January 10 News Items

Top-Secret Mission To Launch Tuesday Night (Source: Florida Today)
A giant Delta IV Heavy rocket is scheduled to blast off next Tuesday night with a top-secret payload, and the Air Force today released a five-hour launch window that narrows in on the time the behemoth booster will be taking off. Now nestled within its mobile service tower at Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the rocket will be thundering aloft between 7 p.m. and midnight Tuesday. All indications now are that the T-zero time will be not too long after the opening of that window -- possibly around 7:45 p.m. (1/10)

California College Pushes Ahead with NASA Project (Source: Palo Alto Daily News)
Despite tough economic times, Foothill-De Anza College is proceeding with plans to participate in the creation of a 70-acre high technology and science campus at Moffett Field. College Chancellor Martha Kanter said the project, which could cost the college $220,000 this year, will offer educational opportunities to a rapidly growing Peninsula population. And because the project is focused on emerging technologies, she said it will teach skills for working in industries such as solar energy and nanotechnology. The campus will include labs, classrooms, commercial space, up to 1,600 housing units and a partnership with NASA. (1/10)

Coburn to Sing 'Rocket Man' After Lost Wager (Source: AP)
Oklahoma's junior senator in Washington soon will be belting out a rendition of the Elton John hit "Rocket Man" after losing a bet with Senator Bill Nelson from Florida. Sen. Tom Coburn and Nelson placed a wager on Thursday's night's BCS National Championship game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Florida Gators. Since Florida won, Coburn agreed to sing the song during Nelson's next constituent coffee, a traditional weekly meeting between a senator and residents of his home state. Had Oklahoma won, Nelson would have had to sing "Oklahoma!" during Coburn's next constituent meeting. Rocket Man" was selected because Nelson was an astronaut who traveled into space in 1986 aboard the shuttle Columbia. (1/10)

Colorado University Wins $11 Million for Lunar Research (Source: CU-Boulder)
The University of Colorado at Boulder was awarded two grants totaling $11 million today from NASA's Lunar Science Institute to probe the cosmos from observatories on the moon and to conduct science and safety investigations on the dusty lunar surface and its atmosphere. First, a four-year, $6 million proposal known as the Lunar University Node for Astrophysical Research, or LUNAR. The goal is to conduct a variety of astronomical observations from the lunar surface, including fundamental studies of gravity and Einstein's general theory of relativity, solar physics -- including explosive eruptions on the sun -- and the development of a new suite of instruments for peering back at the early universe, said Burns.

The second CU-Boulder proposal funded by the institute is a four-year, $5 million grant led by principal investigator and Professor Mihaly Horanyi of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for the creation of the Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies, or CCLDAS. Horanyi and his team will study the lunar surface and atmosphere, including charged dust particles, ionized gas and dust, impact processes, the evolution of the lunar atmosphere and astronaut safety issues. (1/10)

Space Week For Orlando Schools (Source: WFTV)
Over a 4-day period more than 2,500 Orange County Public School 8th graders got a taste of space just before heading off for their holiday break. They were a participating in Orange County Space Week at the Kennedy Space Center. The students started their day at the Apollo/Saturn 5 Center. A scavenger hunt got things started. The scavenger hunt had the students searching out information about the space program. (1/10)

NASA Selects Research Teams for Lunar Science Institute (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected seven academic and research teams as initial members of the agency's Lunar Science Institute. The selection of the members encompasses academic institutions, non-profit research institutes, private companies, NASA centers and other government laboratories. Selections were based on a competitive process that began in June 2008. The next solicitation opportunity will take place in approximately two years. University collaborators will include Brown University, Johns Hopkins, and University of Colorado in Boulder. (1/10)

City Right to Seek Concrete Action From Rocket League (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Las Cruces city councilors walked a tough but fair line Monday with the Rocket Racing League. With RRL behind on construction commitments, as well as on lease payments, councilors essentially told the group's CEO, Granger Whitelaw, "Get with the program." The concept of the Rocket Racing League is a great one. It would be a NASCAR-type league but, instead of racing cars, pilots would fly and race rockets. Companies would use hangars at the Las Cruces International Airport to house rockets, and the league would establish its headquarters here.

Great concept. But as we know, there is a lot of work between any concept and reality, especially for a project this ambitious. RRL was $14,400 behind in lease payments and late fees, and was well behind on construction. Hangars on two of six parcels of land were supposed to be completed by Jan. 15, pretty much a physical impossibility at this point. (1/10)