January 1 News Items

Reaching for Space from New Mexico (Source: Alamagordo News)
Reaching for new heights in southern New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson, some voters and various organizations are trying to bring glory and fame to this part of the world in the form of Spaceport America. According to legislation passed during the beginning of the year, in order for plans for Spaceport America to go forward with the state's money, at least two of the three counties which stand to gain the most have to form a special district and pass a tax in support of the venture by December 2008. The three counties in the spotlight are Dona Ana, Sierra and Otero. If each of the three counties approves the tax, the state could issue $57.9 million in bonds for the spaceport's construction; money state officials have said is critical to the project.

Dona Ana passed the tax, a one-quarter of 1 percent sales tax, by a narrow margin in April. The tax will cost an estimated $2.50 per month for the average consumer. In Otero County, the cost in taxes for the project would amount to 12.5 cents per person for every $100 spent. A study by New Mexico State University shows after five years the spaceport would be generating 2,300 jobs and $300 million in revenue. "Without Dona Ana's support of that tax, it would not be favorable for Sierra and Otero counties to support the spaceport," said Otero County Commissioner Clarissa McGinn in March.

Polish Deputies Aim to Establish a National Space Agency (Source: Astronomia)
Polish deputies gathered in the Outer Space Team are planning to set up a national space agency, similar to NASA. Poland participates in the PECS (Plan for European Cooperating State Charter) program carried out by the European Space Agency, yet in this way Poland spends only a small fraction of all EU funds allocated for space research. However, such a space agency must be properly financed. In 2008 Poland will spend 7 million euro on space research, which is a very modest budget when compared with this of NASA or ESA, or even national space agencies of, for example, France or Italy. The idea of a Polish space agency is supported by deputies from different political parties. Yet, the route to such an agency is very long, taking into account the fact that Poland does not even have its own satellite in space.

Wielding a Cost-Cutting Ax, and Often, at NASA (Source: New York Times)
In Washington, it almost seems radical — completing government projects at their original budgeted cost. One project S. Alan Stern reined in was the Kepler mission to launch a planet-hunting telescope. Yet at NASA, the new director of the space science division appears to be making headway at doing just that, creating some anguish among researchers and contractors along the way. In his eight months on the job, the director, S. Alan Stern, has turned back almost a half-dozen requests for more money from projects experiencing cost overruns, he said. That has forced mission leaders to trim parts of their projects, streamline procedures or find other sources of financing.

Many Spaceflights Planned in 2008 (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The global array of spaceports will witness a challenging year ahead with nearly 100 civil, military, and commercial space launches planned for 2008 by several nations and at least one private firm - SpaceX. The space shuttle fleet may fly six times during the course of the 2008 calendar year while commercial launch firm SpaceX seeks to boost two Falcon-1 flights (including space burial) and begin testing the Falcon-9 for a subsequent ISS resupply in 2009 or 2010. India and the United States will boost two more orbiters around the moon in 2008 joining the Japanese and Chinese platforms already in operation. The Chinese may also conduct their first human spacewalk by fall 2008.