November 6 News Items

Unknown "Structures" Tugging at Universe, Study Says (Source: National Geographic)
Something may be out there. Way out there. On the outskirts of creation, unknown, unseen "structures" are tugging on our universe like cosmic magnets, a controversial new study says. Everything in the known universe is said to be racing toward the massive clumps of matter at more than 2 million miles an hour—-a movement the researchers have dubbed dark flow. The presence of the extra-universal matter suggests that our universe is part of something bigger—a multiverse—and that whatever is out there is very different from the universe we know, according to study leader Alexander Kashlinsky, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. (11/6)

Ukraine, Indonesia Sign Space Cooperation Deal (Source: RIA Novosti)
Ukraine and Indonesia have signed an intergovernmental space cooperation agreement. Areas of cooperation will include space research, rocket technology, satellite launches, earth remote sensing, and other uses of space for peaceful purposes. "The agreement will create a legal framework for mutually beneficial cooperation between Ukrainian and Indonesian enterprises in the space industry," the space agency said. (11/6)

Congressional Budget Office Questions NASA Human Spaceflight Plans (Source: Aviation Week)
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is raising questions about NASA's ability to develop its follow-on Ares/Orion human spaceflight systems on time and on budget, given the agency's recent history and fiscal tribulations. Under its Constellation program, NASA is planning initial operating capability (IOC) for the Ares I rocket and Orion spacecraft in March 2015, and has a 65 percent confidence level of making that target.

But the five-year gap between the space shuttle's retirement and the Ares/Orion IOC could increase due to various risks, CBO warns. "Those risks include an increase during development in the mass of the Orion vehicle that would exceed the capability of the Ares 1 to lift it into orbit; excessive thrust oscillation in the first stage of the Ares 1 and less-than-required performance during the rocket's launch; a longer-than-expected development period for the J-2X engine of the Ares 1's second, or upper, stage; and NASA's inability to develop and fabricate effective heat shields for the Orion within its current development schedule." (11/6)

Lockheed Delivers Environmental Satellite to Vandenberg for Launch (Source: Lockheed Martin)
The NOAA-N Prime spacecraft, a Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES), has been delivered to Vandenberg Air Force Base in preparation for a February 2009 launch. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale built NOAA-N Prime. NOAA-N Prime is the latest in the Advanced TIROS-N (ATN) satellite series. All have been designed and built for NASA and NOAA by Lockheed Martin since the first Television and Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS) weather satellite launch in April 1960. Most of the spacecraft in the series have operated far longer than originally expected, earning them a reputation as the workhorses of the civil space Earth-imaging inventory. (11/6)

DragonLab To Fly In 2010 (Source: Aerospace Daily)
SpaceX expects to begin commercial flights of its new reusable DragonLab spacecraft in 2010, and is in negotiations with potential customers for room on the vehicle. DragonLab is an unmanned spacecraft that is largely the same as the Dragon resupply craft the company is developing for NASA under the COTS program. The major difference will be that DragonLab won't feature the docking adapter for berthing with the International Space Station, but instead will be an orbital free flyer capable of hosting experimental payloads or deploying subsatellites.

Both spacecraft are designed to launch on SpaceX's upcoming Falcon 9 rocket, which is slated to have its first flight next spring from Cape Canaveral, Fla. DragonLab is designed to accommodate both pressurized and unpressurized cargo, although the "trunk" that carries unpressurized payloads is jettisoned prior to the vehicle re-entering the atmosphere. The spacecraft can carry 6,000 kilograms (13,200 pounds) to orbit and return half that amount in the Dragon capsule, which will splash down off California.

The first Falcon 9 vehicle is slated to be delivered to the Cape by the end of the year. A qualification unit is going to the company's facility in McGregor, Texas, for testing, according to spokeswoman Diane Murphy. The Falcon 9 is priced at about $36 million. (11/6)

Delta 2 Rocket Raised For NASA Planet Hunt (Source: Florida Today)
A Delta 2 rocket that will launch a NASA planet-hunter is being raised at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport this week as the agency mounts a campaign to launch the spacecraft next spring. The 12-story United Launch Alliance rocket and its payload -- NASA's Kepler II spacecraft -- are tentatively slated to blast off March 5 from Launch Complex 17B. (11/6)

Aviation Issues On Hold Pending New Administration (Source: AIA)
President-elect Barack Obama said little during the election about his vision for the Department of Transportation, and former DOT Secretary Norm Mineta cautioned on Wednesday that "from a policy perspective, it's going to be a long time before we know the direction," the new administration plans to take. New appointees will likely take over both the DOT and the FAA, and it could be up to a year before the teams are in place, according to experts. "The priority really has to be to ... get NextGen funded," Mineta said, although Obama has not indicated his stance on the issue. (11/6)

Europe Scales Back Space Situational Awareness Plans (Source: Space News)
Europe's plans to begin an elaborate, multiyear program on space situational awareness with civil and military applications have been scaled back again, with proposed European Space Agency (ESA) funding cut in half to 50 million euros ($65 million) for three years, according to European government officials. (11/6)

Obama's Tech Bias Favors Space Programs (Source: AIA)
President-elect Barack Obama's emphasis on technology is expected to extend beyond weapons programs to influence his administration's priorities in space. Obama has said he supports the Bush goal of putting astronauts on the moon by 2020, but he also favors making the Constellation program flexible enough to explore asteroids and Lagrangian points. Like his former rival John McCain, Obama also has said he supports science operations on the International Space Station. (11/6)

Russian President Threatens Reprisals for U.S. Antimissile System (Source: AIA)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev used his first state of the nation address to warn the U.S. against placing an antimissile system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Medvedev said Russia would respond by positioning short-range missiles along the Polish border and by attempting radio jamming of the U.S. system. Some experts said the threats amounted to little more than political posturing for a domestic audience. (11/6)

Central Florida Members Await Committee Assignments (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Central Florida's three new members of Congress--Alan Grayson, Suzanne Kosmas and Bill Posey--are awaiting committee assignments. Kosmas said she would seek to replace Feeney on the science committee, which has oversight of NASA, to influence what happens to Kennedy Space Center. "The space program is a high priority. Kennedy Space Center is a high priority for me," she said. Posey is unlikely to take Weldon's place on the powerful appropriations committee, but Rep. Adam Putnam said Posey should seek positions on the oversight or financial services committees. Posey declined comment on his preferred committees but said that he would likely retain many of Weldon's staff members. Democrat Grayson, who ousted Republican Ric Keller also did not reveal a specific preference but said he wants to serve on committees that will allow him to address transportation, education and health-care issues. (11/6)

GAO Identifies Shuttle Retirement as a Top Transition Issue (Source: GAO)
The Government Accountability Office has released an "Urgent Issues Overview" for the presidential transition, including 13 items of "critical and time-sensitive" importance that "require prioritized federal action." Included on this list is retirement of the Space Shuttle. Among GAO's recommendations for "what needs to be done" are: "The administration needs to move quickly to nominate and fill key leadership positions within NASA because the decision on whether to retire or continue operating the Space Shuttle will need to be made soon;" and "In order to preserve this investment option for the next administration, NASA needs to retain the workforce, facilities, equipment, and suppliers necessary to continue operating the Space Shuttle." Visit http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/urgent/space-shuttle.php to view the GAO information. (11/6)

China's Space Industry Takes Off (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Over the past 30 years, China has launched more than 110 satellites and sent seven spacecraft into outer space, developed 14 types of Long March rocket, made major breakthroughs in satellite technology and sent six astronauts into orbit on board three Shenzhou spacecraft. China's space industry is taking off, thanks to the 30-year-old Reform and Opening-up Drive, said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of the manned space program. Visit http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_Space_Industry_Takes_Off_999.html to view the article. (11/6)

Russian Proton Launches Astra 1M Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Proton rocket placed a European communications satellite into orbit Thursday. The Proton M rocket lifted off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The satellite, an EADS Astrium Eurostar 3000, weighed 5,320 kilograms at liftoff and includes 36 Ku-band transponders. It will provide direct-to-home TV services to Europe. The launch was the third commercial Proton mission in less than three months since the vehicle returned to commercial service following a March launch failure. (11/6)

Spaceport Still On Track Despite Lack Of Support In Otero County (Source: KFOX)
New Mexico's Spaceport will not be funded in part by taxes from Otero County. The news means a loss of more than $6 million in taxes over ten years, but officials with Spaceport America said they are still moving forward and looking for funding alternatives. An official said there are a couple of other counties interested in benefiting from the jobs being brought to the area. “Socorro and New Mexico Tech are involved. There are also some big tech companies adjacent to Sierra County so it might be advantageous for them to joins the tax district."

Otero's lack of proximity to the spaceport may have played a role in the vote outcome. Some said the region loses out. Others said New Mexico might not be ready for space travel. Officials said they need to get a license from the Federal Aviation Administration which they expect by mid-December. They said nearly 97 percent of the $198 million needed is already in place. (11/6)

'Obamanauts' May Become Space Watchdogs (Source: New Scientist)
55% of the votes in Brevard County, Florida, home to NASA's space shuttle, went to John McCain on Tuesday. But after Barack Obama's historic victory, the space-minded Obamanauts can't be anything but pleased. The fledgling group of Obama supporters, which has been in existence for little more than a month, has generated considerable buzz, signing on some high-profile members. But the group isn't quite ready to disband. "We're trying to decide what do," says Obamanauts leader Tim Bailey, a space education contractor from Titusville, Florida.

The Obamanauts could become space watchdogs of the next administration, holding the president-elect's feet to the fire once he takes office in January 2009. The group "may just transition to holding the administration accountable for following through on the things that [Obama] put out there in his space policy plan," Bailey told New Scientist. That plan, a 7-page white paper on Obama's position, was one of the things that convinced Bailey to support Obama in the first place, he says. (11/5)

China Commissions Huge Telescope Near Beijing (Source: Reuters)
China is commissioning a strangely shaped telescope in the forested hills northeast of Beijing that Chinese scientists said will be the world's most efficient tool for mapping the galaxy in three dimensions. Unlike most such instruments, where the whole telescope moves to follow the object being studied in the sky, the Chinese design features a fixed structure and two moveable, segmented mirrors. Rather than the traditional dome shape employed for most large telescopes, China's new instrument looks like a large, white, skewed pi symbol. Built by the National Astronomical Observatories, which belongs to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope, or LAMOST, cost $34.40 million. (11/5)