May 4 News Items

Launch Pad Decision Time at Orbital (Source: Spaceports Blog)
After being selected by the NASA to demonstrate a new space transportation system for cargo to the Space Station, Orbital Sciences Corp. is expected to make a final decision on launch pad utilization between the Wallops Island Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia or the Cape Canaveral Spaceport this week. The initial announcement included a proposal to launch from Virginia's fledgling FAA-licensed commercial spaceport. But after intense lobbying by Florida aerospace interests, Orbital Sciences Corp. opened the launch site to bid. Both states have reportedly offered packages to lure the new Taurus II medium-lift rocket. (5/4)

Russians Building Space Tourist Vehicle (Source: Spaceports Blog)
A private Russian company has ordered the Myasishchev Experimental Machine-building Plant to design a tourist spacecraft to compete in the global market to loft humans to space and back. "The enterprise is working on documentation and a draft design and is completing the technical feasibility study for the system. A private Russian company is fully financing the project," a spokesperson said, but declined to name the exact firm. The suborbital spacecraft would launched from several kilometers altitude by a transport aircraft. The vehicle would carry two pilots and 14 passengers with the number of passenger seats capable of being increased in the future. (5/4)

'Rockets' Pre-launching with Spaceport Education Week (Source: Sheboygan Press)
Sheboygan's annual aerospace adventure will add another dimension this year as a weeklong educational program at the Sheboygan Armory marks the countdown to Rockets for Schools. More than 800 children will participate in the first-ever Spaceport Sheboygan Pre-Launch Preview Education Week. Organizers hope the event will build enthusiasm for the $21 million Great Lakes Aerospace, Science and Education Center planned for the armory. The armory — which the city donated to the project — will be temporarily retrofitted this week to give students and educators a glimpse of the future. (5/4)