May 21 News Items

Additional Tidbits in the Authorization Bill (Source: Space Politics)
The folks at SpacePolitics.com have published a list of provisions in the NASA Authorization Bill. Visit http://www.spacepolitics.com/2008/05/20/additional-tidbits-in-the-authorization-bill/ to view the article. (5/20)

Penn State: Swift Satellite Catches First 'Normal' Supernova in the Act (Source: Penn State)
Thanks to a fortunate observation with NASA's Swift satellite, astronomers, for the first time, have caught a normal supernova at the moment of its birth -- the first instant when an exploding star begins spewing its energy into space, transforming into a supernova that during its brief lifetime will shine brighter than billions of stars combined. "This discovery is giving us unique insights into how a supernova-producing star explodes," said David Burrows, a senior scientist and professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State. "This explosion seems to be characteristic of the vast majority of supernovae -- those that do not contain gamma rays. All the data we are collecting, beginning with the initial shock wave, will help us to more fully understand why some supernovae make gamma rays and others do not," he said. The Swift satellite is controlled by Penn State from its Mission Operations Center at University Park. (5/21)

NASA Awards Agency-Wide Protective Services Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded its consolidated protective services contract to Coastal International Security, Inc. of Virginia. The contract has a maximum value of $1.56 billion, if all options are exercised. Work under the contract will provide fire services, security services, emergency management, export control, protective services information assurance/technology security, and protective services training throughout the agency. (5/21)

Space Coast Project Searching for Artists with the “Right Stuff” (Source: ASF)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is commissioning artists to join in a unique opportunity to paint/decorate 8-foot fiberglass space shuttle statues which will be landing all over the county this fall for the Shuttles Orbiting the Space Coast program! In partnership with the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and Florida's Space Coast Office of Tourism, the program will showcase 100 shuttle statues at businesses and public venues in this community-wide effort while paying tribute to NASA's 50th Anniversary and its longest running manned vehicle – the Space Shuttle.

The ASF is searching for artists to be part of an elite group who will “fuel” the shuttles for launch into the community. Upon completion of a painted shuttle, the artist will receive a $1,000 honorarium. Artist applications are due by June 24, 2008 and are available at http://www.astronautscholarship.org/shuttles/ or by calling 321-455-7012. (5/21)

Boeing Set to Lay Off 750 Space Workers (Source: Torrance Daily Breeze)
Boeing plans to lay off about 750 employees, mostly in El Segundo and Seal Beach, amid a downturn in the company's satellite manufacturing business and the recent loss of a major contract to a rival. The aerospace giant will officially announce the layoffs today, when employees will begin to receive termination notices. About 100 employees will receive the 60-day layoff notices this week, with another 650 to be notified at the end of June. The restructuring will leave Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, Boeing's satellite division, with about 6,450 employees, compared with its present count of 7,200. (5/21)

Editorial: It Makes Sense to Collaborate Internationally on New Space Efforts (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A $17.3 billion annual budget makes money tight at NASA, but the agency will need over time to come up with tens of billions of dollars to realize its mission of sending astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars. That's why a bipartisan House proposal to enlist partners to share the cost makes sense. Congress' immediate priority needs to be finding additional dollars to narrow the gap. The House proposal seeks an extra $1 billion for that purpose next year.

Any effort to pull in partners now, if it delays getting Orion off the ground, would be unwise. But over the long term, persuading countries to defray the huge costs of the mission could be crucial. This would not be uncharted space for NASA. More than a dozen nations have worked with the agency on the space station. (5/21)

House Panel OKs Budget of $19.2 Billion for NASA (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The House panel with jurisdiction over NASA on Tuesday unanimously endorsed $19.2 billion in spending for next year, three additional shuttle flights and a blueprint for greater international participation in the next generation of manned U.S. space operations. The speedy, bipartisan action by a panel of the House Science and Technology Committee underscored the breadth of cooperation among Democrats and Republicans who are trying to bolster the space agency amid budget strains, the looming retirement of the shuttle fleet and upcoming reliance on the Russians' Soyuz capsule to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the space station. The measure was adopted by the subcommittee without amendment in less than nine minutes and sent to the full committee, which is expected to approve it after the Memorial Day recess. (5/21)

Iron Man Launches to Space Station (Source: Movie & Entertainment News)
Astronaut Garrett Reisman, currently on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), asked to watch the Robert Downey Jr.-starring movie claiming he can't wait until he returns to Earth next month. A deal has been sealed with bosses at studio Paramount Pictures - and a NASA spokesperson has confirmed they are in the process of uploading the movie to the ISS. (5/21)

Sea Launch Zenit 3SL Launches with Galaxy 18 Satellite (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
A Sea Launch Zenit 3SL has launched with Galaxy 18 - a new Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) satellite for the PanAmSat Corporation - into a geosynchronous transfer orbit from its equatorial launch site in the Pacific ocean. The Zenit 3SL is a hybrid concept developed by RSC Energia, which was originally designed to replace the Proton K/DM vehicle. The two stage Zenit features a modified Russian Block DM upper stage. (5/21)

University of Colorado Researchers Find Missing Space Matter (Source: AFP)
Researchers say they have found about half of the universe's missing matter hidden in the spaces between billions of galaxies thanks to the Hubble telescope. This normal matter, which is called baryons, was created during and after the Big Bang, and should not be confused with dark matter, researchers said. "We think we are seeing the strands of a web-like structure that forms the backbone of the universe," said astronomer Mike Shull of the University of Colorado after an extensive search of the local universe. "What we are confirming in detail is that intergalactic space, which intuitively might seem to be empty, is in fact the reservoir for most of the normal, baryonic matter in the universe." (5/21)

Why Do Astronauts Suffer From Space Sickness? (Source: TU Delft)
Gravity plays a major role in our spatial orientation. Changes in gravitational forces, such as the transition to weightlessness during a space voyage, influence our spatial orientation and require adaptation by many of the physiological processes in which our balance system plays a part. As long as this adaptation is incomplete, this can be coupled to motion sickness (nausea), visual illusions and disorientation. This 'space sickness' or Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS), is experienced by about half of all astronauts during the first few days of their space voyage. Visit http://www.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=4b5a9d8e-7e2c-4659-a3a4-4d27124b4ca4&lang=en to view the article. (5/16)

Soyuz Bumpy Re-entry Caused by Technical Glitch (Source: RIA Novosti)
A technical glitch caused the ballistic landing of Russia's Soyuz TMA-11 capsule in April this year, the head of the Federal Space Agency's department for manned flights said. "The cause has been established," said Alexei Krasnov. "The equipment bay failed to separate from the capsule in the designated time, causing a ballistic landing of the spacecraft." However, the official stressed that a ballistic re-entry, although uncommon, is not classed as an emergency landing. In October 2007, a Soyuz capsule carrying Malaysia's first astronaut also landed off course and in 2003, the crew had to wait for several hours until rescuers located them. (5/21)

Loral Shareholder Says France is Subsidizing Competitors (Source: Space News)
Loral's principal shareholder blamed French government subsidies for Loral's inability to book more satellite orders with higher profit margins despite the U.S. dollar's slide against the euro, which should favor the U.S. manufacturer. (5/21)

ESA and Space Tourism (Source: ESA)
The general public's interest in suborbital flying is now substantial. Such flights could offer a realistic opportunity to 'touch' space by experiencing weightlessness and seeing the curvature of the Earth's limb. Being so closely related to ESA's 'core business', the Agency is observing these developments with interest, and is now presenting its position on privately-funded suborbital spaceflight. Many think that the progress of the Space Tourism industry could follow that of twentieth century aviation. Suborbital flight vehicles, designed for use over and over again, could gradually bring down the costs, as the technology and the operational approach become more mature.

ESA recognises the private sector's efforts both in the achievement of suborbital flights and in the associated technological development. The Agency intends to show this recognition by helping provide the necessary environment for this industry to flourish; for instance, by assisting in the setting up of legal frameworks for operation across Europe, involving civil aviation authorities and other relevant bodies in a debate on this matter. Visit http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM49X0YUFF_index_0.html to view the article. (5/21)