November 16 News Items

NASA Adds Seven Visitors To ISS In Flawless Launch And Docking (Source: Space Daily)
Space shuttle Endeavour has docked with the International Space Station, marking another flawless day for the world's most experienced space agency. The Station was then placed in free drift to help dampen out the motions that ripple through the Station after a spacecraft docks. (11/16)

Colorado Aerospace Industry Holding Its Own (Source: KMGH)
The nation's aerospace industry is holding up better than the rest of the slumping economy, and that's likely to offer support for Colorado's economy. Experts expect Colorado's aerospace sector to weather any downturn better than industries such as retail, manufacturing, telecommunications and construction.

They point to the lucrative, long-term contracts Colorado aerospace companies have won and strong Pentagon spending. During the Bush administration, military spending has jumped about 40 percent -- although that spending could taper some because of the unfolding financial crisis and a new occupant in the White House. (11/16)

Starchaser Plans Suborbital and Orbital Tourism Vehicles (Source: Parabolic Arc)
UK-based Starchaser Industries has submitted a study to the European Space Agency in which it lays out plans for suborbital and orbital space tourism flights. The company is working on its Starchaser 5 rocket, which would launch a reuseable Thunderstar capsules on suborbital flights exceeding 100 kilometers.

The flights would would carry one pilot and four passengers. Occupants would experience about three minutes of weightlessness. Starchaser is working on a larger, vertically launched suborbital spaceplane with seating for 8 people. The company believes the system could be upgraded for orbital flight. (11/16)

EADS Stock Soars as Profits Beat Expectations (Source: Reuters)
Shares in European aerospace group EADS soared on Friday as it beat expectations for the third quarter. EADS announced 200 million euros of new cost savings for 2011 and 2012 on top of existing restructuring plans and boasted a strong cash buffer against global financial turmoil. The Airbus parent said it had swung to a quarterly operating profit of 860 million euros compared with a 711 million euro loss a year earlier. Third-quarter sales rose 6 percent to 9.701 billion euros. (11/16)

NASA Offers New Science Teaching Certificate Project (Sourcec: NASA)
NASA has unveiled the Endeavor Science Teaching Certificate Project, which will award more than 200 fellowships to educators during a five year period. Educators accepted into the project will be exposed to current NASA science and engineering and supported in translating the information for use in classrooms. The goal of the project is to ensure that teachers across the country can use the discoveries that NASA makes on a daily basis to inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists, engineers, and astronauts. (11/14)

Spacehab Quarterly Net Income at $55,000; Sees Better Days Ahead (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Spacehab announced financial results for the first quarter ended September 30, 2008 of its fiscal year 2009. First quarter fiscal 2009 net income was $55,000 on revenue of $6.0 million, compared with first quarter fiscal year 2008 net loss of $856,000 on revenue of $8.6 million. Working capital at the end of the quarter was $2.2 million of which $1.0 million consisted of amounts outstanding on a revolving line of credit. As of September 30, Spacehab carried a contract backlog of $25.8 million, which represents the expected value of contractually-committed work, portions of which are subject to the space shuttle’s launch schedule or future government funding decisions. (11/14)