February 12 News Items

Ariane 5 Rocket Trucks Four Spacecraft Into Orbit (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Beginning another busy year of transporting satellites from Earth to space, the commercial Ariane 5 rocket successfully launched two communications spacecraft and a pair of military payloads on Thursday. Thundering out of its South American spaceport, the heavy-lift booster turned east and set sail on a half-hour ascent to its appointed geosynchronous transfer orbit. Continuing its string of consecutive successes over the past six years, the rocket first deployed Hot Bird 10, a powerful new direct-to-home TV satellite for Europe, then released the NSS 9 telecommunications spacecraft to bridge the Pacific and later ejected two missile-warning micro-sats for the French military. (2/12)

Space Traffic Congestion Needs Money, Technology, International Coordination (Source: Reuters)
The dramatic collision of U.S. and Russian satellites is the latest in a series of orbital events that highlight an urgent need for better monitoring of the growing traffic in space. Tuesday's crash will increase calls for additional Pentagon spending to track space debris and satellites, U.S. space experts said. It also may give new impetus to a drive to set international standards for companies and governments operating in space that may include equipping new satellites with sensors or mandatory propulsion systems so they can be moved to ease traffic congestion. (2/12)

Pentagon Fails to Anticipate Satellite Collision (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The Pentagon acknowledged Thursday that it did not anticipate the accidental collision in space of a US commercial satellite with a Russian military satellite, the first major event of its kind. "We did not predict this collision," said a Pentagon spokesman. The US Joint Space Operations Center tracks about 18,000 objects in orbit, so many that it has to decide which to follow most closely, like the International Space Station or manned space flights.

"There are limits on your ability to track and compute every piece of orbiting man made object," said Whitman. "It's an unfortunate incident that highlights the importance of cooperation and collaboration in space," he said. Satellites that are "going dead" can be put in a place in space where there is no activity, or maneuvered into a safe descent back to Earth, he said. But Whitman refrained from accusing the Russians of negligence, saying that some of the procedures for handling dying satellites were introduced long after the satellite's launch in 1993.

He said he had been told that Tuesday's collision was not the first of its kind, adding that "there have been three to four other events." NASA spokesman John Yembrick said there have been "three other cases in which space objects orbiting at hypervelocity have collided accidentally." However, the US space agency spokesman added that "these were all minor events involving spent rockets or small satellites with only a few pieces of resulting debris." (2/12)

Editorial: Call for Revised International Policies Opens Door for U.S. Leadership (Source: ERAU)
Dealing with the increased likelihood of space hardware collisions may require revisiting international treaties and policies governing the use of Outer Space. If the orbital debris situation requires opening a dialog on these international agreements, the U.S. should pursue changes in other areas that discourage private-sector and even government-backed space initiatives aimed at exploiting space-based resources.

The Moon, Mars, and asteroids are currently treated similar to Antarctica in that no government may claim them, but non-government property rights (say, for lunar mining) are arguably allowed under some interpretations. The ambiguity of these policies can discourage large-scale commercial and government-backed space ventures. The Obama Administration should put the U.S. at the forefront of efforts to modernize international treaties that will encourage foreseeable types of large-scale commercial space enterprise. (2/12)

Satellite Smashup Threatens Earth-Observing Probes (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA officials say shrapnel from an orbital collision between two satellites on Wednesday could one day threaten a series of Earth-observing probes. Wednesday’s collision created “two large debris clouds” about 490 miles above Earth, which is near to where several Earth-observing probes called the A-Train circle the globe. The concern is that debris from the crash could scatter near the A-Train’s path.

“The risk is increased. I can’t tell you the magnitude of that risk, whether it went up 1 percent, 5 percent or 10 percent. We don’t have a lot of information yet to quantify,” said Nick Johnson, who leads NASA's effort to monitor space junk. In the past, NASA has been able to move satellites and the International Space Station out of the way when they are threatened by orbital debris. But the real concern lies with pieces smaller than four inches, which astronomers cannot track. Click here to view a model of the crash, and here for an in-depth look at the space debris. (1/12)

Kwajelein Spaceport Plans Control Center in Huntsville (Source: ERAU)
The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at the Kwajelein Atoll in the South Pacific now serves as a spaceport for launch vehicles like the SpaceX Falcon-1 and the Pegasus. Under a plan discussed at the recent FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference, the Army-led spaceport will begin remote operations at a Huntsville Range Operations Control Center. By "Bringing the Range to the Customer” the Army hopes to minimize travel and accommodation requirements at the distant spaceport, allowing companies to support launch operations from Alabama.

Editor's Note: Perhaps existing underutilized facilities at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport should be configured to support this requirement...especially given NASA's decision to manage the agency's expendable launch operations at KSC, and SpaceX's planned use of a Space Operations Control Center just outside the South Gate to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (2/12)

Unseen 'Dark Comets' Could Pose Deadly Threat to Earth (Source: Telegraph)
Most comets and asteroids are monitored in case they start to travel towards earth. But Bill Napier, from Cardiff University, said that many could be going by unnoticed. "There is a case to be made that dark, dormant comets are a significant but largely unseen hazard," he said. Scientists estimate that there should be around 3,000 comets in the solar system, but only 25 have so far been identified. "Dark" comets happen when the water on their surface has evaporated, causing them to reflect less light. Astronomers have previously spotted comets heading towards earth just days before they passed. (2/12)

Europe Seeks New Space Rules After Satellites Collide (Source: KyivPost.com)
Leading nations should adopt a code of conduct for civil and military activities in space, the European Union said on Thursday, hours after news emerged that U.S. and Russian satellites collided in orbit over the Arctic. Such efforts could help prevent environmental emergencies and clashes that may lead to space becoming a site of conflict, the EU said in the proposed voluntary pact, presented to the Conference on Disarmament.

All those sending objects into outer space should "take appropriate steps to minimize the risk of collision", the EU said. "States conducting outer space activities should also refrain from any intentional action which will or might bring about ... the damage or destruction of outer space objects," the Czech EU Presidency told the United Nations forum. (2/12)

Ice Age Aliens (Source: Astrobiology Magazine)
Could an alien astronomer have detected life on Earth during an ice age? Recent work has calculated how past climate extremes affected the light reflected from vegetation out into space. The results could give hope to our own search for life on distant worlds. From far away, our planet is a single faint speck of light in the sky. Although we have sent radio messages out to potential extraterrestrial listeners, none of these signals have traveled more than a few tens of light years. Click here to view the article. (2/12)

China Alert on US-Russian Satellite Collision (Source: Xinhua)
The debris left by a satellite collision above Siberia, Russia, poses a threat to China's solar synchronous satellites on the orbit, Chinese scientists said on Thursday. A monitoring network under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is now closely watching and searching for the debris of the damaged satellites for the safety of Chinese satellites, said Zhao. But he insisted that such in-space collisions are rare. (2/12)

Stimulus Offers Bright Spots for Defense Companies (Source: AIA)
Despite looming cuts in military budgets, defense companies are finding some consolation in the compromise stimulus bill. Among the beneficiaries: Boeing Co. could get $200 million for a "virtual fence" along the Mexican border, while Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co. could see millions in extra spending on weather satellites. Additionally, General Electric Co. and L-3 Communications Holdings are expected to benefit from a $1 billion push to install high-tech baggage screeners at U.S. airports. (2/12)

NASA Project Management Conference in Daytona on Feb. 24-25 (Source: NASA)
Mark your calendars for NASA PM Challenge 2009, Feb. 24-25, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona Beach Hilton will be the location for this important training, networking, and lesson-sharing session. The PM Challenge will be held with several adjustments, so that it will not be subject to the conference reporting requirement restrictions associated with the 2008 NASA Authorization Bill. The PM Challenge is focused on training, lessons learned, knowledge sharing, and new ideas in the areas of program/project management, systems engineering, risk management, and related disciplines. “Connect and Discover” is the PM Challenge 2009 theme. Visit http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.htm for information.

Editor's Note: NASA is working with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to sponsor the participation of about 25 female engineering students at this event. (2/11)

Stimulus Compromise: $1 Billion for NASA? (Source: Space Politics)
The Orlando Sentinel has reported that, based on a message from an aide to Sen. Bill Nelson, $1 billion in stimulus spending will go to NASA in the House/Senate compromise approach. Of that $1 billion, $400 million would go to exploration, only slightly less than what the Senate approved earlier this week (and a major victory for spaceflight supporters given the House version contained nothing.) The breakouts for science, aeronautics, and facility repairs were not disclosed. How that $400 million for exploration would be spent isn’t clear; the Sentinel reports that “Presumably that money would go to NASA’s Constellation program”, although one suspects SpaceX is hoping that $300 million or more would be available to exercise its COTS-D option. (2/11)

Kosmas: Obama Describes Self as "Space Guy" (Source: Florida Today)
Suzanne Kosmas, the freshman Democratic congresswoman from New Smyrna Beach, caught up with the president flying back to Washington from Obama's economic recovery speech in Fort Myers. Kosmas said she invited the president, who described himself as a "space guy," to join her for a space shuttle launch. She told the president she wanted to ensure that whoever he appointed to lead NASA is an advocate of manned space exploration. She said Obama assured her the person would. (2/12)

Sirius Talks To Liberty To Fend Off Ergen Effort (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Sirius XM Radio Inc. is seeking an investment from Liberty Media Corp., people familiar with the matter say, in a last-ditch effort to fend off an unsolicited takeover approach from satellite entrepreneur Charles Ergen. The talks set the stage for a battle between the leading U.S. satellite-television providers -- Liberty-controlled DirectTV Group Inc. and Mr. Ergen's Dish Network Corp. -- for control of the country's sole satellite-radio operator. Liberty, which is controlled by billionaire John Malone, emerged as a potential "white knight" for Sirius after Mr. Ergen made an unsolicited offer late last year to take control of the Sirius XM. (2/12)

EchoStar May Be Sirius' Best Bet as Debt Comes Due (Source: Reuters)
With heavy debt payments just round the corner, Sirius XM Radio Chief Executive Mel Karmazin is under increasing pressure to strike a deal with Charlie Ergen's EchoStar Corp to avoid bankruptcy. Wall Street analysts say a deal with Ergen is emerging as the most likely and preferable scenario for the satellite radio provider, whose main growth engine -- sales of new cars with Sirius radios -- has been hit badly by the recession.

Ergen, the majority owner of satellite television company EchoStar and its sister company Dish Network Corp, holds $175 million in Sirius convertible notes that mature next week and holds another $400 million of debt due in December, media reports say. This means Karmazin has to work with Ergen or find some other source of cash, which is unlikely in these markets. (2/12)

FAA Praises Virginia's Support of Spaceport (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
Virginia legislative support for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport was praised in a report released by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Special Report on U. S. State Spaceport Incentives, which was included in the FAA’s Launch Report for the last quarter of 2008, reviewed support for commercial space activities in 16 states and said Virginia and Florida are the only states so far to have “effectively created regulatory incentives to lure space transportation companies.” The report called Virginia an “agent of change,” saying the state has recently taken the lead in offering innovative incentives to attract commercial space transportation companies. (2/11)

Editorial: Alien Hunt is Too Exciting to Ignore (Source: New Scientist)
What is the biggest question in science? The origin of consciousness? How to combine quantum mechanics with general relativity? These are big, but arguably there's a bigger one: is there anyone out there? Understanding exactly what life is, how it began and whether it exists beyond our planet is, I believe, the greatest challenge of our time. Finding alien life would be the most important discovery in history, and the search for it is more likely than anything else to maintain public support for space research. Given this, you'd think space agencies would be devoting pretty much all their resources to it. Oddly, they are not. Click here to view the article.

NASA and the European Space Agency both have planned missions to Mars to look for conditions favorable to life, but neither will be equipped to look directly for living organisms, which should be the priority. And even these missions are not getting the funding they deserve. Furthermore, NASA often appears so worried about being seen to be looking for aliens that it seems coy about the whole enterprise. This is daft. What's needed is a direct, no-holds-barred approach to the search for life. Science needs to shed its ET hang-up. NASA's annual budget is $20 billion, yet it won't spend a significant sum on what should be a flagship mission to Mars to look for existing life. Similarly, it is bizarre that no public funds are available for even a modest search for alien radio transmissions. (2/11)