June 12 News Items

House Appropriations Subcommittee Approves $17.8 Billion for NASA (Source: Space News)
The House Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee approved a spending bill June 12 that would give NASA nearly $17.8 billion for 2009, about $155 million more than the White House requested. (6/12)

Satellites and Human Rights (Source: New York Times)
It’s pretty clear that technology can potentially smooth the path toward 9 billion people (more or less) seeking a decent life. The most familiar applications are in realms like energy (cheaper solar cells), transportation (Masdar’s smart people movers) and health (water filters or quick tuberculosis tests). But there is growing evidence that another field, human rights, can be aided by gadgets — in this case eyes in the sky.

The latest evidence comes from the Ogaden region in eastern Ethiopia, where there have been hundreds of eyewitness accounts of village burnings, rape and other actions by the army, but little corroborating information because the government will not let outside observers move around. Jeffrey Gettleman’s gripping coverage of rebel fighters last year provides a useful introduction to the issues. Visit http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/satellites-and-human-rights/index.html?ref=science to view the article (6/12)

Satellites Confirm Ethiopia Destruction, Group Says (Source: Reuters)
Satellite images confirm reports that the Ethiopian military has burned towns and villages in the remote Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia, the American Association for the Advancement of Science reported. Eight sites in the rocky, arid region, which borders Somalia, have clear signs of burning and other destruction, which can be corroborated with commercially available images. "The Ethiopian authorities frequently dismiss human rights reports, saying that the witnesses we interviewed are liars and rebel supporters," said a Human Rights Watch official. "But it will be much more difficult for them to dismiss the evidence presented in the satellite images, as images like that don't lie," he said. (6/12)

Ariane 5 Launches with Turksat 3A and Skynet 5C on June 12 (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Arianespace is back on track with the dual payload launch of their Ariane 5 ECA, carrying Turksat 3A and the British Military satellite, Skynet 5C. The launch from French Guiana is the 183rd to be carried out by an Ariane launch vehicle, and the 39th Ariane 5 launch in total. (6/12)

Space Race II and Protecting Lunar Artifacts (Source: Smithsonian)
The second race to the moon has begun—and this time there will be a big cash payout for the winner. Four decades after Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for mankind, the Google-sponsored Lunar X Prize is offering $20 million to any private team that puts a robotic rover on the moon, plus $5 million in bonus prizes for completing such tasks as photographing one of the numerous man-made artifacts that remain there—for instance, the Apollo 11 lunar module descent stage that Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left behind in 1969.

But dispatching robots to snoop around the moon also poses a risk to some of the most precious archaeological sites of all time. What if a rover reached Tranquility Base, where Armstrong landed, and drove over footprints, which are still intact and represent humanity's first expedition to a celestial body? One university researcher advocates keeping all six Apollo sites off-limits until technology enables space-faring archaeologists to hover above them, Jetsons-like. "We only have one shot at protecting this," he insists. "If we screw it up, it's gone for good. We can't undo it."

Crafting an agreement that bars exploration of lunar sites in the coming age of space tourism may be difficult. Nations retain ownership of spacecraft and artifacts they leave on the moon, though it (and the planets) are common property, according to international treaties. In practical terms, that means no nation has jurisdiction over the lunar soil, upon which artifacts and precious footprints rest. "It would be our strong preference that those items remain undisturbed unless and until NASA establishes a policy for their disposition," says Allan Needell, curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Apollo collection. The "preservation of the historical integrity of the objects and the landing sites" would be a primary goal, he adds. (6/12)

Senate Hearing Location Set in Florida (Source: U.S. Senate)
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson will host a Florida-based hearing of his space subcommittee. The hearing will examine issues surrounding the retirement of the Space Shuttle and the transition to the new Orion/Ares system. Specifically, this hearing will focus on workforce related challenges at the Kennedy Space Center and analyze potential solutions to mitigate the transition’s effects on the community. The hearing will be held on June 23 at the Cape Canaveral Port Authority in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Click here for information. (6/12)

NASA Modifies Engine Contract for Workforce Retention (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed a $16.8 million contract modification to space shuttle main engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc. of Canoga Park, Calif., to incorporate an employee retention plan implemented by the company. Incentives are being provided to eligible personnel to ensure mission success and construction of the remaining engines to support space shuttle requirements through September 2010. The contract will end Sept. 30, 2010. This modification brings the total value of the contract, awarded in January 2002, to $2.181 billion. (6/12)

University Faculty and Students to "RockOn!" with NASA (Source: NASA)
University faculty and students from across the country will RockOn! with NASA during a workshop June 22 - 27 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. During RockOn!, they will learn the basics of building experiments for flight on suborbital rockets. RockOn! teams will build the experiments from kits developed by students from the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and learn about the steps and procedures for creating payloads for flight. (6/12)

Embry-Riddle Scientist Explores Link Between Spaceflight and Fatigue (Source: ERAU)
An Embry-Riddle Human Factors professor, with the help of volunteer test subjects aboard three Zero-G flights on Jun 14-15, is exploring whether the "vestibular disorientation" experienced by many people during weightlessness can cause acute fatique that could hinder the success of government and commercial space missions.

The research is made possible through a 2007 agreement between Embry-Riddle and Zero Gravity Corp. aimed at using G-Force One as a microgravity science platform under a partnership with the state of Florida. The project was supported by the SpaceTEC National Center of Excellence for aerospace technical education, with sponsorship by the Brevard Workforce Development Board and Workforce Florida Inc. (6/12)

NASA AWards Contract for Constellation Spacesuit (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a contract to Oceaneering International Inc. of Houston, for the design, development and production of a new spacesuit system. The spacesuit will protect astronauts during Constellation Program voyages to the International Space Station and, by 2020, the surface of the moon. Subcontractors include Harris Corp. of Florida, Air-Lock Inc. of Milford, Conn., David Clark Co. of Worcester, Mass., Cimarron Software Services Inc. of Houston, Honeywell International Inc. of Glendale, Ariz., Paragon Space Development Corp. of Tucson, Ariz., and United Space Alliance of Houston. (6/12)

Union Supports NASA Authorization Bill (Source: SpaceRef.com)
"The bipartisan recognition that NASA requires significantly greater funding to succeed in all of its assigned missions sends a powerful message to the next Administration. We hope that the loud and specific call for increases in funding for NASA's Science, Aeronautics, and Technology Development programs, in order to begin the process of restoring them to full health, will be heeded by Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriators. For these reasons and those stated below, IFPTE recommends passage of H.R. 6063." (6/12)

Pluto's Namesakes: Similar Bodies are 'Plutoids' (Source: NASA Watch)
The International Astronomical Union's decision to catergorize Pluto-like objects "Plutoids" (and not "planets") was not enough to satisfy leading Pluto-as-a-planet advocate Alan Stern, a former NASA space sciences chief and principal investigator on a mission to Pluto. Stern said a rival group could be formed to the IAU, which he said was too secretive in its decision-making. "It's just some people in a smoke-filled room who dreamed it up," Stern said. "Plutoids or hemorrhoids, whatever they call it. This is irrelevant." (6/12)

How Long Can You Survive in the Vacuum of Space? (Source: Reddit)
No spaceship. No space suit. Just you versus the cold, empty vacuum of space. Find out about how long you could survive by taking the online test at http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/space_vacuum. (6/12)

Editorial: Florida Must Figure Out Why it Lost Out to Virginia (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida failed in its mission to persuade a company that will supply the International Space Station to launch from Cape Canaveral. Now, officials need to figure out what went wrong and fix it. Clearly, the state's legacy of launches won't guarantee that it remains the nation's spaceport.

The company, Orbital Sciences Corp., had said in February that it was leaning toward launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. But federal, state and local leaders in Florida kept courting it. Their failure means the Space Coast will miss out on an operation with a $250 million economic impact. With the Space Coast expected to lose 6,400 good jobs after shuttles are grounded in 2010, Florida can't afford to miss any more opportunities like this one. (6/12)

China Manned Space Flight Set for October (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The launch of China's third manned space flight, the Shenzhou VII, with a crew of three "taikonauts" has been set for October. A short-list of six "taikonauts" or astronauts had already been selected for the flight and would be whittled down to a crew of three before the October launch. "One member of the flight crew will undergo a space walk and undertake relevant scientific experiments," a spokesman said. (6/12)

Commercial Satellite Industry Revenues Jump 16 Percent In 2007 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) has released its 2008 State of the Satellite Industry Report, showing a 16 percent growth in global revenues for the commercial satellite industry. Worldwide revenues in 2007 were $123 billion, representing an average annual growth of 11.5 percent for the period from 2002-2007.

Satellite services revenues grew more than 18 percent, with satellite television contributing nearly three-quarters of the $73.9 billion in 2007 satellite services revenues. Launch services revenue grew to $3.2 billion in 2007, increasing nearly 19 percent from 2006. Strong sales in consumer hardware resulted in a 19 percent rise in ground equipment revenues over the previous year, posting 2007 revenues of $34.3 billion. More satellites were launched in 2007 than in 2006, but satellite manufacturing revenues dipped slightly from $11.6 billion, reflecting a higher number of microsatellites launched. (6/11)

Phoenix Lander Has An Oven Full Of Martian Soil (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has filled its first oven with Martian soil. Phoenix has eight separate tiny ovens to bake and sniff the soil to assess its ingredients, such as water. (6/11)