Smithsonian Considering Display of Challenger and Columbia Debris (Source: CollectSpace)
The National Air and Space Museum may incorporate debris from space shuttles Columbia and Challenger in its new gallery dedicated to the soon-ending shuttle program. The display will only go forward however, if the families of the shuttles' fallen astronauts and NASA officials agree with the museum's plans. The solemn artifacts, which were recovered in the wake of the loss of shuttle Challenger 25 years ago last Friday and the loss of Columbia eight years ago on Tuesday, would be used to teach the public about the conditions that led to the two tragedies. (1/31)
NASA Announces SAIC Information Technology Contract Extension (Source: NASA)
NASA extended the Unified NASA Information Technology Services, or UNITeS, contract with Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego. The sole source contract extension provides agency-wide information services and integration support for the NASA Information Technology Service Network. This extension begins Feb. 1 and includes an eight-month base period valued at approximately $36.4 million. The action extends the contract period of performance by a potential 14 months for the continuation of activities through March 31, 2012. (1/31)
Businesses Take Flight, With Help From NASA (Source: New York Times)
Boeing and SpaceX are not the only competitors seeking to provide space taxi services, a program that NASA calls commercial crew. Last year, in the first-round financing provided for preliminary development, Sierra Nevada Space Systems won the largest award: $20 million out of a total of $50 million. In December, another space company, Orbital Sciences Corp., announced it had submitted a similar bid for a space plane it wants financed during the second round. NASA is to announce the winners by the end of March, and they will divide $200 million.
After the second round, NASA would like narrow its choices down to two, maybe three, systems to finance. The blueprint for NASA, passed by Congress last year and signed into law by President Obama, calls for spending on commercial crew to rise to $500 million each year in 2012 and 2013. Senator Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat who was one of the primary architects of funding plan, has said the intent was to provide $6 billion over six years.
But what Congress puts into the budget could be far less. “They’re not getting $6 billion over six years for commercial crew,” said a Senate aide who was not authorized to speak for attribution. “That’s never going to happen.” The aide estimated commercial crew might receive half that much. (1/31)
Space Industry Gives Island 'Wow Factor' (Source: IsleOfMan.com)
The arrival of two space station hulls in the Isle of Man has provided a real boost for its space industry. That's the belief of the director of the Island's Business Development Agency, which includes space commerce. Hundreds of people saw the massive hull parts, which belong to locally registered space tourism firm Excalibur Almaz, as they were transported under wraps to Jurby. (1/31)
India to Launch Remote Sensing Resourcesat in February (Source: Deccan Herald)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is getting ready to launch Resourcesat 2, a remote sensing earth observation satellite, by the end of February. The satellite has reached the Sriharikota spaceport and tests are being conducted. The polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) will be launched between Feb. 20-25. With nine orbiting satellites and the tenth one to join in February, India has the largest number of remote sensing satellites in the world providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions. (1/31)
Commercial Spaceflight Federation Welcomes New Group of Associate Members (Source: CSF)
Seven companies providing support services to the commercial spaceflight industry have joined CSF as Associate Members. They include ARES Corporation, Cimarron Software Services, Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation, Innovative Health Applications, MDA Corporation, RS&H, and SEAKR Engineering. With the addition of these new Associate Members – in locations ranging from Kennedy Space Center, Florida and Denver, Colorado to Houston, Texas and Pasadena, California – the Commercial Spaceflight Federation now includes over 40 leading aerospace companies. (1/31)
Orbital's "Prometheus" Spaceplane Shares Dream Chaser's HL-20 Heritage (Source: New York Times)
Orbital Sciences Corp.'s space plane design is a refinement of the same NASA HL-20 concept that is being more closely followed by Sierra Nevada for its Dream Chaser craft. Following in the pattern of tapping Greek mythology for the names of its spacecraft, Orbital calls its plane Prometheus. Orbital says development of Prometheus would cost $3.5 billion to $4 billion, which would include the cost of upgrading the Atlas V rocket and two test flights.
With enough financial support, David W. Thompson, chief executive of Orbital, is sure that his company can build and operate Prometheus. But he is less sure that his industry is at a tipping point for spaceflight to become much more common, driving down prices and opening up space to new businesses. “I think it depends on what the demand curve really is,” Mr. Thompson said. “I would say I’m highly skeptical.” (1/31)
As Egypt Shuts Down The Internet, One Group Wants Online Access For All (Source: TIME)
When the Egyptian government blocked Internet access and mobile texting capabilities in an attempts to thwart protestors' ability to organize, Kosta Grammatis had new ammunition to pitch his big idea: what if there was a satellite service for Internet and phone — affordable for the average Egyptian — that could not be shut off?
Grammatis knows a satellite that might be up for sale, and he and a few others want to raise money to buy it. They formed a non-profit called Buy This Satellite in the hopes of acquiring a dormant communications satellite from a company currently in bankruptcy. Grammatis wants to move the satellite from its current orbit above Earth and park it over Africa, offering online access to some of the world's poorest citizens. (1/31)
Leonard David Honored with National Space Club Press Award (Source: Space Policy Online)
Veteran space journalist Leonard David has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious National Space Club Press Award. Mr. David's 45 years of reporting on civil, commercial and national security space activities has "informed and inspired professionals and enthusiasts alike" according to the citation. Mr. David's byline has appeared in virtually all of the key space policy-related publications over the years. Currently he writes for Space.com, Space News, and AIAA's Aerospace America, as well as serving as a research associate for the Secure World Foundation. The award will be presented on April 1 in Washington DC. (1/31)
Air Force's Second X-37 Space Plane Nears Launch (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Two months after a sister ship successfully concluded a demo flight, the U.S. military's second robotic X-37B space plane is in Florida preparing for blastoff March 4 on another secret mission. The 29-foot-long, 14-foot-wide space plane is being readied for flight in a processing facility near its launch site at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Like its predecessor last year, the X-37B will lift off inside the nose cone of an Atlas 5 rocket. The flight is scheduled for March 4, but the Air Force has not released a time for the blastoff. (1/31)
Russia to Stay in Kazakh Cosmodrome for Economic Reasons (Source: Xinhua)
Russia will never leave the Baikonur cosmodrome rented in Kazakhstan, even upon the completion of its new Vostochny space launch site, the head of Roskosmos said. Anatoly Perminov said "We will not abandon Baikonur till the end of times...space cooperation with Kazakhstan would be gradually switched to the entirely commercial tracks."
According to Perminov, Kazakhstan has already offered Russia to use one of Baikonur's launching pads for commercial launches after Russia's shift to the Vostochny cosmodrome of its main space operation. Besides, Baikonur will be used for Russian-Ukrainian joint commercial launches. In addition, Perminov revealed that Russia plans to use the Kourou launch site in French Guiana this year, and eyes cooperation agreements with Israel, Vietnam, Nigeria, Belarus, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. (1/31)
Tracking the Origins of Speedy Space Particles (Source: NASA)
NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interaction during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft combined with computer models have helped track the origin of the energetic particles in Earth's magnetic atmosphere that appear during a kind of space weather called a substorm. Understanding the source of such particles and how they are shuttled through Earth's atmosphere is crucial to better understanding the Sun's complex space weather system and thus protect satellites or even humans in space. (1/31)
First Cosmonaut's Daughter Applies for Gagarin Trademark Registration (Source: RIA Novosti)
Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov confirmed that the youngest daughter of the world's first cosmonaut has filed an application to register a trademark for "Yury Alexeyevich Gagarin." "I do not consider it shameful given that everyone is making money on Gagarin's name. Why can't his family do it?" Perminov said. Gagarin's daughter, Yulia, filed the application to the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks on January 26 ahead of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight by Yury Gagarin. (1/31)
Florida Space Industry Sets Mar 16. as Florida Space Day in Tallahassee (Source: Space Florida)
For more than 15 years, Florida’s space industry leaders have visited Tallahassee during the state's annual Legislative Session to participate in Florida Space Day. This year's Space Day will be held on Mar. 16 and will focus on the challenges the industry faces in ensuring Florida remains at the forefront of the nation’s space program.
With over 400 statewide aerospace companies employing 31,000 workers, current aerospace issues impact all Floridians. NASA alone has contractors in 47 of the 67 counties and there are more than 1,000 subcontractors throughout the state. As the Space Shuttle program completes its final flight this year, the job losses could reach 21,000 direct and indirect jobs--losses that represent a highly skilled workforce across Florida.
During Space Day Industry leaders and representatives will conduct legislative visits with House and Senate Representatives to bring collaborative messages on space and aerospace initiatives and discuss pending legislation with policymakers. To learn more about Florida Space Day To learn more about Florida Space Day 2011, visit www.floridaspaceday.com. (1/31)
Russia 2010 Leader for Space Launches (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russia confirmed its absolute leadership for space launches in the past year, Anatoly Perminov said. He said Russia made 31 launches of various booster rockets last year (one of them failed), which made up 41 percent of the launches in the world. “We are called ‘space cabbies’ and we are proud of that”, the Roscosmos chief said. “This is quite an achievement to win in tough competition” in the world today, “accounting for 41 percent of the launches,” he said. (1/31)
Chinese Astronomers Set Sights on Overseas Scopes (Source: Science)
Chinese astronomers are about to gain a superior view of the heavens--at premier perches far from their homeland. The National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is negotiating with four world-class optical and infrared facilities in Chile and the United States to give Chinese astronomers around 50 nights of observing time per year at the telescopes. (1/31)
Senate Plans to Debate FAA Bill this Week (Source: AIA)
Senate Democrats plan to bring an FAA reauthorization bill to the floor this week, though the measure is being pitched primarily as a jobs bill, thanks to $8 billion earmarked for airport construction projects. "This measure will give a green light to overdue improvement projects at airports across the country," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., in announcing the measure. "These projects will make air travel safer and more efficient while also putting hundreds of thousands of Americans to work." Though Republicans in the House have promised quick work on their own FAA bill, it is unclear how they will respond to the Senate's airport spending plan. (1/31)
Honeywell Sees Q4 Earnings More Than Double as Demand Picks Up (Source: AIA)
Honeywell International reports that improved demand in the fourth quarter helped boost its profit to $369 million, or 47 cents a share, up from $150 million, or 20 cents a share in the same quarter a year earlier. The company also announced that private investment company Rank Group will acquire its automotive consumer products business for about $950 million. (1/31)
With Repairs Complete, Discovery Heads Back to Launchpad (Source: AIA)
The space shuttle Discovery should be returned to its launchpad tonight after months of work to repair cracks in the vessel's external fuel tank. "Teams have worked very hard over the last few months and done a remarkable job doing all the testing on the tank and making all the modifications," said a Kennedy Space Center spokeswoman. Technicians will now go to work making the same precautionary modifications on Endeavour, which is scheduled for a launch on April 19. (1/31)
Memorials and Malaise (Source: The Space Review)
This time of year is traditionally a somber one at NASA, as the agency recognizes those who lost their lives on missions. Jeff Foust examines a deeper angst that is evident today as well, given the continued uncertainty about NASA's future human spaceflight plans and budgets. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1770/1 to view the article. (1/31)
All Space Politics is Local (Source: The Space Review)
In the new Congress, as in previous ones, the leadership of key space-related committees is dominated by people from states with major NASA facilities. Lou Friedman discusses the importance of broadening NASA's appeal to win more support, and funding, in the future. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1769/1 to view the article. (1/31)
Launch Failures: The "Oops!" Factor (Source: The Space Review)
Launch vehicles are complex machines that sometimes can be felled by simple failures. Wayne Eleazer describes several such failures of rockets, and how a simple "oops", compounded by other problems, caused them. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1768/1 to view the article. (1/31)
Editorial: Reconsider Cuts In Space Programs (Source: The Intelligencer)
One of the catch-phrases President Barack Obama used during his State of the Union speech last week carried more than a touch of irony with it. "This is our nation's Sputnik moment," Obama said in recommending more government spending on education and research. He referred, of course, to the satellite the old Soviet Union launched into orbit in 1957. It prompted the United States to reexamine its school systems and its support for technological innovation.
It also resulted in a national dedication to a space exploration program second to none. By 1969 an American was walking on the moon. Unfortunately, there is little reason to believe there will be much more progress in that regard - because the Obama administration is overseeing the dismantling of many National Aeronautics and Space Administration's programs. The space shuttle's days are numbered, with no replacement envisioned.
Obama's idea of space exploration, then, certainly does not match the original "Sputnik moment." If Americans indeed are to commit to a leadership role in technology, the president and Congress may want to consider the irony of Obama's words compared to his actions in regard to space exploration. (1/31)
Giffords Husband to Decide on Space Trip in Mid-February (Source: Reuters)
The astronaut husband of a U.S. congresswoman seriously wounded when she was shot in head will decide by mid-February whether to join the last NASA shuttle launch as scheduled, the space agency said Sunday. Mark Kelly, the commander of April's Endeavour mission, has been on leave to tend to his wife, Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords. "I believe Mark is planning to decide in the next few weeks whether he can resume training and of course he will be candid with the space shuttle crew," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. (1/31)
Gazing Afar for Other Earths, and Other Beings (Source: New York Times)
In a building at NASA’s Ames Research Center here, computers are sifting and resifting the light from 156,000 stars, seeking to find in the flickering of distant suns the first hints that humanity is not alone in the universe. The stars are being monitored by a $600 million satellite observatory named Kepler. On Wednesday, Kepler’s astronomers are scheduled to unveil a closely kept list of 400 stars that are their brightest and best bets so far for harboring planets.
Some of these worlds could turn out to be the smallest and most Earth-like places discovered out there to date. They represent the first glimpse of riches to come in a quest that is as old as the imagination and as new as the iPad. Over the next two or three years, as Kepler continues to stare and sift, astronomers say, it will be able to detect planets in the “Goldilocks” zones, where it is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water. (1/31)
Asteroid Deflection Should Be Next 'Sputnik Moment' (Source: Discovery)
Popularized by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, the 1,300-foot long near-Earth asteroid Apophis has been widely reported as a "doomsday asteroid." It has projected razor-thin near-misses with our frail blue planet in 2029, 2036, 2056, 2068, and beyond. Professor Leonid Sokolov of the St. Petersburg State University and U.S. planetary scientists agree that on Apr. 13 of 2029 the asteroid is predicted to brush by Earth at 18,000 miles altitude, below the height of Earth's geosynchronous satellites.
The bottom line is that asteroids are featherweight objects compared to other solar systems bodies. Gravitational forces and even the pressure of sunlight can shove them around. There are so many dynamical uncertainties affecting asteroid trajectories that Apophis will haunt us right up to 2036, and well beyond. So here's my Sputnik Moment: Launch an international space program to ensure the long term survival of the human species by building and testing a robust asteroid deflection capability. Click here to read the article. (1/31)
European Space Agency Faces Spending Freeze (Source: Aviation Week)
Increased support for European launchers and approval of the International Space Station lifetime extension will be at the top of the European Space Agency’s playbook for 2011, despite a continued spending freeze. ESA will also have to name a new slate of directors to fill vacancies in the science and technical directorates and new divisions established under a reorganization last June.
The revamp will create a new human spaceflight/operations directorate and reinforce agency support functions such as procurement and planning/control. The agency also wants to create new synergies between its science operations and astronaut training facilities in Germany and German aerospace center DLR. The issue of launcher support, the ISS extension and director nominations will be decided at the next meeting of the ESA council in March.
Measures related to launcher support, the ISS extension and EDRS must be undertaken without affecting a spending freeze put in place for 2010-11 to fend off a possible funding crisis among some ESA members. The 2011 budget, approved in December, calls for a 6.6% increase in spending, to €4 billion. (1/31)
Rogers Commission Member Comments on NASA Safety (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Alton Keel Jr. was a member of the Rogers Commission that investigated the causes of the disaster. He graciously agreed to answer several questions I had about the commission's work and NASA, with the benefit of a quarter century of hindsight. Q: Do you feel NASA heeded the recommendations of the Rogers Commission?
"NASA made a gallant effort but fell short. Most importantly, it was not successful in establishing a truly independent office for oversight of flight safety. It also was not able to put in place a fully communicative and transparent launch-decision making process. The 'flawed decision making process' discovered and exposed by the Challenger Commission was still apparent in the investigation of the subsequent Columbia accident.
"NASA is a victim of their success and of their own public relations. They have left the general public with the impression that the shuttle missions are routine and the public has consequently to a great extent lost interest. Sadly, the Challenger and Columbia accidents can be attributed to a degree to parts of NASA being similarly lulled into complacency and beginning to treat shuttle launches as routine." (1/31)
Bigelow Signs MOU to Create Human Spaceflight Program for Dubai, UAE (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and Bigelow Aerospace LLC, an organisation dedicated to providing affordable options for spaceflight to national space agencies and corporate clients, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive joint efforts to usher in a new era in human spaceflight based on innovative technologies, affordability, commercial sustainability, and strong international partnerships.
As per the MoU, EIAST and Bigelow Aerospace will explore joint efforts to establish a next-generation commercial human spaceflight programme for Dubai and the UAE, leveraging recent advances in human spaceflight. They will work to create a world-class microgravity research and development programme with a potential focus on advanced biotechnology applications, and a variety of other commercial space-related activities. (1/31)
Media Remarks on JFK's Space Interest Lacked Context (Source: Rep. Bill Posey)
As a fan of JFK, I was a bit disheartened several years ago, when I read about the JFK audio being released which, the media reported, revealed JFK was not interested in space - just wanted to beat the Russians to the Moon. Then, last week, a blogger posted a negative comment in reference to my wishing President Obama would set a time specific goal for space human exploration. The blogger regurgitated the spin about Kennedy's alleged disinterest in space, quoting JFK as as saying, "I'm not interested in space." That source enabled me to access the complete JFK audio and transcript (see page 17) of the meeting almost fifty years ago.
The bottom line is that Kennedy did not say, "I'm not interested in space." What Kennedy did say was, "I'm not that interested in space." What did "that" mean? His remark was about adding over $400 hundred million (in 1962 dollars!) more to the space program's budget. Kennedy indicated he was not interested in spending that much extra if we could not beat the Russians. The transcript also indicates it's very clear that Kennedy considered the lunar landing the most important single goal of this nation except for national defense, and he viewed the value of the lunar program as part of our national security. "Now," as Paul Harvey would say, "that's the rest of the story." (1/31)
SpaceX Continues Rapid Growth with New Office in Virginia (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX is opening a new office in Chantilly, Virginia to serve customers looking for reliable, affordable launch solutions. The community is home to some of the world’s leading Internet and high-tech companies. “We are excited to open offices in Chantilly,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO. “It will provide us with valuable access to important customers and an exceptional talent pool as we continue to grow.” (1/31)
Russian Government Plans to Revamp Defense Industry (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the government was planning to adopt a new program on the modernization of the country's defense industry in the near future. Russia needs a strong and modernized defense industry to carry out its ambitious state rearmament program until 2020. A comprehensive rearmament of Russia's Armed Forces is expected to begin in 2011. It will see the share of modern weaponry reach 30 percent by 2015, and total 70 percent by 2020. The government plans to allocate 20 trillion rubles ($641 billion) for this program. (1/31)
Casa Romantica Launches Out-of-This-World Exhibit (Source: Orange County Register)
Now through March 27, San Clemente's cultural center hosts NASA displays about manned space flight and earthly technologies that developed from it. If you've ever wondered what astronauts eat in space, San Clemente's Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is the place to find out. Hint: It's not exactly fine dining.
Space food is one of the curiosities presented in "They Came from Outer Space," an exhibit about space exploration that the Casa has on loan from NASA through March 27 at 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente. During Saturday's opening day of the exhibit, the Casa offered a few culinary samples for sale – commercially available versions of freeze-dried, vacuum-packed astronaut ice cream ($2) and space sticks ($1). (1/31)
UK Space Sector a Potential Growth Industry (Source: The Engineer)
The space sector is one that’s often held up as hugely important for the UK. Combining the most advanced technologies of aerospace with both newly developed and tried-and-tested electronics, it straddles the hard-nosed commercial realities of the telecommunications sector, the increasingly urgent calls for information on the Earth’s climate and the ways and reasons for its changes, and the curiosity-driven aspirations for exploration and expanding the boundaries of science. The public is often unaware of the UK’s place in the industry - the lack of launcher technology and the UK’s historical lack of involvement in manned space exploration has kept it away from the limelight.
However, according to Prof Martin Sweeting, head of space science at Surrey University and chairman of small satellite pioneer Surrey Satellites, the sector is growing faster than most other parts of the UK’s economy. ’Studies in the UK now show that the space sector is one of the highest value-adding economic sectors,’ he said. Sweeting believes the UK’s strength in this sector stems from a focus on innovation. ’The UK has pioneered the development of service-based businesses such as InMarSat and Paradigm, rather than relying on institutional purchases of satellite hardware,’ he explained.
Government input to help the sector should be structural rather than financial, Sweeting believes. ’We do not want government hand-outs just to keep the sector alive, as that tends to detract from ensuring that what we deliver is of real value,’ he said. ’Rather, government should provide a supportive tax environment for research and development, and financial underwriting for export, as with countries such as France and Germany.’ (1/31)
January 30, 2011
Iran Inaugurates Space Test Laboratories (Source: PressTV)
Iran has launched a number of laboratories for testing “space structures and systems” in line with its progressing space program, the Iranian Defense Ministry says. The labs have been inaugurated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of the Ten Days of Dawn (Feb. 1-10) celebrations marking the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Planning and setting up the laboratories is in continuation of firm steps taken by Iranian experts in putting domestically-built satellites into orbit, said Iran's Defense Minister.
The Defense Ministry constructed ten labs to “reinforce infrastructures of Iran's space industry” and help improve the abilities of human resources. He also noted that Iran is expected to unveil other space projects in the near future. Iran launched its first domestically-produced satellite, Omid, into space in 2009. (1/30)
San Diego Museum Hosts 'Space' Exploration Exhibit (Source: North County Times)
Most Americans are familiar with the words astronaut Neil Armstrong spoke as he stepped from the Lunar Module onto the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, but an exhibit opening Tuesday at the San Diego Air & Space Museum hopes to transition the public's consciousness about human space exploration from the past into the future.
"Space: A Journey to Our Future" is a large-scale traveling exhibition created in 2003 with the help of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Teachers Association. The family-friendly, hands-on exhibit helps visitors of all ages learn not only about past space travel but also about the machines and technology involved in modern space travel ---- which have come a long way from the rudimentary vehicles and computers that Armstrong and his colleagues depended on 40 years ago. (1/30)
BrahMos Aerospace to Make Cryogenic Engines for Indian Rockets (Source: IANS)
Missile makers BrahMos Aerospace will manufacture the cryogenic engine once the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) perfects the technology. The company is also hoping to induct its supersonic cruise missile into the Indian Air Force and develop hypersonic missile in six years' time, A.Sivathanu Pillai said.
"The ISRO is developing the cryogenic engine to power its GSLV (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle) rockets. Once ISRO perfects the technology, we will make the engine as the space agency has asked us to do it," Pillai said. The company's wholly owned subsidiary BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvanthapuram Ltd (BATL) that already makes the liquid fuel powered engines and fuel tanks for rockets will make the cryogenic engine, he added. (1/30)
Authorities Seeks Lead on Missing Moon Rocks (Source: NBC)
If $5 million worth of moon rocks happen to be junking up your home, could you give New Jersey State Police a call? Detectives will arrive at, well, warp speed to reclaim state property — and solve a 35-year-old mystery. The rocks were supposed to go on public display starting in 1976, when an astronaut presented the Governor’s Office with goodwill tokens of Apollo 17, the last manned lunar landing. But last year, researchers, curators and former Gov. Brendan Byrne told The Record they had no idea where the gift went.
Now, state police confirm they are looking for leads on the rocks, whose estimated black-market value is $5 million. The shards, gray and jagged, resemble fireplace ash. The New Jersey bits weigh just over 1 gram, or about 1/28th of an ounce.
"Had a stapler been taken from the governor’s office, I believe there would have been a greater effort to find that item than the state’s Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock, an item of immense economic and historical value," he wrote. "It is my hope that New Jersey opens a criminal investigation to try to find its property, and I would begin by asking former governors and their families, as well as their staffs, about it." (1/30)
Astronaut Won't Run for West Virginia Governor Again (Source: Charleston Daily Mail)
During the course of his career as an aviator and astronaut, Beckley native Jon McBride has piloted everything from the Goodyear blimp to the space shuttle Challenger. One thing he won't relaunch, though, is his bid to move into the West Virginia Governor's Mansion. In 1996, he lost the Republican nomination for governor to Cecil Underwood, who went on to win that race. "No, I won't be doing that again," McBride told a reporter. (1/30)
Space Station Welcomes Wave of International Cargo Ships (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The International Space Station received its second cargo freighter of the week Saturday night when a Russian-made vessel loaded with two-and-a-half tons of supplies safely approached and docked on autopilot. The Progress M-09M spacecraft linked up to the station's Pirs module while orbiting 220 miles above the Atlantic, just off the coast of Uruguay.
"For the second time in less than three days, an international cargo craft has weighed anchor at the International Space Station," said a NASA official. Hooks and latches were engaged a few minutes later to firmly secure the 24-foot-long craft to the station. The craft joins a previous Progress ship that launched in September and remains affixed to the outpost, plus two Soyuz crew transport capsules currently residing at the space station.
The station also possesses the Japanese HTV 2 freighter that arrived earlier this week. Soaring within reach below the outpost, the astronauts used the robotic arm to snare the craft and attach it to the Harmony connecting module on Thursday morning. In contrast, the Progress used thrusters to fly itself straight into the docking slot without needing any intervention by the crew. (1/30)
Editorial: Sen. Bill Nelson Didn't Learn Much From Challenger Disaster (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
After Challenger blew up 25 yeas ago, I spent six months learning why. I spent much of that time talking to NASA engineers and managers, getting schooled not only on the technical causes for the disaster but also the institutional failures. It is a history that bears repeating, because politicians like Sen. Bill Nelson have not learned a lesson from it.
Last month, NASA demonstrated it learned its lesson. It told Congress it could not develop a new manned rocket under the existing time and money constraints. The response from U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Kay Bailey Hutchison was to build it anyway. After all, it is off-the-shelf technology. Nelson said he has told NASA "to follow the law, which requires a new rocket by 2016. Nelson was on the launch before Challenger. It was cold. Burn marks were later discovered on an O-ring seal in the left booster. Did he learn nothing from his own close call, or the tragedy that followed? (1/30)
Iran has launched a number of laboratories for testing “space structures and systems” in line with its progressing space program, the Iranian Defense Ministry says. The labs have been inaugurated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of the Ten Days of Dawn (Feb. 1-10) celebrations marking the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Planning and setting up the laboratories is in continuation of firm steps taken by Iranian experts in putting domestically-built satellites into orbit, said Iran's Defense Minister.
The Defense Ministry constructed ten labs to “reinforce infrastructures of Iran's space industry” and help improve the abilities of human resources. He also noted that Iran is expected to unveil other space projects in the near future. Iran launched its first domestically-produced satellite, Omid, into space in 2009. (1/30)
San Diego Museum Hosts 'Space' Exploration Exhibit (Source: North County Times)
Most Americans are familiar with the words astronaut Neil Armstrong spoke as he stepped from the Lunar Module onto the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, but an exhibit opening Tuesday at the San Diego Air & Space Museum hopes to transition the public's consciousness about human space exploration from the past into the future.
"Space: A Journey to Our Future" is a large-scale traveling exhibition created in 2003 with the help of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Teachers Association. The family-friendly, hands-on exhibit helps visitors of all ages learn not only about past space travel but also about the machines and technology involved in modern space travel ---- which have come a long way from the rudimentary vehicles and computers that Armstrong and his colleagues depended on 40 years ago. (1/30)
BrahMos Aerospace to Make Cryogenic Engines for Indian Rockets (Source: IANS)
Missile makers BrahMos Aerospace will manufacture the cryogenic engine once the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) perfects the technology. The company is also hoping to induct its supersonic cruise missile into the Indian Air Force and develop hypersonic missile in six years' time, A.Sivathanu Pillai said.
"The ISRO is developing the cryogenic engine to power its GSLV (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle) rockets. Once ISRO perfects the technology, we will make the engine as the space agency has asked us to do it," Pillai said. The company's wholly owned subsidiary BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvanthapuram Ltd (BATL) that already makes the liquid fuel powered engines and fuel tanks for rockets will make the cryogenic engine, he added. (1/30)
Authorities Seeks Lead on Missing Moon Rocks (Source: NBC)
If $5 million worth of moon rocks happen to be junking up your home, could you give New Jersey State Police a call? Detectives will arrive at, well, warp speed to reclaim state property — and solve a 35-year-old mystery. The rocks were supposed to go on public display starting in 1976, when an astronaut presented the Governor’s Office with goodwill tokens of Apollo 17, the last manned lunar landing. But last year, researchers, curators and former Gov. Brendan Byrne told The Record they had no idea where the gift went.
Now, state police confirm they are looking for leads on the rocks, whose estimated black-market value is $5 million. The shards, gray and jagged, resemble fireplace ash. The New Jersey bits weigh just over 1 gram, or about 1/28th of an ounce.
"Had a stapler been taken from the governor’s office, I believe there would have been a greater effort to find that item than the state’s Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock, an item of immense economic and historical value," he wrote. "It is my hope that New Jersey opens a criminal investigation to try to find its property, and I would begin by asking former governors and their families, as well as their staffs, about it." (1/30)
Astronaut Won't Run for West Virginia Governor Again (Source: Charleston Daily Mail)
During the course of his career as an aviator and astronaut, Beckley native Jon McBride has piloted everything from the Goodyear blimp to the space shuttle Challenger. One thing he won't relaunch, though, is his bid to move into the West Virginia Governor's Mansion. In 1996, he lost the Republican nomination for governor to Cecil Underwood, who went on to win that race. "No, I won't be doing that again," McBride told a reporter. (1/30)
Space Station Welcomes Wave of International Cargo Ships (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The International Space Station received its second cargo freighter of the week Saturday night when a Russian-made vessel loaded with two-and-a-half tons of supplies safely approached and docked on autopilot. The Progress M-09M spacecraft linked up to the station's Pirs module while orbiting 220 miles above the Atlantic, just off the coast of Uruguay.
"For the second time in less than three days, an international cargo craft has weighed anchor at the International Space Station," said a NASA official. Hooks and latches were engaged a few minutes later to firmly secure the 24-foot-long craft to the station. The craft joins a previous Progress ship that launched in September and remains affixed to the outpost, plus two Soyuz crew transport capsules currently residing at the space station.
The station also possesses the Japanese HTV 2 freighter that arrived earlier this week. Soaring within reach below the outpost, the astronauts used the robotic arm to snare the craft and attach it to the Harmony connecting module on Thursday morning. In contrast, the Progress used thrusters to fly itself straight into the docking slot without needing any intervention by the crew. (1/30)
Editorial: Sen. Bill Nelson Didn't Learn Much From Challenger Disaster (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
After Challenger blew up 25 yeas ago, I spent six months learning why. I spent much of that time talking to NASA engineers and managers, getting schooled not only on the technical causes for the disaster but also the institutional failures. It is a history that bears repeating, because politicians like Sen. Bill Nelson have not learned a lesson from it.
Last month, NASA demonstrated it learned its lesson. It told Congress it could not develop a new manned rocket under the existing time and money constraints. The response from U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Kay Bailey Hutchison was to build it anyway. After all, it is off-the-shelf technology. Nelson said he has told NASA "to follow the law, which requires a new rocket by 2016. Nelson was on the launch before Challenger. It was cold. Burn marks were later discovered on an O-ring seal in the left booster. Did he learn nothing from his own close call, or the tragedy that followed? (1/30)
January 29, 2011
Stennis Testing of Taurus-2 Commercial Engine Flies High (Source: NASA)
You see a lot of smiles around the E-1 Test Stand at John C. Stennis Space Center these days. Engineers involved in testing Aerojet's AJ26 rocket engine for Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus-2 space launch vehicle have good reason to smile. In fact, they have several good reasons given that the partnership between NASA, Orbital and Aerojet is off to such an impressive start. Two successful tests of an AJ26 engine that will power the first stage of Orbital's Taurus-2 rocket recently wrapped up at Stennis. The two tests were so successful that Orbital engineers decided a planned third test was unnecessary. (1/29)
Asteroid Once Seen As Danger Offers Chance For Close Study (Source: International Business Times)
An asteroid that once was seen as a danger to the Earth may soon be a once-in-a-century opportunity to get a close look at one - and learn more about the ones that really are a hazard. The asteroid is called Apophis. It's a near-Earth asteroid that is a type called a chondrite, essentially a stony body that has a high silicate content and few metals. It is about 330 meters across, and it's due to pass the Earth in 2029.
Apophis was first found in 2004. At first it was a cause of concern because it looked like it was might hit the Earth on the 2029 pass. An asteroid that big is large enough to do a lot of damage if it hits. The crater would be on the order of 3 kilometers wide, twice as large as Meteor Crater in Arizona. Destruction would be widespread. The blast would be equivalent to a large nuclear bomb. (1/29)
For $200,000, George Whitesides Will Send You Into Space (Source: Venture Beat)
They call it New Space, a commercial effort to send people into space as tourists. Entrepreneurs are creating startups that are flying tourists into space, for a fee. One of the companies doing so is Virgin Galactic, a startup funded by billionaire Richard Branson of the Virgin Group.
We caught up with George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, at the recent Digital Life Design conference in Munich. He thinks that as early as next year he can send you up into space and experience weightlessness and see the Earth from a unique point of view. Click here to see the video interview. (1/29)
Researchers Seek Standardized Protocol For Talking To Extraterrestrials (Source: Popular Science)
Since the first binary code sent from Puerto Rico in 1974, our messages to aliens have been increasingly complicated and cryptic, possibly so much that extraterrestrials won’t get what we’re saying. A trio of astrophysicists from the US and France hope to change that by building an extraterrestrial messaging protocol, so any spacebound communiqué could be easily understood.
A METI protocol — messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence — would include several factors, including signal encoding, message length and message content, according to Dimitra Atri, an astronomer at the University of Kansas, and his colleagues. They suggest using two specific wavelengths for transmission: 1.42 GHz or 4.46 GHz, which are commonly observed in nature and relatively easy to capture, in case the ETs only have “modest technical capabilities.” They also recommend establishing a dedicated transmission beacon to conduct regular broadcasts. (1/29)
Indian Official Questions Motivation for "Entity List" Removal (Source: Outlook India)
The impact of the removal would be clear when those laws would be stipulated, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister Dr V K Saraswat said, adding, "We cannot say whether it will help us or it will maintain the same situation." Saraswat said the purpose of the control regime was basically to deny the technology to the country's programs and projects which were on the anvil at that point of time.
"But as a country we gained, because we accelerated our program of developing those items and products that had been denied to us," he said. It was the market forces in the US and Europe that had driven the removal of the control regime as otherwise countries not observing these regimes would benefit and the US economy would not, he said. "Hence the removal is driven by economy, by market force. No ethics is involved," he said. (1/29)
Kehler Succeeds Chilton as Strategic Command Chief (Source: DOD)
Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton has passed the flag of U.S. Strategic Command to Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, giving the nation’s nuclear deterrent mission a new commander. Chilton, a pilot who served 10 years with NASA and flew three space shuttle missions, retired after 34 years of service. Kehler assumed command after serving as the commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates presided over the ceremony. Outside the hangar where the ceremony took place were aircraft important in the command. From B-52 and B-2 bombers, to F-15 Eagles, to U-2 reconnaissance planes, the aircraft served as a backdrop to honor Chilton’s career from the Air Force Academy class of 1976 to orbit to today. (1/29)
USAF Extends Space Fence Study Contracts 18 Months (Source: Space News)
Raytheon and Lockheed Martin were each awarded $107 million Air Force contracts to spend the next 18 months continuing preliminary design work for a network of space surveillance radars. The U.S. currently operates a series of radar sites that stretch across southern portion of the nation from east to west, collectively known as the Space Fence. The Air Force since 2006 has been studying options for replacing the Space Fence with a system capable of tracking a greater number of smaller objects in low and medium Earth orbit. It is possible that all of the new radar sites will be located outside of the continental U.S. (1/29)
Germany Nears ISS Extension Agreement (Source: Aviation Week)
German space agency DLR has approved a program plan for 2011 featuring new in-orbit servicing, broadband technology and methane-monitoring missions, as well as additional funding for the International Space Station (ISS), the Ariane 5 launch system and a European relay satellite system. The plan reflects the priorities of a new strategic space plan, unveiled late last year, and Germany’s commitment to increase financial support for space activities. This year’s budget will make around €1.25 billion ($1.7 billion) available for space spending, up from €1.2 billion last year. (1/29)
NASA Prepares For Risks In Private Space Travel (Source: NPR)
...NASA would also be under scrutiny, even if it didn't own the spacecraft carrying its astronauts, says Ed Mango, who heads the space transportation planning office at Kennedy Space Center. Mango says that by around 2015 or 2016, it's possible that astronauts could be riding on the outer space version of rental cars — spacecraft designed and owned not by NASA but by private companies. Even if that happens, though, "the responsibility for the mission is still ultimately accountable to NASA," Mango says. "And if the vehicle does not fly right, then we will be held accountable for what has happened."
So NASA has been preparing a list of safety standards that a private spaceship would have to meet before any NASA astronaut climbs onboard. Some space industry watchers have criticized a draft of these standards as being too onerous. Mango says government officials are also discussing what might need to be done to ensure that a commercial space company could financially survive the aftermath of a disaster, if NASA had come to depend on its launch services for astronauts. (1/29)
Florida Defense Contractors Group Lists State Policy Priorities (Source: FLDC)
The Florida League of Defense Contractors (FLDC) has identified three state policy issues as their priorities for 2011 action during the upcoming Florida Legislative Session and beyond. Click here to see their list. (1/29)
Colorado Senators Ask Obama To Keep NASA a Priority (Source: Space Policy Online)
Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, wrote a letter to President Obama calling for him to "keep NASA a priority" despite the difficult budgetary situation. The letter basically asks the President to include funds in his FY2012 budget request to implement the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. The Senators specifically mention their support for the Orion spacecraft and commercial crew and cargo, but interestingly omit the new Space Launch System (heavy lift launch vehicle) that is also required under the law.
Acknowledging that NASA funding "impacts thousands of Colorado jobs," they say the Act "codifies a plan ... that will help keep America at the forefront of space exploration." Despite the "austere budgetary times," they ask him to "keep NASA a priority so we do not cede our leadership position in space." Click here to download the letter. (1/29)
You see a lot of smiles around the E-1 Test Stand at John C. Stennis Space Center these days. Engineers involved in testing Aerojet's AJ26 rocket engine for Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus-2 space launch vehicle have good reason to smile. In fact, they have several good reasons given that the partnership between NASA, Orbital and Aerojet is off to such an impressive start. Two successful tests of an AJ26 engine that will power the first stage of Orbital's Taurus-2 rocket recently wrapped up at Stennis. The two tests were so successful that Orbital engineers decided a planned third test was unnecessary. (1/29)
Asteroid Once Seen As Danger Offers Chance For Close Study (Source: International Business Times)
An asteroid that once was seen as a danger to the Earth may soon be a once-in-a-century opportunity to get a close look at one - and learn more about the ones that really are a hazard. The asteroid is called Apophis. It's a near-Earth asteroid that is a type called a chondrite, essentially a stony body that has a high silicate content and few metals. It is about 330 meters across, and it's due to pass the Earth in 2029.
Apophis was first found in 2004. At first it was a cause of concern because it looked like it was might hit the Earth on the 2029 pass. An asteroid that big is large enough to do a lot of damage if it hits. The crater would be on the order of 3 kilometers wide, twice as large as Meteor Crater in Arizona. Destruction would be widespread. The blast would be equivalent to a large nuclear bomb. (1/29)
For $200,000, George Whitesides Will Send You Into Space (Source: Venture Beat)
They call it New Space, a commercial effort to send people into space as tourists. Entrepreneurs are creating startups that are flying tourists into space, for a fee. One of the companies doing so is Virgin Galactic, a startup funded by billionaire Richard Branson of the Virgin Group.
We caught up with George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, at the recent Digital Life Design conference in Munich. He thinks that as early as next year he can send you up into space and experience weightlessness and see the Earth from a unique point of view. Click here to see the video interview. (1/29)
Researchers Seek Standardized Protocol For Talking To Extraterrestrials (Source: Popular Science)
Since the first binary code sent from Puerto Rico in 1974, our messages to aliens have been increasingly complicated and cryptic, possibly so much that extraterrestrials won’t get what we’re saying. A trio of astrophysicists from the US and France hope to change that by building an extraterrestrial messaging protocol, so any spacebound communiqué could be easily understood.
A METI protocol — messaging to extraterrestrial intelligence — would include several factors, including signal encoding, message length and message content, according to Dimitra Atri, an astronomer at the University of Kansas, and his colleagues. They suggest using two specific wavelengths for transmission: 1.42 GHz or 4.46 GHz, which are commonly observed in nature and relatively easy to capture, in case the ETs only have “modest technical capabilities.” They also recommend establishing a dedicated transmission beacon to conduct regular broadcasts. (1/29)
Indian Official Questions Motivation for "Entity List" Removal (Source: Outlook India)
The impact of the removal would be clear when those laws would be stipulated, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister Dr V K Saraswat said, adding, "We cannot say whether it will help us or it will maintain the same situation." Saraswat said the purpose of the control regime was basically to deny the technology to the country's programs and projects which were on the anvil at that point of time.
"But as a country we gained, because we accelerated our program of developing those items and products that had been denied to us," he said. It was the market forces in the US and Europe that had driven the removal of the control regime as otherwise countries not observing these regimes would benefit and the US economy would not, he said. "Hence the removal is driven by economy, by market force. No ethics is involved," he said. (1/29)
Kehler Succeeds Chilton as Strategic Command Chief (Source: DOD)
Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton has passed the flag of U.S. Strategic Command to Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, giving the nation’s nuclear deterrent mission a new commander. Chilton, a pilot who served 10 years with NASA and flew three space shuttle missions, retired after 34 years of service. Kehler assumed command after serving as the commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates presided over the ceremony. Outside the hangar where the ceremony took place were aircraft important in the command. From B-52 and B-2 bombers, to F-15 Eagles, to U-2 reconnaissance planes, the aircraft served as a backdrop to honor Chilton’s career from the Air Force Academy class of 1976 to orbit to today. (1/29)
USAF Extends Space Fence Study Contracts 18 Months (Source: Space News)
Raytheon and Lockheed Martin were each awarded $107 million Air Force contracts to spend the next 18 months continuing preliminary design work for a network of space surveillance radars. The U.S. currently operates a series of radar sites that stretch across southern portion of the nation from east to west, collectively known as the Space Fence. The Air Force since 2006 has been studying options for replacing the Space Fence with a system capable of tracking a greater number of smaller objects in low and medium Earth orbit. It is possible that all of the new radar sites will be located outside of the continental U.S. (1/29)
Germany Nears ISS Extension Agreement (Source: Aviation Week)
German space agency DLR has approved a program plan for 2011 featuring new in-orbit servicing, broadband technology and methane-monitoring missions, as well as additional funding for the International Space Station (ISS), the Ariane 5 launch system and a European relay satellite system. The plan reflects the priorities of a new strategic space plan, unveiled late last year, and Germany’s commitment to increase financial support for space activities. This year’s budget will make around €1.25 billion ($1.7 billion) available for space spending, up from €1.2 billion last year. (1/29)
NASA Prepares For Risks In Private Space Travel (Source: NPR)
...NASA would also be under scrutiny, even if it didn't own the spacecraft carrying its astronauts, says Ed Mango, who heads the space transportation planning office at Kennedy Space Center. Mango says that by around 2015 or 2016, it's possible that astronauts could be riding on the outer space version of rental cars — spacecraft designed and owned not by NASA but by private companies. Even if that happens, though, "the responsibility for the mission is still ultimately accountable to NASA," Mango says. "And if the vehicle does not fly right, then we will be held accountable for what has happened."
So NASA has been preparing a list of safety standards that a private spaceship would have to meet before any NASA astronaut climbs onboard. Some space industry watchers have criticized a draft of these standards as being too onerous. Mango says government officials are also discussing what might need to be done to ensure that a commercial space company could financially survive the aftermath of a disaster, if NASA had come to depend on its launch services for astronauts. (1/29)
Florida Defense Contractors Group Lists State Policy Priorities (Source: FLDC)
The Florida League of Defense Contractors (FLDC) has identified three state policy issues as their priorities for 2011 action during the upcoming Florida Legislative Session and beyond. Click here to see their list. (1/29)
Colorado Senators Ask Obama To Keep NASA a Priority (Source: Space Policy Online)
Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, wrote a letter to President Obama calling for him to "keep NASA a priority" despite the difficult budgetary situation. The letter basically asks the President to include funds in his FY2012 budget request to implement the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. The Senators specifically mention their support for the Orion spacecraft and commercial crew and cargo, but interestingly omit the new Space Launch System (heavy lift launch vehicle) that is also required under the law.
Acknowledging that NASA funding "impacts thousands of Colorado jobs," they say the Act "codifies a plan ... that will help keep America at the forefront of space exploration." Despite the "austere budgetary times," they ask him to "keep NASA a priority so we do not cede our leadership position in space." Click here to download the letter. (1/29)
January 28, 2011
NASA’s Overbudget Mars Rover in Need of Another Cash Infusion (Source: Space News)
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission needs an $82 million cash infusion to maintain its late November launch date after development of the $2.47 billion rover exhausted program funding reserves last year. Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division, attributed the 3 percent cost increase to problems developing the truck-sized rover’s mobility systems, avionics, radar and drill, as well as delays in completing the rover’s Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite, which is designed to sniff the surrounding air for carbon-containing compounds. (1/28)
France Ready To Back ISS Extension if Europe Revamps Funding Formula (Source: Space News)
The French government stands ready to endorse extending the operational life of the international space station to 2020 and beyond but is insisting on new ways of financing the work with its European partners, the head of the French space agency, CNES, said. CNES President Yannick d’Escatha did not spell out the mechanism France would like to see adopted to determine how much of the station’s annual operating charges each European nation would pay. (1/28)
Hughes Sale Attracts Interest from Established Fleet Operators (Source: Space News)
Established satellite-fleet operators Inmarsat, Intelsat and EchoStar have signaled interest in bidding for the 57-percent stake of satellite broadband provider Hughes Communications that is being put up for sell by its owner, private-equity investor Apollo. Regardless of whether these companies will pursue their interest into an auction likely to feature competing bids by several private-equity investors, even an initial interest by them suggests how far Ka-band satellite broadband has come in terms of market acceptance. (1/28)
Stephen Hawking Wouldn't Talk to an ET, Would You? (Source: AOL News)
Hardly a day passes without someone, somewhere claiming to have seen a UFO. In just the last year, Chinese airports were closed down -- not once, but several times -- after the sighting of an unidentified flying object. This week, we speak with Space.com's Dave Brody and AOL's resident ufologist Lee Speigel, to get their perspective on the search for intelligent life in the universe. Click here. (1/28)
Israel, ESA to Sign Cooperation Agreement (Source: Y-Net News)
The sky is the limit – Israel on Sunday will sign a cooperation agreement with European Space Agency ESA. According to the agreement, the two will collaborate on various fields of space science, including astronomy, astrophysics, solar system research, space and satellite engineering, environmental pollution monitoring and meteorology. In addition, they will conduct joint research on natural disasters and hold space experiments in zero gravity conditions, as well as biological and medical research and space applications for urban planning and surveillance. (1/28)
Gates: Pentagon Faces Spending Crisis as Congress Stalls Budget (Source: AIA)
The failure by Congress to approve a final budget for the Defense Department has resulted in a spending crisis that could force the department to cut its spending by as much as $23 billion this year, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. While the Obama administration submitted its annual budget proposal of $549 billion for the Pentagon in early 2010, Congress has not taken a final vote, and the department could be forced to make immediate cuts in training and operations, Gates said. (1/28)
FAA to Call for Stepped-Up Satellite Navigation Effort (Source: AIA)
The FAA next week is expected to call for more help from private industry in designing satellite-guided precision flight paths at U.S. airports. Only 75 airports currently have such procedures in place, leaving 375 airports to rely on old, less efficient systems. GE and Boeing have helped design flight paths at two airports, and experts would like to see more such public-private partnerships. Without satellite-guided navigation to help relieve congestion, "we'll just hit gridlock," says an official at the Aerospace Industries Association. (1/28)
U.S., EU Eye Anti-Satellite Weapons Pact (Source: Washington Times)
The Obama administration is negotiating with the European Union on an agreement limiting the use of anti-satellite weapons, a move that some critics say could curb U.S. development of space weapons in general. Three congressional staffers told The Washington Times that Pentagon and intelligence analysts said in a briefing Monday that the administration is looking to sign on to the European Union‘s Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities.
The briefing followed the completion of an interagency review that recommends the United States sign on to the document with only a few minor changes to its language, according to two administration officials familiar with the review. That recommendation is awaiting final approval from the National Security Council. A draft of the code of conduct dated Sept. 27 says countries that sign on to the document vow to “refrain from any action which intends to bring about, directly or indirectly, damage or destruction of outer space objects unless such action is conducted to reduce the creation of outer space debris and/or is justified by the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense. (1/28)
ESA Secures Funds for Data Relay Satellite System (Source: Space News)
After more than two years of negotiations, European Space Agency (ESA) governments have secured the full funding package to build a data-relay satellite system whose initial customer will be the European Commission’s Earth observation program. The agency’s Industrial Policy Committee, which clears funds for release, has approved 280 million euros ($380 million) for the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS) system. EDRS will include two laser-optical terminals, one installed as a hosted payload aboard a still-unselected commercial telecommunications satellite to be launched in 2013 or 2014, and one aboard a dedicated data-relay satellite to be ready for launch in 2014 or 2015. (1/28)
U.S. Hoping to Become ‘Close Partner’ of India in Space Exploration (Source: ANI)
A senior official of the Obama administration has said that United States is hoping to become 'close partner' of India in space exploration. The removal of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from the Commerce Department's Entity List is an indication that Washington will no longer treat India's space program as a target, but as a close partner in space exploration, said Robert O. Blake, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. (1/28)
Stennis Future Remains Bright (Source: WLOX)
As the space shuttle program is coming to an end, leaders in Hancock County are anxious to see what role Stennis Space Center will play in NASA's new missions. For nearly 50 years, the space center has been a vital part of the economy. Construction on new rocket test stands is moving forward at Stennis Space Center, even though NASA has not committed to what kind of space engines will be tested here or when.
Still, Stennis Director Patrick Scheuermann said he's confident, America's space future launches from Hancock County. "These test stands we have in Hancock County are really the only stands that we have left in the United States that can go seven days a week 24-hours a day," Scheuermann said. He said Stennis workers have nothing to worry about. NASA's largest rocket motor engine test facility will be a major player in the nation's future in space. (1/28)
Editorial: Exploration of Space No Longer Excites America (Source: Yuma Sun)
The hope now is that commercial involvement in space will replace lagging government involvement. NASA has just announced it will try to lease out some of its unneeded facilities at the expansive Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Americans looked up to the sky 25 years ago and saw a tragedy. Now our view has shifted to earth and we no longer seem to have time or interest in considering the great possibilities of manned space exploration. That is a tragedy of its own - one that the astronauts who lost their lives that day would deplore. (1/28)
The Final Shuttle Missions (Source: USA Today)
Three more shuttle missions are planned, one each for the remaining shuttles. Discovery is due to launch Feb. 24 and go to the space station with a load of supplies and a storage cubicle. Endeavour is to launch April 19 and also go to the space station. It will carry more supplies and a multimillion-dollar physics experiment, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. NASA has a final flight set for June 28. Shuttle Atlantis will take supplies to the space station and return a faulty pump. But NASA does not have funding yet for the few hundred million dollars to pay for the mission. (1/28)
U.S. Needs Space Goals (Source: Courier-Journal)
The point of revisiting the tragedies today is not to underscore the inherent dangers of spaceflight. It carries great risks, even as it brings great rewards. Rather, it is to reconnect with the spirit of dedication and sacrifice required of exploration and discovery. A lot of smart and brave people have been willing to put everything on the line, including their lives, to further our knowledge of the solar system, the galaxy and the universe.
“We are being irresponsible in our failure to make the scientific and technical progress we will need for protecting our newly discovered, severely threatened and probably endangered species — us,” astronaut John Young wrote. “NASA is not about the ‘Adventure of Human Space Exploration'; we are in the deadly serious business of saving the species. All human exploration's bottom line is about preserving our species over the long haul.” (1/28)
UF Experts Recall Challenger and its Impacts (Source: Gainesville Sun)
In the wake of the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, NASA created a medical support team to respond in case of emergencies. A team of University of Florida doctors and nurses was selected for the task and has been a mainstay at launches in the decades since the disaster. Team medical director Dr. Kevin Ferguson said the work has given him an appreciation of the lengths to which NASA has gone to ensure successful missions.
Ferguson was part of the UF NASA Medical Support Team at the time of the Columbia disaster in 2003. Because the shuttle disintegrated during re-entry, there was nothing team members could do. The team includes two physicians and two nurses assigned to work each day a shuttle might launch. Team members undergo training that simulates potential disasters.
Ferguson said he hopes the team will be able to continue in a similar role with the private missions expected to replace the program. "I'm actually excited about what's going to come," he said. Click here to read the perspectives of other University of Florida experts. (1/28)
FSU Remembers Challenger (Source: WCTV)
The Challenger disaster became a “where were you when?” moment for a generation, especially for schoolchildren — now adults — who were gathered in classrooms across the nation to watch live on television as McAuliffe made history. Florida State University experts are available to answer questions and provide historical perspective on this national tragedy. Click here for information. Editor's Note: I was an FSU student, going to class in Tallahassee on the day Challenger was lost. (1/28)
Florida Loses Senate Armed Services Committee Seat (Source: Tampa Tribune)
Changes in committee assignments and the loss of seats by Democrats in the U.S. Senate mean Florida will no longer have a senator on the key Armed Services Committee. In recent years, the state has had two senators on the prestigious committee, Democrat Bill Nelson and former Republican Sens. Mel Martinez, who resigned in 2009, and George LeMieux, who replaced him until the 2010 election.
But Nelson has given up his seat at the request of Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Rubio's committee assignments do not include armed services. Because Democrats lost seats in the 2010 election, they lost some of their dominance in committee assignments, and Reid said senators would have to limit the number of seats they hold on the most desired committees.
Nelson kept the commerce seat in part because it oversees NASA, and Reid asked him to keep his intelligence committee seat instead of armed services because of the importance of Middle East terrorism issues, said Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin. McLaughlin said Nelson won't allow Florida's military interests to go overlooked, because he maintains close ties to committee Chairman Carl Levin and has veteran staff experts on military issues. (1/28)
Florida Governor Shifts Gears on Economic Development (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Gov. Rick Scott is pursuing a shakeup of Florida's economic development apparatus. "I think he's trying to run Florida like he's run his businesses in the past, and we're going to give him every opportunity to make that sell," said Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island.
Scott also suggested that regions of the state that are more willing to slash regulations on development would get a stronger focus from his administration. "The places in our state that are more receptive to bringing businesses, they're going to get more attention," he said. "We're going to focus on the ones where we know we can make things happen."
Meanwhile, Senate budget writers said Thursday they were girding for cuts "like we have not done in any time before" as they begin drafting a spending plan for next year. Scott budget is due on Feb. 7. Editor's Note: Space Florida officials don't expect any changes in their role or relationship with the Governor's Office, though there's concern about the level of funding that will be available to the agency. Gov. Scott is also expected to name a new Space Florida board of directors soon. (1/28)
USC and SETI Institute Team Up (Source: SpaceRef.com)
An affiliation between the University of Southern California and the SETI Institute will create formal ties between one of America's premier research universities and one of the most innovative and highly regarded scientific research institutions. The affiliation joins a leading private university and a unique research institute pursuing the study of the living universe. This affiliation significantly heightens USC's profile in astronomy and astrobiology and establishes a strong research and education presence in Silicon Valley for the university. The affiliation is effective immediately. (1/28)
Editorial: NASA's Culture Kept Safety from Forefront (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The investigations of the Challenger disaster exposed an organizational culture at NASA so influenced by politics, schedule exigencies and managerial careerism that it could never exert itself to the utmost to protect the human lives at stake. When Columbia disintegrated on re-entry in 2003, the investigative report was eerily similar.
By then, however, the public had largely lost interest in the manned space program, even as the private sector and the Russian space agency were dabbling in space tourism, where curious millionaires would be treated to a joy ride for astronomical fares. After 2011 there will be no more space shuttle. In a stunning reversal, the massive Constellation return-to-the-moon program embarked on by the George W. Bush presidency was excluded from President Obama's 2011 budget and is likely slated for oblivion.
There are few champions to defend Constellation other than the military-industrial complex and their congressional allies, partly because the ultimate goal of a manned journey to Mars has never seemed realistic or worth the price. Constellation also bound NASA's future to perpetuation of the primitive launch technology of explosive rocketry vs. major investments in more exotic but benign systems like antigravity or electromagnetism. (1/28)
New Spaceships Should be Safer than the Space Shuttle (Source: MSNBC)
NASA says private-sector spaceships will have to satisfy safety standards that the space shuttle can’t meet — and the companies building those spaceships say they'll rise to the challenge. The loss of Challenger and its crew of seven, including educator-astronaut Christa McAuliffe, dramatically highlighted the risks associated with the world's most complex flying machine.
NASA eventually hopes to use commercial craft to ferry astronauts back and forth to the space station as well. But the job won't be easy. In a set of draft requirements issued last month, NASA said it expected commercial companies to measure up to the same risk standards the space agency expected for itself: a 1-in-1,000 chance that the crew would be lost during a journey to and from the space station. (1/28)
Indian Travel Agency Eyes Space Tourism (Source: Express Buzz)
Kerala Travels was the first to offer Antarctica-Arctic packages and now is working on an ambitious plan to send children to space. "This is the first stage of space tourism where 30 children would be sent to a space camp at the Singapore Space Center (SSC) where they would be given a through understanding of space by experts from NASA. Then there would be the next stages that are being planned," said an official with the agency.
Talking about their space travel plan, Chandrahasan said 30 children in the age group 12 to 18 years would be selected from various parts of the country to be sent to the Singapore Space Centre (SSC) on April 27. After their stint at Singapore Space Center, plans will be made to send them to space. (1/28)
Will Human Spaceflight Ever Truly Be Safe? (Source: Space.com)
NASA has launched 132 manned shuttle missions in the 30 years of the space shuttle program. The agency has lost two of them — Challenger and Columbia. Russia's Soyuz program has a similar failure rate, with two fatal accidents in just over 100 manned missions — though Soyuz hasn't had a fatality in nearly 40 years. The shuttle and Soyuz risks are thus in the same ballpark as the chances of dying while trying to climb Mount Everest. From 1922 to 2006, one out of every 49 people who undertook the climb ended up dying.
The risk takes on a whole new perspective when compared to the safety record of commercial aviation. In 2010, U.S. airlines did not have a single fatal accident, despite taking to the skies more than 10 million times and carrying about 700 million passengers. Comparing a rocket-powered trip to low-Earth orbit with a redeye from San Francisco to Los Angeles isn't really fair, however — they're two completely different beasts. (1/28)
One big reason human spaceflight remains so risky is that it's so expensive, according to O'Connor. In the aviation world, it's common to test-fly a new aircraft a few thousand times, to make sure everything works properly and all of the kinks get worked out, O'Connor said. But cost issues make such extensive flight testing pretty much impossible for spaceships. "We prove our system while we're doing our mission with it. We don't have the luxury of doing those in series." (1/28)
EADS Astrium To Develop Spaceplane (Source: Aviation Week)
EADS Astrium has disclosed that Singapore will be a partner in its suborbital spaceplane program. At the Global Space & Technology Convention in Singapore, EADS Astrium executives announced that Singapore will be building a small-scale demonstrator of the spaceplane and may be involved in developing parts for the commercial product. EADS Astrium is also hoping Singapore will ultimately have a fleet of its commercial spaceplanes stationed at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Christophe Chavagnac, EADS Astrium’s suborbital spaceplane chief engineer and program manager, says Singapore companies will be designing and building a small-scale demonstrator spaceplane used to test aerodynamics and glide capability. It will have no engines, whereas the real vehicle uses turbofan engines as well as a rocket engine. The spaceplane’s two fuselage-mounted commercial turbofan engines are needed for takeoff and initial ascent. Once it reaches an altitude of 12 km. (7.5 mi.), the rocket engine takes over.
A maximum altitude of 100 km. is achieved before the spaceplane descends. There is a period when it glides, before the turbofan engines are started and the vehicle makes its approach and lands. The fact that it uses conventional turbofan engines means it is designed to take off and land from commercial airports. EADS Astrium also plans to apply for EASA certification for the vehicle. (1/28)
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission needs an $82 million cash infusion to maintain its late November launch date after development of the $2.47 billion rover exhausted program funding reserves last year. Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division, attributed the 3 percent cost increase to problems developing the truck-sized rover’s mobility systems, avionics, radar and drill, as well as delays in completing the rover’s Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite, which is designed to sniff the surrounding air for carbon-containing compounds. (1/28)
France Ready To Back ISS Extension if Europe Revamps Funding Formula (Source: Space News)
The French government stands ready to endorse extending the operational life of the international space station to 2020 and beyond but is insisting on new ways of financing the work with its European partners, the head of the French space agency, CNES, said. CNES President Yannick d’Escatha did not spell out the mechanism France would like to see adopted to determine how much of the station’s annual operating charges each European nation would pay. (1/28)
Hughes Sale Attracts Interest from Established Fleet Operators (Source: Space News)
Established satellite-fleet operators Inmarsat, Intelsat and EchoStar have signaled interest in bidding for the 57-percent stake of satellite broadband provider Hughes Communications that is being put up for sell by its owner, private-equity investor Apollo. Regardless of whether these companies will pursue their interest into an auction likely to feature competing bids by several private-equity investors, even an initial interest by them suggests how far Ka-band satellite broadband has come in terms of market acceptance. (1/28)
Stephen Hawking Wouldn't Talk to an ET, Would You? (Source: AOL News)
Hardly a day passes without someone, somewhere claiming to have seen a UFO. In just the last year, Chinese airports were closed down -- not once, but several times -- after the sighting of an unidentified flying object. This week, we speak with Space.com's Dave Brody and AOL's resident ufologist Lee Speigel, to get their perspective on the search for intelligent life in the universe. Click here. (1/28)
Israel, ESA to Sign Cooperation Agreement (Source: Y-Net News)
The sky is the limit – Israel on Sunday will sign a cooperation agreement with European Space Agency ESA. According to the agreement, the two will collaborate on various fields of space science, including astronomy, astrophysics, solar system research, space and satellite engineering, environmental pollution monitoring and meteorology. In addition, they will conduct joint research on natural disasters and hold space experiments in zero gravity conditions, as well as biological and medical research and space applications for urban planning and surveillance. (1/28)
Gates: Pentagon Faces Spending Crisis as Congress Stalls Budget (Source: AIA)
The failure by Congress to approve a final budget for the Defense Department has resulted in a spending crisis that could force the department to cut its spending by as much as $23 billion this year, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. While the Obama administration submitted its annual budget proposal of $549 billion for the Pentagon in early 2010, Congress has not taken a final vote, and the department could be forced to make immediate cuts in training and operations, Gates said. (1/28)
FAA to Call for Stepped-Up Satellite Navigation Effort (Source: AIA)
The FAA next week is expected to call for more help from private industry in designing satellite-guided precision flight paths at U.S. airports. Only 75 airports currently have such procedures in place, leaving 375 airports to rely on old, less efficient systems. GE and Boeing have helped design flight paths at two airports, and experts would like to see more such public-private partnerships. Without satellite-guided navigation to help relieve congestion, "we'll just hit gridlock," says an official at the Aerospace Industries Association. (1/28)
U.S., EU Eye Anti-Satellite Weapons Pact (Source: Washington Times)
The Obama administration is negotiating with the European Union on an agreement limiting the use of anti-satellite weapons, a move that some critics say could curb U.S. development of space weapons in general. Three congressional staffers told The Washington Times that Pentagon and intelligence analysts said in a briefing Monday that the administration is looking to sign on to the European Union‘s Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities.
The briefing followed the completion of an interagency review that recommends the United States sign on to the document with only a few minor changes to its language, according to two administration officials familiar with the review. That recommendation is awaiting final approval from the National Security Council. A draft of the code of conduct dated Sept. 27 says countries that sign on to the document vow to “refrain from any action which intends to bring about, directly or indirectly, damage or destruction of outer space objects unless such action is conducted to reduce the creation of outer space debris and/or is justified by the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense. (1/28)
ESA Secures Funds for Data Relay Satellite System (Source: Space News)
After more than two years of negotiations, European Space Agency (ESA) governments have secured the full funding package to build a data-relay satellite system whose initial customer will be the European Commission’s Earth observation program. The agency’s Industrial Policy Committee, which clears funds for release, has approved 280 million euros ($380 million) for the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS) system. EDRS will include two laser-optical terminals, one installed as a hosted payload aboard a still-unselected commercial telecommunications satellite to be launched in 2013 or 2014, and one aboard a dedicated data-relay satellite to be ready for launch in 2014 or 2015. (1/28)
U.S. Hoping to Become ‘Close Partner’ of India in Space Exploration (Source: ANI)
A senior official of the Obama administration has said that United States is hoping to become 'close partner' of India in space exploration. The removal of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from the Commerce Department's Entity List is an indication that Washington will no longer treat India's space program as a target, but as a close partner in space exploration, said Robert O. Blake, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. (1/28)
Stennis Future Remains Bright (Source: WLOX)
As the space shuttle program is coming to an end, leaders in Hancock County are anxious to see what role Stennis Space Center will play in NASA's new missions. For nearly 50 years, the space center has been a vital part of the economy. Construction on new rocket test stands is moving forward at Stennis Space Center, even though NASA has not committed to what kind of space engines will be tested here or when.
Still, Stennis Director Patrick Scheuermann said he's confident, America's space future launches from Hancock County. "These test stands we have in Hancock County are really the only stands that we have left in the United States that can go seven days a week 24-hours a day," Scheuermann said. He said Stennis workers have nothing to worry about. NASA's largest rocket motor engine test facility will be a major player in the nation's future in space. (1/28)
Editorial: Exploration of Space No Longer Excites America (Source: Yuma Sun)
The hope now is that commercial involvement in space will replace lagging government involvement. NASA has just announced it will try to lease out some of its unneeded facilities at the expansive Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Americans looked up to the sky 25 years ago and saw a tragedy. Now our view has shifted to earth and we no longer seem to have time or interest in considering the great possibilities of manned space exploration. That is a tragedy of its own - one that the astronauts who lost their lives that day would deplore. (1/28)
The Final Shuttle Missions (Source: USA Today)
Three more shuttle missions are planned, one each for the remaining shuttles. Discovery is due to launch Feb. 24 and go to the space station with a load of supplies and a storage cubicle. Endeavour is to launch April 19 and also go to the space station. It will carry more supplies and a multimillion-dollar physics experiment, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. NASA has a final flight set for June 28. Shuttle Atlantis will take supplies to the space station and return a faulty pump. But NASA does not have funding yet for the few hundred million dollars to pay for the mission. (1/28)
U.S. Needs Space Goals (Source: Courier-Journal)
The point of revisiting the tragedies today is not to underscore the inherent dangers of spaceflight. It carries great risks, even as it brings great rewards. Rather, it is to reconnect with the spirit of dedication and sacrifice required of exploration and discovery. A lot of smart and brave people have been willing to put everything on the line, including their lives, to further our knowledge of the solar system, the galaxy and the universe.
“We are being irresponsible in our failure to make the scientific and technical progress we will need for protecting our newly discovered, severely threatened and probably endangered species — us,” astronaut John Young wrote. “NASA is not about the ‘Adventure of Human Space Exploration'; we are in the deadly serious business of saving the species. All human exploration's bottom line is about preserving our species over the long haul.” (1/28)
UF Experts Recall Challenger and its Impacts (Source: Gainesville Sun)
In the wake of the space shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986, NASA created a medical support team to respond in case of emergencies. A team of University of Florida doctors and nurses was selected for the task and has been a mainstay at launches in the decades since the disaster. Team medical director Dr. Kevin Ferguson said the work has given him an appreciation of the lengths to which NASA has gone to ensure successful missions.
Ferguson was part of the UF NASA Medical Support Team at the time of the Columbia disaster in 2003. Because the shuttle disintegrated during re-entry, there was nothing team members could do. The team includes two physicians and two nurses assigned to work each day a shuttle might launch. Team members undergo training that simulates potential disasters.
Ferguson said he hopes the team will be able to continue in a similar role with the private missions expected to replace the program. "I'm actually excited about what's going to come," he said. Click here to read the perspectives of other University of Florida experts. (1/28)
FSU Remembers Challenger (Source: WCTV)
The Challenger disaster became a “where were you when?” moment for a generation, especially for schoolchildren — now adults — who were gathered in classrooms across the nation to watch live on television as McAuliffe made history. Florida State University experts are available to answer questions and provide historical perspective on this national tragedy. Click here for information. Editor's Note: I was an FSU student, going to class in Tallahassee on the day Challenger was lost. (1/28)
Florida Loses Senate Armed Services Committee Seat (Source: Tampa Tribune)
Changes in committee assignments and the loss of seats by Democrats in the U.S. Senate mean Florida will no longer have a senator on the key Armed Services Committee. In recent years, the state has had two senators on the prestigious committee, Democrat Bill Nelson and former Republican Sens. Mel Martinez, who resigned in 2009, and George LeMieux, who replaced him until the 2010 election.
But Nelson has given up his seat at the request of Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Rubio's committee assignments do not include armed services. Because Democrats lost seats in the 2010 election, they lost some of their dominance in committee assignments, and Reid said senators would have to limit the number of seats they hold on the most desired committees.
Nelson kept the commerce seat in part because it oversees NASA, and Reid asked him to keep his intelligence committee seat instead of armed services because of the importance of Middle East terrorism issues, said Nelson spokesman Dan McLaughlin. McLaughlin said Nelson won't allow Florida's military interests to go overlooked, because he maintains close ties to committee Chairman Carl Levin and has veteran staff experts on military issues. (1/28)
Florida Governor Shifts Gears on Economic Development (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Gov. Rick Scott is pursuing a shakeup of Florida's economic development apparatus. "I think he's trying to run Florida like he's run his businesses in the past, and we're going to give him every opportunity to make that sell," said Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island.
Scott also suggested that regions of the state that are more willing to slash regulations on development would get a stronger focus from his administration. "The places in our state that are more receptive to bringing businesses, they're going to get more attention," he said. "We're going to focus on the ones where we know we can make things happen."
Meanwhile, Senate budget writers said Thursday they were girding for cuts "like we have not done in any time before" as they begin drafting a spending plan for next year. Scott budget is due on Feb. 7. Editor's Note: Space Florida officials don't expect any changes in their role or relationship with the Governor's Office, though there's concern about the level of funding that will be available to the agency. Gov. Scott is also expected to name a new Space Florida board of directors soon. (1/28)
USC and SETI Institute Team Up (Source: SpaceRef.com)
An affiliation between the University of Southern California and the SETI Institute will create formal ties between one of America's premier research universities and one of the most innovative and highly regarded scientific research institutions. The affiliation joins a leading private university and a unique research institute pursuing the study of the living universe. This affiliation significantly heightens USC's profile in astronomy and astrobiology and establishes a strong research and education presence in Silicon Valley for the university. The affiliation is effective immediately. (1/28)
Editorial: NASA's Culture Kept Safety from Forefront (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The investigations of the Challenger disaster exposed an organizational culture at NASA so influenced by politics, schedule exigencies and managerial careerism that it could never exert itself to the utmost to protect the human lives at stake. When Columbia disintegrated on re-entry in 2003, the investigative report was eerily similar.
By then, however, the public had largely lost interest in the manned space program, even as the private sector and the Russian space agency were dabbling in space tourism, where curious millionaires would be treated to a joy ride for astronomical fares. After 2011 there will be no more space shuttle. In a stunning reversal, the massive Constellation return-to-the-moon program embarked on by the George W. Bush presidency was excluded from President Obama's 2011 budget and is likely slated for oblivion.
There are few champions to defend Constellation other than the military-industrial complex and their congressional allies, partly because the ultimate goal of a manned journey to Mars has never seemed realistic or worth the price. Constellation also bound NASA's future to perpetuation of the primitive launch technology of explosive rocketry vs. major investments in more exotic but benign systems like antigravity or electromagnetism. (1/28)
New Spaceships Should be Safer than the Space Shuttle (Source: MSNBC)
NASA says private-sector spaceships will have to satisfy safety standards that the space shuttle can’t meet — and the companies building those spaceships say they'll rise to the challenge. The loss of Challenger and its crew of seven, including educator-astronaut Christa McAuliffe, dramatically highlighted the risks associated with the world's most complex flying machine.
NASA eventually hopes to use commercial craft to ferry astronauts back and forth to the space station as well. But the job won't be easy. In a set of draft requirements issued last month, NASA said it expected commercial companies to measure up to the same risk standards the space agency expected for itself: a 1-in-1,000 chance that the crew would be lost during a journey to and from the space station. (1/28)
Indian Travel Agency Eyes Space Tourism (Source: Express Buzz)
Kerala Travels was the first to offer Antarctica-Arctic packages and now is working on an ambitious plan to send children to space. "This is the first stage of space tourism where 30 children would be sent to a space camp at the Singapore Space Center (SSC) where they would be given a through understanding of space by experts from NASA. Then there would be the next stages that are being planned," said an official with the agency.
Talking about their space travel plan, Chandrahasan said 30 children in the age group 12 to 18 years would be selected from various parts of the country to be sent to the Singapore Space Centre (SSC) on April 27. After their stint at Singapore Space Center, plans will be made to send them to space. (1/28)
Will Human Spaceflight Ever Truly Be Safe? (Source: Space.com)
NASA has launched 132 manned shuttle missions in the 30 years of the space shuttle program. The agency has lost two of them — Challenger and Columbia. Russia's Soyuz program has a similar failure rate, with two fatal accidents in just over 100 manned missions — though Soyuz hasn't had a fatality in nearly 40 years. The shuttle and Soyuz risks are thus in the same ballpark as the chances of dying while trying to climb Mount Everest. From 1922 to 2006, one out of every 49 people who undertook the climb ended up dying.
The risk takes on a whole new perspective when compared to the safety record of commercial aviation. In 2010, U.S. airlines did not have a single fatal accident, despite taking to the skies more than 10 million times and carrying about 700 million passengers. Comparing a rocket-powered trip to low-Earth orbit with a redeye from San Francisco to Los Angeles isn't really fair, however — they're two completely different beasts. (1/28)
One big reason human spaceflight remains so risky is that it's so expensive, according to O'Connor. In the aviation world, it's common to test-fly a new aircraft a few thousand times, to make sure everything works properly and all of the kinks get worked out, O'Connor said. But cost issues make such extensive flight testing pretty much impossible for spaceships. "We prove our system while we're doing our mission with it. We don't have the luxury of doing those in series." (1/28)
EADS Astrium To Develop Spaceplane (Source: Aviation Week)
EADS Astrium has disclosed that Singapore will be a partner in its suborbital spaceplane program. At the Global Space & Technology Convention in Singapore, EADS Astrium executives announced that Singapore will be building a small-scale demonstrator of the spaceplane and may be involved in developing parts for the commercial product. EADS Astrium is also hoping Singapore will ultimately have a fleet of its commercial spaceplanes stationed at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Christophe Chavagnac, EADS Astrium’s suborbital spaceplane chief engineer and program manager, says Singapore companies will be designing and building a small-scale demonstrator spaceplane used to test aerodynamics and glide capability. It will have no engines, whereas the real vehicle uses turbofan engines as well as a rocket engine. The spaceplane’s two fuselage-mounted commercial turbofan engines are needed for takeoff and initial ascent. Once it reaches an altitude of 12 km. (7.5 mi.), the rocket engine takes over.
A maximum altitude of 100 km. is achieved before the spaceplane descends. There is a period when it glides, before the turbofan engines are started and the vehicle makes its approach and lands. The fact that it uses conventional turbofan engines means it is designed to take off and land from commercial airports. EADS Astrium also plans to apply for EASA certification for the vehicle. (1/28)
January 27, 2011
A Call for Openness at Blue Origin (Source: Unreasonable Rocket)
Most of the "new space" companies are somewhat open from SpaceX down to the smallest garage operation. Other companies participate in conferences, they publish their success, the publish their failures, and all involved learn. Blue Origin does none of this. They have access to everyone's information and yet share none. In addition Blue Origin has started filing patents that restrict the trade space.
News of the barge landing patent is a perfect example. Other new space people have publicly talked about barge landing of various vehicles to recover stages. I remember John Carmack talking about barge landing more than 4 years ago. Others have commented to me personally that they have written notes talking about barge landing from more than 5 years ago.
There is a huge on-line discussion base about lower cost space flight and it clearly covers this and other B.O patents. If the patent is challenged the patent will be clearly invalid, but if it is issued it will cost millions to have it declared invalid. This is a huge expense to any small organization that might want to use that technology. So if Mr Bezeo's intent is to help get the human race off of the planet, please don't be evil, try being more open. (1/27)
Scott Fires Enterprise Florida Chief John Adams (Source: Palm Beach Post)
After chairing the Enterprise Florida board meeting in downtown Tallahassee, Gov. Rick Scott quietly fired the public-private economic development agency’s president, John Adams. Adams, who earns about $300,000 a year, was hand-picked for the job five years ago by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
Scott’s move, which will require some action by the board but which his office says will take effect immediately, took Enterprise Florida Board member Hal Valeche by surprise. Valeche said severing Adams’ contract was not discussed during the board meeting. Editor's Note: This move precedes some other major changes to Florida's economic development programs. (1/27)
Russia Launches Another Cargo Ship to Space Station (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
With Japan's cargo freighter safely arriving at the International Space Station early Thursday, Russia has launched its next resupply ship loaded with more provisions and even a tiny amateur radio satellite that spacewalkers will deploy from the orbiting outpost. Liftoff of the Soyuz booster carrying the Progress vessel from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, beginning Russia's 41st such cargo delivery mission to the space station. (1/27)
Rep. Sandy Adams Remarks on Astronauts Lost (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL) released the following statement today on a "Day of Remembrance" for the 17 brave astronauts who lost their lives during the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia tragedies: "No matter how much time passes, it is important to remember the brave men and women who dedicated their lives to better our country and who died in that noble pursuit... I join all of Central Florida in honoring their memory.
"For over 50 years NASA has been a global leader in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. At a critical juncture in our nation's economy, it's imperative that NASA is given the tools to continue to thrive. NASA isn't simply about exploration - it's about jobs, national security, research and the economy. After more than 50 years of innovation, we cannot let NASA fall to the wayside - it must remain a top priority." (1/27)
Rep. Hall Wants U.S. To Keep Winning in Space Exploration (Source: Space Policy Online)
Rep. Ralph Hall responded to those parts of the President's speech that addressed issues within the committee's jurisdiction, including clean energy technologies and basic research. His overall take is that "While appropriate investments in science and technology are important, they must be made prudently within the confines of a disciplined budget."
He said that his committee would conduct oversight of the President's science and technology policies "as well as the broader research and development priorities necessary to advance American competitiveness... Absent from the President's speech, apart from mentioning Sputnik as a metaphor, was any vision for our Nation's space agency. NASA's exploration program has been paramount to securing America's lead in the global economy and spurring innovation. So many technological advancements have stemmed from an ambitious, goal-oriented space program." (1/27)
Obama's Call for Innovation Hits Institutional Roadblocks, Except in Some Sectors (Source: Washington Post)
Another area where U.S. innovation has long flowered is space exploration and space science. Although American dominance in space travel will temporarily end with the grounding of the last space shuttle this year, a new generation of wealthy entrepreneurs is providing a level of space innovation unmatched in the world.
"We have private entrepreneurs now attempting and succeeding at space ventures that most nations can only dream about," said John Gedmark, executive director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "These are entrepreneurs who took their profits and put them where their longtime interests were - in space," Gedmark said. "That personal excitement is what breeds innovation, which is the lifeblood of our industry."
In addition, he said, the innovation was a result of national necessity. With the space shuttle soon to be grounded, the United States will not have any spacecraft that can take astronauts and cargo to the space station for a matter of years. Gedmark said Obama's support of commercial space has been essential to its progress. The president proposed a more than $3 billion allocation over three years to support commercial space development in his 2011 budget but faced stiff opposition in Congress. (1/27)
Bezos Seeks Blue Origin Patent for Water Landing (Source: TechFlash)
What does Jeff Bezos think about when he's not thinking about the next Kindle? Landing rocket boosters at sea, for one thing. The Amazon.com CEO is listed as one of the inventors in a newly surfaced patent application from his secretive spaceflight venture, Blue Origin LLC. The filing, submitted last summer and made public today, gives a sense for the ideas percolating in the minds of Bezos and his Blue Origin colleagues.
The application describes a process of catching a rocket booster on a platform at sea after it has separated and sent its payload into space. The system proposes a floating platform that would broadcast its location to the booster, which would be equipped with "bidirectional aerodynamic control surfaces" to control its trajectory. The booster's engines could be restarted to slow its descent once it was over the platform. Click here for a diagram. (1/27)
Bigelow Aerospace and Space Florida Plan Announcement (Source: Space Florida)
Robert Bigelow - president of Bigelow Aerospace, Frank DiBello - president of Space Florida, and Dr. George Sowers – vice president of United Launch Alliance, will address up to 100 community leaders and news media to discuss the future of commercial space in Central Florida and the role Bigelow may play in that future. At this event, Mr. Bigelow and Mr. DiBello will sign a Memorandum of Understanding representing a business development partnership between both entities.
Mr. Bigelow will directly address the audience regarding his company’s plans for growth in the coming months and years. Elected officials will be present at this event, including County Commissioners and State legislators. Additionally, Governor Rick Scott, Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Bill Nelson have been invited to attend. (1/27)
NASA, The Moon, and National Security (Source: Space Politics)
Freshman Senator Marco Rubio made the following remarks last fall when running for the Senate: “Space exploration is not something we do for fun,” he said in the October interview. “It’s something this country does because it has commercial applications, it has technical applications that help us in other fields. It has military and national defense applications.” He also, at the time, pointed to China’s space activities. “Look, China has invested heavily in getting to the moon, it’s not because they want to go up there and collect rock samples. It’s because they believe space is the high ground of national defense, and they want to have space superiority over the United States.”
Editor's Note: Comments like these by multiple elected officials have sparked a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about whether the Moon has any military value (it doesn't) and whether NASA's programs are vital to our national security (they might be). Said one poster on Space Politics: "Association of NASA with DoD is a major mistake. DoD does well without NASA and its politics and will keep doing well. Why would they need such a headache?" On the other hand all sorts of non-military U.S. rockets, satellites and their related technologies are treated as militarily sensitive and are barred from export. (1/27)
New Mexico Spaceport: Rich Person's Toy with Limited Market? (Source: Lurio Report)
Charles Lurio's periodoc "Lurio Report" this week speaks of "Reports of the labeling of the [New Mexico spaceport] project as a rich person’s toy with the assumption of no markets beyond a few initial flights." "No one knows--with certainty--the extent of the market for suborbital flights by individuals... Since most of the state money for the Spaceport has been spent, the remaining “gamble” has been refocussed on the shoulders of Virgin Galactic and its ability to deliver an operational vehicle and build a market. It’s not as if there aren’t perhaps the world’s most deft marketers there nor strong motivations for that. Virgin will have spent some half-billion dollars by the end of development." (1/26)
NASTAR Announces 2011 Summer Camp Dates (Source: ETC)
The NASTAR Center, the premier commercial space training and research center in the world, will once again host its popular NASTAR Camp program for students in grades 4 - 6 and 7 - 8. During the summer of 2010, more than 100 students attended the program. NASTAR Camp sessions are Monday - Friday, from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The NASTAR Camp curriculum has been structured to be fun while reinforcing the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Science and Technology and Engineering Education. All curricula are age and grade appropriate. Click here for details. (1/27)
Sen. Rubio Gets Four Committee Assignments (Source: Florida Today)
Sen. Marco Rubio will serve on four committees: Commerce, Science & Transportation; Foreign Relations; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Select Committee on Intelligence. He said in a press release that the committees will allow him to work on economic and security issues facing the nation. Rubio joins Sen. Bill Nelson on the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, where Nelson chairs the Science & Space Subcommittee. Rubio's subcommittee assignments were not announced. (1/27)
Where The Discussion Of Space Tourism Began (Source: AmericaSpace.org)
To understand the enthusiasm and efforts by those who seek to move from our current, national human space flight program to one run by commercial entities begins with the 2002 Futron “Space Tourism Market Study: Orbital Space Travel And Destinations With Suborbital Space Travel“. It is this study that forms the intellectual foundation for those who believe space tourism will soon be a profitable market, including especially those in the Executive Branch and at NASA. All subsequent studies on commercial human space flight derive from the conclusions of the Futron study and branches to other studies to some greater or lesser degree.
But the Futron study’s predictions have proven wildly inaccurate. For example, the study predicted that by 2010 there would be roughly 1,000 suborbital passengers and by 2011 15 orbital passengers–to date, there have been no suborbital passengers and 7 orbital passengers have flown since 2001. On January 12 of this year, Space Adventures and Russia announced that orbital space tourism would resume in 2013, with 1-2 passengers per year, the same year that the Futron study predicted that there would be 2,000 suborbital and 20 orbital passengers.
Given the importance, inspirational or otherwise, as well as the missed predictions of the Futron study, it’s important to understand what the study’s authors got right and wrong. Acolytes of the 2002 Futron study in the White House and at NASA have been willing to forsake NASA’s current and future human space flight efforts in lieu of commercial cargo or crew launch capabilities that do not yet exist and the businesses undertaking those future efforts are as yet untested. (1/27)
TRDA and USA Co-Sponsor SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparation Workshop (Source: TRDA)
TRDA and United Space Alliance are co-hosting an SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Preparation Workshop on Feb. 18. This workshop will help businesses develop higher quality proposals that can lead to higher company win rates for federal SBIR and STTR grants. Click here for details. (1/27)
Orbital Lands Iridium Next Integration Contract (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. will integrate and test the 81 Iridium Next mobile communications satellites under a contract with Iridium Next builder Thales Alenia Space, Orbital announced Jan. 27. Financial terms were not announced, but industry officials have said the contract is valued at around $150 million. Virginia-based Orbital will receive the Iridium Next satellite platforms and communications payloads from Cannes, France-based Thales Alenia Space, and then integrate the hardware at its Gilbert, Ariz., facility. Orbital’s industrial capacity at its Arizona plant was a factor in its selection over Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., for the integration and test work. (1/27)
Plans for Defense Spending Cuts Divide GOP (Source: AIA)
Efforts to slash defense spending are causing a divide among Republicans, as Tea Party-backed members of the House Armed Services Committee say no part of the Pentagon's $700 billion budget should be immune from cuts, while others argue in favor of protecting some aspects of the budget. Tea Party members say the nation's debts amount to security risks, but the head of the committee, Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., argued against plans to stop work on the Marines' $14.4 billion Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. (1/27)
General Dynamics Profits Rise Amid Increased Aerospace Demand (Source: AIA)
General Dynamics reports that higher profits in its Aerospace unit helped boost fourth-quarter profit by 19%, beating Wall Street estimates. According to CEO Jay Johnson, demand is on the rise for Gulfstream jets, and the company should see double-digit growth this year. (1/27)
Harris Beats Forecasts as Revenues Rise 7.8% (Source: AIA)
Harris Corp. reported a $151 million profit in the December quarter, an 18% improvement that beat Wall Street expectations. The company's largest unit, Government Communications Systems, reported a 20% jump in quarterly sales, helped by a $273 million avionics support contract for Canada's CF-18 Hornet fighter jets. (1/27)
United Technologies Reports Rise in Q4 Earnings (Source: AIA)
United Technologies' profit increased by 11.7% in the fourth quarter as orders for commercial plane spare parts from jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney rose and business also improved for heating and cooling building systems operations at Carrier. While United Technologies' adjusted earnings beat Wall Street expectations, guidance for 2011 indicates that earnings could fall below expectations. (1/27)
Raytheon Posts Lower Quarterly Profit (Source: Reuters)
Raytheon Co posted lower quarterly earnings and forecast higher sales and per-share profit for this year. The missile maker on Thursday said net income came to $459 million for the fourth quarter, compared with $504 million a year earlier. Sales rose 3 percent to $6.89 billion. (1/27)
Lockheed Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter Profits (Sources: Financial Times, Bloomberg)
Lockheed Martin, the largest US defense contractor, had a record year for new orders in 2010 in spite of the squeeze on military budgets, as it reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter. Pre-tax profits from continuing businesses, excluding two services companies that Lockheed is selling, fell 10 percent to $3.83 billion for 2010 as a whole. Lockheed booked $20 billion of orders in the quarter, and its backlog stood at $78.2 billion at the end of last year, up from $77.2 billion at the end of 2009. Space Systems sales declined 13 percent to $2.28 billion. The unit's profits declined 7 percent to $279 million. (1/27)
Boeing Announces $1.16B Quarterly Profit, but Cautions on 2011 (Source: AIA)
Boeing earned $1.16 billion in the fourth quarter, falling $110 million short of year-earlier levels but still exceeding analysts' expectations. Revenues fell to $16.55 billion, compared to $17.94 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009. For 2011, the company said higher pension costs and delays in its 787 program will be a drag on profits, which are estimated at $3.80 to $4.00 per share. (1/27)
Mica: FAA Bill is Job 1 for Transportation Committee (Source: AIA)
On Wednesday, as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee convened for the first time this year, Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., said a long-term reauthorization for the FAA would be his top priority. Mica said such a bill would provide a "blueprint" for the aviation industry, which accounts for 11% of the U.S. gross domestic product. "We are going to pass a bill some way, so I need everybody on the committee pushing for that," he said. (1/27)
Russia's Angara Rocket to be 'Ready for Tests' in 2012 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's new generation Angara booster rocket will be ready for a test launch by 2012, the country's space force commander said. "We plan that it will be fully prepared for launch in 2012," Oleg Ostapenko told reporters. "Everything is going according to plan." Angara rockets, designed to provide lifting capabilities between 2,000 and 40,500 kg into low earth orbit, are expected to become the core of Russia's carrier rocket fleet, replacing several existing systems. (1/27)
Russian Answer to U.S. Reusable X-37 Robotic Spacecraft in the Offing (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian researchers are working on an unmanned spacecraft similar to the U.S. Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle, Space Troops chief Oleg Ostapenko said. He said, however, it was not clear as yet how it would be used. "Something has been done along these lines, but as to whether we will use it, only time will tell," Ostapenko said. (1/27)
NASA Launches Public Outreach Program to Boost Space Tech (Source: Space.com)
NASA kicked off the first of a year-long series of meetings in Washington D.C. Jan. 26 to encourage the public to provide innovative technological ideas and insights that could influence the future of space exploration. Although NASA has held technology roadmap meetings in the past, this is the first time it has reached out to the public community for input. "We desperately need your help," said Robert Braun, NASA Chief Technologist. "We know we can make a difference through technology to reinvigorate the aerospace industry and get NASA back to its roots as a true innovator. But we can only do that if we have a plan." Click here. (1/27)
NASA Honors Astronauts Lost in Line of Duty (Source: KHOU)
NASA is pausing Thursday to remember the 17 astronauts lost in the line of duty. The so-called Day of Remembrance—always the last Thursday of January—takes on special meaning this year. Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the shuttle Challenger launch disaster. Flags will fly at half-staff at NASA centers nationwide Thursday. In addition, NASA officials will lay wreathes at various memorials to honor the dead. (1/27)
Editorial: NASA is Key to President's Research Push (Source: Huntsville Times)
President Obama invoked the importance of science during his State of the Union address. What better way to lure young Americans into the sciences than to support a strong space program that sparks wonder and innovation... He challenged America's scientists and engineers that "if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we'll fund the Apollo projects of our time."
Those who were looking for a commitment to NASA didn't hear it in the president's speech. But his space references and call to strengthen America's innovative spirit show he sees the value of having a viable space program. Republicans controlling the U.S. House have promised to try to cut non-defense and non-entitlement spending this year to at least 2008 levels, which would mark a $1.4 billion loss for NASA's budget. That would essentially wipe out the money NASA hoped to spend this year on the new heavy-lift rocket.
Lest space buffs think powerful representatives from space states like Alabama, Florida, Ohio and Texas will just muscle NASA programs into the budget, Obama vowed to veto legislation containing pet projects known as earmarks. Rather, they will have to sell such programs on their merits, And certainly, there are plenty of selling points for having a robust space policy. A strong NASA could work hand in hand with Obama's goal to invest more in education, research and technology to groom a new wave of entrepreneurs who will make the discoveries of tomorrow. (1/27)
Utah Congressman Blasts Lack of Space Focus in Presidential Address (Source: Space Politics)
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), a staunch critic last year of the administration’s plans to cancel Constellation, kept up the rhetoric in his response to President Obama's speech. “...While the President is calling for ‘new levels of research and development that haven’t been seen since the Space Race’ his Administration is also calling for the termination of our nation’s manned space program – a program whose science and technology research is an essential component of our nation’s missile defense program,” he claimed. “Terminating this program...would cede our leadership in space exploration over to countries like China, Russia and India.” (1/27)
Avanti Pursues Arbitration in Launch Dispute with SpaceX (Source: Space News)
Startup satellite broadband provider Avanti Communications Group alleges that launch-services provider SpaceX has unrightfully retained a $7.6 million launch-contract deposit and is asking a New York arbitration panel to settle the issue, the companies said.
London-based Avanti, whose Hylas 1 satellite was launched in November, had originally signed with SpaceX for the launch. But Avanti, saying it could not wait for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to be qualified, subsequently contracted with Arianespace. Avanti says it canceled the SpaceX contract because SpaceX could not assure the requisite number of qualification launches before the Hylas 1 launch, as the contract had stipulated. (1/27)
Rick Scott Suggests Creating Florida Department of Commerce (Source: Miami Herald)
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said this morning that he wants to create a "Department of Commerce" to streamline economic development efforts in the state. "We're looking at how we make government work better," Scott said at the annual meeting of Enterprise Florida. "One thing I'm going to do - I'm going to work with the legislature to do this - I want to streamline how we do economic development," he said.
"What I want to do is set up a Department of Commerce. I'm going to have the secretary of that office in my office - two doors from my office. And I want them to be the ones to work with Enterprise Florida, they'll work with OTTED and work with the Agency for Workforce Innovation."
Editor's Note: Everything old is new again. I started my career in the Florida Dept. of Commerce and served as an economist for the state's early space industry development efforts. I left in 1990 to help start-up the Spaceport Florida Authority on the Space Coast. Jeb Bush was the Secretary of Commerce at that time. The Dept. of Commerce was dissolved in 1997 to make way for Enterprise Florida. (1/27)
Japan's HTV Cargo Vessel Attaches to Space Station (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Second-stage capture is complete and the HTV is hard-mated to the International Space Station, beginning about two weeks of logistics transfers between the outpost and visiting freighter. Engineers will finish activating the HTV overnight and the crew will open hatches between Harmony and the HTV and ingress the ship on Friday. (1/27)
Lockheed Settles Fraud Claim for $2 Million (Source: Washington Technology)
Lockheed Martin Corp. has paid $2 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that claimed the company was part of a scheme to funnel information on a pending contract to the team bidding on the contract. Lockheed was a subcontractor to SAIC on a support services contract for the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
According to a Justice Department announcement, two government employees allegedly conspired with Lockheed, SAIC and Applied Enterprise Solutions to share insider information on the contract so that SAIC’s team would win the contract. The SAIC team allegedly received information that was not available to other bidders. SAIC was paid $115 million under the contract with Lockheed’s portion being $2 million. (1/27)
Internet Gives Vandenberg Satellite a Personality (Source: Santa Maria Times)
“I have gas” is the kind of Facebook status that makes people cringe, but the online messenger in this case has a perfectly legitimate excuse for sharing such seemingly intimate information. “That is a good thing in the spacecraft world,” added the first-person Facebook posting for NASA’s Glory satellite.
It’s one of the many updates “from” the NASA satellite as Glory settles in to its temporary quarters at Vandenberg Air Force Base after making a cross-country road trip, passing various milestones en route to space. The latest Earth-observing satellite developed by NASA, called Glory, arrived at Vandenberg Jan. 18 in preparation for a Feb. 23 launch. Glory was trucked from Orbital Sciences Corporation’s facility in Dulles, Va. (1/27)
UCSC Astronomers Find Most Distant Galaxy Candidate Yet Seen (Source: UCSC)
Astronomers studying ultra-deep imaging data from the Hubble Space Telescope have found what may be the most distant galaxy ever seen, about 13.2 billion light-years away. The study pushed the limits of Hubble's capabilities, extending its reach back to about 480 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was just 4 percent of its current age. (1/27)
Will We Ever Glimpse the Universe's First Stars? (Source: New Scientist)
The race to see the universe's most distant objects continues. Astronomers reported today the discovery of the farthest galaxy seen to date. If history is any guide, the galaxy, dubbed UDFj-39546284, is unlikely to hold that title for long. So how far back in time can we ultimately go? New Scientist takes a look at the prospects for seeing the very first galaxies and stars. Click here to see the article. (1/27)
A Fizzy Ocean on Enceladus (Source: NASA)
For years researchers have been debating whether Enceladus, a tiny moon floating just outside Saturn's rings, is home to a vast underground ocean. Is it wet--or not? Now, new evidence is tipping the scales. Not only does Enceladus likely have an ocean, that ocean is probably fizzy like a soft drink and could be friendly to microbial life. (1/27)
Obama Will Have a Special Sputnik Moment in Wisconsin Town (Source: CNN)
Have you been wondering why Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is the first stop for President Barack Obama after his State of the Union address? Any true space cadet will tell you that Manitowoc was chosen for its "Sputnik moment." Where else to launch a new course of direction but in the tiny Lake Michigan town that's best known for its own Sputnik moment. And it was a whopper.
On September 6, 1962 -- when Obama was but a mere lad, John F. Kennedy occupied the White House and the Cold War was raging -- a 20-pound hunk of smoldering metal fell from the sky and crashed in the middle of Manitowoc's Eighth Street. Turns out it was a piece of the Soviet satellite Sputnik IV. The Sputnik moment that Obama referenced happened when the Soviet Union launched the first-man made object into space -- Sputnik I in 1957 -- shocking the U.S. into a technological boom. Sputnik IV came five years later.
Two Manitowoc police officers noticed what looked like a piece of cardboard lying in the street, according to the Rahr-West Art Museum, which sponsors a Sputnik festival in Manitowoc every year. They approached the glowing object and kicked it to the curb, thinking it was a piece of slag from a local foundry. Wrong! It was sent to the Smithsonian Institution for analysis and was confirmed as a piece of the Soviet satellite. (1/27)
Space, the Next Economic Frontier for Singapore (Source: Today Online)
There are opportunities for Singapore in the space industry. This possibility was sounded out yesterday by a senior government official. Citing the emergence of Asia as a hub for space-related industries, Mr Tan said there is great potential for Singapore to carve a key role for itself.
Singapore, he said, has a pro-business environment, with a market and technologically-savvy workforce which has helped to draw corporations dealing in space-related services here. These include satellite service providers such as Arianespace, SpotImage and GeoEye. Singapore is also making investments to build a highly-skilled workforce for the fledging space industry here. (1/27)
Space Disasters Still Have Lessons to Teach (Source: MSNBC)
If, as the cynic writes, “The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history” ... where does that leave the lessons of the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia space catastrophes? NASA is observing a "Day of Remembrance" on Thursday to honor the astronauts lost during those three events, which all took place in late January and early February. But with the space shuttle program winding down, is there anything to be learned from that trio of tragedies?
In engineering terms, the three disasters taught lessons that space workers already knew but had forgotten — or at least had not thought to be important enough to sway operational choices. And all three disasters share a common root cause. That's the big reason why I resist calling these events "accidents": There was nothing random about them; rather, they were consequences of specific choices. (1/27)
Nelson: 25th Anniversary of Challenger Reinforces Need for Space Exploration (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Friday is the 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, a tragedy that left seven dead and NASA’s reputation in ruins. Sen. Bill Nelson, who only 10 days earlier had returned from six days in Earth orbit aboard shuttle Columbia, has cut a video about the importance of exploring space. “We know exploration is necessary if our country is to remain a leader among nations,” he says, while urging NASA to get to work on a new heavy-lift rocket that the agency has said it can’t afford to build in time for Nelson’s 2016 deadline. Click here. (1/27)
Construction of World's Largest Radio Telescope Begins in Southwest China (Source: Xinhua)
Workers in southwest China's Guiyang Province have started leveling the ground upon which a five-hundred-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST) will stand. Located in Pingtan County, the telescope will be the world's largest, the size of 30 football fields. Its construction has begun after 14 years of preparation and two years of land surveys and resident relocations. The telescope's main spherical reflector will be made up of 4,600 panels. Construction will be complete in 2016. (1/26)
Most of the "new space" companies are somewhat open from SpaceX down to the smallest garage operation. Other companies participate in conferences, they publish their success, the publish their failures, and all involved learn. Blue Origin does none of this. They have access to everyone's information and yet share none. In addition Blue Origin has started filing patents that restrict the trade space.
News of the barge landing patent is a perfect example. Other new space people have publicly talked about barge landing of various vehicles to recover stages. I remember John Carmack talking about barge landing more than 4 years ago. Others have commented to me personally that they have written notes talking about barge landing from more than 5 years ago.
There is a huge on-line discussion base about lower cost space flight and it clearly covers this and other B.O patents. If the patent is challenged the patent will be clearly invalid, but if it is issued it will cost millions to have it declared invalid. This is a huge expense to any small organization that might want to use that technology. So if Mr Bezeo's intent is to help get the human race off of the planet, please don't be evil, try being more open. (1/27)
Scott Fires Enterprise Florida Chief John Adams (Source: Palm Beach Post)
After chairing the Enterprise Florida board meeting in downtown Tallahassee, Gov. Rick Scott quietly fired the public-private economic development agency’s president, John Adams. Adams, who earns about $300,000 a year, was hand-picked for the job five years ago by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
Scott’s move, which will require some action by the board but which his office says will take effect immediately, took Enterprise Florida Board member Hal Valeche by surprise. Valeche said severing Adams’ contract was not discussed during the board meeting. Editor's Note: This move precedes some other major changes to Florida's economic development programs. (1/27)
Russia Launches Another Cargo Ship to Space Station (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
With Japan's cargo freighter safely arriving at the International Space Station early Thursday, Russia has launched its next resupply ship loaded with more provisions and even a tiny amateur radio satellite that spacewalkers will deploy from the orbiting outpost. Liftoff of the Soyuz booster carrying the Progress vessel from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, beginning Russia's 41st such cargo delivery mission to the space station. (1/27)
Rep. Sandy Adams Remarks on Astronauts Lost (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL) released the following statement today on a "Day of Remembrance" for the 17 brave astronauts who lost their lives during the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia tragedies: "No matter how much time passes, it is important to remember the brave men and women who dedicated their lives to better our country and who died in that noble pursuit... I join all of Central Florida in honoring their memory.
"For over 50 years NASA has been a global leader in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. At a critical juncture in our nation's economy, it's imperative that NASA is given the tools to continue to thrive. NASA isn't simply about exploration - it's about jobs, national security, research and the economy. After more than 50 years of innovation, we cannot let NASA fall to the wayside - it must remain a top priority." (1/27)
Rep. Hall Wants U.S. To Keep Winning in Space Exploration (Source: Space Policy Online)
Rep. Ralph Hall responded to those parts of the President's speech that addressed issues within the committee's jurisdiction, including clean energy technologies and basic research. His overall take is that "While appropriate investments in science and technology are important, they must be made prudently within the confines of a disciplined budget."
He said that his committee would conduct oversight of the President's science and technology policies "as well as the broader research and development priorities necessary to advance American competitiveness... Absent from the President's speech, apart from mentioning Sputnik as a metaphor, was any vision for our Nation's space agency. NASA's exploration program has been paramount to securing America's lead in the global economy and spurring innovation. So many technological advancements have stemmed from an ambitious, goal-oriented space program." (1/27)
Obama's Call for Innovation Hits Institutional Roadblocks, Except in Some Sectors (Source: Washington Post)
Another area where U.S. innovation has long flowered is space exploration and space science. Although American dominance in space travel will temporarily end with the grounding of the last space shuttle this year, a new generation of wealthy entrepreneurs is providing a level of space innovation unmatched in the world.
"We have private entrepreneurs now attempting and succeeding at space ventures that most nations can only dream about," said John Gedmark, executive director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "These are entrepreneurs who took their profits and put them where their longtime interests were - in space," Gedmark said. "That personal excitement is what breeds innovation, which is the lifeblood of our industry."
In addition, he said, the innovation was a result of national necessity. With the space shuttle soon to be grounded, the United States will not have any spacecraft that can take astronauts and cargo to the space station for a matter of years. Gedmark said Obama's support of commercial space has been essential to its progress. The president proposed a more than $3 billion allocation over three years to support commercial space development in his 2011 budget but faced stiff opposition in Congress. (1/27)
Bezos Seeks Blue Origin Patent for Water Landing (Source: TechFlash)
What does Jeff Bezos think about when he's not thinking about the next Kindle? Landing rocket boosters at sea, for one thing. The Amazon.com CEO is listed as one of the inventors in a newly surfaced patent application from his secretive spaceflight venture, Blue Origin LLC. The filing, submitted last summer and made public today, gives a sense for the ideas percolating in the minds of Bezos and his Blue Origin colleagues.
The application describes a process of catching a rocket booster on a platform at sea after it has separated and sent its payload into space. The system proposes a floating platform that would broadcast its location to the booster, which would be equipped with "bidirectional aerodynamic control surfaces" to control its trajectory. The booster's engines could be restarted to slow its descent once it was over the platform. Click here for a diagram. (1/27)
Bigelow Aerospace and Space Florida Plan Announcement (Source: Space Florida)
Robert Bigelow - president of Bigelow Aerospace, Frank DiBello - president of Space Florida, and Dr. George Sowers – vice president of United Launch Alliance, will address up to 100 community leaders and news media to discuss the future of commercial space in Central Florida and the role Bigelow may play in that future. At this event, Mr. Bigelow and Mr. DiBello will sign a Memorandum of Understanding representing a business development partnership between both entities.
Mr. Bigelow will directly address the audience regarding his company’s plans for growth in the coming months and years. Elected officials will be present at this event, including County Commissioners and State legislators. Additionally, Governor Rick Scott, Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Bill Nelson have been invited to attend. (1/27)
NASA, The Moon, and National Security (Source: Space Politics)
Freshman Senator Marco Rubio made the following remarks last fall when running for the Senate: “Space exploration is not something we do for fun,” he said in the October interview. “It’s something this country does because it has commercial applications, it has technical applications that help us in other fields. It has military and national defense applications.” He also, at the time, pointed to China’s space activities. “Look, China has invested heavily in getting to the moon, it’s not because they want to go up there and collect rock samples. It’s because they believe space is the high ground of national defense, and they want to have space superiority over the United States.”
Editor's Note: Comments like these by multiple elected officials have sparked a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about whether the Moon has any military value (it doesn't) and whether NASA's programs are vital to our national security (they might be). Said one poster on Space Politics: "Association of NASA with DoD is a major mistake. DoD does well without NASA and its politics and will keep doing well. Why would they need such a headache?" On the other hand all sorts of non-military U.S. rockets, satellites and their related technologies are treated as militarily sensitive and are barred from export. (1/27)
New Mexico Spaceport: Rich Person's Toy with Limited Market? (Source: Lurio Report)
Charles Lurio's periodoc "Lurio Report" this week speaks of "Reports of the labeling of the [New Mexico spaceport] project as a rich person’s toy with the assumption of no markets beyond a few initial flights." "No one knows--with certainty--the extent of the market for suborbital flights by individuals... Since most of the state money for the Spaceport has been spent, the remaining “gamble” has been refocussed on the shoulders of Virgin Galactic and its ability to deliver an operational vehicle and build a market. It’s not as if there aren’t perhaps the world’s most deft marketers there nor strong motivations for that. Virgin will have spent some half-billion dollars by the end of development." (1/26)
NASTAR Announces 2011 Summer Camp Dates (Source: ETC)
The NASTAR Center, the premier commercial space training and research center in the world, will once again host its popular NASTAR Camp program for students in grades 4 - 6 and 7 - 8. During the summer of 2010, more than 100 students attended the program. NASTAR Camp sessions are Monday - Friday, from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The NASTAR Camp curriculum has been structured to be fun while reinforcing the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Science and Technology and Engineering Education. All curricula are age and grade appropriate. Click here for details. (1/27)
Sen. Rubio Gets Four Committee Assignments (Source: Florida Today)
Sen. Marco Rubio will serve on four committees: Commerce, Science & Transportation; Foreign Relations; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Select Committee on Intelligence. He said in a press release that the committees will allow him to work on economic and security issues facing the nation. Rubio joins Sen. Bill Nelson on the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, where Nelson chairs the Science & Space Subcommittee. Rubio's subcommittee assignments were not announced. (1/27)
Where The Discussion Of Space Tourism Began (Source: AmericaSpace.org)
To understand the enthusiasm and efforts by those who seek to move from our current, national human space flight program to one run by commercial entities begins with the 2002 Futron “Space Tourism Market Study: Orbital Space Travel And Destinations With Suborbital Space Travel“. It is this study that forms the intellectual foundation for those who believe space tourism will soon be a profitable market, including especially those in the Executive Branch and at NASA. All subsequent studies on commercial human space flight derive from the conclusions of the Futron study and branches to other studies to some greater or lesser degree.
But the Futron study’s predictions have proven wildly inaccurate. For example, the study predicted that by 2010 there would be roughly 1,000 suborbital passengers and by 2011 15 orbital passengers–to date, there have been no suborbital passengers and 7 orbital passengers have flown since 2001. On January 12 of this year, Space Adventures and Russia announced that orbital space tourism would resume in 2013, with 1-2 passengers per year, the same year that the Futron study predicted that there would be 2,000 suborbital and 20 orbital passengers.
Given the importance, inspirational or otherwise, as well as the missed predictions of the Futron study, it’s important to understand what the study’s authors got right and wrong. Acolytes of the 2002 Futron study in the White House and at NASA have been willing to forsake NASA’s current and future human space flight efforts in lieu of commercial cargo or crew launch capabilities that do not yet exist and the businesses undertaking those future efforts are as yet untested. (1/27)
TRDA and USA Co-Sponsor SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparation Workshop (Source: TRDA)
TRDA and United Space Alliance are co-hosting an SBIR/STTR Phase I Proposal Preparation Workshop on Feb. 18. This workshop will help businesses develop higher quality proposals that can lead to higher company win rates for federal SBIR and STTR grants. Click here for details. (1/27)
Orbital Lands Iridium Next Integration Contract (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. will integrate and test the 81 Iridium Next mobile communications satellites under a contract with Iridium Next builder Thales Alenia Space, Orbital announced Jan. 27. Financial terms were not announced, but industry officials have said the contract is valued at around $150 million. Virginia-based Orbital will receive the Iridium Next satellite platforms and communications payloads from Cannes, France-based Thales Alenia Space, and then integrate the hardware at its Gilbert, Ariz., facility. Orbital’s industrial capacity at its Arizona plant was a factor in its selection over Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., for the integration and test work. (1/27)
Plans for Defense Spending Cuts Divide GOP (Source: AIA)
Efforts to slash defense spending are causing a divide among Republicans, as Tea Party-backed members of the House Armed Services Committee say no part of the Pentagon's $700 billion budget should be immune from cuts, while others argue in favor of protecting some aspects of the budget. Tea Party members say the nation's debts amount to security risks, but the head of the committee, Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., argued against plans to stop work on the Marines' $14.4 billion Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. (1/27)
General Dynamics Profits Rise Amid Increased Aerospace Demand (Source: AIA)
General Dynamics reports that higher profits in its Aerospace unit helped boost fourth-quarter profit by 19%, beating Wall Street estimates. According to CEO Jay Johnson, demand is on the rise for Gulfstream jets, and the company should see double-digit growth this year. (1/27)
Harris Beats Forecasts as Revenues Rise 7.8% (Source: AIA)
Harris Corp. reported a $151 million profit in the December quarter, an 18% improvement that beat Wall Street expectations. The company's largest unit, Government Communications Systems, reported a 20% jump in quarterly sales, helped by a $273 million avionics support contract for Canada's CF-18 Hornet fighter jets. (1/27)
United Technologies Reports Rise in Q4 Earnings (Source: AIA)
United Technologies' profit increased by 11.7% in the fourth quarter as orders for commercial plane spare parts from jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney rose and business also improved for heating and cooling building systems operations at Carrier. While United Technologies' adjusted earnings beat Wall Street expectations, guidance for 2011 indicates that earnings could fall below expectations. (1/27)
Raytheon Posts Lower Quarterly Profit (Source: Reuters)
Raytheon Co posted lower quarterly earnings and forecast higher sales and per-share profit for this year. The missile maker on Thursday said net income came to $459 million for the fourth quarter, compared with $504 million a year earlier. Sales rose 3 percent to $6.89 billion. (1/27)
Lockheed Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter Profits (Sources: Financial Times, Bloomberg)
Lockheed Martin, the largest US defense contractor, had a record year for new orders in 2010 in spite of the squeeze on military budgets, as it reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter. Pre-tax profits from continuing businesses, excluding two services companies that Lockheed is selling, fell 10 percent to $3.83 billion for 2010 as a whole. Lockheed booked $20 billion of orders in the quarter, and its backlog stood at $78.2 billion at the end of last year, up from $77.2 billion at the end of 2009. Space Systems sales declined 13 percent to $2.28 billion. The unit's profits declined 7 percent to $279 million. (1/27)
Boeing Announces $1.16B Quarterly Profit, but Cautions on 2011 (Source: AIA)
Boeing earned $1.16 billion in the fourth quarter, falling $110 million short of year-earlier levels but still exceeding analysts' expectations. Revenues fell to $16.55 billion, compared to $17.94 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009. For 2011, the company said higher pension costs and delays in its 787 program will be a drag on profits, which are estimated at $3.80 to $4.00 per share. (1/27)
Mica: FAA Bill is Job 1 for Transportation Committee (Source: AIA)
On Wednesday, as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee convened for the first time this year, Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., said a long-term reauthorization for the FAA would be his top priority. Mica said such a bill would provide a "blueprint" for the aviation industry, which accounts for 11% of the U.S. gross domestic product. "We are going to pass a bill some way, so I need everybody on the committee pushing for that," he said. (1/27)
Russia's Angara Rocket to be 'Ready for Tests' in 2012 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia's new generation Angara booster rocket will be ready for a test launch by 2012, the country's space force commander said. "We plan that it will be fully prepared for launch in 2012," Oleg Ostapenko told reporters. "Everything is going according to plan." Angara rockets, designed to provide lifting capabilities between 2,000 and 40,500 kg into low earth orbit, are expected to become the core of Russia's carrier rocket fleet, replacing several existing systems. (1/27)
Russian Answer to U.S. Reusable X-37 Robotic Spacecraft in the Offing (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russian researchers are working on an unmanned spacecraft similar to the U.S. Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle, Space Troops chief Oleg Ostapenko said. He said, however, it was not clear as yet how it would be used. "Something has been done along these lines, but as to whether we will use it, only time will tell," Ostapenko said. (1/27)
NASA Launches Public Outreach Program to Boost Space Tech (Source: Space.com)
NASA kicked off the first of a year-long series of meetings in Washington D.C. Jan. 26 to encourage the public to provide innovative technological ideas and insights that could influence the future of space exploration. Although NASA has held technology roadmap meetings in the past, this is the first time it has reached out to the public community for input. "We desperately need your help," said Robert Braun, NASA Chief Technologist. "We know we can make a difference through technology to reinvigorate the aerospace industry and get NASA back to its roots as a true innovator. But we can only do that if we have a plan." Click here. (1/27)
NASA Honors Astronauts Lost in Line of Duty (Source: KHOU)
NASA is pausing Thursday to remember the 17 astronauts lost in the line of duty. The so-called Day of Remembrance—always the last Thursday of January—takes on special meaning this year. Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the shuttle Challenger launch disaster. Flags will fly at half-staff at NASA centers nationwide Thursday. In addition, NASA officials will lay wreathes at various memorials to honor the dead. (1/27)
Editorial: NASA is Key to President's Research Push (Source: Huntsville Times)
President Obama invoked the importance of science during his State of the Union address. What better way to lure young Americans into the sciences than to support a strong space program that sparks wonder and innovation... He challenged America's scientists and engineers that "if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we'll fund the Apollo projects of our time."
Those who were looking for a commitment to NASA didn't hear it in the president's speech. But his space references and call to strengthen America's innovative spirit show he sees the value of having a viable space program. Republicans controlling the U.S. House have promised to try to cut non-defense and non-entitlement spending this year to at least 2008 levels, which would mark a $1.4 billion loss for NASA's budget. That would essentially wipe out the money NASA hoped to spend this year on the new heavy-lift rocket.
Lest space buffs think powerful representatives from space states like Alabama, Florida, Ohio and Texas will just muscle NASA programs into the budget, Obama vowed to veto legislation containing pet projects known as earmarks. Rather, they will have to sell such programs on their merits, And certainly, there are plenty of selling points for having a robust space policy. A strong NASA could work hand in hand with Obama's goal to invest more in education, research and technology to groom a new wave of entrepreneurs who will make the discoveries of tomorrow. (1/27)
Utah Congressman Blasts Lack of Space Focus in Presidential Address (Source: Space Politics)
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), a staunch critic last year of the administration’s plans to cancel Constellation, kept up the rhetoric in his response to President Obama's speech. “...While the President is calling for ‘new levels of research and development that haven’t been seen since the Space Race’ his Administration is also calling for the termination of our nation’s manned space program – a program whose science and technology research is an essential component of our nation’s missile defense program,” he claimed. “Terminating this program...would cede our leadership in space exploration over to countries like China, Russia and India.” (1/27)
Avanti Pursues Arbitration in Launch Dispute with SpaceX (Source: Space News)
Startup satellite broadband provider Avanti Communications Group alleges that launch-services provider SpaceX has unrightfully retained a $7.6 million launch-contract deposit and is asking a New York arbitration panel to settle the issue, the companies said.
London-based Avanti, whose Hylas 1 satellite was launched in November, had originally signed with SpaceX for the launch. But Avanti, saying it could not wait for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to be qualified, subsequently contracted with Arianespace. Avanti says it canceled the SpaceX contract because SpaceX could not assure the requisite number of qualification launches before the Hylas 1 launch, as the contract had stipulated. (1/27)
Rick Scott Suggests Creating Florida Department of Commerce (Source: Miami Herald)
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said this morning that he wants to create a "Department of Commerce" to streamline economic development efforts in the state. "We're looking at how we make government work better," Scott said at the annual meeting of Enterprise Florida. "One thing I'm going to do - I'm going to work with the legislature to do this - I want to streamline how we do economic development," he said.
"What I want to do is set up a Department of Commerce. I'm going to have the secretary of that office in my office - two doors from my office. And I want them to be the ones to work with Enterprise Florida, they'll work with OTTED and work with the Agency for Workforce Innovation."
Editor's Note: Everything old is new again. I started my career in the Florida Dept. of Commerce and served as an economist for the state's early space industry development efforts. I left in 1990 to help start-up the Spaceport Florida Authority on the Space Coast. Jeb Bush was the Secretary of Commerce at that time. The Dept. of Commerce was dissolved in 1997 to make way for Enterprise Florida. (1/27)
Japan's HTV Cargo Vessel Attaches to Space Station (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Second-stage capture is complete and the HTV is hard-mated to the International Space Station, beginning about two weeks of logistics transfers between the outpost and visiting freighter. Engineers will finish activating the HTV overnight and the crew will open hatches between Harmony and the HTV and ingress the ship on Friday. (1/27)
Lockheed Settles Fraud Claim for $2 Million (Source: Washington Technology)
Lockheed Martin Corp. has paid $2 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that claimed the company was part of a scheme to funnel information on a pending contract to the team bidding on the contract. Lockheed was a subcontractor to SAIC on a support services contract for the National Center for Critical Information Processing and Storage at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
According to a Justice Department announcement, two government employees allegedly conspired with Lockheed, SAIC and Applied Enterprise Solutions to share insider information on the contract so that SAIC’s team would win the contract. The SAIC team allegedly received information that was not available to other bidders. SAIC was paid $115 million under the contract with Lockheed’s portion being $2 million. (1/27)
Internet Gives Vandenberg Satellite a Personality (Source: Santa Maria Times)
“I have gas” is the kind of Facebook status that makes people cringe, but the online messenger in this case has a perfectly legitimate excuse for sharing such seemingly intimate information. “That is a good thing in the spacecraft world,” added the first-person Facebook posting for NASA’s Glory satellite.
It’s one of the many updates “from” the NASA satellite as Glory settles in to its temporary quarters at Vandenberg Air Force Base after making a cross-country road trip, passing various milestones en route to space. The latest Earth-observing satellite developed by NASA, called Glory, arrived at Vandenberg Jan. 18 in preparation for a Feb. 23 launch. Glory was trucked from Orbital Sciences Corporation’s facility in Dulles, Va. (1/27)
UCSC Astronomers Find Most Distant Galaxy Candidate Yet Seen (Source: UCSC)
Astronomers studying ultra-deep imaging data from the Hubble Space Telescope have found what may be the most distant galaxy ever seen, about 13.2 billion light-years away. The study pushed the limits of Hubble's capabilities, extending its reach back to about 480 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was just 4 percent of its current age. (1/27)
Will We Ever Glimpse the Universe's First Stars? (Source: New Scientist)
The race to see the universe's most distant objects continues. Astronomers reported today the discovery of the farthest galaxy seen to date. If history is any guide, the galaxy, dubbed UDFj-39546284, is unlikely to hold that title for long. So how far back in time can we ultimately go? New Scientist takes a look at the prospects for seeing the very first galaxies and stars. Click here to see the article. (1/27)
A Fizzy Ocean on Enceladus (Source: NASA)
For years researchers have been debating whether Enceladus, a tiny moon floating just outside Saturn's rings, is home to a vast underground ocean. Is it wet--or not? Now, new evidence is tipping the scales. Not only does Enceladus likely have an ocean, that ocean is probably fizzy like a soft drink and could be friendly to microbial life. (1/27)
Obama Will Have a Special Sputnik Moment in Wisconsin Town (Source: CNN)
Have you been wondering why Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is the first stop for President Barack Obama after his State of the Union address? Any true space cadet will tell you that Manitowoc was chosen for its "Sputnik moment." Where else to launch a new course of direction but in the tiny Lake Michigan town that's best known for its own Sputnik moment. And it was a whopper.
On September 6, 1962 -- when Obama was but a mere lad, John F. Kennedy occupied the White House and the Cold War was raging -- a 20-pound hunk of smoldering metal fell from the sky and crashed in the middle of Manitowoc's Eighth Street. Turns out it was a piece of the Soviet satellite Sputnik IV. The Sputnik moment that Obama referenced happened when the Soviet Union launched the first-man made object into space -- Sputnik I in 1957 -- shocking the U.S. into a technological boom. Sputnik IV came five years later.
Two Manitowoc police officers noticed what looked like a piece of cardboard lying in the street, according to the Rahr-West Art Museum, which sponsors a Sputnik festival in Manitowoc every year. They approached the glowing object and kicked it to the curb, thinking it was a piece of slag from a local foundry. Wrong! It was sent to the Smithsonian Institution for analysis and was confirmed as a piece of the Soviet satellite. (1/27)
Space, the Next Economic Frontier for Singapore (Source: Today Online)
There are opportunities for Singapore in the space industry. This possibility was sounded out yesterday by a senior government official. Citing the emergence of Asia as a hub for space-related industries, Mr Tan said there is great potential for Singapore to carve a key role for itself.
Singapore, he said, has a pro-business environment, with a market and technologically-savvy workforce which has helped to draw corporations dealing in space-related services here. These include satellite service providers such as Arianespace, SpotImage and GeoEye. Singapore is also making investments to build a highly-skilled workforce for the fledging space industry here. (1/27)
Space Disasters Still Have Lessons to Teach (Source: MSNBC)
If, as the cynic writes, “The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history” ... where does that leave the lessons of the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia space catastrophes? NASA is observing a "Day of Remembrance" on Thursday to honor the astronauts lost during those three events, which all took place in late January and early February. But with the space shuttle program winding down, is there anything to be learned from that trio of tragedies?
In engineering terms, the three disasters taught lessons that space workers already knew but had forgotten — or at least had not thought to be important enough to sway operational choices. And all three disasters share a common root cause. That's the big reason why I resist calling these events "accidents": There was nothing random about them; rather, they were consequences of specific choices. (1/27)
Nelson: 25th Anniversary of Challenger Reinforces Need for Space Exploration (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Friday is the 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, a tragedy that left seven dead and NASA’s reputation in ruins. Sen. Bill Nelson, who only 10 days earlier had returned from six days in Earth orbit aboard shuttle Columbia, has cut a video about the importance of exploring space. “We know exploration is necessary if our country is to remain a leader among nations,” he says, while urging NASA to get to work on a new heavy-lift rocket that the agency has said it can’t afford to build in time for Nelson’s 2016 deadline. Click here. (1/27)
Construction of World's Largest Radio Telescope Begins in Southwest China (Source: Xinhua)
Workers in southwest China's Guiyang Province have started leveling the ground upon which a five-hundred-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST) will stand. Located in Pingtan County, the telescope will be the world's largest, the size of 30 football fields. Its construction has begun after 14 years of preparation and two years of land surveys and resident relocations. The telescope's main spherical reflector will be made up of 4,600 panels. Construction will be complete in 2016. (1/26)
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