May 15 News Items

Air Force SBIRS Launch From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: ULA)
The Air Force has awarded United Launch Alliance a contract modification to launch the Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) GEO-2 satellite aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The anticipated launch period is December 2010 to March 2011 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The SBIRS GEO-2 will provide missile warning quick reaction alerts, and wideband data to technical intelligence analysts and war fighters. (5/15)

Russian Space Program Bedeviled by Problems (Source: RIA Novosti)
Sea Launch, the U.S.-Russian-Ukrainian-Norwegian consortium using a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit-3SL rockets, has announced that its planned May 21 launch will be postponed indefinitely. This minor setback highlights major problems plaguing the Russian space program.

The launch was postponed because a similar rocket that lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan in late April failed to place an Israeli satellite into the intended 36,000-km geostationary orbit. The customer will now have to use the satellite's precious fuel reserve in order to attain the required orbit. Sea Launch executives have therefore decided to suspend operations pending an investigation of the abortive Baikonur launch.

This is the latest in a series of failures involving the most advanced Russian launch vehicles and spacecraft. In September 2007, a Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a Japanese communications satellite exploded shortly after lift-off. This March, another Proton rocket carrying AMC-14, a communications satellite owned by SES AMERICOM, a New Jersey-based satellite operator, failed to reach its planned orbit. (5/15)

SpaceX Seeks Lift From 3rd Launch Test (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
When Elon Musk got into the rocket business six years ago, the whiz kid and co-founder of PayPal Inc. wanted his new company to become the Wal-Mart of space by doing things faster and cheaper. "Why is Wal-Mart lower-cost? Well, it's not because they do one thing 100 percent better. It's because they do 100 things 1 percent better," Musk told a small gathering of space enthusiasts and reporters Wednesday.

The attitude seems to have paid off -- at least in the boardroom, if not on the launchpad. Customers have lined up to buy rides aboard his rockets, and Musk has a contract with NASA to develop a spacecraft to ship cargo to the international space station. But Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, did not successfully complete either of its two test flights, despite a second effort last year that reached space but did not get into orbit. A third launch, scheduled for June, is critical for no other reason than Musk once said he would reconsider the space business if his company had three consecutive failures. He now calls that comment "stupid" and vowed he was in it for the long haul. (5/15)

Deals Spark First-Quarter Sales Hike for Lockheed Martin (Source: AIA)
Bolstered by several deals including a $1.4 billion contract with the Canadian government, Lockheed Martin Corp. announced first-quarter earnings of $730 million on net sales of $10 billion, an 8% sales hike over last year's first-quarter results. The results are an "excellent start," said Bob Stevens, Lockheed chairman, president and CEO. "We are meeting this goal by building on our core capabilities and continuing to be responsive to customers while delivering greater value to them." (5/15)

NASA Study Links Earth Impacts to Human-Caused Climate Change (Source: NASA)
A new NASA-led study shows human-caused climate change has made an impact on a wide range of Earth's natural systems, including permafrost thawing, plants blooming earlier across Europe, and lakes declining in productivity in Africa. Scientists from 11 institutions have linked physical and biological impacts since 1970 with rises in temperatures during that period. Their study, to be published May 15, concludes human-caused warming is resulting in a broad range of impacts across the globe. (5/14)

European Manned Spaceflight Plan Proposed (Source: The Register)
Strong rumours are circulating regarding plans for a European manned spaceflight capability. A firm announcement is expected later this month, which would outline a scheme based on modifications to the existing "Jules Verne" automated cargo module used to supply the International Space Station. (5/15)

Jupiter Moon 'Could be a Habitat for Life' (Source: The Scotsman)
Shifting poles on one of Jupiter's moons strongly suggest the presence of a global ice-covered ocean. The discovery of "wandering poles" on Europa provides further evidence of a liquid ocean beneath an icy crust. Many scientists believe the hidden ocean, warmed by tidal forces from Jupiter's powerful gravity, may provide a suitable habitat for life. Europa, slightly smaller than the Earth's moon, has a number of unexplained surface features pointing to a turbulent geological history. (5/15)

New Mexico Spaceport Director Talks Benefits for Otero County (Source: Alamagordo News)
Steve Landeen wants everyone to understand what Spaceport America is and what it is trying to do. "There have been a lot of misperceptions about what it is we are trying to do," he said. "While legislation has targeted Otero, Sierra and Doña Ana counties, this is actually something that will have a positive impact for all of southern New Mexico." A proposed Gross Receipts Tax in Otero County to help fund the spaceport would not tax purchases for gasoline, medications and groceries.

Spaceport America believes it will create a synergy with White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base as neighbors, who Landeene said have both welcomed the concept. While there are other spaceports in development in Oklahoma, Virginia, Florida, California, Sweden and Dubai, Landeene said they are all challenged with launch windows. "The one here would not have that problem due to the restricted air space," he said. "We also have at least 300 good weather days each year." "Altitude is another big benefit," said Dave Wilson of Wilson and Binkley, an advertising and marketing firm based in Las Cruces. "At this altitude, the first mile to space is free."

While New Mexico State University has estimated Spaceport America will create 2,250 jobs, Landeene disagrees. "When you add the tourism component, the number of jobs will far exceed that figure," he said. "And the question is: How big a role does Otero County want to have in this?" (5/15)

On Tap in Space: Urine Will Not Go To Waste (Source: USA Today)
Astronauts living on the International Space Station soon will take recycling to new extremes: They'll get some of their drinking water from the toilet. NASA has spent decades perfecting a system to transform urine into water that can be used in space for drinking, food preparation and washing. Agency officials say the water from the system will be cleaner than U.S. tap water. The new $250 million machine was being unpacked Wednesday at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, in preparation for launch this fall.

Russia developed a similar system in the 1980s but it never flew in space because of concerns over crew squeamishness, says former station astronaut Leroy Chiao, now a space consultant. He says station crews expect hardships and aren't likely to object. "You're going (to the space station) as part of exploration," he says. "This is just something you have to put up with, and that's OK." (5/15)