June 3 News Items

ET: Phoning Sooner Than We Think? (Source: Newsweek)
Maybe it’s time to put some new numbers into the Drake Equation. That’s the formula, developed by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961, that estimates the number of civilizations in the galaxy which are sufficiently advanced to have harnessed the electromagnetic spectrum—a fancy way of saying they have radio waves, TV and other components of technology that we could detect even from here. Not only does the number of planets outside our own solar system continue to increase—it’s now up to 294 —but the range of stars that have planets and the range of sizes of the planets themselves also keep expanding.

Today, for instance, astronomers are reporting the discovery of the smallest extrasolar planet yet (only three times more massive than Earth), orbiting a star only one-twentieth the mass of our Sun. That suggests that even stellar lightweights, which are relatively common, can have a retinue of earthlike planets. “No planets have previously been found to orbit stars with masses less than about 20 percent that of the Sun,” said David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame, who led the study. “But this finding indicates that even the smallest stars can host planets.” Click here to view the article. (6/3)

NASA Selects MIT-Led Team to Develop Planet-Searching Satellite (Source: MIT)
A planet-searching satellite planned by scientists from MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA-Ames is one of six proposed spacecraft concepts that NASA has picked for further study as part of its Small Explorer (SMEX) satellite program. The planet-searching satellite would have the potential to discover hundreds of "super-Earth" planets, ranging from one to two times Earth's diameter, orbiting other stars. The proposed satellite, called the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), would use a set of six wide-angle cameras with large, high-resolution electronic detectors (CCDs) being developed in cooperation with MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, to provide the first-ever spaceborne all-sky survey of transiting planets around the closest and brightest stars. (6/3)

Space Florida Plans Teacher Workshops (Source: Space Florida)
This summer, Space Florida is hosting eleven teacher workshops throughout the state providing Inquiry training to Florida teachers. Called ITET (Inquiry Training Equipping Teachers), this program has enrolled over 300 teachers to date as Space Florida firms up active educational and working partnerships with DOE, and the Florida School Districts to maximize the number of teacher attendees. In addition to the three-day Inquiry training, each participating teacher will receive a special Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Kit to reproduce the activities they learn in the classroom for the benefit of their students. Currently Space Florida’s ITET coordinators are seeking additional teachers to participate in the Tallahassee, Miami and Jacksonville area workshops. The Tallahassee workshop is scheduled for July 28-30 inclusive at the Challenger Learning Center. For more details on ITET and how to participate, visit http://www.spaceflorida.gov/itet.php. (6/3)

U.S., Russia to Announce Deal on Launch Services by End of Week (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia and the United States will announce a preliminary deal on Russian transport services to the International Space Station for the U.S. by the end of the week, NASA said. Russian space specialists are currently in Houston to discuss contracts for 2011-2013. Any deals reached will be subject to approval from Congress, which will announce its decision later in the summer. Russia charges around $50 million for each American astronaut delivered to the orbital station. (6/3)

Space Shuttle Blastoff Damaged Launch Pad (Source: AFP)
Bricks and mortar blew off the US space shuttle's launch pad during its weekend liftoff, without damaging the orbiter but causing concern for future missions. An investigative team was formed to look into the damage and come up with options for the shuttle's next mission in October. The shuttle has two launch pads at the Kennedy Space Center, but only one is currently in use while the other is being retrofitted for the next-generation spacecraft under development. Damage is not uncommon at the launch pad, but never of his magnitude, said a NASA official. NASA pictures show a big gap in a brick wall of the flame trench on launch pad A following Discovery's liftoff on Saturday, while pieces of debris were scattered all the way to the facility's perimeter fence. (6/2)

Editorial: Forget about Building a Moon Base (Source: Florida Today)
As a physician and a trained scientist with a degree in biology from the MIT, I support and deeply appreciate the very important ongoing research at NASA. That includes the life science research utilizing the International Space Station, the deep-space research with the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra Radio Telescope, and soon the Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope. In addition, NASA's role in studying Earth sciences is vitally important in the understanding of global climate change. NASA will continue to play a vital role in launching weather, navigation, communication, and intelligence-gathering satellites.

NASA needs a long-term budget and commitment from Congress to carry out these vital roles. I am as concerned as anyone about loss of good local jobs with the end of the shuttle program, yet I have not seen any rationale or cost-benefit justification for the pursuit of a manned moon base. The suggested functions of this base, whether mining, refining, packaging and returning to Earth some mysterious resource, or a base for assembling and launching deep space missions, make little sense. Do we have no recent memory of how expensive and difficult it has been to develop, construct, and maintain a manned station in a relatively "simple" low Earth orbit?

In regards to manned trips to Mars, it is premature to plan dangerous, long, round-trip missions given the capabilities of our developing robotics technology as amazingly demonstrated by the Mars Rovers still operating long after their designed lifetime. Can we afford the extravagance of these new space goals? Click here to view the editorial.