to launch foreign scientific satellites," he said at a Moscow seminar. "The Russian programs of missions in terrestrial space are ineffective," Chernayvsky said. "Russia has developed mainly into a taxi driver for launching foreign spacecraft and taking space tourists into orbit," he said.
UK and Netherlands Against Public Funding for Galileo (Source: Spiegel)
Those pesky pan-European aerospace projects just never seem to go smoothly. First Airbus ran into all kinds of turbulence. Now Galileo -- planned as a competitor to the US GPS system -- appears to be in danger of crashing and burning. The European Union's planned satellite navigation system Galileo is in trouble. Although an agreement seemed to be reached Friday on bailing the project out with public money -- now the UK and the Netherlands are arguing against that.
According to a Germany media report, the two countries have rejected financing the beleagured project with public money -- contradicting what had appeared to be a consensus reached at a meeting of European Union transport ministers Friday. The two countries said they believed that financing the project with public money would "probably increase long-term costs instead of reducing them." Both countries argued that a public-private partnership is the best approach for such large infrastructure projects.
NASA Open to ISS Use by Industry, U.S. (Source: Space News)
NASA is ready and willing to share the Space Station with other U.S. government agencies and commercial firms once construction of the $100 billion orbital outpost is finished in 2010. That is the main thrust of a 14-page report NASA sent to Congress in late May outlining a plan for operating the U.S. segment of ISS as a "national laboratory" supported and used by entities other than NASA. Congress officially designated the U.S. side of the space station a national lab over a year ago with passage of the NASA Authorization Act of 2005. The bill directed NASA to seek new users for the space station and come back within a year with a plan describing how the national lab would be operated.
Will U.S. ‘Responsive Space’ Concept Go Global? (Source: Defense News)
Pentagon officials are pushing for approval to begin signing up NATO members to help develop and build a new generation of rapidly deployable satellites and rockets, a concept modeled after the “1,000-ship Navy” concept. Just as U.S. Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chief of naval operations, envisions a global fleet of allied ships acting in close coordination, Pentagon space officials are pushing to bring some trans-Atlantic allies on board its Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) concept.
The end result could be a “100-satellite constellation,” says Air Force Col. Tom Doyne. ORS envisions small, tactical satellites available for launch on short notice — weeks or months — for communications, surveillance or other military needs. Officials say the smaller orbiters likely would cost between $20 million and $40 million each, hundreds of millions of dollars cheaper than larger, more advanced assets. Doyne and his team are proposing that many — perhaps all — of NATO’s 26 members fund ORS assets and drive costs down by buying five satellites at a time.
How the Space Race has Become a Truly International Affair (Source: Daily Record)
The world's superpowers have always dominated the space race. But with companies and agencies all rushing to attract tourists and commercial passengers to the heavens, Europe and Britain are now leading the way. While it may have been the astronauts and cosmonauts of the US and Russia that usually made the headlines, the last 50 years of space travel would not have been possible if it wasn't for the hard work and creativity of British and European scientists and pioneers.
The European firm EADS Astrium is reported to be on the verge of announcing plans for a reusable and commercially viable spaceship for tourists, and combined with Sir Richard Branson's proposed Virgin Galactic flights, this shows that our continent is home to the most exciting developments in the next generation of the space race.
NASA Lab Puts Ohio on Edge of Space (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
It's cool, quiet and dim inside the world's largest vacuum chamber. As serene as it is now, though, the Space Power Facility at NASA's Plum Brook Station will soon erupt in a blaze of activity intended to propel Ohio to the forefront of spacecraft testing. Over the next five years, workers will install $57 million of new facilities and equipment in and around the huge vacuum chamber. The exotic equipment will generate forces of biblical proportion: titanic blasts of sound; earthquake-like shaking; the hellish heat, icy cold and air- lessness of deep space. First to undergo launch- and space-environment simulation testing at Plum Brook will be Orion.
Managers Leaning Toward Spacewalk Repair of Blanket (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Concern about possible re-entry heat damage to the underlying structure of the shuttle Atlantis' left-side maneuvering rocket pod under a pulled-up insulation blanket may prompt a simple spacewalk repair job, the chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team said today. Engineers studying the protruding triangular 4-inch by 6-inch blanket are concerned about the possible effects of re-entry heating on the graphite epoxy honeycomb structure of the shuttle's left Orbital Maneuvering System pod.
Shuttles have safely returned to Earth on several occasions with broken or lost tiles and lost blankets on the OMS pods. But in some cases, the underlying structure was damaged and required repairs. "The simplest is we would just tuck that blanket back down and fill that cavity back up. And they're talking about different ways to maybe secure it."
Israel launched a small reconnaissance satellite on its own Shavit booster early Monday. The Shavit booster lifted off from the Palmachim Air Force Base in Israel and placed the Ofeq-7 satellite into low Earth orbit. The 300-kilogram satellite is designed to provide high-resolution imagery for the Israeli military (with Iran believed to be a priority imaging target). Ofeq-7 will replace the aging Ofeq-5 satellite, which has been operating for about five years. This was the first Israeli launch since a September 2004 failure of a Shavit carrying the Ofeq-6 satellite. The rocket was launched in a rare "retrograde" orbit, heading west over the Mediterranian.
NASA Funds Florida Tech Professor for Extragalactic Research (Source: FIT)
Eric Perlman, Florida Tech associate professor of physics and space sciences, has earned $490,400 in funding over three years from NASA’s Long-term Space Astrophysics grant program. Perlman will conduct observational and theoretical work on jets, which are energetic outflows from the centers of some bright galaxies. They emerge typically from the regions immediately surrounding the central black hole, with a velocity nearly equal to the speed of light.
Satellite-Based Air Traffic Control Touted as Safer, More Efficient (Source: AIA)
UPS is pioneering a GPS-based navigation system for its aircraft in Louisville in an effort to safely land more airplanes per hour and prevent delays. Their system is similar to the Federal Aviation Administration's planned overhaul of the nation's aging air traffic control system. Advocates say the proposed modernization will improve efficiency and increase safety.
Russia Gradually Losing Ground in Space Exploration - Expert (Source: Interfax)
With each passing year Russia is ceding its positions in space exploration, says the head of a Russian space research center. "Russia has stopped space studies involving its space stations. Today foreign spacecraft carry Russian equipment or Russia helps to launch foreign scientific satellites," he said at a Moscow seminar. "The Russian programs of missions in terrestrial space are ineffective," Chernayvsky said. "Russia has developed mainly into a taxi driver for launching foreign spacecraft and taking space tourists into orbit," he said.
UK and Netherlands Against Public Funding for Galileo (Source: Spiegel)
Those pesky pan-European aerospace projects just never seem to go smoothly. First Airbus ran into all kinds of turbulence. Now Galileo -- planned as a competitor to the US GPS system -- appears to be in danger of crashing and burning. The European Union's planned satellite navigation system Galileo is in trouble. Although an agreement seemed to be reached Friday on bailing the project out with public money -- now the UK and the Netherlands are arguing against that.
According to a Germany media report, the two countries have rejected financing the beleagured project with public money -- contradicting what had appeared to be a consensus reached at a meeting of European Union transport ministers Friday. The two countries said they believed that financing the project with public money would "probably increase long-term costs instead of reducing them." Both countries argued that a public-private partnership is the best approach for such large infrastructure projects.
NASA Open to ISS Use by Industry, U.S. (Source: Space News)
NASA is ready and willing to share the Space Station with other U.S. government agencies and commercial firms once construction of the $100 billion orbital outpost is finished in 2010. That is the main thrust of a 14-page report NASA sent to Congress in late May outlining a plan for operating the U.S. segment of ISS as a "national laboratory" supported and used by entities other than NASA. Congress officially designated the U.S. side of the space station a national lab over a year ago with passage of the NASA Authorization Act of 2005. The bill directed NASA to seek new users for the space station and come back within a year with a plan describing how the national lab would be operated.
Will U.S. ‘Responsive Space’ Concept Go Global? (Source: Defense News)
Pentagon officials are pushing for approval to begin signing up NATO members to help develop and build a new generation of rapidly deployable satellites and rockets, a concept modeled after the “1,000-ship Navy” concept. Just as U.S. Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chief of naval operations, envisions a global fleet of allied ships acting in close coordination, Pentagon space officials are pushing to bring some trans-Atlantic allies on board its Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) concept.
The end result could be a “100-satellite constellation,” says Air Force Col. Tom Doyne. ORS envisions small, tactical satellites available for launch on short notice — weeks or months — for communications, surveillance or other military needs. Officials say the smaller orbiters likely would cost between $20 million and $40 million each, hundreds of millions of dollars cheaper than larger, more advanced assets. Doyne and his team are proposing that many — perhaps all — of NATO’s 26 members fund ORS assets and drive costs down by buying five satellites at a time.
How the Space Race has Become a Truly International Affair (Source: Daily Record)
The world's superpowers have always dominated the space race. But with companies and agencies all rushing to attract tourists and commercial passengers to the heavens, Europe and Britain are now leading the way. While it may have been the astronauts and cosmonauts of the US and Russia that usually made the headlines, the last 50 years of space travel would not have been possible if it wasn't for the hard work and creativity of British and European scientists and pioneers.
The European firm EADS Astrium is reported to be on the verge of announcing plans for a reusable and commercially viable spaceship for tourists, and combined with Sir Richard Branson's proposed Virgin Galactic flights, this shows that our continent is home to the most exciting developments in the next generation of the space race.
NASA Lab Puts Ohio on Edge of Space (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
It's cool, quiet and dim inside the world's largest vacuum chamber. As serene as it is now, though, the Space Power Facility at NASA's Plum Brook Station will soon erupt in a blaze of activity intended to propel Ohio to the forefront of spacecraft testing. Over the next five years, workers will install $57 million of new facilities and equipment in and around the huge vacuum chamber. The exotic equipment will generate forces of biblical proportion: titanic blasts of sound; earthquake-like shaking; the hellish heat, icy cold and air- lessness of deep space. First to undergo launch- and space-environment simulation testing at Plum Brook will be Orion.
Managers Leaning Toward Spacewalk Repair of Blanket (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Concern about possible re-entry heat damage to the underlying structure of the shuttle Atlantis' left-side maneuvering rocket pod under a pulled-up insulation blanket may prompt a simple spacewalk repair job, the chairman of NASA's Mission Management Team said today. Engineers studying the protruding triangular 4-inch by 6-inch blanket are concerned about the possible effects of re-entry heating on the graphite epoxy honeycomb structure of the shuttle's left Orbital Maneuvering System pod.
Shuttles have safely returned to Earth on several occasions with broken or lost tiles and lost blankets on the OMS pods. But in some cases, the underlying structure was damaged and required repairs. "The simplest is we would just tuck that blanket back down and fill that cavity back up. And they're talking about different ways to maybe secure it."
June 10 News Items
Workers Call Off Strike at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
A strike at Kennedy Space Center was called off today as both sides agreed to mediate a contract dispute between aerospace workers and management at United Space Alliance. Henry Groton Jr. of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services in Orlando asked both sides to return to negotations, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 announced. The union, which represents about 570 workers at USA, NASA’s main contractor for the space shuttle, voted last Saturday to strike after contract negotiations fell apart. The strike was set to begin today, after a five-day cooling off period that began Tuesday.
Gingrich Suggests Mars Prize (Source: AP)
In a speech last week, potential presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Republicans must offer a more dramatic platform for remaking government that focuses on private-sector innovation. In a glimpse of what his candidacy might look like, he said he would shut down public schools that aren't performing and offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. "Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process," he said.
China Plan for Long March in Space (Source: Taiwan Journal)
China is again in the news for its space program. The recent release of its 11th five-year space development plan marked an important step toward China's long march to extend its current space agenda. One niggling question is whether this represents a signal aimed at pushing its military space technology to the next level and preparing for "space warfare." At a time when China is modernizing its army, this proposed future space plan appears to mark China's civil as well as military space intentions and capabilities. Whatever its motivation might be, China's space plan is undoubtedly having a global impact, with its close neighbors feeling most rattled.
Its recent space activities reveal a silent Chinese posture to establish its supremacy in space and its strategic goal to prepare itself for possible space warfare. Concerns abound regarding the role of the Chinese military in this space program and, more specifically, the possibility that the People's Liberation Army retains tight control over the direction of the future space program. Moreover, space power has become a pre-condition to controlling air power, and China now has more than 70 satellites in space. The 11th five-year plan sets a platform to achieve some of China's hidden military objectives to modernize its space technology. For example, the Chinese intention in regard to the future information war is to deny its opponents information from space-based platforms by deafening their space systems and disrupting navigation satellites. Visit http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?CtNode=122&xItem=24305to view the article.
Emerging India / Riding High on Success in Space (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
India's space center is located on Sriharikota Island in the Indian Ocean. On April 23, a 44-meter rocket was launched successfully from the island. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle was used to send Italy's astronomical satellite AGILE into orbit. With this successful launch, India entered into the international space business. "We've also received two inquiries on satellite launches. Our strong point is price competitiveness, as demonstrated by the fact that the launching cost this time was about 80 percent (about 1.23 billion yen) of that charged by other countries," said an Indian space official.
India plans to launch its first lunar probe satellite Chandrayaan-1, meaning moon vehicle in Hindi, in early 2008, and plans are in place to conduct a manned space flight using the country's own spacecraft in 2015, followed by a moon landing of a manned probe five years after that. Manned space flights would cost 100 billion Indian rupees (about 300 billion yen).
India's First Military Satellite to be Launched in August (Source: India Times)
India will launch its first dedicated military satellite in August to give the country the capability to monitor missile launches in its neighbourhood. The dedicated military reconnaissance satellite, CARTOSAT 2A, will be launched on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. CARTOSAT 2A will boast of spatial resolution and will be loaded with cameras that can supply advanced imagery. It will cater to military and intelligence specifications. Launch of the first military satellite will be rapidly followed by the launch of two more advanced imaging satellites by next year to give India the capability of keeping an eye round-the-clock on the region surrounding the country.
Europe Joins Space Tourism Race (Source: Times Online)
EADS Astrium, Europe’s biggest builder of satellites and rockets, is this week expected to announce plans to carry tourists into space. The firm is due to unveil plans at the Paris air show for a spacecraft that will carry tourists out of the atmosphere for a brief ride at 3,000mph before ferrying them back to Earth. The scheme is thought to be the first step in a plan to take space tourists into orbit and even to dock at a “space hotel”. EADS Astrium is part of a largely Franco-German group that has plants across Europe, including Britain, and also owns Airbus. It has been developing a space tourism project for seven years with the Phoenix, a reusable craft. The prototype is 23ft long, with a 12ft wing span and an aluminium structure weighing just over a ton. The prototype is believed to be one-sixth of the size of the planned vehicle.
Still Pitching a Far-Out Idea: Ads in Space (Source: LA Times)
It started as a joke. But after a while, Robert Lorsch began to think that selling advertising in space wasn't so funny. Lorsch says he felt compelled to respond to President Reagan's challenge to the private sector in 1981 to help relieve the government's financial burden. He presented his plan to several members of Congress: NASA should allow companies to put their names on plaques inside space shuttles, charging $1 million for the privilege, and let corporate America promote its backing of the space program in the same way businesses do when they pay to be sponsors of the Olympics. His idea might yet get off the ground — Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) plans to introduce a bill that would create a committee to investigate which advertising partnerships NASA might pursue.
Although NASA has participated in some commercial partnerships that allow businesses to use information learned from space missions, the agency isn't permitted to profit from such pacts. By contrast, the Russian space agency has embraced advertising as a way to fund its program and has signed deals with Pepsi, Pizza Hut and Kodak. Pizza Hut paid about $1.3 million to put a logo on a Russian spacecraft and Pepsi shelled out $5 million to have a cosmonaut float a replica of a soda can in outer space. "Since the first shuttle flight, there have been 113 missions," Lorsch said in testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space in 2004. "If my program had been implemented, the space program could have earned more than $5 billion."
Thermal Breach? NASA Checks Shuttle (Source: ABC)
It doesn't look like much -- a gap where the thermal blanket on one of the space shuttle Atlantis' orbital rockets is puffed out. Mission Management Team Chairman Jon Shannon says it looks like the stitching just simply pulled out. But every gap, wrinkle, dent or ding gets a good look when it's on a space shuttle orbiting Earth, and NASA is examining photos and video of the gap to determine if the shuttle may have a problem. Was the blanket hit by debris during Friday's launch into space? Shannon says engineers won't know for a couple of days until all the video of the launch is retrieved and analyzed. "The blanket is two inches thick," he said, "and under that blanket is a graphite shell, and inside that are the tanks for the reactants for the orbital maneuvering system."
A strike at Kennedy Space Center was called off today as both sides agreed to mediate a contract dispute between aerospace workers and management at United Space Alliance. Henry Groton Jr. of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services in Orlando asked both sides to return to negotations, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 announced. The union, which represents about 570 workers at USA, NASA’s main contractor for the space shuttle, voted last Saturday to strike after contract negotiations fell apart. The strike was set to begin today, after a five-day cooling off period that began Tuesday.
Gingrich Suggests Mars Prize (Source: AP)
In a speech last week, potential presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Republicans must offer a more dramatic platform for remaking government that focuses on private-sector innovation. In a glimpse of what his candidacy might look like, he said he would shut down public schools that aren't performing and offer a $20 billion reward for the first private company that successfully completes a Mars mission. "Somebody would be there and back about 40 percent of the way into the NASA process," he said.
China Plan for Long March in Space (Source: Taiwan Journal)
China is again in the news for its space program. The recent release of its 11th five-year space development plan marked an important step toward China's long march to extend its current space agenda. One niggling question is whether this represents a signal aimed at pushing its military space technology to the next level and preparing for "space warfare." At a time when China is modernizing its army, this proposed future space plan appears to mark China's civil as well as military space intentions and capabilities. Whatever its motivation might be, China's space plan is undoubtedly having a global impact, with its close neighbors feeling most rattled.
Its recent space activities reveal a silent Chinese posture to establish its supremacy in space and its strategic goal to prepare itself for possible space warfare. Concerns abound regarding the role of the Chinese military in this space program and, more specifically, the possibility that the People's Liberation Army retains tight control over the direction of the future space program. Moreover, space power has become a pre-condition to controlling air power, and China now has more than 70 satellites in space. The 11th five-year plan sets a platform to achieve some of China's hidden military objectives to modernize its space technology. For example, the Chinese intention in regard to the future information war is to deny its opponents information from space-based platforms by deafening their space systems and disrupting navigation satellites. Visit http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?CtNode=122&xItem=24305to view the article.
Emerging India / Riding High on Success in Space (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
India's space center is located on Sriharikota Island in the Indian Ocean. On April 23, a 44-meter rocket was launched successfully from the island. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle was used to send Italy's astronomical satellite AGILE into orbit. With this successful launch, India entered into the international space business. "We've also received two inquiries on satellite launches. Our strong point is price competitiveness, as demonstrated by the fact that the launching cost this time was about 80 percent (about 1.23 billion yen) of that charged by other countries," said an Indian space official.
India plans to launch its first lunar probe satellite Chandrayaan-1, meaning moon vehicle in Hindi, in early 2008, and plans are in place to conduct a manned space flight using the country's own spacecraft in 2015, followed by a moon landing of a manned probe five years after that. Manned space flights would cost 100 billion Indian rupees (about 300 billion yen).
India's First Military Satellite to be Launched in August (Source: India Times)
India will launch its first dedicated military satellite in August to give the country the capability to monitor missile launches in its neighbourhood. The dedicated military reconnaissance satellite, CARTOSAT 2A, will be launched on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. CARTOSAT 2A will boast of spatial resolution and will be loaded with cameras that can supply advanced imagery. It will cater to military and intelligence specifications. Launch of the first military satellite will be rapidly followed by the launch of two more advanced imaging satellites by next year to give India the capability of keeping an eye round-the-clock on the region surrounding the country.
Europe Joins Space Tourism Race (Source: Times Online)
EADS Astrium, Europe’s biggest builder of satellites and rockets, is this week expected to announce plans to carry tourists into space. The firm is due to unveil plans at the Paris air show for a spacecraft that will carry tourists out of the atmosphere for a brief ride at 3,000mph before ferrying them back to Earth. The scheme is thought to be the first step in a plan to take space tourists into orbit and even to dock at a “space hotel”. EADS Astrium is part of a largely Franco-German group that has plants across Europe, including Britain, and also owns Airbus. It has been developing a space tourism project for seven years with the Phoenix, a reusable craft. The prototype is 23ft long, with a 12ft wing span and an aluminium structure weighing just over a ton. The prototype is believed to be one-sixth of the size of the planned vehicle.
Still Pitching a Far-Out Idea: Ads in Space (Source: LA Times)
It started as a joke. But after a while, Robert Lorsch began to think that selling advertising in space wasn't so funny. Lorsch says he felt compelled to respond to President Reagan's challenge to the private sector in 1981 to help relieve the government's financial burden. He presented his plan to several members of Congress: NASA should allow companies to put their names on plaques inside space shuttles, charging $1 million for the privilege, and let corporate America promote its backing of the space program in the same way businesses do when they pay to be sponsors of the Olympics. His idea might yet get off the ground — Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) plans to introduce a bill that would create a committee to investigate which advertising partnerships NASA might pursue.
Although NASA has participated in some commercial partnerships that allow businesses to use information learned from space missions, the agency isn't permitted to profit from such pacts. By contrast, the Russian space agency has embraced advertising as a way to fund its program and has signed deals with Pepsi, Pizza Hut and Kodak. Pizza Hut paid about $1.3 million to put a logo on a Russian spacecraft and Pepsi shelled out $5 million to have a cosmonaut float a replica of a soda can in outer space. "Since the first shuttle flight, there have been 113 missions," Lorsch said in testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space in 2004. "If my program had been implemented, the space program could have earned more than $5 billion."
Thermal Breach? NASA Checks Shuttle (Source: ABC)
It doesn't look like much -- a gap where the thermal blanket on one of the space shuttle Atlantis' orbital rockets is puffed out. Mission Management Team Chairman Jon Shannon says it looks like the stitching just simply pulled out. But every gap, wrinkle, dent or ding gets a good look when it's on a space shuttle orbiting Earth, and NASA is examining photos and video of the gap to determine if the shuttle may have a problem. Was the blanket hit by debris during Friday's launch into space? Shannon says engineers won't know for a couple of days until all the video of the launch is retrieved and analyzed. "The blanket is two inches thick," he said, "and under that blanket is a graphite shell, and inside that are the tanks for the reactants for the orbital maneuvering system."
June 9 News Items
Daughter of Stephen Hawking to Fly with ZERO-G on Father's Day (Source: ZERO-G)
Lucy Hawking, daughter of Professor Stephen Hawking -- the world-renowned physicist and expert on gravity -- will fly aboard ZERO-G's June 9 Father's Day flight from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. This will be her opportunity to share the same weightless experience enjoyed by her father on April 26. This flight will also will serve as research for a children's book she is co-writing with her father on space. Professor Hawking proclaimed his zero-gravity flight to be "amazing" and that he hoped many would follow him in this incredible opportunity, now available to the general public. His daughter is one of many who've been inspired to fly with ZERO-G following his historic flight.
NASA: No Urgent Problems With Atlantis (Source: AP)
With a 4-inch gap in the space shuttle's heat-protecting blanket not appearing to be an urgent problem on Saturday, the crew readied themselves for for a weeklong embrace with the space station. The crew used a robot arm to look at a gap in a thermal blanket on the left side of the shuttle. The gap appears to be the result of an unusual fold in the blanket and is still being analyzed by the agency. It was not expected to change the astronauts' plans in the next several days. "We've landed safely with damage (in the same area) that's similar or worse," said a NASA official. "I don't think concern is the right word; there's no urgency with the situation."
ATK Completes Swales Purchase (Source: AP)
Techsystems has completed the purchase of satellite parts maker Swales Aerospace. Financial details of the acquisition were not released. ATK said the buyout was subject to normal federal regulatory review, as well as the approval of the majority of Swales' shareholders, since the company is employee-owned. Swales' Beltsville, Md., facility is now the headquarters for the space unit of ATK's mission systems group. ATK said Mike Cerneck, the previous chief executive of Swales Aerospace, will head the division.
Enterprise Florida Wins Award for Orion Recruitment Project (Source: EFI)
Enterprise Florida, the state's quasi-public economic development agency, was recently honored with an Economic Development Leadership Award for its work to support Lockheed Martin's bid for the $4 billion Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program.
Enterprise Florida arranged for economic development incentives designed to be a contract discriminator in the competiton for Orion. The result was Florida's awarding of $35 million for infrastructure needs related to Orion's final assembly at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Enterprise Florida's participation in the project helped reduce Lockheed Martin's contract bid cost by approximately $50 million.
Pentagon Shakeup Reshapes Military, Acquisition Leadership (Source: Space News)
In a sudden shakeup that will affect the leadership of Air Force space operations Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced June 8 that he was recommending replacing the top military leadership.
Israel's Launch of Newest Imaging Satellite Imminent (Source: Space News)
Israel is embarking on a major expansion of its military space capabilities beginning with the upcoming launch of the Ofeq-7 imaging satellite and at least three additional spacecraft by 2011. In parallel, the government plans to supplement its burgeoning defense and security needs through priority use of three new Israeli commercial satellites planned for launch in the same four-year period. Those include the Amos-3 and Amos-4 communications satellites and the Aros-C remote sensing spacecraft. Ofeq-7 will be launched westward over the Mediterrranean by Israel's indigenous Shavit three-stage, solid-fueled launch vehicle.
Six European Nations Eye Space-Based Reconnaisance Systems (Source: Space News)
Six European nations (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Greece) have begun initial work on coordinating their future space-based reconnaissance systems in ways that could run the gamut from today's bilateral sharing of each government's own capacity, to a much deeper collaboration that includes co-owned satellite assets, according to French defense officials. Proposals on a future pan-European system are expected starting in September.
Italian Group Plans to Leverage Small Sats to Spur Growth (Source: Space News)
Italian small-satellite builder Carlo Gavazzi Space SpA expects to leverage the success of its Agile science satellite into a regular business to build, on average, one scientific or Earth observation satellite every two years, company Managing Director Lanfranco Zucconi said. The main customers the company plans to serve are the Italian and European space agencies, he said. Milan-based Carlo Gavazzi is forecasting that the renewed interest in relatively inexpensive small satellites at the Italian Space Agency (ASI) will help increase the company's revenue more than 50 percent by 2010.
Raytheon Beats Harris for Navy Satellite Terminal Contract (Source: Space News)
The Navy selected Raytheon Network Centric Systems to develop a new generation of satellite communications terminals in a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion. Raytheon beat out Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., in the competition for the Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT) contract. The two companies were each developing designs for the NMT program under contracts worth about $100 million.
Atlantis Sails to Space with Station Power Module (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Running three months late, the space shuttle Atlantis, carrying seven astronauts and a $367 million set of solar panels, roared to life and raced into orbit on Friday, hot on the trail of the international space station. The shuttle's patched-up external fuel tank, its foam insulation heavily damaged by hail in February, appeared to withstand the rigors of launch without shedding any dangerous foam debris.
Lucy Hawking, daughter of Professor Stephen Hawking -- the world-renowned physicist and expert on gravity -- will fly aboard ZERO-G's June 9 Father's Day flight from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. This will be her opportunity to share the same weightless experience enjoyed by her father on April 26. This flight will also will serve as research for a children's book she is co-writing with her father on space. Professor Hawking proclaimed his zero-gravity flight to be "amazing" and that he hoped many would follow him in this incredible opportunity, now available to the general public. His daughter is one of many who've been inspired to fly with ZERO-G following his historic flight.
NASA: No Urgent Problems With Atlantis (Source: AP)
With a 4-inch gap in the space shuttle's heat-protecting blanket not appearing to be an urgent problem on Saturday, the crew readied themselves for for a weeklong embrace with the space station. The crew used a robot arm to look at a gap in a thermal blanket on the left side of the shuttle. The gap appears to be the result of an unusual fold in the blanket and is still being analyzed by the agency. It was not expected to change the astronauts' plans in the next several days. "We've landed safely with damage (in the same area) that's similar or worse," said a NASA official. "I don't think concern is the right word; there's no urgency with the situation."
ATK Completes Swales Purchase (Source: AP)
Techsystems has completed the purchase of satellite parts maker Swales Aerospace. Financial details of the acquisition were not released. ATK said the buyout was subject to normal federal regulatory review, as well as the approval of the majority of Swales' shareholders, since the company is employee-owned. Swales' Beltsville, Md., facility is now the headquarters for the space unit of ATK's mission systems group. ATK said Mike Cerneck, the previous chief executive of Swales Aerospace, will head the division.
Enterprise Florida Wins Award for Orion Recruitment Project (Source: EFI)
Enterprise Florida, the state's quasi-public economic development agency, was recently honored with an Economic Development Leadership Award for its work to support Lockheed Martin's bid for the $4 billion Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program.
Enterprise Florida arranged for economic development incentives designed to be a contract discriminator in the competiton for Orion. The result was Florida's awarding of $35 million for infrastructure needs related to Orion's final assembly at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Enterprise Florida's participation in the project helped reduce Lockheed Martin's contract bid cost by approximately $50 million.
Pentagon Shakeup Reshapes Military, Acquisition Leadership (Source: Space News)
In a sudden shakeup that will affect the leadership of Air Force space operations Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced June 8 that he was recommending replacing the top military leadership.
Israel's Launch of Newest Imaging Satellite Imminent (Source: Space News)
Israel is embarking on a major expansion of its military space capabilities beginning with the upcoming launch of the Ofeq-7 imaging satellite and at least three additional spacecraft by 2011. In parallel, the government plans to supplement its burgeoning defense and security needs through priority use of three new Israeli commercial satellites planned for launch in the same four-year period. Those include the Amos-3 and Amos-4 communications satellites and the Aros-C remote sensing spacecraft. Ofeq-7 will be launched westward over the Mediterrranean by Israel's indigenous Shavit three-stage, solid-fueled launch vehicle.
Six European Nations Eye Space-Based Reconnaisance Systems (Source: Space News)
Six European nations (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Greece) have begun initial work on coordinating their future space-based reconnaissance systems in ways that could run the gamut from today's bilateral sharing of each government's own capacity, to a much deeper collaboration that includes co-owned satellite assets, according to French defense officials. Proposals on a future pan-European system are expected starting in September.
Italian Group Plans to Leverage Small Sats to Spur Growth (Source: Space News)
Italian small-satellite builder Carlo Gavazzi Space SpA expects to leverage the success of its Agile science satellite into a regular business to build, on average, one scientific or Earth observation satellite every two years, company Managing Director Lanfranco Zucconi said. The main customers the company plans to serve are the Italian and European space agencies, he said. Milan-based Carlo Gavazzi is forecasting that the renewed interest in relatively inexpensive small satellites at the Italian Space Agency (ASI) will help increase the company's revenue more than 50 percent by 2010.
Raytheon Beats Harris for Navy Satellite Terminal Contract (Source: Space News)
The Navy selected Raytheon Network Centric Systems to develop a new generation of satellite communications terminals in a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion. Raytheon beat out Harris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., in the competition for the Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT) contract. The two companies were each developing designs for the NMT program under contracts worth about $100 million.
Atlantis Sails to Space with Station Power Module (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Running three months late, the space shuttle Atlantis, carrying seven astronauts and a $367 million set of solar panels, roared to life and raced into orbit on Friday, hot on the trail of the international space station. The shuttle's patched-up external fuel tank, its foam insulation heavily damaged by hail in February, appeared to withstand the rigors of launch without shedding any dangerous foam debris.
June 8 News Items
Astronaut Will be FAU's First Grad to Fly on Shuttle (Source: Palm Beach Post)
Florida Atlantic University is hitching a ride into space today, courtesy of a 1986 graduate who is the first alumnus to man a shuttle mission. Fightin' Owl Steven Swanson, who earned a master's degree in computer science from the Boca Raton school, will carry an FAU flag with him on his 11-day mission to attach solar arrays to the international space station. It's the maiden space voyage for both Swanson and FAU. "It shows the quality of our program and the things you can achieve through an education at FAU," said and FAU official.
French Say 'Non' to U.S. Disclosure of Secret Satellites (Source: SpaceRef.com)
A French space-surveillance radar has detected 20-30 satellites in low Earth orbit that do not figure in the U.S. Defense Department's published catalogue, a discovery that French officials say they will use to pressure U.S. authorities to stop publishing the whereabouts of French reconnaissance and military communications satellites.
Delta 2 Launches Italian Satellite From California Spaceport (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Delta 2 rocket placed an Italian remote sensing satellite into low Earth orbit Thursday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space Italia, is the first of four planned under a joint project by the Italian defense ministry and space agency that will provide radar imagery of the Earth's surface. The second COSMO-SkyMed satellite is scheduled for launch late this year or early next year, also on a Delta 2. The launch was a commercial mission by Boeing Launch Services under a contract with United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture that produces the Delta and Atlas launch vehicles.
Russia Launches Military Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Soyuz rocket launched an unidentified Russian military satellite Thursday. The Soyuz-U rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk spaceport in northern Russia. No information about the spacecraft was given other than it is "in the interests of the Russian Defence Ministry". The launch is the first this year from Plesetsk.
EU Ministers Agree on More Public Funds for Galileo (Source: Reuters)
European ministers conceded on Friday that a search for private-sector funding for the Galileo satellite navigation system had failed and that they would have to cough up additional cash from public coffers. But they fell short of agreeing whether the money to plug the $3.22 billion shortfall should come from individual European Union states rather than the EU's collective budget.
NASA Aiming To Quiet Critics Of Aging Shuttles (Source: Tampa Tribune)
Can they pull it off? That's the question buzzing around the space community as the clock ticks down on the remaining days of the shuttle fleet and its looming workload. With only three craft and three years left to complete the International Space Station, NASA's most ambitious project ever, experts say successful missions are now hypercritical. NASA hoped to have at least two shuttle missions under its belt at this point in the year, but launchpads have been silent since December. A hailstorm in February damaged insulation on Atlantis' fuel tank, postponing March's liftoff until now.
NASA Inspector General Refuses to Resign Despite Bipartisan Call (Source: Congressional Quarterly)
In his first appearance before Congress Thursday, NASA Inspector General Robert W. Cobb was told by lawmakers from both chambers to resign, but he said he would not. Lawmakers have called for his resignation before, but this was the first time they did so in person. Members of a joint House-Senate committee spent several hours grilling Cobb, who, according to an oversight panel, tried to silence whistleblowers at NASA and regularly subjected his staff to verbal beratement.
But Cobb said the investigation is largely baseless, since the allegations it investigated are false. He also questioned whether the agency has the authority to make such a judgment. “If the findings of the integrity committee are falsely based, then I don’t see any problem with continuing to serve under those circumstances,” Cobb said. He also suggested that he is staying as a way to fight back against unfair treatment by the government. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said that under Cobb’s leadership, the inspector general’s office has “become dysfunctional. Fear and mistrust permeate the office. More than half of the experienced professionals in the office have left since Mr. Cobb’s arrival.”
Argos: Keeping Track of the Planet (Source: BBC)
For the past two months a Danish-Greenlandic team has been tracking walruses as they migrate from Greenland. Transmitters attached to the walruses have been beaming up information to a satellite system called Argos, which has allowed the researchers to follow the tusked beasts' progress from the comfort of their offices. But this project is just one of a vast array of scientific studies that has taken advantage of Argos since it was set up nearly 30 years ago. "It is a pioneer satellite system," said Christian Ortega who is in charge of Argos science applications. Visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6701221.stm to view the article.
Florida Atlantic University is hitching a ride into space today, courtesy of a 1986 graduate who is the first alumnus to man a shuttle mission. Fightin' Owl Steven Swanson, who earned a master's degree in computer science from the Boca Raton school, will carry an FAU flag with him on his 11-day mission to attach solar arrays to the international space station. It's the maiden space voyage for both Swanson and FAU. "It shows the quality of our program and the things you can achieve through an education at FAU," said and FAU official.
French Say 'Non' to U.S. Disclosure of Secret Satellites (Source: SpaceRef.com)
A French space-surveillance radar has detected 20-30 satellites in low Earth orbit that do not figure in the U.S. Defense Department's published catalogue, a discovery that French officials say they will use to pressure U.S. authorities to stop publishing the whereabouts of French reconnaissance and military communications satellites.
Delta 2 Launches Italian Satellite From California Spaceport (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Delta 2 rocket placed an Italian remote sensing satellite into low Earth orbit Thursday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space Italia, is the first of four planned under a joint project by the Italian defense ministry and space agency that will provide radar imagery of the Earth's surface. The second COSMO-SkyMed satellite is scheduled for launch late this year or early next year, also on a Delta 2. The launch was a commercial mission by Boeing Launch Services under a contract with United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture that produces the Delta and Atlas launch vehicles.
Russia Launches Military Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Soyuz rocket launched an unidentified Russian military satellite Thursday. The Soyuz-U rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk spaceport in northern Russia. No information about the spacecraft was given other than it is "in the interests of the Russian Defence Ministry". The launch is the first this year from Plesetsk.
EU Ministers Agree on More Public Funds for Galileo (Source: Reuters)
European ministers conceded on Friday that a search for private-sector funding for the Galileo satellite navigation system had failed and that they would have to cough up additional cash from public coffers. But they fell short of agreeing whether the money to plug the $3.22 billion shortfall should come from individual European Union states rather than the EU's collective budget.
NASA Aiming To Quiet Critics Of Aging Shuttles (Source: Tampa Tribune)
Can they pull it off? That's the question buzzing around the space community as the clock ticks down on the remaining days of the shuttle fleet and its looming workload. With only three craft and three years left to complete the International Space Station, NASA's most ambitious project ever, experts say successful missions are now hypercritical. NASA hoped to have at least two shuttle missions under its belt at this point in the year, but launchpads have been silent since December. A hailstorm in February damaged insulation on Atlantis' fuel tank, postponing March's liftoff until now.
NASA Inspector General Refuses to Resign Despite Bipartisan Call (Source: Congressional Quarterly)
In his first appearance before Congress Thursday, NASA Inspector General Robert W. Cobb was told by lawmakers from both chambers to resign, but he said he would not. Lawmakers have called for his resignation before, but this was the first time they did so in person. Members of a joint House-Senate committee spent several hours grilling Cobb, who, according to an oversight panel, tried to silence whistleblowers at NASA and regularly subjected his staff to verbal beratement.
But Cobb said the investigation is largely baseless, since the allegations it investigated are false. He also questioned whether the agency has the authority to make such a judgment. “If the findings of the integrity committee are falsely based, then I don’t see any problem with continuing to serve under those circumstances,” Cobb said. He also suggested that he is staying as a way to fight back against unfair treatment by the government. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said that under Cobb’s leadership, the inspector general’s office has “become dysfunctional. Fear and mistrust permeate the office. More than half of the experienced professionals in the office have left since Mr. Cobb’s arrival.”
Argos: Keeping Track of the Planet (Source: BBC)
For the past two months a Danish-Greenlandic team has been tracking walruses as they migrate from Greenland. Transmitters attached to the walruses have been beaming up information to a satellite system called Argos, which has allowed the researchers to follow the tusked beasts' progress from the comfort of their offices. But this project is just one of a vast array of scientific studies that has taken advantage of Argos since it was set up nearly 30 years ago. "It is a pioneer satellite system," said Christian Ortega who is in charge of Argos science applications. Visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6701221.stm to view the article.
June 7 News Items
Thinking Ahead: Jacksonville Spaceport (Source: Jacksonville Times-Union)
Buck Rogers visits Jacksonville? Not exactly. But the quest for a spaceport at Cecil Field, where paying passengers would be launched into sub-orbit, is visionary - and probably a good investment in the city. Space tourism is more than just a vague concept. Cecil Field has a 12,500-foot runway, long enough to land the space shuttle. That makes it ideal for the jet-powered "horizontal launches" likely to be used. Promoters in other potential spaceport sites would need to build suitable runways, but Jacksonville already has one - and it's a metropolitan area, which customers probably prefer.
France Pressures U.S. To Stop Disclosing Sensitive Satellite Locations (Source: Space News)
A French space-surveillance radar has detected 20-30 satellites in low Earth orbit that do not figure in the U.S. Defense Department's published catalogue, a discovery that French officials say they will use to pressure U.S. authorities to stop publishing the whereabouts of French reconnaissance and military communications satellites.
France's Eutelsat says It Is To Buy Satelites Mexicanos (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat Communications, a French operator of satellites, said it had made an offer with two Mexican partners to acquire Satelites Mexicanos.
NASA To Launch Shuttle to Hubble in September 2008 (Source: Space News)
The fifth and final repair mission for the Hubble Space Telescope has been slated for launch Sept. 10, 2008, NASA announced June 7.
NASA's Space Shuttle Successor Could Fly in 2013 (Source: Space.com)
There are only about 16 flights left before NASA's space shuttle fleet retires in 2010, but an ambitious plan is in place to have a replacement spacecraft ready by 2013. This is two years earlier than NASA's previously stated goal of getting the next generation Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares I and Ares V rockets ready by 2015. "There is a two-thirds statistical likelihood of being successful in meeting that [2015] date, but our plan is much more aggressive than that," said Jeff Hanley, program manager for NASA's Constellation program. "We're trying to get the [initial operating capabilities] by as early as 2013."
Soyuz Blasts Off From Plesetsk with Military Satellite (Source: Itar Tass)
A Soyuz booster blasted off from Russia’s Plesetsk spaceport on Thursday with a satellite launched in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov watched the launch.
Spacehab/Astrotech Wins Payload Processing Contracts (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab's Astrotech Space Operations subsidiary has been awarded several satellite processing contracts, in both the commercial and government sectors, for a value of $4.7 million. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=22785 for details.
Hillary Clinton Hears About Space Policy at Washington Issues Forum (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Presidential campaign held a recent "Issues Forum & Breakfast" in Washington, DC. at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill - and space policy was on the agenda. Among the breakout sessions was one titled "Commercial & Civil Aerospace" which was led and hosted by former NASA Policy and Plans Associate Administrator Lori Garver. Former NASA Public Affairs Associate Administrator Glenn Mahone also participated as a moderator. A dozen or so people participated.
Russia Can Get $800 Million from Joint Space Projects with South Korea (Source: Interfax)
Russian-South Korean cooperation in civilian space exploration projects can draw up to $800 million of non-budget funds, a spokesman for the Russian State Duma's committee for industry, construction and high technologies said. "Such cooperation in exploring and using space for civilian purposes can give Russia up to $800 million of non-budget funds and nearly 60,000 new jobs in the spacecraft manufacturing industry," he said. Implementing a project aimed at creating a Korean spacecraft launch system is expected to help promote Russian space services in the Asia- Pacific region, the spokesman said.
Branson Raises $225 Million for Space Odyssey (Source: The Times)
Sir Richard Branson raised $225 million yesterday by mortgaging about a third of his 10 percent shareholding in Virgin Media to invest in space tourism and other activities. Sir Richard’s Virgin Group had the chance to sell some of its shares in the cable company last month, but opted to raise money against 12.8 million of its shares because it believes that Virgin Media’s share price is too low at $24 to justify baling out. The cash comes from Credit Suisse, which is lending Virgin Group the money for two years and pocketing a fee of $83 million.
German Satellite to be Launched on Russian Rocket (Source: Itar-Tass)
The launch of a German remote sensing satellite on the Russian rocket Dnepr from the Baikonur spaceport is scheduled for June 15. The company will sell images relayed from the satellite. The Dnepr rocket is a conversion of the heavy intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20 Voyevoda called SS-18 Satan in the Western classification. The company Kosmotras, which was founded in 1997, handles the marketing of the Dnepr. The company comprises Russian and Ukrainian enterprises and organizations that designed RS-20. The rockets can be launched from three silos of the Baikonur pad.
Hurricane Tracker Replacement Urged (Source: WBRZ)
A hurricane tracking satellite is about to stop working and supporters of a replacement are trying to cobble together the $375 million needed to build and launch another one. Without a satellite, hurricane forecasting would be 16 percent less accurate 72 hours before a hurricane’s landfall, and 10 percent less accurate within 48 hours, according to the director of the National Hurricane Center. The satellite QuikSCAT is five years past its projected lifespan, Forecasters and congressmen say that makes it vulnerable to failure. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Rep. Charles “Charlie” Melancon, D-Napoleonville, have introduced companion legislation in the Senate and House calling for the federal government to replace the current satellite about to die.
Buck Rogers visits Jacksonville? Not exactly. But the quest for a spaceport at Cecil Field, where paying passengers would be launched into sub-orbit, is visionary - and probably a good investment in the city. Space tourism is more than just a vague concept. Cecil Field has a 12,500-foot runway, long enough to land the space shuttle. That makes it ideal for the jet-powered "horizontal launches" likely to be used. Promoters in other potential spaceport sites would need to build suitable runways, but Jacksonville already has one - and it's a metropolitan area, which customers probably prefer.
France Pressures U.S. To Stop Disclosing Sensitive Satellite Locations (Source: Space News)
A French space-surveillance radar has detected 20-30 satellites in low Earth orbit that do not figure in the U.S. Defense Department's published catalogue, a discovery that French officials say they will use to pressure U.S. authorities to stop publishing the whereabouts of French reconnaissance and military communications satellites.
France's Eutelsat says It Is To Buy Satelites Mexicanos (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat Communications, a French operator of satellites, said it had made an offer with two Mexican partners to acquire Satelites Mexicanos.
NASA To Launch Shuttle to Hubble in September 2008 (Source: Space News)
The fifth and final repair mission for the Hubble Space Telescope has been slated for launch Sept. 10, 2008, NASA announced June 7.
NASA's Space Shuttle Successor Could Fly in 2013 (Source: Space.com)
There are only about 16 flights left before NASA's space shuttle fleet retires in 2010, but an ambitious plan is in place to have a replacement spacecraft ready by 2013. This is two years earlier than NASA's previously stated goal of getting the next generation Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares I and Ares V rockets ready by 2015. "There is a two-thirds statistical likelihood of being successful in meeting that [2015] date, but our plan is much more aggressive than that," said Jeff Hanley, program manager for NASA's Constellation program. "We're trying to get the [initial operating capabilities] by as early as 2013."
Soyuz Blasts Off From Plesetsk with Military Satellite (Source: Itar Tass)
A Soyuz booster blasted off from Russia’s Plesetsk spaceport on Thursday with a satellite launched in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov watched the launch.
Spacehab/Astrotech Wins Payload Processing Contracts (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab's Astrotech Space Operations subsidiary has been awarded several satellite processing contracts, in both the commercial and government sectors, for a value of $4.7 million. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=22785 for details.
Hillary Clinton Hears About Space Policy at Washington Issues Forum (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Presidential campaign held a recent "Issues Forum & Breakfast" in Washington, DC. at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill - and space policy was on the agenda. Among the breakout sessions was one titled "Commercial & Civil Aerospace" which was led and hosted by former NASA Policy and Plans Associate Administrator Lori Garver. Former NASA Public Affairs Associate Administrator Glenn Mahone also participated as a moderator. A dozen or so people participated.
Russia Can Get $800 Million from Joint Space Projects with South Korea (Source: Interfax)
Russian-South Korean cooperation in civilian space exploration projects can draw up to $800 million of non-budget funds, a spokesman for the Russian State Duma's committee for industry, construction and high technologies said. "Such cooperation in exploring and using space for civilian purposes can give Russia up to $800 million of non-budget funds and nearly 60,000 new jobs in the spacecraft manufacturing industry," he said. Implementing a project aimed at creating a Korean spacecraft launch system is expected to help promote Russian space services in the Asia- Pacific region, the spokesman said.
Branson Raises $225 Million for Space Odyssey (Source: The Times)
Sir Richard Branson raised $225 million yesterday by mortgaging about a third of his 10 percent shareholding in Virgin Media to invest in space tourism and other activities. Sir Richard’s Virgin Group had the chance to sell some of its shares in the cable company last month, but opted to raise money against 12.8 million of its shares because it believes that Virgin Media’s share price is too low at $24 to justify baling out. The cash comes from Credit Suisse, which is lending Virgin Group the money for two years and pocketing a fee of $83 million.
German Satellite to be Launched on Russian Rocket (Source: Itar-Tass)
The launch of a German remote sensing satellite on the Russian rocket Dnepr from the Baikonur spaceport is scheduled for June 15. The company will sell images relayed from the satellite. The Dnepr rocket is a conversion of the heavy intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20 Voyevoda called SS-18 Satan in the Western classification. The company Kosmotras, which was founded in 1997, handles the marketing of the Dnepr. The company comprises Russian and Ukrainian enterprises and organizations that designed RS-20. The rockets can be launched from three silos of the Baikonur pad.
Hurricane Tracker Replacement Urged (Source: WBRZ)
A hurricane tracking satellite is about to stop working and supporters of a replacement are trying to cobble together the $375 million needed to build and launch another one. Without a satellite, hurricane forecasting would be 16 percent less accurate 72 hours before a hurricane’s landfall, and 10 percent less accurate within 48 hours, according to the director of the National Hurricane Center. The satellite QuikSCAT is five years past its projected lifespan, Forecasters and congressmen say that makes it vulnerable to failure. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Rep. Charles “Charlie” Melancon, D-Napoleonville, have introduced companion legislation in the Senate and House calling for the federal government to replace the current satellite about to die.
June 6 News Items
Defense Ministry to Mothball Spaceport in Russia's Far East (Source: RIA Novosti)
The Russian defense minister and a group of military inspectors arrived Wednesday at the Svobodny space center in Russia's Far East, slated to be put out of operation later this year. The commander of Russia's Space Forces said on January 22 that the Svobodny space center would be mothballed completely in 2007 as it has no perspectives for further development. "The only launch of a Start-1 rocket this year will be conducted in the interests of Israel," Colonel General Vladimir Popovkin said at the time.
Astrium To Build Amazonas-2 for Hispasat Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Hispasat of Spain has contracted with Astrium Satellites to build a large Amazonas-2 telecommunications spacecraft to be placed into orbit in 2009, which will add capacity to Hispasat's South American market, Astrium announced June 6.
NASA Head Regrets Global Warming Comments (Source: Space News)
The head of NASA told scientists and engineers that he regrets airing his personal doubts about global warming during a recent radio interview. "Unfortunately, this is an issue which has become far more political than technical and it would have been well for me to have stayed out of it," he said.
Amnesty International To Use Satellites To Monitor Darfur (Source: Space News)
A leading international human rights group will use satellite cameras to keep watch over imperiled villages in Sudan's Darfur region where four years of fighting between pro-government militias and ethnic African rebels has left more than 200,000 people dead.
Bad-Food Complaints 'Hard to Believe,' KSC Says (Source: Florida Today)
NASA isn't giving much credence to reports that cafeteria diners at KSC were served spoiled, outdated food, in part by a worker referred to in a lawsuit as "Dirty Finger Al." Space agency spokesman Bill Johnson responded to earlier reports by saying Kennedy Space Center cafeterias are held to more stringent standards than regular area restaurants. Cafeteria workers are inspected each day before they work, he said. The allegations of bad food are contained in a federal lawsuit by former culinary worker Carolyn Vargas who says she was fired after she reported problems with spoiled, outdated meat and other food, served by contractor Lackmann Culinary Services to space center workers. In a statement, a Lackmann official defended the company's record and employees, saying it follows healthful practices.
Spacehab Positioned to Support NASA Plan to Maximize ISS Utilization (Source: SpaceHab)
Spacehab has endorsed NASA's recently released Report to Congress Regarding a Plan for the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. "This is one of the most exciting and welcome announcements NASA could have made at this time," said Spacehab President and CEO, Thomas B. Pickens, III. "Spacehab is positioned to be the world leader in on-orbit manufacturing, science, and education accurately reflecting NASA's goals. This report provides the framework for Spacehab, and other private entities, to more effectively execute plans that will deliver products and knowledge that will improve our lives for generations to come," concluded Pickens.
Poll: Europeans want GPS rival to U.S. (Source: Business Week)
GPS is a handy technology, but in Europe it's become a political football. That explains why a new poll found that while only 20 percent of Europeans use satellite navigation devices, 80 percent want the EU to set up an independent "Galileo" service to rival the U.S.-run Global Positioning System -- and use taxpayer money to complete it. This week's release of the poll came just days ahead of key talks between EU governments on whether they should invest an extra $3.25 billion in public funds to salvage Galileo. The EU has abandoned plans to share the cost with business.
Spacewalkers Discover Meteorite Damage on Space Station (Source: Florida Today)
"This is a dent from a meteorite," said one of the spacewalking cosmonauts through a translator. "Looks like a bullet hole." A pair of cosmonauts completed the installation of an ethernet cable, which will allow remote commanding of the Russian section of the space station. They have now turned their attention to installing 12 panels that weigh between 15 and 20 pounds and are 2 feet by 3 feet. The panels will protect the station from other meteorite strikes, which could breach the station causing a potentially deadly situation.
The Moon's Unwelcome Mat: Radiation, Toxic Dust and More (Source: Star-Ledger)
Before volunteering to become a lunar settler, you might want to read up on scurvy. An estimated 2 million sailors suffered excruciating deaths over the centuries until Britain's Royal Navy discovered that citrus fruits ward off that dreadful disease. Colonists on the moon almost certainly will face similarly baffling and potentially lethal health hazards, a medical expert from NASA warned yesterday. "We have just finished the 'pre-scurvy phase' of long-duration space flight. And we may just be entering the scurvy phase," said James Logan, a physician who has served as NASA's chief of medical operations and now is a consultant.
Prolonged exposure to radiation, low gravity or lunar dust could be "show-stoppers" that make NASA consider sending robots instead. Although human spaceflight dates to 1961, astronauts have spent less than 600 hours on the moon. And they have ventured outside their lunar modules for only about 162 hours -- not enough time to draw many conclusions about health effects, Logan said. Nor have long-term health studies been a top priority for the space agency. Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field protect us from getting fried by ionizing radiation, which a doctor described as "turbo-charged premature aging." The moon offers no such shielding. Lunar habitats probably will require thick layers of lunar soil, called regolith. Yet particles of moon dust cling to everything and are tiny enough to be inhaled. Click here to view the article.
Firms Compete to Build NM Spaceport Terminal, Hangars (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
New Mexico announced Tuesday the short list of architectural and engineering firms in the running to design and build terminal and hangar facilities at Spaceport America. HKS of Dallas; URS of San Francisco; and Gensler, also of San Francisco, were selected out of 11 firms that bid for the project, and will go on to compete in Phase II. Each firm will provide concept drawings and detailed cost information for the project. The winner will be named July 26. Each of the finalists will receive a $40,000 stipend as reimbursement for participating in the competition. To the winner will go the rights to design the estimated $28 million, 100,000-square-foot terminal and hangars for the spaceport, scheduled to open in 2009 or 2010 at a remote site in southern Sierra County. The entire spaceport project, including runways, roads and other infrastructure, is estimated at $198 million.
Italian Satellite to Lift Off from Vandenberg (Source: Santa Maria Times)
A party atmosphere surrounds a seemingly routine Delta 2 rocket that is poised to launch an Earth imaging satellite Thursday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a mission for the Italian Space Agency. The commercial launch will carry the first of four satellites that will make up the Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation (COSMO) SkyMed.
The Russian defense minister and a group of military inspectors arrived Wednesday at the Svobodny space center in Russia's Far East, slated to be put out of operation later this year. The commander of Russia's Space Forces said on January 22 that the Svobodny space center would be mothballed completely in 2007 as it has no perspectives for further development. "The only launch of a Start-1 rocket this year will be conducted in the interests of Israel," Colonel General Vladimir Popovkin said at the time.
Astrium To Build Amazonas-2 for Hispasat Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Hispasat of Spain has contracted with Astrium Satellites to build a large Amazonas-2 telecommunications spacecraft to be placed into orbit in 2009, which will add capacity to Hispasat's South American market, Astrium announced June 6.
NASA Head Regrets Global Warming Comments (Source: Space News)
The head of NASA told scientists and engineers that he regrets airing his personal doubts about global warming during a recent radio interview. "Unfortunately, this is an issue which has become far more political than technical and it would have been well for me to have stayed out of it," he said.
Amnesty International To Use Satellites To Monitor Darfur (Source: Space News)
A leading international human rights group will use satellite cameras to keep watch over imperiled villages in Sudan's Darfur region where four years of fighting between pro-government militias and ethnic African rebels has left more than 200,000 people dead.
Bad-Food Complaints 'Hard to Believe,' KSC Says (Source: Florida Today)
NASA isn't giving much credence to reports that cafeteria diners at KSC were served spoiled, outdated food, in part by a worker referred to in a lawsuit as "Dirty Finger Al." Space agency spokesman Bill Johnson responded to earlier reports by saying Kennedy Space Center cafeterias are held to more stringent standards than regular area restaurants. Cafeteria workers are inspected each day before they work, he said. The allegations of bad food are contained in a federal lawsuit by former culinary worker Carolyn Vargas who says she was fired after she reported problems with spoiled, outdated meat and other food, served by contractor Lackmann Culinary Services to space center workers. In a statement, a Lackmann official defended the company's record and employees, saying it follows healthful practices.
Spacehab Positioned to Support NASA Plan to Maximize ISS Utilization (Source: SpaceHab)
Spacehab has endorsed NASA's recently released Report to Congress Regarding a Plan for the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. "This is one of the most exciting and welcome announcements NASA could have made at this time," said Spacehab President and CEO, Thomas B. Pickens, III. "Spacehab is positioned to be the world leader in on-orbit manufacturing, science, and education accurately reflecting NASA's goals. This report provides the framework for Spacehab, and other private entities, to more effectively execute plans that will deliver products and knowledge that will improve our lives for generations to come," concluded Pickens.
Poll: Europeans want GPS rival to U.S. (Source: Business Week)
GPS is a handy technology, but in Europe it's become a political football. That explains why a new poll found that while only 20 percent of Europeans use satellite navigation devices, 80 percent want the EU to set up an independent "Galileo" service to rival the U.S.-run Global Positioning System -- and use taxpayer money to complete it. This week's release of the poll came just days ahead of key talks between EU governments on whether they should invest an extra $3.25 billion in public funds to salvage Galileo. The EU has abandoned plans to share the cost with business.
Spacewalkers Discover Meteorite Damage on Space Station (Source: Florida Today)
"This is a dent from a meteorite," said one of the spacewalking cosmonauts through a translator. "Looks like a bullet hole." A pair of cosmonauts completed the installation of an ethernet cable, which will allow remote commanding of the Russian section of the space station. They have now turned their attention to installing 12 panels that weigh between 15 and 20 pounds and are 2 feet by 3 feet. The panels will protect the station from other meteorite strikes, which could breach the station causing a potentially deadly situation.
The Moon's Unwelcome Mat: Radiation, Toxic Dust and More (Source: Star-Ledger)
Before volunteering to become a lunar settler, you might want to read up on scurvy. An estimated 2 million sailors suffered excruciating deaths over the centuries until Britain's Royal Navy discovered that citrus fruits ward off that dreadful disease. Colonists on the moon almost certainly will face similarly baffling and potentially lethal health hazards, a medical expert from NASA warned yesterday. "We have just finished the 'pre-scurvy phase' of long-duration space flight. And we may just be entering the scurvy phase," said James Logan, a physician who has served as NASA's chief of medical operations and now is a consultant.
Prolonged exposure to radiation, low gravity or lunar dust could be "show-stoppers" that make NASA consider sending robots instead. Although human spaceflight dates to 1961, astronauts have spent less than 600 hours on the moon. And they have ventured outside their lunar modules for only about 162 hours -- not enough time to draw many conclusions about health effects, Logan said. Nor have long-term health studies been a top priority for the space agency. Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field protect us from getting fried by ionizing radiation, which a doctor described as "turbo-charged premature aging." The moon offers no such shielding. Lunar habitats probably will require thick layers of lunar soil, called regolith. Yet particles of moon dust cling to everything and are tiny enough to be inhaled. Click here to view the article.
Firms Compete to Build NM Spaceport Terminal, Hangars (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
New Mexico announced Tuesday the short list of architectural and engineering firms in the running to design and build terminal and hangar facilities at Spaceport America. HKS of Dallas; URS of San Francisco; and Gensler, also of San Francisco, were selected out of 11 firms that bid for the project, and will go on to compete in Phase II. Each firm will provide concept drawings and detailed cost information for the project. The winner will be named July 26. Each of the finalists will receive a $40,000 stipend as reimbursement for participating in the competition. To the winner will go the rights to design the estimated $28 million, 100,000-square-foot terminal and hangars for the spaceport, scheduled to open in 2009 or 2010 at a remote site in southern Sierra County. The entire spaceport project, including runways, roads and other infrastructure, is estimated at $198 million.
Italian Satellite to Lift Off from Vandenberg (Source: Santa Maria Times)
A party atmosphere surrounds a seemingly routine Delta 2 rocket that is poised to launch an Earth imaging satellite Thursday from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a mission for the Italian Space Agency. The commercial launch will carry the first of four satellites that will make up the Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation (COSMO) SkyMed.
June 5 News Items
$461,792 Lifts Bid for Space Tourism Company (Source: Columbus Dispatch)
PlanetSpace, a space-tourism company that is considering basing much of its operations near Rickenbacker Airport, has received a grant of nearly a half-million dollars from the Ohio Department of Development. The grant provides $461,792 for the purchase of machinery and equipment for research-and-development and manufacturing operations here. PlanetSpace's plan is to construct a 40,000-square-foot building and lease a 19,200-square-foot building for the $6.7 million project, which is expected to create 428 jobs within the first three years of operation.
PlanetSpace Chairman Chirinjeev Kathuria said the grant is just part of a package of loans, tax credits and other incentives valued at about $20 million that is being discussed with state and local officials. He hopes to have an agreement to come to Columbus by the end of July. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority, along with the county, is offering PlanetSpace the land and existing buildings it would need at Rickenbacker as part of its package to the company. PlanetSpace also has been considering sites in Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin for this project. PlanetSpace is based in Chicago and has operations in Nova Scotia. A launch site for its flights hasn't been determined.
New Dispute over EU Cash for Galileo (Source: MSNBC)
A fresh dispute has erupted over how to fund Europe's rival to the US global positioning system, with some countries threatening to reopen a divisive budget deal unless their companies are guaranteed business. Transport ministers are expected to agree on Friday to end negotiations with a private consortium and pay for the Galileo system with public money. But there is no agreement on where the extra $3.2 billion would come from. Most of the 27 member states insist on using the existing EU budget rather than finding fresh cash. That would mean sacrificing some other research and transport projects funded in the 2007-13 framework.
The Great Lunar Lander Race (Source: MSNBC)
Last year, Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace ended up just shy of winning $350,000 of NASA’s money in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. But over the weekend, the rocketeers under the leadership of video-game programmer John Carmack did everything they needed to do to win the prize - wowing legions of space enthusiasts in the process. As detailed in Carmack's latest dispatch, Armadillo’s rocket-powered hovercraft blasted off, hung in the air for 90 seconds and landed safely at the Oklahoma Spaceport - not just once, but twice. You can watch Armadillo's video record of the flight by clicking on the image at right - or you can opt for the original, large-format video on Armadillo's Web site.
Representatives of the X Prize Foundation and the Federal Aviation Administration were on site to watch the test, and Carmack said the there-and-back-again flight would have been a Level 1 winner if it had taken place during the actual X Prize Cup competition. Unfortunately, the Armadillo team will have to wait until October, when the X Prize Cup returns to New Mexico.
The Universe, Expanding Beyond All Understanding (Source: New York Times)
When Albert Einstein was starting out on his cosmological quest 100 years ago, the universe was apparently a pretty simple and static place. Common wisdom had it that all creation consisted of an island of stars and nebulae known as the Milky Way surrounded by infinite darkness. We like to think we’re smarter than that now. We know space is sprinkled from now to forever with galaxies rushing away from one another under the impetus of the Big Bang.
If things keep going the way they are, Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University and Robert J. Scherrer of Vanderbilt University calculate, in 100 billion years the only galaxies left visible in the sky will be the half-dozen or so bound together gravitationally into what is known as the Local Group, which is not expanding and in fact will probably merge into one starry ball. Unable to see any galaxies flying away, those astronomers will not know the universe is expanding and will think instead that they are back in the static island universe of Einstein. As the authors, who are physicists, write in a paper to be published in The Journal of Relativity and Gravitation, “observers in our ‘island universe’ will be fundamentally incapable of determining the true nature of the universe.”
Maiden Vega to Fly Science Payload from Kourou Spaceport (Source: Flight International)
Vega, the European Space Agency's new small launch vehicle, will carry a science satellite and not a dummy payload on its maiden flight in 2008. The science satellite will orbit at 620 miles and is to be covered in mirrors to reflect ground-based lasers. Vega is a three-stage solid rocket that will place up to 1,500kg (3,300lb) into low-Earth orbit. Its development is largely being paid for by the Italian government. "We are now aiming for a small satellite mission every two years. Small means 300-400kg spacecraft and a cost of €50-100 million [$67-135 million]," said Italian Space Agency president Giovanni Frabizio Bignami.
PlanetSpace, a space-tourism company that is considering basing much of its operations near Rickenbacker Airport, has received a grant of nearly a half-million dollars from the Ohio Department of Development. The grant provides $461,792 for the purchase of machinery and equipment for research-and-development and manufacturing operations here. PlanetSpace's plan is to construct a 40,000-square-foot building and lease a 19,200-square-foot building for the $6.7 million project, which is expected to create 428 jobs within the first three years of operation.
PlanetSpace Chairman Chirinjeev Kathuria said the grant is just part of a package of loans, tax credits and other incentives valued at about $20 million that is being discussed with state and local officials. He hopes to have an agreement to come to Columbus by the end of July. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority, along with the county, is offering PlanetSpace the land and existing buildings it would need at Rickenbacker as part of its package to the company. PlanetSpace also has been considering sites in Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin for this project. PlanetSpace is based in Chicago and has operations in Nova Scotia. A launch site for its flights hasn't been determined.
New Dispute over EU Cash for Galileo (Source: MSNBC)
A fresh dispute has erupted over how to fund Europe's rival to the US global positioning system, with some countries threatening to reopen a divisive budget deal unless their companies are guaranteed business. Transport ministers are expected to agree on Friday to end negotiations with a private consortium and pay for the Galileo system with public money. But there is no agreement on where the extra $3.2 billion would come from. Most of the 27 member states insist on using the existing EU budget rather than finding fresh cash. That would mean sacrificing some other research and transport projects funded in the 2007-13 framework.
The Great Lunar Lander Race (Source: MSNBC)
Last year, Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace ended up just shy of winning $350,000 of NASA’s money in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. But over the weekend, the rocketeers under the leadership of video-game programmer John Carmack did everything they needed to do to win the prize - wowing legions of space enthusiasts in the process. As detailed in Carmack's latest dispatch, Armadillo’s rocket-powered hovercraft blasted off, hung in the air for 90 seconds and landed safely at the Oklahoma Spaceport - not just once, but twice. You can watch Armadillo's video record of the flight by clicking on the image at right - or you can opt for the original, large-format video on Armadillo's Web site.
Representatives of the X Prize Foundation and the Federal Aviation Administration were on site to watch the test, and Carmack said the there-and-back-again flight would have been a Level 1 winner if it had taken place during the actual X Prize Cup competition. Unfortunately, the Armadillo team will have to wait until October, when the X Prize Cup returns to New Mexico.
The Universe, Expanding Beyond All Understanding (Source: New York Times)
When Albert Einstein was starting out on his cosmological quest 100 years ago, the universe was apparently a pretty simple and static place. Common wisdom had it that all creation consisted of an island of stars and nebulae known as the Milky Way surrounded by infinite darkness. We like to think we’re smarter than that now. We know space is sprinkled from now to forever with galaxies rushing away from one another under the impetus of the Big Bang.
If things keep going the way they are, Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University and Robert J. Scherrer of Vanderbilt University calculate, in 100 billion years the only galaxies left visible in the sky will be the half-dozen or so bound together gravitationally into what is known as the Local Group, which is not expanding and in fact will probably merge into one starry ball. Unable to see any galaxies flying away, those astronomers will not know the universe is expanding and will think instead that they are back in the static island universe of Einstein. As the authors, who are physicists, write in a paper to be published in The Journal of Relativity and Gravitation, “observers in our ‘island universe’ will be fundamentally incapable of determining the true nature of the universe.”
Maiden Vega to Fly Science Payload from Kourou Spaceport (Source: Flight International)
Vega, the European Space Agency's new small launch vehicle, will carry a science satellite and not a dummy payload on its maiden flight in 2008. The science satellite will orbit at 620 miles and is to be covered in mirrors to reflect ground-based lasers. Vega is a three-stage solid rocket that will place up to 1,500kg (3,300lb) into low-Earth orbit. Its development is largely being paid for by the Italian government. "We are now aiming for a small satellite mission every two years. Small means 300-400kg spacecraft and a cost of €50-100 million [$67-135 million]," said Italian Space Agency president Giovanni Frabizio Bignami.
June 4 News Items
South Korea's Space Program to Blast Off as Space Center Nears Completion (Source: Yonhap News)
South Korea's ambitious space program is expected to receive a critical boost as the country's first space center nears completion. The country is building Naro Space Center on 4.95 million square meters of land on Naro Island in Goheung, about 485 kilometers south of Seoul. The $323 million center, scheduled for completion in 2008, will have a launch pad that can be used to send four rockets a year into space, a main control center, a radar tracking station as well as rocket assembly and booster test facilities. Click here to view a graphic of the facility.
Space Elevator Business Plan Crashes to Earth (Source: The Register)
Today we bring you the surprising news that space elevators are not yet a viable business concern, as the state of Washington issued a cease and desist order against LiftPort. The LiftPort Group (motto: Change the world or go home) was founded in 2003 with the specific goal of building a space elevator; a common piece of equipment in science fiction universes that is proving more difficult to construct in the real world. Such an elevator would lift payloads to space using a long, extremely strong cable suspended from a geostationary satellite. This would be far cheaper than fighting our way into space on rockets, and could potentially transform the way we could explore and exploit our solar system.
But turning the idea into reality is proving tough for LiftPort. The firm's founder, Michael Laine, told The Space Show that he wasn't sure the firm's new venture "Tethered Towers" could survive on its own as a going concern, but that it would be unethical for him to ask for more cash from his investors. Regulators say the company raised at least $117,000 from at least 85 investors, nine of whom are Washington residents, by offering and selling unregistered securities in LiftPort, Inc. The state alleged that the sellers acted as unregistered broker-dealers and/or securities salespersons.
What this all means, according to SpaceElevator.com, is that after four years of research and development, LiftPort and Tethered Towers have until September this year to start generating revenues of $25,000 per month, or it will be time to go home.
Moon and Mars Program Costs Estimated at $500 Billion (Source: Flight International)
A 25-year manned Moon and Mars program could cost around $500 billion, according to the chairman of the European Space Agency exploration directorate's senior advisory committee. Speaking at the third workshop on international cooperation for sustainable exploration, advisory committee chairman Gerhard Haerendel says international cooperation is needed because of the cost. "My personal evaluation of the costs of a combined Moon and Mars exploration program is $540 billion. I got some support for this by an unofficial quotation of a study, supposedly by the Aerospace Corporation, which estimated costs of $500 billion," says Haerendel.
He believes it is not premature to openly discuss such large costs and that, by describing exploration as a global enterprise for all mankind, even an expensive programme could gain support. As part of this joint exploration effort, Haerendel has advocated an international quarantine facility for samples of Mars soil brought back by ESA's proposed international Mars Sample Return mission in the 2020s.
United Space Alliance Statement Regarding IAM Contract Rejection (Source: USA)
According to information received from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, On Saturday, June 2, union members rejected United Space Alliance's final offer for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement. We are surprised and disappointed that IAM members did not ratify the offered contract proposal. The final offer was fair, competitive and responsive in every area. We hope that IAM members will reconsider their position. However, if a strike does occur, USA is prepared to continue activities to safely prepare the Space Shuttle vehicles for upcoming launches by using other experienced and certified employees to perform all necessary tasks.
Take Off and Nuke the Site From Orbit (It's the Only Way To Be Sure...) (Source: Space Review)
At the beginning of the Space Age the US military worked with aerospace companies to study the concept of establishing a lunar base for military purposes. Dwayne Day uses newly-available records to review those efforts and their influence beyond the long-abandoned lunar base concepts. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/882/1 to view the article.
Significance of the ISS National Laboratory Report (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
One major issue with the eventual successful utilization of the ISS is access in a post-Shuttle era. But that is nothing new, and is true irrespective of the National Laboratory designation. That is an issue for another paper, but one of the 'spinoff' benefits of the Laboratory designation is to both underscore the reason that resolving that issue is crucial and to provide additional incentive for the US government (not just NASA) and its potential commercial partners to do so.
So what is new in this report that suggests it is more significant than it may first appear? A) A renewed effort to identify potential end-users in the context of a new operating concept. B) NASA viewing itself as a 'steward' of a national asset. C) Active solicitation and cooperative agreements in work with other agencies to coordinate development - and funding - for ISS-focused research activity. D) Directly - and immediately - implementing a program of educational utilization of the space station. E) Statement of the possibility of using heretofore 'demanifested' hardware and facilities - again assuming transportation can be made available - to be launched to ISS and put to use. F) Stating as an actual objective the use of the four-year period after completion in 2010 to 2014 as a period of time to demonstrate the value of a Service Life Extension of the ISS - beyond 2016!
Ares Spacecraft Contract Propels New Michoud Era (Source: New Orleans City Business)
The countdown is on as two teams compete for a nearly $1 billion contract to build NASA’s new flagship spacecraft — the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle. The teams submitted cost estimates in April and await NASA’s decision in late August. NASA’s Michoud Operations facility in New Orleans is already on board and will play a pivotal role in the Ares I development. “No matter who wins as the prime contractor for the (Ares I Upper Stage) vehicles, (they) will be built at Michoud,” said Michoud Chief Operating Officer Patrick Scheuermann.
Two out-of-state teams, one of which includes Michoud operator Lockheed Martin Corp., are bidding on NASA’s contract for the Ares I Upper Stage, with an estimated worth approaching $900 million. The spinoff economic impact should be significant as both teams will select small, local businesses to supply parts for the vehicle. Team Ares, one team bidding for the contract, consists of Alliant Techsystems, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The other team is led by Boeing and its suppliers: Hamilton Sundstrand; Moog Inc.; Northrop Grumman Corp.; Orion Propulsion Inc.; Summa Technology; United Space Alliance, and United Launch Alliance.
Space Mission to Ask: Anybody Out There? (Source: Denver Post)
Scientists have discovered more than 230 planets circling stars other than the sun, but most of those worlds have turned out to be huge gas balls like Jupiter. For those of us living on such a different planet - a small, rocky place, rich in water - it's difficult to imagine life on a hot Jupiter. So, Boulder engineers are building NASA's next-generation planet hunter: a $559 million space observatory that will search 170,000 stars for Earthlike planets - places that might harbor life as we know it. "We'll look for habitable planets, places where liquid water can exist on an Earth-sized planet," said Monte Henderson, Kepler project manager at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder. "I think they're going to see more hits than they're going to be able to count," said Chris McKay, a NASA astrobiologist who specializes in the search for life on other planets.
South Korea's ambitious space program is expected to receive a critical boost as the country's first space center nears completion. The country is building Naro Space Center on 4.95 million square meters of land on Naro Island in Goheung, about 485 kilometers south of Seoul. The $323 million center, scheduled for completion in 2008, will have a launch pad that can be used to send four rockets a year into space, a main control center, a radar tracking station as well as rocket assembly and booster test facilities. Click here to view a graphic of the facility.
Space Elevator Business Plan Crashes to Earth (Source: The Register)
Today we bring you the surprising news that space elevators are not yet a viable business concern, as the state of Washington issued a cease and desist order against LiftPort. The LiftPort Group (motto: Change the world or go home) was founded in 2003 with the specific goal of building a space elevator; a common piece of equipment in science fiction universes that is proving more difficult to construct in the real world. Such an elevator would lift payloads to space using a long, extremely strong cable suspended from a geostationary satellite. This would be far cheaper than fighting our way into space on rockets, and could potentially transform the way we could explore and exploit our solar system.
But turning the idea into reality is proving tough for LiftPort. The firm's founder, Michael Laine, told The Space Show that he wasn't sure the firm's new venture "Tethered Towers" could survive on its own as a going concern, but that it would be unethical for him to ask for more cash from his investors. Regulators say the company raised at least $117,000 from at least 85 investors, nine of whom are Washington residents, by offering and selling unregistered securities in LiftPort, Inc. The state alleged that the sellers acted as unregistered broker-dealers and/or securities salespersons.
What this all means, according to SpaceElevator.com, is that after four years of research and development, LiftPort and Tethered Towers have until September this year to start generating revenues of $25,000 per month, or it will be time to go home.
Moon and Mars Program Costs Estimated at $500 Billion (Source: Flight International)
A 25-year manned Moon and Mars program could cost around $500 billion, according to the chairman of the European Space Agency exploration directorate's senior advisory committee. Speaking at the third workshop on international cooperation for sustainable exploration, advisory committee chairman Gerhard Haerendel says international cooperation is needed because of the cost. "My personal evaluation of the costs of a combined Moon and Mars exploration program is $540 billion. I got some support for this by an unofficial quotation of a study, supposedly by the Aerospace Corporation, which estimated costs of $500 billion," says Haerendel.
He believes it is not premature to openly discuss such large costs and that, by describing exploration as a global enterprise for all mankind, even an expensive programme could gain support. As part of this joint exploration effort, Haerendel has advocated an international quarantine facility for samples of Mars soil brought back by ESA's proposed international Mars Sample Return mission in the 2020s.
United Space Alliance Statement Regarding IAM Contract Rejection (Source: USA)
According to information received from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, On Saturday, June 2, union members rejected United Space Alliance's final offer for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement. We are surprised and disappointed that IAM members did not ratify the offered contract proposal. The final offer was fair, competitive and responsive in every area. We hope that IAM members will reconsider their position. However, if a strike does occur, USA is prepared to continue activities to safely prepare the Space Shuttle vehicles for upcoming launches by using other experienced and certified employees to perform all necessary tasks.
Take Off and Nuke the Site From Orbit (It's the Only Way To Be Sure...) (Source: Space Review)
At the beginning of the Space Age the US military worked with aerospace companies to study the concept of establishing a lunar base for military purposes. Dwayne Day uses newly-available records to review those efforts and their influence beyond the long-abandoned lunar base concepts. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/882/1 to view the article.
Significance of the ISS National Laboratory Report (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
One major issue with the eventual successful utilization of the ISS is access in a post-Shuttle era. But that is nothing new, and is true irrespective of the National Laboratory designation. That is an issue for another paper, but one of the 'spinoff' benefits of the Laboratory designation is to both underscore the reason that resolving that issue is crucial and to provide additional incentive for the US government (not just NASA) and its potential commercial partners to do so.
So what is new in this report that suggests it is more significant than it may first appear? A) A renewed effort to identify potential end-users in the context of a new operating concept. B) NASA viewing itself as a 'steward' of a national asset. C) Active solicitation and cooperative agreements in work with other agencies to coordinate development - and funding - for ISS-focused research activity. D) Directly - and immediately - implementing a program of educational utilization of the space station. E) Statement of the possibility of using heretofore 'demanifested' hardware and facilities - again assuming transportation can be made available - to be launched to ISS and put to use. F) Stating as an actual objective the use of the four-year period after completion in 2010 to 2014 as a period of time to demonstrate the value of a Service Life Extension of the ISS - beyond 2016!
Ares Spacecraft Contract Propels New Michoud Era (Source: New Orleans City Business)
The countdown is on as two teams compete for a nearly $1 billion contract to build NASA’s new flagship spacecraft — the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle. The teams submitted cost estimates in April and await NASA’s decision in late August. NASA’s Michoud Operations facility in New Orleans is already on board and will play a pivotal role in the Ares I development. “No matter who wins as the prime contractor for the (Ares I Upper Stage) vehicles, (they) will be built at Michoud,” said Michoud Chief Operating Officer Patrick Scheuermann.
Two out-of-state teams, one of which includes Michoud operator Lockheed Martin Corp., are bidding on NASA’s contract for the Ares I Upper Stage, with an estimated worth approaching $900 million. The spinoff economic impact should be significant as both teams will select small, local businesses to supply parts for the vehicle. Team Ares, one team bidding for the contract, consists of Alliant Techsystems, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The other team is led by Boeing and its suppliers: Hamilton Sundstrand; Moog Inc.; Northrop Grumman Corp.; Orion Propulsion Inc.; Summa Technology; United Space Alliance, and United Launch Alliance.
Space Mission to Ask: Anybody Out There? (Source: Denver Post)
Scientists have discovered more than 230 planets circling stars other than the sun, but most of those worlds have turned out to be huge gas balls like Jupiter. For those of us living on such a different planet - a small, rocky place, rich in water - it's difficult to imagine life on a hot Jupiter. So, Boulder engineers are building NASA's next-generation planet hunter: a $559 million space observatory that will search 170,000 stars for Earthlike planets - places that might harbor life as we know it. "We'll look for habitable planets, places where liquid water can exist on an Earth-sized planet," said Monte Henderson, Kepler project manager at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder. "I think they're going to see more hits than they're going to be able to count," said Chris McKay, a NASA astrobiologist who specializes in the search for life on other planets.
June 3 News Items
Retirement Seems Likely for Delta II (Source: Decatur Daily)
The Air Force will discontinue its use of the Delta II in 2009. A cosmic workhorse with a central place in the Decatur, Alabama, the Delta II has dominated the race to earth’s orbit since 1989. But don’t write the epitaph yet, warns United Launch Alliance, which builds the rockets at its Decatur facility. ULA's Julie Andrews said no decision has been made to halt the program. “Right now there has been no decision made to end the product line,” Andrews said. “We’re providing a lot of data to our NASA customer to examine a number of options, but there is no final decision from NASA to stop using Delta II.” As of now, Andrews said, Boeing Launch Services is still marketing the Delta II to commercial customers.
Even if discontinued, she said, ULA does not expect it to impact employment levels in Decatur. “So they’re going to be humming in the next couple years,” Andrews said. “The Delta II really does not have a significant impact on Decatur.” Previously located in Pueblo, Colo., the Delta II production facility moved to Decatur in July 2004. Whether the Delta II program survives the loss of its Air Force customer depends largely on its other main customer. NASA is evaluating whether it will continue using the Delta II or, like the Air Force, switch to the more expensive Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.
Security Scrutinized After Lockheed Theft (Source: Florida Today)
Lockheed Martin is promising a security review after burglars stole a control system for a military helicopter weapons system from a facility near Orlando International Airport last week. The Apache helicopter targeting system — called TEDAC — was recovered from bushes near the Lockheed Martin facility shortly after the Wednesday theft, police said. Burglars cut a hole in a door to break into the business. Police said surveillance tapes show two men stealing televisions from another nearby business on the same night. It is unclear why the Apache system, which has a 5-by-5-inch screen and controllers to aim and fire helicopter weapons, was dumped.
New College President Featured at Space Club Luncheon (Source: NSC)
The National Space Club's Florida Committee will feature Brevard Community College President James Drake at its June 12 luncheon. Dr. Drake will discuss ways to predict the success or failure of new technologies. The event will start at 11:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree hotel in Cocoa Beach. For information and to RSVP by June 7 contact LaDonna Netterer at 321-867-0895.
Orbiters Feel Pains of Aging (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is moving to protect ground crews, astronauts and VIPs from potential disaster, closing shuttle Atlantis' launch pad to all but essential personnel even before a three-day countdown starts Tuesday. No up-close-and-personal tours will take place at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A this week after NASA finishes pressurizing helium and nitrogen tanks aboard the 22-year-old spaceship. The precaution is being taken to reduce the risk created by aging pressure vessels in the orbiter that could burst, triggering a rocket fuel fire or explosion that might injure or kill workers and seriously damage the launch pad.
Hawaii Launching Itself Into the Space Business (Source: Honolulu Advertiser)
Hawaii literally plans to reach for the moon. In one small step for the state, the Legislature has passed a bill that would revitalize a state space office that hasn't had funding for more than a decade. The office doesn't have big money — just $500,000 to start with — but it does have big dreams, like helping the U.S. colonize the moon and Mars.
If Gov. Linda Lingle signs Senate Bill 907 into law, the first priority will be PISCES, the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration, a facility on the Big Island that would include simulated moon outposts on volcanic terrain. "This 'simulation facility' would serve as a test and training area for systems and technologies to be used on the moon and would be supported by academia, industry and government," according to Michael Duke, a professor at the Center for Space Resources, at the Colorado School of Mines.
NASA Should Make Lunar Lander Part of Competition (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The Lunar Robotics Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville will be staying put, at least for another six years at $20 million a year. The office was originally slated for closure by NASA as part of a cost-cutting move. Unfortunately, Griffin did not reckon on the wrath of Sen. Richard Shelby, Alabama's senior senator. Shelby, working with other senators and representatives of both parties, successfully prevented the closure.
The office is currently managing two lunar orbiter projects. An over-budget lunar lander project had been cancelled and is now said to be under review. Unless the lunar lander mission, which was originally slated to launch in 2011, is restored, the Lunar Robotics Office will have little to do after the orbiter missions have concluded. But if the lunar lander is restored in the same form it was when it was cancelled and NASA's budget outlook remains the same, some very hard choices will have to be made.
There is one way, though, to make the stress on NASA's budget that would result from the restoration of the lunar lander a little easier. That would be to make the lunar lander a part of the Centennial Challenge competition. The Centennial Challenge is an innovative program run by NASA in which teams of people compete to build and demonstrate various technologies that would be useful in the exploration of space for cash prizes.
Union at KSC Urges Strike (Source: Florida Today)
A union representing about 570 United Space Alliance space shuttle program workers at Kennedy Space Center is recommending that the workers vote today to authorize a strike. The bargaining team for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 believes that the company's latest contract offer is "substandard," in relation to contracts at other aerospace companies. The company's proposals related to health care and retirement benefits are among the provisions the union doesn't like.
Officials Seeking $5M for Spaceport Workforce Retraining (Source: Florida Today)
The Brevard Workforce Development Board is seeking a $5 million federal grant to help workers at Kennedy Space Center find new jobs in the area as NASA plans to phase out the space shuttle program in coming years. The organization has applied a U.S. Department of Labor and award announcements are expected sometime this month. The money would be used for job-training and placement services. The number of people working at KSC is expected to drop dramatically when NASA ends the shuttle program, with potential job loss estimates ranging from 5,000 to 10,000. Last month, KSC Director Bill Parsons told community leaders that new business will have to be lured to the area to keep the Space Center's workforce at its current level when the shuttle program ends.
NASA Considering Future of Delta II Rockets (Source: Space News)
NASA expects to complete by July an internal study that will help the U.S. space agency decide what role, if any, Delta 2 rockets have in its launch plans beyond 2010. The companies that make and market the Delta 2 anticipate a decision from NASA by year's end.
Starsem Role to Evolve After Soyuz Arrives at French Guiana (Source: Space News)
The French-Russian Starsem joint venture, which markets Russia's Soyuz rocket, expects to conduct at least two more launches this year and one in 2008 from Baikonur before ceding its business to an all-European operation using Soyuz from Europe's French Guiana spaceport in 2009. Starsem, which since its creation in 1996 has conducted 18 launches for government and commercial customers, is likely to evolve into an exchange forum to permit European and Russian companies and space agencies to exchange rocket-related data, Starsem Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall said.
Europe's ATV Readied for November Launch to Space Station (Source: Space News)
Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is scheduled to be shipped by boat to the Guiana Space Center launch site in July in preparation for a November launch to the space station. The ATV, whose current cost is estimated at about $1.34 billion, will be part of a shipment of some 50 crates weighing 300,000 kilograms to be loaded onto the Toucan transport ship in Rotterdam for the 12-day voyage to the French Guiana spaceport.
To Placate Congress, NASA Agrees to Fund Lunar Office at Marshall (Source: Space News)
NASA will keep open a lunar robotics office at its Alabama field center, fund its West Virginia software testing facility at last year's level, spend more money on education efforts than it would prefer, and pay for a Maryland lab to study a flagship-class Solar Probe mission the U.S. space agency does not expect to be able to afford any time soon. All these decisions were made last month at the behest of key U.S. lawmakers who had objected to NASA's first stab at a detailed spending plan for 2007. NASA is required by law to inform Congress of any significant departures from its approved spending requests.
Lockheed Must Relinquish Michoud Operations Contract in 2008 (Source: Space News)
Wary of a potential conflict of interest, NASA intends to replace Lockheed Martin as the primary support contractor at its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans by 2008. The NASA-owned plant has been operated and maintained since 1983 by Lockheed Martin, which uses the facility to build the space shuttle external tank. While NASA says it has no complaints about the way Lockheed Martin has managed Michoud, the company will not be permitted to bid on the Michoud operations and support contract the agency intends to award no later than October 2008.
Space Shuttle Workers Vote to Strike (Source: AP)
A union representing 570 space shuttle program workers at the Kennedy Space Center voted to strike Saturday, less than a week before the planned launch of the shuttle Atlantis. The International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers, which represents the United Space Alliance employees, rejected the company's contract offer Saturday morning. The union could strike as early as June 9, a day after NASA officials plan to launch Atlantis. It was unclear Saturday whether the vote to strike could affect the launch schedule. The union's negotiating team felt the company's offer was "substandard," said Lynn Beattie, a member of the group and former Local 2061 president. Both sides have agreed to a five-day cooling off period.
The Air Force will discontinue its use of the Delta II in 2009. A cosmic workhorse with a central place in the Decatur, Alabama, the Delta II has dominated the race to earth’s orbit since 1989. But don’t write the epitaph yet, warns United Launch Alliance, which builds the rockets at its Decatur facility. ULA's Julie Andrews said no decision has been made to halt the program. “Right now there has been no decision made to end the product line,” Andrews said. “We’re providing a lot of data to our NASA customer to examine a number of options, but there is no final decision from NASA to stop using Delta II.” As of now, Andrews said, Boeing Launch Services is still marketing the Delta II to commercial customers.
Even if discontinued, she said, ULA does not expect it to impact employment levels in Decatur. “So they’re going to be humming in the next couple years,” Andrews said. “The Delta II really does not have a significant impact on Decatur.” Previously located in Pueblo, Colo., the Delta II production facility moved to Decatur in July 2004. Whether the Delta II program survives the loss of its Air Force customer depends largely on its other main customer. NASA is evaluating whether it will continue using the Delta II or, like the Air Force, switch to the more expensive Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles.
Security Scrutinized After Lockheed Theft (Source: Florida Today)
Lockheed Martin is promising a security review after burglars stole a control system for a military helicopter weapons system from a facility near Orlando International Airport last week. The Apache helicopter targeting system — called TEDAC — was recovered from bushes near the Lockheed Martin facility shortly after the Wednesday theft, police said. Burglars cut a hole in a door to break into the business. Police said surveillance tapes show two men stealing televisions from another nearby business on the same night. It is unclear why the Apache system, which has a 5-by-5-inch screen and controllers to aim and fire helicopter weapons, was dumped.
New College President Featured at Space Club Luncheon (Source: NSC)
The National Space Club's Florida Committee will feature Brevard Community College President James Drake at its June 12 luncheon. Dr. Drake will discuss ways to predict the success or failure of new technologies. The event will start at 11:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree hotel in Cocoa Beach. For information and to RSVP by June 7 contact LaDonna Netterer at 321-867-0895.
Orbiters Feel Pains of Aging (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is moving to protect ground crews, astronauts and VIPs from potential disaster, closing shuttle Atlantis' launch pad to all but essential personnel even before a three-day countdown starts Tuesday. No up-close-and-personal tours will take place at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A this week after NASA finishes pressurizing helium and nitrogen tanks aboard the 22-year-old spaceship. The precaution is being taken to reduce the risk created by aging pressure vessels in the orbiter that could burst, triggering a rocket fuel fire or explosion that might injure or kill workers and seriously damage the launch pad.
Hawaii Launching Itself Into the Space Business (Source: Honolulu Advertiser)
Hawaii literally plans to reach for the moon. In one small step for the state, the Legislature has passed a bill that would revitalize a state space office that hasn't had funding for more than a decade. The office doesn't have big money — just $500,000 to start with — but it does have big dreams, like helping the U.S. colonize the moon and Mars.
If Gov. Linda Lingle signs Senate Bill 907 into law, the first priority will be PISCES, the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration, a facility on the Big Island that would include simulated moon outposts on volcanic terrain. "This 'simulation facility' would serve as a test and training area for systems and technologies to be used on the moon and would be supported by academia, industry and government," according to Michael Duke, a professor at the Center for Space Resources, at the Colorado School of Mines.
NASA Should Make Lunar Lander Part of Competition (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The Lunar Robotics Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville will be staying put, at least for another six years at $20 million a year. The office was originally slated for closure by NASA as part of a cost-cutting move. Unfortunately, Griffin did not reckon on the wrath of Sen. Richard Shelby, Alabama's senior senator. Shelby, working with other senators and representatives of both parties, successfully prevented the closure.
The office is currently managing two lunar orbiter projects. An over-budget lunar lander project had been cancelled and is now said to be under review. Unless the lunar lander mission, which was originally slated to launch in 2011, is restored, the Lunar Robotics Office will have little to do after the orbiter missions have concluded. But if the lunar lander is restored in the same form it was when it was cancelled and NASA's budget outlook remains the same, some very hard choices will have to be made.
There is one way, though, to make the stress on NASA's budget that would result from the restoration of the lunar lander a little easier. That would be to make the lunar lander a part of the Centennial Challenge competition. The Centennial Challenge is an innovative program run by NASA in which teams of people compete to build and demonstrate various technologies that would be useful in the exploration of space for cash prizes.
Union at KSC Urges Strike (Source: Florida Today)
A union representing about 570 United Space Alliance space shuttle program workers at Kennedy Space Center is recommending that the workers vote today to authorize a strike. The bargaining team for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 believes that the company's latest contract offer is "substandard," in relation to contracts at other aerospace companies. The company's proposals related to health care and retirement benefits are among the provisions the union doesn't like.
Officials Seeking $5M for Spaceport Workforce Retraining (Source: Florida Today)
The Brevard Workforce Development Board is seeking a $5 million federal grant to help workers at Kennedy Space Center find new jobs in the area as NASA plans to phase out the space shuttle program in coming years. The organization has applied a U.S. Department of Labor and award announcements are expected sometime this month. The money would be used for job-training and placement services. The number of people working at KSC is expected to drop dramatically when NASA ends the shuttle program, with potential job loss estimates ranging from 5,000 to 10,000. Last month, KSC Director Bill Parsons told community leaders that new business will have to be lured to the area to keep the Space Center's workforce at its current level when the shuttle program ends.
NASA Considering Future of Delta II Rockets (Source: Space News)
NASA expects to complete by July an internal study that will help the U.S. space agency decide what role, if any, Delta 2 rockets have in its launch plans beyond 2010. The companies that make and market the Delta 2 anticipate a decision from NASA by year's end.
Starsem Role to Evolve After Soyuz Arrives at French Guiana (Source: Space News)
The French-Russian Starsem joint venture, which markets Russia's Soyuz rocket, expects to conduct at least two more launches this year and one in 2008 from Baikonur before ceding its business to an all-European operation using Soyuz from Europe's French Guiana spaceport in 2009. Starsem, which since its creation in 1996 has conducted 18 launches for government and commercial customers, is likely to evolve into an exchange forum to permit European and Russian companies and space agencies to exchange rocket-related data, Starsem Chief Executive Jean-Yves Le Gall said.
Europe's ATV Readied for November Launch to Space Station (Source: Space News)
Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is scheduled to be shipped by boat to the Guiana Space Center launch site in July in preparation for a November launch to the space station. The ATV, whose current cost is estimated at about $1.34 billion, will be part of a shipment of some 50 crates weighing 300,000 kilograms to be loaded onto the Toucan transport ship in Rotterdam for the 12-day voyage to the French Guiana spaceport.
To Placate Congress, NASA Agrees to Fund Lunar Office at Marshall (Source: Space News)
NASA will keep open a lunar robotics office at its Alabama field center, fund its West Virginia software testing facility at last year's level, spend more money on education efforts than it would prefer, and pay for a Maryland lab to study a flagship-class Solar Probe mission the U.S. space agency does not expect to be able to afford any time soon. All these decisions were made last month at the behest of key U.S. lawmakers who had objected to NASA's first stab at a detailed spending plan for 2007. NASA is required by law to inform Congress of any significant departures from its approved spending requests.
Lockheed Must Relinquish Michoud Operations Contract in 2008 (Source: Space News)
Wary of a potential conflict of interest, NASA intends to replace Lockheed Martin as the primary support contractor at its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans by 2008. The NASA-owned plant has been operated and maintained since 1983 by Lockheed Martin, which uses the facility to build the space shuttle external tank. While NASA says it has no complaints about the way Lockheed Martin has managed Michoud, the company will not be permitted to bid on the Michoud operations and support contract the agency intends to award no later than October 2008.
Space Shuttle Workers Vote to Strike (Source: AP)
A union representing 570 space shuttle program workers at the Kennedy Space Center voted to strike Saturday, less than a week before the planned launch of the shuttle Atlantis. The International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers, which represents the United Space Alliance employees, rejected the company's contract offer Saturday morning. The union could strike as early as June 9, a day after NASA officials plan to launch Atlantis. It was unclear Saturday whether the vote to strike could affect the launch schedule. The union's negotiating team felt the company's offer was "substandard," said Lynn Beattie, a member of the group and former Local 2061 president. Both sides have agreed to a five-day cooling off period.
June 2 News Items
NASA Implementing Space Station as a National Laboratory (Source: SpaceRef.com)
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), ranking member of the Science and Space Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, praised NASA's report outlining the steps toward implementing the congressionally-mandated designation of the U.S. portion of the International Space Station (ISS) as a National Laboratory. "We now have a firm foundation on which to plan for the full and complete use of the space station as it was always intended. I am especially delighted the report notes the high level of interest in future ISS research already expressed by such agencies as the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. This is exactly the sort of diversified scientific interest we envisioned in designating the National Laboratory."
Bush Proposes Climate Change Approach (Source: What's New)
President Bush rejected the Kyoto treaty six years ago, saying it would "harm our economy." "Climate change" did not show up in Bush’s vocabulary until his 2007 State-of-the-Union address. Yesterday, however, pressured to take action, he trotted out his "new international climate change framework," declaring "the United States takes this issue seriously." Other leaders at next week’s G-8 summit, who are leaning toward a bold German plan to reduce greenhouse emissions 50% by 2050, are unlikely to be impressed. The plan outlined by the White House contained no concrete targets or dates, no enforcement mechanism, no penalties for noncompliance, and it wouldn’t take effect until four years after Bush leaves office.
What Climate Problem? NASA Head is on a Different Planet (Source: What's New)
Just two hours before the President’s remarks, Michael Griffin, the man Bush picked to head the agency charged with collecting climate change data, was interviewed on National Public Radio. He defended cuts in programs to monitor climate change: It frees resources for a manned moon base, and a new crew transportation vehicle to take astronauts to the Moon, Mars and the space station. He saw no need to take action against global warming. "Who has the privilege of deciding that this is the best climate for all other human beings," he asked? Just two months ago the IPCC report detailed the enormous cost of global warming on human life. Where has he been?
Anti-Missile Test: Last Week's Test was Very Realistic (Source: What's New)
The target missile never got off the ground. After all, what rogue nation, even one as nutty as N. Korea, would launch a missile at the world's dominant nuclear power? The return address is on the package. The nuclear threat today is from weapons in cargo containers, or assembled in a target country.
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), ranking member of the Science and Space Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, praised NASA's report outlining the steps toward implementing the congressionally-mandated designation of the U.S. portion of the International Space Station (ISS) as a National Laboratory. "We now have a firm foundation on which to plan for the full and complete use of the space station as it was always intended. I am especially delighted the report notes the high level of interest in future ISS research already expressed by such agencies as the Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. This is exactly the sort of diversified scientific interest we envisioned in designating the National Laboratory."
Bush Proposes Climate Change Approach (Source: What's New)
President Bush rejected the Kyoto treaty six years ago, saying it would "harm our economy." "Climate change" did not show up in Bush’s vocabulary until his 2007 State-of-the-Union address. Yesterday, however, pressured to take action, he trotted out his "new international climate change framework," declaring "the United States takes this issue seriously." Other leaders at next week’s G-8 summit, who are leaning toward a bold German plan to reduce greenhouse emissions 50% by 2050, are unlikely to be impressed. The plan outlined by the White House contained no concrete targets or dates, no enforcement mechanism, no penalties for noncompliance, and it wouldn’t take effect until four years after Bush leaves office.
What Climate Problem? NASA Head is on a Different Planet (Source: What's New)
Just two hours before the President’s remarks, Michael Griffin, the man Bush picked to head the agency charged with collecting climate change data, was interviewed on National Public Radio. He defended cuts in programs to monitor climate change: It frees resources for a manned moon base, and a new crew transportation vehicle to take astronauts to the Moon, Mars and the space station. He saw no need to take action against global warming. "Who has the privilege of deciding that this is the best climate for all other human beings," he asked? Just two months ago the IPCC report detailed the enormous cost of global warming on human life. Where has he been?
Anti-Missile Test: Last Week's Test was Very Realistic (Source: What's New)
The target missile never got off the ground. After all, what rogue nation, even one as nutty as N. Korea, would launch a missile at the world's dominant nuclear power? The return address is on the package. The nuclear threat today is from weapons in cargo containers, or assembled in a target country.
June 1 News Items
PlanetSpace Evaluating Two Launch Sites (Source: Cape Breton Post)
PlanetSpace will pick the site for its orbital launch pad by the end of July, says the company chairman. “Everything is going really well with our discussions with the province of Nova Scotia,” said Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. “We’ve settled on two launch sites and we’re evaluating them.” Kathuria declined to identify where the sites are but did confirm both are located on the island. The company's sub-orbital manufacturing facilities are running in Ohio and it has nearly completed a full-scale engineering mock-up of its rocket ship, the Silver Dart.
As soon as the location is finalized, PlanetSpace will open an office here within 60 days, he said. “We’ll be spending a lot of time between Cape Breton and Chicago,” he said. The proposed site will be similar to the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, he continued. “If you actually look at Kodiak launch sites and see launches, you probably can’t tell if it’s Cape Breton or Alaska.” In an economic impact document prepared for the Alaska centre, it’s reported the complex produces 45 direct and 72 indirect jobs in Kodiak. Its employees are among the highest paid workers in the community, with average monthly earnings of $5,120.
Florida SBIR/STTR Program Could Benefit Aerospace Startups (Source: ERAU)
Enterprise Florida's SBIR/STTR “Phase 0” Pilot Program is being implemented to help Florida companies increase their chances of submitting a successful Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) proposal. The pilot project, which will provide small grants to companies pursuing SBIR or STTR Phase 1 grants, will continue until available funds are depleted – it is anticipated that funding will be available at least through December 2007. Applications are accepted on a first-come-first served basis. Visit http://www.eflorida.com/phase0/ for information.
Delta II Suffers Pad Problem - Launch May be Delayed (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
United Launch Alliance engineers at the Cape Canaveral Spacecport have been forced to cease processing of the Delta II launch vehicle, which is set to carry NASA's Dawn spacecraft from Launch Complex-17B. Mating of the solid rocket motors is likely to be delayed by one week, after the crane - used to hoist the solids into place along the outside of the Delta II's first stage - broke down with a bushing problem.
100th Long March Rocket Soars from China with TV Satellite (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A television broadcasting satellite to cover Southeast Asia was launched Thursday on the 100th flight of China's venerable Long March rocket family. The Sinosat 3 spacecraft used a Long March 3A rocket for the 24-minute trip to a temporary transfer orbit. The 172-foot-tall booster launched from the Xichang spaceport. The mission marked the 100th flight of China's Long March rocket, which launched the nation's first satellite in 1970. Since 1996, variants of the launcher have completed 58 consecutive successful missions.
Major Distraction: NASA is Getting Deeper in a Hole with Ddiscredited Inspector (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Bush administration foolishly stood by NASA's in-house watchdog after a federal probe concluded that he had compromised his independence and mistreated his staff. Now, like a black hole, the controversy created by Inspector General Robert Cobb is pulling in other top officials at the space agency. As members of Congress were told last week, Michael Griffin convened a meeting with Mr. Cobb and his staff after the probe became public to rebut its conclusions. Some who attended said Mr. Griffin told the staff not to conduct technical investigations, and to limit their probes into waste, fraud and abuse to cases involving more than $1 billion. Neither instruction makes much sense; the office employs engineers and other experts capable of technical investigations, and $1 billion is far too high a threshold for a cash-starved agency such as NASA.
A NASA spokesman disputed that account of the meeting, saying Mr. Griffin only responded to a question about what he considered the most beneficial use of the staff's efforts. He stressed that the office was free to investigate what it chose, the spokesman said. No matter which account is more accurate, Mr. Griffin had no business giving instructions or even his opinion on priorities for the inspector general's office to its staff. The law calls for those offices to operate independently, without any direction from agency leaders.
DVD recordings of the meeting would have shown just what Mr. Griffin said -- and whether anything else improper took place -- but his chief of staff gathered them up afterward. He turned them over to NASA's top lawyer, Michael Wholley, who bluntly admitted to "breaking them in pieces and throwing them in the trash." The House subcommittee's Democratic chairman and top Republican were so outraged that they agreed to ask the Justice Department for a criminal investigation. Criminal or not, no investigation is needed to conclude that destroying the records of the meeting was dead wrong. It was a slap at the members of Congress who oversee NASA and the taxpayers who pay the agency's bills. Yet Mr. Griffin is standing by Mr. Wholley, too.
Scares in Space (Source: MSNBC)
Did you hear the one about the astronaut who threw up in his spacesuit? Or about the cosmonaut who had to get medical treatment in space after walking into a floating glob of antifreeze? Or the astronaut who became so despondent after his orbital experiment failed that his colleagues feared he would blow the hatch on the space shuttle? Former NASA flight surgeon Jon Clark has heard them all, and he says the adverse experiences from nearly a half-century of spaceflight hold lessons for a new generation of private-sector space fliers. Visit http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/31/210084.aspxto view the article.
PlanetSpace will pick the site for its orbital launch pad by the end of July, says the company chairman. “Everything is going really well with our discussions with the province of Nova Scotia,” said Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria. “We’ve settled on two launch sites and we’re evaluating them.” Kathuria declined to identify where the sites are but did confirm both are located on the island. The company's sub-orbital manufacturing facilities are running in Ohio and it has nearly completed a full-scale engineering mock-up of its rocket ship, the Silver Dart.
As soon as the location is finalized, PlanetSpace will open an office here within 60 days, he said. “We’ll be spending a lot of time between Cape Breton and Chicago,” he said. The proposed site will be similar to the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, he continued. “If you actually look at Kodiak launch sites and see launches, you probably can’t tell if it’s Cape Breton or Alaska.” In an economic impact document prepared for the Alaska centre, it’s reported the complex produces 45 direct and 72 indirect jobs in Kodiak. Its employees are among the highest paid workers in the community, with average monthly earnings of $5,120.
Florida SBIR/STTR Program Could Benefit Aerospace Startups (Source: ERAU)
Enterprise Florida's SBIR/STTR “Phase 0” Pilot Program is being implemented to help Florida companies increase their chances of submitting a successful Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) proposal. The pilot project, which will provide small grants to companies pursuing SBIR or STTR Phase 1 grants, will continue until available funds are depleted – it is anticipated that funding will be available at least through December 2007. Applications are accepted on a first-come-first served basis. Visit http://www.eflorida.com/phase0/ for information.
Delta II Suffers Pad Problem - Launch May be Delayed (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
United Launch Alliance engineers at the Cape Canaveral Spacecport have been forced to cease processing of the Delta II launch vehicle, which is set to carry NASA's Dawn spacecraft from Launch Complex-17B. Mating of the solid rocket motors is likely to be delayed by one week, after the crane - used to hoist the solids into place along the outside of the Delta II's first stage - broke down with a bushing problem.
100th Long March Rocket Soars from China with TV Satellite (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A television broadcasting satellite to cover Southeast Asia was launched Thursday on the 100th flight of China's venerable Long March rocket family. The Sinosat 3 spacecraft used a Long March 3A rocket for the 24-minute trip to a temporary transfer orbit. The 172-foot-tall booster launched from the Xichang spaceport. The mission marked the 100th flight of China's Long March rocket, which launched the nation's first satellite in 1970. Since 1996, variants of the launcher have completed 58 consecutive successful missions.
Major Distraction: NASA is Getting Deeper in a Hole with Ddiscredited Inspector (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Bush administration foolishly stood by NASA's in-house watchdog after a federal probe concluded that he had compromised his independence and mistreated his staff. Now, like a black hole, the controversy created by Inspector General Robert Cobb is pulling in other top officials at the space agency. As members of Congress were told last week, Michael Griffin convened a meeting with Mr. Cobb and his staff after the probe became public to rebut its conclusions. Some who attended said Mr. Griffin told the staff not to conduct technical investigations, and to limit their probes into waste, fraud and abuse to cases involving more than $1 billion. Neither instruction makes much sense; the office employs engineers and other experts capable of technical investigations, and $1 billion is far too high a threshold for a cash-starved agency such as NASA.
A NASA spokesman disputed that account of the meeting, saying Mr. Griffin only responded to a question about what he considered the most beneficial use of the staff's efforts. He stressed that the office was free to investigate what it chose, the spokesman said. No matter which account is more accurate, Mr. Griffin had no business giving instructions or even his opinion on priorities for the inspector general's office to its staff. The law calls for those offices to operate independently, without any direction from agency leaders.
DVD recordings of the meeting would have shown just what Mr. Griffin said -- and whether anything else improper took place -- but his chief of staff gathered them up afterward. He turned them over to NASA's top lawyer, Michael Wholley, who bluntly admitted to "breaking them in pieces and throwing them in the trash." The House subcommittee's Democratic chairman and top Republican were so outraged that they agreed to ask the Justice Department for a criminal investigation. Criminal or not, no investigation is needed to conclude that destroying the records of the meeting was dead wrong. It was a slap at the members of Congress who oversee NASA and the taxpayers who pay the agency's bills. Yet Mr. Griffin is standing by Mr. Wholley, too.
Scares in Space (Source: MSNBC)
Did you hear the one about the astronaut who threw up in his spacesuit? Or about the cosmonaut who had to get medical treatment in space after walking into a floating glob of antifreeze? Or the astronaut who became so despondent after his orbital experiment failed that his colleagues feared he would blow the hatch on the space shuttle? Former NASA flight surgeon Jon Clark has heard them all, and he says the adverse experiences from nearly a half-century of spaceflight hold lessons for a new generation of private-sector space fliers. Visit http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/31/210084.aspxto view the article.
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