April 12 News Items

Editorial: Harper's Avro Arrow? (Source: National Post)
In what has now become a grandstand economic-policy performance over the $1.3-billion sale of Vancouver's MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates space division to a U.S. firm, the Harper Tories have embarked on a dangerous and potentially destructive exercise in economic nationalism. It's impossible to know what the strategy is at this point, although the signals are all pointing in one direction. Setting themselves up as more Liberal than the Liberals, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Industry Minister, Jim Prentice, have laid out a plan to use the open-ended Investment Canada Act to prevent Alliant Techsystems of Minnesota from completing the deal.

What happens after that is anyone's guess. An ominous sign came yesterday from Mr. Prentice. In a speech at the Canadian Space Agency, he set out what amounts to new and volatile policies on space technology and corporate control. In a section of the speech under the subhead "Government's Role," Mr. Prentice declared for the first time in Canadian space history: "We need to own our technology." The bold type for the word "own" is the minister's. (4/12)

MDA Reeling After Space-Division Sale Rejected (Source: Vancouver Sun)
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates is maintaining a stoic silence in the wake of Ottawa's rejection this week of the proposed sale of its space division to the U.S. company Alliant Techsystems (ATK). But behind the scenes the lobbying is intense, and questions are piling up as investors speculate on what the company will do now that its plans to divest itself of a low-growth business have been stymied. (4/12)

AMC-14 Declared a Total Loss (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Lockheed Martin A2100 satellite illustration SES Americom announced Friday that it has given up efforts to salvage a satellite stranded in a useless transfer orbit last month. The AMC-14 satellite launched by a Proton M rocket on March 15, but was left short of geosynchronous transfer orbit when the Proton's Breeze M upper stage shut down prematurely. After studying potential options to raise the satellite's orbit and get some useful life out of the spacecraft, SES Americom concluded that those options had "unacceptable risks" and would instead declare the satellite a total loss and file a claim with insurers. SES was not more specific about what options were considered and their risks, but SpaceDaily reported that they considered a lunar flyby option but were unable to reach a licensing agreement with Boeing, the company that owns a patent on that rescue approach. The satellite is insured for $150 million by SES Americom and an additional $42 million by EchoStar, who had leased the satellite's capacity. (4/11)

General Calls for White Paper on Space Issues (Source: Air Force Times)
For the next U.S. president to be ready “on Day One,” he or she should be presented with a detailed white paper outlining space issues, services and capabilities across the civil, military and commercial space worlds, said Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, commander of the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, which manages construction of military satellites.

Hamel’s white paper proposal was just one element of a theme that emerged Wednesday during the National Space Symposium here. Industry and military officials say they are worried that the presidential candidates do not appear to have space issues on their radar scopes, a factor that could slow progress toward improving satellites, rockets and commercial markets. (4/12)

Military Space Center Chief Calls for National Policy (Source: Air Force Times)
Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, commander of the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles, called on the attendees of the 24th National Space Symposium here to take up the case for developing a codified, clear national space policy, something he says the nation lacks as it moves into the next 50 years of space programs. In recent years, the focus that national space policy once enjoyed has waned, he said, and the space community has ended up “living off investments and infrastructure of the 1950s, making for an uncertain and cloudy future.” (4/11)

Commercial Space Hasn't Yet Landed Big VC Investments (Source: CNN)
The fledgling commercial space industry has attracted a lot of money, but little from the mainstream venture capitalists so crucial to the emergence of PCs, chips and the Internet. The reasons VCs have yet to climb aboard are many, but one is that the level of funding needed for commercial space might well soar beyond most endeavors. "Space is not cheap," said George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society. "The investment community has had a cautious response so far. But if you look at the business models, some of these companies could be making money relatively quickly." (4/11)

Russia to Call for Extending ISS Use (Source: AFP)
Russia will ask its foreign partners in June to extend the exploitation of the International Space Station (ISS) until 2020 as the station's Russian segment would take longer to complete, Russian space officials said. "We can do what we planned to do by 2010 only in 2015, and so we will have to appeal to our foreign partners to use the ISS until 2020," said RKK Energiya's cheif. Russia still does not have a research module at the ISS, officials said, adding that the Russian segment, which is due to contain 10 modules, would have only two small research modules, a laboratory and two energy modules by 2011. (4/11)

Russia to Speed Construction of New Spaceport (Source: AP)
President Vladimir Putin ordered his government Friday to speed up construction of a new spaceport and development of a booster rocket in a bid to revive the nation's space glory. Russia's space agency chief, meanwhile, said the country may stop selling seats on its spacecraft to "tourists" starting in 2010 because of the planned expansion of the international space station's crew from the current three to six or even nine in 2010. (4/11)

Cancer Concerns Continue at NASA Glenn Research Center (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
A union wants a more thorough investigation of cancer rates at the NASA Glenn Research Center, but so far few workers have cooperated with a survey to gather data about the disease. Union leaders said they know of about 40 workers with cancer among 100 on the third floor of the Developmental Engineering Building in the past few years. But only 28 of the several hundred workers in the building filled out a cancer questionnaire sent out in January and turned it in to management, which has since forwarded it to independent state and federal analysts. Other workers turned in the questionnaire to the union, which withheld it from the analysts, calling it one-sided. (4/11)

Is NASA's Workforce Too Old (Source: New Scientist)
There have already been some early road bumps in NASA's shift to the Constellation program, but NASA officials assure us they have their finest experts on hand to tackle them. But is that the best strategy? Perhaps in facing the challenges of this novel space enterprise, NASA should mine the creativity and insights of its younger engineers instead of turning first to industry old-timers. After all, youngsters at NASA have accomplished some pretty great things in the past.

"If you look back on the Apollo program, most of that generation was probably in their 20s. Somebody in their 30s was probably in a senior position," said a NASA official. The average age of NASA's workforce has been steadily increasing for the past decade and a half, according to a 2007 report. With the average age now at 47, "we tend to have the burden of knowledge - or the curse of knowledge - that we don't tend to take a fresh look at things", he said. And NASA's graying cadre of scientists and engineers poses another, more practical problem - what will happen when they all retire? (4/11)

$150 Million AMC-14 Satellite Written Off as 'Space Junk' (Source: Times Online)
A $150 million satellite which was to deliver television services to the US has been written off as a piece of 'space junk' after the 'complete failure' of its launch a month ago. The satellite, manufactured by Lockheed-Martin and launched aboard an unmanned Russian rocket last month, was intended to deliver TV services to viewers in the US, Mexico and Central America as part of the Echo Star network. "We expect to receive the insurance proceeds of approximately $150 million in the next few months," said an official with the satellite's owner/operator, SES. (4/11)

New Projects Will Have Positive Impact on NASA Jobs in Texas (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The stories about the possible loss of 2,300 jobs at the Johnson Space Center don't tell the whole story, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President Bob Mitchell says. "These numbers fail to reflect many factors," he said in an e-mail to his membership. "What NASA reported is simply a snapshot of today's current work associated with the shuttle and only the current Constellation contract awards. It does not factor in...future Constellation contracts." These include the new space suit, the lunar lander, the Ares V rocket, etc. As the program office for the entire Constellation Program, all awards will flow through JSC. Also, future jobs will be created locally through commercial space efforts in the area. (4/11)

Cosmonauts to Abandon Soviet-Era Spaceport by 2020 (Source: AFP)
Russia will end manned space launches from Kazakhstan's Soviet-era Baikonur spaceport by 2020, replacing it with a launch pad in Russia, a top official said. All cosmonauts will instead take off from the new Vostochny base, planned in Russia's southeast near the Chinese border. (4/11)

Russia Needs $5 Billion to Complete Space Station Segment (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia will need an additional $5 billion to finish the construction of its segment of the International Space Station (ISS) by 2015, the head of Russia's rocket and space corporation Energia said. The orbital station is likely to remain operational until 2020. "So far, we have allocated about $4.2 billion for the ISS project, but we will need an additional $5 billion to finish the construction [of the Russian segment] by 2015," Energia President Vitaly Lopota said. (4/11)

Space Foundation Seeks New Headquarters (Source: Colorado Springs Gazette)
Less than two weeks after local officials came up with $53 million to keep the U.S. Olympic Committee here, the U.S. Space Foundation went public Thursday with a plea for help with a new and expanded headquarters. Bill Tutt, chairman emeritus of the foundation's board, told 192 business and community leaders that the group is being courted by other cities and is looking for help to find larger headquarters. The foundation hasn't determined how much additional space it needs, what it would cost or how much financial help it requires.

The city and developer Landco Equity Partners agreed to spend $53 million to renovate and expand a downtown building for the Olympic Committee headquarters, convert a former Colorado Springs Utilities building for use by sports organizations and expand the Olympic Training Center. The USOC employs 330 people locally and pumps about $341 million annually into the local economy. The Space Foundation employs about 40 people and resides in an 8,800-square-foot headquarters building. (4/11)

Arianespace to Launch Satellite for Japan (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace has been selected to launch the BSAT-3b satellite by Japanese operator Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT). BSAT-3b will be orbited by an Ariane 5 in the second half of 2010 from the Guiana spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. BSAT-3b is the 7th satellite entrusted to the European launcher by B-SAT Corporation. In addition, this will be the 25th Japanese satellite won by Arianespace from the 34 GTO commercial satellites that have been commercially accessible. (4/11)

Weather 60% Favorable for Monday Atlas Launch (Source: Florida Today)
There is a 60 percent chance of favorable weather for Monday's launch of a communications satellite on an Atlas 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The most likely possible problem is that ground winds and thick clouds could interfere with the launch in a one-hour window that begins at 4:12 p.m. EDT. This mission marks the first ULA commercial launch of an Atlas V vehicle procured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services. The satellite will provide nationwide television, Internet and communications to vehicles some time in 2009. (4/11)

Space Tourists Set for '09 Liftoff (Source: Emirates Business 24-7)
A Dubai-based tourism company has begun marketing a truly out-of-this-world experience and has already sold voyages that will create the first Emirati astronauts. Sharaf Travels has sold $200,000 tickets for a journey on Virgin Galactic’s space flights, which will begin blasting off on a regular basis from the last quarter of next year. And while officials were unwilling to disclose the names of clients, they confirmed the first Emirati space traveller has already purchased a seat.(4/10)

Senate Passes Measure to Explore Shuttle Memorials (Source: Lufkin Daily News)
Almost a year after it passed in the House, a measure was passed in the Senate that would explore the construction of at least four memorials in East Texas to honor the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, according to a press release from the office of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), who co-authored the bill. The memorials are slated for Lufkin, Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Hemphill, communities that helped lead recovery efforts when Columbia disintegrated over Texas in February 2004. (4/11)

South Africa on Shortlist for Space Base (Source: Adelaide Now)
Tourists may soon be blasted into space from the South Australian Outback. Billionaire Richard Branson and his new venture Virgin Galactic are considering launch sites in SA and Victoria for flights in the SpaceShipTwo craft. The company is building the world's first commercial spaceport in the US state of New Mexico and voyages from that site are expected to start in early 2010. Virgin Galactic yesterday confirmed its desire to set up a launch site in Australia. (4/12)