November 20 News Items

NASA and DOE Collaborate on Dark Energy Research (Source: NASA)
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the Joint Dark Energy Mission, or JDEM. The mission will feature the first space-based observatory designed specifically to understand the nature of dark energy. Dark energy is a form of energy that pervades and dominates the universe. The mission will measure with high precision the universe's expansion rate and growth structure. Data from the mission could help scientists determine the properties of dark energy, fundamentally advancing physics and astronomy. (11/20)

Buried Glaciers Found on Mars (Source: Space.com)
Mars has vast glaciers hidden under aprons of rocky debris near mid-latitude mountains, a new study confirms, pointing to a new and large potential reservoir of life-supporting water on the planet. These mounds of ice exist at much lower latitudes than any ice previously found on the red planet. "Altogether, these glaciers almost certainly represent the largest reservoir of water ice on Mars that's not in the polar caps," said John Holt of the University of Texas at Austin and the main author of the study. "Just one of the features we examined is three times larger than the city of Los Angeles and up to one-half-mile thick, and there are many more." (11/20)

NASA Whittles Down List of Next Mars Landing Sites (Source: Space.com)
Four intriguing places on Mars have risen to the final round as NASA selects a landing site for its next Mars mission, the Mars Science Laboratory. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project leaders at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., chose the four this month, after seeking input from international Mars experts and from engineers working on the landing system and rover capabilities to whittle down the initial list of more than 30 sites.

The sites, alphabetically, are: Eberswalde, where an ancient river deposited a delta in a possible lake; Gale, with a mountain of stacked layers including clays and sulfates; Holden, a crater containing alluvial fans, flood deposits, possible lake beds and clay-rich deposits; and Mawrth, which shows exposed layers containing at least two types of clay. (11/20)

Intelsat-Sea Launch Deal Covers Five Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Intelsat has signed an agreement with Sea Launch Co. for five spacecraft to be launched between 2010 and 2012 from Sea Launch's Pacific Ocean platform, Sea Launch Chief Executive Kjell Karlsen said Nov. 20. (11/20)

Pentagon Plans Gap-Filler Satellite for Missile Warning (Source: Space News)
Pentagon leaders have directed the U.S. Air Force to quickly acquire a new geosynchronous-orbiting missile warning satellite system that will launch by the end of 2013, according to a memo from the Pentagon's acquisition chief. (11/20)

Ariane 5 to Launch ViaSat-1 (Source: Space News)
The ViaSat-1 Ka-band consumer-broadband satellite will be launched aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket in early 2011 under a contract signed by ViaSat Inc. and the Arianespace launch consortium of Evry, France, ViaSat announced Nov. 17. (11/20)

Italy to Boost Stake in ExoMars (Source: Space News)
The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has agreed to increase its spending on Europe's ExoMars rover-lander mission to assure that its industry keeps the prime contractor's role and to prove its good faith as it enters into negotiations on a broad multiyear European space-spending plan, ASI Techology Director Carlo Bonifazi said Nov. 17. (11/20)

New Science Center At Stennis Breaks Ground (Source: WDSU)
A $42 million project at the Stennis Space Center has achieved liftoff after a long delay. Community leaders on Thursday celebrated the official groundbreaking for the "Infinity" science, technology and visitors center in Hancock County, Miss. When complete, the 72,000-square-foot facility will also house the National Hurricane Museum, built where hurricanes Katrina and Camille made their landfall. (11/20)

Orbital Sciences to Break Ground on Chandler Expansion (Source: Phoenix Business Journal)
Orbital Sciences Corp. will mark the ground breaking Thursday of an expansion in Chandler that will create space for another 1,000 employees. The Virginia-based company now occupies 350,000 square feet and employs 1,500 people at its Chandler campus, where it designs and makes space launch vehicles. To accommodate expected growth, Orbital plans to add up to another 220,000 square feet of office and engineering space over the next several years. (11/20)

Virginia Spaceport, NASA Against Proposal for Coastal Drilling (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
When some rockets are launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the used engines are dropped from the spacecraft and fall harmlessly into the Atlantic Ocean. If the federal government goes through with its plan to sell oil and natural gas drilling rights off the Virginia coast, officials would have to coordinate those launches with the placements of large drilling rigs off the coast. The result could affect the launches from Wallops, an economic engine for the region.

The U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday announced a 45-day public comment period and plans for an environmental impact statement on the issue, which affects about 2.9 million acres on the ocean. The department's Minerals Management Service said the announcement does not indicate a preliminary decision to hold a lease sale. If approved, the sale would be held in 2011. (11/20)

$2 Million Gift Pledged for Embry-Riddle Aviation Maintenance Building (Source: ERAU)
Students working toward their A&P Certificate for aviation vehicle maintenance will benefit from a $2 million gift from the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust, which will help fund construction of the Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science building at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach campus. The 46,000-square-foot building will be part of the James Hagedorn Aviation Complex, a $125 million investment in new and planned construction at the Daytona Beach campus. Designed to help train the next generation of maintenance technicians and managers, the facility will house a series of cutting-edge labs dedicated to aircraft systems, turbine engines, metallic and composite materials, avionics, and avionics electronics. The facility will also include classrooms, a licensed engine repair station, a machine shop, offices, and a third-floor observation deck overlooking the Daytona Beach International Airport runways. (11/20)

International Space Station: 10 Years in the Making (Source: USA Today)
Ten years ago today the first module of the International Space Station arrived in orbit nearly 200 miles above Earth. Since that day it has been an global effort with the cooperation of Russian, European, Japanese and other space agencies in constructing the station. The station has been home to astronauts from those and other countries, making this truly an international space station. With the European and Japanese laboratories, crews can conduct experiments both inside and outside the station. Due to be completed in 2010, the station is expected to play a key role in research on the effects of long-term trips in space. Visit http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2008-11-19-issassembly_N.htm to view an animation of the station's assembly. (11/20)

Florida Mom's Concern Boundless for One Astronaut (Source: Florida Times-Union)
Just because Shane Kimbrough is in outer space doesn't mean his mom, DeAnn Johnson, can't mother him. Johnson, 64, of Fernandina Beach talked to her rookie astronaut son by phone Monday night about his current space shuttle mission to repair and improve the International Space Station. Even though he was speeding at 17,000 mph around Earth, Johnson was just concerned about whether her son was all right. "I asked, 'Now, are you sleeping and eating right?' " she said. (11/20)

Obama's NASA Dilemma (Source: Technology Review)
When president-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, he will be faced with a rare situation. Within his first 100 days, he will have to decide the fate of America's space program. While other presidents have had the luxury of putting off major decisions on NASA, the Obama administration has a deadline. By April 30, 2009, the new president must decide whether to shut down the Space Shuttle program or extend the program at no small cost. While the current administration has signed an authorization bill to keep the Space Shuttle flying until the end of 2010, the legislation only prevents NASA management from mothballing Shuttle-related programs until the end of April 2009. Visit http://www.technologyreview.com/business/21695/?a=f to view the article. (11/20)

Business Owner Claims NASA Contractor Employee was Identity Thief (Source: Miami Herald)
A Fort Lauderdale businessman says a software engineer working at the Kennedy Space Center stole his identity and caused him thousands of dollars in losses. When David Welch began receiving phone calls and e-mails to his home and business from all sorts of companies about applications for loans, cash advances and credit cards, he got worried: The owner of a legal staffing business in Fort Lauderdale had never requested any of them.

With the help of an information-technology expert, Welch traced the applications to a computer at NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. NASA's inspector general began an investigation. Authorities soon learned the culprit was Kevin Landivar, a software engineer who worked for a NASA contractor, Space Gateway Support. Landivar, who had high-security clearance at NASA, had once been Welch's landlord. Landivar was fired over the incident and faces a felony charge of using Welch's personal identification. (11/20)

NASA Faces Closer Scrutiny (Source: Huntsville Times)
Changes in the makeup of Capitol Hill could put NASA under tighter budget scrutiny and force Huntsville to rely on other Washington lawmakers, space experts predict. Along with retiring Huntsville Democrat Rep. Bud Cramer, three other key House members - Reps. Nick Lampson, D-Texas; Mark Udall, D-Colo.; and Dave Weldon, R-Fla. - either lost their seats or retired. Lampson and Weldon were key sponsors of NASA because Johnson Space Center near Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida are in their districts. Udall, elected to the U.S. Senate, gives up a seat on a key NASA-boosting House subcommittee.

A consultant to area leaders on space policy issues discussed the coming challenges: "For [the Huntsville] area, that challenge is the retirement of Bud Cramer. He has been a key supporter, and it is a real loss he is leaving." Congressman-elect Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville, has pledged to make Marshall Space Flight Center's work on the Ares rockets, along with other Redstone Arsenal projects, a key focus of his work in Washington. But seniority is key on Capitol Hill, said Mark McDaniel, a Huntsville attorney who advises members of Congress on space and defense issues. (11/20)

Russia to Put 3 Glonass Satellites Into Orbit Dec. 25 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia will put into orbit three Glonass navigation satellites on December 25 from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellite System - is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters. (11/20)

Astronauts Vow Remaining Tool Bag Won't Drift Away (Source: AP)
Astronauts vowed to double-check, even triple-check, to make sure a bag of tools is properly tied down during a spacewalk Thursday so it doesn't float away like one did earlier this week. "We're definitely not going to do it again. You're not going to see us lose another bag," lead spacewalker Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper said. The bag was one of the largest items ever lost by a spacewalking astronaut, and NASA guessed it cost about $100,000. (11/20)

Baking the Rover is Not an Option (Source: Astrobio.net)
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), scheduled to launch in fall 2009, will follow the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Phoenix Lander to help determine if Mars is habitable for life. MSL’s instrument package will be able to effectively "see and taste" the martian environment with more accuracy than previous missions. Some instruments will be so sensitive they will be able to pick out a single nanogram of organic matter (one billionth of a gram), about the weight as a single human cell. That high level of sensitivity has made contamination control one of the most challenging aspects of the mission.

"Viking paid a great deal of attention to contamination," says scientist Paul Mahaffy. "What went to Mars was very free of viable microbial matter. Even though MSL is not designed as a life detection experiment, any type of microbes, either dead or alive, could confuse the types of signals we are looking for. So we need to be as clean as possible." Click here to view the article. (11/20)