March 17 News Items

ITAR's Failure (Source: Space Review)
Current US export control regulations make it difficult for companies, particularly smaller ones, to compete on the international market. Taylor Dinerman makes the case for some degree of reform that will ease the regulatory burden on these companies. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1086/1 to view the article. (3/17)

The End of the Golden Age of Mars Exploration? (Source: Space Review)
While NASA is celebrating the continued successes of its current Mars missions, the future of its robotic Mars exploration efforts is uncertain. Jeff Foust reports on concerns some scientists are expressing about a possible break in the steady stream of landers and orbiters going to the Red Planet. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1085/1 to view the article. (3/17)

NASA Awards Contracts for Lunar Lander Design (Source: NASA)
NASA's Constellation Program has selected five companies to receive contracts for a 210-day study to independently evaluate NASA's in-house design concept for a lunar lander that will deliver four astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2020. The awards total approximately $1.5 million, with a maximum individual award of $350,000. The study recommendations will be used to increase the technical maturity of the existing design in preparation for the development of vehicle requirements. The selected companies are Andrews Space of Seattle, Boeing of Houston, Lockheed Martin of Denver, Northrop Grumman El Segundo, and Odyssey Space Research of Houston. (3/17)

Dish Network Satellite in Wrong Orbit; DirecTV Launch Scrubbed (Source: Denver Business Journal)
Launches of high-definition direct-to-home satellites for two leading satellite TV companies hit snags on opposite sides of the world. Unusual instrument readings during Monday's countdown at the Pacific Ocean launch site of DirecTV Group Inc.'s latest satellite forced blastoff to be postponed for at least a day. It's not yet clear what or how serious the issues are with the Sea Launch consortium's Zenit rocket carrying the DirecTV satellite. No new launch time had been set as of Monday morning.

The delay is not related to the problems experienced by competitor Dish Network Corp.'s launch Friday. In that launch, handled by McLean, Va.-based International Launch Service and the Russian space agency, a Russian-built Proton Briz-M rocket malfunctioned and left the Dish Network satellite in a potentially unusable orbit. That may delay the rollout of some of its planned high-definition channels and local programming, the company announced. (3/17)

Spacehab Debuts New Spacetech Product at Aviation Industry Expo (Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab has completed development and testing activities for its new AirWard Container Systems. Planned for unveiling at the Dallas Aviation Industry Expo in Dallas, AirWard Containers are the first product to go to market from the Company’s new Spacetech, Inc. subsidiary. Spacetech is a technology transfer, product development, and sales-focused Spacehab business created to transform space-based technologies and products into commercial applications.

AirWard Containers were created as a solution to a Department of Transportation regulation regarding the air transport of hazardous materials such as oxygen cylinders. The revised regulation places much more stringent heat and flame resistance requirements on these containers. In 2007, through a Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) initiative (enabled by Florida's Technological Research & Development Authority) Spacehab lent its support to Texas Calibration, a woman-owned small business, to identify materials for the development of a DOT-compliant oxygen bottle transportation container. Spacehab applied over 20 years of space engineering expertise to this terrestrial problem and developed the AirWard Containers which fully meet, and exceed, all of the applicable requirements. Upon completion of the SATOP partnership, Spacetech formally joined the project for full-scale development and marketing of the container. (3/17)

Inmarsat Postpones Satellite Launch After Proton Launcher Failure (Source: EE Times)
Mobile satellite communications services provider Inmarsat has postponed the launch of its third Inmarsat-4 satellite -- that was to give a major boost to its provision of broadband networks throughout Europe -- following the failure of International Launch Services' Proton rocket to place the AMC-14 communications satellite into geosynchrononous transfer orbit. Inmarsat immediately suspended plans to ship the third Inmarsat-4 satellite to its launch site and expects the scheduled late-April launch to be postponed pending an investigation into the failed launch of the Russian rocket. (3/17)

With KSC Teaching Resource, The Sky Isn't The Limit (Source: Highlands Today)
Annesly Wood admits she was never really interested in astronauts or space, but when a job opportunity came up at NASA, she knew better than to pass it by. Wood, a graduate of South Florida Community College, was working on her bachelor's degree in math education at the University of Central Florida when a professor told her about an internship teaching through NASA's Digital Learning Network. "It was a freak accident that I happened to find out about it and actually get it," Wood, 21, said. "But it has definitely been a blessing." (3/17)

Through video conferencing technology, Wood connects to schools throughout the country and teaches lessons ranging from touring the Kennedy Space Center to experiments with liquid nitrogen. She teaches to a camera, and the picture is transmitted through the Internet to a screen in the classroom. The Web cam in the classroom captures a picture of the student that Wood can see. Damon Talley, coordinator of Digital Learning Network for NASA, said lessons can be tailored for any grade level and any subject. "It's not our job to teach the curriculum; you do an excellent job of that," Talley told teachers who gathered for a demonstration Thursday afternoon. "We are here to enrich the curriculum and allow students to have some exciting experiences with math and science." (3/17)

Flagsuit LLC Delivers First Commercial Space Suit Gloves (Source: eMediaWire)
Flagsuit LLC, a new startup founded by NASA Astronaut Glove Challenge winner Peter Homer, shipped their first commercially produced space suit gloves to Los Angeles-based Orbital Outfitters last month under a joint development agreement. The gloves are designed to be used with the Industrial Suborbital Space Suit-Crew (IS3C) which was unveiled by Orbital Outfitters in October 2007. The gloves will feature a patent-pending joint design that makes the fingers more flexible under pressure, increasing dexterity while reducing hand fatigue. The gloves are manufactured using a new process that eliminates time consuming adjustments to adapt the fit to the wearer's hands, producing a ready-to-wear garment that literally "fits like a glove." Flagsuit is currently implementing a preliminary production capability with support from the Maine Technology Institute.

Orbital Outfitters announced the collaboration with Homer last November. "Orbital Outfitters is committed to making the best performing and best looking commercial space suits available, without the premium price tag," says CEO Jeff Feige. "Flagsuit is helping us realize that goal." Orbital Outfitters has a contract to deliver emergency pressure suits for a piloted suborbital vehicle being developed by XCOR Aerospace of Mojave, CA, among others and will be conducting tests on the suit in a near vacuum this summer. (3/17)

Space Cruise Participants To Experience Real Space Training At The NASTAR Center (Source: eMediaWire)
Participants attending Space Cruise Week in April 2009 will also receive a 2-day space training experience at the NASTAR Center near Philadelphia. At the center, participants will experience G forces, weightlessness and view the Earth in simulators that recreate what a sub-orbital spaceflight will be like. As announced last week by Mitchell J Schultz, Director of XtraOrdinary Adventures, "ninety-six possible participants from around the globe are expected to register" and all ninety-six will get an authentic space training experience at the NASTAR Center where NASA has trained several Astronauts. This will enable cruise week attendees to get a real taste of the flavors of spaceflight.

Additional festivities include a zero-G flight taking off and landing on the same runway our space shuttle lands on at the Kennedy Space Center. A tour of the center and a finale spectacular with many noted space enthusiasts and entertainment that all in attendance will not soon forget. For more information visit http://www.XtraOrdinaryAdventures.com. (3/17)

Astrium Teaming with Khrunichev to Build Large Russian Communications Satellite (Source: EADS)
The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) has selected a team of Khrunichev Space Center and Astrium to build the Express AM4 communications satellite. Express AM4, to be delivered late 2010, is by far the largest Express satellite ever ordered. RSCC is focused primarily on the development of satellite communications and the broadcasting network in the Russian Federation to secure the common information space across the country. RSCC currently operates 11 satellites in geostationary orbit, and is currently looking for high power satellites to complement the existing fleet and fulfill growing needs for satellite capacity. (3/17)

Space Planes 'To Meet Big Demand' (Source: BBC)
Aerospace giant EADS says it will need a production line of rocket planes to satisfy the space tourism market. The European company's Astrium division, makers of the Ariane rocket, has plans for a commercial vehicle to take ticketed passengers above 100km. Its market assessment suggests there would be 15,000 people a year prepared to part with some 200,000 euros (£160,000) for the ride of a lifetime. Astrium anticipates it be will be producing about 10 planes a year. "To satisfy the market you will need more planes than you think, because once there is regular operation, the price will decrease which means there will be more customers," Robert Laine, chief technical officer (CTO) of the pan-European company, told BBC News.

Astrium does not intend to run a space tourism marketing operation itself. Rather, it intends simply to supply vehicles to those who will. Visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7298511.stm to view the article. (3/17)