June 7 News Items

Governor's School Project Summer Academy for Gifted Students at Spaceport (Source: ERAU)
Gifted high school students from around Florida gathered at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport last week for a summer academy project. The academy was sponsored by the Joint Institute for Space Exploration Research (JISER) as part of an ongoing state-funded planning effort for a statewide residential Governor’s School of Science, Mathematics and Space Technology. JISER partners include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Institute of Technology, and Florida State University. Also supporting the academy session were NASA, Space Florida, and Delaware North Parks and Recreation, Inc. (6/7)

Astronaut Speaks at IHMC in Pensacola (Source: Pensacola News Journal)
Tom Jones is a three-time space walker and four-time shuttle crewman with 53 Earth days in orbit. Today he writes, consults and talks about it, and well. The Wall Street Journal named "Sky Walking" as one of its five best books about space. Jones holds a doctorate in planetary sciences, helped assemble the International Space Station in orbit, and remains focused on the big questions about space: Where will we go, what will we do there, and do we still have the will to lead humanity there? His talk at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition on Thursday night might be as close as most people actually get — in this life — to the eternal void. (6/7)

Asbestos Slows Shuttle-Pad Inspection (Source: Florida Today)
Crews inspecting post-launch damage to Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center were forced to don hazmat gear after asbestos padding was found behind masonry in the Apollo-vintage flame trench under the pad, but space shuttle managers don't expect a delay in their launch schedule as a result of the incident. The shuttle Discovery's May 31 launch blasted hundreds of fire bricks out of the flame trench, most likely with the supersonic force of the shuttle's solid rocket booster exhaust. The launch blew two huge holes in the side of the trench, exposing the reinforcing steel beneath.

The perimeter fence 1,500 feet away - ironically marked with large signs cautioning against FOD (foreign object debris) - was severely damaged by the flying masonry, and launch photography showed debris splashing down into a retaining pond outside the fence several seconds after Discovery had roared aloft. Early indications show no evidence any of the flying brick and mortar hit Discovery, but NASA managers say the possibility it could have will be studied carefully. (6/7)

New Mexico Spaceport Tax Delayed, Likely Won't Start Until January (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
A deadline passed Thursday without a spaceport district in place in time for a spaceport sales tax in Doña Ana County to go into effect July 1. The state Taxation and Revenue Department had said Thursday was the last possible day the New Mexico Spaceport Authority could send notification it wanted the new tax collected starting in July. But, the spaceport authority, Doña Ana County and Sierra County have not finished negotiating a contract for a spaceport district, a step needed before the taxation department can begin the tax. Even so, Kelly O'Donnell, chairwoman for the Spaceport Authority board, indicated there's still a slim chance the tax could go into effect in July, if the right steps occur. (6/7)

Vanderbilt University Astronomers Getting Into Planet-Finding Game (Source: VU Cast)
Vanderbilt astronomers have constructed a special-purpose telescope that will allow them to participate in one of the hottest areas in astronomy – the hunt for earthlike planets circling other stars. The instrument, called the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT), has been assembled and is being tested at Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory. Shortly, it will be shipped to South Africa where it will become only the second dedicated planet-finder scanning the stars in the southern sky. (6/6)

Mars Lander Poised to Bake Soil, Then Test It (Source: AP)
The Phoenix lander is getting ready to sniff the Martian soil for signs of life-friendly elements after scooping up a handful of dirt near the north pole, researchers said Friday. New photos sent back by the spacecraft show its 8-foot-long robotic arm hovering over a miniature oven, ready to dump seven tablespoons inside where the soil sample will be heated and studied for its chemistry. (6/6)

Russia's Glonass Satellite Navigation System to be Fully Operational in 2010 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's Glonass satellite system is expected to become fully operational in 2010, if it receives sufficient financing, the head of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) said. Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time. Glonass currently consists of 16 satellites, with 13 satellites operational and 3 satellites undergoing maintenance. A total of 9.9 billion rubles ($418.25 million) was allocated for Glonass from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($200 million) in 2006. (6/7)

Space Tourism: KSC Visitor Complex Hopes for Strong Summer Attendance (Source: Florida Today)
In the year or so since the Shuttle Launch Experience opened at the KSC Visitor Complex, attendance has been up 15 percent. The $60 million simulation ride, designed to rival those at Orlando’s theme parks, has proven popular so far. But its draw — and that of the entire complex — faces its sternest test yet heading into this summer. Dan LeBlanc is “cautiously optimistic” that attendance levels at the park will stay up through the summer. These are indeed uncertain times for Florida tourism across the state, including at the Visitor Complex, one of Brevard County’s top attractions. With the economy teetering on recession, a severe housing slump, record gasoline prices and rising airfares, the odds are stacked against the state’s largest industry. (6/7)