Replacing OCO Could Mean Delays for Other Earth Science Missions (Source: Space News)
A NASA decision to replace a carbon-observing satellite lost in a February launch mishap could come at the expense of other Earth-observing missions entering development. Officials in Congress and the White House are working on a plan to replace the capabilities lost when NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was destroyed during a failed Feb. 24 launch attempt aboard a Taurus XL rocket. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. Any plans to replace the $209 million mission, designed to make precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide, could delay other projects in the pipeline, including the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission and ICESAT-2, which is a follow-on to NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite that was launched in 2003. (9/30)
NASA Extends Jacobs Contract at JSC in Texas (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a three-year contract extension to Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn., for engineering and science support at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The contract extension has an estimated value of $978 million. The extension brings the total contract value to approximately $2.16 billion through Jan. 31, 2013, with an eight year total period of performance. (9/30)
Virginia Spaceport Authority Seeks Deputy (Source: NASA Watch)
The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (VCSFA) seeks a skilled, entrepreneurial leader willing to join a small team and assume full responsibility for all ops. including construction, design, launch manifest, grants, personnel, bus. development financial mgmt and public affairs are produced, implemented and evaluated cost effectively and in accordance with all contract requirements, federal and state laws and regulations. The ability to work with Government and private sector Program Managers affiliates and subcontractors on time and cost results in a matrix management environment is vital. Deputy works with the Executive Director to establish the VCSFA as the East coast leader in commercial space flight support services. (9/30)
Satellite Companies Join Race for Broadband Stimulus Dollars (Source: AIA)
Satellite broadband companies have applied for some $2.2 billion in federal funds under the government's broadband stimulus program, despite skepticism over how much support they might get. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earmarks about $7.2 billion for broadband-related projects, and 2,200 applicants have requested funding totaling some $28 billion. (9/30)
Bart Gordon: U.S. Must Lead World in Space (Source: Tennessean.com)
Although there is near-unanimous support in Congress for a balanced and robust program at NASA, including human spaceflight and exploration, NASA has been allocated funding that doesn't match the important and challenging assignments we Americans have asked of our space agency. The bottom line now is that the money needs to match the mission. We either have to give NASA the resources that it needs to do the jobs the nation wants it to do, or we need to stop pretending that it can do all we've put on its plate.
However, I want to make clear that this isn't just an issue for budgetary "bean counters" to decide. NASA's activities have made important advances since its establishment that have made positive changes to everyday life. The accomplishments of the human spaceflight program, especially the moon landing, have also inspired a generation to pursue careers in science and engineering and led to a flowering of innovation that has helped strengthen our national economic competitiveness over the past 40 years. Moreover, the human spaceflight program has been a visible symbol of American technological prowess around the world. (9/30)
Editorial: Next Giant Leap Will be Costly (Source: Tennessean.com)
In 10 days, a NASA probe will crash into a crater on the lunar surface in a dramatic test for evidence of water on what had long been thought to be a completely arid moon. Around the same time, the Obama administration could be deciding whether a program intended to haul equipment and eventually people to the moon will be brought down to earth by high costs. It's another issue on which President Barack Obama could find himself at odds with lawmakers of his own party, many of whom have embraced the Bush administration idea of a return to the moon. And it truly is no clear-cut decision.
Where the money will come from amid a recession and efforts to reform health care, enact climate legislation and run two wars is anyone's guess. Norman Augustine, head of Obama's panel and former Lockheed Martin CEO, said the current program is not "executable'' without the extra $3 billion and that that may not even be enough. Lawmakers bristled at the thought that the work done so far could be scrapped — but these concerns need to be heard. Manned space exploration simply should not be done with less funding or less attention to detail than experts recommend. The Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters attest to that. (9/30)
Editorial: Space Program Brings Us New Technologies (Source: Tennessean.com)
Given the challenges faced by our society, many ask, "Why should we spend [$3 billion more] on space when we have so many problems here on Earth?" Here's a rocket scientist's perspective: We do have many pressing problems here on Earth, but how would we face these problems today without the knowledge developed by America's space program in the past 50 years?
Exploration is investment in future.
Imagine our society grappling with the problems of understanding a changing climate without NASA-developed weather and earth observation satellites. Imagine coping with a complex and interdependent world without advanced communications based on NASA developments in communications satellites, error-correcting codes and integrated circuits that are in everything from cell phones to computers.
Imagine facing security threats without stealthy aircraft made possible by fly-by-wire computer technology developed by NASA for the space shuttle using Apollo moon mission hardware. Imagine sending our troops into battle without hyper-accurate maps produced by shuttle radar mapping missions. Imagine surviving personal health-care crises without advanced medical imaging that evolved from NASA imaging of the moon and other planets and without advanced implantable medical devices using NASA technology. Imagine trying to meet today's challenges without these things. (9/30)
AIAA Panel to Discuss Augustine Panel (Source: AIAA)
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will host a panel of experts to discuss the implications of the Augustine Commission report on Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m. EDT as a live, streaming, Internet radio broadcast, the discussion will be moderated by Dr. David Livingston, host of 'The Space Show' and may be accessed at www.thespaceshow.com. (9/30)
New Space Station Crew Launches from Kazakhstan (Source: NASA)
The next residents of the International Space Station launched into orbit aboard a Soyuz spacecraft Wednesday from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, Russian cosmonaut Max Suraev and spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte are scheduled to dock with the station on Oct. 2. They will spend nine days as members of a joint crew that includes Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka, NASA's Mike Barratt and Nicole Stott, the European Space Agency's Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and the Canadian Space Agency's Bob Thirsk. (9/30)
NASA Audit Criticizes Caltech Contract for Operation of JPL (Source: Pasadena Star)
The office of the inspector general at NASA released a report over the weekend questioning the way a $1.5 billion-a-year contract was awarded to Caltech for its operation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The report questions whether the current contract gives the operator, Caltech, any incentive to control costs for the programs that it conducts on behalf of NASA. NASA rated Caltech's performance highly and extended the contract for over two years - shielding it from outside competition - despite doing a poor job controlling costs for a "large, significant project" that went unnamed in the audit.
In response to the report, NASA headquarters recommended beginning the search for an operator that could compete with Caltech. It also called for coming up with a way of evaluating Caltech's contract that better factors in its ability to control costs. Since 1993, NASA has awarded three 5-year contracts to Caltech for research and development as well as the operation of the facility, but NASA awarded Caltech a new kind of contract in 2003 that was supposed to give the operator the incentive to do good work. (9/30)
September 29 News Items
The Business of Space Tourism (Source: Global News)
While Quebec billionaire Guy Laliberte has called his visit to space “social” and “poetic,” it is also very expensive. The Cirque de Soleil founder reportedly paid $35 million to become the latest “space tourist,” blasting off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. While he is the first Canadian tourist to visit space, there have been several others to make the trip. And like Laliberte, they have all been billionaires with a taste for adventure.
Five other space tourists have reportedly paid $20-$25 million for the out-of-this-world adventure. While a large amount of money can get you a reservation on a flight to the ISS, the preparation to go into space is much more involved. Before taking off, space tourists have to undergo a medical examination and follow the same training as astronauts. The training is both theoretical and physical. Astronauts practice meal preparation, equipment stowage, trash management, use of cameras, and experiment operations. Training in a water tank is used to simulate weightless conditions. (9/29)
NASA Faces Hurdles to Get Launch Date for Next Shuttle (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Two upcoming satellite launches, a pair of meteor showers, multiple Russian missions and tight launch windows are causing potential headaches for NASA planners looking ahead to the next shuttle mission in November. NASA is readying the shuttle Atlantis for roll out to pad 39A on Oct. 13 and launch around Nov. 12 on a mission to deliver critical spare parts to the International Space Station. But the ship's nine-day launch window currently is in conflict with a pair of unmanned satellite launches, one a commercial mission and the other military.
The U.S. Eastern Range, which provides tracking and telemetry support for all rockets launched from Florida, can only support one mission at a time and it operates on a first-come, first-served basis. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 carrying an Intelsat communications satellite is currently booked on the range for a launch Nov. 14 with a backup opportunity the next day. A ULA Delta 4 rocket carrying a military communications satellite has the range booked Nov. 17 and 18. (9/29)
Pratt & Whitney Works with Lockheed on Mach 6 Ramjet (Source: PWR)
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has been awarded a 10-month contract by Lockheed Martin for preliminary design of the high speed accelerator for a turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC) propulsion system, which could support flight up to Mach 6. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will develop preliminary designs for a dual-mode ramjet combustor with related control and fuel system components. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will also define requirements for a test facility to perform TBCC propulsion system mode transition tests. The TBCC propulsion system consists of a turbojet engine, which can operate from take-off to Mach 3, and a ramjet engine, which can operate from Mach 2.5 to Mach 6. (9/29)
Russia to Launch Orbital Lab "Oka-T" in 2015 (Source: Xinhua)
Russia will launch an orbital laboratory in 2015. The lab, called Oka-T, would serve the crews of the International Space Station (ISS). Oka-T would be an autonomous spacecraft that would support experiments on space technologies and material sciences in the environment of microgravity. The lab would dock to the ISS only when transmitting laboratory results, replacing or maintaining research equipment and bringing supplies. The eight-ton orbital lab could also be used to develop microelectronic and nanoelectronic technologies, producing alloys, composite materials and biological substances. The lab is now being jointly manufactured by several Russian space corporations. It will serve for at least five years. (9/29)
SpaceX Preparing for Next Rocket Engine Test in October (Source: TD News)
The rocket company in McGregor that is known for rattling windows around town is keeping quiet about the exact time it next fires up its rocket engines. SpaceX spokeswoman Cassie Kloberdanz said the California-based company would conduct two separate tests of its Falcon 9 rocket engine assembly at the McGregor site "no earlier than Oct. 1." The first test is scheduled to last 10 seconds. The second test, which will be conducted on a later day, will fire for 30 seconds.
Trying to pinpoint exactly when that rumbling would begin isn't practical, Ms. Kloberdanz said, because these are complicated tests. When scientists and engineers are ready to fire up nine of their Merlin rocket engines at once, they don't have time to notify everyone. (9/29)
Embry-Riddle Plans Arizona Commemoration of Moon Landing (Source: Prescott News)
The Prescott Fine Arts Singers and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University present their second concert, “Moon II - The Man on the Moon—a fortieth anniversary celebration of man’s first steps on the moon” featuring for the first time, original compositions by local musician Stan Gibb. The program will feature patriotic and original music matched with visual presentation, and graphics depicting events leading up to the historic day. (9/29)
While Quebec billionaire Guy Laliberte has called his visit to space “social” and “poetic,” it is also very expensive. The Cirque de Soleil founder reportedly paid $35 million to become the latest “space tourist,” blasting off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. While he is the first Canadian tourist to visit space, there have been several others to make the trip. And like Laliberte, they have all been billionaires with a taste for adventure.
Five other space tourists have reportedly paid $20-$25 million for the out-of-this-world adventure. While a large amount of money can get you a reservation on a flight to the ISS, the preparation to go into space is much more involved. Before taking off, space tourists have to undergo a medical examination and follow the same training as astronauts. The training is both theoretical and physical. Astronauts practice meal preparation, equipment stowage, trash management, use of cameras, and experiment operations. Training in a water tank is used to simulate weightless conditions. (9/29)
NASA Faces Hurdles to Get Launch Date for Next Shuttle (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Two upcoming satellite launches, a pair of meteor showers, multiple Russian missions and tight launch windows are causing potential headaches for NASA planners looking ahead to the next shuttle mission in November. NASA is readying the shuttle Atlantis for roll out to pad 39A on Oct. 13 and launch around Nov. 12 on a mission to deliver critical spare parts to the International Space Station. But the ship's nine-day launch window currently is in conflict with a pair of unmanned satellite launches, one a commercial mission and the other military.
The U.S. Eastern Range, which provides tracking and telemetry support for all rockets launched from Florida, can only support one mission at a time and it operates on a first-come, first-served basis. A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 carrying an Intelsat communications satellite is currently booked on the range for a launch Nov. 14 with a backup opportunity the next day. A ULA Delta 4 rocket carrying a military communications satellite has the range booked Nov. 17 and 18. (9/29)
Pratt & Whitney Works with Lockheed on Mach 6 Ramjet (Source: PWR)
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has been awarded a 10-month contract by Lockheed Martin for preliminary design of the high speed accelerator for a turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC) propulsion system, which could support flight up to Mach 6. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will develop preliminary designs for a dual-mode ramjet combustor with related control and fuel system components. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will also define requirements for a test facility to perform TBCC propulsion system mode transition tests. The TBCC propulsion system consists of a turbojet engine, which can operate from take-off to Mach 3, and a ramjet engine, which can operate from Mach 2.5 to Mach 6. (9/29)
Russia to Launch Orbital Lab "Oka-T" in 2015 (Source: Xinhua)
Russia will launch an orbital laboratory in 2015. The lab, called Oka-T, would serve the crews of the International Space Station (ISS). Oka-T would be an autonomous spacecraft that would support experiments on space technologies and material sciences in the environment of microgravity. The lab would dock to the ISS only when transmitting laboratory results, replacing or maintaining research equipment and bringing supplies. The eight-ton orbital lab could also be used to develop microelectronic and nanoelectronic technologies, producing alloys, composite materials and biological substances. The lab is now being jointly manufactured by several Russian space corporations. It will serve for at least five years. (9/29)
SpaceX Preparing for Next Rocket Engine Test in October (Source: TD News)
The rocket company in McGregor that is known for rattling windows around town is keeping quiet about the exact time it next fires up its rocket engines. SpaceX spokeswoman Cassie Kloberdanz said the California-based company would conduct two separate tests of its Falcon 9 rocket engine assembly at the McGregor site "no earlier than Oct. 1." The first test is scheduled to last 10 seconds. The second test, which will be conducted on a later day, will fire for 30 seconds.
Trying to pinpoint exactly when that rumbling would begin isn't practical, Ms. Kloberdanz said, because these are complicated tests. When scientists and engineers are ready to fire up nine of their Merlin rocket engines at once, they don't have time to notify everyone. (9/29)
Embry-Riddle Plans Arizona Commemoration of Moon Landing (Source: Prescott News)
The Prescott Fine Arts Singers and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University present their second concert, “Moon II - The Man on the Moon—a fortieth anniversary celebration of man’s first steps on the moon” featuring for the first time, original compositions by local musician Stan Gibb. The program will feature patriotic and original music matched with visual presentation, and graphics depicting events leading up to the historic day. (9/29)
September 28 News Items
Soyuz TMA-16 Readied for Launch Sept. 30 (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The next Soyuz TMA-16 mission to the space station is on the "Gagarin's Start" launch pad for a Wednesday blast-off from the Kazakh steppe, more from AP and Russia Today. NASA plans TV and webcast coverage of the launch Wednesday beginning at 1:45 AM. Soyuz Spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte plans a multi-million dollar October 9 global space show. (9/28)
Astronaut Musgrave Featured at Amateur Radio Event on Oct. 17 (Source: FSEC)
Astronaut Story Musgrave will be the featured speaker at an Oct. 17 event to support the Brevard Emergency Amateur Radio Service. He will speak on the environment and technology. The Amateur Radio Service group invites donations of $25 for the event, to support their efforts during emergency and disaster events. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Florida Solar Energy Center on the Cocoa Campus of Brevard Community College. Call 321-727-2311 for information. (9/28)
Gainesville Museum Hosts Space Event (Source: Gainesville Sun)
The opportunities to meet an astronaut, to view celestial bodies, make a telescope and much more attracted more than 1,000 people to the Florida Museum of Natural History last week. As part of a yearlong celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, the museum hosted its annual Starry Night - and the turnout was considerable. In fact, people formed a line that roped around the museum in hopes of being one of 80 participants who would get the chance to build their own telescope. Capt. Winston Scott, a former astronaut, shared his experiences and adventures in a classroom filled with guests. Attendees were captivated as he spoke about his six hours of training performed underwater in a 350-pound suit. (9/28)
Astronomers Make Key Sighting with Florida Telescope (Source: UF)
This summer, University of Florida astronomers inaugurated the world’s largest optical telescope on a nearly 8,000-foot mountaintop 3,480 miles away. But it was a far more modest observatory, located just above sea level in rural Levy County and just down the road from the UF campus, that proved key to a new discovery about what one astronomer termed “one of the weirdest” planets outside our solar system. Three UF astronomers are among the authors of a paper pinning down the extravagantly unusual orbit of HD 80606b, a Jupiter-sized planet nearly 200 light years away. The astronomers made observations of the planet eclipsing its star from a 41-year-old telescope at the department’s Rosemary Hill Observatory 30 miles west of Gainesville in Bronson. (9/28)
China Completes World's Highest-Resolution 3D Map of Moon (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese experts Monday announced that the country's space scientists had completed the world's highest-resolution three-dimensional map of the moon. The map, covering the whole surface of the moon, was made based on image data obtained by a charge-coupled device (CCD) stereo camera carried by the Chang'e-1, China's first lunar probe. The map's spatial resolution -- measured by the distance of two features within an image that can be clearly defined -- is 500 meters. (9/28)
Commercial Supply Rocket Ready for Lift Off (Source: MIT Technology Review)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a private company based in Hawthorne, CA, announced last week that its rocket, Falcon 9, is ready for its first test flight. Aboard the rocket will be the company's Dragon capsule, a spacecraft designed to carry both cargo and crew and is being developed under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. SpaceX has not set a specific launch date, but the rocket will be sent to the launch pad in Florida in November. It could be anywhere from one to three months before it lifts off. (9/28)
Astrotech Reports Financial 4th Quarter Results, Explores Strategic Alternatives (Source: Astrotech)
Astrotech Corp. posted a fourth quarter fiscal year 2009 net income of $2.6 million and revenue of $10.4 million, compared with a fourth quarter fiscal year 2008 net loss of $1.5 million and revenue of $6.1 million. Astrotech’s net income for the fiscal year ended Jun. 30 was $4.7 million with revenue of $32.0 million compared to a net loss of $36.0 million with revenue of $25.5 million for the prior fiscal year. These results represent a 25.2% increase in revenue over fiscal year 2008. Additionally, this marks the first time since 2005 that the Company has reported net income for the fiscal year.
Astrotech also has engaged investment banking firm Lazard Ltd. to explore strategic financial and business alternatives to enhance shareholder value. These could include strategic acquisitions, a sale of some or all of the company’s assets or a variety of other possible transactions. (9/28)
A Glance at Space Tourists Past and Present (Source: AP)
As Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte prepares for his trip to the International Space Station, here's a look at the colorful men and one woman who have purchased seats on Russian space flights. Click here to view the space tourist profiles. (9/28)
ATK Shoots for the Moon with Rocket, Dismisses Studies Critical of Safety (Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner)
As NASA shoots for the moon, the Top of Utah company helping take the space agency's rocket to the sky claims it has the safest launch vehicle ever developed. But not everybody thinks so, including some departments of the Air Force and, at one time, even NASA. Charley Precourt, ATK's space launch systems general manager, believes some safety study reports and follow-up news stories were "overblown" as NASA reignited the lunar program. "The safety piece is really important," said Precourt, a former shuttle astronaut. "It's one of the major benefits of our motor." (9/28)
Dark Matter Hunters Construct a New Weapon (Source: WIRED)
That dark matter has never been found is no deterrent to the physicists who are looking for it. According to physicists, only around five percent of what makes up the universe can presently be detected. The existence of dark matter is inferred from the behavior of faraway galaxies, which move in ways that can only be explained by a gravitational pull caused by more mass than can be seen. They estimate dark matter represents around 20 percent of the universe, with the other 75 percent made up of dark energy, a repulsive force that is causing the universe to expand at an ever-quickening pace.
A new detector, which is called a scintillating bolometer and resembles a prop from The Golden Compass, is a crystal so pure it can conduct the energy ostensibly generated when a particle of dark matter strikes the nucleus of one of its atoms. To prevent interference by cosmic rays, the bolometer is sheathed in lead and kept underground, under half a mile of rock. It’s also frozen to near-absolute zero, the temperature at which all motion stops. At the edge of absolute zero, it’s possible to measure expected changes of a few millionths of a degree Fahrenheit. (9/28)
Stem Cells Point to Space Ills (Source: ABC Science)
Stem cells exposed to microgravity express different proteins than those grown in normal gravity, say Australian researchers. The finding may explain why long-term exposure to microgravity causes astronaut health issues such as loss of bone density and muscle wasting. The researchers used a NASA rotating-wall vessel to simulate microgravity, which is experienced by astronauts in low Earth orbit, to analyse its effect on human embryonic stem cells. Their results showed 75% of the proteins from the cells exposed to microgravity were not found in those grown under normal gravity. (9/28)
U.S. to Host Global Conference on Space Debris (Source: AIA)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking proposals for cleaning up space debris in advance of the first international conference "solely dedicated to addressing the issues and challenges involved with removing manmade orbital debris from Earth orbit." DARPA and NASA will co-host the conference Dec. 8-10. (9/25)
A Tipping Point for Commercial Crew? (Source: Space Review)
In recent weeks several companies have expressed new or renewed interest in developing commercial systems for carrying people to low Earth orbit. Jeff Foust reports on these recent developments and the potential political opposition to any greater emphasis on commercial crew transportation. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1477/1 to view the article. (9/28)
In the Space Industry, Who is a Contractor and Who is Commercial? (Source: Space Review)
The Augustine committee report has provided new impetus to efforts to further commercialize space access. Taylor Dinerman describes the challenges of separating true commercial companies from those that are primarily government contractors. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1476/1 to view the article. (9/28)
An Electrifying Conference? (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month a Canadian organization Hosted a three-day conference on space-based solar power. Jonathan Coopersmith summarizes the conference and the key issues facing this concept. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1475/1 to view the article. (9/28)
The Space Security Implications of Missile Defense (Source: Space Review)
The Obama Administration recently decided to replace planned ground-based interceptors in Europe with SM-3 missiles. Brian Weeden describes how this decision has implications for space security, since it was a modified SM-3 that intercepted a decaying US satellite last year. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1474/1 to view the article. (9/28)
India's Moon Mission Quite Economical (Source: Space Daily)
India's moon mission cost only about one sixth to one tenth of the cost of similar missions undertaken by European Space Agency (SMART) or NASA's LRO or SELENE of Japan or ChangE of China. Chandrayaan-I was also unique in carrying 11 scientific instruments and 60 detectors, Annadurai said at a seminar organised by National Council of Science Museums on Saturday. The total cost of Chandrayaan-I project including the ground facilities and launch vehicle was only $75 million ($30 million for the payload ) while cost of only payloads for missions like Japan's SELENE was $480 million, China's ChangE at $187 million or NASA's LRO at $491 million. (9/28)
Campaign Aims to Send 500K Pro-NASA Letters to Obama by Oct. 31 (Source: Florida Today)
When the shuttle program retires, experts warn that up to 7,000 Kennedy Space Center workers could lose their jobs -- scrubbing the Space Coast's hopes for an economic turnaround. That's why Brevard County Commissioner Robin Fisher is spearheading a new marketing crusade, "Save Space," to try to convince President Obama to extend the shuttle program and boost NASA funding.
How? By mailing half a million letters to the White House by the end of October. "If this shuttle doesn't get extended, it's going to be very, very devastating to the community. I started thinking to myself, why isn't the community screaming about it?" said Fisher, who represents District 1, including northern Brevard and the Cape.
Tuesday, Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Brian Binggeli announced the district would use "Save Space" as a learning tool for students. And Space Florida will organize a statewide initiative in tandem with Brevard's. Visit www.savespace.us for information and letter templates. (9/28)
The next Soyuz TMA-16 mission to the space station is on the "Gagarin's Start" launch pad for a Wednesday blast-off from the Kazakh steppe, more from AP and Russia Today. NASA plans TV and webcast coverage of the launch Wednesday beginning at 1:45 AM. Soyuz Spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte plans a multi-million dollar October 9 global space show. (9/28)
Astronaut Musgrave Featured at Amateur Radio Event on Oct. 17 (Source: FSEC)
Astronaut Story Musgrave will be the featured speaker at an Oct. 17 event to support the Brevard Emergency Amateur Radio Service. He will speak on the environment and technology. The Amateur Radio Service group invites donations of $25 for the event, to support their efforts during emergency and disaster events. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Florida Solar Energy Center on the Cocoa Campus of Brevard Community College. Call 321-727-2311 for information. (9/28)
Gainesville Museum Hosts Space Event (Source: Gainesville Sun)
The opportunities to meet an astronaut, to view celestial bodies, make a telescope and much more attracted more than 1,000 people to the Florida Museum of Natural History last week. As part of a yearlong celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, the museum hosted its annual Starry Night - and the turnout was considerable. In fact, people formed a line that roped around the museum in hopes of being one of 80 participants who would get the chance to build their own telescope. Capt. Winston Scott, a former astronaut, shared his experiences and adventures in a classroom filled with guests. Attendees were captivated as he spoke about his six hours of training performed underwater in a 350-pound suit. (9/28)
Astronomers Make Key Sighting with Florida Telescope (Source: UF)
This summer, University of Florida astronomers inaugurated the world’s largest optical telescope on a nearly 8,000-foot mountaintop 3,480 miles away. But it was a far more modest observatory, located just above sea level in rural Levy County and just down the road from the UF campus, that proved key to a new discovery about what one astronomer termed “one of the weirdest” planets outside our solar system. Three UF astronomers are among the authors of a paper pinning down the extravagantly unusual orbit of HD 80606b, a Jupiter-sized planet nearly 200 light years away. The astronomers made observations of the planet eclipsing its star from a 41-year-old telescope at the department’s Rosemary Hill Observatory 30 miles west of Gainesville in Bronson. (9/28)
China Completes World's Highest-Resolution 3D Map of Moon (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese experts Monday announced that the country's space scientists had completed the world's highest-resolution three-dimensional map of the moon. The map, covering the whole surface of the moon, was made based on image data obtained by a charge-coupled device (CCD) stereo camera carried by the Chang'e-1, China's first lunar probe. The map's spatial resolution -- measured by the distance of two features within an image that can be clearly defined -- is 500 meters. (9/28)
Commercial Supply Rocket Ready for Lift Off (Source: MIT Technology Review)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a private company based in Hawthorne, CA, announced last week that its rocket, Falcon 9, is ready for its first test flight. Aboard the rocket will be the company's Dragon capsule, a spacecraft designed to carry both cargo and crew and is being developed under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. SpaceX has not set a specific launch date, but the rocket will be sent to the launch pad in Florida in November. It could be anywhere from one to three months before it lifts off. (9/28)
Astrotech Reports Financial 4th Quarter Results, Explores Strategic Alternatives (Source: Astrotech)
Astrotech Corp. posted a fourth quarter fiscal year 2009 net income of $2.6 million and revenue of $10.4 million, compared with a fourth quarter fiscal year 2008 net loss of $1.5 million and revenue of $6.1 million. Astrotech’s net income for the fiscal year ended Jun. 30 was $4.7 million with revenue of $32.0 million compared to a net loss of $36.0 million with revenue of $25.5 million for the prior fiscal year. These results represent a 25.2% increase in revenue over fiscal year 2008. Additionally, this marks the first time since 2005 that the Company has reported net income for the fiscal year.
Astrotech also has engaged investment banking firm Lazard Ltd. to explore strategic financial and business alternatives to enhance shareholder value. These could include strategic acquisitions, a sale of some or all of the company’s assets or a variety of other possible transactions. (9/28)
A Glance at Space Tourists Past and Present (Source: AP)
As Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte prepares for his trip to the International Space Station, here's a look at the colorful men and one woman who have purchased seats on Russian space flights. Click here to view the space tourist profiles. (9/28)
ATK Shoots for the Moon with Rocket, Dismisses Studies Critical of Safety (Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner)
As NASA shoots for the moon, the Top of Utah company helping take the space agency's rocket to the sky claims it has the safest launch vehicle ever developed. But not everybody thinks so, including some departments of the Air Force and, at one time, even NASA. Charley Precourt, ATK's space launch systems general manager, believes some safety study reports and follow-up news stories were "overblown" as NASA reignited the lunar program. "The safety piece is really important," said Precourt, a former shuttle astronaut. "It's one of the major benefits of our motor." (9/28)
Dark Matter Hunters Construct a New Weapon (Source: WIRED)
That dark matter has never been found is no deterrent to the physicists who are looking for it. According to physicists, only around five percent of what makes up the universe can presently be detected. The existence of dark matter is inferred from the behavior of faraway galaxies, which move in ways that can only be explained by a gravitational pull caused by more mass than can be seen. They estimate dark matter represents around 20 percent of the universe, with the other 75 percent made up of dark energy, a repulsive force that is causing the universe to expand at an ever-quickening pace.
A new detector, which is called a scintillating bolometer and resembles a prop from The Golden Compass, is a crystal so pure it can conduct the energy ostensibly generated when a particle of dark matter strikes the nucleus of one of its atoms. To prevent interference by cosmic rays, the bolometer is sheathed in lead and kept underground, under half a mile of rock. It’s also frozen to near-absolute zero, the temperature at which all motion stops. At the edge of absolute zero, it’s possible to measure expected changes of a few millionths of a degree Fahrenheit. (9/28)
Stem Cells Point to Space Ills (Source: ABC Science)
Stem cells exposed to microgravity express different proteins than those grown in normal gravity, say Australian researchers. The finding may explain why long-term exposure to microgravity causes astronaut health issues such as loss of bone density and muscle wasting. The researchers used a NASA rotating-wall vessel to simulate microgravity, which is experienced by astronauts in low Earth orbit, to analyse its effect on human embryonic stem cells. Their results showed 75% of the proteins from the cells exposed to microgravity were not found in those grown under normal gravity. (9/28)
U.S. to Host Global Conference on Space Debris (Source: AIA)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking proposals for cleaning up space debris in advance of the first international conference "solely dedicated to addressing the issues and challenges involved with removing manmade orbital debris from Earth orbit." DARPA and NASA will co-host the conference Dec. 8-10. (9/25)
A Tipping Point for Commercial Crew? (Source: Space Review)
In recent weeks several companies have expressed new or renewed interest in developing commercial systems for carrying people to low Earth orbit. Jeff Foust reports on these recent developments and the potential political opposition to any greater emphasis on commercial crew transportation. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1477/1 to view the article. (9/28)
In the Space Industry, Who is a Contractor and Who is Commercial? (Source: Space Review)
The Augustine committee report has provided new impetus to efforts to further commercialize space access. Taylor Dinerman describes the challenges of separating true commercial companies from those that are primarily government contractors. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1476/1 to view the article. (9/28)
An Electrifying Conference? (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month a Canadian organization Hosted a three-day conference on space-based solar power. Jonathan Coopersmith summarizes the conference and the key issues facing this concept. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1475/1 to view the article. (9/28)
The Space Security Implications of Missile Defense (Source: Space Review)
The Obama Administration recently decided to replace planned ground-based interceptors in Europe with SM-3 missiles. Brian Weeden describes how this decision has implications for space security, since it was a modified SM-3 that intercepted a decaying US satellite last year. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1474/1 to view the article. (9/28)
India's Moon Mission Quite Economical (Source: Space Daily)
India's moon mission cost only about one sixth to one tenth of the cost of similar missions undertaken by European Space Agency (SMART) or NASA's LRO or SELENE of Japan or ChangE of China. Chandrayaan-I was also unique in carrying 11 scientific instruments and 60 detectors, Annadurai said at a seminar organised by National Council of Science Museums on Saturday. The total cost of Chandrayaan-I project including the ground facilities and launch vehicle was only $75 million ($30 million for the payload ) while cost of only payloads for missions like Japan's SELENE was $480 million, China's ChangE at $187 million or NASA's LRO at $491 million. (9/28)
Campaign Aims to Send 500K Pro-NASA Letters to Obama by Oct. 31 (Source: Florida Today)
When the shuttle program retires, experts warn that up to 7,000 Kennedy Space Center workers could lose their jobs -- scrubbing the Space Coast's hopes for an economic turnaround. That's why Brevard County Commissioner Robin Fisher is spearheading a new marketing crusade, "Save Space," to try to convince President Obama to extend the shuttle program and boost NASA funding.
How? By mailing half a million letters to the White House by the end of October. "If this shuttle doesn't get extended, it's going to be very, very devastating to the community. I started thinking to myself, why isn't the community screaming about it?" said Fisher, who represents District 1, including northern Brevard and the Cape.
Tuesday, Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Brian Binggeli announced the district would use "Save Space" as a learning tool for students. And Space Florida will organize a statewide initiative in tandem with Brevard's. Visit www.savespace.us for information and letter templates. (9/28)
September 27 News Items
Crew Safety Must Be Paramount Concern (Source: Washington Times)
The choices before the nation on the future of human space flight are extremely complex; the Augustine Commission hearings this month only reinforce this. Fundamental considerations about mission, vision, destination, system performance, cost and safety all seem to pull in different directions. History has taught us that the most important attribute to consider is crew or passenger safety. Only the safest system can reap long-term benefits. Ares I was designed from the start with crew safety and mission reliability as key requirements. Multiple studies show that goal was achieved, with Ares I consistently rated tops for safety against any other option by a significant degree. Increased crew safety and mission reliability have the added benefit of reducing overall life-cycle costs.
Expenses associated with a reliable human transport are less than for one that suffers intermittent catastrophic failures. That, in turn, facilitates commercialization of human low-Earth orbit transport. This is a rare win-win-win solution. Though commercial vehicles with a launch abort system may be safer than the shuttle, they still lag behind Ares I safety by a factor of 3 to 5 and do not meet the Columbia investigation's clear assertion that America should replace the shuttle with a vehicle that is "significantly safer." Asking start-up companies working to deliver cargo to the Space Station to take on the task of safely delivering crew to low-Earth orbit is fraught with multiple unknowns, risking significantly increased costs, both monetarily and in human life.
Editor's Note: Safety is a trump card played too often in the space industry. There is always a blurry line between 'safe enough' and 'as safe as possible'. Astronauts understand and accept the risks that come with spaceflight. They know that trade-offs are part of the bargain when affordability, performance and safety are factored into a rocket's design. The Shuttle is a far safer vehicle today than it was two decades ago. If commercial vehicles with launch abort systems are "safer than the Shuttle," as acknowledged in this editorial, that might be plenty safe enough, and there's no reason to believe their safety won't also improve with time. The safest rocket is one that never flies, followed closely by one that flies rarely because its safety requirements make it too expensive to develop, maintain and operate. (9/27)
Ares Concerns: If Scrapped, Hundreds of Top of Utah Jobs May Be Lost (Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner)
NASA's next moon rocket, the Ares-1, is scheduled to get its first launch pad test next month in Florida. But there are unanswered questions regarding any NASA program that includes the Utah-built Ares-1 rocket motor. The answers to those questions could mean the survivability of at least 700 Utah jobs for ATK Space Systems, a company with three Utah locations. The worst-case scenario for ATK, a potential loss of all the Ares jobs should the company lose federal support, is a picture being repeatedly painted by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), a member of the Armed Services Committee.
Editor's Note: It seems ATK would have more business if NASA decided to accelerate a Shuttle-derived heavy-lift rocket, rather than rely on Ares-1 for the next 15+ years. The Ares-5, Ares-5 Lite, Side-Mount, and In-Line shuttle-derived heavy-lift vehicles would use two 4- or 5-segment SRBs for each mission, instead of one for each Ares-1 mission. (9/27)
Plans for Solar Power From Outer Space Move Forward (Source: Daily Finance)
A California technology startup is rapidly pushing forward with plans to build the first space-based solar power station to beam 200 megawatts of electricity back to Earth via microwaves to a receiving station near Fresno. The firm, Solaren Space, has been pushing for space-based power since 2001 and it secured a Power Producing Agreement with PG&E Corp.in April 2009. PG&E (PCG) hasn't put any money into the project but its willingness to sign shows that Solaren must be doing something interesting. Solaren's Director of Energy Services Cal Boerman answers some questions about the project:
How many launches will be required: Four. How much will the project cost? A few billion dollars (private investment). Will it harm birds or knock down planes? Not at all...The energy levels we'll be working with are a lot less than you might feel if you were sitting out in the midday because the beam will be spread out over a very wide areas. Click here to read the entire article. (9/27)
“Planet Earth Team” Hits the Isle of Man (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The Isle of Man has an interesting story about how one astronaut and two cosmonauts have laid down Cold Era rivalries to work for Excalibur Almaz – a commercial company that is using old Soviet hardware to launch space tourists into orbit. The space veterans include NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, a veteran of three Shuttle missions and one Soyuz mission; Colonel Valery Tokarev, a Russian Air Force test pilot and cosmonaut; and Colonel Vladimir Titov, the first man to spend a full year in space. (9/27)
The choices before the nation on the future of human space flight are extremely complex; the Augustine Commission hearings this month only reinforce this. Fundamental considerations about mission, vision, destination, system performance, cost and safety all seem to pull in different directions. History has taught us that the most important attribute to consider is crew or passenger safety. Only the safest system can reap long-term benefits. Ares I was designed from the start with crew safety and mission reliability as key requirements. Multiple studies show that goal was achieved, with Ares I consistently rated tops for safety against any other option by a significant degree. Increased crew safety and mission reliability have the added benefit of reducing overall life-cycle costs.
Expenses associated with a reliable human transport are less than for one that suffers intermittent catastrophic failures. That, in turn, facilitates commercialization of human low-Earth orbit transport. This is a rare win-win-win solution. Though commercial vehicles with a launch abort system may be safer than the shuttle, they still lag behind Ares I safety by a factor of 3 to 5 and do not meet the Columbia investigation's clear assertion that America should replace the shuttle with a vehicle that is "significantly safer." Asking start-up companies working to deliver cargo to the Space Station to take on the task of safely delivering crew to low-Earth orbit is fraught with multiple unknowns, risking significantly increased costs, both monetarily and in human life.
Editor's Note: Safety is a trump card played too often in the space industry. There is always a blurry line between 'safe enough' and 'as safe as possible'. Astronauts understand and accept the risks that come with spaceflight. They know that trade-offs are part of the bargain when affordability, performance and safety are factored into a rocket's design. The Shuttle is a far safer vehicle today than it was two decades ago. If commercial vehicles with launch abort systems are "safer than the Shuttle," as acknowledged in this editorial, that might be plenty safe enough, and there's no reason to believe their safety won't also improve with time. The safest rocket is one that never flies, followed closely by one that flies rarely because its safety requirements make it too expensive to develop, maintain and operate. (9/27)
Ares Concerns: If Scrapped, Hundreds of Top of Utah Jobs May Be Lost (Source: Ogden Standard-Examiner)
NASA's next moon rocket, the Ares-1, is scheduled to get its first launch pad test next month in Florida. But there are unanswered questions regarding any NASA program that includes the Utah-built Ares-1 rocket motor. The answers to those questions could mean the survivability of at least 700 Utah jobs for ATK Space Systems, a company with three Utah locations. The worst-case scenario for ATK, a potential loss of all the Ares jobs should the company lose federal support, is a picture being repeatedly painted by U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), a member of the Armed Services Committee.
Editor's Note: It seems ATK would have more business if NASA decided to accelerate a Shuttle-derived heavy-lift rocket, rather than rely on Ares-1 for the next 15+ years. The Ares-5, Ares-5 Lite, Side-Mount, and In-Line shuttle-derived heavy-lift vehicles would use two 4- or 5-segment SRBs for each mission, instead of one for each Ares-1 mission. (9/27)
Plans for Solar Power From Outer Space Move Forward (Source: Daily Finance)
A California technology startup is rapidly pushing forward with plans to build the first space-based solar power station to beam 200 megawatts of electricity back to Earth via microwaves to a receiving station near Fresno. The firm, Solaren Space, has been pushing for space-based power since 2001 and it secured a Power Producing Agreement with PG&E Corp.in April 2009. PG&E (PCG) hasn't put any money into the project but its willingness to sign shows that Solaren must be doing something interesting. Solaren's Director of Energy Services Cal Boerman answers some questions about the project:
How many launches will be required: Four. How much will the project cost? A few billion dollars (private investment). Will it harm birds or knock down planes? Not at all...The energy levels we'll be working with are a lot less than you might feel if you were sitting out in the midday because the beam will be spread out over a very wide areas. Click here to read the entire article. (9/27)
“Planet Earth Team” Hits the Isle of Man (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The Isle of Man has an interesting story about how one astronaut and two cosmonauts have laid down Cold Era rivalries to work for Excalibur Almaz – a commercial company that is using old Soviet hardware to launch space tourists into orbit. The space veterans include NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, a veteran of three Shuttle missions and one Soyuz mission; Colonel Valery Tokarev, a Russian Air Force test pilot and cosmonaut; and Colonel Vladimir Titov, the first man to spend a full year in space. (9/27)
September 26 News Items
Florida Congressman Urges Cutting-Edge Storm Satellites (Source: Palm Beach Post)
U.S. Rep. Ron Klein has introduced a bill to replace an aging satellite whose status sparked an ugly family spat that helped lead to the ouster of the National Hurricane Center's director. Klein, D-Boca Raton, said the Satellite Modernization Act will pay for "a cutting-edge next-generation satellite system" - two craft that will cover 90 percent of the ocean surface every 12 hours. NOAA said the QuikSCAT hurricane tracking satellite, which is eight years past its original five-year useful life, is showing mechanical wear and is likely to fail in a few months or even weeks. Agencies have been warning for more than two years that the satellite could fail at any time.
Klein's proposed system was recommended by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and would "provide significantly im- proved information to narrow the cone of uncertainty and protect Florida's families when a storm approaches," Klein said in a release. "South Floridians don't want to ultimately rely on foreign countries' satellites for critical information about impending storms." (9/26)
Back to the Lunar Future? (Source: MSNBC)
You might think the latest research is sparking second thoughts among the members of the Augustine Panel. But that's not necessarily so: It turns out that panel members were given a confidential briefing on the research while they were working on their report. "The research we heard about was at a very early stage of development," Charles Kennel, a panel member and chairman of the National Academies Space Studies Board, told me in an e-mail exchange. "It certainly has exciting implications, if true, but it is way too early to base any planning for human spaceflight on it, in my view." (9/26)
Bolivia Set to Buy Chinese Satellite (Source: China Daily)
President Hu Jintao met with Bolivia's President Evo Morales on the sidelines of a series of UN sessions in New York on Sep. 21. China plans to sell Bolivia a $300 million telecommunications satellite it will build and send into orbit for the Andean country, President Evo Morales said. China might also finance the project. "The Chinese president has vowed to build and launch a satellite for all Bolivians," Morales said in a speech in the central Oruro region. The technology could help improve Internet access and help isolated and poor citizens get connected to the modern world, the country's first Indian president has said. The United Nations this month pledged to provide Bolivia with technical help on orbital positions and frequency bands. (9/26)
China to Launch Satellite for Laos (Source: Xinhua)
China will build and launch a communication satellite for Laos, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology has said. The academy, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, on Friday did not specify when the satellite, dubbed the "Laos-1," would be finished or blasted off, only saying it would be carried by a China-made Long March carrier rocket. The academy would also build land-based satellite tracking stations and the ground broadcast communication network for Laos, it said. (9/26)
U.S. Rep. Ron Klein has introduced a bill to replace an aging satellite whose status sparked an ugly family spat that helped lead to the ouster of the National Hurricane Center's director. Klein, D-Boca Raton, said the Satellite Modernization Act will pay for "a cutting-edge next-generation satellite system" - two craft that will cover 90 percent of the ocean surface every 12 hours. NOAA said the QuikSCAT hurricane tracking satellite, which is eight years past its original five-year useful life, is showing mechanical wear and is likely to fail in a few months or even weeks. Agencies have been warning for more than two years that the satellite could fail at any time.
Klein's proposed system was recommended by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and would "provide significantly im- proved information to narrow the cone of uncertainty and protect Florida's families when a storm approaches," Klein said in a release. "South Floridians don't want to ultimately rely on foreign countries' satellites for critical information about impending storms." (9/26)
Back to the Lunar Future? (Source: MSNBC)
You might think the latest research is sparking second thoughts among the members of the Augustine Panel. But that's not necessarily so: It turns out that panel members were given a confidential briefing on the research while they were working on their report. "The research we heard about was at a very early stage of development," Charles Kennel, a panel member and chairman of the National Academies Space Studies Board, told me in an e-mail exchange. "It certainly has exciting implications, if true, but it is way too early to base any planning for human spaceflight on it, in my view." (9/26)
Bolivia Set to Buy Chinese Satellite (Source: China Daily)
President Hu Jintao met with Bolivia's President Evo Morales on the sidelines of a series of UN sessions in New York on Sep. 21. China plans to sell Bolivia a $300 million telecommunications satellite it will build and send into orbit for the Andean country, President Evo Morales said. China might also finance the project. "The Chinese president has vowed to build and launch a satellite for all Bolivians," Morales said in a speech in the central Oruro region. The technology could help improve Internet access and help isolated and poor citizens get connected to the modern world, the country's first Indian president has said. The United Nations this month pledged to provide Bolivia with technical help on orbital positions and frequency bands. (9/26)
China to Launch Satellite for Laos (Source: Xinhua)
China will build and launch a communication satellite for Laos, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology has said. The academy, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, on Friday did not specify when the satellite, dubbed the "Laos-1," would be finished or blasted off, only saying it would be carried by a China-made Long March carrier rocket. The academy would also build land-based satellite tracking stations and the ground broadcast communication network for Laos, it said. (9/26)
September 25 News Items
Ansari's $10 Million Purse (Source: Huffington Post)
Ever since I was a young girl in Iran, I have had a deep curiosity and active imagination which peak whenever I look up at the night sky. I'm fascinated to think about how we got to this place and time, what will come after us and what else is out there. For many others the dream of space is tied to the thrill of riding a rocket, but if I could blink my eyes and be there, I would do so. To me, rockets are just transportation -- the allure is in exploring the universe. I have also always had an inner voice which compels me to follow my dream and aspirations. This voice has been my guide in my journey to the U.S. and in rough road of entrepreneurship to successful business. Even though my Entrepreneurial aspirations were not directly related to my passion for space, they ultimately provided me the financial means to make space travel a realistic possibility. Click here to view the article. (9/25)
NGA to Seek Higher-Resolution Commercial Satellite Imagery (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) plans to sign new imagery contracts with commercial satellite operators next year that will be structured like the purchasing deals currently in place but yield higher-quality data, an agency official said. As part of the new electro-optical satellite imaging plan approved by U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this year, the NGA intends to buy commercial imagery with ground resolution as fine as a quarter-meter, Winston Beauchamp, the NGA’s acting technical executive, said in a Sept. 23 interview. However, the NGA faces a potential obstacle on Capitol Hill, as key U.S. senators have balked at certain aspects of the overall plan. (9/25)
Bolden Says Commercial Crew a Tough Sell for NASA Old Guard (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told an audience of space entrepreneurs and U.S. lawmakers he is skeptical of the private sector’s ability to take over manned operations in low Earth orbit, but is hopeful commercial space companies will succeed. “I would be telling you a lie if I told you we’re on board, we’re really excited about this,” the former astronaut said during a commercial space seminar held Sept. 23 on Capitol Hill. Bolden was referring to a private-sector push for NASA to outsource manned missions to and from the international space station after the agency retires its aging space shuttle fleet in the next year or so.
“We’re battling, we’re struggling to advise our president on what is the proper course to take,” Bolden said of the Augustine panel’s options. “But I am confident we can come up with the right answer.” While Bolden expressed reservations about the future of private-sector space, in the same breath he acknowledged a willingness to change the way NASA has done business in the past. Using a fraction of the $1 billion NASA received earlier this year under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the agency has committed $50 million to a so-called Commercial Crew Development (CCDEV) program in an effort to accelerate development of commercial human space transportation systems. Roughly two-dozen companies had expressed interest in the money by early September. (9/25)
How Astronauts Could 'Harvest' Water on the Moon (Source: New Scientist)
Newly confirmed water on the moon could help sustain lunar astronauts and even propel missions to Mars, if harvesting it can be made practical. A microwave device being developed by NASA could do just that. Three spacecraft – India's Chandrayaan-1 and NASA's Cassini and Deep Impact probes – have detected the absorption of infrared light at a wavelength that indicates the presence of either water or hydroxyl, a molecule made up of a hydrogen and an oxygen atom. All found the signature to be stronger at the poles than at lower latitudes. Some of these molecules may be created continuously when solar wind protons – hydrogen ions – bind to oxygen atoms in the lunar soil. Comet impacts may also have brought water to the moon. Water delivered by comets or generated by the solar wind could randomly diffuse over time into permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles, which were recently measured to be colder than Pluto. (9/25)
China Shows U.S. Delegation Next Spacecraft (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. and China are beginning to open lines of communications that could lead to greater cooperation in human spaceflight. This significant move comes as the Obama administration ponders a way forward in space that may include more willingness to work with China in areas that previously were off limits. The two space-faring nations have a lot to offer each other. The U.S. program is in a budget-induced crisis, without the cash it needs to continue on its current path to build a pair of rockets to take astronauts back to the Moon and beyond. China’s space endeavors appear to have plenty of money, but they lack the technology and experience needed to catch up quickly on their own.
The new administration in Washington seems willing to play a more collegial role in the world, and the leadership cadre in China seems willing to play along. Hindering that is a legacy of mistrust that may have eased just a little last week, at least in the area of human spaceflight cooperation. As a former deputy NASA administrator and the head of China’s Manned Space Engineering Office held back-channel talks, human spaceflight officials here offered an unprecedented opportunity to examine the Tiangong-1 docking target and the next in its series of Shenzhou human spacecraft, as well as previously off-limits space facilities.
And five of the six Chinese astronauts who have flown in space quizzed two former space shuttle commanders about aspects of their common profession, ranging from rendezvous and docking techniques to the best way to manage astronaut schedules. The questioning marked a stark contrast with the first encounters between NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts as their two human-spaceflight programs began to work together in the early 1990s. At that time, the Russian program had deep experience in human operations in space, but was strapped for cash. (9/25)
More Woes for Constellation From the GAO (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Just as Constellation supporters are pressing hard on Capitol Hill to resist efforts to kill the program's Ares rockets and Orion capsules, the Government Accountability Office, released a report Friday saying NASA has been unable to close the business case for the space shuttle's replacement. The report says NASA's Ares I rocket and Orion capsule are still dogged by technical troubles and financial shortfalls. But the biggest problem, it says, is that NASA ultimately does not know what the program is going to end up costing taxpayers.
"While the agency has already obligated more than $10 billion in contracts, at this point NASA does not know how much Ares I and Orion will ultimately cost, and will not know until technical and design challenges have been addressed," it says. The report estimates that Ares I and Orion will end up costing $49 billion of the total $95 billion for the Constellation Program. The GAO report will almost certainly add the confusion in Washington and through the country about where America's human space flight program is going next. (9/25)
Russia Hopes U.S. to Extend Shuttle Operations (Source: Reuters)
Russia hopes the U.S. will extend the deadline to retire its space shuttles beyond 2011 and has heard unofficially it is possible, the head of Russia's space agency said. NASA plans six more missions by its fleet of aging space shuttles by late next year or early 2011 until the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) is completed. The shuttles will then be retired. But the head of Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, said he would prefer to see further shuttle missions to the Space Station. "From some sources we have learned that it is possible to extend the life of the shuttle beyond 2011," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted as saying. "Then the situation would change substantially and it would be possible to work jointly with the Americans, unlike now, when the main burden (for the ISS) lies with the Russian side," he said. (9/25)
Astrotech Relocates to Austin (Source: Statesman)
The satellite and space research company Astrotech Corp. officially splashed down in Austin this week, with a private dinner for business leaders Monday night and a Wednesday night reception at the Long Center where the guests included a NASA executive. The company, which provides services and products for the space industry and conducts space-based scientific experiments, moved from Houston to Austin this summer, but had stayed under the radar until recently. "We just felt like Austin had a better feel for what we wanted to do in the future than we were experiencing at the time in Houston," said CEO and Chairman Thomas Pickens III, the son of oilman T. Boone Pickens.
City boosters hailed the company's arrival in Austin and the potential of biotech spinoffs to create more jobs. The company, which has 11 employees in Austin, is a "great feather in our hat," said Dave Porter, senior vice president for economic development with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. "This is an example of the kind of company that we'd like to see here," Porter said. "It's a great fit." (9/25)
Water on the Moon Stirs Hopes for Base (Source: Huntsville Times)
The moon might be an airless, barren ball of rock circling Earth, but scientists revealed Thursday it still holds surprises. Granted it's in microscopic portions - a two-liter bottle of moon rocks and dirt would yield less than an ounce, researchers say - but the announcement boosts the hopes of those who want to one day build a moon base for astronauts. Long suspected to hold water, a NASA instrument on an Indian moon probe confirmed expectations coming from past lunar probes about the water. The discovery also means the work Marshall has been doing to develop lunar bases and robotic landers is likely to continue, Cohen said. Teams in Huntsville have been researching how to use moon rocks and dirt to churn up concrete and boil trapped water out of the material. (9/25)
SpaceX DragonEye Sensor Successfully Demonstrated on Shuttle/Station Mission (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has successfully demonstrated a proximity sensor, called DragonEye, on NASA’s STS-127 shuttle mission to the International Space Station. DragonEye launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and was tested in proximity of the Station in preparation for future visits by SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. With the help of NASA’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office, DragonEye, a Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor, has undergone flight system trials aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in preparation for guiding the Dragon spacecraft as it approaches the ISS. The DragonEye LIDAR system provides three-dimensional images based on the amount of time it takes for a single laser pulse from the sensor to the reach a target and bounce back, providing range and bearing information from the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. (9/25)
ULA Successfully Launches Missile Defense Payloads from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: ULA)
A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket, on behalf of the NASA Launch Services Program, successfully launched the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration mission for the United States Missile Defense Agencyon Friday morning. STSS Demo is an element of the STSS Program, a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detection, tracking, and discrimination of ballistic missiles. After launch, the two STSS Demo spacecraft were both successfully deployed during a nominal flight lasting approximately 55 minutes. (9/25)
Russian Space Chief Hints at Shuttle Extension (Source: AIA)
Russian space agency chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted today saying he heard unofficially that the U.S. might delay the retirement of space shuttles planned for 2011. New NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is scheduled to visit Russia next week. (9/25)
Ever since I was a young girl in Iran, I have had a deep curiosity and active imagination which peak whenever I look up at the night sky. I'm fascinated to think about how we got to this place and time, what will come after us and what else is out there. For many others the dream of space is tied to the thrill of riding a rocket, but if I could blink my eyes and be there, I would do so. To me, rockets are just transportation -- the allure is in exploring the universe. I have also always had an inner voice which compels me to follow my dream and aspirations. This voice has been my guide in my journey to the U.S. and in rough road of entrepreneurship to successful business. Even though my Entrepreneurial aspirations were not directly related to my passion for space, they ultimately provided me the financial means to make space travel a realistic possibility. Click here to view the article. (9/25)
NGA to Seek Higher-Resolution Commercial Satellite Imagery (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) plans to sign new imagery contracts with commercial satellite operators next year that will be structured like the purchasing deals currently in place but yield higher-quality data, an agency official said. As part of the new electro-optical satellite imaging plan approved by U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this year, the NGA intends to buy commercial imagery with ground resolution as fine as a quarter-meter, Winston Beauchamp, the NGA’s acting technical executive, said in a Sept. 23 interview. However, the NGA faces a potential obstacle on Capitol Hill, as key U.S. senators have balked at certain aspects of the overall plan. (9/25)
Bolden Says Commercial Crew a Tough Sell for NASA Old Guard (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told an audience of space entrepreneurs and U.S. lawmakers he is skeptical of the private sector’s ability to take over manned operations in low Earth orbit, but is hopeful commercial space companies will succeed. “I would be telling you a lie if I told you we’re on board, we’re really excited about this,” the former astronaut said during a commercial space seminar held Sept. 23 on Capitol Hill. Bolden was referring to a private-sector push for NASA to outsource manned missions to and from the international space station after the agency retires its aging space shuttle fleet in the next year or so.
“We’re battling, we’re struggling to advise our president on what is the proper course to take,” Bolden said of the Augustine panel’s options. “But I am confident we can come up with the right answer.” While Bolden expressed reservations about the future of private-sector space, in the same breath he acknowledged a willingness to change the way NASA has done business in the past. Using a fraction of the $1 billion NASA received earlier this year under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the agency has committed $50 million to a so-called Commercial Crew Development (CCDEV) program in an effort to accelerate development of commercial human space transportation systems. Roughly two-dozen companies had expressed interest in the money by early September. (9/25)
How Astronauts Could 'Harvest' Water on the Moon (Source: New Scientist)
Newly confirmed water on the moon could help sustain lunar astronauts and even propel missions to Mars, if harvesting it can be made practical. A microwave device being developed by NASA could do just that. Three spacecraft – India's Chandrayaan-1 and NASA's Cassini and Deep Impact probes – have detected the absorption of infrared light at a wavelength that indicates the presence of either water or hydroxyl, a molecule made up of a hydrogen and an oxygen atom. All found the signature to be stronger at the poles than at lower latitudes. Some of these molecules may be created continuously when solar wind protons – hydrogen ions – bind to oxygen atoms in the lunar soil. Comet impacts may also have brought water to the moon. Water delivered by comets or generated by the solar wind could randomly diffuse over time into permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles, which were recently measured to be colder than Pluto. (9/25)
China Shows U.S. Delegation Next Spacecraft (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. and China are beginning to open lines of communications that could lead to greater cooperation in human spaceflight. This significant move comes as the Obama administration ponders a way forward in space that may include more willingness to work with China in areas that previously were off limits. The two space-faring nations have a lot to offer each other. The U.S. program is in a budget-induced crisis, without the cash it needs to continue on its current path to build a pair of rockets to take astronauts back to the Moon and beyond. China’s space endeavors appear to have plenty of money, but they lack the technology and experience needed to catch up quickly on their own.
The new administration in Washington seems willing to play a more collegial role in the world, and the leadership cadre in China seems willing to play along. Hindering that is a legacy of mistrust that may have eased just a little last week, at least in the area of human spaceflight cooperation. As a former deputy NASA administrator and the head of China’s Manned Space Engineering Office held back-channel talks, human spaceflight officials here offered an unprecedented opportunity to examine the Tiangong-1 docking target and the next in its series of Shenzhou human spacecraft, as well as previously off-limits space facilities.
And five of the six Chinese astronauts who have flown in space quizzed two former space shuttle commanders about aspects of their common profession, ranging from rendezvous and docking techniques to the best way to manage astronaut schedules. The questioning marked a stark contrast with the first encounters between NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts as their two human-spaceflight programs began to work together in the early 1990s. At that time, the Russian program had deep experience in human operations in space, but was strapped for cash. (9/25)
More Woes for Constellation From the GAO (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Just as Constellation supporters are pressing hard on Capitol Hill to resist efforts to kill the program's Ares rockets and Orion capsules, the Government Accountability Office, released a report Friday saying NASA has been unable to close the business case for the space shuttle's replacement. The report says NASA's Ares I rocket and Orion capsule are still dogged by technical troubles and financial shortfalls. But the biggest problem, it says, is that NASA ultimately does not know what the program is going to end up costing taxpayers.
"While the agency has already obligated more than $10 billion in contracts, at this point NASA does not know how much Ares I and Orion will ultimately cost, and will not know until technical and design challenges have been addressed," it says. The report estimates that Ares I and Orion will end up costing $49 billion of the total $95 billion for the Constellation Program. The GAO report will almost certainly add the confusion in Washington and through the country about where America's human space flight program is going next. (9/25)
Russia Hopes U.S. to Extend Shuttle Operations (Source: Reuters)
Russia hopes the U.S. will extend the deadline to retire its space shuttles beyond 2011 and has heard unofficially it is possible, the head of Russia's space agency said. NASA plans six more missions by its fleet of aging space shuttles by late next year or early 2011 until the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) is completed. The shuttles will then be retired. But the head of Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, said he would prefer to see further shuttle missions to the Space Station. "From some sources we have learned that it is possible to extend the life of the shuttle beyond 2011," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted as saying. "Then the situation would change substantially and it would be possible to work jointly with the Americans, unlike now, when the main burden (for the ISS) lies with the Russian side," he said. (9/25)
Astrotech Relocates to Austin (Source: Statesman)
The satellite and space research company Astrotech Corp. officially splashed down in Austin this week, with a private dinner for business leaders Monday night and a Wednesday night reception at the Long Center where the guests included a NASA executive. The company, which provides services and products for the space industry and conducts space-based scientific experiments, moved from Houston to Austin this summer, but had stayed under the radar until recently. "We just felt like Austin had a better feel for what we wanted to do in the future than we were experiencing at the time in Houston," said CEO and Chairman Thomas Pickens III, the son of oilman T. Boone Pickens.
City boosters hailed the company's arrival in Austin and the potential of biotech spinoffs to create more jobs. The company, which has 11 employees in Austin, is a "great feather in our hat," said Dave Porter, senior vice president for economic development with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. "This is an example of the kind of company that we'd like to see here," Porter said. "It's a great fit." (9/25)
Water on the Moon Stirs Hopes for Base (Source: Huntsville Times)
The moon might be an airless, barren ball of rock circling Earth, but scientists revealed Thursday it still holds surprises. Granted it's in microscopic portions - a two-liter bottle of moon rocks and dirt would yield less than an ounce, researchers say - but the announcement boosts the hopes of those who want to one day build a moon base for astronauts. Long suspected to hold water, a NASA instrument on an Indian moon probe confirmed expectations coming from past lunar probes about the water. The discovery also means the work Marshall has been doing to develop lunar bases and robotic landers is likely to continue, Cohen said. Teams in Huntsville have been researching how to use moon rocks and dirt to churn up concrete and boil trapped water out of the material. (9/25)
SpaceX DragonEye Sensor Successfully Demonstrated on Shuttle/Station Mission (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has successfully demonstrated a proximity sensor, called DragonEye, on NASA’s STS-127 shuttle mission to the International Space Station. DragonEye launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and was tested in proximity of the Station in preparation for future visits by SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. With the help of NASA’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office, DragonEye, a Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor, has undergone flight system trials aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in preparation for guiding the Dragon spacecraft as it approaches the ISS. The DragonEye LIDAR system provides three-dimensional images based on the amount of time it takes for a single laser pulse from the sensor to the reach a target and bounce back, providing range and bearing information from the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. (9/25)
ULA Successfully Launches Missile Defense Payloads from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: ULA)
A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket, on behalf of the NASA Launch Services Program, successfully launched the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration mission for the United States Missile Defense Agencyon Friday morning. STSS Demo is an element of the STSS Program, a space-based sensor component of a layered Ballistic Missile Defense System designed for the overall mission of detection, tracking, and discrimination of ballistic missiles. After launch, the two STSS Demo spacecraft were both successfully deployed during a nominal flight lasting approximately 55 minutes. (9/25)
Russian Space Chief Hints at Shuttle Extension (Source: AIA)
Russian space agency chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted today saying he heard unofficially that the U.S. might delay the retirement of space shuttles planned for 2011. New NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is scheduled to visit Russia next week. (9/25)
September 24 News Items
Las Cruces Cancels Rocket Racing League Lease (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The city's relationship with a Florida-based company that had planned to bring a new rocket racing league to the city-owned airport appears to have come to an end. The Las Cruces City Council on Monday unanimously approved terminating a lease agreement it had with the Rocket Racing League for four parcels at the Las Cruces International Airport, citing the company's failure to fulfill the terms of the lease. City councilors expressed regret that what seemed a promising, although risky, proposal did not materialize.
"I think we all supported the dialogue around this project," said Councilor Gil Jones. "No one, as I recall, was opposed to the mission of RRL. But I think everyone recognized it was a risky venture. I hope they continue to find success elsewhere." The Rocket Racing League first entered into a 20-year lease agreement with the city in April 2006. The Orlando-based company had intended to build hangars and facilities there, from which it would base a competitive league featuring manned rocket-powered aircraft. (9/24)
New Mexico Spaceport Tax Not Adding Up for Area Schools (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Educational dollars from a spaceport sales tax in Doña Ana County have yet to actually reach schools because of a dispute between county commissioners and school officials about how the money should be spent. County commissioners in June had been set to consider a contract with the area's three school districts about the tax. But the commission never acted on the measure, saying it didn't contain specific enough language about how the dollars would be used.
Las Cruces school board member Chuck Davis said he had the impression, around the time the spaceport tax was proposed, that the educational portion would be divided among the districts based on student count and that the commission would "recognize our expertise in determining what was required or necessary" in spending the money. But Davis said membership on the county commission has changed since then, and "they think their job is to tell us what to do and when to do it." (9/24)
Omega Envoy Teams With Florida Universities for Google Lunar X-Prize (Source: Omega Envoy)
The Omega Envoy Project has added the University of Central Florida (UCF) to its team for the only student-led entry in a $30 million Google Lunar X-Prize international competition. “Our main goal from the beginning was to involve as many state universities as we could to unite Florida in this common goal,” said Jason Dunn, Omega Envoy’s Engineering and Space Concepts director. “With UCF officially on board we are one giant leap closer to the moon.“
UCF will provide faculty members and senior design students, facilities in the UCF Research Park and other resources to assist in Omega Envoy’s lunar rover development program. In addition to the support of several key engineering faculty members, the UCF engineering team that developed the self-powered car that competed in the national finals of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Urban Challenge two years ago will help with design of the rover. The Omega Envoy team added Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) several months ago to support the design and development of the lunar lander. 4Frontiers Corp. is also a sponsor. Visit http://www.earthrise-space.com/ for information. (9/24)
Craters Show 1970s Viking Lander Missed Martian Ice by Inches (Source: WIRED)
Meteorites that crashed into the Martian surface last year exposed buried ice to the digital eyes of NASA spacecraft. Scientists have used those images to deduce that there is a lot more ice on Mars — and that it’s closer to the equator — than previously thought. In fact, subterranean Martian ice should extend all the way down beyond 48 degrees of latitude, according to the model, which was published in Science Thursday. That happens to be where the Viking Lander 2 was in operation from 1976 to 1980. As part of its science program, the Lander dug a trench about 6 inches deep. The new model predicts that if it had gone an extra 3.5 inches — a bit longer than a credit card — it would have hit ice. It’s difficult to project backwards in time what that discovery would have done to the Martian science program, but its impact could have been large. (9/24)
NASA Tempers Enthusiasm After Ares-1 Motor Test (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA and ATK's Ares-1 first-stage motor test two weeks ago in the Utah desert generated enough heat to turn sand to glass. Preliminary results were, in the words of the engineers, "outstanding": the five-segment rocket motor -- derived from the space shuttle's four-segment solid-rocket boosters -- produced 3.6 million pounds of thrust and was far quieter and less shaky than engineers expected. There were early claims by engineers and Ares I supporters that the test proved that that Ares I rocket won't shake violently during its ascent to orbit -- as had been predicted -- and that the shaking problem, called thrust oscillation, is no longer an issue for NASA.
But as the data is studied further, engineers and managers for NASA and ATK say those early conclusions are overstated. In fact, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, Bill Gerstenmaier, told NASA officials and contractors not to repeat the claims, especially to members of Congress, because, "That is not what the test showed." NASA engineers are continuing to work on designing a system of springs and dampers to counteract the possible effects of thrust oscillation that in extreme cases could incapacitate or injure the crew riding in the Orion capsule at the top of the rocket. However, the first data from the rocket test does suggest that this system might not need to be as robust as first thought. (9/24)
Iridium Launches Big Comeback Bid (Source: Arizona Republic)
Iridium Satellite, the once-bankrupt provider of satellite-phone services with strong Arizona roots, is a publicly traded company again. Shareholders of New York City-based public shell company GHL Acquisition Corp. on Wednesday approved its $400 million acquisition of Iridium. The deal is expected to close Tuesday, but GHL, which has been trading on the American Stock Exchange, will be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market starting today under the symbol "IRDM." Iridium's name has changed to Iridium Communications Inc. The transaction provides Iridium "with the financial foundation" needed to fund the launch of a new satellite network into space planned for 2014, Chief Executive Officer Matt Desch said. (9/24)
Delta-2 Launch of Defense Satellites Now Set For Friday (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA delayed Thursday's launch of a ULA Delta-2 rocket carrying experimental missile-tracking satellites by at least 24 hours so workers could repair a small fuel leak at pad 17-B at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The leak in the kerosene fuel lines was discovered last night during preparations for Thursday's launch attempt. Workers isolated the leak and made the repairs early Thursday. With the leak fixed, the launch has been pushed back at least one day, to no earlier than Friday at 8 a.m. EDT. Weather should be good for the launch, with 70 percent favorable conditions. (9/24)
SpaceX Clarifies November Launch Plans (Source: SpaceX)
"We are now only a few months away from having the inaugural Falcon 9 launch vehicle on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral and ready to fly! The actual launch date will depend on a variety of factors, including weather and the overall launch schedule at the Cape, so that is a little harder to predict. Based on prior experience, launch could be anywhere from one to three months after Falcon 9 is integrated at the Cape in November.
This initial test flight will carry our Dragon spacecraft qualification unit, providing us with valuable aerodynamic and performance data for the Falcon 9 configuration that will fly on the following COTS and CRS missions for NASA. The second Falcon 9 flight will be the first flight of Dragon under the NASA COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) program, where we will demonstrate Dragon's orbital maneuvering, communication and reentry capabilities." (9/24)
SpaceX Lays Out Process for Dragon Crew Capability (Source: SpaceX)
Though it will initially be used to transport cargo, the Dragon spacecraft was designed from the beginning to transport crew. Almost all the necessary launch vehicle and spacecraft systems employed in the cargo version of Dragon will also be employed in the crew version of Dragon. As such, Dragon's first cargo missions will provide valuable flight data that will be used in preparation for future crewed flight. This allows for a very aggressive development timeline—-approximately three years from the time funding is provided to go from cargo to crew.
The three year timeframe is driven by development of the launch escape system. This includes 18 months to complete development and qualification of the escape engine, in parallel with structures design, guidance, navigation & control, and supporting subsystems. Another 12 months will be required to perform various pad and flight abort tests, which are slated to take place at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Under this timeline, the first crew launch would take place 30 months from the receipt of funding, leaving six months of schedule margin to allow for the unexpected. (9/24)
NASA Cancels Commercial Human Rating Study for In-House Work (Source: Flight Global)
On Sep. 8 NASA began a procurment process for a human rating study for its commercial crew and cargo program and then abruptly canceled it on Sep. 15. Contracts for the work would have been limited to Orbital Sciences Corp. and SpaceX, as winners of NASA's earlier Commercial Resupply Services contracts. NASA said: "We received inputs from a large number of aerospace companies that they would also like to participate in the Human Rating studies. We did not have enough Recovery Act money to pay for everyone [so we decided to] do the work in-house with civil servants and their existing support contractors. When the Human Rating products are completed in approximately March 2010, NASA plans to release the products for industry-wide review and comment." (9/24)
Bolden Suggests New Ares-1 Approach (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
New NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden may be backing away from making the wholesale changes to the agency's manned space program that were advocated by a presidential space panel, according to NASA insiders and administration officials. Bolden told senior agency managers that he was considering recommending to President Obama that NASA keep working on its controversial Ares-1 rocket as a "technology demonstrator" — a development project — for the more powerful Ares V rocket still on the drawing board.
Bolden's remarks followed a presentation by NASA managers that showed how, with some changes, its Constellation program of Ares-1 and Ares-5 rockets could appear to fit in with the Augustine Panel's findings. But one high-ranking NASA official who listened in to the meeting — but wasn't authorized to talk about it — said the conversation was "unfortunately caught up in the fantasy" that NASA would be getting an annual $3 billion increase to its current $18 billion budget — a hike that administration officials say is highly unlikely.
Critics are worried that Bolden has been "hijacked" by Ares supporters who are trying to present their slightly modified version of Constellation as real change. "This sounds like the average Washington bureaucracy trying to convince their political leadership that they really are changing, while basically continuing to do what they are comfortable doing," said Washington-based space consultant James Muncy. (9/24)
Bolden Meets with Florida Elected Officials (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On Wednesday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden met with several Florida lawmakers, and one participant said the new NASA boss did not seem to have any firm ideas of how to proceed. "I left the meeting unconvinced that there is a guiding vision for the future of manned spaceflight in the United States," said U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow. "I don't mean to imply that he [Bolden] is being evasive; I just don't think he knows." Putnam said several key questions are unanswered: how to replace the space shuttle; how to close the gap between the shuttle and its replacement; and how to ensure U.S. supremacy in space. (9/24)
House Extends FAA Bill Through End of Year (Source: AIA)
For the seventh time in two years, the House has taken temporary action to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operating -- voting Wednesday to extend the FAA bill through the end of the year. Lawmakers said the extension was necessary because they need to focus their efforts on health care reform. (9/24)
Editorial: U.S. Cannot Responsibly Avoid a Significant Investment in Space (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Since the moment Neil Armstrong and Ed win Aldrin lifted off to come home from the moon in 1969, NASA has faced a problem that no engineer, no astronaut, no administrator has been able to solve: how to sell politicians of constrained vision on the necessity of exploring a limitless universe. Human space exploration is an expensive "product," and over the many years since the end of the Apollo project, NASA's sales force has taken the path of least resistance: a space station here, an orbiting telescope there, a couple of rovers tooling around Mars. And really, NASA had no choice.
The pull just hasn't been there. No charismatic president has drawn the country into his vision of pioneering a new frontier, the way John F. Kennedy did, at a time when U.S. rockets had an unsettling tendency of blowing up on the launchpad. The push hasn't been there, either. The U.S. won the sprint to the moon against the Soviet Union. Then the West won the Cold War. When the defense-related urgency of holding the "high ground" dissipated, NASA's budget followed suit.
Now President Obama has in hand an advisory report saying that unless funding is increased by $3 billion a year, NASA's human exploration program will wither...In light of today's depressed economy and growing federal debt, it may be hard for most people to imagine reaching for the stars, and hard for politicians to imagine proposing such a thing. And yet, that is what should happen. (9/24)
Space Geeks Can Now Own Their Own Space Shuttle (Source: ASF)
Moo-ve over cows, as new statues are parading in… more than twenty uniquely designed 8-foot fiberglass Space Shuttle Statues will soon be up for bid in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s (ASF) Final Destination Online Auction on Oct. 1 – 8 and are available now for viewing at www.astronautscholarship.org/shuttles. Similar to Cows on Parade, the statues were part of a community-wide art program, Shuttles Orbiting the Space Coast, which launched in 2008 after 35 local companies sponsored the statues and artists adorned each one. After an 8-month tour around Florida’s Space Coast, the Shuttle Statues are ready for auction awaiting their final flight coordinates. The program was a fundraiser for the ASF and paid tribute to NASA's 50th Anniversary and its longest running manned vehicle – the Space Shuttle. (9/24)
The city's relationship with a Florida-based company that had planned to bring a new rocket racing league to the city-owned airport appears to have come to an end. The Las Cruces City Council on Monday unanimously approved terminating a lease agreement it had with the Rocket Racing League for four parcels at the Las Cruces International Airport, citing the company's failure to fulfill the terms of the lease. City councilors expressed regret that what seemed a promising, although risky, proposal did not materialize.
"I think we all supported the dialogue around this project," said Councilor Gil Jones. "No one, as I recall, was opposed to the mission of RRL. But I think everyone recognized it was a risky venture. I hope they continue to find success elsewhere." The Rocket Racing League first entered into a 20-year lease agreement with the city in April 2006. The Orlando-based company had intended to build hangars and facilities there, from which it would base a competitive league featuring manned rocket-powered aircraft. (9/24)
New Mexico Spaceport Tax Not Adding Up for Area Schools (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Educational dollars from a spaceport sales tax in Doña Ana County have yet to actually reach schools because of a dispute between county commissioners and school officials about how the money should be spent. County commissioners in June had been set to consider a contract with the area's three school districts about the tax. But the commission never acted on the measure, saying it didn't contain specific enough language about how the dollars would be used.
Las Cruces school board member Chuck Davis said he had the impression, around the time the spaceport tax was proposed, that the educational portion would be divided among the districts based on student count and that the commission would "recognize our expertise in determining what was required or necessary" in spending the money. But Davis said membership on the county commission has changed since then, and "they think their job is to tell us what to do and when to do it." (9/24)
Omega Envoy Teams With Florida Universities for Google Lunar X-Prize (Source: Omega Envoy)
The Omega Envoy Project has added the University of Central Florida (UCF) to its team for the only student-led entry in a $30 million Google Lunar X-Prize international competition. “Our main goal from the beginning was to involve as many state universities as we could to unite Florida in this common goal,” said Jason Dunn, Omega Envoy’s Engineering and Space Concepts director. “With UCF officially on board we are one giant leap closer to the moon.“
UCF will provide faculty members and senior design students, facilities in the UCF Research Park and other resources to assist in Omega Envoy’s lunar rover development program. In addition to the support of several key engineering faculty members, the UCF engineering team that developed the self-powered car that competed in the national finals of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Urban Challenge two years ago will help with design of the rover. The Omega Envoy team added Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) several months ago to support the design and development of the lunar lander. 4Frontiers Corp. is also a sponsor. Visit http://www.earthrise-space.com/ for information. (9/24)
Craters Show 1970s Viking Lander Missed Martian Ice by Inches (Source: WIRED)
Meteorites that crashed into the Martian surface last year exposed buried ice to the digital eyes of NASA spacecraft. Scientists have used those images to deduce that there is a lot more ice on Mars — and that it’s closer to the equator — than previously thought. In fact, subterranean Martian ice should extend all the way down beyond 48 degrees of latitude, according to the model, which was published in Science Thursday. That happens to be where the Viking Lander 2 was in operation from 1976 to 1980. As part of its science program, the Lander dug a trench about 6 inches deep. The new model predicts that if it had gone an extra 3.5 inches — a bit longer than a credit card — it would have hit ice. It’s difficult to project backwards in time what that discovery would have done to the Martian science program, but its impact could have been large. (9/24)
NASA Tempers Enthusiasm After Ares-1 Motor Test (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA and ATK's Ares-1 first-stage motor test two weeks ago in the Utah desert generated enough heat to turn sand to glass. Preliminary results were, in the words of the engineers, "outstanding": the five-segment rocket motor -- derived from the space shuttle's four-segment solid-rocket boosters -- produced 3.6 million pounds of thrust and was far quieter and less shaky than engineers expected. There were early claims by engineers and Ares I supporters that the test proved that that Ares I rocket won't shake violently during its ascent to orbit -- as had been predicted -- and that the shaking problem, called thrust oscillation, is no longer an issue for NASA.
But as the data is studied further, engineers and managers for NASA and ATK say those early conclusions are overstated. In fact, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, Bill Gerstenmaier, told NASA officials and contractors not to repeat the claims, especially to members of Congress, because, "That is not what the test showed." NASA engineers are continuing to work on designing a system of springs and dampers to counteract the possible effects of thrust oscillation that in extreme cases could incapacitate or injure the crew riding in the Orion capsule at the top of the rocket. However, the first data from the rocket test does suggest that this system might not need to be as robust as first thought. (9/24)
Iridium Launches Big Comeback Bid (Source: Arizona Republic)
Iridium Satellite, the once-bankrupt provider of satellite-phone services with strong Arizona roots, is a publicly traded company again. Shareholders of New York City-based public shell company GHL Acquisition Corp. on Wednesday approved its $400 million acquisition of Iridium. The deal is expected to close Tuesday, but GHL, which has been trading on the American Stock Exchange, will be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market starting today under the symbol "IRDM." Iridium's name has changed to Iridium Communications Inc. The transaction provides Iridium "with the financial foundation" needed to fund the launch of a new satellite network into space planned for 2014, Chief Executive Officer Matt Desch said. (9/24)
Delta-2 Launch of Defense Satellites Now Set For Friday (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA delayed Thursday's launch of a ULA Delta-2 rocket carrying experimental missile-tracking satellites by at least 24 hours so workers could repair a small fuel leak at pad 17-B at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The leak in the kerosene fuel lines was discovered last night during preparations for Thursday's launch attempt. Workers isolated the leak and made the repairs early Thursday. With the leak fixed, the launch has been pushed back at least one day, to no earlier than Friday at 8 a.m. EDT. Weather should be good for the launch, with 70 percent favorable conditions. (9/24)
SpaceX Clarifies November Launch Plans (Source: SpaceX)
"We are now only a few months away from having the inaugural Falcon 9 launch vehicle on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral and ready to fly! The actual launch date will depend on a variety of factors, including weather and the overall launch schedule at the Cape, so that is a little harder to predict. Based on prior experience, launch could be anywhere from one to three months after Falcon 9 is integrated at the Cape in November.
This initial test flight will carry our Dragon spacecraft qualification unit, providing us with valuable aerodynamic and performance data for the Falcon 9 configuration that will fly on the following COTS and CRS missions for NASA. The second Falcon 9 flight will be the first flight of Dragon under the NASA COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) program, where we will demonstrate Dragon's orbital maneuvering, communication and reentry capabilities." (9/24)
SpaceX Lays Out Process for Dragon Crew Capability (Source: SpaceX)
Though it will initially be used to transport cargo, the Dragon spacecraft was designed from the beginning to transport crew. Almost all the necessary launch vehicle and spacecraft systems employed in the cargo version of Dragon will also be employed in the crew version of Dragon. As such, Dragon's first cargo missions will provide valuable flight data that will be used in preparation for future crewed flight. This allows for a very aggressive development timeline—-approximately three years from the time funding is provided to go from cargo to crew.
The three year timeframe is driven by development of the launch escape system. This includes 18 months to complete development and qualification of the escape engine, in parallel with structures design, guidance, navigation & control, and supporting subsystems. Another 12 months will be required to perform various pad and flight abort tests, which are slated to take place at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Under this timeline, the first crew launch would take place 30 months from the receipt of funding, leaving six months of schedule margin to allow for the unexpected. (9/24)
NASA Cancels Commercial Human Rating Study for In-House Work (Source: Flight Global)
On Sep. 8 NASA began a procurment process for a human rating study for its commercial crew and cargo program and then abruptly canceled it on Sep. 15. Contracts for the work would have been limited to Orbital Sciences Corp. and SpaceX, as winners of NASA's earlier Commercial Resupply Services contracts. NASA said: "We received inputs from a large number of aerospace companies that they would also like to participate in the Human Rating studies. We did not have enough Recovery Act money to pay for everyone [so we decided to] do the work in-house with civil servants and their existing support contractors. When the Human Rating products are completed in approximately March 2010, NASA plans to release the products for industry-wide review and comment." (9/24)
Bolden Suggests New Ares-1 Approach (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
New NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden may be backing away from making the wholesale changes to the agency's manned space program that were advocated by a presidential space panel, according to NASA insiders and administration officials. Bolden told senior agency managers that he was considering recommending to President Obama that NASA keep working on its controversial Ares-1 rocket as a "technology demonstrator" — a development project — for the more powerful Ares V rocket still on the drawing board.
Bolden's remarks followed a presentation by NASA managers that showed how, with some changes, its Constellation program of Ares-1 and Ares-5 rockets could appear to fit in with the Augustine Panel's findings. But one high-ranking NASA official who listened in to the meeting — but wasn't authorized to talk about it — said the conversation was "unfortunately caught up in the fantasy" that NASA would be getting an annual $3 billion increase to its current $18 billion budget — a hike that administration officials say is highly unlikely.
Critics are worried that Bolden has been "hijacked" by Ares supporters who are trying to present their slightly modified version of Constellation as real change. "This sounds like the average Washington bureaucracy trying to convince their political leadership that they really are changing, while basically continuing to do what they are comfortable doing," said Washington-based space consultant James Muncy. (9/24)
Bolden Meets with Florida Elected Officials (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On Wednesday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden met with several Florida lawmakers, and one participant said the new NASA boss did not seem to have any firm ideas of how to proceed. "I left the meeting unconvinced that there is a guiding vision for the future of manned spaceflight in the United States," said U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow. "I don't mean to imply that he [Bolden] is being evasive; I just don't think he knows." Putnam said several key questions are unanswered: how to replace the space shuttle; how to close the gap between the shuttle and its replacement; and how to ensure U.S. supremacy in space. (9/24)
House Extends FAA Bill Through End of Year (Source: AIA)
For the seventh time in two years, the House has taken temporary action to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operating -- voting Wednesday to extend the FAA bill through the end of the year. Lawmakers said the extension was necessary because they need to focus their efforts on health care reform. (9/24)
Editorial: U.S. Cannot Responsibly Avoid a Significant Investment in Space (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Since the moment Neil Armstrong and Ed win Aldrin lifted off to come home from the moon in 1969, NASA has faced a problem that no engineer, no astronaut, no administrator has been able to solve: how to sell politicians of constrained vision on the necessity of exploring a limitless universe. Human space exploration is an expensive "product," and over the many years since the end of the Apollo project, NASA's sales force has taken the path of least resistance: a space station here, an orbiting telescope there, a couple of rovers tooling around Mars. And really, NASA had no choice.
The pull just hasn't been there. No charismatic president has drawn the country into his vision of pioneering a new frontier, the way John F. Kennedy did, at a time when U.S. rockets had an unsettling tendency of blowing up on the launchpad. The push hasn't been there, either. The U.S. won the sprint to the moon against the Soviet Union. Then the West won the Cold War. When the defense-related urgency of holding the "high ground" dissipated, NASA's budget followed suit.
Now President Obama has in hand an advisory report saying that unless funding is increased by $3 billion a year, NASA's human exploration program will wither...In light of today's depressed economy and growing federal debt, it may be hard for most people to imagine reaching for the stars, and hard for politicians to imagine proposing such a thing. And yet, that is what should happen. (9/24)
Space Geeks Can Now Own Their Own Space Shuttle (Source: ASF)
Moo-ve over cows, as new statues are parading in… more than twenty uniquely designed 8-foot fiberglass Space Shuttle Statues will soon be up for bid in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s (ASF) Final Destination Online Auction on Oct. 1 – 8 and are available now for viewing at www.astronautscholarship.org/shuttles. Similar to Cows on Parade, the statues were part of a community-wide art program, Shuttles Orbiting the Space Coast, which launched in 2008 after 35 local companies sponsored the statues and artists adorned each one. After an 8-month tour around Florida’s Space Coast, the Shuttle Statues are ready for auction awaiting their final flight coordinates. The program was a fundraiser for the ASF and paid tribute to NASA's 50th Anniversary and its longest running manned vehicle – the Space Shuttle. (9/24)
September 23 News Items
It's Not Lunacy, Probes Find Water in Moon Dirt (Source: New York Times)
The moon isn't the dry dull place it seems. Traces of water lurk in the dirt unseen. Three different space probes found the chemical signature of water all over the moon's surface, surprising the scientists who at first doubted the unexpected measurement until it was confirmed independently and repeatedly. It's not enough moisture to foster homegrown life on the moon. But if processed in mass quantities, it might provide resources -- drinking water and rocket fuel -- for future moon-dwellers, scientists say. The water comes and goes during the lunar day.
It's not a lot of water. If you took a two-liter soda bottle of lunar dirt, there would probably be a medicine dropperful of water in it, said University of Maryland astronomer Jessica Sunshine, one of the scientists who discovered the water. Another way to think of it is if you want a drink of water, it would take a baseball diamond's worth of dirt, said team leader Carle Pieters of Brown University. Scientists believe there are three possibilities: It came from comets or asteroids that crashed into the moon, those crashes freed up trapped water from below the surface, or the solar wind carries hydrogen atoms that binds with oxygen in the dirt. (9/23)
Harris Adds General Dynamics Team Pursuing GOES-R Contract (Source: Harris Corp.)
Two global leaders in highly advanced antenna technology - Harris Corp. and General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies - have teamed to pursue a 10-year program for the ground antennas that will support NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite -- R (GOES-R). Harris, an international communications and information technology company, is the prime contractor on the team. (9/23)
Ares 1 Work Continues Despite Cancellation Threat (Source: Flight Global)
Rocket builder Alliant Techsystems (ATK) says work is proceeding on several tests aimed at proving out its first stage for the NASA Ares 1 low-Earth orbit (LEO) launch vehicle despite the very real possibility the program may be cancelled. ATK is beginning to build segments for the first of two additional instrumented first-stage ground test units, one to be fired at a propellant temperature of 4°C (40°F) (cold test) next summer and the second to be tested at 32°C (hot test).
Additionally, the company plans to perform a drop test for its main parachute system on 7 October using a Boeing C-17 dropping a 27,216kg (60,000lb) payload on a single parachute, the world's largest, according to ATK. The Ares 1 will use three of the parachutes to recover the first stage. The full parachute recovery system will be tested on Ares 1-X, a full-scale prototype vehicle with dummy second stage and crew module that is scheduled for launch from Florida on 27 October. (9/23)
How Far Could You Travel in a Spaceship? (Source: New Scientist)
How far could an astronaut travel in a lifetime? Billions of light years, it turns out. But they ought to be careful when to apply the brakes on the return trip. Ever since cosmologists discovered that the universe's expansion is accelerating, many have wondered just how much this will constrain what we could see with telescopes in the future. Distant regions of the universe will eventually be expanding so fast that light from any objects there can never reach us. Likewise, dark energy - the mysterious force behind the acceleration - places a limit on human exploration of the universe, says an Australian scientist who has now refined this limit on our travels. Even with rockets that could take us to within a whisker of light speed, expansion would still eventually leave us behind. (9/23)
Lockheed-Sponsored 'Journey to the Stars' Show Opens in San Francisco (Source: Lockheed Martin)
The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park will become the second embarkation point in the United States for a very special Journey to the Stars. On Saturday, September 26, the spectacular new space show makes its West Coast premier, and will be presented seven to 10 times each day through the fall of 2010 at the Academy's Morrison Planetarium. Journey to the Stars - made possible through the sponsorship of Lockheed Martin Corporation - debuted on July 4th at New York City's Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, and is being made available to specially equipped planetaria across the country and around the world. (9/23)
Part of Planet-Formation Possibly Seen in Real-Time (Source: Space.com)
Although it may take millions of year for swirling clusters of interstellar gas and dust to become a mature planet, scientists have discovered that rapid changes can be observed even within a fraction of that time span. Over the course of five months, the researchers observed that the infrared light from a disk of gas and dust around LRLL 31, a young star, tended to vary in unexpected ways. This suggests that another star — or perhaps a planet — is shoving the clump of planet-forming material around, which causes its thickness to vary as it spins around the star.
The observations were made using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Before Spitzer was launched in 2003, only a few transitional disks with gaps or holes were known. With Spitzer's improved infrared vision, dozens have now been found. The space telescope caught the warm glow of the disks, which allowed researchers to map out their structures. (9/23)
UCF Receives $25,000 from Northrop Grumman for Training Space Workers (Source: UCF)
The UCF Research Foundation has been awarded $25,000 by Northrop Grumman to administer a program designed to give up to 32 qualified college students real-world experience in the space industry. The bulk of the funding, $20,000 will support specialized training for college students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and put them in direct contact with Space Coast contractors and the types of projects they would be expected to complete in the space industry.
The remainder of the Northrop Grumman funding, $5,000, will support a program to recruit and train Brevard Community College students as technicians to support the launch of high-altitude sounding rockets. (9/23)
NASA Selects California Astrophysics Projects for Suborbital Flights (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected nine scientific teams to work on future high-altitude balloon and suborbital rocket payloads. The selected proposals address a wide range of astrophysical mysteries from dark matter and cosmic-ray antiprotons to studies of galaxy clusters and supernova remnants. Three of the projects are from California universities.
Researchers at the University of California will develop two balloon payloads, including a Nuclear Compton Telescope and a Microwave Polarimeter. Researchers at CalTech will develop a suborbital rocket payload to probe the "Extragalactic Background Signatures of Reionization." (9/23)
Commercial Launch Advocates Press for Station Crew Transport (Source: Next Step coalition)
Next Step in Space, a coalition working to support U.S. commercial human spaceflight, issued a white paper titled “Acquiring U.S. Commercial ISS Crew and Cargo Services Creates New Industry in LEO, Enables Program for Exploration Beyond” to help clarify issues discussed at a Sep. 15th hearing of the House Committee on Science & Technology on “Options and Issues for NASA’s Human Space Flight Program.” The coalition seeks to clarify that the Augustine Panel's suggested use of commercial cargo and crew transport services for the Space Station would complement, not compete with, NASA's broader program of human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. "With the Space Shuttle program nearing its end of life, the most economical options for transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) are: 1) sending taxpayer dollars to buy seats on the Russian Soyuz, or 2) investing in the American commercial space industry." Click here to view the white paper. (9/23)
Boeing Submits NASA Commercial Crew Transport Proposal, With Bigelow (Source: Flight Global)
Boeing has submitted a proposal to NASA to accelerate the development of commercial human space transportation under the agency's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program announcement. Boeing's submission, which draws on the company's experience with proven human-rated spacecraft, proposes development of technologies that will mature its Commercial Crew Transportation System concept. Joining Boeing on the CCDev team will be Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, LLC. Bigelow will provide additional investment, requirements for crew transportation to its Orbital Space Complex, and its expertise from testing and validating the technologies necessary to construct and deploy a full-scale, crewed, commercial orbital space complex. (9/23)
Editorial: Don't Let Florida Space Bid Fail (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
These are bleak times for Florida's Space Coast. Barring a reprieve from President Barack Obama, NASA will ground the space shuttle in another couple of years. Thousands of high-wage jobs at the Kennedy Space Center will be lost, sending a shock wave through the region's economy. And NASA's development of its next manned space vehicle, which could offset some of the lost jobs, is running years behind schedule. The region is counting more than ever on Space Florida. Legislators created the agency in 2006 to take the lead in attracting and growing aerospace companies in the state. Space Florida could help fill the hole in jobs and investment left by NASA.
But lackluster results and questionable contracts led agency President Steve Kohler to resign in May. His exit may have marked a turning point for Space Florida. Yet the recent bungling by some board members in choosing a new president raises nagging doubts about whether the agency is finally on track. It's a good argument for legislators to continue to keep a close eye on Space Florida. While jobs from the shuttle will disappear, changes in the U.S. space program could create new opportunities for Florida. This month, for example, a presidential commission recommended that private companies take over the task of carrying cargo and astronauts to the international space station. Space Florida must take advantage of these kinds of opportunities, and it's Mr. DiBello's mission to make that happen. (9/23)
Florida Elected Leaders Plan Space Policy Forum on Sep. 28 (Source: SPACErePORT)
Many of Florida's top legislative leaders will join Space Coast congressional officials on Sep. 28 for the 3rd annual Florida Space & Technology Forum, to be held at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa. The event will feature presentations and discussions on state and federal space policy priorities, including a balloting process to establish a consensus for issues that will require state legislative action in Tallahassee early next year. (9/23)
India Launches Remote Sensing Satellite, Other Payloads (Source: SpaceToday.net)
An Indian rocket placed a remote sensing satellite and several secondary payloads into orbit on Wednesday. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center and placed its main payload, the Oceansat-2 satellite, into a 728-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit nearly 20 minutes later. The 960-kilogram satellite carries three instruments for studies of the ocean and atmosphere. Also launched by the PSLV were six small secondary payloads weighing between 2 and 8 kilograms. (9/23)
Shuttle Extension Could Again Lengthen Hubble Life (Source: Flight Global)
Hubble proponents are mulling potential future servicing options for the recently reinvigorated 19-yr-old space telescope in light of an option offered by the Augustine Panel. As part of Option 4, one of five "families" of options revealed in a summary report of the group's findings in the 90-day study, the committee suggests continuing Shuttle flights to low Earth orbit to 2015, four years more than current plans, to eliminate a gap in the USA's ability to carry astronauts to the International Space Station until a next-generation vehicle can be commissioned. For Hubble, the extension opens the possibility of a sixth servicing mission that could boost the observatory's life by another five years or more from the 2014 life extension made possible by SM4, the fifth servicing mission that took place in May. (9/23)
A Waste of Space: Inspired Leadership and the Struggle for the Next Great Frontier (Source: OpEd News)
Why bother with space travel? As America's terrestrial problems escalate (e.g., budget deficits, financial crisis, war on terror, healthcare, etc.), critics have charged that space flight is little more than a futile and expensive hobby. After all, what hope is there that NASA programs will ever resolve practical problems such as winning the war on terror, reversing global warming, reducing the spread of AIDS, or eliminating global hunger? Indeed, space flight is so atmospherically insulated from the real world that NASA programs often appear to be little more than distractions.
So, why bother with space travel? Because, quite simply, the stars light the way to a brighter future. Space travel served as the path to Kennedy's New Frontier in the 1960s. If the US remains committed to accomplishing ever greater feats in the future, then we should look to the stars to light our way. Thus, space travel is not a distraction. Space travel represents the path to America's next Great Frontier. (9/23)
Ukraine Plans to Launch Tsyklon-4 Rocket from Brazil in 2010 (Source: Kyiv Post)
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has confirmed that Ukraine's Tsyklon (Cyclone)-4 launch vehicle will blast off from Brazil's Alcantara space center in 2010. The Ukrainian leader said he had asked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to help Ukraine's National Space Agency secure a $260-million loan from Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development. This money is needed to allow the Ukrainian National Space Agency to finish forming its charter capital and to accomplish a certain amount of work as part of the Tsyklon-4 project, Yushchenko said.
The Tsyklon-4 is the most advanced and powerful member of the Tsyklon launch vehicle family. It uses some of the technologies of its predecessor Tsyklon-3. The Alcantara space center's proximity to the equator helps increase the weight of a payload that should be placed into orbit by 30%-40%, using the maximum speed of the Earth's rotation near the equator. Ukraine's 2010 draft budget proposes allocating UAH 80.54 million for the Tsyklon-4 project at Brazil's Alcantara space center. (9/23)
NASA Scientist Charged With Aiding Wife's Firm (Source: Washington Post)
Mark R. Schoeberl, an atmospheric scientist who has worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center since the 1980s, is charged in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt with one felony count of acts affecting a personal interest. ... Schoeberl's wife, Barbara, owns Animated Earth LLC, which develops and distributes "Earth Today," a museum exhibit that allows people to access data on rainfall, earthquakes and other events displayed on a rotating globe. From 2006 to 2009, NASA authorized purchase orders worth up to $190,727 for Animated Earth's products and services, according to federal procurement data. It is unclear whether the charge is connected to those purchases. (9/22)
Air Force: SpaceX's Falcon 9 First Launch Planned for Nov. 29 (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
After being removed from the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing’s launch schedule for five months, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is back on the board. The most recent 90-day Eastern Range forecast released Tuesday has the new rocket's maiden launch planned for Nov. 29 at 11 a.m. local time. The reappearance of the Falcon 9 on the Air Force program comes exactly one week after several members of Congress cast doubt on the viability of commercial spaceflight as they defended NASA's plans to replace the space shuttle.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz), who is married to a NASA astronaut, led the charge in a heated House hearing. The Arizona Democrat said the U.S. could not "gain anything by confusing hypothetical commercial capabilities that might someday exist with what we can actually count on now to meet the nation's needs." Advocates of commercial space companies, especially SpaceX, say Falcon 9’s return to the Air Force manifest is a significant development that should show critics that the promise of new rocket companies is real. “It’s another wave in a cascade of recognition that SpaceX is a real company and another contender in the market,” said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. (9/23)
The moon isn't the dry dull place it seems. Traces of water lurk in the dirt unseen. Three different space probes found the chemical signature of water all over the moon's surface, surprising the scientists who at first doubted the unexpected measurement until it was confirmed independently and repeatedly. It's not enough moisture to foster homegrown life on the moon. But if processed in mass quantities, it might provide resources -- drinking water and rocket fuel -- for future moon-dwellers, scientists say. The water comes and goes during the lunar day.
It's not a lot of water. If you took a two-liter soda bottle of lunar dirt, there would probably be a medicine dropperful of water in it, said University of Maryland astronomer Jessica Sunshine, one of the scientists who discovered the water. Another way to think of it is if you want a drink of water, it would take a baseball diamond's worth of dirt, said team leader Carle Pieters of Brown University. Scientists believe there are three possibilities: It came from comets or asteroids that crashed into the moon, those crashes freed up trapped water from below the surface, or the solar wind carries hydrogen atoms that binds with oxygen in the dirt. (9/23)
Harris Adds General Dynamics Team Pursuing GOES-R Contract (Source: Harris Corp.)
Two global leaders in highly advanced antenna technology - Harris Corp. and General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies - have teamed to pursue a 10-year program for the ground antennas that will support NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite -- R (GOES-R). Harris, an international communications and information technology company, is the prime contractor on the team. (9/23)
Ares 1 Work Continues Despite Cancellation Threat (Source: Flight Global)
Rocket builder Alliant Techsystems (ATK) says work is proceeding on several tests aimed at proving out its first stage for the NASA Ares 1 low-Earth orbit (LEO) launch vehicle despite the very real possibility the program may be cancelled. ATK is beginning to build segments for the first of two additional instrumented first-stage ground test units, one to be fired at a propellant temperature of 4°C (40°F) (cold test) next summer and the second to be tested at 32°C (hot test).
Additionally, the company plans to perform a drop test for its main parachute system on 7 October using a Boeing C-17 dropping a 27,216kg (60,000lb) payload on a single parachute, the world's largest, according to ATK. The Ares 1 will use three of the parachutes to recover the first stage. The full parachute recovery system will be tested on Ares 1-X, a full-scale prototype vehicle with dummy second stage and crew module that is scheduled for launch from Florida on 27 October. (9/23)
How Far Could You Travel in a Spaceship? (Source: New Scientist)
How far could an astronaut travel in a lifetime? Billions of light years, it turns out. But they ought to be careful when to apply the brakes on the return trip. Ever since cosmologists discovered that the universe's expansion is accelerating, many have wondered just how much this will constrain what we could see with telescopes in the future. Distant regions of the universe will eventually be expanding so fast that light from any objects there can never reach us. Likewise, dark energy - the mysterious force behind the acceleration - places a limit on human exploration of the universe, says an Australian scientist who has now refined this limit on our travels. Even with rockets that could take us to within a whisker of light speed, expansion would still eventually leave us behind. (9/23)
Lockheed-Sponsored 'Journey to the Stars' Show Opens in San Francisco (Source: Lockheed Martin)
The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park will become the second embarkation point in the United States for a very special Journey to the Stars. On Saturday, September 26, the spectacular new space show makes its West Coast premier, and will be presented seven to 10 times each day through the fall of 2010 at the Academy's Morrison Planetarium. Journey to the Stars - made possible through the sponsorship of Lockheed Martin Corporation - debuted on July 4th at New York City's Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, and is being made available to specially equipped planetaria across the country and around the world. (9/23)
Part of Planet-Formation Possibly Seen in Real-Time (Source: Space.com)
Although it may take millions of year for swirling clusters of interstellar gas and dust to become a mature planet, scientists have discovered that rapid changes can be observed even within a fraction of that time span. Over the course of five months, the researchers observed that the infrared light from a disk of gas and dust around LRLL 31, a young star, tended to vary in unexpected ways. This suggests that another star — or perhaps a planet — is shoving the clump of planet-forming material around, which causes its thickness to vary as it spins around the star.
The observations were made using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Before Spitzer was launched in 2003, only a few transitional disks with gaps or holes were known. With Spitzer's improved infrared vision, dozens have now been found. The space telescope caught the warm glow of the disks, which allowed researchers to map out their structures. (9/23)
UCF Receives $25,000 from Northrop Grumman for Training Space Workers (Source: UCF)
The UCF Research Foundation has been awarded $25,000 by Northrop Grumman to administer a program designed to give up to 32 qualified college students real-world experience in the space industry. The bulk of the funding, $20,000 will support specialized training for college students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and put them in direct contact with Space Coast contractors and the types of projects they would be expected to complete in the space industry.
The remainder of the Northrop Grumman funding, $5,000, will support a program to recruit and train Brevard Community College students as technicians to support the launch of high-altitude sounding rockets. (9/23)
NASA Selects California Astrophysics Projects for Suborbital Flights (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected nine scientific teams to work on future high-altitude balloon and suborbital rocket payloads. The selected proposals address a wide range of astrophysical mysteries from dark matter and cosmic-ray antiprotons to studies of galaxy clusters and supernova remnants. Three of the projects are from California universities.
Researchers at the University of California will develop two balloon payloads, including a Nuclear Compton Telescope and a Microwave Polarimeter. Researchers at CalTech will develop a suborbital rocket payload to probe the "Extragalactic Background Signatures of Reionization." (9/23)
Commercial Launch Advocates Press for Station Crew Transport (Source: Next Step coalition)
Next Step in Space, a coalition working to support U.S. commercial human spaceflight, issued a white paper titled “Acquiring U.S. Commercial ISS Crew and Cargo Services Creates New Industry in LEO, Enables Program for Exploration Beyond” to help clarify issues discussed at a Sep. 15th hearing of the House Committee on Science & Technology on “Options and Issues for NASA’s Human Space Flight Program.” The coalition seeks to clarify that the Augustine Panel's suggested use of commercial cargo and crew transport services for the Space Station would complement, not compete with, NASA's broader program of human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. "With the Space Shuttle program nearing its end of life, the most economical options for transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) are: 1) sending taxpayer dollars to buy seats on the Russian Soyuz, or 2) investing in the American commercial space industry." Click here to view the white paper. (9/23)
Boeing Submits NASA Commercial Crew Transport Proposal, With Bigelow (Source: Flight Global)
Boeing has submitted a proposal to NASA to accelerate the development of commercial human space transportation under the agency's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program announcement. Boeing's submission, which draws on the company's experience with proven human-rated spacecraft, proposes development of technologies that will mature its Commercial Crew Transportation System concept. Joining Boeing on the CCDev team will be Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, LLC. Bigelow will provide additional investment, requirements for crew transportation to its Orbital Space Complex, and its expertise from testing and validating the technologies necessary to construct and deploy a full-scale, crewed, commercial orbital space complex. (9/23)
Editorial: Don't Let Florida Space Bid Fail (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
These are bleak times for Florida's Space Coast. Barring a reprieve from President Barack Obama, NASA will ground the space shuttle in another couple of years. Thousands of high-wage jobs at the Kennedy Space Center will be lost, sending a shock wave through the region's economy. And NASA's development of its next manned space vehicle, which could offset some of the lost jobs, is running years behind schedule. The region is counting more than ever on Space Florida. Legislators created the agency in 2006 to take the lead in attracting and growing aerospace companies in the state. Space Florida could help fill the hole in jobs and investment left by NASA.
But lackluster results and questionable contracts led agency President Steve Kohler to resign in May. His exit may have marked a turning point for Space Florida. Yet the recent bungling by some board members in choosing a new president raises nagging doubts about whether the agency is finally on track. It's a good argument for legislators to continue to keep a close eye on Space Florida. While jobs from the shuttle will disappear, changes in the U.S. space program could create new opportunities for Florida. This month, for example, a presidential commission recommended that private companies take over the task of carrying cargo and astronauts to the international space station. Space Florida must take advantage of these kinds of opportunities, and it's Mr. DiBello's mission to make that happen. (9/23)
Florida Elected Leaders Plan Space Policy Forum on Sep. 28 (Source: SPACErePORT)
Many of Florida's top legislative leaders will join Space Coast congressional officials on Sep. 28 for the 3rd annual Florida Space & Technology Forum, to be held at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa. The event will feature presentations and discussions on state and federal space policy priorities, including a balloting process to establish a consensus for issues that will require state legislative action in Tallahassee early next year. (9/23)
India Launches Remote Sensing Satellite, Other Payloads (Source: SpaceToday.net)
An Indian rocket placed a remote sensing satellite and several secondary payloads into orbit on Wednesday. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center and placed its main payload, the Oceansat-2 satellite, into a 728-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit nearly 20 minutes later. The 960-kilogram satellite carries three instruments for studies of the ocean and atmosphere. Also launched by the PSLV were six small secondary payloads weighing between 2 and 8 kilograms. (9/23)
Shuttle Extension Could Again Lengthen Hubble Life (Source: Flight Global)
Hubble proponents are mulling potential future servicing options for the recently reinvigorated 19-yr-old space telescope in light of an option offered by the Augustine Panel. As part of Option 4, one of five "families" of options revealed in a summary report of the group's findings in the 90-day study, the committee suggests continuing Shuttle flights to low Earth orbit to 2015, four years more than current plans, to eliminate a gap in the USA's ability to carry astronauts to the International Space Station until a next-generation vehicle can be commissioned. For Hubble, the extension opens the possibility of a sixth servicing mission that could boost the observatory's life by another five years or more from the 2014 life extension made possible by SM4, the fifth servicing mission that took place in May. (9/23)
A Waste of Space: Inspired Leadership and the Struggle for the Next Great Frontier (Source: OpEd News)
Why bother with space travel? As America's terrestrial problems escalate (e.g., budget deficits, financial crisis, war on terror, healthcare, etc.), critics have charged that space flight is little more than a futile and expensive hobby. After all, what hope is there that NASA programs will ever resolve practical problems such as winning the war on terror, reversing global warming, reducing the spread of AIDS, or eliminating global hunger? Indeed, space flight is so atmospherically insulated from the real world that NASA programs often appear to be little more than distractions.
So, why bother with space travel? Because, quite simply, the stars light the way to a brighter future. Space travel served as the path to Kennedy's New Frontier in the 1960s. If the US remains committed to accomplishing ever greater feats in the future, then we should look to the stars to light our way. Thus, space travel is not a distraction. Space travel represents the path to America's next Great Frontier. (9/23)
Ukraine Plans to Launch Tsyklon-4 Rocket from Brazil in 2010 (Source: Kyiv Post)
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has confirmed that Ukraine's Tsyklon (Cyclone)-4 launch vehicle will blast off from Brazil's Alcantara space center in 2010. The Ukrainian leader said he had asked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to help Ukraine's National Space Agency secure a $260-million loan from Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development. This money is needed to allow the Ukrainian National Space Agency to finish forming its charter capital and to accomplish a certain amount of work as part of the Tsyklon-4 project, Yushchenko said.
The Tsyklon-4 is the most advanced and powerful member of the Tsyklon launch vehicle family. It uses some of the technologies of its predecessor Tsyklon-3. The Alcantara space center's proximity to the equator helps increase the weight of a payload that should be placed into orbit by 30%-40%, using the maximum speed of the Earth's rotation near the equator. Ukraine's 2010 draft budget proposes allocating UAH 80.54 million for the Tsyklon-4 project at Brazil's Alcantara space center. (9/23)
NASA Scientist Charged With Aiding Wife's Firm (Source: Washington Post)
Mark R. Schoeberl, an atmospheric scientist who has worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center since the 1980s, is charged in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt with one felony count of acts affecting a personal interest. ... Schoeberl's wife, Barbara, owns Animated Earth LLC, which develops and distributes "Earth Today," a museum exhibit that allows people to access data on rainfall, earthquakes and other events displayed on a rotating globe. From 2006 to 2009, NASA authorized purchase orders worth up to $190,727 for Animated Earth's products and services, according to federal procurement data. It is unclear whether the charge is connected to those purchases. (9/22)
Air Force: SpaceX's Falcon 9 First Launch Planned for Nov. 29 (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
After being removed from the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Space Wing’s launch schedule for five months, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is back on the board. The most recent 90-day Eastern Range forecast released Tuesday has the new rocket's maiden launch planned for Nov. 29 at 11 a.m. local time. The reappearance of the Falcon 9 on the Air Force program comes exactly one week after several members of Congress cast doubt on the viability of commercial spaceflight as they defended NASA's plans to replace the space shuttle.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz), who is married to a NASA astronaut, led the charge in a heated House hearing. The Arizona Democrat said the U.S. could not "gain anything by confusing hypothetical commercial capabilities that might someday exist with what we can actually count on now to meet the nation's needs." Advocates of commercial space companies, especially SpaceX, say Falcon 9’s return to the Air Force manifest is a significant development that should show critics that the promise of new rocket companies is real. “It’s another wave in a cascade of recognition that SpaceX is a real company and another contender in the market,” said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. (9/23)
September 22 News Items
Space Florida Board Approves Negotiation With KSC on Hangar (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Florida's new president, Frank DiBello, received approval from his board to negotiate with NASA toward a transfer of ownership of the state-owned Reusable Launch Vehicle Support Complex (the 'RLV Hangar' adjacent to the Shuttle landing strip) to KSC. Under such a deal, KSC would continue to make the facility available for commercial users. StarFighters currently uses the hangar for its jet aircraft, and other suborbital spaceflight companies have expressed interest. It is hoped the transfer would indirectly offset costs that Space Florida currently pays to KSC to host the state-developed Space Life Sciences Lab.
The agency's board was also briefed on an effort to establish a horizontal launch/landing spaceport in South Florida. More on this later. (9/22)
Florida Legislation Proposed for Launch Competitiveness and Aerospace Workforce (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Florida's board on Tuesday discussed plans for state legislation that would provide various tax and investment benefits for companies operating in proposed "Commercial Launch Zones." Another proposed bill would provide tuition reimbursement grants to companies that pay for their employees' higher education. The bills will be considered early next year during the state's annual legislative session in Tallahassee. (9/22)
Florida Zero-G Video Will Be Used to Demostrate Science Education Standards (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida's new science education standards will be aligned to on-line supplementary materials that will facilitate/augment classroom instruction. Standards-based science topics that deal with gravity or microgravity will be supported with links to a Space Florida-sponsored microgravity education video developed as part of Zero-G Corp. flight program for the state's STEM teachers and students. (9/22)
A House Divided Cannot Stand (Source: Toffler Associates)
Space exploration first rose to popularity in the United States as a common goal, meant to unify a country struggling with social and political turmoil and with political-military competition with the world’s other superpower. The unity and collaboration that emerged helped drive innovation and extraordinary achievements. Space has since evolved to a hub of business and industry, one of the critical infrastructures driving not only the U.S. but the world.
Today, as other countries develop technologies that reach, operate in and make use of space, America’s position as a leader in space innovation is endangered. Paradoxically, the causes of this decline (and discussions of potential solutions) are fueling less a renewed unity of effort in the American space community and more a debilitating “side effect.” Established industrial and government space innovators are finding themselves at odds with independent entrepreneurs in a needlessly polar contrast of views about the future of the industry, a debate some see as “Old Space vs. New Space.” Click here to view the paper. (9/22)
Augustine: Space Program At Crossroads (Source: Aviation Week)
Norm Augustine told the Senate Sep. 16 that the agency's "program of record" isn't viable at current funding levels, and the situation won't improve much when the space shuttle fleet is retired. Augustine said the situation actually is worse than reflected in agency funding charts because so much of NASA's overhead is charged to the shuttle program. Once the shuttle program is shut down, he said, that overhead will be charged elsewhere on the agency's books - "probably to the Constellation program."
Arguing that Administrator Charles Bolden be given greater flexibility to manage NASA's overhead - its workforce and the infrastructure reflected in its field centers - Augustine repeated his panel's findings that additional funding would give the agency several options for moving human exploration out of low Earth orbit and on toward Mars, which he said is the logical destination even though it is technically infeasible today. (9/22)
NASA Advances Target Date for Ares-1X Test Launch (Source: NASA)
NASA is targeting Oct. 27 for the flight test of the Ares I-X rocket, pending successful testing and data verification. The Oct. 27 target date has been confirmed with the Air Force's Eastern Range. The launch window will extend from 8 a.m. to noon EDT. There is another launch opportunity on Oct. 28. The date will be finalized at a Flight Test Readiness Review scheduled for Oct. 23 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (9/22)
ICBMs: The Basis for All Systems in Space (Source: AFSC)
ICBMs have been, and continue to be, an essential element of the United States strategic global strike equation. In honor of the 50th ICBM Anniversary, Air Force Space Command public affairs, interviewed four space pioneers in efforts to portray their perspective when the ICBM program was young in years. The first element to question, what necessitated inter-continental ballistic missiles? Space pioneer and Peacekeeper ICBM program director, Retired Lt. Gen. Aloysius Casey, said, "ICBMs were created in response to the threat of a large Soviet Union long range missile program."
During the Cold War, the U.S. had a dominant strategic bomber force (B-36 & B-47 aircraft), the Soviets were working hard to establish a missile force capable of an enormous first strike before our bombers could arrive on target. Throughout the Cold War, ICBMs provided the U.S. with a credible deterrent force capable of striking long range targets. ICBMs had about a 35-minute strike rate making them ideal. Click here to view the article. (9/22)
ATK's Sluggish Stock Price Growth Belies Potential, Analyst Says (Source: AP)
The relatively lackluster performance of Alliant Techsystems Inc. belies the military contractor's potential and reflects investors' anxiety about NASA's plans for the Ares rocket program on which Alliant works, an analyst said Monday. Alliant is pursuing "attractive opportunities in space exploration, precision munitions and composite materials that may provide for meaningful additions to growth," said an analyst. Shares have "significantly underperformed" the market and other defense contractors in recent months, primarily due to concerns over the future of Alliant's NASA business, he said. NASA spending accounts for about 20 percent of Alliant's revenue. (9/22)
Space Florida's new president, Frank DiBello, received approval from his board to negotiate with NASA toward a transfer of ownership of the state-owned Reusable Launch Vehicle Support Complex (the 'RLV Hangar' adjacent to the Shuttle landing strip) to KSC. Under such a deal, KSC would continue to make the facility available for commercial users. StarFighters currently uses the hangar for its jet aircraft, and other suborbital spaceflight companies have expressed interest. It is hoped the transfer would indirectly offset costs that Space Florida currently pays to KSC to host the state-developed Space Life Sciences Lab.
The agency's board was also briefed on an effort to establish a horizontal launch/landing spaceport in South Florida. More on this later. (9/22)
Florida Legislation Proposed for Launch Competitiveness and Aerospace Workforce (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Florida's board on Tuesday discussed plans for state legislation that would provide various tax and investment benefits for companies operating in proposed "Commercial Launch Zones." Another proposed bill would provide tuition reimbursement grants to companies that pay for their employees' higher education. The bills will be considered early next year during the state's annual legislative session in Tallahassee. (9/22)
Florida Zero-G Video Will Be Used to Demostrate Science Education Standards (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida's new science education standards will be aligned to on-line supplementary materials that will facilitate/augment classroom instruction. Standards-based science topics that deal with gravity or microgravity will be supported with links to a Space Florida-sponsored microgravity education video developed as part of Zero-G Corp. flight program for the state's STEM teachers and students. (9/22)
A House Divided Cannot Stand (Source: Toffler Associates)
Space exploration first rose to popularity in the United States as a common goal, meant to unify a country struggling with social and political turmoil and with political-military competition with the world’s other superpower. The unity and collaboration that emerged helped drive innovation and extraordinary achievements. Space has since evolved to a hub of business and industry, one of the critical infrastructures driving not only the U.S. but the world.
Today, as other countries develop technologies that reach, operate in and make use of space, America’s position as a leader in space innovation is endangered. Paradoxically, the causes of this decline (and discussions of potential solutions) are fueling less a renewed unity of effort in the American space community and more a debilitating “side effect.” Established industrial and government space innovators are finding themselves at odds with independent entrepreneurs in a needlessly polar contrast of views about the future of the industry, a debate some see as “Old Space vs. New Space.” Click here to view the paper. (9/22)
Augustine: Space Program At Crossroads (Source: Aviation Week)
Norm Augustine told the Senate Sep. 16 that the agency's "program of record" isn't viable at current funding levels, and the situation won't improve much when the space shuttle fleet is retired. Augustine said the situation actually is worse than reflected in agency funding charts because so much of NASA's overhead is charged to the shuttle program. Once the shuttle program is shut down, he said, that overhead will be charged elsewhere on the agency's books - "probably to the Constellation program."
Arguing that Administrator Charles Bolden be given greater flexibility to manage NASA's overhead - its workforce and the infrastructure reflected in its field centers - Augustine repeated his panel's findings that additional funding would give the agency several options for moving human exploration out of low Earth orbit and on toward Mars, which he said is the logical destination even though it is technically infeasible today. (9/22)
NASA Advances Target Date for Ares-1X Test Launch (Source: NASA)
NASA is targeting Oct. 27 for the flight test of the Ares I-X rocket, pending successful testing and data verification. The Oct. 27 target date has been confirmed with the Air Force's Eastern Range. The launch window will extend from 8 a.m. to noon EDT. There is another launch opportunity on Oct. 28. The date will be finalized at a Flight Test Readiness Review scheduled for Oct. 23 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (9/22)
ICBMs: The Basis for All Systems in Space (Source: AFSC)
ICBMs have been, and continue to be, an essential element of the United States strategic global strike equation. In honor of the 50th ICBM Anniversary, Air Force Space Command public affairs, interviewed four space pioneers in efforts to portray their perspective when the ICBM program was young in years. The first element to question, what necessitated inter-continental ballistic missiles? Space pioneer and Peacekeeper ICBM program director, Retired Lt. Gen. Aloysius Casey, said, "ICBMs were created in response to the threat of a large Soviet Union long range missile program."
During the Cold War, the U.S. had a dominant strategic bomber force (B-36 & B-47 aircraft), the Soviets were working hard to establish a missile force capable of an enormous first strike before our bombers could arrive on target. Throughout the Cold War, ICBMs provided the U.S. with a credible deterrent force capable of striking long range targets. ICBMs had about a 35-minute strike rate making them ideal. Click here to view the article. (9/22)
ATK's Sluggish Stock Price Growth Belies Potential, Analyst Says (Source: AP)
The relatively lackluster performance of Alliant Techsystems Inc. belies the military contractor's potential and reflects investors' anxiety about NASA's plans for the Ares rocket program on which Alliant works, an analyst said Monday. Alliant is pursuing "attractive opportunities in space exploration, precision munitions and composite materials that may provide for meaningful additions to growth," said an analyst. Shares have "significantly underperformed" the market and other defense contractors in recent months, primarily due to concerns over the future of Alliant's NASA business, he said. NASA spending accounts for about 20 percent of Alliant's revenue. (9/22)
September 21 News Items
London Architect Plans to Build on the Moon (Source: Guardian)
Having left the capitals of half the world studded with towers, tents, gherkins and globes, the architect Lord Norman Foster is now gazing into the heavens. His firm, whose most famous projects include the British Museum's Great Court and the rebuilt Reichstag in Germany, is joining a European consortium pitching for the farthest frontier. The project would be part of the Aurora program of the European Space Agency. According to Building Magazine, it would investigate adapting materials found in space for building purposes, using data from the original Apollo moon landing, and new information gathered by robot vehicles on Mars. Among the objectives would be building permanent structures on the moon. Click here to view the article. (9/21)
Glenn Research Center Believes Moon Push Could Launch New Glory Days (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
On Oct. 31, if all goes well, a group of engineers and managers from Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center will gather in south Florida control rooms to watch a rocket they helped design and build soar into the early morning sky. The 150-second test flight of Ares I-X will mark a milestone for the space agency, and for its venerable Ohio field center.
Local members of Congress, along with economic development officials from Northeast Ohio, are concerned about the Constellation crisis' impact on NASA Glenn. The Constellation work has been a godsend for the 68-year-old research center. It is pumping an average of $93 million a year into Glenn's budget and has halted what had been the facility's long, slow decline, as the increasingly exploration-focused NASA downgraded aeronautics, Glenn's historic strength. The sprawling complex next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport generates jobs and other spinoffs worth $1.2 billion annually to Ohio. Business leaders want to protect and foster Glenn as a cluster of brainpower, a vital asset as the rusty region builds a knowledge economy. (9/21)
Congressman Hernandez? (Source: Space Politics)
NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez, back on Earth after competing the STS-128 shuttle mission to the ISS earlier this month, is contemplating his future, a Stockton (Calif.) Record article says the astronaut "is contemplating a political career to represent the Stockton area in Congress.” While it’s not clear how far off his political career might be, he’s gotten involved in one hot-button issue recently. After landing, Hernandez told Mexican television he thought that undocumented workers in the US should be granted legal status: a rare public stance on a political issue by an active astronaut. (9/21)
SpaceX Accelerates Dragon Testing (Source: Aviation Week)
Signaling growing ambitions in commercial human spaceflight, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will test its Dragon spacecraft earlier than expected on the first flight of its Falcon 9 launcher, while fellow NASA commercial partner Orbital Sciences begins studies of a human-rated version of its Cygnus cargo delivery spacecraft.
“The first four Falcon 9 launches will likely have Dragon on top,” says SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. “The original plan was to fly only with the 5-meter fairing, but now we’re exploring flying the qualification vehicle on the first demonstration flight.” Following the initial demonstration flight, and three planned demonstration missions for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, the large fairing will be used to cover a commercial payload planned for the next flight. The first of 12 contracted SpaceX COTS flights will follow in 2011. (9/21)
Sullivan to Brown: Hands Off My NASA! (Source: WTRK)
Here in Houston, politicians are all very supportive of NASA, the astronauts, and NASA’s thousands of employees. Year after year, we’ve heard Mayors, council members, and every elected official in between talk about the importance of the space agency. Now, it seems one local council member is getting a bit agitated with another council member’s support of NASA.
It all started late last week, when Council member Peter Brown sent the following letter Download CM BROWN - NASA Support (2) to the Mayor and other council members. In it, asked the Mayor to consider a resolution saying that the City of Houston acknowledges the economic benefit of NASA, and its employees. He said in the letter that he thought a unified voice from Council members saying how great NASA is would only help the space agency. The Mayor’s office replied that it does not in general issue resolutions on issues, but that it will discuss it in its weekly meetings.
Every other council member seemed to be content with that answer, except for Council Member Mike Sullivan. He fired off an email, basically, being upset that Council member Peter Brown was on his turf. In the following email, Mike Sullivan asked his colleagues not to act on Brown’s suggestion: "Please do NOT act on Peter Brown's email to you regarding NASA and writing a resolution. NASA is in my council district, and I am absolutely all over this issue. Brown is not in the loop, has no idea what is going on behind the scenes, who is involved already, and what our strategy is...Please look for my update to be delivered to Mayor White and all council offices by the end of the day today." (9/21)
The $3-Billion-a-Year Question (Source: Space Review)
The debate in the two weeks since the Augustine committee released its summary report has focused on which report option to pursue and how to get the extra funding needed to carry out that option. Jeff Foust argues that a bigger question has been ignored: why we do human space exploration in the first place. Visit
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1472/1 to view the article. (9/21)
NASA's Next Step: Augustine (and Obama) Versus Congress (Source: Space Review)
The Augustine committee's summary report got a strong, and not necessarily positive, reaction in two Congressional hearings last week. Taylor Dinerman describes how this debate could put more pressure on the White House to provide additional funding for the current Constellation program. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1471/1 to view the article. (9/21)
Human Space Flight: in Praise of (a Modified) Option 4B (Source: Space Review)
Which of the several options presented by the Augustine committee should the White House and Congress adopt? Edward Ellegood makes the case for a version of one of the options that could close the gap and preserve thousands of jobs. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1470/1 to view the article. (9/21)
Planet Hollywood, Part 1: "Mission to Mars" (Source: Space Review)
Nearly a decade ago space enthusiasts had high hopes as two Mars-themed movies hit the theaters; both were disappointments. Dwayne Day reviews the first of those films, "Mission to Mars", whose efforts at technical accuracy were spoiled by a bad plot. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1469/1 to view the article. (9/21)
One Backwards Leap for Texas (Source: Discover)
I keep wondering what kind of dumbosity people associated with the Texas Board of Education can come up with next, and I keep being surprised at the depths of teh stoopid. And this time it’s not creationism! It’s NASA. According to Houston Chronicle blogger Eric Berger, there’s a proposal to remove Neil Armstrong’s name from social studies textbooks. Yes, you read that correctly. The proposal was suggested by teachers and parents reviewing materials, because Armstrong "is not a scientist". I could argue that technically that’s correct, since Armstrong’s an engineer, which is different than a research scientist. Still, he did do some modicum of science when he walked on the freaking Moon. I think maybe he should be given the benefit of the doubt on this one. Plus, his foot was the first planted on another world, and maybe we’re not being too tough on students to know that. And the irony that this is Texas! They have a big city there called Houston which has some NASA ties, as in "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." (9/21)
Having left the capitals of half the world studded with towers, tents, gherkins and globes, the architect Lord Norman Foster is now gazing into the heavens. His firm, whose most famous projects include the British Museum's Great Court and the rebuilt Reichstag in Germany, is joining a European consortium pitching for the farthest frontier. The project would be part of the Aurora program of the European Space Agency. According to Building Magazine, it would investigate adapting materials found in space for building purposes, using data from the original Apollo moon landing, and new information gathered by robot vehicles on Mars. Among the objectives would be building permanent structures on the moon. Click here to view the article. (9/21)
Glenn Research Center Believes Moon Push Could Launch New Glory Days (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
On Oct. 31, if all goes well, a group of engineers and managers from Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center will gather in south Florida control rooms to watch a rocket they helped design and build soar into the early morning sky. The 150-second test flight of Ares I-X will mark a milestone for the space agency, and for its venerable Ohio field center.
Local members of Congress, along with economic development officials from Northeast Ohio, are concerned about the Constellation crisis' impact on NASA Glenn. The Constellation work has been a godsend for the 68-year-old research center. It is pumping an average of $93 million a year into Glenn's budget and has halted what had been the facility's long, slow decline, as the increasingly exploration-focused NASA downgraded aeronautics, Glenn's historic strength. The sprawling complex next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport generates jobs and other spinoffs worth $1.2 billion annually to Ohio. Business leaders want to protect and foster Glenn as a cluster of brainpower, a vital asset as the rusty region builds a knowledge economy. (9/21)
Congressman Hernandez? (Source: Space Politics)
NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez, back on Earth after competing the STS-128 shuttle mission to the ISS earlier this month, is contemplating his future, a Stockton (Calif.) Record article says the astronaut "is contemplating a political career to represent the Stockton area in Congress.” While it’s not clear how far off his political career might be, he’s gotten involved in one hot-button issue recently. After landing, Hernandez told Mexican television he thought that undocumented workers in the US should be granted legal status: a rare public stance on a political issue by an active astronaut. (9/21)
SpaceX Accelerates Dragon Testing (Source: Aviation Week)
Signaling growing ambitions in commercial human spaceflight, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will test its Dragon spacecraft earlier than expected on the first flight of its Falcon 9 launcher, while fellow NASA commercial partner Orbital Sciences begins studies of a human-rated version of its Cygnus cargo delivery spacecraft.
“The first four Falcon 9 launches will likely have Dragon on top,” says SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. “The original plan was to fly only with the 5-meter fairing, but now we’re exploring flying the qualification vehicle on the first demonstration flight.” Following the initial demonstration flight, and three planned demonstration missions for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, the large fairing will be used to cover a commercial payload planned for the next flight. The first of 12 contracted SpaceX COTS flights will follow in 2011. (9/21)
Sullivan to Brown: Hands Off My NASA! (Source: WTRK)
Here in Houston, politicians are all very supportive of NASA, the astronauts, and NASA’s thousands of employees. Year after year, we’ve heard Mayors, council members, and every elected official in between talk about the importance of the space agency. Now, it seems one local council member is getting a bit agitated with another council member’s support of NASA.
It all started late last week, when Council member Peter Brown sent the following letter Download CM BROWN - NASA Support (2) to the Mayor and other council members. In it, asked the Mayor to consider a resolution saying that the City of Houston acknowledges the economic benefit of NASA, and its employees. He said in the letter that he thought a unified voice from Council members saying how great NASA is would only help the space agency. The Mayor’s office replied that it does not in general issue resolutions on issues, but that it will discuss it in its weekly meetings.
Every other council member seemed to be content with that answer, except for Council Member Mike Sullivan. He fired off an email, basically, being upset that Council member Peter Brown was on his turf. In the following email, Mike Sullivan asked his colleagues not to act on Brown’s suggestion: "Please do NOT act on Peter Brown's email to you regarding NASA and writing a resolution. NASA is in my council district, and I am absolutely all over this issue. Brown is not in the loop, has no idea what is going on behind the scenes, who is involved already, and what our strategy is...Please look for my update to be delivered to Mayor White and all council offices by the end of the day today." (9/21)
The $3-Billion-a-Year Question (Source: Space Review)
The debate in the two weeks since the Augustine committee released its summary report has focused on which report option to pursue and how to get the extra funding needed to carry out that option. Jeff Foust argues that a bigger question has been ignored: why we do human space exploration in the first place. Visit
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1472/1 to view the article. (9/21)
NASA's Next Step: Augustine (and Obama) Versus Congress (Source: Space Review)
The Augustine committee's summary report got a strong, and not necessarily positive, reaction in two Congressional hearings last week. Taylor Dinerman describes how this debate could put more pressure on the White House to provide additional funding for the current Constellation program. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1471/1 to view the article. (9/21)
Human Space Flight: in Praise of (a Modified) Option 4B (Source: Space Review)
Which of the several options presented by the Augustine committee should the White House and Congress adopt? Edward Ellegood makes the case for a version of one of the options that could close the gap and preserve thousands of jobs. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1470/1 to view the article. (9/21)
Planet Hollywood, Part 1: "Mission to Mars" (Source: Space Review)
Nearly a decade ago space enthusiasts had high hopes as two Mars-themed movies hit the theaters; both were disappointments. Dwayne Day reviews the first of those films, "Mission to Mars", whose efforts at technical accuracy were spoiled by a bad plot. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1469/1 to view the article. (9/21)
One Backwards Leap for Texas (Source: Discover)
I keep wondering what kind of dumbosity people associated with the Texas Board of Education can come up with next, and I keep being surprised at the depths of teh stoopid. And this time it’s not creationism! It’s NASA. According to Houston Chronicle blogger Eric Berger, there’s a proposal to remove Neil Armstrong’s name from social studies textbooks. Yes, you read that correctly. The proposal was suggested by teachers and parents reviewing materials, because Armstrong "is not a scientist". I could argue that technically that’s correct, since Armstrong’s an engineer, which is different than a research scientist. Still, he did do some modicum of science when he walked on the freaking Moon. I think maybe he should be given the benefit of the doubt on this one. Plus, his foot was the first planted on another world, and maybe we’re not being too tough on students to know that. And the irony that this is Texas! They have a big city there called Houston which has some NASA ties, as in "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." (9/21)
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