February 19 News Items

Clinton Backs Space Exploration Policy (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The Texas Democratic primary is finally drawing the presidential candidates more to the front on the policy issue of human space exploration. Space policy was raised in seperate interviews by The Houston Chronicle with Clinton and Obama. The newspaper editorial board found that Clinton was much more "enthusiastic" than Obama about human space travel noting her remarks: "I intend to pursue an ambitious agenda in both space exploration and earth sciences," the first viable Democratic female presidential candidate said. "I want to support the next generation of spacecraft for a robust human spaceflight program."

Obama, on the otherhand, noted 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." Meanwhile, the advisors to Clinton and Obama debated their candidates science positions to the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston Sunday. Many in the nation seek to have the Science Debate of 2008.

E'Prime Shareholders Awaiting Internal Investigation Findings (Source: Raging Bull)
E'Prime Aerospace Corporation Shareholders are requesting the release of an "extensive internal investigation report" into the activities of corporate Officers and Directors. According to a shareholder website, one preliminary finding indicates that certain Officers and Directors claimed ownership and control of numerous companies that were in direct competition with E'Prime, including USTM, Inc., Space Plane Systems, Inc. and E'Prime Development, Inc. The report allegedly further reveals that E'Prime resources and assets were utilized to support these ventures, and that these actions were undertaken without disclosures required by the SEC. If it ultimately fields an operational rocket system, the former Florida-based company plans to launch from Virginia's spaceport at Wallops Island.

China Set to Launch Record Number of spacecraft in 2008 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China will launch a record number of spacecraft this year amid a rise in tensions among world powers over the militarization of space. China plans to send up more than 10 missions this year, said Yang Baohua, head of the China Academy of Space Technology. "China's space technology has entered a new stage. The design and manufacture of satellites takes less time, and homemade satellites are more reliable and have a longer lifespan," Yang said. China has launched an average of eight spacecraft in the past two years.

Iran Gives Details on Controversial Space Launch (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Iran said on Tuesday a probe it sent into space on the back of rocket had reached an altitude of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and returned to earth after minutes. Kavoshgar (Explorer) was launched earlier this month on what Iran touted as its first rocket to be sent into space on a mission to prepare for the launch of its first home-produced satellite this summer.

"Kavoshgar had two sections. The first section separated after 100 seconds and returned to earth with a parachute. The second continued to an altitude of 200 kilometres," said the head of Iran's space organization, Ahmad Talebzadeh. "The second section of this rocket received data on the atmosphere and the electromagnetic waves on its path and simultaneously made contact with the base and returned to earth with a parachute after five to six minutes," he said.

Florida Teams Gearing Up For World's Largest Rocket Contest (Source: AIA)
Students around the country are testing altimeters and trimming tail fins in anticipation of qualifying for the final round of the Sixth Annual Team America Rocketry Challenge in May. A total of 643 middle and high school teams from 43 states and the District of Columbia have registered for the world's largest rocket contest and are designing and building their vehicles by hand. The contest, aimed at increasing interest in math and science and promoting aerospace careers among young people, will involve approximately 7,000 students from start to finish.

Teams have until April 7 to successfully launch their model rockets and achieve a score qualifying them for the final competition. This year's challenge is to build and fly a model rocket that reaches 750 feet while remaining aloft for 45 seconds, returning the payload of two raw eggs to the ground unbroken. Thirty-four Florida teams are registered for the competition, including from: Boca Raton Prep School, Boca Raton; Spanish River High School, Boca Raton; West Boca Raton Community High School, Boca Raton; Southeast High School, Bradenton; Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School, Cocoa Beach; Kirby Smith Middle School; Jacksonville; Park Vista Community High School, Lake Worth; Seminole Ridge Community High School, Loxahatchee; Florida Air Academy, Melbourne; Palm Bay High School, Melbourne; Northeast High School, Oakland Park; Howard Middle School, Orlando; St. John Catholic School, Panama City; Charles W. Flanagan High School, Pembroke Pines; Plantation High School, Plantation; Riverview High School, Sarasota; St. Joseph Academy, St. Augustine; Alonso High School, Tampa; Middleton Academy of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tampa; Robinson High School, Tampa; Forest Hill High School, West Palm Beach; Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park; and Winter Park High School, Winter Park.

Screening and Training for Commercial Human Spaceflight (Source: Space Review)
As the commercial human spaceflight industry emerges, companies will be flying people who do not meet the same rigorous medical guidelines of government astronauts. Jeff Foust reports on the screening and training issues companies in the field are considering as they seek to maintain customer safety while maximizing the number of people who can fly. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1062/1 to view the article.

Space Myths (Source: Space Review)
Conventional wisdom in the space field includes a preference for simple rockets and the development of airplane-like RLVs. Wayne Eleazer calls those concepts into question. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1061/1 to view the article.

Embry-Riddle Hosts NASA Project Management Challenge Event (Source: NASA)
NASA will hold its 2008 Project Management Challenge in Daytona Beach on FEb. 26-27 at Hilton Oceanfront Hotel. Embry-Riddle is a host for this year's event, which will feature panel discussions on high-performance teams, engineering excellence, integrated project management, and other challenges for future space exploration and industry operations. Visit http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/program.htm for information.

Orbital Wins COTS Competition, Plans Virginia-Based Launches (Source: NASA Watch)
Orbital Sciences Corp. defeated 12 other teams for NASA's $170 million COTS-1 re-competition. Orbital is looking to develop an new medium class launch vehicle they call the Taurus II. The first stage will use LOX/Kerosine liquid fuel using Aerojet engines. ATK would develop the Castor-derived solid fueled second stage. The Orbital proposal mentioned possible crewed missions but did not formally propose that option. Orbital plans to launch the Taurus II COTS flights from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

NASA Insists It Can Fix Flaw in Rocket Design (Source: New York Times)
Preliminary calculations by NASA last summer suggested that the rocket it had on the drawing board to replace the space shuttle possessed a design flaw: vibrations in the booster might shake the top of the rocket so violently that any astronauts riding aboard would suffer severe, perhaps fatal, injuries. That sounds alarming, but NASA officials insist it is just a step in the process of designing and engineering — identifying problems and solving them. And they say the vibrations — “thrust oscillations” in the language of rocket scientists — are understood and will be fixed well before astronauts fly. Michael D. Griffin, NASA’s administrator, said the oscillation “is not a significant problem, and to the extent that it needs solutions, we’ve got three or four ways to go after it.”