September 3 News Items

Film Created to Protect Ssmall Spacecraft (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
U.S. researchers say they have developed a thin film designed to protect small spacecraft from temperature extremes, corrosion and micrometeor impacts.
Scientists from the Ashwin-Ushas Corp. of New Jersey, led by Prasanna Chandrasekhar, conducted the research with NASA. The scientists said their goal was to create ways of protecting smaller spacecraft weighing between 10 and 50 pounds. NASA said such low-cost small vehicles will comprise the majority of spacecraft in the future.

Chandrasekhar and his team designed what they term a "thin-film variable emittance electrochromic device" -- a flexible film that changes color when given an electrical charge. Applied to micro-spacecraft, it switches color from light to dark based on exposure to harsh sunlight or extreme darkness, thereby protecting the spacecraft from extreme heat or cold, and from extremes in infrared radiation as well. The researchers said the film also has a protective layer of germanium silicon oxides to protect a spacecraft from the corrosive effects of atomic oxygen and from micrometeor impacts. (9/3)

ATK Bbegins Ares 1-X Booster Modifications (Source: Flight International)
Alliant Techsystems has begun modifications to components of a retired Shuttle solid rocket booster in preparation for the first test flight of a prototype Ares launch vehicle in April. Dubbed Ares 1-X, the launch will test a four-segment ATK-built solid rocket booster with a dummy fifth segment, components that together make up the planned first stage of the Ares booster. A second stage, also a mass simulator without propellant topped with the Orion crew exploration crew vehicle, will fall to the ocean after the suborbital test flight. On burnout, ATK will test the three-parachute recovery system for its first stage. (9/3)

Washington, We Have a Problem (Source: Coalition for Space Exploration)
For years we have been underfunding NASA – while expanding its mission and responsibilities. We need to increase our national investment to maintain a robust space exploration program that America wants and deserves. Over the past decade, NASA’s budget has been cut seven times, declining to approximately 0.6% of the federal budget. Unless we properly invest in space exploration and innovation, legislators and space experts say the Agency could be forced to lay off thousands of highly-skilled workers, gut science programs or delay the development of the Constellation program. (9/3)

Milky Way's Black Hole Gets Extreme Close-Up (Source: New Scientist)
The Milky Way's central black hole may not be able to hide for much longer. Observations have been made three times closer to the center of our galaxy than ever before, strengthening the case that a supermassive black hole lurks there. The Milky Way's center hosts a bright object called SgrA*, which may be a disc of swirling gas and dust surrounding a heavyweight black hole. Measuring the size and shape of SgrA* could help confirm the existence of the black hole. But a blur of clouds between the galactic center and the Earth has prevented astronomers from getting a clear view of the object's shape. Now, a team has managed to get three times closer than previous studies in viewing SgrA*. They did it by looking for the object's higher frequency radio signals, which cut through intervening gas and dust. (9/3)

Delta 4 Heavy Launch Delayed (Source: Florida Today)
A classified spy satellite launch set for late September is moving back a few weeks at the request of the National Reconnaissance Office. United Launch Alliance says the target liftoff date for the NROL-26 spacecraft is now Oct. 17. The spacecraft, which is classified, will ride atop a heavy model of the Delta 4 rocket, the biggest in the United States' fleet. The launch window is not publicly released this far in advance of an NRO mission. The move would put the mission's launch after NASA's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis to the Hubble Space Telescope. It creates a jam-packed fall launch calendar for the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in the last quarter. (9/3)

Astrosociology Panel Planned at Jan. 5-8 AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Orlando (Source: ERAU)
This event will include a panel on "Astrosociology" consisting of current students and recent graduates at space-related programs and departments. The purpose of this session is to elicit students' ideas and perspectives regarding the value of adding social-scientific (i.e., astrosociological) materials to existing courses and new courses in their curricula. This includes a human factors approach coupled with traditional social science theory and research. While these student panelists generally support the idea of astrosociology in the classroom, the purpose here is to allow them to elaborate on issues concerning the missing astrosociological perspective as a valuable source of relevant knowledge that allows for a more well-rounded understanding of space exploration and related issues. Contact Joe Palaia at mailto:joe@4FrontiersCorp.com. (9/3)

East Coast Storm Delays West Coast Launch (Source: Florida Today)
Hurricane Hanna's approach to the east coast of Florida has prompted a Florida-based launch team to stay in place here rather than travel to California for Thursday's scheduled launch of a Delta 2 rocket carrying the GeoEye-1 spacecraft. United Launch Alliance has not officially announced the delay, but GeoEye has on its web site. Specialists for the launch team from the California spaceport are permanently based here and travel to California to support launches there. With the storm approaching and the Florida spaceport facilities entering hurricane preparations, the launch team has opted to stay home until after the storm threat has passed. No new launch date has been announced. (9/3)

Armadillo Aerospace Rocket Engine Flies (Source: Flight International)
Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace's liquid oxygen and alcohol engine completed three test flights on 25-26 August at Clinton Sherman Industrial Airpark in Oklahoma in a modified Rocket Racing League Velocity XL. Each flight averaged about 10min and the top speed was 190kt (350km/h). The engine has been selected by the Rocket Racing League for its six registered teams, although a rival engine, developed by Xcor Aerospace, based at Mojave air and space port, could be used by teams if its performance improves. More Armadillo engine test flights will take place in the coming weeks and a first demonstration race is scheduled for the 2008 Reno Air Races this month, pending approval from the FAA. (9/3)

NASA's Carl Sagan Fellows to Study Extraterrestrial Worlds (Source: NASA)
NASA's new Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowships in Exoplanet Exploration will inspire the next generation of explorers seeking to learn more about planets, and possibly life, around other stars. Planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, are being discovered at a staggering pace, with more than 300 currently known. Decades ago, long before any exoplanets had been found, the late Carl Sagan imagined such worlds, and pioneered the scientific pursuit of life that might exist on them. Sagan was an astronomer and a highly successful science communicator.

NASA's new Sagan fellowships will allow talented young scientists to tread the path laid out by Sagan. The program will award stipends of approximately $60,000 per year, for a period of up to three years, to selected postdoctoral scientists. Topics can range from techniques for detecting the glow of a dim planet in the blinding glare of its host star, to searching for the crucial ingredients of life in other planetary systems. (9/3)

How to Build Lunar Homes From Moon Dirt (Source: Space.com)
When humans finally set up residence on the moon, our lives there will look very different. Since many of the tried and true tools we use on Earth will be impossible to carry along, some scientists are hard at work inventing from scratch the machines we'll need to make life possible on the moon. One such example is building equipment. "Bulldozers and excavation systems are pretty bulky and heavy," said Kris Zacny, director of drilling and excavation systems at Honeybee Robotics in New York City. "We came out with a different method of digging that uses gas." Visit http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/080903-honeybee-moon.html to view the article. (9/3)

50 Reasons To Thank NASA (Source: Westender)
Missions to the Moon and beyond are only part of the story. Without NASA’s scientists, life on Earth would be very different indeed. Here are some of the reasons to chuckle when someone says “it’s all a waste of money, what are we getting for it.” Well, here’s what the space program has helped to provide for us… and this is only a quick list! Visit http://www.westender.com.au/news/145 to view the article. (9/3)

China to Launch 1st Natural Disaster Monitoring Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China will launch the first of eight satellites to monitor environment and natural disasters from the country's north Taiyuan spaceport this week, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The satellite "Environment 1", an optical satellite, will be sent into orbit by a Long March 2C rocket. It will monitor most of the country and send back data daily, making up for the country's earth observation data shortage. The satellite will work as a constellation with seven other satellites yet to be launched. Its observational footprint is 720 km. (9/3)

Russia Set to Test Second-Stage Booster for Angara Rocket (Source: RIA Novosti)
A second stage URM-2 booster for a new Russian carrier rocket has been delivered to an engine test facility in the Moscow Region for "cold" firing tests. The Angara rocket, currently under development by Khrunichev center, is designed to put heavy payloads into orbit. It is intended mainly for launch from the Plesetsk center to reduce Moscow's dependence on Kazakhstan's Baikonur, the main launch facility for the current generation of Russian rockets. The new line of rockets will complement, and eventually replace, the existing line of Rockot and Proton launch vehicles. It will be available in a range of configurations capable of lifting between two and 24.5 metric tons into low-earth orbit. (9/2)

New Soyuz Launch Pad On Way (Source: Aviation Week)
Workers are beginning to install equipment and systems at Europe's new Soyuz launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, in a race to have the facility ready by the middle of next year. The new pad is needed to meet hot demand for medium-sized communications and Earth observation satellites and provide a backup for the Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher. Among users pressing for an early startup is Globalstar, which has booked four flights, plus four options, for a new fleet to replace its rapidly aging satphone constellation. Also driving the schedule is the recent entry into service of Land Launch, a medium-lift derivative of Sea Launch that will be the closest rival of the upgraded Soyuz 2.1 a/b rockets that will use the new facility.

An initial shipment of the Russian-made hardware arrived in Kourou in early August and a second, including the mobile gantry, is due to follow in October. The equipment is being installed by a large Russian team under the supervision of Arianespace, which will market and operate the rocket. Russia's KBOM is managing the installation work. Construction on the 344 million euro ($516 million) facility began in 2005, under the supervision of Paris-based Vinci. The opening, initially set for late 2008, was delayed by unforeseen foundation problems and other issues. French space agency CNES is responsible for system architecture and safety and the European Space Agency (ESA) for the overall project. (9/2)

Nearby Star May Be Swarming with Comets (Source: New Scientist)
A GIANT ring of debris around a nearby star appears to be a much bigger version of our solar system's Kuiper belt, the region of ice-rich objects beyond Neptune that is thought to be a source of comets. A team led by Christine Chen of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, used the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope and the Gemini South telescope in Chile to study infrared light from the disc around HD 181327, which lies about 150 light years from Earth. The disc has a radius of about 12 billion kilometres, roughly twice the size of the Kuiper belt. It is also exceptionally bright, suggesting that it holds a lot of material - so the system may be swarming with comets. (9/1)