March 29 News Items

FCC Approves ORBCOMM’s Next-Generation Constellation (Source: ORBCOMM)
ORBCOMM Inc., a global satellite data communications company, has received a modified authorization from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approving its next-generation Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation plan. The FCC also granted ORBCOMM’s request to renew its license for an additional fifteen years, extending the term of the license until the year 2025. The modified license requires ORBCOMM to place the new satellites in operation over the next six years, and also permits ORBCOMM to deploy replacement satellites over the entire period of the extended license term. The modified authorization also approves ORBCOMM’s request for additional spectrum for its next-generation satellite constellation, expanding ORBCOMM’s uplink and downlink frequency assignments, and adding a new frequency band for downlink operations. (3/28)

Satellite Mergers Ahead? (Source: GigaOM.com)
The decision by the Justice Department to allow XM and Sirius to merge, combined with incumbents such as Verizon and AT&T winning much of the spectrum on offer in the 700 MHz auction, means we’re likely see Mergers and Acquisitions among the major satellite players in the coming year. Had a new entrant won a lot of spectrum in the auction, they could have partnered with one of the satellite operators and potentially reduced some of the costs of building out a terrestrial network as well as gotten some extra spectrum. In the last few years, there has been a plenty of speculation over spectrum among MSS players, with operators including Iridium, Globalstar, ICO Global Communications, TerreStar Corp. and Mobile Satellite Venture are all trying to operate or build out networks.

Instead of launching a satellite only-business, these companies hope to take advantage of a combined terrestrial and satellite network to offer wireless services, most likely to carriers or to governments. But a shortages of spectrum for some players, plus a Justice Department willing to let satellite deals through, means many of them may team up rather than go it alone. Visit http://gigaom.com/2008/03/29/satellite-mergers/ to view the article. (3/29)

Moon Walker Aldrin Now on Different Flight (Source: Miami Herald)
After becoming one of the first humans to walk on the moon, astronaut Buzz Aldrin returned to Earth and grappled with depression and alcoholism. At age 78, Buzz Aldrin has the posture of a military man and can talk at length about his experience with fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong as the first humans to walk on the moon. But Aldrin didn't come to Fort Lauderdale on Friday afternoon to solely talk about space travel. His message was far more personal. It was about his lifelong battle against depression and alcoholism.

Unprepared for the fame and uncertain of his place in the world upon his return from space, Aldrin said he struggled for years, dropping in and out of treatment programs and claiming recovery only to relapse. "There is much more hope for people that in the past just didn't face a good promise of recovery," he told reporters at a press conference organized by Broward Housing Solutions, an organization that provides affordable housing for homeless people who have mental illness. Aldrin was the keynote speaker at a fundraiser in Fort Lauderdale to benefit the housing organization. (3/29)

University, Air Force, and Industry Researchers Study Materials Degradation in Space (Source: USAF)
Endeavour's recent mission included more than 1,000 new materials to be tested as a part of the sixth Materials International Space Station Experiment, or MISSE-6. The research will provide a better understanding of the durability of various materials in a harsh environment. Knowing which materials truly can be used in space will have important applications in the design of future spacecraft. Some of the materials selected for MISSE-6 include an extremely hard, ceramic-like material developed at the University of North Dakota; enzymes and cells encapsulated in silica prepared by UES, Inc.; and spider silk thread from Oxford University. (3/29)

Oklahoma State University Wins NASA Education Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a cooperative agreement education grant to Oklahoma State University to implement the Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience (INSPIRE). The grant features a one-year basic period of performance with four one-year extension options. The estimated value of the agreement is $2.6 million with a potential value of $22 million if all options are exercised. The program is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM.

As part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in STEM disciplines, students selected for INSPIRE will be given the opportunity to participate in unique summer experiences at NASA facilities, provided access to a variety of online resources and invited to participate in special videoconferences with NASA officials. Oklahoma State University will provide administrative services for student recruitment, online resources, project logistics and program evaluation. NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage the program with work being performed at each of NASA's ten field centers. (3/29)

New Alabama Economic Development Office to Focus on Space (Source: Huntsville Times)
Bruce Anderson will head a new Alabama Development Office (ADO) satellite office in Huntsville, which will focus on recruiting new aerospace, aviation and defense-related jobs to the state. Prior to becoming the ADO's assistant director for civil and military aerospace, Anderson worked in Huntsville as a special assistant at Marshall, to co-lead a NASA-Huntsville-Alabama proposal to locate NASA's Shared Service Center in Huntsville. He was Marshall's ombudsman from 2004 to 2006 and was reappointed to that position in October 2006. (3/29)

Asleep on Mars: The "Washington Monument" Ploy? (Source: What's New)
It’s a lot easier to get Congress to create popular new initiatives than to pay the cost of keeping them up. The most popular tourist attraction in the Capital is the Washington Monument; if Congress threatens to cut its operating budget the Park Service announces it will have to close the Monument. Told on Tuesday that the cost of the Mars Rover mission must be cut 40%, Steve Squyres of Cornell, the PI, announced that either Spirit or Opportunity would have to be euthanized or at least hibernate for the rest of the fiscal year. Are they kidding? The cyber generation has bonded with the rovers. Designed for a three month lifetime, the cuddly rovers have been going for four years, living on sunshine and never complaining about the cold nights. You might as well announce that the National Zoo plans to cut expenses by tossing the panda cubs into the pirana tank. That was clear to, Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, and on Wednesday he ordered the budget cut rescinded immediately. (3/28)

NASA Resignation of Two Top Scientists Unrelated (Source: What's New)
We know Michael Griffin immediately overrode the decision, but we don’t yet know who ordered the cut in the Mars rover budget in the first place. NASA Chief Scientist Alan Stern then announced his resignation. Maybe he he had ordered the money be taken out of the Rover. Stern joined NASA less than a year ago as head of the Science Mission Directorate. The NASA staff was still trying to absorb the news about Stern’s resignation when it was revealed that NASA’s chief scientist, John Mather, had submitted his resignation. A senior astrophysicist at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Maryland, Mather shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics with George Smoot. However, it was just a coincidence that the resignations of Stern and Mather came so close together. Mather said he resigned to devote more time to preparations for the James Webb Space Telescope, and said his resignation was not at all abrupt. (3/28)

Report on Space Station "Research" (Source: What's New)
We reported in January that a Japanese astronaut was training with a world-champion boomerang thrower to see if a boomerang can circle in zero gravity. We are pleased to announce that Takao Doi has now conducted the experiment and reports that “it flew the same way it does on Earth.” The experiment does helps to put the ISS in perspective. (3/28)

VA, Multi-University Research Project Seeks Salmonella Vaccine (Source: DVA)
A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research project, which may lead to development of a vaccine to prevent Salmonella poisoning, was aboard the NASA space shuttle that launched March 11. Endeavour transported material to the International Space Station to develop a Salmonella vaccine with the potential to save lives and billions of dollars. The project came about through the teaming of VA researchers with investigators from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, the University Colorado at Boulder, Germany's Max Planck Institute; and a commercial industry sponsor, Spacehab Inc.

The Real Andromeda Strain? Scientists Inadvertently Strengthen Case for the Space Station (Source: Astronomy)
Salmonella bacteria grown aboard the space shuttle turned out to be more virulent to its hosts. Salmonella is a leading cause of food poisoning in humans. Stock up on surgical masks. SARS and Swine Flu, stand aside. The REAL Andromeda Strain is here. In the Salmonella Apocalypse scenario, the human race doesn't perish. It experiences a very bad collective bout of food poisoning.

Researchers from Arizona State University exposed Salmonella bacteria to spaceflight aboard space shuttle Atlantis is 2006. At the same time, they grew the same bacteria back on Earth under identical conditions. After the flight, the researchers infected animals with the Salmonella and found bacteria flown in space were almost three times more likely to cause disease than the bacteria grown on Earth's surface. Apparently the experience of spaceflight caused physical changes in the bacteria, perhaps making them less vulnerable to animals' immune defenses.

This research gives us a few points to ponder. One, there is still a lot we don't know about the effects of spaceflight on living creatures. Two, maybe the International Space Station is not totally useless, as some critics contend, because it offers a platform to continue these types of studies in the future. We can learn more about possible hazards of spaceflight and, in general, learn more about biology. (3/26)

SpaceDev Reports Year-End 2007 Results (Source: Market Wire)
SpaceDev reported year-end revenue of $34.7 million, an increase of over $2 million from 2006. Income from Operations improved by over $1 million. Net loss was reduced by $700,000. SpaceDev reported net sales of $34.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, an increase of $2.1 million, or 6%, from the $32.6 million in net sales reported for 2006. (3/28)

Sex in Space: Joining the Space Tourism 37-Mile High Club (Source: National Ledger)
Will space tourism lead to joining the mile high club? With multiple companies building suborbital tourism spacecraft, will space tourists really try to go at it in space and take the mile-high club to the extreme? For the price they are paying and the stories they can tell you can bet on it. (3/28)

'Funding Stranglehold' on Science (Source: BBC)
Science and innovation is being stifled by the government, say the Tories. Shadow chancellor George Osborne said a UK government "stranglehold" on science funding meant over 20% was controlled centrally, up from 2% in 1997. He was visiting Cheshire's Jodrell Bank Observatory, which faces an uncertain future due to an £80m shortfall in the nation's physics and astronomy budget. Jodrell Bank, home to the renowned Lovell telescope, is threatened because of its central role in the UK's eMerlin radio astronomy network. The eMerlin project is at risk because the government's Science and Technology Facilities Council has an £80m hole in its finances, and an assessment panel has listed the project as a "lower priority" for UK physics and astronomy. (3/29)

France Eyes Flying Altimeters on Iridium Satellites (Source: Space News)
The French space agency, CNES, is open to the idea of flying 24 Earth observation instruments financed by CNES and other space and meteorological agencies on the next generation of Iridium mobile communications satellites. But CNES officials also question whether the effort could be organized in time to meet Iridium's deadline for satellite construction, CNES' Earth observation manager said. (3/29)

Colorado Firm Gets USDA Loan for Rural Broadband with Globalstar (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted a $267 million loan to Open Range Communications Inc. to provide broadband communications to rural communities in 17 states, a deployment that is expected to feature the participation of mobile satellite services provider Globalstar Inc., the government agency and Globalstar announced. (3/29)

Space Junk Falls in Brazil (Sources: Universe Today, ERAU)
On the March 24th, a story hit the web from Brazil asking for help identifying a mysterious-looking sphere found in farmland. The black, shiny object appeared to be wrapped in fibrous material and it was hot to the touch. Immediately thoughts of extra-terrestrial origin came to mind. A similar object was found in the Australian outback. So are the two objects connected in some way? Are they indeed from outer space? The answer is "yes", and "yes". But don't go getting too excited, they're not bits from a broken alien spacecraft. Both objects appear to be carbon-fiber pressure vessels, for carrying fuel or other gas/liquid commodities aboard satellites or rockets. (3/29)

Not a Mercury or Saturn, but It Goes Way Off Road (Source: New York Times)
It turns on a dime and parallel-parks like a dream. On the downside, it’s a little pricey (at $2 million or so) and its top speed is a pokey 15 miles an hour. Still, there’s a lot to like about the concept car taking shape here at the Johnson Space Center. Did I say car? The new moon buggy conceived by space center engineers is anything but a car or a buggy. Its official name is Chariot, and this, my friends, is a truck. A heavy duty workhorse of a truck. Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/automobiles/30MOON.html?_r=2&ref=science&oref=slogin&oref=slogin to view the article. (3/29)