November 18 News Items

NASA Successfully Tests First Deep-Space Internet (Source: NASA)
NASA has successfully tested the first deep space communications network modeled on the Internet. Working as part of a NASA-wide team, engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., used software called Disruption-Tolerant Networking, or DTN, to transmit dozens of space images to and from a NASA science spacecraft located about 20 million miles from Earth. (11/18)

Satellite Group Patents Extraterrestrial Comm System (Source: Space News)
Mobile Satellite Ventures has thus far received approval for 25 of about 100 patent applications since 2003, including the latest one for a hybrid communications system for multiple rovers (or humans) on the Moon or Mars. "This architecture would not only provide efficiently expandable communications on the surface of a planet, it would also provide an efficient and effective means to have many simultaneous communications between Earth and other planets," said co-inventor Lon Levin. (10/27)

Space Engineer Encourages Women to Pursue Science (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
When Tallahassee resident Sara Howard worked at Boeing to help its S-1C stage thrust the huge Saturn V rocket to the moon, she was one of few women working as space engineers. More than 40 years after the most thrilling decade of her life, Howard says the numbers haven't gone up much. She was at the Naval Academy at Annapolis last week to convince female students there to consider space science as their career. "We need more women in engineering, in aerospace," Howard said. "There is no reason. It's wide open." (11/17)

What to Get Space Station on 10th Anniversary -- a Name (Source: ABC News)
Does the International Space Station really need a name? Isn't ISS enough? Maybe. Maybe not. It once was known as Alpha. President Reagan wanted to name it Freedom, but that name didn't take. Parts of the space station have names: Zarya, Kibo, Destiny, Harmony and Columbus, but the entire assembly is just the plain-old, clunky, wordy International Space Station. (11/17)

Proton Rocket with Canadian Satellite to Launch Dec. 10 (Source: RIA Novosti)
The launch of a Proton-M rocket with a Ciel 2 Canadian telecommunications satellite on board has been scheduled for Dece. 10 from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The Ciel 2 has been produced by Thales Alenia Space (France). International Launch Services Inc. signed a contract to launch the Ciel 2 using a Proton-M carrier rocket. ILS's controlling stake is owned by the Khrunichev center, which develops and produces Proton and Angara carrier rockets. (11/17)

Space Exploration Vital for the Good of All Humankind (Source: University of Oregon)
Think for a moment what it would mean if life had once existed on Mars. The impact of such a discovery would be phenomenal. NASA is at the forefront of Mars exploration and the termination of the Phoenix lander mission signals the need for human exploration of Mars. Human space travel is essential to the future of mankind. While I acknowledge space travel and research are far from inexpensive, the cost of not doing so could prove to be far greater.

Our resources are limited, and it may not be possible to live here forever. Global warming and pollution, for example, are real issues that call into question the viability of future life on Earth. No one can see the future, but space should, at the very least, be a grand backup plan, acting as the levees in case of a hurricane. If we were able to live on Mars, global flooding or other disasters wouldn't have to mean an end to human life. Humans must do two things: search for the possibility of life on other planets and determine whether we can inhabit those explored territories. (11/17)

Morris Leaving Office of Space Commercialization (Source: Space Politics)
Ed Morris, director of the Office of Space Commercialization within the Commerce Department, will be leaving that post at the end of this month. The decision is not unexpected since the position is appointed by the president. What will be interesting to watch is how long it takes the new administration to appoint a successor, and what different roles, if any, it will play. (11/18)

India on the ISS: It Starts with a Rack (Source: Space Review)
The recent success of India's first lunar mission has catapulted the country into the ranks of the elite spacefaring nations. Taylor Dinerman sees this as an opportunity to include them on the ISS project as a way of injecting new ideas and resources for the endeavor. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1253/1 (11/17)

New Alternatives to the Vision (Source: Space Review)
While President-Elect Obama stated during the campaign his support for the key goals of the Vision for Space Exploration, many people are offering the incoming administration advice on new approaches. Jeff Foust reports on two new reports that offer alternatives that would slow down the push to send humans back to the Moon. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1252/1 (11/17)

A Russian Resurgence? (part two) (Source: Space Review)
Does the rebounding Russian economy mean that the country will take a bigger role in space projects? Nader Elhefnawy looks at just how strong the Russian economy is and will become in the near future, and how that may translate to increased space activities. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1251/1 to view the article. (11/17)

Wal-Mart Gives $86K for Space Worker Retraining (Source: Florida Today)
Wal-Mart has given Brevard Community College on Florida's Space Coast $86,000 which the college will use to develop courses to retraining the aerospace workforce. BCC is among 20 schools nationwide selected by the American Association of Community Colleges to receive grants from the Wal-Mart Workforce and Economic Opportunity Initiative. The money will allow BCC to develop courses aimed at teaching new skills to workers displaced by major shifts in the Space Coast economy, especially the transition from the space shuttle to a new rocket program at Kennedy Space Center. (11/18)

Leonardo Attached to Station (Source: SpaceToday.net)
The crews of the shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station attached a temporary cargo module to the station on Monday as astronauts prepared for the first of four spacewalks planned for the mission. The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) was lifted out of the shuttle's cargo bay and attached to the station's Harmony mode on Monday, and opened by Monday evening. Leonardo contains several tons of cargo, including equipment designed to expand the station's crew capacity to six. (11/18)

Middle East First in Quest for Space-Related Commercial Opportunities (Source: bi-me.com)
The Middle East’s first Global Space Technology Forum drew towards a successful conclusion in Abu Dhabi today with world renowned space experts examining space policies and strategies for the region, and emerging commercial opportunities. Launched at a time the Middle East is stepping up efforts to become a serious aviation and aerospace commercial, technical and services hub, the three-day event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre has provided a first class platform to examine the latest space technology and emerging commercial and investment opportunities. (11/18)

ESA Supports Efforts to Protect Public Health and Safety (Source: ESA)
A consortium of Portuguese and Italian companies, led by the Portuguese National Health Institute and with the support of ESA, is developing a Health Early Warning System (HEWS) designed to enable timely detection and tracking of emerging threats to public health and safety via satellite. HEWS is being developed as an integrated management platform devised to support epidemiologic surveillance, public health monitoring, crisis management and civil protection programmes. (11/18)

China Says Involvement in US Spy Scandal "Sheer Fabrication" (Source: AFP)
China Tuesday called allegations that it bought US military space technology from a Chinese-born physicist a complete fabrication made with ulterior motives. China routinely denies allegations that it is involved in espionage against other nations. On Monday, Chinese-born physicist Shu Quan-Sheng pleaded guilty before a US court to illegally exporting American military space know-how to China, the US Justice Department said. (11/18)

More Evidence Points to Past Oceans on Mars (Source: New Scientist)
The chemical fingerprints of a long-vanished ocean on Mars may have been found in data from the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft, boosting hopes that the planet could once have supported life. The evidence comes in the form of trace elements located in and around the Red Planet's vast northern plains, a low-lying region that might once have held a body of water large enough to blanket nearly one-third of the planet. Up till now, the case for past oceans on Mars has been based largely on two sets of features that separate the smooth northern plains from their higher, more rugged surroundings. (11/18)

Early Warning of Dangerous Asteroids and Comets (Source: MIT)
Silicon chips developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory are at the heart of a new survey telescope that will soon provide a more than fivefold improvement in scientists' ability to detect asteroids and comets that could someday pose a threat to the planet. The prototype telescope installed on Haleakala mountain, Maui, will begin operation this December. It will feature the world's largest and most advanced digital camera, using the Lincoln Laboratory silicon chips. This telescope is the first of four that will be housed together in one dome. The system, called Pan-STARRS (for Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System), is being developed at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. (11/18)

China Arms Sales Scientist Guilty (Source: BBC)
A US scientist has pleaded guilty to selling rocket technology to China in breach of US arms control laws. Quan-Sheng Shu, 68, admitted helping China develop a fueling system for space launch vehicles. The president of a Virginia-based high-tech company also pleaded guilty to bribing Chinese officials to win a contract for another company. He is free on bail pending sentencing in April. He could face up to 25 years in prison and a heavy fine. A naturalized US citizen born in Shanghai, the scientist was charged with two counts under the federal Arms Control Act and one count of bribery. (11/17)

University of California, Irvine, Contracted to Develop Space Gym (Source: UCI)
NASA recently granted UC Irvine researchers $1.5 million to construct a fitness apparatus to keep astronauts healthy in space. The Yo-Yo inertia Wheel Technology, named for its resemblance to the childhood favorite, was built to maintain muscle tone while providing a workout in space. Bearing resemblance to a rowing machine, in which the user pulls a weighted bar from feet to chest while sitting. The Yo-Yo would provide astronauts with resistance training that is similar to that done on a rowing machine. Although astronauts have always been required to exercise on a daily basis, developing resistance training in the absence of gravity has proved difficult. Traditional aerobic exercise devices do not provide enough resistance to benefit the muscles, or even to reduce the negative effects of microgravity. (11/17)

NASA's Wallops Spaceport Gets Virginia Historical Marker (Source: NASA)
NASA's Wallops Flight Facility has been recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia for its contributions to aerospace research with a historical marker. Established in 1945 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Wallops is one of the oldest launch sites in the world. During its 63-year history, Wallops has contributed to both aeronautical and space flight development research. The nomination of Wallops as a historic site was provided by the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society and supported by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Virginia Department of Aviation. (11/17)

Northrop Grumman Delivers Ozone Instrument for the NPOESS Project (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman has delivered the third sensor of five to NASA for integration onto the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. The science instrument will monitor ozone from space with higher fidelity than existing instruments. (11/17)

Russian ISS Spacecraft Producer Energia Gets $106 Million Loan (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's Energia space corp. has received a long-awaited loan worth 2.9 billion rubles ($106 million) from state-run savings bank Sberbank for spacecraft construction. The two-year loan will enable the company to continue producing the Progress cargo ships and Soyuz manned spacecraft used for missions to the International Space Station (ISS). "The deal was closed on November 14, 2008," Energia said. Energia President Vitaly Lopota earlier said the government had delayed the loan for several months over a liquidity shortage. (11/17)