December 13 News Items

Manipulating Salmonella in Spaceflight Curtails Infectiousness (Source: ASU)
Although the study of a broad range of microbial virulence factors is now well advanced, many pieces of the puzzle are still missing. Cheryl Nickerson, a researcher at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, has explored the novel environment of space to investigate the cellular and molecular machinery of virulence. There, the space shuttle crew grow the bacteria in triple-enclosed containers under conditions of minimized gravity (or microgravity). Nickerson's spaceflight experiments have shown that Salmonella gene expression and virulence are profoundly altered by microgravity, with the pathogenic cells undergoing a significant increase in their infectious disease potential. (12/13)

Researchers Identify New Region of the Magnetosphere (Source: Vanderbilt U.)
A detailed analysis of the measurements of five different satellites has revealed the existence of the warm plasma cloak, a new region of the magnetosphere, which is the invisible shield of magnetic fields and electrically charged particles that surround and protect Earth from the onslaught of the solar wind. The northern and southern polar lights – aurora borealis and aurora australis – are the only parts of the magnetosphere that are visible, but it is a critical part of Earth's space environment. (12/13)

Future Mars Missions Require Coordination — and a Keen Eye on Costs (Source: Nature)
Canceling, or radically downscaling, overbudget missions such as MSL would set science back in the short term. It would also be difficult politically, as aerospace contractors and NASA's spacecraft-building centres have a lot of clout. But the only way to make Mars exploration a more regular affair is to stop the missions from costing too much. Eventually, a virtuous circle could be established: cheaper missions would mean more of them, which would mean less pressure to overload each one, in turn keeping the costs down. The fact that a series of failures followed an attempt to do this in the 1990s does not mean it was the wrong thing to do; it means that the effort needs clearer management and accountability, technology that can be reused from mission to mission and patience. (12/12)

Space shuttle Endeavour Finally Home (Source: AP)
Space shuttle Endeavour returned home to NASA's spaceport Friday, nearly two weeks after landing back on Earth. Endeavour was forced to take a detour to California at mission's end on Nov. 30 because of stormy weather at Kennedy Space Center, the main landing site. More bad weather further stalled the trip home. The shuttle didn't leave Edwards Air Force Base, where it ended up, until Wednesday. Endeavour was anchored atop a modified jumbo jet for the cross-country trip. The trip cost $1.8 million. (12/12)

India Wants Global Space Partners (Source: Aviation Week)
Flush with the ongoing success of its Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is looking for international partners as a way to fast-forward some of its ambitious space plans. Reducing the cost of access to space is a prime goal. And some potential international partners may be willing to help. "We're not in India to sell any hardware," says Alan De Luna, Project Director, Space Flight Programs, United Space Alliance. "What we bring is our experience on how to totally scope your program." (12/12)

Space Auction Fails to Take Off (Source: Russia Today)
An auction of valuable Soviet space memorabilia has been canceled in New York after Sotheby’s was unable to attract serious buyers. The move dashes hopes that rare documents relating to the golden age of space exploration might be returned to Russia. Observers say the credit crunch has dampened the market. Among the relics for sale was a report made by the first man in Space, Yury Gagarin, during his historic flight on April 12, 1961. The document - one of only four copies made, features the first-ever description of Earth from orbit, and had a price-tag of $700,000.

Also up for grabs was Gagarin's speech, given to Soviet space experts just two days before he went into space. This lot was expected to go for at least $US 200,000. Other documents on display were diaries of space constructor Vasily Mishin, an aid to the founding father of Soviet space programme Sergey Korolyov. (12/13)