December 17 News Items

Boeing Still Happy to be in Space (Source: Reuters)
Boeing expects profit margins in the mid-single digits in its space business this year after struggling with performance issues in past years, the company's defense chief said on Wednesday. Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems, said the company was disappointed about losing out on several recent military space contracts, but it had also won an order valued at up to $1.2 billion at the end of 2007 for a next-generation tracking satellite for NASA. Albaugh said that Boeing had no plans to move out of the satellite business, noting the company had a backlog of 26 satellites and a bevy of classified deals that he could not discuss. (12/17)

NASA: $42 Million For Retired Shuttle Orbiter (Source: Florida Today)
A Florida retirement home for a shuttle orbiter could cost up to $42 million. The orbiter Discovery is already promised to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. That leaves Atlantis and Endeavour available to museums and other institutions capable of displaying the orbiters properly indoors and inspiring the public. But they'll have to come up with some serious cash. NASA estimates it will cost $28.2 million to clean the spaceships of toxic, volatile propellants, and another $8 million to prepare them for display. And ferrying the spacecraft to its final resting spot - unnecessary if the orbiter stayed on the Space Coast - would cost another $5.8 million. (12/17)

Obama Team Considers NASA Use of Modified Military Rockets (Source: Wall Street Journal)
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, considering ways to reduce the cost and risk associated with manned space exploration, has broached the idea of using modified U.S. military rockets to launch the eventual replacement for the space shuttle. No decision has been made and the concept raises major technical, funding and policy issues. But in recent weeks, the transition team assigned to NASA has been asking aerospace industry officials about the feasibility of such a dramatic shift in priorities. (12/17)

NASA Solicits Ideas for Displaying Retired Shuttles and Main Engines (Source: NASA)
NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking ideas from educational institutions, science museums and other appropriate organizations about the community's ability to acquire and publicly display the space shuttle orbiters and space shuttle main engines after the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. The RFI seeks input from appropriate officials of organizations dedicated to education or educational outreach with experience in public display of space hardware and nationally-recognized historical artifacts. NASA will develop strategies for eventual placement of two space shuttle orbiters and a minimum of six unassembled space shuttle main engine display "kits."

NASA's primary goal is to collect a wide variety of perspectives about whether eligible recipient organizations are capable of appropriately displaying the items, and bearing the full cost of preparing it for display and transportation to its final destination. The RFI also seeks ideas about how the shuttle orbiters and main engines can best be used in the broad national interest to inspire the American public and students in particular. (12/17)

LaHood Accepts Transportation Secretary Job (Source: Washington Post)
Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) has accepted an offer to become President-elect Barack Obama's transportation secretary and the nomination will be made official in coming days, two senior Democratic officials said. LaHood, 63, who is retiring after representing a rural downstate district in Congress since 1995, becomes the second Republican tapped for Obama's Cabinet. In recent years, LaHood developed a close relationship with Obama and the man who will become his White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, becoming a key player on the House Appropriations Committee on behalf of the Illinois delegation.

From his perch atop the Department of Transportation, LaHood will be a key player in the new administration's public works projects designed to stimulate the struggling economy. Kenneth P. Quinn, a former Federal Aviation Administration chief counsel who now is a partner at the Pillsbury law firm, hailed LaHood as an "outstanding bipartisan pick for the new president." (12/17)

Expect Acquisitions in 2009, Says Lockheed CEO (Source: AIA)
Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Robert Stevens said Tuesday his company is "unconstrained" by the credit crisis and plans to make acquisitions in 2009, paying mostly in cash. Stevens said Lockheed will focus on "buying companies we understand that bring additional capabilities and core competencies to our business, that we can integrate without any disruption, and that add to the diversity of offerings we can provide a customer." (12/17)

Obama Could Revise Plans to Scuttle the Shuttle (Source: Wall Street Journal)
As NASA works toward a Bush administration goal of grounding the space shuttle by 2010, President-elect Barack Obama faces pressure to extend the life of the program by up to five years. Lost jobs, lost momentum and an over-reliance on Russia are among the reasons cited for flying the shuttle until 2015, a move that could cost up to $13 billion. But a NASA study, not yet made public, reportedly finds that adding 15 additional shuttle missions could increase the "cumulative risk" of an accident to nearly 1 in 3, compared to 1 in 8 under the current time line. Transition-team members are weighing various options, including speeding up development of follow-on systems and keeping the shuttle flying through 2015. Transition-team members declined to comment. (12/17)

Virginia Governor Proceeds With $10M Spaceport Bonds at Wallops Island (Source: Spaceports Blog)
Despite an expected $2.9 billion shortfall in the Virginia state budget, Gov. Tim Kaine is proceeding with a $10-million investment for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport via infrastructure bonds through the Virginia Public Building Authority. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport will serve as the launch pad for the planned Taurus II rocket being developed by Orbital Sciences Corp. "Governor Kaine is clearly a man of vision," said Jack Kennedy, a member of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority. "The General Assembly will need to ratify the spaceport infrastructure funding in the 2009 General Assembly session." (12/17)

Kennedy Space Center Chooses SRA for Constellation Launch Control Systems (Source: SRA)
SRA International has been chosen by NASA KSC to provide its Spacecraft Command Language (SCL) to support the Constellation Program, which will develop the new systems and vehicles that will replace the Space Shuttle and provide for the nation's next generation of space exploration. KSC is modernizing the launch control system, using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)-based solutions to control costs and introduce state-of-the-art technology. SRA's SCL software package will provide KSC engineers with the tools necessary to process the new launch vehicle and provide real-time monitoring and control of the launch control infrastructure. SCL will be used to monitor ground support equipment; control the re-fueling process; regulate countdown sequencing; and review and test the Ares vehicle prior to and during countdown. (12/17)

USA Selects CresaPartners to Address Real Estate Needs in Florida and Texas (Source: CresaPartners)
CresaPartners, North America’s largest corporate real estate advisory firm, has been selected to develop and execute a strategic plan for United Space Alliance’s (USA) facilities in the post-shuttle era. Currently, USA has 10,000 employees in 1.3 million SF of space, primarily in Houston and Cape Canaveral. USA also has facilities in Huntsville, Ala and Alexandria, Va. The CresaPartners team from Houston and Denver will lead the development of the strategic plan in collaboration with the internal USA Facility team. The plan will likely involve multiple moves and occupancies as some facilities are shut down and others are expanded. (12/17)

Editorial: What Next? (Source: USA Today)
Forty years ago, on Christmas Eve 1968, astronaut William Anders aimed his camera out the window of the moon-orbiting Apollo 8 spacecraft to record an unanticipated, breathtaking and never-before-witnessed sight by us: Earth, rising beyond the moon's barren and bleached horizon, an oasis of color and life in the black infinity of space. His photograph of the Earthrise — which became an icon of the 20th century — symbolized the "giant leap for mankind" NASA made with the Apollo missions. Those space ventures revealed scientific treasures only the moon possesses, gave us a priceless new perspective on our own world, and showed us that we are capable of doing seemingly impossible things.

Today, the Earthrise photo seems to be a relic from a bygone era. NASA stopped sending people to the moon in 1972,and no one has been there — or anywhere outside low Earth orbit, a few hundred miles up — since then. It's hard to look at today's NASA without wondering: When will we take the next giant leap? I hope that question will be on President Obama's mind when he addresses the needs of our nation's space program. Already, he has said he wants "a robust program for human and robotic exploration." And I believe that even in these difficult economic times, we can have a smart, focused space effort that offers spectacular returns — without exceeding NASA's current $17-billion-per-year allotment. The key comes down to one word: exploration. Click here to view the editorial. (12/17)

Chinese Turn a Blind Eye to Space Tours (Source: Shanghai Daily)
A Beijing based travel agency promoting two "space tours" has failed to receive any applicants thus far and perhaps the out of this world prices are to blame. A $20 million dollar holiday package will take you into space for several days with astronauts, according to Youth Daily. The other option is an 88,888-yuan tour involving a trip to NASA. There travelers can experience weightlessness in a zero-gravity capsule.

The travel agency's three outlets in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin have not received a single inquiry or application about the trips, an official with the travel agency told the newspaper. According to the unidentified official, the travel agency was authorized by the National Tourism Administration and has signed a three-year deal with US-based Space Adventures to organize such tours in China. (12/17)

New Mexico Spaceport Construction can Begin (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The tone of excitement in the voices of some commercial space industry leaders was noticable Tuesday as they talked about Spaceport America's official designation as a fully licensed facility by the FAA. "This is fantastic for New Mexico, it's going to create a lot of new jobs for the state," said Granger Whitelaw, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Rocket Racing League. "We're excited about the spaceport because the time has finally come for it to totally function as all of us hoped it would."

Monday, the FAA issued a final record of decision for an environmental impact statement the New Mexico Spaceport Authority had filed for. Acceptance of the environmental impact statement was the final hurdle that had to be cleared to enable Spaceport America to receive an FAA license for vertical and horizontal launches. Spaceport America is now the first commercial spaceport to be licensed in the U.S., and its construction can now begin. "With this, we've met four of the five conditions required by the New Mexico Legislature for spaceport funding, which included the formation of a local tax district, the issuance of an FAA EIS record of decision and launch site license, and a signed lease agreement with an anchor tenant," said Steven Landeene, executive director of the state Spaceport Authority. (12/17)

Lockheed Martin-Led Team to Prototype Space Situation Awareness Capabilities for Air Force (Source: Lockheed)
Lockheed Martin has been selected to develop capabilities in support of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Situation Awareness mission. The contract is valued at $20 million over two years. "Exposing existing relevant data and intuitively providing information to users will assist the Air Force in delivering integrated services to address the challenging Space Situation Awareness mission," said a Lockheed official. (12/17)