British Micro-Satellites to Ride Falcon 9 (Source: Florida Today)
Britain's leading satellite builder plans to launch small satellites from Cape Canaveral aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets within the next two years. That could create jobs in Brevard County while boosting the area's visibility overseas. "We actually see SpaceX as one of the things that will open up the American market to small satellites," said Philip Davies, business development manager with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. in Surrey, England.
The company has built nearly 40 dishwasher-sized satellites, which are used for communications and Earth imaging. It sees a growing market once SpaceX establishes itself as a low-cost launch provider. That California-based company, owned by Internet tycoon Elon Musk, has had two successful launches from Cape Canaveral and plans a third this summer. (3/31)
Space Coast Small Business Hires for KSC Contract (Source: Craig Technologies)
March was a busy month for woman-owned Craig Technologies, processing fourteen new hires to support the NASA KSC Engineering Services Contract (ESC) they were awarded in November with their teammate QinetiQ. The new team consists of integration and test and software engineers, along with technicians and administrative support personnel. The $1.9 billion contract calls for support services that include the design and development of ground systems and equipment, flight systems engineering and support engineering. (3/31)
Gravity Satellite Yields 'Potato Earth' View (Source: BBC)
It looks like a giant potato in space. And yet, the information in this model is the sharpest view we have of how gravity varies across the Earth. The globe has been released by the team working on Europe's Goce satellite. It is a highly exaggerated rendering, but it neatly illustrates how the tug we feel from the mass of rock under our feet is not the same in every location. Gravity is strongest in yellow areas; it is weakest in blue ones. Click here. (3/31)
Stunning Russian Earth Photos Differ from NASA's (Source: Daily Mail)
They are some of the most revealing and fascinating images yet taken of Earth. Clearly showing various land colors according to terrain and finely detailing the height contours of mountains, they are incredibly beautiful to look at. But they are also unique and quite different to the images of our planet captured by numerous NASA missions over the years. For these images were not taken by NASA, but by an orbiting Russian spacecraft, and the reason for the difference in Earth's appearance can be attributed to a different method of interpreting data being beamed back. Click here. (3/31)
Kelly Awaits Docs' OK on Giffords Seeing Launch (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Space shuttle commander Mark Kelly said Thursday he’s still awaiting doctors’ blessing to bring his wounded congresswoman wife to his launch in just under three weeks. NASA, meanwhile, took stock of minor damage to Kelly’s shuttle on the launch pad as severe thunderstorms swept through Kennedy Space Center.
Each shuttle crew member arranges a party for family and friends who descend on Cape Canaveral for the launch. The astronauts themselves are in quarantine and cannot attend; spouses stand in as hosts. In Kelly’s case, his identical twin astronaut brother, Scott, could fill in. Scott is just back from a five-month stay at the International Space Station. (3/31)
Israel, The Third Nation on the Moon? (Source: Forbes)
If all goes according to plan, by December 2012 a team of three young Israeli scientists will have landed a tiny spacecraft on the moon, explored the lunar surface, and transmitted live video back to earth, thereby scooping up a $20 million prize (the Google Lunar X Prize), revolutionizing space exploration, and making the Jewish State the third nation (after the U.S. and Russia) to land a probe on the moon. And they’re doing it in their spare time.
The three engineers – Yariv Bash (electronics and computers), Kfir Damari (communication systems), and Yonatan Winetraub (satellite systems) all have high-level day jobs in the Israeli science and technology world, and also both teach and study. They all had heard of the Google Lunar X Prize independently, before being introduced by mutual friends who, as Yonatan puts it “thought we were all crazy enough to do it, so we should meet each other.” (3/31)
Brits Believe Space Travel Insurance May be Required in 2020 (Source: Insurances.co.uk)
A new survey has revealed that some Brits are of the opinion they will be able to holiday to the moon in the near future. The online travel agent sunshine.co.uk says that out of the 1,926 people questioned, 11 percent believe that holiday trips to the moon will be possible by 2020. According to the research, around 22 percent of respondents expect that by 2020, there could be the existence of space station resorts. (3/31)
Brits Meet with Colorado Aerospace Firms (Source: Boulder Business Report)
British space industry representatives toured DigitalGlobe and Ball Aerospace & Technologies in a two-day visit to look for business collaboration opportunities. The small delegation of about half a dozen people also visited National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facilities in Boulder, the United Launch Alliance in Littleton, and met with economic development officials and others in the Denver metro area. The British Council trade department in Chicago coordinated the trip. (3/31)
House GOP Members Call for Increases in Defense Spending (Source: AIA)
Some Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee are going against the budget-slashing trend and asking for $7 billion more to be added to the $553 billion base defense budget for 2012 that the Obama administration has requested. In a letter to the House Budget Committee, 29 members of the Armed Services Committee called on lawmakers to "not jeopardize the security of the nation by accepting across-the-board cuts to national defense without regard to the inherent strategic risks." (3/31)
FCC Says Broadband Network Will Depend on GPS Study (Source: AIA)
Under pressure from transportation and defense officials, the Federal Communications Commission says a huge broadband relay network will not proceed until experts have addressed concerns over possible interference with GPS systems. "The process followed in addressing those issues will include the ongoing input of our federal partners, the GPS community and industry," an FCC spokesman noted. The agency has issued conditional approval for the broadband wireless network, pending a report on GPS interference issues that is due June 15. (3/31)
BBC Gets a Behind-the-Scenes Look at SpaceShipTwo (Source: NewSpace Journal)
BBC reporter Richard Scott has a bit of an exclusive: a look behind the scenes of the development of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo as well as Spaceport America in New Mexico. The real exclusive is the first look inside SpaceShipTwo, briefly seen in the two-minute video. (Other videos in the article include an interview with test pilot Pete Siebold and a tour of Spaceport America.) Click here. (3/31)
Posey: Direct NASA Toward Human Spaceflight (Source: Space Politics)
Yesterday the House Budget Committee took testimony from fellow members of the House on various issues as it prepares work on a budget resolution for fiscal year 2012. That included a statement from Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), who spoke out on the need to fully fund NASA’s human spaceflight programs, cranking up the rhetoric in the process.
Posey’s statement included familiar themes: NASA’s human spaceflight program was adrift thanks to the Obama Administration’s decision to cancel Constellation, with implications for American leadership and national security, even while the administration sought increase spending on climate change research and commercial spaceflight. And he sought to make those points with blunt language.
“By failing to set priorities within NASA’s budget, the Administration has left NASA with no priorities,” he said. “Should Congress fail to step in where the Administration has left a leadership void we will be making an unacceptable compromise in our national security and lose economic and intangible benefits from our space program.” Click here to read the article. (3/31)
Space Week in Texas (Source: NASA JSC)
Space Week 2011 was held in Texas on March 24-31. This year’s theme was “Space Matters. Destination: Station...and Beyond.” NASA landed in Austin and the State Capitol on March 31. Activities included educational and interactive exhibits and inspiring speaker presentations highlighting ISS achievements, honoring the Space Shuttle Program and celebrating the future of space exploration. Click here for more. (3/31)
Ariane Abort Produces Fire and Smoke, But No Blastoff (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
With its hydrogen-fueled Vulcain main engine already spewing flame, an Ariane 5 rocket was dramatically grounded Wednesday by a last-second abort moments before two mighty solid rocket boosters were to have ignited to send the 1.7-million-pound launcher toward space. A final computer check of the Ariane 5's health uncovered a problem that triggered the cutoff of the countdown. Like the space shuttle, the Ariane 5 rocket's core cryogenic main engine ignites seconds before twin solid-fueled boosters, giving computers a chance to gauge the vehicle's health before firing the strap-on motors, which can't be turned off. (3/31)
California Space Authority Backs Export Reforms (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The California Space Authority lobbied on behalf of President Barack Obama’s effort to reform restrictive export laws that industry officials are costing Americans jobs and destroying U.S. competitiveness in the lucrative high-tech markets, including satellites.
CSA led its annual California Space Week Washington DC this week. Representatives of the Golden State’s space community visited Congressional and other DC offices in support of a broad agenda that also included NASA, DoD, and education. With four of the five major U.S. satellite makers in California, CSA has a strong interest in reforming laws limiting the ability of those companies to export their technology overseas. California accounts for 22 percent of the global space market in all categories. (3/31)
Foundation Opposes "Senate Launch System" (Source: Space Frontier Foundation)
Please remind your Representative & Senators they are not rocket scientists! Let NASA compete all the best ideas for a Space Launch System... Don’t mandate an unaffordable/unsustainable “Senate Launch System”!
The Senate’s draft CR, which didn’t even pass the Senate, told NASA to build a 130-ton heavy-lift launch vehicle right away... using current contractors and 1970s era technology. Everyone reading this alert wants NASA to start exploring again. But there are a lot of options for exploration transportation that don’t require paying the huge fixed costs of the Shuttle or Constellation forever. Heavy-lift capabilities can be developed incrementally over time, as we can afford them and are ready to use them. (3/31)
CSA: NASA’s Contribution to California’s Economy: $17.7 Billion (Source: Parabolic Arc)
NASA contributes $3.6 billion in direct contracts and an additional $14.1 billion in in-direct jobs to the Golden State through its three field centers, according to the California Space Authority. The agency directly employs more than 7,100 with an annual payroll in excess of $900 million. The statistics are included in a points paper on NASA that CSA issued for 2011 California Space Week Washington DC.
The paper is designed to instruct participants in what to say when visiting Congressional offices. The document urges full funding for NASA at the proposed $18.7 billion level. It also recommends full support for NASA’s HLV, Multiply-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion), CCDev and COTS programs in accordance with the authorization act signed into law last year. CSA also opposes a proposed $298 million cut in the agency’s operations budget to pay for police salaries. (3/31)
Obama Administration Pushing Back on Congressionally Directed Rocket (Source: Space News)
Obama administration officials continue to push back against a congressionally directed heavy-lift launch vehicle that would salvage elements of the Constellation program. White House science adviser John Holdren said that while the president’s proposed $18.7 billion FY-12 NASA budget would fund key themes contained in the bipartisan NASA Authorization Act, Congress’ inability to pass a 2011 spending bill is preventing the agency from beginning work on the new Space Launch System (SLS) and Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).
With the White House under pressure to curb spending, Holdren said the president’s proposal represents “the most aggressive program” for a heavy-lift launch vehicle development given the constrained budget NASA will face in the coming years. “There is, I think, a real question as to whether it can be done in the time that the Congress would like, but in the end it’s difficult to legislate scientific and engineering reality,” he said, adding, “NASA is determined and the administration is determined to do the best we can to get a heavy-lift vehicle as fast as we can and I think that’s the best one can say.” (3/31)
Some Skepticism Lingers Regarding Heavy-Lift Rocket (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
Lawmakers, a space industry official and an academic remained skeptical Wednesday about NASA's commitment to developing a heavy-lift rocket. Jim Maser, representing the AIAA, told the House space subcommittee the industry is uncertain about how much the government will invest in its own rockets and how much it will spend helping private companies develop rockets.
"We simply do not know what is next," said Maser, president of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, which builds the space shuttle's external engine. "We are in a crisis." The confusion arose because the government last year canceled the Constellation program that aimed to return to the moon. NASA hasn't decided yet how much of the Constellation's Ares 1 rocket will be used to develop a heavy-lift rocket to reach asteroids or Mars.
"NASA must not delay," said Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, chairman of the space committee. "Lengthy studies are no longer needed." Doug Cooke, administrator of NASA's exploration directorate, assured lawmakers the agency plans to decide by late June how much of Ares will be used to develop a heavy-lift rocket. He said NASA already has decided the Orion capsule from Constellation will be used to develop a capsule for the rocket. (3/31)
Florida House OKs Space Industry Incentives (Source: Florida Capital News)
A House panel on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a series of tax breaks and incentives designed to offset two of the biggest economic disasters in the state — the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the retirement later this year of the space shuttle. The Finance and Tax Committee voted to approve HB-873 by Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island.
The bill would provide up to $20 million in tax credits for aerospace-related businesses, but the program is non-recurring and would not kick in until 2017. Crisafulli said the measure is needed to offset the 9,000 direct layoffs that are expected to follow the retirement of the shuttle later this year. Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, cast the only dissenting vote.
"I don't think these types of credits for this industry are appropriate," she said. "I'd rather have them go for renewable energy." A companion measure by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, is making its way to the Senate floor. (3/31)
March 30, 2011
Is Roscosmos Beginning to Crack Under the Strain? (Source: Space News)
Two recent launch failures and sharp public criticism from leading government officials is putting the Russian space agency Roscosmos under a harsh spotlight. It’s also raising questions about whether the launch campaign the country is pursuing this year is too aggressive. After having led the world with 31 launches last year, the Russians will increase that pace to 48 this year. That is a launch every 7.6 days. No other country in the world comes close to that figure.
There are signs that this increased pace is beginning to affect the quality of Roscosmos’ work. In December, three expensive navigational satellites ended up in the Pacific after pad technicians filled the upper stage of a Proton with too much fuel. In February, the failure of an upper stage on a Rockot booster stranded a Russian military satellite in a useless orbit.
Russia's increased burden of carrying U.S. astronauts comes at a time when the nation is pursuing a number of expensive high-profile space projects. These include the construction of new spaceport in the Far East, the testing of the Angara rocket, and the development of a new spacecraft and booster to replace the venerable Soyuz system. (3/22)
British Space Companies Begin Trade Mission in Brevard (Source: Florida Today)
The leader of the British space agency said the way to create space jobs in Florida and Britain is cooperation. "Partnership is absolutely crucial," said CEO UK Space Agency Professor Keith Mason. "The important thing is to make the cake bigger so everybody gets a bigger slice. If you can do that by partnering between Space Florida and the U.K., that's the best way."
Mason spoke at a space conference this afternoon in Cocoa Beach. Space Florida began last year reaching out to the British space industry. He lead a delegation of British scientists and businessmen who hope to expand the space industries of both countries. "The U.K. government recognizes that space is one of the growth areas," Mason said. Gov. Rick Scott canceled a planned appearance when bad weather prevented him from flying in from Tallahassee. (3/30)
Noted Physicist David Garfinkle to Speak at Embry-Riddle on Einstein’s Legacy (Source: ERAU)
World-renowned physicist Dr. David Garfinkle will deliver the 10th annual Elston Memorial Lecture on Gravitation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on April 9. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Willie Miller Instructional Center on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus. In his lecture, titled “Einstein’s Legacy: From Black Holes to the Accelerating Universe,” Dr. Garfinkle will explain that black holes are in fact among the brightest objects in the universe and are possibly connected to wormholes, dark matter, and dark energy. (3/30)
Celestis Reschedules Earth Rise Memorial Launch (Source: Celestis)
Celestis has provided an update on their next Earth Rise Service mission, The Goddard Flight, which will fly out of Spaceport America, New Mexico. While launch was projected to occur on April 1 at Spaceport America, liftoff has been moved to May 20. The delay is due to damage to the spacecraft's flight electronics system that occurred during a recent test. (3/30)
Six Firms Vying To Build Telenor’s Thor 7 Satellite (Source: Space News)
Telenor Satellite Broadcasting has received bids from six manufacturers vying to build the Thor 7 telecommunications satellite, which will mark Telenor’s entry into Ka-band satellite services and signals its intention to expand beyond its existing operations, the company’s chief executive said. Four U.S. and two European manufacturers submitted offers for the mixed Ku- and Ka-band Thor 7. They are Astrium and Thales Alenia of Europe; and Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences and Loral of the United States. (3/30)
New R&D Dashboard Tracks Federal Science Agency Investments (Source: SSTI)
A new prototype website allows users to track R&D grants and awards from federal agencies. The current version provides publicly reported federal agency data from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health from 2001 to 2010. It also provides output data on patents, patent application and publication. Future updates will integrate the site with all federal agency databases and additional output data. Click here to test-drive the site, including data on Florida's share of R&D funding awards from these agencies. (3/30)
Boeing Brings Astronaut to Qatar to Inspire Students (Source: Arabian Aerospace)
Qatari students had a chance to hear first hand about space travel as Boeing continued its lecture series for students in Qatar pursuing studies in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Boeing, which has a regional office in Doha, brought Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, a retired NASA astronaut who holds doctorates in mechanical and biomedical engineering, to tell students how her engineering education prepared her to fly on five space shuttle missions and for a successful career in the aerospace industry. (3/30)
ASA Offers Edward O'Connor Scholarship (Source: ERAU)
The Aerospace States Association (ASA) invites applications for the Edward A. O'Connor Jr. scholarship for 2011/2012. The due date is April 30. Also offered by ASA is a scholarship sponsored by Rockwell Collins. Edward O'Connor was the first executive director of the Spaceport Florida Authority, the agency now known as Space Florida. While at the Spaceport Authority, O'Connor led the creation of the ASA. Click here for information. (3/30)
Which Near-Earth Asteroids are Ripe for a Visit? (Source: Scientific American)
In April 2010, amid mounting criticism that his space plan lacked direction, President Barack Obama gave a speech in Florida to lay out a few ambitious goals he had in mind for NASA. The details of how those targets would be met remain somewhat sketchy even today, but the goals themselves were clear—sometime around 2025, the U.S. would perform an unprecedented feat. "We'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history," Obama said.
NASA already sent a robotic spacecraft to land on the near-Earth asteroid Eros in 2001, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) even managed to return a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa in 2010. So where will the next robotic mission go, and where will astronauts first touch down in the decades to come? A group of astronomers working through a census of nearby asteroids has a few suggestions. Michael Mueller and his colleagues have since 2009 been using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to gauge the properties of hundreds of near-Earth objects (NEOs), a campaign known as ExploreNEOs. Click here. (3/30)
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Progresses (Source: DCist)
Orbital and SpaceX (which tested its Falcon 9 rocket successfully last December) were the winners from Phase 1 of NASA's COTS competition, and now have contracts for a total of 20 cargo transportation missions to the ISS from 2011 to 2015. You can read more about the program and ongoing phases at NASA's website. While SpaceX will launch its rockets from Florida, Orbital will be doing all of its work at MARS. Part of the Taurus II vehicle is being constructed in the Ukraine and will be shipped to MARS for final assembly in the new HIF.
Representatives from Orbital assured us that the launch of the Taurus II (unlike those of Wallops' usual sounding-rockets) will be seen as far away as Indiana. Yup, that means that starting in September we'll be able to view rocket launches from our own backyards and roofdecks. We'll be sure to let you know when MARS firms up those dates so we can all head outside to watch, or schedule a photo meetup. Also: suck it, Florida! (3/30)
British Industries Talk Aerospace Trade (Source: Florida Today)
A delegation of six U.K. space companies will discuss doing business with space companies in Brevard County and elsewhere in the U.S. during a two-day trade mission that starts today on the Space Coast. Gov. Rick Scott and British Consul-General Kevin McGurgan are among those planning to attend. Agencies and companies also in attendance will include Space Florida, whose president, Frank DiBello, will make the opening remarks, as well as NASA, The Boeing Co., EADS and Raytheon. Scott will host a discussion on how to strengthen the space industry by encouraging cooperation between U.S. and British firms. (3/30)
U.S. Senate Delays Key NASA Hearing Until May 5 (Source: U.S. Senate)
A U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing planned for March 31 has been pushed back to May 5. The focus of the hearing is NASA's FY-12 budget. Witnesses will include NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. (3/30)
Avio Reports Dip in Revenue, Says Vega To Launch in 2011 (Source: Space News)
Italian rocket-propulsion manufacturer Avio of Italy on March 30 said its space division reported revenue of 285.7 million euros ($378.6 million) in 2010, down 1.6 percent from 2009, and that Europe’s new Vega small-satellite launcher, for which Avio is prime contractor, would conduct its maiden flight late this year.
Avio, which produces about 14 percent of the value of Europe’s heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket in addition to work on Vega and tactical-propulsion programs for the Italian Defense Ministry, did not break out profitability figures for the space division but said its performance was “important for the group, both in terms of profitability and stability” in 2010. Avio owns 70 percent of ELV, the prime contractor for Vega. The Italian Space Agency owns the remaining 30 percent of the company. (3/30)
Aerojet Breaks Ground on Huntsville Expansion (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Aerojet, in partnership with Huntsville City Mayor Tommy Battle and Chamber of Commerce executives, held a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the launch of Aerojet’s new office expansion project. The company is working toward hiring an additional 25 engineers who will reside in the new office space. These Aerojet engineers will provide technical expertise in solid, liquid and gel propulsion, warheads, specialty metals and fire suppression systems. They also will provide face-to-face, hands-on technical interaction with all of our Huntsville customers for current and future programs. (3/30)
Two recent launch failures and sharp public criticism from leading government officials is putting the Russian space agency Roscosmos under a harsh spotlight. It’s also raising questions about whether the launch campaign the country is pursuing this year is too aggressive. After having led the world with 31 launches last year, the Russians will increase that pace to 48 this year. That is a launch every 7.6 days. No other country in the world comes close to that figure.
There are signs that this increased pace is beginning to affect the quality of Roscosmos’ work. In December, three expensive navigational satellites ended up in the Pacific after pad technicians filled the upper stage of a Proton with too much fuel. In February, the failure of an upper stage on a Rockot booster stranded a Russian military satellite in a useless orbit.
Russia's increased burden of carrying U.S. astronauts comes at a time when the nation is pursuing a number of expensive high-profile space projects. These include the construction of new spaceport in the Far East, the testing of the Angara rocket, and the development of a new spacecraft and booster to replace the venerable Soyuz system. (3/22)
British Space Companies Begin Trade Mission in Brevard (Source: Florida Today)
The leader of the British space agency said the way to create space jobs in Florida and Britain is cooperation. "Partnership is absolutely crucial," said CEO UK Space Agency Professor Keith Mason. "The important thing is to make the cake bigger so everybody gets a bigger slice. If you can do that by partnering between Space Florida and the U.K., that's the best way."
Mason spoke at a space conference this afternoon in Cocoa Beach. Space Florida began last year reaching out to the British space industry. He lead a delegation of British scientists and businessmen who hope to expand the space industries of both countries. "The U.K. government recognizes that space is one of the growth areas," Mason said. Gov. Rick Scott canceled a planned appearance when bad weather prevented him from flying in from Tallahassee. (3/30)
Noted Physicist David Garfinkle to Speak at Embry-Riddle on Einstein’s Legacy (Source: ERAU)
World-renowned physicist Dr. David Garfinkle will deliver the 10th annual Elston Memorial Lecture on Gravitation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on April 9. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Willie Miller Instructional Center on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus. In his lecture, titled “Einstein’s Legacy: From Black Holes to the Accelerating Universe,” Dr. Garfinkle will explain that black holes are in fact among the brightest objects in the universe and are possibly connected to wormholes, dark matter, and dark energy. (3/30)
Celestis Reschedules Earth Rise Memorial Launch (Source: Celestis)
Celestis has provided an update on their next Earth Rise Service mission, The Goddard Flight, which will fly out of Spaceport America, New Mexico. While launch was projected to occur on April 1 at Spaceport America, liftoff has been moved to May 20. The delay is due to damage to the spacecraft's flight electronics system that occurred during a recent test. (3/30)
Six Firms Vying To Build Telenor’s Thor 7 Satellite (Source: Space News)
Telenor Satellite Broadcasting has received bids from six manufacturers vying to build the Thor 7 telecommunications satellite, which will mark Telenor’s entry into Ka-band satellite services and signals its intention to expand beyond its existing operations, the company’s chief executive said. Four U.S. and two European manufacturers submitted offers for the mixed Ku- and Ka-band Thor 7. They are Astrium and Thales Alenia of Europe; and Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences and Loral of the United States. (3/30)
New R&D Dashboard Tracks Federal Science Agency Investments (Source: SSTI)
A new prototype website allows users to track R&D grants and awards from federal agencies. The current version provides publicly reported federal agency data from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health from 2001 to 2010. It also provides output data on patents, patent application and publication. Future updates will integrate the site with all federal agency databases and additional output data. Click here to test-drive the site, including data on Florida's share of R&D funding awards from these agencies. (3/30)
Boeing Brings Astronaut to Qatar to Inspire Students (Source: Arabian Aerospace)
Qatari students had a chance to hear first hand about space travel as Boeing continued its lecture series for students in Qatar pursuing studies in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Boeing, which has a regional office in Doha, brought Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, a retired NASA astronaut who holds doctorates in mechanical and biomedical engineering, to tell students how her engineering education prepared her to fly on five space shuttle missions and for a successful career in the aerospace industry. (3/30)
ASA Offers Edward O'Connor Scholarship (Source: ERAU)
The Aerospace States Association (ASA) invites applications for the Edward A. O'Connor Jr. scholarship for 2011/2012. The due date is April 30. Also offered by ASA is a scholarship sponsored by Rockwell Collins. Edward O'Connor was the first executive director of the Spaceport Florida Authority, the agency now known as Space Florida. While at the Spaceport Authority, O'Connor led the creation of the ASA. Click here for information. (3/30)
Which Near-Earth Asteroids are Ripe for a Visit? (Source: Scientific American)
In April 2010, amid mounting criticism that his space plan lacked direction, President Barack Obama gave a speech in Florida to lay out a few ambitious goals he had in mind for NASA. The details of how those targets would be met remain somewhat sketchy even today, but the goals themselves were clear—sometime around 2025, the U.S. would perform an unprecedented feat. "We'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history," Obama said.
NASA already sent a robotic spacecraft to land on the near-Earth asteroid Eros in 2001, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) even managed to return a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa in 2010. So where will the next robotic mission go, and where will astronauts first touch down in the decades to come? A group of astronomers working through a census of nearby asteroids has a few suggestions. Michael Mueller and his colleagues have since 2009 been using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to gauge the properties of hundreds of near-Earth objects (NEOs), a campaign known as ExploreNEOs. Click here. (3/30)
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Progresses (Source: DCist)
Orbital and SpaceX (which tested its Falcon 9 rocket successfully last December) were the winners from Phase 1 of NASA's COTS competition, and now have contracts for a total of 20 cargo transportation missions to the ISS from 2011 to 2015. You can read more about the program and ongoing phases at NASA's website. While SpaceX will launch its rockets from Florida, Orbital will be doing all of its work at MARS. Part of the Taurus II vehicle is being constructed in the Ukraine and will be shipped to MARS for final assembly in the new HIF.
Representatives from Orbital assured us that the launch of the Taurus II (unlike those of Wallops' usual sounding-rockets) will be seen as far away as Indiana. Yup, that means that starting in September we'll be able to view rocket launches from our own backyards and roofdecks. We'll be sure to let you know when MARS firms up those dates so we can all head outside to watch, or schedule a photo meetup. Also: suck it, Florida! (3/30)
British Industries Talk Aerospace Trade (Source: Florida Today)
A delegation of six U.K. space companies will discuss doing business with space companies in Brevard County and elsewhere in the U.S. during a two-day trade mission that starts today on the Space Coast. Gov. Rick Scott and British Consul-General Kevin McGurgan are among those planning to attend. Agencies and companies also in attendance will include Space Florida, whose president, Frank DiBello, will make the opening remarks, as well as NASA, The Boeing Co., EADS and Raytheon. Scott will host a discussion on how to strengthen the space industry by encouraging cooperation between U.S. and British firms. (3/30)
U.S. Senate Delays Key NASA Hearing Until May 5 (Source: U.S. Senate)
A U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing planned for March 31 has been pushed back to May 5. The focus of the hearing is NASA's FY-12 budget. Witnesses will include NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. (3/30)
Avio Reports Dip in Revenue, Says Vega To Launch in 2011 (Source: Space News)
Italian rocket-propulsion manufacturer Avio of Italy on March 30 said its space division reported revenue of 285.7 million euros ($378.6 million) in 2010, down 1.6 percent from 2009, and that Europe’s new Vega small-satellite launcher, for which Avio is prime contractor, would conduct its maiden flight late this year.
Avio, which produces about 14 percent of the value of Europe’s heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket in addition to work on Vega and tactical-propulsion programs for the Italian Defense Ministry, did not break out profitability figures for the space division but said its performance was “important for the group, both in terms of profitability and stability” in 2010. Avio owns 70 percent of ELV, the prime contractor for Vega. The Italian Space Agency owns the remaining 30 percent of the company. (3/30)
Aerojet Breaks Ground on Huntsville Expansion (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Aerojet, in partnership with Huntsville City Mayor Tommy Battle and Chamber of Commerce executives, held a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the launch of Aerojet’s new office expansion project. The company is working toward hiring an additional 25 engineers who will reside in the new office space. These Aerojet engineers will provide technical expertise in solid, liquid and gel propulsion, warheads, specialty metals and fire suppression systems. They also will provide face-to-face, hands-on technical interaction with all of our Huntsville customers for current and future programs. (3/30)
March 29, 2011
Astronauts4Hire Teams With Survival Systems USA (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce that it has entered into an exclusive training partnership with Survival Systems USA for emergency spacecraft escape and surface water survival training. Survival Systems USA will provide A4H members with the knowledge and skills necessary to react appropriately to post-landing emergencies and successfully perform an underwater egress with and without an Emergency Breathing Device, and to care for themselves in a sea survival situation.
“Spaceflight missions are still a long way from becoming routine, and there is always real possibility that a failure in the launch vehicle or the de-orbit operation could occur,” said Astronauts4Hire COO Jason Reimuller. “Though manned spaceflight systems cover such contingencies with abort systems, the resulting abort trajectories often lead to a post-landing situation that might require the crew to egress the vehicle in one of a variety of environments, some of which may be hazardous and time-critical.”
Emergency egress training is a required element of the training program that Astronauts4Hire astronaut candidates must complete to earn their qualification as Research Specialist Astronauts. After an extensive review of training providers, Astronauts4Hire chose to partner with Survival Systems USA because it offers the most comprehensive and applicable training program available. (3/29)
How to Display a Retired Space Shuttle (Source: Collect Space)
On April 12, NASA will announce where its three space shuttle orbiters, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, as well as the prototype Enterprise, will be going for public display. NASA requested that museums submit statements of interest, including details about how they would meet the requirement of exhibiting a space shuttle orbiter in an environmentally-controlled, enclosed display. Click here to see a gallery of illustrations for the proposed museum displays. (3/29)
Museums Make Final Push for Retired Space Shuttles as NASA Decision Nears (Source: Collect Space)
With only two weeks remaining before NASA announces where its space shuttles will be retired for public display, museums nationwide are putting forth their final pitches as to why they should be bestowed an orbiter. Museums in New York and Chicago recently revealed new concepts for their planned exhibits while in Seattle, they're raising their profile by literally raising the walls for a space shuttle-sized gallery.
Elsewhere, astronauts, elected officials, and others with a vested interest in where the shuttles are going are making their voices heard. NASA Headquarters has confirmed that an event of some type will be held on April 12, but the specific details as to how the announcement will unfold are still being decided. (3/29)
Will Morpheus Be the First Vehicle on the Moon Since Apollo? (Source: FOX News)
Nearly 40 years after Americans last set foot on the moon, a determined band of NASA engineers, undeterred by massive budget cuts and red tape, may have paved the way for a long awaited return to the lunar surface. In 2009, President Obama slashed the Constellation project, a nearly $100 billion project to replace the aging space shuttle fleet with a group of new spacecraft that could ultimately take man to the moon and beyond. The end of Constellation seemed the death of America’s lunar ambitions to many.
But not to everyone. A group of NASA engineers -- acting on their own initiative to find funding in other research and development projects, and in partnership with an aerospace startup, together with their own sweat equity -- have designed and built a breakthrough piece of technology: the first new lunar landing craft from the space agency in 40 years. Meet Project Morpheus. Final destination: the moon. Click here to read the article. (3/29)
Russia to Launch Space Freighter to ISS on April 27 (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian cargo spacecraft will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 27. The Progress M-10M will lift off atop a Soyuz-U carrier rocket from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. It is to deliver 2.5 tons of expendables, fuel and foodstuffs to the ISS. The foodstuffs will include 20 packages of marinated cucumbers, green apples, lemons and oranges, as well as unspecified fresh vegetables. The freighter will also deliver "psychological support kits" from the cosmonauts' families, including candy. (3/29)
Pentagon Braces for Order to Cut Billions from Future Budget (Source: AIA)
The Defense Department is preparing for an anticipated order to slash billions of dollars from the five-year Future Years Defense Program, which would be on top of the $78 billion the Pentagon already plans to cut from spending between 2012 and 2016. With the Office of Management and Budget expected to issue the fiscal guidance as soon as this week, officers and senior civilians from all Defense Department services met in a series of meetings last week to determine how the cuts might be made. (3/29)
NASA Scientists Cook Up Alternative Jet Fuel Using Chicken Fat (Source: AIA)
Scientists at the NASA Langley Research Center are working on a concept to make an alternative jet fuel using chicken fat. The biofuel, called Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel, already powered an RV the scientists drove across the country, and the Air Force already has purchased thousands of gallons to test in their jets. (3/29)
Unique Aerospace Invention Ready For Debut (Source: Space Daily)
The first Reentry Breakup Recorder (REBR), an instrument designed and constructed by engineers at The Aerospace Corporation, is set to plunge to Earth on March 29, shortly after 7 p.m. Two REBRs were carried to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard a Japanese HTV2 on Jan. 21. The REBR is a small autonomous device that is designed to record temperature, acceleration, rotation rate, and other data as a spacecraft reenters Earth's atmosphere. The REBRS will be attached to spacecraft returning to Earth from the ISS and will take measurements as the spacecraft breaks up during its reentry. (3/29)
Government Moves to Reform Defense Export Controls (Source: AIA)
The government is taking action to reform defense-related export controls in an effort that should do much to help the defense industry as the U.S. moves to cut back on defense spending. A plan announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates last year would consolidate exports to produce a single export-control list, a single licensing agency and single enforcement and information technology systems to allow officials to concentrate on key technologies. (3/28)
Satellite Companies Say Export Controls Harm Competitiveness (Source: AIA)
U.S. satellite makers say they operate at a disadvantage when competing for foreign contracts due to laws that impose bureaucratic reviews on international technology sales. Under ITAR, federal agencies must okay satellite exports, a process that takes about three weeks. "The European companies developed a product that they branded as ITAR-free," says an executive with Orbital Sciences, allowing them to say to potential customers, "'Well, look, you don't have to put up with those U.S. regulations.'" The Aerospace Industries Association estimates that the U.S. share of global satellite sales stands at less than 30%, down from 73% in 1998. (3/28)
Space Firms Hiring for Commercial Projects (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
Looking for a job? The private space industry is hiring. Brand-name players such as Orbital Sciences Corp., SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic are looking to fill positions for a number of commercial efforts. But you'd better have a good resume and an engineering or science degree for most of the slots. Orbital has 62 open positions, with engineers dominating its listings. A few engineering positions have been open for more than a year. Since Orbital does a lot of government work, there's also a sprinkling of contract managers and financial analysts.
Upstart SpaceX with over 1,250 employees has a total of 87 open jobs as of today. The bulk (75) of open positions are located at the corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. There are also 10 jobs openings at the company's rocket development facility in McGregor, TX. Earlier this month, SpaceX announced a 10 year lease agreement with the City of McGregor allowing the company to more than double the size of its facility, from 256 acres to 631 acres.
Virgin Galactic (VG) has less transparency as to how many people it has on its payroll and is only advertising two positions, but one is a biggie. Virgin needs a Head of Operations at its Space Port America facility in New Mexico. The Head of Operations will have primary responsibility for strategic leadership of VG commercial sub-orbital operations, including flight operations, spaceport operations, crew logistics, and operational safety and security. (3/29)
Congressional Recess Discussions Touch on Space (Source: Space Politics)
With Congress in recess this past week, members were in their home districts talking about policy issues-—which, in the case of certain districts in Alabama and Florida, means talking about space. Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) told an audience of local retired military officers that the US is making “a horrible mistake” by not having a clear path forward for human spaceflight, saying that space is the “ultimate military high ground” (but not further explaining the link between human spaceflight and military space applications, which rely on unmanned spacecraft.)
By contrast, Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL), whose district includes KSC, did not mention space in a luncheon speech Friday, telling Florida Today afterwards that her constituents “all know that I am working hard for NASA.” One constituent interviewed after the speech, in fact, said she would have liked to hear more from Adams about space issues.
With all the concerns about funding levels, heavy-lift launch vehicle programs, commercial crew development, and the like, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) decided to focus instead on another NASA issue: outreach to Muslim countries. “Quite frankly, I don’t think that’s the mission of NASA,” he told a town hall audience, referring to comments made by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden last year. (The administration would agree with Rep. Brooks: they later said Bolden misspoke.) Brooks said he hopes that Congress will stop those outreach plans and “focus on strengthening NASA and the space program” in the name of “American exceptionalism”. (3/28)
Congress to NASA: Follow the Authorization Act (Source: Space Politics)
At a Women in Aerospace panel event last week, several Congressional staffers had a clear message for NASA: they have little interest in renegotiating, or simply ignoring, provisions of the NASA Authorization Act the Congress passed last year. “This isn’t a negotiation,” said one participant of the panel. Another panelist said that there was interest in no more than “minor relative changes along the margins” to the authorization act that could be implemented in future appropriations bills, without going into further detail.
One particular area of concern several panelists cited was NASA’s support—-or lack thereof—-for the Space Launch System (SLS) and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), which combined get about $2.8 billion in the administration’s FY12 budget request, compared to just over $4 billion in the authorization act. One panelist suggested Congress might have to look elsewhere within NASA, or even outside the agency, such as the Departments of Commerce and Justice, which share the same broader budget allocation as NASA, to fully fund those programs.
Likewise, one panelist expressed disappointment that NASA hadn’t delivered an acceptable report on the development of the SLS and MPCV that the act required 90 days after enactment. The agency did deliver a report in January, but many key members effectively rejected it. “NASA, with no consultation with the authorizing committees, decided to produce what they called a preliminary report, and sent that up and said, ‘We’ll get back to you when we decide on the rest of it,’” the panelist complained. “That’s an approach that’s simply not going to work in this environment.”
Participants also wondered why, while NASA was proposing funding SLS/MPCV below authorized levels, it was also proposing funding commercial crew development above authorized levels: $850 million in the FY12 request versus $500 million in the authorization bill. One panelist said that while there was general suport for commercial crew development, there remained some skepticism that there was a need for multiple providers. (3/29)
California Space Authority Shifts Vandenberg "California Space Center" Plan (Source: CSA)
The Board of Directors for the California Space Authority (CSA) voted to terminate the pursuit of a long-term lease at Vandenberg Air Force Base for development of the California Space Center. The lease discussions started in February 2004. “A recent determination by the Air Force Real Property Agency (AFRPA) that the California Space Center is a private project that requires full regulation by the County of Santa Barbara has ended the viability of an Air Force lease for the California Space Center,” stated CSA Executive Director Andrea Seastrand.
Regulation by the County is expected to take three to five years and would be required to be completed before the Air Force granted a lease for the Center. The Air Force was expected to issue a 50-year enhanced use lease to CSA for a 71-acre site at VAFB by Sept. 30, 2010, and had taken several significant steps toward that objective. The Air Force began formal negotiations with CSA in March 2010 after its issuance of a sole source justification for those negotiations, completed the requirements of the federal environmental process for the project in June 2010 and notified Congress in Sept. 2010 of its intent to issue a lease to CSA.
The CSA Board voted to explore the possibility of moving the California Space Center to a site within the City of Lompoc, adjacent to Allan Hancock College. If CSA moves forward with that site, construction could begin within 12 months, following completion of the state environmental process. The Center is projected to create more than 1,700 direct jobs and to attract 500,000 visitors a year upon its completion. The Center’s estimated economic impact during the first 12 years is $2.37 billion. (3/28)
"We've Got to Move On" (Source: Space Review)
As the 2011 fiscal year reaches the halfway mark this week, NASA still lacks a final budget for the fiscal year as well as a firm plan for its future human spaceflight plans. Jeff Foust reports on how the continued debate and lack of action has some in industry increasingly concerned. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1810/1 to view the article. (3/28)
Picking Sides in Cislunar Space (Source: Space Review)
Many space exploration architectures have identified the two Lagrange points near the moon, L1 and L2, as promising stepping stones for future human missions, but which one is better? Dan Lester examines the tradeoffs of going to one point versus the other, and the benefits of either. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1808/1 to view the article. (3/28)
India's ABM Test: a Validated ASAT Capability or a Paper Tiger? (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month India tested an ABM that officials claimed could also provide the country with an anti-satellite capability. Michael Listner explores how serious India may be in developing its own ASAT. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1807/1 to view the article. (3/28)
Russia, Israel to Boost Space Cooperation (Source: Voice of Russia)
Russia and Israel will expand space cooperation, pursuant to a document signed by the two sides’ space agencies. It provides for interaction as regards the exploration and use of outer space, as well as the application of space technologies for peaceful purposes. The agreement was signed by Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov and Director General of the Israeli space agency Tsvi Kaplan. Our correspondent Oleg Nekhai reports.
The two countries already have positive partnership experience in this area. In particular, Russian carrier vehicles assisted Israel in putting five of its spacecraft into orbit. At present, our country is developing an Amos-5 communications satellite for Israel, Anatoly Perminov pointed out. The new document, experts argue, facilitates the transition from purely commercial projects to a brand new level of interaction, opening up new fields as well. "This is an essential breakthrough in international space cooperation as far as Moscow’s interests are concerned," an official stressed. (3/28)
Ariane 5 Mission with Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn is “Go” for March 30 Liftoff (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace’s second Ariane 5 mission of 2011 has been given the green light for its March 30 liftoff with the Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn satellites, clearing the way for this heavy-lift vehicle’s rollout tomorrow to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone in French Guiana. It will be the 57th launch of an Ariane 5. (3/28)
Decommissioning Work Starts for Shuttle Discovery (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
And so it begins. Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center have begun taking apart the shuttle Discovery, the ship now a laboratory specimen for engineering forensics before her future date with a museum. Inside orbiter hangar No. 2 last week, the shuttle's nose piece containing the control thrusters used to maneuver the spacecraft was removed and taken to the hypergolic maintenance facility for decommissioning. It's the first visible sign of critical post-flight safing work now underway on the three-decade-old Discovery as she goes into retirement. (3/28)
Larry the Cable Guy Spotlights NASA in History Series (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Larry the Cable Guy takes history lessons in unusual directions by visiting the Johnson Space Center in Houston. How unusual? He gives viewers a look at NASA’s special space toilet in Tuesday’s installment of “Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy.” The program airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday on History.
Larry’s real name is Dan Whitney, and he lives in Sanford. He is also a huge fan of NASA and editorializes in support of the U.S. space program. During the hour, Larry talks to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, visits Mission Control and watches astronauts train underwater. He also learns about recycling in space and how astronauts drink water made from their urine. It’s not your usual history lesson. (3/28)
Japanese Satellites Survived Deadly Quake in Clean Rooms (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Inspections show Japan's next space station cargo freighter and two other large Japanese-built satellites due for launch over the next year suffered no major damage from the March 11 earthquake that ravaged parts of the country, according industry officials. Japan's third H-2 Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned robotic spaceship designed to resupply the International Space Station, weathered the earthquake at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. facility in Nagoya, a large city southwest of Tokyo away from the zone of heaviest damage. (3/28)
NASA Cans James Cameron's Mars Camera (Source: Discovery)
NASA is dumping plans for a pair of high-resolution 3-D zoom cameras being developed by film director James Cameron for the new Mars rover, Curiosity. Instead, the rover, which is scheduled to launch this summer, will fly with two fixed-length cameras, one telephoto and the other a wide-angle. "The possibility for a zoom-camera upgrade was very much worth pursuing, but time became too short for the levels of testing that would be needed," NASA said in a statement.
Cameron, who had hoped to parlay the technology used to create the film "Avatar" into a real space expedition, took the news in stride. "While Curiosity won't benefit from the 3D motion imaging that the zooms enable, I'm certain that this technology will play an important role in future missions," Cameron said in a statement. (3/28)
The Solar System's Secret Ingredient - Fairy Floss (Source: News.com.au)
New research has found when the earliest rocks were formed in the Solar System they resembled fairy floss more than the building material of planets. Scientists made the discovery after highly detailed analysis of a meteorite fragment from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.
The fragment was originally formed in the early Solar System when microscopic dust motes gathered around larger one millimetre grain particles. Writing in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists said that the Sun and its family of planets formed from a cloud of dust and gas in which clumps gradually appeared due to the force of gravity. They suggest this process eventually gave birth to the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. (3/28)
Yuri Gagarin: Waste of Space? (Source: Telegraph)
The Vostok capsule that carried Yuri Gagarin – the world's first spaceman – into orbit on April 12 1961 looked nothing like the sleek craft Buck Rogers used to travel the cosmos in science-fiction fantasies. It had two tiny windows; Gagarin did not need to see where he was going since he had little control over his craft. The spherical shape brings to mind circus performers shot from cannons.
In truth, that analogy is accurate; Gagarin's feat was an exponential embellishment on that fairground stunt. Far more meaningful space spectaculars had already occurred, but their importance went unrecognized because they lacked human passengers. On that day nearly 50 years ago, Gagarin demonstrated a principle that remains rock solid: in order to garner attention, space needs a face. (3/28)
Research Across the Universe Spans Multibillion-Dollar Industry at Home (Source: ACS)
Scientists are spending scarce government money to study mysterious black stripes in the rainbow of light given off by celestial objects millions of light-years across the universe. There is no practical use for knowledge about these colors missing from the glow of Andromeda, Triangulum and other distant galaxies. Nevertheless, their research on this arcane topic, termed Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs), gives birth to a new, multibillion-dollar-per-year industry on Earth.
Unlikely as it may sound, that scenario actually happened, and a Nobel laureate today cited it as a prime example of why society should continue funding research in astronomy and other scientific disciplines that has no obvious immediate use. "The potential benefits of spending money to understand what's going on across the galaxy, despite these tough economic times, are enormous," Harold Kroto, Ph.D., said. "It is absolutely vital that the public realize that some of the most important discoveries are the unexpected ones." (3/27)
India, France to Launch Two satellites; Cooperate in Astronomy (Source: Net Indian)
India and France will co-launch two satellites from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launch pad later this year and early next year for gathering data relating to climate in tropical areas and for the study of oceans. The satellite for the study of oceans is to be called SARAL. The data from the other satellite will enhance understanding of the tropical weather phenomenon, including the monsoons.
French Ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont told UNI a satellite would be launched by the end of this year, while the second launch will take place early next year. The launch of the satellite for the study of tropical climate is slated for this year. Both the satellites would be launched aboard an Indian rocket. (3/27)
British Space-Industry Leaders Visit Colorado (Source: Denver Post)
Looking for business and collaborations, the British space industry has invaded Colorado for a couple of days. A half-dozen British space-industry leaders are in town to meet with economic-development and space-industry leaders. Colorado was a logical choice for the delegation, with the state's concentration of space-related military commands, eight major aerospace contractors, higher-education programs and about 400 companies that develop, design and build everything from software to satellites to missiles, group members said.
It's the "entrepreneurs and startups — the people who are thinking out of the box" — that define Colorado organizations as potential creative partners, said Keith Mason, chief executive of the United Kingdom's Science and Technology Facilities Council. The two-day space mission in Colorado began Monday with a half-day seminar explaining the United Kingdom's space-exploration program. Joining in hosting the seminar were the Colorado Space Coalition, a group of industry stakeholders working to make Colorado a center of aerospace excellence, and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. (3/29)
Student Launch at Spaceport America Rescheduled Due to Rocket Parachute Issue (Source: The Republic)
The annual New Mexico Space Grant Consortium's student launch was set to go off early Friday from Spaceport America. Officials say the launch has now been delayed until May 20th because of a hardware problem with the rocket's parachute system. Officials say a drop test was successful, but part of the flight hardware became entangled during recovery and was damaged. The project's mission requires the safe return of the students' experiments so the hardware has to be fixed.
A total of 27 onboard experiments were scheduled to be launched aboard the SL-5 rocket. The experiments involve 115 students from Albuquerque and northern New Mexico. Space Grant Consortium director Patricia Hynes says a lot of planning and effort has gone into the launch, and she remains optimistic despite the delay. (3/29)
SAIC Deal with NASA May be Worth $1.3 Billion (Source: Washington Business Journal)
SAIC Inc. has won an information technology contract with NASA that could be worth as much as $1.3 billion. SAIC said the NASA Integrated Communications Services contract would provide managerial and technical expertise for the entire space agency, including corporate and mission enterprise services, center and associated component facility services, infrastructure projects and contract management services. (3/28)
The Sun Rises on Chinese Space Science (Source: BBC)
The world is changing, and fast. A new report from the Royal Society examines how the emerging economies, led by China and followed by others such as Brazil and India, are challenging the "old order". The pre-eminent scientific positions of the US, Western Europe and Japan are now being eroded on every front - in the number of scientific papers published, in citations made, and in patent applications. In terms of pure investment, the emerging economies are also pumping increasing funds into their labs and their science-based industries.
I say, where there is a challenge so there is an opportunity. So far, the Chinese have put two spacecraft in orbit around the lunar body. The future missions Chang'e 3, 4 and 5 will very likely land, rove and finally return rock samples to Earth. This is not one of those classic "brain drain" stories; rather it's about chasing possibilities. John Zarnecki believes British and Chinese space interests can build a strong new partnership. Click here to read the article. (3/28) http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jonathanamos/2011/03/the-sun-rises-on-chinese-space.shtml
Japanese Stork Flies Away From Station (Source: Florida Today)
A robotic Japanese cargo carrier that doubles as a garbage scow is making its way toward a destructive atmospheric reentry after a high-flying departure from the International Space Station. U.S. astronaut Cady Coleman and Paulo Nespoli of the European Space Agency released the cylindrical carrier from the end of the station's Canadian-made robotic arm at 11:46 p.m. as the two spacecraft flew high above the eastern seaboard of the U.S.
Remotely controlled from a space center north of Tokyo, Japan's second HTV cargo carrier fired two separate bursts from onboard thrusters to propel the vehicle away from the station's immediate vicinity. A series of additional thruster firings will put the White Stork spacecraft on course for a reentry over the Pacific Ocean around 11:09 p.m. Tuesday. (3/28)
NASA Computer Networks Have Potentially 'Catastrophic' Security Holes (Source: Space.com)
NASA’s internal computer network is full of holes and is extremely vulnerable to an external cyberattack, an audit by the Office of the Inspector General has found. Even worse, it appears several of the vulnerabilities have been known for months, yet remained unpatched. “Six computer servers associated with IT [information technology] assets that control spacecraft and contain critical data had vulnerabilities that would allow a remote attacker to take control of or render them unavailable,” an audit report said.
“The attacker could use the compromised computers to exploit other weaknesses we identified, a situation that could severely degrade or cripple NASA’s operations,” the report continued. “We also found network servers that revealed encryption keys, encrypted passwords, and user account information to potential attackers.” It is not unusual for previously unknown network security holes to be found in large organizations. In that light, Martin’s audit might have been seen as positive for revealing the vulnerabilities. (3/28)
Funding Uncertainty Shaping NASA Programs (Source: Aviation Week)
The ongoing budget impasse in the U.S. Congress is starting to have an effect on NASA’s plans, including the joint Mars missions the agency is mounting with its European counterpart. “We have already started taking things off the table,” Administrator Charles Bolden said.
Among the potential hits to NASA’s planning is the long-term robotic Mars program, which the agency is working on in cooperation with the European Space Agency. Both ESA and NASA are planning to send rovers to Mars to cache promising rock and soil samples for an eventual return to Earth, but the National Research Council (NRC) panel that set the latest “decadal” priorities for NASA already has recommended that the rover missions be “descoped”. (3/28)
DOD, DOT Slam FCC Over GPS Interference Concerns (Source: Flight Global)
The US Department of Transportation and Defense Department on 25 March issued a strongly worded letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing concern over elements of an ongoing analysis on the potential effects on GPS of a newly approved broadband system. FCC in January granted conditional approval of a L-band satellite-based broadband system to be deployed by wholesale provider LightSquared.
Much of the aerospace industry says the network, which includes 40,000 transmitters that will rebroadcast the L-band signals at high power, will have significant interference effects on terrestrial and airborne GPS signals that operate in an adjacent frequency band. The aerospace industry had recommended that the approval process be based on the notice of proposed rulemaking process, a lengthy but thorough process with opportunities for public input.
The conditional approval requires that the FCC determine "that the harmful interference concerns have been resolved" before the network goes operational later this year, a determination the agency plans to make based on industry-led analyses to be completed by mid-June. Meanwhile LightSquared is moving forward with agreements with broadband providers to use the new service. (3/28)
Smooth Sailing (Source: Space News)
As a college student in Prague, Tomas Svitek was fascinated by solar sails. It was the 1970s. NASA, the European Space Agency and Japan were all exploring whether solar sails could assist spacecraft missions to rendezvous with Halley’s Comet. Although solar sail technology was deemed too immature at the time, Svitek’s interest in the concept never waned.
More than three decades later, after fleeing Czechoslovakia as a political refugee, Svitek is putting the finishing touches on his solar sail. His small company, Stellar Exploration Inc. of San Louis Obispo, Calif., is the systems integrator for LightSail-1, the Planetary Society’s $2.2 million effort to build a kite-shaped, mylar solar sail that fits in a triple cubesat, a standardized satellite bus comprised of three 10-centimeter cubes.
If all goes well, LightSail-1 will fly in 2012, turning and tacking to maintain its orbit, while relaying images of the sail to viewers on Earth, said Lou Friedman, LightSail-1 program director and former executive director of the Pasadena, Calif.-based Planetary Society. (3/28)
NASA Wants to Install 80 Acres of Solar Panels at Wallops Flight Facility (Source: Virginia Business)
NASA is proposing to install 80 acres of solar panels at its Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore to eventually create enough power to provide electricity for 850 homes. The solar panels would help NASA meet or exceed federal requirements for using renewable energy and to stabilize Wallops’ growing utility costs.
Under the plan, the solar panels would generate 10-gigawatt hours of electricity. In addition, two, 2.4-kilowatt residential-scale wind turbines would be installed at the NASA Visitor Center and the security guard state at Wallops Island. The plan would be built in multiple phases over time. (3/28)
Orbital Sees First Taurus II Flight from Wallops In September (Source: Aviation Week)
Orbital Sciences Corp. is on track — with “a limited amount of slack” — to fly its new Taurus II launch vehicle in September on a risk-reduction mission. The first flight main stage is on a ship en route from the KB Yuzhnoye factory in Ukraine to the new Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) here, where it will be mated with its ATK Castor 30A upper stage and Cygnus cargo capsule.
“The risk-reduction flight will be September, five-and-a-half or six months from now, depending on how things go,” said David W. Thompson, chairman and CEO of the Dulles, Va.-based space-hardware company, during the HIF dedication ceremony March 22. “And that will be followed about three months later by the COTS [Commercial Orbital Transportation System] demonstration mission in mid-December.” (3/29)
Meet Kepler's Entire Exoplanet Family (Source: Discovery)
This spectacular visualization shows each of the Kepler stars with tiny silhouettes representing exoplanetary candidates. All of the stars have been correctly scaled by size. Each star has also been colored to appear as our eye would see them if we were viewing from a location outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Many of the stars have more than one exoplanet, indicating a star system of worlds.
NASA's Kepler telescope has been diligently cataloging exoplanetary candidates since 2009 and has spotted 1,235 candidate worlds orbiting other stars. These worlds are currently "candidates" as their transit signal (the slight dimming of starlight as the exoplanet passes between its parent star and the space telescope) needs to be further analyzed to confirm the exoplanets' orbit. (3/29)
Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce that it has entered into an exclusive training partnership with Survival Systems USA for emergency spacecraft escape and surface water survival training. Survival Systems USA will provide A4H members with the knowledge and skills necessary to react appropriately to post-landing emergencies and successfully perform an underwater egress with and without an Emergency Breathing Device, and to care for themselves in a sea survival situation.
“Spaceflight missions are still a long way from becoming routine, and there is always real possibility that a failure in the launch vehicle or the de-orbit operation could occur,” said Astronauts4Hire COO Jason Reimuller. “Though manned spaceflight systems cover such contingencies with abort systems, the resulting abort trajectories often lead to a post-landing situation that might require the crew to egress the vehicle in one of a variety of environments, some of which may be hazardous and time-critical.”
Emergency egress training is a required element of the training program that Astronauts4Hire astronaut candidates must complete to earn their qualification as Research Specialist Astronauts. After an extensive review of training providers, Astronauts4Hire chose to partner with Survival Systems USA because it offers the most comprehensive and applicable training program available. (3/29)
How to Display a Retired Space Shuttle (Source: Collect Space)
On April 12, NASA will announce where its three space shuttle orbiters, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, as well as the prototype Enterprise, will be going for public display. NASA requested that museums submit statements of interest, including details about how they would meet the requirement of exhibiting a space shuttle orbiter in an environmentally-controlled, enclosed display. Click here to see a gallery of illustrations for the proposed museum displays. (3/29)
Museums Make Final Push for Retired Space Shuttles as NASA Decision Nears (Source: Collect Space)
With only two weeks remaining before NASA announces where its space shuttles will be retired for public display, museums nationwide are putting forth their final pitches as to why they should be bestowed an orbiter. Museums in New York and Chicago recently revealed new concepts for their planned exhibits while in Seattle, they're raising their profile by literally raising the walls for a space shuttle-sized gallery.
Elsewhere, astronauts, elected officials, and others with a vested interest in where the shuttles are going are making their voices heard. NASA Headquarters has confirmed that an event of some type will be held on April 12, but the specific details as to how the announcement will unfold are still being decided. (3/29)
Will Morpheus Be the First Vehicle on the Moon Since Apollo? (Source: FOX News)
Nearly 40 years after Americans last set foot on the moon, a determined band of NASA engineers, undeterred by massive budget cuts and red tape, may have paved the way for a long awaited return to the lunar surface. In 2009, President Obama slashed the Constellation project, a nearly $100 billion project to replace the aging space shuttle fleet with a group of new spacecraft that could ultimately take man to the moon and beyond. The end of Constellation seemed the death of America’s lunar ambitions to many.
But not to everyone. A group of NASA engineers -- acting on their own initiative to find funding in other research and development projects, and in partnership with an aerospace startup, together with their own sweat equity -- have designed and built a breakthrough piece of technology: the first new lunar landing craft from the space agency in 40 years. Meet Project Morpheus. Final destination: the moon. Click here to read the article. (3/29)
Russia to Launch Space Freighter to ISS on April 27 (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian cargo spacecraft will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) on April 27. The Progress M-10M will lift off atop a Soyuz-U carrier rocket from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. It is to deliver 2.5 tons of expendables, fuel and foodstuffs to the ISS. The foodstuffs will include 20 packages of marinated cucumbers, green apples, lemons and oranges, as well as unspecified fresh vegetables. The freighter will also deliver "psychological support kits" from the cosmonauts' families, including candy. (3/29)
Pentagon Braces for Order to Cut Billions from Future Budget (Source: AIA)
The Defense Department is preparing for an anticipated order to slash billions of dollars from the five-year Future Years Defense Program, which would be on top of the $78 billion the Pentagon already plans to cut from spending between 2012 and 2016. With the Office of Management and Budget expected to issue the fiscal guidance as soon as this week, officers and senior civilians from all Defense Department services met in a series of meetings last week to determine how the cuts might be made. (3/29)
NASA Scientists Cook Up Alternative Jet Fuel Using Chicken Fat (Source: AIA)
Scientists at the NASA Langley Research Center are working on a concept to make an alternative jet fuel using chicken fat. The biofuel, called Hydrotreated Renewable Jet Fuel, already powered an RV the scientists drove across the country, and the Air Force already has purchased thousands of gallons to test in their jets. (3/29)
Unique Aerospace Invention Ready For Debut (Source: Space Daily)
The first Reentry Breakup Recorder (REBR), an instrument designed and constructed by engineers at The Aerospace Corporation, is set to plunge to Earth on March 29, shortly after 7 p.m. Two REBRs were carried to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard a Japanese HTV2 on Jan. 21. The REBR is a small autonomous device that is designed to record temperature, acceleration, rotation rate, and other data as a spacecraft reenters Earth's atmosphere. The REBRS will be attached to spacecraft returning to Earth from the ISS and will take measurements as the spacecraft breaks up during its reentry. (3/29)
Government Moves to Reform Defense Export Controls (Source: AIA)
The government is taking action to reform defense-related export controls in an effort that should do much to help the defense industry as the U.S. moves to cut back on defense spending. A plan announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates last year would consolidate exports to produce a single export-control list, a single licensing agency and single enforcement and information technology systems to allow officials to concentrate on key technologies. (3/28)
Satellite Companies Say Export Controls Harm Competitiveness (Source: AIA)
U.S. satellite makers say they operate at a disadvantage when competing for foreign contracts due to laws that impose bureaucratic reviews on international technology sales. Under ITAR, federal agencies must okay satellite exports, a process that takes about three weeks. "The European companies developed a product that they branded as ITAR-free," says an executive with Orbital Sciences, allowing them to say to potential customers, "'Well, look, you don't have to put up with those U.S. regulations.'" The Aerospace Industries Association estimates that the U.S. share of global satellite sales stands at less than 30%, down from 73% in 1998. (3/28)
Space Firms Hiring for Commercial Projects (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
Looking for a job? The private space industry is hiring. Brand-name players such as Orbital Sciences Corp., SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic are looking to fill positions for a number of commercial efforts. But you'd better have a good resume and an engineering or science degree for most of the slots. Orbital has 62 open positions, with engineers dominating its listings. A few engineering positions have been open for more than a year. Since Orbital does a lot of government work, there's also a sprinkling of contract managers and financial analysts.
Upstart SpaceX with over 1,250 employees has a total of 87 open jobs as of today. The bulk (75) of open positions are located at the corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. There are also 10 jobs openings at the company's rocket development facility in McGregor, TX. Earlier this month, SpaceX announced a 10 year lease agreement with the City of McGregor allowing the company to more than double the size of its facility, from 256 acres to 631 acres.
Virgin Galactic (VG) has less transparency as to how many people it has on its payroll and is only advertising two positions, but one is a biggie. Virgin needs a Head of Operations at its Space Port America facility in New Mexico. The Head of Operations will have primary responsibility for strategic leadership of VG commercial sub-orbital operations, including flight operations, spaceport operations, crew logistics, and operational safety and security. (3/29)
Congressional Recess Discussions Touch on Space (Source: Space Politics)
With Congress in recess this past week, members were in their home districts talking about policy issues-—which, in the case of certain districts in Alabama and Florida, means talking about space. Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) told an audience of local retired military officers that the US is making “a horrible mistake” by not having a clear path forward for human spaceflight, saying that space is the “ultimate military high ground” (but not further explaining the link between human spaceflight and military space applications, which rely on unmanned spacecraft.)
By contrast, Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL), whose district includes KSC, did not mention space in a luncheon speech Friday, telling Florida Today afterwards that her constituents “all know that I am working hard for NASA.” One constituent interviewed after the speech, in fact, said she would have liked to hear more from Adams about space issues.
With all the concerns about funding levels, heavy-lift launch vehicle programs, commercial crew development, and the like, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) decided to focus instead on another NASA issue: outreach to Muslim countries. “Quite frankly, I don’t think that’s the mission of NASA,” he told a town hall audience, referring to comments made by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden last year. (The administration would agree with Rep. Brooks: they later said Bolden misspoke.) Brooks said he hopes that Congress will stop those outreach plans and “focus on strengthening NASA and the space program” in the name of “American exceptionalism”. (3/28)
Congress to NASA: Follow the Authorization Act (Source: Space Politics)
At a Women in Aerospace panel event last week, several Congressional staffers had a clear message for NASA: they have little interest in renegotiating, or simply ignoring, provisions of the NASA Authorization Act the Congress passed last year. “This isn’t a negotiation,” said one participant of the panel. Another panelist said that there was interest in no more than “minor relative changes along the margins” to the authorization act that could be implemented in future appropriations bills, without going into further detail.
One particular area of concern several panelists cited was NASA’s support—-or lack thereof—-for the Space Launch System (SLS) and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), which combined get about $2.8 billion in the administration’s FY12 budget request, compared to just over $4 billion in the authorization act. One panelist suggested Congress might have to look elsewhere within NASA, or even outside the agency, such as the Departments of Commerce and Justice, which share the same broader budget allocation as NASA, to fully fund those programs.
Likewise, one panelist expressed disappointment that NASA hadn’t delivered an acceptable report on the development of the SLS and MPCV that the act required 90 days after enactment. The agency did deliver a report in January, but many key members effectively rejected it. “NASA, with no consultation with the authorizing committees, decided to produce what they called a preliminary report, and sent that up and said, ‘We’ll get back to you when we decide on the rest of it,’” the panelist complained. “That’s an approach that’s simply not going to work in this environment.”
Participants also wondered why, while NASA was proposing funding SLS/MPCV below authorized levels, it was also proposing funding commercial crew development above authorized levels: $850 million in the FY12 request versus $500 million in the authorization bill. One panelist said that while there was general suport for commercial crew development, there remained some skepticism that there was a need for multiple providers. (3/29)
California Space Authority Shifts Vandenberg "California Space Center" Plan (Source: CSA)
The Board of Directors for the California Space Authority (CSA) voted to terminate the pursuit of a long-term lease at Vandenberg Air Force Base for development of the California Space Center. The lease discussions started in February 2004. “A recent determination by the Air Force Real Property Agency (AFRPA) that the California Space Center is a private project that requires full regulation by the County of Santa Barbara has ended the viability of an Air Force lease for the California Space Center,” stated CSA Executive Director Andrea Seastrand.
Regulation by the County is expected to take three to five years and would be required to be completed before the Air Force granted a lease for the Center. The Air Force was expected to issue a 50-year enhanced use lease to CSA for a 71-acre site at VAFB by Sept. 30, 2010, and had taken several significant steps toward that objective. The Air Force began formal negotiations with CSA in March 2010 after its issuance of a sole source justification for those negotiations, completed the requirements of the federal environmental process for the project in June 2010 and notified Congress in Sept. 2010 of its intent to issue a lease to CSA.
The CSA Board voted to explore the possibility of moving the California Space Center to a site within the City of Lompoc, adjacent to Allan Hancock College. If CSA moves forward with that site, construction could begin within 12 months, following completion of the state environmental process. The Center is projected to create more than 1,700 direct jobs and to attract 500,000 visitors a year upon its completion. The Center’s estimated economic impact during the first 12 years is $2.37 billion. (3/28)
"We've Got to Move On" (Source: Space Review)
As the 2011 fiscal year reaches the halfway mark this week, NASA still lacks a final budget for the fiscal year as well as a firm plan for its future human spaceflight plans. Jeff Foust reports on how the continued debate and lack of action has some in industry increasingly concerned. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1810/1 to view the article. (3/28)
Picking Sides in Cislunar Space (Source: Space Review)
Many space exploration architectures have identified the two Lagrange points near the moon, L1 and L2, as promising stepping stones for future human missions, but which one is better? Dan Lester examines the tradeoffs of going to one point versus the other, and the benefits of either. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1808/1 to view the article. (3/28)
India's ABM Test: a Validated ASAT Capability or a Paper Tiger? (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month India tested an ABM that officials claimed could also provide the country with an anti-satellite capability. Michael Listner explores how serious India may be in developing its own ASAT. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1807/1 to view the article. (3/28)
Russia, Israel to Boost Space Cooperation (Source: Voice of Russia)
Russia and Israel will expand space cooperation, pursuant to a document signed by the two sides’ space agencies. It provides for interaction as regards the exploration and use of outer space, as well as the application of space technologies for peaceful purposes. The agreement was signed by Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov and Director General of the Israeli space agency Tsvi Kaplan. Our correspondent Oleg Nekhai reports.
The two countries already have positive partnership experience in this area. In particular, Russian carrier vehicles assisted Israel in putting five of its spacecraft into orbit. At present, our country is developing an Amos-5 communications satellite for Israel, Anatoly Perminov pointed out. The new document, experts argue, facilitates the transition from purely commercial projects to a brand new level of interaction, opening up new fields as well. "This is an essential breakthrough in international space cooperation as far as Moscow’s interests are concerned," an official stressed. (3/28)
Ariane 5 Mission with Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn is “Go” for March 30 Liftoff (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace’s second Ariane 5 mission of 2011 has been given the green light for its March 30 liftoff with the Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn satellites, clearing the way for this heavy-lift vehicle’s rollout tomorrow to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone in French Guiana. It will be the 57th launch of an Ariane 5. (3/28)
Decommissioning Work Starts for Shuttle Discovery (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
And so it begins. Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center have begun taking apart the shuttle Discovery, the ship now a laboratory specimen for engineering forensics before her future date with a museum. Inside orbiter hangar No. 2 last week, the shuttle's nose piece containing the control thrusters used to maneuver the spacecraft was removed and taken to the hypergolic maintenance facility for decommissioning. It's the first visible sign of critical post-flight safing work now underway on the three-decade-old Discovery as she goes into retirement. (3/28)
Larry the Cable Guy Spotlights NASA in History Series (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Larry the Cable Guy takes history lessons in unusual directions by visiting the Johnson Space Center in Houston. How unusual? He gives viewers a look at NASA’s special space toilet in Tuesday’s installment of “Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy.” The program airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday on History.
Larry’s real name is Dan Whitney, and he lives in Sanford. He is also a huge fan of NASA and editorializes in support of the U.S. space program. During the hour, Larry talks to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, visits Mission Control and watches astronauts train underwater. He also learns about recycling in space and how astronauts drink water made from their urine. It’s not your usual history lesson. (3/28)
Japanese Satellites Survived Deadly Quake in Clean Rooms (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Inspections show Japan's next space station cargo freighter and two other large Japanese-built satellites due for launch over the next year suffered no major damage from the March 11 earthquake that ravaged parts of the country, according industry officials. Japan's third H-2 Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned robotic spaceship designed to resupply the International Space Station, weathered the earthquake at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. facility in Nagoya, a large city southwest of Tokyo away from the zone of heaviest damage. (3/28)
NASA Cans James Cameron's Mars Camera (Source: Discovery)
NASA is dumping plans for a pair of high-resolution 3-D zoom cameras being developed by film director James Cameron for the new Mars rover, Curiosity. Instead, the rover, which is scheduled to launch this summer, will fly with two fixed-length cameras, one telephoto and the other a wide-angle. "The possibility for a zoom-camera upgrade was very much worth pursuing, but time became too short for the levels of testing that would be needed," NASA said in a statement.
Cameron, who had hoped to parlay the technology used to create the film "Avatar" into a real space expedition, took the news in stride. "While Curiosity won't benefit from the 3D motion imaging that the zooms enable, I'm certain that this technology will play an important role in future missions," Cameron said in a statement. (3/28)
The Solar System's Secret Ingredient - Fairy Floss (Source: News.com.au)
New research has found when the earliest rocks were formed in the Solar System they resembled fairy floss more than the building material of planets. Scientists made the discovery after highly detailed analysis of a meteorite fragment from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.
The fragment was originally formed in the early Solar System when microscopic dust motes gathered around larger one millimetre grain particles. Writing in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists said that the Sun and its family of planets formed from a cloud of dust and gas in which clumps gradually appeared due to the force of gravity. They suggest this process eventually gave birth to the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. (3/28)
Yuri Gagarin: Waste of Space? (Source: Telegraph)
The Vostok capsule that carried Yuri Gagarin – the world's first spaceman – into orbit on April 12 1961 looked nothing like the sleek craft Buck Rogers used to travel the cosmos in science-fiction fantasies. It had two tiny windows; Gagarin did not need to see where he was going since he had little control over his craft. The spherical shape brings to mind circus performers shot from cannons.
In truth, that analogy is accurate; Gagarin's feat was an exponential embellishment on that fairground stunt. Far more meaningful space spectaculars had already occurred, but their importance went unrecognized because they lacked human passengers. On that day nearly 50 years ago, Gagarin demonstrated a principle that remains rock solid: in order to garner attention, space needs a face. (3/28)
Research Across the Universe Spans Multibillion-Dollar Industry at Home (Source: ACS)
Scientists are spending scarce government money to study mysterious black stripes in the rainbow of light given off by celestial objects millions of light-years across the universe. There is no practical use for knowledge about these colors missing from the glow of Andromeda, Triangulum and other distant galaxies. Nevertheless, their research on this arcane topic, termed Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs), gives birth to a new, multibillion-dollar-per-year industry on Earth.
Unlikely as it may sound, that scenario actually happened, and a Nobel laureate today cited it as a prime example of why society should continue funding research in astronomy and other scientific disciplines that has no obvious immediate use. "The potential benefits of spending money to understand what's going on across the galaxy, despite these tough economic times, are enormous," Harold Kroto, Ph.D., said. "It is absolutely vital that the public realize that some of the most important discoveries are the unexpected ones." (3/27)
India, France to Launch Two satellites; Cooperate in Astronomy (Source: Net Indian)
India and France will co-launch two satellites from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launch pad later this year and early next year for gathering data relating to climate in tropical areas and for the study of oceans. The satellite for the study of oceans is to be called SARAL. The data from the other satellite will enhance understanding of the tropical weather phenomenon, including the monsoons.
French Ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont told UNI a satellite would be launched by the end of this year, while the second launch will take place early next year. The launch of the satellite for the study of tropical climate is slated for this year. Both the satellites would be launched aboard an Indian rocket. (3/27)
British Space-Industry Leaders Visit Colorado (Source: Denver Post)
Looking for business and collaborations, the British space industry has invaded Colorado for a couple of days. A half-dozen British space-industry leaders are in town to meet with economic-development and space-industry leaders. Colorado was a logical choice for the delegation, with the state's concentration of space-related military commands, eight major aerospace contractors, higher-education programs and about 400 companies that develop, design and build everything from software to satellites to missiles, group members said.
It's the "entrepreneurs and startups — the people who are thinking out of the box" — that define Colorado organizations as potential creative partners, said Keith Mason, chief executive of the United Kingdom's Science and Technology Facilities Council. The two-day space mission in Colorado began Monday with a half-day seminar explaining the United Kingdom's space-exploration program. Joining in hosting the seminar were the Colorado Space Coalition, a group of industry stakeholders working to make Colorado a center of aerospace excellence, and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. (3/29)
Student Launch at Spaceport America Rescheduled Due to Rocket Parachute Issue (Source: The Republic)
The annual New Mexico Space Grant Consortium's student launch was set to go off early Friday from Spaceport America. Officials say the launch has now been delayed until May 20th because of a hardware problem with the rocket's parachute system. Officials say a drop test was successful, but part of the flight hardware became entangled during recovery and was damaged. The project's mission requires the safe return of the students' experiments so the hardware has to be fixed.
A total of 27 onboard experiments were scheduled to be launched aboard the SL-5 rocket. The experiments involve 115 students from Albuquerque and northern New Mexico. Space Grant Consortium director Patricia Hynes says a lot of planning and effort has gone into the launch, and she remains optimistic despite the delay. (3/29)
SAIC Deal with NASA May be Worth $1.3 Billion (Source: Washington Business Journal)
SAIC Inc. has won an information technology contract with NASA that could be worth as much as $1.3 billion. SAIC said the NASA Integrated Communications Services contract would provide managerial and technical expertise for the entire space agency, including corporate and mission enterprise services, center and associated component facility services, infrastructure projects and contract management services. (3/28)
The Sun Rises on Chinese Space Science (Source: BBC)
The world is changing, and fast. A new report from the Royal Society examines how the emerging economies, led by China and followed by others such as Brazil and India, are challenging the "old order". The pre-eminent scientific positions of the US, Western Europe and Japan are now being eroded on every front - in the number of scientific papers published, in citations made, and in patent applications. In terms of pure investment, the emerging economies are also pumping increasing funds into their labs and their science-based industries.
I say, where there is a challenge so there is an opportunity. So far, the Chinese have put two spacecraft in orbit around the lunar body. The future missions Chang'e 3, 4 and 5 will very likely land, rove and finally return rock samples to Earth. This is not one of those classic "brain drain" stories; rather it's about chasing possibilities. John Zarnecki believes British and Chinese space interests can build a strong new partnership. Click here to read the article. (3/28) http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jonathanamos/2011/03/the-sun-rises-on-chinese-space.shtml
Japanese Stork Flies Away From Station (Source: Florida Today)
A robotic Japanese cargo carrier that doubles as a garbage scow is making its way toward a destructive atmospheric reentry after a high-flying departure from the International Space Station. U.S. astronaut Cady Coleman and Paulo Nespoli of the European Space Agency released the cylindrical carrier from the end of the station's Canadian-made robotic arm at 11:46 p.m. as the two spacecraft flew high above the eastern seaboard of the U.S.
Remotely controlled from a space center north of Tokyo, Japan's second HTV cargo carrier fired two separate bursts from onboard thrusters to propel the vehicle away from the station's immediate vicinity. A series of additional thruster firings will put the White Stork spacecraft on course for a reentry over the Pacific Ocean around 11:09 p.m. Tuesday. (3/28)
NASA Computer Networks Have Potentially 'Catastrophic' Security Holes (Source: Space.com)
NASA’s internal computer network is full of holes and is extremely vulnerable to an external cyberattack, an audit by the Office of the Inspector General has found. Even worse, it appears several of the vulnerabilities have been known for months, yet remained unpatched. “Six computer servers associated with IT [information technology] assets that control spacecraft and contain critical data had vulnerabilities that would allow a remote attacker to take control of or render them unavailable,” an audit report said.
“The attacker could use the compromised computers to exploit other weaknesses we identified, a situation that could severely degrade or cripple NASA’s operations,” the report continued. “We also found network servers that revealed encryption keys, encrypted passwords, and user account information to potential attackers.” It is not unusual for previously unknown network security holes to be found in large organizations. In that light, Martin’s audit might have been seen as positive for revealing the vulnerabilities. (3/28)
Funding Uncertainty Shaping NASA Programs (Source: Aviation Week)
The ongoing budget impasse in the U.S. Congress is starting to have an effect on NASA’s plans, including the joint Mars missions the agency is mounting with its European counterpart. “We have already started taking things off the table,” Administrator Charles Bolden said.
Among the potential hits to NASA’s planning is the long-term robotic Mars program, which the agency is working on in cooperation with the European Space Agency. Both ESA and NASA are planning to send rovers to Mars to cache promising rock and soil samples for an eventual return to Earth, but the National Research Council (NRC) panel that set the latest “decadal” priorities for NASA already has recommended that the rover missions be “descoped”. (3/28)
DOD, DOT Slam FCC Over GPS Interference Concerns (Source: Flight Global)
The US Department of Transportation and Defense Department on 25 March issued a strongly worded letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing concern over elements of an ongoing analysis on the potential effects on GPS of a newly approved broadband system. FCC in January granted conditional approval of a L-band satellite-based broadband system to be deployed by wholesale provider LightSquared.
Much of the aerospace industry says the network, which includes 40,000 transmitters that will rebroadcast the L-band signals at high power, will have significant interference effects on terrestrial and airborne GPS signals that operate in an adjacent frequency band. The aerospace industry had recommended that the approval process be based on the notice of proposed rulemaking process, a lengthy but thorough process with opportunities for public input.
The conditional approval requires that the FCC determine "that the harmful interference concerns have been resolved" before the network goes operational later this year, a determination the agency plans to make based on industry-led analyses to be completed by mid-June. Meanwhile LightSquared is moving forward with agreements with broadband providers to use the new service. (3/28)
Smooth Sailing (Source: Space News)
As a college student in Prague, Tomas Svitek was fascinated by solar sails. It was the 1970s. NASA, the European Space Agency and Japan were all exploring whether solar sails could assist spacecraft missions to rendezvous with Halley’s Comet. Although solar sail technology was deemed too immature at the time, Svitek’s interest in the concept never waned.
More than three decades later, after fleeing Czechoslovakia as a political refugee, Svitek is putting the finishing touches on his solar sail. His small company, Stellar Exploration Inc. of San Louis Obispo, Calif., is the systems integrator for LightSail-1, the Planetary Society’s $2.2 million effort to build a kite-shaped, mylar solar sail that fits in a triple cubesat, a standardized satellite bus comprised of three 10-centimeter cubes.
If all goes well, LightSail-1 will fly in 2012, turning and tacking to maintain its orbit, while relaying images of the sail to viewers on Earth, said Lou Friedman, LightSail-1 program director and former executive director of the Pasadena, Calif.-based Planetary Society. (3/28)
NASA Wants to Install 80 Acres of Solar Panels at Wallops Flight Facility (Source: Virginia Business)
NASA is proposing to install 80 acres of solar panels at its Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore to eventually create enough power to provide electricity for 850 homes. The solar panels would help NASA meet or exceed federal requirements for using renewable energy and to stabilize Wallops’ growing utility costs.
Under the plan, the solar panels would generate 10-gigawatt hours of electricity. In addition, two, 2.4-kilowatt residential-scale wind turbines would be installed at the NASA Visitor Center and the security guard state at Wallops Island. The plan would be built in multiple phases over time. (3/28)
Orbital Sees First Taurus II Flight from Wallops In September (Source: Aviation Week)
Orbital Sciences Corp. is on track — with “a limited amount of slack” — to fly its new Taurus II launch vehicle in September on a risk-reduction mission. The first flight main stage is on a ship en route from the KB Yuzhnoye factory in Ukraine to the new Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) here, where it will be mated with its ATK Castor 30A upper stage and Cygnus cargo capsule.
“The risk-reduction flight will be September, five-and-a-half or six months from now, depending on how things go,” said David W. Thompson, chairman and CEO of the Dulles, Va.-based space-hardware company, during the HIF dedication ceremony March 22. “And that will be followed about three months later by the COTS [Commercial Orbital Transportation System] demonstration mission in mid-December.” (3/29)
Meet Kepler's Entire Exoplanet Family (Source: Discovery)
This spectacular visualization shows each of the Kepler stars with tiny silhouettes representing exoplanetary candidates. All of the stars have been correctly scaled by size. Each star has also been colored to appear as our eye would see them if we were viewing from a location outside of the Earth's atmosphere. Many of the stars have more than one exoplanet, indicating a star system of worlds.
NASA's Kepler telescope has been diligently cataloging exoplanetary candidates since 2009 and has spotted 1,235 candidate worlds orbiting other stars. These worlds are currently "candidates" as their transit signal (the slight dimming of starlight as the exoplanet passes between its parent star and the space telescope) needs to be further analyzed to confirm the exoplanets' orbit. (3/29)
March 27, 2011
'India Pre-Eminent in Space Research' (Source: Times of India)
Planning Commission member and former chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) K Kasturirangan said on Saturday that India had achieved a pre-eminent position in space research as a result of extraordinary teamwork leading to some spectacular achievements in the most complex area of science and technology. He was speaking at the 12th convocation of the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (BVDU).
Citing an example of India's achievements in space research, Kasturirangan said, "Building the experimental remote sensing satellite, Bhaskara, was a big challenge, but our engineers came up with unique strategies including innovative solutions for optics, pioneering the use of new state-of-the-art sensors and designing and developing of some of the most difficult technologies for the spacecraft." (3/27)
Russia, Israel Agree on Cooperation in Outer Space (Source: RIA Novosti)
The space agencies of Russia and Israel have signed an agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space, the press office of the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos said. The document aims to create a legal and organizational framework for the development of mutually advantageous Russian-Israeli cooperation in outer space, including the use of space technologies for peaceful purposes, the press office said. (3/27)
Spotlight on Shuttle Missions is Intensifying (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is trying as hard as it can to keep the focus of the next two shuttle flights on the missions, and their important science and engineering goals. The effort may prove futile and perhaps even counter-productive. The frustration of the effort showed multiple times last week, most notably when the space agency yanked commander Mark Kelly from a round of media interviews that precede every shuttle mission.
Kelly did show up for his crew news conference, which he began with a short statement about his wife before asking journalists to "respect the fact that this is about STS-134," referring to his upcoming mission. He said that's why the more in-depth interviews with him were called off. NASA's tiring of so many questions about the dramatic personal challenges facing Kelly's family. The Kelly-Giffords story line is dominating the coverage of the upcoming shuttle mission, the second to last in the 30-year old program. (3/27)
Museums Vying for NASA Shuttles to Meet in Dayton (Source: Dayton Daily News)
A conference that annually brings together the leaders of prominent air and space museums will convene in Dayton next month, just as NASA’s top executive is to announce whether some of those museums will be awarded a retired space shuttle for permanent display. Among those to be represented at the Mutual Concerns of Air and Space Museums Conference are the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, the Seattle-based Museum of Flight, and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum from New York City.
“On the day of the shuttle announcement, Dayton will be the center of the universe with respect to the museums who want, and may get, a shuttle,” said Tony Sculimbrene, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, a Dayton-based organization lobbying for assignment of a shuttle to the Air Force Museum. “It will add extraordinary drama to the announcement,” said Michael Gessel, vice president of federal programs for the Dayton Development Coalition. (3/27)
Editorial: Alien Life, Coming Slowly Into View (Source: New York Times)
After millenniums of musings and a century of failed attempts, astronomers first detected an exoplanet, a planet orbiting a normal star other than the Sun, in 1995. Now they are finding hundreds of such worlds each year. Last month, NASA announced that 1,235 new possible planets had been observed by Kepler, a telescope on a space satellite. Six of the planets that Kepler found circle one star, and the orbits of five of them would fit within that of Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun.
By timing the passages of these five planets across their sun's visage - which provides confirmation of their planetary nature - we can witness their graceful dance with one another, choreographed by gravity. These discoveries remind us that nature is often richer and more wondrous than our imagination. The diversity of alien worlds has surprised us and challenged our preconceptions many times over. It is quite a change from merely 20 years ago, when we knew for sure of just one planetary system: ours. The pace of discovery, supported by new instruments and missions and innovative strategies by planet seekers, has been astounding. Click here. (3/27)
Florida Celebrations Planned for Yuri’s Night (Source: SPACErePORT)
Check out http://YurisNight.net for a worldwide map of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. As of Mar. 27 there were six parties shown in Florida on various days during the week of Apr. 9-16, in Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Harmony, Miami, and Aventura. The interactive map gives some details on each party. Sadly, nothing is yet posted for the Space Coast, though spaceport-area astronomers say they are planning to participate in the Harmony-based Dark Sky Festival on Apr. 9. Other party plans are brewing, including a Yuri’s Night pub crawl in Cocoa Beach on Apr. 9. (3/26)
Hiassen: This Senator is Lost in Space (Source: Miami Herald)
Recent polls show that Americans are already disenchanted with the new Congress, which is so collectively inept that it can’t even pass a budget. Public sentiment is not likely to improve with the news that lawmakers are forcing NASA to spend $1.4 million a day on a troubled space project that was officially scrapped last year. It’s a lesson in the politics of waste, as practiced by those who pretend to be crusaders for thrift.
When President Obama submitted his 2011 budget plan to Congress, he cancelled funding for the space agency’s Constellation program, the primary mission of which was to return astronauts to the moon. The decision wasn’t a surprise. “The truth is, we were not on a sustainable path to get back to the moon’s surface,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Some lawmakers were irate, none more than Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama. This would be the same Richard Shelby who every year introduces a balanced-budget amendment; the same Richard Shelby who piously rails about runaway government spending, and trashes TARP, and frets about the terrible deficit. But wait. Some of the work on the Ares rockets was taking place at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Shelby’s home state, which meant that jobs would be lost. Click here to read the article. (3/26)
Planning Commission member and former chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) K Kasturirangan said on Saturday that India had achieved a pre-eminent position in space research as a result of extraordinary teamwork leading to some spectacular achievements in the most complex area of science and technology. He was speaking at the 12th convocation of the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (BVDU).
Citing an example of India's achievements in space research, Kasturirangan said, "Building the experimental remote sensing satellite, Bhaskara, was a big challenge, but our engineers came up with unique strategies including innovative solutions for optics, pioneering the use of new state-of-the-art sensors and designing and developing of some of the most difficult technologies for the spacecraft." (3/27)
Russia, Israel Agree on Cooperation in Outer Space (Source: RIA Novosti)
The space agencies of Russia and Israel have signed an agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space, the press office of the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos said. The document aims to create a legal and organizational framework for the development of mutually advantageous Russian-Israeli cooperation in outer space, including the use of space technologies for peaceful purposes, the press office said. (3/27)
Spotlight on Shuttle Missions is Intensifying (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is trying as hard as it can to keep the focus of the next two shuttle flights on the missions, and their important science and engineering goals. The effort may prove futile and perhaps even counter-productive. The frustration of the effort showed multiple times last week, most notably when the space agency yanked commander Mark Kelly from a round of media interviews that precede every shuttle mission.
Kelly did show up for his crew news conference, which he began with a short statement about his wife before asking journalists to "respect the fact that this is about STS-134," referring to his upcoming mission. He said that's why the more in-depth interviews with him were called off. NASA's tiring of so many questions about the dramatic personal challenges facing Kelly's family. The Kelly-Giffords story line is dominating the coverage of the upcoming shuttle mission, the second to last in the 30-year old program. (3/27)
Museums Vying for NASA Shuttles to Meet in Dayton (Source: Dayton Daily News)
A conference that annually brings together the leaders of prominent air and space museums will convene in Dayton next month, just as NASA’s top executive is to announce whether some of those museums will be awarded a retired space shuttle for permanent display. Among those to be represented at the Mutual Concerns of Air and Space Museums Conference are the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, the Seattle-based Museum of Flight, and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum from New York City.
“On the day of the shuttle announcement, Dayton will be the center of the universe with respect to the museums who want, and may get, a shuttle,” said Tony Sculimbrene, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, a Dayton-based organization lobbying for assignment of a shuttle to the Air Force Museum. “It will add extraordinary drama to the announcement,” said Michael Gessel, vice president of federal programs for the Dayton Development Coalition. (3/27)
Editorial: Alien Life, Coming Slowly Into View (Source: New York Times)
After millenniums of musings and a century of failed attempts, astronomers first detected an exoplanet, a planet orbiting a normal star other than the Sun, in 1995. Now they are finding hundreds of such worlds each year. Last month, NASA announced that 1,235 new possible planets had been observed by Kepler, a telescope on a space satellite. Six of the planets that Kepler found circle one star, and the orbits of five of them would fit within that of Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun.
By timing the passages of these five planets across their sun's visage - which provides confirmation of their planetary nature - we can witness their graceful dance with one another, choreographed by gravity. These discoveries remind us that nature is often richer and more wondrous than our imagination. The diversity of alien worlds has surprised us and challenged our preconceptions many times over. It is quite a change from merely 20 years ago, when we knew for sure of just one planetary system: ours. The pace of discovery, supported by new instruments and missions and innovative strategies by planet seekers, has been astounding. Click here. (3/27)
Florida Celebrations Planned for Yuri’s Night (Source: SPACErePORT)
Check out http://YurisNight.net for a worldwide map of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. As of Mar. 27 there were six parties shown in Florida on various days during the week of Apr. 9-16, in Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Harmony, Miami, and Aventura. The interactive map gives some details on each party. Sadly, nothing is yet posted for the Space Coast, though spaceport-area astronomers say they are planning to participate in the Harmony-based Dark Sky Festival on Apr. 9. Other party plans are brewing, including a Yuri’s Night pub crawl in Cocoa Beach on Apr. 9. (3/26)
Hiassen: This Senator is Lost in Space (Source: Miami Herald)
Recent polls show that Americans are already disenchanted with the new Congress, which is so collectively inept that it can’t even pass a budget. Public sentiment is not likely to improve with the news that lawmakers are forcing NASA to spend $1.4 million a day on a troubled space project that was officially scrapped last year. It’s a lesson in the politics of waste, as practiced by those who pretend to be crusaders for thrift.
When President Obama submitted his 2011 budget plan to Congress, he cancelled funding for the space agency’s Constellation program, the primary mission of which was to return astronauts to the moon. The decision wasn’t a surprise. “The truth is, we were not on a sustainable path to get back to the moon’s surface,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Some lawmakers were irate, none more than Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama. This would be the same Richard Shelby who every year introduces a balanced-budget amendment; the same Richard Shelby who piously rails about runaway government spending, and trashes TARP, and frets about the terrible deficit. But wait. Some of the work on the Ares rockets was taking place at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Shelby’s home state, which meant that jobs would be lost. Click here to read the article. (3/26)
March 26, 2011
Bulgarian Company Negotiates with Chinese for Space Travel Project (Source: ForImmediateRelease.net)
The first Bulgarian company which will start offering space travel tickets will discuss its future project with the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria. The idea of a potential cooperation between the two countries came during the Space Travel Summit, which was held on March 17. A special guest and a keynote speaker at the Space Travel Summit was the top NASA astronaut Dr. Story Musgrave, who shared the vision that Bulgaria should develop its space travel solutions with the support of China. (3/25)
Florida Aerospace Leaders Support Education (Source: SPACErePORT)
A big thank you to United Space Alliance for their generous donation of $2,200 to the Da Vinci Academy aerospace program at Merritt Island High School. This marks the second large donation this school year, the first donation of $2,000 from Lockheed Martin in the fall of 2010. (3/23)
Heavy Lift Rocket Standoff on Capitol Hill (Source: NASA Watch)
There is a cottage industry these days wherein people speculate what Heavy Launch Vehicle (HLV) design NASA is or is not pursuing. NASA has not made its mind up and isn't due to report back to Congress until June. Congress wants a 130 MT HLV to be tested and operational not later than Dec. 31 2016. Charlie Bolden said NASA cannot meet that deadline and he does not feel the agency should be building the rocket that Congress has specified in the first place - or at least not until a decade from now.
Bolden claims that he is trying to meet the provisions listed in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, yet Congress says that the President's proposed FY-12 budget violates certain aspects of that Act. Neither side seems inclined to budget. Stalemate.
So, to restate the current conundrum, Congress wants their big rocket flying in 2016. Bolden is not inclined to build it - at least not the way Congress wants it to be built. Congress will continue to hold hearings and beat Bolden up on this - all while he is asked to make plans that must simultaneously take a CR for FY 2010, the stalled FY 2011 budget, and the FY2012 into account. Click here to read the article. (3/26)
Bolden Wants to Build Evolvable HLV, Not the One Congress Wants (Source: Space Policy Online)
NASA's Charlie Bolden told a luncheon audience that he does not want to build the heavy lift launch vehicle (HLV) specified in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. He said he does not think that the 130 metric ton lift capability prescribed in the law is necessary today and is not sure the agency can do it. He wants to build an "evolvable" launch vehicle, working in "small incremental steps [to] demonstrate that we can keep to cost and schedule and then people will begin to have confidence that we know what we're talking about."
"There are things I do not know... I don't know what my 2011 budget is... and that plays a critical role in what I can do," he said. The law reflects a compromise reached last year between Congress and the Administration on the future of the human spaceflight program. The President wants NASA to provide funding to companies to build a "commercial crew" capability to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station instead of NASA. In the President's plan, NASA meanwhile would focus on developing technologies to enable astronauts to someday go beyond LEO, to asteroids or Mars, for example.
Congress is skeptical that the commercial sector is ready to take on that responsibility, and wants the U.S. to have a bold program of human exploration that includes missions beyond LEO sooner, not later. The 2010 NASA Authorization Act took a middle ground, approving some funding for NASA to facilitate commercial crew, but also directing NASA to build its own Space Launch System (SLS) and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). They would serve as a backup to the commercial companies for LEO access and also provide the beyond LEO capabilities Congress wants. (3/25)
Space Travel Advisory: Nothing Ever Happens on Mars (Source" Faster Times)
Before you go to Mars, step out onto your front lawn... Plunge your hands into the soil and look at the green blades alive between your fingers. None of this will likely ever exist on Mars. They say there’s plenty of carbon dioxide for plants to breathe, but the alkaline soil is full of rust and the mean temperature is -63° C. There’s also no ozone layer, so even in the places where it’s sometimes warmer, the ground is completely irradiated through about the first 15 centimeters.
You’d have better luck terraforming Chernobyl if it was in Antarctica; at least you’d have some oxygen, which is kicked to the curb by Mars’ thin atmosphere and scant atmospheric pressure (which, along with the temperatures, disallows liquid water on the surface). The planet’s small magnetic field is also completely out of whack, so compasses as we know them won’t work. All this is to say that on Mars, you will be lost, irradiated, asphyxiating, and freezing to death, all at once, and then the largest dust storms in the Solar System will wipe out whatever’s left of you. (3/25)
The Race for Space Solar Energy (Source: The People's Voice)
The failures of the General Electric nuclear reactors in Japan to safely shut down during the 9.0 Tahoku earthquake, following in the wake of the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the deadly methane gas explosion in Massey’s West Virginia coal mine, conclusively demonstrate the grave dangers to human society posed by current energy production methods.
Presently, only the top industrialized nations have the technological, industrial and economic power to compete in the race for space solar energy. In spite of, and perhaps because of, the current disaster, Japan occupies the inside track, as it is the only nation that has a dedicated space solar energy program and which is highly motivated to change directions. China, which has launched astronauts into an earth orbit and is rapidly become the world’s leader in the production of wind and solar generation products, will undoubtedly become a strong competitor.
However, the U.S., which should have every advantage in the race, is most likely to stumble out of the gate and waste the best chance it has to solve its economic, energy, political and military problems. After being deemed feasible by a NASA study, the study’s leader, John Mankins, now says the program "has fallen through the cracks because no organization is responsible for both space programs and energy security." Click here to read the article. (3/26)
Editorial: Wallops is Poised at Spaceflight Forefront (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is not quite a vision from "The Jetsons," but it is without a doubt a commercial spaceport. Where, you might ask, is there any commercial opportunity in space? There is the International Space Station... NASA has partnered with Orbital Sciences Corp. to conduct future supply missions to the station. If, as Sen. Barbara Mikulski contends, a successful beginning could lead to Wallops Island becoming a cargo hub for the International Space Station, then lower Delmarva is poised at the forefront of commercial spaceflight. (3/26)
Florida Tech Professor's Stint on Makeshift Mars Begins (Source: Florida Today)
Florida Tech professor John Deaton always dreamed of being an astronaut. The closest he came was years ago when he made it to the semifinals of NASA's astronaut training program. The closest, that is, until now. Deaton, a human factors professor in the college of aeronautics, is going to "Mars." Mars being the Mars Desert Research Station, a small two-story building in a remote area of Utah, about four hours from Denver. Run by the nonprofit Mars Society, the station was created to simulate the red planet.
"I've always had this keen interest in going into space, so I guess this is going to have to be my compromise," said Deaton, 61. Starting today, the 26-foot-long building will be Deaton's home until April 9. He'll share it with five strangers from around the world: two Italians, one person from Greece, another from Canada and one other American. Together they'll study what a foray on Mars might be like. Deaton is especially interested in the experiment's effect on participants, including how they handle being in such close quarters with strangers for two weeks. (3/26)
The first Bulgarian company which will start offering space travel tickets will discuss its future project with the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria. The idea of a potential cooperation between the two countries came during the Space Travel Summit, which was held on March 17. A special guest and a keynote speaker at the Space Travel Summit was the top NASA astronaut Dr. Story Musgrave, who shared the vision that Bulgaria should develop its space travel solutions with the support of China. (3/25)
Florida Aerospace Leaders Support Education (Source: SPACErePORT)
A big thank you to United Space Alliance for their generous donation of $2,200 to the Da Vinci Academy aerospace program at Merritt Island High School. This marks the second large donation this school year, the first donation of $2,000 from Lockheed Martin in the fall of 2010. (3/23)
Heavy Lift Rocket Standoff on Capitol Hill (Source: NASA Watch)
There is a cottage industry these days wherein people speculate what Heavy Launch Vehicle (HLV) design NASA is or is not pursuing. NASA has not made its mind up and isn't due to report back to Congress until June. Congress wants a 130 MT HLV to be tested and operational not later than Dec. 31 2016. Charlie Bolden said NASA cannot meet that deadline and he does not feel the agency should be building the rocket that Congress has specified in the first place - or at least not until a decade from now.
Bolden claims that he is trying to meet the provisions listed in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, yet Congress says that the President's proposed FY-12 budget violates certain aspects of that Act. Neither side seems inclined to budget. Stalemate.
So, to restate the current conundrum, Congress wants their big rocket flying in 2016. Bolden is not inclined to build it - at least not the way Congress wants it to be built. Congress will continue to hold hearings and beat Bolden up on this - all while he is asked to make plans that must simultaneously take a CR for FY 2010, the stalled FY 2011 budget, and the FY2012 into account. Click here to read the article. (3/26)
Bolden Wants to Build Evolvable HLV, Not the One Congress Wants (Source: Space Policy Online)
NASA's Charlie Bolden told a luncheon audience that he does not want to build the heavy lift launch vehicle (HLV) specified in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. He said he does not think that the 130 metric ton lift capability prescribed in the law is necessary today and is not sure the agency can do it. He wants to build an "evolvable" launch vehicle, working in "small incremental steps [to] demonstrate that we can keep to cost and schedule and then people will begin to have confidence that we know what we're talking about."
"There are things I do not know... I don't know what my 2011 budget is... and that plays a critical role in what I can do," he said. The law reflects a compromise reached last year between Congress and the Administration on the future of the human spaceflight program. The President wants NASA to provide funding to companies to build a "commercial crew" capability to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station instead of NASA. In the President's plan, NASA meanwhile would focus on developing technologies to enable astronauts to someday go beyond LEO, to asteroids or Mars, for example.
Congress is skeptical that the commercial sector is ready to take on that responsibility, and wants the U.S. to have a bold program of human exploration that includes missions beyond LEO sooner, not later. The 2010 NASA Authorization Act took a middle ground, approving some funding for NASA to facilitate commercial crew, but also directing NASA to build its own Space Launch System (SLS) and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). They would serve as a backup to the commercial companies for LEO access and also provide the beyond LEO capabilities Congress wants. (3/25)
Space Travel Advisory: Nothing Ever Happens on Mars (Source" Faster Times)
Before you go to Mars, step out onto your front lawn... Plunge your hands into the soil and look at the green blades alive between your fingers. None of this will likely ever exist on Mars. They say there’s plenty of carbon dioxide for plants to breathe, but the alkaline soil is full of rust and the mean temperature is -63° C. There’s also no ozone layer, so even in the places where it’s sometimes warmer, the ground is completely irradiated through about the first 15 centimeters.
You’d have better luck terraforming Chernobyl if it was in Antarctica; at least you’d have some oxygen, which is kicked to the curb by Mars’ thin atmosphere and scant atmospheric pressure (which, along with the temperatures, disallows liquid water on the surface). The planet’s small magnetic field is also completely out of whack, so compasses as we know them won’t work. All this is to say that on Mars, you will be lost, irradiated, asphyxiating, and freezing to death, all at once, and then the largest dust storms in the Solar System will wipe out whatever’s left of you. (3/25)
The Race for Space Solar Energy (Source: The People's Voice)
The failures of the General Electric nuclear reactors in Japan to safely shut down during the 9.0 Tahoku earthquake, following in the wake of the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the deadly methane gas explosion in Massey’s West Virginia coal mine, conclusively demonstrate the grave dangers to human society posed by current energy production methods.
Presently, only the top industrialized nations have the technological, industrial and economic power to compete in the race for space solar energy. In spite of, and perhaps because of, the current disaster, Japan occupies the inside track, as it is the only nation that has a dedicated space solar energy program and which is highly motivated to change directions. China, which has launched astronauts into an earth orbit and is rapidly become the world’s leader in the production of wind and solar generation products, will undoubtedly become a strong competitor.
However, the U.S., which should have every advantage in the race, is most likely to stumble out of the gate and waste the best chance it has to solve its economic, energy, political and military problems. After being deemed feasible by a NASA study, the study’s leader, John Mankins, now says the program "has fallen through the cracks because no organization is responsible for both space programs and energy security." Click here to read the article. (3/26)
Editorial: Wallops is Poised at Spaceflight Forefront (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is not quite a vision from "The Jetsons," but it is without a doubt a commercial spaceport. Where, you might ask, is there any commercial opportunity in space? There is the International Space Station... NASA has partnered with Orbital Sciences Corp. to conduct future supply missions to the station. If, as Sen. Barbara Mikulski contends, a successful beginning could lead to Wallops Island becoming a cargo hub for the International Space Station, then lower Delmarva is poised at the forefront of commercial spaceflight. (3/26)
Florida Tech Professor's Stint on Makeshift Mars Begins (Source: Florida Today)
Florida Tech professor John Deaton always dreamed of being an astronaut. The closest he came was years ago when he made it to the semifinals of NASA's astronaut training program. The closest, that is, until now. Deaton, a human factors professor in the college of aeronautics, is going to "Mars." Mars being the Mars Desert Research Station, a small two-story building in a remote area of Utah, about four hours from Denver. Run by the nonprofit Mars Society, the station was created to simulate the red planet.
"I've always had this keen interest in going into space, so I guess this is going to have to be my compromise," said Deaton, 61. Starting today, the 26-foot-long building will be Deaton's home until April 9. He'll share it with five strangers from around the world: two Italians, one person from Greece, another from Canada and one other American. Together they'll study what a foray on Mars might be like. Deaton is especially interested in the experiment's effect on participants, including how they handle being in such close quarters with strangers for two weeks. (3/26)
March 25, 2011
Editorial: Send the Space-Bureaucrats to Mars (Source: Mass. Daily Collegian)
As the space shuttle Discovery is decommissioned and retired from service, it is time to rethink the role that our government has to play in the future of space exploration. The reason for this is that it is necessary to contemplate whether the resources that have been and will be allocated to the space program has been worth the output it has produced. Despite all of the praise that has been heaped on NASA for the past decades, it is clear that its output is the subject of hype and that it has also been an organization that has been imprudent in its utilization of resources.
If there is to be future progress in space exploration, then what needs to happen is not sending highly specialized, billion-dollar missions into space for the curiosity of scientists and welfare for the aerospace industry. Instead, what must happen is a dramatic decrease in the costs in order for mankind to have any future in space and this is a task of economizing resources that is best left to the free market.
Eventually, all talk about NASA and the future role of government in space exploration must come down to a judgment regarding whether a bureaucracy put in place by the government is the best means of attaining the ends desired. Here, there can be only an unequivocal answer: no. (3/25)
How to Dress for Space Travel (Source: Science Friday)
Of the suit he wore on the moon, Neil Armstrong wrote, “it was tough, reliable, and almost cuddly.” But that cuddly suit, made by the company Playtex, had some stiff competition (literally) from rival rigid, metal designs. This video features archival NASA footage of mobility tests for several spacesuit prototypes. Armstrong's suit was one of the most technologically advanced outfits ever created. Nicholas de Monchaux, author of the book Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo talks about the surprising history and iconic design of the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Click here. (3/25)
DoD Mulls Commercial Bandwidth Investment (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is considering a long-term investment in commercial Ku- and Ka-band satellite communications capabilities to serve users in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, according to a March 15 request for information on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The goal of the potential program is to reduce the cost of satellite communications in the region; the agency would budget about $440 million for the service, which would have to be available by the end of 2014. (3/25)
Justice, Commerce Departments Seen as Possible Source of Extra Funding for NASA (Source: Space News)
Congressional appropriators could tap the funding accounts of the U.S. departments of Commerce and Justice to help cover what some see as a $1 billion shortfall in NASA’s $18.7 billion spending plan for 2012, which allocates less money for a heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule than Congress directed last year.
“There’s over a billion-dollar difference between the budget request and the authorized levels in [20]12 for the launch system and the crew vehicle, and now that falls squarely back on the shoulders of [the appropriations committees] to try and figure out where to come up with that money,” said a panelist at a March 23 Women in Aerospace (WIA) breakfast on Capitol Hill. (3/25)
Orbcomm Plans Different Orbit for Next-Generation Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite two-way messaging and machine-to-machine (M2M) services provider Orbcomm will send its second-generation constellation of satellites into a different orbit from the first generation to provide better coverage of Canada, northern Europe and other high-latitude regions, Orbcomm's CEO said. Orbcomm's 18 second-generation satellites are scheduled to be launched starting this year. (3/25)
Neck & Neck Race To Be First In Tracking Ships From Space (Source: Space News)
Com Dev of Canada and Orbcomm of the U.S. are racing each other to launch satellites this year to establish position in what both believe will be a large and profitable new business in providing satellite-based ship monitoring for global coastal authorities, with both hoping to be first to market.
Both have faced launch delays on their selected U.S., Russian and Indian rockets that have cost them revenue in the near term. What both are now counting on is that the fresh launch dates in mid-2011 will be respected, allowing them to enter the automatic identification system (AIS) business as soon as possible. (3/25)
Japan Reopens Space Station Control Room After Quake (Source: Space.com)
Japan has reopened its primary mission control center for part of the International Space Station, 11 days after it was damaged by the massive earthquake that struck the country. An inspection ensured the facility is safe for workers. The center is the home of JAXA's mission operations for the Japanese Kibo laboratory on the space station, as well as for the unmanned H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) cargo ships that ferry supplies to the orbiting lab. (3/25)
Water-Powered Spaceship Could Make Mars Trip on the Cheap (Source: Space.com)
Spaceships powered primarily by water could open up the solar system to exploration, making flights to Mars and other far-flung locales far cheaper, a recent study has found. A journey to Mars and back in a water-fueled vehicle could cost as little as one space shuttle launch costs today, researchers said. And the idea is to keep these "space coaches" in orbit between trips, so their relative value would grow over time, as the vehicles reduce the need for expensive one-off missions that launch from Earth. Click here. (3/25)
Work Stopped on Alternative Cameras for Mars Rover (Source: JPL)
The NASA rover to be launched to Mars this year will carry the Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument already on the vehicle, providing the capability to meet the mission's science goals. Work has stopped on an alternative version of the instrument, with a pair of zoom-lens cameras, which would have provided additional capabilities for improved three-dimensional video. The installed Mastcam on the Mars Science Laboratory mission's Curiosity rover uses two fixed-focal-length cameras: a telephoto for one eye and wider angle for the other.
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built the Mastcam and was funded by NASA last year to see whether a zoom version could be developed in time for testing on Curiosity. "The possibility for a zoom-camera upgrade was very much worth pursuing, but time became too short for the levels of testing that would be needed for them to confidently replace the existing cameras," said a JPL official. (3/25)
NASA Plans Open Source Summit on March 29-30 in California (Source: NASA)
NASA's first open source software development summit will be held on March 29-30 at the agency's Ames Research Center. The event will bring together engineers, policy makers and members of the open source community. They will discuss challenges within the existing open source policy framework and propose modifications to enhance NASA's development, release and use of software. Click here for information. (3/25)
Endeavour To Demo Orion Relative Navigation (Source: Aviation Week)
Endeavour’s final flight, a 14-day STS-134 mission to the International Space Station, could feature an unusual amount of activity around the orbiting science laboratory, including a re-rendezvous demonstration of the relative navigation sensors developed for the Orion spacecraft. The mission also could include a “family portrait” of the outpost and docked spacecraft that would be taken by a Soyuz crew. The portrait was proposed for Discovery’s last mission, but the idea was eventually rejected. (3/25)
Marshall Space Flight Center Works Well With Local Small Businesses (Source: WAFF)
Administrators at NASA think the Marshall Space Flight Center is doing a good job working with small businesses. The center was awarded the NASA small business administrator's cup for the second time in three years. The award honors NASA'S most effective small business program in the country. City leaders say the relationship between the two groups is crucial to the success of Huntsville's economy. They say that's why it's so important for congress to get budget in place for NASA. (3/25)
Women in Aerospace (WIA) Picks 2011-2012 Scholarship Recipient (Source: SpaceRef.com)
The Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation has announced Ms. Salvador A. Valdes as the recipient of the WIA Foundation Scholarship. Ms. Valdes, a senior in aerospace engineering at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be applied to the 2011-2012 academic year. Ms. Valdes is a private pilot, avid motorcyclist, poet, and undergraduate researcher in the aerospace controls lab at UCLA. (3/25)
Juno Is Solar Marvel Bound for Jupiter (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA’s Juno mission will probe Jupiter’s atmosphere in search of clues to how the largest planet in the Solar System, and the Solar System itself, were formed from a primordial cloud of gas. Jupiter is probably the oldest planet, but it keeps its secrets veiled beneath the clouds and massive storms we can see from Earth. By sending Juno beneath the planet’s radiation belts in a polar orbit that takes it just 3,000 mi. above the cloud tops, scientists hope to unravel some of those mysteries with sounding measurements that should reveal the planet’s composition and structure. (3/25)
Seattle Has Gallery, Need Space Shuttle (Source: News Tribune)
A mixture of confidence, optimism and fear of jinxing their chances keeps Seattle's Museum of Flight employees from discussing the possibility of not receiving one of the much-desired space shuttles NASA is about to retire. “We’re not even thinking in those terms,” museum spokesman Mike Bush said this week. “It’s the rarest of artifacts anywhere, and there is no better place for a space shuttle.” A $12 million Space Gallery built specifically to house a shuttle is under construction across from the main museum and should be completed by July.
The Museum of Flight is among 29 institutions nationwide competing to be a final destination for the Discovery, Endeavour or Atlantis. The Enterprise, a prototype used for landing tests that never flew in space, also might be up for grabs if the Discovery is given to the Smithsonian Institution as rumored. The Seattle museum is considered a front-runner and has taken bold steps with the expectation that a shuttle eventually will arrive piggybacked on a 747 airplane. (3/25)
Outer Space Due for a Little Spring Cleaning? (Source: Daily Camera)
You might think that outer space is so big that it would be immune from the junk effect. Yet because most of the stuff we send into space occupies a relatively small region less than 2,000 kilometers from the surface of Earth, space is more like my cluttered office than it is the expansive basement of your average McMansion. Low-Earth orbit is littered with defunct satellites, spent rockets and even astronaut trash.
NASA's Orbital Debris Program estimates that there are almost 20,000 pieces of large debris ( "large" being a technical term for "bigger than a grapefruit" ), half a million particles measuring between 1 and 10 cm in diameter, and tens of millions of pieces of even tinier detritus, like paint flakes, circling the Earth today. All of that trash endangers active satellites and can even pose a threat to astronauts on the space shuttle and aboard the International Space Station. (3/25)
JPL Scientist Presents on NASA's $320 Million NEOWISE Project (Source: PCC Courier)
JPL scientist Amy Mainzer presented the findings of NASA's recent mission to space, the $320 million advanced telescope, NEOWISE, in the Lillian Vosloh Forum on Friday. The presentation, "The Year I Saw the Universe," drew a crowd to the Forum composed of students, staff and community members. (3/25)
How the Cost of NASA’s Next Big Space Telescope Skyrocketed (Source: Science News)
An independent panel reported the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is running a minimum of $1.4 billion over budget, bringing the total cost to at least $6.5 billion. This may lead to the cancellation of another highly touted NASA mission to probe the nature of dark energy and extrasolar planets. The panel found that JWST managers at Goddard Space Flight Center consistently underestimated the cost of the telescope. Lack of money in one year forced scheduled work to be deferred to the next, keeping contractors on the payroll longer and doubling or tripling the cost of their labor.
Poor cost management and reporting practices went unchallenged by NASA Headquarters, reflecting “the lack of an effective cost and programmatic analysis capability at headquarters,” the panel concluded. But the problem appears to go beyond mismanagement. Interviews with current and recently retired NASA officials, astronomers and the GAO reveal a culture of deception when it comes to estimating the cost of large NASA missions. Given the limited supply of money for new projects, those with proposals are encouraged to underestimate the true price tag, and those who question the estimates are ignored or reprimanded. (3/25)
Air Force Space Command Vice Commander Promoted to Lt. Gen. (Source: AFSPC)
The Air Force Space Command vice commander received his third star on March 21. Surrounded by family, friends and well wishers, Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla was elevated to the rank of lieutenant general in a promotion ceremony here at AFSPC Headquarters. (3/25)
Bolden: Blame Inflation for Higher Russian Cost (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden compared Russia to an "old-time full service" gas station Thursday to justify a new deal that raises the cost of a ride to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz from $51 million to nearly $63 million in 2015. Bolden signed a new two-year, $753 million agreement with Russia last week to assure space station access for American astronauts through June 2016. The price per seat is $51 million now and will rise to $56 million in 2013 before going to almost $63 million in 2015.
The price is going up "because of inflation," Bolden said in Huntsville, not because Russia is taking advantage of the end of the American space shuttle program. "That's not just for a ride," Bolden said. Russia provides two years of "intense" astronaut training, most of it in Moscow, plus room and board, he said. "It's not like a bus ticket or an airplane ticket," Bolden said. "You used to be able to go into a gas station and get full service... We get full service from the Russians, old-time full service." (3/25)
Staten Island Pol Leading Charge to Get Retired Shuttle (Source: Staten Island Advance)
The City Council will ask NASA to retire one of three space shuttles at New York City's Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum. A resolution by Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) passed the Council earlier this week. The bill formally requests that the space agency allow the Intrepid to be the permanent home for at least one of retiring space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour or Atlantis.
"We are the cultural capitol of the country, and having this piece of U.S. history will certainly add to the museum experience of our residents and the millions of national and foreign tourists who visit each year," Ignizio said. "The Intrepid is one of the premier institutions of New York and by far the most fitting home for retired spacecraft. I am pleased that the museum has been actively engaging NASA and has committed to constructing a fitting exhibit." (3/25)
Agency Helps NASA's Aerospace Workers Find Jobs (Source: Federal Computer Week)
The Office of Personnel Management is teaming with NASA to help aerospace workers affected by the end of the 30-year space shuttle program find government jobs. OPM Director John Berry sent a memo to federal chief human capital officers March 24 that requested that they expand their recruitment efforts to include the more than 6,000 soon-to-be-displaced aerospace employees, who have expertise in areas such as IT, engineering and program management.
NASA has created a website on which federal agencies can post jobs and find additional information about the skills of the employees looking for new jobs. Details associated with filing positions, such as job posting and on-site interviews at the Kennedy Space Center, will be coordinated between agency hiring officials and the NASA human resources team at the Kennedy Space Center, according to the memo. (3/25)
Astronaut Mark Kelly Says Giffords Starting to Grasp Horrific Attack (Source: Florida Today)
Critically wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is just now starting to recognize and deal with what happened during the horrific Jan. 8 shooting rampage that killed six and left her with severe injuries, her astronaut husband said Thursday. Less than 11 weeks after the assassination attempt, Giffords can talk, comprehend conversations and walk with assistance, veteran astronaut Mark Kelly said.
"She's doing remarkably well. She's improving every day, and in the realm of brain injuries, that is very significant and pretty rare," said Kelly, who will command the 25th and final flight of shuttle Endeavour next month. He said it appears increasingly likely that Giffords will be able to travel to Kennedy Space Center and attend Endeavour's launch, which is scheduled for 7:48 p.m. April 19.
Giffords, an avid supporter of NASA who sits on a House subcommittee that oversees the agency, spends most of her day in therapy at a rehabilitation hospital in Houston. "She gets staff briefings from her staff when they're in town on what's going on in her office and the district and what's going on in Congress," Kelly said. (3/25)
Small Businesses Contribute to NASA's Mission (Source: White House Blog)
In his State of the Union Address, President Obama said, “What America does better than anyone – is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives. It’s how we make a living.”
Nobody knows that better than those of us associated with NASA. Spaceflight today would not exist without the spark of innovation that drove us to build rockets and computers and robots. And small businesses helped us achieve our greatest missions. Small businesses have always been an integral part of NASA. Small businesses have built parts for launch vehicles and planetary science missions, they help us manage our facilities and our data and help keep our organization running smoothly.
Small business is crucial not only to NASA, but to the nation. And federal procurement opportunities for women, minority, veteran-owned and small businesses are critical to the economy and to sustaining economic development. In 2010, NASA awarded approximately $2.3 billion directly to small businesses, an increase of almost 15 percent from the year before. NASA’s large, prime contractors awarded an additional $2 billion in subcontracts to small businesses. (3/24)
Engineer's Fall from Launch Pad Still Being Probed (Source: AP)
NASA says there were no safety gear malfunctions in last week's death of a launch pad worker. The engineer fell to his death March 14 from the shuttle launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour was being prepped for an April liftoff. NASA said the worker wasn't wearing a safety harness, nor was he required to be wearing one. There is no evidence of foul play. The investigation continues. United Space Alliance employee James Vanover was killed in the fall. The 53-year-old was about to be laid off because the shuttle program is ending. Vanover was checking for debris on the pad, nearly 200 feet up, when he fell. (3/25)
Scientists to Reap Benefits of Private Spaceflight Revolution (Source: Space.com)
A research institution that has inked landmark deals with two private spaceflight firms may be performing experiments in suborbital space within two years. The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) bought seats on suborbital flights from both XCOR Aerospace and Virgin Galactic. SwRI's experiments are already built and ready to go, and the institute is now waiting on the spaceflight companies — but that wait may not be terribly long, according to one scientist.
"No one can guarantee when they will finish their flight-test programs, what setbacks they may have, what twists and turns there are along the way," said Alan Stern, vice president of SwRI's space division. "But I think there's a very good chance that we'll be flying a couple of years from now, in early 2013, and potentially somewhat sooner... By splitting our funds across two different providers, we think we're in a lower risk position," Stern said. (3/25)
UK and France: Big Difference in Space Investment (Source: BBC)
Wednesday presented an excellent example of the challenges faced by science-based industries in the UK; and, in particular, the space sector. In its Budget announcement, the London government singled out space as one of the key areas of commercial endeavor that would help pull the country out of its current economic woes. Chancellor George Osborne unveiled a package of regulatory reform and gave it a small sum of money to start a national Space Technology Program (UKSTP). This program will be primed with £10m from the Treasury and £10m from private industry.
But here’s the thing. As George Osborne was making his Budget announcements in the House of Commons, across the Channel in France the government there was also unveiling a package of support for its space sector. The value of this package? 500 million euros...that amounts to £440m. It is part of Le Grand Emprunt (“The Big Loan”), a colossal bond-financed investment in a variety of fields, but principally in those related to research and education. The money on offer to space is so large the French haven’t decided yet where to spend it all.
At this point, I’m reminded of Formula One motor racing, that most hi-tech of sports. BBC’s legendary commentator Murray Walker, in talking about investment and development in F1, used to say: “To stand still in this business is to go backwards.” And this is the problem now faced by the British government. It’s in a race, also, and the country in the next garage is currently out-investing it on a large scale. And that’s true in a number of garages down the pit lane. (3/25)
Pressure Suits: Requirement or Afterthought for Space Tourists? (Source: Lurio Report)
At February's FAA space transportation conference one panel focused on the need for pressure suits for spaceflight participants. Orbital Outfitters is to be the supplier of pressure suits for XCOR’s Lynx. My recollection is that Virgin Galactic has not to date made a definitive decision on whether or not to use pressures suits, contingent on results as vehicle work continues.
Orbital Outfitters contended that while there may be a low chance of catastrophic cabin depressurization, “What if you’re the person on that one trip [where it does occur?]... There are no other alternatives (that I know of) to a pressure suit in terms of providing truly independent protection for passengers and crew in the event of a hull breech or life support failure.” Without that protection, the consequences for passengers and crew in such a situation is virtually certain death; if that event took place before the industry had sufficient vigor, the result...could be just as bad.
Taken together with an extensive and rigorous enough program of test flights [to ensure vehicle and life-support system operability], the projected risk of not using a pressure suit could end up “in the noise.” However, despite such testing, for example, a rougher than normal engine burn could affect the alignment of seals or valve functions. (Something precisely analogous to this caused the deaths of cosmonauts Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsayev on Soyuz 11 in 1971.) According to Orbital Outfitters: “Building a suit into a new system during development can add complexity and expense; [but] adding a suit to an existing system can be an order of magnitude more challenging” (3/25)
NASA Test Supports Better Rocket Science (Source: NASA)
NASA put the squeeze on a large rocket test section last week in Huntsville. Results from this structural strength test will help future heavy-lift launch vehicles weigh less and reduce development costs. This trailblazing project is examining the safety margins needed in the design of future, large launch vehicle structures. Test results will be used to develop and validate structural analysis models and generate new “shell-buckling knockdown factors” — complex engineering design standards essential to launch vehicle design.
The aerospace industry’s shell buckling knockdown factors date back to Apollo-era studies when current materials, manufacturing processes and high-fidelity computer modeling did not exist. These new analyses will update essential design factors and calculations that are a significant performance and safety driver in designing large structures like the main fuel tank of a future heavy-lift launch vehicle. (3/24)
COM DEV Posts Mixed Financial Results (Source: SpaceRef.com)
COM DEV saw revenues decrease in the first quarter (Q1) of 2011 as compared to Q1 in 2010 from $56.7 million to $48.7 million but saw new orders rise to $59 million as compared to $51 million a year ago. COM DEV's commercial segment saw a small decrease in revenues of 2.9% while its military segment saw an 11.1% increase. However the civil (government) sector saw a decrease of 46.7% over the same period last year. (3/25)
As the space shuttle Discovery is decommissioned and retired from service, it is time to rethink the role that our government has to play in the future of space exploration. The reason for this is that it is necessary to contemplate whether the resources that have been and will be allocated to the space program has been worth the output it has produced. Despite all of the praise that has been heaped on NASA for the past decades, it is clear that its output is the subject of hype and that it has also been an organization that has been imprudent in its utilization of resources.
If there is to be future progress in space exploration, then what needs to happen is not sending highly specialized, billion-dollar missions into space for the curiosity of scientists and welfare for the aerospace industry. Instead, what must happen is a dramatic decrease in the costs in order for mankind to have any future in space and this is a task of economizing resources that is best left to the free market.
Eventually, all talk about NASA and the future role of government in space exploration must come down to a judgment regarding whether a bureaucracy put in place by the government is the best means of attaining the ends desired. Here, there can be only an unequivocal answer: no. (3/25)
How to Dress for Space Travel (Source: Science Friday)
Of the suit he wore on the moon, Neil Armstrong wrote, “it was tough, reliable, and almost cuddly.” But that cuddly suit, made by the company Playtex, had some stiff competition (literally) from rival rigid, metal designs. This video features archival NASA footage of mobility tests for several spacesuit prototypes. Armstrong's suit was one of the most technologically advanced outfits ever created. Nicholas de Monchaux, author of the book Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo talks about the surprising history and iconic design of the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Click here. (3/25)
DoD Mulls Commercial Bandwidth Investment (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is considering a long-term investment in commercial Ku- and Ka-band satellite communications capabilities to serve users in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, according to a March 15 request for information on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The goal of the potential program is to reduce the cost of satellite communications in the region; the agency would budget about $440 million for the service, which would have to be available by the end of 2014. (3/25)
Justice, Commerce Departments Seen as Possible Source of Extra Funding for NASA (Source: Space News)
Congressional appropriators could tap the funding accounts of the U.S. departments of Commerce and Justice to help cover what some see as a $1 billion shortfall in NASA’s $18.7 billion spending plan for 2012, which allocates less money for a heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule than Congress directed last year.
“There’s over a billion-dollar difference between the budget request and the authorized levels in [20]12 for the launch system and the crew vehicle, and now that falls squarely back on the shoulders of [the appropriations committees] to try and figure out where to come up with that money,” said a panelist at a March 23 Women in Aerospace (WIA) breakfast on Capitol Hill. (3/25)
Orbcomm Plans Different Orbit for Next-Generation Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite two-way messaging and machine-to-machine (M2M) services provider Orbcomm will send its second-generation constellation of satellites into a different orbit from the first generation to provide better coverage of Canada, northern Europe and other high-latitude regions, Orbcomm's CEO said. Orbcomm's 18 second-generation satellites are scheduled to be launched starting this year. (3/25)
Neck & Neck Race To Be First In Tracking Ships From Space (Source: Space News)
Com Dev of Canada and Orbcomm of the U.S. are racing each other to launch satellites this year to establish position in what both believe will be a large and profitable new business in providing satellite-based ship monitoring for global coastal authorities, with both hoping to be first to market.
Both have faced launch delays on their selected U.S., Russian and Indian rockets that have cost them revenue in the near term. What both are now counting on is that the fresh launch dates in mid-2011 will be respected, allowing them to enter the automatic identification system (AIS) business as soon as possible. (3/25)
Japan Reopens Space Station Control Room After Quake (Source: Space.com)
Japan has reopened its primary mission control center for part of the International Space Station, 11 days after it was damaged by the massive earthquake that struck the country. An inspection ensured the facility is safe for workers. The center is the home of JAXA's mission operations for the Japanese Kibo laboratory on the space station, as well as for the unmanned H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) cargo ships that ferry supplies to the orbiting lab. (3/25)
Water-Powered Spaceship Could Make Mars Trip on the Cheap (Source: Space.com)
Spaceships powered primarily by water could open up the solar system to exploration, making flights to Mars and other far-flung locales far cheaper, a recent study has found. A journey to Mars and back in a water-fueled vehicle could cost as little as one space shuttle launch costs today, researchers said. And the idea is to keep these "space coaches" in orbit between trips, so their relative value would grow over time, as the vehicles reduce the need for expensive one-off missions that launch from Earth. Click here. (3/25)
Work Stopped on Alternative Cameras for Mars Rover (Source: JPL)
The NASA rover to be launched to Mars this year will carry the Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument already on the vehicle, providing the capability to meet the mission's science goals. Work has stopped on an alternative version of the instrument, with a pair of zoom-lens cameras, which would have provided additional capabilities for improved three-dimensional video. The installed Mastcam on the Mars Science Laboratory mission's Curiosity rover uses two fixed-focal-length cameras: a telephoto for one eye and wider angle for the other.
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built the Mastcam and was funded by NASA last year to see whether a zoom version could be developed in time for testing on Curiosity. "The possibility for a zoom-camera upgrade was very much worth pursuing, but time became too short for the levels of testing that would be needed for them to confidently replace the existing cameras," said a JPL official. (3/25)
NASA Plans Open Source Summit on March 29-30 in California (Source: NASA)
NASA's first open source software development summit will be held on March 29-30 at the agency's Ames Research Center. The event will bring together engineers, policy makers and members of the open source community. They will discuss challenges within the existing open source policy framework and propose modifications to enhance NASA's development, release and use of software. Click here for information. (3/25)
Endeavour To Demo Orion Relative Navigation (Source: Aviation Week)
Endeavour’s final flight, a 14-day STS-134 mission to the International Space Station, could feature an unusual amount of activity around the orbiting science laboratory, including a re-rendezvous demonstration of the relative navigation sensors developed for the Orion spacecraft. The mission also could include a “family portrait” of the outpost and docked spacecraft that would be taken by a Soyuz crew. The portrait was proposed for Discovery’s last mission, but the idea was eventually rejected. (3/25)
Marshall Space Flight Center Works Well With Local Small Businesses (Source: WAFF)
Administrators at NASA think the Marshall Space Flight Center is doing a good job working with small businesses. The center was awarded the NASA small business administrator's cup for the second time in three years. The award honors NASA'S most effective small business program in the country. City leaders say the relationship between the two groups is crucial to the success of Huntsville's economy. They say that's why it's so important for congress to get budget in place for NASA. (3/25)
Women in Aerospace (WIA) Picks 2011-2012 Scholarship Recipient (Source: SpaceRef.com)
The Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation has announced Ms. Salvador A. Valdes as the recipient of the WIA Foundation Scholarship. Ms. Valdes, a senior in aerospace engineering at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be applied to the 2011-2012 academic year. Ms. Valdes is a private pilot, avid motorcyclist, poet, and undergraduate researcher in the aerospace controls lab at UCLA. (3/25)
Juno Is Solar Marvel Bound for Jupiter (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA’s Juno mission will probe Jupiter’s atmosphere in search of clues to how the largest planet in the Solar System, and the Solar System itself, were formed from a primordial cloud of gas. Jupiter is probably the oldest planet, but it keeps its secrets veiled beneath the clouds and massive storms we can see from Earth. By sending Juno beneath the planet’s radiation belts in a polar orbit that takes it just 3,000 mi. above the cloud tops, scientists hope to unravel some of those mysteries with sounding measurements that should reveal the planet’s composition and structure. (3/25)
Seattle Has Gallery, Need Space Shuttle (Source: News Tribune)
A mixture of confidence, optimism and fear of jinxing their chances keeps Seattle's Museum of Flight employees from discussing the possibility of not receiving one of the much-desired space shuttles NASA is about to retire. “We’re not even thinking in those terms,” museum spokesman Mike Bush said this week. “It’s the rarest of artifacts anywhere, and there is no better place for a space shuttle.” A $12 million Space Gallery built specifically to house a shuttle is under construction across from the main museum and should be completed by July.
The Museum of Flight is among 29 institutions nationwide competing to be a final destination for the Discovery, Endeavour or Atlantis. The Enterprise, a prototype used for landing tests that never flew in space, also might be up for grabs if the Discovery is given to the Smithsonian Institution as rumored. The Seattle museum is considered a front-runner and has taken bold steps with the expectation that a shuttle eventually will arrive piggybacked on a 747 airplane. (3/25)
Outer Space Due for a Little Spring Cleaning? (Source: Daily Camera)
You might think that outer space is so big that it would be immune from the junk effect. Yet because most of the stuff we send into space occupies a relatively small region less than 2,000 kilometers from the surface of Earth, space is more like my cluttered office than it is the expansive basement of your average McMansion. Low-Earth orbit is littered with defunct satellites, spent rockets and even astronaut trash.
NASA's Orbital Debris Program estimates that there are almost 20,000 pieces of large debris ( "large" being a technical term for "bigger than a grapefruit" ), half a million particles measuring between 1 and 10 cm in diameter, and tens of millions of pieces of even tinier detritus, like paint flakes, circling the Earth today. All of that trash endangers active satellites and can even pose a threat to astronauts on the space shuttle and aboard the International Space Station. (3/25)
JPL Scientist Presents on NASA's $320 Million NEOWISE Project (Source: PCC Courier)
JPL scientist Amy Mainzer presented the findings of NASA's recent mission to space, the $320 million advanced telescope, NEOWISE, in the Lillian Vosloh Forum on Friday. The presentation, "The Year I Saw the Universe," drew a crowd to the Forum composed of students, staff and community members. (3/25)
How the Cost of NASA’s Next Big Space Telescope Skyrocketed (Source: Science News)
An independent panel reported the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is running a minimum of $1.4 billion over budget, bringing the total cost to at least $6.5 billion. This may lead to the cancellation of another highly touted NASA mission to probe the nature of dark energy and extrasolar planets. The panel found that JWST managers at Goddard Space Flight Center consistently underestimated the cost of the telescope. Lack of money in one year forced scheduled work to be deferred to the next, keeping contractors on the payroll longer and doubling or tripling the cost of their labor.
Poor cost management and reporting practices went unchallenged by NASA Headquarters, reflecting “the lack of an effective cost and programmatic analysis capability at headquarters,” the panel concluded. But the problem appears to go beyond mismanagement. Interviews with current and recently retired NASA officials, astronomers and the GAO reveal a culture of deception when it comes to estimating the cost of large NASA missions. Given the limited supply of money for new projects, those with proposals are encouraged to underestimate the true price tag, and those who question the estimates are ignored or reprimanded. (3/25)
Air Force Space Command Vice Commander Promoted to Lt. Gen. (Source: AFSPC)
The Air Force Space Command vice commander received his third star on March 21. Surrounded by family, friends and well wishers, Maj. Gen. Michael J. Basla was elevated to the rank of lieutenant general in a promotion ceremony here at AFSPC Headquarters. (3/25)
Bolden: Blame Inflation for Higher Russian Cost (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden compared Russia to an "old-time full service" gas station Thursday to justify a new deal that raises the cost of a ride to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz from $51 million to nearly $63 million in 2015. Bolden signed a new two-year, $753 million agreement with Russia last week to assure space station access for American astronauts through June 2016. The price per seat is $51 million now and will rise to $56 million in 2013 before going to almost $63 million in 2015.
The price is going up "because of inflation," Bolden said in Huntsville, not because Russia is taking advantage of the end of the American space shuttle program. "That's not just for a ride," Bolden said. Russia provides two years of "intense" astronaut training, most of it in Moscow, plus room and board, he said. "It's not like a bus ticket or an airplane ticket," Bolden said. "You used to be able to go into a gas station and get full service... We get full service from the Russians, old-time full service." (3/25)
Staten Island Pol Leading Charge to Get Retired Shuttle (Source: Staten Island Advance)
The City Council will ask NASA to retire one of three space shuttles at New York City's Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum. A resolution by Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) passed the Council earlier this week. The bill formally requests that the space agency allow the Intrepid to be the permanent home for at least one of retiring space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour or Atlantis.
"We are the cultural capitol of the country, and having this piece of U.S. history will certainly add to the museum experience of our residents and the millions of national and foreign tourists who visit each year," Ignizio said. "The Intrepid is one of the premier institutions of New York and by far the most fitting home for retired spacecraft. I am pleased that the museum has been actively engaging NASA and has committed to constructing a fitting exhibit." (3/25)
Agency Helps NASA's Aerospace Workers Find Jobs (Source: Federal Computer Week)
The Office of Personnel Management is teaming with NASA to help aerospace workers affected by the end of the 30-year space shuttle program find government jobs. OPM Director John Berry sent a memo to federal chief human capital officers March 24 that requested that they expand their recruitment efforts to include the more than 6,000 soon-to-be-displaced aerospace employees, who have expertise in areas such as IT, engineering and program management.
NASA has created a website on which federal agencies can post jobs and find additional information about the skills of the employees looking for new jobs. Details associated with filing positions, such as job posting and on-site interviews at the Kennedy Space Center, will be coordinated between agency hiring officials and the NASA human resources team at the Kennedy Space Center, according to the memo. (3/25)
Astronaut Mark Kelly Says Giffords Starting to Grasp Horrific Attack (Source: Florida Today)
Critically wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is just now starting to recognize and deal with what happened during the horrific Jan. 8 shooting rampage that killed six and left her with severe injuries, her astronaut husband said Thursday. Less than 11 weeks after the assassination attempt, Giffords can talk, comprehend conversations and walk with assistance, veteran astronaut Mark Kelly said.
"She's doing remarkably well. She's improving every day, and in the realm of brain injuries, that is very significant and pretty rare," said Kelly, who will command the 25th and final flight of shuttle Endeavour next month. He said it appears increasingly likely that Giffords will be able to travel to Kennedy Space Center and attend Endeavour's launch, which is scheduled for 7:48 p.m. April 19.
Giffords, an avid supporter of NASA who sits on a House subcommittee that oversees the agency, spends most of her day in therapy at a rehabilitation hospital in Houston. "She gets staff briefings from her staff when they're in town on what's going on in her office and the district and what's going on in Congress," Kelly said. (3/25)
Small Businesses Contribute to NASA's Mission (Source: White House Blog)
In his State of the Union Address, President Obama said, “What America does better than anyone – is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives. It’s how we make a living.”
Nobody knows that better than those of us associated with NASA. Spaceflight today would not exist without the spark of innovation that drove us to build rockets and computers and robots. And small businesses helped us achieve our greatest missions. Small businesses have always been an integral part of NASA. Small businesses have built parts for launch vehicles and planetary science missions, they help us manage our facilities and our data and help keep our organization running smoothly.
Small business is crucial not only to NASA, but to the nation. And federal procurement opportunities for women, minority, veteran-owned and small businesses are critical to the economy and to sustaining economic development. In 2010, NASA awarded approximately $2.3 billion directly to small businesses, an increase of almost 15 percent from the year before. NASA’s large, prime contractors awarded an additional $2 billion in subcontracts to small businesses. (3/24)
Engineer's Fall from Launch Pad Still Being Probed (Source: AP)
NASA says there were no safety gear malfunctions in last week's death of a launch pad worker. The engineer fell to his death March 14 from the shuttle launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Endeavour was being prepped for an April liftoff. NASA said the worker wasn't wearing a safety harness, nor was he required to be wearing one. There is no evidence of foul play. The investigation continues. United Space Alliance employee James Vanover was killed in the fall. The 53-year-old was about to be laid off because the shuttle program is ending. Vanover was checking for debris on the pad, nearly 200 feet up, when he fell. (3/25)
Scientists to Reap Benefits of Private Spaceflight Revolution (Source: Space.com)
A research institution that has inked landmark deals with two private spaceflight firms may be performing experiments in suborbital space within two years. The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) bought seats on suborbital flights from both XCOR Aerospace and Virgin Galactic. SwRI's experiments are already built and ready to go, and the institute is now waiting on the spaceflight companies — but that wait may not be terribly long, according to one scientist.
"No one can guarantee when they will finish their flight-test programs, what setbacks they may have, what twists and turns there are along the way," said Alan Stern, vice president of SwRI's space division. "But I think there's a very good chance that we'll be flying a couple of years from now, in early 2013, and potentially somewhat sooner... By splitting our funds across two different providers, we think we're in a lower risk position," Stern said. (3/25)
UK and France: Big Difference in Space Investment (Source: BBC)
Wednesday presented an excellent example of the challenges faced by science-based industries in the UK; and, in particular, the space sector. In its Budget announcement, the London government singled out space as one of the key areas of commercial endeavor that would help pull the country out of its current economic woes. Chancellor George Osborne unveiled a package of regulatory reform and gave it a small sum of money to start a national Space Technology Program (UKSTP). This program will be primed with £10m from the Treasury and £10m from private industry.
But here’s the thing. As George Osborne was making his Budget announcements in the House of Commons, across the Channel in France the government there was also unveiling a package of support for its space sector. The value of this package? 500 million euros...that amounts to £440m. It is part of Le Grand Emprunt (“The Big Loan”), a colossal bond-financed investment in a variety of fields, but principally in those related to research and education. The money on offer to space is so large the French haven’t decided yet where to spend it all.
At this point, I’m reminded of Formula One motor racing, that most hi-tech of sports. BBC’s legendary commentator Murray Walker, in talking about investment and development in F1, used to say: “To stand still in this business is to go backwards.” And this is the problem now faced by the British government. It’s in a race, also, and the country in the next garage is currently out-investing it on a large scale. And that’s true in a number of garages down the pit lane. (3/25)
Pressure Suits: Requirement or Afterthought for Space Tourists? (Source: Lurio Report)
At February's FAA space transportation conference one panel focused on the need for pressure suits for spaceflight participants. Orbital Outfitters is to be the supplier of pressure suits for XCOR’s Lynx. My recollection is that Virgin Galactic has not to date made a definitive decision on whether or not to use pressures suits, contingent on results as vehicle work continues.
Orbital Outfitters contended that while there may be a low chance of catastrophic cabin depressurization, “What if you’re the person on that one trip [where it does occur?]... There are no other alternatives (that I know of) to a pressure suit in terms of providing truly independent protection for passengers and crew in the event of a hull breech or life support failure.” Without that protection, the consequences for passengers and crew in such a situation is virtually certain death; if that event took place before the industry had sufficient vigor, the result...could be just as bad.
Taken together with an extensive and rigorous enough program of test flights [to ensure vehicle and life-support system operability], the projected risk of not using a pressure suit could end up “in the noise.” However, despite such testing, for example, a rougher than normal engine burn could affect the alignment of seals or valve functions. (Something precisely analogous to this caused the deaths of cosmonauts Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsayev on Soyuz 11 in 1971.) According to Orbital Outfitters: “Building a suit into a new system during development can add complexity and expense; [but] adding a suit to an existing system can be an order of magnitude more challenging” (3/25)
NASA Test Supports Better Rocket Science (Source: NASA)
NASA put the squeeze on a large rocket test section last week in Huntsville. Results from this structural strength test will help future heavy-lift launch vehicles weigh less and reduce development costs. This trailblazing project is examining the safety margins needed in the design of future, large launch vehicle structures. Test results will be used to develop and validate structural analysis models and generate new “shell-buckling knockdown factors” — complex engineering design standards essential to launch vehicle design.
The aerospace industry’s shell buckling knockdown factors date back to Apollo-era studies when current materials, manufacturing processes and high-fidelity computer modeling did not exist. These new analyses will update essential design factors and calculations that are a significant performance and safety driver in designing large structures like the main fuel tank of a future heavy-lift launch vehicle. (3/24)
COM DEV Posts Mixed Financial Results (Source: SpaceRef.com)
COM DEV saw revenues decrease in the first quarter (Q1) of 2011 as compared to Q1 in 2010 from $56.7 million to $48.7 million but saw new orders rise to $59 million as compared to $51 million a year ago. COM DEV's commercial segment saw a small decrease in revenues of 2.9% while its military segment saw an 11.1% increase. However the civil (government) sector saw a decrease of 46.7% over the same period last year. (3/25)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
