Space Jobs Go Wanting (Source: Space Daily)
The average age of current space industry professionals has risen steadily since the days of Apollo. today, it is not unusual to see many positions filled with post-65 year old grandparents who have the experience and knowledge needed to compete in a very-competitive international space environment. It has come to our attention that there are literally hundreds of professional positions available in the space industry that cannot be filled. At a time when there are millions of people out of work due to the worldwide recession the space industry seems to be booming with projects, contracts and a variety of other activities that require space professionals with some experience in all levels of organization.
So, where are these very essential people? This simple answer is that there are not enough space professionals who have the training and experience needed to do the required work. All of the qualified people that we know are working, and they are working very hard, putting in long hours and making sacrifices to try and get the many funded space projects completed. What is wrong with this industry? During the 1960s and 70s aerospace companies were notoriously poor employers. One day, thousands of people would be laid off and the next day thousands would be hired. Space professionals had to be mobile and expect to change jobs every two or three years. Click here to view the article. (11/30)
Land-Launch Zenit Rocket Launches with Communications Satellite (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A new satellite to broadcast video and data services to Russia and the Middle East began a six-hour journey to geosynchronous transfer orbit Monday, following a middle-of-the-night blastoff from Kazakhstan aboard a Land Launch Zenit rocket. (11/30)
Presto! Black Hole Creates a Galaxy (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have long wondered which came first, the black hole or the galaxy around it. The leading theory holds that the two co-evolve, starting small and building over time. But colossal black holes may zap galaxies into existence from scratch, new observations suggest. Astronomers recently observed a peculiar large black hole that did not belong to a surrounding galaxy as expected. Until now, scientists thought that this black hole's host galaxy was merely shrouded in dust and rendered invisible to us.
The astronomers think the black hole is powering star formation in a nearby galaxy by spraying its jets of high-energy particles toward it. In fact, the quasar could have triggered the galaxy's formation in the first place when its energetic jets hit nearby clouds of gas. And as time goes on, the neighboring galaxy will likely grow to encompass the black hole at last. (11/30)
Com Dev Sees Lower Q4 Results (Source: Reuters)
Canadian satellite technology company Com Dev International said it expects to post lower fourth-quarter results, hurt by weakness in two of its domestic government programs. The global designer and manufacturer of space hardware subsystems expects to post net income of less than C$1 million, down from C$4.8 million last year. Com Dev forecast revenue between C$56 million and C$58 million, down from C$59.8 million a year ago. For 2010, the company forecast revenue growth of at least 10 percent. (11/30)
Space Station Crew Will Shrink to Two (Source: Space.com)
The International Space Station, which was crowded last week with 12 astronauts onboard, is set to go down to a crew of two Tuesday. Seven astronauts departed the station Nov. 25 on the space shuttle Atlantis, and now three more station residents are set to undock from the orbital outpost Monday to land their Russian Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan. The barebones remaining crew of two — NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev — will be left to handle the space laboratory themselves for about three weeks. (11/30)
Russia's Space Industry Output to Grow 18% in 2009 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the output of the national space industry in 2009 will increase by about 18%. Despite difficulties caused by the global financial crisis, "financing of the space industry has always been and will remain sufficient," Putin said at a meeting on the development of defense-related industries. He added that overall production growth in the defense industry would increase by up to 3.8%.
The prime minister also noted that the quality of production needs improvement. "Despite all our efforts, many Russian-made spacecraft are not as advanced as their foreign equivalents... and the R&D work takes longer than planned," Putin said. He urged improvements to production efficiency, and said priority projects must be tackled, including the Angara-family carrier rockets and the development of new communications, navigation and remote Earth sensing spacecraft.
Putin reiterated that in the past two years Russia's space industry enterprises have received and spent over 21 billion rubles ($609 million), and that half of those funds were allocated for technical upgrading of production facilities. (11/30)
Northrop VIIRS Ahead, Finally (Source: DOD Buzz)
After two years or so of claiming that they had the key sensor on one of the most troubled programs in recent Pentagon history it looks as if Northrop Grumman has finally found a fix. The program is NPOESS, the nation’s most sophisticated weather and climate satellite managed and funded by a tortured trio of the Pentagon, NOAA (at the Commerce Department) and NASA. The sensor is the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The essential news is that the sensor “completed testing in late October, including 112 days of thermal vacuum and post-thermal vacuum testing.” A key detail — VIIRS was put into a shipping container, clearly indicating this is not another case of, we have a fix on hand and it looks promising. (11/30)
Colorado's Ball Aerospace Lands NASA Contract (Source: Boulder Business Report)
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder will build an instrument for NASA that collects data about rainfall. Boulder-based Ball Aerospace will build a Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager that is scheduled to launch in 2014. The instrument collects higher quality and more frequent data and allows for temporal sampling of rainfall accumulation as part of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The mission is part of an international effort to collect better precipitation data. (11/30)
Piece of Rocket Found Off New Zealand Coast (Source: TVNZ)
Part of New Zealand's first space rocket has been found bobbing in the ocean off the Coromandel Peninsula coast. A fisherman called researchers just after 10am to say he had seen the booster floating off Great Mercury Island. The rocket had reached an altitude of 100 kilometers before splashing down. Rocket Lab technical director Peter Beck says the booster will be closely studied. "We've only literally pulled it up a minute ago so we're just looking at things like the fins and noticing that the fins are all melted so that tells us we achieved velocity. We're learning a lot." (11/30)
Caltech Scientists Explain Puzzling Lake Asymmetry on Titan (Source: CalTech)
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) suggest that the eccentricity of Saturn's orbit around the sun may be responsible for the unusually uneven distribution of lakes over the northern and southern polar regions of the planet’s largest moon, Titan. Saturn's oblong orbit around the sun exposes different parts of Titan to different amounts of sunlight, which affect the cycles of precipitation and evaporation in those areas. Similar variations in Earth's orbit also drive long-term ice-age cycles on our planet. (11/30)
Ares Team Pressing Forward with Ares I-X Prime Flight, For Now (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Despite apparently failing to be short listed for President Obama’s upcoming decision on the forward path for NASA’s Human Space Flight program, the Ares I teams are pushing forward with new plans to follow up the Ares I-X test flight with a 2012 to 2013 flight of Ares I-X Prime – a replacement test launch for the cancelled Ares I-Y flight. (11/30)
A New Recipe for Rocket Fuel (Source: MIT Technology Review)
Researchers are using aluminum and frozen water to make a propellant that could allow rockets to refuel on the moon or even Mars. Last week researchers from Purdue and Penn State University launched a rocket that uses an unconventional propellant: aluminum-ice. The fuel mix, dubbed ALICE, is made of nano-aluminum powder and frozen water, and gets its thrust from the chemical reaction between the ingredients. The propellant is environmentally friendly, and it could perhaps allow spacecraft to refuel at locations like the moon, where water has been discovered.
Using aluminum for fuel is not completely new--the space shuttle's solid rocket boosters use a small amount of the metal, as will NASA's Ares rocket. But the new work involves making aluminum one of the key ingredients by using nanoscale particles. These tiny particles, when ignited, combust more rapidly than larger particles, forcing more exhaust gases out of the metal and giving the rocket the necessary kick. (11/30)
Prized Shuttle 'Relics' Will be Tough 'Get' (Source: Florida Today)
The deadline for schools, museums and other organizations to get in their proposals to get some priceless artifacts from the soon-to-end space shuttle program has now passed. A real flight simulator used by astronauts in training, spacesuit gloves and parts, a piece of an orbiter wing panel and a host of other items are up for grabs once the space shuttle program no longer needs them -- sometime in the next two years. The competition to nab those display pieces will be tough because there are so many excellent aerospace and science exhibits across the United States. (11/30)
First Stop for Flexible Path? (Source: Space Review)
The "Flexible Path" option included in the Augustine committee report has attracted a lot of interest, but where exactly should that path begin? Dan Lester proposes using the Earth-Moon L1 point as a logical starting point for journeys beyond low Earth orbit. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1521/1 to view the article. (11/30)
From Fulton to Falcon (Source: Space Review)
Some people have become impatient with the pace of progress in the development of the commercial space industry. Bob Clarebrough looks back two centuries to the development of a different industry to find lessons of innovation for today's space entrepreneurs. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1520/1 to view the article. (11/30)
Just How Soft is NASA's Soft Power Going To Be? (Source: Space Review)
A joint statement issued during President Obama's visit to China earlier this month included a passage about cooperation in space exploration. Taylor Dinerman warns that the US should not appear to be too eager to work with the Chinese. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1519/1 to view the article. (11/30)
November 29 News Items
Space Florida Updates Master Plan (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Florida needs to create a dedicated fund devoted to supporting space transportation in order to be competitive in the field, according to Space Florida’s newly updated Spaceport Master Plan. The report, published earlier this month, was created “to propose a strategy for expansion and modernization of space transportation facilities and infrastructure in Florida.” State officials are attempting to stem large job losses that will result from NASA’s decision to end space shuttle flights next year and the five-to-seven year gap in flights before the successor vehicle, Orion, will begin flights.
The master plan lays out a series of infrastructure projects at the Kennedy Space Center, Space Florida Spaceport, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Cecil Field designed to service traditional launch companies and space tourism firms. In addition to funding, the master plan recommends the creation of a series of financial incentives to attract new businesses. Click here to view the plan. (11/29)
Central Florida Students Invade Kennedy Space Center (Source: NSCFL)
National Space Club's Florida Committee has donated $40,000 to the Brevard Schools Foundation Space Week, a program that introduces sixth grade students to the space exploration activities that occur at Kennedy Space Center. Over a two-week period in December, more than 5,200 sixth grade students will travel to Kennedy Space Center, listen to an astronaut describe space flight, and participate in a variety of hands-on activities. Since 2004, over 25,000 sixth grade students have participated in this innovative program. (11/27)
UA Infrared Camera Jobs Mostly in California (Source: Arizona Daily Star)
Among the Southern Arizona projects funded by stimulus money, the one that listed the most job benefits was a University of Arizona-based infrared camera project. The project lists 91 jobs as preserved or created by the stimulus funding, but there's a catch: about 87 percent of them are in California. While the nerve center of the project is in Tucson, most of the jobs are at Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto, Calif. About a dozen people work on the project in Tucson.
But NASA has had a tight budget for scientific research this year, she said. And because of that, the project was in danger of delays if it hadn't received $10 million in stimulus funding. Despite the nebulous numbers, some economists say that spending on research and equipment is especially helpful to Tucson, even though it might not have a direct jobs-producing benefit in the short term. (11/29)
NASA Clamors for Safer Launches (Source: Florida Today)
President Barack Obama faces decisions that will set safety levels for American astronauts launching on space expeditions for decades to come. Congress will hear this week from NASA officials, proponents of commercial crew transportation and independent safety experts. No current NASA astronauts are scheduled to testify Wednesday before the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics.
But documents obtained by Florida Today show exactly where the actual risk-takers stand. NASA's Astronaut Office says the next crew launch vehicle should be 10 times safer than the shuttle, which is set for retirement after five more flights. The system should "dramatically improve crew survivability," Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson said. "We believe an order-of-magnitude improvement is possible with today's technology and should be the goal." (11/29)
New Satellite Business Shows Europe's Strength In Developing World (Source: Aviation Week)
Two moves in South Asia could provide Astrium with a premier customer for a new small communications spacecraft, while reinforcing the company's lock on the remote-sensing satellite market. On Nov. 16, Sri Lanka signed an MOU to acquire a small telecom satellite from U.K.-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., which Astrium acquired at the beginning of the year.
The sale would be the first for the GMPT, a multipurpose platform intended for communications, navigation and exploration applications. The Sri Lanka MOU followed a preliminary Astrium agreement, revealed on Nov. 13, to provide a remote-sensing satellite system for Vietnam. Astrium would supply the system, VNREDSat-1, within a long-term strategic cooperation framework, including technology transfer, training and technical assistance. (11/29)
India Plans 36 Launches During 11th Plan (Source: Space Daily)
India is planning 36 launches during the 11th plan with more than six a year, a top space official said here today. The expanding horizon of the Indian Space Program, with more number of launches annually and missions like reusable launch vehicle on the anvil, calls for increased productivity with consistent quality and at a competitive cost.
Partnership with aerospace Indian industries was likely to grow multifold with the expanding activities of Indian Space Program and ISRO's foray into International Space market, an official said. Presently more than 500 small and medium industries partnered with ISRO, he said. (11/29)
Land Launch of Intelsat 15 Aboard Zenit-3SLB Delayed (Source: Space Daily)
The launch of a US telecommunications satellite by Land Launch (an arm of Sea Launch) from Kazakhstan was put off overnight for technical reasons. "The date of the new launch is unknown -- either it will be postponed by an indefinite time or by 24 hours," the official said. The reasons for putting off the launch were not specified. (11/27)
Florida needs to create a dedicated fund devoted to supporting space transportation in order to be competitive in the field, according to Space Florida’s newly updated Spaceport Master Plan. The report, published earlier this month, was created “to propose a strategy for expansion and modernization of space transportation facilities and infrastructure in Florida.” State officials are attempting to stem large job losses that will result from NASA’s decision to end space shuttle flights next year and the five-to-seven year gap in flights before the successor vehicle, Orion, will begin flights.
The master plan lays out a series of infrastructure projects at the Kennedy Space Center, Space Florida Spaceport, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Cecil Field designed to service traditional launch companies and space tourism firms. In addition to funding, the master plan recommends the creation of a series of financial incentives to attract new businesses. Click here to view the plan. (11/29)
Central Florida Students Invade Kennedy Space Center (Source: NSCFL)
National Space Club's Florida Committee has donated $40,000 to the Brevard Schools Foundation Space Week, a program that introduces sixth grade students to the space exploration activities that occur at Kennedy Space Center. Over a two-week period in December, more than 5,200 sixth grade students will travel to Kennedy Space Center, listen to an astronaut describe space flight, and participate in a variety of hands-on activities. Since 2004, over 25,000 sixth grade students have participated in this innovative program. (11/27)
UA Infrared Camera Jobs Mostly in California (Source: Arizona Daily Star)
Among the Southern Arizona projects funded by stimulus money, the one that listed the most job benefits was a University of Arizona-based infrared camera project. The project lists 91 jobs as preserved or created by the stimulus funding, but there's a catch: about 87 percent of them are in California. While the nerve center of the project is in Tucson, most of the jobs are at Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto, Calif. About a dozen people work on the project in Tucson.
But NASA has had a tight budget for scientific research this year, she said. And because of that, the project was in danger of delays if it hadn't received $10 million in stimulus funding. Despite the nebulous numbers, some economists say that spending on research and equipment is especially helpful to Tucson, even though it might not have a direct jobs-producing benefit in the short term. (11/29)
NASA Clamors for Safer Launches (Source: Florida Today)
President Barack Obama faces decisions that will set safety levels for American astronauts launching on space expeditions for decades to come. Congress will hear this week from NASA officials, proponents of commercial crew transportation and independent safety experts. No current NASA astronauts are scheduled to testify Wednesday before the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics.
But documents obtained by Florida Today show exactly where the actual risk-takers stand. NASA's Astronaut Office says the next crew launch vehicle should be 10 times safer than the shuttle, which is set for retirement after five more flights. The system should "dramatically improve crew survivability," Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson said. "We believe an order-of-magnitude improvement is possible with today's technology and should be the goal." (11/29)
New Satellite Business Shows Europe's Strength In Developing World (Source: Aviation Week)
Two moves in South Asia could provide Astrium with a premier customer for a new small communications spacecraft, while reinforcing the company's lock on the remote-sensing satellite market. On Nov. 16, Sri Lanka signed an MOU to acquire a small telecom satellite from U.K.-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., which Astrium acquired at the beginning of the year.
The sale would be the first for the GMPT, a multipurpose platform intended for communications, navigation and exploration applications. The Sri Lanka MOU followed a preliminary Astrium agreement, revealed on Nov. 13, to provide a remote-sensing satellite system for Vietnam. Astrium would supply the system, VNREDSat-1, within a long-term strategic cooperation framework, including technology transfer, training and technical assistance. (11/29)
India Plans 36 Launches During 11th Plan (Source: Space Daily)
India is planning 36 launches during the 11th plan with more than six a year, a top space official said here today. The expanding horizon of the Indian Space Program, with more number of launches annually and missions like reusable launch vehicle on the anvil, calls for increased productivity with consistent quality and at a competitive cost.
Partnership with aerospace Indian industries was likely to grow multifold with the expanding activities of Indian Space Program and ISRO's foray into International Space market, an official said. Presently more than 500 small and medium industries partnered with ISRO, he said. (11/29)
Land Launch of Intelsat 15 Aboard Zenit-3SLB Delayed (Source: Space Daily)
The launch of a US telecommunications satellite by Land Launch (an arm of Sea Launch) from Kazakhstan was put off overnight for technical reasons. "The date of the new launch is unknown -- either it will be postponed by an indefinite time or by 24 hours," the official said. The reasons for putting off the launch were not specified. (11/27)
November 28 News Items
Kosmas and Calvert Lead Bipartisan Call to Increase NASA Funding (Source: CSA)
Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL-24) and Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA-44) sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama signed by 81 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from across the country calling for additional funding for NASA’s human spaceflight program. The large number of cosigners is an indication of the strong national support for human spaceflight and its many benefits. Click here to view the article. (11/27)
Alaska Spaceport Picks Quintron for Comm System (Source: CSA)
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) has selected California-based Quintron Systems to provide "DICES" systems to support enhanced communications operability for launches from the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). Click here for information. (11/27)
Third Congressional Space Hearing Planned This Week (Source: SpacePolicyOnline)
In addition to the two simultaneous space-focused hearings planned for Dec. 2 by House science and transportation subcommittees, the same science subcommittee plans a third hearing on Dec. 3, focused on an Independent Audit of NASA. (11/28)
Musk Comments on SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Readiness (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Elon Musk set odds for success on the Falcon-9's maiden flight early next year. Hardware for the rocket is again streaming into the Cape, Musk said. The launcher's first stage, nine main engines, interstage, payload adapter and stripped down Dragon spacecraft have already arrived at the launch pad. The second stage is finishing testing in Texas before being shipped.
Musk said the Falcon 9 launch won't happen before early February, but the high-tech tycoon cautioned not to read into target dates. "I definitely want to be clear about any dates that are specified by SpaceX because it's often mischaracterized in the media as SpaceX delays again or some nonsense like that," Musk told Spaceflight Now. "The only thing we can really predict with some degree of accuracy, at least, is when the rockets will get to the launch pad." (11/28)
Japan Launches Satellite to Spy on North Korea (Source: RIA Novosti)
Japan successfully orbited on Saturday an information gathering satellite. A Japanese H-2A rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center. Japan's national space agency JAXA launched the satellite, the third of its kind, to replace an earlier model. Japan spent $566 million to design the satellite, and it cost another $109 million to build and launch the rocket.
China's Xinhua news agency said the satellite whose digital cameras can identify objects of around 60 cm in size from space would reportedly be used to watch missile and military developments in North Korea. Japan has been launching spy satellites since 1998, when Pyongyang test-fired a missile over its territory. (11/28)
Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL-24) and Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA-44) sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama signed by 81 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from across the country calling for additional funding for NASA’s human spaceflight program. The large number of cosigners is an indication of the strong national support for human spaceflight and its many benefits. Click here to view the article. (11/27)
Alaska Spaceport Picks Quintron for Comm System (Source: CSA)
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) has selected California-based Quintron Systems to provide "DICES" systems to support enhanced communications operability for launches from the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). Click here for information. (11/27)
Third Congressional Space Hearing Planned This Week (Source: SpacePolicyOnline)
In addition to the two simultaneous space-focused hearings planned for Dec. 2 by House science and transportation subcommittees, the same science subcommittee plans a third hearing on Dec. 3, focused on an Independent Audit of NASA. (11/28)
Musk Comments on SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Readiness (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Elon Musk set odds for success on the Falcon-9's maiden flight early next year. Hardware for the rocket is again streaming into the Cape, Musk said. The launcher's first stage, nine main engines, interstage, payload adapter and stripped down Dragon spacecraft have already arrived at the launch pad. The second stage is finishing testing in Texas before being shipped.
Musk said the Falcon 9 launch won't happen before early February, but the high-tech tycoon cautioned not to read into target dates. "I definitely want to be clear about any dates that are specified by SpaceX because it's often mischaracterized in the media as SpaceX delays again or some nonsense like that," Musk told Spaceflight Now. "The only thing we can really predict with some degree of accuracy, at least, is when the rockets will get to the launch pad." (11/28)
Japan Launches Satellite to Spy on North Korea (Source: RIA Novosti)
Japan successfully orbited on Saturday an information gathering satellite. A Japanese H-2A rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center. Japan's national space agency JAXA launched the satellite, the third of its kind, to replace an earlier model. Japan spent $566 million to design the satellite, and it cost another $109 million to build and launch the rocket.
China's Xinhua news agency said the satellite whose digital cameras can identify objects of around 60 cm in size from space would reportedly be used to watch missile and military developments in North Korea. Japan has been launching spy satellites since 1998, when Pyongyang test-fired a missile over its territory. (11/28)
November 27 News Items
Musk Considers Former Shuttle Factory for Tesla (Source: The District Weekly)
Tesla Motors has selected the City of Downey over the City of Long Beach as the manufacturing site for its new Model S, a four-door all-electric family sedan. “We’re very close to being able to make an official announcement,” Downey Mayor Mario Guerra confirmed during a brief telephone interview this afternoon. “I’m about to call a special meeting of the city council, and we’ll likely have an official announcement next week. Cars ought to be rolling off the line in 2011.”
Telephone and e-mail requests to Tesla Motors have generated no response. Long Beach and Downey became finalists for the automobile plant because both cities have vast manufacturing sites that were abandoned by the aerospace industry—the former Boeing 717 location in Long Beach and the former NASA production facility in Downey. In fact, the two sites are located only a few miles apart on Lakewood Blvd. But while Downey’s city officials were united and aggressive in their pursuit of Tesla’s enigmatic CEO Elon Musk, the City of Long Beach-—particularly Mayor Bob Foster and city management—-was accused of being difficult and nearly indifferent toward the possibility of a manufacturing plant that is expected to bring between 1,000 and 1,200 jobs to the area. (11/26)
Editorial: We Need Goals for Our Space Flight Program (Source: New Hampshire Sentinel Source)
The Augustine Panel's 155-page report provides our country with options for the future of human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit. I served as a member of the committee, and am especially proud of the report for several reasons. First, the report makes clear that the key choice facing us is one of goals, not destinations. Too often the debate over human spaceflight becomes an argument over destination: Should we go back to the moon? Mars? But this risks choosing a destination first, then searching for reasons to justify that choice. At least in part, that is what went wrong with the International Space Station, a destination in low-Earth orbit that is still searching to explain its purpose.
Instead, we need to decide on our goals for human spaceflight, and have the destinations flow from these goals. The committee concluded that human spaceflight serves a variety of national interests, but sending humans beyond low-Earth orbit has as its fundamental goal charting a path for human expansion into the solar system. This is ambitious, but if this is not our goal, we should restrict ourselves to destinations in low-Earth orbit. Human expansion into the solar system is a goal worthy of a great nation working in concert with other space powers...
In the past, there have been too many glorious images of our exciting future in space unmatched by the budget for a realistic path to that future. The committee’s bottom line is that the United States should either provide a budget to do the job, or acknowledge that it is scaling back its ambitions in space. (11/27)
France Seeks Military Space Investment Partners (Source: Space News)
French defense officials said they are on track to increase military space spending by nearly 8 percent per year, on average, through 2014 but that the program and spending profile still depend in large part on whether other European nations agree to co-invest. With electronic intelligence and missile alert demonstrator satellites already in orbit, France is ready to move forward on operational systems that are more likely to be built if there is at least some contribution by other European Union nations. French Defense Ministry officials also said they have begun studying how to integrate the future encrypted government-only service offered by Europe’s planned Galileo navigation and timing system into French military vehicles alongside the U.S. GPS military code. (11/27)
Two Hearings To Examine Private Spaceflight Safety (Source: Space News)
As the Obama administration considers outsourcing part of NASA’s manned spaceflight program to the private sector, two congressional panels will examine potential safety issues associated with commercial human spaceflight Dec. 2 during simultaneous hearings. Tough questions from lawmakers are expected at a House Science and Technology space and aeronautics subcommittee hearing on human-rating NASA and commercial launch vehicles and spacecraft.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation safety subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), will address Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of the emerging space tourism industry and the potential conflict between the FAA’s dual role of ensuring aviation safety and promoting the burgeoning commercial space market. At press time, the subcommittee had yet to release its hearing charter or list of witnesses. (11/27)
MDA of Canada To Build Payloads for Russian Telecom Satellites (Source: Space News)
Confirming its ambitions in Europe and Central Asia, Canada’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has unseated competitor Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy to provide electronics payloads for two large Russian telecommunications satellites in a contract valued at more than 200 million Canadian dollars ($187 million). The two satellites, Express-AM5 and Express-AM6, will be operated by Moscow-based Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) and will provide a broad suite of commercial and government telecommunications services in the C-, Ku-, Ka- and L-band frequencies. (11/25)
Astrium Lands Four-Satellite Deal with SES (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator SES has selected Astrium Satellites to build four direct-broadcast television spacecraft in a contract valued at around 500 million euros ($753 million) and expected to be signed the week of Nov. 30. It will be the biggest single satellite order ever made by Luxembourg-based SES. The satellites will be delivered at six-month intervals starting in 2012, a production timetable that SES had said would permit the winning contractor to operate with maximum efficiency and correspondingly low cost. (11/27)
Albuquerque Firm Gets New Mexico Spaceport Contract (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority awarded a $32.5 million contract to an Albuquerque firm to build the terminal-hangar facility - the futuristic building often seen in artists' drawings of Spaceport America. Summit West was the lowest of four bidders on the project, said Steve Landeene, executive director of the Spaceport Authority. The three-floor, 110,000-square-foot facility will serve as the headquarters of operations for the Britain-based Virgin Galactic, considered the anchor-tenant company for the spaceport, as well as for the Spaceport Authority. Landeene said the bid award is a significant step in the overall construction of the $200-million state-owned spaceport, located southeast of Truth or Consequences. (11/27)
NASA Ames Motion Simulator Readies NASA for Moon Landing (Source: cnet)
The Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., is the world's largest high-fidelity motion based simulation system. Moving as much as 60 feet vertically and 40 feet horizontally, the VMS gives pilots and engineers an opportunity to study flight characteristics of vehicles safely, in real time, and under accurate conditions. Right now, NASA is studying the designs for the next generation of human occupied space vehicles. The Altair lunar lander, now in its third design iteration, will undergo changes based on the studies here, and eventually go into production and be used in the next generation of spaceflight. Click here to view the article and photos. (11/27)
China to Launch Second Lunar Probe in 2010 (Source: Xinhua)
China will launch its second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, in October 2010, a top Chinese space scientist said. Ye Peijian, chief designer of the nation's first moon probe, said the second lunar orbiter will carry different payloads and orbit the moon in a different way. "It will orbit 100 km closer to the moon and be equipped with better facilities. We expect to acquire more scientific data about the moon with increased accuracy," he was quoted as saying. (11/27)
Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
Space shuttle Atlantis gracefully returned to Earth at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days in space and a jam-packed year of five successful shuttle missions for NASA. The orbiter and seven astronauts landed at 9:44 a.m. at KSC's Runway 33, bringing its total trip just short of 4.5 million miles. (11/27)
Tesla Motors has selected the City of Downey over the City of Long Beach as the manufacturing site for its new Model S, a four-door all-electric family sedan. “We’re very close to being able to make an official announcement,” Downey Mayor Mario Guerra confirmed during a brief telephone interview this afternoon. “I’m about to call a special meeting of the city council, and we’ll likely have an official announcement next week. Cars ought to be rolling off the line in 2011.”
Telephone and e-mail requests to Tesla Motors have generated no response. Long Beach and Downey became finalists for the automobile plant because both cities have vast manufacturing sites that were abandoned by the aerospace industry—the former Boeing 717 location in Long Beach and the former NASA production facility in Downey. In fact, the two sites are located only a few miles apart on Lakewood Blvd. But while Downey’s city officials were united and aggressive in their pursuit of Tesla’s enigmatic CEO Elon Musk, the City of Long Beach-—particularly Mayor Bob Foster and city management—-was accused of being difficult and nearly indifferent toward the possibility of a manufacturing plant that is expected to bring between 1,000 and 1,200 jobs to the area. (11/26)
Editorial: We Need Goals for Our Space Flight Program (Source: New Hampshire Sentinel Source)
The Augustine Panel's 155-page report provides our country with options for the future of human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit. I served as a member of the committee, and am especially proud of the report for several reasons. First, the report makes clear that the key choice facing us is one of goals, not destinations. Too often the debate over human spaceflight becomes an argument over destination: Should we go back to the moon? Mars? But this risks choosing a destination first, then searching for reasons to justify that choice. At least in part, that is what went wrong with the International Space Station, a destination in low-Earth orbit that is still searching to explain its purpose.
Instead, we need to decide on our goals for human spaceflight, and have the destinations flow from these goals. The committee concluded that human spaceflight serves a variety of national interests, but sending humans beyond low-Earth orbit has as its fundamental goal charting a path for human expansion into the solar system. This is ambitious, but if this is not our goal, we should restrict ourselves to destinations in low-Earth orbit. Human expansion into the solar system is a goal worthy of a great nation working in concert with other space powers...
In the past, there have been too many glorious images of our exciting future in space unmatched by the budget for a realistic path to that future. The committee’s bottom line is that the United States should either provide a budget to do the job, or acknowledge that it is scaling back its ambitions in space. (11/27)
France Seeks Military Space Investment Partners (Source: Space News)
French defense officials said they are on track to increase military space spending by nearly 8 percent per year, on average, through 2014 but that the program and spending profile still depend in large part on whether other European nations agree to co-invest. With electronic intelligence and missile alert demonstrator satellites already in orbit, France is ready to move forward on operational systems that are more likely to be built if there is at least some contribution by other European Union nations. French Defense Ministry officials also said they have begun studying how to integrate the future encrypted government-only service offered by Europe’s planned Galileo navigation and timing system into French military vehicles alongside the U.S. GPS military code. (11/27)
Two Hearings To Examine Private Spaceflight Safety (Source: Space News)
As the Obama administration considers outsourcing part of NASA’s manned spaceflight program to the private sector, two congressional panels will examine potential safety issues associated with commercial human spaceflight Dec. 2 during simultaneous hearings. Tough questions from lawmakers are expected at a House Science and Technology space and aeronautics subcommittee hearing on human-rating NASA and commercial launch vehicles and spacecraft.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure aviation safety subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), will address Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of the emerging space tourism industry and the potential conflict between the FAA’s dual role of ensuring aviation safety and promoting the burgeoning commercial space market. At press time, the subcommittee had yet to release its hearing charter or list of witnesses. (11/27)
MDA of Canada To Build Payloads for Russian Telecom Satellites (Source: Space News)
Confirming its ambitions in Europe and Central Asia, Canada’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has unseated competitor Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy to provide electronics payloads for two large Russian telecommunications satellites in a contract valued at more than 200 million Canadian dollars ($187 million). The two satellites, Express-AM5 and Express-AM6, will be operated by Moscow-based Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) and will provide a broad suite of commercial and government telecommunications services in the C-, Ku-, Ka- and L-band frequencies. (11/25)
Astrium Lands Four-Satellite Deal with SES (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator SES has selected Astrium Satellites to build four direct-broadcast television spacecraft in a contract valued at around 500 million euros ($753 million) and expected to be signed the week of Nov. 30. It will be the biggest single satellite order ever made by Luxembourg-based SES. The satellites will be delivered at six-month intervals starting in 2012, a production timetable that SES had said would permit the winning contractor to operate with maximum efficiency and correspondingly low cost. (11/27)
Albuquerque Firm Gets New Mexico Spaceport Contract (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority awarded a $32.5 million contract to an Albuquerque firm to build the terminal-hangar facility - the futuristic building often seen in artists' drawings of Spaceport America. Summit West was the lowest of four bidders on the project, said Steve Landeene, executive director of the Spaceport Authority. The three-floor, 110,000-square-foot facility will serve as the headquarters of operations for the Britain-based Virgin Galactic, considered the anchor-tenant company for the spaceport, as well as for the Spaceport Authority. Landeene said the bid award is a significant step in the overall construction of the $200-million state-owned spaceport, located southeast of Truth or Consequences. (11/27)
NASA Ames Motion Simulator Readies NASA for Moon Landing (Source: cnet)
The Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., is the world's largest high-fidelity motion based simulation system. Moving as much as 60 feet vertically and 40 feet horizontally, the VMS gives pilots and engineers an opportunity to study flight characteristics of vehicles safely, in real time, and under accurate conditions. Right now, NASA is studying the designs for the next generation of human occupied space vehicles. The Altair lunar lander, now in its third design iteration, will undergo changes based on the studies here, and eventually go into production and be used in the next generation of spaceflight. Click here to view the article and photos. (11/27)
China to Launch Second Lunar Probe in 2010 (Source: Xinhua)
China will launch its second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, in October 2010, a top Chinese space scientist said. Ye Peijian, chief designer of the nation's first moon probe, said the second lunar orbiter will carry different payloads and orbit the moon in a different way. "It will orbit 100 km closer to the moon and be equipped with better facilities. We expect to acquire more scientific data about the moon with increased accuracy," he was quoted as saying. (11/27)
Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
Space shuttle Atlantis gracefully returned to Earth at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, bringing to an end 11 days in space and a jam-packed year of five successful shuttle missions for NASA. The orbiter and seven astronauts landed at 9:44 a.m. at KSC's Runway 33, bringing its total trip just short of 4.5 million miles. (11/27)
November 26 News Items
Aldrin: In Search of a Real Spaceship (Source: Huffington Post)
Imagine this scenario: you are a tourist coming home from a special vacation jaunt. Or maybe you're a researcher headed home from an assignment at a national laboratory. But instead of a nice gentle landing at an airport, you plunge into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, bobbing about like a cork on a fishing line. Instead of a leisurely stroll to the airport concourse, you have to wait to be fished out of the drink by the U.S. navy.
Sound enticing? That's just the way future Americans will have to return from space visits to the International Space Station - whether you're a fancy high rolling space tourist or someone your government has sent to do space research - because space capsules - much like the tiny Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 capsules my colleagues and I flew more than 40 years ago - have been deemed the replacement shape for the craft that are to follow the Space Shuttle fleet when it retires next year.
Space capsules? That's right, instead of following the Shuttles with something as capable - something that can guarantee American space leadership - we're going to race China, India, and Russia in a competition to build a limited and ungainly spacecraft that America retired a generation ago. And guess what? It will take another seven years before the NASA Orion capsule is ready to ferry astronauts. And that's on top of the five years we've already spent designing the thing. And it will cost the taxpayers, oh more than $50 billion for these Orion capsules and their booster rockets! Washington, we don't have liftoff. Click here to view the article. (11/26)
India Developing Semi-Cryogenic Propulsion Technology (Source: India Times)
India's space scientists are developing semi-cryogenic propulsion technology using kerosene that is expected to give the country the capability to launch six-tonne class satellite, almost three times the weight its rockets can currently handle. The cryogenic technology uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, whereas in semi-cryogenic technology, instead of liquid hydrogen, pure kerosene (aviation-grade) is used. (11/26)
Delta IV WGS-3 Launch Set Dec. 2 (Source: PAFB)
The U.S. Air Force will launch the third Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle from Space Launch Complex 37 here Dec 2. The launch window is 7:21-8:41 p.m. EST. WGS satellites are designed to provide high-capacity communications to our nation's military forces. They will augment and eventually replace the aging Defense Satellite Communication System, which has been the Department of Defense's backbone for satellite communications over the past two decades. The satellite provides a giant leap in communications bandwidth and technology. (11/26)
Preparations Underway For "Land Launch" Of Commercial Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
Preparations are moving forward at the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan for the fourth Land Launch mission, the first of a satellite for Intelsat. Liftoff on Nov. 29 is planned for the Intelsat 15 satellite aboard a Zenit-3SLB vehicle. Land Launch is operated by Sea Launch, based in California. Orbital Sciences built the Intelsat 15 spacecraft to provide video and data services for Intelsat's customers operating in the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions as well as in Russia. (11/26)
Obama Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Lift Injunction Against JPL Background Checks (Source: Pasadena Weekly)
Scientist Robert Nelson trains his eyes to the sky as an investigator for the JPL team monitoring images from the far reaches of the galaxy. But President Barack Obama — much like his predecessor — wants to know what Nelson and many other low-security government contractors like him have been doing between the sheets and beyond. The Obama administration is petitioning the US Supreme Court to review an October 2007 injunction that Nelson and 27 other JPL contract workers were granted to halt sweeping background checks ushered in under a directive from former President George W. Bush. (11/26)
Canada's Space Program Hampered by U. S. Laws (Source: Whig Standard)
Canada's space program has lots of ideas and commercial potential, but one of the big things holding it back is the lack of a Canadian launch program, the Canadian Space Summit was told over the weekend. Also, both the military and civilian space research programs in Canada are hobbled by the fact that the country needs to rely on rockets launched by India, China or Russia, over which the U. S. holds wide-ranging veto powers.
That was one of the main messages of the summit, held at Royal Military College this weekend, from all sectors of the Canadian space establishment. The summit was held to forge links among, and accelerate the progress of, research and commercial use of space by Canadians. However, laws signed in the United States by former president Bill Clinton have put incredibly tight controls on other countries' space programs. (11/26)
Florida LG Kottkamp Looking Toward Space (Source: Daily Record)
When Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp was a kid his father worked for P.R. Mallory. The company made batteries, but not the kind that go into flashlights. “They made batteries for the Apollo space missions,” said Kottkamp. Through his father’s connection to NASA and the early space flights — Kottkamp says he vividly remembers watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1967 — Kottkamp developed a personal interest in space and space flight. That personal interest has transcended his professional life.
In addition to being second in command for the state, Kottkamp is chair of Space Florida and he’s really sure the state is positioned to take advantage of the economic opportunities that both manned and unmanned space flights present. Kottkamp is running for Attorney General. If he wins, being the state’s top attorney won’t deter him from pushing Florida to become the aerospace capital of the country. Kottkamp says such assets as the NASA facilities at Cape Canaveral and the potential in an airport such as Cecil Field make Florida attractive to any company looking to expand non-celestially. A workforce with plenty of experience in aerospace helps, too. (11/26)
Thousands Add Messages to Kiwi Rocket Ahead of Blast Off (Source: 3News)
The countdown is in progress. In just four days New Zealand’s first commercial space rocket is set to blast off on its maiden test flight. While it is designed to carry mostly scientific payloads, it will also transport a rather odd collection of memorabilia and messages. See a video article here. (11/26)
New Mexico Spaceport Almost Ready for Guided Tours (Source: KVIA)
Spaceport America is not quite ready for space aircraft just yet, but with plenty of construction underway, the project is headed for the stars. ABC-7 caught a glimpse of all the activity on the runway during the first-ever hard-hat tour of the area. "I don't look at it as my runway," Steve Waid, Project Engineer, said. "I look at it as New Mexico's runway." Runway 1634 is nearly two miles long and will be the world's first launch pad for commercial space travel. (11/26)
Russia: No Space for Space Tourists (Source: AP)
There is no space for tourists wishing to fly to the International Space Station, a top Russian space official said Thursday. Since the space station's crew doubled to six people earlier this year, there is no longer room for tourists who pay tens of millions of dollars for a trip on a Russian spacecraft from Earth, said Sergei Krikalyov, the chief of the Cosmonaut Training Center. Each Soyuz craft can accommodate three people. With the doubling of the station's permanent crew, Russia will now make four, rather than two, launches each year to allow for crew rotation. A permanent crew of six means the space program has to have two Soyuz ships permanently docked at the station to be used in case of emergency. (11/26)
NASA Proposes Robotic Rocket-Plane to Explore Mars (Source: Telegraph)
The Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Surveyor (Ares), around the size of a small plane, will be folded into a rocket and launched to the red planet. It would be the first aircraft ever to fly over another world. After entering the atmosphere in a capsule, the aircraft would deploy parachutes and unfold its wings and tail, before firing its rocket motor and flying around a mile above the surface of Mars for around an hour and a quarter. The idea is that an atmospheric craft like Ares can explore far more ground than existing rovers, like Spirit and Phoenix, but in much more detail than an orbital spacecraft. It is hoped that it could cover as much as 600 square miles in its short flight. (11/26)
Imagine this scenario: you are a tourist coming home from a special vacation jaunt. Or maybe you're a researcher headed home from an assignment at a national laboratory. But instead of a nice gentle landing at an airport, you plunge into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, bobbing about like a cork on a fishing line. Instead of a leisurely stroll to the airport concourse, you have to wait to be fished out of the drink by the U.S. navy.
Sound enticing? That's just the way future Americans will have to return from space visits to the International Space Station - whether you're a fancy high rolling space tourist or someone your government has sent to do space research - because space capsules - much like the tiny Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 capsules my colleagues and I flew more than 40 years ago - have been deemed the replacement shape for the craft that are to follow the Space Shuttle fleet when it retires next year.
Space capsules? That's right, instead of following the Shuttles with something as capable - something that can guarantee American space leadership - we're going to race China, India, and Russia in a competition to build a limited and ungainly spacecraft that America retired a generation ago. And guess what? It will take another seven years before the NASA Orion capsule is ready to ferry astronauts. And that's on top of the five years we've already spent designing the thing. And it will cost the taxpayers, oh more than $50 billion for these Orion capsules and their booster rockets! Washington, we don't have liftoff. Click here to view the article. (11/26)
India Developing Semi-Cryogenic Propulsion Technology (Source: India Times)
India's space scientists are developing semi-cryogenic propulsion technology using kerosene that is expected to give the country the capability to launch six-tonne class satellite, almost three times the weight its rockets can currently handle. The cryogenic technology uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, whereas in semi-cryogenic technology, instead of liquid hydrogen, pure kerosene (aviation-grade) is used. (11/26)
Delta IV WGS-3 Launch Set Dec. 2 (Source: PAFB)
The U.S. Air Force will launch the third Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle from Space Launch Complex 37 here Dec 2. The launch window is 7:21-8:41 p.m. EST. WGS satellites are designed to provide high-capacity communications to our nation's military forces. They will augment and eventually replace the aging Defense Satellite Communication System, which has been the Department of Defense's backbone for satellite communications over the past two decades. The satellite provides a giant leap in communications bandwidth and technology. (11/26)
Preparations Underway For "Land Launch" Of Commercial Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
Preparations are moving forward at the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan for the fourth Land Launch mission, the first of a satellite for Intelsat. Liftoff on Nov. 29 is planned for the Intelsat 15 satellite aboard a Zenit-3SLB vehicle. Land Launch is operated by Sea Launch, based in California. Orbital Sciences built the Intelsat 15 spacecraft to provide video and data services for Intelsat's customers operating in the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions as well as in Russia. (11/26)
Obama Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Lift Injunction Against JPL Background Checks (Source: Pasadena Weekly)
Scientist Robert Nelson trains his eyes to the sky as an investigator for the JPL team monitoring images from the far reaches of the galaxy. But President Barack Obama — much like his predecessor — wants to know what Nelson and many other low-security government contractors like him have been doing between the sheets and beyond. The Obama administration is petitioning the US Supreme Court to review an October 2007 injunction that Nelson and 27 other JPL contract workers were granted to halt sweeping background checks ushered in under a directive from former President George W. Bush. (11/26)
Canada's Space Program Hampered by U. S. Laws (Source: Whig Standard)
Canada's space program has lots of ideas and commercial potential, but one of the big things holding it back is the lack of a Canadian launch program, the Canadian Space Summit was told over the weekend. Also, both the military and civilian space research programs in Canada are hobbled by the fact that the country needs to rely on rockets launched by India, China or Russia, over which the U. S. holds wide-ranging veto powers.
That was one of the main messages of the summit, held at Royal Military College this weekend, from all sectors of the Canadian space establishment. The summit was held to forge links among, and accelerate the progress of, research and commercial use of space by Canadians. However, laws signed in the United States by former president Bill Clinton have put incredibly tight controls on other countries' space programs. (11/26)
Florida LG Kottkamp Looking Toward Space (Source: Daily Record)
When Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp was a kid his father worked for P.R. Mallory. The company made batteries, but not the kind that go into flashlights. “They made batteries for the Apollo space missions,” said Kottkamp. Through his father’s connection to NASA and the early space flights — Kottkamp says he vividly remembers watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1967 — Kottkamp developed a personal interest in space and space flight. That personal interest has transcended his professional life.
In addition to being second in command for the state, Kottkamp is chair of Space Florida and he’s really sure the state is positioned to take advantage of the economic opportunities that both manned and unmanned space flights present. Kottkamp is running for Attorney General. If he wins, being the state’s top attorney won’t deter him from pushing Florida to become the aerospace capital of the country. Kottkamp says such assets as the NASA facilities at Cape Canaveral and the potential in an airport such as Cecil Field make Florida attractive to any company looking to expand non-celestially. A workforce with plenty of experience in aerospace helps, too. (11/26)
Thousands Add Messages to Kiwi Rocket Ahead of Blast Off (Source: 3News)
The countdown is in progress. In just four days New Zealand’s first commercial space rocket is set to blast off on its maiden test flight. While it is designed to carry mostly scientific payloads, it will also transport a rather odd collection of memorabilia and messages. See a video article here. (11/26)
New Mexico Spaceport Almost Ready for Guided Tours (Source: KVIA)
Spaceport America is not quite ready for space aircraft just yet, but with plenty of construction underway, the project is headed for the stars. ABC-7 caught a glimpse of all the activity on the runway during the first-ever hard-hat tour of the area. "I don't look at it as my runway," Steve Waid, Project Engineer, said. "I look at it as New Mexico's runway." Runway 1634 is nearly two miles long and will be the world's first launch pad for commercial space travel. (11/26)
Russia: No Space for Space Tourists (Source: AP)
There is no space for tourists wishing to fly to the International Space Station, a top Russian space official said Thursday. Since the space station's crew doubled to six people earlier this year, there is no longer room for tourists who pay tens of millions of dollars for a trip on a Russian spacecraft from Earth, said Sergei Krikalyov, the chief of the Cosmonaut Training Center. Each Soyuz craft can accommodate three people. With the doubling of the station's permanent crew, Russia will now make four, rather than two, launches each year to allow for crew rotation. A permanent crew of six means the space program has to have two Soyuz ships permanently docked at the station to be used in case of emergency. (11/26)
NASA Proposes Robotic Rocket-Plane to Explore Mars (Source: Telegraph)
The Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Surveyor (Ares), around the size of a small plane, will be folded into a rocket and launched to the red planet. It would be the first aircraft ever to fly over another world. After entering the atmosphere in a capsule, the aircraft would deploy parachutes and unfold its wings and tail, before firing its rocket motor and flying around a mile above the surface of Mars for around an hour and a quarter. The idea is that an atmospheric craft like Ares can explore far more ground than existing rovers, like Spirit and Phoenix, but in much more detail than an orbital spacecraft. It is hoped that it could cover as much as 600 square miles in its short flight. (11/26)
November 25 News Items
First Two Soyuz Launchers Arrive In French Guiana (Source: Space Daily)
Arianespace has marked a historic milestone with the arrival of its first two Soyuz launchers in French Guiana, which will be used to inaugurate service with this medium-lift workhorse vehicle next year from the Spaceport. The Soyuz 2-1a launchers were carried aboard the MN Colibri roll-on/roll-off transport ship, which docked on schedule yesterday morning at Pariacabo port near Kourou.
Delta-2 Launch from Vandenberg for NASA Payload on Dec. 9 (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA is preparing to launch its latest astronomy probe, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, - also known as WISE - aboard a Delta-2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California. The launch is scheduled to occur between 9:09 a.m. and 9:23 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif. (11/25)
After Space Station is Built, What Will Its Crew Do Up There? (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
Now that NASA has begun putting the finishing touches to the International Space Station, it and partner agencies have been posting the equivalent of slick travel brochures complete with a photo montage of astronauts serving as lab technicians or wired up as test subjects. It's one part of preparations for expanding the use of a space station that could remain on orbit through 2020 or even 2028.
NASA is doing studies to see if the certified lifetime of the station's structural pieces can safely be extended. Con gress last year asked the agency to find ways to keep the station operating past 2015. "We're doing a 30-year look at all the components," says space-station program manager Michael Sufferedini. "Assuming we get them all certified, we'll actually have a vehicle certified through about 2028." Click here to view the article. (11/25)
Rocket Stars: The Guys Making Rocket Science A Career (Source: Space Daily)
A nondescript sign along an anonymous road east of Dallas announces the location of bustling and urbane Caddo Mills Municipal Airport. Parked among the slumbering agricultural equipment and looking like yet another oversized bale of plastic-wrapped hay is a trailer-mounted tank of cryogenic methane. A refrigerated tank of LOX (liquid oxygen) hides bashfully in the shade of a dainty tree. The rain and wind beat down the unmown prairie grasses and form puddles on the narrow entrance road.
This is the home of Texas' most unusual rocket company, Armadillo Aerospace. All that outwardly heralds the presence of the company is a small sign over a few windows looking in on a sparse lobby decorated with a few trophies. Like a mad scientist's secret hideout, there is no obvious sign of the genius and frenetic activity going on inside the cavernous space. Click here to view the article. (11/25)
Martian Meteorite Surrenders New Secrets of Possible Life (Source: Compelling new data that chemical and fossil evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars was carried to Earth in a Martian meteorite is being elevated to a higher plane by the same NASA team which made the initial discovery 13 years ago.
The new data are providing a powerful new case for the Allen Hills Meteorite to have carried strong evidence of Martian life to Earth -- evidence that is increasingly standing up to scrutiny as new analytical tools are used to examine the specimen. 13 years after the Martian meteorite life story emerged, the science team finally feels vindicated. Their data shows the meteorite is full of evidence that supports the existence of life on the surface of Mars, or in subsurface water pools, early in the planet's history. (11/25)
Russian Proton Launches Commercial Satellite (Source: ILS)
International Launch Services (ILS) successfully carried the W7 satellite to orbit for Eutelsat Communications of France on an ILS Proton. The Proton vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur spaceport and successfully released the W7 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. Proton has a heritage of 349 missions since its inception in 1965. (11/25)
Astronaut Says Mexico Needs its Own Space Program (Source: AP)
A NASA astronaut says he wants to help Mexican officials start the country's first space agency. Astronaut Jose Hernandez says he has no plans to leave his job at NASA, but hopes to help Mexico's program get off the ground. Hernandez is the U.S.-born son of Mexican migrant farm workers who spent much of his childhood moving between Mexico and the U.S. He says officials must invest more money in science, technology and education to make Mexico more competitive and diversify its economy. Legislators have set aside 10 million pesos ($775,000) for the Mexican Space Agency in next year's budget, but the program has not yet been officially established. (11/25)
Gift Guide for Space Jockeys (Source: CNET)
Hey you, Ground Controls and Major Toms orbiting out there! If you're a space aficionado or know someone who'd like to blast into the cosmos, it's time to take your protein pills and scroll through the following gallery for a definitive go/no-go holiday gift list. Click here to view the gift guide. (11/25)
'Solar Tsunamis' Tower on Surface of the Sun (Source: Cosmos)
Observations from NASA's STEREO space probes have confirmed that vast 'solar tsunamis', taller than the Earth itself, ripple across the Sun for millions of kilometers. The technical name is 'fast-mode magneto-hydrodynamical wave (MHD)'. The one the STEREO probes recorded reared up to 100,000 km in height, and raced outward at 900 km/h packing as much energy as 2,400 megatons of TNT. In the 1990s when astronomers first witnessed a towering wave of hot plasma racing along the Sun's surface, they were perplexed. (11/25)
Sensor Failure Ends Long-Lived Satellite Mission (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A spinning antenna on NASA's QuikSCAT satellite has failed after more than a decade of operations, leaving weather forecasters without a critical tool to measure winds inside distant hurricanes and adding fuel to a political firestorm on a potential replacement. QuikSCAT has been used as an operational resource by meteorologists around the world. It has proven particularly invaluable in gauging the location, size and strength of hurricanes in the open ocean, far from land-based radars and outside the range of reconnaissance aircraft. (11/25)
Florida Congressman Introduces Satellite Modernization Act (Source: Rep. Ron Klein)
In late September, in anticipation of the QuikSCAT failure, Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL) introduced legislation to support a cutting-edge next generation satellite system. The Hurricane Satellite Modernization Act authorizes the construction of next-generation hurricane tracking satellites, as recommended by the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. The next-generation satellites will provide significantly improved information to narrow the cone of uncertainty and protect Florida’s families when a storm approaches. Click here for information. (11/25)
Arianespace has marked a historic milestone with the arrival of its first two Soyuz launchers in French Guiana, which will be used to inaugurate service with this medium-lift workhorse vehicle next year from the Spaceport. The Soyuz 2-1a launchers were carried aboard the MN Colibri roll-on/roll-off transport ship, which docked on schedule yesterday morning at Pariacabo port near Kourou.
Delta-2 Launch from Vandenberg for NASA Payload on Dec. 9 (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA is preparing to launch its latest astronomy probe, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, - also known as WISE - aboard a Delta-2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California. The launch is scheduled to occur between 9:09 a.m. and 9:23 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif. (11/25)
After Space Station is Built, What Will Its Crew Do Up There? (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
Now that NASA has begun putting the finishing touches to the International Space Station, it and partner agencies have been posting the equivalent of slick travel brochures complete with a photo montage of astronauts serving as lab technicians or wired up as test subjects. It's one part of preparations for expanding the use of a space station that could remain on orbit through 2020 or even 2028.
NASA is doing studies to see if the certified lifetime of the station's structural pieces can safely be extended. Con gress last year asked the agency to find ways to keep the station operating past 2015. "We're doing a 30-year look at all the components," says space-station program manager Michael Sufferedini. "Assuming we get them all certified, we'll actually have a vehicle certified through about 2028." Click here to view the article. (11/25)
Rocket Stars: The Guys Making Rocket Science A Career (Source: Space Daily)
A nondescript sign along an anonymous road east of Dallas announces the location of bustling and urbane Caddo Mills Municipal Airport. Parked among the slumbering agricultural equipment and looking like yet another oversized bale of plastic-wrapped hay is a trailer-mounted tank of cryogenic methane. A refrigerated tank of LOX (liquid oxygen) hides bashfully in the shade of a dainty tree. The rain and wind beat down the unmown prairie grasses and form puddles on the narrow entrance road.
This is the home of Texas' most unusual rocket company, Armadillo Aerospace. All that outwardly heralds the presence of the company is a small sign over a few windows looking in on a sparse lobby decorated with a few trophies. Like a mad scientist's secret hideout, there is no obvious sign of the genius and frenetic activity going on inside the cavernous space. Click here to view the article. (11/25)
Martian Meteorite Surrenders New Secrets of Possible Life (Source: Compelling new data that chemical and fossil evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars was carried to Earth in a Martian meteorite is being elevated to a higher plane by the same NASA team which made the initial discovery 13 years ago.
The new data are providing a powerful new case for the Allen Hills Meteorite to have carried strong evidence of Martian life to Earth -- evidence that is increasingly standing up to scrutiny as new analytical tools are used to examine the specimen. 13 years after the Martian meteorite life story emerged, the science team finally feels vindicated. Their data shows the meteorite is full of evidence that supports the existence of life on the surface of Mars, or in subsurface water pools, early in the planet's history. (11/25)
Russian Proton Launches Commercial Satellite (Source: ILS)
International Launch Services (ILS) successfully carried the W7 satellite to orbit for Eutelsat Communications of France on an ILS Proton. The Proton vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur spaceport and successfully released the W7 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. Proton has a heritage of 349 missions since its inception in 1965. (11/25)
Astronaut Says Mexico Needs its Own Space Program (Source: AP)
A NASA astronaut says he wants to help Mexican officials start the country's first space agency. Astronaut Jose Hernandez says he has no plans to leave his job at NASA, but hopes to help Mexico's program get off the ground. Hernandez is the U.S.-born son of Mexican migrant farm workers who spent much of his childhood moving between Mexico and the U.S. He says officials must invest more money in science, technology and education to make Mexico more competitive and diversify its economy. Legislators have set aside 10 million pesos ($775,000) for the Mexican Space Agency in next year's budget, but the program has not yet been officially established. (11/25)
Gift Guide for Space Jockeys (Source: CNET)
Hey you, Ground Controls and Major Toms orbiting out there! If you're a space aficionado or know someone who'd like to blast into the cosmos, it's time to take your protein pills and scroll through the following gallery for a definitive go/no-go holiday gift list. Click here to view the gift guide. (11/25)
'Solar Tsunamis' Tower on Surface of the Sun (Source: Cosmos)
Observations from NASA's STEREO space probes have confirmed that vast 'solar tsunamis', taller than the Earth itself, ripple across the Sun for millions of kilometers. The technical name is 'fast-mode magneto-hydrodynamical wave (MHD)'. The one the STEREO probes recorded reared up to 100,000 km in height, and raced outward at 900 km/h packing as much energy as 2,400 megatons of TNT. In the 1990s when astronomers first witnessed a towering wave of hot plasma racing along the Sun's surface, they were perplexed. (11/25)
Sensor Failure Ends Long-Lived Satellite Mission (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A spinning antenna on NASA's QuikSCAT satellite has failed after more than a decade of operations, leaving weather forecasters without a critical tool to measure winds inside distant hurricanes and adding fuel to a political firestorm on a potential replacement. QuikSCAT has been used as an operational resource by meteorologists around the world. It has proven particularly invaluable in gauging the location, size and strength of hurricanes in the open ocean, far from land-based radars and outside the range of reconnaissance aircraft. (11/25)
Florida Congressman Introduces Satellite Modernization Act (Source: Rep. Ron Klein)
In late September, in anticipation of the QuikSCAT failure, Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL) introduced legislation to support a cutting-edge next generation satellite system. The Hurricane Satellite Modernization Act authorizes the construction of next-generation hurricane tracking satellites, as recommended by the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. The next-generation satellites will provide significantly improved information to narrow the cone of uncertainty and protect Florida’s families when a storm approaches. Click here for information. (11/25)
November 24 News Items
Russia Schedules Proton Launch for Tuesday Evening (Source: RIA Novosti)
The launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket carrying the European Eutelsat W7 satellite has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, a spokesman for Russia's Khrunichev space center said. An official had no information on whether Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov, who is on an official visit to Hong Kong, had signed a government resolution on the launch. The launch was earlier scheduled for Monday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan but was postponed due to organizational disagreements between the Russian and Kazakh space agencies Roscosmos and Kazcosmos. (11/24)
Air Force Space Plane Shooting for April Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The U.S. Air Force has released new images of its experimental new X-37B space plane as the secretive mission's launch date next April draws near. The X-37B, or OTV, spacecraft is pictured here in launch configuration at a Boeing factory. In a response to written questions, an Air Force spokesperson said the unmanned spaceship is scheduled for launch April 19 on an Atlas 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The winged X-37B, also named the Orbital Test Vehicle, is managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office under the direct supervision of the secretary of the Air Force and the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics.
The military is tight-lipped on the demonstrator's payload for the April mission, but the Air Force says it will test space technologies and prove concepts for small reusable spacecraft. The spacecraft measures more than 29 feet long and nine-and-a-half feet tall. Its wingspan is 14 feet, 11 inches, and it will weigh about 11,000 pounds at launch. The OTV will be shrouded inside a bulbous five-meter diameter payload fairing for launch. The Atlas 5 rocket will fly in the 501 configuration with the large nose cone, no solid rocket boosters and a single engine Centaur upper stage. (11/24)
Double Jeopardy for Commercial Space on Dec. 2 (Source: Space Politics)
The House Science and Technology Committee has released the witness lineup for its hearing next Wednesday, December 2, on “Ensuring the Safety of Human Space Flight”. Meanwhile, at the exact same time (10 am December 2) a hearing on “Commercial Space Transportation” is planned by the aviation subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. No hearing information, including planned witnesses, has been released. The chairman of the full committee, James Oberstar, has been critical of commercial space transportation laws and regulations in the past. Click here to view the article, with a list of witnesses for the spaceflight safety hearing. (11/24)
Texas Governor's Race Might Get Spacey (Sources: SPACErePORT)
Instead of running for the U.S. Senate to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is running for Governor of Texas, Houston Mayor Bill White may instead run against Hutchison for Governor. White is a popular "conservative-to-moderate" Democrat who, as Houston's Mayor, may win the support of space industry workers in the region surrounding Johnson Space Center. Hutchison, meanwhile, has been a solid supporter of space industry issues in Washington. (11/24)
Weird Data Suggest Something Big Beyond the Edge of the Universe (Source: Cosmos)
Something strange appears to be tugging a 'dark flow' of galaxies across the universe. is this evidence that parallel universes really exist? Astronomers have found the best evidence yet for the weird idea that our universe is one of many in the 'multiverse'. What's more, these parallel universes seem to be exerting a strange force on our own, causing galaxy clusters to stream across space towards the edge of the known universe. The new evidence comes from studies of 'bumps and wiggles' in the temperature of the cosmic background radiation (CMB), the leftover afterglow of the Big Bang. The mystery is about what exactly is 'pulling' at the galaxy clusters to cause the flow, and this is where parallel universes come in. Click here to view the article. (11/24)
The launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket carrying the European Eutelsat W7 satellite has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, a spokesman for Russia's Khrunichev space center said. An official had no information on whether Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov, who is on an official visit to Hong Kong, had signed a government resolution on the launch. The launch was earlier scheduled for Monday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan but was postponed due to organizational disagreements between the Russian and Kazakh space agencies Roscosmos and Kazcosmos. (11/24)
Air Force Space Plane Shooting for April Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The U.S. Air Force has released new images of its experimental new X-37B space plane as the secretive mission's launch date next April draws near. The X-37B, or OTV, spacecraft is pictured here in launch configuration at a Boeing factory. In a response to written questions, an Air Force spokesperson said the unmanned spaceship is scheduled for launch April 19 on an Atlas 5 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The winged X-37B, also named the Orbital Test Vehicle, is managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office under the direct supervision of the secretary of the Air Force and the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics.
The military is tight-lipped on the demonstrator's payload for the April mission, but the Air Force says it will test space technologies and prove concepts for small reusable spacecraft. The spacecraft measures more than 29 feet long and nine-and-a-half feet tall. Its wingspan is 14 feet, 11 inches, and it will weigh about 11,000 pounds at launch. The OTV will be shrouded inside a bulbous five-meter diameter payload fairing for launch. The Atlas 5 rocket will fly in the 501 configuration with the large nose cone, no solid rocket boosters and a single engine Centaur upper stage. (11/24)
Double Jeopardy for Commercial Space on Dec. 2 (Source: Space Politics)
The House Science and Technology Committee has released the witness lineup for its hearing next Wednesday, December 2, on “Ensuring the Safety of Human Space Flight”. Meanwhile, at the exact same time (10 am December 2) a hearing on “Commercial Space Transportation” is planned by the aviation subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. No hearing information, including planned witnesses, has been released. The chairman of the full committee, James Oberstar, has been critical of commercial space transportation laws and regulations in the past. Click here to view the article, with a list of witnesses for the spaceflight safety hearing. (11/24)
Texas Governor's Race Might Get Spacey (Sources: SPACErePORT)
Instead of running for the U.S. Senate to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is running for Governor of Texas, Houston Mayor Bill White may instead run against Hutchison for Governor. White is a popular "conservative-to-moderate" Democrat who, as Houston's Mayor, may win the support of space industry workers in the region surrounding Johnson Space Center. Hutchison, meanwhile, has been a solid supporter of space industry issues in Washington. (11/24)
Weird Data Suggest Something Big Beyond the Edge of the Universe (Source: Cosmos)
Something strange appears to be tugging a 'dark flow' of galaxies across the universe. is this evidence that parallel universes really exist? Astronomers have found the best evidence yet for the weird idea that our universe is one of many in the 'multiverse'. What's more, these parallel universes seem to be exerting a strange force on our own, causing galaxy clusters to stream across space towards the edge of the known universe. The new evidence comes from studies of 'bumps and wiggles' in the temperature of the cosmic background radiation (CMB), the leftover afterglow of the Big Bang. The mystery is about what exactly is 'pulling' at the galaxy clusters to cause the flow, and this is where parallel universes come in. Click here to view the article. (11/24)
November 23 News Items
UCF Project Selected for Blue Origin Suborbital Flight (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Blue Origin has selected three unmanned research payloads to fly on the New Shepard suborbital vehicle as a part of Phase 1 of the New Shepard Research Flight Demonstration Program. Among the three payloads is the Microgravity Experiment on Dust Environments in Astrophysics (MEDEA). The principal investigator of this effort is Dr. Joshua Colwell, of the University of Central Florida. Other projects include the Three-Dimensional Critical Wetting Experiment in Microgravity, from Purdue University; and the Effective lnterfacial Tension lnduced Convection (EITIC), from Louisiana State University. These flights are planned to begin in the coming years to demonstrate the integration and operation of scientific experiments into the New Shepard system. (11/23)
Florida Small Business Research Projects Selected for NASA Funding (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected for development 368 small business innovation projects that include research to minimize aging of aircraft, new techniques for suppressing fires on spacecraft and advanced transmitters for deep space communications. The awards are part of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Eight of the projects include Florida small businesses or universities, including two STTR projects: Streamline Numerics, Inc. off Gainesville (teamed with the University of Michigan) for an Advanced Unsteady Turbulent Combustion Simulation Capability for Space Propulsion Systems; and Alabama's Orion Propulsion, Inc. (teamed with the University of Central Florida, for Carbon Nano-Composite Ablative Rocket Nozzles.
The six SBIR projects include: Longwood-based Aligned Concepts, LLC, for a Oversubscribed Mission Scheduler Conflict Resolution System; Orlando-based OptiGrate Corp. for a Monolithic Rare Earth Doped PTR Glass Laser; Orlando-based APECOR for High-Temperature, Wirebondless, Ultra-Compact Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Modules for Space Power Systems; Belleair Beach's Fractal Systems, Inc. for a Multi-Component Remediation System for Generating Potable Water Onboard Spacecrafts; Tampa-based Advanced Materials Technology, Inc. for the Manufacture of Novel Cryogenic Thermal Protection Materials; and Jupiter-based Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc. for a Magnetically Actuated Seal. Click here for information. (11/23)
European Satellite Launch Delayed (Source: AFP)
The launch of a European telecommunications satellite from Kazakhstan was postponed on Monday after Kazakh authorities raised objections, Russian news agencies reported. "The launch of the European space device has been postponed indefinitely by the Kazakh side, even though all documents are in order," an official from Russian space agency Roskosmos told Ria Novosti and Interfax. He did not provide further details. (11/23)
Kazakhstan Blackmails Russia for Proton-M Booster Launches (Source: Pravda)
Russia’s Space Corporation Roskosmos had to delay to the launch of Proton-M booster rocket with Eutelsat-W7 European satellite on board. The rocket was supposed to blast off from the Baikonur Spaceport in Kazakhstan. However, the launch has been delayed indefinitely after the Kazakh authorities did not give their permission for it. An official statement released by Roskosmos said that the launch of the W7 spacecraft of Eutelsat had been canceled for reasons, which Russia was not accountable for. The satellite should have been launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur on Monday, Nov. 23. All the works related to the scheduled launch had been completed and coordinated with Kazakhstan’s Space Agency (Kazkosmos).
Russian experts believe that the scandal might have occurred because of the rent conditions. Russia and Kazakhstan have a special lease agreement for Baikonur Spaceport. The agreement, ratified by the governments of the two countries, stipulates that Kazakhstan shall not hinder the activities of the renter either expressly or by implication. Russia has already paid the rent of $1.265 billion to Kazakhstan since 1998, when the agreement was signed.
Kazakhstan ’s decision to cancel the launch might also be related to ecological reasons. One of the previous launches of Russia’s Proton-M booster with a Japanese spacecraft on board ended with a breakdown. The fragments of the rocket landed in an uninhabited area, about 50 km far from the nearest settlement. Kazakhstan’s EMERCOM officials said after the accident that the content of the toxic fuel – heptyl – on the crash site exceeded the norm some 5,200 times. Russia had to pay a $2.5-million-dollar compensation to Kazakhstan, although the Asian nation was asking for $60.7 million. Afterwards, the Kazakh authorities said that they would probably decide to halve the number of Proton-M launches in 2008. (11/23)
New Map Suggests Mars Was Wet and Humid (Source: AFP)
A new detailed map of Mars shows what was likely a vast ocean in the north and valleys around the equator, suggesting that the planet once had a humid, rainy climate, according to research published Monday. The computer-generated map, based on topographic data from NASA satellites, also shows that the network of valleys on the red planet is at least twice as extensive as previously estimated. "The relatively high values over extended regions indicate the valleys originated by means of precipitation-fed runoff erosion -- the same process that is responsible for formation of the bulk of valleys on our planet," said a report co-author. "A single ocean in the northern hemisphere would explain why there is a southern limit to the presence of valley networks," he said. (11/23)
Building a Better Alien-Calling Code (Source: WIRED)
Alien-seeking researchers have designed a new, simple code for sending messages into space. To a reasonably clever alien with math skills and a bit of astronomical training, the messages should be easy to decipher. As of now, Earthlings spend much more time searching for alien radio messages than broadcasting news of ourselves. We know how to do it, but relatively little attention has been paid to “ensuring that a transmitted message will be understandable to an alien listener,” according to a new research paper. Neither the Arecibo message, beamed at star cluster M13 in 1974, nor the Cosmic Calls sent in 1999 and 2003 were tested for decipherability. So the researchers devised their own alien-friendly messaging system. (11/23)
Florida Lawmakers Lobby Obama for More NASA Funding (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
More than 80 U.S. House members wrote President Barack Obama this week, urging the White House to increase NASA funding by up to $3 billion annually so that the agency can accelerate plans to send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. The letter, spearheaded by Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach, attracted the support of most Florida House members and several lawmakers from California and Texas. Those three states are directly tied to NASA’s human spaceflight program. “We believe an increased level of funding is essential to ensure NASA has the resources needed to meet the mission challenges of human space flight,” wrote the lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, and Alan Grayson, D-Orlando.
The letter was aimed at showing the White House that NASA funding has broad funding in Congress, although the 81 signatures represent less than 20 percent of the 435-member House. Surprisingly, the list did not include the signatures of two key House lawmakers: U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn, who chairs the House Science and Technology subcommittee and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, who heads the subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan also did not sign the letter. The West Virginia Democrat chairs the House subcommittee that oversees NASA funding. (11/23)
New Group to Enhance Cooperation Among Spaceports Worldwide (Source: CSF)
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce the creation and initial membership of the Spaceports Council, composed of spaceports worldwide who seek to cooperate on issues of common interest such as airspace access, legal and regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, international policy migration, liability, and voluntary common operating standards. Frank DiBello will represent Space Florida on the council, which also includes representatives from Spain, Sweden, Scotland, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, California, Indiana, and New Mexico. New Mexico's Steve Landeene will chair the council. In addition to DiBello, Todd Lindner will participate on behalf of the Cecil Field Spaceport, proposed near Jacksonville. (11/23)
Former Astronaut Is Candidate To Run Florida State University (Source: Florida Today)
Norm Thagard, a former NASA astronaut and now professor at the Florida State University, is among the candidates to become that school's next president. Thagard, who flew aboard the space shuttle on four missions and for an extended tour on the Russian space station Mir, is currently an associate dean of the school of engineering at FSU. (11/23)
Congressman John Mica to Speak at Embry-Riddle Graduation (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will hold its commencement ceremony for 388 candidates for graduation on Dec. 14. Guest speaker U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Law (LL.D.) during the event. Mica is currently serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District, which stretches from Orlando to Jacksonville. As the two-term Republican leader of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the largest committee in Congress, Mica helps formulate and oversee federal policy in all areas of transportation, including aviation, and has called for the development of a comprehensive and national strategic transportation plan. (11/23)
Plan for Human Mission to Asteroid Gains Speed (Source: Space.com)
Call it Operation: Plymouth Rock. A plan to send a crew of astronauts to an asteroid is gaining momentum, both within NASA and industry circles. Not only would the deep space sojourn shake out hardware, it would also build confidence in long-duration stints at the moon and Mars. At the same time, the trek would sharpen skills to deal with a future space rock found on a collision course with Earth. In Lockheed Martin briefing charts, the mission has been dubbed "Plymouth Rock – An Early Human Asteroid Mission Using Orion." Lockheed is the builder of NASA's Orion spacecraft.
Study teams are now readying high-level briefings for NASA leaders - perhaps as early as this week - on a pilgrimage to an asteroid, along with appraisals of anchoring large, astronaut-enabled telescopes far from Earth, a human precursor mission to the vicinity of Mars, as well as an initiative to power-beam energy from space to Earth. The briefings have been spurred in response to the recent Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee and the option of a "Flexible Path" to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. (11/23)
Spy Satellites Lose Their Mystique (Source: Space Review)
The NRO and Congress are grappling with the direction the nation's reconnaissance satellite program should go. Taylor Dinerman argues that this is evidence that, thanks to past failures, the NRO doesn't have the influence and prestige it once did on Capitol Hill. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1516/1 to view the article. (11/23)
Dysfunctional Space Advocacy (Source: Space Review)
It's a critical time for the future of NASA's human spaceflight efforts, which makes space advocacy as important as it has been in years. Jeff Foust finds, though, that activists don't appear to be operating at the level they should if they want to make a difference in the ongoing debate. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1515/1 to view the article. (11/23)
Space Tourism is No Hoax (Source: Space Review)
A provocative essay in Space News last week called space tourism a "hoax" and its purveyors "con men". Stephen Ashworth counters that space tourism is, in fact, essential to the future of spaceflight. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1514/1 to view the article. (11/23)
A Good Old-Fashioned Space Rush (Source: Space Review)
What could get industry and government alike motivated to support human space exploration? Jim Gagnon suggests it might be the space equivalent of a land rush. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1512/1 to view the article. (11/23)
Editorial: Plan to Convert a NASA Depot is Worth Pursuing (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Barring delays or a change of heart from Congress and the White House, NASA's space shuttles will be grounded for good by this time next year. Unfortunately, the economic turmoil for Florida's Space Coast is just getting started. Shuttle contractors for NASA already have begun cutting jobs there in anticipation of the program's end. Last month, more than 250 positions were eliminated. The total could reach 7000.
With such a disaster looming for the region's economy, it's imperative for federal, state and local officials together to explore every reasonable opportunity to keep this work force employed and productive. Such an opportunity was proposed last week by the head of Space Florida, the agency charged with developing the industry in the state, and the president of United Space Alliance, the shuttle's lead private contractor. Under their proposal, NASA would transfer to another government agency — perhaps to Space Florida — its Shuttle Logistics Depot, a Cape Canaveral complex of machine shops and labs that have supported the program.
United Space Alliance would then use the complex, its equipment and — most important — its workforce of 300 engineers, technicians and machinists to produce and refurbish equipment for the U.S. military. There's billions of dollars of this kind of work to be done because of the long U.S. deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Space Florida's president, Frank DiBello, says there's also a shortage of skilled manufacturing and refurbishing contractors for the military. (11/23)
U.S. Wary Of Space Cooperation With China (Source: Aviation Week)
This autumn, China and the U.S. began moving toward greater cooperation in space. As China lifted a little more of the veil covering its space program, U.S. officials expressed a greater desire to work together in exploring space. Presidential science adviser John Holdren floated the idea of increased cooperation in human spaceflight last spring. The Augustine committee raised the idea again, and Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao pledged to deepen space cooperation last week. Unfortunately, there are ample reasons for the U.S. to keep its distance. While the U.S. explicitly decided to separate its space exploration activities from the military, China’s human spaceflight program is a subsidiary of the People’s Liberation Army. In that context, the risks of illicit technology transfer are considerable.
Closer relations create greater opportunities for China to acquire sensitive technology. In 2007, the U.S. launched the inter agency National Export Enforcement Initiative, designed to combat illegal trafficking in sensitive technologies. Within a year, charges were filed against 145 criminal defendants. Iran and China were the intended destinations for most of the known illegal exports. The Justice Dept. noted, “The illegal exports to China have involved rocket launch data, space shuttle technology, missile technology, naval warship data, [UAV] technology, thermal imaging systems, military night-vision systems and other materials.” This is consistent with other Chinese activities, including a massive 2005 cyber-raid on NASA’s computers that exfiltrated data about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s propulsion system, solar panels and fuel tanks. (11/23)
Atlas V Launches Communications Satellite (Source: Florida Today)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite blasted off Monday morning from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch of Intelsat-14, on behalf of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, was the 19th by an Atlas V and the ninth for a commercial customer. It also marked ULA's 35th launch in 35 months. The Intelsat-14 satellite will provide high-powered video and data services through its 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band payload to customers throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa, according to the company. (11/23)
Blue Origin has selected three unmanned research payloads to fly on the New Shepard suborbital vehicle as a part of Phase 1 of the New Shepard Research Flight Demonstration Program. Among the three payloads is the Microgravity Experiment on Dust Environments in Astrophysics (MEDEA). The principal investigator of this effort is Dr. Joshua Colwell, of the University of Central Florida. Other projects include the Three-Dimensional Critical Wetting Experiment in Microgravity, from Purdue University; and the Effective lnterfacial Tension lnduced Convection (EITIC), from Louisiana State University. These flights are planned to begin in the coming years to demonstrate the integration and operation of scientific experiments into the New Shepard system. (11/23)
Florida Small Business Research Projects Selected for NASA Funding (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected for development 368 small business innovation projects that include research to minimize aging of aircraft, new techniques for suppressing fires on spacecraft and advanced transmitters for deep space communications. The awards are part of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Eight of the projects include Florida small businesses or universities, including two STTR projects: Streamline Numerics, Inc. off Gainesville (teamed with the University of Michigan) for an Advanced Unsteady Turbulent Combustion Simulation Capability for Space Propulsion Systems; and Alabama's Orion Propulsion, Inc. (teamed with the University of Central Florida, for Carbon Nano-Composite Ablative Rocket Nozzles.
The six SBIR projects include: Longwood-based Aligned Concepts, LLC, for a Oversubscribed Mission Scheduler Conflict Resolution System; Orlando-based OptiGrate Corp. for a Monolithic Rare Earth Doped PTR Glass Laser; Orlando-based APECOR for High-Temperature, Wirebondless, Ultra-Compact Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Modules for Space Power Systems; Belleair Beach's Fractal Systems, Inc. for a Multi-Component Remediation System for Generating Potable Water Onboard Spacecrafts; Tampa-based Advanced Materials Technology, Inc. for the Manufacture of Novel Cryogenic Thermal Protection Materials; and Jupiter-based Florida Turbine Technologies, Inc. for a Magnetically Actuated Seal. Click here for information. (11/23)
European Satellite Launch Delayed (Source: AFP)
The launch of a European telecommunications satellite from Kazakhstan was postponed on Monday after Kazakh authorities raised objections, Russian news agencies reported. "The launch of the European space device has been postponed indefinitely by the Kazakh side, even though all documents are in order," an official from Russian space agency Roskosmos told Ria Novosti and Interfax. He did not provide further details. (11/23)
Kazakhstan Blackmails Russia for Proton-M Booster Launches (Source: Pravda)
Russia’s Space Corporation Roskosmos had to delay to the launch of Proton-M booster rocket with Eutelsat-W7 European satellite on board. The rocket was supposed to blast off from the Baikonur Spaceport in Kazakhstan. However, the launch has been delayed indefinitely after the Kazakh authorities did not give their permission for it. An official statement released by Roskosmos said that the launch of the W7 spacecraft of Eutelsat had been canceled for reasons, which Russia was not accountable for. The satellite should have been launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur on Monday, Nov. 23. All the works related to the scheduled launch had been completed and coordinated with Kazakhstan’s Space Agency (Kazkosmos).
Russian experts believe that the scandal might have occurred because of the rent conditions. Russia and Kazakhstan have a special lease agreement for Baikonur Spaceport. The agreement, ratified by the governments of the two countries, stipulates that Kazakhstan shall not hinder the activities of the renter either expressly or by implication. Russia has already paid the rent of $1.265 billion to Kazakhstan since 1998, when the agreement was signed.
Kazakhstan ’s decision to cancel the launch might also be related to ecological reasons. One of the previous launches of Russia’s Proton-M booster with a Japanese spacecraft on board ended with a breakdown. The fragments of the rocket landed in an uninhabited area, about 50 km far from the nearest settlement. Kazakhstan’s EMERCOM officials said after the accident that the content of the toxic fuel – heptyl – on the crash site exceeded the norm some 5,200 times. Russia had to pay a $2.5-million-dollar compensation to Kazakhstan, although the Asian nation was asking for $60.7 million. Afterwards, the Kazakh authorities said that they would probably decide to halve the number of Proton-M launches in 2008. (11/23)
New Map Suggests Mars Was Wet and Humid (Source: AFP)
A new detailed map of Mars shows what was likely a vast ocean in the north and valleys around the equator, suggesting that the planet once had a humid, rainy climate, according to research published Monday. The computer-generated map, based on topographic data from NASA satellites, also shows that the network of valleys on the red planet is at least twice as extensive as previously estimated. "The relatively high values over extended regions indicate the valleys originated by means of precipitation-fed runoff erosion -- the same process that is responsible for formation of the bulk of valleys on our planet," said a report co-author. "A single ocean in the northern hemisphere would explain why there is a southern limit to the presence of valley networks," he said. (11/23)
Building a Better Alien-Calling Code (Source: WIRED)
Alien-seeking researchers have designed a new, simple code for sending messages into space. To a reasonably clever alien with math skills and a bit of astronomical training, the messages should be easy to decipher. As of now, Earthlings spend much more time searching for alien radio messages than broadcasting news of ourselves. We know how to do it, but relatively little attention has been paid to “ensuring that a transmitted message will be understandable to an alien listener,” according to a new research paper. Neither the Arecibo message, beamed at star cluster M13 in 1974, nor the Cosmic Calls sent in 1999 and 2003 were tested for decipherability. So the researchers devised their own alien-friendly messaging system. (11/23)
Florida Lawmakers Lobby Obama for More NASA Funding (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
More than 80 U.S. House members wrote President Barack Obama this week, urging the White House to increase NASA funding by up to $3 billion annually so that the agency can accelerate plans to send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. The letter, spearheaded by Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach, attracted the support of most Florida House members and several lawmakers from California and Texas. Those three states are directly tied to NASA’s human spaceflight program. “We believe an increased level of funding is essential to ensure NASA has the resources needed to meet the mission challenges of human space flight,” wrote the lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, and Alan Grayson, D-Orlando.
The letter was aimed at showing the White House that NASA funding has broad funding in Congress, although the 81 signatures represent less than 20 percent of the 435-member House. Surprisingly, the list did not include the signatures of two key House lawmakers: U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn, who chairs the House Science and Technology subcommittee and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, who heads the subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan also did not sign the letter. The West Virginia Democrat chairs the House subcommittee that oversees NASA funding. (11/23)
New Group to Enhance Cooperation Among Spaceports Worldwide (Source: CSF)
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce the creation and initial membership of the Spaceports Council, composed of spaceports worldwide who seek to cooperate on issues of common interest such as airspace access, legal and regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, international policy migration, liability, and voluntary common operating standards. Frank DiBello will represent Space Florida on the council, which also includes representatives from Spain, Sweden, Scotland, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, California, Indiana, and New Mexico. New Mexico's Steve Landeene will chair the council. In addition to DiBello, Todd Lindner will participate on behalf of the Cecil Field Spaceport, proposed near Jacksonville. (11/23)
Former Astronaut Is Candidate To Run Florida State University (Source: Florida Today)
Norm Thagard, a former NASA astronaut and now professor at the Florida State University, is among the candidates to become that school's next president. Thagard, who flew aboard the space shuttle on four missions and for an extended tour on the Russian space station Mir, is currently an associate dean of the school of engineering at FSU. (11/23)
Congressman John Mica to Speak at Embry-Riddle Graduation (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will hold its commencement ceremony for 388 candidates for graduation on Dec. 14. Guest speaker U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Law (LL.D.) during the event. Mica is currently serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District, which stretches from Orlando to Jacksonville. As the two-term Republican leader of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the largest committee in Congress, Mica helps formulate and oversee federal policy in all areas of transportation, including aviation, and has called for the development of a comprehensive and national strategic transportation plan. (11/23)
Plan for Human Mission to Asteroid Gains Speed (Source: Space.com)
Call it Operation: Plymouth Rock. A plan to send a crew of astronauts to an asteroid is gaining momentum, both within NASA and industry circles. Not only would the deep space sojourn shake out hardware, it would also build confidence in long-duration stints at the moon and Mars. At the same time, the trek would sharpen skills to deal with a future space rock found on a collision course with Earth. In Lockheed Martin briefing charts, the mission has been dubbed "Plymouth Rock – An Early Human Asteroid Mission Using Orion." Lockheed is the builder of NASA's Orion spacecraft.
Study teams are now readying high-level briefings for NASA leaders - perhaps as early as this week - on a pilgrimage to an asteroid, along with appraisals of anchoring large, astronaut-enabled telescopes far from Earth, a human precursor mission to the vicinity of Mars, as well as an initiative to power-beam energy from space to Earth. The briefings have been spurred in response to the recent Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee and the option of a "Flexible Path" to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. (11/23)
Spy Satellites Lose Their Mystique (Source: Space Review)
The NRO and Congress are grappling with the direction the nation's reconnaissance satellite program should go. Taylor Dinerman argues that this is evidence that, thanks to past failures, the NRO doesn't have the influence and prestige it once did on Capitol Hill. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1516/1 to view the article. (11/23)
Dysfunctional Space Advocacy (Source: Space Review)
It's a critical time for the future of NASA's human spaceflight efforts, which makes space advocacy as important as it has been in years. Jeff Foust finds, though, that activists don't appear to be operating at the level they should if they want to make a difference in the ongoing debate. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1515/1 to view the article. (11/23)
Space Tourism is No Hoax (Source: Space Review)
A provocative essay in Space News last week called space tourism a "hoax" and its purveyors "con men". Stephen Ashworth counters that space tourism is, in fact, essential to the future of spaceflight. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1514/1 to view the article. (11/23)
A Good Old-Fashioned Space Rush (Source: Space Review)
What could get industry and government alike motivated to support human space exploration? Jim Gagnon suggests it might be the space equivalent of a land rush. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1512/1 to view the article. (11/23)
Editorial: Plan to Convert a NASA Depot is Worth Pursuing (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Barring delays or a change of heart from Congress and the White House, NASA's space shuttles will be grounded for good by this time next year. Unfortunately, the economic turmoil for Florida's Space Coast is just getting started. Shuttle contractors for NASA already have begun cutting jobs there in anticipation of the program's end. Last month, more than 250 positions were eliminated. The total could reach 7000.
With such a disaster looming for the region's economy, it's imperative for federal, state and local officials together to explore every reasonable opportunity to keep this work force employed and productive. Such an opportunity was proposed last week by the head of Space Florida, the agency charged with developing the industry in the state, and the president of United Space Alliance, the shuttle's lead private contractor. Under their proposal, NASA would transfer to another government agency — perhaps to Space Florida — its Shuttle Logistics Depot, a Cape Canaveral complex of machine shops and labs that have supported the program.
United Space Alliance would then use the complex, its equipment and — most important — its workforce of 300 engineers, technicians and machinists to produce and refurbish equipment for the U.S. military. There's billions of dollars of this kind of work to be done because of the long U.S. deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Space Florida's president, Frank DiBello, says there's also a shortage of skilled manufacturing and refurbishing contractors for the military. (11/23)
U.S. Wary Of Space Cooperation With China (Source: Aviation Week)
This autumn, China and the U.S. began moving toward greater cooperation in space. As China lifted a little more of the veil covering its space program, U.S. officials expressed a greater desire to work together in exploring space. Presidential science adviser John Holdren floated the idea of increased cooperation in human spaceflight last spring. The Augustine committee raised the idea again, and Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao pledged to deepen space cooperation last week. Unfortunately, there are ample reasons for the U.S. to keep its distance. While the U.S. explicitly decided to separate its space exploration activities from the military, China’s human spaceflight program is a subsidiary of the People’s Liberation Army. In that context, the risks of illicit technology transfer are considerable.
Closer relations create greater opportunities for China to acquire sensitive technology. In 2007, the U.S. launched the inter agency National Export Enforcement Initiative, designed to combat illegal trafficking in sensitive technologies. Within a year, charges were filed against 145 criminal defendants. Iran and China were the intended destinations for most of the known illegal exports. The Justice Dept. noted, “The illegal exports to China have involved rocket launch data, space shuttle technology, missile technology, naval warship data, [UAV] technology, thermal imaging systems, military night-vision systems and other materials.” This is consistent with other Chinese activities, including a massive 2005 cyber-raid on NASA’s computers that exfiltrated data about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s propulsion system, solar panels and fuel tanks. (11/23)
Atlas V Launches Communications Satellite (Source: Florida Today)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite blasted off Monday morning from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch of Intelsat-14, on behalf of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, was the 19th by an Atlas V and the ninth for a commercial customer. It also marked ULA's 35th launch in 35 months. The Intelsat-14 satellite will provide high-powered video and data services through its 40 C-band and 22 Ku-band payload to customers throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa, according to the company. (11/23)
November 22 News Items
Atlantis Astronaut Announces Daughter's Birth (Source: Florida Today)
Atlantis spacewalker Randy Bresnik's wife delivered a baby girl, Abigail Mae Bresnik, late Saturday in Houston. Bresnik announced the news this morning, the day after conducting his first spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Bresnik now is the second U.S. astronaut to be in orbit for the birth of a child. (11/22)
Space Florida Hosts Design Discussion for Proposed Commercial Launch Pads (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Florida hosted a design ‘charrette’ last week to discuss potential user requirements for two launch pads (LC-36 and LC-46) the agency plans to convert for commercial use at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Working with Eastern Range safety officials at the Air Force 45th Space Wing, Space Florida defined a conceptual “Composite Launch Vehicle” (CLV) to represent the different types of rockets that would generally be approved to fly from LC-36. (The Sea Launch Zenit would fit at LC-36.)
At nearby LC-46, a Navy pad previously converted by the state for Athena and Taurus rockets, Space Florida described plans for accommodating Minotaur and other small-class solid-fuel rockets. Companies like Alliant Techsystems, Orbital Sciences Corp., United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Rocketplane Kistler, and others participated in the meeting to discuss how Space Florida’s plans for the two launch pads, and the state’s proposed investments, could enable their commercial launch operations. (11/22)
Regulators Propose OK Of PG&E Space-Based Solar Deal (Source: Wall Street Journal)
California regulators have proposed approving a long-term contract between PG&E Corp. and developers of a speculative technology that would beam 200 megawatts of solar power to earth from outer space. Under the 15-year contract, Solaren Corp., of Manhattan Beach, Calif., would ship 850 gigawatt-hours of solar power a year starting in 2016, doubling that amount in later years. The power would be sent by radio frequency from an earth-orbiting satellite to a receiving station in Fresno, Calif. The energy- conversion technology has been used by communications satellites for 45 years on a much smaller scale, Solaren said.
PG&E wouldn't disclose the cost of the proposed 15-year contract but said it would be above-market. PG&E and other California utilities are required to use renewable sources for a fifth of the power they sell by 2010, ramping up to one-third of their retail power by 2020. The requirements are part of the state's 2006 plan to combat climate change. Because Solaren's technology is untested, raising "concerns regarding the viability of the project," PG&E can't rely on the contract to comply with its renewable-energy requirements until construction begins on the project and the CPUC gives additional approval. (11/22)
When the Russians Came to Cape Canaveral (Source: Fox News)
From 1994 to 1998 seven NASA astronauts lived aboard Russia's Mir space station. NASA viewed this program as a collaboration; the Russians viewed America as a customer. And Jeffrey Manber was the US representative of RKK Energia, the company that owned the Mir space station. In this exclusive excerpt from Apogee Books' Selling Peace, he recalls the cultural clash that happened when his boss came to visit from Moscow.
With Shuttle-Mir cooperation imminent, RKK Energia president Yuri Semenov made the journey to Florida to witness the first of several shuttle launches. He would arrive at Cape Canaveral with a delegation of senior advisors, including RKK Energia board members and top program managers. The make-up of the group reflected wonder at an improbable dream being realized. Their space station having narrowly escaped the budgetary death of the Russian space shuttle, Mir was now the pivotal center for the American space program. Semenov wanted his closest supporters to experience the moment, and at the same time, he needed key engineers close by in the event of an unforeseen crisis.
There was no more jarring component for the well-oiled NASA prelaunch public relations machine than the Semenov delegation dropping into Cape Canaveral. The Russian's deeply held notions of ownership, pride and tradition went against the collective governmental experiences of those planning the shuttle launches. Every NASA representative, from the driver of our bus to the Mission Control launch director was forced to confront a situation never even contemplated; that the U.S. space shuttle sitting out there on the launch pad was programmatically and politically tied to a space station that — legally or by fiat — belonged to a Russian company. (11/21)
NASA Assumes Ownership of Next Space Station Module (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The European Space Agency formally handed over ownership of the Tranquility module to NASA on Friday, two-and-a-half months before the connecting node's February launch on shuttle Endeavour. Tranquility and a small windowed room called Cupola will be launched together on Endeavour's STS-130 mission, currently scheduled for liftoff Feb. 4. The modules have a combined launch mass of almost 30,000 pounds. (11/21)
Indian University to Offer Space Law Course (Source: Indian Express)
Though several international conventions on space technology are held in India, for the first time a concrete step has been taken in the direction of framing legislation for space applications. In a first across the country, the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) is launching a degree course on ‘Space Law’ from 2010. The single semester optional course (at PG degree level) will be conducted in coordination with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and will be offered to 160 students. Though India has a space policy, there is no comprehensive law on space legislation. (11/21)
Atlantis spacewalker Randy Bresnik's wife delivered a baby girl, Abigail Mae Bresnik, late Saturday in Houston. Bresnik announced the news this morning, the day after conducting his first spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Bresnik now is the second U.S. astronaut to be in orbit for the birth of a child. (11/22)
Space Florida Hosts Design Discussion for Proposed Commercial Launch Pads (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Florida hosted a design ‘charrette’ last week to discuss potential user requirements for two launch pads (LC-36 and LC-46) the agency plans to convert for commercial use at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Working with Eastern Range safety officials at the Air Force 45th Space Wing, Space Florida defined a conceptual “Composite Launch Vehicle” (CLV) to represent the different types of rockets that would generally be approved to fly from LC-36. (The Sea Launch Zenit would fit at LC-36.)
At nearby LC-46, a Navy pad previously converted by the state for Athena and Taurus rockets, Space Florida described plans for accommodating Minotaur and other small-class solid-fuel rockets. Companies like Alliant Techsystems, Orbital Sciences Corp., United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Rocketplane Kistler, and others participated in the meeting to discuss how Space Florida’s plans for the two launch pads, and the state’s proposed investments, could enable their commercial launch operations. (11/22)
Regulators Propose OK Of PG&E Space-Based Solar Deal (Source: Wall Street Journal)
California regulators have proposed approving a long-term contract between PG&E Corp. and developers of a speculative technology that would beam 200 megawatts of solar power to earth from outer space. Under the 15-year contract, Solaren Corp., of Manhattan Beach, Calif., would ship 850 gigawatt-hours of solar power a year starting in 2016, doubling that amount in later years. The power would be sent by radio frequency from an earth-orbiting satellite to a receiving station in Fresno, Calif. The energy- conversion technology has been used by communications satellites for 45 years on a much smaller scale, Solaren said.
PG&E wouldn't disclose the cost of the proposed 15-year contract but said it would be above-market. PG&E and other California utilities are required to use renewable sources for a fifth of the power they sell by 2010, ramping up to one-third of their retail power by 2020. The requirements are part of the state's 2006 plan to combat climate change. Because Solaren's technology is untested, raising "concerns regarding the viability of the project," PG&E can't rely on the contract to comply with its renewable-energy requirements until construction begins on the project and the CPUC gives additional approval. (11/22)
When the Russians Came to Cape Canaveral (Source: Fox News)
From 1994 to 1998 seven NASA astronauts lived aboard Russia's Mir space station. NASA viewed this program as a collaboration; the Russians viewed America as a customer. And Jeffrey Manber was the US representative of RKK Energia, the company that owned the Mir space station. In this exclusive excerpt from Apogee Books' Selling Peace, he recalls the cultural clash that happened when his boss came to visit from Moscow.
With Shuttle-Mir cooperation imminent, RKK Energia president Yuri Semenov made the journey to Florida to witness the first of several shuttle launches. He would arrive at Cape Canaveral with a delegation of senior advisors, including RKK Energia board members and top program managers. The make-up of the group reflected wonder at an improbable dream being realized. Their space station having narrowly escaped the budgetary death of the Russian space shuttle, Mir was now the pivotal center for the American space program. Semenov wanted his closest supporters to experience the moment, and at the same time, he needed key engineers close by in the event of an unforeseen crisis.
There was no more jarring component for the well-oiled NASA prelaunch public relations machine than the Semenov delegation dropping into Cape Canaveral. The Russian's deeply held notions of ownership, pride and tradition went against the collective governmental experiences of those planning the shuttle launches. Every NASA representative, from the driver of our bus to the Mission Control launch director was forced to confront a situation never even contemplated; that the U.S. space shuttle sitting out there on the launch pad was programmatically and politically tied to a space station that — legally or by fiat — belonged to a Russian company. (11/21)
NASA Assumes Ownership of Next Space Station Module (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The European Space Agency formally handed over ownership of the Tranquility module to NASA on Friday, two-and-a-half months before the connecting node's February launch on shuttle Endeavour. Tranquility and a small windowed room called Cupola will be launched together on Endeavour's STS-130 mission, currently scheduled for liftoff Feb. 4. The modules have a combined launch mass of almost 30,000 pounds. (11/21)
Indian University to Offer Space Law Course (Source: Indian Express)
Though several international conventions on space technology are held in India, for the first time a concrete step has been taken in the direction of framing legislation for space applications. In a first across the country, the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) is launching a degree course on ‘Space Law’ from 2010. The single semester optional course (at PG degree level) will be conducted in coordination with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and will be offered to 160 students. Though India has a space policy, there is no comprehensive law on space legislation. (11/21)
November 21 News Items
2nd Night of False Alarms on Space Station (Source: Discovery)
Depressurization and smoke alarms woke the shuttle and station crews for a second consecutive night on Friday. Flight controllers quickly determined they were false alarms, but the station's ventilation system automatically shut down, prompting NASA to cancel spacewalk preparations inside a low-pressure chamber on the station. Astronauts Michael Foreman and Randy Bresnik were camping out in the station's Quest airlock to purge their bodies from nitrogen in advance of Saturday's spacewalk, a planned 6.5-hour outing to install antennas and a cargo mount to the outside of the station. (11/21)
Constellation Claims Half of NASA Stimulus Funds To Date (Source: Space News)
With less than a year remaining to spend $1 billion in stimulus money that the U.S. Congress gave NASA in February as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the space agency has spent roughly $570 million, with nearly half of those dollars going toward its embattled Constellation program. So far, some $270 million in ARRA funding has gone to Constellation, a 5-year-old effort to build new spacecraft and rockets optimized for sending astronauts to the Moon. The administration of President Barack Obama is reconsidering those plans and looking at scenarios that would entail the cancellation of projects currently receiving stimulus funds, including the Ares 1 rocket. (11/21)
Depressurization and smoke alarms woke the shuttle and station crews for a second consecutive night on Friday. Flight controllers quickly determined they were false alarms, but the station's ventilation system automatically shut down, prompting NASA to cancel spacewalk preparations inside a low-pressure chamber on the station. Astronauts Michael Foreman and Randy Bresnik were camping out in the station's Quest airlock to purge their bodies from nitrogen in advance of Saturday's spacewalk, a planned 6.5-hour outing to install antennas and a cargo mount to the outside of the station. (11/21)
Constellation Claims Half of NASA Stimulus Funds To Date (Source: Space News)
With less than a year remaining to spend $1 billion in stimulus money that the U.S. Congress gave NASA in February as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the space agency has spent roughly $570 million, with nearly half of those dollars going toward its embattled Constellation program. So far, some $270 million in ARRA funding has gone to Constellation, a 5-year-old effort to build new spacecraft and rockets optimized for sending astronauts to the Moon. The administration of President Barack Obama is reconsidering those plans and looking at scenarios that would entail the cancellation of projects currently receiving stimulus funds, including the Ares 1 rocket. (11/21)
November 20 News Items
ULA and ITT Military Contracts Boost Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Sources: DOD, SPACErePORT)
United Launch Alliance was awarded a $9,000,000 contract to accelerate the launch-to-launch time spans of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launches to preserve the capability to launch the National Reconnaissance Office L-32 mission in October 2010. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. In a separate action, ITT Industries, Inc. at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport was awarded a $66,370,706 contract option for continued program management, interface management, systems engineering and integration, depot maintenance transition, product acquisitions and modifications, and instrument modernization for operational systems and infrastructure at the spaceport. (11/19)
NASA Recruits 'Planet 51' Actor Dwayne Johnson to Spread Message (Source: Space.com)
Actor Dwayne Johnson, formerly known as "The Rock," is helping to spread the benefits of NASA in a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) timed with the release of Sony Pictures' animated feature film "Planet 51." In the PSAs, Johnson touts NASA's role in education, recycling and the development of new technologies, commonly referred to as "spinoffs."
"Films are such a powerful way to reach out to new audiences and excite them about space exploration," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said in a statement. "Dwayne will enlighten families about the importance of learning science and math and celebrating others' differences. He also informs the public about some NASA technologies which are used right here on Earth." (11/20)
French Bond Issue Could be Boon for Space (Source: Space News)
A French government commission on Nov. 19 proposed investing 2 billion euros ($3 billion) of a planned 35 billion-euro government bond issue in new aeronautical and space technologies including Earth observation and broadband spacecraft. The commission estimated that the total investment package would expand to 60 billion euros when private-sector and possible European Union contributions are included. The investments backed by the bond issue could come in the form of grants co-financed by the projects’ sponsors, reimbursable loans or loan guarantees made by the French Innovation Agency, OSEO. (11/20)
Soyuz Rocket Launches Russian Military Payload (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Russia launched a military spy satellite into space Friday on a Soyuz rocket from the country's Plesetsk spaceport. The three-stage Soyuz rocket delivered the spacecraft to an elliptical orbit with a high point of about 560 miles and a low point of approximately 120 miles. The orbit's inclination is about 67.2 degrees, according to tracking data. The satellite was named Kosmos 2455 after the launch as part of the Russian defense ministry's naming system for spacecraft. The payload was the sixth Russian military satellite launched this year. This was the 12th flight this year of a variant of the venerable Soyuz rocket family. It also marked the 63rd space launch worldwide to successfully reach orbit this year. (11/20)
Iran to Launch Space Booster, Satellite by Late 2011 (Source: MSNBC)
Iran plans to launch a communications satellite by late 2011 with no outside help, a top Iranian official said Friday, after Italy and Russia declined to put it into orbit. The move reflected Tehran's frustration with the two countries as it tries to push ahead with an ambitious space program, which has worried world powers because the same rocket technology used to launch satellites can also be used for military purposes. Israeli media have claimed that the new Iranian satellite, named Misbah, or "Lantern" in Farsi, is a spy satellite. Iran says the satellite, which is to be launched into a low-earth orbit, is to assist in data communication. (11/20)
Cosmonaut: Russia Falling Behind in Space Race (Source: MSNBC)
Russia lacks a viable program for developing a new spacecraft and will likely fall behind in the space race, a veteran Russian cosmonaut said in an interview. Efforts to build a successor to the 40-year old Soyuz spacecraft have dragged on with no end in sight, Mikhail Tyurin said. He blamed the slow progress on a lack of clear goals and poor coordination. He said officials' talk of using the ship to fly to the International Space Station, and then the moon and Mars, are unfeasible. "One vehicle can't be both a steamroller and a Formula One racer," he said. (11/20)
Editorial: The Wet Side of the Moon (Source: New York Times)
Picture a habitat atop a hill in warm sunlight on the edge of a crater near the south pole of the Moon. There are metal ores in the rocks nearby and ice in the shadows of the crater below. Solar arrays are set up nearby and humans live in sealed, cave-like lava tubes, protected from solar flares and sustained by large surface greenhouses. Imagine the Moon as the first self-sustainable human settlement away from Earth and a high-speed transportation hub for the solar system.
We can finally begin to think seriously about establishing such a self-sufficient home on the Moon because last week, NASA announced that it had discovered large quantities of water there. While we have known for decades that the Moon had all the raw chemicals necessary for sustaining life, we believed they were trapped in rocks and thus difficult to extract. The discovery of plentiful lunar water is of tremendous importance to humanity and our long-term survival. Click here to view the editorial. (11/20)
U.S. Preeminence in Space is Eroding, Experts Tell Congress (Source: Miami Herald)
America is losing its edge in space as China, Iran and other rivals step up their efforts, experts told a congressional panel on Thursday. Among the statistics: 37 nations now have satellites in space, 13 have active space programs and eight are capable of launching their own satellites. Russia and China have particularly aggressive programs, the experts testified, while new entrants to the "space club" include Algeria, Nigeria, Venezuela and South Africa. AIA Vice President J.P. Stevens told lawmakers that the U.S. share of the global commercial space market has slipped to just 15%. "Our leadership is no longer guaranteed," he said. "We're being undercut." (11/20)
Increase in Defense Spending Needed to Meet Plans (Source: AIA)
Defense spending will need to increase by 6%, to $567 billion annually, in constant 2010 dollars, in order to meet the current administration's plans, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The need for more funds could squeeze suppliers of advanced systems, and steadily rising maintanence and personnel costs are among other factors requiring increased spending. (11/20)
Former Astronaut-Astronomer, Sam Durrance, Joins the Suborbital Researchers Group (Source: CSF)
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation announces that Florida native and former NASA astronaut Samuel T. Durrance, a PhD astronomer and veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, has been selected as the latest addition to CSF’s Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG). Including Dr. Durrance, SARG now consists of eleven researchers and educators, in disciplines ranging from microgravity physics to life sciences, who are aiming to increase awareness of commercial suborbital spacecraft in the science and R&D communities, work with policymakers to ensure that payloads can have easy access to these vehicles, and further develop ideas for the uses of vehicles under development by Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic, and XCOR Aerospace. (11/20)
Lighting Science Lands NASA Deal (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Lighting Science Group Corp. and the Kennedy Space Center have signed a two-year agreement to jointly develop a high-illumination and good-color-rendering LED light fixture for space exploration. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The agreement calls for development of a lighting fixture prototype able to meet the unique demands of space equipment and space travel. Lighting Science CEO Zach Gibler said the agreement also opens up opportunities to take lighting advances developed for space exploration and translate them into earth-bound LED lighting applications. The company is based in Satellite Beach. (11/20)
Editorial: Who Owns the Moon? (Source: Cornell Sun)
The discovery of water on the moon opens up very basic questions that not many people stop to consider, most notably, “who owns the moon.” Who, if anyone, claims to own the moon? Who is recognized as owning the moon? Can anyone own the moon? While these questions may seem silly or trivial, the idea of eventually adding a permanent lunar base, or mining the moon for resources makes them surprisingly relevant. The answer to the question of who owns the moon, of course, is no one.
The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries (including the United States), states that the moon and other celestial bodies are the province of all mankind, however, like most simple answers this one contains several complications. At the time the United Nations drafted the Outer Space Treaty there were only two spacefaring nations, the United States and the Soviet Union. We now have over a dozen, and many of them, China, Russia, the U.S., India and Japan, want to go to the moon. The commercial space sector is also becoming extremely interested in Earth’s only natural satellite with companies considering everything from mining the lunar surface to building extraterrestrial resorts on it.
Editor's Note: This article gives me another opportunity to suggest that the Obama Administration, with its ongoing multi-agency space policy update and keen interest in multi-national and commercial space programs, has a unique opportunity to lead the development of a new space treaty regime. Current gray-areas in today's treaties present a dis-incentive for some foreseeable large-scale commercially-oriented space projects. (11/20)
Solar Project Expansion at KSC Tied to Utility Rate Increase and State Support (Sources: Florida Today, SPACErePORT)
It doesn't yet include solar power-beaming satellites, but a Florida Power & Light (FPL) project at Kennedy Space Center will be expanded to include some other solar power R&D if the utility company is able to gain state approval for a rate increase. FPL officials said the expansion is also contingent upon state legislators passing a law supportive of renewable energy. FPL's ongoing development of a 10-megawatt solar plant at KSC would be expanded with an additional 100 megawatts, bringing 1,000 temporary jobs and 50 permanent ones. The permanent jobs would be science and engineering focused, residing at a new energy R&D center at KSC's Exploration Park. (11/20)
Key Lawmakers Stand Behind Constellation (Source: Florida Today)
Two NASA allies in Congress dug in their heels Thursday and said that the agency should continue with its troubled Constellation program and not rely on global partners to access space after the shuttle is retired in 2010. The assertions, by the chairwoman (Gabrielle Giffords) and ranking Republican member (Pete Olson) of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, signal a growing divide between Congress and the White House over NASA’s future, as the administration has indicated it wants to make space exploration more of a joint effort with other nations.
The White House has embraced the recent recommendation of a presidentially appointed space panel that advocated international partnerships to share the huge costs of human spaceflight. But Congress is reluctant to change the status quo, in part because it could put hometown jobs at risk. Thursday’s hearing was the first in a series planned by Giffords to underscore support for Constellation. Another is set for next month to assess the safety of competing commercial rocket designs, an issue Giffords said was “given inadequate scrutiny in the Augustine report.” Constellation backers frequently cite safety as a reason to continue the program’s Ares rockets and the Orion capsule.
But cost could ultimately be Constellation’s undoing. The program has cost nearly $8 billion since 2004. The White House has warned agencies including NASA to prepare for budget cuts of 5 to 10 percent. A test launch of an Ares I mockup last month cost $445 million, which led one lawmaker to question whether money would be better invested in helping commercial rocket companies. “We are spending more than any other country in the world but we are falling behind. What does that tell you?” asked U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California. (11/20)
When Good Rockets Go Bad (Source: WIRED)
In the grand scheme of human space programs in Russia and the United States, catastrophic failures are relatively rare. But they are often quite spectacular and make a big impression on the public and on the funding for space exploration. The explosions in the videos we’ve assembled here were very costly, some in terms of life, some in terms of lost equipment and all in terms of progress of the space programs. Click here to view a collection of rocket failure videos. (11/20)
Rocket Barons Share Thoughts on Launch Industry (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Managers of the top commercial launch providers, including Arianespace, ILS, and bankrupt Sea Launch, disagree on the outlook of the industry as satellite operators clamor for more participants in the launch market. Arianespace and ILS can now launch about 21 commercial communications satellites per year, based on combined average flight rates. Up to 28 payloads could be launched annually if both providers ramped up operations. Those numbers don't include the expected addition of the Soyuz rocket to Arianespace's fleet next year.
The Ariane 5 is launching two satellites at a time about seven times each year. The Proton launches on commercial missions six to eight times per year. The maximum flight rates for the vehicles are nine missions annually for Ariane and 10 commercial flights per year for Proton. Arianespace and ILS agree that two able providers could efficiently handle the demands of satellite operators worldwide. But officials with Sea Launch say there is room for a third major market participant.
The Sea Launch manifest has been emptied by payloads moving to Ariane 5 and Proton launchers. Most recently, the XM 5 radio broadcasting craft switched to the Proton rocket for a launch in late 2010, earlier than Sea Launch could conduct the mission. Sea Launch's backlog now consists of three firm launches, two unidenfitifed Eutelsat missions and the Intelsat 17 satellite. Four more options from Intelsat are also on the manifest. (11/20)
Other Players Vie for Launch Business (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
In addition to Arianespace, ILS and SeaLaunchc, United Launch Alliance (with Atlas-5 and Delta-4) and China (with the Long March) are vying for a slice of the commercial satellite launch market, as are SpaceX (with the Falcon-9), India's Antrix (with the PSLV and GSLV), and Japan (with the H-2). All of these companies are jockeying for position in a market that is projected to consist of 20 to 24 commercial satellites per year between 2009 and 2018, according to industry studies.
These numbers lead some to fear of more oversupply in the finicky launch market and question the value of new participants and even established companies like Sea Launch. The Federal Aviation Administration's Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee, or COMSTAC, released a report in May predicting an average of 20.8 commercial satellites and 15.7 commercial launches to geostationary transfer orbit in the next decade. Euroconsult, a Paris-based reserch firm specializing in satellites, published a similar forecast in June calling for a total of 235 commercial geostationary communications payloads between 2009 and 2018.
Leaders of the world's largest satellite operators have made repeated statements lambasting the state of the commercial rocket industry. Eutelsat and Intelsat have both kept contracts with Sea Launch and Land Launch, despite the company's financial trouble. Both companies say they would like to see more variety in the launch market. Sea Launch officials are thankful for the support and agree with the strategy. Now we don't see any operator complaining about launch prices anymore. What they're worried about is access to space," said Sea Launch's president. (11/20)
$350,000 Awarded in Glove Design Competition (Source: Florida Today)
The two competitors sat side by side, waiting like contestants at a high school science fair. But here, at the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville Thursday evening, much more was at stake: $400,000 in total prize money for designing gloves that exceeded the requirements of a NASA astronaut glove. The professorial Peter Homer, 48, from Maine had tasted victory before, winner of a similar competition in 2007. His competition was Ted Southern, a 32-year-old New York City native who designs props and costumes for a living.
Experience won, and Homer took home a check of $250,000. Southern's glove met the standards too, and he was awarded $100,000. The rest of the $50,000 prize money was held back because the five judges did not see a novel and innovative approach in the TMG design of the gloves. TMG refers to Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment, a material that makes up the outer layer of an astronaut glove or a spacesuit. (11/20)
United Launch Alliance was awarded a $9,000,000 contract to accelerate the launch-to-launch time spans of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launches to preserve the capability to launch the National Reconnaissance Office L-32 mission in October 2010. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. In a separate action, ITT Industries, Inc. at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport was awarded a $66,370,706 contract option for continued program management, interface management, systems engineering and integration, depot maintenance transition, product acquisitions and modifications, and instrument modernization for operational systems and infrastructure at the spaceport. (11/19)
NASA Recruits 'Planet 51' Actor Dwayne Johnson to Spread Message (Source: Space.com)
Actor Dwayne Johnson, formerly known as "The Rock," is helping to spread the benefits of NASA in a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) timed with the release of Sony Pictures' animated feature film "Planet 51." In the PSAs, Johnson touts NASA's role in education, recycling and the development of new technologies, commonly referred to as "spinoffs."
"Films are such a powerful way to reach out to new audiences and excite them about space exploration," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said in a statement. "Dwayne will enlighten families about the importance of learning science and math and celebrating others' differences. He also informs the public about some NASA technologies which are used right here on Earth." (11/20)
French Bond Issue Could be Boon for Space (Source: Space News)
A French government commission on Nov. 19 proposed investing 2 billion euros ($3 billion) of a planned 35 billion-euro government bond issue in new aeronautical and space technologies including Earth observation and broadband spacecraft. The commission estimated that the total investment package would expand to 60 billion euros when private-sector and possible European Union contributions are included. The investments backed by the bond issue could come in the form of grants co-financed by the projects’ sponsors, reimbursable loans or loan guarantees made by the French Innovation Agency, OSEO. (11/20)
Soyuz Rocket Launches Russian Military Payload (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Russia launched a military spy satellite into space Friday on a Soyuz rocket from the country's Plesetsk spaceport. The three-stage Soyuz rocket delivered the spacecraft to an elliptical orbit with a high point of about 560 miles and a low point of approximately 120 miles. The orbit's inclination is about 67.2 degrees, according to tracking data. The satellite was named Kosmos 2455 after the launch as part of the Russian defense ministry's naming system for spacecraft. The payload was the sixth Russian military satellite launched this year. This was the 12th flight this year of a variant of the venerable Soyuz rocket family. It also marked the 63rd space launch worldwide to successfully reach orbit this year. (11/20)
Iran to Launch Space Booster, Satellite by Late 2011 (Source: MSNBC)
Iran plans to launch a communications satellite by late 2011 with no outside help, a top Iranian official said Friday, after Italy and Russia declined to put it into orbit. The move reflected Tehran's frustration with the two countries as it tries to push ahead with an ambitious space program, which has worried world powers because the same rocket technology used to launch satellites can also be used for military purposes. Israeli media have claimed that the new Iranian satellite, named Misbah, or "Lantern" in Farsi, is a spy satellite. Iran says the satellite, which is to be launched into a low-earth orbit, is to assist in data communication. (11/20)
Cosmonaut: Russia Falling Behind in Space Race (Source: MSNBC)
Russia lacks a viable program for developing a new spacecraft and will likely fall behind in the space race, a veteran Russian cosmonaut said in an interview. Efforts to build a successor to the 40-year old Soyuz spacecraft have dragged on with no end in sight, Mikhail Tyurin said. He blamed the slow progress on a lack of clear goals and poor coordination. He said officials' talk of using the ship to fly to the International Space Station, and then the moon and Mars, are unfeasible. "One vehicle can't be both a steamroller and a Formula One racer," he said. (11/20)
Editorial: The Wet Side of the Moon (Source: New York Times)
Picture a habitat atop a hill in warm sunlight on the edge of a crater near the south pole of the Moon. There are metal ores in the rocks nearby and ice in the shadows of the crater below. Solar arrays are set up nearby and humans live in sealed, cave-like lava tubes, protected from solar flares and sustained by large surface greenhouses. Imagine the Moon as the first self-sustainable human settlement away from Earth and a high-speed transportation hub for the solar system.
We can finally begin to think seriously about establishing such a self-sufficient home on the Moon because last week, NASA announced that it had discovered large quantities of water there. While we have known for decades that the Moon had all the raw chemicals necessary for sustaining life, we believed they were trapped in rocks and thus difficult to extract. The discovery of plentiful lunar water is of tremendous importance to humanity and our long-term survival. Click here to view the editorial. (11/20)
U.S. Preeminence in Space is Eroding, Experts Tell Congress (Source: Miami Herald)
America is losing its edge in space as China, Iran and other rivals step up their efforts, experts told a congressional panel on Thursday. Among the statistics: 37 nations now have satellites in space, 13 have active space programs and eight are capable of launching their own satellites. Russia and China have particularly aggressive programs, the experts testified, while new entrants to the "space club" include Algeria, Nigeria, Venezuela and South Africa. AIA Vice President J.P. Stevens told lawmakers that the U.S. share of the global commercial space market has slipped to just 15%. "Our leadership is no longer guaranteed," he said. "We're being undercut." (11/20)
Increase in Defense Spending Needed to Meet Plans (Source: AIA)
Defense spending will need to increase by 6%, to $567 billion annually, in constant 2010 dollars, in order to meet the current administration's plans, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The need for more funds could squeeze suppliers of advanced systems, and steadily rising maintanence and personnel costs are among other factors requiring increased spending. (11/20)
Former Astronaut-Astronomer, Sam Durrance, Joins the Suborbital Researchers Group (Source: CSF)
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation announces that Florida native and former NASA astronaut Samuel T. Durrance, a PhD astronomer and veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, has been selected as the latest addition to CSF’s Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG). Including Dr. Durrance, SARG now consists of eleven researchers and educators, in disciplines ranging from microgravity physics to life sciences, who are aiming to increase awareness of commercial suborbital spacecraft in the science and R&D communities, work with policymakers to ensure that payloads can have easy access to these vehicles, and further develop ideas for the uses of vehicles under development by Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic, and XCOR Aerospace. (11/20)
Lighting Science Lands NASA Deal (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Lighting Science Group Corp. and the Kennedy Space Center have signed a two-year agreement to jointly develop a high-illumination and good-color-rendering LED light fixture for space exploration. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The agreement calls for development of a lighting fixture prototype able to meet the unique demands of space equipment and space travel. Lighting Science CEO Zach Gibler said the agreement also opens up opportunities to take lighting advances developed for space exploration and translate them into earth-bound LED lighting applications. The company is based in Satellite Beach. (11/20)
Editorial: Who Owns the Moon? (Source: Cornell Sun)
The discovery of water on the moon opens up very basic questions that not many people stop to consider, most notably, “who owns the moon.” Who, if anyone, claims to own the moon? Who is recognized as owning the moon? Can anyone own the moon? While these questions may seem silly or trivial, the idea of eventually adding a permanent lunar base, or mining the moon for resources makes them surprisingly relevant. The answer to the question of who owns the moon, of course, is no one.
The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries (including the United States), states that the moon and other celestial bodies are the province of all mankind, however, like most simple answers this one contains several complications. At the time the United Nations drafted the Outer Space Treaty there were only two spacefaring nations, the United States and the Soviet Union. We now have over a dozen, and many of them, China, Russia, the U.S., India and Japan, want to go to the moon. The commercial space sector is also becoming extremely interested in Earth’s only natural satellite with companies considering everything from mining the lunar surface to building extraterrestrial resorts on it.
Editor's Note: This article gives me another opportunity to suggest that the Obama Administration, with its ongoing multi-agency space policy update and keen interest in multi-national and commercial space programs, has a unique opportunity to lead the development of a new space treaty regime. Current gray-areas in today's treaties present a dis-incentive for some foreseeable large-scale commercially-oriented space projects. (11/20)
Solar Project Expansion at KSC Tied to Utility Rate Increase and State Support (Sources: Florida Today, SPACErePORT)
It doesn't yet include solar power-beaming satellites, but a Florida Power & Light (FPL) project at Kennedy Space Center will be expanded to include some other solar power R&D if the utility company is able to gain state approval for a rate increase. FPL officials said the expansion is also contingent upon state legislators passing a law supportive of renewable energy. FPL's ongoing development of a 10-megawatt solar plant at KSC would be expanded with an additional 100 megawatts, bringing 1,000 temporary jobs and 50 permanent ones. The permanent jobs would be science and engineering focused, residing at a new energy R&D center at KSC's Exploration Park. (11/20)
Key Lawmakers Stand Behind Constellation (Source: Florida Today)
Two NASA allies in Congress dug in their heels Thursday and said that the agency should continue with its troubled Constellation program and not rely on global partners to access space after the shuttle is retired in 2010. The assertions, by the chairwoman (Gabrielle Giffords) and ranking Republican member (Pete Olson) of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, signal a growing divide between Congress and the White House over NASA’s future, as the administration has indicated it wants to make space exploration more of a joint effort with other nations.
The White House has embraced the recent recommendation of a presidentially appointed space panel that advocated international partnerships to share the huge costs of human spaceflight. But Congress is reluctant to change the status quo, in part because it could put hometown jobs at risk. Thursday’s hearing was the first in a series planned by Giffords to underscore support for Constellation. Another is set for next month to assess the safety of competing commercial rocket designs, an issue Giffords said was “given inadequate scrutiny in the Augustine report.” Constellation backers frequently cite safety as a reason to continue the program’s Ares rockets and the Orion capsule.
But cost could ultimately be Constellation’s undoing. The program has cost nearly $8 billion since 2004. The White House has warned agencies including NASA to prepare for budget cuts of 5 to 10 percent. A test launch of an Ares I mockup last month cost $445 million, which led one lawmaker to question whether money would be better invested in helping commercial rocket companies. “We are spending more than any other country in the world but we are falling behind. What does that tell you?” asked U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California. (11/20)
When Good Rockets Go Bad (Source: WIRED)
In the grand scheme of human space programs in Russia and the United States, catastrophic failures are relatively rare. But they are often quite spectacular and make a big impression on the public and on the funding for space exploration. The explosions in the videos we’ve assembled here were very costly, some in terms of life, some in terms of lost equipment and all in terms of progress of the space programs. Click here to view a collection of rocket failure videos. (11/20)
Rocket Barons Share Thoughts on Launch Industry (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Managers of the top commercial launch providers, including Arianespace, ILS, and bankrupt Sea Launch, disagree on the outlook of the industry as satellite operators clamor for more participants in the launch market. Arianespace and ILS can now launch about 21 commercial communications satellites per year, based on combined average flight rates. Up to 28 payloads could be launched annually if both providers ramped up operations. Those numbers don't include the expected addition of the Soyuz rocket to Arianespace's fleet next year.
The Ariane 5 is launching two satellites at a time about seven times each year. The Proton launches on commercial missions six to eight times per year. The maximum flight rates for the vehicles are nine missions annually for Ariane and 10 commercial flights per year for Proton. Arianespace and ILS agree that two able providers could efficiently handle the demands of satellite operators worldwide. But officials with Sea Launch say there is room for a third major market participant.
The Sea Launch manifest has been emptied by payloads moving to Ariane 5 and Proton launchers. Most recently, the XM 5 radio broadcasting craft switched to the Proton rocket for a launch in late 2010, earlier than Sea Launch could conduct the mission. Sea Launch's backlog now consists of three firm launches, two unidenfitifed Eutelsat missions and the Intelsat 17 satellite. Four more options from Intelsat are also on the manifest. (11/20)
Other Players Vie for Launch Business (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
In addition to Arianespace, ILS and SeaLaunchc, United Launch Alliance (with Atlas-5 and Delta-4) and China (with the Long March) are vying for a slice of the commercial satellite launch market, as are SpaceX (with the Falcon-9), India's Antrix (with the PSLV and GSLV), and Japan (with the H-2). All of these companies are jockeying for position in a market that is projected to consist of 20 to 24 commercial satellites per year between 2009 and 2018, according to industry studies.
These numbers lead some to fear of more oversupply in the finicky launch market and question the value of new participants and even established companies like Sea Launch. The Federal Aviation Administration's Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee, or COMSTAC, released a report in May predicting an average of 20.8 commercial satellites and 15.7 commercial launches to geostationary transfer orbit in the next decade. Euroconsult, a Paris-based reserch firm specializing in satellites, published a similar forecast in June calling for a total of 235 commercial geostationary communications payloads between 2009 and 2018.
Leaders of the world's largest satellite operators have made repeated statements lambasting the state of the commercial rocket industry. Eutelsat and Intelsat have both kept contracts with Sea Launch and Land Launch, despite the company's financial trouble. Both companies say they would like to see more variety in the launch market. Sea Launch officials are thankful for the support and agree with the strategy. Now we don't see any operator complaining about launch prices anymore. What they're worried about is access to space," said Sea Launch's president. (11/20)
$350,000 Awarded in Glove Design Competition (Source: Florida Today)
The two competitors sat side by side, waiting like contestants at a high school science fair. But here, at the Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville Thursday evening, much more was at stake: $400,000 in total prize money for designing gloves that exceeded the requirements of a NASA astronaut glove. The professorial Peter Homer, 48, from Maine had tasted victory before, winner of a similar competition in 2007. His competition was Ted Southern, a 32-year-old New York City native who designs props and costumes for a living.
Experience won, and Homer took home a check of $250,000. Southern's glove met the standards too, and he was awarded $100,000. The rest of the $50,000 prize money was held back because the five judges did not see a novel and innovative approach in the TMG design of the gloves. TMG refers to Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment, a material that makes up the outer layer of an astronaut glove or a spacesuit. (11/20)
November 19 News Items
U.S. Losing its Lead in Space, Experts Warn Congress (Source: Star-Telegram)
America's once clear dominance in space is eroding as other nations, including China, Iran and North Korea, step up their activities, a panel of experts told the House subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Thursday. Russia now leads the world in space launches. China recently became the third nation, after the United States and Russia, to send its own astronauts to space. "China is laying the groundwork for a long-term space program with or without us," said Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington. "We should worry if we're not out there with them."
In a competition once limited to the U.S. and the Soviet Union, 60 nations now have their own space agencies, panelists said. Thirteen nations have active space programs, and eight are capable of launching their own satellites into orbit. In the last 10 years, the number of countries with communications satellites or GPS systems in orbit has increased from 27 to 37. "Countries as diverse as Algeria, Iran, Nigeria, Venezuela, South Africa and Turkey have now become part of the so-called space club." (11/19)
Costa Rican Company Creates Plasma Rocket to Pick Up Space Trash (Source: Global Post)
Franklin Chang Diaz has great aspirations for his rocket: a mail-carrier for outer space, a garbage truck for orbital debris and, the ultimate goal, a shuttle to Mars. The Costa Rica-born physicist speaks nonchalantly about the day humankind will have moved entirely to outer space, while our precious Earth becomes “a protected park.” Click here to view the article. (11/19)
Burn-Through Blamed in Long March Mishap (Source: Space News)
China’s Long March 3A series of rockets is expected to return to flight before the end of this year following the conclusion of a state-run board of inquiry into the Aug. 31 failure of the vehicle’s upper stage. The investigation into the underperformance of one of two upper-stage engines during the flight, which placed Indonesia’s Palapa-D satellite into a useless orbit, concluded that failure was caused by a burn-through of the engine’s gas generator.
The board of inquiry into the vehicle’s first failure in 13 years concluded that the most likely cause of the burn-through was foreign matter or humidity-caused icing in the engine’s liquid-hydrogen injectors. To prevent a recurrence of the problem, the liquid hydrogen gas-feed system on future rockets will be fitted with a filter to prevent the passage of ice or other foreign objects. In addition, the gas generator in the third-stage engine’s liquid hydrogen cavity in the future will be purged before launch to prevent ice buildup. (11/19)
ULA To Delay Layoffs To January (Source: Florida Today)
United Launch Alliance will delay and reduce layoffs planned for Friday until Jan. 7. The layoffs, expected to affect up to 70 workers, now will affect 20 to 30 ULA employees the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, according to a letter from ULA President and CEO Michael Gass. The layoff delay was enabled by a funding increase from the federal government "for Delta IV launch capability enhancement." The additional funds reportedly totaled $10 million. ULA has two launches remaining this year, and nine scheduled next year.
"This (layoff) delay will allow our Cape launch team to remain focused on mission success for both the upcoming commercial Atlas V Intelsat-14 (Nov. 23) and Air Force Delta IV WGS-3 (Dec. 2) missions," said the letter from Gass. "Our best offense in preventing future reductions is a total commitment to prefect product delivery and 100 percent mission success for our government and commercial customers." Some 720 ULA employees work at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Nine workers were laid off on Oct. 1. (11/19)
AIAA Plans Aerospace Sciences Event in Orlando on Jan. 4-7 (Source: AIAA)
The AIAA will hold the 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition) at the Orlando World Center Marriott on Jan. 4-7. This is a major multidisciplinary event for aerospace scientists and engineers from around the world. It provides an forum for scientists and engineers from industry, government, and academia to share and disseminate scientific knowledge and research results with a view toward new technologies for aerospace systems. New additions to the event for 2010 include a Jan. 4 session entitled NASA Research: Then and Now. The early-bird registration deadline is Dec. 7. Click here for information and registration.
Editor's Note: Four faculty members from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will serve on multiple panels during the event, and I'll be there in the audience. (11/19)
Analyst: Asia Threatens U.S. Military Dominance (Source: AIA)
A defense analyst at the Congressional Research Service says U.S. global military dominance is fading, threatening the "Pax Americana" that has ruled since the end of World War II. Stephen Daggett says the rise of Asian economies is shifting power to the east. "The days of the American Century were really in the last 50 years of the 20th century," Daggett said Wednesday before a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee. (11/19)
Hopes Dim for FAA Reauthorization Bill in 2009 (Source: AIA)
Despite pleas from the aviation industry -- and airports in particular -- the Senate appears unlikely to pass an FAA reauthorization bill by year's end. The Senate Finance Committee has yet to approve the measure, which would then require a debate by the full Senate followed by a conference to iron out differences with the House bill. The agency's current temporary authorization -- its seventh in two years -- is set to expire Dec. 31. (11/19)
Australian Space Science 'Making Gains' (Source: The Age)
A year after being advised to lift its game, Australia is making a leap forward in the field of space science, the federal government says. It has thrown $48.6 million at the problem, establishing a space science program and a space policy unit, and plans to set up a special space council bringing together top experts in the sector. The shift comes after a senate committee's report a year ago which found Australia was lagging well behind other countries in space science.
It said Australia was the only OECD country without a national spa ce agency and missing countless opportunities in a field driven by innovation and technology. Science Minister Kim Carr says a key change will come with the establishment of a Space Industry Innovation Council to oversee the improvement of the sector as a whole. (11/19)
Sri Lanka Signs Agreement to Set Up Space Agency (Source: Daily Mirror)
Sri Lanka has embarked on setting up a space agency yesterday with the signing of an agreement with the Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) that would pave the way for launching a local space agency which will lead the country to launch a geo satellite in three years. One of the major activities of the space agency is to launch a satellite. SLTRC Chief said there is a possibility of launching a satellite through a public partnership. “This may be a better option as the government may not have enough funds for it,” he said. (11/19)
Mexico Considering Space Agency to Develop Astronomy (Source: Xinhua)
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Wednesday that the nation is considering creating a space agency to boost the development of astronomy and space science. "Right now, the Congress is considering the creation of an aerospace agency, which already has a budget of 122 million pesos (9.38 million U.S. dollars) committed," Calderon said. The money is currently being spent on space-related projects via existing ministries and state-run bodies. In Latin America, Brazil and Costa Rica have well-known space programs. (11/19)
Editorial: Look Homeward, NASA (Source: Baltimore Sun)
The agency's Earth-science budget has been slashed at a time when it is most needed. Last month, 360 miles above the Earth, a little-noticed light went dark. It was the third and final laser on NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), developed and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. For the last 6 1/2 years, ICESat has been using precise laser measurements to determine how much the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets are contributing to the rise of the global seas.
The situation with ICESat serves as a stark reminder that many of the remarkable capabilities that NASA has developed to help us understand our planet are living on borrowed time. NASA is best known for exotic projects that explore distant places, but many of NASA's greatest contributions to society have come from its Earth-observing satellites. I wish the loss of ICESat were just an aberration in an otherwise healthy global observing system, so we could continue to understand how and why our planet is changing. Unfortunately, this is only a hint of things to come. (11/19)
NASA Challenges Inventors to Improve Space Gloves (Source: Florida Today)
The gloves are off when it comes to the latest advancement in aerospace technology. NASA thinks a little competition and $400,000 in prize money might launch the latest in space hand wear during its Astronaut Glove Challenge at the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
The goal of the challenge is to find innovative ways to reduce hand fatigue and create a lighter, stronger glove with greater dexterity and flexibility. If gloves do not exceed current NASA baseline standards, there will be no winner in the competition. (11/19)
Editorial: The China Card (Source: Florida Today)
For more than a decade, the U.S. and China have been joined at the hip as major trading partners with the countries driving the global economy. But one aspect of Sino-American relations has never made sense even as ties between the nations have grown: The lack of an agreement to make China a partner with the U.S. in space exploration, even though 16 other spacefaring nations long ago joined NASA to fund, build and operate the International Space Station.
We have strongly advocated that Washington ink such a pact and one may finally be in the offing with the White House announcement Tuesday during President Obama’s trip to China that it’s opening preliminary talks with Beijing on the subject. The agreement would bring benefits to both countries, and American and Chinese officials should strive to turn the proposal into reality as soon as possible. (11/19)
European Mischief Makers? (Source: Hyperbola)
An article run by Space News and authored by two former senior European Space Agency launcher officials that attacks sub-orbital tourism and hopes for commercial orbital transport. It is clear that ESA's leadership does not share these views. The organization has a policy on space tourism. The two authors may actually feel so strongly about the subject matter that the word hoax is, for them, a polite reference to the new industry.
This blogger got to feel the strength of anti-space tourism sentiment in Europe at a recent conference, where a senior technical official at an ESA center called suborbital travel "trivial" and a French space agency representative, who was also on the panel, had some harsh words as well. It is hard for space industry veterans to accept the claims of New Space when they have been working, sometimes for decades, in an industry that has launched much into orbit and never brought the cost down.
The argument this blogger had put forward is that the frequency of suborbital trips generates the revenue and wider business confidence that leads to the markets investing. This in turn leads to a virtuous circle of suborbital improvement, leading to point to point services, with further improvement, and finally reaching an orbital capability that will in part be reusable. (11/19)
Embry-Riddle Flight Teams Dominate Regional Contests from Coast to Coast (Source: ERAU)
On Nov. 14, 2,200 miles apart in San Diego, Calif., and Jacksonville, Fla., the Golden Eagles and Eagles flight teams representing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, dominated their respective regional competitions, winning in flight, ground, and overall team categories in regional Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) competitions held by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). The Eagles are based at Embry-Riddle’s East Coast campus in Daytona Beach. The Golden Eagles hail from the West Coast campus in Prescott, Arizona. (11/19)
There’s Water on the Moon, But Who Owns It? (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Ownership of the moon? On the one hand, it sounds like something only a legal academic might think about. But that’s not so, says Timothy G. Nelson, an international arbitration lawyer. Nelson says aerospace companies are already thinking about ways to make space exploration profitable. While it’s still decades away, Nelson says the possibilities are becoming more concrete all the time, and that it’s not too soon to think about the law and the moon.
The question is governed by international law, and some of the principles are actually fairly well developed. At bottom, when one asks such a question, he’s really asking about the law concerning the extraction of resources in a place where there’s no sovereignty. Incidentally, the fact that there is no sovereignty is reflected in an international treaty in 1967 [often referred to as the Outer Space Treaty], which essentially said that no country shall make any sovereign claims to the moon.
Of course, getting resources from the moon will take an enormous capital investment, and the trick in setting up a treaty will be to make it feasible to get private capital involved. If you don’t do that; if it’s something that’s overly regulated by a centralized U.N. framework, it won’t work. You have to make it such that private investors could sensibly commit the funds to go ahead and do the exploitation. Click here to view the article. (11/19)
America's once clear dominance in space is eroding as other nations, including China, Iran and North Korea, step up their activities, a panel of experts told the House subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Thursday. Russia now leads the world in space launches. China recently became the third nation, after the United States and Russia, to send its own astronauts to space. "China is laying the groundwork for a long-term space program with or without us," said Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington. "We should worry if we're not out there with them."
In a competition once limited to the U.S. and the Soviet Union, 60 nations now have their own space agencies, panelists said. Thirteen nations have active space programs, and eight are capable of launching their own satellites into orbit. In the last 10 years, the number of countries with communications satellites or GPS systems in orbit has increased from 27 to 37. "Countries as diverse as Algeria, Iran, Nigeria, Venezuela, South Africa and Turkey have now become part of the so-called space club." (11/19)
Costa Rican Company Creates Plasma Rocket to Pick Up Space Trash (Source: Global Post)
Franklin Chang Diaz has great aspirations for his rocket: a mail-carrier for outer space, a garbage truck for orbital debris and, the ultimate goal, a shuttle to Mars. The Costa Rica-born physicist speaks nonchalantly about the day humankind will have moved entirely to outer space, while our precious Earth becomes “a protected park.” Click here to view the article. (11/19)
Burn-Through Blamed in Long March Mishap (Source: Space News)
China’s Long March 3A series of rockets is expected to return to flight before the end of this year following the conclusion of a state-run board of inquiry into the Aug. 31 failure of the vehicle’s upper stage. The investigation into the underperformance of one of two upper-stage engines during the flight, which placed Indonesia’s Palapa-D satellite into a useless orbit, concluded that failure was caused by a burn-through of the engine’s gas generator.
The board of inquiry into the vehicle’s first failure in 13 years concluded that the most likely cause of the burn-through was foreign matter or humidity-caused icing in the engine’s liquid-hydrogen injectors. To prevent a recurrence of the problem, the liquid hydrogen gas-feed system on future rockets will be fitted with a filter to prevent the passage of ice or other foreign objects. In addition, the gas generator in the third-stage engine’s liquid hydrogen cavity in the future will be purged before launch to prevent ice buildup. (11/19)
ULA To Delay Layoffs To January (Source: Florida Today)
United Launch Alliance will delay and reduce layoffs planned for Friday until Jan. 7. The layoffs, expected to affect up to 70 workers, now will affect 20 to 30 ULA employees the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, according to a letter from ULA President and CEO Michael Gass. The layoff delay was enabled by a funding increase from the federal government "for Delta IV launch capability enhancement." The additional funds reportedly totaled $10 million. ULA has two launches remaining this year, and nine scheduled next year.
"This (layoff) delay will allow our Cape launch team to remain focused on mission success for both the upcoming commercial Atlas V Intelsat-14 (Nov. 23) and Air Force Delta IV WGS-3 (Dec. 2) missions," said the letter from Gass. "Our best offense in preventing future reductions is a total commitment to prefect product delivery and 100 percent mission success for our government and commercial customers." Some 720 ULA employees work at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Nine workers were laid off on Oct. 1. (11/19)
AIAA Plans Aerospace Sciences Event in Orlando on Jan. 4-7 (Source: AIAA)
The AIAA will hold the 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting (including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition) at the Orlando World Center Marriott on Jan. 4-7. This is a major multidisciplinary event for aerospace scientists and engineers from around the world. It provides an forum for scientists and engineers from industry, government, and academia to share and disseminate scientific knowledge and research results with a view toward new technologies for aerospace systems. New additions to the event for 2010 include a Jan. 4 session entitled NASA Research: Then and Now. The early-bird registration deadline is Dec. 7. Click here for information and registration.
Editor's Note: Four faculty members from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will serve on multiple panels during the event, and I'll be there in the audience. (11/19)
Analyst: Asia Threatens U.S. Military Dominance (Source: AIA)
A defense analyst at the Congressional Research Service says U.S. global military dominance is fading, threatening the "Pax Americana" that has ruled since the end of World War II. Stephen Daggett says the rise of Asian economies is shifting power to the east. "The days of the American Century were really in the last 50 years of the 20th century," Daggett said Wednesday before a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee. (11/19)
Hopes Dim for FAA Reauthorization Bill in 2009 (Source: AIA)
Despite pleas from the aviation industry -- and airports in particular -- the Senate appears unlikely to pass an FAA reauthorization bill by year's end. The Senate Finance Committee has yet to approve the measure, which would then require a debate by the full Senate followed by a conference to iron out differences with the House bill. The agency's current temporary authorization -- its seventh in two years -- is set to expire Dec. 31. (11/19)
Australian Space Science 'Making Gains' (Source: The Age)
A year after being advised to lift its game, Australia is making a leap forward in the field of space science, the federal government says. It has thrown $48.6 million at the problem, establishing a space science program and a space policy unit, and plans to set up a special space council bringing together top experts in the sector. The shift comes after a senate committee's report a year ago which found Australia was lagging well behind other countries in space science.
It said Australia was the only OECD country without a national spa ce agency and missing countless opportunities in a field driven by innovation and technology. Science Minister Kim Carr says a key change will come with the establishment of a Space Industry Innovation Council to oversee the improvement of the sector as a whole. (11/19)
Sri Lanka Signs Agreement to Set Up Space Agency (Source: Daily Mirror)
Sri Lanka has embarked on setting up a space agency yesterday with the signing of an agreement with the Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) that would pave the way for launching a local space agency which will lead the country to launch a geo satellite in three years. One of the major activities of the space agency is to launch a satellite. SLTRC Chief said there is a possibility of launching a satellite through a public partnership. “This may be a better option as the government may not have enough funds for it,” he said. (11/19)
Mexico Considering Space Agency to Develop Astronomy (Source: Xinhua)
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Wednesday that the nation is considering creating a space agency to boost the development of astronomy and space science. "Right now, the Congress is considering the creation of an aerospace agency, which already has a budget of 122 million pesos (9.38 million U.S. dollars) committed," Calderon said. The money is currently being spent on space-related projects via existing ministries and state-run bodies. In Latin America, Brazil and Costa Rica have well-known space programs. (11/19)
Editorial: Look Homeward, NASA (Source: Baltimore Sun)
The agency's Earth-science budget has been slashed at a time when it is most needed. Last month, 360 miles above the Earth, a little-noticed light went dark. It was the third and final laser on NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), developed and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. For the last 6 1/2 years, ICESat has been using precise laser measurements to determine how much the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets are contributing to the rise of the global seas.
The situation with ICESat serves as a stark reminder that many of the remarkable capabilities that NASA has developed to help us understand our planet are living on borrowed time. NASA is best known for exotic projects that explore distant places, but many of NASA's greatest contributions to society have come from its Earth-observing satellites. I wish the loss of ICESat were just an aberration in an otherwise healthy global observing system, so we could continue to understand how and why our planet is changing. Unfortunately, this is only a hint of things to come. (11/19)
NASA Challenges Inventors to Improve Space Gloves (Source: Florida Today)
The gloves are off when it comes to the latest advancement in aerospace technology. NASA thinks a little competition and $400,000 in prize money might launch the latest in space hand wear during its Astronaut Glove Challenge at the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
The goal of the challenge is to find innovative ways to reduce hand fatigue and create a lighter, stronger glove with greater dexterity and flexibility. If gloves do not exceed current NASA baseline standards, there will be no winner in the competition. (11/19)
Editorial: The China Card (Source: Florida Today)
For more than a decade, the U.S. and China have been joined at the hip as major trading partners with the countries driving the global economy. But one aspect of Sino-American relations has never made sense even as ties between the nations have grown: The lack of an agreement to make China a partner with the U.S. in space exploration, even though 16 other spacefaring nations long ago joined NASA to fund, build and operate the International Space Station.
We have strongly advocated that Washington ink such a pact and one may finally be in the offing with the White House announcement Tuesday during President Obama’s trip to China that it’s opening preliminary talks with Beijing on the subject. The agreement would bring benefits to both countries, and American and Chinese officials should strive to turn the proposal into reality as soon as possible. (11/19)
European Mischief Makers? (Source: Hyperbola)
An article run by Space News and authored by two former senior European Space Agency launcher officials that attacks sub-orbital tourism and hopes for commercial orbital transport. It is clear that ESA's leadership does not share these views. The organization has a policy on space tourism. The two authors may actually feel so strongly about the subject matter that the word hoax is, for them, a polite reference to the new industry.
This blogger got to feel the strength of anti-space tourism sentiment in Europe at a recent conference, where a senior technical official at an ESA center called suborbital travel "trivial" and a French space agency representative, who was also on the panel, had some harsh words as well. It is hard for space industry veterans to accept the claims of New Space when they have been working, sometimes for decades, in an industry that has launched much into orbit and never brought the cost down.
The argument this blogger had put forward is that the frequency of suborbital trips generates the revenue and wider business confidence that leads to the markets investing. This in turn leads to a virtuous circle of suborbital improvement, leading to point to point services, with further improvement, and finally reaching an orbital capability that will in part be reusable. (11/19)
Embry-Riddle Flight Teams Dominate Regional Contests from Coast to Coast (Source: ERAU)
On Nov. 14, 2,200 miles apart in San Diego, Calif., and Jacksonville, Fla., the Golden Eagles and Eagles flight teams representing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, dominated their respective regional competitions, winning in flight, ground, and overall team categories in regional Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) competitions held by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). The Eagles are based at Embry-Riddle’s East Coast campus in Daytona Beach. The Golden Eagles hail from the West Coast campus in Prescott, Arizona. (11/19)
There’s Water on the Moon, But Who Owns It? (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Ownership of the moon? On the one hand, it sounds like something only a legal academic might think about. But that’s not so, says Timothy G. Nelson, an international arbitration lawyer. Nelson says aerospace companies are already thinking about ways to make space exploration profitable. While it’s still decades away, Nelson says the possibilities are becoming more concrete all the time, and that it’s not too soon to think about the law and the moon.
The question is governed by international law, and some of the principles are actually fairly well developed. At bottom, when one asks such a question, he’s really asking about the law concerning the extraction of resources in a place where there’s no sovereignty. Incidentally, the fact that there is no sovereignty is reflected in an international treaty in 1967 [often referred to as the Outer Space Treaty], which essentially said that no country shall make any sovereign claims to the moon.
Of course, getting resources from the moon will take an enormous capital investment, and the trick in setting up a treaty will be to make it feasible to get private capital involved. If you don’t do that; if it’s something that’s overly regulated by a centralized U.N. framework, it won’t work. You have to make it such that private investors could sensibly commit the funds to go ahead and do the exploitation. Click here to view the article. (11/19)
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