August 31 News Items
Commentary: Insanity Claim Makes NASA Look Inept (Source: Discovery News)
NASA has done its best to distance itself from the drama unfolding in an Orlando courtroom that involves two former astronauts. But with the release on Tuesday that the defendant in the high-profile assault and battery case may plead insanity, the space agency has been placed uncomfortably in the spotlight. In court documents, the lead attorney for ex-astronaut Lisa Nowak outlined several mental conditions which psychiatrists say made her legally insane when she allegedly attacked a romantic rival in an Orlando airport parking lot. At least two of the afflictions, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Asperger syndrome (a neurobiological condition related to autism), typically manifest in childhood or early adulthood.
Nowak, 44, is a flight engineer and Navy captain who passed a thorough psychological screening process and independent review before being accepted into the astronaut corps in 1996. If a jury buys the insanity plea, it could beg the question: Did NASA miss something?
Pennsylvania Firm to Take On Final Frontier (Source: The Intelligencer)
Bucks County could become a hub of commercial space travel, thanks to a partnership between an Upper Southampton company and Virgin Galactic. Virgin, the first commercial spaceflight company, has picked the National Aerospace Training and Research Center, which the company calls the NASTAR Center, to be its sole provider of spaceflight training. The partnership is a huge development for NASTAR's parent company, the Environmental Tectonics Corp., which has struggled with declining sales of its simulation training systems. The $25 million NASTAR facility is at Environmental Tectonics' Upper Southampton headquarters on James Way.
NASTAR's training programs include space launch simulations using a high-performance centrifuge that can simulate the high-gravity forces that are felt both up and down the spine and through the chest. The centrifuge has interchangeable modules to simulate different aircraft. The contract calls for NASTAR to train Virgin Galactic's first 100 passengers. The contract also allows for ongoing training of future Virgin Galactic space travelers and for those who want a Virgin Galactic-branded space flight experience without actually leaving the ground. “This is an exciting opportunity,” Gov. Ed Rendell said in a press release.
A Giant Leap: Robots or Astronauts? (Source: CNN)
Can everyone be an astronomer? It certainly seems that way, especially with some of the latest tools at our fingertips, like Google Sky, which allows Internet users to navigate through a digitized map of space. But some say virtual astronomy is not just for amateurs and should also be the way forward for professional space exploration. A future of virtual astronauts, too. Bob Park, professor of physics at the University of Maryland, believes that virtual space exploration using telerobots (which humans control from the ground) is a better solution than sending astronauts, which he calls a waste of resources.
"We've gone about as far as we can with manned space missions," Park says. "We could go to Mars at enormous expense but what would a human do when he got there? We can't do much locked in a space suit. Park says there is little dissent in the scientific community about which is better for science, although he concedes there is an element of romance lost by using robots. "Sense of adventure is the only thing going for manned space travel," Park says. "But it's time to have a grown-up attitude to adventure. If you want adventure, go bungee jumping."
Spurned by NASA, Russia Plans Its Own Moon Base (Source: CBC News)
Russia plans to send a manned mission to the moon by 2025 and establish a permanent base shortly thereafter, the head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos said Friday. "According to our estimates, we will be ready for a manned flight to the moon in 2025," Roskosmos chief Anatoly Perminov told state news agency RIA Novosti. A station that could be inhabited could be built there between 2027 and 2032, he said. NASA also has plans for an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts land there. Russia had originally sought to join the U.S. plan. But Perminov said earlier this year the U.S. rebuffed the offer to jointly explore the moon.
Russia Steps Up Space Cooperation with 38 Countries (Source: Itar-Tass)
Federal space agency chief Anatoly Perminov said that of late Russia has boosted its cooperation in space. “At present, Roskosmos cooperates with 38 countries from all over the world,” he said pointing out that it is not only joint projects and contracts on launching services, but also different agreements. On the list of our cooperation projects are remote sensing programs, communication satellites and possible participation of Arab countries in the Glonass global navigation system and in manned space flight programs. Russia launches spaceships for such countries of Latin America as Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
'Swiss Cheese' Universe Challenges Dark Energy (Source: New Scientist)
Dark energy may not be needed to explain why the expansion of space appears to be speeding up. If our universe is like Swiss cheese on large scales – with dense regions of matter and holes with little or no matter – it could at least partly mimic the effects of dark energy, suggests a controversial new model of the universe. Trying to pin down the nature of dark energy has proven extremely difficult. Theories of particle physics suggest that space does have an inherent energy, but this energy is about 10120 times greater than what is actually observed. This has caused some cosmologists to look for alternative explanations. "I don't have anything against dark energy, but we ought to make all possible efforts to see whether we can avoid this exotic component in the universe," says Sabino Matarrese of the University of Padova in Italy.
United Paradyne Wins Vandenberg Spaceport Support Contract (Source: DOD)
United Paradyne Corp. has been awarded a contract modification option for $6,642,874 under their Aerospace Support Services contract with the 30th Space Wing. The contract provides and integrated management entity, the “Aerospace Maintenance Operations Center,” a single point of contact for support to operational programs, including local airfield operations. U.S. Space Lift programs, the Expeditionary Aerospace Force, and future Aerospace Plane and Space Operational Vehicle activities. Additionally, it provides mission support of test aerospace platforms from domestic and foreign Government agencies (NASA, DoD, NRO, etc), as well as private corporations using the Western Range and associated resources at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
InDyne Wins California Spaceport Range Support Contract Extension (Source: DOD)
InDyne Inc., is being awarded a contract option for $55,107,006 for Range Operations, Communications and Information Services required to support the 30th Space Wing mission, including Western Range operations and maintenance, support services, training, command, control, communications, information and computer systems at launch facilities, launch control centers and test facilities. This is the fourth option to be exercised out of seven option periods on this contract.
Space Coast Economic Development Group Wins State Defense Grants (Source: EFI)
The Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast is the recipient of two state grants for defense reinvestment and defense infrastructure investments. A $120,000 Defense Infrastructure Grant will fund a Regional Storm Water Management System Study with the 45th Space Wing at Patrick AFB. A $140,000 Defense Reinvestment Grant will fund the development of economic diversification strategies in support of, or leveraging, the 45th Space Wing mission.
Eutelsat, Viasat Unveil Plans for Broadband Service (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Eutelsat Communications of Paris and broadband satellite-terminal designer ViaSat Inc. of San Diego on Aug. 31 announced that a new consumer-broadband service called Tooway will debut in Germany in late September and in other European countries later this year.
ITT To Build GPS-Based Air Traffic System (Source: Space News)
ITT Corp. bested rivals Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to snare a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contract potentially worth up to $1.8 billion over 18 years to build a GPS-based national air traffic control system.
Scientists Sue NASA, Caltech over Deep New Background Checks (Source: Space News)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists and engineers sued NASA and the California Institute of Technology on Thursday, challenging extensive new background checks that the space exploration center and other federal agencies began requiring in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Covey to Head United Space Alliance (Source: Space News)
Richard Covey has been named president and chief executive officer of United Space Alliance, the company that helps operate and maintain NASA's space shuttle fleet. He replaces Michael Culley, who is retiring.
Lower Price Helped Boeing Land Ares 1 Upper Stage Contract (Source: Space News)
Boeing's emphasis on lean manufacturing, greater use of small businesses and lower bid price helped it clinch the upper stage production contract for NASA's planned Ares 1 crew launch vehicle, according to a NASA document detailing its choice.
Eighth Continent Project To Integrate Space Business into Global Economy (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The Colorado School of Mines' Eighth Continent Project is the world's most comprehensive effort to integrate space technology and resources into the global economy. "For the first time, government, industry and academia have joined forces with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to forge the next frontier in commercializing space technology and resources," said Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. "With our region's unique cluster of businesses, IT infrastructure, research institutions and aerospace workforce, the Eighth Continent Project will position Colorado at the vortex of 'Space 2.0.'"
"'Space 1.0' was astronauts, rocket ships and billion-dollar government projects. 'Space 2.0' is venture-backed entrepreneurs starting new companies with new technologies," said Burke Fort, Eighth Continent Project director. "Eighth Continent will bridge the gap between existing technologies and their commercialization through the industry's first research hub, incubator, venture fund and international chamber of commerce." Initial founding partners and sponsors include: DigitalGlobe, the Keiretsu Forum, CTEK, Broadreach, the Governor's Office of Economic Development, Townsend and Townsend and Crew, the Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business Deming Center.
Space Tourism Official Leads Statewide Association (Source: Florida Today)
Steve Geis, director of operations for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the nation's premier space tourism facility, has been elected 2007-08 chairman of the board for the Florida Attractions Association. The Florida Attractions Association represents 90 attractions, working to promote and advance the interests of the attraction industry. Geis joined Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex as the director of operations in 1998. He served as a member of the design and implementation team for the new $60 million attraction, Shuttle Launch Experience, which opened in May. Geis also is an active member of committees and charitable organizations, including NASA's Disability Awareness and Action Working Group.
Space Tourism in Florida's Pasco County (Source: TampaBays10.com)
Few would ever guess what’s inside a tiny office building on Grand Boulevard in Pasco County. There is still no sign, but the company which recently opened its doors is called 4Frontiers, a consulting firm specializing in planning for long term habitation in space. “You should have seen when I tried to explain Four Frontiers to Pasco County for our business license,” recalls CEO Mark Homnick. He and a team of experts have been working on plans since 2005 and this year completed a private placement stock offering raising a half million dollars. The firm is currently working with a Madrid company on an orbiting resort to house tourists in space.
“There are a lot of people that have the recourses and strong desire to go out into orbit and they’re looking for people to provide that capability,” Homnick says. The Galatic Suites project is expected to be in orbit by 2014. But plans for 4Frontiers don’t stop there. Long range research focuses on permanent Mars settlement and even mining on asteroids. “It’s going to be just like the gold rush again. People are going to make their fortunes out there,” says Joseph Palaia a MIT graduate who says he couldn’t wait to leave school to start working on space tourism.
Company founders say there are no plans to leave earth’s atmosphere in the next five years. For now research will be conducted here at home. The company is also looking to take advantage of America’s interest in space, with plans for opening a Mars settlement mock up somewhere in central Florida. Visit http://www.4frontierscorp.com/ to view the article.
Strange Martian Feature Not a 'Bottomless' Cave After All (Source: New Scientist)
An extremely dark feature on Mars is probably just a pit – not the entrance to a deep cavern that future astronauts could call home, a new image reveals. The 150- by 157-metre feature was first noticed in an image taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Viewed from directly overhead, the dark spot showed no evidence of walls or a floor, leading some HiRISE scientists to suspect it was the opening to a cavern. That would have been exciting, since caves might be good places to search for life, as they offer protection from intense ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Caves could also provide shelter for any future human visitors to Mars. The new image, however, suggests the feature is just a vertical shaft cutting into the surface. Taken from a different angle, a new image reveals a wall on the feature's eastern side. It is not clear how deep the pit is, because its floor has still not been seen. But the HiRISE team says it must be at least 78 metres deep.
Oklahoma's Rocketplane Says Delay Sign of Hard Task (Source: NewsOK)
The wait for a trip to space on a Rocketplane aircraft may not be light-years away — but it doesn't seem to be coming soon. Last week, a company official said Rocketplane will begin test flights on its suborbital vehicle in 2009, with commercial flights beginning in 2010 — a year later than the company reported this spring. This isn't the first time the launch year for the company's XP spacecraft has changed. In 2004, the company reported commercial flights would begin in 2007. The rocket science part is not the only difficult task the aerospace company is dealing with. Although the company has received public funding — the state Legislature granted Rocketplane $15 million in tax credits over five years — funding needs have caused the XP project to be pushed back since its inception.
While Rocketplane works out the details of its anticipated launch, the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority is anticipating the arrival of Rocketplane and other companies that will use the Oklahoma Spaceport. Although the spaceport is ready for Rocketplane, Patrick Bahn said the Burns Flat facility is not ready for his company, TGV Rockets. Bahn said the Norman-based launch company will not be able to launch from its home state because of the logistics of the spaceport. "The spaceport authority has consistently declined to put in an operator's license for vertical take off and vertical landing,” said Bahn, chief executive of TGV. "It's closing a door of opportunity that they very much need to open.”
TGV's spacecraft requires vertical landing and take off clearance, unlike Rocketplane's XP, which will fly horizontally like an airplane. Bahn said since TGV Rockets will be unable to launch from Burns Flat, the company will have to go out of state — a move that is costly for the company. An Oklahoma official said the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, not OSIDA, is the agency who decides who can launch from the spaceport. Vehicle manufacturers have to show the FAA they are capable of launching from a particular spaceport.
August 30 News Items
Rovers Begin New Observations On Changing Martian Atmosphere (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Mars rover scientists have launched a new long-term study on the Martian atmosphere with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer. The new study will focus on newly discovered fluctuations in the argon composition of the Martian atmosphere. During warmer seasons, approximately 95 percent of the Martian atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide. Nitrogen accounts for almost 3 percent and argon for less than 2 percent. But when winter sets in at one of the poles, carbon dioxide freezes out of the atmosphere to form a polar cap, causing a low-pressure system that moves air toward the pole. Argon stays in the atmosphere and becomes enhanced because it freezes at a much lower temperature. "It gives you a way of inferring aspects of the Martian circulation that you can't observe at all with any other instrument that's out there," said a researcher.
Virgin Galactic Space Travelers to be Trained by NASTAR (Source: Flight International)
National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center has signed a contract to provide Virgin Galactic with training for Virgin Galactic's suborbital space travelers. NASTAR Center will train and prepare the first 100 private space travellers scheduled to take suborbital flights with Virgin Galactic, known as the "Virgin Galactic's Founders", but it will also provide ongoing training of Virgin Galactic's space travellers after the Founders and for those who want a space flight experience. The training will take place from September through November at the center's facilities near Philadelphia.
Crist, Kottkamp Go South to Tout Space Industry (Source: News-Press.com)
Gov. Charlie Crist and his top lieutenant slip the surly bonds of Tallahassee today and head for South Florida to promote the space industry. Crist begins his day on the Space Coast with a 10:30 a.m. visit to Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Palm Bay, an appearance that is quickly followed by lunch with Brevard County officials in Melbourne. A 1:30 p.m. press conference at Northrop Grumman on NASA Boulevard follows that. Crist ends his visit with an appearance at the Space Coast Marine Institute at 2:15 p.m. Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp will be a little further south, beginning his day with an 8:30 a.m. meeting of the Space Florida advisory committee meeting in Fort Lauderdale. Later, Kottkamp will head a full board meeting of Space Florida, the quasi-governmental group charged with promoting the industry and preserving thousands of jobs that will be at risk when NASA retires the space shuttle in less than three years.
Water Vapor Seen 'Raining Down' On Young Star System (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times inside the collapsing nest of a forming star system. Astronomers say the water vapor is pouring down from the system's natal cloud and smacking into a dusty disk where planets are thought to form.
Architect Selected for NM Spaceport (Source: The Business)
Foster & Partners has won a landmark contract to design the world’s first passenger “spaceport” in New Mexico. The announcement of who will build the terminal and runway, the first to send paying passengers into space, will be made at a presentation hosted by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. Foster & Partners, which is chaired by Lord Foster and is the firm behind the City of London’s “Gherkin” building, the Millennium Bridge and the new Wembley stadium, was selected from 11 other firms who submitted plans to build the 100,000 sq ft base for Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s venture into space.
Branson, who is investing ~$200 million in Virgin Galactic, will charge passengers ~$200,000 for a two and a half hour flight and 3,000 passengers are expected over the first five years. They will experience four minutes of weightlessness and share the same view of the earth that until now has been afforded to just a handful of astronauts. Flights are expected to fall to ~$20,000 eventually. Test flights will begin in 2008. Other entrepreneurs looking at offering space flights include Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
SpaceX Dragon Receives Initial Approval From NASA Safety Review Panel (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has successfully completed the first of three phases of review required by NASA's Safety Review Panel (SRP) to send its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). Over a series of meetings spanning four days at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the team of SpaceX engineers developing the Dragon spacecraft presented their Phase I plans for sending the cargo version of Dragon to the $100 billion dollar orbiting space laboratory.
The review covered twenty-three specific hazards, with extra attention paid to the danger of collision -- one of the most difficult hazards to mitigate. The issue of preventing a collision with the ISS was a primary topic of the safety review, and is generally considered one of the more difficult visiting vehicle topics. According to the Safety Review Panel's approval letter, the Phase I collision hazard report for Dragon was approved on the first attempt. As part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition, SpaceX intends to demonstrate its launch, maneuvering and docking abilities by 2009 -- a year before NASA has scheduled the conclusion of Space Shuttle operations.
Astronaut Boozing? No Proof, NASA Says (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA investigators said Wednesday that they could not find one instance in which an astronaut had engaged in heavy drinking during launch day, despite an earlier report to the contrary. "I was unable to verify any case in which an astronaut-spaceflight crewmember was impaired on launch day" or any case where a manager disregarded warnings from another NASA employee that an astronaut not fly, said Bryan O'Connor, NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance. However, O'Connor said NASA doctors should play a stronger "oversight" role on launch day, accompanying astronauts as they suit up for launch. He also recommended that excessive drinking be added to NASA's list of forbidden pre-launch activities and that the agency consider testing all its employees for alcohol as well as drug use.
California Rocket Workers Getting Settled in Colorado (Source: Denver Post)
When United Launch Alliance transition facilities manager Clint Winterling first saw the building, he knew he had a challenge on his hands as he worked to set up the new corporate headquarters for the rocket joint venture there within months. The building in Centennial was once occupied by Rhythms NetConnections Inc., a formerly highflying Internet-access provider that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 and shut down. The office building has taken on a new life as the home of hundreds of ULA employees moving in this summer. The ULA is a rocket joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing that started operations last December - people working on Lockheed Martin's Atlas rocket program and Boeing's Delta rocket program became ULA employees.
The ULA also hired about 400 new employees, mostly from the Denver area. About 180 of those just graduated from college. The company will ultimately have close to 1,900 employees - further expanding the rocket hub in the Denver area. The economic impact of the ULA will amount to about $414 million a year, according to Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.
UCF Unveils New Telescope (Source: CFNews13)
Wednesday night, UCF unveiled its new custom-built 20-inch telescope. The cutting edge Telescope, which is housed in the Robinson Observatory, is a dozen times more powerful than the telescope it replaced and allows for sharper viewing and the ability to photograph faraway stars and other space bodies. With the advances in technology that have happened it has really brought the type of research you can do down from a mountain in Chili to something you can do here on campus and students can actually get involved with. The refurbishing of the observatory and new telescope was funded with a $150,000 grant. It will be open to the public twice a month.
Gap in Spaceflights: Is U.S. Pride at Risk? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon sounded the alarm Wednesday that the four-year gap between American human spaceflight programs is a threat to national pride. Between town-hall meetings with workers at the Kennedy Space Center, Weldon, told reporters that Congress needs to give NASA more money. He said the money would shorten the time between the retirement of the space-shuttle fleet in 2010 and the start of the Constellation program in 2014.
"Do we, the richest country on the face of the Earth, want to be dependent on Russia to launch our men and women into space?" Weldon said. Weldon, wearing a space-shuttle tie and lapel pin, also suggested the gap could delay President Bush's goal of returning to the moon. "Who is going to get back to the moon first?" Weldon asked. "China has made it very clear they want to go to the moon. Are we going to get there and be greeted by somebody holding out for us a nice warm bowl of chop suey and chopsticks?"
New Mexico Spaceflight Coming, Spaceport Plan Progresses (Source: Alamagordo Daily News)
The future of southern New Mexico glows with possibilities when considering a spaceport in the area, according to the state's Spaceport Authority. The Spaceport America budget is $198 million, with $140 million from statewide taxes and $58 million to be raised from local gross receipts taxes. Federal money is being discussed but is not included in the current estimates. The target date for Virgin Galactic launches into space from New Mexico is December 2009. The criteria which must be in place for the launch to happen are SpaceShip Two has to be certified to fly with passengers, and Spaceport America must be ready to operate.
Suborbital rockets can be launched during the 2008 and 2009 runway construction period. "To do construction and rocket launching in the same area will mean a complicated schedule, but we need to learn to do that because we'll always have many customers operating at the site," said an official. Commercially speaking, point-to-point flights will be just as important as orbital operations. For example, taking a flight from the Rio Grande to the Rhine in an hour is one of the possibilities.
Mars rover scientists have launched a new long-term study on the Martian atmosphere with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer. The new study will focus on newly discovered fluctuations in the argon composition of the Martian atmosphere. During warmer seasons, approximately 95 percent of the Martian atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide. Nitrogen accounts for almost 3 percent and argon for less than 2 percent. But when winter sets in at one of the poles, carbon dioxide freezes out of the atmosphere to form a polar cap, causing a low-pressure system that moves air toward the pole. Argon stays in the atmosphere and becomes enhanced because it freezes at a much lower temperature. "It gives you a way of inferring aspects of the Martian circulation that you can't observe at all with any other instrument that's out there," said a researcher.
Virgin Galactic Space Travelers to be Trained by NASTAR (Source: Flight International)
National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR) Center has signed a contract to provide Virgin Galactic with training for Virgin Galactic's suborbital space travelers. NASTAR Center will train and prepare the first 100 private space travellers scheduled to take suborbital flights with Virgin Galactic, known as the "Virgin Galactic's Founders", but it will also provide ongoing training of Virgin Galactic's space travellers after the Founders and for those who want a space flight experience. The training will take place from September through November at the center's facilities near Philadelphia.
Crist, Kottkamp Go South to Tout Space Industry (Source: News-Press.com)
Gov. Charlie Crist and his top lieutenant slip the surly bonds of Tallahassee today and head for South Florida to promote the space industry. Crist begins his day on the Space Coast with a 10:30 a.m. visit to Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Palm Bay, an appearance that is quickly followed by lunch with Brevard County officials in Melbourne. A 1:30 p.m. press conference at Northrop Grumman on NASA Boulevard follows that. Crist ends his visit with an appearance at the Space Coast Marine Institute at 2:15 p.m. Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp will be a little further south, beginning his day with an 8:30 a.m. meeting of the Space Florida advisory committee meeting in Fort Lauderdale. Later, Kottkamp will head a full board meeting of Space Florida, the quasi-governmental group charged with promoting the industry and preserving thousands of jobs that will be at risk when NASA retires the space shuttle in less than three years.
Water Vapor Seen 'Raining Down' On Young Star System (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times inside the collapsing nest of a forming star system. Astronomers say the water vapor is pouring down from the system's natal cloud and smacking into a dusty disk where planets are thought to form.
Architect Selected for NM Spaceport (Source: The Business)
Foster & Partners has won a landmark contract to design the world’s first passenger “spaceport” in New Mexico. The announcement of who will build the terminal and runway, the first to send paying passengers into space, will be made at a presentation hosted by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. Foster & Partners, which is chaired by Lord Foster and is the firm behind the City of London’s “Gherkin” building, the Millennium Bridge and the new Wembley stadium, was selected from 11 other firms who submitted plans to build the 100,000 sq ft base for Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard Branson’s venture into space.
Branson, who is investing ~$200 million in Virgin Galactic, will charge passengers ~$200,000 for a two and a half hour flight and 3,000 passengers are expected over the first five years. They will experience four minutes of weightlessness and share the same view of the earth that until now has been afforded to just a handful of astronauts. Flights are expected to fall to ~$20,000 eventually. Test flights will begin in 2008. Other entrepreneurs looking at offering space flights include Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
SpaceX Dragon Receives Initial Approval From NASA Safety Review Panel (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has successfully completed the first of three phases of review required by NASA's Safety Review Panel (SRP) to send its Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). Over a series of meetings spanning four days at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the team of SpaceX engineers developing the Dragon spacecraft presented their Phase I plans for sending the cargo version of Dragon to the $100 billion dollar orbiting space laboratory.
The review covered twenty-three specific hazards, with extra attention paid to the danger of collision -- one of the most difficult hazards to mitigate. The issue of preventing a collision with the ISS was a primary topic of the safety review, and is generally considered one of the more difficult visiting vehicle topics. According to the Safety Review Panel's approval letter, the Phase I collision hazard report for Dragon was approved on the first attempt. As part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competition, SpaceX intends to demonstrate its launch, maneuvering and docking abilities by 2009 -- a year before NASA has scheduled the conclusion of Space Shuttle operations.
Astronaut Boozing? No Proof, NASA Says (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA investigators said Wednesday that they could not find one instance in which an astronaut had engaged in heavy drinking during launch day, despite an earlier report to the contrary. "I was unable to verify any case in which an astronaut-spaceflight crewmember was impaired on launch day" or any case where a manager disregarded warnings from another NASA employee that an astronaut not fly, said Bryan O'Connor, NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance. However, O'Connor said NASA doctors should play a stronger "oversight" role on launch day, accompanying astronauts as they suit up for launch. He also recommended that excessive drinking be added to NASA's list of forbidden pre-launch activities and that the agency consider testing all its employees for alcohol as well as drug use.
California Rocket Workers Getting Settled in Colorado (Source: Denver Post)
When United Launch Alliance transition facilities manager Clint Winterling first saw the building, he knew he had a challenge on his hands as he worked to set up the new corporate headquarters for the rocket joint venture there within months. The building in Centennial was once occupied by Rhythms NetConnections Inc., a formerly highflying Internet-access provider that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 and shut down. The office building has taken on a new life as the home of hundreds of ULA employees moving in this summer. The ULA is a rocket joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing that started operations last December - people working on Lockheed Martin's Atlas rocket program and Boeing's Delta rocket program became ULA employees.
The ULA also hired about 400 new employees, mostly from the Denver area. About 180 of those just graduated from college. The company will ultimately have close to 1,900 employees - further expanding the rocket hub in the Denver area. The economic impact of the ULA will amount to about $414 million a year, according to Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.
UCF Unveils New Telescope (Source: CFNews13)
Wednesday night, UCF unveiled its new custom-built 20-inch telescope. The cutting edge Telescope, which is housed in the Robinson Observatory, is a dozen times more powerful than the telescope it replaced and allows for sharper viewing and the ability to photograph faraway stars and other space bodies. With the advances in technology that have happened it has really brought the type of research you can do down from a mountain in Chili to something you can do here on campus and students can actually get involved with. The refurbishing of the observatory and new telescope was funded with a $150,000 grant. It will be open to the public twice a month.
Gap in Spaceflights: Is U.S. Pride at Risk? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon sounded the alarm Wednesday that the four-year gap between American human spaceflight programs is a threat to national pride. Between town-hall meetings with workers at the Kennedy Space Center, Weldon, told reporters that Congress needs to give NASA more money. He said the money would shorten the time between the retirement of the space-shuttle fleet in 2010 and the start of the Constellation program in 2014.
"Do we, the richest country on the face of the Earth, want to be dependent on Russia to launch our men and women into space?" Weldon said. Weldon, wearing a space-shuttle tie and lapel pin, also suggested the gap could delay President Bush's goal of returning to the moon. "Who is going to get back to the moon first?" Weldon asked. "China has made it very clear they want to go to the moon. Are we going to get there and be greeted by somebody holding out for us a nice warm bowl of chop suey and chopsticks?"
New Mexico Spaceflight Coming, Spaceport Plan Progresses (Source: Alamagordo Daily News)
The future of southern New Mexico glows with possibilities when considering a spaceport in the area, according to the state's Spaceport Authority. The Spaceport America budget is $198 million, with $140 million from statewide taxes and $58 million to be raised from local gross receipts taxes. Federal money is being discussed but is not included in the current estimates. The target date for Virgin Galactic launches into space from New Mexico is December 2009. The criteria which must be in place for the launch to happen are SpaceShip Two has to be certified to fly with passengers, and Spaceport America must be ready to operate.
Suborbital rockets can be launched during the 2008 and 2009 runway construction period. "To do construction and rocket launching in the same area will mean a complicated schedule, but we need to learn to do that because we'll always have many customers operating at the site," said an official. Commercially speaking, point-to-point flights will be just as important as orbital operations. For example, taking a flight from the Rio Grande to the Rhine in an hour is one of the possibilities.
August 29 News Items
Peacekeeper Repurposement Leads To E’Prime Time (Source: SatNews.com)
When you discuss launch with E’Prime Aerospace, the discussion will turn to their “cold launch” and “canister” technologies. Light to medium lift single core vehicles will launch from a launch tube that propels the rocket approximately 200 feet into the air before the first stage is ignited. This method, according to the company, increases the payload capacity by about 10 percent. It also prevents costly refurbishment to the launch facility. The launch vehicles use technology derived from the Peacekeeper (MX missile) program through a commercialization agreement the company has with the U.S. Air Force. E’Prime also secured the only rapidly deployable launch systems worldwide with the exclusive rights to use steam gas generator technology from the Peacekeeper Program. The company believes they would have the capability of launching multiple payloads in a very short period of time.
NASA's Star Wars Stunt (Source: IGN)
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, NASA will launch Luke Skywalker's original Jedi lightsaber into space along with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. The launch is slated for October.
Weldon Speaks to KSC Workforce on Shuttle-Constellation Transition (Source: NASA)
Congressman Dave Weldon held two hour-long briefings at Kennedy Space Center to provide a Congressional budget update and discuss the transition from the Shuttle to the Constellation Program.
Insanity Could Be Hard Sell as Former Astronaut Lisa Nowak's Defense (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Claiming insanity at the time of a crime is one thing. Getting a jury to buy the argument is another. That's the challenge former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak could face if she goes to trial on charges of attacking romantic rival Colleen Shipman at Orlando International Airport last February. In a notice made public Tuesday, Nowak's defense alerted the judge and prosecutors of her intent to rely on an insanity defense. The document says the Navy captain has depression, obsessive behavior and other mental problems.
Alliant Reaffirms Outlook After Losing Out on Ares Deal (Source: Reuters)
Alliant Techsystems reaffirmed its 2008 fiscal year outlook on Wednesday after losing out on a NASA contract. The weapon and space systems company continues to expect fiscal year sales of $4 billion to $4.1 billion. Alliant also still expects orders of about $6 billion. The company said its previous financial outlook excluded consideration of the NASA Ares I upper stage contract.
When you discuss launch with E’Prime Aerospace, the discussion will turn to their “cold launch” and “canister” technologies. Light to medium lift single core vehicles will launch from a launch tube that propels the rocket approximately 200 feet into the air before the first stage is ignited. This method, according to the company, increases the payload capacity by about 10 percent. It also prevents costly refurbishment to the launch facility. The launch vehicles use technology derived from the Peacekeeper (MX missile) program through a commercialization agreement the company has with the U.S. Air Force. E’Prime also secured the only rapidly deployable launch systems worldwide with the exclusive rights to use steam gas generator technology from the Peacekeeper Program. The company believes they would have the capability of launching multiple payloads in a very short period of time.
NASA's Star Wars Stunt (Source: IGN)
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, NASA will launch Luke Skywalker's original Jedi lightsaber into space along with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. The launch is slated for October.
Weldon Speaks to KSC Workforce on Shuttle-Constellation Transition (Source: NASA)
Congressman Dave Weldon held two hour-long briefings at Kennedy Space Center to provide a Congressional budget update and discuss the transition from the Shuttle to the Constellation Program.
Insanity Could Be Hard Sell as Former Astronaut Lisa Nowak's Defense (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Claiming insanity at the time of a crime is one thing. Getting a jury to buy the argument is another. That's the challenge former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak could face if she goes to trial on charges of attacking romantic rival Colleen Shipman at Orlando International Airport last February. In a notice made public Tuesday, Nowak's defense alerted the judge and prosecutors of her intent to rely on an insanity defense. The document says the Navy captain has depression, obsessive behavior and other mental problems.
Alliant Reaffirms Outlook After Losing Out on Ares Deal (Source: Reuters)
Alliant Techsystems reaffirmed its 2008 fiscal year outlook on Wednesday after losing out on a NASA contract. The weapon and space systems company continues to expect fiscal year sales of $4 billion to $4.1 billion. Alliant also still expects orders of about $6 billion. The company said its previous financial outlook excluded consideration of the NASA Ares I upper stage contract.
August 28 News Items
Science Teachers Take Flight in Zero-Gravity with Northrop Grumman Program (Source: SpaceRef.com)
The Northrop Grumman Foundation kicked off the second year of its Weightless Flights of Discovery Program today, flying 57 teachers in Dallas, with another 58 scheduled to fly in New Orleans on Aug. 30. These are the first of the flights in eight cities planned as part of the company's program to inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers -- critical areas where the U.S. has fallen behind globally. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=23414 for information.
NASA's Centennial Challenges to Advance Technologies (Source: NASA)
From Oct. 19 to 21, more than 20 teams from across the nation and around the world will compete for a total of $1,000,000 from NASA for the development of cutting-edge technologies. The Beam Power Challenge and Tether Challenge, two of NASA's seven Centennial Challenges, will take place at the 2007 Space Elevator Games at the Davis County Event Center in Salt Lake City.
Disoriented Satellite Regains Bearings But Not Vision (Source: New Scientist)
NASA's Swift satellite has regained its bearings following a glitch that prevented it from taking observations. But it will likely be several more weeks before it can resume studying cosmic explosions called gamma-ray bursts. Launched in November 2004, Swift studies brief bursts of gamma rays caused by the deaths of massive stars and collisions between dense stellar corpses. A key to Swift's success is that it is able to rapidly swivel to train its instruments on the source of each fleeting burst. But on 10 August, Swift lost its bearings while turning to observe a new target. It could no longer tell which direction it was pointing in the sky, a crippling problem for an astronomical satellite.
Boeing Selected to Build NASA's Upper Stage for Ares I (Source: Boeing)
Boeing has been awarded a NASA contract valued at approximately $514.7 million to produce the upper stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. This element provides the navigation, guidance, control and propulsion required for the ascent of the second-stage Ares I into low -Earth orbit. The Ares I launches the Orion crew exploration vehicle which will be joined with other elements of NASA's Constellation program to help propel astronauts to the moon by 2020.
Space Florida Plans Academy Program in September (Source: Space Florida)
Would you as an undergraduate like the opportunity to experience what it is like to work and be involved in the space program? Space Florida's next Space Academy will be held at the Kennedy Space Center, commencing Sep. 14. The Program is FREE to accepted candidates. The Academy will be held on four succeeding Fridays. Visit http://www.spaceflorida.gov/EducationPrograms.shtml for information.
Asia Dives Into Moon Race (Source: Asia Times)
With the Chinese and Japanese making plans to establish moon bases, can India be far behind? "Global players have declared that by 2020, they will have their bases on the moon," Madhavan Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), declared. "I don't think India can afford to be lagging behind in that." Nair said ISRO is defining technologies needed for India's first manned space mission in an Indian space vehicle scheduled for 2015. India is expected to invest $1.5 billion over the next five years to develop technologies for a manned space flight by 2015 and a moon flight by 2020. Most of the designing, research and technical jobs are to be completed by 2012.
Lockheed, Boeing Vie for GPS Satellite Deal (Source: AP)
Lockheed Martin and Boeing are rival bidders for the first phase of a military contract worth up to $2 billion to build a next-generation global satellite system. The Air Force is replacing the 24 GPS satellites currently in orbit with a new system dubbed Global Positioning System III, designed to improve navigation by air, land and sea, and be more difficult for U.S. enemies to disable. The first phase of the contract, according to the Air Force, is for eight satellites to be delivered by 2013. The deal will be awarded by year-end.
Ares 1 Contract Set to be Awarded (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA is expected to award a major contract to one team of aerospace companies to build the upper stage for its Ares 1 rocket. The contract could bring up to 400 jobs between contractor and federal positions to Huntsville over the next decade. Although the total jobs will fluctuate over time, the award is expected to bring from 100 to 200 contractor jobs and provide work for around 200 NASA employees. Teams headed by ATK Launch Systems and Boeing are bidding for the project. The next major Ares contract is the instrument unit, which is the flight computer. That contract is expected to be awarded by early December.
In late 2006, ATK Launch Systems, Lockheed Martin Inc. and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne formed a joint venture called Team Ares to seek the NASA contract. Boeing's team of suppliers includes Hamilton Sundstrand, a subsidiary of United Technologies, Moog, Northrop Grumman, Orion Propulsion Inc., SUMMA Technology Inc., United Space Alliance and the United Launch Alliance.
The Northrop Grumman Foundation kicked off the second year of its Weightless Flights of Discovery Program today, flying 57 teachers in Dallas, with another 58 scheduled to fly in New Orleans on Aug. 30. These are the first of the flights in eight cities planned as part of the company's program to inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers -- critical areas where the U.S. has fallen behind globally. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=23414 for information.
NASA's Centennial Challenges to Advance Technologies (Source: NASA)
From Oct. 19 to 21, more than 20 teams from across the nation and around the world will compete for a total of $1,000,000 from NASA for the development of cutting-edge technologies. The Beam Power Challenge and Tether Challenge, two of NASA's seven Centennial Challenges, will take place at the 2007 Space Elevator Games at the Davis County Event Center in Salt Lake City.
Disoriented Satellite Regains Bearings But Not Vision (Source: New Scientist)
NASA's Swift satellite has regained its bearings following a glitch that prevented it from taking observations. But it will likely be several more weeks before it can resume studying cosmic explosions called gamma-ray bursts. Launched in November 2004, Swift studies brief bursts of gamma rays caused by the deaths of massive stars and collisions between dense stellar corpses. A key to Swift's success is that it is able to rapidly swivel to train its instruments on the source of each fleeting burst. But on 10 August, Swift lost its bearings while turning to observe a new target. It could no longer tell which direction it was pointing in the sky, a crippling problem for an astronomical satellite.
Boeing Selected to Build NASA's Upper Stage for Ares I (Source: Boeing)
Boeing has been awarded a NASA contract valued at approximately $514.7 million to produce the upper stage of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. This element provides the navigation, guidance, control and propulsion required for the ascent of the second-stage Ares I into low -Earth orbit. The Ares I launches the Orion crew exploration vehicle which will be joined with other elements of NASA's Constellation program to help propel astronauts to the moon by 2020.
Space Florida Plans Academy Program in September (Source: Space Florida)
Would you as an undergraduate like the opportunity to experience what it is like to work and be involved in the space program? Space Florida's next Space Academy will be held at the Kennedy Space Center, commencing Sep. 14. The Program is FREE to accepted candidates. The Academy will be held on four succeeding Fridays. Visit http://www.spaceflorida.gov/EducationPrograms.shtml for information.
Asia Dives Into Moon Race (Source: Asia Times)
With the Chinese and Japanese making plans to establish moon bases, can India be far behind? "Global players have declared that by 2020, they will have their bases on the moon," Madhavan Nair, chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), declared. "I don't think India can afford to be lagging behind in that." Nair said ISRO is defining technologies needed for India's first manned space mission in an Indian space vehicle scheduled for 2015. India is expected to invest $1.5 billion over the next five years to develop technologies for a manned space flight by 2015 and a moon flight by 2020. Most of the designing, research and technical jobs are to be completed by 2012.
Lockheed, Boeing Vie for GPS Satellite Deal (Source: AP)
Lockheed Martin and Boeing are rival bidders for the first phase of a military contract worth up to $2 billion to build a next-generation global satellite system. The Air Force is replacing the 24 GPS satellites currently in orbit with a new system dubbed Global Positioning System III, designed to improve navigation by air, land and sea, and be more difficult for U.S. enemies to disable. The first phase of the contract, according to the Air Force, is for eight satellites to be delivered by 2013. The deal will be awarded by year-end.
Ares 1 Contract Set to be Awarded (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA is expected to award a major contract to one team of aerospace companies to build the upper stage for its Ares 1 rocket. The contract could bring up to 400 jobs between contractor and federal positions to Huntsville over the next decade. Although the total jobs will fluctuate over time, the award is expected to bring from 100 to 200 contractor jobs and provide work for around 200 NASA employees. Teams headed by ATK Launch Systems and Boeing are bidding for the project. The next major Ares contract is the instrument unit, which is the flight computer. That contract is expected to be awarded by early December.
In late 2006, ATK Launch Systems, Lockheed Martin Inc. and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne formed a joint venture called Team Ares to seek the NASA contract. Boeing's team of suppliers includes Hamilton Sundstrand, a subsidiary of United Technologies, Moog, Northrop Grumman, Orion Propulsion Inc., SUMMA Technology Inc., United Space Alliance and the United Launch Alliance.
August 27 News Items
E'Prime Plans Launches from Virginia Spaceport (Source: E'Prime Aerospace)
E'Prime Aerospace Corporation, a U.S. company with more than 2,000 shareholders, announced the selection of Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) as E'Prime's launch site for the Canister Launch Program. the company has engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA/AST) for a Launch License to operate from MARS.
"We look forward to working with E'Prime Aerospace during the development and demonstration of your (E'Prime's) space launch vehicle and support systems. We will provide our technical expertise and technologies in the areas of launch site facilities and operations and launch range operations to E'Prime's development effort...," wrote MARS Executive Director Billie Reed.
Ancient Bacteria Could Point to Life on Mars (Source: Reuters)
Ancient bacteria are able to survive nearly half a million years in harsh, frozen conditions, researchers said on Monday in a study that adds to arguments that permafrost environments on Mars could harbor life. The findings also represent the oldest independently authenticated DNA to date obtained from living cells and could offer clues to better understand ageing, said a researcher. The international team, which also included researchers from the United States, Canada, Russia and Sweden, tested the microbes living up to 10 meters deep in permafrost collected from Northern Canada, the Yukon, Siberia and Antarctica. When a cell dies, its DNA fragments into pieces but the samples the researchers studied were all very long strands -- evidence the cells were able to continuously repair genetic material and remain alive.
India to Launch Israeli Satellite (Source: The Hindu)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is busy preparing to launch an Israeli satellite called Polaris by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) between September 17 and 20 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. A core-alone PSLV without its six strap-on booster motors strung around its first stage will put the Polaris in orbit. It is a remote-sensing satellite that weighs about 300 kg. It can take pictures of the earth through cloud and rain, day and night.
NASA Brain Drain Could Mean Setback for Next Moon Trip (Source: FCW)
For NASA to reach the moon again, the agency needs to keep experienced employees working on Earth. However, NASA’s employee unions say the agency is not going about it the right way. NASA has begun using a variety of new information system tools to manage its human resources challenges. The agency that President Bush has tasked to send people to the moon relies mostly on a workforce that is gearing up for retirement. Visit http://www.fcw.com/article103587-08-27-07-Print to view the article.
E'Prime Aerospace Corporation, a U.S. company with more than 2,000 shareholders, announced the selection of Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) as E'Prime's launch site for the Canister Launch Program. the company has engaged with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA/AST) for a Launch License to operate from MARS.
"We look forward to working with E'Prime Aerospace during the development and demonstration of your (E'Prime's) space launch vehicle and support systems. We will provide our technical expertise and technologies in the areas of launch site facilities and operations and launch range operations to E'Prime's development effort...," wrote MARS Executive Director Billie Reed.
Ancient Bacteria Could Point to Life on Mars (Source: Reuters)
Ancient bacteria are able to survive nearly half a million years in harsh, frozen conditions, researchers said on Monday in a study that adds to arguments that permafrost environments on Mars could harbor life. The findings also represent the oldest independently authenticated DNA to date obtained from living cells and could offer clues to better understand ageing, said a researcher. The international team, which also included researchers from the United States, Canada, Russia and Sweden, tested the microbes living up to 10 meters deep in permafrost collected from Northern Canada, the Yukon, Siberia and Antarctica. When a cell dies, its DNA fragments into pieces but the samples the researchers studied were all very long strands -- evidence the cells were able to continuously repair genetic material and remain alive.
India to Launch Israeli Satellite (Source: The Hindu)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is busy preparing to launch an Israeli satellite called Polaris by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) between September 17 and 20 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. A core-alone PSLV without its six strap-on booster motors strung around its first stage will put the Polaris in orbit. It is a remote-sensing satellite that weighs about 300 kg. It can take pictures of the earth through cloud and rain, day and night.
NASA Brain Drain Could Mean Setback for Next Moon Trip (Source: FCW)
For NASA to reach the moon again, the agency needs to keep experienced employees working on Earth. However, NASA’s employee unions say the agency is not going about it the right way. NASA has begun using a variety of new information system tools to manage its human resources challenges. The agency that President Bush has tasked to send people to the moon relies mostly on a workforce that is gearing up for retirement. Visit http://www.fcw.com/article103587-08-27-07-Print to view the article.
August 26 News Items
Indian Space Agency's Top Scientist Dies in Road Mishap (Source: IndiaPRWire)
Rajeev Lochan, scientific secretary to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was killed late Friday in a road mishap. Lochan died along with his driver during a trip to India's Sriharikota spaceport from Bangalore. ISRO publications director S. Krishnamurthy, who was accompanying Lochan, suffered multiple injuries in the mishap and was rushed to a hospital in the temple town of Tirupati for treatment.
Space Florida Plans Board Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale (Source: ERAU)
Space Florida’s board of directors will hold their next public meeting on Aug. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale. The meeting comes after last week’s successful Florida Space Leadership Forum, sponsored by Space Florida and the Space Foundation. For information on this week’s board meeting contact Juanell Kirkendoll at 321-730-5301 ext. 241.
Disney to Honor Astronauts (Source: Florida Today)
Walt Disney World will host ceremonies honoring the crew of the just-concluded NASA space shuttle Endeavour mission and the achievement of teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan on Sept. 10. Disney's Epcot and Magic Kingdom theme parks will be the backdrop as park guests and schoolchildren interact with the Endeavour astronauts. Highlights include astronaut Barbara Morgan unveiling a new addition to the Mission: SPACE attraction; interview opportunities with the STS-118 crew; and the astronauts serving as honorary grand marshals in the Magic Kingdom's afternoon parade down Main Street, U.S.A.
Trent Lott: Any Good Trip to the Moon, Mars Should Begin in Mississippi (Source: Clarion-Ledger)
Though many Americans may not realize it, this month America earnestly began our journey back to the moon and on to Mars. And, it's a trip that leads right through Mississippi's Hancock County. It was exciting to be at NASA's Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, to break ground on a new test stand, where NASA's J-2X engine will be fired up and evaluated. It'll be the first new test stand constructed at Stennis since the 1960s, during the height of America's Apollo program, which first put man on the moon...And, for Mississippians, Stennis Space Center, perhaps one of our best kept secrets, will get an even greater role as an international center for rocket testing.
The V-Prize: One Hour to Europe (Source: Space Review)
Virginia's "V-Prize" will be awarded to the first manned craft capable of crossing the Atlantic in less than 60 minutes. The $10-25 million competition will officially be launched in 2008. “The craft will take off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in the state of Virginia,” explained Jack Kennedy, chairman of the V-Prize Foundation. The venture must be completed before July 1, 2013, the expiration date of the Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act passed earlier this year by the state of Virginia to encourage the development of research on manned flights.
Globalstar Plans GPS-Aided Product (Source: Space News)
Satellite-telephone service provider Globalstar said a new product it will introduce in November will open a large new market and help it ride out the degradation of its current satellite constellation with a sufficient base of customers until its second-generation satellites are launched starting in 2009. The new product, called Spot Satellite Messenger, is a hand-held device that will be integrated into a GPS positioning unit to allow outdoor enthusiasts and others to signal their whereabouts in an emergency.
Hearings Plannd on Satellite Surveillance Policy (Source: Space News)
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), chair of the House Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee, has asked for both classified and public hearings to clarify what the Bush administration's new policy on the domestic use of classified satellite imagery will be when control of imagery used for domestic purposes is transferred Oct. 1 to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Is Space Elevator the Next Ride to the Final Frontier? (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Tie a rock to the end of a piece of ribbon, then spin it over your head. It will be pulled taut as the rock circles about. Now, imagine a ribbon 62,000 miles long, anchored near the equator with a weight on the other end. The centrifugal force of the earth's rotation will make it behave the same way. You'll end up with a kind of elevator to outer space. NASA is sufficiently intrigued that it has kicked in millions of dollars for a space-elevator design competition. The third annual running of the contest takes place in October outside Salt Lake City; 22 teams, mostly from universities, have signed up to compete.
We (Ohio) Could Really Take Off (Source: Sandusky Register)
In the late 1940s Huntsville had a population roughly equal to Sandusky's. Like the Sandusky area, it was home to an Army arsenal that almost closed when it was no longer needed. But Huntsville had a powerful U.S. senator, John Sparkman, who helped steer the Truman Administration into picking Huntsville as the ideal site for missile research. With that decision came Wernher von Braun and his German scientists, part of the core of the emerging United States space program. In 1960, President Eisenhower formally dedicated the Marshall Space Flight Center there. Today, Huntsville's population is approaching 170,000, its metropolitan area nearing 370,000. It is known nationally as "Rocket City."
A similar future could be ours. With proper support from local governments, NASA Plum Brook can move to center stage as the next generation of manned space flight gears up. Its rocket testing facility is unique in the world. The newest European rocket is there now for tests. Soon the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle will be too. NASA recently awarded $51.4 million to an Oklahoma company to improve Plum Brook's Space Power Facility. Economic development planners should look seriously at what else is needed to turn northern Ohio into an aerospace hotbed.
Rajeev Lochan, scientific secretary to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was killed late Friday in a road mishap. Lochan died along with his driver during a trip to India's Sriharikota spaceport from Bangalore. ISRO publications director S. Krishnamurthy, who was accompanying Lochan, suffered multiple injuries in the mishap and was rushed to a hospital in the temple town of Tirupati for treatment.
Space Florida Plans Board Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale (Source: ERAU)
Space Florida’s board of directors will hold their next public meeting on Aug. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale. The meeting comes after last week’s successful Florida Space Leadership Forum, sponsored by Space Florida and the Space Foundation. For information on this week’s board meeting contact Juanell Kirkendoll at 321-730-5301 ext. 241.
Disney to Honor Astronauts (Source: Florida Today)
Walt Disney World will host ceremonies honoring the crew of the just-concluded NASA space shuttle Endeavour mission and the achievement of teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan on Sept. 10. Disney's Epcot and Magic Kingdom theme parks will be the backdrop as park guests and schoolchildren interact with the Endeavour astronauts. Highlights include astronaut Barbara Morgan unveiling a new addition to the Mission: SPACE attraction; interview opportunities with the STS-118 crew; and the astronauts serving as honorary grand marshals in the Magic Kingdom's afternoon parade down Main Street, U.S.A.
Trent Lott: Any Good Trip to the Moon, Mars Should Begin in Mississippi (Source: Clarion-Ledger)
Though many Americans may not realize it, this month America earnestly began our journey back to the moon and on to Mars. And, it's a trip that leads right through Mississippi's Hancock County. It was exciting to be at NASA's Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, to break ground on a new test stand, where NASA's J-2X engine will be fired up and evaluated. It'll be the first new test stand constructed at Stennis since the 1960s, during the height of America's Apollo program, which first put man on the moon...And, for Mississippians, Stennis Space Center, perhaps one of our best kept secrets, will get an even greater role as an international center for rocket testing.
The V-Prize: One Hour to Europe (Source: Space Review)
Virginia's "V-Prize" will be awarded to the first manned craft capable of crossing the Atlantic in less than 60 minutes. The $10-25 million competition will officially be launched in 2008. “The craft will take off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in the state of Virginia,” explained Jack Kennedy, chairman of the V-Prize Foundation. The venture must be completed before July 1, 2013, the expiration date of the Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act passed earlier this year by the state of Virginia to encourage the development of research on manned flights.
Globalstar Plans GPS-Aided Product (Source: Space News)
Satellite-telephone service provider Globalstar said a new product it will introduce in November will open a large new market and help it ride out the degradation of its current satellite constellation with a sufficient base of customers until its second-generation satellites are launched starting in 2009. The new product, called Spot Satellite Messenger, is a hand-held device that will be integrated into a GPS positioning unit to allow outdoor enthusiasts and others to signal their whereabouts in an emergency.
Hearings Plannd on Satellite Surveillance Policy (Source: Space News)
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), chair of the House Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee, has asked for both classified and public hearings to clarify what the Bush administration's new policy on the domestic use of classified satellite imagery will be when control of imagery used for domestic purposes is transferred Oct. 1 to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Is Space Elevator the Next Ride to the Final Frontier? (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Tie a rock to the end of a piece of ribbon, then spin it over your head. It will be pulled taut as the rock circles about. Now, imagine a ribbon 62,000 miles long, anchored near the equator with a weight on the other end. The centrifugal force of the earth's rotation will make it behave the same way. You'll end up with a kind of elevator to outer space. NASA is sufficiently intrigued that it has kicked in millions of dollars for a space-elevator design competition. The third annual running of the contest takes place in October outside Salt Lake City; 22 teams, mostly from universities, have signed up to compete.
We (Ohio) Could Really Take Off (Source: Sandusky Register)
In the late 1940s Huntsville had a population roughly equal to Sandusky's. Like the Sandusky area, it was home to an Army arsenal that almost closed when it was no longer needed. But Huntsville had a powerful U.S. senator, John Sparkman, who helped steer the Truman Administration into picking Huntsville as the ideal site for missile research. With that decision came Wernher von Braun and his German scientists, part of the core of the emerging United States space program. In 1960, President Eisenhower formally dedicated the Marshall Space Flight Center there. Today, Huntsville's population is approaching 170,000, its metropolitan area nearing 370,000. It is known nationally as "Rocket City."
A similar future could be ours. With proper support from local governments, NASA Plum Brook can move to center stage as the next generation of manned space flight gears up. Its rocket testing facility is unique in the world. The newest European rocket is there now for tests. Soon the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle will be too. NASA recently awarded $51.4 million to an Oklahoma company to improve Plum Brook's Space Power Facility. Economic development planners should look seriously at what else is needed to turn northern Ohio into an aerospace hotbed.
August 25 News Items
Raytheon, XM Bid to Transform U.S. Air Traffic Control (Source: AIA)
Raytheon and XM Satellite Radio Holdings are bidding together on a contract to overhaul the air traffic control system, transforming the current radar-based system into a modern and efficient satellite-based system. The FAA is expected to award the contract as early as next week. The deal could be worth more than $2 billion over the next 20 years. "This is a transformation of the air traffic control system," said an FAA spokesman. "We've made quantitative leaps over the years, from flags to bonfires to radars and now to satellites." Lockheed Martin and ITT are also bidding on the work.
NASA Testing Drone to Monitor Wildfires (Source: AIA)
A Predator B aircraft flown remotely from a ground control station at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California has begun flights over the West. The craft will test technology for real-time thermal imaging and mapping of wildfires, with data transmitted as a Google Earth overlay.
Globe Wireless Completes Acquisition (Source: Globe)
Florida-based Globe Wireless has completed the acquisition of competitors SeaWave & Rydex. Globe Wireless, a provider of satellite communication systems and services for ships, will provide services to more than 8,000 ships and more than 500 ship operators. The company plans to add 15 employees at its Brevard County headquarters in the next three months. The new workers will be a mix of new hires and employees from SeaWave & Rydex.
CLS Expanding Marine Comm Products (Source: CLS America)
CLS America Inc. is developing a new Iridium-based Fisheries Vessel Management System (VMS). The company will deploy prototypes in September and will begin certification process and field trials with NOAA soon. CLS America has an office at Cape Canaveral and will ultimately market the product in Florida. CLS America has been involved in providing satellite-based tracking and monitoring products and services to the maritime and fishing communities for over 20 years.
Computer Sciences Raytheon Wins $816.17 Million Air Force Range Contract (Source: Florida Today)
Computer Sciences Raytheon has been awarded an $816.17 million contract to provide Eastern Range Technical Services, including operations, maintenance and long-term critical range and launch processing systems that support the launch processing mission of the 45th Space Wing and its launch customers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The scope of this work will include all critical range systems and associated support systems, the Defense Department said. Services include downrange facilities support, base and range local area network/metropolitan area network and other technical systems support required for successful range mission accomplishment.
NASA Finds Cracks in Tank Awaiting Mission (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Hidden cracks in the foam insulation on the space shuttle Endeavour's fuel tank were the most likely cause of the debris that struck the space vehicle during liftoff, leaving a worrisome gouge the heat shielding. Cracks were found in X-rays of the insulation of an external tank assigned to the next shuttle mission, scheduled for launch Oct. 23. The cause of the cracking is still under investigation, but Wayne Hale , NASA's shuttle program manager, said it appears to be linked to the initial application process.
For future flights, the space agency will remove the source of the breakaway foam from five brackets that hold a 70-foot liquid oxygen propellant line to the outside of the tank. The procedure can be completed without delaying a late October launch of the shuttle Discovery, officials said. Left uncertain was how the space agency would address the safety threat to future mission as it attempts to finish the assembly of the space station by 2010.
Editorial: Plan to Use Spy Satellites for Domestic Purposes Needs to be Carefully Managed (Source: Washington Post)
Intelligence satellites have been used domestically for years on an ad hoc basis -- for example, to assess damage after a natural disaster, to help with security at major events or for scientific studies. The FBI called in spy satellite help when tracking the Washington area snipers. Now, the Bush administration is forming a unit within the Department of Homeland Security to enable more routine domestic use of satellite imagery -- for purposes such as protecting the borders and helping local law enforcement. The administration's plan makes sense. But it is essential that these capabilities be used carefully, with due regard for Americans' privacy concerns and with careful monitoring, including congressional oversight.
Northrop Grumman Completes Acquisition of Scaled Composites (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman has completed a transaction that increases its ownership in Scaled Composites from approximately 40 percent to 100 percent. Scaled Composites is an aerospace and specialty composites development company located in Mojave, Calif., with broad experience in vehicle design, tooling, and manufacturing; specialty composite structure design, analysis and fabrication; and developmental flight test.
NASA to Fix Foam; Launch Still Set for Oct. 23 (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is going to remove and replace cracked foam covers on the external tank for shuttle Discovery's upcoming mission to the International Space Station, but launch remains scheduled for Oct. 23. The extra work, however, will push back preparations for the planned Dec. 6 launch of Atlantis and a European science laboratory, making it less likely NASA will be able to send up that mission during a short seven-day window.
Magnetic Gravity Trick Grows Perfect Crystals (Source: NewScientist.com)
One of the few scientific success stories of the International Space Station has been its use to grow large, pure crystals in microgravity (see Space station unlocks new world of crystals). Now scientists from the Netherlands and Japan have shown that a strong magnetic field can mimic the effects of microgravity when growing protein crystals. The new Earth-bound technique could provide a cheaper and easier way to produce crystals of the same quality as those grown aboard the ISS.
“Forging the Future of Space Science” Seminar Series Includes Tallahassee Event (Source: National Academies)
The Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Research Council will kick off a yearlong series of public lectures and colloquia in cities across the country and abroad. “Forging the Future of Space Science – The Next 50 Years” will celebrate the spectacular achievements of space and earth science, examine new discoveries in both fields, and look ahead at what the next 50 years may bring.
Each regional event involves an afternoon panel discussion with local scientists and the public, followed by an evening lecture by a distinguished space scientist. Topics include understanding the universe, global climate change, the cosmic origins of life, scientific exploration of the Moon and Mars, and the research and technology needed to support human spaceflight. These events are free and open to the public.
A Tallahassee-based event is planned on Jan. 16 at the Challenger Learning Center. The topic will be "The International Space Station as a Laboratory and Testbed" and NASA Astronaut Carl Walz will be the featured lecturer. Visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=08162007 for information.
Raytheon and XM Satellite Radio Holdings are bidding together on a contract to overhaul the air traffic control system, transforming the current radar-based system into a modern and efficient satellite-based system. The FAA is expected to award the contract as early as next week. The deal could be worth more than $2 billion over the next 20 years. "This is a transformation of the air traffic control system," said an FAA spokesman. "We've made quantitative leaps over the years, from flags to bonfires to radars and now to satellites." Lockheed Martin and ITT are also bidding on the work.
NASA Testing Drone to Monitor Wildfires (Source: AIA)
A Predator B aircraft flown remotely from a ground control station at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California has begun flights over the West. The craft will test technology for real-time thermal imaging and mapping of wildfires, with data transmitted as a Google Earth overlay.
Globe Wireless Completes Acquisition (Source: Globe)
Florida-based Globe Wireless has completed the acquisition of competitors SeaWave & Rydex. Globe Wireless, a provider of satellite communication systems and services for ships, will provide services to more than 8,000 ships and more than 500 ship operators. The company plans to add 15 employees at its Brevard County headquarters in the next three months. The new workers will be a mix of new hires and employees from SeaWave & Rydex.
CLS Expanding Marine Comm Products (Source: CLS America)
CLS America Inc. is developing a new Iridium-based Fisheries Vessel Management System (VMS). The company will deploy prototypes in September and will begin certification process and field trials with NOAA soon. CLS America has an office at Cape Canaveral and will ultimately market the product in Florida. CLS America has been involved in providing satellite-based tracking and monitoring products and services to the maritime and fishing communities for over 20 years.
Computer Sciences Raytheon Wins $816.17 Million Air Force Range Contract (Source: Florida Today)
Computer Sciences Raytheon has been awarded an $816.17 million contract to provide Eastern Range Technical Services, including operations, maintenance and long-term critical range and launch processing systems that support the launch processing mission of the 45th Space Wing and its launch customers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The scope of this work will include all critical range systems and associated support systems, the Defense Department said. Services include downrange facilities support, base and range local area network/metropolitan area network and other technical systems support required for successful range mission accomplishment.
NASA Finds Cracks in Tank Awaiting Mission (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Hidden cracks in the foam insulation on the space shuttle Endeavour's fuel tank were the most likely cause of the debris that struck the space vehicle during liftoff, leaving a worrisome gouge the heat shielding. Cracks were found in X-rays of the insulation of an external tank assigned to the next shuttle mission, scheduled for launch Oct. 23. The cause of the cracking is still under investigation, but Wayne Hale , NASA's shuttle program manager, said it appears to be linked to the initial application process.
For future flights, the space agency will remove the source of the breakaway foam from five brackets that hold a 70-foot liquid oxygen propellant line to the outside of the tank. The procedure can be completed without delaying a late October launch of the shuttle Discovery, officials said. Left uncertain was how the space agency would address the safety threat to future mission as it attempts to finish the assembly of the space station by 2010.
Editorial: Plan to Use Spy Satellites for Domestic Purposes Needs to be Carefully Managed (Source: Washington Post)
Intelligence satellites have been used domestically for years on an ad hoc basis -- for example, to assess damage after a natural disaster, to help with security at major events or for scientific studies. The FBI called in spy satellite help when tracking the Washington area snipers. Now, the Bush administration is forming a unit within the Department of Homeland Security to enable more routine domestic use of satellite imagery -- for purposes such as protecting the borders and helping local law enforcement. The administration's plan makes sense. But it is essential that these capabilities be used carefully, with due regard for Americans' privacy concerns and with careful monitoring, including congressional oversight.
Northrop Grumman Completes Acquisition of Scaled Composites (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman has completed a transaction that increases its ownership in Scaled Composites from approximately 40 percent to 100 percent. Scaled Composites is an aerospace and specialty composites development company located in Mojave, Calif., with broad experience in vehicle design, tooling, and manufacturing; specialty composite structure design, analysis and fabrication; and developmental flight test.
NASA to Fix Foam; Launch Still Set for Oct. 23 (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is going to remove and replace cracked foam covers on the external tank for shuttle Discovery's upcoming mission to the International Space Station, but launch remains scheduled for Oct. 23. The extra work, however, will push back preparations for the planned Dec. 6 launch of Atlantis and a European science laboratory, making it less likely NASA will be able to send up that mission during a short seven-day window.
Magnetic Gravity Trick Grows Perfect Crystals (Source: NewScientist.com)
One of the few scientific success stories of the International Space Station has been its use to grow large, pure crystals in microgravity (see Space station unlocks new world of crystals). Now scientists from the Netherlands and Japan have shown that a strong magnetic field can mimic the effects of microgravity when growing protein crystals. The new Earth-bound technique could provide a cheaper and easier way to produce crystals of the same quality as those grown aboard the ISS.
“Forging the Future of Space Science” Seminar Series Includes Tallahassee Event (Source: National Academies)
The Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Research Council will kick off a yearlong series of public lectures and colloquia in cities across the country and abroad. “Forging the Future of Space Science – The Next 50 Years” will celebrate the spectacular achievements of space and earth science, examine new discoveries in both fields, and look ahead at what the next 50 years may bring.
Each regional event involves an afternoon panel discussion with local scientists and the public, followed by an evening lecture by a distinguished space scientist. Topics include understanding the universe, global climate change, the cosmic origins of life, scientific exploration of the Moon and Mars, and the research and technology needed to support human spaceflight. These events are free and open to the public.
A Tallahassee-based event is planned on Jan. 16 at the Challenger Learning Center. The topic will be "The International Space Station as a Laboratory and Testbed" and NASA Astronaut Carl Walz will be the featured lecturer. Visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=08162007 for information.
August 24 News Items
NFIRE Satellite Successfully Tracks Missile (Source: AIA)
The U.S. Near Field Infrared Experiment research satellite successfully carried out a data-collection experiment that will aid in the development of space-based missile defense technology. The satellite tracked a modified Minuteman II booster vehicle that was fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
CSR Wins $816 Million Contract (Source: Reuters)
Computer Sciences Raytheon, a joint venture of Computer Sciences Corp. and Raytheon, won an Air Force contract valued at $816.2 million for range support for space launches.
Editorial: NASA at 50: Looking for That Second Wind (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA loves to try and push ideas at people. Often times, the pictures and information beamed back to Earth are so astonishing and filled with raw excitement that it almost does not matter how things are presented. More often than not, the relevance is not apparent and some additional pushing needs to be done. Alas, that pushing does not always work. Also, there is more to space exploration - and its relevance - than pretty pictures or complicated intellectual discussions. Yet as amazing as this stuff is - a lot of what NASA does is boring (yet still important). However, no real effort is expended to explain its relevancy to everyday life - and the expenditure of tax dollars - dollars people always seem to feel would be better spent elsewhere (even if they can't always say why). After all, NASA is a part of the Federal government - and we pay them to do things for us. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1229 to view the article.
Colorado University Wins $92M Contract for Satellite Gear to Forecast Solar Disturbances (Source: AIA)
The University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics has landed a $92 million contract to build satellite instruments to forecast solar disturbances. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA tapped the school to build four satellite instruments for detecting and measuring solar flare activity and radiation. LASP will deliver the first of the four instruments in 2012.
Evidence of Extra-Terrestrial Life Near, Says NASA Scientist (Source: ABC Tasmania)
A NASA scientist says new technology may be able to provide a definitive answer to the question of whether there's extra-terrestrial life within our generation. Dr Jack Bacon says that the strong evidence of microbial life on Mars indicates that Earth is not the only planet capable of sustaining life. "I am personally convinced that it is abundant and possibly near," he said. I doubt that we see UFO's flying around our skies, but I believe that within the generation we will probably find very significant evidence of its existence."
Publicity-Seeking Virgin Galactic Keeps Low Profile After Blast (Source: KOLO)
As a female voice coos, "Welcome to space," six passengers in skintight spacesuits unbuckle their seatbelts and somersault in zero gravity, occasionally peeking back at Earth through the private spaceship's large portholes. Virgin Galactic showed off this animated video promoting the weightless joys of commercial space travel at a trade show for experimental aircraft last month. But the excitement was overshadowed three days later when a deadly flash explosion rocked a Mojave Desert facility where top-secret tests were under way for Virgin's yet-unbuilt spaceship. The accident at the remote site run by famed aerospace designer Burt Rutan rattled the fledgling space tourism industry, which has enjoyed a honeymoon period since 2004 when Rutan launched SpaceShipOne, the first private manned rocket into space.
It also offered insight into how two pioneering companies that forged an unlikely partnership two years ago to fly civilians to space reacted to the tragedy. In a reversal of roles, Richard Branson's publicity-seeking Virgin Galactic kept a low profile while its usually silent partner, Rutan's Scaled Composites LLC, took to the Internet to mourn its workers. Some space experts believe Virgin Galactic is following the right strategy because the accident was of an industrial nature and not directly related to spaceflight.
Gulf Coast Key to NASA's Future Exploration Plans (Source: NASA)
Future NASA astronauts who land on the moon will owe their success in part to the men and women of the Gulf Coast, who are already at work on the next generation of space travel. NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans both will have critical roles in the Constellation Program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon by the end of the next decade. A Stennis test stand ground breaking ceremony was attended by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Trent Lott and Rep. Gene Taylor, and is a sign of the futuristic changes on the Gulf Coast.
NASA Jobs in Transition (Source: Florida Today)
About 100 small business representatives gathered in Cocoa Beach on Thursday, learning how to participate in NASA's Constellation program, the next generation of the agency's space exploration. The six-hour NASA Constellation Small Business Forum included talks from Kennedy Space Center representatives, and also from prime contractors, such as Boeing, Harris Corp., Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. Representatives of small businesses from all across Florida attended the forum.
One of the small-business executives at Thursday's forum was Ron Cobb, vice president of the West Melbourne-based Soneticom Inc., a designer and manufacturer of communication devices. Cobb said, as NASA transitions away from space shuttle technology, there now is more of a willingness to use small, high-tech companies like his for work.
The U.S. Near Field Infrared Experiment research satellite successfully carried out a data-collection experiment that will aid in the development of space-based missile defense technology. The satellite tracked a modified Minuteman II booster vehicle that was fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
CSR Wins $816 Million Contract (Source: Reuters)
Computer Sciences Raytheon, a joint venture of Computer Sciences Corp. and Raytheon, won an Air Force contract valued at $816.2 million for range support for space launches.
Editorial: NASA at 50: Looking for That Second Wind (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA loves to try and push ideas at people. Often times, the pictures and information beamed back to Earth are so astonishing and filled with raw excitement that it almost does not matter how things are presented. More often than not, the relevance is not apparent and some additional pushing needs to be done. Alas, that pushing does not always work. Also, there is more to space exploration - and its relevance - than pretty pictures or complicated intellectual discussions. Yet as amazing as this stuff is - a lot of what NASA does is boring (yet still important). However, no real effort is expended to explain its relevancy to everyday life - and the expenditure of tax dollars - dollars people always seem to feel would be better spent elsewhere (even if they can't always say why). After all, NASA is a part of the Federal government - and we pay them to do things for us. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1229 to view the article.
Colorado University Wins $92M Contract for Satellite Gear to Forecast Solar Disturbances (Source: AIA)
The University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics has landed a $92 million contract to build satellite instruments to forecast solar disturbances. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA tapped the school to build four satellite instruments for detecting and measuring solar flare activity and radiation. LASP will deliver the first of the four instruments in 2012.
Evidence of Extra-Terrestrial Life Near, Says NASA Scientist (Source: ABC Tasmania)
A NASA scientist says new technology may be able to provide a definitive answer to the question of whether there's extra-terrestrial life within our generation. Dr Jack Bacon says that the strong evidence of microbial life on Mars indicates that Earth is not the only planet capable of sustaining life. "I am personally convinced that it is abundant and possibly near," he said. I doubt that we see UFO's flying around our skies, but I believe that within the generation we will probably find very significant evidence of its existence."
Publicity-Seeking Virgin Galactic Keeps Low Profile After Blast (Source: KOLO)
As a female voice coos, "Welcome to space," six passengers in skintight spacesuits unbuckle their seatbelts and somersault in zero gravity, occasionally peeking back at Earth through the private spaceship's large portholes. Virgin Galactic showed off this animated video promoting the weightless joys of commercial space travel at a trade show for experimental aircraft last month. But the excitement was overshadowed three days later when a deadly flash explosion rocked a Mojave Desert facility where top-secret tests were under way for Virgin's yet-unbuilt spaceship. The accident at the remote site run by famed aerospace designer Burt Rutan rattled the fledgling space tourism industry, which has enjoyed a honeymoon period since 2004 when Rutan launched SpaceShipOne, the first private manned rocket into space.
It also offered insight into how two pioneering companies that forged an unlikely partnership two years ago to fly civilians to space reacted to the tragedy. In a reversal of roles, Richard Branson's publicity-seeking Virgin Galactic kept a low profile while its usually silent partner, Rutan's Scaled Composites LLC, took to the Internet to mourn its workers. Some space experts believe Virgin Galactic is following the right strategy because the accident was of an industrial nature and not directly related to spaceflight.
Gulf Coast Key to NASA's Future Exploration Plans (Source: NASA)
Future NASA astronauts who land on the moon will owe their success in part to the men and women of the Gulf Coast, who are already at work on the next generation of space travel. NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans both will have critical roles in the Constellation Program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon by the end of the next decade. A Stennis test stand ground breaking ceremony was attended by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Trent Lott and Rep. Gene Taylor, and is a sign of the futuristic changes on the Gulf Coast.
NASA Jobs in Transition (Source: Florida Today)
About 100 small business representatives gathered in Cocoa Beach on Thursday, learning how to participate in NASA's Constellation program, the next generation of the agency's space exploration. The six-hour NASA Constellation Small Business Forum included talks from Kennedy Space Center representatives, and also from prime contractors, such as Boeing, Harris Corp., Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. Representatives of small businesses from all across Florida attended the forum.
One of the small-business executives at Thursday's forum was Ron Cobb, vice president of the West Melbourne-based Soneticom Inc., a designer and manufacturer of communication devices. Cobb said, as NASA transitions away from space shuttle technology, there now is more of a willingness to use small, high-tech companies like his for work.
August 23 News Items
Astronomers Find Enormous Hole in the Universe (Source: NRAO)
Astronomers have found an enormous hole in the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies, and gas, and the mysterious, unseen "dark matter." While earlier studies have shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this new discovery dwarfs them all. Astronomers have known for years that, on large scales, the Universe has voids largely empty of matter. However, most of these voids are much smaller than this one. In addition, the number of discovered voids decreases as the size increases.
Stennis To Be Site Of New Rocket Test Stand (Source: WDSU)
Leaders at NASA's Stennis Space Center broke ground Thursday morning on a test stand to be used for the next generation of shuttle engines. Stennis is the space program's primary center for rocket propulsion testing, and because of the new stand, leaders said the Gulf Coast will continue to benefit. "There are construction jobs as part of building the stand, and also we have approximately 30 percent of our work force here at Stennis comes from Louisiana in support of the engine testing that we do currently with the space shuttle main engine. So, this will bridge us into the next generation vehicle and will continue our rich heritage of testing rocket engines here at Stennis Space Center," Robert Ross said.
SpaceX to Expand Work Force (Source: Los Angeles Business Journal)
Space Exploration Technologies, the El Segundo-based developer of experimental low-cost rockets, says it plans to add another 150-250 people to its work force by December 2008 as part of an expansion plan that parallels the company's strong revenue picture. "At current growth rates, I expect the personnel count will be between 500 and 600 by the end of 2008," company founder Elon Musk wrote. SpaceX employs about 350 workers, mostly at the El Segundo headquarters. However, a growing number of employees are located at the company's engine and structural development site in Texas, the Kwajalein Atoll island launch complex, a launch complex at Cape Canaveral and a Washington, D.C., office, Musk wrote. In March 2003, SpaceX had only 20 employees.
Rocketplane Cuts Workforce As Financial Woes Mount (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Rocketplane Kistler Inc., once in the vanguard of innovative, privately funded space-exploration ventures, is laying off some employees and has told certain suppliers to stop working on a proposed reusable rocket to serve the International Space Station, according to industry and company officials. Despite months of effort, the closely held Oklahoma City firm has failed to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required to keep the project on track and remain eligible for further U.S. government assistance. The move is a dramatic setback for nascent efforts to secure mainstream commercial funding for various space endeavors.
British Company Signs Commercial Agreement for Chang's Plasma Rocket Engine (Tico Times)
The British company Excalibur Exploration signed an agreement this week that will allow it to use a plasma rocket being developed by Costa Rican astronaut Franklin Chang to transport its lab materials in space. Chang is building this engine, called Vasimr, at his Ad Astra lab in the city of Liberia. Excalibur works on commercial space exploration and hopes to establish a base on the moon. Excalibur plans to do a study to determine how exactly the research will be carried out. “Vasimr is a technological key for the future of these space flights. We believe this is a great step for both (companies) and we hope it will be the first of many,” said Excalibur Exploration president Art Dula.
Search on for Homans' Replacement (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority is moving forward without former director Rick Homans, who left in late July after three months on the job. The authority voted Tuesday to conduct a nationwide search for his replacement and will ask legislators next year for an increase in the agency's operating budget that once tried to stay "lean" on staff but now looks to expand to handle the magnitude of the $198 million Spaceport America project. "The individual who we are looking for is a unique individual," New Mexico Spaceport Authority chairwoman Kelly O'Donnell said. One option being considered is for a current university executive or laboratory executive to be loaned to the authority to serve as its director. O'Donnell said the search could take "a couple of months."
Uncertainty Over Site of NM Spaceport Visitor Center (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The location of a planned $1 million Spaceport America welcome center — initially announced for the village of Hatch — is not set in stone, but Hatch officials are making sure the village is in the running when the location is finalized. Included in the $198 million for the spaceport are funds for two welcome centers, one in Hatch and another in Truth or Consequences. But according to one Doña Ana County legislator, the location of the Hatch center was questioned by three other local lawmakers. Hatch officials have provided the NMSA with a preliminary feasibility study conducted free of charge by the New Mexico State University Arrowhead Center that examines the benefits of a Hatch location.
Despite Lack, Rocketplane Confident of Funding as Deadline Nears (Source: News OK)
Although Rocketplane Kistler has failed to secure additional funding for its K-1 orbital vehicle, company officials said the project still is headed toward success. The Oklahoma City company received a $207 million contract from NASA to help finance a demonstration flight at the International Space Station in 2009, but it still needs to secure millions more before the year is over. CEO George French said a declining market is to blame for the aerospace company's lack of private funding. He would not specify how much private funding the company needs to secure for the K-1 project but said it's "hundreds of millions.” French said the company is making headway in securing investors for the project. He said though the deadline for the funds is fast approaching, he's confident Rocketplane will get the funding it needs.
XCOR Rockets Onto Inc.'s '500 Fastest Growing Companies' (Source: XCOR)
Like the rocket-powered aircraft it builds, Mojave-based XCOR Aerospace's business has taken off, earning it a spot on the prestigious Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies, based on the percentage increase of revenue over a three-year period. The small, privately-held California C-Corporation was ranked No. 446 overall with 646 percent three-year revenue growth from 2003 through 2006.
The breakthrough came when the team decided to modify a pusher-propeller-powered Long EZ airplane and replace its conventional piston engine with XCOR-designed and built rocket engines. This demonstrated XCOR's re-usable and re-startable rocket motors on actual flying hardware. The rocket plane not only proved the reliability of XCOR's technology, it generated publicity and helped raise the firm's profile in the aerospace industry. This attracted serious investors, including Esther Dyson and the investment group, Boston Harbor Angels.
Operationally Responsive Space is Moving Forward (Source: USAF)
Just a few months after its May 21 stand-up, the joint service Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office is moving forward on the guidance to focus its efforts on a tiered approach to enhance responsiveness of space capabilities to joint force commanders. This three-tiered approach will improve the ability to develop, acquire, field and employ space capabilities in shortened timeframes and in more affordable ways. The approach was set forth in the report, Plan for Operationally Responsive Space, which was signed by Undersecretary of the Air Force Dr. Ron Sega and U.S. Strategic Command Commander Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright. Visit http://www.afspc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123065153to read the news release.
SpaceX Falcon 9's Rocket Engine's First Flight in January (Source: Flight International)
Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) first- and second-stage Merlin 1C engine, designed for its 1,000,000lb-thrust in vacuum (4,450kN) Falcon 9 rocket, will be flight tested in January powering the first stage of the company's smaller 102,000lb-thrust Falcon 1e, the latest variant of this launcher. The Merlin 1C-powered Falcon 1e arrives at the company's Kwajalein atoll launch complex at the Ronald Reagan ballistic missile test site in the Pacific Ocean in December for the January launch.
Astronomers have found an enormous hole in the Universe, nearly a billion light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies, and gas, and the mysterious, unseen "dark matter." While earlier studies have shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this new discovery dwarfs them all. Astronomers have known for years that, on large scales, the Universe has voids largely empty of matter. However, most of these voids are much smaller than this one. In addition, the number of discovered voids decreases as the size increases.
Stennis To Be Site Of New Rocket Test Stand (Source: WDSU)
Leaders at NASA's Stennis Space Center broke ground Thursday morning on a test stand to be used for the next generation of shuttle engines. Stennis is the space program's primary center for rocket propulsion testing, and because of the new stand, leaders said the Gulf Coast will continue to benefit. "There are construction jobs as part of building the stand, and also we have approximately 30 percent of our work force here at Stennis comes from Louisiana in support of the engine testing that we do currently with the space shuttle main engine. So, this will bridge us into the next generation vehicle and will continue our rich heritage of testing rocket engines here at Stennis Space Center," Robert Ross said.
SpaceX to Expand Work Force (Source: Los Angeles Business Journal)
Space Exploration Technologies, the El Segundo-based developer of experimental low-cost rockets, says it plans to add another 150-250 people to its work force by December 2008 as part of an expansion plan that parallels the company's strong revenue picture. "At current growth rates, I expect the personnel count will be between 500 and 600 by the end of 2008," company founder Elon Musk wrote. SpaceX employs about 350 workers, mostly at the El Segundo headquarters. However, a growing number of employees are located at the company's engine and structural development site in Texas, the Kwajalein Atoll island launch complex, a launch complex at Cape Canaveral and a Washington, D.C., office, Musk wrote. In March 2003, SpaceX had only 20 employees.
Rocketplane Cuts Workforce As Financial Woes Mount (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Rocketplane Kistler Inc., once in the vanguard of innovative, privately funded space-exploration ventures, is laying off some employees and has told certain suppliers to stop working on a proposed reusable rocket to serve the International Space Station, according to industry and company officials. Despite months of effort, the closely held Oklahoma City firm has failed to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required to keep the project on track and remain eligible for further U.S. government assistance. The move is a dramatic setback for nascent efforts to secure mainstream commercial funding for various space endeavors.
British Company Signs Commercial Agreement for Chang's Plasma Rocket Engine (Tico Times)
The British company Excalibur Exploration signed an agreement this week that will allow it to use a plasma rocket being developed by Costa Rican astronaut Franklin Chang to transport its lab materials in space. Chang is building this engine, called Vasimr, at his Ad Astra lab in the city of Liberia. Excalibur works on commercial space exploration and hopes to establish a base on the moon. Excalibur plans to do a study to determine how exactly the research will be carried out. “Vasimr is a technological key for the future of these space flights. We believe this is a great step for both (companies) and we hope it will be the first of many,” said Excalibur Exploration president Art Dula.
Search on for Homans' Replacement (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority is moving forward without former director Rick Homans, who left in late July after three months on the job. The authority voted Tuesday to conduct a nationwide search for his replacement and will ask legislators next year for an increase in the agency's operating budget that once tried to stay "lean" on staff but now looks to expand to handle the magnitude of the $198 million Spaceport America project. "The individual who we are looking for is a unique individual," New Mexico Spaceport Authority chairwoman Kelly O'Donnell said. One option being considered is for a current university executive or laboratory executive to be loaned to the authority to serve as its director. O'Donnell said the search could take "a couple of months."
Uncertainty Over Site of NM Spaceport Visitor Center (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The location of a planned $1 million Spaceport America welcome center — initially announced for the village of Hatch — is not set in stone, but Hatch officials are making sure the village is in the running when the location is finalized. Included in the $198 million for the spaceport are funds for two welcome centers, one in Hatch and another in Truth or Consequences. But according to one Doña Ana County legislator, the location of the Hatch center was questioned by three other local lawmakers. Hatch officials have provided the NMSA with a preliminary feasibility study conducted free of charge by the New Mexico State University Arrowhead Center that examines the benefits of a Hatch location.
Despite Lack, Rocketplane Confident of Funding as Deadline Nears (Source: News OK)
Although Rocketplane Kistler has failed to secure additional funding for its K-1 orbital vehicle, company officials said the project still is headed toward success. The Oklahoma City company received a $207 million contract from NASA to help finance a demonstration flight at the International Space Station in 2009, but it still needs to secure millions more before the year is over. CEO George French said a declining market is to blame for the aerospace company's lack of private funding. He would not specify how much private funding the company needs to secure for the K-1 project but said it's "hundreds of millions.” French said the company is making headway in securing investors for the project. He said though the deadline for the funds is fast approaching, he's confident Rocketplane will get the funding it needs.
XCOR Rockets Onto Inc.'s '500 Fastest Growing Companies' (Source: XCOR)
Like the rocket-powered aircraft it builds, Mojave-based XCOR Aerospace's business has taken off, earning it a spot on the prestigious Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies, based on the percentage increase of revenue over a three-year period. The small, privately-held California C-Corporation was ranked No. 446 overall with 646 percent three-year revenue growth from 2003 through 2006.
The breakthrough came when the team decided to modify a pusher-propeller-powered Long EZ airplane and replace its conventional piston engine with XCOR-designed and built rocket engines. This demonstrated XCOR's re-usable and re-startable rocket motors on actual flying hardware. The rocket plane not only proved the reliability of XCOR's technology, it generated publicity and helped raise the firm's profile in the aerospace industry. This attracted serious investors, including Esther Dyson and the investment group, Boston Harbor Angels.
Operationally Responsive Space is Moving Forward (Source: USAF)
Just a few months after its May 21 stand-up, the joint service Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office is moving forward on the guidance to focus its efforts on a tiered approach to enhance responsiveness of space capabilities to joint force commanders. This three-tiered approach will improve the ability to develop, acquire, field and employ space capabilities in shortened timeframes and in more affordable ways. The approach was set forth in the report, Plan for Operationally Responsive Space, which was signed by Undersecretary of the Air Force Dr. Ron Sega and U.S. Strategic Command Commander Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright. Visit http://www.afspc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123065153to read the news release.
SpaceX Falcon 9's Rocket Engine's First Flight in January (Source: Flight International)
Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) first- and second-stage Merlin 1C engine, designed for its 1,000,000lb-thrust in vacuum (4,450kN) Falcon 9 rocket, will be flight tested in January powering the first stage of the company's smaller 102,000lb-thrust Falcon 1e, the latest variant of this launcher. The Merlin 1C-powered Falcon 1e arrives at the company's Kwajalein atoll launch complex at the Ronald Reagan ballistic missile test site in the Pacific Ocean in December for the January launch.
August 22 News Items
Central Florida Teacher Awaits His Flight Into Space (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
For Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut on space shuttle Endeavour, a classroom in space was a dream that took 22 years to come true. It is a dream shared by three other teachers in the Educator Astronaut Program who are looking forward to a "faculty meeting" with Morgan now that Endeavour has returned to Earth. One of those teachers is Central Florida's Joe Acaba. Acaba was teaching science and math at Dunnellon Middle School when NASA selected him for its program in April 2004.
Space Club Luncheon in September Features NPR's NASA Correspondent (Source: NSC)
The Florida Committee of the National Space Club will host its next monthly luncheon on Sep. 11 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Cocoa Beach. The featured speaker will be Pat Duggins, Senior News Analyst at WMFE and National Public Radio's NASA correspondent. Contact LaDonna Neterer at mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com to RSVP or for information.
Russian Space Forces to Study Use of Piloted Spacecraft for Defense (Source: Interfax)
Russian Space Forces Commander Col.-Gen. Vladimir Popovkin said that piloted spacecraft could be used for defense purposes in the future. Speaking at the MAKS 2007 air show near Moscow, Popovkin said: "I met with new Energia head Vitaly Lopota at the air show. We will think about it, what piloted spacecrafts could do for defense purposes," Popovkin said.
Russian Space Agency to Form Three Space Holdings by 2015 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian space companies will be integrated into 10-12 groups, which will then be organized into three to four holdings by 2015, the head of the Russian space agency said. He also said the Federal Space Agency intends to boost the effectiveness of satellite communication systems, adding that six Glonass satellites will be launched before the end of the year, bringing their total number to 18 and covering all of Russian territory.
University Joins Effort to Launch All-Canadian Mars Mission (Source: CanWest News Service)
A network of universities, including Burnaby's Simon Fraser University, is planning an all-Canadian mission to Mars in 2009, using corporate funding to build a robot that will search for water and life on the Red Planet. The project, called Northern Light, will use the same launch method as satellites: a commercial rocket, likely a reliable type called Rockot, made from converted Soviet ballistic missiles. But the spacecraft that flies on to Mars, and likely the mission control for the period after it lands on Mars, would be all-Canadian, with headquarters at York University in Toronto.
FAA Chief to Lead Industry Group (Source: New York Times)
Marion C. Blakey, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will become the new head of the Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group representing civilian and military aerospace companies, in November, the association said. Ms. Blakey, who led the National Transportation Safety Board before joining the FAA, was appointed by President Bush to a five-year term. Her term expires Sept. 13. The term of a successor would fall mostly in the next presidential administration. The White House has not announced an intention to nominate a successor.
Editorial: How the Shuttle and Pipe Dreams of the Moon Bleed Research (Source: LA Times)
Thankfully, NASA will retire its shuttle fleet by 2010. Still, the fleet's limited flight schedule and the useless International Space Station eat up more than one-third of the space agency's total $16.8-billion budget for the current fiscal year. Earth science (you know, the study of the place where we actually, um, live, using satellites and the like), by contrast, gets just $1.4 billion — and NASA is, appallingly, planning to spend less by 2012. Visit http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-thornton22aug22,0,7312645.story?coll=la-opinion-centerto view the editorial.
Google Earth Gets Starry-Eyed (Source: InfoWorld.com)
People can now use Google to peruse astrological wonders such as the Crab Nebula, an expanding remnant of a supernova 6,300 light years from earth. Markers within the star photos pull in explanatory text from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Overlays outline constellations such as Leo, illustrate phases of the moon and show how the planets visible from Earth orbit over two months.
Google Sky uses high-resolution imagery from the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, CalTech's Palomar Observatory, the U.K.'s Astronomy Technology Center, the Anglo-Australian Observatory as well as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The imagery covers 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies, Google said.
For Barbara Morgan, the teacher-turned-astronaut on space shuttle Endeavour, a classroom in space was a dream that took 22 years to come true. It is a dream shared by three other teachers in the Educator Astronaut Program who are looking forward to a "faculty meeting" with Morgan now that Endeavour has returned to Earth. One of those teachers is Central Florida's Joe Acaba. Acaba was teaching science and math at Dunnellon Middle School when NASA selected him for its program in April 2004.
Space Club Luncheon in September Features NPR's NASA Correspondent (Source: NSC)
The Florida Committee of the National Space Club will host its next monthly luncheon on Sep. 11 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Cocoa Beach. The featured speaker will be Pat Duggins, Senior News Analyst at WMFE and National Public Radio's NASA correspondent. Contact LaDonna Neterer at mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com to RSVP or for information.
Russian Space Forces to Study Use of Piloted Spacecraft for Defense (Source: Interfax)
Russian Space Forces Commander Col.-Gen. Vladimir Popovkin said that piloted spacecraft could be used for defense purposes in the future. Speaking at the MAKS 2007 air show near Moscow, Popovkin said: "I met with new Energia head Vitaly Lopota at the air show. We will think about it, what piloted spacecrafts could do for defense purposes," Popovkin said.
Russian Space Agency to Form Three Space Holdings by 2015 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian space companies will be integrated into 10-12 groups, which will then be organized into three to four holdings by 2015, the head of the Russian space agency said. He also said the Federal Space Agency intends to boost the effectiveness of satellite communication systems, adding that six Glonass satellites will be launched before the end of the year, bringing their total number to 18 and covering all of Russian territory.
University Joins Effort to Launch All-Canadian Mars Mission (Source: CanWest News Service)
A network of universities, including Burnaby's Simon Fraser University, is planning an all-Canadian mission to Mars in 2009, using corporate funding to build a robot that will search for water and life on the Red Planet. The project, called Northern Light, will use the same launch method as satellites: a commercial rocket, likely a reliable type called Rockot, made from converted Soviet ballistic missiles. But the spacecraft that flies on to Mars, and likely the mission control for the period after it lands on Mars, would be all-Canadian, with headquarters at York University in Toronto.
FAA Chief to Lead Industry Group (Source: New York Times)
Marion C. Blakey, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will become the new head of the Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group representing civilian and military aerospace companies, in November, the association said. Ms. Blakey, who led the National Transportation Safety Board before joining the FAA, was appointed by President Bush to a five-year term. Her term expires Sept. 13. The term of a successor would fall mostly in the next presidential administration. The White House has not announced an intention to nominate a successor.
Editorial: How the Shuttle and Pipe Dreams of the Moon Bleed Research (Source: LA Times)
Thankfully, NASA will retire its shuttle fleet by 2010. Still, the fleet's limited flight schedule and the useless International Space Station eat up more than one-third of the space agency's total $16.8-billion budget for the current fiscal year. Earth science (you know, the study of the place where we actually, um, live, using satellites and the like), by contrast, gets just $1.4 billion — and NASA is, appallingly, planning to spend less by 2012. Visit http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-thornton22aug22,0,7312645.story?coll=la-opinion-centerto view the editorial.
Google Earth Gets Starry-Eyed (Source: InfoWorld.com)
People can now use Google to peruse astrological wonders such as the Crab Nebula, an expanding remnant of a supernova 6,300 light years from earth. Markers within the star photos pull in explanatory text from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Overlays outline constellations such as Leo, illustrate phases of the moon and show how the planets visible from Earth orbit over two months.
Google Sky uses high-resolution imagery from the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Digital Sky Survey Consortium, CalTech's Palomar Observatory, the U.K.'s Astronomy Technology Center, the Anglo-Australian Observatory as well as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The imagery covers 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies, Google said.
August 21 News Items
Russian, European Space Agencies to Develop Manned Spaceship (Source: RIA Novosti)
The Russian and European space agencies will develop a manned transport spaceship for flights to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars, the head of the Russian agency said. "We agreed today with Jean-Jacques Dordain, the head of the European Space Agency, to form a working group to deal with developing a piloted transport system to fly to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars," Anatoly Perminov said. "In September, representatives of the Russian and European space industry will start their work," he said, adding that a work scheme would be developed by the end of the year.
No Spaceflight, But Weightlessness a Nice Consolation for Teacher (Source: Gainesville [Georgia] Times)
She didn't make the cut for one of NASA's educator astronaut positions. But Tracy Robar, a Gainesville High School math teacher, still will get to embark on the thrill ride of a lifetime. She is set to fly Sept. 13 on the Weightless Flight of Discovery, sponsored by Northrop Grumman and ZERO-G. Sixty teachers will soar aboard a ZERO-G's G-Force One under the program. Northrop Grumman is bearing all the costs, including the flight suit Robar will wear and a video of the flight she can share with her students.
Soyuz Pad in Guiana Designed to Allow Human Spaceflight Expansion (Source: ERAU)
A delegation from NASA visited Europe's Kourou spaceport in French Guiana to inspect Ariane launch processing methods. They also got a first-hand view of new Vega and Soyuz launch pads under development at the spaceport. The new Soyuz launch tower is being designed to accommodate future expansion for human space missions.
NASA, NOAA Forge Closer Ties On Satellite Programs (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plan to strengthen their satellite ties in the coming fiscal year with the re-establishment of an effort modeled after the Operational Satellite Improvement Program (OSIP) the agencies implemented in the 1970s. The OSIP "explicitly placed NASA in the role of technology developer and NOAA in the role of sustaining satellite operations," the agencies say in a recent report to Congress. Under the new OSIP program, NASA and NOAA would jointly define instrument requirements for Earth science spacecraft. NASA would develop and launch new instruments to demonstrate their viability, while NOAA would plan and budget for the transition of those instruments into operational systems, including paying for the operational spacecraft.
Shuttle Lands at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Space Shuttle Endeavour touched down at Kennedy Space Center at 12:32 p.m. Tuesday, ending its mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour returned home two weeks after it launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.
NASA Glenn Gets Role in New Spacecraft Design (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Plans moved forward Monday for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park to help develop a new generation of spacecraft with the awarding of a $51.4 million contract. Benham Constructors LLC of Oklahoma City will build facilities in and around the giant thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky to test the conditions that the next generation of spacecraft are likely to face, starting with the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. NASA Glenn manages the Plum Brook Station. The Orion is expected to carry astronauts to the moon and back to the International Space Station starting in 2019. Glenn's Plum Brook facilities also will be used to develop NASA's Constellation program for explorations to the moon, Mars and other destinations, NASA said.
Space Task Force Continues Podcasts (Source: STF)
The Space Task Force continues to post periodic space-themed podcasts at http://www.spacetaskforce.com/. The Florida-based organization sponsors interviews and discussions on aerospace industry news and events.
New Mexico Considers Concepts for Spaceport Visitor Center (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority was presented with a feasibility study for Spaceport America welcome centers, one of which is planned for the small farming community in northern Doña Ana County. The $198 million Spaceport America project — scheduled for completion in late 2009 or early 2010 in southern Sierra County — includes $1 million welcome centers and park-and-ride facilities in nearby Hatch and Truth or Consequences.
Moondust Miners Dig for $250,000 in NASA Prize Money (Source: WIRED)
Four couch-sized contraptions, all clearly homebuilt, sit inside a cavernous building at the Santa Maria, California, fairgrounds. One, made of unfinished wood, has denim conveyor belts running over purple and orange plastic beads. It's the brainchild of a boiler engineer from Michigan, whose girlfriend sewed the belts. Another, cobbled together by a systems analyst from nearby Arroyo Grande, features a set of steel trays attached to a long bicycle chain. A team of Los Angeles engineers used precisely machined aluminum and incorporated a toothed rotor that spins like a waterwheel. The tallest of the bunch, standing about 5 feet high, is a clattering assemblage of aluminum scoops mounted on a red conveyor. It represents a year and a half of work by 11 University of Missouri students, two of whom drove 30 hours to get the thing here. They're still scrambling to apply the finishing touches, slapping masking tape on the cups and adjusting bungee cords to keep it upright.
In a moment, the machines will face their opponent: a heap of fake moondust. This is the Regolith Excavation Challenge, a NASA-sponsored competition aimed at applying outsider ingenuity to space colonization. "We think of it as DIY punk rock meets high tech," says Matt Everingham, a fresh-faced engineer with the California Space Authority, the trade group cohosting the contest. Visit http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-09/ps_moondust to view the article.
RocketPlane Kistler Venture Failing to Win Investors (Source: Wall Street Journal)
In a potentially serious blow to privately supported space-exploration efforts, a project to develop a private-sector rocket to serve the International Space Station has failed to secure investors. Negotiations between a group of prospective commercial investors and a reusable-rocket venture led by closely held Rocketplane Kistler Inc. have broken down, according to industry officials familiar with the details. Alternative funding for the $500 million needed to keep the project on track is uncertain, these officials said. Rocketplane officials had said they were working on fresh financing and still expected the project to succeed, but declined to elaborate.
Shuttle Work May Stall Other Launches (Source: USA Today)
NASA officials are optimistic that space shuttle Endeavour will land safely Tuesday, but they conceded Monday that future shuttle launches are in jeopardy. Just two months before the next planned mission, NASA has decided to revamp a section of the shuttle's fuel tank that cracked off during Endeavour's Aug. 8 launch and gouged the shuttle's heat shield. The dent does not threaten the crew's safety, NASA says.
The next shuttle mission is scheduled for Oct. 23. Any fuel-tank fix could probably be applied soon enough for that flight to lift off on time, said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale. The odds are much lower for a Dec. 6 flight: a milestone mission to add the first European component to the International Space Station. An overhaul of the fuel tank slated to be used on the October mission will tie up NASA's tank hangar. That would keep technicians from starting work on the fuel tank assigned to the December flight.
Return from Arctic Mars (Source: MSNBC)
The Mars Society’s 100-day simulation of an expedition to the Red Planet is wrapping up in the Canadian Arctic - and although some have scoffed at the exercise as little more than grown-ups "pretending to be space explorers," a prominent NASA researcher who participated in the effort says the crew has done groundbreaking research. "The work that this crew has done will contribute to studies of Mars and to studies of the response of permafrost on Earth to global warming," Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center. "Their pioneering simulation of crew operations on Mars time is by far the best work on this topic ever done. It sets the standard for future Mars mission simulations such as the proposed European Space Agency 500-day mission."
India Investing Funds in Manned Space Flight Program (Source: Itar-Tass)
India will invest within the coming five years some $1.5 billion in the development of a set of technologies to carry out a manned space flight by 2015. Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ManhaVan Nair said that most of the designing, research and technical jobs would be completed already within the current five-year period – up to 2012. Indian experts still lack the necessary experience to build vehicles guaranteeing human safety on board. It is also necessary to increase the dependability of the booster rocket, which was earlier developed to place heavy satellites on a geosynchronic orbit. ISRO is hatching some other ambitious plans, too. “The leading global space powers have already announced their preparations to set up manned bases on the Moon in 2020,” Nair noted. “We believe India should not lag behind them,” he added.
India to Launch INSAT-4CR from Sriharikota on Sept. 1 (Source: The Hindu)
India is planning to launch its latest communication satellite, INSAT-4CR, from Sriharikota spaceport on September 1. This spacecraft is identical to INSAT-4C, which was lost during the unsuccessful launch of Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02) in July last year. INSAT-4CR, which has a mission life of ten years, carries 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide direct-to-home television services, facilitate video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering.
Aerospace Group Spent $280,000 Lobbying (Source: AP)
The Aerospace Industries Association of America spent $280,000 to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, according to a federal disclosure form. The group lobbied Congress, the White House and various agencies, including NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and the departments of Defense and State, on topics ranging from agency budgets and workforce issues, to acquisition reform and space exploration.
Space Solar Energy Has Future, U.S. Researchers Say (Source: USInfo.state.gov)
Beam solar energy directly from space, and disaster relief expeditions could power all their equipment with no more than a few portable antennas and converters. Campers could use such energy to cook dinners using nothing more than a cell phone-like device. But the primary beneficiaries of such a technological feat would be the many communities that would be able to tap into space solar energy fed into power grids. Terrestrial solar power stations already exist throughout the world. But sunlight is eight times less intense on the earth’s surface than in its geostationary orbit. So why not collect it in space and beam its energy to Earth via microwave power beam, which can penetrate the atmosphere more efficiently, ask U.S. researchers.
They have proposed putting in orbit mega-satellites -- giant, possibly inflatable structures of photovoltaic arrays and antennas -- that would do just that. At receiving stations on Earth, the beam could be converted into electricity or synthetic fuels, which, in contrast to power from terrestrial solar power stations, would flow continuously to the grid independent of the season, weather or location. Click here to view the article.
The Russian and European space agencies will develop a manned transport spaceship for flights to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars, the head of the Russian agency said. "We agreed today with Jean-Jacques Dordain, the head of the European Space Agency, to form a working group to deal with developing a piloted transport system to fly to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars," Anatoly Perminov said. "In September, representatives of the Russian and European space industry will start their work," he said, adding that a work scheme would be developed by the end of the year.
No Spaceflight, But Weightlessness a Nice Consolation for Teacher (Source: Gainesville [Georgia] Times)
She didn't make the cut for one of NASA's educator astronaut positions. But Tracy Robar, a Gainesville High School math teacher, still will get to embark on the thrill ride of a lifetime. She is set to fly Sept. 13 on the Weightless Flight of Discovery, sponsored by Northrop Grumman and ZERO-G. Sixty teachers will soar aboard a ZERO-G's G-Force One under the program. Northrop Grumman is bearing all the costs, including the flight suit Robar will wear and a video of the flight she can share with her students.
Soyuz Pad in Guiana Designed to Allow Human Spaceflight Expansion (Source: ERAU)
A delegation from NASA visited Europe's Kourou spaceport in French Guiana to inspect Ariane launch processing methods. They also got a first-hand view of new Vega and Soyuz launch pads under development at the spaceport. The new Soyuz launch tower is being designed to accommodate future expansion for human space missions.
NASA, NOAA Forge Closer Ties On Satellite Programs (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plan to strengthen their satellite ties in the coming fiscal year with the re-establishment of an effort modeled after the Operational Satellite Improvement Program (OSIP) the agencies implemented in the 1970s. The OSIP "explicitly placed NASA in the role of technology developer and NOAA in the role of sustaining satellite operations," the agencies say in a recent report to Congress. Under the new OSIP program, NASA and NOAA would jointly define instrument requirements for Earth science spacecraft. NASA would develop and launch new instruments to demonstrate their viability, while NOAA would plan and budget for the transition of those instruments into operational systems, including paying for the operational spacecraft.
Shuttle Lands at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Space Shuttle Endeavour touched down at Kennedy Space Center at 12:32 p.m. Tuesday, ending its mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour returned home two weeks after it launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.
NASA Glenn Gets Role in New Spacecraft Design (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Plans moved forward Monday for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park to help develop a new generation of spacecraft with the awarding of a $51.4 million contract. Benham Constructors LLC of Oklahoma City will build facilities in and around the giant thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky to test the conditions that the next generation of spacecraft are likely to face, starting with the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. NASA Glenn manages the Plum Brook Station. The Orion is expected to carry astronauts to the moon and back to the International Space Station starting in 2019. Glenn's Plum Brook facilities also will be used to develop NASA's Constellation program for explorations to the moon, Mars and other destinations, NASA said.
Space Task Force Continues Podcasts (Source: STF)
The Space Task Force continues to post periodic space-themed podcasts at http://www.spacetaskforce.com/. The Florida-based organization sponsors interviews and discussions on aerospace industry news and events.
New Mexico Considers Concepts for Spaceport Visitor Center (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority was presented with a feasibility study for Spaceport America welcome centers, one of which is planned for the small farming community in northern Doña Ana County. The $198 million Spaceport America project — scheduled for completion in late 2009 or early 2010 in southern Sierra County — includes $1 million welcome centers and park-and-ride facilities in nearby Hatch and Truth or Consequences.
Moondust Miners Dig for $250,000 in NASA Prize Money (Source: WIRED)
Four couch-sized contraptions, all clearly homebuilt, sit inside a cavernous building at the Santa Maria, California, fairgrounds. One, made of unfinished wood, has denim conveyor belts running over purple and orange plastic beads. It's the brainchild of a boiler engineer from Michigan, whose girlfriend sewed the belts. Another, cobbled together by a systems analyst from nearby Arroyo Grande, features a set of steel trays attached to a long bicycle chain. A team of Los Angeles engineers used precisely machined aluminum and incorporated a toothed rotor that spins like a waterwheel. The tallest of the bunch, standing about 5 feet high, is a clattering assemblage of aluminum scoops mounted on a red conveyor. It represents a year and a half of work by 11 University of Missouri students, two of whom drove 30 hours to get the thing here. They're still scrambling to apply the finishing touches, slapping masking tape on the cups and adjusting bungee cords to keep it upright.
In a moment, the machines will face their opponent: a heap of fake moondust. This is the Regolith Excavation Challenge, a NASA-sponsored competition aimed at applying outsider ingenuity to space colonization. "We think of it as DIY punk rock meets high tech," says Matt Everingham, a fresh-faced engineer with the California Space Authority, the trade group cohosting the contest. Visit http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-09/ps_moondust to view the article.
RocketPlane Kistler Venture Failing to Win Investors (Source: Wall Street Journal)
In a potentially serious blow to privately supported space-exploration efforts, a project to develop a private-sector rocket to serve the International Space Station has failed to secure investors. Negotiations between a group of prospective commercial investors and a reusable-rocket venture led by closely held Rocketplane Kistler Inc. have broken down, according to industry officials familiar with the details. Alternative funding for the $500 million needed to keep the project on track is uncertain, these officials said. Rocketplane officials had said they were working on fresh financing and still expected the project to succeed, but declined to elaborate.
Shuttle Work May Stall Other Launches (Source: USA Today)
NASA officials are optimistic that space shuttle Endeavour will land safely Tuesday, but they conceded Monday that future shuttle launches are in jeopardy. Just two months before the next planned mission, NASA has decided to revamp a section of the shuttle's fuel tank that cracked off during Endeavour's Aug. 8 launch and gouged the shuttle's heat shield. The dent does not threaten the crew's safety, NASA says.
The next shuttle mission is scheduled for Oct. 23. Any fuel-tank fix could probably be applied soon enough for that flight to lift off on time, said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale. The odds are much lower for a Dec. 6 flight: a milestone mission to add the first European component to the International Space Station. An overhaul of the fuel tank slated to be used on the October mission will tie up NASA's tank hangar. That would keep technicians from starting work on the fuel tank assigned to the December flight.
Return from Arctic Mars (Source: MSNBC)
The Mars Society’s 100-day simulation of an expedition to the Red Planet is wrapping up in the Canadian Arctic - and although some have scoffed at the exercise as little more than grown-ups "pretending to be space explorers," a prominent NASA researcher who participated in the effort says the crew has done groundbreaking research. "The work that this crew has done will contribute to studies of Mars and to studies of the response of permafrost on Earth to global warming," Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center. "Their pioneering simulation of crew operations on Mars time is by far the best work on this topic ever done. It sets the standard for future Mars mission simulations such as the proposed European Space Agency 500-day mission."
India Investing Funds in Manned Space Flight Program (Source: Itar-Tass)
India will invest within the coming five years some $1.5 billion in the development of a set of technologies to carry out a manned space flight by 2015. Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ManhaVan Nair said that most of the designing, research and technical jobs would be completed already within the current five-year period – up to 2012. Indian experts still lack the necessary experience to build vehicles guaranteeing human safety on board. It is also necessary to increase the dependability of the booster rocket, which was earlier developed to place heavy satellites on a geosynchronic orbit. ISRO is hatching some other ambitious plans, too. “The leading global space powers have already announced their preparations to set up manned bases on the Moon in 2020,” Nair noted. “We believe India should not lag behind them,” he added.
India to Launch INSAT-4CR from Sriharikota on Sept. 1 (Source: The Hindu)
India is planning to launch its latest communication satellite, INSAT-4CR, from Sriharikota spaceport on September 1. This spacecraft is identical to INSAT-4C, which was lost during the unsuccessful launch of Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02) in July last year. INSAT-4CR, which has a mission life of ten years, carries 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide direct-to-home television services, facilitate video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering.
Aerospace Group Spent $280,000 Lobbying (Source: AP)
The Aerospace Industries Association of America spent $280,000 to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, according to a federal disclosure form. The group lobbied Congress, the White House and various agencies, including NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and the departments of Defense and State, on topics ranging from agency budgets and workforce issues, to acquisition reform and space exploration.
Space Solar Energy Has Future, U.S. Researchers Say (Source: USInfo.state.gov)
Beam solar energy directly from space, and disaster relief expeditions could power all their equipment with no more than a few portable antennas and converters. Campers could use such energy to cook dinners using nothing more than a cell phone-like device. But the primary beneficiaries of such a technological feat would be the many communities that would be able to tap into space solar energy fed into power grids. Terrestrial solar power stations already exist throughout the world. But sunlight is eight times less intense on the earth’s surface than in its geostationary orbit. So why not collect it in space and beam its energy to Earth via microwave power beam, which can penetrate the atmosphere more efficiently, ask U.S. researchers.
They have proposed putting in orbit mega-satellites -- giant, possibly inflatable structures of photovoltaic arrays and antennas -- that would do just that. At receiving stations on Earth, the beam could be converted into electricity or synthetic fuels, which, in contrast to power from terrestrial solar power stations, would flow continuously to the grid independent of the season, weather or location. Click here to view the article.
August 20 News Items
From One, Many (Source: Space Review)
Small satellites have recently found new acceptance as a complement to larger spacecraft. Jeff Foust reports on a couple of new initiatives that use clusters of smallsats to replace big satellites. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/937/1 to view the article.
Arianespace: Super Rockets or Super Sales Force? (Source: Space Review)
Arianespace has achieved considerable success in the commercial launch market in recent years. Taylor Dinerman credits this success as much to its sales and marketing as to the company's launch vehicles themselves. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/936/1 to view the article.
Caution Over Shuttle Shows Shift at NASA (Source: New York Times)
Confronted with the same kind of problem that doomed the space shuttle Columbia, NASA officials, chastened by years of criticism and upheaval in the agency, took a markedly different approach during the current mission of the Endeavour, calling on an array of new tools and procedures to analyze and respond to the problem. While the Columbia faced much more serious damage — a 6- to 10-inch hole punched in a wing that let in hot gases during re-entry — outside officials said that with the Endeavour, NASA had taken steps far more elaborate and methodical in concluding that the craft was still safe.
“The comparison is night and day,” said John M. Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, who served on the investigation board that looked into the Columbia disaster. He said he thought NASA had handled the Endeavour situation perfectly. Engineers and officials with NASA will not know how accurate their analysis was or whether their decision to forgo a repair of a gouge in the Endeavour’s underside was the correct one until the shuttle is back on Earth. The landing is scheduled for tomorrow.
U.S. Air Force Seeks Future ORS Partners (Source: Defense News)
As the U.S. Air Force moves forward with the development and acquisition of small satellites and rockets under its operationally responsive space (ORS) effort, Pentagon leaders have given the service a mandate to find a variety of partners for cooperation. The mandate came from the report “Plan for Operationally Responsive Space,” which instructs the Air Force to find ways to work with its reserve components, the intelligence community and civil organizations like NASA. Such cooperation could provide significant benefit to the Air Force as well as its potential partners. However, in each case explored so far, the discussions have not gone beyond a preliminary stage.
Pratt & Whitney Machinists Reject Contract (Source: WFSB)
Machinists at Pratt & Whitney overwhelmingly rejected a new three-year contract proposal by the company. The machinist union's chief negotiator said the main sticking points were the company's lack of commitment to add jobs in Connecticut and a proposed 60 percent increase in health insurance premiums for workers. Pratt last month announced it won two U.S. Air Force engine contracts valued at more than $2 billion. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., a subsidiary, announced in June a $1.2 billion NASA contract to design and develop rocket engines for the next generation spacecraft that would eventually send astronauts back to the moon.
Small satellites have recently found new acceptance as a complement to larger spacecraft. Jeff Foust reports on a couple of new initiatives that use clusters of smallsats to replace big satellites. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/937/1 to view the article.
Arianespace: Super Rockets or Super Sales Force? (Source: Space Review)
Arianespace has achieved considerable success in the commercial launch market in recent years. Taylor Dinerman credits this success as much to its sales and marketing as to the company's launch vehicles themselves. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/936/1 to view the article.
Caution Over Shuttle Shows Shift at NASA (Source: New York Times)
Confronted with the same kind of problem that doomed the space shuttle Columbia, NASA officials, chastened by years of criticism and upheaval in the agency, took a markedly different approach during the current mission of the Endeavour, calling on an array of new tools and procedures to analyze and respond to the problem. While the Columbia faced much more serious damage — a 6- to 10-inch hole punched in a wing that let in hot gases during re-entry — outside officials said that with the Endeavour, NASA had taken steps far more elaborate and methodical in concluding that the craft was still safe.
“The comparison is night and day,” said John M. Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, who served on the investigation board that looked into the Columbia disaster. He said he thought NASA had handled the Endeavour situation perfectly. Engineers and officials with NASA will not know how accurate their analysis was or whether their decision to forgo a repair of a gouge in the Endeavour’s underside was the correct one until the shuttle is back on Earth. The landing is scheduled for tomorrow.
U.S. Air Force Seeks Future ORS Partners (Source: Defense News)
As the U.S. Air Force moves forward with the development and acquisition of small satellites and rockets under its operationally responsive space (ORS) effort, Pentagon leaders have given the service a mandate to find a variety of partners for cooperation. The mandate came from the report “Plan for Operationally Responsive Space,” which instructs the Air Force to find ways to work with its reserve components, the intelligence community and civil organizations like NASA. Such cooperation could provide significant benefit to the Air Force as well as its potential partners. However, in each case explored so far, the discussions have not gone beyond a preliminary stage.
Pratt & Whitney Machinists Reject Contract (Source: WFSB)
Machinists at Pratt & Whitney overwhelmingly rejected a new three-year contract proposal by the company. The machinist union's chief negotiator said the main sticking points were the company's lack of commitment to add jobs in Connecticut and a proposed 60 percent increase in health insurance premiums for workers. Pratt last month announced it won two U.S. Air Force engine contracts valued at more than $2 billion. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., a subsidiary, announced in June a $1.2 billion NASA contract to design and develop rocket engines for the next generation spacecraft that would eventually send astronauts back to the moon.
August 19 News Items
ASRC Aerospace Plans Engineering Job Fair (Source: ASRC)
ASRC Aerospace at Kennedy Space Center is currently hiring Engineering Designers, Electrical Engineers, Computer Engineers, Mechanical Engineers and more. Their next job fair is planned for August 24-25 at the Country Inn & Suites at Cape Canaveral. Visit http://www.ustdc.com/ for information.
University of Florida Plans Space Research Colloquium (Source: UF)
The University of Florida is planning Space Research Colloquium on August 28-29 in Gainesville on the UF campus. Faculty at the university are involved in many aspects of space research, and this colloquium provides an opportunity to share their ideas and research with colleagues and interested external agencies. The goal is to explore new collaborations that can lead to research opportunities for funding and ultimately, commercialization of the technologies.
Space Florida and Space Foundation Plan Florida Space Policy Forum (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida plans an August 22 Florida Space Leadership Forum at the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral. The event will feature Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Congressman Dave Weldon, KSC Center Director Bill Parsons, Brigadier Gen. Susan Helms of the 45th Space Wing, Space Florida's Steve Kohler, the Space Foundation's Brendan Curry, and staffers from the offices of Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, and Representatives Tom Feeney and Dave Weldon. Industry, university, and local government leaders will also participate.
Canada Plans for Larger Role in Future Space Travel (Source: CTV.ca)
With the space shuttle program drawing to a close in 2010, there is no doubt Canada could be a key player in future space exploration. The question is, what course should the Canadian Space Agency chart in the coming years? Earlier this month NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took off with a Canadian designed meteorological station. And Canadian robotics were showcased with the use of Canadarm and Canadarm2 on the latest shuttle Endeavour mission, including spacewalks conducted by Canadian astronaut Dave Williams and American Rick Mastracchio. Next year will see the launch of Dextre, a two-armed robot designed for repairs to the ISS.
Work Towards Setting Up Base on Moon: ISRO Chief (Source: Sahara Samay)
India should start working on a program to set up a base on the moon so that the country is not left behind in this race, the space agency chief has said. "Global players have declared that by 2020, they will have their bases on the moon. I don't think India can afford to be lagging behind in that," Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said. "Given an opportunity, ISRO would be able to do it in due course. ISRO as an organisation, with the help of many other institutions, will be able to take up these challenges." Nair, also secretary in the Department of Space, said ISRO is currently defining technologies needed for India's first manned mission to space scheduled for 2015.
Comet May Have Exploded Over North America 13,000 Years Ago (Source: NSF)
New scientific findings suggest that a large comet may have exploded over North America 12,900 years ago, explaining riddles that scientists have wrestled with for decades, including an abrupt cooling of much of the planet and the extinction of large mammals. The discovery was made by scientists from the University of California at Santa Barbara. The period in question is called the Younger Dryas, an interval of abrupt cooling that lasted for about 1,000 years and occurred at the beginning of an inter-glacial warm period. Evidence for the temperature change is recorded in marine sediments and ice cores.
According to the scientists, the comet before fragmentation must have been about four kilometers across, and either exploded in the atmosphere or had fragments hit the Laurentide ice sheet in northeastern North America. Wildfires across the continent would have resulted from the fiery impact, killing off vegetation that was the food supply of many of larger mammals like the woolly mammoths, causing them to go extinct. The scientific team visited more than a dozen archaeological sites in North America, where they found high concentrations of iridium, an element that is rare on Earth and is almost exclusively associated with extraterrestrial objects such as comets and meteorites.
They also found metallic microspherules in the comet fragments; these microspherules contained nano-diamonds. The comet also carried carbon molecules called fullerenes (buckyballs), with gases trapped inside that indicated an extraterrestrial origin. The team concluded that the impact of the comet likely destabilized a large portion of the Laurentide ice sheet, causing a high volume of freshwater to flow into the north Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
Space Shuttle Leaves Station Early to Beat Storm (Source: Reuters)
Endeavour departed hastily from the International Space Station on Sunday, ending a construction mission a day early in order to land before Hurricane Dean threatens its Houston control center. The powerful storm was heading toward Jamaica and on track to cross Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before making landfall late Wednesday on the central Mexican coast. If the storm shifts north and threatens the Texas coastline, NASA would evacuate the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which oversees the shuttle during flight. To avoid setting up an emergency command outpost at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA wants to land Endeavour a day early, with touchdown in Florida planned for 12:32 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
PlanetSpace.com Takes Social Networking Out Of This World (Source: PlanetSpace)
Planet Space, Inc. has re-launched its http://www.PlanetSpace.com website into an interactive, online social networking platform aimed at the general public as well as the established space enthusiast. "PlanetSpace.com was designed for ease of use and to be welcoming towards people who do not have space knowledge but would like to join in and learn about the space community," says Kenneth Schweitzer, Founder of Planet Space, Inc. Planet Space, Inc., is a Florida corporation, founded in 2001 to provide multi-media company support for the space community.
ASRC Aerospace at Kennedy Space Center is currently hiring Engineering Designers, Electrical Engineers, Computer Engineers, Mechanical Engineers and more. Their next job fair is planned for August 24-25 at the Country Inn & Suites at Cape Canaveral. Visit http://www.ustdc.com/ for information.
University of Florida Plans Space Research Colloquium (Source: UF)
The University of Florida is planning Space Research Colloquium on August 28-29 in Gainesville on the UF campus. Faculty at the university are involved in many aspects of space research, and this colloquium provides an opportunity to share their ideas and research with colleagues and interested external agencies. The goal is to explore new collaborations that can lead to research opportunities for funding and ultimately, commercialization of the technologies.
Space Florida and Space Foundation Plan Florida Space Policy Forum (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida plans an August 22 Florida Space Leadership Forum at the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral. The event will feature Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Congressman Dave Weldon, KSC Center Director Bill Parsons, Brigadier Gen. Susan Helms of the 45th Space Wing, Space Florida's Steve Kohler, the Space Foundation's Brendan Curry, and staffers from the offices of Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, and Representatives Tom Feeney and Dave Weldon. Industry, university, and local government leaders will also participate.
Canada Plans for Larger Role in Future Space Travel (Source: CTV.ca)
With the space shuttle program drawing to a close in 2010, there is no doubt Canada could be a key player in future space exploration. The question is, what course should the Canadian Space Agency chart in the coming years? Earlier this month NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took off with a Canadian designed meteorological station. And Canadian robotics were showcased with the use of Canadarm and Canadarm2 on the latest shuttle Endeavour mission, including spacewalks conducted by Canadian astronaut Dave Williams and American Rick Mastracchio. Next year will see the launch of Dextre, a two-armed robot designed for repairs to the ISS.
Work Towards Setting Up Base on Moon: ISRO Chief (Source: Sahara Samay)
India should start working on a program to set up a base on the moon so that the country is not left behind in this race, the space agency chief has said. "Global players have declared that by 2020, they will have their bases on the moon. I don't think India can afford to be lagging behind in that," Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said. "Given an opportunity, ISRO would be able to do it in due course. ISRO as an organisation, with the help of many other institutions, will be able to take up these challenges." Nair, also secretary in the Department of Space, said ISRO is currently defining technologies needed for India's first manned mission to space scheduled for 2015.
Comet May Have Exploded Over North America 13,000 Years Ago (Source: NSF)
New scientific findings suggest that a large comet may have exploded over North America 12,900 years ago, explaining riddles that scientists have wrestled with for decades, including an abrupt cooling of much of the planet and the extinction of large mammals. The discovery was made by scientists from the University of California at Santa Barbara. The period in question is called the Younger Dryas, an interval of abrupt cooling that lasted for about 1,000 years and occurred at the beginning of an inter-glacial warm period. Evidence for the temperature change is recorded in marine sediments and ice cores.
According to the scientists, the comet before fragmentation must have been about four kilometers across, and either exploded in the atmosphere or had fragments hit the Laurentide ice sheet in northeastern North America. Wildfires across the continent would have resulted from the fiery impact, killing off vegetation that was the food supply of many of larger mammals like the woolly mammoths, causing them to go extinct. The scientific team visited more than a dozen archaeological sites in North America, where they found high concentrations of iridium, an element that is rare on Earth and is almost exclusively associated with extraterrestrial objects such as comets and meteorites.
They also found metallic microspherules in the comet fragments; these microspherules contained nano-diamonds. The comet also carried carbon molecules called fullerenes (buckyballs), with gases trapped inside that indicated an extraterrestrial origin. The team concluded that the impact of the comet likely destabilized a large portion of the Laurentide ice sheet, causing a high volume of freshwater to flow into the north Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
Space Shuttle Leaves Station Early to Beat Storm (Source: Reuters)
Endeavour departed hastily from the International Space Station on Sunday, ending a construction mission a day early in order to land before Hurricane Dean threatens its Houston control center. The powerful storm was heading toward Jamaica and on track to cross Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before making landfall late Wednesday on the central Mexican coast. If the storm shifts north and threatens the Texas coastline, NASA would evacuate the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which oversees the shuttle during flight. To avoid setting up an emergency command outpost at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA wants to land Endeavour a day early, with touchdown in Florida planned for 12:32 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
PlanetSpace.com Takes Social Networking Out Of This World (Source: PlanetSpace)
Planet Space, Inc. has re-launched its http://www.PlanetSpace.com website into an interactive, online social networking platform aimed at the general public as well as the established space enthusiast. "PlanetSpace.com was designed for ease of use and to be welcoming towards people who do not have space knowledge but would like to join in and learn about the space community," says Kenneth Schweitzer, Founder of Planet Space, Inc. Planet Space, Inc., is a Florida corporation, founded in 2001 to provide multi-media company support for the space community.
August 18 News Items
Sizing Up the Space Hotel (Source: MSNBC)
Can Spanish-led Galactic Suite really put a luxury space hotel in orbit by 2012? No way, says a Florida firm consulting on the venture. But if you look beyond 2015, the job just might be doable, representatives of 4Frontiers Corp. say. Galactic Suite made a splash last week with plans for their on-orbit hotel by 2012. Tourists would undergo training in a James Bondish space camp, then fly up for a three-day, $4 million stay on a private space station. A Reuters article said an American company intent on colonizing Mars had "come on board" for the project. That company is 4Frontiers, a space commerce company in New Port Richey, Florida.
4Frontiers is working its way into a variety of projects - ranging from consultation on space settlement issues, to curriculum development for elementary- and middle-school science classes, to space-themed entertainment and space-branded gifts and accessories. Mark Homnick, CEO and co-founder of 4Frontiers, said Galactic Suite hired his firm "as a consultant to provide strategic business planning insights," and he quickly brought the venture's high-flown claims back down to Earth. Galactic Suite would certainly not be in the orbital business in 2012, primarily because there wouldn't be a reliable way to get tourists up there in the numbers required, Homnick said.
"We do expect somewhat improved orbital access to be available for tourism in that time frame ... but the amount of folks who can go up there will be pretty limited," he said. "Why would we put an orbital resort there that no one can reach?" Homnick said he's guessing that the required launch capability won't be available until 2015 or later. And he said 4Frontiers has already begun making contacts with the companies that might be providing those capabilities in the years ahead.
So is Galactic Suite for real after all? That's hard to judge, even for 4Frontiers. Homnick emphasized that his company has not yet decided what its relationship with Galactic Suite will be over the long term. "We're going through a due-diligence process," Homnick said. "This is pretty early on." He declined to discuss what he knew about Galactic Suite's finances - for example, the claim in the Reuters report that the venture already has found a space enthusiast willing to front "most of the $3 billion needed to build the hotel." Visit http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/08/16/320672.aspx to view the article.
Hurricane Dean May Shift Endeavour’s Schedule (Source: AP)
Worried that Hurricane Dean might blow its way, Mission Control considered scaling back Saturday’s spacewalk at the orbiting shuttle and station complex to allow for a possibly early end to Endeavour’s mission. NASA wants to keep its options open for moving up Wednesday’s shuttle landing by one day, and shortening the spacewalk would be one way to do it.
Can Spanish-led Galactic Suite really put a luxury space hotel in orbit by 2012? No way, says a Florida firm consulting on the venture. But if you look beyond 2015, the job just might be doable, representatives of 4Frontiers Corp. say. Galactic Suite made a splash last week with plans for their on-orbit hotel by 2012. Tourists would undergo training in a James Bondish space camp, then fly up for a three-day, $4 million stay on a private space station. A Reuters article said an American company intent on colonizing Mars had "come on board" for the project. That company is 4Frontiers, a space commerce company in New Port Richey, Florida.
4Frontiers is working its way into a variety of projects - ranging from consultation on space settlement issues, to curriculum development for elementary- and middle-school science classes, to space-themed entertainment and space-branded gifts and accessories. Mark Homnick, CEO and co-founder of 4Frontiers, said Galactic Suite hired his firm "as a consultant to provide strategic business planning insights," and he quickly brought the venture's high-flown claims back down to Earth. Galactic Suite would certainly not be in the orbital business in 2012, primarily because there wouldn't be a reliable way to get tourists up there in the numbers required, Homnick said.
"We do expect somewhat improved orbital access to be available for tourism in that time frame ... but the amount of folks who can go up there will be pretty limited," he said. "Why would we put an orbital resort there that no one can reach?" Homnick said he's guessing that the required launch capability won't be available until 2015 or later. And he said 4Frontiers has already begun making contacts with the companies that might be providing those capabilities in the years ahead.
So is Galactic Suite for real after all? That's hard to judge, even for 4Frontiers. Homnick emphasized that his company has not yet decided what its relationship with Galactic Suite will be over the long term. "We're going through a due-diligence process," Homnick said. "This is pretty early on." He declined to discuss what he knew about Galactic Suite's finances - for example, the claim in the Reuters report that the venture already has found a space enthusiast willing to front "most of the $3 billion needed to build the hotel." Visit http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/08/16/320672.aspx to view the article.
Hurricane Dean May Shift Endeavour’s Schedule (Source: AP)
Worried that Hurricane Dean might blow its way, Mission Control considered scaling back Saturday’s spacewalk at the orbiting shuttle and station complex to allow for a possibly early end to Endeavour’s mission. NASA wants to keep its options open for moving up Wednesday’s shuttle landing by one day, and shortening the spacewalk would be one way to do it.
August 17 News Items
Pentagon Cancels TacSat-1 SpaceX Launch (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon has decided to cancel the launch of its experimental TacSat-1 satellite, which had been slated to lift off this year aboard Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s Falcon 1 rocket, according to the company's president.
Boeing Wins Air Force Satellite Contract (Source: UPI)
Boeing has won a new $30 million broadband satcom contract with the U.S. Air Force. The $30 million firm-fixed-price contract is for continuation of the Boeing Broadband Satcom Network (BBSN) service to the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. BBSN provides high-speed Internet communications and direct broadcast satellite TV service for aircraft and airborne customers. Boeing said the total value of the modified contract comes to $53,608,368, with potential options for up to $72 million.
Pentagon Lacks Funds to Complete ORS Satellite Plans (Source: Defense News)
The Pentagon is struggling to find dollars to develop its conceptual Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) satellite fleet, an envisioned constellation of small, quick-launch satellites to support military operations. Though Department of Defense officials have settled on a “desired end state” for the ORS program, its “full scope … exceeds available resources,” an Aug. 9 STRATCOM briefing states. The department also has yet to properly organize to bring the concept to fruition or lay out priorities to guide development of the program, the briefing states.
ORS is envisioned as a constellation of small, tactical satellites that can be launched on short notice — within weeks or months — for communications, surveillance or other military needs. Officials say the smaller orbiters likely would cost from $20 million to $40 million, hundreds of millions of dollars cheaper than larger, more advanced assets. However, some military space analysts have questioned whether developing a cadre of small satellites is the best use of Pentagon and industry treasure and time.
Embry-Riddle Keeps Top Spot in Best College Rankings (Source: US News & World Report)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has once again earned the top ranking in the annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide published by U.S. News & World Report magazine. In the specialty category of “Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering Programs” at schools where the highest degree is a master’s, Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus took first place, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy in second, and Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Ariz., campus in third. The university, which has one of the largest aerospace engineering programs in the nation, has won the top spot every year since the category was introduced in 2001.
In the overall category of “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” where the highest degree is a master’s, both campuses rank in the top 20. Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus is ranked number nine, tied with Villanova University. Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus is number 20, tied with Baylor University, Bradley University, Santa Clara University, and Valparaiso University. Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus is 13th in the overall category of “Best Universities – Master’s” (South Region).
Editorial: Russia's Space Exploration: Future Lies with Bold New Projects (Source: RIA Novosti)
If we take a look at Russia's space situation, we will see three distinct programs: a manned program, a program for launch vehicles, and a program for unmanned satellites. Current manned systems date from the 1960s. The Soyuz space vehicle, for example, first blasted off in 1967. There were modernizations, of course, but the basic philosophy has remained unchanged. But the worst thing is that this equipment is manufactured by outdated methods and uses old analogue systems. If we want to keep ahead in manned flights, we should adopt new technologies.
As far as rockets are concerned, the situation is no better. The Soyuz and Proton launch vehicles, our pride, were developed in the 1950s and 1960s. The Proton poses an environmental risk. As for the Soyuz, it has a problem of cost. The multiple-stage principle on which it is built requires a large number of engines, which account for most of the price. Here, too, we should move to new technologies. As regards unmanned satellites, things have slightly improved in this field, at least for communications satellites. Two major programs, Yamal and Express, are currently under way. But we have practically no Earth observation or remote-sensing satellites. Nor do we have any research satellite in orbit.
In other words, we are exploiting space equipment manufactured with old technologies. And this has a serious impact on the industry's future. Why? It is not only that we will soon find ourselves non-competitive in performance and cost-benefit characteristics. There is also the problem of personnel. Young workers do not want to produce antiquated models on antiquated equipment. The industry is ageing fast without an injection of fresh blood.
There is another headache. We are lacking a civilian space center of our own. Any country planning to increase its share of the international space market must have its own non-military launching center. Baikonur is, of course, a good facility, but existing legal restrictions stand in the way of investments. Russia and Kazakhstan are on good terms, but there are recurrent bans on Russian rocket launches from Baikonur. Visit http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070817/72126740.html to view the article.
Bigelow Aerospace Makes Giant Leap Towards Commercial Space Travel (Source:
Bigelow Aerospace already has two spacecraft in orbit, and things have gone so smoothly, the company now wants to speed up its timetable. One of the features aboard the now-orbiting Genesis II is an outside projection system, sort of an orbiting billboard. To test it out, the company has been displaying images of employees who work at its North Las Vegas plant. Eventually, the system could be used for out of this world advertising or special messages that could be downloaded to an earthly web site.
Bigelow's plan was to launch a slightly larger galaxy craft as an interim step toward Sundancer, the inflatable module that would be suitable for human passengers, scheduled for launch in 2010. They will still build Galaxy to test life support systems, but they won't launch it. Instead, they're moving right to Sundancer, which would become a destination point for governments, corporations, and private citizens who want to go into space but don't want to pay for an entire space program of their own. One perk that could eventually be offered is space walks.
U.S. Army System Denies Satellite Capabilities to Adversaries (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Army has deployed a system that is being used today to deny enemy use of commercial space capabilities as part of the Pentagon's war against terrorism, according to a senior service official.
Expert Cautions Against Overconfidence in Missile Defense (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon needs to avoid overconfidence in the ability of the U.S. national missile defense interceptors deployed in Alaska and California to protect against an ICBM launched by North Korea, a retired senior military official warned.
U.S. Expands Access to Spy Satellite Imagery and Data to Border Control, Other Agencies (Source: Space News)
Border control, law enforcement and emergency response agencies have won greater access to U.S. spy satellites and other sensors to monitor U.S. territory.
Florida Companies Have Ties to Moon Launch (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
ALICE, an optical instrument designed by Ocean Optics of Dunedin, will be aboard a NASA spacecraft bound for the moon next year in its search for water beneath the moon's surface. The mission will send a rocket crashing into the moon with an impact expected to generate a 2.2-million pound plume of matter. A second spacecraft carrying ALICE will measure the reflectivity of the plume as it rises into the sunlight, allowing scientists to distinguish between water vapor, water ice and other materials.
In developing ALICE, Ocean Optics has been working with Aurora Design & Technology of Clearwater, the company developing the reflectance viewing optics for the mission. The mission is scheduled to launch in October next year from Kennedy Space Center. This is Ocean Optics' second NASA collaboration. Another of its custom-engineered spectrometers will be part of the 2009 ChemCam Mars mission to study rock and soil composition of the red planet.
China's Lunar Sample Return, Spacewalk and Space Station Docking Concepts (Source: Flight International)
Flightglobal has obtained a promotional video from the Beijing based-China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a prime contractor to China's space program. It shows computer generated video images of a Shenzhou manned spacecraft docking with what could be a space station module, a Chinese astronaut emerging from a Shenzhou's orbital module using a Russian Orlan-DM like spacesuit and a lunar sample return rocket launching from the Moon's surface. Click here to view the article and video.
Authority Opens New Innovation Center (Source: Florida Today)
About 250 people -- including local lawmakers and economic-development officials -- turned out for Thursday's official grand opening of the Technological Research and Development Authority's new Business Innovation Center in Melbourne. Officials estimate the 30,998-square-foot center, located off NASA Boulevard, will serve up to 30 new or expanding technology businesses in the area, and create 70 to 100 jobs in the first four years of operation.
NASA: Shuttle Heat Shield Fine As-Is (Source: Florida Today)
After a five-hour Mission Management Team meeting, NASA officials decided to return shuttle Endeavour unrepaired, leaving a 3-inch gouge in the thermal tile that protects the craft from the heat of re-entry. "It does not constitute a risk to the crew. It isn't expected to cause any damage to the orbiter," deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon said. Shannon said there was zero chance the divot would cause a catastrophe. One engineering team at Johnson Space Center recommended doing the repair, but only to prevent any possible damage to the shuttle. "It was not unanimous, but it was pretty overwhelming," said Shannon.
Burned-Out Star Harbors Signs of Earthlike Planets (Source: Reuters)
Chemical elements observed around a burned-out star known as a white dwarf offer evidence Earth-like planets once orbited it, suggesting that worlds like our own may not be rare in the cosmos. Astronomers at the University of California, Los Angeles and University of Kiel in Germany studied a white dwarf called GD 362 located 150 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy.
They figured out the chemical composition of a large asteroid that was ripped apart by gravitational forces as it approached GD 362, finding it was similar to the Earth's crust. It was rich in iron and calcium and low in carbon, much like a strong rock, they said. The fact that the asteroid is so similar in make-up to the Earth, as well as the moon, indicates that rocky planets like our own may have orbited the star eons ago.
The Pentagon has decided to cancel the launch of its experimental TacSat-1 satellite, which had been slated to lift off this year aboard Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s Falcon 1 rocket, according to the company's president.
Boeing Wins Air Force Satellite Contract (Source: UPI)
Boeing has won a new $30 million broadband satcom contract with the U.S. Air Force. The $30 million firm-fixed-price contract is for continuation of the Boeing Broadband Satcom Network (BBSN) service to the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. BBSN provides high-speed Internet communications and direct broadcast satellite TV service for aircraft and airborne customers. Boeing said the total value of the modified contract comes to $53,608,368, with potential options for up to $72 million.
Pentagon Lacks Funds to Complete ORS Satellite Plans (Source: Defense News)
The Pentagon is struggling to find dollars to develop its conceptual Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) satellite fleet, an envisioned constellation of small, quick-launch satellites to support military operations. Though Department of Defense officials have settled on a “desired end state” for the ORS program, its “full scope … exceeds available resources,” an Aug. 9 STRATCOM briefing states. The department also has yet to properly organize to bring the concept to fruition or lay out priorities to guide development of the program, the briefing states.
ORS is envisioned as a constellation of small, tactical satellites that can be launched on short notice — within weeks or months — for communications, surveillance or other military needs. Officials say the smaller orbiters likely would cost from $20 million to $40 million, hundreds of millions of dollars cheaper than larger, more advanced assets. However, some military space analysts have questioned whether developing a cadre of small satellites is the best use of Pentagon and industry treasure and time.
Embry-Riddle Keeps Top Spot in Best College Rankings (Source: US News & World Report)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has once again earned the top ranking in the annual “America’s Best Colleges” guide published by U.S. News & World Report magazine. In the specialty category of “Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering Programs” at schools where the highest degree is a master’s, Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus took first place, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy in second, and Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Ariz., campus in third. The university, which has one of the largest aerospace engineering programs in the nation, has won the top spot every year since the category was introduced in 2001.
In the overall category of “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” where the highest degree is a master’s, both campuses rank in the top 20. Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus is ranked number nine, tied with Villanova University. Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus is number 20, tied with Baylor University, Bradley University, Santa Clara University, and Valparaiso University. Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus is 13th in the overall category of “Best Universities – Master’s” (South Region).
Editorial: Russia's Space Exploration: Future Lies with Bold New Projects (Source: RIA Novosti)
If we take a look at Russia's space situation, we will see three distinct programs: a manned program, a program for launch vehicles, and a program for unmanned satellites. Current manned systems date from the 1960s. The Soyuz space vehicle, for example, first blasted off in 1967. There were modernizations, of course, but the basic philosophy has remained unchanged. But the worst thing is that this equipment is manufactured by outdated methods and uses old analogue systems. If we want to keep ahead in manned flights, we should adopt new technologies.
As far as rockets are concerned, the situation is no better. The Soyuz and Proton launch vehicles, our pride, were developed in the 1950s and 1960s. The Proton poses an environmental risk. As for the Soyuz, it has a problem of cost. The multiple-stage principle on which it is built requires a large number of engines, which account for most of the price. Here, too, we should move to new technologies. As regards unmanned satellites, things have slightly improved in this field, at least for communications satellites. Two major programs, Yamal and Express, are currently under way. But we have practically no Earth observation or remote-sensing satellites. Nor do we have any research satellite in orbit.
In other words, we are exploiting space equipment manufactured with old technologies. And this has a serious impact on the industry's future. Why? It is not only that we will soon find ourselves non-competitive in performance and cost-benefit characteristics. There is also the problem of personnel. Young workers do not want to produce antiquated models on antiquated equipment. The industry is ageing fast without an injection of fresh blood.
There is another headache. We are lacking a civilian space center of our own. Any country planning to increase its share of the international space market must have its own non-military launching center. Baikonur is, of course, a good facility, but existing legal restrictions stand in the way of investments. Russia and Kazakhstan are on good terms, but there are recurrent bans on Russian rocket launches from Baikonur. Visit http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070817/72126740.html to view the article.
Bigelow Aerospace Makes Giant Leap Towards Commercial Space Travel (Source:
Bigelow Aerospace already has two spacecraft in orbit, and things have gone so smoothly, the company now wants to speed up its timetable. One of the features aboard the now-orbiting Genesis II is an outside projection system, sort of an orbiting billboard. To test it out, the company has been displaying images of employees who work at its North Las Vegas plant. Eventually, the system could be used for out of this world advertising or special messages that could be downloaded to an earthly web site.
Bigelow's plan was to launch a slightly larger galaxy craft as an interim step toward Sundancer, the inflatable module that would be suitable for human passengers, scheduled for launch in 2010. They will still build Galaxy to test life support systems, but they won't launch it. Instead, they're moving right to Sundancer, which would become a destination point for governments, corporations, and private citizens who want to go into space but don't want to pay for an entire space program of their own. One perk that could eventually be offered is space walks.
U.S. Army System Denies Satellite Capabilities to Adversaries (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Army has deployed a system that is being used today to deny enemy use of commercial space capabilities as part of the Pentagon's war against terrorism, according to a senior service official.
Expert Cautions Against Overconfidence in Missile Defense (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon needs to avoid overconfidence in the ability of the U.S. national missile defense interceptors deployed in Alaska and California to protect against an ICBM launched by North Korea, a retired senior military official warned.
U.S. Expands Access to Spy Satellite Imagery and Data to Border Control, Other Agencies (Source: Space News)
Border control, law enforcement and emergency response agencies have won greater access to U.S. spy satellites and other sensors to monitor U.S. territory.
Florida Companies Have Ties to Moon Launch (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
ALICE, an optical instrument designed by Ocean Optics of Dunedin, will be aboard a NASA spacecraft bound for the moon next year in its search for water beneath the moon's surface. The mission will send a rocket crashing into the moon with an impact expected to generate a 2.2-million pound plume of matter. A second spacecraft carrying ALICE will measure the reflectivity of the plume as it rises into the sunlight, allowing scientists to distinguish between water vapor, water ice and other materials.
In developing ALICE, Ocean Optics has been working with Aurora Design & Technology of Clearwater, the company developing the reflectance viewing optics for the mission. The mission is scheduled to launch in October next year from Kennedy Space Center. This is Ocean Optics' second NASA collaboration. Another of its custom-engineered spectrometers will be part of the 2009 ChemCam Mars mission to study rock and soil composition of the red planet.
China's Lunar Sample Return, Spacewalk and Space Station Docking Concepts (Source: Flight International)
Flightglobal has obtained a promotional video from the Beijing based-China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a prime contractor to China's space program. It shows computer generated video images of a Shenzhou manned spacecraft docking with what could be a space station module, a Chinese astronaut emerging from a Shenzhou's orbital module using a Russian Orlan-DM like spacesuit and a lunar sample return rocket launching from the Moon's surface. Click here to view the article and video.
Authority Opens New Innovation Center (Source: Florida Today)
About 250 people -- including local lawmakers and economic-development officials -- turned out for Thursday's official grand opening of the Technological Research and Development Authority's new Business Innovation Center in Melbourne. Officials estimate the 30,998-square-foot center, located off NASA Boulevard, will serve up to 30 new or expanding technology businesses in the area, and create 70 to 100 jobs in the first four years of operation.
NASA: Shuttle Heat Shield Fine As-Is (Source: Florida Today)
After a five-hour Mission Management Team meeting, NASA officials decided to return shuttle Endeavour unrepaired, leaving a 3-inch gouge in the thermal tile that protects the craft from the heat of re-entry. "It does not constitute a risk to the crew. It isn't expected to cause any damage to the orbiter," deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon said. Shannon said there was zero chance the divot would cause a catastrophe. One engineering team at Johnson Space Center recommended doing the repair, but only to prevent any possible damage to the shuttle. "It was not unanimous, but it was pretty overwhelming," said Shannon.
Burned-Out Star Harbors Signs of Earthlike Planets (Source: Reuters)
Chemical elements observed around a burned-out star known as a white dwarf offer evidence Earth-like planets once orbited it, suggesting that worlds like our own may not be rare in the cosmos. Astronomers at the University of California, Los Angeles and University of Kiel in Germany studied a white dwarf called GD 362 located 150 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy.
They figured out the chemical composition of a large asteroid that was ripped apart by gravitational forces as it approached GD 362, finding it was similar to the Earth's crust. It was rich in iron and calcium and low in carbon, much like a strong rock, they said. The fact that the asteroid is so similar in make-up to the Earth, as well as the moon, indicates that rocky planets like our own may have orbited the star eons ago.
August 16 News Items
Personal Spaceflight Symposium Planned in October (Source: ISPS)
Veteran space travelers and leaders of the emerging commercial spaceflight industry will gather in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Oct. 24 and 25 for the third annual International Symposium for Personal Spaceflight (ISPS 2007). Two days of presentations, panel discussions and interview sessions will cover topics ranging from vehicles and launch systems to space tourism and spaceports. The theme of the symposium, presented by New Mexico State University and the X PRIZE Foundation, is "Our Next Giant Leap: Progress and Next Steps."
Robert A. Dickman, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. Confirmed participants include Anousheh Ansari, Elon Musk of SpaceX, Clayton Mowry, president of Arianespace Inc. (USA), the world's leading satellite launch company; and Alex Tai, vice president for operations for Virgin Galactic, which will use New Mexico's Spaceport America as a base for space tourism flights. Early registration through Sept. 1 is $285, after which the fee goes to $325. Meals are included. Registration information is on the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium Web site at http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/isps/.
Astronomers Call for Arab Space Agency (Source: Arabian Business)
Bahraini astronomers have called for the establishment of an Arab space agency. An international astronomy forum in Alexandria, Egypt will discuss the issue in October. Astronomers say the creation of an agency would involve the region in the industry and assist Arab scientists to research and promote exploration. Vice-president of the Arab Union on Astronomy and Space Science Dr Shawqi Al Dallal told Gulf Daily News “We have to convince the Arab League to discuss this matter.”
Wow! Mystery Turns 30 (Source: MSNBC)
Thirty years ago, astronomer Jerry Ehman was looking over a printout of radio data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw a string of code so remarkable that he had to circle it and scribble "Wow!" in the margin. The printout recorded an anomalous signal so strong that it had to come from an extraordinary source. Was it a burst of human-made interference? Or an alien broadcast from the stars? No one knows. The source of the "Wow" signal has never been heard from again - even though astronomers have looked for it dozens of times. Now the SETI Institute is gearing up to look for it one more time, using the latest tool for seeking signals from extraterrestrial civilizations: the Allen Telescope Array in California.
From Space to Earth, Class is in Session (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
It was show-and-tell time in space Tuesday -- with a few modifications. In this scripted version, it was teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan doing the telling, as 18 students in Idaho learned how she is spending her summer vacation on a floating laboratory thousands of miles above Earth. Brooke Thomas of McCall, Idaho, wanted to know: "What types of exercise equipment and regimen are you using to prevent bone loss?" That is when Morgan lifted two bulky crewmates, Alvin Drew and Dafydd "Dave" Williams, making it look as if she were straining as the two men floated in zero gravity.
NASA May Partner with Rocketplane on Microgravity Racks (Source: Journal Record)
NASA may work with Rocketplane Kistler to conduct experiments in zero gravity, if all goes as planned. NASA is looking for a partner to design and build specialized racks to hold the equipment used in zero-gravity experiments, said Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority Executive Director Bill Khourie. The Authority voted in support of the suborbital experiment platform project. Members of the authority said their support could boost Rocketplane’s efforts to secure the deal with NASA, which would provide a grant and personnel to assist with the project. NASA may conduct test launches from the Oklahoma Spaceport using its own vehicles as well as making use of Rocketplane’s vehicle. The project will also lead to further development at the Spaceport, as NASA requires the equipment used to be developed and stored under environmentally controlled conditions, maintaining certain climate specifications.
Red Tape Delaying Announcement of Canadian Spaceport (Source: Canadian Press)
Government red tape seems to be the only thing stopping an American-Canadian aeronautics company from making an official announcement on where it plans to build a commercial spaceport in Cape Breton. Chirinjeev Kathuria, chairman of PlanetSpace, said the company is on course with the project but is awaiting for regulatory approval from the provincial and federal governments before announcing a site location.
Costly Redesign Only Cure for Shuttle's Debris Woes (Source: USA Today)
NASA continued to struggle with debris damage to space shuttle Endeavour, after deciding long ago not to completely redesign the spacecraft's fuel tank, which has been the source of similar problems for two decades. Three of the six shuttle flights since the Columbia accident have been dogged by tank debris. Until Columbia was lost, NASA regarded tank debris as a nuisance, not a safety threat. The agency made no plans for a radical tank overhaul. After the 2003 accident, NASA opted to fix the tank's problem areas rather than replace it. A complete redesign would have been costly, especially for a spacecraft due to retire in 2010.
The fuel tank "is basically not fixable," said John Logsdon, a member of the panel that investigated the Columbia accident. "NASA is doing … its best to address this problem, but it's an almost totally intractable problem." Deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon has defended NASA's efforts to minimize the foam and other debris that breaks off from the fuel tank. "The tank is going to shed some foam," he said. "It's our challenge to understand why and go fix that."
Schedule for Ares/Orion Launch Tests (Source: Florida Today)
The Ares 1 rocket will be used to launch Orion spacecraft -- Apollo-style capsules that will propel astronauts on moon missions. The Ares 5 rocket will launch propulsion modules and lunar landers that will dock with Orion spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. The first stage of both will use more powerful versions of the solid-rocket boosters that Alliant Techsystems builds for NASA's shuttle program.
The first Ares 1 test flight with a four-segment booster, a dummy upper stage and an Orion capsule mock-up is scheduled for April 2009. A suborbital test flight is scheduled for September 2012. An unpiloted test flight of the Orion spacecraft is scheduled for March 2013, and a piloted, two-week shakedown of the ship is planned for September 2013.
White House Calls for Sustained Landsat Program (Source: Space News)
The White House released a plan Aug. 14 that recommends putting the U.S. Department of Interior in charge of future satellite programs to collect moderate-resolution land imagery for civilian purposes.
Valve in Atlas Failure Replaced in All EELVs (Source: Florida Today)
A valve that prompted a fuel leak during the failed launch of an Atlas 5 rocket in June has been replaced in both the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 fleets. The valve is being replaced with one that the U.S. Air Force and United Launch Alliance are confident will work properly. The replacement decision shows progress in the Air Force's investigation of the Atlas 5 launch of a pair of ocean surveillance craft for the National Reconnaissance Office. The top-secret spy satellites were dropped off miles short of orbit after the upper-stage engine cut off seconds too soon. The cause: a fuel leak prompted by a liquid hydrogen valve that didn't close properly in extreme cold temperatures experienced during the Atlas flight. The valve is part of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine and is common to both of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs): the Atlas 5 and Delta 4. The Air Force statement indicates the issue is solved and launches of U.S. military and intelligence spacecraft will resume next month.
Fall Marks Flurry of Launches (Source: Florida Today)
Mark your calendars: the stars are aligning for a lengthy string of autumn rocket launches at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. First up will be a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on Sept. 13. An 8:16 p.m. liftoff from Launch Complex 41 is planned. The rocket will carry the first of a $1.8 billion series of advanced military communications satellites. NASA's Dawn spacecraft now is scheduled for launch Sept. 26 on a $450 million mission to the asteroid belt. The return-to-flight of the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket, carrying the 23rd and final Defense Support Program missile warning satellite, now is tapped for 12:50 a.m. Oct. 4 -- the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Russian Sputnik spacecraft. The nation's next Global Positioning System satellite will be launched Oct. 17 on a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket. Liftoff from Complex 17 is scheduled at 8:23 a.m.
What's the Outlook for the ISS? (Source: RIA Novosti)
In all probability, the question in the headline should be rephrased and run like this: who will man the International Space Station (ISS) next? The very future of this unique international orbital complex depends on the answer. The prospects for keeping the present crew are small, in fact, non existent. The main ISS users - the Russians and the Americans - are not interested in exploiting the common orbital home, each for their own reasons, and this is no cause for rejoicing either. Visit http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070814/71466776.htmlto view the article.
Bizarre Star Has A Tail 13 Light-Years Long! (Source: CBS)
An amazingly long, comet-like tail found trailing a giant red star named "Mira" was being closely examined by the JPL-managed space-based Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Nothing like the plume blowing off "Mira" has ever been seen coming from a star, officials said. The plume forms a wake 13 light-years long, or about 20,000 times the average distance of Pluto from the sun. The material has been released from the older star continuously over the past 30,000 years.
Veteran space travelers and leaders of the emerging commercial spaceflight industry will gather in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Oct. 24 and 25 for the third annual International Symposium for Personal Spaceflight (ISPS 2007). Two days of presentations, panel discussions and interview sessions will cover topics ranging from vehicles and launch systems to space tourism and spaceports. The theme of the symposium, presented by New Mexico State University and the X PRIZE Foundation, is "Our Next Giant Leap: Progress and Next Steps."
Robert A. Dickman, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. Confirmed participants include Anousheh Ansari, Elon Musk of SpaceX, Clayton Mowry, president of Arianespace Inc. (USA), the world's leading satellite launch company; and Alex Tai, vice president for operations for Virgin Galactic, which will use New Mexico's Spaceport America as a base for space tourism flights. Early registration through Sept. 1 is $285, after which the fee goes to $325. Meals are included. Registration information is on the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium Web site at http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/isps/.
Astronomers Call for Arab Space Agency (Source: Arabian Business)
Bahraini astronomers have called for the establishment of an Arab space agency. An international astronomy forum in Alexandria, Egypt will discuss the issue in October. Astronomers say the creation of an agency would involve the region in the industry and assist Arab scientists to research and promote exploration. Vice-president of the Arab Union on Astronomy and Space Science Dr Shawqi Al Dallal told Gulf Daily News “We have to convince the Arab League to discuss this matter.”
Wow! Mystery Turns 30 (Source: MSNBC)
Thirty years ago, astronomer Jerry Ehman was looking over a printout of radio data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw a string of code so remarkable that he had to circle it and scribble "Wow!" in the margin. The printout recorded an anomalous signal so strong that it had to come from an extraordinary source. Was it a burst of human-made interference? Or an alien broadcast from the stars? No one knows. The source of the "Wow" signal has never been heard from again - even though astronomers have looked for it dozens of times. Now the SETI Institute is gearing up to look for it one more time, using the latest tool for seeking signals from extraterrestrial civilizations: the Allen Telescope Array in California.
From Space to Earth, Class is in Session (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
It was show-and-tell time in space Tuesday -- with a few modifications. In this scripted version, it was teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan doing the telling, as 18 students in Idaho learned how she is spending her summer vacation on a floating laboratory thousands of miles above Earth. Brooke Thomas of McCall, Idaho, wanted to know: "What types of exercise equipment and regimen are you using to prevent bone loss?" That is when Morgan lifted two bulky crewmates, Alvin Drew and Dafydd "Dave" Williams, making it look as if she were straining as the two men floated in zero gravity.
NASA May Partner with Rocketplane on Microgravity Racks (Source: Journal Record)
NASA may work with Rocketplane Kistler to conduct experiments in zero gravity, if all goes as planned. NASA is looking for a partner to design and build specialized racks to hold the equipment used in zero-gravity experiments, said Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority Executive Director Bill Khourie. The Authority voted in support of the suborbital experiment platform project. Members of the authority said their support could boost Rocketplane’s efforts to secure the deal with NASA, which would provide a grant and personnel to assist with the project. NASA may conduct test launches from the Oklahoma Spaceport using its own vehicles as well as making use of Rocketplane’s vehicle. The project will also lead to further development at the Spaceport, as NASA requires the equipment used to be developed and stored under environmentally controlled conditions, maintaining certain climate specifications.
Red Tape Delaying Announcement of Canadian Spaceport (Source: Canadian Press)
Government red tape seems to be the only thing stopping an American-Canadian aeronautics company from making an official announcement on where it plans to build a commercial spaceport in Cape Breton. Chirinjeev Kathuria, chairman of PlanetSpace, said the company is on course with the project but is awaiting for regulatory approval from the provincial and federal governments before announcing a site location.
Costly Redesign Only Cure for Shuttle's Debris Woes (Source: USA Today)
NASA continued to struggle with debris damage to space shuttle Endeavour, after deciding long ago not to completely redesign the spacecraft's fuel tank, which has been the source of similar problems for two decades. Three of the six shuttle flights since the Columbia accident have been dogged by tank debris. Until Columbia was lost, NASA regarded tank debris as a nuisance, not a safety threat. The agency made no plans for a radical tank overhaul. After the 2003 accident, NASA opted to fix the tank's problem areas rather than replace it. A complete redesign would have been costly, especially for a spacecraft due to retire in 2010.
The fuel tank "is basically not fixable," said John Logsdon, a member of the panel that investigated the Columbia accident. "NASA is doing … its best to address this problem, but it's an almost totally intractable problem." Deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon has defended NASA's efforts to minimize the foam and other debris that breaks off from the fuel tank. "The tank is going to shed some foam," he said. "It's our challenge to understand why and go fix that."
Schedule for Ares/Orion Launch Tests (Source: Florida Today)
The Ares 1 rocket will be used to launch Orion spacecraft -- Apollo-style capsules that will propel astronauts on moon missions. The Ares 5 rocket will launch propulsion modules and lunar landers that will dock with Orion spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. The first stage of both will use more powerful versions of the solid-rocket boosters that Alliant Techsystems builds for NASA's shuttle program.
The first Ares 1 test flight with a four-segment booster, a dummy upper stage and an Orion capsule mock-up is scheduled for April 2009. A suborbital test flight is scheduled for September 2012. An unpiloted test flight of the Orion spacecraft is scheduled for March 2013, and a piloted, two-week shakedown of the ship is planned for September 2013.
White House Calls for Sustained Landsat Program (Source: Space News)
The White House released a plan Aug. 14 that recommends putting the U.S. Department of Interior in charge of future satellite programs to collect moderate-resolution land imagery for civilian purposes.
Valve in Atlas Failure Replaced in All EELVs (Source: Florida Today)
A valve that prompted a fuel leak during the failed launch of an Atlas 5 rocket in June has been replaced in both the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 fleets. The valve is being replaced with one that the U.S. Air Force and United Launch Alliance are confident will work properly. The replacement decision shows progress in the Air Force's investigation of the Atlas 5 launch of a pair of ocean surveillance craft for the National Reconnaissance Office. The top-secret spy satellites were dropped off miles short of orbit after the upper-stage engine cut off seconds too soon. The cause: a fuel leak prompted by a liquid hydrogen valve that didn't close properly in extreme cold temperatures experienced during the Atlas flight. The valve is part of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine and is common to both of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs): the Atlas 5 and Delta 4. The Air Force statement indicates the issue is solved and launches of U.S. military and intelligence spacecraft will resume next month.
Fall Marks Flurry of Launches (Source: Florida Today)
Mark your calendars: the stars are aligning for a lengthy string of autumn rocket launches at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. First up will be a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on Sept. 13. An 8:16 p.m. liftoff from Launch Complex 41 is planned. The rocket will carry the first of a $1.8 billion series of advanced military communications satellites. NASA's Dawn spacecraft now is scheduled for launch Sept. 26 on a $450 million mission to the asteroid belt. The return-to-flight of the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket, carrying the 23rd and final Defense Support Program missile warning satellite, now is tapped for 12:50 a.m. Oct. 4 -- the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Russian Sputnik spacecraft. The nation's next Global Positioning System satellite will be launched Oct. 17 on a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket. Liftoff from Complex 17 is scheduled at 8:23 a.m.
What's the Outlook for the ISS? (Source: RIA Novosti)
In all probability, the question in the headline should be rephrased and run like this: who will man the International Space Station (ISS) next? The very future of this unique international orbital complex depends on the answer. The prospects for keeping the present crew are small, in fact, non existent. The main ISS users - the Russians and the Americans - are not interested in exploiting the common orbital home, each for their own reasons, and this is no cause for rejoicing either. Visit http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070814/71466776.htmlto view the article.
Bizarre Star Has A Tail 13 Light-Years Long! (Source: CBS)
An amazingly long, comet-like tail found trailing a giant red star named "Mira" was being closely examined by the JPL-managed space-based Galaxy Evolution Explorer. Nothing like the plume blowing off "Mira" has ever been seen coming from a star, officials said. The plume forms a wake 13 light-years long, or about 20,000 times the average distance of Pluto from the sun. The material has been released from the older star continuously over the past 30,000 years.
August 15 News Items
Ariane Launches Two Satellites (Source: SpaceToday.net)
An Ariane 5 successfully launched two commercial communications satellites Tuesday. The Ariane 5 ECA lifted off from the Kourou, French Guiana spaceport and placed the Spaceway 3 and BSAT-3a satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits about a half hour later. Spaceway 3, a Boeing 702 spacecraft weighing over 6,000 kilograms, will be used by Hughes Network Systems to provide Ka-band broadband data services throughout North America. BSAT-3a, a Lockheed Martin A2100A satellite weighing 1,980 kilograms, will be used by the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation of Japan to provide television programming. The launch is the third Ariane 5 launch of the year; three more are planned through the end of the year.
DirecTV to Offer High-Speed Internet From Current Group on Power Grid (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Satellite-television provider DirecTV Group Inc. announced a wholesale agreement today with Current Group LLC to provide high-speed Internet service over electric-power lines. Under the agreement, DirecTV will market a bundled package of Current's broadband and voice over Internet protocol, or Voip, services.
U.S. to Expand Domestic Use Of Spy Satellites (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The U.S.'s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation's vast network of spy satellites in the U.S. The decision places for the first time some of the U.S.'s most powerful intelligence-gathering tools at the disposal of domestic security officials. The move was authorized in a May 25 memo sent to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking his department to facilitate access to the spy network on behalf of civilian agencies and law enforcement.
'Lunar Ark' Proposed in Case of Deadly Impact on Earth (Source: National Geographic News)
The moon should be developed as a sanctuary for civilization in case of a cataclysmic cosmic impact, according to an international team of experts. NASA already has blueprints to create a permanent lunar outpost by the 2020s. But that plan should be expanded to include a way to preserve humanity's learning, culture, and technology if Earth is hit by a doomsday asteroid or comet, said Jim Burke, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
FSU Facility Duplicating Conditions of Supernovas (Source: FSU)
How is matter created? What happens when stars die? Is the universe shrinking, or is it expanding? For decades, scientists have been looking for answers to such "big picture" questions. For the past few months, physicists at Florida State University have begun using a groundbreaking new research facility to conduct experiments that may help provide answers to just such questions. RESOLUT -- short for "REsonator SOLenoid with Upscale Transmission" -- is located within the John D. Fox Superconducting Accelerator Laboratory on the FSU campus. Over the past few months, FSU researchers have begun using RESOLUT to create very rare, extremely short-lived radioactive particles similar to those that form inside exploding stars -- and then using the analytical data produced in the experiments as the basis for hypotheses about the behavior of matter and the physical properties governing the universe.
An Ariane 5 successfully launched two commercial communications satellites Tuesday. The Ariane 5 ECA lifted off from the Kourou, French Guiana spaceport and placed the Spaceway 3 and BSAT-3a satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits about a half hour later. Spaceway 3, a Boeing 702 spacecraft weighing over 6,000 kilograms, will be used by Hughes Network Systems to provide Ka-band broadband data services throughout North America. BSAT-3a, a Lockheed Martin A2100A satellite weighing 1,980 kilograms, will be used by the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation of Japan to provide television programming. The launch is the third Ariane 5 launch of the year; three more are planned through the end of the year.
DirecTV to Offer High-Speed Internet From Current Group on Power Grid (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Satellite-television provider DirecTV Group Inc. announced a wholesale agreement today with Current Group LLC to provide high-speed Internet service over electric-power lines. Under the agreement, DirecTV will market a bundled package of Current's broadband and voice over Internet protocol, or Voip, services.
U.S. to Expand Domestic Use Of Spy Satellites (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The U.S.'s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation's vast network of spy satellites in the U.S. The decision places for the first time some of the U.S.'s most powerful intelligence-gathering tools at the disposal of domestic security officials. The move was authorized in a May 25 memo sent to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking his department to facilitate access to the spy network on behalf of civilian agencies and law enforcement.
'Lunar Ark' Proposed in Case of Deadly Impact on Earth (Source: National Geographic News)
The moon should be developed as a sanctuary for civilization in case of a cataclysmic cosmic impact, according to an international team of experts. NASA already has blueprints to create a permanent lunar outpost by the 2020s. But that plan should be expanded to include a way to preserve humanity's learning, culture, and technology if Earth is hit by a doomsday asteroid or comet, said Jim Burke, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
FSU Facility Duplicating Conditions of Supernovas (Source: FSU)
How is matter created? What happens when stars die? Is the universe shrinking, or is it expanding? For decades, scientists have been looking for answers to such "big picture" questions. For the past few months, physicists at Florida State University have begun using a groundbreaking new research facility to conduct experiments that may help provide answers to just such questions. RESOLUT -- short for "REsonator SOLenoid with Upscale Transmission" -- is located within the John D. Fox Superconducting Accelerator Laboratory on the FSU campus. Over the past few months, FSU researchers have begun using RESOLUT to create very rare, extremely short-lived radioactive particles similar to those that form inside exploding stars -- and then using the analytical data produced in the experiments as the basis for hypotheses about the behavior of matter and the physical properties governing the universe.
August 14 News Items
US Military Sees Looming China Threat to Satellites (Source: AFP)
China may be just three years away from being able to disrupt US military satellites in a regional conflict, a senior US military leader said. The warning came amid calls at a conference in Alabama for intensified efforts to ensure US "space superiority" in the wake of China's shoot down January 11 of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile.
Space Water Cools Thirst, Not Enthusiasm, For Space Shuttle Launch (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority (CSA) shared hundreds of free bottles of “Space2O” water, a new Microgravity Enterprise, Inc. (MEI) product, to crowds gathering to view the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. The two organizations recently signed an
agreement promote space enterprise efforts. The initial release of Space2O at this event celebrated Barbara Morgan’s contribution on the Endeavour crew as the first “Educator Astronaut” into space.
SpaceDev Reports Fiscal Results (Source: SpaceDev)
SpaceDev reported financial results for the six and three months ended June 30, 2007 with revenue over $17.7 million and $8.6 million for the two periods, as well as net income over $156,000 and $47,000 for the six and three month periods ended June 30, 2007, respectively.
NASA May Delay Next Shuttle Flight (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA is pondering whether the next space shuttle mission in October should be delayed for modifications to thwart a new external tank (ET) debris threat, following the discovery of a serious tile divot on Endeavour. The next shuttle flight, STS-120, currently is set for launch Oct. 24. NASA now must decide if it should delay the flight until brackets holding the 17-inch oxygen feed line are modified to prevent ice buildup like that implicated in the insulation impact damage to Endeavour.
Engineers believe ice that formed in the bracket played a role in popping off insulation from the spot 58 seconds into Endeavour's launch Aug. 8. The insulation, possibly mixed with ice, bounced off the shuttle ET aft attachment frame and flew into the belly, where it left three inconsequential dings and the deeper gouge that is raising concern. A new titanium bracket is planned to enter service by mid-2008, since engineers have known the current steel configuration is more conducive to ice formation. Three ETs have been built without the modification, including the ET for STS-120.
Bigelow Aerospace to Expedite Schedule and Move Ahead With First Manned Module (Source: Bigelow)
Global launch costs have been rising rapidly over the course of the past few years. These price hikes have been most acute in Russia due to a number of factors including inflation, previously artificially low launch costs and the falling value of the U.S. dollar. What this now means for Bigelow Aerospace is that to conduct another subscale demonstrator mission would cost two to three times what it has in the past.
This has forced us to rethink our strategy with Galaxy. Due to the fact that a high percentage of the systems Galaxy was meant to test can be effectively validated on a terrestrial basis, the technical value of launching the spacecraft — particularly after the successful launch of both Genesis I and II — is somewhat marginal. Therefore, we have decided to expedite our schedule yet again, and are now planning to move ahead directly with Bigelow Aerospace’s first human habitable spacecraft, the Sundancer. With this decision made, the future of entrepreneurial, private sector-driven space habitats and complexes could be arriving much earlier than any of us had previously anticipated.
Russia Designs Space Launch Complex for South Korea (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russia has been commissioned by South Korea to design a unique space launch complex. Local builders levelled out part of a hill to prepare the site for the construction of a space launch complex on the South Korean Pusan Island. This was needed, as the locality has a rough terrain and no flat surfaces. Russia will ensure the first two launchings of a booster rocket from the South Korean island. South Korea, with Russia’s technological assistance, plans to launch from this complex its first booster rocket in late 2008. The booster will put on a near-earth orbit a multipurpose research satellite weighing up to 100 kilograms.
Preparations Start to Launch Japanese Satellite from Baikonur (Source: Itar-Tass)
Preparations were started to launch the Japanese JCSAT-11 communications satellite from the Baikonur spaceport. The upper stage for the Proton rocket was delivered to Baikonur on Tuesday. The launch is scheduled for September 6.
Is Human Spaceflight Too Dangerous? (Source: The Guardian)
Once again NASA has got itself into a tizzy about damage to a space shuttle. At the weekend, astronauts examined the underside of Endeavour to work out how serious a gash in the craft's heat shield is. NASA has been rightly cautious of damage to the heat shield that lines the underside of the shuttle. There's little doubt that there is a case for sending people into space (if properly resourced, a human can do far more useful science than a robot according to a report by the Royal Astronomical Society in 2005) but what's the point in sending people up into space on a rickety old space shuttle? Should space agencies save their cash and self-impose a moratorium on human spaceflight until we build better and more reliable spacecraft?
New Zealand Enters the Space Age (Source: Stuff.co.nz)
Commercial rockets will be launched from New Zealand late next year if a couple of businessmen get their way. Rocket Lab Ltd said they would begin firing 5.5 metre tall carbon fibre rockets into space in September next year. The rockets, named Atea, or "space", are expected to carry scientific payloads into sub-orbit. They will also be available to launch human ashes into space - for a fee.
Russian Calls for Building Lunar Base (Source: Itar Tass)
A new lunar program should include not only manned flights to the Moon but also the creation of a permanent manned base there, Academician Boris Chertok said. “There must be a base on the Moon. It’s senseless to simply repeat what the Americans did at the end of the 1960s. Maybe only China needs this but only in order to show its scientific and technological achievements,” Chertok told journalists on Monday. The patriarch of Russian cosmonautics and one of the closest allies of Sergei Korolev, Chertok said a base on the Moon can fulfil not only scientific and military tasks. “Since science and physics are developing rapidly, new goals appear and we can only contemplate them today. For example, wireless energy transmission – a problem scientists have been trying to solve for a hundred years,” the academician said.
China may be just three years away from being able to disrupt US military satellites in a regional conflict, a senior US military leader said. The warning came amid calls at a conference in Alabama for intensified efforts to ensure US "space superiority" in the wake of China's shoot down January 11 of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile.
Space Water Cools Thirst, Not Enthusiasm, For Space Shuttle Launch (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority (CSA) shared hundreds of free bottles of “Space2O” water, a new Microgravity Enterprise, Inc. (MEI) product, to crowds gathering to view the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. The two organizations recently signed an
agreement promote space enterprise efforts. The initial release of Space2O at this event celebrated Barbara Morgan’s contribution on the Endeavour crew as the first “Educator Astronaut” into space.
SpaceDev Reports Fiscal Results (Source: SpaceDev)
SpaceDev reported financial results for the six and three months ended June 30, 2007 with revenue over $17.7 million and $8.6 million for the two periods, as well as net income over $156,000 and $47,000 for the six and three month periods ended June 30, 2007, respectively.
NASA May Delay Next Shuttle Flight (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA is pondering whether the next space shuttle mission in October should be delayed for modifications to thwart a new external tank (ET) debris threat, following the discovery of a serious tile divot on Endeavour. The next shuttle flight, STS-120, currently is set for launch Oct. 24. NASA now must decide if it should delay the flight until brackets holding the 17-inch oxygen feed line are modified to prevent ice buildup like that implicated in the insulation impact damage to Endeavour.
Engineers believe ice that formed in the bracket played a role in popping off insulation from the spot 58 seconds into Endeavour's launch Aug. 8. The insulation, possibly mixed with ice, bounced off the shuttle ET aft attachment frame and flew into the belly, where it left three inconsequential dings and the deeper gouge that is raising concern. A new titanium bracket is planned to enter service by mid-2008, since engineers have known the current steel configuration is more conducive to ice formation. Three ETs have been built without the modification, including the ET for STS-120.
Bigelow Aerospace to Expedite Schedule and Move Ahead With First Manned Module (Source: Bigelow)
Global launch costs have been rising rapidly over the course of the past few years. These price hikes have been most acute in Russia due to a number of factors including inflation, previously artificially low launch costs and the falling value of the U.S. dollar. What this now means for Bigelow Aerospace is that to conduct another subscale demonstrator mission would cost two to three times what it has in the past.
This has forced us to rethink our strategy with Galaxy. Due to the fact that a high percentage of the systems Galaxy was meant to test can be effectively validated on a terrestrial basis, the technical value of launching the spacecraft — particularly after the successful launch of both Genesis I and II — is somewhat marginal. Therefore, we have decided to expedite our schedule yet again, and are now planning to move ahead directly with Bigelow Aerospace’s first human habitable spacecraft, the Sundancer. With this decision made, the future of entrepreneurial, private sector-driven space habitats and complexes could be arriving much earlier than any of us had previously anticipated.
Russia Designs Space Launch Complex for South Korea (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russia has been commissioned by South Korea to design a unique space launch complex. Local builders levelled out part of a hill to prepare the site for the construction of a space launch complex on the South Korean Pusan Island. This was needed, as the locality has a rough terrain and no flat surfaces. Russia will ensure the first two launchings of a booster rocket from the South Korean island. South Korea, with Russia’s technological assistance, plans to launch from this complex its first booster rocket in late 2008. The booster will put on a near-earth orbit a multipurpose research satellite weighing up to 100 kilograms.
Preparations Start to Launch Japanese Satellite from Baikonur (Source: Itar-Tass)
Preparations were started to launch the Japanese JCSAT-11 communications satellite from the Baikonur spaceport. The upper stage for the Proton rocket was delivered to Baikonur on Tuesday. The launch is scheduled for September 6.
Is Human Spaceflight Too Dangerous? (Source: The Guardian)
Once again NASA has got itself into a tizzy about damage to a space shuttle. At the weekend, astronauts examined the underside of Endeavour to work out how serious a gash in the craft's heat shield is. NASA has been rightly cautious of damage to the heat shield that lines the underside of the shuttle. There's little doubt that there is a case for sending people into space (if properly resourced, a human can do far more useful science than a robot according to a report by the Royal Astronomical Society in 2005) but what's the point in sending people up into space on a rickety old space shuttle? Should space agencies save their cash and self-impose a moratorium on human spaceflight until we build better and more reliable spacecraft?
New Zealand Enters the Space Age (Source: Stuff.co.nz)
Commercial rockets will be launched from New Zealand late next year if a couple of businessmen get their way. Rocket Lab Ltd said they would begin firing 5.5 metre tall carbon fibre rockets into space in September next year. The rockets, named Atea, or "space", are expected to carry scientific payloads into sub-orbit. They will also be available to launch human ashes into space - for a fee.
Russian Calls for Building Lunar Base (Source: Itar Tass)
A new lunar program should include not only manned flights to the Moon but also the creation of a permanent manned base there, Academician Boris Chertok said. “There must be a base on the Moon. It’s senseless to simply repeat what the Americans did at the end of the 1960s. Maybe only China needs this but only in order to show its scientific and technological achievements,” Chertok told journalists on Monday. The patriarch of Russian cosmonautics and one of the closest allies of Sergei Korolev, Chertok said a base on the Moon can fulfil not only scientific and military tasks. “Since science and physics are developing rapidly, new goals appear and we can only contemplate them today. For example, wireless energy transmission – a problem scientists have been trying to solve for a hundred years,” the academician said.
August 13 News Items
United Launch Alliance to Wade in on COTS (Source: Flight International)
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Demonstrations (COTS) phase one competitors, Rocketplane-Kistler (RpK) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), could be facing competition from the Boeing, Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA). COTS phase two will see the competitive procurement of International Space Station resupply services, but COTS phase one companies are not automatically selected. NASA's RFI defines ISS cargo delivery and return, or disposal, missions as involving payloads of up to 3,000kg (6,600lb) of pressurised or unpressurised cargo, starting in the fourth quarter of 2010. "Our team will examine the requirements thoroughly, consider all company options and respond appropriately by the 7 September deadline," says ULA.
Machinists Union Sues NASA for Misconduct in KSC Negotiations (Source: IAM)
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) filed suit against NASA for interfering in the
negotiations for a new contract for almost 500 workers represented by IAM who are on strike against United Space Alliance (USA). The suit alleges that NASA violated its duty under the Service Contract Act and regulations implementing that act by telling USA that it would not reimburse USA for any increased labor costs in a new agreement with the IAM.
Federal law requires NASA and other federal agencies to remain neutral in the collective bargaining process between federal contractors and the unions representing their employees. Federal agencies are also required to reimburse federal contractors for labor cost increases if they are the result of bona fide collective bargaining. Federal agencies have an explicit mechanism for protesting any increase they deem excessive by requesting a review by the Department of Labor, which NASA tried to circumvent by direct intervention in negotiations.
India Plans to Launch Reusable Rocket by 2010 (Source: DNAIndia.com)
India plans to launch a reusable rocket for the first time by 2010, says its space agency chief. "Our target (for the first launch) is before 2010," Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G Madhavan Nair, said. The space scientists have already designed a "demonstrator" to measure parameters of the vehicle and further work is in progress. A facility to study aspects of aerodynamics and related matters pertaining to the reusable launch vehicle is will be developed in Thiruvananthapuram.
A Renaissance for Space Solar Power? (Source: Space Review)
For nearly four decades, one concept has tantalized space professionals and enthusiasts alike: space solar power. The ability to collect solar power in space, continuously and in effectively limitless quantities, and then transmit that energy back to Earth, could radically reshape not only the space industry but also society in general. The demand for this energy, in turn, would create tremendous demand for launch and other space services, driving down costs that would, in turn, open other markets. “We think it’s now more technically feasible than ever before,” NASA's John Mankins said. “We think we have a path to knowing whether or not it’s economically feasible.” Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/931/1 to view the article.
Space: The Search for a Political Consensus (Source: Space Review)
For many of us President Bush’s silence in neither explaining nor defending his Vision for Space Exploration is not surprising. What propelled the Bush administration to set in motion the series of interlocking policy decisions that became known as the Vision—retirement of the Shuttle in 2010, redirection of ISS research, returning astronauts to the Moon and development of the capability to send humans to Mars—was neither interest in space nor a systematic review of federal science policy. It was the February 1, 2003 Columbia accident. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/933/1 to view the article.
SSTL to Develop Low Cost Lunar Orbiter for NASA (Source: SSTL)
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has been awarded a contract for the study phase of a potential joint US-UK lunar orbiter mission to be called Magnolia. This first phase of the contract will run for 9-months, culminating in a preliminary mission design. The contract includes a package of training by SSTL and the University of Surrey that will allow Mississippi State University (MSU) and NASA Stennis Space Center staff to benefit from the know-how accrued by SSTL over the last 25 years, across 27 small satellite missions.
China Develops Beidou Satellite Monitoring System (Source: Xinhua)
China has developed its Beidou satellite monitoring system for dangerous chemicals transportation. The system, which has passed experts review, provides all-day data of dangerous chemicals transportation to Beidou navigation satellite and gives corresponding operational order. Scores of sensors, equipped on every vehicle transporting dangerous chemicals, collect data and information of the vehicle as well as road condition. All the information are stored in a black box and transmitted to the satellite timely and corresponding operational signals are sent to the land control center. For example, when the traffic accident occurs to a vehicle, the land control center can call the police and give timely rescue after it gets orders from the satellite.
Shuttle May Get Repairs in Space (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA may have to send astronauts on a spacewalk to mend a 3 1/2-inch gouge on shuttle Endeavour's belly that penetrates all the way through two heat-shield tiles that protect the orbiter. Images gathered by lasers and cameras on an extension to the shuttle's robotic arm confirmed Sunday that the divot went through the 1.12-inch thick tile, exposing some of the heat-resistant feltlike material below. That material, as well as the tile itself, is designed to protect the orbiter from burning up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. A team will decide either today or Tuesday whether a repair spacewalk is needed, he said.
China Reveals Deadly Threat to Historic Space Flight (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China's historic first manned space mission narrowly averted disaster when ground control lost contact with the returning space capsule, China revealed for the first time Monday, four years later. The communication blackout as the capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere threatened a safe landing by astronaut Yang Liwei and forced ground control to use backup systems.
NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Demonstrations (COTS) phase one competitors, Rocketplane-Kistler (RpK) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), could be facing competition from the Boeing, Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA). COTS phase two will see the competitive procurement of International Space Station resupply services, but COTS phase one companies are not automatically selected. NASA's RFI defines ISS cargo delivery and return, or disposal, missions as involving payloads of up to 3,000kg (6,600lb) of pressurised or unpressurised cargo, starting in the fourth quarter of 2010. "Our team will examine the requirements thoroughly, consider all company options and respond appropriately by the 7 September deadline," says ULA.
Machinists Union Sues NASA for Misconduct in KSC Negotiations (Source: IAM)
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) filed suit against NASA for interfering in the
negotiations for a new contract for almost 500 workers represented by IAM who are on strike against United Space Alliance (USA). The suit alleges that NASA violated its duty under the Service Contract Act and regulations implementing that act by telling USA that it would not reimburse USA for any increased labor costs in a new agreement with the IAM.
Federal law requires NASA and other federal agencies to remain neutral in the collective bargaining process between federal contractors and the unions representing their employees. Federal agencies are also required to reimburse federal contractors for labor cost increases if they are the result of bona fide collective bargaining. Federal agencies have an explicit mechanism for protesting any increase they deem excessive by requesting a review by the Department of Labor, which NASA tried to circumvent by direct intervention in negotiations.
India Plans to Launch Reusable Rocket by 2010 (Source: DNAIndia.com)
India plans to launch a reusable rocket for the first time by 2010, says its space agency chief. "Our target (for the first launch) is before 2010," Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G Madhavan Nair, said. The space scientists have already designed a "demonstrator" to measure parameters of the vehicle and further work is in progress. A facility to study aspects of aerodynamics and related matters pertaining to the reusable launch vehicle is will be developed in Thiruvananthapuram.
A Renaissance for Space Solar Power? (Source: Space Review)
For nearly four decades, one concept has tantalized space professionals and enthusiasts alike: space solar power. The ability to collect solar power in space, continuously and in effectively limitless quantities, and then transmit that energy back to Earth, could radically reshape not only the space industry but also society in general. The demand for this energy, in turn, would create tremendous demand for launch and other space services, driving down costs that would, in turn, open other markets. “We think it’s now more technically feasible than ever before,” NASA's John Mankins said. “We think we have a path to knowing whether or not it’s economically feasible.” Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/931/1 to view the article.
Space: The Search for a Political Consensus (Source: Space Review)
For many of us President Bush’s silence in neither explaining nor defending his Vision for Space Exploration is not surprising. What propelled the Bush administration to set in motion the series of interlocking policy decisions that became known as the Vision—retirement of the Shuttle in 2010, redirection of ISS research, returning astronauts to the Moon and development of the capability to send humans to Mars—was neither interest in space nor a systematic review of federal science policy. It was the February 1, 2003 Columbia accident. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/933/1 to view the article.
SSTL to Develop Low Cost Lunar Orbiter for NASA (Source: SSTL)
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has been awarded a contract for the study phase of a potential joint US-UK lunar orbiter mission to be called Magnolia. This first phase of the contract will run for 9-months, culminating in a preliminary mission design. The contract includes a package of training by SSTL and the University of Surrey that will allow Mississippi State University (MSU) and NASA Stennis Space Center staff to benefit from the know-how accrued by SSTL over the last 25 years, across 27 small satellite missions.
China Develops Beidou Satellite Monitoring System (Source: Xinhua)
China has developed its Beidou satellite monitoring system for dangerous chemicals transportation. The system, which has passed experts review, provides all-day data of dangerous chemicals transportation to Beidou navigation satellite and gives corresponding operational order. Scores of sensors, equipped on every vehicle transporting dangerous chemicals, collect data and information of the vehicle as well as road condition. All the information are stored in a black box and transmitted to the satellite timely and corresponding operational signals are sent to the land control center. For example, when the traffic accident occurs to a vehicle, the land control center can call the police and give timely rescue after it gets orders from the satellite.
Shuttle May Get Repairs in Space (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA may have to send astronauts on a spacewalk to mend a 3 1/2-inch gouge on shuttle Endeavour's belly that penetrates all the way through two heat-shield tiles that protect the orbiter. Images gathered by lasers and cameras on an extension to the shuttle's robotic arm confirmed Sunday that the divot went through the 1.12-inch thick tile, exposing some of the heat-resistant feltlike material below. That material, as well as the tile itself, is designed to protect the orbiter from burning up during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. A team will decide either today or Tuesday whether a repair spacewalk is needed, he said.
China Reveals Deadly Threat to Historic Space Flight (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China's historic first manned space mission narrowly averted disaster when ground control lost contact with the returning space capsule, China revealed for the first time Monday, four years later. The communication blackout as the capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere threatened a safe landing by astronaut Yang Liwei and forced ground control to use backup systems.
August 12 News Items
Dust ‘Comes Alive’ in Space (Source: Times Online)
Scientists have discovered that inorganic material can take on the characteristics of living organisms in space, a development that could transform views of alien life. An international panel of scientists found that galactic dust could form spontaneously into helixes and double helixes and that the inorganic creations had memory and the power to reproduce themselves.
The new research found nonorganic dust, when held in the form of plasma in zero gravity, formed the helical structures found in DNA. The particles are held together by electromagnetic forces that the scientists say could contain a code comparable to the genetic information held in organic matter. It appeared that this code could be transferred to the next generation.
Interview with Elon Musk (Source: NPR)
National Public Radio last week interviewed SpaceX founder Elon Musk to discuss his space interests and his electric car company, Tesla Motors. Click here to hear the interview.
NASA Decides to Phase Out Delta 2 (Source: Space News)
NASA intends to conduct its final Delta 2 launch around the end of the decade and then shift more of its launch traffic in that payload class to the Atlas 5 or Delta 4 launch vehicles, the U.S. space agency's chief rocket buyer said in an Aug. 8 interview. Bill Wrobel, NASA assistant associate administrator for launch services, said the decision to phase out use of the Delta 2 came down to money. Delta 2 launch prices, already on the rise, are expected to jump sharply once the U.S. Air Force abandons use of the reliable workhorse as soon as next year so it can make greater use of the Atlas 5 and Delta 4.
USAF Sees Limits to Small Satellite Use (Source: Space News)
As the Air Force pushes forward with its plans to deploy small satellites intended to support tactical forces directly, the service is well aware that those systems will not be able to answer all the needs of its troops. Small satellites that can be launched on short notice can play a "limited" role to help fill in some of the gaps of existing constellations, or help to reconstitute capabilities that may have been disrupted by natural causes or intentional attacks, according to Col. Robert Walker, chief of the operationally responsive space (ORS) division at Air Force Space Command.
Loral Looks to Expand Manufacturing Capability (Source: Space News)
Loral believes it can win orders for between seven and nine large telecommunications satellites per year in the coming years and is looking to expand its manufacturing facilities, through purchase or partnership, to be able to meet that demand. Loral's satellite manufacturing division in California has been the most successful of the U.S. and European commercial satellite contractors in recent years and has driven the company's overall growth. Loral also remains confident that the merger of its satellite-operating division, Skynet, into Telesat Canada and Loral's purchase of a 64 percent stake in Telesat Canada will be approved by regulators in September.
T-Sat, Space Radar Pose Budget Challenges, GAO Warns (Source: Space News)
Two of the Pentagon's most ambitious satellite development programs face a potential mismatch between costs and available funding as well as schedule challenges, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned in a report released Aug. 2. The congressional watchdog agency credited the Space Radar and Transformational Satellite Communications System (T-Sat) programs with progress in terms of retiring technical risk, but said challenges remain. T-Sat, a futuristic constellation of highly secure communications satellites linked by lasers, is expected to be put under contract before the end of the year.
Sea Launch's Odyssey Platform Returns to California (Source: Space News)
Sea Launch's floating rocket-launch platform, Odyssey, has completed two months of repairs at Vancouver's Victoria Shipyard and returned to its Long Beach, Calif., home port for a final series of preparations before a scheduled October launch of the 6,000-kilogram Thuraya-3 mobile communications satellite. Most of the necessary recertification of the platform's seaworthiness was completed as repairs were being done, and as the platform was heading south toward California. The Odyssey platform was damaged during the January on-pad failure and subsequent explosion of the Sea Launch Zenit 3 SL vehicle, which was carrying the Boeing-owned NSS-8 telecommunications satellite.
Delayed GlobalStar Launch Now Expected in October (Source: Space News)
Russia's Soyuz-Fregat commercial launch vehicle now is expected to return to flight in late October to place four Globalstar mobile-telephone satellites into low Earth orbit following modifications to its Fregat upper stage. That would be followed by a November or December launch of Canada's Radarsat 2 Earth observation satellite aboard a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle, with a possible launch of Europe's Giove-B navigation test satellite - if it's ready - late in the year or early in 2008. The successful May launch of four Globalstar satellites aboard a Soyuz turned up anomalies in the behavior of the Fregat upper stage and forced a grounding of the vehicle, which had been scheduled to launch the second and final batch of first-generation Globalstar spacecraft in July.
ICO Global Seeks Second Launch Deadline Extension (Source: Space News)
ICO Global Communications is asking U.S. regulators to approve a second extension of its deadline to launch a large two-way communications and broadcasting satellite, this time because of schedule slips associated with the Atlas 5 rocket. Lockheed Martin has informed ICO that the launch, which had been scheduled to occur by Nov. 30, will not occur before mid January. ICO is seeking FCC approval for the launch deadline to be moved to January 15, and the in-service deadline for the full ICO system be moved from Dec. 31 to Feb. 15. The FCC granted an earlier extension over the protests of ICO competitor Inmarsat of London. The Atlas launch manifest for 2007 has slipped for two reasons. The first is the June 15 underperformance of the vehicle's Centaur upper stage in a launch of two classified U.S. military satellites.
Integral Systems Reports Rise in Classified Sales (Source: Space News)
Satellite ground-control system provider Integral Systems Inc. posted a company-record $35.9 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2007 on the continued strength of its Air Force business and a sharp increase in sales to classified programs. Integral attributed the company's growth - revenue was up 24 percent over the same period last year- to Air Force contracts, including an extension to the Command and Control-System Consolidated program. During the three-month period ending June 30, Integral's net income rose 28 percent, to $3.8 million.
Station Truss Installed; Shuttle Damage Assessment Planned (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Astronauts installed a new truss segment to the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Saturday while NASA continued to study damage to the underside of the shuttle Endeavour. They retracted the radiator on the P6 truss segment to prepare it for its move from the top of the station to the end of the port side of the truss on a later shuttle mission. Shuttle engineers, meanwhile, continued to analyze images of the underside of the orbiter that show a gash several centimeters across in the shuttle's tiles. NASA plans more inspections of the shuttle on Sunday to better determine the size and depth of the gash, but thought it less likely that a spacewalk would be required to repair the damage.
Race Is On To Detect Dark Matter (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
In deep underground laboratories around the globe, a high-tech race is on to spot dark matter, the invisible cosmic glue that's believed to keep galaxies from spinning apart. Whoever discovers the nature of dark matter would solve one of modern science's greatest mysteries and be a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize.
Yet it's more than just a brainy exercise. Deciphering dark matter -- along with a better understanding of another mysterious force called dark energy -- could help reveal the fate of the universe. Previous hunts for the hypothetical matter have turned up nothing, but that has not deterred some two dozen research teams from plumbing the darkness of idled mines and tunnel shafts for a fleeting glimpse.
Dark-matter detecting machines today are more powerful than previous generations, but even the best has failed so far to catch a whiff of the stuff. Many teams are now building bigger detectors or toying with novel technologies to aid in the hunt.
Scientists have discovered that inorganic material can take on the characteristics of living organisms in space, a development that could transform views of alien life. An international panel of scientists found that galactic dust could form spontaneously into helixes and double helixes and that the inorganic creations had memory and the power to reproduce themselves.
The new research found nonorganic dust, when held in the form of plasma in zero gravity, formed the helical structures found in DNA. The particles are held together by electromagnetic forces that the scientists say could contain a code comparable to the genetic information held in organic matter. It appeared that this code could be transferred to the next generation.
Interview with Elon Musk (Source: NPR)
National Public Radio last week interviewed SpaceX founder Elon Musk to discuss his space interests and his electric car company, Tesla Motors. Click here to hear the interview.
NASA Decides to Phase Out Delta 2 (Source: Space News)
NASA intends to conduct its final Delta 2 launch around the end of the decade and then shift more of its launch traffic in that payload class to the Atlas 5 or Delta 4 launch vehicles, the U.S. space agency's chief rocket buyer said in an Aug. 8 interview. Bill Wrobel, NASA assistant associate administrator for launch services, said the decision to phase out use of the Delta 2 came down to money. Delta 2 launch prices, already on the rise, are expected to jump sharply once the U.S. Air Force abandons use of the reliable workhorse as soon as next year so it can make greater use of the Atlas 5 and Delta 4.
USAF Sees Limits to Small Satellite Use (Source: Space News)
As the Air Force pushes forward with its plans to deploy small satellites intended to support tactical forces directly, the service is well aware that those systems will not be able to answer all the needs of its troops. Small satellites that can be launched on short notice can play a "limited" role to help fill in some of the gaps of existing constellations, or help to reconstitute capabilities that may have been disrupted by natural causes or intentional attacks, according to Col. Robert Walker, chief of the operationally responsive space (ORS) division at Air Force Space Command.
Loral Looks to Expand Manufacturing Capability (Source: Space News)
Loral believes it can win orders for between seven and nine large telecommunications satellites per year in the coming years and is looking to expand its manufacturing facilities, through purchase or partnership, to be able to meet that demand. Loral's satellite manufacturing division in California has been the most successful of the U.S. and European commercial satellite contractors in recent years and has driven the company's overall growth. Loral also remains confident that the merger of its satellite-operating division, Skynet, into Telesat Canada and Loral's purchase of a 64 percent stake in Telesat Canada will be approved by regulators in September.
T-Sat, Space Radar Pose Budget Challenges, GAO Warns (Source: Space News)
Two of the Pentagon's most ambitious satellite development programs face a potential mismatch between costs and available funding as well as schedule challenges, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned in a report released Aug. 2. The congressional watchdog agency credited the Space Radar and Transformational Satellite Communications System (T-Sat) programs with progress in terms of retiring technical risk, but said challenges remain. T-Sat, a futuristic constellation of highly secure communications satellites linked by lasers, is expected to be put under contract before the end of the year.
Sea Launch's Odyssey Platform Returns to California (Source: Space News)
Sea Launch's floating rocket-launch platform, Odyssey, has completed two months of repairs at Vancouver's Victoria Shipyard and returned to its Long Beach, Calif., home port for a final series of preparations before a scheduled October launch of the 6,000-kilogram Thuraya-3 mobile communications satellite. Most of the necessary recertification of the platform's seaworthiness was completed as repairs were being done, and as the platform was heading south toward California. The Odyssey platform was damaged during the January on-pad failure and subsequent explosion of the Sea Launch Zenit 3 SL vehicle, which was carrying the Boeing-owned NSS-8 telecommunications satellite.
Delayed GlobalStar Launch Now Expected in October (Source: Space News)
Russia's Soyuz-Fregat commercial launch vehicle now is expected to return to flight in late October to place four Globalstar mobile-telephone satellites into low Earth orbit following modifications to its Fregat upper stage. That would be followed by a November or December launch of Canada's Radarsat 2 Earth observation satellite aboard a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle, with a possible launch of Europe's Giove-B navigation test satellite - if it's ready - late in the year or early in 2008. The successful May launch of four Globalstar satellites aboard a Soyuz turned up anomalies in the behavior of the Fregat upper stage and forced a grounding of the vehicle, which had been scheduled to launch the second and final batch of first-generation Globalstar spacecraft in July.
ICO Global Seeks Second Launch Deadline Extension (Source: Space News)
ICO Global Communications is asking U.S. regulators to approve a second extension of its deadline to launch a large two-way communications and broadcasting satellite, this time because of schedule slips associated with the Atlas 5 rocket. Lockheed Martin has informed ICO that the launch, which had been scheduled to occur by Nov. 30, will not occur before mid January. ICO is seeking FCC approval for the launch deadline to be moved to January 15, and the in-service deadline for the full ICO system be moved from Dec. 31 to Feb. 15. The FCC granted an earlier extension over the protests of ICO competitor Inmarsat of London. The Atlas launch manifest for 2007 has slipped for two reasons. The first is the June 15 underperformance of the vehicle's Centaur upper stage in a launch of two classified U.S. military satellites.
Integral Systems Reports Rise in Classified Sales (Source: Space News)
Satellite ground-control system provider Integral Systems Inc. posted a company-record $35.9 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2007 on the continued strength of its Air Force business and a sharp increase in sales to classified programs. Integral attributed the company's growth - revenue was up 24 percent over the same period last year- to Air Force contracts, including an extension to the Command and Control-System Consolidated program. During the three-month period ending June 30, Integral's net income rose 28 percent, to $3.8 million.
Station Truss Installed; Shuttle Damage Assessment Planned (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Astronauts installed a new truss segment to the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Saturday while NASA continued to study damage to the underside of the shuttle Endeavour. They retracted the radiator on the P6 truss segment to prepare it for its move from the top of the station to the end of the port side of the truss on a later shuttle mission. Shuttle engineers, meanwhile, continued to analyze images of the underside of the orbiter that show a gash several centimeters across in the shuttle's tiles. NASA plans more inspections of the shuttle on Sunday to better determine the size and depth of the gash, but thought it less likely that a spacewalk would be required to repair the damage.
Race Is On To Detect Dark Matter (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
In deep underground laboratories around the globe, a high-tech race is on to spot dark matter, the invisible cosmic glue that's believed to keep galaxies from spinning apart. Whoever discovers the nature of dark matter would solve one of modern science's greatest mysteries and be a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize.
Yet it's more than just a brainy exercise. Deciphering dark matter -- along with a better understanding of another mysterious force called dark energy -- could help reveal the fate of the universe. Previous hunts for the hypothetical matter have turned up nothing, but that has not deterred some two dozen research teams from plumbing the darkness of idled mines and tunnel shafts for a fleeting glimpse.
Dark-matter detecting machines today are more powerful than previous generations, but even the best has failed so far to catch a whiff of the stuff. Many teams are now building bigger detectors or toying with novel technologies to aid in the hunt.
August 11 News Items
Microgravity Enterprises and California Space Authority Sign MOU (Source:
Microgravity Enterprises, Inc. (MEI) and the California Space Authority (CSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help provide access to space for educational payloads for California students grades K-12. “Free flights for education are the foundation of our ACCESS for Education Program,” said MEI's Jeff Ganley. “Our goal is to get youth interested in space again and excited about what can be done there. We know that CSA has similar goals in wanting to help children.”
MEI will donate payload space on every commercial launch for the purpose of conducting research and executing experiments that are aimed at advancing the commercialization of space. Payload space will be dedicated to a full spectrum of activities ranging from K-12 inspirational experiments to next-generation commercial space demonstration payloads. MEI is a small, privately held company founded on one principle: to commercialize space and make it a part of everyday life. MEI is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and currently uses Spaceport America to fly the company’s products and educational payloads to space and back.
Alliant Techsystems Lands $1.8 Billion Ares Contract (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA has signed a $1.8 billion contract with Alliant Techsystems to design, develop, test and evaluate the first stage of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles. The contract continues work that began last year and includes delivery of five ground static test motors, two ground vibration test articles and four flight test stages, including one for the Ares I-X test flight. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit. Ares V will enable NASA to launch a variety of science and exploration payloads, as well as key components, needed to travel to the moon and later to Mars.
Space Hotel Slated to Open in 2012 (Source: Space.com)
The first space hotel is being planned to open as soon as 2012. The hotel, "Galactic Suites," will allow adventurous travelers to enjoy a spectacular starry view from their hotel rooms, see the Sun rise 15 times a day and take part in scientific experiments while they're not using Velcro suits to crawl around their pod-room walls. The trip won't be cheap though--a three-day stay will cost around $4 million.
"It's the bathrooms in zero gravity that are the biggest challenge," company director Xavier Claramunt told Reuters. "How to accommodate the more intimate activities of the guests is not easy." The hotel was no more than a dream of Claramunt's until a generous space enthusiast fronted the $3 billion needed to build the hotel. An American company aimed at colonizing Mars has invested in the hotel, which will be built from pods connected in a molecule-like structure, Reuters reported. Visit http://www.galacticsuite.com/ for information.
Why Progressives Should Care About Human Destiny in Space (Source: AlterNet)
As we approach our 50th anniversary as a spacefaring civilization, what is the space program for? And why should progressives, with a full menu of more immediate causes on our activist plates, care about this one? All of us now alive, on behalf of all those not yet alive, have only just barely embarked on an endless expedition. That is the journey, for the Human Race, toward immortality.
What does immortality have to do with progressive values? Conservatives, most fundamentally, are about the idea that individuals ought to devote their blood, tears, toil and sweat to pursuing their own individual interests ... and leave it to other individuals to do the same. But if political progressives are about anything, we are about the idea that our lives are about something larger than ourselves. The idea that, as Michael Moore says in Sicko, we are not a "me society" but a "we society." The idea that we have obligations and responsibilities not just to ourselves and our immediate families, but also to the community of the whole.
And that means ultimately not only the human community of the present moment, but also the community of our remotest ancestors and our distant descendants as well. Space is ultimately about our duties to generations beyond our own. A second core progressive value beckons to us from space as well. Progressives believe that our national citizenship must be accompanied by a global citizenship, that our allegiance to our nation stands alongside an allegiance to humanity, that our national patriotism must in the end be transcended by a planetary patriotism. And space has already shown that it can serve as perhaps the single greatest engine of human unity.
Document Your ITAR Horror Stories (Source: ERAU)
The Space Foundation is launching a study to assess the space-related impact of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) on companies and government projects. Visit http://www.itarsurvey.org/ for information, and visit http://www.itarsurvey.org/worksheet.pdf to download their survey worksheet.
NASA Finds Gouge on Endeavour's Belly (Source: AP)
NASA discovered a worrisome gouge on Endeavour's belly soon after the shuttle docked with the international space station Friday, possibly caused by ice that broke off the fuel tank a minute after liftoff. The gouge - about 3 inches square - was spotted in zoom-in photography taken by the space station crew shortly before Endeavour delivered teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan and her six crewmates to the orbiting outpost. The astronauts will inspect the area, using Endeavour's 100-foot robot arm and extension beam. Lasers on the end of the beam will gauge the exact size and depth of the gouge, Shannon said, and then engineering analyses will determine whether the damage is severe enough to warrant repairs.
Microgravity Enterprises, Inc. (MEI) and the California Space Authority (CSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help provide access to space for educational payloads for California students grades K-12. “Free flights for education are the foundation of our ACCESS for Education Program,” said MEI's Jeff Ganley. “Our goal is to get youth interested in space again and excited about what can be done there. We know that CSA has similar goals in wanting to help children.”
MEI will donate payload space on every commercial launch for the purpose of conducting research and executing experiments that are aimed at advancing the commercialization of space. Payload space will be dedicated to a full spectrum of activities ranging from K-12 inspirational experiments to next-generation commercial space demonstration payloads. MEI is a small, privately held company founded on one principle: to commercialize space and make it a part of everyday life. MEI is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and currently uses Spaceport America to fly the company’s products and educational payloads to space and back.
Alliant Techsystems Lands $1.8 Billion Ares Contract (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA has signed a $1.8 billion contract with Alliant Techsystems to design, develop, test and evaluate the first stage of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles. The contract continues work that began last year and includes delivery of five ground static test motors, two ground vibration test articles and four flight test stages, including one for the Ares I-X test flight. Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket designed to transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit. Ares V will enable NASA to launch a variety of science and exploration payloads, as well as key components, needed to travel to the moon and later to Mars.
Space Hotel Slated to Open in 2012 (Source: Space.com)
The first space hotel is being planned to open as soon as 2012. The hotel, "Galactic Suites," will allow adventurous travelers to enjoy a spectacular starry view from their hotel rooms, see the Sun rise 15 times a day and take part in scientific experiments while they're not using Velcro suits to crawl around their pod-room walls. The trip won't be cheap though--a three-day stay will cost around $4 million.
"It's the bathrooms in zero gravity that are the biggest challenge," company director Xavier Claramunt told Reuters. "How to accommodate the more intimate activities of the guests is not easy." The hotel was no more than a dream of Claramunt's until a generous space enthusiast fronted the $3 billion needed to build the hotel. An American company aimed at colonizing Mars has invested in the hotel, which will be built from pods connected in a molecule-like structure, Reuters reported. Visit http://www.galacticsuite.com/ for information.
Why Progressives Should Care About Human Destiny in Space (Source: AlterNet)
As we approach our 50th anniversary as a spacefaring civilization, what is the space program for? And why should progressives, with a full menu of more immediate causes on our activist plates, care about this one? All of us now alive, on behalf of all those not yet alive, have only just barely embarked on an endless expedition. That is the journey, for the Human Race, toward immortality.
What does immortality have to do with progressive values? Conservatives, most fundamentally, are about the idea that individuals ought to devote their blood, tears, toil and sweat to pursuing their own individual interests ... and leave it to other individuals to do the same. But if political progressives are about anything, we are about the idea that our lives are about something larger than ourselves. The idea that, as Michael Moore says in Sicko, we are not a "me society" but a "we society." The idea that we have obligations and responsibilities not just to ourselves and our immediate families, but also to the community of the whole.
And that means ultimately not only the human community of the present moment, but also the community of our remotest ancestors and our distant descendants as well. Space is ultimately about our duties to generations beyond our own. A second core progressive value beckons to us from space as well. Progressives believe that our national citizenship must be accompanied by a global citizenship, that our allegiance to our nation stands alongside an allegiance to humanity, that our national patriotism must in the end be transcended by a planetary patriotism. And space has already shown that it can serve as perhaps the single greatest engine of human unity.
Document Your ITAR Horror Stories (Source: ERAU)
The Space Foundation is launching a study to assess the space-related impact of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) on companies and government projects. Visit http://www.itarsurvey.org/ for information, and visit http://www.itarsurvey.org/worksheet.pdf to download their survey worksheet.
NASA Finds Gouge on Endeavour's Belly (Source: AP)
NASA discovered a worrisome gouge on Endeavour's belly soon after the shuttle docked with the international space station Friday, possibly caused by ice that broke off the fuel tank a minute after liftoff. The gouge - about 3 inches square - was spotted in zoom-in photography taken by the space station crew shortly before Endeavour delivered teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan and her six crewmates to the orbiting outpost. The astronauts will inspect the area, using Endeavour's 100-foot robot arm and extension beam. Lasers on the end of the beam will gauge the exact size and depth of the gouge, Shannon said, and then engineering analyses will determine whether the damage is severe enough to warrant repairs.
August 10 News Items
Spacehab Announces Receipt of NASDAQ Deficiency Letter (Source: Spacehab)
As a result of the resignation of Dr. Edward E. David Jr. as a director of Spacehab, Inc. effective July 31, 2007, the Company received a letter from The NASDAQ Stock Market notifying the Company that it no longer complies with the NASDAQ independent director requirements. Consistent with Marketplace Rule 4350(c)(1), which requires that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors, NASDAQ will provide the Company a cure period in order to regain compliance until the earlier of the Company's next annual shareholder's meeting, or July 31, 2008; or if the next annual shareholder's meeting is held before January 28, 2008, then the Company must evidence compliance no later than January 28, 2008.
Experts Upbeat About Brevard's Economic Future (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center will have fewer jobs after the shuttle's planned retirement in 2010, but the economic consequences for Brevard County aren't entirely bleak. The county has several factors working in its favor, local and outside experts told the Brevard County Commission. First is a partnership between the space industry and local officials, who have pledged to work together to avoid a potential $1.5 billion hit to the local economy.
Factors working in Brevard's favor include: infrastructure and a skilled workforce capable of transitioning to new opportunities in space and technology, such as commercial space flight and space tourism and renewable energy research, officials said. "The opportunity, quite frankly, is there, we just need to get ourselves organized," added Steve Kohler, executive director of Space Florida. About 3,500 shuttle program jobs are expected to be lost, some through retirements, but the new Constellation program will add hundreds of jobs.
One recommended strategy was unified lobbying of state and federal elected officials, and partnering with local universities and community colleges on retraining programs and research opportunities. Brevard officials said they were pleased that most of the strategies already are being employed here, in part because of partnerships formed previously to defend Patrick Air Force Base from closure. "Basically what we have to do is continue on what we have been doing," said Jackie Colon, the commission's chairwoman. "All the players are there."
KSC Cafeteria Lawsuit Settled (Source: Florida Today)
A federal lawsuit that made unappetizing allegations about rancid chicken, poor hygiene and a worker derisively nicknamed "Dirty Finger Al" in space-center cafeterias has been quietly settled. Carolyn Vargas, a former culinary worker who says she was fired after she reported problems with spoiled meat and other food being served to workers at Kennedy Space Center, reached a settlement with Lackmann Culinary Services, a Woodbury, N.Y.-based contractor that operates seven KSC cafeterias. The case was dismissed on June 26 in Orlando after Vargas and Lackmann reached a settlement. Neither party announced the settlement or would discuss the terms.
Editorial: Russia's Space Program - Time for a Change (Source: RIA Novosti)
Two years ago trade show visitors admired a mock-up of Russia's Kliper reusable spacecraft developed by Energia, the flagship corporation of the Russian aerospace industry. The Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) announced that the craft would open up a new chapter in space exploration. A year later, in Farnborough, the Space Agency declared that the Kliper project was as good as finished and announced a marathon program to upgrade the Soyuz craft, which has been around for 50 years. Some attempts were made to reconcile the conflicting plans concerning manned flights to the Moon and Mars, but the situation was not made any clearer.
Now seems to be the time for a showdown, especially since the agency's head Anatoly Perminov will have an excellent opportunity to explain a lot of things. One is, what kind of space program does Russia have? Six months ago, no one questioned that it did indeed have one. There was the Federal Space Program for 2006-2015. Later the Space Agency began talking about prospects for the period until 2040. Are these just sketches of plans that do not call for any great human effort or financing?
Very recently, Space Agency deputy head Vitaly Davydov said that no Moon expeditions were planned until 2015. The Space Agency has given a sober assessment of its possibilities for the period concerned, limiting the lunar program to three research satellites. According to Vitaly Lopota, the newly elected Energia president, the corporation has no money for the Moon program. He thinks, however, that funding will become available if the agency approves an appropriate program. This is a faint hope. But if such a program should see the light of day, how can it be smoothly incorporated into the plans that are already funded?
Companies Line Up to Bid on New GPS (Source: AP)
Defense contractors have lined up to bid on the U.S. Air Force's multibillion-dollar upgrade plan for the Global Positioning System, a satellite network widely used by civilian and military users. Lockheed Martin and Boeing will square off over building the next generation of GPS satellites. The competition formally began last month when the Air Force released its final request for proposals; bids are due Aug. 27. The plan calls for buying an initial installment of eight GPS III satellites, with launches starting in 2013. The goal is a reliable and more accurate GPS system that can keep up with heavy demand from the military and industry.
Japanese Researchers Cook up Martian Menu for Astronauts (Source: Asahi Shimbun)
Brown fried rice, tofu hamburgers, a vegetable-tofu mixture known as shira-ae, miso soup, rice crackers--about 20 food items line the table. Nothing exotic, nothing you wouldn't find in any Japanese kitchen. But the woman presiding here is not a chef--at least not an ordinary one. She's Nagoya Women's University lecturer Naomi Katayama, and the question she's considering is: What will astronauts eat when the time comes for them to live for extended periods on Mars?
Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are seriously considering the possibility of manned exploration of the Red Planet. Astronauts housed at a base on Mars would not be able to bring all their food with them. They would have to supply their own. Though Japan currently has no plans to independently send people to Mars, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) professor Masamichi Yamashita, along with Katayama and others, are looking into what kind of environment humans can create on Mars, what crops will thrive there, what animals can be raised. Visit http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200708100103.html to view the article.
China to Map "Every Inch" of Moon Surface (Source: Reuters)
China aims to chart every inch of the moon's surface, the chief scientist of the country's first lunar exploration program said. China, which plans to launch a lunar orbiter called "Chang'e One" in the second half of 2007 to take 3D images, would aim to land an unmanned vehicle on its surface by 2010. "Currently, our country's lunar exploration program is divided into three phases -- orbiting the moon, landing on the moon and returning back to Earth," Ouyang said.
Boeing, Local Union Reach Agreement (Source: Florida Today)
Machinist union workers in the space shuttle payload processing program have reached a new contract with Boeing. The three-year agreement affects 92 workers in the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing program at Kennedy Space Center. Meanwhile, roughly 500 workers in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 are still on strike against United Space Alliance, NASA's main shuttle contractor. The company is a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp.
As a result of the resignation of Dr. Edward E. David Jr. as a director of Spacehab, Inc. effective July 31, 2007, the Company received a letter from The NASDAQ Stock Market notifying the Company that it no longer complies with the NASDAQ independent director requirements. Consistent with Marketplace Rule 4350(c)(1), which requires that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors, NASDAQ will provide the Company a cure period in order to regain compliance until the earlier of the Company's next annual shareholder's meeting, or July 31, 2008; or if the next annual shareholder's meeting is held before January 28, 2008, then the Company must evidence compliance no later than January 28, 2008.
Experts Upbeat About Brevard's Economic Future (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center will have fewer jobs after the shuttle's planned retirement in 2010, but the economic consequences for Brevard County aren't entirely bleak. The county has several factors working in its favor, local and outside experts told the Brevard County Commission. First is a partnership between the space industry and local officials, who have pledged to work together to avoid a potential $1.5 billion hit to the local economy.
Factors working in Brevard's favor include: infrastructure and a skilled workforce capable of transitioning to new opportunities in space and technology, such as commercial space flight and space tourism and renewable energy research, officials said. "The opportunity, quite frankly, is there, we just need to get ourselves organized," added Steve Kohler, executive director of Space Florida. About 3,500 shuttle program jobs are expected to be lost, some through retirements, but the new Constellation program will add hundreds of jobs.
One recommended strategy was unified lobbying of state and federal elected officials, and partnering with local universities and community colleges on retraining programs and research opportunities. Brevard officials said they were pleased that most of the strategies already are being employed here, in part because of partnerships formed previously to defend Patrick Air Force Base from closure. "Basically what we have to do is continue on what we have been doing," said Jackie Colon, the commission's chairwoman. "All the players are there."
KSC Cafeteria Lawsuit Settled (Source: Florida Today)
A federal lawsuit that made unappetizing allegations about rancid chicken, poor hygiene and a worker derisively nicknamed "Dirty Finger Al" in space-center cafeterias has been quietly settled. Carolyn Vargas, a former culinary worker who says she was fired after she reported problems with spoiled meat and other food being served to workers at Kennedy Space Center, reached a settlement with Lackmann Culinary Services, a Woodbury, N.Y.-based contractor that operates seven KSC cafeterias. The case was dismissed on June 26 in Orlando after Vargas and Lackmann reached a settlement. Neither party announced the settlement or would discuss the terms.
Editorial: Russia's Space Program - Time for a Change (Source: RIA Novosti)
Two years ago trade show visitors admired a mock-up of Russia's Kliper reusable spacecraft developed by Energia, the flagship corporation of the Russian aerospace industry. The Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) announced that the craft would open up a new chapter in space exploration. A year later, in Farnborough, the Space Agency declared that the Kliper project was as good as finished and announced a marathon program to upgrade the Soyuz craft, which has been around for 50 years. Some attempts were made to reconcile the conflicting plans concerning manned flights to the Moon and Mars, but the situation was not made any clearer.
Now seems to be the time for a showdown, especially since the agency's head Anatoly Perminov will have an excellent opportunity to explain a lot of things. One is, what kind of space program does Russia have? Six months ago, no one questioned that it did indeed have one. There was the Federal Space Program for 2006-2015. Later the Space Agency began talking about prospects for the period until 2040. Are these just sketches of plans that do not call for any great human effort or financing?
Very recently, Space Agency deputy head Vitaly Davydov said that no Moon expeditions were planned until 2015. The Space Agency has given a sober assessment of its possibilities for the period concerned, limiting the lunar program to three research satellites. According to Vitaly Lopota, the newly elected Energia president, the corporation has no money for the Moon program. He thinks, however, that funding will become available if the agency approves an appropriate program. This is a faint hope. But if such a program should see the light of day, how can it be smoothly incorporated into the plans that are already funded?
Companies Line Up to Bid on New GPS (Source: AP)
Defense contractors have lined up to bid on the U.S. Air Force's multibillion-dollar upgrade plan for the Global Positioning System, a satellite network widely used by civilian and military users. Lockheed Martin and Boeing will square off over building the next generation of GPS satellites. The competition formally began last month when the Air Force released its final request for proposals; bids are due Aug. 27. The plan calls for buying an initial installment of eight GPS III satellites, with launches starting in 2013. The goal is a reliable and more accurate GPS system that can keep up with heavy demand from the military and industry.
Japanese Researchers Cook up Martian Menu for Astronauts (Source: Asahi Shimbun)
Brown fried rice, tofu hamburgers, a vegetable-tofu mixture known as shira-ae, miso soup, rice crackers--about 20 food items line the table. Nothing exotic, nothing you wouldn't find in any Japanese kitchen. But the woman presiding here is not a chef--at least not an ordinary one. She's Nagoya Women's University lecturer Naomi Katayama, and the question she's considering is: What will astronauts eat when the time comes for them to live for extended periods on Mars?
Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are seriously considering the possibility of manned exploration of the Red Planet. Astronauts housed at a base on Mars would not be able to bring all their food with them. They would have to supply their own. Though Japan currently has no plans to independently send people to Mars, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) professor Masamichi Yamashita, along with Katayama and others, are looking into what kind of environment humans can create on Mars, what crops will thrive there, what animals can be raised. Visit http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200708100103.html to view the article.
China to Map "Every Inch" of Moon Surface (Source: Reuters)
China aims to chart every inch of the moon's surface, the chief scientist of the country's first lunar exploration program said. China, which plans to launch a lunar orbiter called "Chang'e One" in the second half of 2007 to take 3D images, would aim to land an unmanned vehicle on its surface by 2010. "Currently, our country's lunar exploration program is divided into three phases -- orbiting the moon, landing on the moon and returning back to Earth," Ouyang said.
Boeing, Local Union Reach Agreement (Source: Florida Today)
Machinist union workers in the space shuttle payload processing program have reached a new contract with Boeing. The three-year agreement affects 92 workers in the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing program at Kennedy Space Center. Meanwhile, roughly 500 workers in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 are still on strike against United Space Alliance, NASA's main shuttle contractor. The company is a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp.
August 9 News Items
Embry-Riddle Plans Melbourne Open House for New Management Degree (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle's Space Coast campus will begin a Master of Science in Technical Management (MSTM) program for aerospace/defense industry professionals. The university will sponsor an MSTM open house on Aug. 14, from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. in their branch classroom at 2112 Sarno Road in Melbourne. No RSVP is required. A formal presentation is planned for 6:30 p.m. Email our Space Coast campus at mailto:Space.Coast.Center@erau.edu for information.
What Will Future Lunar Bases Look Like? (Source: New Scientist)
What will future lunar bases look like? NASA's Lunar Architecture Team is looking for the answer - the design must be able to weather a rocket launch and the brutalities of life on the Moon. The team is now weighing several options: an inflatable home that could be packed for launch and then inflated on the Moon's surface using oxygen transported in tanks, a rigid structure, or a combination of both. NASA is expected to make a public announcement about the group's work within the next few weeks. Astronauts could be back on the Moon in 2020. Initially they won't stay for more than a week, but the agency's ultimate goal is to have them spend six-month stints on the Moon. Visit http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12454-what-will-future-lunar-bases-look-like.html to view the article.
DirecTV 2Q Profit Slips 2 Percent (Source: Philadelphia Enquirer)
Satellite broadcaster DirecTV said second-quarter earnings fell 2 percent on a sharp rise in operating costs, although demand for its high-definition services increased. Net income slipped to $448 million, from $459 million a year ago. Net income slipped to $448 million, from $459 million a year ago. Revenue rose 17 percent to $4.14 billion from $3.52 billion last year. The company's total subscribers stood at 16.3 million at the end of the second quarter, up 5 percent from the same period last year.
Mojave Airport to Review Policies After Fatal Blast (Source: Bakersfield.com)
A consulting firm is reviewing policies at Mojave Air & Space Port after an explosion there killed three people last month. The airport has hired Advance Survey Design, LLC, to assess the airport's plans when tenants conduct hazardous tests and its procedures when an incident happens. The airport is paying $40,000 for the firm's work. A three-member team from Advance Survey Design is scheduled to give a final report at the end of August.
Galileo to Support Global Search and Rescue (Source: ESA)
The detection of emergency beacons will be greatly improved by the introduction of Europe's satellite positioning system, Galileo. The Galileo satellites will carry transponders to relay distress signals to search and rescue organizations. In connection with this, representatives of the Galileo project attended the recent 21st annual Joint Committee Meeting of COSPAS-SARSAT, the international program for satellite-aided search and rescue. The partners in Galileo are committed to developing the Galileo search and rescue component as an integral part of MEOSAR, the future worldwide search and rescue satellite system.
WUSTL Students Excel in National Satellite Competition (Source: WUSTL)
A Washington University in St. Loluis (WUSTL) team took fifth place in the national CanSat competition June 8 in Amarillo, Texas. The competition was for students to design and build a soda-can-sized payload for a large model rocket; the rocket blasted up to about 3,000 feet, where the payload was released and supposed to gently return to Earth. Bonus points were awarded for landing closest to a designated target and for returning panoramic images of the descent. Twenty-seven teams submitted designs for the competition, and 13 showed up with working hardware (plus one high-school team, graded separately).
Space Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off From Florida (Source: Reuters)
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on a pillar of flames on Wednesday, sending a deep rumble across Florida marshlands and carrying among its crew a former teacher who trained for the ill-fated Challenger mission. It was Endeavour's first space mission since before the February 1, 2003 Columbia accident and the second of four missions NASA plans to carry out this year to the $100 billion International Space Station.
Governor Crist Appoints Space Florida Board Members (Source: EOG)
Governor Charlie Crist announced eight appointments to the Space Florida Board of Directors. The board appointments include: Dr. Michael Hickey of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Volusia County; Jimmie Davis Jr. of MITRE Corp. in Leon County; Lloyd Newton, a consultant in Hillsborough County; John H. Walker of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Brevard County; Silas Baker Jr., a retired aerospace executive from Brevard County; Van Bogan of Florida Bank of Commerce in Orange County; Gary Kompothecras of Physicians Group LLC in Sarasota County; and Graham Webb of Pratt & Whitney in Palm Beach County.
NASA Sponsors Engineering Design Challenge for Lunar Plant Growth Chamber (Source: NASA)
As space shuttle Endeavour and 10 million cinnamon basil seeds are set to launch on a mission to the International Space Station, NASA has opened registration for the K-12 Lunar Plant Growth Chamber challenge. Students participating in the challenge will design and build their own greenhouse chambers to analyze and study plant growth from the space-flown seeds following their return to Earth. Students will conduct classroom experiments that may help NASA find new ways to grow and sustain plants in space and on the moon - a critical need for future space exploration. Educators may learn more and register for the challenge at http://www.nasa.gov/education/plantchallenge.
India Approves $67.5 Million Arianespace Satellite Launch Deal (Source: Reuters)
India's cabinet approved on Thursday the placing of a contract worth up to $67.5 million with European space launch company Arianespace for launching satellites. "This will facilitate the timely launch of GSAT-8/INSAT-4G in 2008/09," Information Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said.
Endeavour Fulfills NASA's Goal of Sending Educator into Space (Source: AIA)
The U.S. space program has finally fulfilled its goal of sending a teacher into orbit. Teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan and the other crew members of Endeavour reached orbit Thursday and are scheduled to dock at the International Space Station Friday afternoon. Morgan will speak with students in Idaho halfway through the flight.
Wallops Research Park Plans Progressing (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
Accomack County took the first step Wednesday toward completing requirements to obtain a grant for a workforce training center and business incubator at Wallops Research Park, near the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. A sparsely attended informational meeting was the first of seven activities to be completed before Sept. 7 in order to obtain a Virginia Community Development Block Grant to pay for a feasibility study for the training center. There are two buildings on the premises already -- NASA's Payload Processing Facility and the Marine Science Consortium's cafeteria. Additional structures already planned for the park include an office building for Northrop Grumman -- a contractor for the U.S. Navy -- and a building for BaySys Technologies, a local aircraft design and engineering company.
Polk Teacher Is Shooting for the Stars (Source: Lakeland Ledger)
An empty bulletin board gives Janice Katz another opportunity to educate her students about a favorite subject of hers - space. Katz, 29, a kindergarten teacher at Davenport School of the Arts, knows it can be difficult to get students interested in subjects such as space. To get students involved, "I think we have to expose them to it," said Katz. The launch Endeavour with former teacher Barbara R. Morgan on board was exciting and inspirational to Katz, her husband Jason and to June High, all Polk County teachers who have attended space camp. All three watched the launch first hand and all three want to incorporate space travel into their work with students.
Loral Reports Financial Results (Source: Loral)
Loral's total consolidated revenue for the second quarter of 2007 rose 17 percent to $226 million from $193 million in the same period last year. For the first half of 2007, Loral's revenue totaled $447 million, a 22 percent increase over the $365 million reported in the first six months of 2006. Loral's second quarter. Loral's operating loss for the second quarter was $15 million, compared to $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2006. For the first six months of 2007, Loral reported an operating loss of $27 million, versus $7 million for the same period in 2006. Loral reported net income of $21 million in the second quarter and $4 million for the six months ending June 30, 2007. Loral reported a net loss of $11 million and $27 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2006, respectively.
Embry-Riddle's Space Coast campus will begin a Master of Science in Technical Management (MSTM) program for aerospace/defense industry professionals. The university will sponsor an MSTM open house on Aug. 14, from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. in their branch classroom at 2112 Sarno Road in Melbourne. No RSVP is required. A formal presentation is planned for 6:30 p.m. Email our Space Coast campus at mailto:Space.Coast.Center@erau.edu for information.
What Will Future Lunar Bases Look Like? (Source: New Scientist)
What will future lunar bases look like? NASA's Lunar Architecture Team is looking for the answer - the design must be able to weather a rocket launch and the brutalities of life on the Moon. The team is now weighing several options: an inflatable home that could be packed for launch and then inflated on the Moon's surface using oxygen transported in tanks, a rigid structure, or a combination of both. NASA is expected to make a public announcement about the group's work within the next few weeks. Astronauts could be back on the Moon in 2020. Initially they won't stay for more than a week, but the agency's ultimate goal is to have them spend six-month stints on the Moon. Visit http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn12454-what-will-future-lunar-bases-look-like.html to view the article.
DirecTV 2Q Profit Slips 2 Percent (Source: Philadelphia Enquirer)
Satellite broadcaster DirecTV said second-quarter earnings fell 2 percent on a sharp rise in operating costs, although demand for its high-definition services increased. Net income slipped to $448 million, from $459 million a year ago. Net income slipped to $448 million, from $459 million a year ago. Revenue rose 17 percent to $4.14 billion from $3.52 billion last year. The company's total subscribers stood at 16.3 million at the end of the second quarter, up 5 percent from the same period last year.
Mojave Airport to Review Policies After Fatal Blast (Source: Bakersfield.com)
A consulting firm is reviewing policies at Mojave Air & Space Port after an explosion there killed three people last month. The airport has hired Advance Survey Design, LLC, to assess the airport's plans when tenants conduct hazardous tests and its procedures when an incident happens. The airport is paying $40,000 for the firm's work. A three-member team from Advance Survey Design is scheduled to give a final report at the end of August.
Galileo to Support Global Search and Rescue (Source: ESA)
The detection of emergency beacons will be greatly improved by the introduction of Europe's satellite positioning system, Galileo. The Galileo satellites will carry transponders to relay distress signals to search and rescue organizations. In connection with this, representatives of the Galileo project attended the recent 21st annual Joint Committee Meeting of COSPAS-SARSAT, the international program for satellite-aided search and rescue. The partners in Galileo are committed to developing the Galileo search and rescue component as an integral part of MEOSAR, the future worldwide search and rescue satellite system.
WUSTL Students Excel in National Satellite Competition (Source: WUSTL)
A Washington University in St. Loluis (WUSTL) team took fifth place in the national CanSat competition June 8 in Amarillo, Texas. The competition was for students to design and build a soda-can-sized payload for a large model rocket; the rocket blasted up to about 3,000 feet, where the payload was released and supposed to gently return to Earth. Bonus points were awarded for landing closest to a designated target and for returning panoramic images of the descent. Twenty-seven teams submitted designs for the competition, and 13 showed up with working hardware (plus one high-school team, graded separately).
Space Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off From Florida (Source: Reuters)
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on a pillar of flames on Wednesday, sending a deep rumble across Florida marshlands and carrying among its crew a former teacher who trained for the ill-fated Challenger mission. It was Endeavour's first space mission since before the February 1, 2003 Columbia accident and the second of four missions NASA plans to carry out this year to the $100 billion International Space Station.
Governor Crist Appoints Space Florida Board Members (Source: EOG)
Governor Charlie Crist announced eight appointments to the Space Florida Board of Directors. The board appointments include: Dr. Michael Hickey of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Volusia County; Jimmie Davis Jr. of MITRE Corp. in Leon County; Lloyd Newton, a consultant in Hillsborough County; John H. Walker of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Brevard County; Silas Baker Jr., a retired aerospace executive from Brevard County; Van Bogan of Florida Bank of Commerce in Orange County; Gary Kompothecras of Physicians Group LLC in Sarasota County; and Graham Webb of Pratt & Whitney in Palm Beach County.
NASA Sponsors Engineering Design Challenge for Lunar Plant Growth Chamber (Source: NASA)
As space shuttle Endeavour and 10 million cinnamon basil seeds are set to launch on a mission to the International Space Station, NASA has opened registration for the K-12 Lunar Plant Growth Chamber challenge. Students participating in the challenge will design and build their own greenhouse chambers to analyze and study plant growth from the space-flown seeds following their return to Earth. Students will conduct classroom experiments that may help NASA find new ways to grow and sustain plants in space and on the moon - a critical need for future space exploration. Educators may learn more and register for the challenge at http://www.nasa.gov/education/plantchallenge.
India Approves $67.5 Million Arianespace Satellite Launch Deal (Source: Reuters)
India's cabinet approved on Thursday the placing of a contract worth up to $67.5 million with European space launch company Arianespace for launching satellites. "This will facilitate the timely launch of GSAT-8/INSAT-4G in 2008/09," Information Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said.
Endeavour Fulfills NASA's Goal of Sending Educator into Space (Source: AIA)
The U.S. space program has finally fulfilled its goal of sending a teacher into orbit. Teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan and the other crew members of Endeavour reached orbit Thursday and are scheduled to dock at the International Space Station Friday afternoon. Morgan will speak with students in Idaho halfway through the flight.
Wallops Research Park Plans Progressing (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
Accomack County took the first step Wednesday toward completing requirements to obtain a grant for a workforce training center and business incubator at Wallops Research Park, near the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. A sparsely attended informational meeting was the first of seven activities to be completed before Sept. 7 in order to obtain a Virginia Community Development Block Grant to pay for a feasibility study for the training center. There are two buildings on the premises already -- NASA's Payload Processing Facility and the Marine Science Consortium's cafeteria. Additional structures already planned for the park include an office building for Northrop Grumman -- a contractor for the U.S. Navy -- and a building for BaySys Technologies, a local aircraft design and engineering company.
Polk Teacher Is Shooting for the Stars (Source: Lakeland Ledger)
An empty bulletin board gives Janice Katz another opportunity to educate her students about a favorite subject of hers - space. Katz, 29, a kindergarten teacher at Davenport School of the Arts, knows it can be difficult to get students interested in subjects such as space. To get students involved, "I think we have to expose them to it," said Katz. The launch Endeavour with former teacher Barbara R. Morgan on board was exciting and inspirational to Katz, her husband Jason and to June High, all Polk County teachers who have attended space camp. All three watched the launch first hand and all three want to incorporate space travel into their work with students.
Loral Reports Financial Results (Source: Loral)
Loral's total consolidated revenue for the second quarter of 2007 rose 17 percent to $226 million from $193 million in the same period last year. For the first half of 2007, Loral's revenue totaled $447 million, a 22 percent increase over the $365 million reported in the first six months of 2006. Loral's second quarter. Loral's operating loss for the second quarter was $15 million, compared to $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2006. For the first six months of 2007, Loral reported an operating loss of $27 million, versus $7 million for the same period in 2006. Loral reported net income of $21 million in the second quarter and $4 million for the six months ending June 30, 2007. Loral reported a net loss of $11 million and $27 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2006, respectively.
August 8 News Items
Calvert Pressing Ahead on NASA Sponsorship Bill (Source: SpacePolitics.com)
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) plans to introduce the NASA Innovation Fund and Sponsorship Act in September, when Congress reconvenes after the summer recess. The general intent of the bill is to encourage NASA to solicit, review, and select sponsorship proposals from the private sector. The money from those deals would go into an Innovation Fund that would be used to support prize competitions. Calvert said he modeled this approach after the National Park Foundation, a private organization chartered by Congress to support the national park system “by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness.”
Calvert emphasized in his essay that the legislation would “explicitly prohibit product placement on NASA assets that the public would find objectionable or inappropriate”, citing examples like “decals on the space shuttles” and “blinking neon lights” on the ISS. How is “objectionable or inappropriate” defined? Calvert said the bill would create a seven-person Sponsorship Board that would review proposals; its membership would include the NASA administrator, NASA strategic communications chief, and “five private citizens who have a stake in NASA’s reputation and future”. Sponsorship proposals would also have to have some kind of educational component as well.
Planting a Garden in Space (Source: Wisconsin State Journal)
Plant-growth chambers made by a Madison company are journeying into space aboard Endeavour on its mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle will take along two Astro Garden units produced by the Madison-based Orbital Technologies Corp., also known as Orbitec, so astronauts can enjoy a space version of recreational gardening as they continue construction of the station. The plant chambers will remain on the space station after the shuttle returns to Earth. The astronauts "like seeing green and the smells coming off the aromatic plants, " said Orbitec senior scientist Bob Morrow.
ESA Plans Second Generation Galileo Satellites (Source: Flight International)
Four years before its first generation is operational, the European Space Agency is preparing to develop the next-generation Galileo satellite navigation system. Under ESA's Global Navigation Satellite System Evolutions program, the agency's industrial partners will investigate how to develop Galileo for a range of new uses and capabilities including improved accuracy, service coverage and resistance to interference. The deployment timeframe for the next generation Galileo capabilities is 2015-2025.
Astronomers Discovered Largest Known Exoplanet (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Astronomers have discovered an extrasolar planet with the largest radius measured to date, making the planet's density unexpectedly low. The planet, designated TrES-4, closely orbits the star GSC02620-00648, 1,435 light-years away. The planet was discovered by detecting periodic decreases in the star's brightness as the planet transited the star's disk as seen from Earth. Those studies found that the planet has a radius 1.67 times that of Jupiter, the largest radius of any planet so far measured. Separate observations found that the planet's mass is only 0.84 times that of Jupiter, giving the planet a density of 0.22 grams per cubic centimeter, too low to be explained by current models of giant planets.
NASA Picks Up the Pace for Shuttle Missions (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
NASA has five shuttle missions planned between August and the end of April 2008, including this month's Endeavour launch, as it rushes to finish the International Space Station before the orbiters are retired in 2010.
Human Failings Serve as NASA Wake-up Call (Source: MSNBC)
Over the past few months, space engineers have been forcibly reminded that booster seals and wing panels aren't the only things that can crack in space: Humans can, too. To the embarrassment of NASA officials, and to the glee of far too many outside cynics, the public has been treated to a ghastly parade of human failings from space workers that might have led to disaster if they occurred during flight: February's story of a love triangle gone wrong, which resulted in the arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak; a murder-suicide at NASA's Johnson Space Center; and last month's tales of heavy alcohol use in the astronaut corps.
Still more stories circulate among the astronauts themselves. One account focuses on a spaceflier who had a detached retina corrected "on the outside" without NASA's knowledge. Another story tells of a veteran shuttle commander who should have been disqualified on medical grounds, but was allowed one last flight when the medical team acquiesced. Visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20167011/ to view the article.
Yashat Deal Valued at $1.66 Billion (Source: Space News)
Abu Dhabi's new Yahsat venture has signed a contract valued at $1.66 billion with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space of Europe to build a two-satellite telecommunications system for military and civilian users, the two satellite contractors announced Aug. 8.
Inmarsat Execs Detail Alphasat Investment (Source: Space News)
Mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat will spend around $350 million on the Alphasat program partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). In return, the company will get early access to a next-generation mobile communications platform and a 30 percent increase in the L-band spectrum it can use to serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Inmarsat Shifts Next Satellite to Proton Launcher (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Inmarsat has signed a contract with International Launch Services to launch its next satellite on a Proton next year. The contract will allow the Inmarsat 4 F3 satellite to launch in March or April of 2008 on a Proton M. Inmarsat had a contract with Lockheed Martin for an Atlas 5 launch of the spacecraft, but the Atlas manifest could not secure a launch slot until early 2009. Inmarsat will retain the Atlas 5 launch reservation, but possibly sell it to another company. The announcement came the same day that Inmarsat announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2007, with revenues of $143.4 million, up 15.5% over the same quarter of 2006.
Harris Reports 22% Rise in Revenue (Source: Florida Today)
Melbourne-based Harris Corp. reported a record in annual sales and a substantial increase in profit. The company, with 6,700 employees in Brevard, said that for its fiscal year 2007 — which ended June 29 — revenue was $4.24 billion, a 22 percent increase over 2006. Net profit was $480.4 million, compared with $237.9 million in the prior fiscal year.
Embry-Riddle Alumnus Flies Aboard Endeavour to Space Station (Source: ERAU)
Col. Benjamin Alvin Drew, an Embry-Riddle alumnus, will make his rookie flight aboard this week's Endeavour STS-118 mission to space. Drew was asked in an interview how important it is for young people to be interested in exploration and in acquiring the skills that it will take to explore the universe farther. He responded, “Interest from people in school right now and young people is absolutely vital … it’s a lifeblood having new people coming up with new ideas and new innovations.” Drew, who earned a Master of Aerospace Science degree from Embry-Riddle in 1990, will fly with another rookie astronaut, elementary school teacher Barbara Morgan. He takes with him the hopes and dreams of Embry-Riddle’s 35,000 students from around the world and coast to coast, who will watch in awe as he represents their own aspirations in aviation and aerospace exploration.
NSS Space Coast Chapter Supports Launch (Source: NSS)
The Space Coast chapter of the National Space Society will promote the STS-118 launch to hundreds of launch
viewers at Spaceview Park in Titusville.
Space Club Honors Pioneers (Source: Florida Today)
A former Kennedy Space Center director, a steely-eyed missile man and one of the only surviving members of the Bumper launch team will be honored next week in Cocoa Beach. The National Space Club's Florida Committee will give Jay Honeycutt, Charles Murphy and Norris Gray the group's 2007 Lifetime Achievement Awards during a luncheon Aug. 14 at the Doubletree Oceanfront Hotel. Tickets for the luncheon still are available. RSVP by Thursday. Contact LaDonna Neterer at 321-867-0895 or e-mail her at mailto:LaDonna.J.Neterer@boeing.com
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) plans to introduce the NASA Innovation Fund and Sponsorship Act in September, when Congress reconvenes after the summer recess. The general intent of the bill is to encourage NASA to solicit, review, and select sponsorship proposals from the private sector. The money from those deals would go into an Innovation Fund that would be used to support prize competitions. Calvert said he modeled this approach after the National Park Foundation, a private organization chartered by Congress to support the national park system “by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness.”
Calvert emphasized in his essay that the legislation would “explicitly prohibit product placement on NASA assets that the public would find objectionable or inappropriate”, citing examples like “decals on the space shuttles” and “blinking neon lights” on the ISS. How is “objectionable or inappropriate” defined? Calvert said the bill would create a seven-person Sponsorship Board that would review proposals; its membership would include the NASA administrator, NASA strategic communications chief, and “five private citizens who have a stake in NASA’s reputation and future”. Sponsorship proposals would also have to have some kind of educational component as well.
Planting a Garden in Space (Source: Wisconsin State Journal)
Plant-growth chambers made by a Madison company are journeying into space aboard Endeavour on its mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle will take along two Astro Garden units produced by the Madison-based Orbital Technologies Corp., also known as Orbitec, so astronauts can enjoy a space version of recreational gardening as they continue construction of the station. The plant chambers will remain on the space station after the shuttle returns to Earth. The astronauts "like seeing green and the smells coming off the aromatic plants, " said Orbitec senior scientist Bob Morrow.
ESA Plans Second Generation Galileo Satellites (Source: Flight International)
Four years before its first generation is operational, the European Space Agency is preparing to develop the next-generation Galileo satellite navigation system. Under ESA's Global Navigation Satellite System Evolutions program, the agency's industrial partners will investigate how to develop Galileo for a range of new uses and capabilities including improved accuracy, service coverage and resistance to interference. The deployment timeframe for the next generation Galileo capabilities is 2015-2025.
Astronomers Discovered Largest Known Exoplanet (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Astronomers have discovered an extrasolar planet with the largest radius measured to date, making the planet's density unexpectedly low. The planet, designated TrES-4, closely orbits the star GSC02620-00648, 1,435 light-years away. The planet was discovered by detecting periodic decreases in the star's brightness as the planet transited the star's disk as seen from Earth. Those studies found that the planet has a radius 1.67 times that of Jupiter, the largest radius of any planet so far measured. Separate observations found that the planet's mass is only 0.84 times that of Jupiter, giving the planet a density of 0.22 grams per cubic centimeter, too low to be explained by current models of giant planets.
NASA Picks Up the Pace for Shuttle Missions (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
NASA has five shuttle missions planned between August and the end of April 2008, including this month's Endeavour launch, as it rushes to finish the International Space Station before the orbiters are retired in 2010.
Human Failings Serve as NASA Wake-up Call (Source: MSNBC)
Over the past few months, space engineers have been forcibly reminded that booster seals and wing panels aren't the only things that can crack in space: Humans can, too. To the embarrassment of NASA officials, and to the glee of far too many outside cynics, the public has been treated to a ghastly parade of human failings from space workers that might have led to disaster if they occurred during flight: February's story of a love triangle gone wrong, which resulted in the arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak; a murder-suicide at NASA's Johnson Space Center; and last month's tales of heavy alcohol use in the astronaut corps.
Still more stories circulate among the astronauts themselves. One account focuses on a spaceflier who had a detached retina corrected "on the outside" without NASA's knowledge. Another story tells of a veteran shuttle commander who should have been disqualified on medical grounds, but was allowed one last flight when the medical team acquiesced. Visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20167011/ to view the article.
Yashat Deal Valued at $1.66 Billion (Source: Space News)
Abu Dhabi's new Yahsat venture has signed a contract valued at $1.66 billion with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space of Europe to build a two-satellite telecommunications system for military and civilian users, the two satellite contractors announced Aug. 8.
Inmarsat Execs Detail Alphasat Investment (Source: Space News)
Mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat will spend around $350 million on the Alphasat program partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). In return, the company will get early access to a next-generation mobile communications platform and a 30 percent increase in the L-band spectrum it can use to serve Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Inmarsat Shifts Next Satellite to Proton Launcher (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Inmarsat has signed a contract with International Launch Services to launch its next satellite on a Proton next year. The contract will allow the Inmarsat 4 F3 satellite to launch in March or April of 2008 on a Proton M. Inmarsat had a contract with Lockheed Martin for an Atlas 5 launch of the spacecraft, but the Atlas manifest could not secure a launch slot until early 2009. Inmarsat will retain the Atlas 5 launch reservation, but possibly sell it to another company. The announcement came the same day that Inmarsat announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2007, with revenues of $143.4 million, up 15.5% over the same quarter of 2006.
Harris Reports 22% Rise in Revenue (Source: Florida Today)
Melbourne-based Harris Corp. reported a record in annual sales and a substantial increase in profit. The company, with 6,700 employees in Brevard, said that for its fiscal year 2007 — which ended June 29 — revenue was $4.24 billion, a 22 percent increase over 2006. Net profit was $480.4 million, compared with $237.9 million in the prior fiscal year.
Embry-Riddle Alumnus Flies Aboard Endeavour to Space Station (Source: ERAU)
Col. Benjamin Alvin Drew, an Embry-Riddle alumnus, will make his rookie flight aboard this week's Endeavour STS-118 mission to space. Drew was asked in an interview how important it is for young people to be interested in exploration and in acquiring the skills that it will take to explore the universe farther. He responded, “Interest from people in school right now and young people is absolutely vital … it’s a lifeblood having new people coming up with new ideas and new innovations.” Drew, who earned a Master of Aerospace Science degree from Embry-Riddle in 1990, will fly with another rookie astronaut, elementary school teacher Barbara Morgan. He takes with him the hopes and dreams of Embry-Riddle’s 35,000 students from around the world and coast to coast, who will watch in awe as he represents their own aspirations in aviation and aerospace exploration.
NSS Space Coast Chapter Supports Launch (Source: NSS)
The Space Coast chapter of the National Space Society will promote the STS-118 launch to hundreds of launch
viewers at Spaceview Park in Titusville.
Space Club Honors Pioneers (Source: Florida Today)
A former Kennedy Space Center director, a steely-eyed missile man and one of the only surviving members of the Bumper launch team will be honored next week in Cocoa Beach. The National Space Club's Florida Committee will give Jay Honeycutt, Charles Murphy and Norris Gray the group's 2007 Lifetime Achievement Awards during a luncheon Aug. 14 at the Doubletree Oceanfront Hotel. Tickets for the luncheon still are available. RSVP by Thursday. Contact LaDonna Neterer at 321-867-0895 or e-mail her at mailto:LaDonna.J.Neterer@boeing.com
August 7 News Items
NASA Working to Keep Workforce Talent (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
At Monday's Endeavour pre-launch briefing, NASA shuttle-program manager Wayne Hale was looking ahead: "As the program winds down, we want to retain our critical people." NASA is using a combination of financial incentives, employee recognition and career plotting to show thousands of key workers they have a future in the new program, which will replace the 26-year-old shuttle program, he said.
Lockheed Martin Delays Commercial Launch by Six Weeks (Source: ICO)
ICO Global Communications announced that Lockheed Martin has postponed an upcoming ICO month-long launch slot approximately six weeks: from Nov. 1-30 to Dec. 15 - Jan. 15. Lockheed Martin expects that the Eastern Range will identify a date of January 7 or 8 for the launch. Lockheed Martin has indicated that the reason for the postponement is that United Launch Alliance has revised its launch manifest due to a minor Atlas launch anomaly investigation and attendant resolution, coupled with unforeseen spacecraft processing issues that caused delays to the Atlas launches earlier in 2007.
NASA Retools for Moon Trip (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Pad 39B is where an Orion capsule perched on an Ares I rocket is supposed to launch in 2014, kicking off the Constellation program that will return man to the moon. NASA's aging shuttle fleet is not scheduled for retirement until September 2010, but the agency has not waited to start the transition. The first test flight of an Ares rocket is scheduled for April 2009. At KSC, Launch Pad 39B still belongs to the shuttle, but plans are under way to modify it. Once the shuttle program ends, pad 39A will be converted to handle the larger Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle.
Renovations at the Launch Control Center are in full swing too, with Firing Room 1 already gutted for Constellation. With pressure to control the costs of the new program, Constellation will try to make use of as much of the shuttle infrastructure as possible. The massive 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where shuttle components are put together, will be used for Constellation as well. Interior changes will allow access to the rocket and capsule at the right places. The crawlers that move shuttles 31/2 miles to the launch pad, beefed up to handle the weight of an Ares V, also will be used for Constellation.
In another facility down the road, the aluminum skirt at the bottom of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters is being modified for use on the first Ares test flight. Nearby a building once used for the Apollo moon program is being converted by the state to manufacture the Orion capsule, an Apollo look-alike but large enough to carry up to six astronauts into space. And at the Parachute Refurbishment Facility, parachutes from shuttle missions are being repaired, tested and repacked side by side with new parachutes for Ares rockets. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-constellation0707aug07,0,2322745.story to view the article.
Louisiana Governor is Guest for Shuttle Launch (Source: Shreveport Times)
Gov. Kathleen Blanco will attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport scheduled for Wednesday. The governor and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Michael Olivier were invited to observe the launch by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin in appreciation of the governor's and the Legislature's support for NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility's Constellation program.
Iridium Announces Development Partners for 'NEXT' Satellites (Source: Iridium)
Iridium has contracted with seven key partners in the beginning phase of designing and developing its "Iridium NEXT" satellite constellation. These first partners -- Avaliant, Boeing, General Dynamics, KinetX, MicroSat Systems, Inc. (MSI) and Trident Sensors -- will work with Iridium on systems engineering, requirements definition and architecture development. Today's Iridium constellation provides the only mobile voice/data satellite service covering the entire earth. NEXT will offer high-bandwidth data to voice and short messaging services, enabling new applications for commercial and government users. Iridium will also engineer the network to support communications with other space-based assets.
ILS to Launch Inmarsat Satellite on Proton Vehicle Next Spring (Source: ILS)
International Launch Services and Inmarsat announced a contract for launch of the Inmarsat 4-F3 satellite on a Proton Breeze M vehicle in early 2008. Launch from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan is planned for the March-April time period. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Enhanced Proton has the capability to lift payloads exceeding 6 metric tons.
Florida Executives Look Forward to DayJet Launch (Source: AIA)
DayJet, a startup airline that will serve small airports in Florida with a fleet of very light jets, has gotten the attention of area business leaders before its planes have even left the ground. Corporate fliers hope the commercial carrier will be a good alternative to expensive charter flights.
Romney Talks Space (Source: ERAU)
During a luncheon on the Space Coast, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney expressed his support for space exploration as a national requirement to maintain U.S. technological leadership. He noted, however, that President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration may not be the same as one he would pursue if elected. He also advocated an 'Apollo-like' energy program aimed at reducing national dependence on foreign oil.
Orion Landings to be Splashdowns - KSC Buildings to be Demolished (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
NASA Constellation and Lockheed Martin have deleted the airbag landing system from the next Orion design cycle (Orion 607) in a weight saving measure, opting to return to an Apollo-style splashdown for the vehicle's end of mission. Meanwhile, a list of shuttle facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that will be demolished between 2010 and 2012 - including all three Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPFs) - has been produced.
Evaluations have concluded that all three OPF's will be demolished between 2010 and 2012, in addition to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility (HMF) and SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) work shop. At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the shuttle specific landing aids will be taken down in addition to the Orbiter Mate-Demate Device. Some facilities that may be modified to support Constellation include the STS Flight Simulator (Orion simulators), Space Station Processing Facility (Station support until de-orbit and possible use for Orion processing), and the Payload Canister Rotation Facility. Their fates are currently classed as 'undecided.'
NASA Disputes Report on Orion Landing Approach (Source: NASA Watch)
There are some reports and rumors circulating that NASA has decided to redesign the Orion spacecraft to land in water only - and not on land with airbags. According to a short statement from NASA PAO to NASAWatch.com - one corroborated with ESMD (specifically, with ESMD Deputy AA Doug Cooke): "NASA has not abandoned the concept of land re-entries. The decision has not been made."
Russia’s Oligarchs Eager to Join the Space League (Source: Kommersant)
Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, is going through a few applications of wealthy Russians willing to become space tourists. The first Russian may go off on the space journey as the self-funded tourist already in the fall of next year. The person's name will be known no sooner than financial terms of the flight are approved. Space Adventures has already booked two flights for foreign space tourists at Soyuz spaceships to be launched in the fall of 2008 and 2009. Not long ago, Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson announced that his company had a few potential candidates for self-funded space tourism, but there were no Russians on his list.
NASA, Microsoft Launch Collaboration With Immersive Photography (Source: NASA)
NASA and Microsoft have released an interactive, 3-D photographic collection of the space shuttle Endeavour preparing for its mission to the International Space Station. People around the world can view hundreds of high resolution photographs of Endeavour, Launch Pad 39A, and the Vehicle Assembly Building in a unique 3-D viewer. The online experience uses hundreds of photographs and a photo imaging technology called Photosynth. Using a click-and-drag interface, viewers can zoom in to see intimate details of the shuttle booster rockets or zoom out for a more global view of the launch facility. The software uses photographs from standard digital cameras to construct a 3-D view that can be navigated and explored online. Visit http://labs.live.com.
At Monday's Endeavour pre-launch briefing, NASA shuttle-program manager Wayne Hale was looking ahead: "As the program winds down, we want to retain our critical people." NASA is using a combination of financial incentives, employee recognition and career plotting to show thousands of key workers they have a future in the new program, which will replace the 26-year-old shuttle program, he said.
Lockheed Martin Delays Commercial Launch by Six Weeks (Source: ICO)
ICO Global Communications announced that Lockheed Martin has postponed an upcoming ICO month-long launch slot approximately six weeks: from Nov. 1-30 to Dec. 15 - Jan. 15. Lockheed Martin expects that the Eastern Range will identify a date of January 7 or 8 for the launch. Lockheed Martin has indicated that the reason for the postponement is that United Launch Alliance has revised its launch manifest due to a minor Atlas launch anomaly investigation and attendant resolution, coupled with unforeseen spacecraft processing issues that caused delays to the Atlas launches earlier in 2007.
NASA Retools for Moon Trip (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Pad 39B is where an Orion capsule perched on an Ares I rocket is supposed to launch in 2014, kicking off the Constellation program that will return man to the moon. NASA's aging shuttle fleet is not scheduled for retirement until September 2010, but the agency has not waited to start the transition. The first test flight of an Ares rocket is scheduled for April 2009. At KSC, Launch Pad 39B still belongs to the shuttle, but plans are under way to modify it. Once the shuttle program ends, pad 39A will be converted to handle the larger Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle.
Renovations at the Launch Control Center are in full swing too, with Firing Room 1 already gutted for Constellation. With pressure to control the costs of the new program, Constellation will try to make use of as much of the shuttle infrastructure as possible. The massive 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where shuttle components are put together, will be used for Constellation as well. Interior changes will allow access to the rocket and capsule at the right places. The crawlers that move shuttles 31/2 miles to the launch pad, beefed up to handle the weight of an Ares V, also will be used for Constellation.
In another facility down the road, the aluminum skirt at the bottom of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters is being modified for use on the first Ares test flight. Nearby a building once used for the Apollo moon program is being converted by the state to manufacture the Orion capsule, an Apollo look-alike but large enough to carry up to six astronauts into space. And at the Parachute Refurbishment Facility, parachutes from shuttle missions are being repaired, tested and repacked side by side with new parachutes for Ares rockets. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-constellation0707aug07,0,2322745.story to view the article.
Louisiana Governor is Guest for Shuttle Launch (Source: Shreveport Times)
Gov. Kathleen Blanco will attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport scheduled for Wednesday. The governor and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Michael Olivier were invited to observe the launch by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin in appreciation of the governor's and the Legislature's support for NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility's Constellation program.
Iridium Announces Development Partners for 'NEXT' Satellites (Source: Iridium)
Iridium has contracted with seven key partners in the beginning phase of designing and developing its "Iridium NEXT" satellite constellation. These first partners -- Avaliant, Boeing, General Dynamics, KinetX, MicroSat Systems, Inc. (MSI) and Trident Sensors -- will work with Iridium on systems engineering, requirements definition and architecture development. Today's Iridium constellation provides the only mobile voice/data satellite service covering the entire earth. NEXT will offer high-bandwidth data to voice and short messaging services, enabling new applications for commercial and government users. Iridium will also engineer the network to support communications with other space-based assets.
ILS to Launch Inmarsat Satellite on Proton Vehicle Next Spring (Source: ILS)
International Launch Services and Inmarsat announced a contract for launch of the Inmarsat 4-F3 satellite on a Proton Breeze M vehicle in early 2008. Launch from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan is planned for the March-April time period. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Enhanced Proton has the capability to lift payloads exceeding 6 metric tons.
Florida Executives Look Forward to DayJet Launch (Source: AIA)
DayJet, a startup airline that will serve small airports in Florida with a fleet of very light jets, has gotten the attention of area business leaders before its planes have even left the ground. Corporate fliers hope the commercial carrier will be a good alternative to expensive charter flights.
Romney Talks Space (Source: ERAU)
During a luncheon on the Space Coast, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney expressed his support for space exploration as a national requirement to maintain U.S. technological leadership. He noted, however, that President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration may not be the same as one he would pursue if elected. He also advocated an 'Apollo-like' energy program aimed at reducing national dependence on foreign oil.
Orion Landings to be Splashdowns - KSC Buildings to be Demolished (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
NASA Constellation and Lockheed Martin have deleted the airbag landing system from the next Orion design cycle (Orion 607) in a weight saving measure, opting to return to an Apollo-style splashdown for the vehicle's end of mission. Meanwhile, a list of shuttle facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that will be demolished between 2010 and 2012 - including all three Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPFs) - has been produced.
Evaluations have concluded that all three OPF's will be demolished between 2010 and 2012, in addition to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility (HMF) and SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) work shop. At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the shuttle specific landing aids will be taken down in addition to the Orbiter Mate-Demate Device. Some facilities that may be modified to support Constellation include the STS Flight Simulator (Orion simulators), Space Station Processing Facility (Station support until de-orbit and possible use for Orion processing), and the Payload Canister Rotation Facility. Their fates are currently classed as 'undecided.'
NASA Disputes Report on Orion Landing Approach (Source: NASA Watch)
There are some reports and rumors circulating that NASA has decided to redesign the Orion spacecraft to land in water only - and not on land with airbags. According to a short statement from NASA PAO to NASAWatch.com - one corroborated with ESMD (specifically, with ESMD Deputy AA Doug Cooke): "NASA has not abandoned the concept of land re-entries. The decision has not been made."
Russia’s Oligarchs Eager to Join the Space League (Source: Kommersant)
Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, is going through a few applications of wealthy Russians willing to become space tourists. The first Russian may go off on the space journey as the self-funded tourist already in the fall of next year. The person's name will be known no sooner than financial terms of the flight are approved. Space Adventures has already booked two flights for foreign space tourists at Soyuz spaceships to be launched in the fall of 2008 and 2009. Not long ago, Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson announced that his company had a few potential candidates for self-funded space tourism, but there were no Russians on his list.
NASA, Microsoft Launch Collaboration With Immersive Photography (Source: NASA)
NASA and Microsoft have released an interactive, 3-D photographic collection of the space shuttle Endeavour preparing for its mission to the International Space Station. People around the world can view hundreds of high resolution photographs of Endeavour, Launch Pad 39A, and the Vehicle Assembly Building in a unique 3-D viewer. The online experience uses hundreds of photographs and a photo imaging technology called Photosynth. Using a click-and-drag interface, viewers can zoom in to see intimate details of the shuttle booster rockets or zoom out for a more global view of the launch facility. The software uses photographs from standard digital cameras to construct a 3-D view that can be navigated and explored online. Visit http://labs.live.com.
August 6 News Items
Diversifying Our Planetary Portfolio (Source: Space Review)
A recent article suggests that humanity has less than a half-century to establish a permanent presence beyond Earth. Nader Elhefnawy argues that a truly self-sufficient space colony will require revisiting the industrial technologies and techniques in common use today. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/927/1 to view the article.
Endeavour Launch Countdown Begins (Source: WESH)
NASA has begun the countdown for the launch of Endeavour after completing one final test to make sure the space shuttle's crew cabin is airtight. NASA test director Stephen Payne said: "The team is ready. Endeavour is ready." Meteorologists are predicting a 70 percent chance of good weather for the early evening launch.
To Infinity and Back (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
As space shuttle astronauts prepare to launch aboard Endeavor on Wednesday, hundreds of regular folks are learning what it feels like to blast off. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex spent three years and $60-million to build the new Shuttle Launch Experience ride to give tourists a deeper understanding of the ferocious power that launches humans into orbit. Visit http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/06/State/To_infinity_and_back.shtml to view the article.
SpaceTEC Puts Space in Reach, Can Help NASA (Source: Florida Today)
When NASA retires its shuttle fleet as expected in 2010, Florida likely will dive into the space tourism market as a way to offset lost jobs -- including possible flights from Cape Canaveral. But will industry be prepared? One of the challenges will be rounding up super-skilled technicians who can tweak the nuts and twist the bolts of the newest space vehicles with speed and accuracy. With the potential of hundreds of civilians heading into the final frontier, space industry experts are saying technicians need to be certified, along the lines of an airline mechanic who is required to meet increasingly tough industry standards.
Enter SpaceTEC, the first and only technician certification program in the country. "We are so far ahead that it will be hard to catch up," said SpaceTEC Program Manager Frank Margiotta. "We're expecting the market to expand -- on a large scale." SpaceTEC is a consortium of 11 colleges [including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University] with hub operations at Brevard Community College. It aims to educate students whose expertise is needed in the construction and processing of spacecraft.
In its new, groundbreaking certification refresher course, students from around the world can brush up on industry requirements and be tested in a three-part exam. For students who need more than a refresher, SpaceTEC and its member colleges offer a two-year aerospace technician program. The program is endorsed by space industry leaders such as NASA, Boeing and Kennedy Space Center, whose experts sit on SpaceTEC's advisory board and help define the needed skills.
Thailand Plans Satellite Launch in November (Source: AFP)
Thailand plans to launch its first environmental satellite in November to help officials survey natural resources, cope with disasters and even fight drug trafficking. The Theos satellite, whose name stands for Thailand Earth Observation Systems, has been under study and construction for two years.
Japanese Satellite to be Launched by Russia in September (Source: Interfax)
A Russian Proton-M rocket will put into orbit the Japanese telecom satellite JCSAT-11 from the Baikonur spaceport on September 6. The satellite belongs to JSAT Corporation. As of July 1, the corporation had eight satellites in orbit. Proton-M rockets will perform six commercial launches this year.
A recent article suggests that humanity has less than a half-century to establish a permanent presence beyond Earth. Nader Elhefnawy argues that a truly self-sufficient space colony will require revisiting the industrial technologies and techniques in common use today. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/927/1 to view the article.
Endeavour Launch Countdown Begins (Source: WESH)
NASA has begun the countdown for the launch of Endeavour after completing one final test to make sure the space shuttle's crew cabin is airtight. NASA test director Stephen Payne said: "The team is ready. Endeavour is ready." Meteorologists are predicting a 70 percent chance of good weather for the early evening launch.
To Infinity and Back (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
As space shuttle astronauts prepare to launch aboard Endeavor on Wednesday, hundreds of regular folks are learning what it feels like to blast off. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex spent three years and $60-million to build the new Shuttle Launch Experience ride to give tourists a deeper understanding of the ferocious power that launches humans into orbit. Visit http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/06/State/To_infinity_and_back.shtml to view the article.
SpaceTEC Puts Space in Reach, Can Help NASA (Source: Florida Today)
When NASA retires its shuttle fleet as expected in 2010, Florida likely will dive into the space tourism market as a way to offset lost jobs -- including possible flights from Cape Canaveral. But will industry be prepared? One of the challenges will be rounding up super-skilled technicians who can tweak the nuts and twist the bolts of the newest space vehicles with speed and accuracy. With the potential of hundreds of civilians heading into the final frontier, space industry experts are saying technicians need to be certified, along the lines of an airline mechanic who is required to meet increasingly tough industry standards.
Enter SpaceTEC, the first and only technician certification program in the country. "We are so far ahead that it will be hard to catch up," said SpaceTEC Program Manager Frank Margiotta. "We're expecting the market to expand -- on a large scale." SpaceTEC is a consortium of 11 colleges [including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University] with hub operations at Brevard Community College. It aims to educate students whose expertise is needed in the construction and processing of spacecraft.
In its new, groundbreaking certification refresher course, students from around the world can brush up on industry requirements and be tested in a three-part exam. For students who need more than a refresher, SpaceTEC and its member colleges offer a two-year aerospace technician program. The program is endorsed by space industry leaders such as NASA, Boeing and Kennedy Space Center, whose experts sit on SpaceTEC's advisory board and help define the needed skills.
Thailand Plans Satellite Launch in November (Source: AFP)
Thailand plans to launch its first environmental satellite in November to help officials survey natural resources, cope with disasters and even fight drug trafficking. The Theos satellite, whose name stands for Thailand Earth Observation Systems, has been under study and construction for two years.
Japanese Satellite to be Launched by Russia in September (Source: Interfax)
A Russian Proton-M rocket will put into orbit the Japanese telecom satellite JCSAT-11 from the Baikonur spaceport on September 6. The satellite belongs to JSAT Corporation. As of July 1, the corporation had eight satellites in orbit. Proton-M rockets will perform six commercial launches this year.
August 5 News Items
Website Opens the Door on Brevard County Space Heritage (Source: Florida today)
Space buffs hungry for knowledge of local space history have a new portal to explore. A Website developed by students and faculty at the University of Central Florida (http://132.170.190.41/cchp/index.html) takes online viewers back to the earliest days of the space industry in Brevard, starting in the 1950s, and features historical documents, photos and links to video clips. The site was funded by a $25,000 grant from the Florida Bureau of Historical Preservation -- which rightly recognized the incalculable value of chronicling the Space Coast's unique heritage. Project leader Lori Walters is looking for volunteers to contribute oral histories. Walters is also interested in borrowing digital documents or photos to be scanned into the site.
House Approves NASA Anniversary Coins (Source: CollectSpace.com)
The House of Representatives voted to authorize the U.S. Mint to strike coins in 2008 honoring the 50th anniversary of NASA. The bill specifically requires the theme of four of the nine silver coins. The "Earth" coin would depict the Mercury, Gemini and Space Shuttle missions and other manned Earth-orbiting missions, and the Apollo missions to the Moon. The "Jupiter" coin would include images of both a past and future mission to Europa as well as a scientifically accurate depiction of the Galilean moon. The "Saturn" coin will honor past and future missions to one of its moons, Titan. The "Pluto and other dwarf planets" coin would include a design emblematic of telescopic exploration of deep space. The bill further calls for proceeds from the public sale of the coins to go to organizations that encourage science literacy, preserve space history, and that provide for the families of fallen NASA personnel.
Why America Needs to Explore Space (Source: Parade)
For millennia, people have looked up to the night sky and wondered about our place in the universe. But not until the 17th century was any serious thought given to the prospect of traveling there. John Wilkins, speculated in 1638 that the moon would be habitable one day and imagined “a flying chariot in which a man may sit.” Three hundred thirty-one years later, humans did indeed land on the moon, aboard a chariot called Apollo 11. That enterprise drove a half-century of unprecedented wealth and prosperity that today we take for granted. Now, as our interest in science wanes, America is poised to fall behind the rest of the industrialized world in every measure of technological proficiency.
For the last 30 years, more and more students in America’s science and engineering graduate schools have been foreign-born. They would come to the U.S., earn their degrees and stay, directly entering the high-tech workforce. Today, with emerging economic opportunities back in India, China and Eastern Europe, many graduates simply return home. Visit http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_08-05-2007/Space to view the article.
New Energia Chief Vows to Stabilize Company Finances (Source: Space News)
The newly elected president of Rocket Space Corporation Energia, Russia's lead contractor on the international space station, has vowed emergency measures to avert a financial meltdown that he said was looming due to the practices of his now-deposed predecessor.
Radyne Closes AeroAstro Deal, But Still Open to Takeover Bids (Source: Space News)
Satellite ground equipment manufacturer Radyne Corp. completed Aug. 2 its acquisition of small-satellite builder AeroAstro, a purchase that Radyne managers say is part of a broader growth strategy that is superior to any takeover offer they have received. Phoenix-based Radyne remains open to takeover proposals but has not seen any credible offers similar to what its largest shareholder insists are available to Radyne if the company would only look for them.
FAA Defers to California Authority in Spaceport Mishap Inquiry (Source: Space News)
The July 26 test stand accident that killed three Scaled Composites employees on a propulsion system for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is expected to be no more than a temporary setback for the emerging personal space flight industry. The FAA office in charge of licensing private space flight operators, including New Mexico-based Virgin Galactic, is treating the test stand mishap as an industrial accident, leaving the ongoing investigation to Scaled Composites and California's workplace safety authorities. The incident did not involve any activities regulated by the FAA, according to Patricia Grace Smith of the FAA's commercial space transportation office.
NRO Contractor Penalized for Failed Program (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has put one of its contractors on probationary status following its failure to execute on a program. In order to protect its investment, the NRO has continued work on some of the technologies that were part of the program, the agency's director told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Intelligence committee member Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said there have been two cancellations of "huge" programs that were "touted by the NRO as examples of excellence and industry ingenuity."
USAF Undersecretary Ron Sega to Retire in August (Source: Space News)
U.S. Air Force Undersecretary Ron Sega is expected to leave his post by the end of August. Sega, a former astronaut, has served as undersecretary of the Air Force since August 2005, and has championed a back-to-basics acquisition strategy for space programs. He previously served as the Pentagon's director of defense research and engineering.
Space buffs hungry for knowledge of local space history have a new portal to explore. A Website developed by students and faculty at the University of Central Florida (http://132.170.190.41/cchp/index.html) takes online viewers back to the earliest days of the space industry in Brevard, starting in the 1950s, and features historical documents, photos and links to video clips. The site was funded by a $25,000 grant from the Florida Bureau of Historical Preservation -- which rightly recognized the incalculable value of chronicling the Space Coast's unique heritage. Project leader Lori Walters is looking for volunteers to contribute oral histories. Walters is also interested in borrowing digital documents or photos to be scanned into the site.
House Approves NASA Anniversary Coins (Source: CollectSpace.com)
The House of Representatives voted to authorize the U.S. Mint to strike coins in 2008 honoring the 50th anniversary of NASA. The bill specifically requires the theme of four of the nine silver coins. The "Earth" coin would depict the Mercury, Gemini and Space Shuttle missions and other manned Earth-orbiting missions, and the Apollo missions to the Moon. The "Jupiter" coin would include images of both a past and future mission to Europa as well as a scientifically accurate depiction of the Galilean moon. The "Saturn" coin will honor past and future missions to one of its moons, Titan. The "Pluto and other dwarf planets" coin would include a design emblematic of telescopic exploration of deep space. The bill further calls for proceeds from the public sale of the coins to go to organizations that encourage science literacy, preserve space history, and that provide for the families of fallen NASA personnel.
Why America Needs to Explore Space (Source: Parade)
For millennia, people have looked up to the night sky and wondered about our place in the universe. But not until the 17th century was any serious thought given to the prospect of traveling there. John Wilkins, speculated in 1638 that the moon would be habitable one day and imagined “a flying chariot in which a man may sit.” Three hundred thirty-one years later, humans did indeed land on the moon, aboard a chariot called Apollo 11. That enterprise drove a half-century of unprecedented wealth and prosperity that today we take for granted. Now, as our interest in science wanes, America is poised to fall behind the rest of the industrialized world in every measure of technological proficiency.
For the last 30 years, more and more students in America’s science and engineering graduate schools have been foreign-born. They would come to the U.S., earn their degrees and stay, directly entering the high-tech workforce. Today, with emerging economic opportunities back in India, China and Eastern Europe, many graduates simply return home. Visit http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_08-05-2007/Space to view the article.
New Energia Chief Vows to Stabilize Company Finances (Source: Space News)
The newly elected president of Rocket Space Corporation Energia, Russia's lead contractor on the international space station, has vowed emergency measures to avert a financial meltdown that he said was looming due to the practices of his now-deposed predecessor.
Radyne Closes AeroAstro Deal, But Still Open to Takeover Bids (Source: Space News)
Satellite ground equipment manufacturer Radyne Corp. completed Aug. 2 its acquisition of small-satellite builder AeroAstro, a purchase that Radyne managers say is part of a broader growth strategy that is superior to any takeover offer they have received. Phoenix-based Radyne remains open to takeover proposals but has not seen any credible offers similar to what its largest shareholder insists are available to Radyne if the company would only look for them.
FAA Defers to California Authority in Spaceport Mishap Inquiry (Source: Space News)
The July 26 test stand accident that killed three Scaled Composites employees on a propulsion system for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is expected to be no more than a temporary setback for the emerging personal space flight industry. The FAA office in charge of licensing private space flight operators, including New Mexico-based Virgin Galactic, is treating the test stand mishap as an industrial accident, leaving the ongoing investigation to Scaled Composites and California's workplace safety authorities. The incident did not involve any activities regulated by the FAA, according to Patricia Grace Smith of the FAA's commercial space transportation office.
NRO Contractor Penalized for Failed Program (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has put one of its contractors on probationary status following its failure to execute on a program. In order to protect its investment, the NRO has continued work on some of the technologies that were part of the program, the agency's director told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Intelligence committee member Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said there have been two cancellations of "huge" programs that were "touted by the NRO as examples of excellence and industry ingenuity."
USAF Undersecretary Ron Sega to Retire in August (Source: Space News)
U.S. Air Force Undersecretary Ron Sega is expected to leave his post by the end of August. Sega, a former astronaut, has served as undersecretary of the Air Force since August 2005, and has championed a back-to-basics acquisition strategy for space programs. He previously served as the Pentagon's director of defense research and engineering.
August 4 News Items
Editorial: One Giant Gulp for NASA (Source: Palm Beach Post)
The space industry pumps close to $2 billion annually into the state's economy, so Floridians have a lot riding on NASA's success. Lately, they've had a lot to worry about. Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff went a long way toward correcting the misconception that astronauts always lead straight-arrow lives. The recent antics at NASA have pretty much dashed the idea for good.
Astronaut Lisa Nowak redefined love-sick lunacy when she drove from Texas to Florida to confront her rival in an astro-triangle. Ms. Nowak's meltdown led to the creation of a review panel to learn more about astronauts' physical and mental health. The panel found that at least two astronauts indulged in the "heavy use of alcohol" hours before their missions lifted off. Making matters worse, the GAO found NASA lost $94 million worth of equipment during the past decade. Employees gave government laptops to their kids and spouses, and the agency had no clue. Then came the disclosure that a space program worker deliberately damaged a computer that is supposed to fly aboard the shuttle Endeavour next week. The bad behavior leaves an impression that is unbecoming an agency that depends a lot on projecting the right imagery for its survival.
Crew members and program employees who complained about the drinking say they were ignored. NASA says that won't happen again. But NASA has a poor record of self-correction and responding to criticism within its ranks. The Challenger and Columbia disasters might have been averted had NASA done a better job of listening to its people. As the nation considers huge investments in new vehicles and destinations for space flight, NASA can't afford a frat-house image. For 2 billion reasons, Florida can't afford to see that happen, either.
Phoenix Launched on Mission to Mars (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Delta 2 successfully launched NASA's latest mission to the Red Planet on Saturday morning. The rocket lifted off from pad 17A at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport carrying NASA's Phoenix Mars lander spacecraft. Phoenix separated from the rocket's third stage nearly 90 minutes after liftoff, following a Mars trajectory injection burn. There were no problems with the countdown and launch, although telemetry acquisition problems during some phases of the launch made it difficult to ascertain the status of the mission.
The space industry pumps close to $2 billion annually into the state's economy, so Floridians have a lot riding on NASA's success. Lately, they've had a lot to worry about. Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff went a long way toward correcting the misconception that astronauts always lead straight-arrow lives. The recent antics at NASA have pretty much dashed the idea for good.
Astronaut Lisa Nowak redefined love-sick lunacy when she drove from Texas to Florida to confront her rival in an astro-triangle. Ms. Nowak's meltdown led to the creation of a review panel to learn more about astronauts' physical and mental health. The panel found that at least two astronauts indulged in the "heavy use of alcohol" hours before their missions lifted off. Making matters worse, the GAO found NASA lost $94 million worth of equipment during the past decade. Employees gave government laptops to their kids and spouses, and the agency had no clue. Then came the disclosure that a space program worker deliberately damaged a computer that is supposed to fly aboard the shuttle Endeavour next week. The bad behavior leaves an impression that is unbecoming an agency that depends a lot on projecting the right imagery for its survival.
Crew members and program employees who complained about the drinking say they were ignored. NASA says that won't happen again. But NASA has a poor record of self-correction and responding to criticism within its ranks. The Challenger and Columbia disasters might have been averted had NASA done a better job of listening to its people. As the nation considers huge investments in new vehicles and destinations for space flight, NASA can't afford a frat-house image. For 2 billion reasons, Florida can't afford to see that happen, either.
Phoenix Launched on Mission to Mars (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Delta 2 successfully launched NASA's latest mission to the Red Planet on Saturday morning. The rocket lifted off from pad 17A at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport carrying NASA's Phoenix Mars lander spacecraft. Phoenix separated from the rocket's third stage nearly 90 minutes after liftoff, following a Mars trajectory injection burn. There were no problems with the countdown and launch, although telemetry acquisition problems during some phases of the launch made it difficult to ascertain the status of the mission.
August 3 News Items
Secret Spy Satellite Abandoned by US (Source: UK Telegraph)
The US has given up on one of its most high-tech spy satellites after it failed to respond to repeated attempts at contact. The L-21, which was only launched in December, will be left to drop out of orbit and burn up in the earth's atmosphere, according to reports. The loss is an expensive blow to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which builds and operates reconnaissance satellites for the US military and security services. Costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the L-21 contained much experimental technology which will now have to be piggybacked onto other satellites. Details of the equipment on board are classified, but an unnamed NRO source said that the failure of the satellite was "troubling", as other countries are currently pressing ahead with their own reconnaissance research.
Progress M-61 to Launches Equipment to Fix ISS Computers (Source: Kommersant)
A Soyuz-U booster with Progress M-61 cargo spaceship blasted off from the Baikonur spaceport Thursday night. Progress M-61 is to dock with ISS Sunday delivering equipment to fix ISS computers. Progress M-61 also carries devices for a Japanese program of space experiments as well as the fuel, water and food for the crew, which currently includes Russia’s cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov and NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson.
NASA Fixes Leak on Endeavour, Delays Launch 24 Hours (Source: New Scientist)
A leak in the space shuttle Endeavour's cabin has been fixed after a faulty valve was replaced. Workers replaced the valve with another from the shuttle Atlantis on Thursday, then performed a test to check the leak. Now, the shuttle Endeavour is slated to blast off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport for the International Space Station on Wednesday, a day later than planned. The official countdown to the launch will also be postponed a day, to Sunday.
Boeing, Lockheed Confident in Satellite Bids (Source: AIA)
Boeing and Lockheed Martin both are confident in the competing bids they have submitted for work on the Defense Department's Transformational Satellite Communications system. The department should announce its choice later this year. The winning team will be awarded $4.5 billion in up-front contracts, and up to $10 billion over time, according to industry estimates.
NASA Awards $975M Extension to Pratt & Whitney (Source: Forbes)
NASA on Thursday said it signed a $975 million contract extension with United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne unit to maintain the agency's fleet of space shuttle main engines until they're retired in 2010. The extension brings the total value of the contract to slightly more than $2.05 billion, according to NASA.
India Will Send Astronaut Into Space by 2015 (Source: Times of India)
India will send an astronaut into space on one of its own rockets by 2015 and embark on a manned mission to the moon by 2020, the country's space agency chief said on Friday. Before sending an astronaut to the moon, the country will send the Chandrayaan-I satellite to the moon next year, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Madhavan Nair said.
NASA Plans 'Armageddon' Spacecraft to Blast Asteroid (Source: Flight International)
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has designed a nuclear-warhead-carrying spacecraft, to be launched by the US agency's proposed Ares V cargo launch vehicle, to deflect an asteroid that could threaten all life on Earth. The "Cradle" spacecraft would carry six 1,500kg missile-like interceptor vehicles that would carry one 1.2MT B83 nuclear warhead each. The spacecraft's target near-Earth object (NEO) is the Apophis asteroid, which will pass by the Earth within the orbit of the Moon in April 2029.
For the study, however, its orbit was changed to bring it into a "dead-centre" collision course with Earth and its mass was assumed to be 1,000,000kg. The spacecraft's possible launch dates were 2020 and 2021. By the 2020s NASA concluded that "the nuclear interceptor option can deflect NEOs of [100-500m diameter] two years before impact, and larger NEOs with at least five years warning". Click here to view the article.
House Bill Boosts NASA Exploration, Aeronautics, Sciences (Source: AIA)
An appropriations bill approved by the House last week contains across-the-board good news for NASA, with increases for exploration, aeronautics research, and Earth and space sciences. The fiscal 2008 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act (HR 3093) includes strong investment in NASA priorities. The bill received strong bipartisan backing, passing 281 to 142. It succeeded due to strong support from the leadership of the Appropriations Committee and the Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Subcommittee, said AIA's president John Douglass said.
Weldon Introduces COTS Funding Amendment (Source: MajorityWhip.gov)
Florida Congressman Dave Weldon successfully added an amendment to the NASA Appropriations committee report that encourages NASA to shift unallocated, uncommitted 2008 funding from the cargo-oriented COTS program to instead meet NASA's crew transportation needs. Visit http://www.majoritywhip.gov/whip_pack/2007/07/23/whip_pack.pdf to view a Majority Whip report that describes the amendment.
Landmark Science & Technology Bill Passed by Congress (Source: AIP)
Efforts that have extended over many years to increase federal support for science and technology, and science and math education, culminated last week when the House and then the Senate passed H.R. 2722, the Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Act (COMPETES). President Bush is expected to sign this bill. The bill authorizes $43.3 billion in federal spending in FY 2008, 2009, and 2010 in science, engineering, mathematics and technology research, and in education programs.
The bill responds to widespread concern that the United States is losing its technological edge. Efforts to increase awareness of this problem were significantly boosted when the National Academies released its "Gathering Storm" report in 2005 to critical acclaim. In brief, the bill authorizes (but note, does not appropriate funding) the following: Doubling of the National Science Foundation budget; Doubling of the Department of Energy's Office of Science budget; Doubling of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology laboratory budget; Expanding NSF funding for a Teacher Scholarship Program and its Math and Science Partnerships program; Creation of a Technology Innovation Program at the Department of Commerce; Doubling of funding for the Department of Commerce Manufacturing Extension Partnership; Increased funding for young researchers; and Establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy at the Department of Energy.
Legislation Ensures NASA Involvement in Science/Tech Competitiveness Program (Source: SpaceRef.com)
The H.R. 2722 House/Senate conference agreement establishes NASA as a full participant in all interagency activities to promote competitiveness and innovation and to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. The agreement also affirms the importance of NASA’s aeronautics program to innovation and to the competitiveness of the U.S. It urges NASA to implement a program to address aging workforce issues at NASA and to utilize NASA’s existing Undergraduate Student Research program to support basic research by undergraduates on subjects of relevance to NASA. Finally, the conference agreement expresses the sense of Congress that the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory offers unique opportunities for educational activities and provides a unique resource for research and development in science, technology, and engineering which can enhance the global competitiveness of the U.S.
The US has given up on one of its most high-tech spy satellites after it failed to respond to repeated attempts at contact. The L-21, which was only launched in December, will be left to drop out of orbit and burn up in the earth's atmosphere, according to reports. The loss is an expensive blow to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which builds and operates reconnaissance satellites for the US military and security services. Costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the L-21 contained much experimental technology which will now have to be piggybacked onto other satellites. Details of the equipment on board are classified, but an unnamed NRO source said that the failure of the satellite was "troubling", as other countries are currently pressing ahead with their own reconnaissance research.
Progress M-61 to Launches Equipment to Fix ISS Computers (Source: Kommersant)
A Soyuz-U booster with Progress M-61 cargo spaceship blasted off from the Baikonur spaceport Thursday night. Progress M-61 is to dock with ISS Sunday delivering equipment to fix ISS computers. Progress M-61 also carries devices for a Japanese program of space experiments as well as the fuel, water and food for the crew, which currently includes Russia’s cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov and NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson.
NASA Fixes Leak on Endeavour, Delays Launch 24 Hours (Source: New Scientist)
A leak in the space shuttle Endeavour's cabin has been fixed after a faulty valve was replaced. Workers replaced the valve with another from the shuttle Atlantis on Thursday, then performed a test to check the leak. Now, the shuttle Endeavour is slated to blast off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport for the International Space Station on Wednesday, a day later than planned. The official countdown to the launch will also be postponed a day, to Sunday.
Boeing, Lockheed Confident in Satellite Bids (Source: AIA)
Boeing and Lockheed Martin both are confident in the competing bids they have submitted for work on the Defense Department's Transformational Satellite Communications system. The department should announce its choice later this year. The winning team will be awarded $4.5 billion in up-front contracts, and up to $10 billion over time, according to industry estimates.
NASA Awards $975M Extension to Pratt & Whitney (Source: Forbes)
NASA on Thursday said it signed a $975 million contract extension with United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne unit to maintain the agency's fleet of space shuttle main engines until they're retired in 2010. The extension brings the total value of the contract to slightly more than $2.05 billion, according to NASA.
India Will Send Astronaut Into Space by 2015 (Source: Times of India)
India will send an astronaut into space on one of its own rockets by 2015 and embark on a manned mission to the moon by 2020, the country's space agency chief said on Friday. Before sending an astronaut to the moon, the country will send the Chandrayaan-I satellite to the moon next year, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Madhavan Nair said.
NASA Plans 'Armageddon' Spacecraft to Blast Asteroid (Source: Flight International)
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has designed a nuclear-warhead-carrying spacecraft, to be launched by the US agency's proposed Ares V cargo launch vehicle, to deflect an asteroid that could threaten all life on Earth. The "Cradle" spacecraft would carry six 1,500kg missile-like interceptor vehicles that would carry one 1.2MT B83 nuclear warhead each. The spacecraft's target near-Earth object (NEO) is the Apophis asteroid, which will pass by the Earth within the orbit of the Moon in April 2029.
For the study, however, its orbit was changed to bring it into a "dead-centre" collision course with Earth and its mass was assumed to be 1,000,000kg. The spacecraft's possible launch dates were 2020 and 2021. By the 2020s NASA concluded that "the nuclear interceptor option can deflect NEOs of [100-500m diameter] two years before impact, and larger NEOs with at least five years warning". Click here to view the article.
House Bill Boosts NASA Exploration, Aeronautics, Sciences (Source: AIA)
An appropriations bill approved by the House last week contains across-the-board good news for NASA, with increases for exploration, aeronautics research, and Earth and space sciences. The fiscal 2008 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act (HR 3093) includes strong investment in NASA priorities. The bill received strong bipartisan backing, passing 281 to 142. It succeeded due to strong support from the leadership of the Appropriations Committee and the Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Subcommittee, said AIA's president John Douglass said.
Weldon Introduces COTS Funding Amendment (Source: MajorityWhip.gov)
Florida Congressman Dave Weldon successfully added an amendment to the NASA Appropriations committee report that encourages NASA to shift unallocated, uncommitted 2008 funding from the cargo-oriented COTS program to instead meet NASA's crew transportation needs. Visit http://www.majoritywhip.gov/whip_pack/2007/07/23/whip_pack.pdf to view a Majority Whip report that describes the amendment.
Landmark Science & Technology Bill Passed by Congress (Source: AIP)
Efforts that have extended over many years to increase federal support for science and technology, and science and math education, culminated last week when the House and then the Senate passed H.R. 2722, the Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Act (COMPETES). President Bush is expected to sign this bill. The bill authorizes $43.3 billion in federal spending in FY 2008, 2009, and 2010 in science, engineering, mathematics and technology research, and in education programs.
The bill responds to widespread concern that the United States is losing its technological edge. Efforts to increase awareness of this problem were significantly boosted when the National Academies released its "Gathering Storm" report in 2005 to critical acclaim. In brief, the bill authorizes (but note, does not appropriate funding) the following: Doubling of the National Science Foundation budget; Doubling of the Department of Energy's Office of Science budget; Doubling of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology laboratory budget; Expanding NSF funding for a Teacher Scholarship Program and its Math and Science Partnerships program; Creation of a Technology Innovation Program at the Department of Commerce; Doubling of funding for the Department of Commerce Manufacturing Extension Partnership; Increased funding for young researchers; and Establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy at the Department of Energy.
Legislation Ensures NASA Involvement in Science/Tech Competitiveness Program (Source: SpaceRef.com)
The H.R. 2722 House/Senate conference agreement establishes NASA as a full participant in all interagency activities to promote competitiveness and innovation and to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. The agreement also affirms the importance of NASA’s aeronautics program to innovation and to the competitiveness of the U.S. It urges NASA to implement a program to address aging workforce issues at NASA and to utilize NASA’s existing Undergraduate Student Research program to support basic research by undergraduates on subjects of relevance to NASA. Finally, the conference agreement expresses the sense of Congress that the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory offers unique opportunities for educational activities and provides a unique resource for research and development in science, technology, and engineering which can enhance the global competitiveness of the U.S.
August 2 News Items
New Foundation to Develop Science and Technology Education for Girls in Africa (Source: Brightest Stars)
The newly formed Brightest Stars Foundation announced the kick-off of the organizational website and its 1st project: the Space and Science Academy for Girls. The Brightest Stars Foundation is a new national non-profit, 501(3)(c) organization dedicated to educating, empowering and inspiring young women around the world to be future leaders through the study of science, mathematics and technology. The Space and Science Academy for Girls will be a four-year college preparatory high school located in Kenya.
Loral Gets SIRIUS (Source: Loral)
Loral has been awarded a contract from SIRIUS Satellite Radio to build SIRIUS FM-6, a new, high-power satellite designed to operate in a highly inclined elliptical orbit (HIEO). This satellite will be the sixth SS/L-built spacecraft in the SIRIUS fleet. SIRIUS FM-6 will provide nearly double the power of the satellites in SIRIUS' existing, in-orbit constellation, continuing to improve service for SIRIUS subscribers. Scheduled for completion in 2010, the new satellite will provide more than 15 years of service life.
Alliant Techsystems 1st Quarter Profit Climbs 35 Percent (Source: AP)
Aerospace/defense contractor Alliant Techsystems' fiscal first-quarter profit surged 35 percent, handily beating Wall Street expectations on improved margins and increased sales. Net income for the quarter was $52.4 million, up from $38.9 million in the year-ago period. Revenue for the quarter was $958.4 million, up 16 percent from $824.1 million in the first quarter of 2006. Margins for the quarter were 10.6 percent, up from 9.6 percent in the year-ago period. The company attributed the margin improvement to reduced pension expenses and operating efficiencies.
Registration Open for $9,000 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award (Source: NASA Watch)
The X PRIZE Foundation announced the availability of online registration for a new education competition designed to interest students in space, science and technology. The Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award, named in honor of the celebrated Apollo astronaut, will be presented for the first time at this year's Wirefly X PRIZE Cup in October. The award will be presented to the high school team that develops the most creative, new space concept to benefit the emerging personal spaceflight industry. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=23166 for information.
Spaceport America Design Team Selected (Source: Spaceport America)
A team of U.S. and British architects and designers has been recommended for award to design the primary terminal and hangar facility at Spaceport America, announced Kelly O’Donnell, Chair of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). URS Corporation, one of the world’s largest design and engineering firms, teamed with lead designer Foster + Partners of the United Kingdom to submit the winning design.
NASA Center May Get Armstrong Name (Source: LA Daily News)
Four California congressmen, including both of the Antelope Valley's representatives, have introduced legislation to rename the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center after test pilot and Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon. The legislation would re-designate NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, but would still honor the center's current namesake by naming the Western Aeronautical Test Range as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range. The legislation was presented by Rep. Ken Calvert, the ranking Republican on the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee; Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, whose district covers the Kern County portion of the Antelope Valley as well as parts of Lancaster; Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena.
Progress Cargo Ship Leaves Station, Burns Over Pacific (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's Progress M-59 space cargo ship carrying garbage from the International Space Station (ISS) burned up over the Pacific Ocean Wednesday, Mission Control said. Mission Control is preparing another cargo ship - Progress M-61 - for launch to the orbital station in line with the ISS flight program. Mission Control said last week it successfully adjusted the station's orbit in preparation for the docking of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour. The launch of the NASA STS-118 mission is targeted for August 7. It will be the 22nd flight to the ISS and the first flight for Endeavour since 2002.
Shuttle Valve to be Replaced Without Impact to Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
NASA managers ordered engineers to replace a suspect positive pressure relief valve in the shuttle Endeavour's crew module to fix an apparent leak that showed up over the weekend during routine launch pad testing. While the schedule is tight, engineers expect to complete the work in time for Endeavour's launch Tuesday on a space station assembly mission. "It's extremely tight," a NASA spokesman said late today. "On paper, yes, we can make it. But everything has to go right from this point forward."
The newly formed Brightest Stars Foundation announced the kick-off of the organizational website and its 1st project: the Space and Science Academy for Girls. The Brightest Stars Foundation is a new national non-profit, 501(3)(c) organization dedicated to educating, empowering and inspiring young women around the world to be future leaders through the study of science, mathematics and technology. The Space and Science Academy for Girls will be a four-year college preparatory high school located in Kenya.
Loral Gets SIRIUS (Source: Loral)
Loral has been awarded a contract from SIRIUS Satellite Radio to build SIRIUS FM-6, a new, high-power satellite designed to operate in a highly inclined elliptical orbit (HIEO). This satellite will be the sixth SS/L-built spacecraft in the SIRIUS fleet. SIRIUS FM-6 will provide nearly double the power of the satellites in SIRIUS' existing, in-orbit constellation, continuing to improve service for SIRIUS subscribers. Scheduled for completion in 2010, the new satellite will provide more than 15 years of service life.
Alliant Techsystems 1st Quarter Profit Climbs 35 Percent (Source: AP)
Aerospace/defense contractor Alliant Techsystems' fiscal first-quarter profit surged 35 percent, handily beating Wall Street expectations on improved margins and increased sales. Net income for the quarter was $52.4 million, up from $38.9 million in the year-ago period. Revenue for the quarter was $958.4 million, up 16 percent from $824.1 million in the first quarter of 2006. Margins for the quarter were 10.6 percent, up from 9.6 percent in the year-ago period. The company attributed the margin improvement to reduced pension expenses and operating efficiencies.
Registration Open for $9,000 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award (Source: NASA Watch)
The X PRIZE Foundation announced the availability of online registration for a new education competition designed to interest students in space, science and technology. The Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award, named in honor of the celebrated Apollo astronaut, will be presented for the first time at this year's Wirefly X PRIZE Cup in October. The award will be presented to the high school team that develops the most creative, new space concept to benefit the emerging personal spaceflight industry. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=23166 for information.
Spaceport America Design Team Selected (Source: Spaceport America)
A team of U.S. and British architects and designers has been recommended for award to design the primary terminal and hangar facility at Spaceport America, announced Kelly O’Donnell, Chair of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA). URS Corporation, one of the world’s largest design and engineering firms, teamed with lead designer Foster + Partners of the United Kingdom to submit the winning design.
NASA Center May Get Armstrong Name (Source: LA Daily News)
Four California congressmen, including both of the Antelope Valley's representatives, have introduced legislation to rename the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center after test pilot and Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon. The legislation would re-designate NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, but would still honor the center's current namesake by naming the Western Aeronautical Test Range as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range. The legislation was presented by Rep. Ken Calvert, the ranking Republican on the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee; Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, whose district covers the Kern County portion of the Antelope Valley as well as parts of Lancaster; Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena.
Progress Cargo Ship Leaves Station, Burns Over Pacific (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's Progress M-59 space cargo ship carrying garbage from the International Space Station (ISS) burned up over the Pacific Ocean Wednesday, Mission Control said. Mission Control is preparing another cargo ship - Progress M-61 - for launch to the orbital station in line with the ISS flight program. Mission Control said last week it successfully adjusted the station's orbit in preparation for the docking of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour. The launch of the NASA STS-118 mission is targeted for August 7. It will be the 22nd flight to the ISS and the first flight for Endeavour since 2002.
Shuttle Valve to be Replaced Without Impact to Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
NASA managers ordered engineers to replace a suspect positive pressure relief valve in the shuttle Endeavour's crew module to fix an apparent leak that showed up over the weekend during routine launch pad testing. While the schedule is tight, engineers expect to complete the work in time for Endeavour's launch Tuesday on a space station assembly mission. "It's extremely tight," a NASA spokesman said late today. "On paper, yes, we can make it. But everything has to go right from this point forward."
August 1 News Items
Alliant Techsystems Is Set For NASA Rocket Contract (Source: Wall Street Journal)
A team led by Alliant Techsystems, one of the big winners so far in the U.S. government's renewed manned space exploration efforts, is expected to sign a design and development contract for proposed Ares I solid-rocket boosters valued at more than $1.5 billion. Alliant's Launch Systems unit won the contract for the main stage of the next-generation heavy-lift civilian launcher months ago, and it is expected to become final in the next few days.
XM Satellite Pitches Homeland Security (Source: Forbes)
For Roderick MacKenzie, XM's vice president for advanced applications and services, the mission goes well beyond music. MacKenzie's job is to dream up new ways to use XM's two satellites and 800 terrestrial repeaters that boost the satellite signals on the ground. "We tend to think of our network as a national asset," says MacKenzie. MacKenzie's line is this: XM's system beats other technologies as a means of delivering vital information. Cellular falls short because its coverage is spotty in remote areas. By contrast, XM's satellites beam signal to the entire upper 48 states, including 100 miles off the coasts, and to densely populated parts of Canada.
But satellites working alone have trouble sending information into urban areas, because of the buildings and other obstructions. That where XM's 800 repeaters come in. Given XM's access to both urban and rural areas, MacKenzie sees applications for emergency response and safety. One example: XM already is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update the delivery system that distributes the presidential message following a serious disaster or crisis.
Embry-Riddle Offers New Scholarship for Civil Air Patrol Members (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) have agreed to partner on a scholarship program for active members and cadets of the CAP admitted to an Embry-Riddle "Worldwide Campus" degree program. The $500 scholarship opportunity applies only to new Embry-Riddle students admitted after June 30, 2007, and attending a Worldwide Campus or enrolling in a Worldwide Online degree program. For more information on the Embry-Riddle CAP scholarship, contact Dr. Thomas Cavanagh at mailto:thomas.cavanagh@erau.edu or 386-947-5287.
NASA KSC Workers Plead Guilty in Embezzlement Case (Source: Florida Today)
For the second time in a matter of days, a Kennedy Space Center worker has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling from NASA. Judith Lynna Frisbee of Titusville has admitted to defrauding the space agency out of $120,577 by falsifying records and inflating expense reports related to a space flight awareness program. Frisbee worked for spaceport contractor Space Gateway Support.
On Thursday, the plea agreement for another veteran space center employee who admitted to embezzling $157,394 from NASA was filed in federal court in Orlando. The court documents said Elizabeth Ann Osborne, 52, used her government credit card to make purchases for electronics, jewelry, clothes and other items for herself. Osborne resigned from her position with NASA in October. Part of her responsibilities were to assure compliance with credit card rules and policies established by NASA's procurement office.
NASA Up Against Clock in Scramble to Fix Endeavour's Problems (Source: AP)
With a launch countdown looming, NASA scrambled to fix a cabin leak and a bad thermostat aboard space shuttle Endeavour on Wednesday. The leak was traced overnight to one of two pressure-relief valves in Endeavour's crew cabin, located behind the toilet but separate from the bathroom plumbing. Engineers likely will replace the bad valve with one taken from Atlantis, but a firm decision has yet to be made. A problem with one of two thermostats for one of Endeavour's auxiliary power units also cropped up. Both thermostats will be replaced. These units generate power for the shuttle's crucial hydraulic systems. All this extra work can be completed in time for Endeavour's planned liftoff Tuesday, but it will be tight and anything else—like more thunderstorms or mechanical problems—could force NASA to delay the flight.
E'Prime Countersuit Filed (Source: ERAU)
E'Prime's new management, led by James Oldham, has filed a lawsuit in Tennessee to counter a Florida suit filed by the company's former President/CEO Bob Davis. The Tennessee legal action alleges a breach of contract by Mr. Davis and his wife, Betty Davis, who served as the company's Secretary/Treasurer. The suit claims that Davis made false representations with regard to the company's proposed launch vehicles and their compliance with START treaty requirements.
SEDS Sponsors Student Space Art Contest (Source: SEDS)
The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) are looking for the next generation of space artists. This SEDS `Got Vision?` space art contest challenges students in High School and College to create realistic futuristic space art. There will be first prizes and runners up awarded in each category, as well as an overall grand prize. Finalists in each category will be given opportunities to display their masterpiece at the SEDS Space Vision conference in November, as well as in the SEDS gallery in the virtual realm of Second Life. Entries must be submitted by September 1. Visit http://art.seds.org/index.php for information.
Podcast Brings Space News to the Masses (Source: SpaceTaskForce)
A new, weekly space-themed podcast is now available from SpaceTaskForce on the web and via iTunes. Co-hosts George Schellenger and Tim Bailey check out the headlines and talk with the experts, news makers, and key people inside the aerospace industry. The SpaceTaskForce podcast is formatted as a casual discussion and investigation of space-related news between a journalist and a 'rocket scientist'.
Unlike existing space-themed shows, the SpaceTaskForce uses simple explanations for technical concepts and avoids confusing aerospace jargon. The show is appropriate for all ages and can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of education or technical literacy. Check out the first 12 episodes, including interviews from the International Space Development Conference, at http://www.SpaceTaskForce.com.
AIA: Focus on Education May Stem Looming Workforce Crisis (Source: AIA)
There aren't enough students studying technology subjects to address the looming work force shortage, according to AIA President and CEO John Douglass. Congressional -- and industry -- support of science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational programs, collectively known as STEM, will help motivate students to pursue careers in the aerospace industry.
NASA Sponsors Pre-Launch Education/Workforce Conference in Orlando (Source: NASA)
NASA and Kennedy Space Center are sponsoring an all-day STS-118 pre-launch education/workforce conference titled: "Innovative Strategies for Cultivating the STEM Workforce" on Aug. 6. This conference will include a wide variety of speakers from the STEM field and will provide an opportunity to network and connect with many NASA, academic and industry personnel. Companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Lockheed-Martin have confirmed representatives in attendance. The conference will be held at the International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando.
Virginia Has a Very Good Chance with SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is "best site in the world for space station missions" Elon Musk told listeners on Dr. David Livingston's Space Show. "It is simply a great spaceport for going to mid-inclination orbit," Musk said. "There is a very good chance that it makes sense to do those [ISS] missions from Virginia." Listen to the full audio of The Space Show from Thursday at http://archive.thespaceshow.com/shows/742-BWB-2007-07-26.mp3.
NASA Showing Patience as Rocketplane Kistler Chases Financing (Source: Space News)
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) missed its end-of-July goal for completing financing of the K-1 reusable launcher, but the Oklahoma City-based company said it expects to present a "closure plan" to NASA by Aug. 3.
Editorial: Sunny Open House Can’t Melt Alaska Spaceport Snow Job (Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror)
My wife and I accepted the invitation to ride a free bus to the open house at the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). The weather was beautiful, painting the bays a deep blue and the mountains a lush green. But when the TV screens in the bus came on and played a promotional DVD produced by the Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. about the KLC one could see the snow job we were heading into.
The video showed horses and buffalo cavorting among rocket launch towers while the sound track was the chirping and twitter of tropical birds. There was a lot of talk about the 1,000 children from 26 countries watching their little hand-polished mirrors blinking back at them from space after they had been transported there by a rocket launched (at taxpayers’ expense, of course) from the Kodiak spaceport (also known as Space Pork). There was no mention of the failure of the project as a commercial venture, as previously advertised to the tax paying public.
No mention that most launches were for the military (Missile Defense Agency) as part of the very controversial missile defense system. No mention that in all these years only one launch has taken place from the $10 million High Launch Service Structure that it is now undergoing a $4 million refurbishing job because of severe degradation from the rough environment and lack of proper maintenance. There also was no mention of the idiocy of building this expensive facility on an active geological fault. One can anticipate the jamming of all the high-tech rails and doors even in a moderate earthquake. And no mention of the near $100 million price tag for each military launch and the dismal success rate of these experiments.
A team led by Alliant Techsystems, one of the big winners so far in the U.S. government's renewed manned space exploration efforts, is expected to sign a design and development contract for proposed Ares I solid-rocket boosters valued at more than $1.5 billion. Alliant's Launch Systems unit won the contract for the main stage of the next-generation heavy-lift civilian launcher months ago, and it is expected to become final in the next few days.
XM Satellite Pitches Homeland Security (Source: Forbes)
For Roderick MacKenzie, XM's vice president for advanced applications and services, the mission goes well beyond music. MacKenzie's job is to dream up new ways to use XM's two satellites and 800 terrestrial repeaters that boost the satellite signals on the ground. "We tend to think of our network as a national asset," says MacKenzie. MacKenzie's line is this: XM's system beats other technologies as a means of delivering vital information. Cellular falls short because its coverage is spotty in remote areas. By contrast, XM's satellites beam signal to the entire upper 48 states, including 100 miles off the coasts, and to densely populated parts of Canada.
But satellites working alone have trouble sending information into urban areas, because of the buildings and other obstructions. That where XM's 800 repeaters come in. Given XM's access to both urban and rural areas, MacKenzie sees applications for emergency response and safety. One example: XM already is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update the delivery system that distributes the presidential message following a serious disaster or crisis.
Embry-Riddle Offers New Scholarship for Civil Air Patrol Members (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) have agreed to partner on a scholarship program for active members and cadets of the CAP admitted to an Embry-Riddle "Worldwide Campus" degree program. The $500 scholarship opportunity applies only to new Embry-Riddle students admitted after June 30, 2007, and attending a Worldwide Campus or enrolling in a Worldwide Online degree program. For more information on the Embry-Riddle CAP scholarship, contact Dr. Thomas Cavanagh at mailto:thomas.cavanagh@erau.edu or 386-947-5287.
NASA KSC Workers Plead Guilty in Embezzlement Case (Source: Florida Today)
For the second time in a matter of days, a Kennedy Space Center worker has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling from NASA. Judith Lynna Frisbee of Titusville has admitted to defrauding the space agency out of $120,577 by falsifying records and inflating expense reports related to a space flight awareness program. Frisbee worked for spaceport contractor Space Gateway Support.
On Thursday, the plea agreement for another veteran space center employee who admitted to embezzling $157,394 from NASA was filed in federal court in Orlando. The court documents said Elizabeth Ann Osborne, 52, used her government credit card to make purchases for electronics, jewelry, clothes and other items for herself. Osborne resigned from her position with NASA in October. Part of her responsibilities were to assure compliance with credit card rules and policies established by NASA's procurement office.
NASA Up Against Clock in Scramble to Fix Endeavour's Problems (Source: AP)
With a launch countdown looming, NASA scrambled to fix a cabin leak and a bad thermostat aboard space shuttle Endeavour on Wednesday. The leak was traced overnight to one of two pressure-relief valves in Endeavour's crew cabin, located behind the toilet but separate from the bathroom plumbing. Engineers likely will replace the bad valve with one taken from Atlantis, but a firm decision has yet to be made. A problem with one of two thermostats for one of Endeavour's auxiliary power units also cropped up. Both thermostats will be replaced. These units generate power for the shuttle's crucial hydraulic systems. All this extra work can be completed in time for Endeavour's planned liftoff Tuesday, but it will be tight and anything else—like more thunderstorms or mechanical problems—could force NASA to delay the flight.
E'Prime Countersuit Filed (Source: ERAU)
E'Prime's new management, led by James Oldham, has filed a lawsuit in Tennessee to counter a Florida suit filed by the company's former President/CEO Bob Davis. The Tennessee legal action alleges a breach of contract by Mr. Davis and his wife, Betty Davis, who served as the company's Secretary/Treasurer. The suit claims that Davis made false representations with regard to the company's proposed launch vehicles and their compliance with START treaty requirements.
SEDS Sponsors Student Space Art Contest (Source: SEDS)
The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) are looking for the next generation of space artists. This SEDS `Got Vision?` space art contest challenges students in High School and College to create realistic futuristic space art. There will be first prizes and runners up awarded in each category, as well as an overall grand prize. Finalists in each category will be given opportunities to display their masterpiece at the SEDS Space Vision conference in November, as well as in the SEDS gallery in the virtual realm of Second Life. Entries must be submitted by September 1. Visit http://art.seds.org/index.php for information.
Podcast Brings Space News to the Masses (Source: SpaceTaskForce)
A new, weekly space-themed podcast is now available from SpaceTaskForce on the web and via iTunes. Co-hosts George Schellenger and Tim Bailey check out the headlines and talk with the experts, news makers, and key people inside the aerospace industry. The SpaceTaskForce podcast is formatted as a casual discussion and investigation of space-related news between a journalist and a 'rocket scientist'.
Unlike existing space-themed shows, the SpaceTaskForce uses simple explanations for technical concepts and avoids confusing aerospace jargon. The show is appropriate for all ages and can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of education or technical literacy. Check out the first 12 episodes, including interviews from the International Space Development Conference, at http://www.SpaceTaskForce.com.
AIA: Focus on Education May Stem Looming Workforce Crisis (Source: AIA)
There aren't enough students studying technology subjects to address the looming work force shortage, according to AIA President and CEO John Douglass. Congressional -- and industry -- support of science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational programs, collectively known as STEM, will help motivate students to pursue careers in the aerospace industry.
NASA Sponsors Pre-Launch Education/Workforce Conference in Orlando (Source: NASA)
NASA and Kennedy Space Center are sponsoring an all-day STS-118 pre-launch education/workforce conference titled: "Innovative Strategies for Cultivating the STEM Workforce" on Aug. 6. This conference will include a wide variety of speakers from the STEM field and will provide an opportunity to network and connect with many NASA, academic and industry personnel. Companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Lockheed-Martin have confirmed representatives in attendance. The conference will be held at the International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando.
Virginia Has a Very Good Chance with SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is "best site in the world for space station missions" Elon Musk told listeners on Dr. David Livingston's Space Show. "It is simply a great spaceport for going to mid-inclination orbit," Musk said. "There is a very good chance that it makes sense to do those [ISS] missions from Virginia." Listen to the full audio of The Space Show from Thursday at http://archive.thespaceshow.com/shows/742-BWB-2007-07-26.mp3.
NASA Showing Patience as Rocketplane Kistler Chases Financing (Source: Space News)
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) missed its end-of-July goal for completing financing of the K-1 reusable launcher, but the Oklahoma City-based company said it expects to present a "closure plan" to NASA by Aug. 3.
Editorial: Sunny Open House Can’t Melt Alaska Spaceport Snow Job (Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror)
My wife and I accepted the invitation to ride a free bus to the open house at the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). The weather was beautiful, painting the bays a deep blue and the mountains a lush green. But when the TV screens in the bus came on and played a promotional DVD produced by the Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. about the KLC one could see the snow job we were heading into.
The video showed horses and buffalo cavorting among rocket launch towers while the sound track was the chirping and twitter of tropical birds. There was a lot of talk about the 1,000 children from 26 countries watching their little hand-polished mirrors blinking back at them from space after they had been transported there by a rocket launched (at taxpayers’ expense, of course) from the Kodiak spaceport (also known as Space Pork). There was no mention of the failure of the project as a commercial venture, as previously advertised to the tax paying public.
No mention that most launches were for the military (Missile Defense Agency) as part of the very controversial missile defense system. No mention that in all these years only one launch has taken place from the $10 million High Launch Service Structure that it is now undergoing a $4 million refurbishing job because of severe degradation from the rough environment and lack of proper maintenance. There also was no mention of the idiocy of building this expensive facility on an active geological fault. One can anticipate the jamming of all the high-tech rails and doors even in a moderate earthquake. And no mention of the near $100 million price tag for each military launch and the dismal success rate of these experiments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
