January 27 News Items

US Spysat Fails, Will Deorbit (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A US reconnaissance satellite has failed in orbit and will reenter in about a month, government officials confirmed Saturday. The unidentified spacecraft has lost all power in orbit and has failed to respond to commands from the ground and is slowly losing altitude. At its current rate, the spacecraft would reenter the Earth's atmosphere in late February or early March. Officials did not identify the satellite in question, but reports indicated the spacecraft was the size of a "small bus", suggesting that it is a photo reconnaissance satellite. Other reports indicate it was an NRO satellite launched on a Delta 2 in December 2006 that failed shortly after reaching orbit.

Candidates Make Room for Space (Source: Huntsville Times)
Many Americans may seem more interested in paving a road than firing off rockets to the moon, but space exploration and aerospace research apparently are becoming one of the new frontiers of politics, space and political experts say. As presidential candidates vie for votes, the topic of space exploration is bubbling to the surface in political statements and in Internet polls more than it has in previous elections.

Much of the political discussion centers on space exploration as a technology and education issue, NASA Watch's Keith Cowing said. "If you read some of the position papers carefully, then you see space and exploration as topics that are also linked to other aspects of technology development, balance of trade and education." For Huntsville and Madison County, aerospace support in the White House is crucial to the economy. NASA and Pentagon aerospace work means 44,000 jobs and a more than $5.7 billion annual payroll, according to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

South Korea Research Institute Forges Ties with NASA (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
South Korea's top research organization said it cemented a deal with NASA to work together to develop satellites and other space technology. The deal with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was signed at NASA's research headquarters in Moffett Field. A KAIST team launched the country's first small satellite in 1992. Since then South Korea, a late-comer in the space race, has launched three commercial communications satellites.

Von Braun Had a Vision to Boost Alabama's Brainpower (Source: Huntsville Times)
On June 20, 1961, Dr. Wernher von Braun went to Montgomery seeking $3 million for a research institute at what became the University of Alabama in Huntsville. "He went down to address the Legislature not knowing what kind of reception he would get," said Bob Ward, a former editor of The Huntsville Times and author of "Dr. Space: The Life of Wernher von Braun." Von Braun took particular interest in expanding the programs and degrees available in the area, said Ed Buckbee. "He was so concerned about the next generation of engineers and scientists," Buckbee said.

Von Braun, he said, was just as concerned with attracting the top people and companies from across the country to work here in the space program, and was ahead of his time in championing the connection between universities and state economic development. Not long after America orbited its first satellite, Explorer I, on Jan. 31, 1958, the city of Huntsville purchased 83 acres south of U.S. 72, which ultimately became the nucleus of today's UAH campus.

Space Industry Loses Ally (Source: Florida Today)
The space industry will miss the longtime support of U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, who had seniority in Congress and a seat on the House Appropriations Committee. In December, Weldon introduced a bill that would provide $10 billion to extend the shuttle's life, speed up the Constellation program and close the gap of no human spaceflight capability for the U.S. Though the bill was met with little enthusiasm in Washington, Weldon promised to fight for it. The bill is in committee.

The space industry, already facing tough times, could suffer from the loss of Weldon's experience. "It's always a loss for a community when you lose a vote on" the appropriations committee, said Dale Ketcham of the University of Central Florida's Office of Research and Commercialization. "Washington is where the money comes from." Weldon's seniority might be missed even more if Brevard must compete for scarce government space funding with other states, such as Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama. "Florida traditionally churns its politicians more readily than our other Southern neighbors," Ketcham said. "Though we have many more votes, we don't have the seniority Alabama and Mississippi do."

Giuliani Op-Ed - Keeping America First in Space (Source: Florida Today)
America's space program is at a crossroads. We can either remain the world's undisputed leader, or we can fall behind. Allegedly we can't control the border, can't rely on market-based healthcare, can't allow school choice, can't control government spending, and can't cut taxes. Now people say we can't continue to lead in space exploration. To all these things, I say we can -- and we will.

We will maintain America's technological advantage in space. We will send Americans back to the moon and onto the next great frontier in human space exploration: Mars. We will support the Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems Program to stimulate important private entrepreneurial efforts in spaceflight. We will expand private-sector access to Cape Canaveral launch pads. To help prepare astronauts for longer stays in space, we will fund the Space Life Sciences Lab.

It is also important to understand that our commitment to space is not just about exploring the planets, but also advancing national security. Our national security space program is the backbone of our 21st century military capabilities: Military communications, intelligence, unmanned aircraft, and ballistic missile defense, to give a few examples, are all highly dependent on our space capabilities. We must remain the world's leader in space exploration. And the necessary leadership must come from the White House. Click here to view the op-ed.

Budget Woes Prompt NASA to Consider Tweaks to Constellation Schedule (Source: Space News)
A cash crunch expected to hit in 2009 has NASA considering delaying a key early test of its Ares 1 crew launch vehicle by as much as a year. A Jan. 16 memorandum from the head of NASA's Constellation program, Jeff Hanley, to more than 80 agency officials including NASA field center directors, laid out a new schedule that delays the launch of Ares 1-Y -- the first test flight of the vehicle's five-segment solid-rocket booster -- a full year to September 2013. Under the revised schedule, which Hanley formally rescinded two days later, the Ares 1's first launch of an unmanned Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle would be delayed nine months to December 2013, resulting in a six-month delay of the first crewed test flight to March 2014.

NASA Execs Mum on Possible Earth Science Budget Boost (Source: Space News)
With less than two weeks to go until the White House rolls out a 2009 budget request expected to include substantial additional funding for NASA's Earth science program, Mike Griffin and his science chief went before reporters to say they believe NASA is doing a great job monitoring the Earth and its changing climate. Griffin's assessment was out of step with that of a National Academy of Sciences panel that warned last year that the number of in-orbit environmental monitoring sensors will drop off dramatically in the decade ahead barring a significant U.S. investment. The panel -- at NASA's prompting -- published a 10-year plan for Earth science calling for NASA to undertake 15 new missions. NASA's 2009 spending plan will include an extra $500 million for Earth science spread over five years to help make that happen, according to a source familiar with the request.

U.S. to Oppose Treaty Barring Space Weapons (Source: Space News)
As it has in past years, the U.S. government plans to oppose a draft treaty, written by China and Russia, for the "Prevention of Placement of Weapons in Outer Space" when it is introduced Feb. 12 at the international Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Donald A. Mahley, U.S. acting deputy assistant secretary of state, said the "existence of opaque Chinese counter-space programs and activities complicates any discussion of a Chinese-Russian treaty proposal and reinforces U.S. opposition to such negotiations." He said China's anti-satellite test last year contradicts Beijing's professed opposition to weapons in space. He reiterated longstanding White House arguments against a treaty barring weapons in space, saying it would be difficult to define what "constitutes a space weapon for arms control purposes."