April 24 News Items

Mars Rover Robotic Arm Jams (Source: SpaceToday.net)
One of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers is suffering from a problem with its robotic arm that could limit its utility, JPL announced Wednesday. A motor that controls the side-to-side motion in the shoulder joint of the arm on the rover Opportunity stalled earlier this month and is currently being studied by engineers. The motor first experienced occasional problems in late 2005, but the latest problem took placed after much less activity than previous problems, suggesting that the problem is worsening. Engineers believe the problem is electrical rather than mechanical in nature. Even if the motor could no longer operate, project officials said the robotic arm could still be used to perform "some contact science" since motors that control other joints in the arm are still working. (4/24)

Raytheon Reports Strong First Quarter Results (Source: Raytheon)
Raytheon reported first quarter 2008 income of $400 million, compared to $324 million in the first quarter 2007. Net sales for the first quarter 2008 were $5.4 billion, up 11 percent from $4.8 billion in the first quarter 2007. (4/24)

Northrop Grumman 1Q Profit Drops 32 Percent (Source: AP)
Northrop Grumman's first-quarter earnings fell 32 percent as the company was forced to take a charge due to rising costs and delays with an amphibious assault ship program. The Los Angeles-based company also lowered its profit estimates for the full year, although it beat Wall Street estimates for the quarter, boosting its shares. Northrop Grumman reported net income of $264 million in the quarter ending March 31. That compares to earnings of $387 million in the year-ago period. Revenue for the quarter rose 6 percent to $7.72 billion from $7.34 billion. (4/24)

Uh-Oh, NASA: Soyuz May Have a Design Flaw (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
More bad news for NASA’s post-shuttle retirement plans: an article in the Moscow daily Izvestiya quoted Anatoly Perminov, the head of Russia’s federal space agency, saying that the Soyuz TMA-11 spaceship that experienced a perilous landing last weekend may suffer from a design flaw. According to the report, Perminov complained that the Soyuz faced what he called a danger of “overload which is 2 or 2.5 times bigger than nominal." The article did not explain further what he meant. He said he also found it unacceptable that there was a loss of communication with the Soyuz crew during its final descent for 30 minutes.

"In principle this is a serious situation", he was quoted as saying. “I will not exclude the possibility of a design defect." The quotes are likely to raise concern at NASA which will be dependent on the Soyuz to ferry U.S. astronauts to the international space station after the space shuttle retires in 2010. NASA has said that it is waiting for the Russians to analyze data from the flight before coming to any conclusions about the safety of the Soyuz. (4/24)

$100m Moon Mission the Ultimate Holiday Adventure (Source: Emirates Business 24/7)
A 10-minute suborbital flight into space seems so last season. Now, for a cool $100 million you can go to the moon. Space Adventures is offering a two-week vacation to stay at the International Space Station (ISS) and in the future, even a six-day extension for a trip around the moon should you fancy. The Lunar Mission, which will be ready for take-off by 2012, comes at a steep price, but it will certainly guarantee your name in the history books.

Eric Anderson, President and CEO of Space Adventures, who was in Dubai for this week’s Global Travel and Tourism Summit, told Emirates Business: “There have been several unmanned missions to circumnavigate the moon since the 1970s but our Lunar Mission will be the first of its kind to take a private citizen on a tour around Earth’s natural satellite. While you will not actually walk on the surface...you will come within 100 miles (160.9km) of the lunar surface.”

The company has already commissioned a $265m spaceport in Ras Al Khaimah to fulfil the growing demand for suborbital flights in the region. But if it is the moon that fires up your adventurous soul, you will need to head to a launch site in Kazakhstan. (4/24)

Station Issues Pointed Out in Congress (Source: Florida Today)
“It will be a challenge for NASA to complete the space station by 2010 given the compressed nature of the schedule, maintenance and safety concerns, as well as events beyond its control such as weather,” Cristina Chaplain of the GAO told Congress. She said NASA will have a hard time supplying the station because of the absence of spacecraft large enough to carry necessary cargo. The agency will be relying heavily on Russians, and eventually on the Europeans and Japanese, to supply vehicles that can service the station once the shuttles retire.

But, she noted, none of those vehicles are capable of bringing cargo back from the station. Chaplain noted that NASA must complete the space station to expand its scientific research. Currently, she said, most of the crew’s time is spent maintaining the station, as opposed to conducting scientific experiments. “According to NASA, the crew spends no more than three hours per week on science,” she noted. (4/24)

Land Launch Delay Creates Stir in Israel (Source: Space.com)
The debut of the Land Launch Zenit-3SLB rocket carrying the Israeli Amos-3 telecommunications satellite was aborted just 90 seconds before a planned Thursday liftoff due to a ground equipment glitch at the Baikonur spaceport. Officials attributed the glitch to a malfunctioning transporter-erector crane that failed to separate at a sufficiently safe distance from the three-stage rocket.

The malfunction prompted disappointment and embarrassment in Jerusalem, where Cabinet members, foreign dignitaries and industry executives had gathered at the home of Israeli President Shimon Peres to witness the launch. In an extraordinarily elaborate pre-launch fete organized by Spacecom as part of Israel's 60th Anniversary Independence Day celebrations, presidential guests monitoring the live feed from Kazakhstan were visibly discomfited by the aborted countdown. (4/24)

Dnepr Operations Could Move Back to Baikonur (Source: Space News)
The Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr rocket, whose operations were moved from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2006 to a new site in Russia to avoid conflicts with authorities in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan over launch debris, may be forced to return to Baikonur because of similar issues with neighboring Uzbekistan, according to the Swedish Space Corp. (SSC). (4/24)

Shuttle Sculptures Coming to Space Coast (Source: Florida Today)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is getting ready to emulate other large-scale urban art projects with a “Shuttles Orbiting the Space Coast” display. The 1/20 scale replicas of the Space Shuttle are to be decorated by local artists and then exhibited around Brevard County for eight months starting in late 2008. The 6-ft tall sculptures will be available for businesses to sponsor at an estimated price of $2,500 to $20,000 each with the proceeds benefiting the foundation. The location of the Shuttle sculpture will be determined by the sponsor. After the exhibition, sculptures will be sold to their sponsors or displayed at the KSC Visitor Center before being auctioned off. (4/1)

Retired Boeing VP Schluter to Speak at Embry-Riddle Worldwide Commencement (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's "Worldwide Campus" will hold commencement ceremonies for 345 students on May 3 in Daytona Beach. The commencement speaker will be R. Gale Schluter, retired vice president and general manager of Expendable Launch Systems for the Boeing. He served 40 years in the aerospace industry and 35 years with Boeing/McDonnell Douglas. Schluter was responsible for all of Boeing’s launch vehicle programs, including Delta II, Delta III, the U.S. Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, Delta IV, Inertial Upper Stage, Advanced Systems, and the Boeing segment of Sea Launch. (4/24)

Embry-Riddle Offers Variety of Aviation/Aerospace Academies for Teens (Source: ERAU)
Teenagers interested in hands-on exploration of aviation and aerospace topics will want to sign up for the Summer Academy operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at its Daytona Beach campus. The Summer Academy, which will run from June 9 to Aug. 6, offers educational programs for students ages 12-18. This year’s courses, some of which may be taken for college credit, are Aerospace I, Aerospace II, Aviation Career Exploration, Aviation Discovery for Women, Flight Exploration, Aviation Voyage, Generations, and SunFlight. Application is required a month before the start date of each camp. Visit www.erau.edu/summeracademy for information. (4/24)

Space Coast To Launch New Satellite Programs (Source: WESH)
NASA is getting rid of the space shuttle program in two years, but the other half of Central Florida's space industry will be growing. Space is taking a more important role in fighting terrorism and fighting wars. Four-star Gen. Robert Kehler is the new commander of Air Force Space Command, based in Colorado, and he's making his first official visit to Cape Canaveral. He said the Air Force is bringing on new kinds of satellites that communicate, that help us navigate, and that find the targets for war fighters to shoot at. He said the Cape's mission in launching those satellites is becoming more visible than ever, and the number of launches will increase. (4/24)

Chinese Moon Rover Passes Test (Source: Xinhua)
Shanghai has developed a lunar rover that it hopes to be chosen for China's first moon landing in 2013. The Shanghai Science and Technology Commission said the key technology of the rover has passed a technical appraisal by the government. The technology mainly covers the rover's maneuverability and detection sensors. The rover can travel at an average speed of 100 meters per hour, is 1.5 meters high and weighs 200 kilograms. It looks similar to America's "Spirit," which landed on Mars. Researchers said the rover can climb slopes, and its sensors can help it avoid bumping into obstacles. (4/24)

Otero County Next in Line for Spaceport Tax Vote (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The state's Spaceport Authority and other supporters of Spaceport America will now turn their attentions to another source of funding — Otero County, the third county in a planned spaceport tax district. Voters in Sierra County on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a one-quarter of 1 percent increase. Doña Ana County narrowly approved the same increase last year. Doña Ana and Sierra would provide about $51.4 million of the $58 million the proposed three-county district would generate. The state would pitch in another $140 million for the $198 million project. The balance of the $58 million is Otero's share. With Tuesday's vote, a legal requirement of two counties approving the tax was fulfilled to create the tax district. Without the district, the tax could not be collected. (4/24)