Florida Space Day Planned March 6 in Tallahassee (Source: FSD)
On March 6, 2008, Florida-based companies supporting the Aerospace Industry will meet in Tallahassee for Florida Space Day 2008. Industry leaders and representatives will conduct legislative visits with House and Senate Representatives to bring collaborative messages on Space and Aerospace initiatives and discuss pending legislation with policymakers. For questions or information regarding Florida Space Day 2008, visit http://www.floridaspaceday.com.
California Space Authority Supports Aerospace Advisory Committee, Candidate Outreach (Source: CSA)
Former Congresswoman Andrea Seastrand, executive director of the California Space Authority, will chair an Aerospace Advisory Committee of the California Commission for Economic Development. Visit http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/press-releases/pr080225-1.pdf for information. CSA also recently developed a point paper titled: "Benefits and Challenges of Space Enterprise In California" for distribution to all the Presidential candidates. Visit http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/government/pointpaper.pdf to view the document.
California Takes Space Industry Pulse with Online Survey (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority’s strategic plan implementation process includes taking the pulse of space enterprise in California using a quick online survey. The 10 minute survey seeks gut reactions to pointed questions about the state's space industry and space programs. The survey closes March 31. Visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=yFf3MpjT0QryJga7acYF6A_3d_3d to take the survey.
California Space Day Planned May 13 in Sacramento (Source: CSA)
Space enterprise stakeholders will meet in Sacramento on May 13 to discuss space policy and regulatory issues with state legislators and executive branch key officials. Click here for information and registration.
AirLaunch Passes Hardware Milestone (Source: CSA)
AirLaunch LLC passed a major hardware milestone in Phase 2C of the DARPA/Air Force Falcon Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program. The company's upgraded Horizontal Test Stand (known as HTS-2) is now complete, with new hardware and additional sensors and instrumentation systems for the HTS and the HTS test article installed. AirLaunch plans to launch small payloads aboard rockets dropped from the cargo holds of aircraft like the C-17.
NASA Solicits COTS-2 Proposals from Industry (Source: Space News)
NASA intends to seek formal proposals this spring from U.S. companies that think they can be ready in 2010 to deliver cargo to the international space station. A draft request for proposals was released Feb. 28 by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. A final solicitation is due for release in mid April. NASA intends to award so-called indefinite quantity-indefinite delivery contracts to one of more companies in late November. The contracts would qualify a company to deliver cargo to the space station between 2010 and 2012. Actual flight services would be purchased via competitively awarded task orders, similar to the way NASA buys satellite launch services today. NASA plans to hold a pre-proposal conference and one-day meeting with interested companies March 17 and 18, respectively, in Houston.
USAF To Use Its Last Three Delta 2s for GPS 2RM (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force plans to use its last three Delta 2 rockets during fiscal 2008 to launch GPS 2RM satellites. The Air Force does not need to launch these satellites to replenish the GPS constellation, a government official points out, since there currently is a record number — 31 — of functioning GPS satellites already in orbit. "There's actually a 32nd satellite in orbit standing by as a live spare in case we lose one of our older birds. This is the first time we've had an on-orbit spare," this source said.
The GPS 2RM launches are happening because the funds for launching on the Delta 2 "are only available this year," the government source said, leading the Air Force to temporarily launch according to schedule instead of launching satellites as they are needed. The government source said this sets an "interesting precedent," since the Defense Department "has always resisted a launch on schedule approach whenever the civil community" has suggested accelerating modernization of the GPS constellation.
Goddard Engineer Kicks Off Women's History Month at Embry-Riddle (Source: Avion)
Dr. Aprille Ericsson, the first African-American woman with an engineering doctorate to work at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, will be the keynote speaker for the Women's History Month celebration at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The free hour-long event will be held on March 3, at 7:00 p.m. at the university's Daytona Beach campus.
NASA Approves March 11 Shuttle Launch, Floridian to Command Mission (Sources: Florida Today, Miami Herald)
NASA managers have confirmed that Endeavour will launch at 2:28 a.m. EST on March 11. The 16-day mission will include five spacewalks and likely will be the longest stay to date at the International Space Station. Endeavour is scheduled to stay nearly 12 days at the station. A Japanese logistics module and a Canadian robot will fly up on the shuttle, and a European cargo carrier will be near the station during the mission. The Automated Transfer Vehicle will dock at the space station after the shuttle departs. The mission will be commanded by Dominic Gorie, a graduate of Miami Palmetto High School.
Sirius To Launch FM-6 on ILS Proton M in 2010 (Source: Space News)
Sirius Satellite Radio will launch its FM-6 satellite into highly elliptical orbit aboard an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton M rocket in late 2010 as part of a contract that includes a Proton launch of a second, unidentified Sirius satellite, ILS announced Feb. 29.
NASA Issues Draft Solicitation for Station Resupply Services (Source: Space News)
NASA intends to seek formal proposals this spring from U.S. companies that think they can be ready in 2010 to deliver cargo to the international space station.
Three Competing to Build Iridium Next Constellation (Source: Space News)
Iridium Satellite LLC has selected Lockheed Martin, Space Systems/Loral and Thales Alenia Space to compete for the job of prime contractor on Iridium's $2.6 billion second-generation constellation of low-orbiting communications satellites, industry officials said.
Putin Signs Decree to Set Up Rocket-and-Space Research Center (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree establishing a federal government-sponsored Rocket and Space Industry Research and Test Center. The center would be created by reorganizing the Scientific and Research Institute of Chemical Engineering, which will be merged with the Scientific and Research Institute of Chemical and Construction Machine Manufacturing. The president instructed the government to report on the decree's implementation within nine months and to submit proposals on the center's official registration and inclusion into the list of strategic enterprises and strategic joint stock companies.
India Funds Manned Space Mission (Source: Hindustan Times)
India's ambitious plan to launch manned space missions received a boost on Friday with the government sanctioning Rs 100 crore for the initiative. The Union Budget, presented in Parliament by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has earmarked Rs 100 crore for Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) manned mission initiatives as it hiked the allocation for the Department of Space (DoS) by nearly 24 percent. The DoS has been allocated Rs 4,074 crore for 2008-09, a Rs 784 crore hike over the Rs 3,290 crore allocation last fiscal.
Senators Clash with NASA Chief on Speed of Space Transition (Source: Government Executive)
Complaining that President Bush's proposed $17.6 billion NASA budget would slow the NASA's transition from the space shuttle to Constellation, senators from both parties Wednesday questioned whether the administration correctly weighed the risks in relying on Russia to ferry American astronauts and equipment to and from the International Space Station. Space Subcommittee Chairman Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Sen. David Vitter, R-La., trained their sights on what they portrayed as a high-risk reliance on a partner whose ambitions might run counter to U.S. foreign policy goals. Nelson said "there is a realistic political monkey wrench" that could complicate any deal. He said current law forbids any U.S. contract payments to Russia if it continues to support the Iranian nuclear development program, unless the White House requests a waiver and Congress grants it.
"We will need a waiver of that law," Griffin said, and added: "Our folks are working with the Department of State to get one." Nelson reminded him that Congress would have to receive the request for the waiver by March 14. Griffin also said the shutdown of the shuttle program is likely to lead to the loss of thousands of NASA jobs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Vitter said the loss of technical and scientific knowledge from the layoffs could cost NASA more than the amount saved by relying on Russia for space transport and the expense of recruiting, hiring and training a skilled workforce to develop the Ares and Orion vehicles.
February 29 News Items
XM and Sirius Extend Merger Deadline by Two Months (Source: Reuters)
XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have extended by two months a deadline to potentially terminate without penalty Sirius's year-old proposed acquisition of its bigger rival. Under the original terms of their deal, first announced in February 2007, the companies could have walked away after March 1 if they did not receive regulatory approval. U.S. regulators, including the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice, have yet to decide whether to approve the merger. Both companies said this week that they are optimistic both agencies will approve the deal. The deal's strongest critics, including the traditional radio industry, charge that combining the two U.S. satellite radio companies would be anti-competitive.
NASA Awards External Tank Contract Modification (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed a $47.5 million contract modification with Lockheed Martin for space shuttle external fuel tanks. The modification aligns and extends all activities associated with the production contract to include final assembly of one tank, partial manufacture of a tank and the acquisition of the component parts for one additional tank to serve as spares. The cost plus award fee/incentive fee contract will conclude Sept. 30, 2010, and brings the total value of the contract, awarded in October 2000, to $2.93 billion. The contract calls for the delivery of 18 external tanks to NASA.
Starfighters Flies Range Technology Test from Shuttle Landing Facility (Source: Starfighters)
Clearwater-based Starfighters Inc. conducted two F-104 flights on Feb. 28 from KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The test flights carried elements of a NASA-sponsored Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS), a developmental flight termination system for space launch vehicles. The AFSS uses vehicle navigation data from redundant onboard sensors and makes flight termination decisions using software-based rules. Starfighters pilots Rick Svetkoff and Michael Smith flew a dynamic flight profile off the Space Coast with AFSS integrated to the aircraft. The test and AFSS integration work was sponsored by the Florida Institute of Technology under a grant from the State of Florida. Preliminary data that showed the system worked and all mission requirements were met and valid flight solutions were generated. Starfighters president Rick Svetkoff said the flights demonstrated the value of the F-104 as an outstanding research platform.
Obama Talks Space on WKYC Interview (Source: NASA Watch)
Obama: "I've got a strong belief in NASA and the process of space exploration. I do think that our program has been stuck for a while - that the space shuttle mission did not inspire the imagination of the public - that much of the experimentation that was done could have been conducted not necessarily with manned flights. I think that broadening our horizons - and looking at a combination of both unmanned satellites of the sort that we saw with the Jupiter launch - but also looking at where we can start planning for potential manned flights. I think that is something that I'm excited about and could be part of a broader strategy for science and technology investment ... The only thing I want to say is that I want to do a thorough review because some of these programs may not be moving in the right direction and I want to make sure that NASA spending is a little more coherent than it has been over the last several years."
Space Club Sponsors Congressional Luncheon at Cape Canaveral (Source: NSC)
The National Space Club's Florida Committee, in cooperation with the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast and the Space Coast Tiger Bay Club, will sponsor a March 25 luncheon featuring Congressman Dave Weldon and Congressman Tom Feeney. The officials will discuss their perspectives on federal space programs and policy. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral. For reservations, go to http://www.SpaceCoastEDC.org/Events/Registration.aspx by March 20.
Plant Ggrowth Experiment Starts Aboard Columbus Laboratory Module (Source: ESA)
European astronaut Léopold Eyharts has activated the first experiment inside the European Columbus laboratory. The WAICO experiment, which investigates the effect of gravity on plant root growth, has started inside the module's Biolab facility. WAICO, short for Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels, looks at the growth of two types of Arabidopsis seed. In all, two different sets of seeds – wild type and genetically modified type - will be allowed to grow under varying levels of gravity, 0g and 1g, where g is the equivalent of gravity on Earth.
Siberian Shepherd Seeks $40,000 Over Space Junk Impact (Source: RIA Novosti)
A shepherd in Russia's southwestern Siberian Altai Republic is to seek over $40,000 in damages from the Russian space agency Roscosmos over a fragment of rocket that fell into his yard on Feb. 5. "Boris Urmatov [the shepherd] is preparing to file a lawsuit demanding compensation to the sum of about 1 million rubles [over $40,000]," a local administration official said. The incident occurred after the launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket from the Baikonur spaceport. The three-and-a-half-meter (11 foot) long fragment of rocket fell several meters from his door, badly frightening him and his children. Although the shepherd was not physically harmed, he is seeking moral damages. The official said the local administration would back him up because the fragment fell outside the designated area for rocket debris. Several years ago, another resident sought damages from Roscosmos in similar circumstances. A court awarded him some $400 in compensation.
Starchaser Rethinking New Mexico Site (Source: Las Cruces Sun)
A British rocket company, cited by New Mexico economic development officials as a potential tenant at the state's spaceport, is looking at other launch sites in Florida and Europe. Steve Bennett, chief executive of Starchaser Industries, said Thursday by e-mail that the company performed a European Space Agency study contract "which effectively defined a 'road map to launch' for Starchaser." "It became clear that New Mexico may not be the optimum location from which to conduct Starchaser operations," he wrote. "Launch location offers from Florida, as well as Europe, are therefore under consideration as possible alternatives."
Bennett didn't elaborate on reasons for the decision, but the company's fledgling operation west of Las Cruces — a small building along Interstate 10 — has been shuttered since November. Spaceport America executive director Steve Landeene said he hadn't spoken with Bennett and didn't have additional details. But he said the company's decision won't affect plans to develop the $225 million spaceport. "I wouldn't characterize it as a strike," Landeene said. "I haven't fully assessed the situation for Starchaser, but they were not in the core model. They are one of many out there on the horizon."
NASA Baffled by Unexplained Force Acting on Space Probes (Source: Space.com)
Mysteriously, five spacecraft that flew past the Earth have each displayed unexpected anomalies in their motions. These newfound enigmas join the so-called "Pioneer anomaly" as hints that unexplained forces may appear to act on spacecraft. A decade ago, after rigorous analyses, anomalies were seen with the identical Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft as they hurtled out of the solar system. Both seemed to experience a tiny but unexplained constant acceleration toward the sun.
A host of explanations have been bandied about for the Pioneer anomaly. At times these are rooted in conventional science — perhaps leaks from the spacecraft have affected their trajectories. At times these are rooted in more speculative physics — maybe the law of gravity itself needs to be modified. Now Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomer John Anderson and his colleagues — who originally helped uncover the Pioneer anomaly — have discovered that five spacecraft each raced either a tiny bit faster or slower than expected when they flew past the Earth en route to other parts of the solar system.
Florida Race to Space (Source: Naples News)
Once the exclusive province of science fiction or the government, economic opportunities in space are now available to all. Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida, pointed out that there are now vast fields of opportunities available to entrepreneurs in Southwest Florida — and anywhere on Earth — from technological partnerships to mining of precious metals on asteroids. The fast-talking former CEO of Winner Global Defense now runs the single point of contact for state aerospace-related activities with federal agencies, the military, state agencies, businesses and the private sector.
In case opportunities weren’t clearcut enough for his audience, Kohler pointed out that a standard asteroid has a market value of $20 trillion in metals: nickel, iron, platinum, iridium, osmium and palladium. Florida has some $9 billion in aerospace assets at Cape Canaveral and at the Jacksonville Spaceport, but there is growing competition from 13 other states, including nine states with spaceports. Florida has aerospace-related industries in 47 of its 67 counties. And for those who need to relate to a more tangible market: There is a commercial space tourism need coming, Kohler said. British entrepreneur Richard Branson is already starting to sell tickets for Virgin Galactic’s second spaceship, Kohler said.
For XM, Fewer Losses And More Subscribers (Source: Washington Post)
XM Satellite Radio said it trimmed its loss while adding more subscribers in the fourth quarter, and its executives said they remain hopeful that its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio will be approved. But as the wait for the regulatory go-ahead drags on, the company also tried to reassure investors that it's prepared for a future without Sirius. XM executives cast the sales increase in sunny light. But analysts said remaining independent would cloud both companies' futures. XM's revenue during the quarter rose 20 percent, to $308 million, from the fourth quarter a year earlier. The company lost $239 million, compared with a loss of $257 million in the comparable quarter of 2006. For the full year, revenue rose 22 percent, to $1.1 billion. The loss narrowed to $682 million, from $719 million in 2006. XM ended 2007 with 9 million subscribers.
XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have extended by two months a deadline to potentially terminate without penalty Sirius's year-old proposed acquisition of its bigger rival. Under the original terms of their deal, first announced in February 2007, the companies could have walked away after March 1 if they did not receive regulatory approval. U.S. regulators, including the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice, have yet to decide whether to approve the merger. Both companies said this week that they are optimistic both agencies will approve the deal. The deal's strongest critics, including the traditional radio industry, charge that combining the two U.S. satellite radio companies would be anti-competitive.
NASA Awards External Tank Contract Modification (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed a $47.5 million contract modification with Lockheed Martin for space shuttle external fuel tanks. The modification aligns and extends all activities associated with the production contract to include final assembly of one tank, partial manufacture of a tank and the acquisition of the component parts for one additional tank to serve as spares. The cost plus award fee/incentive fee contract will conclude Sept. 30, 2010, and brings the total value of the contract, awarded in October 2000, to $2.93 billion. The contract calls for the delivery of 18 external tanks to NASA.
Starfighters Flies Range Technology Test from Shuttle Landing Facility (Source: Starfighters)
Clearwater-based Starfighters Inc. conducted two F-104 flights on Feb. 28 from KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. The test flights carried elements of a NASA-sponsored Autonomous Flight Safety System (AFSS), a developmental flight termination system for space launch vehicles. The AFSS uses vehicle navigation data from redundant onboard sensors and makes flight termination decisions using software-based rules. Starfighters pilots Rick Svetkoff and Michael Smith flew a dynamic flight profile off the Space Coast with AFSS integrated to the aircraft. The test and AFSS integration work was sponsored by the Florida Institute of Technology under a grant from the State of Florida. Preliminary data that showed the system worked and all mission requirements were met and valid flight solutions were generated. Starfighters president Rick Svetkoff said the flights demonstrated the value of the F-104 as an outstanding research platform.
Obama Talks Space on WKYC Interview (Source: NASA Watch)
Obama: "I've got a strong belief in NASA and the process of space exploration. I do think that our program has been stuck for a while - that the space shuttle mission did not inspire the imagination of the public - that much of the experimentation that was done could have been conducted not necessarily with manned flights. I think that broadening our horizons - and looking at a combination of both unmanned satellites of the sort that we saw with the Jupiter launch - but also looking at where we can start planning for potential manned flights. I think that is something that I'm excited about and could be part of a broader strategy for science and technology investment ... The only thing I want to say is that I want to do a thorough review because some of these programs may not be moving in the right direction and I want to make sure that NASA spending is a little more coherent than it has been over the last several years."
Space Club Sponsors Congressional Luncheon at Cape Canaveral (Source: NSC)
The National Space Club's Florida Committee, in cooperation with the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast and the Space Coast Tiger Bay Club, will sponsor a March 25 luncheon featuring Congressman Dave Weldon and Congressman Tom Feeney. The officials will discuss their perspectives on federal space programs and policy. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral. For reservations, go to http://www.SpaceCoastEDC.org/Events/Registration.aspx by March 20.
Plant Ggrowth Experiment Starts Aboard Columbus Laboratory Module (Source: ESA)
European astronaut Léopold Eyharts has activated the first experiment inside the European Columbus laboratory. The WAICO experiment, which investigates the effect of gravity on plant root growth, has started inside the module's Biolab facility. WAICO, short for Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels, looks at the growth of two types of Arabidopsis seed. In all, two different sets of seeds – wild type and genetically modified type - will be allowed to grow under varying levels of gravity, 0g and 1g, where g is the equivalent of gravity on Earth.
Siberian Shepherd Seeks $40,000 Over Space Junk Impact (Source: RIA Novosti)
A shepherd in Russia's southwestern Siberian Altai Republic is to seek over $40,000 in damages from the Russian space agency Roscosmos over a fragment of rocket that fell into his yard on Feb. 5. "Boris Urmatov [the shepherd] is preparing to file a lawsuit demanding compensation to the sum of about 1 million rubles [over $40,000]," a local administration official said. The incident occurred after the launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket from the Baikonur spaceport. The three-and-a-half-meter (11 foot) long fragment of rocket fell several meters from his door, badly frightening him and his children. Although the shepherd was not physically harmed, he is seeking moral damages. The official said the local administration would back him up because the fragment fell outside the designated area for rocket debris. Several years ago, another resident sought damages from Roscosmos in similar circumstances. A court awarded him some $400 in compensation.
Starchaser Rethinking New Mexico Site (Source: Las Cruces Sun)
A British rocket company, cited by New Mexico economic development officials as a potential tenant at the state's spaceport, is looking at other launch sites in Florida and Europe. Steve Bennett, chief executive of Starchaser Industries, said Thursday by e-mail that the company performed a European Space Agency study contract "which effectively defined a 'road map to launch' for Starchaser." "It became clear that New Mexico may not be the optimum location from which to conduct Starchaser operations," he wrote. "Launch location offers from Florida, as well as Europe, are therefore under consideration as possible alternatives."
Bennett didn't elaborate on reasons for the decision, but the company's fledgling operation west of Las Cruces — a small building along Interstate 10 — has been shuttered since November. Spaceport America executive director Steve Landeene said he hadn't spoken with Bennett and didn't have additional details. But he said the company's decision won't affect plans to develop the $225 million spaceport. "I wouldn't characterize it as a strike," Landeene said. "I haven't fully assessed the situation for Starchaser, but they were not in the core model. They are one of many out there on the horizon."
NASA Baffled by Unexplained Force Acting on Space Probes (Source: Space.com)
Mysteriously, five spacecraft that flew past the Earth have each displayed unexpected anomalies in their motions. These newfound enigmas join the so-called "Pioneer anomaly" as hints that unexplained forces may appear to act on spacecraft. A decade ago, after rigorous analyses, anomalies were seen with the identical Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft as they hurtled out of the solar system. Both seemed to experience a tiny but unexplained constant acceleration toward the sun.
A host of explanations have been bandied about for the Pioneer anomaly. At times these are rooted in conventional science — perhaps leaks from the spacecraft have affected their trajectories. At times these are rooted in more speculative physics — maybe the law of gravity itself needs to be modified. Now Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomer John Anderson and his colleagues — who originally helped uncover the Pioneer anomaly — have discovered that five spacecraft each raced either a tiny bit faster or slower than expected when they flew past the Earth en route to other parts of the solar system.
Florida Race to Space (Source: Naples News)
Once the exclusive province of science fiction or the government, economic opportunities in space are now available to all. Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida, pointed out that there are now vast fields of opportunities available to entrepreneurs in Southwest Florida — and anywhere on Earth — from technological partnerships to mining of precious metals on asteroids. The fast-talking former CEO of Winner Global Defense now runs the single point of contact for state aerospace-related activities with federal agencies, the military, state agencies, businesses and the private sector.
In case opportunities weren’t clearcut enough for his audience, Kohler pointed out that a standard asteroid has a market value of $20 trillion in metals: nickel, iron, platinum, iridium, osmium and palladium. Florida has some $9 billion in aerospace assets at Cape Canaveral and at the Jacksonville Spaceport, but there is growing competition from 13 other states, including nine states with spaceports. Florida has aerospace-related industries in 47 of its 67 counties. And for those who need to relate to a more tangible market: There is a commercial space tourism need coming, Kohler said. British entrepreneur Richard Branson is already starting to sell tickets for Virgin Galactic’s second spaceship, Kohler said.
For XM, Fewer Losses And More Subscribers (Source: Washington Post)
XM Satellite Radio said it trimmed its loss while adding more subscribers in the fourth quarter, and its executives said they remain hopeful that its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio will be approved. But as the wait for the regulatory go-ahead drags on, the company also tried to reassure investors that it's prepared for a future without Sirius. XM executives cast the sales increase in sunny light. But analysts said remaining independent would cloud both companies' futures. XM's revenue during the quarter rose 20 percent, to $308 million, from the fourth quarter a year earlier. The company lost $239 million, compared with a loss of $257 million in the comparable quarter of 2006. For the full year, revenue rose 22 percent, to $1.1 billion. The loss narrowed to $682 million, from $719 million in 2006. XM ended 2007 with 9 million subscribers.
February 28 News Items
Editorial: Failure is Always an Option (Source: Palm Beach Post)
Fans of Star Wars - the anti-missile system, not the George Lucas movies - went all giddy last week after a missile the Navy fired from the Aegis-class cruiser Lake Erie shot down a dead U.S. spy satellite. Although the Pentagon tried to pretend that shooting down the satellite was not a test of the Star Wars system, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "The question of whether this capability works has been settled." However, the ability to "hit a bullet with a bullet" remains dicey. Even "successful" tests of a system that needs to be infallible have relied on circumstances that have been rigged to some extent. We're far away from being able to shoot down a missile fired in a sneak attack and equipped with software that executes evasive maneuvers or deploys defense mechanisms such as decoy flares.
Our anti-missile missiles are designed to lock onto the heat source of the missile they set out to destroy. But the satellite hit last week was cold. In fact, the big threat was from frozen toxic fuel. Furthermore, the satellite was on a regular, predictable orbit. Shooting it down was a great feat of engineering. But it wasn't a real-life test of an anti-missile system. All space missions run a high risk of failure. That is why it makes no sense to rely on an anti-missile system. Further, it makes no sense to base weapons in space, a development that some people think the U.S. decision to shoot down the satellite makes more likely. If we have weapons in space, sooner or later one of them is going to fail fatally and spectacularly.
Editorial: Informed Consent for Spaceflight (Source: Palm Beach Post)
This week provides new evidence that the dangers of space travel are well known to all. The Florida Legislature soon will consider House Bill 737, "An act relating to informed consent for spaceflight." It would provide immunity from lawsuits for companies that blast tourists - who reportedly would pay $200,000 to $300,000 per trip - into suborbit. "A spaceflight entity is not liable for injury to or death of a participant resulting from the inherent risks of spaceflight launch activities."
Barney Bishop, president of the influential business group Associated Industries of Florida, says state leaders are planning to copy a Virginia law that would provide immunity for, among other things, private satellite-launch companies who operate out of Florida. Why do such companies need immunity? Because it is the nature of launches of all kinds to go, on occasion, horribly wrong. If Virginia isn't going to hold such companies responsible for dropping a satellite on a condominium, the only way Florida can compete for that emerging industry is to give Buck Rogers entrepreneurs a pass if they happen to knock off a few Floridians. Hey, whose fault is it if gravity acting on spacecraft kills a hapless golfer or two?
Economic Study Backs Anglers' Argument Against Launch Complex (Source: Daytona Beach News Journal)
The timing of a new state study couldn't have been better for opponents scrambling for ammunition to shoot down a NASA proposal to build a private launch complex next to a wildlife refuge. The study concluded retail sales for wildlife viewing doubled in Florida in the past five years. Outdoor enthusiasts hope the study will lend oomph to their pleas for NASA to look south instead, to the border it shares with Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The NASA proposal to consider using one of two 200-acre sites on the northern end of Kennedy Space Center as a commercial launch complex has scores of fishermen, bird-watchers, surfers and nude sunbathers in a tizzy. Either complex would be adjacent to or very near popular fishing, swimming and wildlife viewing spots at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore. The two attract more than 1 million visitors each year.
SpaceX Completes Qualification Testing of Merlin Engine for Falcon 1 (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has completed the qualification testing program of its Merlin 1C next-generation liquid fueled rocket booster engine for use in the Falcon 1 rocket. Tests were conducted at the SpaceX Texas Test Facility near Waco, TX, on a Merlin 1C configured for powering the first stage of a Falcon 1 rocket. The qualification program included a record-breaking day of four full-mission duration firings on the engine. “This marathon run brought the total operating time on a single engine to over 27 minutes, which is more than ten complete flights. The engine meets or exceeds all requirements for thrust, performance and durability.” “In the coming weeks SpaceX will begin qualifying Merlin for the higher thrust and performance levels required by its Falcon 9 rocket, keeping the company on track for delivering the first Falcon 9 vehicle to Cape Canaveral by year end.”
South Africa Ponders Satellite Launch Options (Source: Engineering News)
The fact that all the leading players in Outer Space have, or are developing, national launch capabilities, has resulted in debate within and between government departments and institutions about South Africa exploring the establishment of its own satellite launch capability. "This has definitely come up," reveals Department of Science and Technology space science and technology manager Dr Val Munsami. "In fact, when we were doing the public consultation on the National Space Science and Technology Strategy, the issue of launch capability came up, purely because of the difficulties we are encountering with SumbandilaSat at the moment...The Department of Trade and Industry is busy drafting a space policy at the moment and the launch issue is part of these discussions. The launch capability issue is also sensitive. Cast your mind back to how we got involved in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)."
SpaceX Falcon 9 Maiden Flight Delayed by Six Months to Late Q1 2009 (Source: Flight International)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is blaming the overwhelming amount of work related to the development of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule for a delay of six months for the new vehicles’ maiden flight. The rocket and capsule’s development is in part being funded by the NASA Commercial Orbital Space Transportation Services (COTS) program. Previously scheduled for a US government funded maiden demonstration flight in the fourth quarter with two more flights before the end of the year; the first launch is now expected late in the first quarter of 2009 and the subsequent COTS and commercial flights in the second quarter.
Space Station Orbit Lifted Three Miles for Shuttle/Soyuz Docking (Source: Itar-Tass)
The Russian Mission Control Center has prepared the International Space Station for docking with the American Endeavour shuttle and a Russian manned Soyuz spaceship. The orbit adjustment was made automatically with the use of two adjusting jets of the Zvezda (Star) service module, which switched on at 08.16 MT and worked 123.6 seconds. According to specialists, the station’s average altitude increased by around 5.2 kilometers.
Loral Urges U.S. To Block Thales Alenia from Using Chinese Launcher (Source: Space News)
Satellite manufacturer Loral is asking the U.S. government to block a competitor -- Thales Alenia Space -- from offering China's Long March rocket in commercial competitions because China's low-priced launch vehicles give the French-Italian company a competitive advantage, Space Systems/Loral Chief Executive Patrick DeWitt said Feb. 27.
Griffin Warns Senate Panel of Possible Future Job Cuts (Source: Space News)
Several thousand NASA contractors in Florida and Louisiana could be out of work once the space shuttle flies its last mission in 2010, the head of the U.S. space agency told a Senate panel Feb. 27.
Thales Alenia Space, Eutelsat Ink Deal for W3B Satellite (Source: Space News)
Thales Alenia Space will build a large Ku- and Ka-band satellite for satellite-fleet operator Eutelsat to cover Europe, southern Africa, the Indian Ocean region and Europe and scheduled for delivery in mid-2010 under a contract the two companies announced Feb. 26.
2007 Was a Mixed Year for Satellite Stocks (Source: Space News)
Satellite stocks got whacked by the credit market downturn along with most other sectors in 2007 but not everyone suffered, and some did very well, Wall Street investment bankers said Feb. 25 in presenting what one called "the Oscars for 2007 satellite stock performance."
Fans of Star Wars - the anti-missile system, not the George Lucas movies - went all giddy last week after a missile the Navy fired from the Aegis-class cruiser Lake Erie shot down a dead U.S. spy satellite. Although the Pentagon tried to pretend that shooting down the satellite was not a test of the Star Wars system, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "The question of whether this capability works has been settled." However, the ability to "hit a bullet with a bullet" remains dicey. Even "successful" tests of a system that needs to be infallible have relied on circumstances that have been rigged to some extent. We're far away from being able to shoot down a missile fired in a sneak attack and equipped with software that executes evasive maneuvers or deploys defense mechanisms such as decoy flares.
Our anti-missile missiles are designed to lock onto the heat source of the missile they set out to destroy. But the satellite hit last week was cold. In fact, the big threat was from frozen toxic fuel. Furthermore, the satellite was on a regular, predictable orbit. Shooting it down was a great feat of engineering. But it wasn't a real-life test of an anti-missile system. All space missions run a high risk of failure. That is why it makes no sense to rely on an anti-missile system. Further, it makes no sense to base weapons in space, a development that some people think the U.S. decision to shoot down the satellite makes more likely. If we have weapons in space, sooner or later one of them is going to fail fatally and spectacularly.
Editorial: Informed Consent for Spaceflight (Source: Palm Beach Post)
This week provides new evidence that the dangers of space travel are well known to all. The Florida Legislature soon will consider House Bill 737, "An act relating to informed consent for spaceflight." It would provide immunity from lawsuits for companies that blast tourists - who reportedly would pay $200,000 to $300,000 per trip - into suborbit. "A spaceflight entity is not liable for injury to or death of a participant resulting from the inherent risks of spaceflight launch activities."
Barney Bishop, president of the influential business group Associated Industries of Florida, says state leaders are planning to copy a Virginia law that would provide immunity for, among other things, private satellite-launch companies who operate out of Florida. Why do such companies need immunity? Because it is the nature of launches of all kinds to go, on occasion, horribly wrong. If Virginia isn't going to hold such companies responsible for dropping a satellite on a condominium, the only way Florida can compete for that emerging industry is to give Buck Rogers entrepreneurs a pass if they happen to knock off a few Floridians. Hey, whose fault is it if gravity acting on spacecraft kills a hapless golfer or two?
Economic Study Backs Anglers' Argument Against Launch Complex (Source: Daytona Beach News Journal)
The timing of a new state study couldn't have been better for opponents scrambling for ammunition to shoot down a NASA proposal to build a private launch complex next to a wildlife refuge. The study concluded retail sales for wildlife viewing doubled in Florida in the past five years. Outdoor enthusiasts hope the study will lend oomph to their pleas for NASA to look south instead, to the border it shares with Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The NASA proposal to consider using one of two 200-acre sites on the northern end of Kennedy Space Center as a commercial launch complex has scores of fishermen, bird-watchers, surfers and nude sunbathers in a tizzy. Either complex would be adjacent to or very near popular fishing, swimming and wildlife viewing spots at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore. The two attract more than 1 million visitors each year.
SpaceX Completes Qualification Testing of Merlin Engine for Falcon 1 (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has completed the qualification testing program of its Merlin 1C next-generation liquid fueled rocket booster engine for use in the Falcon 1 rocket. Tests were conducted at the SpaceX Texas Test Facility near Waco, TX, on a Merlin 1C configured for powering the first stage of a Falcon 1 rocket. The qualification program included a record-breaking day of four full-mission duration firings on the engine. “This marathon run brought the total operating time on a single engine to over 27 minutes, which is more than ten complete flights. The engine meets or exceeds all requirements for thrust, performance and durability.” “In the coming weeks SpaceX will begin qualifying Merlin for the higher thrust and performance levels required by its Falcon 9 rocket, keeping the company on track for delivering the first Falcon 9 vehicle to Cape Canaveral by year end.”
South Africa Ponders Satellite Launch Options (Source: Engineering News)
The fact that all the leading players in Outer Space have, or are developing, national launch capabilities, has resulted in debate within and between government departments and institutions about South Africa exploring the establishment of its own satellite launch capability. "This has definitely come up," reveals Department of Science and Technology space science and technology manager Dr Val Munsami. "In fact, when we were doing the public consultation on the National Space Science and Technology Strategy, the issue of launch capability came up, purely because of the difficulties we are encountering with SumbandilaSat at the moment...The Department of Trade and Industry is busy drafting a space policy at the moment and the launch issue is part of these discussions. The launch capability issue is also sensitive. Cast your mind back to how we got involved in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)."
SpaceX Falcon 9 Maiden Flight Delayed by Six Months to Late Q1 2009 (Source: Flight International)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is blaming the overwhelming amount of work related to the development of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule for a delay of six months for the new vehicles’ maiden flight. The rocket and capsule’s development is in part being funded by the NASA Commercial Orbital Space Transportation Services (COTS) program. Previously scheduled for a US government funded maiden demonstration flight in the fourth quarter with two more flights before the end of the year; the first launch is now expected late in the first quarter of 2009 and the subsequent COTS and commercial flights in the second quarter.
Space Station Orbit Lifted Three Miles for Shuttle/Soyuz Docking (Source: Itar-Tass)
The Russian Mission Control Center has prepared the International Space Station for docking with the American Endeavour shuttle and a Russian manned Soyuz spaceship. The orbit adjustment was made automatically with the use of two adjusting jets of the Zvezda (Star) service module, which switched on at 08.16 MT and worked 123.6 seconds. According to specialists, the station’s average altitude increased by around 5.2 kilometers.
Loral Urges U.S. To Block Thales Alenia from Using Chinese Launcher (Source: Space News)
Satellite manufacturer Loral is asking the U.S. government to block a competitor -- Thales Alenia Space -- from offering China's Long March rocket in commercial competitions because China's low-priced launch vehicles give the French-Italian company a competitive advantage, Space Systems/Loral Chief Executive Patrick DeWitt said Feb. 27.
Griffin Warns Senate Panel of Possible Future Job Cuts (Source: Space News)
Several thousand NASA contractors in Florida and Louisiana could be out of work once the space shuttle flies its last mission in 2010, the head of the U.S. space agency told a Senate panel Feb. 27.
Thales Alenia Space, Eutelsat Ink Deal for W3B Satellite (Source: Space News)
Thales Alenia Space will build a large Ku- and Ka-band satellite for satellite-fleet operator Eutelsat to cover Europe, southern Africa, the Indian Ocean region and Europe and scheduled for delivery in mid-2010 under a contract the two companies announced Feb. 26.
2007 Was a Mixed Year for Satellite Stocks (Source: Space News)
Satellite stocks got whacked by the credit market downturn along with most other sectors in 2007 but not everyone suffered, and some did very well, Wall Street investment bankers said Feb. 25 in presenting what one called "the Oscars for 2007 satellite stock performance."
February 27 News Items
Astronaut Alumna to Speak at Florida Tech on Feb. 29 (Source: FIT)
The public is invited to a lecture by NASA Astronaut and Florida Tech Alumna Sunita Williams from 2-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29, in the Gleason Auditorium. Williams ’95, M.S. engineering management, will talk about her experiences and answer questions from the audience. Williams holds the record for the longest duration space flight by a woman — 195 days. She also holds the record for most hours outside a spacecraft by a female by completing four spacewalks with a total time of 29 hours, 17 minutes. For more information go to http://today.fit.edu/archives/winter07/index.html.
NASA Awards Constellation Program Support Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded SGT Inc. of Greenbelt, Md., a contract for support services for Constellation Program, which is developing new spacecraft to travel beyond low Earth orbit. The Constellation fleet includes the Orion crew vehicle, the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and Altair human lunar lander. The small business contract has a potential value of $60 million with options. Work on the contract will be performed at Johnson Space Center with additional work possible at Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Services will include business management, configuration and data management, requirements analysis and integration, schedule management and integration and technology protection.
Loral and Northrop Grumman Agree to Pursue Satellite Opportunities (Source: Loral)
Northrop Grumman and Loral are pursuing a group of initiatives that could to broaden each company's opportunities to provide the U.S. government with cost competitive satellite systems. The resulting agreement also will enable Loral to expand its manufacturing capacity as needed, in order to address near-term increased satellite demand, through use of the satellite test facilities and services at Northrop Grumman facilities in California.
Orbital Awarded Contract for System F6 Satellite Program (Source: Orbital)
Orbital Sciences Corp. has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a Phase 1 concept for System F6 (Future Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft united by Information eXchange). The objective of the F6 program is to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of a satellite architecture in which traditional “monolithic” spacecraft are replaced by clusters of wirelessly-interconnected spacecraft modules.
New Orion CEV Requirements Force Contract Renegotiation (Source: Flight International)
NASA and Lockheed Martin are restructuring the Orion design, development, test and evaluation contract, awarded in 2006, following new CEV requirements that emerged from project reviews in November and December. Lockheed expects the restructured seven-year deal to increase costs in the short term but require no overall change to the total contract award of $3.9 billion. Requirements for the Orion that have already been dropped are two-failure tolerant specifications for some of its subsystems while others, such as the ability of the capsule to cope with Atlantic or Pacific sea-states for up to 36h before the crew can be recovered, are in negotiation.
NASA Adds Power and Height to Ares V Rocket (Source: Flight International)
NASA's Ares V cargo launch vehicle (CLV), named after its five first-stage cryogenic engines, could end up with six engines, be taller than the Saturn V and diminish the space agency's common element approach to its new transportation system. For missions to the Moon, Ares V will launch the Earth departure stage (EDS) and Altair lunar lander that will dock with the manned Orion crew exploration vehicle. The ongoing changes to the CLV are to provide more performance margin to help with possible future mass growth in the Altair and Orion. Click here to view the article.
California Atlas Launch Delayed to Avoid Spy Satellite Debris (Source: Florida Today)
The planned launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with a classified payload is being pushed back about two weeks to avoid the scattered remnants of a spy satellite that was destroyed last week in a deliberate Navy missile shot. The powerful United Launch Alliance rocket and its National Reconnaissance Office payload had been slated to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday.
Thousands of Objects Called 'Space Junk' Orbiting the Earth (Source: Alabama Times Daily)
As if Earth didn't have enough litter to worry about on its surface, now it's got a mess of stuff hanging over its head. It's called "space junk," a term referring to satellites and other man-made debris that orbit the planet. There are more than 12,000 objects orbiting Earth, according to NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office, based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. About 95 percent of the objects are classified as orbital debris, meaning they are not operating satellites.
Former President Clinton Stumps for Hillary in Houston (Source: Houston Chronicle)
In the heart of the mostly Hispanic near north side of Houston today, President Clinton delivered an unbleached populist message on behalf of his wife. Clinton pointed out that Hillary Clinton places more of an emphasis than Obama on human space travel. "This is the center of American space travel," he said of Houston and the Johnson Space Center. "Sixteen thousand (local) jobs -- and a lot of America's future -- rely on this."
Ares I-X Test Launch To Study Vibrations (Source: Aerospace Daily)
NASA engineers are adding instrumentation to the first full-scale flight version of the Ares I crew launch vehicle to gather real data about vibrations from its solid-fuel first stage that initially were predicted to be seriously out-of-spec. Those predictions, which could mean expensive modifications to the Ares I and the Orion crew exploration vehicle that will ride atop it, are based largely on ground-test data. Managers hope flight-test results from the Ares I-X flight will give them a much better idea of just how bad the problem is, and what it will take to solve it.
Clinton, Obama Surrogates Debate Science Policy (Sources: CQ Politics, NASA Watch)
It wasn't in primetime. In fact, it wasn't broadcast at all. The audience wasn't hand-picked to equally represent the candidates. But a weekend debate at the American Association for the Advancement of Science between science advisors to the Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns was strikingly similar to forums between the candidates.
Clinton, Obama Address Houston Hot Topics (Source: Houston Chronicle)
On space exploration, the energy industry and the Latino vote, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dispelled any impression Friday that they are policy twins inside different outer shells. Clinton was more enthusiastic than Obama about human space travel and domestic oil production when the Democratic presidential candidates conducted separate telephone conferences with the Houston Chronicle editorial board. "I intend to pursue an ambitious agenda in both space exploration and earth sciences," Clinton said. "I want to support the next generation of spacecraft for a robust human spaceflight program."
Obama agreed that NASA, which employs thousands of Houston-area voters who work at or with the Johnson Space Center, should be a tool for inspiring the nation. But, he said, the next president needs to have "a practical sense of what investments deliver the most scientific and technological spinoffs — and not just assume that human space exploration, actually sending bodies into space, is always the best investment."
Indian Official Proposes Joint Investment in Space With Israel (Source: The Hindu)
India and Israel should consider jointly investing up to $1 billion in selected areas in space technology based on their mutual core competence, former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam said. Pointing towards the large number of satellites in the geosynchronous orbit leading to a "clutter", Kalam, a renowned rocket scientist, emphasized on the need of immediate steps to enhance cooperation between the space-faring nations. As a first step towards achieving these goals, Kalam suggested that the Indian and Israel aerospace agencies should consider establishing a world knowledge platform to enable joint design, development, cost effective production and marketing of the aerospace systems and products.
Loral Selected by SES to Build Largest, Most Powerful Satellite in SES Fleet (Source: Loral)
Loral and SES, the world's leading provider of high-power commercial satellites, announced that Loral has been awarded a contract to manufacture a new spacecraft for SES. Designed as the largest most powerful satellite in the SES fleet, NSS-14 expands and enhances the company's ability to provide Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) to the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NSS-14 is the second satellite contract that SES has awarded to Loral and it will be positioned to support trans-Atlantic traffic. The spacecraft is a state-of-the-art, hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite that includes Loral's heritage ion propulsion system and a 15 year design life.
Editorial: KSC Launch Complex Plan May Not Prove Feasible (Source: Florida Today)
While we're on the subject of the environment, NASA just got an earful about a proposal to build a private launch complex at KSC. The plan has merit although it's a serious long shot. That's because the state of Florida or industry would have to spend more than $500 million to construct the twin pads and still more to operate them to fly astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station aboard private rockets after the shuttle fleet retires. If the financial hurdles aren't great enough, the impact on the environment and local businesses are no less major.
NASA Views Possible Lunar Landing Site (Source: UPI)
NASA has obtained the highest-resolution terrain mapping to date of a possible landing site at the moon's south polar region. The new images, containing a resolution to about 66 feet per pixel, were obtained using the Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's Mojave Desert. NASA said the imagery has been incorporated into animation depicting the descent to the lunar surface of a future human lunar lander and a flyover of Shackleton Crater. The data indicates Shackleton Crater is much more rugged than previously understood, NASA said, noting the crater's rim area is considered a candidate landing site for a future human mission to the moon. The imagery shows the lunar south pole has peaks as high as Mount McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
The public is invited to a lecture by NASA Astronaut and Florida Tech Alumna Sunita Williams from 2-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 29, in the Gleason Auditorium. Williams ’95, M.S. engineering management, will talk about her experiences and answer questions from the audience. Williams holds the record for the longest duration space flight by a woman — 195 days. She also holds the record for most hours outside a spacecraft by a female by completing four spacewalks with a total time of 29 hours, 17 minutes. For more information go to http://today.fit.edu/archives/winter07/index.html.
NASA Awards Constellation Program Support Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded SGT Inc. of Greenbelt, Md., a contract for support services for Constellation Program, which is developing new spacecraft to travel beyond low Earth orbit. The Constellation fleet includes the Orion crew vehicle, the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles and Altair human lunar lander. The small business contract has a potential value of $60 million with options. Work on the contract will be performed at Johnson Space Center with additional work possible at Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Services will include business management, configuration and data management, requirements analysis and integration, schedule management and integration and technology protection.
Loral and Northrop Grumman Agree to Pursue Satellite Opportunities (Source: Loral)
Northrop Grumman and Loral are pursuing a group of initiatives that could to broaden each company's opportunities to provide the U.S. government with cost competitive satellite systems. The resulting agreement also will enable Loral to expand its manufacturing capacity as needed, in order to address near-term increased satellite demand, through use of the satellite test facilities and services at Northrop Grumman facilities in California.
Orbital Awarded Contract for System F6 Satellite Program (Source: Orbital)
Orbital Sciences Corp. has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a Phase 1 concept for System F6 (Future Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft united by Information eXchange). The objective of the F6 program is to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of a satellite architecture in which traditional “monolithic” spacecraft are replaced by clusters of wirelessly-interconnected spacecraft modules.
New Orion CEV Requirements Force Contract Renegotiation (Source: Flight International)
NASA and Lockheed Martin are restructuring the Orion design, development, test and evaluation contract, awarded in 2006, following new CEV requirements that emerged from project reviews in November and December. Lockheed expects the restructured seven-year deal to increase costs in the short term but require no overall change to the total contract award of $3.9 billion. Requirements for the Orion that have already been dropped are two-failure tolerant specifications for some of its subsystems while others, such as the ability of the capsule to cope with Atlantic or Pacific sea-states for up to 36h before the crew can be recovered, are in negotiation.
NASA Adds Power and Height to Ares V Rocket (Source: Flight International)
NASA's Ares V cargo launch vehicle (CLV), named after its five first-stage cryogenic engines, could end up with six engines, be taller than the Saturn V and diminish the space agency's common element approach to its new transportation system. For missions to the Moon, Ares V will launch the Earth departure stage (EDS) and Altair lunar lander that will dock with the manned Orion crew exploration vehicle. The ongoing changes to the CLV are to provide more performance margin to help with possible future mass growth in the Altair and Orion. Click here to view the article.
California Atlas Launch Delayed to Avoid Spy Satellite Debris (Source: Florida Today)
The planned launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with a classified payload is being pushed back about two weeks to avoid the scattered remnants of a spy satellite that was destroyed last week in a deliberate Navy missile shot. The powerful United Launch Alliance rocket and its National Reconnaissance Office payload had been slated to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday.
Thousands of Objects Called 'Space Junk' Orbiting the Earth (Source: Alabama Times Daily)
As if Earth didn't have enough litter to worry about on its surface, now it's got a mess of stuff hanging over its head. It's called "space junk," a term referring to satellites and other man-made debris that orbit the planet. There are more than 12,000 objects orbiting Earth, according to NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office, based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. About 95 percent of the objects are classified as orbital debris, meaning they are not operating satellites.
Former President Clinton Stumps for Hillary in Houston (Source: Houston Chronicle)
In the heart of the mostly Hispanic near north side of Houston today, President Clinton delivered an unbleached populist message on behalf of his wife. Clinton pointed out that Hillary Clinton places more of an emphasis than Obama on human space travel. "This is the center of American space travel," he said of Houston and the Johnson Space Center. "Sixteen thousand (local) jobs -- and a lot of America's future -- rely on this."
Ares I-X Test Launch To Study Vibrations (Source: Aerospace Daily)
NASA engineers are adding instrumentation to the first full-scale flight version of the Ares I crew launch vehicle to gather real data about vibrations from its solid-fuel first stage that initially were predicted to be seriously out-of-spec. Those predictions, which could mean expensive modifications to the Ares I and the Orion crew exploration vehicle that will ride atop it, are based largely on ground-test data. Managers hope flight-test results from the Ares I-X flight will give them a much better idea of just how bad the problem is, and what it will take to solve it.
Clinton, Obama Surrogates Debate Science Policy (Sources: CQ Politics, NASA Watch)
It wasn't in primetime. In fact, it wasn't broadcast at all. The audience wasn't hand-picked to equally represent the candidates. But a weekend debate at the American Association for the Advancement of Science between science advisors to the Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns was strikingly similar to forums between the candidates.
Clinton, Obama Address Houston Hot Topics (Source: Houston Chronicle)
On space exploration, the energy industry and the Latino vote, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dispelled any impression Friday that they are policy twins inside different outer shells. Clinton was more enthusiastic than Obama about human space travel and domestic oil production when the Democratic presidential candidates conducted separate telephone conferences with the Houston Chronicle editorial board. "I intend to pursue an ambitious agenda in both space exploration and earth sciences," Clinton said. "I want to support the next generation of spacecraft for a robust human spaceflight program."
Obama agreed that NASA, which employs thousands of Houston-area voters who work at or with the Johnson Space Center, should be a tool for inspiring the nation. But, he said, the next president needs to have "a practical sense of what investments deliver the most scientific and technological spinoffs — and not just assume that human space exploration, actually sending bodies into space, is always the best investment."
Indian Official Proposes Joint Investment in Space With Israel (Source: The Hindu)
India and Israel should consider jointly investing up to $1 billion in selected areas in space technology based on their mutual core competence, former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam said. Pointing towards the large number of satellites in the geosynchronous orbit leading to a "clutter", Kalam, a renowned rocket scientist, emphasized on the need of immediate steps to enhance cooperation between the space-faring nations. As a first step towards achieving these goals, Kalam suggested that the Indian and Israel aerospace agencies should consider establishing a world knowledge platform to enable joint design, development, cost effective production and marketing of the aerospace systems and products.
Loral Selected by SES to Build Largest, Most Powerful Satellite in SES Fleet (Source: Loral)
Loral and SES, the world's leading provider of high-power commercial satellites, announced that Loral has been awarded a contract to manufacture a new spacecraft for SES. Designed as the largest most powerful satellite in the SES fleet, NSS-14 expands and enhances the company's ability to provide Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) to the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. NSS-14 is the second satellite contract that SES has awarded to Loral and it will be positioned to support trans-Atlantic traffic. The spacecraft is a state-of-the-art, hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite that includes Loral's heritage ion propulsion system and a 15 year design life.
Editorial: KSC Launch Complex Plan May Not Prove Feasible (Source: Florida Today)
While we're on the subject of the environment, NASA just got an earful about a proposal to build a private launch complex at KSC. The plan has merit although it's a serious long shot. That's because the state of Florida or industry would have to spend more than $500 million to construct the twin pads and still more to operate them to fly astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station aboard private rockets after the shuttle fleet retires. If the financial hurdles aren't great enough, the impact on the environment and local businesses are no less major.
NASA Views Possible Lunar Landing Site (Source: UPI)
NASA has obtained the highest-resolution terrain mapping to date of a possible landing site at the moon's south polar region. The new images, containing a resolution to about 66 feet per pixel, were obtained using the Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's Mojave Desert. NASA said the imagery has been incorporated into animation depicting the descent to the lunar surface of a future human lunar lander and a flyover of Shackleton Crater. The data indicates Shackleton Crater is much more rugged than previously understood, NASA said, noting the crater's rim area is considered a candidate landing site for a future human mission to the moon. The imagery shows the lunar south pole has peaks as high as Mount McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
February 26 News Items
TV Program Features NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Source: WETA)
A new half-hour television program features an exclusive tour of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which has completed more than 240 missions to outer space and is home to the nation's largest organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to learning about Earth, the solar system and the universe. The program follows the center's major achievements in space flight, explores the ins and outs of a space mission, and spotlights the extensive and impressive team behind it all. The show is available on the Internet at http://www.weta.org/tv/allaccess.php and http://www.weta.org/watchonline/.
Sasso Wins Space Coast Legislative Race (Source: ERAU)
Former Cocoa Beach city commissioner Tony Sasso won a close race to replace former Rep. Bob Allen and serve District 32 in the Florida House of Representatives. District 32 includes the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and is home to a large percentage of the state's space industry workforce. Sasso assumed office immediately after the election and his term will end in November. The term's length is abbreviated because it finishes the remainder of Rep. Allen's original term.
The Exploration of Space Focuses on Denver (Source: KUSA)
Hundreds of scientists from NASA and major corporations involved in the space program are gathered this week in Denver for the 3rd Annual Space Exploration Conference, hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Up to 1,800 youngsters from along the Front Range were invited to visit a national symposium put on by the space industry at the Colorado Convention Center. They were encouraged by current and former NASA astronauts to study mathematics and the sciences.
Hundreds Protest KSC Proposal to Use Wildlife Area for Launches (Source: AP)
Hundreds of people attended back-to-back hearings at the Titusville City Council to protest a NASA proposal to launch rockets from a nearby wildlife refuge. NASA officials say they haven't decided yet whether to use the 200 acres inside the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge as a commercial launch site. Another oceanside site has been proposed within the restricted area of the Kennedy Space Center. Endangered wildlife and wetlands exist in both locations. Officials say both sites also fit NASA's requirements for distance from residential areas and risk from hurricane storm surge. The protesters who attended yesterday's meetings say NASA instead should consider using abandoned launch pads at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Indian Mars Mission Possible Before 2015 (Source: The Hindu)
After the Moon, it could be Mars before 2015 for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) if the ambitious space missions drawn up by ISRO’s Advisory Committee for Space (ADCOS) up to the year 2020 are realised in the envisaged time frame. It was on the basis of the recommendations made by ADCOS that the first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, and the multi-wavelength X-ray astronomical satellite ASTROSAT have been undertaken by ISRO.
Britain's Race for Space (Source: The Journal)
As speculation mounts over British manned expeditions into space, it's time to ask whether this is a dream worth pursuing. The race for space is back on and the UK doesn’t want to be left behind. This month saw the release of the UK’s Civilian Space Strategy 2008-2012 which aims to keep the UK “at the forefront of the evolving space scene.” The headline grabbing announcement was that there would be a fresh look at the merits of participating in human space missions. The UK has not participated in such missions since a decision by Margaret Thatcher in 1986 to pull out of the European Space Agency’s human space missions.
There have even been four British astronauts: one was part of a privately financed space flight and the other three gained US citizenship in order to take part in NASA missions. However, if the UK is going to participate in the next wave of human space missions it needs to substantially increase its investment and commitment to space exploration.
Montana Girl Wins Planet Mnemonic Contest (Source: AP)
A fourth-grader at Riverview Elementary School has won the National Geographic planetary mnemonic contest, developing a handy way to remember the newly assigned 11 planets, including three dwarf planets. The contest was in response to the recent announcement by the scientific community that there are now 11 recognized planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. Ceres, Pluto and Eris are considered dwarf planets.
Maryn Smith's winning mnemonic is My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants. Smith's mnemonic will be published in a National Geographic book, "11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System." It also will be recorded into a song by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb. Both are scheduled to be released in March.
Russia's Proton-M to Launch Another Arab Satellite (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian-American joint venture has signed a contract to orbit another satellite for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a Russian Proton-M carrier rocket. Proton-M launch services are provided by Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS), owned by the Khrunichev Center, RSC Energia, and U.S. firm Space Transport Inc. The company received $1.5 billion in new launch orders in 2007.
Iran Built Space Rocket in Just Months (Source: AP)
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the research rocket Iran recently launched was built in just nine months without using any foreign models. Iran's launch of a rocket in early February provoked unease in an international community already suspicious over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program since the technology involved can also be used to deliver warheads. "Iranian space engineers built the research rocket in nine months," said Ahmadinejad, according to the IRNA, the state news agency. "The rocket was not a reproduction of a foreign one."
Analysts have expressed doubts about certain technological achievements announced by Iran in the past. The country launched its first domestically built rocket last February, which soared to the edge of space but did not reach orbit level. John Pike, director of defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, said that nine months was a "feasible" amount of time to build a rocket if the engineers began with some of the parts assembled.
Sirius Satellite Quarterly Loss Narrows (Source: Reuters)
Sirius Satellite Radio, which plans to buy rival XM Satellite Radio, posted a narrower fourth-quarter loss after an increase in subscribers to its pay-radio service. Sirius posted a net loss of $166.2 million, compared with a loss of $245.6 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue increased 29 percent to $249.8 million. Sirius added 654,309 subscribers in the quarter, ending the year with 8.32 million.
US Team Wins Asteroid Competition (Source: BBC)
A US team has won a $50,000 competition to design a spacecraft to rendezvous with and track the path of an asteroid which may threaten Earth. The winning entry, led by SpaceWorks Engineering, will shadow asteroid Apophis for 300 days. The measurements it takes will be used to refine what is known about the orbit of this 300m-wide space rock. Apophis will make a close pass of Earth in 2029 and there is a small but real possibility it could hit in 2036. The competition was organized by the Planetary Society, a space advocacy group with its headquarters in Pasadena, California.
Ares I Issue Near Resolution, NASA Says (Source: Aviation Week)
The focus team studying the thrust-oscillation problem that has raised concerns over development of NASA's planned Ares I crew launch vehicle is set to brief senior agency managers on their findings next month, with early indications the problem won't be a show-stopper. The team has almost finished its work on both the "forcing function" that a vibration in the Ares I first stage sets up in the rest of the stack, and on ways to mitigate potentially damaging effects in the vehicle's response to it.
NASA Still Mum on Job Losses (Source: Florida Today)
Communities near Kennedy Space Center could feel the impact of the space shuttles' retirement more than regions surrounding other NASA field centers, according to a new agency report. The reason: the space shuttle program accounts for a bigger share of this area's economy. Space shuttle work represents less than 1 percent of economic activity in NASA communities in other states, but nearly 3 percent of economic activity in the central Florida region surrounding the spaceships' launch and landing base. NASA has given no official job loss figures since news of the shuttle's retirement in 2004.
Teachers Defy Gravity to Promote Science (Source: Miami Herald)
A pair of Miami teachers went to new heights to bring a gravity-defying science lesson to their classrooms. As she floated three feet above the floor Sunday, Rita Kaplan couldn't believe it: She actually felt like an astronaut in space. A few feet away, Emery Atkinson, an earth science teacher at North Miami Senior High, did back flips and barrel rolls without touching the floor. "I'm speechless," said Atkinson. "My students are going to love this." Despite their gravity-defying antics, the two never left the Earth's atmosphere. Instead, they were on a Boeing 727 that made a series of steep dives, rendering everything inside weightless for about 30 seconds per dip. The flight was sponsored by Space Florida.
Space Club Luncheon Features Space Florida President (Source: NSC)
Space Florida President Steve Kohler will speak on "Driving Value Locally for Global Impact" during the March 11 National Space Club luncheon in Cocoa Beach. The monthly luncheonevent will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel. For information and to RSVP, call LaDonna at 321-505-2037, or mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com.
Blue Origin Buys Texas Ranch as Launch Site (Source: SpaceRef.com)
According to sources, Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin has reportedly bought a 32,000 acre ranch a few miles north of Sierra Blanca, Texas to use as a launch site. This location was previously cleared by the FAA for a launch attempt for the Space America suborbital launch vehicle in 1998.
Hundreds Pack Meeting About Commercial Launch Complex Inside Wildlife Sanctuary (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
More than 200 people have packed into the Titusville Council chambers to urge NASA not to use pristine property in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for a commercial launch pad. "That you would even consider this boggles my mind," Wes Biggs of Orlando told NASA representatives. "I don't think you realize what kind of monumental firestorm this would cause." The meeting attracted everyone from fisherman and birders to bait-and-tackle shop owners, city officials and retired NASA workers.
NASA Mulls Booster Chute Failures (Source: Aviation Week)
The upcoming space shuttle Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for Endeavour's STS-123 mission will review recovery system malfunctions that occurred on both of the boosters that launched the orbiter Atlantis on the STS-122 mission earlier this month. None of the problems involved flight safety or propulsion aspects of the ATK solid rocket motors and both were towed back to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) without difficulty. Also, no delay of STS-123 will occur because of the booster issues.
But the failure of one of three large recovery parachutes to open properly on the flight's left solid booster will result in the shuttle program scrapping the aft skirt for the booster that would normally be refurbished and reused. A camera on the booster showed that when the three 136-foot diameter main chutes were deployed, one of the three immediately developed what grew to be a 25-foot hole at the top of its canopy. This resulted in the chute never opening properly, instead streaming uselessly as the booster descended toward the Atlantic Ocean 150 miles northeast of KSC.
A new half-hour television program features an exclusive tour of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which has completed more than 240 missions to outer space and is home to the nation's largest organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to learning about Earth, the solar system and the universe. The program follows the center's major achievements in space flight, explores the ins and outs of a space mission, and spotlights the extensive and impressive team behind it all. The show is available on the Internet at http://www.weta.org/tv/allaccess.php and http://www.weta.org/watchonline/.
Sasso Wins Space Coast Legislative Race (Source: ERAU)
Former Cocoa Beach city commissioner Tony Sasso won a close race to replace former Rep. Bob Allen and serve District 32 in the Florida House of Representatives. District 32 includes the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and is home to a large percentage of the state's space industry workforce. Sasso assumed office immediately after the election and his term will end in November. The term's length is abbreviated because it finishes the remainder of Rep. Allen's original term.
The Exploration of Space Focuses on Denver (Source: KUSA)
Hundreds of scientists from NASA and major corporations involved in the space program are gathered this week in Denver for the 3rd Annual Space Exploration Conference, hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Up to 1,800 youngsters from along the Front Range were invited to visit a national symposium put on by the space industry at the Colorado Convention Center. They were encouraged by current and former NASA astronauts to study mathematics and the sciences.
Hundreds Protest KSC Proposal to Use Wildlife Area for Launches (Source: AP)
Hundreds of people attended back-to-back hearings at the Titusville City Council to protest a NASA proposal to launch rockets from a nearby wildlife refuge. NASA officials say they haven't decided yet whether to use the 200 acres inside the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge as a commercial launch site. Another oceanside site has been proposed within the restricted area of the Kennedy Space Center. Endangered wildlife and wetlands exist in both locations. Officials say both sites also fit NASA's requirements for distance from residential areas and risk from hurricane storm surge. The protesters who attended yesterday's meetings say NASA instead should consider using abandoned launch pads at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Indian Mars Mission Possible Before 2015 (Source: The Hindu)
After the Moon, it could be Mars before 2015 for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) if the ambitious space missions drawn up by ISRO’s Advisory Committee for Space (ADCOS) up to the year 2020 are realised in the envisaged time frame. It was on the basis of the recommendations made by ADCOS that the first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, and the multi-wavelength X-ray astronomical satellite ASTROSAT have been undertaken by ISRO.
Britain's Race for Space (Source: The Journal)
As speculation mounts over British manned expeditions into space, it's time to ask whether this is a dream worth pursuing. The race for space is back on and the UK doesn’t want to be left behind. This month saw the release of the UK’s Civilian Space Strategy 2008-2012 which aims to keep the UK “at the forefront of the evolving space scene.” The headline grabbing announcement was that there would be a fresh look at the merits of participating in human space missions. The UK has not participated in such missions since a decision by Margaret Thatcher in 1986 to pull out of the European Space Agency’s human space missions.
There have even been four British astronauts: one was part of a privately financed space flight and the other three gained US citizenship in order to take part in NASA missions. However, if the UK is going to participate in the next wave of human space missions it needs to substantially increase its investment and commitment to space exploration.
Montana Girl Wins Planet Mnemonic Contest (Source: AP)
A fourth-grader at Riverview Elementary School has won the National Geographic planetary mnemonic contest, developing a handy way to remember the newly assigned 11 planets, including three dwarf planets. The contest was in response to the recent announcement by the scientific community that there are now 11 recognized planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris. Ceres, Pluto and Eris are considered dwarf planets.
Maryn Smith's winning mnemonic is My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants. Smith's mnemonic will be published in a National Geographic book, "11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System." It also will be recorded into a song by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb. Both are scheduled to be released in March.
Russia's Proton-M to Launch Another Arab Satellite (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian-American joint venture has signed a contract to orbit another satellite for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a Russian Proton-M carrier rocket. Proton-M launch services are provided by Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS), owned by the Khrunichev Center, RSC Energia, and U.S. firm Space Transport Inc. The company received $1.5 billion in new launch orders in 2007.
Iran Built Space Rocket in Just Months (Source: AP)
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the research rocket Iran recently launched was built in just nine months without using any foreign models. Iran's launch of a rocket in early February provoked unease in an international community already suspicious over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program since the technology involved can also be used to deliver warheads. "Iranian space engineers built the research rocket in nine months," said Ahmadinejad, according to the IRNA, the state news agency. "The rocket was not a reproduction of a foreign one."
Analysts have expressed doubts about certain technological achievements announced by Iran in the past. The country launched its first domestically built rocket last February, which soared to the edge of space but did not reach orbit level. John Pike, director of defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, said that nine months was a "feasible" amount of time to build a rocket if the engineers began with some of the parts assembled.
Sirius Satellite Quarterly Loss Narrows (Source: Reuters)
Sirius Satellite Radio, which plans to buy rival XM Satellite Radio, posted a narrower fourth-quarter loss after an increase in subscribers to its pay-radio service. Sirius posted a net loss of $166.2 million, compared with a loss of $245.6 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue increased 29 percent to $249.8 million. Sirius added 654,309 subscribers in the quarter, ending the year with 8.32 million.
US Team Wins Asteroid Competition (Source: BBC)
A US team has won a $50,000 competition to design a spacecraft to rendezvous with and track the path of an asteroid which may threaten Earth. The winning entry, led by SpaceWorks Engineering, will shadow asteroid Apophis for 300 days. The measurements it takes will be used to refine what is known about the orbit of this 300m-wide space rock. Apophis will make a close pass of Earth in 2029 and there is a small but real possibility it could hit in 2036. The competition was organized by the Planetary Society, a space advocacy group with its headquarters in Pasadena, California.
Ares I Issue Near Resolution, NASA Says (Source: Aviation Week)
The focus team studying the thrust-oscillation problem that has raised concerns over development of NASA's planned Ares I crew launch vehicle is set to brief senior agency managers on their findings next month, with early indications the problem won't be a show-stopper. The team has almost finished its work on both the "forcing function" that a vibration in the Ares I first stage sets up in the rest of the stack, and on ways to mitigate potentially damaging effects in the vehicle's response to it.
NASA Still Mum on Job Losses (Source: Florida Today)
Communities near Kennedy Space Center could feel the impact of the space shuttles' retirement more than regions surrounding other NASA field centers, according to a new agency report. The reason: the space shuttle program accounts for a bigger share of this area's economy. Space shuttle work represents less than 1 percent of economic activity in NASA communities in other states, but nearly 3 percent of economic activity in the central Florida region surrounding the spaceships' launch and landing base. NASA has given no official job loss figures since news of the shuttle's retirement in 2004.
Teachers Defy Gravity to Promote Science (Source: Miami Herald)
A pair of Miami teachers went to new heights to bring a gravity-defying science lesson to their classrooms. As she floated three feet above the floor Sunday, Rita Kaplan couldn't believe it: She actually felt like an astronaut in space. A few feet away, Emery Atkinson, an earth science teacher at North Miami Senior High, did back flips and barrel rolls without touching the floor. "I'm speechless," said Atkinson. "My students are going to love this." Despite their gravity-defying antics, the two never left the Earth's atmosphere. Instead, they were on a Boeing 727 that made a series of steep dives, rendering everything inside weightless for about 30 seconds per dip. The flight was sponsored by Space Florida.
Space Club Luncheon Features Space Florida President (Source: NSC)
Space Florida President Steve Kohler will speak on "Driving Value Locally for Global Impact" during the March 11 National Space Club luncheon in Cocoa Beach. The monthly luncheonevent will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel. For information and to RSVP, call LaDonna at 321-505-2037, or mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com.
Blue Origin Buys Texas Ranch as Launch Site (Source: SpaceRef.com)
According to sources, Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin has reportedly bought a 32,000 acre ranch a few miles north of Sierra Blanca, Texas to use as a launch site. This location was previously cleared by the FAA for a launch attempt for the Space America suborbital launch vehicle in 1998.
Hundreds Pack Meeting About Commercial Launch Complex Inside Wildlife Sanctuary (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
More than 200 people have packed into the Titusville Council chambers to urge NASA not to use pristine property in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for a commercial launch pad. "That you would even consider this boggles my mind," Wes Biggs of Orlando told NASA representatives. "I don't think you realize what kind of monumental firestorm this would cause." The meeting attracted everyone from fisherman and birders to bait-and-tackle shop owners, city officials and retired NASA workers.
NASA Mulls Booster Chute Failures (Source: Aviation Week)
The upcoming space shuttle Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for Endeavour's STS-123 mission will review recovery system malfunctions that occurred on both of the boosters that launched the orbiter Atlantis on the STS-122 mission earlier this month. None of the problems involved flight safety or propulsion aspects of the ATK solid rocket motors and both were towed back to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) without difficulty. Also, no delay of STS-123 will occur because of the booster issues.
But the failure of one of three large recovery parachutes to open properly on the flight's left solid booster will result in the shuttle program scrapping the aft skirt for the booster that would normally be refurbished and reused. A camera on the booster showed that when the three 136-foot diameter main chutes were deployed, one of the three immediately developed what grew to be a 25-foot hole at the top of its canopy. This resulted in the chute never opening properly, instead streaming uselessly as the booster descended toward the Atlantic Ocean 150 miles northeast of KSC.
February 25 News Items
Life Without the Moon (Source: Damn Interesting)
Life is a tenuous thing. Earth is just within Sol's habitable zone, and constantly pelted with solar radiation and cosmic rays. Rocky scraps constantly cross Earth’s orbit, threatening to eradicate all terrestrial life. In point of fact, it is almost certain that countless Extinction-Level Events would have sterilized the surface of our plucky planet had it not been for our constant companion and benefactor; a body which unwittingly wards away many of the ills that could befall us: the moon.
Luna is unique among the observed celestial bodies; there is no other satellite closer in size and composition to its mother-planet (if one discounts the dwarf-planet Pluto), and the Earth/moon system is the only tidally locked pair. Furthermore, it also happens to be the only moon in the solar system which is circling an intelligent civilization– a factor which may not be a mere coincidence. Visit http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=942 to view the article.
Seven Generations: a Re-Evaluation of the Paine Report (Source: Space Review)
NASA's exploration program faces an uncertain future given the upcoming change in administrations. Alex Howerton looks back to a report completed over 20 years ago for guidance on how the nation should continue its space efforts. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1067/1 to view the article.
NASA Picks Up Pace of Launches (Source: Florida Today)
The Endeavour astronauts strapped into their spaceship during a practice countdown Monday as NASA strives to keep assembly of the International Space Station on a roll. Just five days after Atlantis and a station construction crew landed at Kennedy Space Center, NASA is poised to punch out another outpost assembly mission on March 11. The 20-day launch-to-launch turnaround would be the fastest NASA has pulled off since its shuttle fleet returned to service in July 2005. Five years after the Columbia accident, NASA's pace seems more like the flurries of flights typical in the 1990s.
China's Space Reputation is Growing Fast (Source: New Scientist)
China's reputation in human spaceflight goes from strength to strength. Last week, NASA chief Mike Griffin admitted at a congressional hearing that China is a serious competitor for the US. His speech marks a turnaround: "A few years ago, I was not particularly concerned about Chinese primacy in human spaceflight relative to that of the US," he said. China's rapid progress and a visit to the country changed his mind. China still has some catching up to do. So far, it has only launched two crewed missions. But on Tuesday, the state media reported that the country plans to launch at least 10 missions this year - a record number. These include two Shenzhou spacecraft, two environmental satellites and a communications satellite for Venezuela. There are worries that the rivalry between the US and China could spill over into an arms race in space.
A Taste of Space on Earth: Pilots, Passengers Train for Spaceliner Flights (Source: Space News)
Future space passengers are getting a leg up on appreciating the physiological rigors of suborbital spaceflight they plan to take in the future, but without leaving the Earth. Using state-of-the-art equipment, the National Aerospace Training and Research Center (NASTAR Center) in Southampton, Pa., is helping to train both the pilots and prospective passengers of commercial spaceliners. The NASTAR Center is a wholly owned subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corp. and houses an array of training devices, including a specialized high-performance human centrifuge. Known as the Space Training System-400, the centrifuge mimics the flight dynamics and sustained Gs of a rocket-powered flight to the edge of space, while providing a realistic view from the simulated cockpit windows. Along with G-force exposure, center facilities make available to patrons altitude exposure, spatial disorientation and other physiological effects they will encounter as they enter the space environment.
Japan's Mitsubishi Expects Foreign Satellite Launch Orders (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries expects to win its first orders for commercial satellite launches with its H-2A rocket from foreign companies, its president said. The industrial giant is in the final stages of negotiations with US and South Korean telecommunications firms and hopes to launch their satellites by February 2009. Mitsubishi Heavy was chosen by the Japanese government in 2002 to operate large-scale launch vehicles following the privatization of the project, which it took full control of last year. It is now seeking orders from governments and private companies around the world.
Iridium Satellite Announces Q4 and Fiscal Year 2007 Results (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Satellite LLC revenue in the fourth quarter was $66.8 million versus $53.2 million in the same quarter last year, a 26 percent increase. FY 2007 revenue was $260.4 million, a 23 percent increase over $212.4 million in revenue for 2006. Additionally, as of December 31, 2007, the worldwide subscriber base reached 234,000, a 34 percent increase over the fourth quarter 2006 total of 175,000.
Space Florida Sponsors Teacher and Student Research in Microgravity (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida launched today its inaugural unattended microgravity research flight from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. Engaging twenty-two middle and high school teachers from 12 Florida counties, this opportunity is one of many innovative Space Florida education programs designed to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and engage and encourage student interest in space.
India's Moon Mission Pushed to July (Source: The Hindu)
India's first planetary mission, Chandrayaan-1, has now been rescheduled to take place in the first week of July as the mission personnel work overtime to sort out payload integration and launch-related issues. The lunar mission was originally scheduled for April this year, a time-frame targeted four years ago to get all the payloads well ahead of time and to galvanise the scientists into mission mode with a target to work on. Indian Space Research Organisation officials insisted that there are no hardware problems and that the space agency is moving more cautiously to ensure that all systems are well tested before and after integration at each stage.
NASA Holds Public Meetings Today (Source: Florida Today)
NASA will host two public meetings today at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Titusville City Council chamber about two proposed launch pads for commercial satellites at Kennedy Space Center. The space agency is considering two locations. One is just south of the existing shuttle launch pad 39A and the Atlas launch pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Station. The other is at the northeastern tip of Merritt Island, along the southwestern edge of Mosquito Lagoon. The complex would include a rocket and ground support test facility and propellant storage. NASA must conduct a test of the environmental impacts of each site.
Life is a tenuous thing. Earth is just within Sol's habitable zone, and constantly pelted with solar radiation and cosmic rays. Rocky scraps constantly cross Earth’s orbit, threatening to eradicate all terrestrial life. In point of fact, it is almost certain that countless Extinction-Level Events would have sterilized the surface of our plucky planet had it not been for our constant companion and benefactor; a body which unwittingly wards away many of the ills that could befall us: the moon.
Luna is unique among the observed celestial bodies; there is no other satellite closer in size and composition to its mother-planet (if one discounts the dwarf-planet Pluto), and the Earth/moon system is the only tidally locked pair. Furthermore, it also happens to be the only moon in the solar system which is circling an intelligent civilization– a factor which may not be a mere coincidence. Visit http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=942 to view the article.
Seven Generations: a Re-Evaluation of the Paine Report (Source: Space Review)
NASA's exploration program faces an uncertain future given the upcoming change in administrations. Alex Howerton looks back to a report completed over 20 years ago for guidance on how the nation should continue its space efforts. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1067/1 to view the article.
NASA Picks Up Pace of Launches (Source: Florida Today)
The Endeavour astronauts strapped into their spaceship during a practice countdown Monday as NASA strives to keep assembly of the International Space Station on a roll. Just five days after Atlantis and a station construction crew landed at Kennedy Space Center, NASA is poised to punch out another outpost assembly mission on March 11. The 20-day launch-to-launch turnaround would be the fastest NASA has pulled off since its shuttle fleet returned to service in July 2005. Five years after the Columbia accident, NASA's pace seems more like the flurries of flights typical in the 1990s.
China's Space Reputation is Growing Fast (Source: New Scientist)
China's reputation in human spaceflight goes from strength to strength. Last week, NASA chief Mike Griffin admitted at a congressional hearing that China is a serious competitor for the US. His speech marks a turnaround: "A few years ago, I was not particularly concerned about Chinese primacy in human spaceflight relative to that of the US," he said. China's rapid progress and a visit to the country changed his mind. China still has some catching up to do. So far, it has only launched two crewed missions. But on Tuesday, the state media reported that the country plans to launch at least 10 missions this year - a record number. These include two Shenzhou spacecraft, two environmental satellites and a communications satellite for Venezuela. There are worries that the rivalry between the US and China could spill over into an arms race in space.
A Taste of Space on Earth: Pilots, Passengers Train for Spaceliner Flights (Source: Space News)
Future space passengers are getting a leg up on appreciating the physiological rigors of suborbital spaceflight they plan to take in the future, but without leaving the Earth. Using state-of-the-art equipment, the National Aerospace Training and Research Center (NASTAR Center) in Southampton, Pa., is helping to train both the pilots and prospective passengers of commercial spaceliners. The NASTAR Center is a wholly owned subsidiary of Environmental Tectonics Corp. and houses an array of training devices, including a specialized high-performance human centrifuge. Known as the Space Training System-400, the centrifuge mimics the flight dynamics and sustained Gs of a rocket-powered flight to the edge of space, while providing a realistic view from the simulated cockpit windows. Along with G-force exposure, center facilities make available to patrons altitude exposure, spatial disorientation and other physiological effects they will encounter as they enter the space environment.
Japan's Mitsubishi Expects Foreign Satellite Launch Orders (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries expects to win its first orders for commercial satellite launches with its H-2A rocket from foreign companies, its president said. The industrial giant is in the final stages of negotiations with US and South Korean telecommunications firms and hopes to launch their satellites by February 2009. Mitsubishi Heavy was chosen by the Japanese government in 2002 to operate large-scale launch vehicles following the privatization of the project, which it took full control of last year. It is now seeking orders from governments and private companies around the world.
Iridium Satellite Announces Q4 and Fiscal Year 2007 Results (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Satellite LLC revenue in the fourth quarter was $66.8 million versus $53.2 million in the same quarter last year, a 26 percent increase. FY 2007 revenue was $260.4 million, a 23 percent increase over $212.4 million in revenue for 2006. Additionally, as of December 31, 2007, the worldwide subscriber base reached 234,000, a 34 percent increase over the fourth quarter 2006 total of 175,000.
Space Florida Sponsors Teacher and Student Research in Microgravity (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida launched today its inaugural unattended microgravity research flight from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. Engaging twenty-two middle and high school teachers from 12 Florida counties, this opportunity is one of many innovative Space Florida education programs designed to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and engage and encourage student interest in space.
India's Moon Mission Pushed to July (Source: The Hindu)
India's first planetary mission, Chandrayaan-1, has now been rescheduled to take place in the first week of July as the mission personnel work overtime to sort out payload integration and launch-related issues. The lunar mission was originally scheduled for April this year, a time-frame targeted four years ago to get all the payloads well ahead of time and to galvanise the scientists into mission mode with a target to work on. Indian Space Research Organisation officials insisted that there are no hardware problems and that the space agency is moving more cautiously to ensure that all systems are well tested before and after integration at each stage.
NASA Holds Public Meetings Today (Source: Florida Today)
NASA will host two public meetings today at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Titusville City Council chamber about two proposed launch pads for commercial satellites at Kennedy Space Center. The space agency is considering two locations. One is just south of the existing shuttle launch pad 39A and the Atlas launch pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Station. The other is at the northeastern tip of Merritt Island, along the southwestern edge of Mosquito Lagoon. The complex would include a rocket and ground support test facility and propellant storage. NASA must conduct a test of the environmental impacts of each site.
February 24 News Items
Europe Willing To Buy U.S. Parts for Galileo (Source: Space News)
Managers of Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system are willing to purchase U.S.-built components for Galileo satellites and have assumed that U.S. government technology-export hurdles would not be an issue, according to Giuseppe Viriglio, director of navigation at the European Space Agency (ESA). The 30-satellite Galileo project is often presented as guaranteeing Europe's strategic autonomy in positioning, navigation and timing services. As such, the principal contracts will be awarded only to European companies, Viriglio said. But for subsystem components Galileo builders will be free to use contractors outside of Europe, even if that means being subject to U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, rules, he said. "The situation with ITAR is complicated, but we have no intention of exporting Galileo."
Spaceport Expansion Plans Threaten Hot Fishing Spot (Source: Daytona Beach News Journal)
Worry is spreading through the regional angling community that Kennedy Space Center's plan for a new launch complex involves permanently closing a popular portion of the Mosquito Lagoon. That would halt fishing on half of a sport fishing area so treasured it's known as "The Redfish Capital of the World," not to mention badly tarnishing the allure of a resource that attracts untold thousands of dollars to local economies. Tom Lelle, owner of Lelle's Bait & Tackle gave a hint of the potential impact new restrictions on this area might bring. "I hate it when the shuttle is out there on the pad," he said. "Every day that it's out there it costs me $500. If people can't go surf fishing at Playalinda Beach . . . why would they come use my bait shop?"
Space Center officials said nothing has been decided yet but would not rule out possible closures. And they are holding a series of meetings to hear people's concerns, beginning this week in Titusville and New Smyrna Beach. NASA wants to build a 200-acre Commercial Vertical Launch Complex on one of two potential sites. The first is by the beach just south of the existing shuttle launch pads. The second is at the water's edge of the Mosquito Lagoon and at a crossroads of public access leading to boat ramps at Haulover Canal, Bio Lab Road and Eddy Creek as well as to Playalinda Beach, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Canaveral National Park.
Election May Affect NASA Future (Source: Florida Today)
Amid an election year that will put new leaders into the White House, many are questioning the direction of the nation's space program. The discovery of a serious vibration problem with NASA's Ares 1 moon rocket is causing consternation among some in the aerospace industry. Some are campaigning for a switch to an alternative derived from the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets developed under the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Others are re-examining the moon-bound course President Bush and Congress put NASA on after the 2003 Columbia accident.
The timing of these issues is not coincidental. "My own opinion is the time is right for this kind of questioning to happen before the new administration takes office," said Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's robotic Mars exploration program and a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. "I started thinking last year, 'Gee, I wonder what will happen when the administration changes,' " Hubbard said. "Many of us want to make sure we take a critical look at where we're going." Visit http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/NEWS02/802240330/1007 to view the article.
California Launch Pad Remodeled for New Atlas 5 (Source: Lompoc Record)
Times have changed, not only for the Atlas rocket program but for Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-3 (SLC-3), which has been remodeled yet again to handle the newest Atlas booster. Compared to the smaller Cold War workhorse - about 85 feet tall, capable of lifting a satellite weighing a few thousand pounds - the new Atlas is about 195 feet tall and capable of carrying some of the nation's largest spacecraft. On the East Coast, Atlas 5 is processed horizontally, before being raised to vertical and rolled out to the launch pad. However, to incorporate that feature into SLC-3 was deemed too costly, prompting officials to forego that aspect and use the heritage mode of stacking the rocket.
Ben Bova: Outer Space Law? It Exists, and Restricts (Source: Naples News)
When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957 it caused an international legal flap. Sputnik crossed the borders of virtually every nation on Earth without permission from any government. The Soviets had not bothered to ask for permission to overfly other nations’ territories. Instead, they established the de facto principle that air rights end at the upper fringes of the atmosphere. Therefore, satellites in space could cross national boundaries without hindrance. The United Nations attempted to draft rational principles to guide space exploration and utilization. These were incorporated in 1967 into the Outer Space Treaty, which was ratified by the U.S.
The treaty declares that “outer space, which includes the moon and other celestial bodies, can be freely explored and used by all countries.” The treaty states that no nation may claim the moon or any other body in space as its national territory. That’s why Armstrong and Aldrin announced on the moon that they “came in peace, for all mankind.” Thus the legal standing of any nation or private group that wants to develop bases, hotels, factories or other facilities in space is rather tricky. If a private company (or a government, for that matter) wants to build a base on the moon and start mining, the 1967 treaty says they are free to do so — but they can’t claim the ground on which their base stands, nor the raw materials that they are mining. There’s more work ahead for space lawyers, obviously.
One of the treaty's provisions bans “weapons of mass destruction” in space and outlaws any kind of military bases on the moon. Around that time, a group of scientists suggested using nuclear explosives to propel spacecraft to interstellar speed. Their plan, Project Orion, would have detonated nukes behind the ship to push against a shielded plate and accelerate the spacecraft forward. By exploding bombs every few seconds, the ship could be accelerated to as much as one-third of the speed of light. Project Orion could have taken us to the stars. But because of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and its ban on nuclear bombs in space, Project Orion was scrapped before it got beyond the paperwork stage. It’s frustrating. In fact, it’s enough to make you think about Shakespeare’s words in Henry VI, Part II: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
Managers of Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system are willing to purchase U.S.-built components for Galileo satellites and have assumed that U.S. government technology-export hurdles would not be an issue, according to Giuseppe Viriglio, director of navigation at the European Space Agency (ESA). The 30-satellite Galileo project is often presented as guaranteeing Europe's strategic autonomy in positioning, navigation and timing services. As such, the principal contracts will be awarded only to European companies, Viriglio said. But for subsystem components Galileo builders will be free to use contractors outside of Europe, even if that means being subject to U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, rules, he said. "The situation with ITAR is complicated, but we have no intention of exporting Galileo."
Spaceport Expansion Plans Threaten Hot Fishing Spot (Source: Daytona Beach News Journal)
Worry is spreading through the regional angling community that Kennedy Space Center's plan for a new launch complex involves permanently closing a popular portion of the Mosquito Lagoon. That would halt fishing on half of a sport fishing area so treasured it's known as "The Redfish Capital of the World," not to mention badly tarnishing the allure of a resource that attracts untold thousands of dollars to local economies. Tom Lelle, owner of Lelle's Bait & Tackle gave a hint of the potential impact new restrictions on this area might bring. "I hate it when the shuttle is out there on the pad," he said. "Every day that it's out there it costs me $500. If people can't go surf fishing at Playalinda Beach . . . why would they come use my bait shop?"
Space Center officials said nothing has been decided yet but would not rule out possible closures. And they are holding a series of meetings to hear people's concerns, beginning this week in Titusville and New Smyrna Beach. NASA wants to build a 200-acre Commercial Vertical Launch Complex on one of two potential sites. The first is by the beach just south of the existing shuttle launch pads. The second is at the water's edge of the Mosquito Lagoon and at a crossroads of public access leading to boat ramps at Haulover Canal, Bio Lab Road and Eddy Creek as well as to Playalinda Beach, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Canaveral National Park.
Election May Affect NASA Future (Source: Florida Today)
Amid an election year that will put new leaders into the White House, many are questioning the direction of the nation's space program. The discovery of a serious vibration problem with NASA's Ares 1 moon rocket is causing consternation among some in the aerospace industry. Some are campaigning for a switch to an alternative derived from the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets developed under the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Others are re-examining the moon-bound course President Bush and Congress put NASA on after the 2003 Columbia accident.
The timing of these issues is not coincidental. "My own opinion is the time is right for this kind of questioning to happen before the new administration takes office," said Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's robotic Mars exploration program and a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. "I started thinking last year, 'Gee, I wonder what will happen when the administration changes,' " Hubbard said. "Many of us want to make sure we take a critical look at where we're going." Visit http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/NEWS02/802240330/1007 to view the article.
California Launch Pad Remodeled for New Atlas 5 (Source: Lompoc Record)
Times have changed, not only for the Atlas rocket program but for Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-3 (SLC-3), which has been remodeled yet again to handle the newest Atlas booster. Compared to the smaller Cold War workhorse - about 85 feet tall, capable of lifting a satellite weighing a few thousand pounds - the new Atlas is about 195 feet tall and capable of carrying some of the nation's largest spacecraft. On the East Coast, Atlas 5 is processed horizontally, before being raised to vertical and rolled out to the launch pad. However, to incorporate that feature into SLC-3 was deemed too costly, prompting officials to forego that aspect and use the heritage mode of stacking the rocket.
Ben Bova: Outer Space Law? It Exists, and Restricts (Source: Naples News)
When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957 it caused an international legal flap. Sputnik crossed the borders of virtually every nation on Earth without permission from any government. The Soviets had not bothered to ask for permission to overfly other nations’ territories. Instead, they established the de facto principle that air rights end at the upper fringes of the atmosphere. Therefore, satellites in space could cross national boundaries without hindrance. The United Nations attempted to draft rational principles to guide space exploration and utilization. These were incorporated in 1967 into the Outer Space Treaty, which was ratified by the U.S.
The treaty declares that “outer space, which includes the moon and other celestial bodies, can be freely explored and used by all countries.” The treaty states that no nation may claim the moon or any other body in space as its national territory. That’s why Armstrong and Aldrin announced on the moon that they “came in peace, for all mankind.” Thus the legal standing of any nation or private group that wants to develop bases, hotels, factories or other facilities in space is rather tricky. If a private company (or a government, for that matter) wants to build a base on the moon and start mining, the 1967 treaty says they are free to do so — but they can’t claim the ground on which their base stands, nor the raw materials that they are mining. There’s more work ahead for space lawyers, obviously.
One of the treaty's provisions bans “weapons of mass destruction” in space and outlaws any kind of military bases on the moon. Around that time, a group of scientists suggested using nuclear explosives to propel spacecraft to interstellar speed. Their plan, Project Orion, would have detonated nukes behind the ship to push against a shielded plate and accelerate the spacecraft forward. By exploding bombs every few seconds, the ship could be accelerated to as much as one-third of the speed of light. Project Orion could have taken us to the stars. But because of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and its ban on nuclear bombs in space, Project Orion was scrapped before it got beyond the paperwork stage. It’s frustrating. In fact, it’s enough to make you think about Shakespeare’s words in Henry VI, Part II: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
February 23 News Items
Nova Scotia Should Get Behind Spaceport, Says Opposition (Source: CBC)
The Nova Scotia government needs to step up and make sure the proposed PlanetSpace Inc. project goes ahead on Cape Breton Island, say opposition politicians. Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil said Thursday that the Conservative government should take a proactive role in supporting the company that wants to build a spaceport in Cape Breton. The Chicago-based company, PlanetSpace, lost its bid to win a $170-million NASA-sponsored competition Monday. But chairman Chirinjeev Kathuria said Wednesday that his company is still going ahead with plans to develop space tourism and a low-orbit courier service from Cape Breton. McNeil said the government should get on board with the project. Right now, the province has offered PlanetSpace Crown Land in Cape Breton, but negotiations are continuing.
Tampa-Area Man Builds Early NASA Capsule Replicas in Garage (Source: CBS4.com)
Bruce Olds isn't certain exactly how his interest in America's space program became an obsession. the Tampa native has spent countless hours creating detailed, full-size metal replicas of NASA space capsules that carried America's first astronauts. Olds' reproduction of the capsule piloted in May 1961 by Alan Shepard, the first American in space, has been on display at the Museum of Science & Industry since 2002. Until its recent sale, another 500-pound replica of a Mercury 7 capsule rested on a trailer in the garage of Olds' Thonotosassa home. A half-finished Gemini capsule awaits further attention from its detail-driven creator.
Japan Launches Experimental Internet Satellite (Source: Reuters)
Japan launched an experimental communications satellite on Saturday as part of an ambitious space program that could help ensure super high-speed Internet access in remote parts of Japan and elsewhere in Asia. The H-2A rocket carrying the 2.7 ton "KIZUNA" (WINDS) communications satellite took off from the tiny island of Tanegashima, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo. The KIZUNA, equipped with three antennas targeting Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions, is referred to as the Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite or WINDS.
Texus 45 Suborbital Rocket Successfully Launched from Sweden (Source: SSC)
The sounding rocket Texus 45 was successfully launched today from the Swedish Space Corporation’s launch facility Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The rocket provided 398 seconds of weightlessness for the three experiments onboard. The Texus project is a sounding rocket program with the primary aim to investigate the properties and behaviour of materials, fluids and biological samples in a weightlessness environment. Texus 45 is funded by the German space organisation DLR and carried out jointly by DLR, EADS Astrium, Kayser Threde and SSC.
Wayne Hale to Lead Shuttle/Constellation Transition (Source: Florida Today)
NASA shuffled shuttle program management Friday, sending its chief off to a newly created post and installing his deputy in the top spot. Wayne Hale, who played a pivotal role in NASA's recovery from the 2003 Columbia accident, will lead a new office responsible for developing strategies for a smooth transition between shuttle and International Space Station operations and moon missions. The transition will trigger significant job losses, including 2,500 to 3,500 at Kennedy Space Center, according to local government estimates. A five-year hiatus in NASA human spaceflight is projected before the U.S. sends astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
Stop Shooting Up the Thermosphere (Source: LA Times)
Any student of rocketry, ballistics or barroom darts can appreciate the Navy's feat this week in hitting a minibus-sized object 153 miles above the Pacific Ocean. But questions about the timing of and the need for the Pentagon's destruction of a defective spy satellite will not go away any time soon. The prospect of a space arms race is unappealing, and there's a reason anti-satellite missile testing fell into disuse. The more than 50 countries that maintain satellites are increasingly mindful of the problem of clutter in the precious resource of near-Earth space. We hope we've seen the last of shooting up the thermosphere, even for good reasons.
Spacehab Statement on COTS Loss Mitigation Strategies (Source: Spacehab)
“While we are disappointed that Spacehab was not selected as a winner of the COTS competition, we want to be certain to convey to our stockholders that the Company has been aggressively pursuing other valuable opportunities including growing our profitable Astrotech subsidiary, primarily through our expanded long term relationship with the U.S. Government Office of Space Launch and our announced end-to-end ALLSAT satellite service system. Also, by design, most of the costs and advanced engineering that were invested in the COTS ARCTUS Program are also being applied to advance our ALLSAT satellite system," said Spacehab CEO Thomas B. Pickens, III.
“Additionally, Spacehab is committed to commercializing the valuable discoveries that we have uncovered in previous and in-progress microgravity studies that could soon translate into tangible vaccines and drug treatments. And finally, the Company is developing various space technology spin off products including the Mini Mass Spectrometer, expected to be a robust solution for the security applications market in the detection of a variety of explosives, illegal narcotics, and biochemical contaminants."
Giant Sheets of Dark Matter Detected (Source: Discovery News)
The most colossal structures in the universe have been detected by astronomers who tuned into how the structures subtly bend galactic light. The newfound filaments and sheets of dark matter form a gigantic features stretching across more than 270 million light-years of space--three times larger than any other known structure and 2,000 times the size of our own galaxy. Because the dark matter, by definition, is invisible to telescopes, the only way to detect it on such grand scales is by surveying huge numbers of distant galaxies and working out how their images, as seen from telescopes, are being weakly tweaked and distorted by any dark matter structures in intervening space.
The Nova Scotia government needs to step up and make sure the proposed PlanetSpace Inc. project goes ahead on Cape Breton Island, say opposition politicians. Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil said Thursday that the Conservative government should take a proactive role in supporting the company that wants to build a spaceport in Cape Breton. The Chicago-based company, PlanetSpace, lost its bid to win a $170-million NASA-sponsored competition Monday. But chairman Chirinjeev Kathuria said Wednesday that his company is still going ahead with plans to develop space tourism and a low-orbit courier service from Cape Breton. McNeil said the government should get on board with the project. Right now, the province has offered PlanetSpace Crown Land in Cape Breton, but negotiations are continuing.
Tampa-Area Man Builds Early NASA Capsule Replicas in Garage (Source: CBS4.com)
Bruce Olds isn't certain exactly how his interest in America's space program became an obsession. the Tampa native has spent countless hours creating detailed, full-size metal replicas of NASA space capsules that carried America's first astronauts. Olds' reproduction of the capsule piloted in May 1961 by Alan Shepard, the first American in space, has been on display at the Museum of Science & Industry since 2002. Until its recent sale, another 500-pound replica of a Mercury 7 capsule rested on a trailer in the garage of Olds' Thonotosassa home. A half-finished Gemini capsule awaits further attention from its detail-driven creator.
Japan Launches Experimental Internet Satellite (Source: Reuters)
Japan launched an experimental communications satellite on Saturday as part of an ambitious space program that could help ensure super high-speed Internet access in remote parts of Japan and elsewhere in Asia. The H-2A rocket carrying the 2.7 ton "KIZUNA" (WINDS) communications satellite took off from the tiny island of Tanegashima, about 1,000 km south of Tokyo. The KIZUNA, equipped with three antennas targeting Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions, is referred to as the Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite or WINDS.
Texus 45 Suborbital Rocket Successfully Launched from Sweden (Source: SSC)
The sounding rocket Texus 45 was successfully launched today from the Swedish Space Corporation’s launch facility Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The rocket provided 398 seconds of weightlessness for the three experiments onboard. The Texus project is a sounding rocket program with the primary aim to investigate the properties and behaviour of materials, fluids and biological samples in a weightlessness environment. Texus 45 is funded by the German space organisation DLR and carried out jointly by DLR, EADS Astrium, Kayser Threde and SSC.
Wayne Hale to Lead Shuttle/Constellation Transition (Source: Florida Today)
NASA shuffled shuttle program management Friday, sending its chief off to a newly created post and installing his deputy in the top spot. Wayne Hale, who played a pivotal role in NASA's recovery from the 2003 Columbia accident, will lead a new office responsible for developing strategies for a smooth transition between shuttle and International Space Station operations and moon missions. The transition will trigger significant job losses, including 2,500 to 3,500 at Kennedy Space Center, according to local government estimates. A five-year hiatus in NASA human spaceflight is projected before the U.S. sends astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
Stop Shooting Up the Thermosphere (Source: LA Times)
Any student of rocketry, ballistics or barroom darts can appreciate the Navy's feat this week in hitting a minibus-sized object 153 miles above the Pacific Ocean. But questions about the timing of and the need for the Pentagon's destruction of a defective spy satellite will not go away any time soon. The prospect of a space arms race is unappealing, and there's a reason anti-satellite missile testing fell into disuse. The more than 50 countries that maintain satellites are increasingly mindful of the problem of clutter in the precious resource of near-Earth space. We hope we've seen the last of shooting up the thermosphere, even for good reasons.
Spacehab Statement on COTS Loss Mitigation Strategies (Source: Spacehab)
“While we are disappointed that Spacehab was not selected as a winner of the COTS competition, we want to be certain to convey to our stockholders that the Company has been aggressively pursuing other valuable opportunities including growing our profitable Astrotech subsidiary, primarily through our expanded long term relationship with the U.S. Government Office of Space Launch and our announced end-to-end ALLSAT satellite service system. Also, by design, most of the costs and advanced engineering that were invested in the COTS ARCTUS Program are also being applied to advance our ALLSAT satellite system," said Spacehab CEO Thomas B. Pickens, III.
“Additionally, Spacehab is committed to commercializing the valuable discoveries that we have uncovered in previous and in-progress microgravity studies that could soon translate into tangible vaccines and drug treatments. And finally, the Company is developing various space technology spin off products including the Mini Mass Spectrometer, expected to be a robust solution for the security applications market in the detection of a variety of explosives, illegal narcotics, and biochemical contaminants."
Giant Sheets of Dark Matter Detected (Source: Discovery News)
The most colossal structures in the universe have been detected by astronomers who tuned into how the structures subtly bend galactic light. The newfound filaments and sheets of dark matter form a gigantic features stretching across more than 270 million light-years of space--three times larger than any other known structure and 2,000 times the size of our own galaxy. Because the dark matter, by definition, is invisible to telescopes, the only way to detect it on such grand scales is by surveying huge numbers of distant galaxies and working out how their images, as seen from telescopes, are being weakly tweaked and distorted by any dark matter structures in intervening space.
February 22 News Items
The Milky Way is Twice the Size We Thought it Was (Source: University of Sydney)
It took just a couple of hours using data available on the internet for University of Sydney scientists to discover that the Milky Way is twice as wide as previously thought. Astrophysicist Professor Bryan Gaensler led a team that has found that our galaxy - a flattened spiral about 100,000 light years across - is 12,000 light years thick, not the 6,000 light years that had been previously thought. Proving not all science requires big, expensive apparatus, Professor Gaensler and colleagues, Dr Greg Madsen, Dr Shami Chatterjee and PhD student Ann Mao, downloaded data from the internet and analyzed it in a spreadsheet. "We thought we had to be wrong, so we checked and rechecked and couldn't find any mistakes."
Newspapers Endorse Sasso for Space Coast Office (Source: ERAU)
The Orlando Sentinel and Florida Today have both endorsed Tony Sasso for election to the Space Coast's District 32 seat in the Florida House of Representatives. Among other things, the newspapers cite his position on space industry issues, including his plans for luring high-tech industry as the Space Shuttle program moves toward retirement.
Editorial: Space - A Lost Cause? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
If we are not going to be in space, who will be in space? The Russians and the Chinese. Who will we have to rely on to get to the space station? The Russians. Who do we turn space over to militarily? The Russians and the Chinese and possibly Iran. Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL), a member of the Space Committee is extremely worried about this problem and has introduced legislation to keep the shuttle flying through 2015...The budget for the space program is pitifully small, less than five-tenths of one percent of the national budget. Jobs will disappear in Brevard County, Florida during the gap period, not only hurting the economy but destroying the skilled employee base which makes the space program go. Unless the Weldon legislation is passed the gap period will be more than five years and could stretch to 2020. The military control of space will go by default to Russia and to China. Very few people in the Country know about this problem and even less in the Congress seem to care.
Gascom To Buy 8 New Satellites (Source: Space News)
Russian satellite-fleet operator Gascom, flush with cash from a booming domestic and regional business, plans to quadruple its satellite capacity by 2015 by launching eight new satellites, the Moscow-based company said Feb. 22.
Europe Urged to Give Allies Access to Galileo's Best Signal (Source: Space News)
The vice president of the European Commission said Feb. 21 that the United States and other European allies should have access to the encrypted service of Europe's future Galileo satellite navigation system, just as U.S. allies have access to the military signals of the U.S. GPS system.
Marshall Chief Calls for Unity Behind Ares (Source: Space News)
The director of NASA's main rocket development center urged aerospace contractors to get with the program and stop second-guessing the decision to use space shuttle-heritage hardware to launch future astronaut crews to Earth orbit and beyond.
SES Prepares to Order Two Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator SES expects to order two new satellites in the coming weeks, increasing the number of satellites under construction to 10, to reinforce its coverage in North and South America, and the trans-Atlantic region, SES Chief Executive Romain Bausch said Feb. 18. SES is expected to order its biggest-ever satellite from Loral, a 70-transponder satellite called NSS-14 that will be launched in late 2010 into SES New Skies' 22 degrees west orbital slot, according to industry officials.
The First 10 Teams in the Lunar X Prize An Odd Lot (Source: WIRED)
The first 10 teams in Google's $30 million robotic race to the moon include a Jesus freak, a Linux geek and a guy who recently bought 30 books on space exploration. Each promised to be the first to send a privately funded rocket to the moon and deploy a rover that will explore that distant hunk of rock. Joining them are heavy hitters in robotics and aeronautics, including the Carnegie Mellon University crew that won the DARPA Challenge and the Romanians who made a run for the money in the Ansari X Prize. Visit http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/02/the-first-10-te.html to view the article.
It took just a couple of hours using data available on the internet for University of Sydney scientists to discover that the Milky Way is twice as wide as previously thought. Astrophysicist Professor Bryan Gaensler led a team that has found that our galaxy - a flattened spiral about 100,000 light years across - is 12,000 light years thick, not the 6,000 light years that had been previously thought. Proving not all science requires big, expensive apparatus, Professor Gaensler and colleagues, Dr Greg Madsen, Dr Shami Chatterjee and PhD student Ann Mao, downloaded data from the internet and analyzed it in a spreadsheet. "We thought we had to be wrong, so we checked and rechecked and couldn't find any mistakes."
Newspapers Endorse Sasso for Space Coast Office (Source: ERAU)
The Orlando Sentinel and Florida Today have both endorsed Tony Sasso for election to the Space Coast's District 32 seat in the Florida House of Representatives. Among other things, the newspapers cite his position on space industry issues, including his plans for luring high-tech industry as the Space Shuttle program moves toward retirement.
Editorial: Space - A Lost Cause? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
If we are not going to be in space, who will be in space? The Russians and the Chinese. Who will we have to rely on to get to the space station? The Russians. Who do we turn space over to militarily? The Russians and the Chinese and possibly Iran. Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL), a member of the Space Committee is extremely worried about this problem and has introduced legislation to keep the shuttle flying through 2015...The budget for the space program is pitifully small, less than five-tenths of one percent of the national budget. Jobs will disappear in Brevard County, Florida during the gap period, not only hurting the economy but destroying the skilled employee base which makes the space program go. Unless the Weldon legislation is passed the gap period will be more than five years and could stretch to 2020. The military control of space will go by default to Russia and to China. Very few people in the Country know about this problem and even less in the Congress seem to care.
Gascom To Buy 8 New Satellites (Source: Space News)
Russian satellite-fleet operator Gascom, flush with cash from a booming domestic and regional business, plans to quadruple its satellite capacity by 2015 by launching eight new satellites, the Moscow-based company said Feb. 22.
Europe Urged to Give Allies Access to Galileo's Best Signal (Source: Space News)
The vice president of the European Commission said Feb. 21 that the United States and other European allies should have access to the encrypted service of Europe's future Galileo satellite navigation system, just as U.S. allies have access to the military signals of the U.S. GPS system.
Marshall Chief Calls for Unity Behind Ares (Source: Space News)
The director of NASA's main rocket development center urged aerospace contractors to get with the program and stop second-guessing the decision to use space shuttle-heritage hardware to launch future astronaut crews to Earth orbit and beyond.
SES Prepares to Order Two Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator SES expects to order two new satellites in the coming weeks, increasing the number of satellites under construction to 10, to reinforce its coverage in North and South America, and the trans-Atlantic region, SES Chief Executive Romain Bausch said Feb. 18. SES is expected to order its biggest-ever satellite from Loral, a 70-transponder satellite called NSS-14 that will be launched in late 2010 into SES New Skies' 22 degrees west orbital slot, according to industry officials.
The First 10 Teams in the Lunar X Prize An Odd Lot (Source: WIRED)
The first 10 teams in Google's $30 million robotic race to the moon include a Jesus freak, a Linux geek and a guy who recently bought 30 books on space exploration. Each promised to be the first to send a privately funded rocket to the moon and deploy a rover that will explore that distant hunk of rock. Joining them are heavy hitters in robotics and aeronautics, including the Carnegie Mellon University crew that won the DARPA Challenge and the Romanians who made a run for the money in the Ansari X Prize. Visit http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/02/the-first-10-te.html to view the article.
February 21 News Items
Space Florida Offers Bonus for Florida Launch Under Google Lunar X PRIZE (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida will be a new preferred partner and Florida will become the first preferred launch site for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Each preferred partner offers additional prizes or strategic services at a discounted rate to all competition teams. As the first preferred launch site, Space Florida will award an additional prize of $2 million to the Grand Prize winner of the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition.
The Google Lunar X PRIZE is an unprecedented international competition encouraging privately funded teams to land a robotic craft on the Moon. The craft must be capable of completing several mission objectives, including roaming the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending video, images and data back to the Earth. More information can be found at: www.googlelunarxprize.org.
Satellite Debris Hits Boy in China (Source: Shanghai Star)
Debris from a space satellite that fell from its orbit struck a six-year-old boy in Shaanxi Province last week, according to a report in the Beijing Youth Daily. Wu Fusheng, the father of the boy named Wu Jie, remembers hearing a "thundering" sound and saw a piece of metal plummet from the sky, finally hitting a persimmon tree under which his son was playing with other children. The boy was taken to hospital where doctors found he had suffered a fractured toe and a swelling on his forehead. The satellite debris was a block of aluminum, 80 centimeters by 50 centimeters and weighing 10 kilograms.
The accident also hit the Wu family's finances. They had to borrow 400 yuan (US$48) from a neighbor for the medical treatment. After the incident, the village head noticed that the air had a smoky, gunpowdery smell and thought a plane had crashed nearby. He requested that the village be evacuated. After a total of 19 metal fragments had been recovered, it was found that the debris was the outermost shell of the Resource Second Satellite which had broken up after falling from orbit. The satellite was supposed to have crashed into an uninhabited mountain area in Shanyang County but had landed instead in nearby Yanghe village. The mishap was blamed on unexpected weather conditions. The government will pick up the cost of Wu Jie's medical treatment and also pay some compensation to his family.
China Wants US Satellite Downing Data (Source: AP)
China asked the U.S. to release data on the shootdown of an ailing spy satellite, while the Communist Party's newspaper blasted what it called Washington's callous attitude toward the weaponization of space. China registered its objections well before the satellite's destruction by a missile launched from a Navy cruiser on Wednesday, which likely accounted for a mild response Thursday from the Foreign Ministry. "China is continuously following closely the possible harm caused by the U.S. action to outer space security and relevant countries," spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
"China requests the U.S. ... provide to the international community necessary information and relevant data in a timely and prompt way," Liu said. In contrast, the overseas edition of People's Daily excoriated Washington for opposing a recent Russian-Chinese proposal on demilitarizing space. "One cannot but worry for the future of space when a great nation with such a massive advantage in space military technology categorically refuses a measure to prevent the militarization of space," the paper said. Washington has rejected the Russian-Chinese proposal for a global ban on space arms because it would prohibit an American missile interceptor system in the Czech Republic and Poland, while exempting Chinese and Russian ground-based missiles that can fire into space.
Gates Says US Will Share Data with China (Source: AP)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. is prepared to share with China some of the information it has about the U.S. shootdown of a spy satellite. His comments came hours after Beijing complained the missile strike could cause harm to security in outer space and some countries. "We provided a lot of information ... before it took place," Gates told reporters during a visit to Hawaii. He said he is determined to be open about the U.S. operation and is "prepared to share whatever appropriately we can." The satellite and the kill vehicle collided at a combined speed of 22,000 mph about 130 miles above Earth's surface, and that the collision was confirmed at a space operations center.
Space Arms Race Heats Up Overnight (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. Navy's successful missile hit and apparent destruction of a defunct spy satellite represents a major step forward in the space arms race in the eyes of some analysts. Others are not so sure. One expert said last night's hit was not an example of a real missile-defense system, targeting an unusually low satellite that was essentially a sitting duck with a missile that is not the nation's top-of-the line for such tasks.
Some say tensions with Russia and China will increase following the U.S. anti-satellite demonstration, as both nations had stated their opposition to the attempt. Others argue the United States took necessary measures to ensure geopolitical stability and extend its military dominance. "This is obviously being hailed as a victory both politically, because the [U.S.] administration can claim there was no loss of life, and technically because it worked," said Theresa Hitchens, Center for Defense Information director. "It helped the [U.S.] Navy demonstrate the capabilities of its missile defense system."
MIT Scientists Will Develop Moon-Based Telescope (Source: AIA)
NASA has selected scientists at MIT to develop a moon-based radio telescope. The telescope, which would be installed on the far side of the moon, could shed light on the origins of the universe. "The telescope will look at radiation from very, very early in the history of the universe. We want to see how the gases (formed) into galaxies," said professor Jeffrey Hoffman, a member of the Lunar Array for Radio Cosmology project.
United Launch Alliance Suffers a Setback (Source: Decatur Daily)
United Launch Alliance suffered a setback Wednesday when NASA awarded a COTS competitive grant to Orbital Sciences Corp. for space transport services. Orbital's Taurus II, which uses a Russian-designed engine and a Ukranian-made fuel tank, is still under development. SpaceX’s COTS launch vehicle, the Falcon 9, is to make demonstration flights late this year and early in 2009. United Launch Alliance Atlas V, the favored launch vehicle of Spacehab and other COTS project competitors, has an 11-for-11-success rate. United Launch Alliance’s facility in Decatur, which employs 630, is the sole assembly facility for the Delta II and Delta IV. Later this year, the company plans to begin installing equipment to permit production of the Atlas V.
For NASA, 'The Right Stuff' Takes on a Softer Tone (Source: USA Today)
Social skills weren't part of the job description for America's first astronauts. Piloting the one-man Mercury capsule was a dangerous new endeavor. A sure touch on the stick and a willingness to risk death trumped being a nice, chatty guy. And some of the first space fliers weren't. Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard was known as the "Ice Commander" for his chilly glare. Colleagues Deke Slayton and Gus Grissom thought they'd had "a deep talk" if they exchanged 40 sentences during a cross-country flight, Tom Wolfe wrote in his book The Right Stuff.
"The old concept of The Right Stuff— the rugged test pilot, the individualist — is just not going to work," says Jason Kring, a professor who studies human-spacecraft interaction at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. For the first time in decades, NASA's new astronaut ranks will not include anyone whose sole job will be to pilot spacecraft. With the shuttle retiring in 2010 and its replacement on the drawing board, there will be nothing to pilot. Now NASA is looking for those who can play well with others in the close quarters of the International Space Station. station residents need to understand humans at least as well as they understand machines. Crews now include three people, usually two Russians and an American or one Russian and two Americans. Next year, the crew will swell to six and begin including astronauts from Japan and Europe. Visit http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-02-03-nasa-astronauts_N.htm to view the article.
Zero-G Zero-Tax Bill Passes in Virginia (Source: Spaceports Blog)
Virginia's ZeroG, ZeroTax measure has passed the 2008 General Assembly and is now on its way to the desk of Governor Tim Kaine just as the Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. won a COTS-1 launch contract hailing Virginia's entry into the future of the multi-million dollar commercial space launch business. Talk about timing! Patroned by State Senator William C. Wampler, Jr. (R-Bristol), the ZeroG, ZeroTax measure had been pushed by several state legislators at the unanimous behest of the Virginia Aerospace Advisory Council and the Virginia Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS). It gained the unanimous backing of the State Senate and the House of Delegates.
Space Coast District 32 Seat Up for Grabs (Source: Florida Today)
Six months after former state Rep. Bob Allen gained national notoriety after being convicted of soliciting an undercover Titusville police officer in a park bathroom, voters are poised to pick one of three local candidates to finish his term. Allen's resignation in November after the misdemeanor conviction paved the way for a special election Tuesday in Florida House District 32, which includes Merritt Island, Brevard's northern beaches and mainland, and parts of Orange County. The candidates are Republican Sean Campbell, a Merritt Island businessman, Democrat Tony Sasso, a Cocoa Beach marine engineer, and Jerry Maynard, a Titusville pharmacist running as an independent. Though the winner's term only runs through Nov. 4 -- when Allen would have faced term limits -- political parties are fighting hard to win the incumbent's advantage in the next election cycle.
Demonstrating the interest of senior party leaders, Gov. Charlie Crist supported a rally for Campbell in Cocoa Beach, while on Wednesday U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, during a visit to Brevard County, endorsed Sasso. Republicans hold the statistical advantage with 45 percent of the district's nearly 100,000 registered voters, compared with 35 percent for Democrats. On space issues, each candidate supports diversification of KSC beyond workers' launch expertise. Campbell sees his role as a broker of deals with businesses, rather than pushing new legislation. Sasso supports legislation that would match state and labor union funds to promote initiatives like research and development. Maynard says he isn't sure the state will have much influence on federal space budgets and policy.
NASA Selection a Blow to Florida Ambitions, But Launch Site Decision Not Final (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
In a sharp blow to Florida, NASA on Tuesday chose Virginia-based Orbital Sciences to develop a spacecraft to supply the international space station after the space shuttle is retired in 2010. Company officials said they had not chosen a launch site but were leaning toward Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. That decision could undermine Florida's ambitions to be the nation's spaceport. An Orbital official said both KSC and Wallops lack the facilities to launch its rockets and that efforts by each to accommodate Orbital Sciences could play a role in their decision. "Our preference is Wallops, but we have not closed the door," he said.
Orbital beat out companies that had promised to bring hundreds of jobs to Florida. In response to NASA's decision, a Space Florida spokeswoman said the agency "will continue our discussions [with Orbital] for possible future operational launches in Florida once they have completed their test demos." Many industry officials say Orbital has a track record of successfully bringing projects from the drawing board to the launchpad. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-cots2008feb20,0,1216392.story to view the article.
Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite (Source: New York Times)
A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST. A video of the launch and intercept is available at http://www.breitbart.tv/html/50894.html
Center Urges Space Systems Export Control Changes (Source: Defense News)
Washington should remove American-made satellites from a list that complicates sales to other nations, and take a number of other steps to help reverse the nation's dwindling dominance of space, according to a new Center for Strategic and International Studies report. U.S. officials should take steps to revamp the current export control regime, which a CSIS working group has concluded "constricts U.S. engagement and partnership with the rest of the global space community" and also has failed to prevent "the rise of foreign space capabilities, and in some cases has encouraged it."
Cape Breton Spaceport Plan Still on the Table (Source: National Post)
A U.S. company says it remains committed to its plans to launch tourists into space from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, despite losing out on NASA's COTS competition. "Yes, absolutely," PlanetSpace chairman Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria said. The Chicago company was among 13 bidders in the competition, which was won by Orbital Sciences Corp. PlanetSpace's proposal to launch cargo and crews from Florida to the space station was one of two prongs in its space program, says Kathuria. The other involves plans to launch tourists to the edge of space from a facility that Kathuria says he still wants to build in northern Nova Scotia using a space plane the company calls the Silver Dart.
Space Florida will be a new preferred partner and Florida will become the first preferred launch site for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Each preferred partner offers additional prizes or strategic services at a discounted rate to all competition teams. As the first preferred launch site, Space Florida will award an additional prize of $2 million to the Grand Prize winner of the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition.
The Google Lunar X PRIZE is an unprecedented international competition encouraging privately funded teams to land a robotic craft on the Moon. The craft must be capable of completing several mission objectives, including roaming the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and sending video, images and data back to the Earth. More information can be found at: www.googlelunarxprize.org.
Satellite Debris Hits Boy in China (Source: Shanghai Star)
Debris from a space satellite that fell from its orbit struck a six-year-old boy in Shaanxi Province last week, according to a report in the Beijing Youth Daily. Wu Fusheng, the father of the boy named Wu Jie, remembers hearing a "thundering" sound and saw a piece of metal plummet from the sky, finally hitting a persimmon tree under which his son was playing with other children. The boy was taken to hospital where doctors found he had suffered a fractured toe and a swelling on his forehead. The satellite debris was a block of aluminum, 80 centimeters by 50 centimeters and weighing 10 kilograms.
The accident also hit the Wu family's finances. They had to borrow 400 yuan (US$48) from a neighbor for the medical treatment. After the incident, the village head noticed that the air had a smoky, gunpowdery smell and thought a plane had crashed nearby. He requested that the village be evacuated. After a total of 19 metal fragments had been recovered, it was found that the debris was the outermost shell of the Resource Second Satellite which had broken up after falling from orbit. The satellite was supposed to have crashed into an uninhabited mountain area in Shanyang County but had landed instead in nearby Yanghe village. The mishap was blamed on unexpected weather conditions. The government will pick up the cost of Wu Jie's medical treatment and also pay some compensation to his family.
China Wants US Satellite Downing Data (Source: AP)
China asked the U.S. to release data on the shootdown of an ailing spy satellite, while the Communist Party's newspaper blasted what it called Washington's callous attitude toward the weaponization of space. China registered its objections well before the satellite's destruction by a missile launched from a Navy cruiser on Wednesday, which likely accounted for a mild response Thursday from the Foreign Ministry. "China is continuously following closely the possible harm caused by the U.S. action to outer space security and relevant countries," spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
"China requests the U.S. ... provide to the international community necessary information and relevant data in a timely and prompt way," Liu said. In contrast, the overseas edition of People's Daily excoriated Washington for opposing a recent Russian-Chinese proposal on demilitarizing space. "One cannot but worry for the future of space when a great nation with such a massive advantage in space military technology categorically refuses a measure to prevent the militarization of space," the paper said. Washington has rejected the Russian-Chinese proposal for a global ban on space arms because it would prohibit an American missile interceptor system in the Czech Republic and Poland, while exempting Chinese and Russian ground-based missiles that can fire into space.
Gates Says US Will Share Data with China (Source: AP)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. is prepared to share with China some of the information it has about the U.S. shootdown of a spy satellite. His comments came hours after Beijing complained the missile strike could cause harm to security in outer space and some countries. "We provided a lot of information ... before it took place," Gates told reporters during a visit to Hawaii. He said he is determined to be open about the U.S. operation and is "prepared to share whatever appropriately we can." The satellite and the kill vehicle collided at a combined speed of 22,000 mph about 130 miles above Earth's surface, and that the collision was confirmed at a space operations center.
Space Arms Race Heats Up Overnight (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. Navy's successful missile hit and apparent destruction of a defunct spy satellite represents a major step forward in the space arms race in the eyes of some analysts. Others are not so sure. One expert said last night's hit was not an example of a real missile-defense system, targeting an unusually low satellite that was essentially a sitting duck with a missile that is not the nation's top-of-the line for such tasks.
Some say tensions with Russia and China will increase following the U.S. anti-satellite demonstration, as both nations had stated their opposition to the attempt. Others argue the United States took necessary measures to ensure geopolitical stability and extend its military dominance. "This is obviously being hailed as a victory both politically, because the [U.S.] administration can claim there was no loss of life, and technically because it worked," said Theresa Hitchens, Center for Defense Information director. "It helped the [U.S.] Navy demonstrate the capabilities of its missile defense system."
MIT Scientists Will Develop Moon-Based Telescope (Source: AIA)
NASA has selected scientists at MIT to develop a moon-based radio telescope. The telescope, which would be installed on the far side of the moon, could shed light on the origins of the universe. "The telescope will look at radiation from very, very early in the history of the universe. We want to see how the gases (formed) into galaxies," said professor Jeffrey Hoffman, a member of the Lunar Array for Radio Cosmology project.
United Launch Alliance Suffers a Setback (Source: Decatur Daily)
United Launch Alliance suffered a setback Wednesday when NASA awarded a COTS competitive grant to Orbital Sciences Corp. for space transport services. Orbital's Taurus II, which uses a Russian-designed engine and a Ukranian-made fuel tank, is still under development. SpaceX’s COTS launch vehicle, the Falcon 9, is to make demonstration flights late this year and early in 2009. United Launch Alliance Atlas V, the favored launch vehicle of Spacehab and other COTS project competitors, has an 11-for-11-success rate. United Launch Alliance’s facility in Decatur, which employs 630, is the sole assembly facility for the Delta II and Delta IV. Later this year, the company plans to begin installing equipment to permit production of the Atlas V.
For NASA, 'The Right Stuff' Takes on a Softer Tone (Source: USA Today)
Social skills weren't part of the job description for America's first astronauts. Piloting the one-man Mercury capsule was a dangerous new endeavor. A sure touch on the stick and a willingness to risk death trumped being a nice, chatty guy. And some of the first space fliers weren't. Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard was known as the "Ice Commander" for his chilly glare. Colleagues Deke Slayton and Gus Grissom thought they'd had "a deep talk" if they exchanged 40 sentences during a cross-country flight, Tom Wolfe wrote in his book The Right Stuff.
"The old concept of The Right Stuff— the rugged test pilot, the individualist — is just not going to work," says Jason Kring, a professor who studies human-spacecraft interaction at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. For the first time in decades, NASA's new astronaut ranks will not include anyone whose sole job will be to pilot spacecraft. With the shuttle retiring in 2010 and its replacement on the drawing board, there will be nothing to pilot. Now NASA is looking for those who can play well with others in the close quarters of the International Space Station. station residents need to understand humans at least as well as they understand machines. Crews now include three people, usually two Russians and an American or one Russian and two Americans. Next year, the crew will swell to six and begin including astronauts from Japan and Europe. Visit http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-02-03-nasa-astronauts_N.htm to view the article.
Zero-G Zero-Tax Bill Passes in Virginia (Source: Spaceports Blog)
Virginia's ZeroG, ZeroTax measure has passed the 2008 General Assembly and is now on its way to the desk of Governor Tim Kaine just as the Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. won a COTS-1 launch contract hailing Virginia's entry into the future of the multi-million dollar commercial space launch business. Talk about timing! Patroned by State Senator William C. Wampler, Jr. (R-Bristol), the ZeroG, ZeroTax measure had been pushed by several state legislators at the unanimous behest of the Virginia Aerospace Advisory Council and the Virginia Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS). It gained the unanimous backing of the State Senate and the House of Delegates.
Space Coast District 32 Seat Up for Grabs (Source: Florida Today)
Six months after former state Rep. Bob Allen gained national notoriety after being convicted of soliciting an undercover Titusville police officer in a park bathroom, voters are poised to pick one of three local candidates to finish his term. Allen's resignation in November after the misdemeanor conviction paved the way for a special election Tuesday in Florida House District 32, which includes Merritt Island, Brevard's northern beaches and mainland, and parts of Orange County. The candidates are Republican Sean Campbell, a Merritt Island businessman, Democrat Tony Sasso, a Cocoa Beach marine engineer, and Jerry Maynard, a Titusville pharmacist running as an independent. Though the winner's term only runs through Nov. 4 -- when Allen would have faced term limits -- political parties are fighting hard to win the incumbent's advantage in the next election cycle.
Demonstrating the interest of senior party leaders, Gov. Charlie Crist supported a rally for Campbell in Cocoa Beach, while on Wednesday U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, during a visit to Brevard County, endorsed Sasso. Republicans hold the statistical advantage with 45 percent of the district's nearly 100,000 registered voters, compared with 35 percent for Democrats. On space issues, each candidate supports diversification of KSC beyond workers' launch expertise. Campbell sees his role as a broker of deals with businesses, rather than pushing new legislation. Sasso supports legislation that would match state and labor union funds to promote initiatives like research and development. Maynard says he isn't sure the state will have much influence on federal space budgets and policy.
NASA Selection a Blow to Florida Ambitions, But Launch Site Decision Not Final (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
In a sharp blow to Florida, NASA on Tuesday chose Virginia-based Orbital Sciences to develop a spacecraft to supply the international space station after the space shuttle is retired in 2010. Company officials said they had not chosen a launch site but were leaning toward Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. That decision could undermine Florida's ambitions to be the nation's spaceport. An Orbital official said both KSC and Wallops lack the facilities to launch its rockets and that efforts by each to accommodate Orbital Sciences could play a role in their decision. "Our preference is Wallops, but we have not closed the door," he said.
Orbital beat out companies that had promised to bring hundreds of jobs to Florida. In response to NASA's decision, a Space Florida spokeswoman said the agency "will continue our discussions [with Orbital] for possible future operational launches in Florida once they have completed their test demos." Many industry officials say Orbital has a track record of successfully bringing projects from the drawing board to the launchpad. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-cots2008feb20,0,1216392.story to view the article.
Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite (Source: New York Times)
A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST. A video of the launch and intercept is available at http://www.breitbart.tv/html/50894.html
Center Urges Space Systems Export Control Changes (Source: Defense News)
Washington should remove American-made satellites from a list that complicates sales to other nations, and take a number of other steps to help reverse the nation's dwindling dominance of space, according to a new Center for Strategic and International Studies report. U.S. officials should take steps to revamp the current export control regime, which a CSIS working group has concluded "constricts U.S. engagement and partnership with the rest of the global space community" and also has failed to prevent "the rise of foreign space capabilities, and in some cases has encouraged it."
Cape Breton Spaceport Plan Still on the Table (Source: National Post)
A U.S. company says it remains committed to its plans to launch tourists into space from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, despite losing out on NASA's COTS competition. "Yes, absolutely," PlanetSpace chairman Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria said. The Chicago company was among 13 bidders in the competition, which was won by Orbital Sciences Corp. PlanetSpace's proposal to launch cargo and crews from Florida to the space station was one of two prongs in its space program, says Kathuria. The other involves plans to launch tourists to the edge of space from a facility that Kathuria says he still wants to build in northern Nova Scotia using a space plane the company calls the Silver Dart.
February 20 News Items
What Should Happen to the Body if an Astronaut Dies on Mars? (Source: Popular Science)
I can say with fair confidence that if an astronaut died on a short mission to the moon, the craft would turn around and come back. But it gets thornier if the astronauts are on Mars, or even halfway there—any place where turning back would be inadvisable or even impossible. There are really only two options for the body: Leave it there or bring it home. My guess is that NASA would make every effort to bring the body home. Returning the body would most likely be incredibly important for the other crewmembers, who would have formed an extremely strong bond with one another during the three-year mission (and although the astronauts chosen for this mission would have such a demeanor that they would be less likely to freak out about sharing the ride home with a dead body, they may need to undergo grief counseling en route).
In addition, when a person dies, his or her body becomes the property of the next of kin, who would have the legal right to ask to have the body returned. NASA would certainly take such a request into consideration. The cause of death could be a huge factor in the decision. If the astronaut died from falling into a canyon, retrieving the body could put other crewmembers at risk. There’s also the extremely remote chance that the astronaut’s suit could suffer a breach and he or she could become infected with a deadly organism that could endanger the rest of the crew—and Earth. There is no evidence that any such organism (or any organism at all) exists on Mars, but there still needs to be a plan in place for this scenario. Without a way to contain its spread, we’d have to leave the body behind. But this in turn raises concerns about contaminating Mars.
Shuttle Launch Postponed Due To ET Delays And Solar Energy Shortage (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The space shuttle Discovery's mission to ship part of the Japanese laboratory Kibo up to the International Space Station will be delayed one month to May 25. The mission was put off by a delay in the delivery of the Discovery's external fuel tank and an unfavorable angle between the sun and the ISS for solar power generation between May 7 and May 25, which could have affected the mission in its originally planned period. The fuel tank was to have been delivered in time for the Discovery's original April 25 launch date. The new date for the Discovery's mission will not impact the rest of the shuttle launch program for 2008.
Are the UK's Space Goals Beyond its Means? (Source: New Scientist)
The British National Space Center's new UK Civil Space Strategy document is at best a case of the left hand of government not knowing what its right hand is doing and at worst a joke in the poorest possible taste. Around two months ago, the UK government emasculated astronomy and physics research funding in the country. Now, the BNSC has produced a 42-page document talking about the future role of the UK in world-leading space initiatives. What planet are they on? It is certainly not Earth.
Effort to Shoot Down Satellite Could Inform Military Strategy (Source: Washington Post)
The Bush administration's attempt to shoot down an out-of-control spy satellite as early as this evening will help the military advance its anti-missile and anti-satellite planning and technology, according to space weapons experts and analysts. Both fields are of high interest to the military and of high concern for many other nations. While U.S. officials have depicted the attempt solely as a precaution against the slim chance that the satellite's hazardous rocket fuel could harm people on Earth, the test will inherently have spillover military consequences, the experts said.
To accomplish this week's task, for example, the Navy has modified its Aegis anti-missile radar system for satellite tracking, making clear that a system designed for missile defense can be transformed into an anti-satellite system in a short time. The attempted shoot-down will also enable the Pentagon to practice using, in an urgent scenario, key elements of its space defense apparatus, including the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and its sophisticated space identification, tracking and targeting system. The attempt will further provide an unscripted opportunity to see whether ship-based missiles can blow up the satellite just as it reenters Earth's atmosphere -- a key moment in any attempt to intercept an intercontinental missile that might someday be launched against the United States.
Shuttle Atlantis Returns to Florida Spaceport After Successful Mission (Source: NASA)
Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 9:07 a.m. EST Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., after completing a 13-day journey of nearly 5.3 million miles in space. The STS-122 mission expanded the size and research capabilities of the International Space Station with the delivery of the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory.
California Space Authority Supports Lunar Simulant Testbed (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority is supporting a JSC-1A Lunar Simulant Testbed program is seeking statements of interest from members who might have interest in ISRU or lunar systems. The potential opportunity outlined in this solicitation represents a unique capability to conduct testing with a large quantity (8 tons) of JSC-1A lunar simulant. Potential uses include operational testing of surface systems, dust mitigation, and surface mobility. The solicitation document can be found at http://regolith.csewi.org/files/CSEWI_LunarSimulantTestbed_RFI.pdf
Cargo Ship May Launch From Virginia (Source: Florida Today)
Orbital Sciences Corp. will invest $150 million of its own money, augmenting approximately $170 million from NASA, to develop a new medium-sized launch vehicle along with an advanced spacecraft and interchangeable modules to haul cargo to the outpost. The company plans to launch a demonstration mission from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia by December 2010. Orbital intends to start launching cargo to the station by 2011, ramping up to a flight rate of eight annual missions to the outpost by 2012. And while the company plans to fly its first missions from Wallops, future launches from Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are not out of the question.
"Wallops is in Virginia, and we're a Virginia company, so there's a logical connection there. They are not too far from our offices -- a few hours -- and we know Wallops real well, so there's a good fit there," Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski said. "Would we ever consider launching from Florida? The answer is yes," he added. "I think it's safe to say that our team is going to look at all options."
The state of Florida already is working with Orbital and is hoping to lure the company to the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. "What Space Florida will do is continue our work to bring them down here for their operational flights once their demonstration flights are completed," said a Space Florida spokeswoman. Orbital beat about a dozen other bidders for the NASA contract. Some of those companies will move forwared with their plans despite losing the NASA contract. Four of the companies already are working with the state on plans to launch from Cape Canaveral.
I can say with fair confidence that if an astronaut died on a short mission to the moon, the craft would turn around and come back. But it gets thornier if the astronauts are on Mars, or even halfway there—any place where turning back would be inadvisable or even impossible. There are really only two options for the body: Leave it there or bring it home. My guess is that NASA would make every effort to bring the body home. Returning the body would most likely be incredibly important for the other crewmembers, who would have formed an extremely strong bond with one another during the three-year mission (and although the astronauts chosen for this mission would have such a demeanor that they would be less likely to freak out about sharing the ride home with a dead body, they may need to undergo grief counseling en route).
In addition, when a person dies, his or her body becomes the property of the next of kin, who would have the legal right to ask to have the body returned. NASA would certainly take such a request into consideration. The cause of death could be a huge factor in the decision. If the astronaut died from falling into a canyon, retrieving the body could put other crewmembers at risk. There’s also the extremely remote chance that the astronaut’s suit could suffer a breach and he or she could become infected with a deadly organism that could endanger the rest of the crew—and Earth. There is no evidence that any such organism (or any organism at all) exists on Mars, but there still needs to be a plan in place for this scenario. Without a way to contain its spread, we’d have to leave the body behind. But this in turn raises concerns about contaminating Mars.
Shuttle Launch Postponed Due To ET Delays And Solar Energy Shortage (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The space shuttle Discovery's mission to ship part of the Japanese laboratory Kibo up to the International Space Station will be delayed one month to May 25. The mission was put off by a delay in the delivery of the Discovery's external fuel tank and an unfavorable angle between the sun and the ISS for solar power generation between May 7 and May 25, which could have affected the mission in its originally planned period. The fuel tank was to have been delivered in time for the Discovery's original April 25 launch date. The new date for the Discovery's mission will not impact the rest of the shuttle launch program for 2008.
Are the UK's Space Goals Beyond its Means? (Source: New Scientist)
The British National Space Center's new UK Civil Space Strategy document is at best a case of the left hand of government not knowing what its right hand is doing and at worst a joke in the poorest possible taste. Around two months ago, the UK government emasculated astronomy and physics research funding in the country. Now, the BNSC has produced a 42-page document talking about the future role of the UK in world-leading space initiatives. What planet are they on? It is certainly not Earth.
Effort to Shoot Down Satellite Could Inform Military Strategy (Source: Washington Post)
The Bush administration's attempt to shoot down an out-of-control spy satellite as early as this evening will help the military advance its anti-missile and anti-satellite planning and technology, according to space weapons experts and analysts. Both fields are of high interest to the military and of high concern for many other nations. While U.S. officials have depicted the attempt solely as a precaution against the slim chance that the satellite's hazardous rocket fuel could harm people on Earth, the test will inherently have spillover military consequences, the experts said.
To accomplish this week's task, for example, the Navy has modified its Aegis anti-missile radar system for satellite tracking, making clear that a system designed for missile defense can be transformed into an anti-satellite system in a short time. The attempted shoot-down will also enable the Pentagon to practice using, in an urgent scenario, key elements of its space defense apparatus, including the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and its sophisticated space identification, tracking and targeting system. The attempt will further provide an unscripted opportunity to see whether ship-based missiles can blow up the satellite just as it reenters Earth's atmosphere -- a key moment in any attempt to intercept an intercontinental missile that might someday be launched against the United States.
Shuttle Atlantis Returns to Florida Spaceport After Successful Mission (Source: NASA)
Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 9:07 a.m. EST Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., after completing a 13-day journey of nearly 5.3 million miles in space. The STS-122 mission expanded the size and research capabilities of the International Space Station with the delivery of the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory.
California Space Authority Supports Lunar Simulant Testbed (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority is supporting a JSC-1A Lunar Simulant Testbed program is seeking statements of interest from members who might have interest in ISRU or lunar systems. The potential opportunity outlined in this solicitation represents a unique capability to conduct testing with a large quantity (8 tons) of JSC-1A lunar simulant. Potential uses include operational testing of surface systems, dust mitigation, and surface mobility. The solicitation document can be found at http://regolith.csewi.org/files/CSEWI_LunarSimulantTestbed_RFI.pdf
Cargo Ship May Launch From Virginia (Source: Florida Today)
Orbital Sciences Corp. will invest $150 million of its own money, augmenting approximately $170 million from NASA, to develop a new medium-sized launch vehicle along with an advanced spacecraft and interchangeable modules to haul cargo to the outpost. The company plans to launch a demonstration mission from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia by December 2010. Orbital intends to start launching cargo to the station by 2011, ramping up to a flight rate of eight annual missions to the outpost by 2012. And while the company plans to fly its first missions from Wallops, future launches from Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are not out of the question.
"Wallops is in Virginia, and we're a Virginia company, so there's a logical connection there. They are not too far from our offices -- a few hours -- and we know Wallops real well, so there's a good fit there," Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski said. "Would we ever consider launching from Florida? The answer is yes," he added. "I think it's safe to say that our team is going to look at all options."
The state of Florida already is working with Orbital and is hoping to lure the company to the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. "What Space Florida will do is continue our work to bring them down here for their operational flights once their demonstration flights are completed," said a Space Florida spokeswoman. Orbital beat about a dozen other bidders for the NASA contract. Some of those companies will move forwared with their plans despite losing the NASA contract. Four of the companies already are working with the state on plans to launch from Cape Canaveral.
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