October 23 News Items

Money for NASA? McCain's Lips Are...Frozen (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
John McCain goes back and forth when he talks about the "budget freeze" he'd impose as soon as he's elected, to start balancing the federal budget. Most of the time, he pledges to freeze spending on “all but the most important programs like defense, veterans care, social security and health care,” pledging to “veto every single pork barrel earmark.” But when he's on the Space Coast -- as he was last week -- McCain is quick to insert a qualifier: he supports another $2 billion for NASA.

But In Ormond Beach Thursday, as Florida Democrats were quick to note, he was back to his more-general definition of the freeze, without a NASA exception. And the Barack Obama campaign -- which explicitly backs the $2 billion -- was quick to take exception. “It seems Senator McCain isn’t committed to exempting NASA from his proposed spending freeze. After talking about space for all of 53 seconds in Melbourne last week, now he’s returned to the area and neglected to mention space at all, going so far as to reinstitute his spending freeze pledge without a NASA exception. It’s no wonder Florida Today has called McCain ‘downright schizophrenic’ about space,” said Obama’s Florida Policy Director Ian Bassin. (10/23)

Florida Congressional Candidates Set Space Priorities (District 24) (Source: ERAU)
The congressional district currently served by incumbent Congressman Tom Feeney (and which includes half of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport) is being contested by Feeney (R-Orlando) and Suzanne Kosmas (D-New Smyrna). Kosmas is a former State Representative who has been endorsed by Florida Today and the Orlando Sentinel. Feeney is the ranking member on the House Committee that oversees NASA.

- Tom Feeney - "I lead Republican efforts on [the subcommittee] and work with Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO) to continue America's space predominance..NASA should continue to fly the Space Shuttle, complete the International Space Station, and develop the Constellation Program -- the Shuttle's successor...Space is vital to our national security and for sustaining economic growth. While we welcome all countries in the peaceful uses of space, America must continue to protect and defend its space-based military and commercial resources from any challenges posed by hostile countries."

- Suzanne Kosmas - "America must retain our leadership position in space exploration and manned space flight. I will always fight to ensure that the Kennedy Space Center is given what it needs to remain strong and continue its spirit of exploration and excellence and will also fight to fully fund NASA's requests in our national budget. Finally, I will work to make the transition from Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program as safe and seamless as possible, and address the needs of our talented shuttle workers." (10/15)

Hey, That's My Lunar Uranium! (Source: Slate)
Can India claim natural resources on the moon? Can India claim whatever uranium it finds up there? No. The Outer Space Treaty—which was signed in 1967 and has been ratified by almost every country with a space program-—is very clear that "outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation." For that matter, it's highly questionable whether there are any property rights at all in space.

As for those deeds for lunar land you can buy online, the legal consensus suggests they'll never hold up in court. If a country—or a private company—were to try opening a mine on the moon, it would be stepping onto uncertain legal ground. The Outer Space Treaty is silent on the question of extracting natural resources in space, and legal experts differ over what language mandating "free access" to all areas of space might mean for mining. Visit http://www.slate.com/id/2202888/ to view the article. (10/23)

Space Coast Elected Officials to Discuss Space Priorities (Source: Brevard County)
Congressman Tom Feeney and Congressman Dave Weldon will meet with members of the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, the Brevard County Legislative Delegation, and representatives from the business community to discuss local, state and federal partnership opportunities for Florida’s Space industry. The meeting will be held on Oct. 27 at the county's administrative building in Viera beginning at 10:00 a.m. This program serves as a follow up to the Sep. 29 Florida Space and Technology Forum where industry leaders and elected officials came together to identify state and federal legislative priorities for Florida’s Space industry. (10/23)

Embry-Riddle Student Group Plans Presidential Debate (Source: ERAU)
The Model United Nations student organization invites all members of the Embry-Riddle community to attend a student debate Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Flight Deck in the Student Center. The students will debate the positions of presidential contenders Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama. (10/23)

Obamanauts Work to Turn Florida's Space Coast Blue (Source: WIRED)
Sen. Barack Obama's support for space exploration has earned him the support of advocates on Florida's "Space Coast" who call themselves Obamanauts. In an electoral first, both Obama (.pdf) and McCain have specifically addressed space exploration in their platforms. The Obamanauts have compiled a head-to-head comparison of the candidates' stances on space (click here), and are also encouraging pro-space voters to make calls to undecided Florida voters to encourage them to vote for Obama. The biggest difference between the two campaigns when it comes to space may be their contrasting tones. Obama talks about restoring NASA as a source of inspiration and innovation for the nation and the world, while McCain talks more about power and dominance while hearkening back to the U.S. "victory over the Soviets" in the race to the moon. (10/23)

Obama Campaign Hits McCain Again on NASA in Florida (Source: NASA Watch)
"Days after attempting to clarify his ever-changing position on space funding, John McCain returned to [Central Florida] this morning and reinstituted his call for a spending freeze - without an exception for NASA. Speaking in Ormond Beach, McCain promised to freeze spending on "all but the most important programs like defense, veterans care, social security and health care," pledging to "veto every single pork barrel earmark." Notably absent was any exception for space funding, muddying a position McCain tried to clear up last week." Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=26784 to view the article.(10/23)

Raytheon Profits Surge 12%, Helped by Strong Exports (Source: AIA)
Strong exports of missiles and radar systems helped boost Raytheon Co.'s third-quarter profits by 12%, and the company said it could beat analysts' estimates for 2009. Weapons exports surged 45% in the last fiscal year, the biggest gain since 1993. Higher profit margins on foreign sales helped Raytheon, which has "the largest exposure of the large-cap defense companies to the export market," according to analyst Robert Stallard of Macquarie Research Equities. (10/23)

General Dynamics Reports 16% Earnings Increase (Source: AIA)
Third-quarter profits at General Dynamics jumped 16% to $634 million, led by a 13% sales increase in the company's shipbuilding division. Sales of information technology and Gulfstream jets rose 5% and 4% respectively, while combat systems declined slightly, a result one analyst called "puzzling." Order backlogs increased more than $5 billion in the quarter, reaching $60.5 billion. (10/23)

Northrop Beats Estimates, Reporting 6% Profit Increase (Source: AIA)
Northrop Grumman Corp. earned $512 million in the third quarter as a 6% rise in sales helped boost profits by 4.7%. The company's electronics division saw double-digit growth, while aerospace rose 7% and information and services climbed 6%. The shipbuilding segment lagged, with revenues falling more than 1%. (10/23)

Boeing Joins Bidding for Space Cargo Contract (Source: AIA)
Boeing Co. has joined Lockheed Martin Corp. and Alliant Techsystems Inc. to bid on a NASA contract for ferrying cargo to the International Space Station. Two other consortia made up of smaller companies also are bidding on the $3 billion contract, and NASA plans to announce two winners next month. (10/23)

Formation of Spaceport America Institute Announced (Source: Spaceport America)
In recognition of the critical role that expanded personal and commercial access to space will play in the growth of the global economy and society, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA), has announced its intent to create a non-profit organization, called the Spaceport America Institute (SAI). SAI will be the catalyst for developing a reservoir of educationally valuable content from narratives, videography, digital images, operational data, and online exchanges. SAI will be a collaboration between Spaceport America and the educational community, to augment education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). (10/23)

Tests Near for Space Vehicles (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
More light was shed Wednesday on Virgin Galactic's plans for its space vehicle system — pivotal to the success of Spaceport America — as the yearly gathering of the world's space industry got under way here. On Virgin customer the company is looking at a "June time frame that would have the first flight of WhiteKnightTwo taking SpaceShipTwo into altitude." An actual trip to space would likely happen by the end of next year.

He also revealed that it has become less likely that potential Virgin Galactic passenger could be denied a flight because of medical reasons. Initial estimates were that about 80 percent of the population was medically capable of flying into space. Blum said that has now grown to 92 percent or 93 percent. Virgin Galactic's vehicles are also important because they could provide a tested vehicle system that can further prove the sub-orbital space industry is a viable business. "The only way we're going to figure out how to do this stuff, is to do it," said Jeff Greason of XCOR Aerospace. (10/23)