December 5 News Items

New Wing Commander Featured at Space Club Luncheon on Jan. 13 (Source: NSCFL)
Brigadier General Edward Bolton, the new commander of the 45th Space Wing, will be the featured speaker at a Jan. 13 luncheon meeting sponsored by the National Space Club's Florida Committee. The event, to be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Cocoa Beach, will also include a presentation of the 2009 Florida National Defense Award. RSVP to ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com by Jan. 8. (12/5)

Triana: Why Does the Bush Administration Hate it So Much? (Source: What's New)
Three years ago while Congress was out of town for the Christmas break, I heard NASA was quietly terminating Triana, a.k.a. DSCOVR. Could it be because Al Gore’s initials are on it? The $100 million observatory was already built. It was meant to answer the most fundamental question of climate science: what is the energy balance between solar radiation falling on Earth and reflected or reradiated energy?

Global warming deniers all claim solar variation is the major factor in global climate change. Is it? Well, Triana/DSCOVR is the only experiment that can unequivocally answer that question. But I couldn’t find a single global warming denier who wanted it tested. So I wrote an op-ed for the NY Times; but maybe nobody read it, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/opinion/15park.html. It’s still timely; the NY Times should feel free to reprint it without change. (12/5)

DSCOVR: A Dick Cheney Shotgun Blast Blinds the World (Source: What's New)
The Nov 19 online Nature news, reported that the NASA reauthorization bill ordered the agency to come up with a plan for DSCOVR. The article quoted Francisco Valero of Scripps, the mission’s principle investigator, who estimated that it would take $117 million to refurbish and launch DSCOVR. The Air Force offered to launch it, but incredibly, only if all Earth observation equipment is removed.

This led me to wonder if there could be a national security reason. No, Dick Cheney just doesn’t want to hear about global warming. DeSmogBlog, the best of the environmental blogs, quotes an unnamed source within NASA who spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying Cheney was the hatchet man, intent from the beginning on killing DSCOVR, and keeping Bush’s fingerprints off the axe. And why did I have to learn about this from a UK science magazine and a Canadian blog? The only major U.S. paper that mentioned it was the Houston Chronicle. (12/5)

The Hunt for Habitable Planets (Source: Science News)
Here and now, a new suite of small telescopes are poised to look for Earthlike planets beyond the solar system. For years, planet hunters have been preoccupied with hot Jupiters—-giant, gaseous planets that tightly hug their sunlike parent stars. These massive, close-in planets, not yet directly seen, are the easiest to find because they induce the largest wobble in the motion of the stars they orbit. But now astronomers are following a rockier road—seeking rocky, icy planets only a few times as massive as Earth. Soon, astronomers predict, they will discover an Earth-sized planet that orbits within the habitable zone of its parent star. And if David Charbonneau has any say about it, that historic find will come from eight tiny telescopes his team has just finished assembling at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona. (12/5)

Search for Alien Engineering Comes Up Dry – So Far (Source: New Scientist)
A search for colossal feats of alien engineering called 'Dyson spheres' has so far found no convincing candidates within 1000 light years of Earth. But some say the prospects for finding the hypothetical structures, which could cocoon stars in order to collect solar energy for power-hungry aliens, may be getting brighter. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is focused largely on detecting signals sent from afar. But in 1960, physicist Freeman Dyson proposed a way to directly search for artifacts of alien civilizations.

Dyson envisioned that population pressure and the demand for energy would drive civilizations to dismantle planets and use the debris to surround a star, creating a massive solar collector. A number of Dyson sphere structures have been proposed, including a solid, rotating ring and a spherical shell of debris. These structures might be habitable themselves, or they might be used as remote solar power collectors. The structures would partially or fully block the star's visible and ultraviolet light, but they would still be detectable. A Dyson sphere or ring would be warmed by the star's energy and would radiate infrared light that could be detected from Earth. (12/5)

Hunting New Earths and the Edge of the Universe (Source: New Scientist)
Last month, we got our best ever view of planets orbiting nearby stars. Though this is a great achievement, the planets are much bigger than Jupiter and are in orbits that range from 24 to 119 astronomical units (AU), where one AU equals the distance between Earth and the sun. The dream is to be able to see planets as small and as close to their host star as Earth is to the sun. That requires a telescope that can see objects nearly 3000 times smaller than those seen last month, and one that is not blinded by the host star's light - feats that are not possible with even the largest telescope today, the 10.4-metre Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain's Canary Islands.

But in less than a decade, a trio of gigantic telescopes will be able to carry off the task with ease. The 24.5-metre Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), the accurately named Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and the 42-metre European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) will each collect enough light from these extrasolar planets to allow astronomers to study the composition of their atmospheres using spectroscopy. (12/5)

TAAS Proposes Safe, Economical and Versatile Space Flight Vehicle (Source: Space Fellowship)
The idea behind the TAAS design is that an escape vehicle leaves the parent vehicle behind in the case of an emergency, it does this in conjunction with multiple plug-in devices and one mechanical release which allows the EV to slide forward and un-plug from the parent vehicle. Air-bags can provide positive separation forces. “After separation, the EV (which is designed to fly at higher dynamic pressures than the parent vehicle) will naturally pitch down and accelerate. Releasing the forward weight of the EV will cause the parent vehicle to be out of balance. Click here to view the design. (12/5)

Judge Rules Nowak's Interrogation Not Admissable (Source: ABC News)
An attorney for Lisa Nowak, the former NASA astronaut awaiting trial on kidnapping and other charges, is cheering today's partial court victory for his client. The three-person 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Florida upheld a lower court ruling barring use of a taped interrogation of Nowak by police at her trial. It is a mixed victory, however, because the court also ruled that evidence found in Nowak's car after her arrest can be introduced by the prosecution in court. Even so, Don Lykkebak, an attorney for Nowak, suggested that she sees the decision as a way to move forward with her case. (12/5)

India, Russia Sign Nuclear Energy, Space Deals (Source: Space Daily)
India and Russia on Friday signed an agreement covering the building of four new nuclear energy reactors in southern India, as well as a cooperation accord on manned space flight. Russia becomes the third country to sign an atomic energy agreement with India after a decision in September by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to waive its ban on trade of nuclear technology with India. (12/5)

China, Russia to Send Probes to Mars Next Year (Source: Reuters)
China will team up with Russia to launch two satellite probes to take pictures of Mars and one of its small moons in October next year as it seeks to cement its place in the select ranks of global space powers. A Chinese-built probe will piggy-back on a Russian-built rocket which would also be carrying a Russian satellite, the Beijing News said, quoting a Chinese lead designer on the project. The Chinese probe, called "Yinghuo 1," would "carry two cameras to take photos of Mars and Phobos (Mars 1)". The two countries' satellites would travel together for 11 months, with the Chinese probe powered by Russia's, before separating on entering Mars' orbit. (12/5)

DSP-23 Drift Approaches Other Satellites (Source: Space News)
Europe's Eumetsat weather satellite organization, whose Meteosat-8 satellite is believed to be in the vicinity of a U.S. missile warning satellite drifting uncontrolled along the geostationary arc over the equator, has received no indication from the U.S. Air Force that there is a risk of a collision, Eumetsat Operations Director Mikael Rattenborg said Dec. 5. (12/5)

ATK Shuttle Booster Test Yields Data for Ares 1 (Source: Space News)
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) Launch Systems Group test fired a space shuttle solid rocket motor in the Utah desert Dec. 4. The four-segment motor burned for a full two minutes, the same amount of time each solid rocket booster burns during an actual shuttle launch. ATK and NASA said the purpose of the test was to evaluate possible performance changes as shuttle motors age and to collect acoustic measurements useful to the development of Ares 1, a five-segment solid-fueled rocket ATK is helping NASA build to launch the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle on missions to the Moon. (12/5)

NASA Sets May Launch Date For Hubble Repair Mission (Source: Space News)
Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope has been rescheduled for May 12, 2009. The Hubble servicing crew plans to fly an 11-day mission and stage five spacewalks to overhaul the 18-year-old space telescope for the fifth and final time. The mission was delayed in September when a data handling unit on the telescope failed. A spare Science Instrument Command and Data Handling System is expected to be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in spring 2009. (12/5)

Armadillo Collects Check For Lunar Lander Challenge (Source: Space News)
Armadillo Aerospace, the first winner in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, was given a check for $350,000 during a Dec. 5 ceremony at NASA headquarters in Washington. The Texas-based company designed and built a space vehicle in October that demonstrated its ability to rise to a height of 50 meters, fly to a landing pad 100 meters away and hover for 90 seconds before landing. The competition was held at Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico. (12/5)

Air Force Declined to Help Intelsat Maneuver Satellite to Avoid Collision (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator Intelsat has asked the U.S. Air Force to clarify its policy governing the provision of space-surveillance data to non-U.S. government entities following an incident in which the company says it was denied information it needed to execute a planned maneuver of one of its satellites. In a letter to senior U.S. Air Force officers, Intelsat said it was uncertain of whether to go through with the maneuver of its IS 709 satellite because its internal analyses predicted a "potential conjunction" with the Russian Raduga 1-7 satellite.

"The conjunction was predicted to occur on November 16 and our analysis showed a miss distance of less than 1 [kilometer]," McGlade wrote. "We had an IS 709 maneuver planned for November 13 and, based on the information available to us, it was unclear whether we should cancel or modify this maneuver." "In response, the Air Force provided their opinion that a conjunction was not likely, but, in a break with past practice, declined to provide additional information on the close approaches." As a result, Intelsat had to decide on its own whether to perform the maneuver. (12/5)

MSL Delay Will Cost Other Mars and Planetary Missions (Source: Space News)
A two-year delay in launching NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover will divert $400 million from future planetary missions and underscores the NASA's need to partner with its European counterpart on Mars exploration, said NASA's associate administrator for science. MSL's price tag has soared since it was proposed in 2000 as a $600 million mission. By the time the program was confirmed in 2006, its budget had swelled to $1.6 billion. NASA now expects MSL to cost $2.2 billion to $2.3 billion, about $200 million more than NASA would have spent rushing to make the 2009 window. (12/5)

European Satellite Center Gains Access to European Recon Data (Source: Space News)
France, Germany and Italy have agreed, for the first time, to give the 27-nation European Union (EU) both free and paid access to their military observation satellites. The decision follows a years-long effort by EU officials to open up closely guarded space-based reconnaissance assets of its member nations. The EU Satellite Center, which up to now has relied almost exclusively on imagery purchased on the commercial market from U.S., Israeli, Canadian and other non-European sources to assemble reports for EU military operations, will have access to French Helios 2 optical imagery and radar data from Italy's Cosmo-Skymed and Germany's SAR-Lupe satellite constellations. (12/5)

Northrop CEO: Harness Technology to Understand Climate Change (Source: AIA)
Northrop Grumman CEO Ronald Sugar writes that existing technologies -- from satellites to submarines -- capture a treasure trove of data for understanding and combating climate change. "The missing piece is integration," he says. "If we leverage our many sensors, integrate their climate data and tailor it for practical applications, we can make this information more relevant to a larger community. We can inspire innovation, establish effective mitigation policies and sustainable practices, and create a knowledge base for economic growth." (12/5)

Why Return to the Moon? (Source: NASA)
Visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/leagilewg2008/presentations/oct28am/hale.pdf for a recent presentation by NASA explaining the rationale for exploring the Moon. (12/5)

Florida Art Teachers Among Zero Gravity Flyers (Source: Gainesville Sun)
As an art teacher, Robert Ponzio knows a thing or two about painting and drawing. But on Sunday, Ponzio, the head of the fine arts department at Gainesville's Oak Hall School, will get the chance to take his art to zero gravity when he takes off out of Kennedy Space Center on a customized 727 dubbed G-FORCE ONE. Owned and operated by the Zero Gravity Corporation, the plane offers a select group of 60 Florida school teachers the chance to experience During 15 intervals of weightlessness, Ponzio will draw, while other teachers - mostly science instructors - do experiments and other activities. Two flights are being sponsored by Space Florida. (12/5)

UK Lunar Satellite Mission Could Launch in 2014 (Source: CNET)
A United Kingdom-led mission to put a satellite in orbit around the moon, potentially enabling lunar colonists to use mobile phones to communicate with each other, has inched a step closer to blastoff. The British National Space Center has announced that it will undertake a technical-feasibility study of the MoonLITE, or Moon Lightweight Interior and Telecom Experiment, mission. Depending on the outcome of the study, the MoonLITE mission could launch by about 2014. The plan for the mission is to put a satellite in orbit around the moon for use as a telecommunications station, relaying data from a network of geophysical instruments on the moon's surface back to Earth. (12/5)

Congressional Quibbling Freezes TRDA's SATOP (Source: New Mexico Business Weekly)
A federally funded program that has benefited hundreds of small New Mexico businesses has fallen victim to congressional backlash against earmarks. The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) — funded since 2001 by Congress through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) — lost its annual $4 million appropriation in the fiscal year 2008 budget because of bickering over earmarks, said Paul Secor, director of technology transfer at the Florida-based Technological Research and Development Authority.

TRDA is subcontracted by NASA to administer the national SATOP program, which offers stipends to universities, national laboratories and private sector partners to provide free technical assistance to small businesses. TRDA divides the annual funding among four regional centers in New Mexico, New York, Texas and Florida, with New Mexico receiving about $400,000 a year. (12/5)

China Conducts First Successful Test of Hybrid Rocket (Source: Xinhua)
China successfully launched and retrieved a hybrid rocket on Friday for the first time. The rocket, "Beihang-2", was launched from the Jiuquan spaceport in northwestern Gansu Province. The head of the rocket was parachuted to the ground 1.2 km south of the launch site 15 minutes later. The rocket reached an altitude of 3,000 m. The rocket was 3.417 m long and 0.22 m in diameter. It was designed primarily by 15 undergraduates and postgraduates of the School of Astronautics of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Researchers said this kind of rocket would not explode and had a low cost. The launch was mainly intended to test the performance of the rocket's hybrid engine. (12/5)