Shuttle’s Last Flight Could Cede Space Dominance to China (Source: Washington Times)
Given the past few years of economic hardship, it’s easy to think the era of boundless opportunity that has characterized the American story is coming to an end. In times such as these, it’s comforting to remember that as long as we retain our inquisitive nature, our discoveries could yield possibilities for better days ahead.
It’s hard to know if any of NASA's recent discoveries about the universe will have any practical application for improving life on Earth, but there is seldom certainty on the frontiers of discovery. Too few are predisposed to venture beyond their comfort zones, but those who do are often the ones who change the world. Recent history has shown that an inordinate proportion of those who are inclined to do so have been Americans.
That’s why it is sad to see the U.S. space-shuttle program grounded next month after a 30-year run, just as Beijing appears ready to kick off its own space-exploration program with the ultimate goal of sending a manned mission to Mars. Let us hope that the next generation of Americans can rekindle the inquisitive spirit that has characterized our national identity and restore U.S. preeminence in space. The same irrepressible zest for knowing what’s out there is bound to help us hurdle the obstacles that now confront us down here. (5/31)
Americans Can Take Pride in Space Station's Completion (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
With all the attention being given to the Shuttle's retirement, a major milestone in the history of engineering seems to be passing with little fanfare. Spacewalking astronauts from the shuttle wrapped up more than a dozen years of construction on the International Space Station, the $100 billion outpost orbiting 220 miles above the Earth.
Gregory Chamitoff, one of Endeavour's spacewalkers, nailed it: "This space station is the pinnacle of human achievement and international cooperation." And a source of national pride. It reflects an enormous investment of time, talent and treasure from 15 nations led by the United States. There has never been anything quite like it. Editor's Note: NASA should be announcing this month which team it has selected to manage the ISS National Laboratory. Space Florida is a major partner on at least one team. (5/31)
US Astronaut Fears 'Memory' Gap After Shuttle Ends (Source: AFP)
US astronaut Mark Kelly, who is commanding the shuttle Endeavour's final space flight, said Tuesday he is concerned about a drain of NASA talent once the US shuttle program ends later this year. "I think what is always at risk is, as we transition to a new program and a new vehicle there is going to be a period of time when Americans aren't flying on US spacecraft, so that's a challenge," he said. (5/31)
Enceladus Named Sweetest Spot for Alien Life (Source: Nature)
Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is emerging as the most habitable spot beyond Earth in the Solar System for life as we know it, scientists said last week at a meeting of the Enceladus Focus Group at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. But it may be too late to get a mission there the fast way, via a gravity boost from Jupiter. This would cut the journey time from ten years to as little as seven, but the next Jupiter-assist window hits its peak in 2015-17, and then closes until the 2030s.
That leaves scant time to plan and build a mission, even if engineers start immediately – something that is unlikely, many scientists believe, given the current emphasis on Mars. That's too bad, because Enceladus may trump Mars as the Solar System's most likely abode for extraterrestrial life. "It has liquid water, organic carbon, nitrogen [in the form of ammonia], and an energy source," says Chris McKay. Besides Earth, he says, "there is no other environment in the Solar System where we can make all those claims". (5/31)
Arsenic Life: Fact or Fiction? (Source: Discovery)
To chemists, the discovery of a microbe that has incorporated arsenic into its DNA would be akin to finding that the formulation for water can shift from H2O -- two hydrogen atoms paired up with an oxygen -- to H3O. Which is not to say that it couldn't happen, just that 100 years of organic chemistry says otherwise.
That doesn't really bother Felisa Wolfe-Simon, an oceanographer working under a NASA fellowships at the U.S. Geological Survey and the lead researcher of a paper to be published this week claiming evidence for just such a microorganism. The paper's pre-publication in December led to such howls of protest that the esteemed Science magazine on Friday posted eight critical assessments of the research. Click here to read the article. (5/31)
NSBRI, Center for Space Medicine Moving to New Texas Facility (Source: SpaceRef.com)
The National Space Biomedical Research Institute's (NSBRI) headquarters and Baylor College of Medicine's (BCM) Center for Space Medicine (CSM) are relocating this week. The two organizations will open for business June 6 in the BioScience Research Collaborative at Rice University, just across the street from the Texas Medical Center.
The 16,000-square-foot consolidated research facility is located on the ninth floor of the BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) and features multiple reconfigurable laboratories, meeting rooms and office space for NSBRI headquarters and BCM personnel, as well as space for visiting NSBRI researchers from leading institutions from across the country. (5/31)
Struggling to Save Hangar One at Ames (Source: Preservation Nation)
Last month, workers began stripping the siding and windows from Hangar One, a former U.S. Navy airship station located near Mountain View, Calif. Coated with PCBs, asbestos, and lead, the building's skin was polluting area wetlands. But the remediation project has preservationists concerned about the future of the hangar, a cavernous 1932 structure that once housed the largest airship in the world, the USS Macon. The question is, What will happen to the landmark after it has been stripped to its steel frame?
Hangar One was declared a superfund site and has sat abandoned since 1994, when the site was decommissioned and ownership was transferred to NASA. In 2008, amid fears the building might be demolished, the National Trust included the site on the annual America's 11 Most Endangered Places list. U.S. Navy was charged with managing the clean up and has contracted the project to AMEC Earth and Environmental, Inc., an international consulting company.
But according to a determination made by the White House's Office of Budget and Management, NASA is responsible for rebuilding the hangar once the project is finished. In the proposed 2012 federal budget, NASA is slated to receive $32.8 million to fund restoration. But preservationists worry that allocation may be cut when the final budget is drafted, and the hangar will be left to deteriorate. (5/31)
The Case Against SpaceX, Part II (Source: Forbes)
My main concern in raising issues with SpaceX was that NASA not become overly dependent on an unproven launch provider — one that only achieved its first launch success 32 months ago, but now says it will soon be ready to loft U.S. astronauts into orbit. With that in mind, I thought I would focus this week on how the company’s track record compares with that of established launch providers, and why the assumptions made in its business strategy aren’t likely to pan out in the real world.
SpaceX has only mounted seven launches since its inception, three of which were catastrophic failures. By way of comparison. Lockheed Martin’s family of Atlas boosters has seen 97 consecutive launches without a single failure. United Launch Alliance has had 50 successful Atlas and Delta launches in a row. SpaceX supporters contend this is an unfair comparison, because all of the company’s launch failures occurred with the Falcon 1 vehicle that the company no longer offers. Click here to read the article.
Editor's Note: The comparison of Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 (both developmental) to the long-operational Atlas and Delta rockets is inappropriate and misleading. HobbySpace and others commenting on the article believe the author (Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute) is trolling on behalf of Lockheed Martin, not only to generate doubt within NASA, but also to cast SpaceX in a bad light before the Air Force. SpaceX hopes to add Falcon 9 to the Air Force's EELV contract, at a time when Lockheed and Boeing are seeking to raise their EELV Atlas and Delta prices. (5/31)
Astronauts4Hire Announces TargetProcess Sponsorship (Source: A4H)
Tampa-based Astronauts4Hire is pleased to announce its sponsorship by TargetProcess, Inc., an agile project management software provider. As part of the sponsorship, Astronauts4Hire is receiving complimentary licenses for TargetProcess’s online project management system. Astronauts4Hire uses TargetProcess to track tasks and concentrate on applying members’ volunteered time in the most productive way. (5/31)
National Academies Releases Orbital Debris Workshop Summary (Source: NAP)
This document summarizes a two-day workshop held on March 9-10, 2011, where various stakeholders presented diverse perspectives on matters concerning NASA Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) programs, NASA mission operators, the role and relationships of NASA MMOD programs to other federal agencies, MMOD and the commercial industry, and orbital debris retrieval and removal. Click here. (5/31)
Ka-Sat Enters Service as European Broadband Market Heats Up (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator Eutelsat on May 31 began commercial broadband service with its Ka-Sat satellite and said it is sticking to its forecast that the spacecraft, which cost 350 million euros ($490 million), will generate 100 million euros in fresh revenue per year within three years. Eutelsat, which has been planning Ka-Sat since 2007, expects Ka-Sat will reach profitability by the three-year mark with around 300,000 subscribers. (5/31)
Maryland Report Offers Recommendations for Space Industry Growth (Source: MDBED)
Maryland: The Business of Space Science is a competitiveness research project initiated by the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development. The report inventories the state’s space and satellite sector, identifies key assets and opportunities, and sets forth a policy to guide strategic planning and investments. Maryland has an impressive array of space industry assets. NASA Goddard Space Flight Facility, which manages NASA’s observation, astronomy and space physics missions, has called Maryland home for more than 50 years.
The space sector is an important cog in Maryland’s economic engine. Each year, NASA contracts $1.4 billion with Maryland companies. NASA’s 10,000 employees and thousands of other Marylanders work in space enterprises related to NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey and national security agencies. Space industry partners in Maryland are adapting existing space science to explore and address climate change in the nation and the world. NASA Goddard scientists are expanding our understanding of the Earth and its life-sustaining environment, the sun, the solar system and the universe. Click here to view the report. (5/31)
Weather Promising for Endeavour's Final Landing (Source: Florida Today)
Crosswinds at Kennedy Space Center are no longer expected to pose a problem for Endeavour's final landing, planned at 2:35 a.m. EDT Wednesday. KSC will be the only active landing site Wednesday morning, and Endeavour has two opportunities to touch down on its three-mile runway: at 2:35 a.m. and 4:11 a.m., after 248 and 249 orbits, respectively.
If Endeavour can't land Wednesday morning at KSC, the shuttle and its crew of six would stay in space another day and NASA would plan to bring them home early Thursday to Florida or Edwards Air Force Base in California. (5/31)
NASA’s Finger-Sized Pump Cools Tiny Spaces (Source: Gizmodo)
This little pump will be sent off on a rocket mission in June to test whether it can survive the vibration of being blasted off, and if it's well-equipped to cooling down ducts. There aren't any moving parts in the pump, and it only consumes around .5W of power, making it unlike traditional pumps you've used before.
NASA is hoping the electrohydrodynamic technology will be enough for space, and help ensure heat-sensitive circuitry stays cool. Given the technology is scalable, NASA is also working on shrinking the EHD pumps to minuscule levels, so they can cool down circuit boards. Click here. (5/31)
Zenit Shipments Resume for Sea Launch (Source: Sea Launch)
Sea Launch has resumed shipments of Zenit-3SL hardware in preparation for its return to launch operations in the third quarter of 2011. The two-stage Zenit-2S booster, manufactured by Yuzhnoye of Ukraine and the Block-DM-SL manufactured by Energia of Russia departed on May 31, 2011 for transit to Sea Launch Home Port facilities in Long Beach, California where launch vehicle integration and combined operations take place.
Production oversight for the Zenit-3SL vehicle is carried out by Energia Logistics, with facilities in Moscow (“ELRF”) and Long Beach, California (“ELUS”). Energia Logistics’ responsibilities focus on closely monitoring hardware production schedules with regular visits to contractor and subcontractor facilities alongside Sea Launch customers to verify and assure on-time delivery and performance.
“Sea Launch has ten Zenit-3SL’s on order, covering requirements for missions # 31 through # 40 which will satisfy existing and future customer requirements for launches through the end of 2013” said Kjell Karlsen, President of Sea Launch. “We are very pleased with having achieved yet another important milestone towards the resumption of launch operations later this year”. (5/31)
Apollo's Dark Safety Legacy: Hubris and Poor Quality (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
With the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's call to put a man on the moon and "return him safely to the earth," there's a bitter irony that Apollo was one of the most unsafe spacecrafts put on the launch pad. It is important to examine Apollo's safety record as we look back on the shuttle program and forward to future commercial manned spaceflight systems and the multi-purpose crew vehicle.
Between 1967 and 1975, the Apollo Command Module/Service Module combination was prepared to fly manned missions a total of 15 times. Over eight years of operation, the Apollo command module killed three men and injured three others, while the Apollo service module nearly killed three more crew on the way to the moon. Dividing out the incidents by the number of flights gives a historical probability that something bad would happen for every 1 flight in 5.
Some NASA executives had warned about poor quality control issues before Apollo 1. In 1965 -- a bit more than a year before the pad fire -- Program Director Samuel Phillips sent a report to North American Aviation noting a history of delivery slippages, escalating costs, inadequate procedures and controls in bonding and welding, along with a "diversely spread" workforce that had too much overhead and was incapable of catching manufacturing defects. (5/31)
Finally, Results From Gravity Probe B (Source: APS)
Over 47 years and 750 million dollars in the making, Gravity Probe B was an orbiting physics experiment, designed to test two fundamental predictions of Einstein’s general relativity. According to Einstein’s theory, space and time are not the immutable, rigid structures of Newton’s universe, but are united as spacetime, and together they are malleable, almost rubbery.
A massive body warps spacetime, the way a bowling ball warps the surface of a trampoline. A rotating body drags spacetime a tiny bit around with it, the way a mixer blade drags a thick batter around. Click here to read the article. (5/31)
North Carolina Students Look To Support Manned Mars Mission (Source: NC State)
What would it take to make a manned mission to Mars a reality? A team of aerospace and textile engineering students from North Carolina State University believe part of the solution may lie in advanced textile materials. The students joined forces to tackle life-support challenges that the aerospace industry has been grappling with for decades.
The student team will present their project at the NASA-sponsored Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, held June 6-8 in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The project will be judged by NASA and industry experts against other undergraduate groups from across the country. (5/31)
NASA RASC-AL Challenge Comes to Cocoa Beach on Jun. 6-8 (Source: NIA)
The Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) program was formed to provide university-level engineering students the opportunity to design projects based on NASA engineering challenges as well as offer NASA access to new research and design projects by students. Graduate and undergraduate teams will come to Cocoa Beach on Jun. 6-8 for final judging. Click here. (5/31)
Who Will Shuttle The Last Shuttle? The Crawler Crew (Source: NPR)
Before space shuttle Atlantis can carry astronauts up on the very last shuttle mission ever, workers on the ground first have to carry Atlantis to the launchpad. The last shuttle launch is planned for July 8. But the shuttle's final trek to the launch pad is Tuesday night. It's a historic milestone for NASA — and a very personal one for the people in charge of taking the shuttle on this first leg of its final journey.
"It's a bittersweet feeling. You hate to see anything come to an end," says Bill Couch, one of only six people certified to drive "the crawler," a massive beast of a machine that carries the shuttle to the pad. The crawler looks like a cross between a flatbed truck and a tank. The crawler guzzles gas — going only 32 feet per gallon — and is the biggest self-powered land vehicle in the world. (5/31)
Editorial: Orion Provides Some Clarity for NASA, But Fog Remains (Source: Florida Today)
As NASA gropes through the fog toward its future, there are more questions than answers about where it’s headed. However, the clouds parted just enough the other day to provide one ray of clarity: Senior officials announced NASA plans to use the Orion crew vehicle — designed as part of the canceled Constellation moon program — as its new spacecraft to carry astronauts into deep space.
The idea had support in Congress among members trying to salvage parts of the program, and we backed it too as a smart approach to take the best of what Constellation had produced and apply it to the next generation of spaceflight. It’s a welcome development for Kennedy Space Center because the spaceport had been picked for final Orion assembly under Constellation, and the decision is expected to save several hundred jobs.
Congress wants to spend $4 billion next year on a heavy lift rocket to carry Orion, but the White House wants to allocate only $2.8 billion, with the difference going to get the private carriers up and rolling. The latter makes the most sense. It increases chances the companies will be ready to fly astronauts around 2015 and creates the best shot to create new space jobs faster. (5/31)
Analyzing the New Kennedy Tape (Source: Space Review)
Last week, on the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's speech calling for a human mission to the Moon by the end of the decade, his presidential library released a new recording of space deliberations by Kennedy. John Logsdon examines the new tape and what it says about Kennedy's interest in spaceflight and support of NASA. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1856/1 to view the article. (5/31)
Bad Moon Rising (Source: Space Review)
As NASA struggles to develop a new heavy-lift launch vehicle, commercial entities are cobbling together existing systems for new applications, like Space Adventures' plans for a lunar flyby mission. Stewart Money argues that the latter approach might offer a more expedient approach to near-term exploration than developing a big booster. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1855/1 to view the article. (5/31)
Fifty Years of NASA Art (Source: Space Review)
A traveling exhibition of artwork created under NASA's art program has made its way to the National Air and Space Museum. Jeff Foust explores the collection and the origins of the agency's art efforts. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1854/1 to view the article. (5/31)
Spacepower Versus Bin Laden (Source: Space Review)
Special operations forces justifiably got the credit for the raid a month ago that killed Osama bin Laden. However, Taylor Dinerman notes that the mission would not have been possible with a variety of space assets, from reconnaissance to communications. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1853/1 to view the article. (5/31)
Thaicom Poised To Order a Satellite from Orbital and Launch from SpaceX (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator Thaicom of Thailand said May 31 it will contract with satellite builder Orbital Sciences and launch-services provider SpaceX for the construction and launch of a Thaicom 6 telecommunications satellite following approval of the $160 million project by Thaicom’s board of directors. (5/31)
NASA Analysis: Falcon 9 Much Cheaper Than Traditional Approach (Source: Parabolic Arc)
"Under methodology #1, the cost model predicted that the Falcon 9 would cost $4.0 billion based on a traditional approach. Under methodology #2, NAFCOM predicted $1.7 billion when the inputs were adjusted to a more commercial development approach. Thus, the predicted the cost to develop the Falcon 9 if done by NASA would have been between $1.7 billion and $4.0 billion.
SpaceX has publicly indicated that the development cost for Falcon 9 launch vehicle was approximately $300 million. Additionally, approximately $90 million was spent developing the Falcon 1 launch vehicle which did contribute to some extent to the Falcon 9, for a total of $390 million. NASA has verified these costs." (5/31)
Turkmenistan Creates Own Space Agency (Source: RIA Novosti)
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has signed a decree authorizing the creation of a National Space Agency. The document, signed on Monday, stipulates that the agency is being set up "to ensure the implementation of scientific achievements in the national economy and to supervise future space exploration." (5/31)
Space: The Ascent of Manx (Source: Independent)
The wind from the Irish Sea whips across the former airfield at Jurby on the north-western tip of the Isle of Man. It was from this bracing spot during the Second World War that the RAF flew missions to protect the cities of Liverpool and Belfast from the Luftwaffe bombs. The hangars still stand today, although the armed forces left nearly four decades ago.
The structures provide a startling symbol of this small island's soaring ambition to one day slip the shackles of the Earth and head for the stars. Next month international journalists, potential investors and local schoolchildren will be invited to Jurby to view two Almaz space stations housed here. The island-based company Excalibur Almaz bought them from the Russian government earlier this year – for what it describes as a "good price". Click here. (5/31)
We Can’t Do Anything Big Until Terrestrial Problems Get Fixed (Source: Washington Times)
Even before Apollo 11 blasted off in July 1969, Vice President Spiro Agnew predicted that America would put a man on Mars by the end of the 20th century; he would not be the last to blithely assume that Mars (and beyond) represented the next and inevitable stage in human colonization.
Mike Griffin, who once told the Washington Post that one day, “there will be more human beings who live off the Earth than on it. … We may have people living on the moons of Jupiter and other planets.” Really? Our fascination with the exploration of our own moon lasted only from 1961 until 1972, when the Apollo program was canceled because of lack of public interest. Bush’s Constellation was nixed by his successor. The shuttle program is winding down with a whimper.
Countries that require billions of borrowed dollars each day to meet their obligations soon have trouble projecting power across the globe, much less the stars. Countries that carry $14 trillion in debt do not go to Mars - they hide from creditors and, maybe quietly, maybe messily, expire. (5/31)
Azerbaijan Buys First Communication Satellite, Sets 2012 Launch (Source: Bloomberg)
Azerbaijan, the third-largest oil producer in the former Soviet Union, agreed to buy the country’s first communications satellite with U.S. funding and plans to launch it next year. AzerSat is being developed by Dulles, Virgina-based Orbital Sciences Corp. and will cost $120 million. A loan from the U.S. Export-Import bank will cover 85 percent of the total. Arianespace will launch the satellite. (5/31)
NASA Looks for Antimatter. It’s Not Just Some Sci-Fi Idea? (Source: Washington Post)
Astronauts from the space shuttle Endeavour recently attached the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the International Space Station. It will attempt to detect the presence of antimatter in outer space. Since the device has the potential to change the way we think about the universe, this is a good time to brush up on what, exactly, antimatter is.
In the 1920s, British physicist Paul Dirac was trying to make Einstein’s special relativity principle jibe with some of the rules of quantum mechanics — a mathematical system that explains the behavior of small particles. No matter how many times Dirac ran his equations, he couldn’t eliminate a pesky negative sign that he thought didn’t belong there. Click here to read the article. (5/31)
Asteroids: In Search of Stardust (Source: Guardian)
NASA has announced the ultimate smash-and-grab raid: the first attempt to collect a handful of asteroid rock and bring it back to Earth. There are three reasons why astronomers and space buffs should cheer the seven-year, $800m robot mission and one reason why they should sob.
Asteroids and comets are the rubble left over from the making of the solar system: this pristine stardust, unchanged for 4.5bn years, is of immense scientific interest. Asteroids and comets are packed with an astonishing array of organic chemicals, including amino acids, the building blocks of proteins: there is an enduring suspicion that they may have played a role in triggering life on Earth. (5/31)
May 30, 2011
Starfighters Ready to Launch Research and Suborbital Payloads (Source: Space Daily)
F-104 jet fighters just like the ones astronauts trained in for decades will become a more regular part of the skyscape above NASA's Kennedy Space Center as a private company expands its fleet of jets to eight, with plans to conduct more research flights, launch very small satellites into space and even take paying passengers into the stratosphere.
Boasting speeds faster than Mach 2, extreme acceleration and the ability to pull 7 g's or more, the F-104 provides a platform to test rocket components, tracking sensors and space-bound equipment, Svetkoff said. The aircraft also can push over to create microgravity conditions for a short time. "We can go from ground to 23,000 feet as fast as some of the rockets launched here," Rick Svetkoff said.
That is an appealing combination for researchers who want to try out their designs and for passengers who want to get pushed to their own limits. Researchers are developing projects using the F-104 to try out everything from space traffic control to human reactions to different physical conditions to launching satellites on quick trips into space. Click here. Editor's Note: Embry-Riddle is working with Starfighters and 4Frontiers to develop a suborbital rocket launching from underneath the F-104s. (5/30)
Groundwater Depletion Is Detected From Space (Source: New York Times)
Scientists have been using small variations in the Earth’s gravity to identify trouble spots around the globe where people are making unsustainable demands on groundwater, one of the planet’s main sources of fresh water. They found problems in places as disparate as North Africa, northern India, northeastern China and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley in California. (5/30)
Export Rules Slash Space Access to China (Source: Ottawa Business Journal)
It’s no secret that Ottawa sees China as a growth market. But bring up space partnerships with China and the story is very different, according to Com Dev. Com Dev develops space hardware and has been trying to bolster its presence in China for years as the Asian country reaches further into space.
But security concerns about transferring sensitive technology through the exports are standing in Com Dev’s way. Canada’s space sector depends on business outside its borders. And with the United States as Canada’s foremost trading partner, the security of export sales often comes to mind even when dealing with technology purely created in Canada to sell abroad.
Satellite sales, Com Dev’s Mr. Holdway explains, run on a “fuse”; when a company gets a contract, it expects subcontractors to be ready to go in a given amount of time, typically a year. But it can take six months to obtain the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s approval to export the technology to China. (5/30)
Satellite Firms See Opportunity in Pentagon (Source: Washington Post)
Commercial satellite and space firms are hoping the Pentagon’s increasingly tight budgets will translate into more business as military officials seek faster and cheaper options. Traditional military satellite programs have become increasingly expensive and delayed, even as the need for communications capacity continues to grow, according to the Teal Group.
Commercial options are often considered quicker ways to get satellites launched or obtain additional capacity, but the military has been resistant to relying on non-custom-built options, said a defense analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Using commercial firms would generally require the military to “accept something that’s not exactly what you want,” he said.
But the Pentagon is becoming increasingly vocal about the end of an era of uncapped spending. In the space and satellite world, in particular, the military has taken steps toward embracing commercial options. The National Security Space Strategy released early this year, for instance, calls for exploring innovative approaches that can meet government requirements affordably and quickly. (5/30)
Reflecting on Endeavour (Source: LA Times)
Spare parts were collecting dust in warehouses in Bell, Downey and Palmdale when the urgent call came from NASA: the nation needed another space shuttle. It was the unusual beginning of the orbiter Endeavour. When it was christened in Palmdale in 1991, it was the newest and most capable of the fleet.
"It was a real clean bird," said Robert "Hoot" Gibson, the Navy aviator who flew Endeavour the year it entered service in 1992. "We didn't have any issues with that machine." But it began its life amid a political scheme to circumvent opponents by squirreling away spare parts in the hope they would someday amount to a real spacecraft.
When the Challenger was lost in an explosion in 1986, the spare-parts plan was vindicated and they suddenly became the starting point for keeping the shuttle program alive. And now the ship will come back home a museum piece where it was built, destined for a display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. (5/30)
Space Shuttle Laser Test Could Help Guide Asteroid Missions (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Astronauts piloted the shuttle Endeavour on a unique course back toward the International Space Station Monday, testing a next-generation laser-based navigation sensor in hopes of verifying it can help guide future voyages to the space station, distant asteroids and Mars. Called STORRM, the experiment's objective was to try out a high-tech laser navigation system that NASA could use on future voyages to the space station and beyond. (5/30)
F-104 jet fighters just like the ones astronauts trained in for decades will become a more regular part of the skyscape above NASA's Kennedy Space Center as a private company expands its fleet of jets to eight, with plans to conduct more research flights, launch very small satellites into space and even take paying passengers into the stratosphere.
Boasting speeds faster than Mach 2, extreme acceleration and the ability to pull 7 g's or more, the F-104 provides a platform to test rocket components, tracking sensors and space-bound equipment, Svetkoff said. The aircraft also can push over to create microgravity conditions for a short time. "We can go from ground to 23,000 feet as fast as some of the rockets launched here," Rick Svetkoff said.
That is an appealing combination for researchers who want to try out their designs and for passengers who want to get pushed to their own limits. Researchers are developing projects using the F-104 to try out everything from space traffic control to human reactions to different physical conditions to launching satellites on quick trips into space. Click here. Editor's Note: Embry-Riddle is working with Starfighters and 4Frontiers to develop a suborbital rocket launching from underneath the F-104s. (5/30)
Groundwater Depletion Is Detected From Space (Source: New York Times)
Scientists have been using small variations in the Earth’s gravity to identify trouble spots around the globe where people are making unsustainable demands on groundwater, one of the planet’s main sources of fresh water. They found problems in places as disparate as North Africa, northern India, northeastern China and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley in California. (5/30)
Export Rules Slash Space Access to China (Source: Ottawa Business Journal)
It’s no secret that Ottawa sees China as a growth market. But bring up space partnerships with China and the story is very different, according to Com Dev. Com Dev develops space hardware and has been trying to bolster its presence in China for years as the Asian country reaches further into space.
But security concerns about transferring sensitive technology through the exports are standing in Com Dev’s way. Canada’s space sector depends on business outside its borders. And with the United States as Canada’s foremost trading partner, the security of export sales often comes to mind even when dealing with technology purely created in Canada to sell abroad.
Satellite sales, Com Dev’s Mr. Holdway explains, run on a “fuse”; when a company gets a contract, it expects subcontractors to be ready to go in a given amount of time, typically a year. But it can take six months to obtain the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s approval to export the technology to China. (5/30)
Satellite Firms See Opportunity in Pentagon (Source: Washington Post)
Commercial satellite and space firms are hoping the Pentagon’s increasingly tight budgets will translate into more business as military officials seek faster and cheaper options. Traditional military satellite programs have become increasingly expensive and delayed, even as the need for communications capacity continues to grow, according to the Teal Group.
Commercial options are often considered quicker ways to get satellites launched or obtain additional capacity, but the military has been resistant to relying on non-custom-built options, said a defense analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Using commercial firms would generally require the military to “accept something that’s not exactly what you want,” he said.
But the Pentagon is becoming increasingly vocal about the end of an era of uncapped spending. In the space and satellite world, in particular, the military has taken steps toward embracing commercial options. The National Security Space Strategy released early this year, for instance, calls for exploring innovative approaches that can meet government requirements affordably and quickly. (5/30)
Reflecting on Endeavour (Source: LA Times)
Spare parts were collecting dust in warehouses in Bell, Downey and Palmdale when the urgent call came from NASA: the nation needed another space shuttle. It was the unusual beginning of the orbiter Endeavour. When it was christened in Palmdale in 1991, it was the newest and most capable of the fleet.
"It was a real clean bird," said Robert "Hoot" Gibson, the Navy aviator who flew Endeavour the year it entered service in 1992. "We didn't have any issues with that machine." But it began its life amid a political scheme to circumvent opponents by squirreling away spare parts in the hope they would someday amount to a real spacecraft.
When the Challenger was lost in an explosion in 1986, the spare-parts plan was vindicated and they suddenly became the starting point for keeping the shuttle program alive. And now the ship will come back home a museum piece where it was built, destined for a display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. (5/30)
Space Shuttle Laser Test Could Help Guide Asteroid Missions (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Astronauts piloted the shuttle Endeavour on a unique course back toward the International Space Station Monday, testing a next-generation laser-based navigation sensor in hopes of verifying it can help guide future voyages to the space station, distant asteroids and Mars. Called STORRM, the experiment's objective was to try out a high-tech laser navigation system that NASA could use on future voyages to the space station and beyond. (5/30)
May 29, 2011
Maryland Scientists Vie for NASA Missions (Source: Baltimore Sun)
One mission would parachute a floating science lab into a lake on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The other would send a spacecraft to hop on and off a comet as it races toward the sun. Both outer-space adventures would be led by Maryland scientists, and both ventures would be managed by Maryland institutions.
But only one (or neither) will win the $425 million in NASA funding needed to get off the ground. Competing for the money are the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) mission, led by planetary geologist Ellen Stofan, of Proxemy Research in Gaithersburg; and Comet Hopper, led by geologist Jessica Sunshine, at the University of Maryland. The spoiler in the race, the one that could elbow both Maryland bidders aside, is designed to study Mars' interior geology. Called Geophysical Monitoring Station, or GEMS, it's led by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (5/29)
An Era is Ending, But NASA's Future is Still Bright (Source: WLTX)
NASA does all kinds of stuff. They build space robots. They send up satellites. They study the oceans. But come on - who're we kidding? When most people think of NASA, they think of manned space flight. The space shuttle. But after 30 years, and 135 flights, NASA has decided to close down the space shuttle program.
NASA's William Gerstenmaier says the shuttle isn't ending because we've lost our mojo. It's because the next missions require different designs to go into deeper space, like the Orion capsule that NASA just unveiled . "We need more of a smaller capsule that can take that heat, of coming back from those larger destinations with a higher re-entry velocity," he said.
Charles Bolden was an astronaut on four missions, including the 1990 deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. "We could conceivably put a human on the surface of Mars in 2030," Bolden said. "The president has told us he wants us to rendezvous with and put astronauts in the vicinity of an asteroid in 2025." (5/29)
AIA, SIA Hail House Bill to Remove Satellites From ITAR List (Source: Parabolic Arc)
SIA and AIA welcome a proposed amendment to H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, that would authorize the president to remove satellites and related components from the U.S. Munitions List, subject to certain restrictions and congressional oversight.
More than a decade ago, Congress passed legislation that required all commercial satellites, satellite components, associated technical data and related ground equipment to be treated as “munitions” for export licensing purposes. SIA and AIA have long encouraged Congress to adopt legislation that would allow the executive branch to determine the appropriate export licensing policy for commercial satellites and related items, just as it does for all other technologies that are subject to U.S. export licensing. (5/28)
New Mexico Pushes Ahead with Spaceport Despite Setbacks (Source: MSNBC)
The wind is still whistling through the massive unfinished steel hangar doors at Spaceport America. The exterior is waiting to be clad with custom metal panels, and the hangar floor, where a pair of sleek spacecraft will one day sit, is still dirt. Construction of the world's first built-from-scratch launch station for sending people and payloads into space has been stymied by everything from Mother Nature to construction delays brought on by working in such a remote stretch of New Mexico desert.
Still, the director of the $209 million taxpayer-financed project says the state is as committed as ever to finishing the project. And so is Virgin Galactic, the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson. "When you think about what we've had to build out here, all of it is challenging because we're building a whole city. There's water storage, a water treatment plant, getting permanent power out here, everything," said Christine Anderson.
This slice of southern New Mexico is beautiful, but it's difficult. The few ranchers who live out here call it a no man's land — where there's little water, where only a hardy cow can survive and where the dirt roads are equal parts sand and rutted earth. Click here to read the article. (5/29)
Should India Go Suborbital? (Source: Space Daily)
What is happening with India's human spaceflight program? It's hard to be sure. India's space program has experienced mixed results in the past two years, with the success of some missions being overshadowed by some major failures. The failures of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) have drawn a lot of attention and rightly so.
There could be an alternative path to human spaceflight for India. The nation could embark on a short-term program for sub-orbital astronaut launches. Let's not forget that the USA began its own human spaceflight program with suborbital launches of the Mercury spacecraft. Today, private space companies are preparing a new fleet of suborbital spacecraft for commercial astronauts. (5/29)
Atlantis Launch Set for July 8, Viewing Lottery Planned (Source: Hobby Space)
Atlantis is scheduled to carry out the last shuttle launch on Friday, July 8, 2011 at 11:40 a.m. ET. Due to the expected high number of visitors to see the liftoff, KSC is holding a lottery for tickets to access the best viewing spots. Click here. (5/29)
Canadian Team Wins KSC-Based Lunabotics Challenge (Source: CBC News)
Students from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, have won NASA's Lunabotics competition, beating out rivals from 40 other universities around the world. The eight-member team of fourth-year mechanical engineering students won the competition with a lunabot that collected 237.4 kilograms of synthetic lunar material.
The goal of the competition was to design and build a remote-controlled excavator called a lunabot that can dig and deposit as much of the material, called lunar regolith simulant, as possible in 15 minutes. The University of North Dakota came in second with a lunabot that collected 172.2 kilograms and West Virginia University placed third with a device that collected 106.4 kilograms. (5/29)
Japan Envisions Lunar Beamed-Energy Project (Source: Daily Mail)
It sounds like something out of science fiction - a huge swathe of the moon covered with solar panels to beam captured energy back to Earth. But plans to turn the moon into a gigantic mirrorball manned by robots to provide all the Earth's energy came a step closer to reality today when they were unveiled by Japanese scientists.
The ambitious project would result in 13,000 terawatts of continuous solar energy being transmitted back to receiving stations on Earth, either by laser or microwave. Supplying the Earth with power: The ambitious plans would result in robot vehicles being used to construct the huge strip of panels to capture solar energy.
The plans were unveiled by Japanese construction giant Shimizu Corporation's research division, and would result in a 6,800 mile-long band stretching around the light side of the moon's equator. It would measure up to 248 miles in width and feature 12 mile-wide antennae to transmit the power. Click here. (5/29)
Hardened Solar Panels Ready to Power Juno to Jupiter (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Inside a pristine clean room just outside the gate to the Kennedy Space Center, engineers casting brilliant beams of light on NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft finished checking the power efficiency of its 18,600 solar cells last week. Technicians also carefully deployed the probe's three solar panels to make sure they're ready for flight.
Juno has three solar panels to generate electricity. The arrays will be folded up for launch, then unfurled like an accordion moments after the spacecraft leaves its Atlas rocket in space. Fully deployed, each wing measures about 9 feet wide and 29 feet long. One array has a magnetometer boom on the end for one of Juno's research investigations. (5/29)
Mars and Moon Mauled Early On (Source: USA Today)
Back when our solar system was being formed, the cosmic void was filled with (rather large) planetary "embryos," each one some 600 to 3,100 miles wide, formed from the disk of dust and gas surrounding the sun at its birth some 4.6 billion years ago. They roamed around in a planetary roller derby, where a collision between one Mars-sized embryo and the early Earth likely led to the formation of the moon, about 60 to 150 million years after the solar system's start. (5/29)
New Mexico Spaceport Experiments Boost STEM Education (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Students at Mesa Middle School in Las Cruces wanted to see if it was possible to send text messages to a cell phone or a satellite phone aboard a rocket as it is blasting into space. Aztec High students from the Four Corners region wanted to find out if a New Mexico chile would heat up or get roasted in space. Middle school students from El Paso wanted to test the effects of microgravity on a marshmallow.
Some 1,200 visitors, including students from New Mexico, Arizona and Texas gathered at Spaceport America last week for the third student launch put on by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium with NASA funding. Students have been readying their experiments for weeks in preparation for Friday's launch. (5/29)
Endeavour Boosts International Space Station Altitude (Source: Florida Today)
Shuttle Endeavour's digital autopilot just fired the ship's smallest steering thrusters in a series of cannon-like bursts, hauling the International Space Station into a higher orbit. The 14-minute maneuver boosted the station's altitude 3,100 feet -- a little more than a half mile -- the result of a change of velocity of about three-quarters of a mile-per-hour. (5/29)
Astronauts to Try New Spaceship Docking System (Source: Space.com)
Astronauts on NASA's shuttle Endeavour will perform an unprecedented maneuver at the International Space Station overnight Sunday, when they undock from the outpost, then return again to try out a Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM). The test includes a new docking camera and navigation system specifically designed for rendezvous and docking operations on next-generation U.S. spacecraft. (5/29)
Shuttle Astronauts Bid Farewell to Space Station (Source: AP)
The astronauts on NASA's next-to-last shuttle flight floated out of the International Space Station on Sunday and then closed the hatch behind them, after one final round of warm wishes and embraces. Shuttle commander Mark Kelly said the 1 1/2 weeks of joint flight went well. He was the last to leave the space station, lingering for a few seconds with the three space station residents. (5/29)
One mission would parachute a floating science lab into a lake on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The other would send a spacecraft to hop on and off a comet as it races toward the sun. Both outer-space adventures would be led by Maryland scientists, and both ventures would be managed by Maryland institutions.
But only one (or neither) will win the $425 million in NASA funding needed to get off the ground. Competing for the money are the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) mission, led by planetary geologist Ellen Stofan, of Proxemy Research in Gaithersburg; and Comet Hopper, led by geologist Jessica Sunshine, at the University of Maryland. The spoiler in the race, the one that could elbow both Maryland bidders aside, is designed to study Mars' interior geology. Called Geophysical Monitoring Station, or GEMS, it's led by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (5/29)
An Era is Ending, But NASA's Future is Still Bright (Source: WLTX)
NASA does all kinds of stuff. They build space robots. They send up satellites. They study the oceans. But come on - who're we kidding? When most people think of NASA, they think of manned space flight. The space shuttle. But after 30 years, and 135 flights, NASA has decided to close down the space shuttle program.
NASA's William Gerstenmaier says the shuttle isn't ending because we've lost our mojo. It's because the next missions require different designs to go into deeper space, like the Orion capsule that NASA just unveiled . "We need more of a smaller capsule that can take that heat, of coming back from those larger destinations with a higher re-entry velocity," he said.
Charles Bolden was an astronaut on four missions, including the 1990 deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. "We could conceivably put a human on the surface of Mars in 2030," Bolden said. "The president has told us he wants us to rendezvous with and put astronauts in the vicinity of an asteroid in 2025." (5/29)
AIA, SIA Hail House Bill to Remove Satellites From ITAR List (Source: Parabolic Arc)
SIA and AIA welcome a proposed amendment to H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, that would authorize the president to remove satellites and related components from the U.S. Munitions List, subject to certain restrictions and congressional oversight.
More than a decade ago, Congress passed legislation that required all commercial satellites, satellite components, associated technical data and related ground equipment to be treated as “munitions” for export licensing purposes. SIA and AIA have long encouraged Congress to adopt legislation that would allow the executive branch to determine the appropriate export licensing policy for commercial satellites and related items, just as it does for all other technologies that are subject to U.S. export licensing. (5/28)
New Mexico Pushes Ahead with Spaceport Despite Setbacks (Source: MSNBC)
The wind is still whistling through the massive unfinished steel hangar doors at Spaceport America. The exterior is waiting to be clad with custom metal panels, and the hangar floor, where a pair of sleek spacecraft will one day sit, is still dirt. Construction of the world's first built-from-scratch launch station for sending people and payloads into space has been stymied by everything from Mother Nature to construction delays brought on by working in such a remote stretch of New Mexico desert.
Still, the director of the $209 million taxpayer-financed project says the state is as committed as ever to finishing the project. And so is Virgin Galactic, the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson. "When you think about what we've had to build out here, all of it is challenging because we're building a whole city. There's water storage, a water treatment plant, getting permanent power out here, everything," said Christine Anderson.
This slice of southern New Mexico is beautiful, but it's difficult. The few ranchers who live out here call it a no man's land — where there's little water, where only a hardy cow can survive and where the dirt roads are equal parts sand and rutted earth. Click here to read the article. (5/29)
Should India Go Suborbital? (Source: Space Daily)
What is happening with India's human spaceflight program? It's hard to be sure. India's space program has experienced mixed results in the past two years, with the success of some missions being overshadowed by some major failures. The failures of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) have drawn a lot of attention and rightly so.
There could be an alternative path to human spaceflight for India. The nation could embark on a short-term program for sub-orbital astronaut launches. Let's not forget that the USA began its own human spaceflight program with suborbital launches of the Mercury spacecraft. Today, private space companies are preparing a new fleet of suborbital spacecraft for commercial astronauts. (5/29)
Atlantis Launch Set for July 8, Viewing Lottery Planned (Source: Hobby Space)
Atlantis is scheduled to carry out the last shuttle launch on Friday, July 8, 2011 at 11:40 a.m. ET. Due to the expected high number of visitors to see the liftoff, KSC is holding a lottery for tickets to access the best viewing spots. Click here. (5/29)
Canadian Team Wins KSC-Based Lunabotics Challenge (Source: CBC News)
Students from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, have won NASA's Lunabotics competition, beating out rivals from 40 other universities around the world. The eight-member team of fourth-year mechanical engineering students won the competition with a lunabot that collected 237.4 kilograms of synthetic lunar material.
The goal of the competition was to design and build a remote-controlled excavator called a lunabot that can dig and deposit as much of the material, called lunar regolith simulant, as possible in 15 minutes. The University of North Dakota came in second with a lunabot that collected 172.2 kilograms and West Virginia University placed third with a device that collected 106.4 kilograms. (5/29)
Japan Envisions Lunar Beamed-Energy Project (Source: Daily Mail)
It sounds like something out of science fiction - a huge swathe of the moon covered with solar panels to beam captured energy back to Earth. But plans to turn the moon into a gigantic mirrorball manned by robots to provide all the Earth's energy came a step closer to reality today when they were unveiled by Japanese scientists.
The ambitious project would result in 13,000 terawatts of continuous solar energy being transmitted back to receiving stations on Earth, either by laser or microwave. Supplying the Earth with power: The ambitious plans would result in robot vehicles being used to construct the huge strip of panels to capture solar energy.
The plans were unveiled by Japanese construction giant Shimizu Corporation's research division, and would result in a 6,800 mile-long band stretching around the light side of the moon's equator. It would measure up to 248 miles in width and feature 12 mile-wide antennae to transmit the power. Click here. (5/29)
Hardened Solar Panels Ready to Power Juno to Jupiter (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Inside a pristine clean room just outside the gate to the Kennedy Space Center, engineers casting brilliant beams of light on NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft finished checking the power efficiency of its 18,600 solar cells last week. Technicians also carefully deployed the probe's three solar panels to make sure they're ready for flight.
Juno has three solar panels to generate electricity. The arrays will be folded up for launch, then unfurled like an accordion moments after the spacecraft leaves its Atlas rocket in space. Fully deployed, each wing measures about 9 feet wide and 29 feet long. One array has a magnetometer boom on the end for one of Juno's research investigations. (5/29)
Mars and Moon Mauled Early On (Source: USA Today)
Back when our solar system was being formed, the cosmic void was filled with (rather large) planetary "embryos," each one some 600 to 3,100 miles wide, formed from the disk of dust and gas surrounding the sun at its birth some 4.6 billion years ago. They roamed around in a planetary roller derby, where a collision between one Mars-sized embryo and the early Earth likely led to the formation of the moon, about 60 to 150 million years after the solar system's start. (5/29)
New Mexico Spaceport Experiments Boost STEM Education (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Students at Mesa Middle School in Las Cruces wanted to see if it was possible to send text messages to a cell phone or a satellite phone aboard a rocket as it is blasting into space. Aztec High students from the Four Corners region wanted to find out if a New Mexico chile would heat up or get roasted in space. Middle school students from El Paso wanted to test the effects of microgravity on a marshmallow.
Some 1,200 visitors, including students from New Mexico, Arizona and Texas gathered at Spaceport America last week for the third student launch put on by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium with NASA funding. Students have been readying their experiments for weeks in preparation for Friday's launch. (5/29)
Endeavour Boosts International Space Station Altitude (Source: Florida Today)
Shuttle Endeavour's digital autopilot just fired the ship's smallest steering thrusters in a series of cannon-like bursts, hauling the International Space Station into a higher orbit. The 14-minute maneuver boosted the station's altitude 3,100 feet -- a little more than a half mile -- the result of a change of velocity of about three-quarters of a mile-per-hour. (5/29)
Astronauts to Try New Spaceship Docking System (Source: Space.com)
Astronauts on NASA's shuttle Endeavour will perform an unprecedented maneuver at the International Space Station overnight Sunday, when they undock from the outpost, then return again to try out a Sensor Test for Orion Relative Navigation Risk Mitigation (STORRM). The test includes a new docking camera and navigation system specifically designed for rendezvous and docking operations on next-generation U.S. spacecraft. (5/29)
Shuttle Astronauts Bid Farewell to Space Station (Source: AP)
The astronauts on NASA's next-to-last shuttle flight floated out of the International Space Station on Sunday and then closed the hatch behind them, after one final round of warm wishes and embraces. Shuttle commander Mark Kelly said the 1 1/2 weeks of joint flight went well. He was the last to leave the space station, lingering for a few seconds with the three space station residents. (5/29)
May 28, 2011
A Fraudulent Charter (Source: TEA Party in Space)
The House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing on NASA’s Commercial Cargo Providers. The charter was prepared for the committee by staffer Ken Monroe. This is the same Ken Monroe who said NASA was run by a bunch of idiots. We all have opinions about NASA, congress, the president, and our bosses; however, how many would actually tweet something like that?
This hearing was a setup. A setup to show just how “poorly” the COTS program has been performing. However, those who follow the U.S. space program know that the COTS providers are given small amounts of money as they achieve milestones. If either Orbital or SpaceX does not meet a milestone, they do not receive any taxpayer dollars. Moreover, both SpaceX and Orbital have shown that they can do more with less.
Mr. Monroe authored the charter for the hearing in which his personal bias was evident and clear. This is a disgusting example of manipulation and lying by omission. The methodology used to create the tables does not offer a fair and honest assessment of the costs associated with Commercial Cargo. Only in congress can you justify wasting $11.1 billion and not have anything to show for it and at the same time insult the private sector for doing more with less. (5/28)
NASA Picks Hawaii to Prep Moon Base (Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser)
Fifty years after President Kennedy's speech committing the country to landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth, the state and NASA announced a new partnership aimed at involving Hawaii in the next phase of the agency's manned and unmanned exploration of the moon and deep space.
NASA would lend its expertise to Hawaii and any potential partners — government, academic or private-sector — in developing a prototype and in the testing of new technology to be used for an International Lunar Research Park, a project envisioned as a multinational base on the moon's surface from which future space research could be performed.
The research park would be developed at the University of Hawaii-Hilo with test sites at higher elevations of Hawaii Island, possibly within Volcanoes National Park, where the unusual terrain simulates lunar conditions. (5/28)
Some of the Gutsier (and Goofier) Proposed Shuttle Missions (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
After Atlantis, the Shuttle fleet will have flown 135 missions, the first in 1981, but there were many more on the drawing board. With scrubbed missions that included daring rescues, in-orbit satellite snatches, and dangerous explosives, you can see why some of these didn't make the cut. But just imagine if they had. Click here to read the article. (5/28)
Competition Seeks to Understand Dark Matter (Source: Challenge.gov)
"Mapping Dark Matter" is a image analysis competition whose aim is to encourage the development of new algorithms that can be applied to challenge of measuring the tiny distortions in galaxy images caused by dark matter. Click here. (5/27)
The House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing on NASA’s Commercial Cargo Providers. The charter was prepared for the committee by staffer Ken Monroe. This is the same Ken Monroe who said NASA was run by a bunch of idiots. We all have opinions about NASA, congress, the president, and our bosses; however, how many would actually tweet something like that?
This hearing was a setup. A setup to show just how “poorly” the COTS program has been performing. However, those who follow the U.S. space program know that the COTS providers are given small amounts of money as they achieve milestones. If either Orbital or SpaceX does not meet a milestone, they do not receive any taxpayer dollars. Moreover, both SpaceX and Orbital have shown that they can do more with less.
Mr. Monroe authored the charter for the hearing in which his personal bias was evident and clear. This is a disgusting example of manipulation and lying by omission. The methodology used to create the tables does not offer a fair and honest assessment of the costs associated with Commercial Cargo. Only in congress can you justify wasting $11.1 billion and not have anything to show for it and at the same time insult the private sector for doing more with less. (5/28)
NASA Picks Hawaii to Prep Moon Base (Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser)
Fifty years after President Kennedy's speech committing the country to landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth, the state and NASA announced a new partnership aimed at involving Hawaii in the next phase of the agency's manned and unmanned exploration of the moon and deep space.
NASA would lend its expertise to Hawaii and any potential partners — government, academic or private-sector — in developing a prototype and in the testing of new technology to be used for an International Lunar Research Park, a project envisioned as a multinational base on the moon's surface from which future space research could be performed.
The research park would be developed at the University of Hawaii-Hilo with test sites at higher elevations of Hawaii Island, possibly within Volcanoes National Park, where the unusual terrain simulates lunar conditions. (5/28)
Some of the Gutsier (and Goofier) Proposed Shuttle Missions (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
After Atlantis, the Shuttle fleet will have flown 135 missions, the first in 1981, but there were many more on the drawing board. With scrubbed missions that included daring rescues, in-orbit satellite snatches, and dangerous explosives, you can see why some of these didn't make the cut. But just imagine if they had. Click here to read the article. (5/28)
Competition Seeks to Understand Dark Matter (Source: Challenge.gov)
"Mapping Dark Matter" is a image analysis competition whose aim is to encourage the development of new algorithms that can be applied to challenge of measuring the tiny distortions in galaxy images caused by dark matter. Click here. (5/27)
May 27, 2011
This is What 43,000 Galaxies Look Like On a Map (Source: Gizmodo)
The image above is the most complete map of our local universe to date. It took more that ten years to create, has 43,000 galaxies and extends out 380 million light years from the earth. The 3D coordinates of each galaxy was recorded so the raw data could potentially be used to build a realistic 3D model of the universe. Click here. (5/27)
NASA Lays Claim to Atlas 5 Rocket for the Rest of 2011 (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The U.S. Air Force plans to launch navigation and communications satellites on Delta 4 rockets later this year while a battery of NASA payloads, including missions to Jupiter and Mars, occupy the Atlas 5 rocket manifest, according to military officials.
The Pentagon launched the first geostationary Space Based Infrared System satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, on an Atlas 5 rocket May 7, clearing the way for NASA's Juno and Mars Science Laboratory missions to blast off this summer and fall. The back-to-back NASA missions are keeping some military payloads on the ground, including the U.S. Navy's first Mobile User Objective System narrowband communications satellite. (5/27)
Copenhagen Suborbitals Aims for June 1 Launch (Source: Hobby Space)
The Copenhagen Suborbitals group is counting down to their second launch attempt, which has a window of opportunity opening between June 1-5. The vehicle consists of the Heat 1-X hybrid booster and the TychoBrahe-1 (unmanned) upper module. Click here for details. (5/27)
Venezuela, China to Launch Satellite Next Year (Source: AFP)
Venezuela and China will develop an observation satellite to be built in Asia and launched from South America in 2012, according to Venezuela's science and technology minister. The earth-observation satellite, to be built at a cost of $140 million, would be used to monitor troop movements and illegal mining as well as study climate change and the environment.
The contract was signed by the Venezuelan ministry and the state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation. The launch was set for October 2012, four years after the launch of the "Simon Bolivar," the first-ever Venezuelan satellite, named for the Latin American independence hero and also built with Chinese aid. "As with the first satellite, the second will be made available to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean," an official said. (5/27)
NewSpace 2011 Covers Wide Range of Topics, at Ames on Jul. 18-31 (Source: CSA)
The agenda for the NewSpace 2011 Conference is now online and includes discussions on topics like achieving low cost, reliable space access, capitalizing on suborbital space, and mining the potential of Near-Earth Objects. Also included will be a NASA Center Directors Commercial Partnership Roundtable. The conference will be held at the NASA Ames Research Center on July 28-31. Visit http://newspace2011.spacefrontier.org/agenda/ for information. (5/27)
NASA Seeks Commercial Suborbital Flights (Source: Flight Global)
NASA has released a draft RFP seeking bids for providers of suborbital flights. NASA will award an indefinite-quantity, indefinite-delivery contract to multiple selectees. The payloads to be carried are unspecified beyond that they will be dedicated to, "enabling future missions and benefiting America's commercial aerospace industries".
A spokesperson at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center noted that this draft RFP is virtually identical to one issued in 2010 that provided suborbital launches to selected payloads. The awards from that RFP, totalling a half million dollars, went to Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace, both of which are slated to fly in late 2011. (5/27)
Experts: GPS at Risk with LightSquared 4G (Source: Flight Global)
A government/industry panel will warn the FAA in a 3 June report that the expected interference from a new 4G ancillary terrestrial broadband network will cause "complete loss" of GPS receiver functionality. The work is part of a broader six-month technical investigation called for by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its conditional approval of the 4G network in January. (5/27)
SpaceX, Orbital, and NASA Reassure Congress on Commercial Cargo (Source: Space Policy Online)
Representatives of the two companies under contract to provide commercial cargo services to keep the International Space Station (ISS) operating after the shuttle program ends and a top NASA official reassured a congressional subcommittee that they would be ready soon. Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX and Frank Culbertson of Orbital Sciences each told the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics that they are confident they can meet their current schedules. Cargo services will begin in 2012, they asserted.
In press releases immediately after the hearing, Republicans and Democrats sounded perhaps slightly less skeptical than previously, but made clear they will continue to scrutinize the commercial cargo program. The Republicans went further to say that this was just the first in a series of hearings "to provide close oversight of commercial space launch capabilities." (5/27)
Bill Would Keep Political Spending out of Procurement Process (Source: AIA)
Reps. Sam Graves, R-MO, and Darrel Issa, R-CA, have introduced legislation that would ban federal agencies from considering political spending during the procurement process. The bill would block a draft Executive Order that would force contractors to disclose their political spending.
The AIA, Chamber of Commerce and 69 other groups sent a letter to members of the House in support of the measure. "The amendment reaffirms the principle, currently embodied in federal procurement laws, that the Executive Branch has an obligation to procure goods and services based on the best value for the American taxpayer, and not on political considerations," the letter said.
Editor's Note: Seems like this is an effort to avoid the kind of transparency and visibility that is sought through the Executive Order. (5/27)
ASA Marks Anniversary of JFK’s Space Goal, Calls For a New Space Vision (Source: ASA)
The Aerospace States Association (ASA) believes our nation needs to embrace a collaborative vision for space exploration – one that incorporates the monumental knowledge, resources and capabilities developed through our historic Moon, Mars, and other space missions, along with the substantial experience and achievements of other space-faring nations, to chart affordable roadmaps to space.
We must leverage the substantial assets, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit of our private sector in pioneering the space frontier – not only to maximize the potential benefits from research and exploration, but also to facilitate development and utilization of extraterrestrial resources that can benefit people on Earth, as well as support long-term settlements on other worlds.
Finally – and to ensure sustainability – we need an inclusive, “participatory” approach to space enterprise that will engage and empower the public – an online, interactive portal enabling citizens to envision and design future missions to space, which in turn will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, humanists, artists, educators, doctors, entrepreneurs, and others who ultimately will orchestrate our spaceward migration. (5/27)
ZERO-G Corp. Gains Approval from FAA for Spaceflight Training (Source: ZERO-G)
ZERO-G has received a Safety Approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation. In effect for five years, the approval allows ZERO-G to offer reduced gravity parabolic flight profiles to prospective suborbital launch operators to meet the applicable components of the crew qualification and training requirements outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (14 C.F.R. § 460.5).
These regulations require crew members to complete training on how to carry out their roles on board or on the ground and to demonstrate the ability to withstand the stresses of spaceflight, which may include high acceleration or deceleration, microgravity, and vibration. (5/27)
One of Two Reflector Antennas Opened on Intelsat New Dawn (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Intelsat has successfully activated the Ku-band communications system on its newest satellite, but the other half of the craft's wireless communications and broadcasting payload remains sidelined by a stuck antenna. The Intelsat New Dawn spacecraft ran into problems deploying its C-band antenna after launching on an Ariane 5 rocket last month, and the 8.8-foot-diameter reflector still won't budge, according to Intelsat officials. (5/27)
Apollo Astronaut: End NASA, Start From Scratch (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Harrison Schmitt, the 12th astronaut to walk on the moon and a former U.S. senator, has called for dismantling NASA and replacing it with a new agency, the National Space Exploration Agency (NSEA), devoted solely to deep-space exploration. Its charter, he believes, should simply be:
"Provide the People of the United States of America, as national security and economic interests demand, with the necessary infrastructure, entrepreneurial partnerships, and human and robotic operational capability to settle the Moon, utilize lunar resources, scientifically explore and settle Mars and other deep space destinations, and, if necessary, divert significant Earth-impacting objects."
Schmitt says NASA’s space science research should be transferred to the NSF, and its climate research to NOAA. He says NASA should sunset two years after the ISS is de-orbited, within the next 10-15 years. In Schmitt’s view these changes are necessary to compete with China and its own ambitions in deep space. In Schmitt’s view these changes are necessary to compete with China and its own ambitions in deep space. (5/27)
Schmitt: New Space Agency Needed to Beat China in New Cold War (Source: Houston Chronicle)
"With the recognition that a second Cold War exists, this time with China and its surrogates, the President and Congress elected in 2012 should create a new National Space Exploration Administration (NSEA)." The new agency must truly be a new agency, beginning with the workforce. Schmitt asserts:
"An almost totally new workforce must be hired and NSEA must have the authority to maintain an average employee age of less than 30. (NASA’s current workforce has an average age over 47.) Only with the imagination, motivation, stamina, and courage of young engineers, scientists, and managers can NSEA be successful in meeting its Cold War II national security goals."
Setting aside the matter of whether we’re in a cold war with China or not, it’s an intriguing idea. Whether it’s realistic is another matter. But I have to admit I’m curious what a streamlined, unshackled NASA with a deep-space exploration mandate could do. (5/27)
Ukrainian Company Explores Florida Launch, Manufacturing Base (Source: SPACErePORT)
A delegation of executives fro Ukraine's Yuzhnoye (builder of the Zenit and Cyclone launch vehicles) is exploring opportunities for basing a new launch vehicle program at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Mayak family of rockets is based on the Zenit and Cyclone vehicles and could be considered Ukraine's answer to Russia's Angara modular family of vehicles (built by rival rocket maker Khrunichev).
The Mayak would feature light, medium and heavy lift versions (8 tons, 20 tons, and 42 tons to LEO, respectively) and would be capable of launching humans. Yuzhnoye is partnered with Excalibur Almaz to carry its commercial space station hardware and astronaut personnel to orbit. In addition to launching Mayak rockets from Florida, the discussion is focusing on opportunities for manufacturing or assembly of the vehicles on the Space Coast.
Without a launch site in Ukriane, Yuzhnoye has been aggressive in building partnerships with foreign launch site partners, including the U.S. (SeaLaunch, Orbital Sciences), Brazil (Alcantara), Russia, and South Africa. Several years ago, a partnership with Aerojet was explored to bring the Cyclone rocket to the Cape. (5/27)
Holdren: Responds to Apollo Astronauts' Op-Ed (Source: USA Today)
Armstrong, Lovell and Cernan are genuine heroes who brought immense courage and competence to the moon missions they led. Obviously, they are more than entitled to their opinions on the best way forward for our space program. But their opinions would be more worthy of attention if they were based on a more accurate understanding of where we are, how we got here, and how President Obama's policy is positioning us to revitalize it with new technology, capabilities and destinations.
The Obama administration inherited a space program in disarray after eight years of mismatch between vision and budgets, and decades of underinvestment in R&D on the technologies that long-duration crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit will require. The course correction that the White House has developed in concert with NASA and Congress will preserve the $100 billion International Space Station as the orbiting science lab and technology test-bed we need to prepare for the next steps in space.
It will shorten the gap between the retirement of the shuttle and the restoration of a U.S. capability to carry our own astronauts into orbit. And it will focus NASA's unparalleled talents on truly visionary goals — developing and using new technologies to send astronauts to an asteroid for the first time, and then moving onward to Mars — rather than spending the bulk of our limited resources to return astronauts to the moon 50 or 60 years after we did that the first time. (5/27)
Editorial: Space Heroes Stuck in the Past (Source: Washington Examiner)
...Actually, NASA was not "focusing on a return to the moon." That's what it was supposed to be doing, but it was instead focusing on building a capsule and an unneeded new rocket to get it to orbit. Getting back to the moon would have required an earth departure stage and a lander, items that were not under development because they didn't fit within the budget. There were never any serious plans for Mars -- the Orion capsule is far too small for such a long journey, and little work was being done to deal with critical issues for such a mission.
The notion that Constellation was underfunded is a myth to which program defenders continue to cling, but it's simply untrue... Mike Griffin raided other budgets to feed the insatiable maw of the Ares rocket program. Constellation's problem was not underfunding -- its problem was that Griffin selected a flawed architecture that couldn't be delivered within the planned budgets, which is why it not only was continually overrunning, but losing more than a year per year in schedule.
...I think, though, what saddens me the most [about the Armstrong/Cernan/Lovell op-ed], is their distortion of the plans for creating a vibrant commercial human spaceflight industry, and their seeming lack of faith in American free enterprise and business... I can only hope that, over time, when dozens and hundreds, even thousands of people are going into space on commercial vehicles in the years to come, and even back to the moon, many at their own expense, they will still be alive to see it and come to regret their misguided attempts to slow down what could have happened earlier with more enlightened policies. (5/27)
Thor 7 Competition Down to Loral Versus Alenia, and Long March Versus Dragon (Source: Space News)
The competition to build the Thor 7 telecommunications satellite for Norway’s Telenor Satellite Broadcasting has been narrowed to two finalists, and may feature the first face-off between the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Chinese Long March rockets. Oslo-based Telenor expects to select a winner in June for a launch in early 2014 of Thor 7, a mixed Ku-/Ka-band satellite. Industry officials said Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., and Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy are the two finalists.
To sweeten its proposal, Loral has included a Falcon 9 rocket in its Thor 7 bid, industry officials said. Loral in March purchased a Falcon 9 vehicle from SpaceX with the expectation that the contract one day would be helpful to a Loral satellite bid. Thales Alenia Space, meanwhile, is able to offer a Chinese Long March rocket because the European manufacturer has developed a product line that is devoid of U.S.-built components subject to the decade-long ban on exports to China. (5/27)
Google Gets Lost on the Way to the Moon (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Nearly four years after it was announced, the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize remains stuck on the ground, tied down by the same type of wrangling and delays that often characterize government space projects it is designed to replace. Rules for the private moon race are still being revised. Teams have had trouble moving ahead due to the uncertainty. Deadlines have been pushed back. And there is deep frustration among competitors over the X Prize Foundation’s efforts to monopolize nearly all of the media and intellectual property (IP) rights from the contest.
The competition’s original goal – to launch a new industry by demonstrating that lunar exploration can be done quickly and cheaply by the private sector – has become lost in a complex process that has left everyone frustrated. The key problem is the still-unfinished Master Team Agreement (MTA), a binding document that includes the rules for the competition. The MTA has involved years of discussion, in large part because of the complexity of negotiating a set of rules with 29 teams that will satisfy laws in the many different nations. The document has ballooned from 12 to 67 pages.
The discussions have been complicated by the growing number of teams that have signed up over the years at ever rising costs. Initial teams paid a $10,000 registration fee. The fee was subsequently raised to $30,000 in 2009 and to $50,000 for teams that joined after July 1, 2010. Another issue is media and intellectual property rights. The MTA gives the X Prize Foundation nearly total control over these rights once teams commit to a launch, a fact that has caused much consternation among the competitors. (5/27)
The image above is the most complete map of our local universe to date. It took more that ten years to create, has 43,000 galaxies and extends out 380 million light years from the earth. The 3D coordinates of each galaxy was recorded so the raw data could potentially be used to build a realistic 3D model of the universe. Click here. (5/27)
NASA Lays Claim to Atlas 5 Rocket for the Rest of 2011 (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The U.S. Air Force plans to launch navigation and communications satellites on Delta 4 rockets later this year while a battery of NASA payloads, including missions to Jupiter and Mars, occupy the Atlas 5 rocket manifest, according to military officials.
The Pentagon launched the first geostationary Space Based Infrared System satellite, or SBIRS GEO 1, on an Atlas 5 rocket May 7, clearing the way for NASA's Juno and Mars Science Laboratory missions to blast off this summer and fall. The back-to-back NASA missions are keeping some military payloads on the ground, including the U.S. Navy's first Mobile User Objective System narrowband communications satellite. (5/27)
Copenhagen Suborbitals Aims for June 1 Launch (Source: Hobby Space)
The Copenhagen Suborbitals group is counting down to their second launch attempt, which has a window of opportunity opening between June 1-5. The vehicle consists of the Heat 1-X hybrid booster and the TychoBrahe-1 (unmanned) upper module. Click here for details. (5/27)
Venezuela, China to Launch Satellite Next Year (Source: AFP)
Venezuela and China will develop an observation satellite to be built in Asia and launched from South America in 2012, according to Venezuela's science and technology minister. The earth-observation satellite, to be built at a cost of $140 million, would be used to monitor troop movements and illegal mining as well as study climate change and the environment.
The contract was signed by the Venezuelan ministry and the state-owned China Great Wall Industry Corporation. The launch was set for October 2012, four years after the launch of the "Simon Bolivar," the first-ever Venezuelan satellite, named for the Latin American independence hero and also built with Chinese aid. "As with the first satellite, the second will be made available to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean," an official said. (5/27)
NewSpace 2011 Covers Wide Range of Topics, at Ames on Jul. 18-31 (Source: CSA)
The agenda for the NewSpace 2011 Conference is now online and includes discussions on topics like achieving low cost, reliable space access, capitalizing on suborbital space, and mining the potential of Near-Earth Objects. Also included will be a NASA Center Directors Commercial Partnership Roundtable. The conference will be held at the NASA Ames Research Center on July 28-31. Visit http://newspace2011.spacefrontier.org/agenda/ for information. (5/27)
NASA Seeks Commercial Suborbital Flights (Source: Flight Global)
NASA has released a draft RFP seeking bids for providers of suborbital flights. NASA will award an indefinite-quantity, indefinite-delivery contract to multiple selectees. The payloads to be carried are unspecified beyond that they will be dedicated to, "enabling future missions and benefiting America's commercial aerospace industries".
A spokesperson at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center noted that this draft RFP is virtually identical to one issued in 2010 that provided suborbital launches to selected payloads. The awards from that RFP, totalling a half million dollars, went to Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace, both of which are slated to fly in late 2011. (5/27)
Experts: GPS at Risk with LightSquared 4G (Source: Flight Global)
A government/industry panel will warn the FAA in a 3 June report that the expected interference from a new 4G ancillary terrestrial broadband network will cause "complete loss" of GPS receiver functionality. The work is part of a broader six-month technical investigation called for by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its conditional approval of the 4G network in January. (5/27)
SpaceX, Orbital, and NASA Reassure Congress on Commercial Cargo (Source: Space Policy Online)
Representatives of the two companies under contract to provide commercial cargo services to keep the International Space Station (ISS) operating after the shuttle program ends and a top NASA official reassured a congressional subcommittee that they would be ready soon. Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX and Frank Culbertson of Orbital Sciences each told the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics that they are confident they can meet their current schedules. Cargo services will begin in 2012, they asserted.
In press releases immediately after the hearing, Republicans and Democrats sounded perhaps slightly less skeptical than previously, but made clear they will continue to scrutinize the commercial cargo program. The Republicans went further to say that this was just the first in a series of hearings "to provide close oversight of commercial space launch capabilities." (5/27)
Bill Would Keep Political Spending out of Procurement Process (Source: AIA)
Reps. Sam Graves, R-MO, and Darrel Issa, R-CA, have introduced legislation that would ban federal agencies from considering political spending during the procurement process. The bill would block a draft Executive Order that would force contractors to disclose their political spending.
The AIA, Chamber of Commerce and 69 other groups sent a letter to members of the House in support of the measure. "The amendment reaffirms the principle, currently embodied in federal procurement laws, that the Executive Branch has an obligation to procure goods and services based on the best value for the American taxpayer, and not on political considerations," the letter said.
Editor's Note: Seems like this is an effort to avoid the kind of transparency and visibility that is sought through the Executive Order. (5/27)
ASA Marks Anniversary of JFK’s Space Goal, Calls For a New Space Vision (Source: ASA)
The Aerospace States Association (ASA) believes our nation needs to embrace a collaborative vision for space exploration – one that incorporates the monumental knowledge, resources and capabilities developed through our historic Moon, Mars, and other space missions, along with the substantial experience and achievements of other space-faring nations, to chart affordable roadmaps to space.
We must leverage the substantial assets, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit of our private sector in pioneering the space frontier – not only to maximize the potential benefits from research and exploration, but also to facilitate development and utilization of extraterrestrial resources that can benefit people on Earth, as well as support long-term settlements on other worlds.
Finally – and to ensure sustainability – we need an inclusive, “participatory” approach to space enterprise that will engage and empower the public – an online, interactive portal enabling citizens to envision and design future missions to space, which in turn will inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, humanists, artists, educators, doctors, entrepreneurs, and others who ultimately will orchestrate our spaceward migration. (5/27)
ZERO-G Corp. Gains Approval from FAA for Spaceflight Training (Source: ZERO-G)
ZERO-G has received a Safety Approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation. In effect for five years, the approval allows ZERO-G to offer reduced gravity parabolic flight profiles to prospective suborbital launch operators to meet the applicable components of the crew qualification and training requirements outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations (14 C.F.R. § 460.5).
These regulations require crew members to complete training on how to carry out their roles on board or on the ground and to demonstrate the ability to withstand the stresses of spaceflight, which may include high acceleration or deceleration, microgravity, and vibration. (5/27)
One of Two Reflector Antennas Opened on Intelsat New Dawn (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Intelsat has successfully activated the Ku-band communications system on its newest satellite, but the other half of the craft's wireless communications and broadcasting payload remains sidelined by a stuck antenna. The Intelsat New Dawn spacecraft ran into problems deploying its C-band antenna after launching on an Ariane 5 rocket last month, and the 8.8-foot-diameter reflector still won't budge, according to Intelsat officials. (5/27)
Apollo Astronaut: End NASA, Start From Scratch (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Harrison Schmitt, the 12th astronaut to walk on the moon and a former U.S. senator, has called for dismantling NASA and replacing it with a new agency, the National Space Exploration Agency (NSEA), devoted solely to deep-space exploration. Its charter, he believes, should simply be:
"Provide the People of the United States of America, as national security and economic interests demand, with the necessary infrastructure, entrepreneurial partnerships, and human and robotic operational capability to settle the Moon, utilize lunar resources, scientifically explore and settle Mars and other deep space destinations, and, if necessary, divert significant Earth-impacting objects."
Schmitt says NASA’s space science research should be transferred to the NSF, and its climate research to NOAA. He says NASA should sunset two years after the ISS is de-orbited, within the next 10-15 years. In Schmitt’s view these changes are necessary to compete with China and its own ambitions in deep space. In Schmitt’s view these changes are necessary to compete with China and its own ambitions in deep space. (5/27)
Schmitt: New Space Agency Needed to Beat China in New Cold War (Source: Houston Chronicle)
"With the recognition that a second Cold War exists, this time with China and its surrogates, the President and Congress elected in 2012 should create a new National Space Exploration Administration (NSEA)." The new agency must truly be a new agency, beginning with the workforce. Schmitt asserts:
"An almost totally new workforce must be hired and NSEA must have the authority to maintain an average employee age of less than 30. (NASA’s current workforce has an average age over 47.) Only with the imagination, motivation, stamina, and courage of young engineers, scientists, and managers can NSEA be successful in meeting its Cold War II national security goals."
Setting aside the matter of whether we’re in a cold war with China or not, it’s an intriguing idea. Whether it’s realistic is another matter. But I have to admit I’m curious what a streamlined, unshackled NASA with a deep-space exploration mandate could do. (5/27)
Ukrainian Company Explores Florida Launch, Manufacturing Base (Source: SPACErePORT)
A delegation of executives fro Ukraine's Yuzhnoye (builder of the Zenit and Cyclone launch vehicles) is exploring opportunities for basing a new launch vehicle program at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Mayak family of rockets is based on the Zenit and Cyclone vehicles and could be considered Ukraine's answer to Russia's Angara modular family of vehicles (built by rival rocket maker Khrunichev).
The Mayak would feature light, medium and heavy lift versions (8 tons, 20 tons, and 42 tons to LEO, respectively) and would be capable of launching humans. Yuzhnoye is partnered with Excalibur Almaz to carry its commercial space station hardware and astronaut personnel to orbit. In addition to launching Mayak rockets from Florida, the discussion is focusing on opportunities for manufacturing or assembly of the vehicles on the Space Coast.
Without a launch site in Ukriane, Yuzhnoye has been aggressive in building partnerships with foreign launch site partners, including the U.S. (SeaLaunch, Orbital Sciences), Brazil (Alcantara), Russia, and South Africa. Several years ago, a partnership with Aerojet was explored to bring the Cyclone rocket to the Cape. (5/27)
Holdren: Responds to Apollo Astronauts' Op-Ed (Source: USA Today)
Armstrong, Lovell and Cernan are genuine heroes who brought immense courage and competence to the moon missions they led. Obviously, they are more than entitled to their opinions on the best way forward for our space program. But their opinions would be more worthy of attention if they were based on a more accurate understanding of where we are, how we got here, and how President Obama's policy is positioning us to revitalize it with new technology, capabilities and destinations.
The Obama administration inherited a space program in disarray after eight years of mismatch between vision and budgets, and decades of underinvestment in R&D on the technologies that long-duration crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit will require. The course correction that the White House has developed in concert with NASA and Congress will preserve the $100 billion International Space Station as the orbiting science lab and technology test-bed we need to prepare for the next steps in space.
It will shorten the gap between the retirement of the shuttle and the restoration of a U.S. capability to carry our own astronauts into orbit. And it will focus NASA's unparalleled talents on truly visionary goals — developing and using new technologies to send astronauts to an asteroid for the first time, and then moving onward to Mars — rather than spending the bulk of our limited resources to return astronauts to the moon 50 or 60 years after we did that the first time. (5/27)
Editorial: Space Heroes Stuck in the Past (Source: Washington Examiner)
...Actually, NASA was not "focusing on a return to the moon." That's what it was supposed to be doing, but it was instead focusing on building a capsule and an unneeded new rocket to get it to orbit. Getting back to the moon would have required an earth departure stage and a lander, items that were not under development because they didn't fit within the budget. There were never any serious plans for Mars -- the Orion capsule is far too small for such a long journey, and little work was being done to deal with critical issues for such a mission.
The notion that Constellation was underfunded is a myth to which program defenders continue to cling, but it's simply untrue... Mike Griffin raided other budgets to feed the insatiable maw of the Ares rocket program. Constellation's problem was not underfunding -- its problem was that Griffin selected a flawed architecture that couldn't be delivered within the planned budgets, which is why it not only was continually overrunning, but losing more than a year per year in schedule.
...I think, though, what saddens me the most [about the Armstrong/Cernan/Lovell op-ed], is their distortion of the plans for creating a vibrant commercial human spaceflight industry, and their seeming lack of faith in American free enterprise and business... I can only hope that, over time, when dozens and hundreds, even thousands of people are going into space on commercial vehicles in the years to come, and even back to the moon, many at their own expense, they will still be alive to see it and come to regret their misguided attempts to slow down what could have happened earlier with more enlightened policies. (5/27)
Thor 7 Competition Down to Loral Versus Alenia, and Long March Versus Dragon (Source: Space News)
The competition to build the Thor 7 telecommunications satellite for Norway’s Telenor Satellite Broadcasting has been narrowed to two finalists, and may feature the first face-off between the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Chinese Long March rockets. Oslo-based Telenor expects to select a winner in June for a launch in early 2014 of Thor 7, a mixed Ku-/Ka-band satellite. Industry officials said Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., and Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy are the two finalists.
To sweeten its proposal, Loral has included a Falcon 9 rocket in its Thor 7 bid, industry officials said. Loral in March purchased a Falcon 9 vehicle from SpaceX with the expectation that the contract one day would be helpful to a Loral satellite bid. Thales Alenia Space, meanwhile, is able to offer a Chinese Long March rocket because the European manufacturer has developed a product line that is devoid of U.S.-built components subject to the decade-long ban on exports to China. (5/27)
Google Gets Lost on the Way to the Moon (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Nearly four years after it was announced, the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize remains stuck on the ground, tied down by the same type of wrangling and delays that often characterize government space projects it is designed to replace. Rules for the private moon race are still being revised. Teams have had trouble moving ahead due to the uncertainty. Deadlines have been pushed back. And there is deep frustration among competitors over the X Prize Foundation’s efforts to monopolize nearly all of the media and intellectual property (IP) rights from the contest.
The competition’s original goal – to launch a new industry by demonstrating that lunar exploration can be done quickly and cheaply by the private sector – has become lost in a complex process that has left everyone frustrated. The key problem is the still-unfinished Master Team Agreement (MTA), a binding document that includes the rules for the competition. The MTA has involved years of discussion, in large part because of the complexity of negotiating a set of rules with 29 teams that will satisfy laws in the many different nations. The document has ballooned from 12 to 67 pages.
The discussions have been complicated by the growing number of teams that have signed up over the years at ever rising costs. Initial teams paid a $10,000 registration fee. The fee was subsequently raised to $30,000 in 2009 and to $50,000 for teams that joined after July 1, 2010. Another issue is media and intellectual property rights. The MTA gives the X Prize Foundation nearly total control over these rights once teams commit to a launch, a fact that has caused much consternation among the competitors. (5/27)
May 26, 2011
$800M Feather in UA's Cap is So Much More (Source: Arizona Daily Star)
NASA's decision to award the University of Arizona $800 million for a robotic space mission is much more than a mere feather in our local cap. Yes, it will be the largest project the UA has ever had, as principal investigator Mike Drake said. And yes, the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory beat out two other finalists for the NASA New Frontiers grant: a mission to Venus headed by the University of Colorado in Boulder and a mission to the moon led by Washington University in St. Louis.
As important, the new project will deepen and extend the UA's already outstanding reputation in the space-exploration field. A team from the Lunar and Planetary Lab earlier led the Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which cost $428 million and landed a robotic science laboratory on Mars in May 2008. (5/26)
Lawmakers Wary of NASA’s Space Station Logistics Plan (Source: Space News)
Members of a congressional panel questioned the wisdom of NASA’s plan to rely on two commercial companies to handle the critically important job of ferrying cargo to the space station after the space shuttle retires. During a May 26 hearing, Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) accused NASA of “gambling the future of space station on the success of two very new launch systems.”
Hall, who serves as chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, said NASA’s original plan to encourage companies to develop commercial launch capabilities and then award space station logistics contracts through competition was reasonable. The current approach, which is based on the assumption that Orbital Sciences Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will be capable of delivering cargo to the space station starting in 2012, is much riskier because NASA has no backup cargo vehicle to rely upon if the companies encounter severe technical challenges or schedule delays, he said.
“In spite of optimistic projections and even the success of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch and Dragon capsule recovery, NASA’s commercial cargo partners have yet to demonstrate the ability to safely deliver cargo to the international space station,” said Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), chairman of the House Science space and aeronautics subcommittee. (5/26)
Proposals Sought for Spaceport America Visitor Experience (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the Visitor Experience for Spaceport America. "Spaceport America is all about creating new jobs and making New Mexico an even bigger tourism destination,” said Anderson.
The RFP calls for services in the following areas: attraction and exhibit development, visitor facilities design, marketing and branding, fundraising/sponsorship development, and market research services. Complete details are contained in the RFP issued and posted on the Spaceport America website, under the “Proposals” tab, here. (5/26)
PWR Lays Off 300, Including 69 at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Rocket-engine maker Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is laying off about 300 people, including 69 at its facility at Kennedy Space Center, the company said this week. The company, which has powered missions to virtually every planet in the solar system, cited a sluggish economy, uncertainty in the space industry and concerns about government spending as reasons for the job cuts.
The Kennedy layoffs were included in the state's regular announcements of major job reductions around the state. The company said it had already cut back in other areas, reducing spending on facility space, salaries and travel. Salaried workers who are being let go will receive severance packages that include benefits. (5/26)
NASA-Funded Scientists Make Lunar Watershed Discovery (Source: NASA)
A team of NASA-funded researchers has measured for the first time water from the moon in the form of tiny globules of molten rock, which have turned to glass-like material trapped within crystals. Data from these newly-discovered lunar melt inclusions indicate the water content of lunar magma is 100 times higher than previous studies suggested.
The inclusions were found in lunar sample 74220, the famous high-titanium "orange glass soil" of volcanic origin collected during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The scientific team used a state-of-the-art ion microprobe instrument to measure the water content of the inclusions, which were formed during explosive eruptions on the moon approximately 3.7 billion years ago. (5/26)
The Continuing Constellation Underfunding Myth (Source: Transterrestrial Musings)
The Armstrong/Cernan/Lovell op-ed blamed budget cuts for Constellation's troubles, but the numbers tell a different story. The truth is the exact opposite — NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate received $2.4 billion (17%) more than what was promised in the FY 2005 VSE budget. See the year-by-year numbers here.
In every fiscal year with the exception of FY07, Exploration Systems received hundreds of millions of dollars more than what was promised in the FY 2005 VSE budget. It is simply not true that Exploration Systems failed to develop Ares I, Orion, and the rest of Constellation on time due to budget cutbacks. The opposite is the truth — Ares I, Orion, and Constellation failed despite a 17% increase in the Exploration Systems budget. (5/26)
Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case (Source: NASA Watch)
When a witness testifies before this committee they are required to sign a "Truth in Testimony" from which the committee now posts on its hearing website (just look uner each witness' name for links). Yet the hearing charter that the committee posts on its site does not seem to be held to the same high standards. One glaring example:
"The terms of the contracts awarded to SpaceX and Orbital call for delivery of at least 40 metric tons (approximately 88,160 pounds) of cargo to the space station between 2010 and 2015 for $3.5 billion. SpaceX was awarded $1.6 billion to deliver 20 metric tons on 12 cargo resupply missions. Orbital was awarded $1.9 billion to deliver 20 metric tons on 8 cargo resupply missions.... Approximate cost per pound to ISS: Space Shuttle* - $21,268; Russian Progress - $18,149; Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) - $26,770."
Are full shuttle development costs, sustaining engineering, post-Challenger and post-Columbia fixes etc. included? Is any honest attempt whatsoever made to figure out what the development costs (mostly by the communist command economy Soviet Union) were for Soyuz/Progress system? Everyone knows that the Russians pick the highest cost they can get away with (they learned capitalism from us all too well). Yet this committee's staff provides these misleading numbers to the members of the committee to cite as facts. (5/26)
Boeing Exec Outlines Outlook for Defense and Space Unit (Source: Aerospace Daily)
Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing's defense and space unit, warned about long-term concerns related to budget cuts and industrial base health. Muilenburg described the market as "a tough defense environment right now." However, despite an overall reduction of around $18 billion in the fiscal 2011 U.S. defense budget, Boeing will see a $1.2 billion increase. “If you include NASA, that’s a $3 billion increase,” Muilenburg adds. Over the next five years, the company anticipates seeing an overall defense budget reduction of $78 billion in fiscal 2012-16. (5/26)
Tornadoes 2011: Watch Incredible Satellite Footage (Source: Huffington Post))
Americans following the recent tornadoes ravaging through the midwest have been captivated by the shocking amateur and professional footage constantly emerging from the region over the past several weeks. And while shots from the ground strive to capture the intensity of these natural disasters, the following clip taken by the GOES-13 satellite offers a sense of just how massive these storms can get.
The footage, depicting aerial views from space between May 20 and May 25, shows the tornado as it travels from Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri into Mississippi, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. This includes the storms that prompted the horrific Joplin MO tornado on May 22 and the Oklahoma event two days later. Click here. (5/26)
UCF Scientist to Chase Down Asteroid for Historic Mission (Source: UCF)
One of the world’s leading planetary science experts is chasing down a nearby asteroid to help retrieve the first-ever sample from one in orbit. Humberto Campins, a UCF professor who discovered water ice on two different asteroids last year, has just gotten the go-ahead for the NASA-sponsored OSIRIS-REx mission.
The mission is a first-of-its-kind. The actual flight to the nearby asteroid will pose challenges because asteroids have unusual gravity fields and can rotate much quicker than planets. Navigating their space vehicle to land on this type of asteroid – millions of miles away from Earth – and scoop up a sample of “primitive” space rock also will be a first for the team.
While Campins is leaving the navigation to others on the team, he will work with lead investigator Michael Drake from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, on choosing the best spot on the asteroid for obtaining the sample and what this sample will tell us about the origins of life on Earth. The team had eagerly been waiting to see if NASA would select their project from a list of three finalists for a slot in the space agency’s New Frontiers Missions. (5/26)
Virginia Governor Sings Bill to Fund Spaceport Infrastructure (Source: Spaceports Blog)
Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell conducted a ceremonial signing into a law a state tax measure to redirect tax revenue generated from human spaceflights sold by Vienna, Va.-based Space Adventures. The measure is designed to help build commercial space launch infrastructure and support human spaceflights from the Virginia-based commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
SB1447 directs revenues to the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority to support the expansion of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and to support human spaceflight in this decade. Gov. McDonnell noted that the space flight measure "will go far to encourage job creators to choose Virginia and invest in this state." Commercial space launch firms from around the nation are now taking a serious look-see at the space launch facilities at Wallops Island as a result of Virginia space law adopted over the past five years. (5/26)
Hawaii Takes Next Giant Leap With NASA Partnership (Source: Maui Now)
The state entered a new partnership with NASA today that marks a new step for Hawaii in space exploration. NASA and State officials have agreed to collaborate on a range of activities to promote America’s human and robotic exploration of space. The Governor’s office released a media advisory saying the partnership will contribute to the development of education programs and foster economic opportunities including new, high-tech jobs.
Under the agreement, the state is proposing to explore the development of a prototype International Lunar Research Park at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. Plans call for the use of Hawaii’s unique terrain, which is similar to that of the moon and Mars, to enable development and testing of tele-robotic and advanced automated vehicles. (5/26)
Astronomers Detect Most Distant Object in Universe (Source: Voice of America)
Astronomers have detected what is believed to be the most distant object in the universe - the remnants of a star that exploded with a burst of high-energy particles more than 13 billion years ago. Scientists hope the ancient gamma ray blast will shed new light on the formation of the universe. The 10 second gamma ray burst, detected in April 2009, occurred at a distance of 13.14 billion light years from Earth, far beyond any known quasar or galaxy. (5/26)
Ultimate Space Shots Still in Transit (Source: MSNBC)
In these days of instant gratification through digital imagery, it may seem strange that this week's unprecedented pictures of the International Space Station and the shuttle Endeavour linked together in orbit are still being processed. But that's essentially what's going on. The pictures are just now on their way to Moscow, contained on a batch of data-storage cards that are similar to the chips inside your digital camera. The data cards were left inside the Soyuz after it landed, and are due to be airlifted to Moscow on Thursday. (5/26)
Indian Telecom Agency for Auction of Space Spectrum (Source: Economic Times)
The telecoms department wants the lucrative space spectrum to be made available to only a clutch of licenced users through the competitive bidding route. It has recommended an early overhaul of the present system of allocating space airwaves on a first-come-first-served (FCFS) basis.
"The present system of space spectrum allocation should be reviewed by an expert committee to determine a more rational mechanism based on the maximum number of operators for various telecom and broadcasting services that the market can sustain, and thereafter, restrict the number of licensed users through competitive selection mechanisms," says an internal telecoms department note. (5/26)
Reversing Exposure to Radiation (Source: KRIV)
People like astronauts, deep sea divers, and those on the front lines of the nuclear disaster in Japan, are at a heightened risk for radiation. Finding a way to reverse radiation damage has been a huge challenge for the medical community. That is until now. NASA, the Johnson Space Center, several research centers, and a local company are hopeful they may have found the key to unlock the mystery.
"We put together a team of combined academia, the University of Pittsburgh, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Center for Space, as well as the industry. Amerisciences and NASA all working together to develop a formula to help crew members to resist radiation and oxidative stress while they're in space," says Dr. Jones. This group developed a special recipe, and Houston-based AmeriSciences produced the product.
"We have never had a good way to reverse radiation damage, at least not that I know of, and particularly that you can have a food-based product at the center of it makes it even more attractive. In other words, you don't have to take chemotherapy or some kind of strong drug to do it. You can actually have a food-based product to offset the effects," says Dr. Sabbagh. Click here to see the article. (5/26)
From Russia with Thrust (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
One of the little-noticed secrets of the worldwide launch industry is in the amount of Russian hardware and design experience that has gone into non-Russian rockets – including a good chunk of the U.S. industry. There also might be a bit of scandal involved, as one Russian manufacturer is accused of selling engines to United Launch Alliance for half price.
The Russian Comptroller's Office said Energomash sold its RD-180 rocket engines at half the production cost, according to a short report by RIA Novosti, losing $32 million as a result between 2008 and 2009. The RD-180 is at the heart of the Atlas V rocket built by Lockheed Martin and has been used on over 20 Atlas family launches, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a number of military and National Reconnaissance (i.e., spy) satellites, and the Air Force's X-37B orbital test vehicle. Click here to read the article. (5/26) http://satellite.tmcnet.com/topics/satellite/articles/178994-from-russia-with-thrust.htm
Did Armstrong, Lovell and Cernan Miss the Point? (Source: Space Politics)
Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan, in their op-ed, lament a lack of vision they see from the Obama administration. Here's an excerpt: "[Constellation] program enjoyed near-unanimous support, being approved and endorsed by the Bush administration and by both Democratic and Republican Congresses. However, due to its congressionally authorized funding falling victim to [OMB] cuts, earmarks and other unexpected financial diversions, Constellation fell behind schedule. An administration-appointed review committee concluded the Constellation program was “not viable” due to inadequate funding."
Funding originally projected for carrying out the Vision for Space Exploration didn’t materialize in later-year requests of the Bush Administration or in the appropriations bills passed by Congress. If there really was “near-unanimous support” for Constellation, then fully funding it shouldn’t have been a problem, right? What Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan miss in their op-ed is the current muddled situation regarding human spaceflight is not itself the problem, but instead a symptom of a deeper issue: space simply doesn’t have the same priority as it did 50 years ago, when it served as a proxy battlefield for the Cold War.
It’s easy to “support” a program by passing authorization legislation that provides policy direction but doesn’t include funding; backing up that policy with the funding needed to implement has been much more difficult, as recent years have demonstrated. Moreover, it’s not likely to get any easier in the years to come as members of Congress seek to cut federal spending. The challenge today is either to come up with a new compelling rationale for human spaceflight that makes it a higher priority and thus wins support for additional funding, or to find new ways to make do with less. (5/26)
Hearing Focuses on Perceived Higher Cost of Commercial Cargo (Source: Space Policy Online)
The hearing charter, prepared by committee staff, contains a table showing that the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) NASA is purchasing from SpaceX and Orbital Sciences will cost $26,700 per pound to ISS. By comparison, the cost for launch on the shuttle is $21,268 and on Russia's Progress is $18,149. The cost data do not include development costs, are considered proprietary information by the companies, and the shuttle costs assume four flights per year with a capability to deliver 16 metric tons to the ISS at a total annual program cost of $3 billion.
The document notes further that the costs for CRS would be higher if they were calculated the same way the shuttle costs were derived, by dividing the total CRS program cost by the mass delivered to the ISS. That cost would be $39,700 per pound. Other figures in the charter show that NASA will have spent $1.254 billion on commercial cargo by the end of FY2011 and its budget projections call for spending just over $5 billion for CRS between FY2011 and FY2016.
Committee staff also point out in the document that NASA was not supposed to sign contracts for any CRS until the companies had demonstrated their commercially-developed capabilities, but NASA has signed such contracts anyway and is using them to make progress payments to the companies. That means NASA "assumed significantly more risk for ensuring the success of the cargo providers," according to the document. (5/26)
NASA's decision to award the University of Arizona $800 million for a robotic space mission is much more than a mere feather in our local cap. Yes, it will be the largest project the UA has ever had, as principal investigator Mike Drake said. And yes, the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory beat out two other finalists for the NASA New Frontiers grant: a mission to Venus headed by the University of Colorado in Boulder and a mission to the moon led by Washington University in St. Louis.
As important, the new project will deepen and extend the UA's already outstanding reputation in the space-exploration field. A team from the Lunar and Planetary Lab earlier led the Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which cost $428 million and landed a robotic science laboratory on Mars in May 2008. (5/26)
Lawmakers Wary of NASA’s Space Station Logistics Plan (Source: Space News)
Members of a congressional panel questioned the wisdom of NASA’s plan to rely on two commercial companies to handle the critically important job of ferrying cargo to the space station after the space shuttle retires. During a May 26 hearing, Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) accused NASA of “gambling the future of space station on the success of two very new launch systems.”
Hall, who serves as chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, said NASA’s original plan to encourage companies to develop commercial launch capabilities and then award space station logistics contracts through competition was reasonable. The current approach, which is based on the assumption that Orbital Sciences Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will be capable of delivering cargo to the space station starting in 2012, is much riskier because NASA has no backup cargo vehicle to rely upon if the companies encounter severe technical challenges or schedule delays, he said.
“In spite of optimistic projections and even the success of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch and Dragon capsule recovery, NASA’s commercial cargo partners have yet to demonstrate the ability to safely deliver cargo to the international space station,” said Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), chairman of the House Science space and aeronautics subcommittee. (5/26)
Proposals Sought for Spaceport America Visitor Experience (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the Visitor Experience for Spaceport America. "Spaceport America is all about creating new jobs and making New Mexico an even bigger tourism destination,” said Anderson.
The RFP calls for services in the following areas: attraction and exhibit development, visitor facilities design, marketing and branding, fundraising/sponsorship development, and market research services. Complete details are contained in the RFP issued and posted on the Spaceport America website, under the “Proposals” tab, here. (5/26)
PWR Lays Off 300, Including 69 at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Rocket-engine maker Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is laying off about 300 people, including 69 at its facility at Kennedy Space Center, the company said this week. The company, which has powered missions to virtually every planet in the solar system, cited a sluggish economy, uncertainty in the space industry and concerns about government spending as reasons for the job cuts.
The Kennedy layoffs were included in the state's regular announcements of major job reductions around the state. The company said it had already cut back in other areas, reducing spending on facility space, salaries and travel. Salaried workers who are being let go will receive severance packages that include benefits. (5/26)
NASA-Funded Scientists Make Lunar Watershed Discovery (Source: NASA)
A team of NASA-funded researchers has measured for the first time water from the moon in the form of tiny globules of molten rock, which have turned to glass-like material trapped within crystals. Data from these newly-discovered lunar melt inclusions indicate the water content of lunar magma is 100 times higher than previous studies suggested.
The inclusions were found in lunar sample 74220, the famous high-titanium "orange glass soil" of volcanic origin collected during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The scientific team used a state-of-the-art ion microprobe instrument to measure the water content of the inclusions, which were formed during explosive eruptions on the moon approximately 3.7 billion years ago. (5/26)
The Continuing Constellation Underfunding Myth (Source: Transterrestrial Musings)
The Armstrong/Cernan/Lovell op-ed blamed budget cuts for Constellation's troubles, but the numbers tell a different story. The truth is the exact opposite — NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate received $2.4 billion (17%) more than what was promised in the FY 2005 VSE budget. See the year-by-year numbers here.
In every fiscal year with the exception of FY07, Exploration Systems received hundreds of millions of dollars more than what was promised in the FY 2005 VSE budget. It is simply not true that Exploration Systems failed to develop Ares I, Orion, and the rest of Constellation on time due to budget cutbacks. The opposite is the truth — Ares I, Orion, and Constellation failed despite a 17% increase in the Exploration Systems budget. (5/26)
Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case (Source: NASA Watch)
When a witness testifies before this committee they are required to sign a "Truth in Testimony" from which the committee now posts on its hearing website (just look uner each witness' name for links). Yet the hearing charter that the committee posts on its site does not seem to be held to the same high standards. One glaring example:
"The terms of the contracts awarded to SpaceX and Orbital call for delivery of at least 40 metric tons (approximately 88,160 pounds) of cargo to the space station between 2010 and 2015 for $3.5 billion. SpaceX was awarded $1.6 billion to deliver 20 metric tons on 12 cargo resupply missions. Orbital was awarded $1.9 billion to deliver 20 metric tons on 8 cargo resupply missions.... Approximate cost per pound to ISS: Space Shuttle* - $21,268; Russian Progress - $18,149; Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) - $26,770."
Are full shuttle development costs, sustaining engineering, post-Challenger and post-Columbia fixes etc. included? Is any honest attempt whatsoever made to figure out what the development costs (mostly by the communist command economy Soviet Union) were for Soyuz/Progress system? Everyone knows that the Russians pick the highest cost they can get away with (they learned capitalism from us all too well). Yet this committee's staff provides these misleading numbers to the members of the committee to cite as facts. (5/26)
Boeing Exec Outlines Outlook for Defense and Space Unit (Source: Aerospace Daily)
Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing's defense and space unit, warned about long-term concerns related to budget cuts and industrial base health. Muilenburg described the market as "a tough defense environment right now." However, despite an overall reduction of around $18 billion in the fiscal 2011 U.S. defense budget, Boeing will see a $1.2 billion increase. “If you include NASA, that’s a $3 billion increase,” Muilenburg adds. Over the next five years, the company anticipates seeing an overall defense budget reduction of $78 billion in fiscal 2012-16. (5/26)
Tornadoes 2011: Watch Incredible Satellite Footage (Source: Huffington Post))
Americans following the recent tornadoes ravaging through the midwest have been captivated by the shocking amateur and professional footage constantly emerging from the region over the past several weeks. And while shots from the ground strive to capture the intensity of these natural disasters, the following clip taken by the GOES-13 satellite offers a sense of just how massive these storms can get.
The footage, depicting aerial views from space between May 20 and May 25, shows the tornado as it travels from Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri into Mississippi, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. This includes the storms that prompted the horrific Joplin MO tornado on May 22 and the Oklahoma event two days later. Click here. (5/26)
UCF Scientist to Chase Down Asteroid for Historic Mission (Source: UCF)
One of the world’s leading planetary science experts is chasing down a nearby asteroid to help retrieve the first-ever sample from one in orbit. Humberto Campins, a UCF professor who discovered water ice on two different asteroids last year, has just gotten the go-ahead for the NASA-sponsored OSIRIS-REx mission.
The mission is a first-of-its-kind. The actual flight to the nearby asteroid will pose challenges because asteroids have unusual gravity fields and can rotate much quicker than planets. Navigating their space vehicle to land on this type of asteroid – millions of miles away from Earth – and scoop up a sample of “primitive” space rock also will be a first for the team.
While Campins is leaving the navigation to others on the team, he will work with lead investigator Michael Drake from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, on choosing the best spot on the asteroid for obtaining the sample and what this sample will tell us about the origins of life on Earth. The team had eagerly been waiting to see if NASA would select their project from a list of three finalists for a slot in the space agency’s New Frontiers Missions. (5/26)
Virginia Governor Sings Bill to Fund Spaceport Infrastructure (Source: Spaceports Blog)
Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell conducted a ceremonial signing into a law a state tax measure to redirect tax revenue generated from human spaceflights sold by Vienna, Va.-based Space Adventures. The measure is designed to help build commercial space launch infrastructure and support human spaceflights from the Virginia-based commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
SB1447 directs revenues to the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority to support the expansion of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and to support human spaceflight in this decade. Gov. McDonnell noted that the space flight measure "will go far to encourage job creators to choose Virginia and invest in this state." Commercial space launch firms from around the nation are now taking a serious look-see at the space launch facilities at Wallops Island as a result of Virginia space law adopted over the past five years. (5/26)
Hawaii Takes Next Giant Leap With NASA Partnership (Source: Maui Now)
The state entered a new partnership with NASA today that marks a new step for Hawaii in space exploration. NASA and State officials have agreed to collaborate on a range of activities to promote America’s human and robotic exploration of space. The Governor’s office released a media advisory saying the partnership will contribute to the development of education programs and foster economic opportunities including new, high-tech jobs.
Under the agreement, the state is proposing to explore the development of a prototype International Lunar Research Park at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. Plans call for the use of Hawaii’s unique terrain, which is similar to that of the moon and Mars, to enable development and testing of tele-robotic and advanced automated vehicles. (5/26)
Astronomers Detect Most Distant Object in Universe (Source: Voice of America)
Astronomers have detected what is believed to be the most distant object in the universe - the remnants of a star that exploded with a burst of high-energy particles more than 13 billion years ago. Scientists hope the ancient gamma ray blast will shed new light on the formation of the universe. The 10 second gamma ray burst, detected in April 2009, occurred at a distance of 13.14 billion light years from Earth, far beyond any known quasar or galaxy. (5/26)
Ultimate Space Shots Still in Transit (Source: MSNBC)
In these days of instant gratification through digital imagery, it may seem strange that this week's unprecedented pictures of the International Space Station and the shuttle Endeavour linked together in orbit are still being processed. But that's essentially what's going on. The pictures are just now on their way to Moscow, contained on a batch of data-storage cards that are similar to the chips inside your digital camera. The data cards were left inside the Soyuz after it landed, and are due to be airlifted to Moscow on Thursday. (5/26)
Indian Telecom Agency for Auction of Space Spectrum (Source: Economic Times)
The telecoms department wants the lucrative space spectrum to be made available to only a clutch of licenced users through the competitive bidding route. It has recommended an early overhaul of the present system of allocating space airwaves on a first-come-first-served (FCFS) basis.
"The present system of space spectrum allocation should be reviewed by an expert committee to determine a more rational mechanism based on the maximum number of operators for various telecom and broadcasting services that the market can sustain, and thereafter, restrict the number of licensed users through competitive selection mechanisms," says an internal telecoms department note. (5/26)
Reversing Exposure to Radiation (Source: KRIV)
People like astronauts, deep sea divers, and those on the front lines of the nuclear disaster in Japan, are at a heightened risk for radiation. Finding a way to reverse radiation damage has been a huge challenge for the medical community. That is until now. NASA, the Johnson Space Center, several research centers, and a local company are hopeful they may have found the key to unlock the mystery.
"We put together a team of combined academia, the University of Pittsburgh, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Center for Space, as well as the industry. Amerisciences and NASA all working together to develop a formula to help crew members to resist radiation and oxidative stress while they're in space," says Dr. Jones. This group developed a special recipe, and Houston-based AmeriSciences produced the product.
"We have never had a good way to reverse radiation damage, at least not that I know of, and particularly that you can have a food-based product at the center of it makes it even more attractive. In other words, you don't have to take chemotherapy or some kind of strong drug to do it. You can actually have a food-based product to offset the effects," says Dr. Sabbagh. Click here to see the article. (5/26)
From Russia with Thrust (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
One of the little-noticed secrets of the worldwide launch industry is in the amount of Russian hardware and design experience that has gone into non-Russian rockets – including a good chunk of the U.S. industry. There also might be a bit of scandal involved, as one Russian manufacturer is accused of selling engines to United Launch Alliance for half price.
The Russian Comptroller's Office said Energomash sold its RD-180 rocket engines at half the production cost, according to a short report by RIA Novosti, losing $32 million as a result between 2008 and 2009. The RD-180 is at the heart of the Atlas V rocket built by Lockheed Martin and has been used on over 20 Atlas family launches, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a number of military and National Reconnaissance (i.e., spy) satellites, and the Air Force's X-37B orbital test vehicle. Click here to read the article. (5/26) http://satellite.tmcnet.com/topics/satellite/articles/178994-from-russia-with-thrust.htm
Did Armstrong, Lovell and Cernan Miss the Point? (Source: Space Politics)
Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan, in their op-ed, lament a lack of vision they see from the Obama administration. Here's an excerpt: "[Constellation] program enjoyed near-unanimous support, being approved and endorsed by the Bush administration and by both Democratic and Republican Congresses. However, due to its congressionally authorized funding falling victim to [OMB] cuts, earmarks and other unexpected financial diversions, Constellation fell behind schedule. An administration-appointed review committee concluded the Constellation program was “not viable” due to inadequate funding."
Funding originally projected for carrying out the Vision for Space Exploration didn’t materialize in later-year requests of the Bush Administration or in the appropriations bills passed by Congress. If there really was “near-unanimous support” for Constellation, then fully funding it shouldn’t have been a problem, right? What Armstrong, Lovell, and Cernan miss in their op-ed is the current muddled situation regarding human spaceflight is not itself the problem, but instead a symptom of a deeper issue: space simply doesn’t have the same priority as it did 50 years ago, when it served as a proxy battlefield for the Cold War.
It’s easy to “support” a program by passing authorization legislation that provides policy direction but doesn’t include funding; backing up that policy with the funding needed to implement has been much more difficult, as recent years have demonstrated. Moreover, it’s not likely to get any easier in the years to come as members of Congress seek to cut federal spending. The challenge today is either to come up with a new compelling rationale for human spaceflight that makes it a higher priority and thus wins support for additional funding, or to find new ways to make do with less. (5/26)
Hearing Focuses on Perceived Higher Cost of Commercial Cargo (Source: Space Policy Online)
The hearing charter, prepared by committee staff, contains a table showing that the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) NASA is purchasing from SpaceX and Orbital Sciences will cost $26,700 per pound to ISS. By comparison, the cost for launch on the shuttle is $21,268 and on Russia's Progress is $18,149. The cost data do not include development costs, are considered proprietary information by the companies, and the shuttle costs assume four flights per year with a capability to deliver 16 metric tons to the ISS at a total annual program cost of $3 billion.
The document notes further that the costs for CRS would be higher if they were calculated the same way the shuttle costs were derived, by dividing the total CRS program cost by the mass delivered to the ISS. That cost would be $39,700 per pound. Other figures in the charter show that NASA will have spent $1.254 billion on commercial cargo by the end of FY2011 and its budget projections call for spending just over $5 billion for CRS between FY2011 and FY2016.
Committee staff also point out in the document that NASA was not supposed to sign contracts for any CRS until the companies had demonstrated their commercially-developed capabilities, but NASA has signed such contracts anyway and is using them to make progress payments to the companies. That means NASA "assumed significantly more risk for ensuring the success of the cargo providers," according to the document. (5/26)
May 25, 2011
Apollo Astronauts Attack Obama (Source: SpaceKSC Blog)
In a joint opinion column, Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan attack the Obama administration's human space flight policies. It's a shameful spin of disinformation that distorts the history behind how President Kennedy came to propose the Moon program, falsely claims that all was well with Constellation until it "fell behind schedule" due to "congressionally authorized funding falling victim to Office of Management and Budget cuts, earmarks and other unexpected financial diversions," and overlooks that Congress approved cancellation of Constellation.
They claim Obama’s advisers, in searching for a new and different NASA strategy with which the president could be favorably identified, ignored NASA’s operational mandate and strayed widely from President Kennedy’s vision and the will of the American people. So what?! Kennedy's "vision" was to put a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and return him safely to the Earth. Mission accomplished.
Why should we be shackled to an obsolete "vision" that has no relevance in the modern era where we collaborate with our former Russian rivals? And as for "the will of the American people," time and again polls have shown that national "will" is quite tepid for a government human space flight program, with many preferring it be privatized. I'm grateful to these three astronauts for their service to our country. But such lies and distortions only tarnish their legacy in my mind. (5/25)
JFK Library Releases Tape of JFK-Webb Meeting in 1963 (Source: Space Policy Online)
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library chose today, the 50th anniversary of JFK's speech to Congress that initiated the Apollo program, to finally release a 1963 tape of a meeting between the President and then NASA Administrator James Webb. During the September 18, 1963 meeting, President Kennedy expresses reservations about the Apollo program, especially that if it was not linked to military purposes it would look like a "stunt."
He also asks what part of it would be accomplished while he was President assuming he was reelected (his second term would have ended on January 2, 1969 if he had lived and been reelected). Administrator Webb tells him that the landing on the Moon would not be accomplished by then, though a fly by would be, but something very important to the nation would be achieved during Kennedy's presidency.
"But I will tell you what will be accomplished while we're President and it will be one of the most important things that's been done in this nation. A basic need to use technology for total national power. That's going to come out of the space program more than any single thing," says Webb. Kennedy asks if the same thing could be accomplised less expensively using "instruments." Webb replies no, adding later: "And I predict you are not going to be sorry, no Sir, that you did this." (5/25)
NASA to Launch Asteroid Sample-Return Mission in 2016 (Source: Space Policy Online)
NASA announced this afternoon that it will launch a sample-return mission to an asteroid in 2016 as the next in its New Frontiers series of planetary exploration spacecraft. Charles Bolden said the Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS Rex) is a "critical step" in meeting President Obama's objective to "extend our reach beyond low-Earth orbit." Robotic missions will "pave the way for future human space missions," he added.
OSIRIS-ReX will take four years to reach its destination, a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) designated 1999 RQ36. After mapping the surface of the 1,900 foot diameter asteroid to determine the best spot from which to extract samples, a robotic arm will reach out to collect two ounces of material. The sample will return to Earth in 2023 in a container similar to what was used for NASA's Stardust mission that returned samples of a comet. It will land at Utah's Test and Training Range and then be taken to Johnson Space Center.
The mission is expected to cost $800 million, not including launch costs. During a media teleconference this afternoon, NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green said that he will not know the cost of the launch vehicle until closer to the launch date, but he anticipates that the total mission cost will be about $1 billion. Michael Drake of the University of Arizona in Tucson is the principal investigator for the mission, which will be managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The spacecraft will be built by Lockheed Martin. (5/25)
Hollywood, We Have Liftoff (Source: TripAlertz)
Could Lady Gaga get to wow the cosmos with her wardrobe? Will Team Conan or Team Fallon reign supreme? Is space the place for Charlie Sheen to cool his jets? It's the public votes that determine who will win an "Epic Journey into Space" with collective buying travel site TripAlertz.com, which vows to blast off voters' chosen celebrity thanks to a space travel partnership with XCOR Aerospace.
Those who cast their ballot will be automatically entered to win an all-expense paid trip to Orlando, Fla., including VIP tickets to Kennedy Space Center, a three-night premium hotel stay, meals and airfare. What's more, those who vote in the next month will be entered to win the same star treatment as the winning celebrity - an "out of this world" trip through the ozone themselves. Click here for information. (5/25)
Miami-Dade Group Meets with Air Force to Win OK for Aerospace Show (Source: Miami Today)
The Beacon Council says it's confident it will get the go-ahead from the military for a massive commercial air show slated to be held near Homestead Air Reserve Base in 2012. The county's economic development agency this month sent staff and board members to Washington to meet with Florida lawmakers and Air Force leadership for permission to use 54 acres adjacent to the base and its runway during the show.
The military's nod is crucial in order for the Beacon Council to receive the $7.5 million that Miami-Dade commissioners recently voted to use to fund improvements on the show's site. The Beacon Council has pitched the show, to be held in summer 2012, as a five-day event that could pull in about 200,000 public attendees, house more than 800 exhibitors and generate up to $100 million in hotel reservations, day pass sales and parking. (5/25)
Behind the Scenes at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (Source: WTKR)
Click here to view a WTKR television news segment highlighting work ongoing at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) to accommodate commercial cargo launches to the International Space Station. (5/25)
Europe Positioned To Order Additional Galileo Satellites Soon (Source: Space News)
European governments expect to be able to finance additional Galileo navigation and timing satellites in short order as they seek to spend the full 3.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) they have been given for the overbudget program through 2013. The exact number of additional satellites will depend on final negotiations for two Galileo ground-infrastructure contracts, expected to be signed in mid-June. Only then will the commission know how much uncommitted money it has left in the current Galileo budget. (5/25)
U.S. Army Wants Tiny Satellites as Orbital Spies (Source: Space.com)
The United States Army is making a serious push to launch swarms of tiny, inexpensive spy satellites, which would serve as eyes and ears for soldiers on the ground. The move is an attempt to adapt to the changing nature of warfare, which increasingly requires small bands of American soldiers to hunt down elusive targets in rough, isolated terrain. The first of these nanosatellites launched in December 2010, marking the first time an Army-built satellite made it to orbit since 1960. And many more could be coming soon, Army officials said. (5/25)
Orion Will Slow Down For Heavy-lift Launcher (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA will continue its contract with Lockheed Martin for development of the George W. Bush-era Orion crew exploration vehicle, rechristened the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) by Congress, but it will stretch out the contract while it figures out how to build a heavy-lift “Space Launch System” (SLS) to carry it beyond low Earth orbit. NASA has spent about $5 billion on Orion since it was started as the shuttle follow-on under the Constellation program. Now that it is being “phased” with the SLS, managers don’t know yet what it will cost to complete the development. (5/25)
Comet Chunk Slams Into Earth's Atmosphere (Source: Discovery)
Residents of Atlanta, Ga., were treated to a rare event on Friday night: a 2-meter wide chunk of cometary material entered the atmosphere right above their heads. The result? Nothing short of spectacular. The fireball exploded and disintegrated like the dying embers of a firework, once-icy debris lighting up the sky, outshining the moon. The fascinating thing about this piece of comet is that it had a rather special orbit. (5/25)
Solar System's Big Bbully Leaves Others Looking Flat (Source: New Scientist)
Exoplanet systems around other stars are surprisingly flat compared with our own. The discovery means that the solar system must have had a far more colourful history than many of its counterparts and is forcing astronomers to rethink their ideas about the way planetary systems form. The new findings come from NASA's Kepler spacecraft, which has spent the past two years looking for the telltale dimming of nearby stars as planets pass in front of them. So far it has looked at 155,000 stars and found 1000 with signs of planets. (5/25)
'Sex on the Moon' Chronicles an Out-Of-This-World Heist (Source: USA Today)
Ben Mezrich writes about a NASA trainee who stole 17 pounds of moon rocks to impress a girl in his new book Sex on the Moon. Why it's hot: Movie rights have been bought by Sony. The studio also turned Mezrich's last book, The Accidental Billionaires, about the origins of Facebook, into the hit film The Social Network. A taste: "He had promised her the moon. The difference was, Thad Roberts was the first man who was actually going to keep that promise." (5/25)
New Mars Rover to Probe the Secrets of the Red Planet (Source: Telegraph)
NASA is giving up on recovering the Mars rover Spirit, which believes has fallen victim to the planet's frigid winter after seven years of work. Instead, it is sending a new rover to Mars to tackle the question of whether the planet has or ever had the chemistry to support life. The rover, which is yet to be named, is under construction and is slated for launch in November.
Part of the spacecraft's launch preparations were put on hold, however, after a crane accident which involved part of the protective aeroshell cover for the $2 billion Mars Science Laboratory. The rover must be launched between Nov. 25 and Dec. 18 when Earth and Mars are optimally aligned for the nine-month journey to Mars or face a two-year delay. (5/25)
Bigelow Presentation Reveals Details on Company's Space Station Plans (Source: OnOrbit)
Robert Bigelow presented a series of charts at the recent International Space Development Conference which outline his company's interesting product line of inflatable/expandable modular spacecraft. The charts are posted online here. (5/25)
New Mexico Launch Carries Cremated Human Remains and Science Experiments (Source: Space.com)
The UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL rocket launched to the edge of space and returned late last week. The unmanned rocket was packed with science experiments, cremated human remains, wedding rings and other items. "These missions create enthusiasm and interest in science and technology," said Pat Hynes, director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. (5/25)
Spacewalking Astronaut Gets Stinging Soap in Eye (Source: AP)
A spacewalking astronaut got soap in his eye and almost had to retreat into the safety of the International Space Station on Wednesday. Andrew Feustel said it stung "like crazy." But several minutes later, he said he was feeling better and the third spacewalk of shuttle Endeavour's final voyage continued as planned for about seven hours. The incident came as the spacewalk hit the five-hour mark. Feustel and Mike Fincke had just finished running power cables from the U.S. side of the orbiting house to the Russian half. (5/25)
Egypt Finds 17 Lost Pyramids with NASA Help (Source: Global Post)
A new satellite survey of Egypt reportedly found 17 lost pyramids along with more than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements. The survey used infra-red images to detect underground buildings, the BBC reports. Satellites above the earth were equipped with cameras that could pin-point objects on the earth's surface. The infra-red imaging then highlighted different materials under the surface, it states. The work was done by a NASA-sponsored laboratory in Birmingham, Alabama. Editor's Note: More Muslim outreach for NASA? (5/25)
Stuck Solar Array Threatens Telesat’s South America Push (Source: Space News)
The Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 telecommunications satellite launched May 21 has failed to deploy one of its two solar arrays, a defect that, if permanent, will curtail owner Telesat Canada’s growth plans in South America. The satellite’s south array has fully deployed and is providing power, but the north array has not. Telesat said that if the situation is not corrected, Telstar 14R will be able to provide “at a minimum” the same level of service of the satellite it is replacing. (5/25)
SpaceX Responds Angrily to Critical Article in Forbes Magazine (Source: Daily Breeze)
SpaceX is used to sometimes fawning praise from the media. But when the company was criticized in a long piece on the website of financial magazine Forbes, the firm responded angrily. On Monday, Loren Thompson, a prominent aerospace and defense industry analyst from the Lexington Institute think tank, quested why NASA was giving so much money to SpaceX.
SpaceX Vice President of Corporate Communications Robert Block accused Thompson of a "transparent agenda to discredit commercial space providers." Block said that Thompson had a conflict of interest because he is a paid consultant for Lockheed Martin Corp., "which competes with SpaceX in various space ventures." In an interview Tuesday, Thompson said he stood by his "thoroughly researched" Forbes piece. He added that he could have expanded further on SpaceX's "cost problems, their scheduling delays, their launch failures." Thompson also confirmed his work for Lockheed as well as other aerospace firms. (5/25)
Armstrong, Lovell, Cernan Ask: Is Obama Grounding JFK's Space Legacy? (Source: Florida Today)
Was President Kennedy a dreamer, a visionary, or simply politically astute? We may never know, but he had the courage to make that bold proposal 50 years ago. President Obama’s proposed 2011 budget did not include funds for Constellation, essentially canceling the program. It sent shock waves throughout NASA, the Congress and the American people. Nearly $10 billion had been invested in design and development of the program.
Many respected experts and members of Congress voiced concern about the president’s proposal. Some supported the president’s plan, but most were critical. The supporters’ biases were often evident, particularly when there was a vested or economic interest in the outcome. Obama’s advisers, in searching for a new and different NASA strategy with which the president could be favorably identified, ignored NASA’s operational mandate and strayed widely from President Kennedy’s vision and the will of the American people.
Kennedy launched America on that new ocean. For 50 years, we explored the waters to become the leader in space exploration. Today, under the announced objectives, the voyage is over. John F. Kennedy would have been sorely disappointed. Editor's Note: The authors say Obama's supporters are biased because they have vested economic interests in the outcome of his policy. They ignore that Constellation's supporters had much greater vested interests. (5/25)
Editorial: Speaking of Political Bias (Source: Florida Today)
I'm sure Obama would love to be the person who put a man on Mars or even just back to the moon, but seeing as how half the country is holding a knife to his throat and screaming, make cuts, make cuts, make cuts, how can we turn around and kvetch that he does just that? It's the EXACT same suggestion, privatizing Space, that Conservative think tanks have pushed for a long time. Here's the Heritage Foundation back in 1988 applauding Reagan for the idea. And here's the Intellectual Conservative praising the Bush Administration for the same thing in 1995.
But now that Obama is advancing the policy, it's the worst thing we could do according to conservatives? If that's not the biggest case of political bias, I don't what is. Please explain to me why it was a fantastic idea during EVERY one of the last conservative administrations but not during Obama's? I beg you, explain that one to me. (5/25)
Northrop Nabs $429M Contract Mod for New Defense Weather Sats (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman of Los Angeles was awarded a $429.9 million contract modification to allow it to begin working toward new military requirements for the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS). Northrop Grumman was the prime contractor for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) that was being designed to provide both military and civilian weather information. (5/25)
Congressional Reaction to NASA's Orion/MPCV Decision (Source: Space Politics)
“This is a good thing,” Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said. The decision “shows real progress towards the goal of exploring deep space” and also helps Florida, he added, since hundreds will be employed at KSC to process the MPCV for launch. NASA administrator Charles Bolden called Nelson personally to inform him of the decision. In that call, Bolden told the senator that soon “NASA will be making further decisions with regard to the ‘transportation architecture’ of a big deep space rocket.”
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) also supported the decision. “After more than a year of uncertainty and delay, NASA has come to the same conclusion that it reached years ago — Orion is the vehicle that will advance our human exploration in space,” she said. She reminded NASA, though, that it “must continue to follow law” and announce plans for the SLS. “NASA needs to follow this important step by quickly finalizing and announcing the heavy lift launch vehicle configuration so that work can accelerate and the requirements of the law can be met.”
“This was the only fiscally and technologically prudent decision that NASA could make,” Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) said in a statement. “With this decision NASA can continue to build on current projects and investments rather than further delay with unnecessary procurements.” (5/25)
In a joint opinion column, Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan attack the Obama administration's human space flight policies. It's a shameful spin of disinformation that distorts the history behind how President Kennedy came to propose the Moon program, falsely claims that all was well with Constellation until it "fell behind schedule" due to "congressionally authorized funding falling victim to Office of Management and Budget cuts, earmarks and other unexpected financial diversions," and overlooks that Congress approved cancellation of Constellation.
They claim Obama’s advisers, in searching for a new and different NASA strategy with which the president could be favorably identified, ignored NASA’s operational mandate and strayed widely from President Kennedy’s vision and the will of the American people. So what?! Kennedy's "vision" was to put a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and return him safely to the Earth. Mission accomplished.
Why should we be shackled to an obsolete "vision" that has no relevance in the modern era where we collaborate with our former Russian rivals? And as for "the will of the American people," time and again polls have shown that national "will" is quite tepid for a government human space flight program, with many preferring it be privatized. I'm grateful to these three astronauts for their service to our country. But such lies and distortions only tarnish their legacy in my mind. (5/25)
JFK Library Releases Tape of JFK-Webb Meeting in 1963 (Source: Space Policy Online)
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library chose today, the 50th anniversary of JFK's speech to Congress that initiated the Apollo program, to finally release a 1963 tape of a meeting between the President and then NASA Administrator James Webb. During the September 18, 1963 meeting, President Kennedy expresses reservations about the Apollo program, especially that if it was not linked to military purposes it would look like a "stunt."
He also asks what part of it would be accomplished while he was President assuming he was reelected (his second term would have ended on January 2, 1969 if he had lived and been reelected). Administrator Webb tells him that the landing on the Moon would not be accomplished by then, though a fly by would be, but something very important to the nation would be achieved during Kennedy's presidency.
"But I will tell you what will be accomplished while we're President and it will be one of the most important things that's been done in this nation. A basic need to use technology for total national power. That's going to come out of the space program more than any single thing," says Webb. Kennedy asks if the same thing could be accomplised less expensively using "instruments." Webb replies no, adding later: "And I predict you are not going to be sorry, no Sir, that you did this." (5/25)
NASA to Launch Asteroid Sample-Return Mission in 2016 (Source: Space Policy Online)
NASA announced this afternoon that it will launch a sample-return mission to an asteroid in 2016 as the next in its New Frontiers series of planetary exploration spacecraft. Charles Bolden said the Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS Rex) is a "critical step" in meeting President Obama's objective to "extend our reach beyond low-Earth orbit." Robotic missions will "pave the way for future human space missions," he added.
OSIRIS-ReX will take four years to reach its destination, a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) designated 1999 RQ36. After mapping the surface of the 1,900 foot diameter asteroid to determine the best spot from which to extract samples, a robotic arm will reach out to collect two ounces of material. The sample will return to Earth in 2023 in a container similar to what was used for NASA's Stardust mission that returned samples of a comet. It will land at Utah's Test and Training Range and then be taken to Johnson Space Center.
The mission is expected to cost $800 million, not including launch costs. During a media teleconference this afternoon, NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green said that he will not know the cost of the launch vehicle until closer to the launch date, but he anticipates that the total mission cost will be about $1 billion. Michael Drake of the University of Arizona in Tucson is the principal investigator for the mission, which will be managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The spacecraft will be built by Lockheed Martin. (5/25)
Hollywood, We Have Liftoff (Source: TripAlertz)
Could Lady Gaga get to wow the cosmos with her wardrobe? Will Team Conan or Team Fallon reign supreme? Is space the place for Charlie Sheen to cool his jets? It's the public votes that determine who will win an "Epic Journey into Space" with collective buying travel site TripAlertz.com, which vows to blast off voters' chosen celebrity thanks to a space travel partnership with XCOR Aerospace.
Those who cast their ballot will be automatically entered to win an all-expense paid trip to Orlando, Fla., including VIP tickets to Kennedy Space Center, a three-night premium hotel stay, meals and airfare. What's more, those who vote in the next month will be entered to win the same star treatment as the winning celebrity - an "out of this world" trip through the ozone themselves. Click here for information. (5/25)
Miami-Dade Group Meets with Air Force to Win OK for Aerospace Show (Source: Miami Today)
The Beacon Council says it's confident it will get the go-ahead from the military for a massive commercial air show slated to be held near Homestead Air Reserve Base in 2012. The county's economic development agency this month sent staff and board members to Washington to meet with Florida lawmakers and Air Force leadership for permission to use 54 acres adjacent to the base and its runway during the show.
The military's nod is crucial in order for the Beacon Council to receive the $7.5 million that Miami-Dade commissioners recently voted to use to fund improvements on the show's site. The Beacon Council has pitched the show, to be held in summer 2012, as a five-day event that could pull in about 200,000 public attendees, house more than 800 exhibitors and generate up to $100 million in hotel reservations, day pass sales and parking. (5/25)
Behind the Scenes at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (Source: WTKR)
Click here to view a WTKR television news segment highlighting work ongoing at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) to accommodate commercial cargo launches to the International Space Station. (5/25)
Europe Positioned To Order Additional Galileo Satellites Soon (Source: Space News)
European governments expect to be able to finance additional Galileo navigation and timing satellites in short order as they seek to spend the full 3.4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) they have been given for the overbudget program through 2013. The exact number of additional satellites will depend on final negotiations for two Galileo ground-infrastructure contracts, expected to be signed in mid-June. Only then will the commission know how much uncommitted money it has left in the current Galileo budget. (5/25)
U.S. Army Wants Tiny Satellites as Orbital Spies (Source: Space.com)
The United States Army is making a serious push to launch swarms of tiny, inexpensive spy satellites, which would serve as eyes and ears for soldiers on the ground. The move is an attempt to adapt to the changing nature of warfare, which increasingly requires small bands of American soldiers to hunt down elusive targets in rough, isolated terrain. The first of these nanosatellites launched in December 2010, marking the first time an Army-built satellite made it to orbit since 1960. And many more could be coming soon, Army officials said. (5/25)
Orion Will Slow Down For Heavy-lift Launcher (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA will continue its contract with Lockheed Martin for development of the George W. Bush-era Orion crew exploration vehicle, rechristened the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) by Congress, but it will stretch out the contract while it figures out how to build a heavy-lift “Space Launch System” (SLS) to carry it beyond low Earth orbit. NASA has spent about $5 billion on Orion since it was started as the shuttle follow-on under the Constellation program. Now that it is being “phased” with the SLS, managers don’t know yet what it will cost to complete the development. (5/25)
Comet Chunk Slams Into Earth's Atmosphere (Source: Discovery)
Residents of Atlanta, Ga., were treated to a rare event on Friday night: a 2-meter wide chunk of cometary material entered the atmosphere right above their heads. The result? Nothing short of spectacular. The fireball exploded and disintegrated like the dying embers of a firework, once-icy debris lighting up the sky, outshining the moon. The fascinating thing about this piece of comet is that it had a rather special orbit. (5/25)
Solar System's Big Bbully Leaves Others Looking Flat (Source: New Scientist)
Exoplanet systems around other stars are surprisingly flat compared with our own. The discovery means that the solar system must have had a far more colourful history than many of its counterparts and is forcing astronomers to rethink their ideas about the way planetary systems form. The new findings come from NASA's Kepler spacecraft, which has spent the past two years looking for the telltale dimming of nearby stars as planets pass in front of them. So far it has looked at 155,000 stars and found 1000 with signs of planets. (5/25)
'Sex on the Moon' Chronicles an Out-Of-This-World Heist (Source: USA Today)
Ben Mezrich writes about a NASA trainee who stole 17 pounds of moon rocks to impress a girl in his new book Sex on the Moon. Why it's hot: Movie rights have been bought by Sony. The studio also turned Mezrich's last book, The Accidental Billionaires, about the origins of Facebook, into the hit film The Social Network. A taste: "He had promised her the moon. The difference was, Thad Roberts was the first man who was actually going to keep that promise." (5/25)
New Mars Rover to Probe the Secrets of the Red Planet (Source: Telegraph)
NASA is giving up on recovering the Mars rover Spirit, which believes has fallen victim to the planet's frigid winter after seven years of work. Instead, it is sending a new rover to Mars to tackle the question of whether the planet has or ever had the chemistry to support life. The rover, which is yet to be named, is under construction and is slated for launch in November.
Part of the spacecraft's launch preparations were put on hold, however, after a crane accident which involved part of the protective aeroshell cover for the $2 billion Mars Science Laboratory. The rover must be launched between Nov. 25 and Dec. 18 when Earth and Mars are optimally aligned for the nine-month journey to Mars or face a two-year delay. (5/25)
Bigelow Presentation Reveals Details on Company's Space Station Plans (Source: OnOrbit)
Robert Bigelow presented a series of charts at the recent International Space Development Conference which outline his company's interesting product line of inflatable/expandable modular spacecraft. The charts are posted online here. (5/25)
New Mexico Launch Carries Cremated Human Remains and Science Experiments (Source: Space.com)
The UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL rocket launched to the edge of space and returned late last week. The unmanned rocket was packed with science experiments, cremated human remains, wedding rings and other items. "These missions create enthusiasm and interest in science and technology," said Pat Hynes, director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. (5/25)
Spacewalking Astronaut Gets Stinging Soap in Eye (Source: AP)
A spacewalking astronaut got soap in his eye and almost had to retreat into the safety of the International Space Station on Wednesday. Andrew Feustel said it stung "like crazy." But several minutes later, he said he was feeling better and the third spacewalk of shuttle Endeavour's final voyage continued as planned for about seven hours. The incident came as the spacewalk hit the five-hour mark. Feustel and Mike Fincke had just finished running power cables from the U.S. side of the orbiting house to the Russian half. (5/25)
Egypt Finds 17 Lost Pyramids with NASA Help (Source: Global Post)
A new satellite survey of Egypt reportedly found 17 lost pyramids along with more than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements. The survey used infra-red images to detect underground buildings, the BBC reports. Satellites above the earth were equipped with cameras that could pin-point objects on the earth's surface. The infra-red imaging then highlighted different materials under the surface, it states. The work was done by a NASA-sponsored laboratory in Birmingham, Alabama. Editor's Note: More Muslim outreach for NASA? (5/25)
Stuck Solar Array Threatens Telesat’s South America Push (Source: Space News)
The Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 telecommunications satellite launched May 21 has failed to deploy one of its two solar arrays, a defect that, if permanent, will curtail owner Telesat Canada’s growth plans in South America. The satellite’s south array has fully deployed and is providing power, but the north array has not. Telesat said that if the situation is not corrected, Telstar 14R will be able to provide “at a minimum” the same level of service of the satellite it is replacing. (5/25)
SpaceX Responds Angrily to Critical Article in Forbes Magazine (Source: Daily Breeze)
SpaceX is used to sometimes fawning praise from the media. But when the company was criticized in a long piece on the website of financial magazine Forbes, the firm responded angrily. On Monday, Loren Thompson, a prominent aerospace and defense industry analyst from the Lexington Institute think tank, quested why NASA was giving so much money to SpaceX.
SpaceX Vice President of Corporate Communications Robert Block accused Thompson of a "transparent agenda to discredit commercial space providers." Block said that Thompson had a conflict of interest because he is a paid consultant for Lockheed Martin Corp., "which competes with SpaceX in various space ventures." In an interview Tuesday, Thompson said he stood by his "thoroughly researched" Forbes piece. He added that he could have expanded further on SpaceX's "cost problems, their scheduling delays, their launch failures." Thompson also confirmed his work for Lockheed as well as other aerospace firms. (5/25)
Armstrong, Lovell, Cernan Ask: Is Obama Grounding JFK's Space Legacy? (Source: Florida Today)
Was President Kennedy a dreamer, a visionary, or simply politically astute? We may never know, but he had the courage to make that bold proposal 50 years ago. President Obama’s proposed 2011 budget did not include funds for Constellation, essentially canceling the program. It sent shock waves throughout NASA, the Congress and the American people. Nearly $10 billion had been invested in design and development of the program.
Many respected experts and members of Congress voiced concern about the president’s proposal. Some supported the president’s plan, but most were critical. The supporters’ biases were often evident, particularly when there was a vested or economic interest in the outcome. Obama’s advisers, in searching for a new and different NASA strategy with which the president could be favorably identified, ignored NASA’s operational mandate and strayed widely from President Kennedy’s vision and the will of the American people.
Kennedy launched America on that new ocean. For 50 years, we explored the waters to become the leader in space exploration. Today, under the announced objectives, the voyage is over. John F. Kennedy would have been sorely disappointed. Editor's Note: The authors say Obama's supporters are biased because they have vested economic interests in the outcome of his policy. They ignore that Constellation's supporters had much greater vested interests. (5/25)
Editorial: Speaking of Political Bias (Source: Florida Today)
I'm sure Obama would love to be the person who put a man on Mars or even just back to the moon, but seeing as how half the country is holding a knife to his throat and screaming, make cuts, make cuts, make cuts, how can we turn around and kvetch that he does just that? It's the EXACT same suggestion, privatizing Space, that Conservative think tanks have pushed for a long time. Here's the Heritage Foundation back in 1988 applauding Reagan for the idea. And here's the Intellectual Conservative praising the Bush Administration for the same thing in 1995.
But now that Obama is advancing the policy, it's the worst thing we could do according to conservatives? If that's not the biggest case of political bias, I don't what is. Please explain to me why it was a fantastic idea during EVERY one of the last conservative administrations but not during Obama's? I beg you, explain that one to me. (5/25)
Northrop Nabs $429M Contract Mod for New Defense Weather Sats (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman of Los Angeles was awarded a $429.9 million contract modification to allow it to begin working toward new military requirements for the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS). Northrop Grumman was the prime contractor for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) that was being designed to provide both military and civilian weather information. (5/25)
Congressional Reaction to NASA's Orion/MPCV Decision (Source: Space Politics)
“This is a good thing,” Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) said. The decision “shows real progress towards the goal of exploring deep space” and also helps Florida, he added, since hundreds will be employed at KSC to process the MPCV for launch. NASA administrator Charles Bolden called Nelson personally to inform him of the decision. In that call, Bolden told the senator that soon “NASA will be making further decisions with regard to the ‘transportation architecture’ of a big deep space rocket.”
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) also supported the decision. “After more than a year of uncertainty and delay, NASA has come to the same conclusion that it reached years ago — Orion is the vehicle that will advance our human exploration in space,” she said. She reminded NASA, though, that it “must continue to follow law” and announce plans for the SLS. “NASA needs to follow this important step by quickly finalizing and announcing the heavy lift launch vehicle configuration so that work can accelerate and the requirements of the law can be met.”
“This was the only fiscally and technologically prudent decision that NASA could make,” Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) said in a statement. “With this decision NASA can continue to build on current projects and investments rather than further delay with unnecessary procurements.” (5/25)
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