November 25 News Items

NASA Announces California Aeronautics Research Award (Source: NASA)
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has awarded $154,506 to Fidell Associates Inc., of Woodland Hills, Calif., for work described in its NASA research announcement proposal entitled "Research Plan for Human Response to Low-Frequency Rotor Noise." The award, made by the directorate's Fundamental Aeronautics Program, will foster close collaboration with and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among researchers at NASA, industry, academia, and other government agencies to benefit the nation's aeronautics community. (11/25)

XCOR to Unveil New Partner, “Substantially Lower Price” for Space Tourism Flights (Source: Parabolic Arc)
On December 2, XCOR Aerospace, builder of the 2-seat Lynx rocket-powered suborbital launch vehicle, is introducing its General Sales Agent for ticket sales and will announce a price that is substantially lower than prices quoted by leading competitors. XCOR will introduce its new partner, a well-known and established travel entrepreneur with extensive experience in high-end adventure travel, who will outline the total Lynx flight experience, from initial screening, to training, and finally, the flight itself. (11/25)

Small Business Patents Drive Innovation (Source: SGPB)
The Small Business Administration has funded a research project on the patent activity of small businesses. The results of the "demonstrate that small businesses that innovate are indeed special and that the technology they create helps define the cutting edge in a number of industries." The study found that firms with fewer than 25 employees have the highest number of patents per employee and that those patents tended to be more significant to their respective fields in terms of growth, repeat citations, and originality. View the full report here. (11/25)

Hero Astronauts Offer Out-Of-This-World Club for the Holidays (Source: ASF)
You may never go to space, but here’s a chance to receive a letter and an autographed photo from legendary astronauts who have! Twelve space heroes have come together for a sixth year to offer memberships to the 2009 Astronaut Autograph Club as a means to raise money for college scholarships through the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The club affords its members an autographed photo and personalized letter from a U.S. Hall of Fame Astronaut for every month of the year! Visit www.AstronautScholarship.org for information. (11/25)

Space Experts Call for Asteroid Action Plan (Source: MSNBC)
Time needed to deflect asteroids, evacuate people living in impact zone Space experts are urging the United Nations to devise a plan that allows for quick action against asteroids. Rusty Schweickart, a former U.S. astronaut, says such a plan would save the time needed to deflect asteroids or evacuate people living in a possible impact zone. He says researchers will increasingly be able to predict collisions and that, for the first time in history, technical capabilities exist to prevent them. Schweickart presented a report on the matter to U.N. officials in Vienna. (11/25)

Massachusetts Thriving on Defense Spending (Source: AIA)
Defense contracts represent a growing chunk of Massachusetts' economic base, led by Raytheon Co. ($3.2 billion in fiscal 2007 contracts) and General Dynamics Corp. ($1.2 billion). Nearly 90% of the Bay State's $11.8 billion in federal contracts were in the defense sector, according to a nonprofit watchdog group. Experts say Massachusetts companies should continue to do well under an Obama administration. "There might be some downturn in the defense sector," says Donald Quenneville, executive director of the Defense Technology Initiative, "but I think we will fare better than other parts of the country." (11/25)

Get Ready for Ares V (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA has asked the aerospace industry for input on its plans for the Ares V rocket, a major step in the agency's efforts to build a spacecraft that it hopes can help return American astronauts to the moon. The "request for proposals" gives aerospace companies a chance to critique how NASA plans to build the Ares V rocket, a much larger version of the smaller Ares I now under development. "Phase I will define operational concepts, develop requirements, and refine design concepts for the Ares V," according to NASA. A final version is expected by January, which will set the stage for companies to bid on building the Ares V, a heavy-lift vehicle that would serve as NASA's next orbital workhorse. The idea would to use the Ares V to ferry pieces of NASA spacecraft into orbit, which then would be used to travel to the moon by 2020 and eventually Mars. (11/25)

NASA Selects California School to Fly Aboard 'Weightless Wonder' (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected Vintage Math, Science, and Technology Magnet from North Hills, Calif., to fly a student-designed experiment aboard the agency's reduced gravity aircraft, the "Weightless Wonder." Vintage Math, Science, and Technology Magnet will join 10 other NASA Explorer School (NES) teams selected for this unique learning experience to test science and math concepts in a weightless laboratory aboard the Weightless Wonder in February. (11/25)

Harris Wins Contract for Light-Weight Satellite Communications Architecture (Source: Harris)
Harris Corp. has been awarded an eight-month study contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a new modular communications architecture for satellites that weigh less than 400 kilograms and can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively. The study will support the Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORSO) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, with systems engineering, requirements analysis, and concept development of an architecture whereby common components are able to support multiple payloads. (11/25)

United Launch Alliance Appoints East Coast Leader (Source: ULA)
Tony Taliancich has been appointed to lead ULA East Coast Launch Operations. Previously, Taliancich served as ULA's Space Launch Complex 41 Site Director for east coast Atlas V launch operations. In his new role, Taliancich is responsible for leading all Atlas and Delta Launch activities at the Cape while overseeing the day to day work of nearly 850 employees. At the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, ULA is responsible for integrating launch services for the company's three launch vehicles, the Atlas V, Delta II and Delta IV. (11/25)