SpaceX Mission Moves from May 8 to NET May 11 (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will make its maiden launch on a demonstration mission on May 11, carrying the qualification unit for SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which the company plans to fly on resupply missions to the International Space Station. The mission was previously scheduled for May 8, after multiple prior delays. The flight could slip until at least late May as the Air Force continues reviewing the rocket's destruct package. The launch window for the flight is between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (4/30)
Congress Extends FAA Reauthorization Bill Again (Source: Commercial Appeal)
Once again, the House and Senate have extended the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization law that should have expired in 2007 while they try to reach agreement on a new bill of special concern to FedEx. The House extended the current funding for aviation programs through July 3. The Senate bill passed Wednesday night by unanimous consent.
New bills, with provisions to modernize navigation and provide funding for a range of new projects, have passed both House and Senate with three- and two-year timeframes and must be reconciled before they can become law. The House bill also contains a provision that would make it easier for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to organize FedEx Express workers and has spawned major public relations campaigns by both sides. (4/30)
Firms Ready to Take Over from NASA to Carry Cargo, Crews to Space (Source: AIA)
Commercial companies say they are ready to transport cargo and crews to low-Earth orbit and to take on additional Earth observation work and communication satellite operations in light of President Barack Obama's plan for NASA to rely more heavily on commercial spaceflight companies. At a space symposium held in Colorado earlier this month, companies said they were encouraged by Obama's vision, and such companies as Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Orbital Sciences Corp. have already expressed interest in transporting crews to the International Space Station. (4/30)
US Airways Chief: NextGen Not Worth the Cost (Source: AIA)
Air traffic growth over the next decade will not be robust enough to create the sort of capacity shortfall that would justify investing in NextGen, according to US Airways CEO Doug Parker. "There is not a capacity issue in the United States right now," Parker told reporters on Wednesday, and without major growth, NextGen "isn't going to save the airlines dramatic amounts" of money. Equipping cockpits with upgraded avionics would cost US Airways nearly $1 billion, and "so long as we have to pay for [flight deck equipment], we prefer not to have it," Parker said. (4/30)
Space Funding Approved in Tallahassee (Source: ACDC)
The Florida Legislature has passed SB 1752, a comprehensive economic development package that focuses on several high-tech sectors including retaining and expanding Florida's Space industry. Total funding for Space initiatives in this bill is $23,639,943. The full appropriations bill, which will be debated and passed later today, also includes $7,500,000 from the transportation trust fund for Space infrastructure development bringing the total investment in Space to $31,139,943. (4/30)
Alabama Congressman: Augustine Panel was a "Setup" (Source: Space Politics)
Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL) told the Decatur Daily that he believes the Augustine Committee was a “setup” to give cover to an administration desire to kill Constellation. “Why would you have a commission study something you’ve been doing 4 1/2 years and for billions of dollars?” he asks. “I met with Augustine and the principals, and realized this was a setup.” He is also opposed to turning to the commercial sector for launching crews, even if it benefits United Launch Alliance, which builds its rockets in Decatur. “What do you think would happen to United Launch Alliance, to Orbital Sciences or SpaceX, if there was a Columbia accident on their nickel? We are done. The country is done. That company is done,” he told the paper. “We can’t take that chance. It’s not a good idea to privatize a country’s conscience, a country’s pride.” (4/30)
Ice Caves on Mars Could Provide Water for Human Colonists (Source: Daily Camera)
Martian ice caves might be the most hospitable home for humans if the red planet is ever colonized, according to a new study by a team of scientists. Scientists have known that both ice -- especially at the poles -- and caves known as lava tubes can be found on Mars, but the new study shows that ice could exist in caves near the planet's equator for up to 100,000 years without melting or evaporating. (4/30)
India's Space Program Takes a Hit (Source: Asia Times)
In mid-April, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) tested a large, multi-stage rocket which was equipped with a new cryogenic engine that had been designed and developed by Indian engineers. Roughly five minutes into this third development flight, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) suffered a third-stage ignition failure and as a result of the malfunctioning launch vehicle, the GSAT-4 communications and navigation satellite on board was lost.
ISRO could do not dismiss or evade the media onslaught that ensued. "After the unsuccessful flight, the ISRO chairman, K Radhakrishnan, initially suggested that two small cryogenic steering engines, which swivel to maintain the rocket's orientation, might have malfunctioned. Later, however, he indicated that the main cryogenic engine itself might not have ignited. In such a complex system as the cryogenic stage, even a small defect that escapes attention is sufficient to doom the flight." (4/30)
New Orion Role Raises Funding Challenge (Source: Aviation Week)
When President Obama altered plans earlier this month to cancel NASA’s Constellation Program by announcing a new role for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, he made no mention of how the White House planned to pay for the spacecraft’s conversion into an escape capsule for the International Space Station (ISS). The president announced the agency would develop a lighter version of the Orion Moon ship as a four-person space station lifeboat. What he did not explain, however, was how NASA’s proposed $19 billion FY-2011 budget will accommodate Orion’s re-emergence, nor how NASA will launch a scaled-down version of the capsule.
The effort has been hindered by the agency’s restrictive 2010 appropriations bill, which includes a provision that prevents NASA from halting work on Constellation without the approval of a reluctant Congress. Until a spending plan is passed by Congress and signed into law, NASA is prohibited from canceling Constellation’s development contracts and initiating a competition to award agreements worth nearly $14 billion over the next five years for the new research and development work to underpin Obama’s space strategy. (4/30)
Obama's NASA Plan Could Benefit Southern Arizona (Source: Tucson Sentinel)
The Obama administration’s new direction for NASA's human spaceflight program could be a major boost for Southern Arizona should its admittedly vague long-term goals pan out. At the very least, it should be a modest benefit to Tucson’s aerospace community in the short term. President Obama announced plans for human missions to asteroids in the 2020s and flights to Mars in the next decade. Obama’s reference to a possible human mission to an asteroid is positive news for Tucson’s planetary science and ground-based astronomy communities, which already specialize in efforts to locate, characterize and fly robotic probes to these primitive and potentially resource-rich rocky bodies. (4/30)
Details Sparse on $40 Million Program to Help NASA Workers (Source: Florida Today)
Federal officials are assembling a team to recommend how to spend $40 million on a program to retrain former NASA workers, but details about the program are scarce. The program, announced by President Obama in an April 15 speech at KSC, aims to help NASA and the local economy deal with thousands of lost jobs from the retirement of the shuttle. Obama said he wants officials from the White House, NASA and other agencies to come up with a plan by Aug. 15 "for regional economic development growth and job creation."
And he said his proposal would create new jobs more quickly than would the Constellation program to return astronauts to the moon, which he wants to cancel. The president proposed the $40M program based on "strong lobbying" by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, and Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach. But neither lawmaker's office could say what's happening with the program so far. We're totally in the dark at this point," said Lisa Rice, president of Brevard Workforce, which links job seekers with businesses. (4/30)
Advisers Ready to Help Space Workers (Source: Florida Today)
Two powerhouse consultants who steered Kokomo, Ind., and Milwaukee through massive layoffs and economic hardship will turn their focus today on Brevard County and the fate of workers at Kennedy Space Center. Economic and workforce development consultants Ed Morrison and Linda Fowler are credited with guiding both cities through dark economic times created by the layoffs of thousands of auto and manufacturing workers.
In Brevard, leaders seeking ways to cope with the anticipated loss of 7,000 to 8,000 space worker jobs when the shuttle program ends later this year have tapped the pair to help local business and community leaders quickly craft a plan to soften the blow of the layoffs. "In Brevard, we're probably farther ahead (than Kokomo and Milwaukee were) as far as collaborative efforts. We've had Space Florida, the EDC, the chambers all working together for years," said Brevard Workforce President Lisa Rice. (4/30)
April 29, 2010
Is New Mexico Stealing California’s Space Tourism Business? (Source: Examiner)
The rivalry started several years ago and it is escalating since then. While Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composite Corp. at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California surprised the world with their magnificent SpaceShip One – the State of California did not take any advantage of this technological breakthrough in order to keep the space tourism business in the state where jobs are so badly needed.
Stuart Witt, Mojave’s general manager, said in a local newspaper interview that New Mexico is “credited with stealing Virgin Galactic from Mojave”, but the State of California made it very clear that they welcome the business, but there will be “no incentives” to keep the actual space tourism operations in Mojave. The tremendous efforts by the California Space Authority, the Mojave Air and Space Port and the Scaled Composites were fruitless.
New Mexico, however, pledged three hundred million dollars to build a new spaceport in Las Cruces, which poses a direct competition to Mojave. “We are proud to be on the ground floor of the second space age”, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson states emphatically. After finding no business incentives in California, Virgin Galactic decided to accept New Mexico’s offer and started their space tourism business in Las Cruces. (4/29)
Arecibo Telescope Tracks 'Potentially Dangerous' Asteroid (Source: Newswise)
A near-Earth asteroid named 2005 YU55 – on the list of potentially dangerous asteroids – was observed with the Arecibo Telescope’s planetary radar on April 19, 2010 when it was about 1.5 million miles from the Earth, which is about 6 times the distance to the moon. (4/29)
Russia Aims to Follow U.S. Lead in Private Funding of Space Projects (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia wants to encourage private companies to invest in space exploration, the head of the country's space agency said on Thursday. "Manned space systems have become rather expensive and private investment should be attracted more actively, like it is in the U.S.," Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said.
He said Russia had not seen the expansion of private investment into space exploration witnessed in the Unites States because Russian companies were not willing to invest in projects due to the "lack of fast return on investment." Perminov said the design cycle for a new spacecraft takes at least three years and only after this time period the companies could receive revenues. Russia's government has increased national space expenditures by 40% over the past five years. Last year, Russia spent $2.8 billion on its space program. (4/29)
Space Adventures Teams with Armadillo (Source: Washington Business Journal)
Vienna-based Space Adventures Ltd., which has arranged space travel adventures to the International Space Station for millionaire customers through Russia’s space program, may soon be sending tourists into space with an American partner. Space Adventures says it has signed an exclusive marketing agreement with Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace LLC for commercial passenger space tours. Armadillo has been developing suborbital spaceflight vehicles for the past decade. (4/29)
A Second Space Day in Tallahassee (Source: SPACErePORT)
A collection of space-related bills was approved by the Florida Legislature on Thursday. The STAR Act authorizes resources for projects to protect, expand and diversify the state's aerospace economy, and allows eligibility criteria to be waived for incentives aimed at mitigating the Shuttle's retirement. A Space and Aerospace Infrastructure Proviso gives Space Florida more flexibility for investing previously appropriated spaceport infrastructure funds. Another bill changes Space Florida's board structure. And another one will ease the passage of future space legislation by using cost-benefit analyses to influence appropriation decisions.
Two legislative resolutions were passed last week, including one aimed at keeping a retired Shuttle orbiter in Florida, and another urging Congress to support programs in Florida that will protect the space industry workforce. Appropriations bills with significant space-related funding will be considered on Friday. (4/29)
Australia, U.S. To Share Military UHF Satellite Capacity (Source: Space News)
U.S. and Australian defense forces will share narrowband satellite capacity in the Pacific and Indian ocean regions following an agreement signed April 28 and a decision by Australia to double the amount of military communications capacity it is buying from commercial satellite fleet operator Intelsat, defense officials from both countries said.
The bilateral agreement will give the Australian Defence Force (ADF) access to the U.S. Department of Defense’s future Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) constellation of satellites to provide UHF-frequency links to deployed troops. ADF will use the U.S. capacity for Pacific Ocean Region coverage.
In return, U.S. forces will have access to the ADF’s 18-channel UHF payload to be launched on the Intelsat IS-22 satellite in early 2012. ADF had agreed to purchase eight of the 18 UHF channels in a contract with Intelsat signed in April 2009 that included a one-year option to buy the remaining capacity. IS-22 will be stationed at 72 degrees east longitude for Indian Ocean Region coverage. (4/29)
In JSC Rally, Bolden Offers No Workforce Transition Aid (Source: AIA)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told demoralized workers at Johnson Space Center on Wednesday that scrapping the Constellation program will allow the space agency to focus on revolutionary new technologies to take astronauts far beyond low-earth orbit. While acknowledging that contractors would see layoffs, Bolden did not offer the kind of workforce transition programs announced by President Barack Obama during an earlier visit to Florida's Kennedy Space Center. (4/29)
NASA May Stretch out Mars Missions to Save Money (Source: Reuters)
NASA is considering a plan to get around limited budgets set in Washington by stretching out missions to bring back samples from Mars, a researcher said on Wednesday. It may be possible to break down the complicated and expensive mission into three parts, said Steve Squyres, a Cornell University astronomer who leads the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. "It makes the program more affordable because it strings out the cost over time," Squyres said. (4/29)
Celebrating U.S. Future in Space, Hopefully (Source: New York Times)
With rock music blaring, fifth graders count down from 10-9-8 to the rocket boosters’ firing up, and blasting the computer-generated astronauts toward space. “Hey, the future looks good, huh?” says Ken Larson, jumping to center stage at the new Exploration Space exhibition at KSC.
Mr. Larson’s job is to inspire the next generation as much as he was inspired — by his father, a reporter who befriended the first astronauts, and by his grandmother, one of the first 10 employees here at what one plaque calls “the hot burning center of American dreams.” The center is cooling, though.
Here at KSC, the celebration of the future now comes with asterisks. At the visitor’s center, for example, which draws 1.5 million people every year, caveats have been forced into an extravaganza built for maximum wow. Mr. Larson’s script, for instance, now includes this lawyerly line: “We can’t confirm exactly where humankind’s next steps in space are going to take us.” (4/29)
Demonstration Flight Shows Potential of ADS-B for NextGen (Source: AIA)
Flying between Atlantic City, N.J., and Philadelphia on Wednesday, reporters in the back of the plane were able to monitor dozens of nearby aircraft in real time -- while the pilots in the cockpit had to radio air traffic control for the same information. The FAA arranged the demonstration flight to show the benefits of satellite-based ADS-B technology. "For the first time, the pilots and the controllers will actually be able to see the same thing," said an FAA official on the flight.
Editor's Note: ADS-B is also viewed as a potential tool for space traffic management and situational awareness. Companies like MITRE and institutions like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are exploring ways that ADS-B units can be integrated onto rockets and suborbital space planes. (4/29)
New Mexico Space Grant Consortium gets $2 Million (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
NASA has awarded the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium $2 million for the "Summer of Innovation" initiative to boost summer learning in programs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to a news release. The NMSGC's "Launch & Learn" proposal was one of four chosen by NASA. The program will work with participating middle school teachers and students to design and build experiments for launch into suborbital space from Spaceport America. (4/29)
NASA to Aliens: Bring It On (Source: Medill Reports)
NASA doesn’t appear to be too worried about hostile aliens. “Within NASA’s programs, our approach to the solar system exploration has been that we’re prepared to make discoveries of any type of life, any form, and we’re prepared to make these measurements using the latest techniques in planetary protection,” Mary Voytek, a senior scientist in astrobiology at NASA’s headquarters in Washington told a press briefing Wednesday.
It doesn’t seem as though we’ll stop trying to contact other life forms anytime soon. “Earth has been broadcasting radio signals for decades now,” said Steve Squyres, a researcher from Cornell University. “That horse left the barn a long time ago. We’re going to keep broadcasting, and whether we do it intentionally or not, the signals are out there.” (4/29)
NASA Balloon Crashes, Flips Car in Australia (Source: NineMSN)
An out-of-control space balloon has crashed during take-off in Alice Springs, flipping over a car and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. The massive NASA-sponsored balloon, which was carrying very expensive scientific equipment, was struck by a gust of wind as it was being prepared for launch at 8am this morning.
The wind carried the balloon away from the launch area where it hit a spectator's car and collapsed. The scientific equipment being carried on board was worth millions of dollars, and it was almost all destroyed in the crash. "It's not only the money," Professor Sood said. "It's the countless hours of time of work put in by the people who worked on this project." (4/29)
Editorial: Private Sector Should Fund Space Missions (Source: CNJ Online)
America’s future in space is entrepreneurial. President Barack Obama partly has recognized that reality in his recent speeches and policy changes on NASA and American space policy. If the federal government really wanted to help, it should take up the proposal by former Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Bob Walker to give a 25-year tax exemption to any company that maintained a base on the moon for 365 consecutive days. This reward would appeal to such large, high-tech companies as GE, Microsoft, Apple and Intel.
There would be no cost to taxpayers; and no government bureaucracy involved. “The tax break wouldn’t come into effect until the moon base was constructed,” Hudgins explained. “But think of all the revenue paid by the private infrastructure” that built the moon base.
We encourage New Mexico’s and Texas’ congressional delegation to look critically at the president’s impractical and expensive space boondoggles, especially at a time when the country is already $12.7 trillion in debt. But they should embrace Obama’s push toward privatization — then push it further. (4/29)
Quest for Life Beyond Earth 'in NASA Future Plans' (Source: AFP)
NASA is pondering 28 potential missions focusing on finding life beyond Earth inside our solar system. "Astrobiology and the search for life is really central to what we should be doing next in the exploration of the solar system," Steve Squyres, a researcher at Cornell University said. "We are looking for a total of 28 different missions.... They cover everything from Mercury landers to fly-by of objects in deep outer space of the solar system -- and they are particularly relevant to looking for life," he explained. (4/29)
San Diego Museum Plans Space Day Celebration on May 8 (Source: SDASM)
The San Diego Air & Space Museum will host its 7th Annual Space Day celebration! Space Day will feature demonstrations, giveaways, and hands-on activities with local and national space experts. Invited presenters include: NASA, Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Network, JPL, San Diego Space Society, SETI, San Diego Astronomy Association, Virgin Galactic, UCSD EarthKAM, The Planetary Society, InterPlanetary Ventures, The Astronaut Teacher Alliance, Team Synergy Moon and many others. Local astronaut Jim Newman, whose ambitious spacewalks from the space shuttle helped repair the Hubble Space Telescope, is planning to join us to share stories of his dynamic space career. Visit http://sandiegoairandspace.org/upcoming/spaceday2010.html
The rivalry started several years ago and it is escalating since then. While Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composite Corp. at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California surprised the world with their magnificent SpaceShip One – the State of California did not take any advantage of this technological breakthrough in order to keep the space tourism business in the state where jobs are so badly needed.
Stuart Witt, Mojave’s general manager, said in a local newspaper interview that New Mexico is “credited with stealing Virgin Galactic from Mojave”, but the State of California made it very clear that they welcome the business, but there will be “no incentives” to keep the actual space tourism operations in Mojave. The tremendous efforts by the California Space Authority, the Mojave Air and Space Port and the Scaled Composites were fruitless.
New Mexico, however, pledged three hundred million dollars to build a new spaceport in Las Cruces, which poses a direct competition to Mojave. “We are proud to be on the ground floor of the second space age”, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson states emphatically. After finding no business incentives in California, Virgin Galactic decided to accept New Mexico’s offer and started their space tourism business in Las Cruces. (4/29)
Arecibo Telescope Tracks 'Potentially Dangerous' Asteroid (Source: Newswise)
A near-Earth asteroid named 2005 YU55 – on the list of potentially dangerous asteroids – was observed with the Arecibo Telescope’s planetary radar on April 19, 2010 when it was about 1.5 million miles from the Earth, which is about 6 times the distance to the moon. (4/29)
Russia Aims to Follow U.S. Lead in Private Funding of Space Projects (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia wants to encourage private companies to invest in space exploration, the head of the country's space agency said on Thursday. "Manned space systems have become rather expensive and private investment should be attracted more actively, like it is in the U.S.," Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said.
He said Russia had not seen the expansion of private investment into space exploration witnessed in the Unites States because Russian companies were not willing to invest in projects due to the "lack of fast return on investment." Perminov said the design cycle for a new spacecraft takes at least three years and only after this time period the companies could receive revenues. Russia's government has increased national space expenditures by 40% over the past five years. Last year, Russia spent $2.8 billion on its space program. (4/29)
Space Adventures Teams with Armadillo (Source: Washington Business Journal)
Vienna-based Space Adventures Ltd., which has arranged space travel adventures to the International Space Station for millionaire customers through Russia’s space program, may soon be sending tourists into space with an American partner. Space Adventures says it has signed an exclusive marketing agreement with Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace LLC for commercial passenger space tours. Armadillo has been developing suborbital spaceflight vehicles for the past decade. (4/29)
A Second Space Day in Tallahassee (Source: SPACErePORT)
A collection of space-related bills was approved by the Florida Legislature on Thursday. The STAR Act authorizes resources for projects to protect, expand and diversify the state's aerospace economy, and allows eligibility criteria to be waived for incentives aimed at mitigating the Shuttle's retirement. A Space and Aerospace Infrastructure Proviso gives Space Florida more flexibility for investing previously appropriated spaceport infrastructure funds. Another bill changes Space Florida's board structure. And another one will ease the passage of future space legislation by using cost-benefit analyses to influence appropriation decisions.
Two legislative resolutions were passed last week, including one aimed at keeping a retired Shuttle orbiter in Florida, and another urging Congress to support programs in Florida that will protect the space industry workforce. Appropriations bills with significant space-related funding will be considered on Friday. (4/29)
Australia, U.S. To Share Military UHF Satellite Capacity (Source: Space News)
U.S. and Australian defense forces will share narrowband satellite capacity in the Pacific and Indian ocean regions following an agreement signed April 28 and a decision by Australia to double the amount of military communications capacity it is buying from commercial satellite fleet operator Intelsat, defense officials from both countries said.
The bilateral agreement will give the Australian Defence Force (ADF) access to the U.S. Department of Defense’s future Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) constellation of satellites to provide UHF-frequency links to deployed troops. ADF will use the U.S. capacity for Pacific Ocean Region coverage.
In return, U.S. forces will have access to the ADF’s 18-channel UHF payload to be launched on the Intelsat IS-22 satellite in early 2012. ADF had agreed to purchase eight of the 18 UHF channels in a contract with Intelsat signed in April 2009 that included a one-year option to buy the remaining capacity. IS-22 will be stationed at 72 degrees east longitude for Indian Ocean Region coverage. (4/29)
In JSC Rally, Bolden Offers No Workforce Transition Aid (Source: AIA)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told demoralized workers at Johnson Space Center on Wednesday that scrapping the Constellation program will allow the space agency to focus on revolutionary new technologies to take astronauts far beyond low-earth orbit. While acknowledging that contractors would see layoffs, Bolden did not offer the kind of workforce transition programs announced by President Barack Obama during an earlier visit to Florida's Kennedy Space Center. (4/29)
NASA May Stretch out Mars Missions to Save Money (Source: Reuters)
NASA is considering a plan to get around limited budgets set in Washington by stretching out missions to bring back samples from Mars, a researcher said on Wednesday. It may be possible to break down the complicated and expensive mission into three parts, said Steve Squyres, a Cornell University astronomer who leads the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. "It makes the program more affordable because it strings out the cost over time," Squyres said. (4/29)
Celebrating U.S. Future in Space, Hopefully (Source: New York Times)
With rock music blaring, fifth graders count down from 10-9-8 to the rocket boosters’ firing up, and blasting the computer-generated astronauts toward space. “Hey, the future looks good, huh?” says Ken Larson, jumping to center stage at the new Exploration Space exhibition at KSC.
Mr. Larson’s job is to inspire the next generation as much as he was inspired — by his father, a reporter who befriended the first astronauts, and by his grandmother, one of the first 10 employees here at what one plaque calls “the hot burning center of American dreams.” The center is cooling, though.
Here at KSC, the celebration of the future now comes with asterisks. At the visitor’s center, for example, which draws 1.5 million people every year, caveats have been forced into an extravaganza built for maximum wow. Mr. Larson’s script, for instance, now includes this lawyerly line: “We can’t confirm exactly where humankind’s next steps in space are going to take us.” (4/29)
Demonstration Flight Shows Potential of ADS-B for NextGen (Source: AIA)
Flying between Atlantic City, N.J., and Philadelphia on Wednesday, reporters in the back of the plane were able to monitor dozens of nearby aircraft in real time -- while the pilots in the cockpit had to radio air traffic control for the same information. The FAA arranged the demonstration flight to show the benefits of satellite-based ADS-B technology. "For the first time, the pilots and the controllers will actually be able to see the same thing," said an FAA official on the flight.
Editor's Note: ADS-B is also viewed as a potential tool for space traffic management and situational awareness. Companies like MITRE and institutions like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are exploring ways that ADS-B units can be integrated onto rockets and suborbital space planes. (4/29)
New Mexico Space Grant Consortium gets $2 Million (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
NASA has awarded the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium $2 million for the "Summer of Innovation" initiative to boost summer learning in programs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to a news release. The NMSGC's "Launch & Learn" proposal was one of four chosen by NASA. The program will work with participating middle school teachers and students to design and build experiments for launch into suborbital space from Spaceport America. (4/29)
NASA to Aliens: Bring It On (Source: Medill Reports)
NASA doesn’t appear to be too worried about hostile aliens. “Within NASA’s programs, our approach to the solar system exploration has been that we’re prepared to make discoveries of any type of life, any form, and we’re prepared to make these measurements using the latest techniques in planetary protection,” Mary Voytek, a senior scientist in astrobiology at NASA’s headquarters in Washington told a press briefing Wednesday.
It doesn’t seem as though we’ll stop trying to contact other life forms anytime soon. “Earth has been broadcasting radio signals for decades now,” said Steve Squyres, a researcher from Cornell University. “That horse left the barn a long time ago. We’re going to keep broadcasting, and whether we do it intentionally or not, the signals are out there.” (4/29)
NASA Balloon Crashes, Flips Car in Australia (Source: NineMSN)
An out-of-control space balloon has crashed during take-off in Alice Springs, flipping over a car and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. The massive NASA-sponsored balloon, which was carrying very expensive scientific equipment, was struck by a gust of wind as it was being prepared for launch at 8am this morning.
The wind carried the balloon away from the launch area where it hit a spectator's car and collapsed. The scientific equipment being carried on board was worth millions of dollars, and it was almost all destroyed in the crash. "It's not only the money," Professor Sood said. "It's the countless hours of time of work put in by the people who worked on this project." (4/29)
Editorial: Private Sector Should Fund Space Missions (Source: CNJ Online)
America’s future in space is entrepreneurial. President Barack Obama partly has recognized that reality in his recent speeches and policy changes on NASA and American space policy. If the federal government really wanted to help, it should take up the proposal by former Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Bob Walker to give a 25-year tax exemption to any company that maintained a base on the moon for 365 consecutive days. This reward would appeal to such large, high-tech companies as GE, Microsoft, Apple and Intel.
There would be no cost to taxpayers; and no government bureaucracy involved. “The tax break wouldn’t come into effect until the moon base was constructed,” Hudgins explained. “But think of all the revenue paid by the private infrastructure” that built the moon base.
We encourage New Mexico’s and Texas’ congressional delegation to look critically at the president’s impractical and expensive space boondoggles, especially at a time when the country is already $12.7 trillion in debt. But they should embrace Obama’s push toward privatization — then push it further. (4/29)
Quest for Life Beyond Earth 'in NASA Future Plans' (Source: AFP)
NASA is pondering 28 potential missions focusing on finding life beyond Earth inside our solar system. "Astrobiology and the search for life is really central to what we should be doing next in the exploration of the solar system," Steve Squyres, a researcher at Cornell University said. "We are looking for a total of 28 different missions.... They cover everything from Mercury landers to fly-by of objects in deep outer space of the solar system -- and they are particularly relevant to looking for life," he explained. (4/29)
San Diego Museum Plans Space Day Celebration on May 8 (Source: SDASM)
The San Diego Air & Space Museum will host its 7th Annual Space Day celebration! Space Day will feature demonstrations, giveaways, and hands-on activities with local and national space experts. Invited presenters include: NASA, Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Network, JPL, San Diego Space Society, SETI, San Diego Astronomy Association, Virgin Galactic, UCSD EarthKAM, The Planetary Society, InterPlanetary Ventures, The Astronaut Teacher Alliance, Team Synergy Moon and many others. Local astronaut Jim Newman, whose ambitious spacewalks from the space shuttle helped repair the Hubble Space Telescope, is planning to join us to share stories of his dynamic space career. Visit http://sandiegoairandspace.org/upcoming/spaceday2010.html
April 28, 2010
Soyuz Rocket Launches to Space Station (Source: Russia Today)
A Russian Soyuz rocket has blasted off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. It is carrying two-and-a-half tons of supplies for the International Space Station, including fresh water, food and clothes. Aside from the basic necessities, the six crew members currently living at the ISS will also receive parcels from their families. Among the bars of chocolate and fresh fruit, there are books on everything from science fiction to psychology. It'll be three days before the cargo reaches the ISS. Russia is planning four more similar deliveries this year. (4/28)
Scientists Finds Evidence Of Water Ice On Asteroid's Surface (Source: Space Daily)
Asteroids may not be the dark, dry, lifeless chunks of rock scientists have long thought. A University of Tennessee researcher has found evidence of water ice and organic material on the asteroid 24 Themis. This evidence supports the idea that asteroids could be responsible for bringing water and organic material to Earth. 24 Themis is a 200-kilometer wide asteroid that sits halfway between Mars and Jupiter. (4/28)
Celestis Plans Memorial Payloads for New Mexico Launch (Source: Celestis)
Celestis 09, The Pioneer Flight, is projected to launch May 4, 2010 from Spaceport America, near Las Cruces, New Mexico. This suborbital mission will launch aboard an UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL launch vehicle. We are pleased to be working with the primary sponsor of the mission, the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, by providing matching funds that assist students to launch their experiments into space.
Aboard The Pioneer Flight will be flight capsules and modules from the US, China, Taiwan, and Great Britain. After the flight, the capsules and modules containing cremated remains will be returned to the families of Pioneer Flight participants. As always we will welcome friends, family members, and others as our special guests for a launch pad tour and viewing of the launch. (4/28)
Northrop Grumman Net Income Up by $80 Million (Source: MartketWath)
Northrop Grumman Corp. first-quarter net income rose by about 21% to $469 million, from $389 million in the year-ago period. The defense contractor said its revenue increased to $8.6 billion from $7.9 billion. (4/28)
General Dynamics Reports First-Quarter 2010 Results (Source: GD)
General Dynamics reported first-quarter 2010 earnings from continuing operations of $599 million, compared with 2009 first-quarter earnings of $593 million. Revenues in the quarter were $7.75 billion. Net earnings for the first quarter of 2010 were $597 million, compared to $590 million in the first quarter of 2009. (4/28)
We're Flying to an Asteroid – But Which One? (Source: New Scientist)
Deciding to send astronauts to an asteroid is all very well, but now NASA will have to find the few space rocks that are suitable to visit, and work out how to rendezvous safely. The goal would be to gain experience of safely sending humans far from Earth, as a stepping stone towards longer journeys to Mars. Studying the interior of an asteroid up close could also prove important if we ever need to deflect one. Yet achieving the goal will mean overcoming daunting challenges.
Before landing on an asteroid, a spacecraft must enter its orbit, rather than simply whizzing by. That means matching the object's speed and direction of motion, which in most cases would require burning too much rocket fuel to be practical. The only way round this would be if the asteroid's motion happened to be very similar to Earth's at the time of its closest approach. Even if a space rock passes that test, few have close approaches to Earth in the right time frame, in 2025 or the following few years. (4/28)
Solar Sails Could Clean Up Space Junk (Source: Space.com)
Future satellites could deploy solar sails to help take down pieces of space junk floating around Earth and a tiny new spacecraft hopes to make it possible. A British satellite the size of a shoe box is slated to launch next year to test how a solar sail can act as an atmospheric brake and end its mission in a fiery plunge. If successful, the one-year mission could help lead to bigger, better solar sail spacecraft capable of trawling the space around Earth for dangerous space junk, mission planners said. (4/28)
Russia Consolidates Astronaut Corps (Source: Itar Tass)
Russia has created a single team of cosmonauts. The decision was made by the inter-agency commission of the Federal Space Agency on Wednesday. Until now there were three teams of cosmonauts in Russia: one belonged to the Cosmonauts’ Training Center, which includes military pilots, another belonged to the Space Rocket Corporation Energia, and the third one was that of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. (4/28)
India Planning to Launch 10 Satellites in a Year (Source: Economic Times)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning to launch 10 satellites in a year to better communication network and improve disaster management, the government revealed Wednesday. "The aims and objectives of these satellites include natural resources management, augmenting the communications infrastructure, satellite navigation, disaster management support, space science research and planetary exploration," a minister said. (4/28)
Charles Bolden Addresses Job Cuts, NASA's Future in JSC Visit (Source: KHOU)
The head of NASA spoke to employees at the Johnson Space Center Wednesday, addressing the impact the Obama administration’s proposed changes to the space program will have on jobs in the Houston area. In his speech NASA Administrator General Charles Bolden talked about the space agency’s vision and the future of the Constellation program. Both the Constellation and Orion programs are based out of Houston and are on the chopping block under Obama’s NASA plan.
Bolden’s visit came amid circulation layoff rumors, focused on the contractor base at the JSC. He said contract workers will be the first to feel the impact of changes to the space program. Officially, the Constellation and Orion programs are congressionally mandated and cannot be canceled without permission. Congress and the Obama administration are still at odds about the future of the space agency. (4/28)
Funding for Orion Launch Abort System To Cease April 30 (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. is warning subcontractors supporting development of a launch abort system for NASA’s Orion crew capsule that funding for the effort will cease April 30, according to industry sources and documents. In an April 20 letter to Alliant TechSystems (ATK), one of two companies developing motors for the Orion Launch Abort System, Orbital said Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin would restrict funding for the effort by the end of April. An Orbital official asserted that the lack of funding “does not constitute a Contract termination,” which would violate a law passed in December that prohibits NASA from using 2010 funding to cancel any contracts or activities under its Constellation program. (4/28)
NASA Plans "Tweetup" for Next Shuttle Launch (Source: NASA)
At the next space shuttle launch, NASA will host 150 people from around the world and provide them with a behind-the-scenes perspective to share with their followers via the social networking service Twitter. Participants will meet with shuttle technicians, managers, engineers and astronauts, tour KSC and view the shuttle launch. People are expected to attend from more than 30 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and England. Attendees were randomly selected from more than 1,000 online registrations. Click here follow the Tweetup participants. Editor's Note: I was selected to participate! (4/28)
Lack of Policy Makes Space a "Wild West" (Source: Toward Freedom)
Fifty years into what has become known as the Space Age, the condition of space operations has changed dramatically. Today more than 50 nations own satellites and commercial operators own even more. There are now nearly 1,000 active satellites orbiting the planet, carrying out critical roles in telecommunications, navigation, banking, science, and other civilian and military operations. However, the space above Earth has come to resemble what space security expert Laura Grego calls the Wild West. Increasing numbers of satellites are entering the region yet there are few restrictions on their behavior, increasing the risk of accidents and the possibility of misunderstanding that could lead to conflicts on the ground.
The Obama administration seems to understand that space policy during the past decade, like foreign policy in general, has made the US more and more unpopular among other nations, not to mention being contrary to its own best interests. The president will re-shape space policy, as far as the Congress will let him. There are some immediate opportunities for a change in direction. The administration is in the process of rewriting the National Space Policy, which guides US space activities across all sectors; that is, civil, commercial, government, and military. And a Space Posture Review. to be completed by the end of this year, will establish priorities for the national security uses of space. (4/28)
Bolden: It's Time to Focus on America's Future in Space (Source: Houston Chronicle)
With the fiscal year 2011 budget proposal and a recent speech in Florida, President Barack Obama has provided NASA with all the assets and vision needed to make a critical shift in our human spaceflight program. We are working with Congress to make this vision a reality. The goal is to develop a long-range plan to get beyond low-Earth orbit and eventually to Mars. If we flounder, it is unlikely we will have a similar opportunity in our lifetimes. America will lose its leadership in technological innovation and human spaceflight.
How did we get here? Six years ago, all of us were excited when President George W. Bush committed NASA to traveling again beyond low-Earth orbit. Unfortunately, the necessary funding increases never came. On its current path, Constellation would not get astronauts back to the International Space Station on U.S. rockets until two years after the station's scheduled retirement in 2015. And Constellation won't get us beyond low-Earth orbit in any reasonable time or enable us to land on the moon again. Sticking with Constellation also would continue to put at risk funding for other critical national priorities, such as science, aeronautics, technology development and education.
Before I ever was approached about becoming the NASA administrator, it was obvious to me we had serious problems in balancing our priorities. It was equally obvious it would take courageous action on the part of the president and NASA leadership to realize our dream of sending people beyond low-Earth orbit. To make this dream a reality, we must identify quicker and less costly ways to develop new launch systems. We must speed the acquisition process so it doesn't take a decade to make a new system operational. And we must work diligently with the commercial sector to help them succeed at providing safe, reliable, redundant access to low-Earth orbit while NASA develops futuristic capabilities to reach deep space. These changes will not be easy, but they are by no means impossible. (4/28)
General Dynamics Sees Improving Margins, Backlog (Source: AIA)
General Dynamics Corp. saw better margins and higher earnings in the first quarter as aerospace and combat systems performed especially well. Though revenue dropped 6.2%, the company saw its order backlog rise 3% to $47.4 billion. (4/28)
First Pain, Then Gains for NASA (Source: Longmont Daily Times-Call)
When President Obama announced he would move the American space program away from a proposed second wave of lunar exploration, some saw it as a sign that the United States was willing to take a back seat when it comes to trips outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Changes are coming, that’s for sure. By the end of the year, the U.S. will put an end to its space shuttle program, which has ferried astronauts and equipment to orbit for the past 30 years.
Moving forward, Obama has asked for NASA to embark on the type of mission for which it was created: to develop new technology in the effort to push our boundaries farther into the solar system. By doing so, it means turning away in large measure from the Constellation program, a rocket that would have taken humans back to the moon. Potential cost overruns combined with a failure to significantly advance technology would have had long-term negative effects for the space agency. While such a choice may mean some short-term pain in the aerospace industry, the commitment to advance American technology will make the nation stronger in the long run. (4/28)
FAA Close to Setting Up Commercial Spaceflight Research Center (Source: Network World)
The FAA this week took a step closer to setting up a central hub for the development of key commercial space transportation technologies such as space launch and traffic management applications and setting orbital safety standards. The hub, known as the Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation would have a $1 million yearly budget and tie together universities, industry players and the government for cost-sharing research and development. The FAA expects the center to be up and running this year.
The new center would be similar to other FAA Centers for Excellence that through myriad partnerships develop and set all manner of aviation standards from aircraft noise and emissions to airport systems. According to the FAA the center's purpose is to create a world-class consortium that will identify solutions for existing and anticipated commercial space transportation problems. The FAA expects the center to perform basic and applied research through a variety of analyses, development and prototyping activities. Click here to read the article. (4/28)
Space Situation is Bush's Legacy (Source: SpaceKSC)
Shorthly after President George W. Bush announced his plan to retire the Space Shuttle and pursue (but not adequately fund) a Moon/Mars program, Florida Today published an opinion article by Dr. Alex Roland, a former NASA historian known for his criticism of human space flight. Titled “Bush's Space Plan a Political Hoax,” the article warned that the Moon-Mars program would inevitably balloon in cost as had NASA's predecessor human flight programs, taking money away from other NASA projects.
"The problem, of course, is that his successor will inherit a gutted agency, with the failed detritus of the shuttle and space station visions still limping toward some unspecified denouement, and public expectations of mission impossible on the moon and Mars barely begun. The space program, in short, will be in a shambles. That will be the legacy of this cynical, political hoax." (4/27)
A Russian Soyuz rocket has blasted off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. It is carrying two-and-a-half tons of supplies for the International Space Station, including fresh water, food and clothes. Aside from the basic necessities, the six crew members currently living at the ISS will also receive parcels from their families. Among the bars of chocolate and fresh fruit, there are books on everything from science fiction to psychology. It'll be three days before the cargo reaches the ISS. Russia is planning four more similar deliveries this year. (4/28)
Scientists Finds Evidence Of Water Ice On Asteroid's Surface (Source: Space Daily)
Asteroids may not be the dark, dry, lifeless chunks of rock scientists have long thought. A University of Tennessee researcher has found evidence of water ice and organic material on the asteroid 24 Themis. This evidence supports the idea that asteroids could be responsible for bringing water and organic material to Earth. 24 Themis is a 200-kilometer wide asteroid that sits halfway between Mars and Jupiter. (4/28)
Celestis Plans Memorial Payloads for New Mexico Launch (Source: Celestis)
Celestis 09, The Pioneer Flight, is projected to launch May 4, 2010 from Spaceport America, near Las Cruces, New Mexico. This suborbital mission will launch aboard an UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL launch vehicle. We are pleased to be working with the primary sponsor of the mission, the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, by providing matching funds that assist students to launch their experiments into space.
Aboard The Pioneer Flight will be flight capsules and modules from the US, China, Taiwan, and Great Britain. After the flight, the capsules and modules containing cremated remains will be returned to the families of Pioneer Flight participants. As always we will welcome friends, family members, and others as our special guests for a launch pad tour and viewing of the launch. (4/28)
Northrop Grumman Net Income Up by $80 Million (Source: MartketWath)
Northrop Grumman Corp. first-quarter net income rose by about 21% to $469 million, from $389 million in the year-ago period. The defense contractor said its revenue increased to $8.6 billion from $7.9 billion. (4/28)
General Dynamics Reports First-Quarter 2010 Results (Source: GD)
General Dynamics reported first-quarter 2010 earnings from continuing operations of $599 million, compared with 2009 first-quarter earnings of $593 million. Revenues in the quarter were $7.75 billion. Net earnings for the first quarter of 2010 were $597 million, compared to $590 million in the first quarter of 2009. (4/28)
We're Flying to an Asteroid – But Which One? (Source: New Scientist)
Deciding to send astronauts to an asteroid is all very well, but now NASA will have to find the few space rocks that are suitable to visit, and work out how to rendezvous safely. The goal would be to gain experience of safely sending humans far from Earth, as a stepping stone towards longer journeys to Mars. Studying the interior of an asteroid up close could also prove important if we ever need to deflect one. Yet achieving the goal will mean overcoming daunting challenges.
Before landing on an asteroid, a spacecraft must enter its orbit, rather than simply whizzing by. That means matching the object's speed and direction of motion, which in most cases would require burning too much rocket fuel to be practical. The only way round this would be if the asteroid's motion happened to be very similar to Earth's at the time of its closest approach. Even if a space rock passes that test, few have close approaches to Earth in the right time frame, in 2025 or the following few years. (4/28)
Solar Sails Could Clean Up Space Junk (Source: Space.com)
Future satellites could deploy solar sails to help take down pieces of space junk floating around Earth and a tiny new spacecraft hopes to make it possible. A British satellite the size of a shoe box is slated to launch next year to test how a solar sail can act as an atmospheric brake and end its mission in a fiery plunge. If successful, the one-year mission could help lead to bigger, better solar sail spacecraft capable of trawling the space around Earth for dangerous space junk, mission planners said. (4/28)
Russia Consolidates Astronaut Corps (Source: Itar Tass)
Russia has created a single team of cosmonauts. The decision was made by the inter-agency commission of the Federal Space Agency on Wednesday. Until now there were three teams of cosmonauts in Russia: one belonged to the Cosmonauts’ Training Center, which includes military pilots, another belonged to the Space Rocket Corporation Energia, and the third one was that of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. (4/28)
India Planning to Launch 10 Satellites in a Year (Source: Economic Times)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning to launch 10 satellites in a year to better communication network and improve disaster management, the government revealed Wednesday. "The aims and objectives of these satellites include natural resources management, augmenting the communications infrastructure, satellite navigation, disaster management support, space science research and planetary exploration," a minister said. (4/28)
Charles Bolden Addresses Job Cuts, NASA's Future in JSC Visit (Source: KHOU)
The head of NASA spoke to employees at the Johnson Space Center Wednesday, addressing the impact the Obama administration’s proposed changes to the space program will have on jobs in the Houston area. In his speech NASA Administrator General Charles Bolden talked about the space agency’s vision and the future of the Constellation program. Both the Constellation and Orion programs are based out of Houston and are on the chopping block under Obama’s NASA plan.
Bolden’s visit came amid circulation layoff rumors, focused on the contractor base at the JSC. He said contract workers will be the first to feel the impact of changes to the space program. Officially, the Constellation and Orion programs are congressionally mandated and cannot be canceled without permission. Congress and the Obama administration are still at odds about the future of the space agency. (4/28)
Funding for Orion Launch Abort System To Cease April 30 (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. is warning subcontractors supporting development of a launch abort system for NASA’s Orion crew capsule that funding for the effort will cease April 30, according to industry sources and documents. In an April 20 letter to Alliant TechSystems (ATK), one of two companies developing motors for the Orion Launch Abort System, Orbital said Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin would restrict funding for the effort by the end of April. An Orbital official asserted that the lack of funding “does not constitute a Contract termination,” which would violate a law passed in December that prohibits NASA from using 2010 funding to cancel any contracts or activities under its Constellation program. (4/28)
NASA Plans "Tweetup" for Next Shuttle Launch (Source: NASA)
At the next space shuttle launch, NASA will host 150 people from around the world and provide them with a behind-the-scenes perspective to share with their followers via the social networking service Twitter. Participants will meet with shuttle technicians, managers, engineers and astronauts, tour KSC and view the shuttle launch. People are expected to attend from more than 30 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and England. Attendees were randomly selected from more than 1,000 online registrations. Click here follow the Tweetup participants. Editor's Note: I was selected to participate! (4/28)
Lack of Policy Makes Space a "Wild West" (Source: Toward Freedom)
Fifty years into what has become known as the Space Age, the condition of space operations has changed dramatically. Today more than 50 nations own satellites and commercial operators own even more. There are now nearly 1,000 active satellites orbiting the planet, carrying out critical roles in telecommunications, navigation, banking, science, and other civilian and military operations. However, the space above Earth has come to resemble what space security expert Laura Grego calls the Wild West. Increasing numbers of satellites are entering the region yet there are few restrictions on their behavior, increasing the risk of accidents and the possibility of misunderstanding that could lead to conflicts on the ground.
The Obama administration seems to understand that space policy during the past decade, like foreign policy in general, has made the US more and more unpopular among other nations, not to mention being contrary to its own best interests. The president will re-shape space policy, as far as the Congress will let him. There are some immediate opportunities for a change in direction. The administration is in the process of rewriting the National Space Policy, which guides US space activities across all sectors; that is, civil, commercial, government, and military. And a Space Posture Review. to be completed by the end of this year, will establish priorities for the national security uses of space. (4/28)
Bolden: It's Time to Focus on America's Future in Space (Source: Houston Chronicle)
With the fiscal year 2011 budget proposal and a recent speech in Florida, President Barack Obama has provided NASA with all the assets and vision needed to make a critical shift in our human spaceflight program. We are working with Congress to make this vision a reality. The goal is to develop a long-range plan to get beyond low-Earth orbit and eventually to Mars. If we flounder, it is unlikely we will have a similar opportunity in our lifetimes. America will lose its leadership in technological innovation and human spaceflight.
How did we get here? Six years ago, all of us were excited when President George W. Bush committed NASA to traveling again beyond low-Earth orbit. Unfortunately, the necessary funding increases never came. On its current path, Constellation would not get astronauts back to the International Space Station on U.S. rockets until two years after the station's scheduled retirement in 2015. And Constellation won't get us beyond low-Earth orbit in any reasonable time or enable us to land on the moon again. Sticking with Constellation also would continue to put at risk funding for other critical national priorities, such as science, aeronautics, technology development and education.
Before I ever was approached about becoming the NASA administrator, it was obvious to me we had serious problems in balancing our priorities. It was equally obvious it would take courageous action on the part of the president and NASA leadership to realize our dream of sending people beyond low-Earth orbit. To make this dream a reality, we must identify quicker and less costly ways to develop new launch systems. We must speed the acquisition process so it doesn't take a decade to make a new system operational. And we must work diligently with the commercial sector to help them succeed at providing safe, reliable, redundant access to low-Earth orbit while NASA develops futuristic capabilities to reach deep space. These changes will not be easy, but they are by no means impossible. (4/28)
General Dynamics Sees Improving Margins, Backlog (Source: AIA)
General Dynamics Corp. saw better margins and higher earnings in the first quarter as aerospace and combat systems performed especially well. Though revenue dropped 6.2%, the company saw its order backlog rise 3% to $47.4 billion. (4/28)
First Pain, Then Gains for NASA (Source: Longmont Daily Times-Call)
When President Obama announced he would move the American space program away from a proposed second wave of lunar exploration, some saw it as a sign that the United States was willing to take a back seat when it comes to trips outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Changes are coming, that’s for sure. By the end of the year, the U.S. will put an end to its space shuttle program, which has ferried astronauts and equipment to orbit for the past 30 years.
Moving forward, Obama has asked for NASA to embark on the type of mission for which it was created: to develop new technology in the effort to push our boundaries farther into the solar system. By doing so, it means turning away in large measure from the Constellation program, a rocket that would have taken humans back to the moon. Potential cost overruns combined with a failure to significantly advance technology would have had long-term negative effects for the space agency. While such a choice may mean some short-term pain in the aerospace industry, the commitment to advance American technology will make the nation stronger in the long run. (4/28)
FAA Close to Setting Up Commercial Spaceflight Research Center (Source: Network World)
The FAA this week took a step closer to setting up a central hub for the development of key commercial space transportation technologies such as space launch and traffic management applications and setting orbital safety standards. The hub, known as the Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation would have a $1 million yearly budget and tie together universities, industry players and the government for cost-sharing research and development. The FAA expects the center to be up and running this year.
The new center would be similar to other FAA Centers for Excellence that through myriad partnerships develop and set all manner of aviation standards from aircraft noise and emissions to airport systems. According to the FAA the center's purpose is to create a world-class consortium that will identify solutions for existing and anticipated commercial space transportation problems. The FAA expects the center to perform basic and applied research through a variety of analyses, development and prototyping activities. Click here to read the article. (4/28)
Space Situation is Bush's Legacy (Source: SpaceKSC)
Shorthly after President George W. Bush announced his plan to retire the Space Shuttle and pursue (but not adequately fund) a Moon/Mars program, Florida Today published an opinion article by Dr. Alex Roland, a former NASA historian known for his criticism of human space flight. Titled “Bush's Space Plan a Political Hoax,” the article warned that the Moon-Mars program would inevitably balloon in cost as had NASA's predecessor human flight programs, taking money away from other NASA projects.
"The problem, of course, is that his successor will inherit a gutted agency, with the failed detritus of the shuttle and space station visions still limping toward some unspecified denouement, and public expectations of mission impossible on the moon and Mars barely begun. The space program, in short, will be in a shambles. That will be the legacy of this cynical, political hoax." (4/27)
April 27, 2010
Marshall: Too Big to Fail? (Source: Hobby Space)
Senator Shelby from Alabama has railed against the bailout mentality that comes with "too big to fail" corporations. "We need to tighten that up to make sure that it doesn't happen," he says. "The message should be, unambiguously, that nothing's too big to fail. And if you fail, we're going to put you… put you to sleep." Now look at the performance of Marshall Space Flight Center in his home state, which features a stunning history of major space vehicle development programs that it failed to bring to fruition...largely due to its own program management missteps. Before Sen. Shelby starts claiming that the COTS teams are being bailed out for being late, which in fact doesn't cost NASA since the fixed-price payments are milestone dependent, he should explain why MSFC has long been too big too fail and been bailed out repeatedly at the cost of many tens of billions of dollars. Click here. (4/27)
Tallahassee: House Offers Less for Space in Jobs Bill (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida's House of Representatives is advancing a tweaked version of the jobs package that passed in the Senate last month, designed to help save space jobs and support other economic development. One of the bigger changes for the economically battered Space Coast is less money to deal with the imminent end of the shuttle program this year. The House amended its version onto the broader Senate bill Tuesday as lawmakers inch closer to Friday’s scheduled adjournment.
The House package adds up to $49.8 million in spending and tax breaks in 2010-11, $16.2 million of which is money that would go to Space Florida for launchpad work, worker re-training, and commercial space business recruitment. The Senate version had included a $35 million appropriation for space and research-commercialization grants. Editor's Note: This is one of multiple space bills moving through the legislative process in Tallahassee. Some of the other bills provide funding too. (4/27)
Japan to Launch 'Space Yacht' Propelled by Solar Wind (Source: Space Daily)
Japan is to launch a "space yacht" propelled by solar particles that bounce off its kite-shaped sails. A rocket carrying the Ikaros -- an acronym for Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun -- will blast off from the Tanegashima spaceport on May 18. The flexible sails, which are thinner than a human hair, are also equipped with thin-film solar cells to generate electricity to create "a hybrid technology of electricity and pressure". (4/27)
Lost and Found: Soviet Lunar Rover (Source: Discovery)
In November 1970, a Soviet probe landed on the surface of the moon and released two ramps. A rover, named Lunokhod 1, descended to the surface to take pictures and conduct experiments. It carried with it a French-made light reflector, which could be used by scientists on Earth to compute distances and better understand lunar geology. Ten months later, Lunokhod 1 fell silent, its location on the moon unknown. Over the years, scientists occasionally beamed a laser around its last known coordinates, hoping for a return beam from the reflector. They got no response and figured the rover had fallen into a crater or parked itself beneath a cliff, blocking its reflector from Earth.
But their luck changed last weekend when, armed with high-resolution pictures from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists zeroed in on the rover. “It turns out that our previous best-guess position was miles off,” says Tom Murphy, with the University of California, San Diego. Using a 3.5 meter telescope at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, Murphy and his team sent pulses of laser light toward the newly found rover and found the retroreflector in excellent condition. (4/27)
Virginia Spends $12M-$14M to Lure Northrop (Source: AP)
Virginia used an incentive package worth $12 million to $14 million to help it beat Maryland and the District of Columbia to land the corporate headquarters of defense giant Northrop Grumman Corp., Gov. Bob McDonnell said. McDonnell considers the money well spent. He said the relocation of the defense contractor from Los Angeles will result in $30 million in new tax revenue over the next 10 years. He said the incentive package was less than what was offered by the D.C. government, which had been reported to be as much as $25 million. (4/27)
Chile Wins Battle to Host Mega-Telescope (Source: Science)
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) officially announced that its next mammoth optical telescope, the 42-meter-wide European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), will be built on Cerro Armazones, a mountain in northern Chile. That decision had been expected after ESO's site selection committee declared in March that Armazones was its favored location—all of ESO's existing telescopes have been built in Chile. But the announcement will disappoint many in Spain, who had been campaigning hard to have the telescope built on the Spanish island of La Palma. (4/27)
ORS Could Foster International Partnerships (Source: Aviation Week)
Executives at Alliant Techsystems (ATK) are eyeing the Pentagon’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program as a possible “flagship” to foster international partnerships on military space efforts. The forthcoming Space Posture Review is expected to push the idea of more collaboration with allies on space matters, both as a potential cost-saving position and to foster technology and data sharing. Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said international collaboration could dissuade a potential adversary from attacking space platforms. “The wide reliance on GPS acts as a deterrent against attack on the constellation of GPS satellites,” Lynn said, using GPS as an example of a worldwide resource. “An attack on a U.S. GPS satellite today is in effect an attack on all countries who use it.” (4/27)
Russian Military Satellite Successfully Launched (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A Kosmos 3M rocket launched from northern Russia overnight to place a military navigation satellite in orbit more than 600 miles above Earth. The two-stage launcher lifted off Tuesday from pad 132 at the Plesetsk spaceport. U.S. tracking data shows the satellite was released in a nearly circular orbit more than 600 miles high with an inclination of about 83 degrees. The spacecraft was named Kosmos 2463 under the Russian military's naming system for defense satellites. Russian officials did not disclose any more details on the satellite's mission. (4/27)
Earth Microbes May Contaminate the Search for Life on Mars (Source: ASM)
Bacteria common to spacecraft may be able to survive the harsh environs of Mars long enough to inadvertently contaminate Mars with terrestrial life according to research published in the April 2010 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The search for life on Mars remains a stated goal of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and Astrobiology Institutes. To preserve the pristine environments, the bioloads on spacecraft headed to Mars are subject to sterilization designed to prevent the contamination of the Martian surface. Despite sterilization efforts made to reduce the bioload on spacecraft, recent studies have shown that diverse microbial communities remain at the time of launch. The sterile nature of spacecraft assembly facilities ensures that only the most resilient species survive, including acinetobacter, bacillus, escherichia, staphylococcus and streptococcus. (4/27)
Ohio Lawmakers Push for Shuttle Orbiter (Source: Florida Today)
Competition is heating up between states angling for one of the space shuttles after the fleet's retirement later this year. The Ohio Congressional Delegation sent a letter to NASA this week reiterating its call for one of the three shuttles to be displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. "The U.S. Air Force played a significant role in developing the nation's space program," Congressman Michael Turner said. "Retiring a space shuttle orbiter at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just miles away from the historic home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, will strengthen the aerospace heritage of the region." (4/27)
NASA Ames Director Receives Arthur C. Clarke Award (Source: NASA)
The director of NASA's Ames Research Center, S. Pete Worden, was recognized by The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation for his leadership in space exploration. Worden has written or co-written more than 150 scientific technical papers in astrophysics, space sciences and strategic studies. He also served as a scientific co-investigator for two NASA space science missions. Before becoming Ames center director, he was a research professor of astronomy, optical sciences and planetary sciences at the University of Arizona. His primary research was on the development of large space optics for national security and scientific purposes, and near-Earth asteroids. (4/27)
Northrop Grumman to Move Headquarters to Northern Virginia (Source: AIA)
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. says it will move its headquarters from Los Angeles to the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., to be closer to its customers in the government. The company announced its plans to move across the country by 2011 in January, and, while it was also considering sites in Maryland, Northrop settled on Virginia, with the site expected to be either in western Fairfax County, near Washington Dulles International Airport, or the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va. (4/27)
Loss of Contact with Hypersonic Glider Investigated (Source: AIA)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Lockheed Martin say they have launched an investigation into what caused the loss of contact with the first HTV-2 test vehicle about nine minutes into its mission. The mission, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on April 22, was designed to demonstrate the umanned HTV-2's technology for high-performance, long-endurance hypersonic flight, but telemetry signals from the hypersonic glider were believed to be lost somewhere between reentry into the atmosphere and starting its hypersonic glide. (4/27)
NASA Conducts SubScale Flight Tests for X-48B Blended Wing/Body Aircraft (Source: Popular Science)
A NASA/Boeing team has completed the first phase of flight tests on the unique X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft. Flights of the subscale model were conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in March 2010. Boeing Phantom Works' unique X-48B technology demonstrator features unusual engine placement and super-critical airfoil. Click here to see some photos. (4/27)
New Mexico: Launching a New Reality as We Head Into Space (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
On Tuesday, May 4, the second annual New Mexico Space Grant Student Launch will be held at Spaceport America. On Thursday, May 6, the Orion Pad Abort Test will be conducted at White Sands Missile Range. The SL4 rocket built for the student launch is a sounding rocket, technology that has been around since the 1950s and is used to conduct experiments in the atmosphere. The technology used in the Pad Abort Test is a technical leap into the future. It is technology designed to assure the safety of human spaceflight. Both are commitments to assuring the next generation of manned spaceflight. (4/27)
Editorial: Space: The Free-Market Frontier (Source: OC Register)
America's future in space is entrepreneurial. President Barack Obama partly has recognized that reality in his recent speeches and policy changes on NASA and American space policy. "I give Obama mixed reviews on his space policy," Ed Hudgins told us. He's director of advocacy and a senior scholar at the Atlas Institute, and author of "Space: The Free Market Frontier." There were positive elements, he said, including "cancelling the Constellation," a proposed new mission to the moon. And the president is encouraging "the private sector for low-Earth-orbit missions."
Mr. Hudgins said that only the private sector can make prices for a product or service go down as quality goes up, such as with computers, TV sets and the global airline industry. The same is true for making space flights more common for commercial or tourist missions. He pointed to such ongoing private space efforts as those by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, Elon Musk's SpaceX in Hawthorne and Robert Bigelow's Bigelow Aerospace.
On the negative side is Mr. Obama's vision for NASA, which is struggling for new missions as the Space Shuttle program is retired this year. He talked about a mission to Mars occurring in his lifetime. "I expect to be around to see it," the president said in an April 15 speech at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Given that the president is 48 and could live another 40 years or so, that's not all that ambitious. He also called for landing an astronaut on an asteroid within 15 years. (4/27)
Subcommittee Investigates the Shrinking Global Supply of Helium-3 (Source: U.S. House of Reps.)
The House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing to investigate the causes and consequences of the shrinking supply of the important helium-3 isotope. Helium-3 is a non-radioactive gas that is a by-product of the Department of Energy (DOE)’s production of tritium for nuclear weapons. It also is an essential component of neutron detectors used in a wide range of applications from radiation portal monitors at the nation’s ports and border crossings to medical imagining, low-temperature physics, oil and gas exploration, missile technology and neutron backscattering facilities.
Since the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons production worldwide –- and the resulting manufacture of helium-3 –- has decreased. But after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there has been an increase in the demand from DOE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD) for radiation detection devices which rely on helium-3. As a result, there is now a critical shortage in the global supply of helium-3. (4/27)
Senator Shelby from Alabama has railed against the bailout mentality that comes with "too big to fail" corporations. "We need to tighten that up to make sure that it doesn't happen," he says. "The message should be, unambiguously, that nothing's too big to fail. And if you fail, we're going to put you… put you to sleep." Now look at the performance of Marshall Space Flight Center in his home state, which features a stunning history of major space vehicle development programs that it failed to bring to fruition...largely due to its own program management missteps. Before Sen. Shelby starts claiming that the COTS teams are being bailed out for being late, which in fact doesn't cost NASA since the fixed-price payments are milestone dependent, he should explain why MSFC has long been too big too fail and been bailed out repeatedly at the cost of many tens of billions of dollars. Click here. (4/27)
Tallahassee: House Offers Less for Space in Jobs Bill (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida's House of Representatives is advancing a tweaked version of the jobs package that passed in the Senate last month, designed to help save space jobs and support other economic development. One of the bigger changes for the economically battered Space Coast is less money to deal with the imminent end of the shuttle program this year. The House amended its version onto the broader Senate bill Tuesday as lawmakers inch closer to Friday’s scheduled adjournment.
The House package adds up to $49.8 million in spending and tax breaks in 2010-11, $16.2 million of which is money that would go to Space Florida for launchpad work, worker re-training, and commercial space business recruitment. The Senate version had included a $35 million appropriation for space and research-commercialization grants. Editor's Note: This is one of multiple space bills moving through the legislative process in Tallahassee. Some of the other bills provide funding too. (4/27)
Japan to Launch 'Space Yacht' Propelled by Solar Wind (Source: Space Daily)
Japan is to launch a "space yacht" propelled by solar particles that bounce off its kite-shaped sails. A rocket carrying the Ikaros -- an acronym for Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun -- will blast off from the Tanegashima spaceport on May 18. The flexible sails, which are thinner than a human hair, are also equipped with thin-film solar cells to generate electricity to create "a hybrid technology of electricity and pressure". (4/27)
Lost and Found: Soviet Lunar Rover (Source: Discovery)
In November 1970, a Soviet probe landed on the surface of the moon and released two ramps. A rover, named Lunokhod 1, descended to the surface to take pictures and conduct experiments. It carried with it a French-made light reflector, which could be used by scientists on Earth to compute distances and better understand lunar geology. Ten months later, Lunokhod 1 fell silent, its location on the moon unknown. Over the years, scientists occasionally beamed a laser around its last known coordinates, hoping for a return beam from the reflector. They got no response and figured the rover had fallen into a crater or parked itself beneath a cliff, blocking its reflector from Earth.
But their luck changed last weekend when, armed with high-resolution pictures from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists zeroed in on the rover. “It turns out that our previous best-guess position was miles off,” says Tom Murphy, with the University of California, San Diego. Using a 3.5 meter telescope at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, Murphy and his team sent pulses of laser light toward the newly found rover and found the retroreflector in excellent condition. (4/27)
Virginia Spends $12M-$14M to Lure Northrop (Source: AP)
Virginia used an incentive package worth $12 million to $14 million to help it beat Maryland and the District of Columbia to land the corporate headquarters of defense giant Northrop Grumman Corp., Gov. Bob McDonnell said. McDonnell considers the money well spent. He said the relocation of the defense contractor from Los Angeles will result in $30 million in new tax revenue over the next 10 years. He said the incentive package was less than what was offered by the D.C. government, which had been reported to be as much as $25 million. (4/27)
Chile Wins Battle to Host Mega-Telescope (Source: Science)
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) officially announced that its next mammoth optical telescope, the 42-meter-wide European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), will be built on Cerro Armazones, a mountain in northern Chile. That decision had been expected after ESO's site selection committee declared in March that Armazones was its favored location—all of ESO's existing telescopes have been built in Chile. But the announcement will disappoint many in Spain, who had been campaigning hard to have the telescope built on the Spanish island of La Palma. (4/27)
ORS Could Foster International Partnerships (Source: Aviation Week)
Executives at Alliant Techsystems (ATK) are eyeing the Pentagon’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program as a possible “flagship” to foster international partnerships on military space efforts. The forthcoming Space Posture Review is expected to push the idea of more collaboration with allies on space matters, both as a potential cost-saving position and to foster technology and data sharing. Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said international collaboration could dissuade a potential adversary from attacking space platforms. “The wide reliance on GPS acts as a deterrent against attack on the constellation of GPS satellites,” Lynn said, using GPS as an example of a worldwide resource. “An attack on a U.S. GPS satellite today is in effect an attack on all countries who use it.” (4/27)
Russian Military Satellite Successfully Launched (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A Kosmos 3M rocket launched from northern Russia overnight to place a military navigation satellite in orbit more than 600 miles above Earth. The two-stage launcher lifted off Tuesday from pad 132 at the Plesetsk spaceport. U.S. tracking data shows the satellite was released in a nearly circular orbit more than 600 miles high with an inclination of about 83 degrees. The spacecraft was named Kosmos 2463 under the Russian military's naming system for defense satellites. Russian officials did not disclose any more details on the satellite's mission. (4/27)
Earth Microbes May Contaminate the Search for Life on Mars (Source: ASM)
Bacteria common to spacecraft may be able to survive the harsh environs of Mars long enough to inadvertently contaminate Mars with terrestrial life according to research published in the April 2010 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The search for life on Mars remains a stated goal of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and Astrobiology Institutes. To preserve the pristine environments, the bioloads on spacecraft headed to Mars are subject to sterilization designed to prevent the contamination of the Martian surface. Despite sterilization efforts made to reduce the bioload on spacecraft, recent studies have shown that diverse microbial communities remain at the time of launch. The sterile nature of spacecraft assembly facilities ensures that only the most resilient species survive, including acinetobacter, bacillus, escherichia, staphylococcus and streptococcus. (4/27)
Ohio Lawmakers Push for Shuttle Orbiter (Source: Florida Today)
Competition is heating up between states angling for one of the space shuttles after the fleet's retirement later this year. The Ohio Congressional Delegation sent a letter to NASA this week reiterating its call for one of the three shuttles to be displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. "The U.S. Air Force played a significant role in developing the nation's space program," Congressman Michael Turner said. "Retiring a space shuttle orbiter at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just miles away from the historic home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, will strengthen the aerospace heritage of the region." (4/27)
NASA Ames Director Receives Arthur C. Clarke Award (Source: NASA)
The director of NASA's Ames Research Center, S. Pete Worden, was recognized by The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation for his leadership in space exploration. Worden has written or co-written more than 150 scientific technical papers in astrophysics, space sciences and strategic studies. He also served as a scientific co-investigator for two NASA space science missions. Before becoming Ames center director, he was a research professor of astronomy, optical sciences and planetary sciences at the University of Arizona. His primary research was on the development of large space optics for national security and scientific purposes, and near-Earth asteroids. (4/27)
Northrop Grumman to Move Headquarters to Northern Virginia (Source: AIA)
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. says it will move its headquarters from Los Angeles to the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., to be closer to its customers in the government. The company announced its plans to move across the country by 2011 in January, and, while it was also considering sites in Maryland, Northrop settled on Virginia, with the site expected to be either in western Fairfax County, near Washington Dulles International Airport, or the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va. (4/27)
Loss of Contact with Hypersonic Glider Investigated (Source: AIA)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Lockheed Martin say they have launched an investigation into what caused the loss of contact with the first HTV-2 test vehicle about nine minutes into its mission. The mission, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on April 22, was designed to demonstrate the umanned HTV-2's technology for high-performance, long-endurance hypersonic flight, but telemetry signals from the hypersonic glider were believed to be lost somewhere between reentry into the atmosphere and starting its hypersonic glide. (4/27)
NASA Conducts SubScale Flight Tests for X-48B Blended Wing/Body Aircraft (Source: Popular Science)
A NASA/Boeing team has completed the first phase of flight tests on the unique X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft. Flights of the subscale model were conducted at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in March 2010. Boeing Phantom Works' unique X-48B technology demonstrator features unusual engine placement and super-critical airfoil. Click here to see some photos. (4/27)
New Mexico: Launching a New Reality as We Head Into Space (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
On Tuesday, May 4, the second annual New Mexico Space Grant Student Launch will be held at Spaceport America. On Thursday, May 6, the Orion Pad Abort Test will be conducted at White Sands Missile Range. The SL4 rocket built for the student launch is a sounding rocket, technology that has been around since the 1950s and is used to conduct experiments in the atmosphere. The technology used in the Pad Abort Test is a technical leap into the future. It is technology designed to assure the safety of human spaceflight. Both are commitments to assuring the next generation of manned spaceflight. (4/27)
Editorial: Space: The Free-Market Frontier (Source: OC Register)
America's future in space is entrepreneurial. President Barack Obama partly has recognized that reality in his recent speeches and policy changes on NASA and American space policy. "I give Obama mixed reviews on his space policy," Ed Hudgins told us. He's director of advocacy and a senior scholar at the Atlas Institute, and author of "Space: The Free Market Frontier." There were positive elements, he said, including "cancelling the Constellation," a proposed new mission to the moon. And the president is encouraging "the private sector for low-Earth-orbit missions."
Mr. Hudgins said that only the private sector can make prices for a product or service go down as quality goes up, such as with computers, TV sets and the global airline industry. The same is true for making space flights more common for commercial or tourist missions. He pointed to such ongoing private space efforts as those by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, Elon Musk's SpaceX in Hawthorne and Robert Bigelow's Bigelow Aerospace.
On the negative side is Mr. Obama's vision for NASA, which is struggling for new missions as the Space Shuttle program is retired this year. He talked about a mission to Mars occurring in his lifetime. "I expect to be around to see it," the president said in an April 15 speech at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Given that the president is 48 and could live another 40 years or so, that's not all that ambitious. He also called for landing an astronaut on an asteroid within 15 years. (4/27)
Subcommittee Investigates the Shrinking Global Supply of Helium-3 (Source: U.S. House of Reps.)
The House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing to investigate the causes and consequences of the shrinking supply of the important helium-3 isotope. Helium-3 is a non-radioactive gas that is a by-product of the Department of Energy (DOE)’s production of tritium for nuclear weapons. It also is an essential component of neutron detectors used in a wide range of applications from radiation portal monitors at the nation’s ports and border crossings to medical imagining, low-temperature physics, oil and gas exploration, missile technology and neutron backscattering facilities.
Since the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons production worldwide –- and the resulting manufacture of helium-3 –- has decreased. But after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there has been an increase in the demand from DOE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD) for radiation detection devices which rely on helium-3. As a result, there is now a critical shortage in the global supply of helium-3. (4/27)
April 26, 2010
Editorial: Humans on Mars? Forget It (Source: LA Times)
It's perhaps time to abandon the goal of sending astronauts to the Red Planet. Nearly half a century ago, we sent men to the moon because we had to stop the world from thinking that the Soviet Union, having put a man in orbit, had surpassed the United States in science and technology. When Americans walked on the moon, we were back in first place, with the Russians keeping the lead in ballet, caviar and vodka. So we halted continued moon landings.
On July 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush announced the Space Exploration Initiative, which called for returning astronauts to the moon, this time to stay, and then on to Mars. The initiative died when Congress decided the cost was too high, but the national goal of putting an American on Mars remained. In 2004, President George W. Bush reiterated that objective. But is this a worthy goal? It appears increasingly doubtful that an astronaut could accomplish something useful on Mars not already being done by robots at far less cost and with little danger to humans.
Consider the enormity of an effort to send astronauts to Mars. When Mars is closest to Earth, the distance is still about 200 times that between Earth and the moon, which means it would take several months to reach Mars. The amount of food, water, oxygen and other basic supplies necessary for such a journey would require a far larger spacecraft than anything built yet. And it's by no means certain that humans could survive the trip. (4/26)
Lunar Polar Craters May Be Electrified (Source: Space Daily)
As the solar wind flows over natural obstructions on the moon, it may charge polar lunar craters to hundreds of volts, according to new calculations by NASA's Lunar Science Institute team. Polar lunar craters are of interest because of resources, including water ice, which exist there. The moon's orientation to the sun keeps the bottoms of polar craters in permanent shadow, allowing temperatures there to plunge below minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough to store volatile material like water for billions of years.
"However, our research suggests that, in addition to the wicked cold, explorers and robots at the bottoms of polar lunar craters may have to contend with a complex electrical environment as well, which can affect surface chemistry, static discharge, and dust cling," said William Farrell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Farrell is lead author of a paper on this research published March 24 in the Journal of Geophysical Research. (4/26)
New Space Travel Initiative Will Match 21st Century Goals (Source: Purdue Exponent)
“NASA needs to explore new frontiers, not retrace 40-year-old footsteps,” said Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. And those are words we can’t agree with more. President Obama decided to cut the Constellation Program, but NASA will be receiving more money than any proposed budgets in the past decade: $6 billion more over the next five years. This money will go toward researching a revolutionary propulsion system to travel deeper into space, building a new heavy-lift rocket and updating existing infrastructure at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.
NASA hopes to be able to fly to near-Earth asteroids by the 2020s and reach Mars by the 2030s. It’s an ambitious goal, but so was reaching the Moon within a decade back in the 1960s. The president said more astronauts would go into space over the next decade than previously planned, which is in part due to the proposed expansion of the private sector. Obama wants to allow private companies, such as Boeing and Lockheed, who NASA has relied on in the past for their space ventures and have extensive knowledge of space flights, to expand the low-Earth-orbit space flight sector. (4/26)
ULA Gets New Contract for Cape Canaveral Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center recently awarded United Launch Alliance a contract modification to perform the launch services for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency-3 (AEHF-3) satellite aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The anticipated launch period is spring or summer 2012 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The AEHF-3 mission will be the third installment for the AEHF system. AEHF will provide 10 times greater capacity and channel data rates five times higher than that of the existing Milstar II communications satellites. These higher data rates will permit transmission of tactical military communications such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. (4/26)
Final Shuttle Mission Now Set for November — or Later (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Problems with a cosmic physics experiment will force NASA to delay the final flight of the space shuttle until at least November. The holdup means that shuttle workers at KSC will get at least a month more of work, as NASA previously had scheduled the last flight for Sept. 16. It also flips which orbiter and crew get the honor of flying the final mission in the nearly 30-year shuttle era. Now, a six-member crew led by Mark Kelly (who is married to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona) will be the final team to launch from Florida.
Their mission was scheduled to fly on July 29, but glitches with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment means they can’t launch earlier than November. NASA officials said Monday that they still were evaluating the exact day in November, as they must schedule the mission to fit around other flights to the International Space Station, such as missions involving the Russian Soyuz vehicle and unmanned re-supply spacecraft. (4/26)
Chamber on an Ares Mission (Source: Huntsville Times)
Even if the president hadn't announced he wants to change the mission of NASA - much of which happens in Huntsville - many of the 175 registrants of the Chamber of Commerce's annual trip to Washington, D.C., would have come here with spaceflight on their mind. As it is, President Obama's plan to shut down the Ares program and make manned space flight more of a commercial venture has business and government folks in Madison and Morgan counties consumed with the hope of changing that agenda.
Included on their agenda are panel discussions on NASA appropriations and multiple interactions with members of Congress and the Senate. At a reception Sunday evening, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby - ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that determines funding for NASA - said he is doing everything he can to save Constellation, in which the government has already invested $9 billion to establish human presence on the moon and beyond. "If (Republicans) were in control of the Senate, I would tell you exactly what we'd be doing to save Constellation," Shelby said Sunday evening. "If Obama's plan goes through, I'm afraid it's a death march for NASA." (4/26)
Yet Another Episode in America's RLV Soap Opera (Source: Space Review)
Once again the US military is showing interest in developing reusable launch vehicle technology, ultimately to replace existing expendable boosters. Taylor Dinerman describes this latest effort and what's needed in order for it to be successful. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1615/1 to view the article. (4/26)
Rocket Racers, Shuttles, and Tulsa (Source: Space Review)
The Rocket Racing League took to the skies Saturday in Tulsa, their first public flights in over 18 months. Jeff Foust reports on the flights and related efforts by the city to win a big piece of space history. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1614/1 to view the article. (4/26)
Towards a Smarter Future in Space (Source: Space Review)
The White House's new exploration plan for NASA has been criticized by some for having a vague set of destinations and deadlines for NASA. Mark Sykes argues that we need to move beyond such goals to understanding whether and how humans can live beyond Earth. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1613/1 to view the article. (4/26)
San Diego Reaps Benefits of Pentagon Spending (Source: AIA)
While other cities struggle, San Diego has enjoyed a big boost from Pentagon spending, providing a shelter from the slumping economy. San Diego County is home to the largest concentration of military forces in the world, and the Pentagon will spend $17.3 billion in the area this year, up from $16.7 billion in 2009, with big contracts going to local employers such as General Atomics and Northrop Grumman. (4/26)
Stephen Hawking: Humans Should Fear Aliens (Source: Huffington Post)
World renowned scientist Stephen Hawking believes extraterrestrial life almost certainly exists -- and humans should be extremely cautious about interacting with it. "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational," Hawking says. "The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."
He suggests that aliens might simply raid Earth for its resources and then move on: "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach."
He concludes that trying to make contact with alien races is "a little too risky". He said: "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans." (4/26)
Machinists in Houston Rally to Save Space Program Jobs (Source: IAMAW)
"It's time to let Congress know that American astronauts deserve better than a heavily outsourced space program that relies on Russian, Japanese and even Chinese contractors to provide transportation to the International Space Station (ISS)," said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. "If NASA and the Obama administration have their way, American astronauts will be reduced to hitchhiking to the ISS." Speaker after speaker called on President Obama to reconsider his plans to terminate the Constellation program and commercialize the shuttle program. More than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs in Texas, Florida and other states are associated with the two programs." (4/26)
It's perhaps time to abandon the goal of sending astronauts to the Red Planet. Nearly half a century ago, we sent men to the moon because we had to stop the world from thinking that the Soviet Union, having put a man in orbit, had surpassed the United States in science and technology. When Americans walked on the moon, we were back in first place, with the Russians keeping the lead in ballet, caviar and vodka. So we halted continued moon landings.
On July 20, 1989, President George H.W. Bush announced the Space Exploration Initiative, which called for returning astronauts to the moon, this time to stay, and then on to Mars. The initiative died when Congress decided the cost was too high, but the national goal of putting an American on Mars remained. In 2004, President George W. Bush reiterated that objective. But is this a worthy goal? It appears increasingly doubtful that an astronaut could accomplish something useful on Mars not already being done by robots at far less cost and with little danger to humans.
Consider the enormity of an effort to send astronauts to Mars. When Mars is closest to Earth, the distance is still about 200 times that between Earth and the moon, which means it would take several months to reach Mars. The amount of food, water, oxygen and other basic supplies necessary for such a journey would require a far larger spacecraft than anything built yet. And it's by no means certain that humans could survive the trip. (4/26)
Lunar Polar Craters May Be Electrified (Source: Space Daily)
As the solar wind flows over natural obstructions on the moon, it may charge polar lunar craters to hundreds of volts, according to new calculations by NASA's Lunar Science Institute team. Polar lunar craters are of interest because of resources, including water ice, which exist there. The moon's orientation to the sun keeps the bottoms of polar craters in permanent shadow, allowing temperatures there to plunge below minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough to store volatile material like water for billions of years.
"However, our research suggests that, in addition to the wicked cold, explorers and robots at the bottoms of polar lunar craters may have to contend with a complex electrical environment as well, which can affect surface chemistry, static discharge, and dust cling," said William Farrell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Farrell is lead author of a paper on this research published March 24 in the Journal of Geophysical Research. (4/26)
New Space Travel Initiative Will Match 21st Century Goals (Source: Purdue Exponent)
“NASA needs to explore new frontiers, not retrace 40-year-old footsteps,” said Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. And those are words we can’t agree with more. President Obama decided to cut the Constellation Program, but NASA will be receiving more money than any proposed budgets in the past decade: $6 billion more over the next five years. This money will go toward researching a revolutionary propulsion system to travel deeper into space, building a new heavy-lift rocket and updating existing infrastructure at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.
NASA hopes to be able to fly to near-Earth asteroids by the 2020s and reach Mars by the 2030s. It’s an ambitious goal, but so was reaching the Moon within a decade back in the 1960s. The president said more astronauts would go into space over the next decade than previously planned, which is in part due to the proposed expansion of the private sector. Obama wants to allow private companies, such as Boeing and Lockheed, who NASA has relied on in the past for their space ventures and have extensive knowledge of space flights, to expand the low-Earth-orbit space flight sector. (4/26)
ULA Gets New Contract for Cape Canaveral Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center recently awarded United Launch Alliance a contract modification to perform the launch services for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency-3 (AEHF-3) satellite aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The anticipated launch period is spring or summer 2012 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The AEHF-3 mission will be the third installment for the AEHF system. AEHF will provide 10 times greater capacity and channel data rates five times higher than that of the existing Milstar II communications satellites. These higher data rates will permit transmission of tactical military communications such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. (4/26)
Final Shuttle Mission Now Set for November — or Later (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Problems with a cosmic physics experiment will force NASA to delay the final flight of the space shuttle until at least November. The holdup means that shuttle workers at KSC will get at least a month more of work, as NASA previously had scheduled the last flight for Sept. 16. It also flips which orbiter and crew get the honor of flying the final mission in the nearly 30-year shuttle era. Now, a six-member crew led by Mark Kelly (who is married to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona) will be the final team to launch from Florida.
Their mission was scheduled to fly on July 29, but glitches with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment means they can’t launch earlier than November. NASA officials said Monday that they still were evaluating the exact day in November, as they must schedule the mission to fit around other flights to the International Space Station, such as missions involving the Russian Soyuz vehicle and unmanned re-supply spacecraft. (4/26)
Chamber on an Ares Mission (Source: Huntsville Times)
Even if the president hadn't announced he wants to change the mission of NASA - much of which happens in Huntsville - many of the 175 registrants of the Chamber of Commerce's annual trip to Washington, D.C., would have come here with spaceflight on their mind. As it is, President Obama's plan to shut down the Ares program and make manned space flight more of a commercial venture has business and government folks in Madison and Morgan counties consumed with the hope of changing that agenda.
Included on their agenda are panel discussions on NASA appropriations and multiple interactions with members of Congress and the Senate. At a reception Sunday evening, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby - ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that determines funding for NASA - said he is doing everything he can to save Constellation, in which the government has already invested $9 billion to establish human presence on the moon and beyond. "If (Republicans) were in control of the Senate, I would tell you exactly what we'd be doing to save Constellation," Shelby said Sunday evening. "If Obama's plan goes through, I'm afraid it's a death march for NASA." (4/26)
Yet Another Episode in America's RLV Soap Opera (Source: Space Review)
Once again the US military is showing interest in developing reusable launch vehicle technology, ultimately to replace existing expendable boosters. Taylor Dinerman describes this latest effort and what's needed in order for it to be successful. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1615/1 to view the article. (4/26)
Rocket Racers, Shuttles, and Tulsa (Source: Space Review)
The Rocket Racing League took to the skies Saturday in Tulsa, their first public flights in over 18 months. Jeff Foust reports on the flights and related efforts by the city to win a big piece of space history. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1614/1 to view the article. (4/26)
Towards a Smarter Future in Space (Source: Space Review)
The White House's new exploration plan for NASA has been criticized by some for having a vague set of destinations and deadlines for NASA. Mark Sykes argues that we need to move beyond such goals to understanding whether and how humans can live beyond Earth. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1613/1 to view the article. (4/26)
San Diego Reaps Benefits of Pentagon Spending (Source: AIA)
While other cities struggle, San Diego has enjoyed a big boost from Pentagon spending, providing a shelter from the slumping economy. San Diego County is home to the largest concentration of military forces in the world, and the Pentagon will spend $17.3 billion in the area this year, up from $16.7 billion in 2009, with big contracts going to local employers such as General Atomics and Northrop Grumman. (4/26)
Stephen Hawking: Humans Should Fear Aliens (Source: Huffington Post)
World renowned scientist Stephen Hawking believes extraterrestrial life almost certainly exists -- and humans should be extremely cautious about interacting with it. "To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational," Hawking says. "The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."
He suggests that aliens might simply raid Earth for its resources and then move on: "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach."
He concludes that trying to make contact with alien races is "a little too risky". He said: "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans." (4/26)
Machinists in Houston Rally to Save Space Program Jobs (Source: IAMAW)
"It's time to let Congress know that American astronauts deserve better than a heavily outsourced space program that relies on Russian, Japanese and even Chinese contractors to provide transportation to the International Space Station (ISS)," said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. "If NASA and the Obama administration have their way, American astronauts will be reduced to hitchhiking to the ISS." Speaker after speaker called on President Obama to reconsider his plans to terminate the Constellation program and commercialize the shuttle program. More than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs in Texas, Florida and other states are associated with the two programs." (4/26)
April 25, 2010
Oklahoma Senator Not a Fan of NASA Plan (Source: Space Politics)
I [Jeff Foust] asked Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) his thoughts about President Obama's new plans for NASA. “Well, I don’t think the president has done many things right—I can’t think of anything—and certainly cutting back on the space program, which is what he’s doing… His priorities are social engineering, they’re not the military, they’re not infrastructure, they’re certainly not the space program,” he said. “I often say to people that we’re going to change the House and the Senate in November, and a lot of these things that he’s done we can undo, and I plan to do that.”
His comments appeared to be in contrast with those of a number of other guests at an Oklahoma Rocket Racing event, including Aldrin, Peter Diamandis, and Richard Garriott, among others, who talked up throughout the day the prospects of the commercial sector taking over transportation of astronauts to low Earth orbit. So I asked Inhofe: do you support that aspect of the plan? His ambiguity-free response: “No, I do not.” (4/25)
The Silicon Valley of Space (Source: SpaceKSC blog)
My concern is that local leadership has totally failed to diversify the local economy in the more than six years since President Bush cancelled the Space Shuttle. To this day, local elected officials still demand we continue with an unsustainable status quo. They're oblivious to the reality that NASA has spent the last six years shutting down the Shuttle program. Many of the second- and third-tier contractors have gone out of business or moved on to other things.
The Constellation program was assumed to absorb some of the job losses, but as was documented by the Augustine Panel report Constellation wasn't going to launch Ares I until at least 2018, two years after the International Space Station was scheduled to be decommissioned and splashed into an ocean because ISS money would be transferred to fund Constellation. There would be no need for Ares I if there's no ISS to fly to. Augustine also found that the Ares V moon program wouldn't be ready to fly until 2028, if ever.
But local elected officials and union officials don't care about that. They want to keep the federal government in the role of the coal company that will one day abandon the West Virginia mining town. The Silicon Valley of Space can only happen if Suzanne Kosmas, Bill Posey, Robin Fisher and the others fighting Obama stop pandering and start working to diversify our local economy. If they don't change their attitude, the Space Coast may become another New River Gorge, a string of mining towns abandoned to the forces of Nature once the coal ran out. (4/25)
California: Private Space Tourism Taking Off Without Us (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
While our politicians in Sacramento continue to proselytize for "green jobs" that may or may not appear, they have been ignoring one of California's most important and innovative industries: private space travel. This malign neglect has allowed New Mexico to capture the space tourism business, and the loss serves as a sad poster child for California's overall competitive failure.
Our cautionary tale of California's lost spaceships lost begins in June 2004. The private human spaceflight industry was ramping up in California's Mojave Desert with the historic flights of SpaceShipOne, designed by brilliant Southern California aerospace engineers. At the maiden flights, the spacecraft's financier, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and its visionary designer, Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites, were far from alone on the ground. The top brass from both the FAA and NASA were in attendance as well, and President Bush phoned in to congratulate the team.
One group, however, was notably absent - California's governor and other political leaders such as Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. This new enterprise would clearly need facilities to operate from, and it would seem that an expanded Mojave spaceport - the nation's first and only such facility at the time - would be the obvious solution. But who was on hand to fill this need and capture the hundreds of millions in investment dollars and the load of high-paying high-tech jobs? It was indeed a governor, but not our Terminator. It was Bill Richardson of New Mexico - a state just a few hundred miles away but light-years ahead in business acumen and vision. Click here to view the article. (4/25)
Musk: Shelby's View Costly (Source: Huntsville Times)
The CEO of a company seeking to carry American astronauts into space says U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, is fighting a new national space plan that would bring billions into North Alabama. "I just don't understand what his beef is," Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said. "I don't really understand why Senator Shelby is so opposed to commercial crew," Musk said, "given that Atlas and Delta are right there in Alabama, because no one's going to be a bigger winner in commercial crew than United Launch Alliance."
Obama would give NASA a new $6 billion to ramp up a commercial space industry while NASA studies deep-space missions. "For ULA it's a certainty," Musk said of winning contracts. "For SpaceX it's much more a question mark." Much of the deep-space research would be done at Marshall Space Flight Center over the next five years under a $3.1 billion appropriation, Obama says. (4/25)
I [Jeff Foust] asked Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) his thoughts about President Obama's new plans for NASA. “Well, I don’t think the president has done many things right—I can’t think of anything—and certainly cutting back on the space program, which is what he’s doing… His priorities are social engineering, they’re not the military, they’re not infrastructure, they’re certainly not the space program,” he said. “I often say to people that we’re going to change the House and the Senate in November, and a lot of these things that he’s done we can undo, and I plan to do that.”
His comments appeared to be in contrast with those of a number of other guests at an Oklahoma Rocket Racing event, including Aldrin, Peter Diamandis, and Richard Garriott, among others, who talked up throughout the day the prospects of the commercial sector taking over transportation of astronauts to low Earth orbit. So I asked Inhofe: do you support that aspect of the plan? His ambiguity-free response: “No, I do not.” (4/25)
The Silicon Valley of Space (Source: SpaceKSC blog)
My concern is that local leadership has totally failed to diversify the local economy in the more than six years since President Bush cancelled the Space Shuttle. To this day, local elected officials still demand we continue with an unsustainable status quo. They're oblivious to the reality that NASA has spent the last six years shutting down the Shuttle program. Many of the second- and third-tier contractors have gone out of business or moved on to other things.
The Constellation program was assumed to absorb some of the job losses, but as was documented by the Augustine Panel report Constellation wasn't going to launch Ares I until at least 2018, two years after the International Space Station was scheduled to be decommissioned and splashed into an ocean because ISS money would be transferred to fund Constellation. There would be no need for Ares I if there's no ISS to fly to. Augustine also found that the Ares V moon program wouldn't be ready to fly until 2028, if ever.
But local elected officials and union officials don't care about that. They want to keep the federal government in the role of the coal company that will one day abandon the West Virginia mining town. The Silicon Valley of Space can only happen if Suzanne Kosmas, Bill Posey, Robin Fisher and the others fighting Obama stop pandering and start working to diversify our local economy. If they don't change their attitude, the Space Coast may become another New River Gorge, a string of mining towns abandoned to the forces of Nature once the coal ran out. (4/25)
California: Private Space Tourism Taking Off Without Us (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
While our politicians in Sacramento continue to proselytize for "green jobs" that may or may not appear, they have been ignoring one of California's most important and innovative industries: private space travel. This malign neglect has allowed New Mexico to capture the space tourism business, and the loss serves as a sad poster child for California's overall competitive failure.
Our cautionary tale of California's lost spaceships lost begins in June 2004. The private human spaceflight industry was ramping up in California's Mojave Desert with the historic flights of SpaceShipOne, designed by brilliant Southern California aerospace engineers. At the maiden flights, the spacecraft's financier, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and its visionary designer, Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites, were far from alone on the ground. The top brass from both the FAA and NASA were in attendance as well, and President Bush phoned in to congratulate the team.
One group, however, was notably absent - California's governor and other political leaders such as Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. This new enterprise would clearly need facilities to operate from, and it would seem that an expanded Mojave spaceport - the nation's first and only such facility at the time - would be the obvious solution. But who was on hand to fill this need and capture the hundreds of millions in investment dollars and the load of high-paying high-tech jobs? It was indeed a governor, but not our Terminator. It was Bill Richardson of New Mexico - a state just a few hundred miles away but light-years ahead in business acumen and vision. Click here to view the article. (4/25)
Musk: Shelby's View Costly (Source: Huntsville Times)
The CEO of a company seeking to carry American astronauts into space says U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, is fighting a new national space plan that would bring billions into North Alabama. "I just don't understand what his beef is," Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said. "I don't really understand why Senator Shelby is so opposed to commercial crew," Musk said, "given that Atlas and Delta are right there in Alabama, because no one's going to be a bigger winner in commercial crew than United Launch Alliance."
Obama would give NASA a new $6 billion to ramp up a commercial space industry while NASA studies deep-space missions. "For ULA it's a certainty," Musk said of winning contracts. "For SpaceX it's much more a question mark." Much of the deep-space research would be done at Marshall Space Flight Center over the next five years under a $3.1 billion appropriation, Obama says. (4/25)
April 24, 2010
ULA Lays Off Nearly Two Dozen Texas Workers (Source: Brownsville Herald)
United Launch Alliance laid off 22 workers in March at its plant at Harlingen, a company official has confirmed. ULA spokesman Chris Chavez in Colorado said the company, formerly Lockheed-Martin, has laid off a total of 77 workers. The cutbacks in Harlingen were a combination of managerial and production positions, he said, adding that 137 employees remain in Harlingen.
The cutbacks are a result of the company nearing completion of orders for a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense project, Chavez said. “That’s a U.S. Army missile used to destroy incoming missiles,” Chavez said. “In Harlingen, we build the metallic structures for the THAAD missile under a subcontract to Lockheed-Martin.” (4/25)
New Plan for NASA is Better for Ohio (Source: Columbus Dispatch)
It generated controversy for scuttling manned missions to the moon, but President Barack Obama's new plan for NASA could generate jobs and dollars for Ohio. Several aerospace companies might return jobs to Cleveland because of the new responsibilities that would be given to the Cleveland-based NASA Glenn Research Center under the plan, said Ramon Lugo, acting director of NASA Glenn. "It's an exciting time," he told members of the recently formed Ohio Aerospace and Business Aviation Council at a meeting this week. (4/25)
Homans to Return to New Mexico Spaceport Post (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Gov. Bill Richardson announced Friday that Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans will serve as chairman of the Spaceport Authority until a replacement executive director is hired. Homans previously served as Spaceport Authority chairman from 2005-07, before leaving the post for a job in the private sector.
"We are reaching a critical point in our efforts to recruit new jobs to New Mexico, and I will be working closely with Secretary Mondrag-n to pursue some high-profile companies to the state," Richardson said. "At the same time, we need all the expertise we can get as we complete construction of Spaceport America, and I am tapping Secretary Homans to lead that effort." Homans said the Spaceport Authority will move "as quickly as possible" to hire an executive director. (4/25)
AIAA Chief Endorses Kosmas' "Space to Schools Act" (Source: AIAA)
Robert Dickman, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, issued a statement in support of HR 5903, the "Space to Schools Act of 2010": "On behalf of AIAA's 35,000 members, I urge the passage of HR 5903, the 'Space to Schools Act of 2010.'
This legislation addresses the critical teacher shortfalls in the 'STEM' subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, by encouraging veteran scientists and engineers, and other experts, to enter the classroom and help educate the next generation of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and technology workers. The bill will provide our nation's schools with a direct infusion of qualified, motivated, and able talent. (4/24)
China Open To Human Spaceflight Cooperation (Source: Aviation Week)
China’s human spaceflight program is developing a 13-ton cargo carrier to supply the space station it plans to orbit late this decade, but the program’s leader is ready to discuss using it for International Space Station logistics, as well. A Chinese space official says his agency is prepared to cooperate across the board on human spaceflight with NASA and other agencies, including joint human missions and unpiloted logistics with the 5.5-ton-payload-capacity cargo vehicle it plans to test after 2014-16. (4/24)
Change in Experiment Will Delay Shuttle’s End (Source: New York Times)
A $1.5 billion seven-ton cosmic-ray experiment scheduled to be carried aloft July 29 on the space shuttle Endeavour won’t be ready until August, according to the experiment’s leader, Samuel Ting of MIT, delaying the end of the 29-year-old shuttle program.
NASA officials acknowledged that there would be a delay but said they had not yet decided when the final launching would be. The experiment, known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, was to be installed on the International Space Station as one last scientific errand before the final shuttle launching, of the Discovery, now scheduled for Sep. 16.
Last week, however, Dr. Ting told NASA that he would replace a key component of the spectrometer, a powerful superconducting magnet, with an ordinary magnet. The redesigned instrument would not arrive at the Kennedy Space Center until August. It would be too late for July and is not a part of the final Discovery mission. Editor's Note: Take your time, Dr. Ting! (4/24)
ZERO-G Plans South Florida Flight on May 8 (Source: ZERO-G)
On May 8, Zero Gravity Corporation's (ZERO-G), G-FORCE ONE will blast off from Fort Lauderdale offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to defy the law of gravity. Guests will have the unique opportunity to float freely and lighten up in complete weightlessness onboard ZERO-G's weightless flight. ZERO-G is the first and only FAA-approved provider of commercial weightless flights. To reserve a seat, visit www.gozerog.com. (4/24)
Russian Rocket Sends New Satellite to Orbit for North America (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Beginning a 9-hour launch sequence, a Proton rocket lifted off Saturday morning with a new communications satellite to replace two aging spacecraft serving North America. The 18-story rocket launched at from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. (4/25)
Atlantis Journeys to Launch Pad, Perhaps for Final Time (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Facing what could be the final voyage in its quarter-century of spaceflight, the shuttle Atlantis emerged from Kennedy Space Center's assembly building bathed in spotlights and traveled to the launch pad Thursday. (4/24)
Next Up at the Cape: Falcon-9 (Source: SPACErePORT)
SpaceX has reserved May 8 for the first launch of its new Falcon-9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch window opens at 11:00 a.m. and extends into the night. This will be a demonstration mission, to qualify the launch vehicle and a stripped down version of the company's Dragon capsule. (4/24)
Will Russia Help Build Mexico's Spaceport? (Source: Space Daily)
US astronaut Jose Hernandez and engineer Fernando de la Pena will travel will visit Mexico to inspect a spaceport site and study details of the future construction. The facility will be built near the city of Chetumal, on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The space center, to be located some 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) away from residential locations, will built on about 30 hectares of land.
Hernandez has said the Mexican space agency was ready to cooperate with all countries in peaceful space exploration. According to the astronaut, Mexico is technically unable to carry out rocket launches by itself at the moment, but will probably be able to in ten years or so. For now, he said, the country should obtain the necessary technology.
Russia and Mexico signed an agreement on cooperation in space research and exploration for peaceful purposes in 1996. In March 2009, a delegation of experts from Russian space agency Roscosmos visited the Latin American state to discuss the creation of the Mexican space agency with local lawmakers. Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev said Russia was ready to help Mexico develop its national space program on a commercial basis. (4/24)
United Launch Alliance laid off 22 workers in March at its plant at Harlingen, a company official has confirmed. ULA spokesman Chris Chavez in Colorado said the company, formerly Lockheed-Martin, has laid off a total of 77 workers. The cutbacks in Harlingen were a combination of managerial and production positions, he said, adding that 137 employees remain in Harlingen.
The cutbacks are a result of the company nearing completion of orders for a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense project, Chavez said. “That’s a U.S. Army missile used to destroy incoming missiles,” Chavez said. “In Harlingen, we build the metallic structures for the THAAD missile under a subcontract to Lockheed-Martin.” (4/25)
New Plan for NASA is Better for Ohio (Source: Columbus Dispatch)
It generated controversy for scuttling manned missions to the moon, but President Barack Obama's new plan for NASA could generate jobs and dollars for Ohio. Several aerospace companies might return jobs to Cleveland because of the new responsibilities that would be given to the Cleveland-based NASA Glenn Research Center under the plan, said Ramon Lugo, acting director of NASA Glenn. "It's an exciting time," he told members of the recently formed Ohio Aerospace and Business Aviation Council at a meeting this week. (4/25)
Homans to Return to New Mexico Spaceport Post (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Gov. Bill Richardson announced Friday that Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans will serve as chairman of the Spaceport Authority until a replacement executive director is hired. Homans previously served as Spaceport Authority chairman from 2005-07, before leaving the post for a job in the private sector.
"We are reaching a critical point in our efforts to recruit new jobs to New Mexico, and I will be working closely with Secretary Mondrag-n to pursue some high-profile companies to the state," Richardson said. "At the same time, we need all the expertise we can get as we complete construction of Spaceport America, and I am tapping Secretary Homans to lead that effort." Homans said the Spaceport Authority will move "as quickly as possible" to hire an executive director. (4/25)
AIAA Chief Endorses Kosmas' "Space to Schools Act" (Source: AIAA)
Robert Dickman, executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, issued a statement in support of HR 5903, the "Space to Schools Act of 2010": "On behalf of AIAA's 35,000 members, I urge the passage of HR 5903, the 'Space to Schools Act of 2010.'
This legislation addresses the critical teacher shortfalls in the 'STEM' subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, by encouraging veteran scientists and engineers, and other experts, to enter the classroom and help educate the next generation of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and technology workers. The bill will provide our nation's schools with a direct infusion of qualified, motivated, and able talent. (4/24)
China Open To Human Spaceflight Cooperation (Source: Aviation Week)
China’s human spaceflight program is developing a 13-ton cargo carrier to supply the space station it plans to orbit late this decade, but the program’s leader is ready to discuss using it for International Space Station logistics, as well. A Chinese space official says his agency is prepared to cooperate across the board on human spaceflight with NASA and other agencies, including joint human missions and unpiloted logistics with the 5.5-ton-payload-capacity cargo vehicle it plans to test after 2014-16. (4/24)
Change in Experiment Will Delay Shuttle’s End (Source: New York Times)
A $1.5 billion seven-ton cosmic-ray experiment scheduled to be carried aloft July 29 on the space shuttle Endeavour won’t be ready until August, according to the experiment’s leader, Samuel Ting of MIT, delaying the end of the 29-year-old shuttle program.
NASA officials acknowledged that there would be a delay but said they had not yet decided when the final launching would be. The experiment, known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, was to be installed on the International Space Station as one last scientific errand before the final shuttle launching, of the Discovery, now scheduled for Sep. 16.
Last week, however, Dr. Ting told NASA that he would replace a key component of the spectrometer, a powerful superconducting magnet, with an ordinary magnet. The redesigned instrument would not arrive at the Kennedy Space Center until August. It would be too late for July and is not a part of the final Discovery mission. Editor's Note: Take your time, Dr. Ting! (4/24)
ZERO-G Plans South Florida Flight on May 8 (Source: ZERO-G)
On May 8, Zero Gravity Corporation's (ZERO-G), G-FORCE ONE will blast off from Fort Lauderdale offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to defy the law of gravity. Guests will have the unique opportunity to float freely and lighten up in complete weightlessness onboard ZERO-G's weightless flight. ZERO-G is the first and only FAA-approved provider of commercial weightless flights. To reserve a seat, visit www.gozerog.com. (4/24)
Russian Rocket Sends New Satellite to Orbit for North America (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Beginning a 9-hour launch sequence, a Proton rocket lifted off Saturday morning with a new communications satellite to replace two aging spacecraft serving North America. The 18-story rocket launched at from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. (4/25)
Atlantis Journeys to Launch Pad, Perhaps for Final Time (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Facing what could be the final voyage in its quarter-century of spaceflight, the shuttle Atlantis emerged from Kennedy Space Center's assembly building bathed in spotlights and traveled to the launch pad Thursday. (4/24)
Next Up at the Cape: Falcon-9 (Source: SPACErePORT)
SpaceX has reserved May 8 for the first launch of its new Falcon-9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch window opens at 11:00 a.m. and extends into the night. This will be a demonstration mission, to qualify the launch vehicle and a stripped down version of the company's Dragon capsule. (4/24)
Will Russia Help Build Mexico's Spaceport? (Source: Space Daily)
US astronaut Jose Hernandez and engineer Fernando de la Pena will travel will visit Mexico to inspect a spaceport site and study details of the future construction. The facility will be built near the city of Chetumal, on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The space center, to be located some 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) away from residential locations, will built on about 30 hectares of land.
Hernandez has said the Mexican space agency was ready to cooperate with all countries in peaceful space exploration. According to the astronaut, Mexico is technically unable to carry out rocket launches by itself at the moment, but will probably be able to in ten years or so. For now, he said, the country should obtain the necessary technology.
Russia and Mexico signed an agreement on cooperation in space research and exploration for peaceful purposes in 1996. In March 2009, a delegation of experts from Russian space agency Roscosmos visited the Latin American state to discuss the creation of the Mexican space agency with local lawmakers. Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev said Russia was ready to help Mexico develop its national space program on a commercial basis. (4/24)
April 23, 2010
Minotaur-4 Launches From California, Hypersonic Payload Lost (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A new Minotaur launch vehicle derived from retired missile parts successfully blasted off from the California coast Thursday, but officials lost contact with a hypersonic glider testbed for a U.S. military quick-response global strike system. The Minotaur 4, flying in a downsized three-stage configuration called the Minotaur 4 Lite, released its HTV 2a payload high in the upper atmosphere at a velocity more than 20 times the speed of sound.
The craft was designed to try out its aerodynamic control system and conduct sweeping turns to bleed off excess energy and demonstrate its cross-range capabilities. Tracking assets lost contact with the triangle-shaped craft 9 minutes after liftoff. A DARPA press release did not specify whether any of the test maneuvers were completed before controllers lost communications with the craft.
Prior to this launch, a grounding of the Minotaur-4 rocket triggered a cascade of launch delays for military satellites. After another Vandenberg launch in July, two Minotaur-4 flights are planned this fall from Kodiak Island, Alaska. (4/23)
Uncertainty Looms for 3-Year-Old ORS Office Amid Declining Budgets (Source: Space News)
The DOD's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office has demonstrated in its three years of existence that there are alternative ways to design and build military spacecraft, but a variety of factors are contributing to a sense of uncertainty about the office’s future, government and industry sources said.
The Pentagon stood up the ORS Office in 2007 at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The ORS Office has a three-tiered strategy for delivering timely data from space platforms. This ranges from using existing space assets in different ways to the ultimate ORS goal of being able to build and launch augmentation or replacement satellites in just a few days. Click here to view the article. (4/23)
Whose Human Flight Safety Standards, Again? (Source: Hyperbola)
NASA's new human spaceflight standards may not be as rigorous as those it already demands for high profile payload launches. For high profile "class A" payload missions to be launched on a "category three" low-risk launch vehicle, NASA's certification requirements ask for a 14 consecutive successful flight history.
The Delta-4 doesn't have that, SpaceX's Falcon-9 won't until 2013 at least, Orbital's Taurus-2 never will because it only has eight commercial resupply missions manifested, and so only the Atlas-5 has an adequate launch history. Sorry, I hear you say, but that is for payloads, not crew. So are you saying that crews will ride on rockets with a lesser launch history than payloads?
Admittedly the certification requirements also mention two alternative flight histories for candidate vehicles. They are three consecutive successful flights and six successful flights, three of which must be consecutive. But for each NASA must conduct reviews and audits and for the three-flight history, comprehensive acceptance test results are required as well. And, none of the above boosters have the standards against which they should be designing, or re-designing, boosters for commercial crew services. (4/23)
Japan's ISS Kibo-Mounted Sensor Stops Transmitting (Source: Space News)
An environmental sensor attached to the the international space station’s Kibo Japanese Experiment Module to monitor global distributions of trace gases in the Earth’s stratosphere stopped transmitting April 21, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said April 23. The Japanese sensor, the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder, or SMILES, was put into service last November to help scientists understand ozone depletion and global climate change. (4/23)
How Does Wallops Island Factor Into New NASA Policy? (Source: Parabolic Arc)
I’m wondering if there’s not more to Sen. Mikulski's interest in NASA's new direction beyond a wholly legitimate and sincere concern over astronaut safety. Mikulski helped to persuade Orbital Sciences Corporation – a major employer in nearby Northern Virginia — to launch its new Taurus-2 commercial rocket from Wallops Island instead of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Taurus-2 is being funded under NASA’s COTS program, and is a forerunner for the much larger expansion of commercial space proposed by the Obama Administration.
So, we’ve got a very interesting situation here. We have a launch complex that has suddenly found itself at the forefront NASA’s commercial space efforts due, in part, to a powerful senator who now holds a key vote as to whether that approach will be broadly expanded, with potentially major benefits flowing to two key states.
Interesting. Very interesting indeed. NASA has pledged to spend a lot of money to upgrade the infrastructure and facilities at Cape Canaveral. I’d be wondering whether the space agency had a little money to spend on the little-spaceport-that-could over on the Eastern Shore. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. (4/23)
Mineta: Time to bring Silicon Valley Spirit to Space Industry (Source: San Jose Mercury News)
Just over five years ago, as Secretary of Transportation, I had the honor of presiding over the birth of a new industry in the United States: commercial human space transportation. Those private flights of SpaceShipOne made headlines worldwide and showed that America still has what it takes to lead the world in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
As President Obama outlined in a historic speech last week, NASA will now partner with commercial space companies to bring that Silicon Valley spirit to all of NASA and breathe new life into the space industry. The commercial space industry has grown so much that NASA can and should start leveraging its capabilities more seriously. NASA should focus on pushing the frontier rather than operating a trucking service to low Earth orbit like today's space shuttle. (4/21)
Air Force: Robotic X-37B Space Plane Not a Weapon (Source: Space.com)
The hush-hush X-37B robotic space plane launched by the United States Air Force late Thursday is many things, but it's no space weapon, according to high-ranking official with the project. Gary Payton, Air Force deputy undersecretary of space programs, scoffed at speculation that the X-37B space plane is the vanguard for a space weapon fleet and said its main purpose is to test space technology, not orbital weapons. "I don't know how this could be called a weaponization of space," Payton said. (4/23)
ATK Must Shrink to Remain Competitive (Source: Salt Lake Tribune)
Facing an uncertain future with no deep-space flights scheduled for years if not decades, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden suggested that ATK has only one option if it wants to remain competitive in the solid rocket motor business -- downsize.
ATK's predicament, which could result in the loss of another 2,000 jobs in northern Utah, isn't its fault. Bolden told a Senate panel on Thursday that the company and other rocket motor developers had only responded to NASA, which had vastly overestimated the number of missions it could handle.
"Unfortunately the solid rocket industry has been overcapitalized for many, many years," Bolden told an appropriations subcommittee as part of his push for President Barack Obama's new direction for NASA. "We are carrying 70 percent of an industry for a capability that no one uses but NASA." (4/23)
Editorial: New Focus on Research Can Propel NASA Toward New Discoveries (Source: Washington Times)
Our space program, once the envy of every nation on Earth, has been showing its age of late. Its ambitions, though laudable, are starting to appear a little outdated. Technologies that once dazzled the masses now seem almost everyday and routine. Visions of new planetary terrain, once the fodder of science fiction, seem somewhat commonplace in light of the discoveries made by robotic spacecraft and the capabilities of other countries. And while the moon remains a fascinating destination, an entire galaxy of other regions - and countless possibilities - is just waiting to be explored.
With a renewed sense of energy and vision, NASA is well-positioned to reinvent itself. While some are lamenting the cancellation of a return to the moon's surface, the type of inspiring vision proposed is exactly what is needed to propel the U.S. beyond the trappings of the technologies developed nearly 50 years ago and to again take a leadership role through innovation and daring, the qualities that first took us to the lunar surface in 1969. (4/23)
Shuttle Backers Say Station Needs Safety Net (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Pro-NASA lawmakers trying to prolong space shuttle operations heard yet another argument Thursday for extending the missions — the lives and safety of astronauts. NASA administrator Charles Bolden told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee that astronauts aboard the orbiting International Space Station theoretically could face life threatening challenges getting back to earth if Russia suffered a catastrophic loss of Soyuz capsules and the American space shuttle had retired.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, raised the specter of accidents rendering the space station's Soyuz lifeboats inoperable or a mishap on reentry crippling Russia's program, leaving astronauts without ferry service “for an extended period of time.” “What are your plans?” Hutchison asked. Her emphasis on astronaut safety appeared to galvanize the Senate panel that is weighing President Obama's budget request for NASA.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., chair of the Senate panel, said they would explore ways for a shuttle to remain on standby beyond scheduled retirement in September to serve as a potential rescue vehicle. (4/23)
Uncrewed Military Space Planes Usher in New Weaponry Era (Source: Washington Times)
The Pentagon's test launch of two unmanned space vehicles Thursday highlights efforts to develop a generation of high-altitude, high-speed weapons systems that could make the heavens a new battleground. At the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the Air Force went ahead with the long-anticipated maiden flight of the troubled X-37B space plane, which launches vertically into orbit atop an Atlas rocket but descends into the atmosphere lands horizontally.
Meanwhile at Vandenberg Air Force Base, DARPA test launched another space plane - the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2), known as the Falcon. The Falcon is a suborbital vehicle launched on a solid-fuel rocket booster made from a decommissioned ballistic missile. Just outside the atmosphere, the plane separates from the rocket and glides back to Earth at more than 13,000 mph - more than 20 times the speed of sound.
Thursday's 30-minute, 4,100-nautical-mile test flight was slated to end with the Falcon crashing into the ocean just north of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. DARPA's $308 million research program is building two Falcon vehicles, the second of which is scheduled for launch early next year. Defense analysts say the Falcon is part of the Pentagon's effort to develop the capability to strike anywhere in the world with a conventional warhead in less than an hour - known as Conventional Prompt Global Strike, or CPGS. (4/23)
Astronaut/Alumna Nicole Stott to Speak at Embry-Riddle Commencement (Source: ERAU)
The spring commencement ceremony for 746 students of Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus will be held on May 10. Commencement weekend also includes Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC commissioning ceremonies and an alumni welcome reception. The commencement guest speaker – astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumna Nicole P. Stott – will receive the University’s Distinguished Speaker Award in recognition of her professional accomplishments and national prominence. (4/23)
Musgrave: Put Human Spaceflight in "Partial Hibernation" (Source: The Atlantic)
Story Musgrave is well aware of the obstacles to effecting change in an organization that involves as many Congressional interests and individual fiefdoms as NASA does. He understands Congressional resistance to any changes that might affect jobs back home, as well as how entrenched the different camps at NASA are. Indeed, he says it's a "valid question" whether the operational structure and approach of NASA could even be changed at this point without disbanding the organization as it now stands and rebuilding a new research institution from scratch.
But Musgrave believes it still could happen. "If you have a strong enough leader with an artistic vision of where we go next," he says, "the public is going to get behind it. Congress is not going to give you a good space program. You have to create it and sell it to the public, and the public forces it to happen. And you've got to do that in terms of good project management with a specific and achievable goal and a specific timeline, like we did in the 1960s." Even if, he says, the goal has to be less costly, because the funds are more precious now.
Musgrave labeled the International Space Station a "$100 billion mistake" and thinks that "human space flight needs to be put in partial hibernation. You continue to develop the capability, but send the robots first." (4/22)
Obama's Approval Rating Up in Florida (Source: SpaceKSC)
The latest Quinnipac University poll shows President Obama's approval rating in Florida is up from January. In the January poll, 45% approved of how Obama was doing his job while 49% disapproved. In the latest poll, 50% approve and 45% disapprove.
"The uptick in President Obama's job approval rating among Florida voters is largely due to his improved standing among independent voters, who give him a narrow 48 - 46 percent approval, reversing a 51 - 44 percent disapproval in January." It would appear that the claims by some that the Obama administration's FY 2011 proposed NASA budget would cost the President support in Florida are unfounded. (4/19)
Company To Focus On Small Space Payloads (Source: Aviation Week)
Andrews Space has formed a service company focused on providing routine, low-cost space access for small payloads. SpaceFlight Services is kicking off its business venture by signing an agreement with SpaceX to manifest payloads using excess capability on upcoming Falcon 9/Dragon missions. SpaceFlight says that under this deal customers will have access to multiple scheduled flight opportunities, including dedicated scientific free-flyer missions using SpaceX’s DragonLab variant of the Dragon vehicle.
SpaceFlight says payload space is being offered on missions in 2012 and beyond. “Our focus is on creating a robust market for the launch of small payloads,” says Jason Andrews, president and CEO of Andrews Space. For the future, SpaceFlight “could include other launch providers, although I believe SpaceX is the most progressive in this area,” he adds.
The company will be a commercial provider of small payload flight services for fixed and deployable cargo and spacecraft. It will use a process which “allows payloads to be rapidly manifested, certified, integrated and flown to space by simplifying launch integration planning and providing a single customer interface.” (4/16)
Stimulus Brings 800-1000 Tech Jobs to Space Coast, Including Space Contractor (Source: Florida Today)
Bolstered by $18.8 million in federal economic stimulus bonds, Lighting Science Group plans to build a major manufacturing facility on the Space Coast and create 832 new jobs. "It's going to allow us to move to a new location and to create approximately 1,000 new extra jobs," President Khaled Haram said.
Lighting Science, which will provide LED lighting technologies for NASA and other customers, proposes to hire 214 workers this year, 443 workers next year and 175 more in 2012. County Commissioners unanimously awarded a total of $28.6 million interest-free "recovery zone facility bonds" to the Satellite Beach technology firm and two Melbourne companies: Embraer and Legacy Southeast Investments, LLC. (4/21)
There's My Flying Car! Thanks DARPA (Source: AIA)
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in charge of exploring futuristic technologies, has given the green light for the development of a flying car not unlike those envisioned in the space-age TV show "The Jetsons." The Transformer, if successful, will allow U.S. soldiers to ride in four-person flying cars that can fly like small airplanes, drive on the ground like an SUV and may not require a runway to become airborne. Completion of the project is expected by 2015. (4/23)
Raytheon Beats Q1 Estimates, Stands by 2010 Outlook (Source: AIA)
Raytheon Co. exceeded analysts' expectations with first-quarter net income of $445 million and reiterated its full-year earnings forecast of $4.75 to $4.90 a share. "The threat environment has evolved over the last four to eight years ... and the priorities now front and center from a DoD perspective line up well with the core components at Raytheon," said CFO David Wajsgras. (4/23)
Atlas V Rocket Thunders Aloft With Mini-Military Shuttle (Source: Florida Today)
An Atlas rocket hauled a new military spaceplane into orbit tonight after a spectacular sunset launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The 19-story rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 41 at 7:52 p.m. and then climbed into a clear blue sky as the sun was setting in the west. United Launch Alliance announced a successful mission, so presumably the spacecraft is on its way to an operational low Earth orbit. (4/22)
Does Canada Have a Future in Space? (Source: Univ. of Western Ontario)
Space and space assets should be an essential element of government infrastructure, says Steve MacLean, president of the Canadian Space Agency. Canada has gleaned more than its fair share of space research from investments in the International Space Station, says former astronaut Steve MacLean. MacLean presented the annual Nerenberg Lecture on the subject “It is rocket science,” offering his perspective as a former astronaut on the complexity, benefits and future challenges of space exploration.
Will our space research keep pace with the needs of a growing nation? Many of today’s experts in the field are past the mid-point of their careers and the financial resources have not been available to develop the next generation of experts. MacLean says Canada must build on its heritage in space exploration and foster the synergy in the academic, government and industry circles. (4/22)
Japan Considering Withdrawal From Space Station? (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
What does Japan hope to achieve in space? Japan has long considered its involvement in the international partnership behind the ISS to be a central pillar of its manned space activity. But recently, calls for a review of this policy have been getting louder. A typical example is the proposal compiled this week by a panel of experts for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara, who is in charge of space development. The panel recommended the government reexamine the benefits of the current space development program.
Japan has attached great importance to being part of the international team involved with the ISS, primarily because it is more efficient--in both money and time--than singlehandedly developing a manned craft for space exploration. The government believed this strategy would provide valuable experience in space activities. Even so, Japan spends 40 billion yen on ISS-related activities, out of the annual 200 billion yen budget for the space program, excluding national security-related expenses.
Yet there have so far been only a few space experiments that have eventually led to discoveries that can have an industrial application. Applications to conduct tests using the Kibo experiment module--now part of the space station--have only trickled in. The panel's proposal has been worked out based on these realities. The proposal did not rule out that Japan might withdraw from the ISS program in the future, and suggested that this budget could then be diverted to satellite development or other projects. (4/22)
Mexico Gets a Space Agency, Plans Spaceport? (Source: Science)
Mexico's congress voted by a huge majority to create a new national space agency which could someday launch rockets from the Yucatan peninsula. The Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEXA) won't be sending astronauts into space or even building its own rockets. Instead, backers say the goal is to help Mexico develop a space policy and stimulate investment in aerospace technology. The idea "is to choose technologies where Mexico can invest and develop expertise" so that in 10 years the country can catch up with nations such as Brazil and Canada.
Mexican scientists backed the plan, but the biggest boost may have come from NASA astronaut José Hernández, a U.S. citizen with Mexican roots who has flown on the shuttle Discovery and who lobbied for the creation of the agency. Hernández told Mexico's El Universal that "to avoid brain drain, I think Mexico should create opportunities like AEXA to wager on the academic and technological development of our country." AEXA will be headquartered in the state of Hidalgo; plans also call for a launch pad in an unpopulated region of the Yucatan. (4/22)
Reduce Cost-Per-Pound of Going to the Stars (Source: Modesto Bee)
President Barack Obama's plans for the future of America's civilian space programs, outlined in his speech last week, have been attacked for being too bold and relying too much on private enterprise. The reality is that they're not bold enough. The end of shuttle flights this year, as scheduled by President George W. Bush, and Obama's proposed cancellation the overbudget Constellation program, have received the most congressional and media attention. What's been neglected has been the core of the president's proposed revamping of NASA: the development of new technologies to reduce the cost and complexity of operating in space.
These proposals, however, do not address the key problem that limits the exploration and exploitation of space — the high cost of reaching orbit. Launching a satellite into orbit costs approximately $10,000 a pound. Until that cost dramatically drops, the promise of the final frontier will remain only a promise. High launch costs have restricted space to those governments and corporations that can afford tens of millions of dollars to launch a satellite. Nor are rockets infallible: Insurance rates for the launch of a communications satellite can be 10 percent to 15 percent of its value. In comparison, the cost of auto insurance for a teenager seems a bargain. (4/22)
Spaceport Authority Accepts Landeene Resignation (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Spaceport America officials met Wednesday to formally accept the resignation of Spaceport Authority Director Steve Landeene. After a closed-door meeting, they also appointed board Chairman Fred Mondrag-n, based in Santa Fe, to act as executive director until a replacement is named. Mondrag-n, also state economic development secretary, said he'll spend two to three days a week in Las Cruces or Truth or Consequences while in the role.
The board granted another of its members, Ben Woods, who's also a New Mexico State University official, authority to sign documents on Mondrag-n's behalf, if Mondrag-n isn't able to. Landeene, 47, earns $155,546 annually. He'll be paid through May 14, though officials have said he's only working in an advisory capacity until then. (4/22)
Antelope Valley Commemorates Space Shuttle (Source: Edwards AFB)
Over 100 people turned out to be a part of the Space Shuttle First Flight Commemoration that took place at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, Calif., April 20. State, city, Air Force, NASA and Boeing officials joined to pay tribute to the thousands of space and aerospace workers who were part of the Space Shuttle team. "It's a very proud program for the Antelope Valley and especially for Air Force Plant 42," said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.
Mayor Ledford said the city of Palmdale is proud to be part of the history of the Space Shuttle Program that started so long ago at Site 1, the home of all six shuttles. Site 1 was also the shuttles' maintenance site for many years. Edwards Air Force Base served as a primary alternate landing site and had the distinction of receiving the very first shuttle landing. On April 14, 1981 space shuttle Columbia made its first flight. (4/22)
Lockheed Martin Hosts 4,000 Students for Young Minds At Work Day (Source: CSA)
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company opened its doors to students, aged 6-18, for the company’s annual Young Minds at Work Day on Apr. 22. Approximately 4,000 students participated at company facilities in Colorado, California, Alabama and Pennsylvania. Click here for information. (4/23)
Lockheed Martin-Built Instruments See "First Light" on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (Source: CSA)
Spectacular “first light” images and data from the three state-of-the art instruments on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) were unveiled by NASA. The SDO spacecraft was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Feb. 11. Click here for information. (4/23)
Lockheed-Built Hubble Space Telescope Marks 20 Years of Discovery (Source: CSA)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST), built and integrated at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, was launched 20 years ago aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, on April 24, 1990, ushering in a new golden age of astronomy. HST was released by the crew into Earth orbit the next day and the universe hasn't looked the same since. Click here for more. (4/23)
A new Minotaur launch vehicle derived from retired missile parts successfully blasted off from the California coast Thursday, but officials lost contact with a hypersonic glider testbed for a U.S. military quick-response global strike system. The Minotaur 4, flying in a downsized three-stage configuration called the Minotaur 4 Lite, released its HTV 2a payload high in the upper atmosphere at a velocity more than 20 times the speed of sound.
The craft was designed to try out its aerodynamic control system and conduct sweeping turns to bleed off excess energy and demonstrate its cross-range capabilities. Tracking assets lost contact with the triangle-shaped craft 9 minutes after liftoff. A DARPA press release did not specify whether any of the test maneuvers were completed before controllers lost communications with the craft.
Prior to this launch, a grounding of the Minotaur-4 rocket triggered a cascade of launch delays for military satellites. After another Vandenberg launch in July, two Minotaur-4 flights are planned this fall from Kodiak Island, Alaska. (4/23)
Uncertainty Looms for 3-Year-Old ORS Office Amid Declining Budgets (Source: Space News)
The DOD's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office has demonstrated in its three years of existence that there are alternative ways to design and build military spacecraft, but a variety of factors are contributing to a sense of uncertainty about the office’s future, government and industry sources said.
The Pentagon stood up the ORS Office in 2007 at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The ORS Office has a three-tiered strategy for delivering timely data from space platforms. This ranges from using existing space assets in different ways to the ultimate ORS goal of being able to build and launch augmentation or replacement satellites in just a few days. Click here to view the article. (4/23)
Whose Human Flight Safety Standards, Again? (Source: Hyperbola)
NASA's new human spaceflight standards may not be as rigorous as those it already demands for high profile payload launches. For high profile "class A" payload missions to be launched on a "category three" low-risk launch vehicle, NASA's certification requirements ask for a 14 consecutive successful flight history.
The Delta-4 doesn't have that, SpaceX's Falcon-9 won't until 2013 at least, Orbital's Taurus-2 never will because it only has eight commercial resupply missions manifested, and so only the Atlas-5 has an adequate launch history. Sorry, I hear you say, but that is for payloads, not crew. So are you saying that crews will ride on rockets with a lesser launch history than payloads?
Admittedly the certification requirements also mention two alternative flight histories for candidate vehicles. They are three consecutive successful flights and six successful flights, three of which must be consecutive. But for each NASA must conduct reviews and audits and for the three-flight history, comprehensive acceptance test results are required as well. And, none of the above boosters have the standards against which they should be designing, or re-designing, boosters for commercial crew services. (4/23)
Japan's ISS Kibo-Mounted Sensor Stops Transmitting (Source: Space News)
An environmental sensor attached to the the international space station’s Kibo Japanese Experiment Module to monitor global distributions of trace gases in the Earth’s stratosphere stopped transmitting April 21, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said April 23. The Japanese sensor, the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder, or SMILES, was put into service last November to help scientists understand ozone depletion and global climate change. (4/23)
How Does Wallops Island Factor Into New NASA Policy? (Source: Parabolic Arc)
I’m wondering if there’s not more to Sen. Mikulski's interest in NASA's new direction beyond a wholly legitimate and sincere concern over astronaut safety. Mikulski helped to persuade Orbital Sciences Corporation – a major employer in nearby Northern Virginia — to launch its new Taurus-2 commercial rocket from Wallops Island instead of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Taurus-2 is being funded under NASA’s COTS program, and is a forerunner for the much larger expansion of commercial space proposed by the Obama Administration.
So, we’ve got a very interesting situation here. We have a launch complex that has suddenly found itself at the forefront NASA’s commercial space efforts due, in part, to a powerful senator who now holds a key vote as to whether that approach will be broadly expanded, with potentially major benefits flowing to two key states.
Interesting. Very interesting indeed. NASA has pledged to spend a lot of money to upgrade the infrastructure and facilities at Cape Canaveral. I’d be wondering whether the space agency had a little money to spend on the little-spaceport-that-could over on the Eastern Shore. It should be interesting to see how this plays out. (4/23)
Mineta: Time to bring Silicon Valley Spirit to Space Industry (Source: San Jose Mercury News)
Just over five years ago, as Secretary of Transportation, I had the honor of presiding over the birth of a new industry in the United States: commercial human space transportation. Those private flights of SpaceShipOne made headlines worldwide and showed that America still has what it takes to lead the world in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
As President Obama outlined in a historic speech last week, NASA will now partner with commercial space companies to bring that Silicon Valley spirit to all of NASA and breathe new life into the space industry. The commercial space industry has grown so much that NASA can and should start leveraging its capabilities more seriously. NASA should focus on pushing the frontier rather than operating a trucking service to low Earth orbit like today's space shuttle. (4/21)
Air Force: Robotic X-37B Space Plane Not a Weapon (Source: Space.com)
The hush-hush X-37B robotic space plane launched by the United States Air Force late Thursday is many things, but it's no space weapon, according to high-ranking official with the project. Gary Payton, Air Force deputy undersecretary of space programs, scoffed at speculation that the X-37B space plane is the vanguard for a space weapon fleet and said its main purpose is to test space technology, not orbital weapons. "I don't know how this could be called a weaponization of space," Payton said. (4/23)
ATK Must Shrink to Remain Competitive (Source: Salt Lake Tribune)
Facing an uncertain future with no deep-space flights scheduled for years if not decades, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden suggested that ATK has only one option if it wants to remain competitive in the solid rocket motor business -- downsize.
ATK's predicament, which could result in the loss of another 2,000 jobs in northern Utah, isn't its fault. Bolden told a Senate panel on Thursday that the company and other rocket motor developers had only responded to NASA, which had vastly overestimated the number of missions it could handle.
"Unfortunately the solid rocket industry has been overcapitalized for many, many years," Bolden told an appropriations subcommittee as part of his push for President Barack Obama's new direction for NASA. "We are carrying 70 percent of an industry for a capability that no one uses but NASA." (4/23)
Editorial: New Focus on Research Can Propel NASA Toward New Discoveries (Source: Washington Times)
Our space program, once the envy of every nation on Earth, has been showing its age of late. Its ambitions, though laudable, are starting to appear a little outdated. Technologies that once dazzled the masses now seem almost everyday and routine. Visions of new planetary terrain, once the fodder of science fiction, seem somewhat commonplace in light of the discoveries made by robotic spacecraft and the capabilities of other countries. And while the moon remains a fascinating destination, an entire galaxy of other regions - and countless possibilities - is just waiting to be explored.
With a renewed sense of energy and vision, NASA is well-positioned to reinvent itself. While some are lamenting the cancellation of a return to the moon's surface, the type of inspiring vision proposed is exactly what is needed to propel the U.S. beyond the trappings of the technologies developed nearly 50 years ago and to again take a leadership role through innovation and daring, the qualities that first took us to the lunar surface in 1969. (4/23)
Shuttle Backers Say Station Needs Safety Net (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Pro-NASA lawmakers trying to prolong space shuttle operations heard yet another argument Thursday for extending the missions — the lives and safety of astronauts. NASA administrator Charles Bolden told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee that astronauts aboard the orbiting International Space Station theoretically could face life threatening challenges getting back to earth if Russia suffered a catastrophic loss of Soyuz capsules and the American space shuttle had retired.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, raised the specter of accidents rendering the space station's Soyuz lifeboats inoperable or a mishap on reentry crippling Russia's program, leaving astronauts without ferry service “for an extended period of time.” “What are your plans?” Hutchison asked. Her emphasis on astronaut safety appeared to galvanize the Senate panel that is weighing President Obama's budget request for NASA.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., chair of the Senate panel, said they would explore ways for a shuttle to remain on standby beyond scheduled retirement in September to serve as a potential rescue vehicle. (4/23)
Uncrewed Military Space Planes Usher in New Weaponry Era (Source: Washington Times)
The Pentagon's test launch of two unmanned space vehicles Thursday highlights efforts to develop a generation of high-altitude, high-speed weapons systems that could make the heavens a new battleground. At the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the Air Force went ahead with the long-anticipated maiden flight of the troubled X-37B space plane, which launches vertically into orbit atop an Atlas rocket but descends into the atmosphere lands horizontally.
Meanwhile at Vandenberg Air Force Base, DARPA test launched another space plane - the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2), known as the Falcon. The Falcon is a suborbital vehicle launched on a solid-fuel rocket booster made from a decommissioned ballistic missile. Just outside the atmosphere, the plane separates from the rocket and glides back to Earth at more than 13,000 mph - more than 20 times the speed of sound.
Thursday's 30-minute, 4,100-nautical-mile test flight was slated to end with the Falcon crashing into the ocean just north of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. DARPA's $308 million research program is building two Falcon vehicles, the second of which is scheduled for launch early next year. Defense analysts say the Falcon is part of the Pentagon's effort to develop the capability to strike anywhere in the world with a conventional warhead in less than an hour - known as Conventional Prompt Global Strike, or CPGS. (4/23)
Astronaut/Alumna Nicole Stott to Speak at Embry-Riddle Commencement (Source: ERAU)
The spring commencement ceremony for 746 students of Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus will be held on May 10. Commencement weekend also includes Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC commissioning ceremonies and an alumni welcome reception. The commencement guest speaker – astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumna Nicole P. Stott – will receive the University’s Distinguished Speaker Award in recognition of her professional accomplishments and national prominence. (4/23)
Musgrave: Put Human Spaceflight in "Partial Hibernation" (Source: The Atlantic)
Story Musgrave is well aware of the obstacles to effecting change in an organization that involves as many Congressional interests and individual fiefdoms as NASA does. He understands Congressional resistance to any changes that might affect jobs back home, as well as how entrenched the different camps at NASA are. Indeed, he says it's a "valid question" whether the operational structure and approach of NASA could even be changed at this point without disbanding the organization as it now stands and rebuilding a new research institution from scratch.
But Musgrave believes it still could happen. "If you have a strong enough leader with an artistic vision of where we go next," he says, "the public is going to get behind it. Congress is not going to give you a good space program. You have to create it and sell it to the public, and the public forces it to happen. And you've got to do that in terms of good project management with a specific and achievable goal and a specific timeline, like we did in the 1960s." Even if, he says, the goal has to be less costly, because the funds are more precious now.
Musgrave labeled the International Space Station a "$100 billion mistake" and thinks that "human space flight needs to be put in partial hibernation. You continue to develop the capability, but send the robots first." (4/22)
Obama's Approval Rating Up in Florida (Source: SpaceKSC)
The latest Quinnipac University poll shows President Obama's approval rating in Florida is up from January. In the January poll, 45% approved of how Obama was doing his job while 49% disapproved. In the latest poll, 50% approve and 45% disapprove.
"The uptick in President Obama's job approval rating among Florida voters is largely due to his improved standing among independent voters, who give him a narrow 48 - 46 percent approval, reversing a 51 - 44 percent disapproval in January." It would appear that the claims by some that the Obama administration's FY 2011 proposed NASA budget would cost the President support in Florida are unfounded. (4/19)
Company To Focus On Small Space Payloads (Source: Aviation Week)
Andrews Space has formed a service company focused on providing routine, low-cost space access for small payloads. SpaceFlight Services is kicking off its business venture by signing an agreement with SpaceX to manifest payloads using excess capability on upcoming Falcon 9/Dragon missions. SpaceFlight says that under this deal customers will have access to multiple scheduled flight opportunities, including dedicated scientific free-flyer missions using SpaceX’s DragonLab variant of the Dragon vehicle.
SpaceFlight says payload space is being offered on missions in 2012 and beyond. “Our focus is on creating a robust market for the launch of small payloads,” says Jason Andrews, president and CEO of Andrews Space. For the future, SpaceFlight “could include other launch providers, although I believe SpaceX is the most progressive in this area,” he adds.
The company will be a commercial provider of small payload flight services for fixed and deployable cargo and spacecraft. It will use a process which “allows payloads to be rapidly manifested, certified, integrated and flown to space by simplifying launch integration planning and providing a single customer interface.” (4/16)
Stimulus Brings 800-1000 Tech Jobs to Space Coast, Including Space Contractor (Source: Florida Today)
Bolstered by $18.8 million in federal economic stimulus bonds, Lighting Science Group plans to build a major manufacturing facility on the Space Coast and create 832 new jobs. "It's going to allow us to move to a new location and to create approximately 1,000 new extra jobs," President Khaled Haram said.
Lighting Science, which will provide LED lighting technologies for NASA and other customers, proposes to hire 214 workers this year, 443 workers next year and 175 more in 2012. County Commissioners unanimously awarded a total of $28.6 million interest-free "recovery zone facility bonds" to the Satellite Beach technology firm and two Melbourne companies: Embraer and Legacy Southeast Investments, LLC. (4/21)
There's My Flying Car! Thanks DARPA (Source: AIA)
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in charge of exploring futuristic technologies, has given the green light for the development of a flying car not unlike those envisioned in the space-age TV show "The Jetsons." The Transformer, if successful, will allow U.S. soldiers to ride in four-person flying cars that can fly like small airplanes, drive on the ground like an SUV and may not require a runway to become airborne. Completion of the project is expected by 2015. (4/23)
Raytheon Beats Q1 Estimates, Stands by 2010 Outlook (Source: AIA)
Raytheon Co. exceeded analysts' expectations with first-quarter net income of $445 million and reiterated its full-year earnings forecast of $4.75 to $4.90 a share. "The threat environment has evolved over the last four to eight years ... and the priorities now front and center from a DoD perspective line up well with the core components at Raytheon," said CFO David Wajsgras. (4/23)
Atlas V Rocket Thunders Aloft With Mini-Military Shuttle (Source: Florida Today)
An Atlas rocket hauled a new military spaceplane into orbit tonight after a spectacular sunset launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The 19-story rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 41 at 7:52 p.m. and then climbed into a clear blue sky as the sun was setting in the west. United Launch Alliance announced a successful mission, so presumably the spacecraft is on its way to an operational low Earth orbit. (4/22)
Does Canada Have a Future in Space? (Source: Univ. of Western Ontario)
Space and space assets should be an essential element of government infrastructure, says Steve MacLean, president of the Canadian Space Agency. Canada has gleaned more than its fair share of space research from investments in the International Space Station, says former astronaut Steve MacLean. MacLean presented the annual Nerenberg Lecture on the subject “It is rocket science,” offering his perspective as a former astronaut on the complexity, benefits and future challenges of space exploration.
Will our space research keep pace with the needs of a growing nation? Many of today’s experts in the field are past the mid-point of their careers and the financial resources have not been available to develop the next generation of experts. MacLean says Canada must build on its heritage in space exploration and foster the synergy in the academic, government and industry circles. (4/22)
Japan Considering Withdrawal From Space Station? (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
What does Japan hope to achieve in space? Japan has long considered its involvement in the international partnership behind the ISS to be a central pillar of its manned space activity. But recently, calls for a review of this policy have been getting louder. A typical example is the proposal compiled this week by a panel of experts for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara, who is in charge of space development. The panel recommended the government reexamine the benefits of the current space development program.
Japan has attached great importance to being part of the international team involved with the ISS, primarily because it is more efficient--in both money and time--than singlehandedly developing a manned craft for space exploration. The government believed this strategy would provide valuable experience in space activities. Even so, Japan spends 40 billion yen on ISS-related activities, out of the annual 200 billion yen budget for the space program, excluding national security-related expenses.
Yet there have so far been only a few space experiments that have eventually led to discoveries that can have an industrial application. Applications to conduct tests using the Kibo experiment module--now part of the space station--have only trickled in. The panel's proposal has been worked out based on these realities. The proposal did not rule out that Japan might withdraw from the ISS program in the future, and suggested that this budget could then be diverted to satellite development or other projects. (4/22)
Mexico Gets a Space Agency, Plans Spaceport? (Source: Science)
Mexico's congress voted by a huge majority to create a new national space agency which could someday launch rockets from the Yucatan peninsula. The Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEXA) won't be sending astronauts into space or even building its own rockets. Instead, backers say the goal is to help Mexico develop a space policy and stimulate investment in aerospace technology. The idea "is to choose technologies where Mexico can invest and develop expertise" so that in 10 years the country can catch up with nations such as Brazil and Canada.
Mexican scientists backed the plan, but the biggest boost may have come from NASA astronaut José Hernández, a U.S. citizen with Mexican roots who has flown on the shuttle Discovery and who lobbied for the creation of the agency. Hernández told Mexico's El Universal that "to avoid brain drain, I think Mexico should create opportunities like AEXA to wager on the academic and technological development of our country." AEXA will be headquartered in the state of Hidalgo; plans also call for a launch pad in an unpopulated region of the Yucatan. (4/22)
Reduce Cost-Per-Pound of Going to the Stars (Source: Modesto Bee)
President Barack Obama's plans for the future of America's civilian space programs, outlined in his speech last week, have been attacked for being too bold and relying too much on private enterprise. The reality is that they're not bold enough. The end of shuttle flights this year, as scheduled by President George W. Bush, and Obama's proposed cancellation the overbudget Constellation program, have received the most congressional and media attention. What's been neglected has been the core of the president's proposed revamping of NASA: the development of new technologies to reduce the cost and complexity of operating in space.
These proposals, however, do not address the key problem that limits the exploration and exploitation of space — the high cost of reaching orbit. Launching a satellite into orbit costs approximately $10,000 a pound. Until that cost dramatically drops, the promise of the final frontier will remain only a promise. High launch costs have restricted space to those governments and corporations that can afford tens of millions of dollars to launch a satellite. Nor are rockets infallible: Insurance rates for the launch of a communications satellite can be 10 percent to 15 percent of its value. In comparison, the cost of auto insurance for a teenager seems a bargain. (4/22)
Spaceport Authority Accepts Landeene Resignation (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Spaceport America officials met Wednesday to formally accept the resignation of Spaceport Authority Director Steve Landeene. After a closed-door meeting, they also appointed board Chairman Fred Mondrag-n, based in Santa Fe, to act as executive director until a replacement is named. Mondrag-n, also state economic development secretary, said he'll spend two to three days a week in Las Cruces or Truth or Consequences while in the role.
The board granted another of its members, Ben Woods, who's also a New Mexico State University official, authority to sign documents on Mondrag-n's behalf, if Mondrag-n isn't able to. Landeene, 47, earns $155,546 annually. He'll be paid through May 14, though officials have said he's only working in an advisory capacity until then. (4/22)
Antelope Valley Commemorates Space Shuttle (Source: Edwards AFB)
Over 100 people turned out to be a part of the Space Shuttle First Flight Commemoration that took place at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, Calif., April 20. State, city, Air Force, NASA and Boeing officials joined to pay tribute to the thousands of space and aerospace workers who were part of the Space Shuttle team. "It's a very proud program for the Antelope Valley and especially for Air Force Plant 42," said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.
Mayor Ledford said the city of Palmdale is proud to be part of the history of the Space Shuttle Program that started so long ago at Site 1, the home of all six shuttles. Site 1 was also the shuttles' maintenance site for many years. Edwards Air Force Base served as a primary alternate landing site and had the distinction of receiving the very first shuttle landing. On April 14, 1981 space shuttle Columbia made its first flight. (4/22)
Lockheed Martin Hosts 4,000 Students for Young Minds At Work Day (Source: CSA)
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company opened its doors to students, aged 6-18, for the company’s annual Young Minds at Work Day on Apr. 22. Approximately 4,000 students participated at company facilities in Colorado, California, Alabama and Pennsylvania. Click here for information. (4/23)
Lockheed Martin-Built Instruments See "First Light" on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (Source: CSA)
Spectacular “first light” images and data from the three state-of-the art instruments on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) were unveiled by NASA. The SDO spacecraft was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Feb. 11. Click here for information. (4/23)
Lockheed-Built Hubble Space Telescope Marks 20 Years of Discovery (Source: CSA)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST), built and integrated at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, was launched 20 years ago aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, on April 24, 1990, ushering in a new golden age of astronomy. HST was released by the crew into Earth orbit the next day and the universe hasn't looked the same since. Click here for more. (4/23)
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