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NASA And Space Florida Partner In Space Launch Challenge (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed an agreement with the Space Florida to manage the Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge, one of the agency's new Centennial Challenges prize competitions. The Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge is to launch satellites with a mass of at least 2.2 pounds (1 kg) into Earth orbit, twice within the span of one week. The new challenge has a NASA-provided prize purse of $2 million.
The objective of the competition is to encourage innovations in propulsion and other technologies, as well as operations and management relevant to safe, low-cost, small payload delivery system for frequent access to Earth orbit. Innovations stemming from this challenge will be beneficial to broader applications in future launch systems. They may enhance commercial capability for dedicated launches of small satellites at a cost comparable to secondary payload launches -- a potential new market with government, commercial, and academic customers.
Space Florida submitted a proposal last spring in response to a NASA solicitation for this partnership opportunity. They will now begin detailed preparations for the challenge, publishing rules and then registering competitors. The first competition launch attempt is expected to take place in the summer of 2012. NASA's Centennial Challenges program provides the prize purse for the technology and innovation competitions. The competitions are managed by non-profit organizations that cover the cost of operations through commercial or private sponsorships. (11/1)
Senate Differs From House on NOAA and FAA Space Funding (Source: Space Policy Online)
The House and Senate are far apart on overall funding for NOAA. The House committee approved $4.5 billion; the Senate approved $5.0 billion. The President's request was $5.5 billion. However, regarding the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), the two are quite close: $901 million in the House versus $920 million in the Senate, compared to the request of $1.07 billion.
The two also were fairly close in their recommendations for the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST), approving about half of what the President requested. The request was $26.6 million, a significant increase from its FY2011 level of $15 million. The House committee approved $13 million, while the Senate approved $15 million.
After the House passes its bill, with whatever amendments are adopted, the two chambers will have to reach a compromise and the President will have to agree with it, so there still are several steps to go. Congress will need to pass an appropriations package before Nov. 18 to avoid a full or partial government shutdown. (11/1)
Senate Approves NASA Budget Cut (Source: Florida Today)
By a 69 to 30 vote today, the U.S. Senate today approved legislation that would cut NASA's 2012 budget by $509 million, or 2.8 percent, to $17.9 billion. The budget includes $500 million for development of commercial spacecraft and $3 billion for work on the giant Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule for deep space exploration missions. It also includes $500 million for the James Webb Space Telescope, targeting a 2018 launch.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said Monday during a visit to Kennedy Space Center that it was a "minor miracle" NASA's budget hadn't been cut more, and that the agency had fared well compared to many others. The Senate bill must now be reconciled with a U.S. House version that proposes a deeper overal cut of $1.6 billion, to $16.8 billion. It includes only $312 million for commercial space vehicles and would kill the Webb project.
The 2012 fiscal year began Oct. 1, but the government has been operationg under a temporary budget that continues 2011 spending levels through Nov. 18. The Senate vote today covered spending plans for multiple agencies in additon to NASA. (11/1)
Editorial: NASA Glenn Reaches Out to the Future (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
NASA's Glenn Research Center was born in secrecy. With war raging in Europe and the Pacific -- and America's entry a matter of time -- the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics broke ground in January 1941 for a hush-hush airplane engine research lab on the edge of what's now called Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. By the time engineers and scientists reported for work on May 8, 1942, America was at war, and the researchers quickly adopted a culture of relentless technological innovation -- and monastic silence. Click here. (11/1)
NASA Funds Research Into 'Tractor Beams' (Source: Telegraph)
NASA has begun funding research into "tractor beams" – specially honed lasers that would allow future space missions to reel in scientific samples. US scientists have allocated $100,000 for studying how lasers could be used by both spacecraft and robotic vehicles exploring a planet's surface. "Though a mainstay in science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, laser-based trapping isn't fanciful or beyond current technological know-how," Dr. Paul Stysley said.
NASA first became interested in the technology with a view to clear orbital debris to make a path for spacecraft but soon realised that it would require a far more powerful laser than those currently available. The current research grant will be used to explore three different methods for collecting samples from the atmosphere and the surface of a planet being explored. (11/1)
Companies Say Commercial Space Investment Worth It, Lawmakers Aren't So Sure (Source: Huntsville Times)
Government investment in commercial space transportation will be a good one because it will be cost-effective and end NASA's reliance on Russian spacecraft to get crews to low-Earth orbit, executives of private space companies told a House committee hearing last week. The business leaders urged lawmakers to support NASA's commercial crew development program, but committee members questioned the long-term viability of the business model, which promotes commercial spaceflight in addition to transporting crew members to the International Space Station.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, expressed concern that a market for spaceflight doesn't exist beyond NASA. "It does not seem to me that there's really a commercial market in the sense that you might have with airline flights," he said, adding that if NASA is the private sector's only customer, the cost per launch might end up increasing. But representatives from SpaceX, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Nevada and ATK said the market extends beyond the government. Click here. (11/1)
U.S. Air Force Pushes To Reduce EELV Costs (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Air Force is continuing work to reduce the cost of buying United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV and Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles, which will remain the only vehicles for orbiting certain payload classes until new launch entrants are certified. The Air Force came under scrutiny for its fiscal 2012 budget plan, which suggested negotiating a multiyear buy of 40 rocket cores from the Lockheed Martin/Boeing joint venture over five years.
Government auditors suggested the strategy was proposed without enough data to bolster a sound rationale. Since then, the Air Force has revised its approach to the fiscal 2013-17 procurement strategy and asked ULA to provide a “cost matrix” that provides a range of options that don’t limit the service to a specific number of vehicles. The range is 6-10 vehicles per year for three to five years, according to Maj. Tracy Bunko, an Air Force spokeswoman.
Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, head of the Space and Missile Systems Center, says that the Air Force intends to award this contract to ULA next spring. Guaranteeing an amount of work for the incumbent would seemingly be at odds with a plan to reduce cost by introducing competition into the system. But Pawlikowski says the Air Force is trying to get the best out of both efforts: reducing the cost of near-term buys from ULA while establishing conditions for competition to further lower prices. (11/1)
NASA Acknowledges JWST Replan Will Delay Science Missions (Source: Space News)
Saving the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) means that some other NASA science missions slated for launch after 2015 will have to be delayed, NASA acknowledged in a report delivered to Congress in late October. NASA, however, did not say in the report which missions might be delayed. “That is still in discussion, even for 2012, within NASA and the administration,” JWST Program Manager Rick Howard said.
Howard also held to the line, which NASA has repeated since the summer, that specific offsets to pay for JWST will not be identified until President Obama delivers his 2013 budget request for NASA to Congress. That traditionally takes place in February. U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, demanded in September that NASA identify its planned JWST budget offsets prior to the publication of the 2013 budget request. (11/1)
Germany: Upgrade Ariane 5 Before Making Successor (Source: Aviation Week)
German aerospace center DLR expects France to uphold the two countries’ commitment to upgrade Europe’s current Ariane 5 launch vehicle before starting development of a successor, despite recent statements by a top French official that cast doubt on available funding for both. A DLR official said that Germany trusts a 2010 agreement between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to fund the Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution (ME) — which is expected to be adopted in late 2012 — when ESA’s ministerial council meets to determine the agency’s multiyear budget.
Early design work for the midlife upgrade began in 2008, including development of a restartable cryogenic upper stage that would boost the rocket’s performance and enable simultaneous launches of multiple satellites into different orbits. However, in an Oct. 18 interview, French Research Minister Laurent Wauquiez said it is unclear whether there is enough funding in the forthcoming budget for both the midlife upgrade and a post-Ariane 5 rocket development. (11/1)
Mayors Urge Swift, Clear NASA Direction (Source: Huntsville Times)
Sometimes, stating the obvious is necessary to keep momentum on the issue at hand. That's the premise behind a letter last week to President Obama by Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Houston Mayor Annise Parker. Both want the Obama administration and NASA to move swiftly on plans for the next heavy-lift rocket for America's space program.
The mayors urged quick finalization of all aspects of the Space Launch System being designed by Huntsville's Marshall Flight Center and the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (crew capsule) being developed by Houston's Johnson Space Center. (11/1)
Why NASA's Going-Out-of-Business Sale Is Good News for Florida (Source: TIME)
With the shuttles mothballed, the U.S.-manned program grounded and once buzzing control centers and launch pads standing empty, NASA announced this week that it will surrender three major KSC buildings to private industry and is perfectly happy to put more of its infrastructure up for grabs as well. To NASA old-timers, it was one more bit of ignominy for a sadly diminished brand. To the aerospace industry and the state of Florida, however, it looks like smart business.
NASA's willingness to carve up bits of itself and hand them over to private industry is as much a real estate issue as anything else. The agency has always had an easier time building infrastructure when the money is flowing than unbuilding it when the funding spigot has been turned off, simply because Washington doesn't often pick up such wind-down costs. But in the case of the aerospace community in Florida, that's not necessarily bad. Available buildings and an idle but highly qualified workforce are catnip to industries looking to relocate — provided the state can offer the tax breaks and other incentives to make the move worthwhile.
"We're focused on job creation," says DiBello simply. "We're offering them Florida's workforce." He is even courting other countries with fledgling space programs that might not want to build their operations from a standing start. Click here. (11/1)
Rivian Automotive Venture Gearing Up on Space Coast (Source: Florida Trend)
The countertrend to the homogenization at the big automakers is a boomlet in startup car companies marketing an array of niche vehicles, including exotic sports models and a raft of vehicles with "green" appeal. Rivian Automotive's car is a sporty, mid-engine, 2+2 coupe (the rear seats are somewhat of a formality) that aims to provide the handling characteristics of a Porsche Cayman and deliver more than 60 miles per gallon — more fuel efficiency than a Toyota Prius. Scaringe says the car will meet five-star safety standards and sell for less than $30,000.
Scaringe says almost all of the parts in his car, including the engine, will be built to Rivian's specifications by outside suppliers. His factory — location in Brevard County to be announced — will require no big stamping presses and no paint shop, serving simply as an assembly site for the parts. Scaringe says he expects to be actually producing cars for sale by late 2013 or early 2014 and says he can achieve above-average margins.
Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello: Rivian has an "almost perfect application of defense and space technology applied to a next-generation automotive platform." Space Florida was intrigued enough by Scaringe's effort that it purchased his first prototype and had NASA engineers test it for structural integrity. A Rivian spokesperson says the results "validated" the company's engineering approach. (11/1)
Cube-Sats - Small Satellites for the Common Man (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
In 1998, Bob Twiggs, a professor at Stanford University, began a program to provide students affordable platforms for designing and deploying satellites from rockets as "hitchhiker" payloads. The military uses this platform today as do many countries. Now, literally hundreds of Cube-Sats are in orbit, investigating earthquake modeling, space weather phenomenon, demonstrating technologies for more complex and larger satellites. Professor Twiggs turned most of the intellectual property over to students to enable them to build a business, which they have done. (11/1)
Rep. Adams on Boeing Commercial Crew Announcement, Jobs Coming to Space Coast (Source: SpaceRef)
"Any day that I can say jobs are going to be created in Florida's 24th District is a good day. Florida's Space Coast has experienced devastating job losses since the ending of the Shuttle Program. So the announcement today that The Boeing Company plans to locate its Commercial Crew program headquarters at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is welcomed news."
"Boeing chose Kennedy Space Center because it is a world class launching and integration facility with the best technologically equipped assets in the world. So there is no question why Boeing has chosen to have the center of their commercial crew program at Kennedy. Additionally, they recognize the highly skilled workforce and synergy that comes from being locally integrated with your customer."
Editor's Note: This reminds me that Boeing's decision is, in part, a result of NASA's decision to base its Commercial Crew Program Office at KSC. Contractors tend to congregate around the government's program-management location. This story might be different if this NASA office was headquartered in Houston or Huntsville. (11/1)
The Asterisk in Boeing's Commercial Crew Announcement (Source: Space Politics)
There is one catch to the Boeing CST-100 deal at KSC, hinted at in the company's press release with this caveat: “Pending the continued selection of Boeing for future Commercial Crew development and service contracts, and sufficient NASA funding...” Boeing, of course, has to be competitive enough to win funding in future rounds of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program against competitors like Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and SpaceX.
But, as Boeing hints, the NASA funding has to be there in the first place, and the battle over the 2012 budget-—where NASA requested $850 million, but the House and Senate have offered only $312 million and $500 million, respectively—-is not an optimistic sign. The only person to go on the record for full funding for the program in FY-12 was Space Florida's Frank DiBello. But with the Senate expected to wrap up work this week on the “minibus” FY-12 appropriations bill that includes NASA, time is running out to add funding for this program. (11/1)
ITT Spins Off Defense Unit Into Separate Company (Source: AP)
ITT Corp. split into three companies on Monday. The firm spun off its water-equipment company into Xylem Inc. and its defense unit into ITT Exelis Inc. Xylem began trading today under ticker symbol XYL, ITT Exelis under symbol XLS. (11/1)
Is NASA Now Part of Obama's "We Can't Wait" Campaign Theme? (Source: NASA Watch)
The Atlanta Journal Constitution says: "The White House continues to run with the new theme of President Obama, "We Can't Wait," making the argument that if the Congress won't approve Obama Administration initiatives, then the President will do what he can on his own." This theme appeared to be featured in President Obama's quote on NASA's news release: "The next era of space exploration won't wait, and so we can't wait for Congress to do its job and give our space program the funding it needs. That's why my Administration will be pressing forward, in partnership with Space Florida and the private sector, to create jobs and make sure America continues to lead the world in exploration and discovery."
This is interesting. An Obama 2012 campaign slogan is used in an official NASA press release. Just Google "Obama we can't wait" and you will see this campaign phrase embedded in virtually everything that the President says these days - especially when it relates to employment. (10/31)
NASA Kennedy Space Center Hosts Energy Forum on Nov. 11-13 (Source: NASA)
NASA and partners from the LAUNCH: Energy forum will discuss innovative ideas during a three-day forum Nov. 11-13. LAUNCH: Energy is part of an initiative to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to sustainability challenges through a series of forums. It is the third forum in the series. During the forum, 10 international participants will showcase new innovations that could address energy problems on Earth and in space. Visit http://www.launch.org for information. (10/31)
Optus 10 to Launch Atop Ariane 5 (Source: Space News)
Singtel Optus will launch its Optus 10 telecommunications satellite aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket in mid-2013 following a contract announced Oct. 31 by the Arianespace commercial launch consortium. Arianespace said Optus 10, which is under construction by Loral in California, is expected to weigh 3,200 kilograms at launch. It will therefore likely be a secondary passenger aboard the heavy-lift Ariane 5, riding to geostationary orbit together with a larger telecommunications satellite. (10/31)
Would You Explode in Space? (Source: New York Times)
Science-fiction films often depict people being killed by going out an airlock into space. What would that be like? In the near-vacuum of space, death would most likely occur within a couple of minutes, but consciousness would be lost in about 15 seconds as oxygen failed to reach the brain, NASA scientists determined after animal research in the 1950s and ’60s.
Death by vacuum is not spectacular or instantaneous, unless the subject tries to hold his breath. In that case, the delicate lungs are likely to rupture as the gases within them expand. The skin is sufficiently strong to prevent the body from exploding, however. An accidental experiment on a human occurred in 1965 at what is now Johnson Space Center when a spacesuit leaked in a vacuum chamber. Repressurization began within 15 seconds, and the subject survived. Click here. (10/31)
China Launches Unmanned Shenzhou 8 for First Space Docking (Source: Space Daily)
China said it successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft on Tuesday, taking its next step towards the goal of building its first space station by 2020. The Shenzhou VIII blasted off from the Gobi desert in China's northwest, the state Xinhua news agency said, separating from its carrier rocket, a modified Long March-2F, about 200 kilometers above the earth. (10/31)
China Mulls Over Sending Female "Taikonauts" Into Space (Source: Space Daily)
The two female astronauts, both airfreighter pilots before their enrollment, are from the second batch of astronauts from late 2009 and early 2010, according to Chen. China is considering sending female astronauts into space during its space docking missions next year, a chief designer for the astronaut program said Monday. Two female astronauts have been selected for possible flights when spacecraft Shenzhou-9 and -10 are scheduled to dock with space lab module Tiangong-1 in 2012, said Chen Shanguang, director of the Astronaut Center of China (ACC). (10/31)
FAA Expands its Role in Florida NextGen Test Bed (Source: ERAU)
The FAA has doubled the size of the Florida NextGen Test Bed, where researchers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and aerospace partners are demonstrating new technologies that will help transform the nation’s air traffic system to increase safety, efficiency, and capacity for the flying public. The expanded facility, located at Daytona Beach International Airport, will officially open Nov. 7 with a field hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure chaired by U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-FL).
The FAA administers the Test Bed, which has been expanded to 10,000 square feet, and provides guidance for NextGen proof-of-concept programs. Embry-Riddle manages the facility, conducts research there, and coordinates the work of engineers from industry and government agencies. In addition to Embry-Riddle, other research partners are ATH Group; Barco; The Boeing Company; Computer Sciences Corp.; County of Volusia; Daytona Beach International Airport; ENSCO Inc.; Frequentis; General Electric; Harris Corp.; Jeppesen; Lockheed Martin; Mosaic ATM Inc.; Saab-Sensis Corp.; and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. (10/28)
Embry-Riddle Alumnus Astronaut Dan Burbank Ready for Six-Month ISS Mission (Source: ERAU)
NASA astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumnus Daniel C. Burbank, along with cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Anton Shkaplerov, will blast off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur spaceport on Nov. 13 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft heading to the International Space Station (ISS). Burbank will spend six months on the ISS as a flight engineer for Expedition 29 and as the commander of Expedition 30. Previously he was a crewmember on space shuttle missions STS-106 in 2000 and STS-115 in 2006.
Another NASA astronaut and Embry-Riddle alumnus, Ron Garan, concluded his own six-month tour of duty on the space station in September 2011. Among his duties on the station as a flight engineer with Expeditions 27 and 28, he assisted the final two space shuttle missions as they delivered equipment for the station, and he performed a spacewalk. He previously visited the ISS in 2008 with the STS-124 space shuttle mission, during which he performed three spacewalks. Both Burbank and Garan received Master of Aeronautical Science degrees from Embry-Riddle.
They are the first Embry-Riddle graduates assigned to long-duration space missions. In another landmark event for the University, earlier this year Embry-Riddle alumni astronauts Al Drew and Nicole Stott visited the ISS during the STS-133 space shuttle mission, the first time that two Embry-Riddle alumni served together in space on the same mission. Current astronaut Terry Virts and former astronaut Susan Kilrain are also Embry-Riddle graduates. (10/31)
The HEXAGON and the Space Shuttle (Source: Space Review)
In the 1970s, the Air Force looked at the Space Shuttle as more than just a vehicle for launching military satellites. Dwayne Day discusses studies that examined the feasibility of using the shuttle to service or return to Earth reconnaissance satellites. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1960/1 to read the article. (10/31)
Fear of a Chinese Moon (Source: Space Review)
In a speech earlier this month, space entrepreneur robert Bigelow suggested that China was on a path to effectively claim the Moon as Chinese territory within 15 years. Jeff Foust reports on Bigelow's comments and a critical analysis of them by Chinese space experts. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1959/1 to read the article. (10/31)
A New Policy Typology to Better Understand the Goals of China's Space Program (Source: Space Review)
Western space experts have struggled to apply policy formulations intended to describe American space programs to China's space efforts. Danny Houpt describes an alternative set of policy typologies that may better fit China's space policy. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1958/1 to read the article. (10/31)
FAA Spaceflight Center of Excellence Plans Technical Meeting on Nov. 9-10 (Source: SPACErePORT)
An inaugural Technical Meeting of the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation will be held on Nov. 9-10 in Boulder, Colorado. The meeting will feature presentations on the findings from the various university partners with funded research tasks. Multiple Florida universities are members of the Center. I will be attending the meeting for Embry-Riddle. Visit www.coe-cst.org for an agenda, registration, and other information. (10/31)
Florida Offers Incentive Funding for Boeing Jobs at KSC (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
"Today I'm happy to announce that the Boeing company has selected Florida for its commercial crew program office," said Boeing's John Mulholland. "In addition, we plan to manufacture, test and operate Boeing's CST-100 in this facility, OPF 3, and we will launch from right here." He made the announcement in front of a crowd that included Gov. Rick Scott, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida democrat who has played a key role in boosting NASA's post-shuttle budget, Rep. Bill Posey and Rep. Sandy Adams, both Florida Republicans.
Space Florida's Frank DiBello said the "fundamental baseline is a use agreement that we've negotiated with NASA for the facility, for access to the facility... We have some engineering studies underway to determine the kinds of engineering changes that are necessary to repurpose the facility and the total package of incentives, capital investment from the state and possible financing is in the neighborhood of $40-50 million... There could well be access to financing beyond that depending on the nature of the work to be done."
KSC Director Robert Cabana said the deal was a win-win arrangement for the government. "There is no financial exchange of funds between space Florida and KSC," he said. "We are turning over the use of the OPF bay three, which NASA no longer has a definitive need for and that we do not have funding to maintain. We would be tearing it down, so we are allowing Space Florida, through this use agreement, to have it for 15 years ... at no cost to NASA." (10/31)
Boeing Deal a Victory for Both Obama and Scott in Florida (Source: SPACErePORT)
Monday's announcement that Boeing will base its CST-100 commercial space capsule program (including over 500 jobs) at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport is a positive sign that President Obama's plan for commercial human spaceflight is moving in the right direction, especially in the electoral battleground state of Florida, where thousands of Space Shuttle jobs have been lost. A supportive quote from President Obama was featured in the deal's announcement by NASA.
Meanwhile at KSC, Republican Gov. Rick Scott was also happy to take credit, based on his policies and investments aimed at aerospace job creation, implemented via Space Florida. And Republican Congresswoman Sandy Adams, whose district includes KSC, said at the event that NASA's Commercial Crew program is the best hope for consistent American access to space.
Space Florida is in the middle of this, fulfilling its role as a space transportation authority by maximizing commercial access to critical infrastructure at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The state agency hopes to chart a course through tumultuous political seas, where Republican politicians are loathe to support President Obama's policy initiatives, and GOP presidential candidates are slowly developing their own space policy platforms that may or may not be consistent with Florida's interests. (10/31)
Nature's Laws May Vary Across the Universe (Source: PhysOrg.com)
One of the most cherished principles in science - the constancy of physics - may not be true, according to research carried out at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Cambridge. The study found that one of the four known fundamental forces, electromagnetism - measured by the so-called fine-structure constant and denoted by the symbol ‘alpha' - seems to vary across the Universe.
"The results astonished us," said Professor Webb. "In one direction - from our location in the Universe - alpha gets gradually weaker, yet in the opposite direction it gets gradually stronger." "The discovery, if confirmed, has profound implications for our understanding of space and time and violates one of the fundamental principles underlying Einstein's General Relativity theory," Dr King added.
"Such violations are actually expected in some more modern ‘Theories of Everything' that try to unify all the known fundamental forces," said Professor Flambaum. "The smooth continuous change in alpha may also imply the Universe is much larger than our observable part of it, possibly infinite." (10/31)
ATK and Air Force Successfully Test New Large Class Stage III Rocket Motor (Source: ATK)
ATK and the U.S. Air Force successfully tested ATK's newly developed Large Class (92-inch diameter) Stage III solid rocket motor at the Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in Tennessee. The Stage III motor is designed to ignite at altitudes in excess of 85,000 feet. In order to accurately test the motor's performance the static fire was conducted at AEDC using a vacuum chamber specially designed to simulate upper atmospheric conditions. Preliminary data show all channels of data were collected, and performance appears to be within predictions.
The high-performance motor was developed by ATK for the Large Class Stage III program and uses emerging technologies from other Air Force developmental programs including the Propulsion Application Program and Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology. The contract is managed out of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill Air Force Base.
The Large Class Stage III program is conducted under the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Demonstration/Validation Propulsion Applications Program funding to support the demonstration of technologies applicable to future strategic programs. (10/31)
Star Lab Air-Launch Venture Announced at KSC (Source: 4Frontiers)
4Frontiers Corp. on Oct. 27 revealed their Star Lab launch vehicle, with a successful flight test at KSC while attached to a Starfighters F-104 supersonic jet. The mock-up vehicle included on-board sensors to provide data for the next stages of design, development and validation for the small-payload air-launch system. The rocket development project has been supported by students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida. Starfighters Aerospace is a key partner in the Star Lab program, providing engineering support and "first-stage" flight for the rocket. Click here for photos. (10/31)
Boeing to Build Commercial Spacecraft at Kennedy, Create 550 Jobs (Source: NASA)
In an innovative agreement that will create new jobs, NASA today announced a partnership with Space Florida to exclusively occupy, use and modify Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-3, the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing Facility and Processing Control Center.
"The next era of space exploration won't wait, and so we can't wait for Congress to do its job and give our space program the funding it needs. That's why my Administration will be pressing forward, in partnership with Space Florida and the private sector, to create jobs and make sure America continues to lead the world in exploration and discovery," President Barack Obama said.
Space Florida, the aerospace economic development agency of the state of Florida, is leasing the Orbiter Processing Facility-3 to the Boeing Company to manufacture and test the company's Crew Space Transportation (CST-100) spacecraft, creating up to 550 jobs along the Space Coast. The 15-year use permit deal is the latest step Kennedy is making as the center transitions from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport. (10/31)
Skeptic Finds He Now Agrees Global Warming is Real (Source: AP)
A prominent physicist and skeptic of global warming spent two years trying to find out if mainstream climate scientists were wrong. In the end, he determined they were right: Temperatures really are rising rapidly. The study of the world's surface temperatures by Richard Muller was partially bankrolled by a foundation connected to global warming deniers. He pursued long-held skeptic theories in analyzing the data. He was spurred to action because of "Climategate," a British scandal involving hacked emails of scientists.
Yet he found that the land is 1.6 degrees warmer than in the 1950s. Those numbers from Muller, who works at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, match those by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. He said he went even further back, studying readings from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. His ultimate finding of a warming world, to be presented at a conference Monday, is no different from what mainstream climate scientists have been saying for decades. (10/30)
Quantum Sensors: A Coming Space Revolution (Source: Aviation Week)
It is as difficult for the human mind to comprehend the world of the very small—-the mysterious, uncertain, quantum world of atoms and particles, for which common sense is of no help—-as it is for us to grasp the enormous vastness of space. Advances in rocketry and aviation have been stunning, while a fundamental understanding of the quantum world has given us the transistor and Moore’s Law, the Internet and cell phones. Remarkably, these two independent factors from the worlds of large and small may be multiplied. Click here. (10/31)
Qu8k Rocket Vies for Sky-High Prize (Source: USA Today)
Think the days of Rocket Boys, the JFK-era memoir about amateur launch-pad derring-do, are over? Those days are still with us, judging from the recent launch of the "Qu8k" amateur rocket, which reached nearly 19 miles altitude last month. And from one red-hot competition for an amateur rocket trophy, the Carmack 100kft Micro Prize, a $10,000 award for rocket builders.
"There's a real community of people out there doing serious rocketry," says engineer Derek Deville of Miami, a member of the Qu8K rocket team "There is nothing like building your own rocket." To win the $10,000 prize, an intrepid band of heroes must not only launch a rocket above 100,000 feet (nearly 19 miles high) and recover the rocket parts within 24 hours, but record a GPS track of the flight, including one showing the altitude. Video of the launch is required, as well. Click here. (10/31)
China, Germany to Conduct Space Experiments on Shenzhou-8 (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese and German scientists will conduct 17 life science space experiments on the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-8, a spokeswoman for China's manned space program said here Monday. "Chinese and German scientists will conduct 17 research programs aboard Shenzhou-8," spokeswoman Wu Ping said at a press briefing at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi Desert.
The unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft is scheduled to be launched at 5:58 a.m. Tuesday at the center and will dock with China's first space lab module, Tiangong-1, Wu said. "Among the research programs, 10 will be dominated by China and six by Germany, and the two sides will jointly carry out one program," Wu said. Zhao Liping, one lead designer for the Shenzhou-8 space application system, said the Sino-German joint program is research on an enclosed space ecosystem. (10/31)
China to Conduct Another Manned Space Mission by 2012 (Source: Xinhua)
A China manned space program spokeswoman said China is going to conduct another manned space mission by 2012. She said China plans to launch in 2012 spaceships Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10, which are expected to dock with China's first space lab module, Tiangong-1. "At least one mission of the two will be manned," Wu said. The crew members have already been selected for the possible space docking mission in 2012 and are being trained for manual docking skills, Wu said. (10/31)
China's Spaceport Upgraded Ahead of Shenzhou-8 Mission (Source: Xinhua)
China has upgraded its satellite launch center in the northwest Gobi desert to ensure that the launch of the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft, scheduled for early November, goes smoothly. Beijing Special Engineering Design and Research Institute, the main designer of the launch system used at the Jiuquan spaceport, renovated and upgraded the equipment at the site shortly after the launch of space lab module Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, in late September.
"The new equipment and technologies have dramatically increased the reliability of satellite launches and greatly shortened the time for launch preparation," Sun told Xinhua. Sun said the replacement of a wireless signal transmission system with one using optical fiber has improved the quality of voice and image transmission. In the meantime, the launch site has tweaked its methods for testing the spacecraft and the rocket, shortening the preparation time needed while ensuring the safety of the launch, according to Sun. (10/31)
China Prepares for Unmanned Space Launch (Source: BBC)
China says it will launch a unmanned spacecraft on Tuesday that will dock with a capsule already orbiting the Earth. A rocket carrying Shenzhou 8 will blast off early in the morning from the Gobi Desert and rendezvous with the Tiangong 1. The space capsule was launched in late September and has already been moved into position. China is practicing docking in order to build a space station by 2020.
Shenzhou 8 is due to be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province at 05:58 (21:58 GMT). The docking - which will take place 343km above the Earth - will happen within two days of the launch. China came late to the space race: it launched its first manned mission in 2003 and carried out its first space walk only three years ago. It maintains that its aims are purely peaceful. (10/31)
World's Most Powerful Laser to Tear Apart the Vacuum of Space (Source: Telegraph)
Due to follow in the footsteps of the Large Hadron Collider, the latest "big science" experiment being proposed by physicists will see the world's most powerful laser being constructed. Capable of producing a beam of light so intense that it would be equivalent to the power received by the Earth from the sun focused onto a speck smaller than a tip of a pin, scientists claim it could allow them boil the very fabric of space – the vacuum.
Contrary to popular belief, a vacuum is not devoid of material but in fact fizzles with tiny mysterious particles that pop in and out of existence, but at speeds so fast that no one has been able to prove they exist. The Extreme Light Infrastructure Ultra-High Field Facility would produce a laser so intense that scientists say it would allow them to reveal these particles for the first time by pulling this vacuum "fabric" apart. They also believe it could even allow them to prove whether extra-dimensions exist. (10/30)
Florida and Spain Launch Agreement for Small-Satellite Research (Source: UF)
The University of Florida has helped to forge a deal between the Kingdom of Spain and the state of Florida initiating the groundwork for collaborative research that could boost the state’s aerospace industry. A team from UF’s Department of Astronomy initiated the arrangement that creates a collaborative research initiative between scientists in Spain and Florida working in small satellite technology, agriculture biotechnology, and the science of aging.
The UF astronomy department initially became interested in collaborating with Spain because of its small-satellite program. As the relationship grew between the two, it became clear that there were other possibilities for partnering. “Spain has had a successful program that has built and flown small satellites for years,” said Peggy Evanich, a former NASA programs manager who now works with UF’s astronomy department to build relationships between the university and industry leaders. “But they don’t have their own launch facilities.” They were using facilities in Russia and France, she said. (10/26)
Spaceport Sweden Launches its First Space Tourism Experience (Source: Spaceport Sweden)
Spaceport Sweden has collaborated with the ICEHOTEL, Kiruna Airport and Scandinavian Airlink to launch an exclusive space tourism experience that will allow clients to get an even closer look at the magical and mythical northern lights. The Northern Light Flight experience starts at ICEHOTEL with a short presentation about the northern lights and a transfer to Spaceport Sweden where an airplane with seats for nine passengers each with a window will take clients above the clouds. The flight will last approximately 1 hour.
The premier flight takes place on the 15th January 2012 and there will then be three more flights on the 5th, 12th and 19th of February. The flights can be booked via icehotel.com as of 19th of October 2011. There are three types of package deals to choose between: a standard, deluxe and a charter package deal that is bookable all days between 1st of January and 15th of March 2012. (10/25)
Mojave Air & Space Port and Spaceport Sweden Sign Agreement (Source: Spaceport Sweden)
An agreement with the aim to mobilize, stimulate and facilitate the growth of the commercial suborbital human spaceflight industry across boarders at Kiruna, Sweden and Mojave, California, US was signed on Oct. 21 in San Francisco by Mojave Air and Space Port CEO, Stuart Witt and Spaceport Sweden CEO, Karin Nilsdotter. They will engage in cross-boarder projects to involve evaluating and testing spaceport systems, methods, and processes, and developing joint marketing and sponsorship of events aimed at strengthening the role of commercial spaceports for space travel, education and economic growth. (10/27)
Spy Satellite Engineer's Top Secret Is Revealed (Source: NPR)
Every day for decades, engineer Phil Pressel would come home from work and be unable to tell his wife what he'd been doing all day. Now, Pressel is free to speak about his life's work: designing cameras for a top-secret U.S. government spy satellite. Officially known as the KH-9 Hexagon, engineers called it "Big Bird" for its massive size. Until the government declassified it last month, Hexagon had been a secret for 46 years.
"The challenge for this satellite, to design it, was to survey the whole globe," Pressel says. It was a grand challenge for Pressel. Born in Belgium, he survived the Holocaust as a young boy when a French family hid him from the Nazis. Pressel says he never expected to come to America, much less become an engineer on a top-secret American spy satellite. Hexagon's main purpose was, in a way, to prevent wars. It was designed to spot Soviet missile silos and troop movements.
"It permitted President Nixon, in the early 1970s, to sign the SALT-1 treaty, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty," Pressel says. Photos sent down from Hexagon enabled the U.S. to verify the Soviet Union's claims about its weapons stockpiles. Those photos themselves were a technological marvel. "It was the last film-recovery system used for reconnaissance," he says. Each Hexagon satellite launched with 60 miles worth of film and an immensely complicated electromechanical system that controlled the cameras. (10/30)
With Progress in Orbit, Crewed Flights Set to Resume (Source: Florida Today)
A Russian cargo spacecraft was safely deployed in orbit on Sunday, setting the stage for the launch of a new crew to the International Space Station in two weeks. No problems were reported this time with the nearly nine-mintue climb to orbit. The Progress 45 spacecraft is loaded with nearly three tons of food, water, fuel and supplies. It's scheduled to dock at the station's Pirs compartment on Wednesday. (10/30)
NASA Should Put KSC First (Source: Florida Today)
Yes, Florida officials are making a ruckus about the substantial sums of money being spent for a possible expansion of the NASA launch site on Wallops Island in Virginia. It’s the job of Space Florida to fight for aerospace jobs and investment here. It’s the duty of Space Florida officials, as well as other public and private leaders from this county and the state, to advocate for the good reasons to launch future spaceflight systems from the excellent, existing and underutilized facilities at Cape Canaveral.
But the concerns that Brevard and Florida officials are raising about spending money on new facilities in Virginia is not just a parochial concern. It’s not just about jobs in one community in Florida. It’s basic good sense for the government, and its industry partners, to utilize existing facilities rather than spending millions — or even billions — of dollars building similar facilities in other states. The push by some members of Congress who might secure jobs from new development in Virginia is just a pork project. (10/30)
Collision Course: The Space Rocks that Threaten Our Lives (Source: Telegraph)
When Paul Chodas and Steve Chesley arrived at JPL on Oct. 6 2008, they assumed it would be a normal day. But it would prove to be anything but. The scientists worked for NASA’s Near Earth Object (NEO) program, a team tasked with identifying comets, asteroids and meteors that potentially pose a threat to Earth. On that Monday morning, Chodas noticed an asteroid about the size of a truck beyond the moon’s orbit. It was on a collision course with Earth. Click here. (10/30)
Couple Considers Legal Action Against Spaceport America Over Dry Well (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
A Cutter, N.M., couple is considering legal action against Spaceport America, after a stalemate over a groundwater well that went dry during spaceport construction. Meanwhile, supplemental water deliveries to the remote home of Jim and Sylvia Smith have stopped, said Jim Smith and a spaceport official. "I think I'm just about ready to turn it over to the lawyers and go that way," said Jim Smith, in his early 70s. "I don't want to; I never wanted to. I hate that."
The Smiths had been in negotiations with Spaceport America Director Christine Anderson since March of this year, shortly after she started the job. Anderson said the spaceport has proposed a couple settlements, including to re-drill the well up to 500 feet deep at a site of their choosing on the Smiths' property. But Jim Smith turned that down, she said, and instead asked for $40,000. The spaceport then offered him that amount via a structure that would have required him to become a spaceport vendor, "and he didn't want to do any of that." (10/30)
Herman Cain on Space: 'It Will Be Reversed Back to Where it Should Be' (Source: Huntsville Times)
Herman Cain took a strong pro-space stand on Saturday before speaking to the Alabama Federation of Republican Women in Huntsville. Cain, seeking the GOP nomination for president, said: "I was disappointed when President Obama decided to cut a significant part of the space program... Kennedy had a vision to say by the end of the 1960s America would walk on the moon. He inspired this nation. We admired that objective because of (the) enteprenurial spirit. The companies stepped up because of his vision."
Cain said he believes Americans are still inspired by the space program. He believes, too, that Americans took a dim view of sharing the International Space Station with the Russians. "When President Obama decided to cut, it put the United States in a position that we don't like," he said. "We don't like to have to thumb-ride with the Russians when we were the first ones and the leaders in space technology. "It's not just about getting to the moon and outer space. The space program inspires other technological advances to business and the economy. In the Cain presidency, it will be reversed back to where it should be." (10/30)
Commander of VAFB’s Main Unit to Leave in January (Source: Lompoc Record)
The man who has led the main unit at Vandenberg Air Force Base will relinquish command early next year, and his replacement will be the first woman to lead the 30th Space Wing. Col. Richard Boltz, 30th Space Wing commander, will leave that job in late January, base officials said today. His replacement will be Col. Nina M. Armagno, who currently is serving as director of staff at Air Force Space Command Headquarters in Colorado. (10/29)
Rotorua Man's Quest to be First Maori in Space (Source: Rotorua Daily Post)
Mana Vautier wants to be the first Maori in space. Mr Vautier, who is of Tuhourangi descent, is an aerospace engineer with Odyssey Space Research. He works for a company that is a contractor to NASA in Houston, Texas and said from an early age he had always been into things about space and space flight. "It's my ultimate dream to be an astronaut," said Mr Vautier, who is back in Rotorua on holiday with his family of five. (10/29)
Mars500 Crew Prepare to Open the Hatch (Source: ESA)
The 520 days of isolation for the Mars500 crew will end on 4 November, when the hatch of their ‘spacecraft’ is opened for the first time since June last year. Scientists eagerly await the final samples as the crew count the hours to liberty. During the 17-month simulated Mars mission, the six men have run seemingly countless experiments. They have monitored their brains, scanned their bodies, given all sorts of samples and maintained their habitat.
The scientists are already happy with the quality of the unique material they have and are looking forward to working with all the new information. Teasing out the scientific results takes a while, but the main question is already answered – or almost: “The answer is yes”, says Patrik Sundblad, the human life sciences specialist at ESA. (10/29)
Elon Musk Named Innovator of the Year (Source: Tesla Motors)
Elon Musk, CEO and Co-founder of Tesla and CEO and CTO of SpaceX, was recognized for Innovator of the Year in Technology by WSJ. Magazine. The Year Awards honors the most creative, disruptive, and influential individuals in the world today. Musk was recognized for revolutionizing three of the biggest industries in the world -- automobiles, energy and space exploration -- simultaneously. (10/29)
Editorial: Wesley Harris: Space is No Place to be Second-Best (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
Looking deeper into space, the next generation of human spaceflight, including possible trips to the moon, an asteroid and, ultimately, to Mars, awaits critical funding decisions in NASA and Congress regarding heavy-lift propulsion. These decisions -- long overdue -- must be made to keep us on track for the next round of great discoveries and exploration.
The proposed Space Launch System that Florida Sen. (and former astronaut) Bill Nelson calls "the biggest thing for space exploration in decades" is a good start. But, success will take steady funding and a stable, long-term commitment, something in short supply in Washington, D.C. [Also...] Basic research and advances in aeronautics made possible by space research have made civilian air travel safer and ensures that our air forces are the strongest in the world, as we saw when Western air power stopped Gaddhafi's forces without a single U.S. casualty. (10/29)
NASA Confirms ‘Suspicious Events’ in Satellite Hacking Report (Source: TPM)
NASA has confirmed that one of its earth observation satellites “experienced two suspicious events,” partly verifying the alarming conclusions of a draft of a forthcoming report by an independent Congressional advisory panel on U.S.-Chinese relations. NASA did not address the portion of the report that found the attacks bore hallmarks of the Chinese military, or someone affiliated with the inner-workings of the Chinese military.
But the agency did say that it had launched a task force to increase security, alerted the Defense Department and was “complying” with the National Space Policy guidelines. NASA confirmed two hacks affected its Terra AM-1 satellite, but said that no damage, theft or any other security breaches had taken place, and that NASA had restored its control over the satellite. (10/29)
New Mexico Spaceport: Making a Body of Believers (Source: Las Cruces Bulletin)
New Mexico's Spaceport America is really happening, and it is going to affect Las Cruces. According to Troy Tudor, a business development and marketing consultant working with Spaceport America, this concept has not been fully grasped by the community. A New Mexico State University economic impact study reported that spending dollars at Spaceport America will have a multiplier effect on surrounding communities, creating 11.58 full-time jobs for every $1 million spent and generating approximately 71 cents for every dollar spent. (10/29)
NASA Awards Contracts to Quintron (Source: Santa Maria Times)
NASA has awarded three additional contracts to Quintron Systems Inc. of Santa Maria to supply DICES VoIP mission-critical voice switches. One contract will provide a second DICES VoIP system to Johnson Space Center to become a primary operating system. The first system delivered in 2010 will be deployed at another NASA site as an emergency backup. A second contract will expand the existing NASA Ames Research Center Airspace Operations Laboratory system first delivered in 2008. (10/29)
Q&A: Mark Sirangelo on Dream Chaser and the Future of Space Travel (Source: Smart Planet)
When Mark Sirangelo talks about space travel, he has a big smile that won’t fade. He has every reason to be optimistic. After all, he’s building a vehicle that may soon transport seven passengers into space. It’s called Dream Chaser. And the timing is perfect, given that NASA’s 30-year space shuttle program has come to an end. Click here. (10/29)
12-Year-Old's Career: Ready for Blast-Off (Source: Philly.com)
Brandon Smoot, a 7th-grader at Devon Prep Middle School, was doing online research so he could design a two-stage hybrid/solid-fueled mini rocket when he found a company called SpaceX, school officials said. The more Brandon learned about the company - even copying one of its engine designs - the more intrigued he became with the company’s CEO/CTO and chief rocket designer, Elon Musk. Brandon decided he wanted to meet Musk, and so the 12-year-old penned a letter in February.
“I sent Mr. Musk some of my own rocket designs and requested a visit to one of their offices. The company wrote me back, sent me some SpaceX gifts, and an invitation to come out to their corporate office in Hawthorne, Ca., to meet Mr. Musk,” Brandon said. “It was too good to be true." Brandon, who hopes to launch a rocket-building career someday, would like to make space travel affordable for the average person. He said SpaceX representatives encouraged him to consider an internship with them when he reaches college age. "I think I’d like to do that,” he said. (10/29)
Planets Smashed Into Dust Near Supermassive Black Holes (Source: U. of Liecester)
Fat doughnut-shaped dust shrouds that obscure about half of supermassive black holes could be the result of high speed crashes between planets and asteroids, according to a new theory from an international team of astronomers. The scientists, led by Dr. Sergei Nayakshin of the University of Leicester, publish their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. (10/29)
Russia's Progress Cargo Spacecraft Undocks From ISS (Source: Xinhua)
Russia's cargo spacecraft Progress M-10M has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday. The spacecraft is scheduled to fall in a remote area of the southern Pacific Ocean. The Progress M-10M, which blasted off from the Baikonur spaceport on April 27, had delivered some 2.5 tons of scientific equipment, fuel and food supplies to the ISS. (10/29)
Lockheed Reports Flat Space Revenue (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin on Oct. 27 reported flat sales but increased operating profit at its Space Systems division for the first nine months of 2011 despite lower earnings from its United Launch Alliance joint venture with Boeing. Sales managed a 1 percent increase, to $6.02 billion for the nine months ending Sept. 25, despite the decline in revenue from its work on the external fuel tank of the now-retired space shuttle and on NASA’s Orion astronaut crew transport vehicle.
Lockheed Martin said the loss of the external tank work reduced Space Systems revenue by $85 million when compared to the same period in 2010. For the Orion program, whose development has seen ups and downs in revenue terms, the company said revenue for the first nine months of 2011 was $150 million lower than a year earlier. Operating profit for the Space Systems division was up $42 million, or 6 percent, for the nine months ending Sept. 25 compared to a year ago. (10/29)
Budget Puts Heat on Planetary Science Mission Extensions (Source: Space News)
Faced with a shrinking budget, NASA’s Planetary Science Division is instituting a strict new approval process for extended missions, and not even marquee probes such as the Cassini Saturn orbiter will be exempt from scrutiny, a senior agency official said. Cassini completed its primary mission in June 2008 but continues to return scientific data under an extended mission that is expected to cost $60 million in 2012 alone.
James Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, said the future of Cassini and at least eight other ongoing missions including Mars rovers and a Venus orbiter will be placed under the microscope by senior planetary scientists in March. The panel is to hand in its recommendations shortly thereafter, he said. The review panel will meet once every two years to determine whether the “science per dollar” yielded by extending a planetary mission is sufficient to justify continued funding. (10/29)
Germany Reaffirms Commitment to $2B Ariane 5 Upgrade (Source: Space News)
The head of the German space agency said Germany remains committed to financing a $2 billion upgrade to Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket instead of proceeding directly to a new launcher design when European governments meet in late 2012 to set midterm space policy. DDLR, also expressed concern that the European Commission, which on Nov. 10 is scheduled to host a global space exploration conference, is dispersing its energies at a time when it has trouble financing higher priorities such as satellite navigation and Earth observation. (10/29)
Boeing to Sign Lease for U.S. Space Shuttle Hangar (Source: Reuters)
oeing plans to build space taxis at a mothballed space shuttle processing hangar at Kennedy Space Center in central Florida, according to company sources. The company has reached agreement with Space Florida, a state-backed agency working to expand space-related businesses in Florida, to lease the Orbiter Processing Hangar Bay 3 at the center, Boeing spokeswoman Susan Wells said on Friday.
Wells said details of the lease agreement would be announced on Monday. Sources familiar with the plan said it would center on the space taxi manufacturing venture. Kennedy Space Center is drafting a master plan for a revamped spaceport that, in addition to supporting future NASA spacecraft, will host commercial, military and international customers. (10/29)
NASA Will Get Camera Back From Apollo Astronaut (Source: Florida Today)
Federal prosecutors and former astronaut Edgar Mitchell have reached an agreement over a camera Mitchell brought home from his 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission. Mitchell said the camera was a gift from NASA, and earlier this year he tried to auction it through the British firm Bonhams. NASA says the camera is U.S. government property and sued Mitchell to get it back after learning in March it was up for sale.
In papers filed Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami stated Mitchell will give up any claim to the 16 mm motion picture camera and agree to return it to NASA. NASA will in turn give it to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington for display within 60 days. Both sides will pay their own legal expenses. A judge was expected to sign off on the settlement in the coming days. (10/29)
If Cargo Flight Flops, Crew May Have to Ditch Station (Source: Florida Today)
A lot more than 2.9 tons of cargo rides on Sunday morning’s launch of an unmanned Russian freighter bound for the International Space Station. If there’s a repeat of the Aug. 24 rocket failure that doomed the ship’s predecessor, NASA and its partners likely would be forced to temporarily abandon the station next month, significantly increasing the odds the $100 billion research complex could be lost. (10/29)
Crucial LightSquared GPS Tests Begin (Source: Aviation Week)
Additional government testing of GPS receivers for interference from LightSquared’s broadband-wireless network under a revised deployment plan is getting under way at Holloman AFB in New Mexico. The FCC ordered the additional work after tests confirmed there would be severe GPS interference from the original deployment plan, but indicated the problem would be reduced significantly if LightSquared used only the lower of its two frequency bands, the one farthest from the GPS satellite signal.
The new tests, being conducted in an anechoic chamber at Holloman, are intended to determine whether widely used navigation and cell phone GPS receivers are still susceptible to overload interference from LightSquared’s revised lower-power, lower-frequency terrestrial transmitters. The FAA has issued a notice to airmen warning of GPS tests being staged between Oct. 24 and Nov. 18 near Alamogordo, N.M. (10/29)
Andromeda is Coming Right at Us! Or is it? (Source: Discovery)
This month, I was particularly intrigued by an article by Jeremy Darling in the newsletter of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The title of the article asked, "Will the Andromeda Galaxy Collide with the Milky Way?" I was under the impression that it was already known that these two spiral galaxies would collide sometime in the next few billion years making a larger galaxy that some like to call "Milkdromeda." Apparently, the case isn't so cut and dry. Click here. (10/29)
Mars Rover Headed to Launch Pad Next Week (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's flagship Mars rover was encased in a protective aerodynamic shell this week in preparation for its move to the launch pad next week. The Mars Science Laboratory, nicknamed Curiosity, is targeted to blast off at 10:25 a.m. Nov. 25 -- the day after Thanksgiving -- from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station atop an Atlas V rocket. The compact car-sized rover, the biggest yet bound for the Red Planet, is scheduled to be hoisted on a transporter Tuesday and rolled from Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to Launch Complex 41 overnight Wednesday. (10/29)
Was Obama the First President to "Terminate America's Ability to Put Humans in Space"? (Source: Politifact)
Another chain e-mail critical of President Barack Obama has been making the rounds. The e-mail proceeds to offer roughly three dozen "firsts" about Obama, all of them highly unflattering. We can’t check each and every claim in the e-mail, but we decided instead to spot-check a claim that Obama is the "First President to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space."
With the end of the space shuttle program, it’s correct that the U.S. no longer has the ability to send an astronaut into space by a domestic launch. But when we contacted space experts for their view, they agreed that it would be unfair to blame only Obama. "President George W. Bush directed NASA to shut down the shuttle program, with full knowledge that there would be a multi-year gap for human spaceflight," said Edward Ellegood, a space policy analyst at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Whether one wants to blame Bush or Obama for our current predicament turns out to be irrelevant to the question raised in the e-mail. Richard Nixon, perhaps in conjunction with Gerald Ford, would be the one to qualify for the unwanted title of "first president to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space" -- not Obama. We rate this claim Pants on Fire. Click here. (10/28)
Space Debris Collisions a Growing Risk, Experts Warn (Source: Guardian)
The second unscheduled re-entry of a spacecraft into Earth's atmosphere within a month highlights the growing danger from falling debris, according to legal experts. As lower orbits closer to Earth become more congested with communication and observation satellites, there is a greater chance of collisions, said Professor Sa'id Mosteshar, director of the London Institute of Space Policy and Law. "At the moment the cost of insuring the launch [of a rocket] is much higher than for its life in orbit, but the balance is going to change as the risk becomes greater," he said. (10/28)
Italy and Japan Together in Space (Source: Avio News)
A delegation of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), led by president Enrico Saggese, has visited Tokyo for the "Italy in Japan" event. ASI and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) held an important meeting where they discussed the foundations that need to be laid in order to intensify collaboration in some strategic areas such as disaster management, aerospace propulsion and the International Space Station. The two agencies signed new agreements, one relating to the mission CALET (CALorimetric Electron Telescope) on board the ISS, and one on oxygen/methane propulsion research. (10/28)
Former Space Council Director: Decline of NASA is a Long Way in Making (Source: Bay Area Citizen)
For the first time in 40 years, there is no American access for humans to space. “Today, the U.S. civil space program is broken,” said Mark Albrecht, former executive secretary of the now defunct National Space Council. “And our national security space program is not far behind.” Albrecht said the lack of leadership since the end of the Cold War has caused NASA to lose importance.
He said the International Space Station, which took over 20 years to build and cost $100 billion, was deemed of marginal utility for science by the National Academy of Science. The current program, after the end space shuttle program, has no goal and no mission and is “the space equivalent of a bridge to nowhere,” he said. It was designed and forced on NASA by the U.S. Congress, he said, and the lack of a compelling mission rationale will result in its failure.
The first flight of the new heavy lift vehicle won’t be until 2017 and capable of carrying astronauts until 2021, “that’s if it stays on cost, on schedule, as it does today.” He said it’s too expensive, too slow and too old.
“We’re not focused enough on a culture of innovation,” Albrecht quoted Internet entrepreneur Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal. (10/28)
United Launch Alliance's Atlas V Russian Glass House (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
Can the United Launch Alliance (ULA) continue to bash NASA's purchase of astronaut launch services from Russia while continuing to buy the first-stage engine for its Atlas V rocket from Russia? Judging from ULA testimony on Capitol Hill, it doesn't expect anyone in Congress to notice and the media to just drive on.
ULA is promoting the Atlas V as the logical choice as the U.S. rocket for commercial crew services to the International Space Station (ISS). For the first stage of the Atlas V, ULA uses a single RD-180 main engine, “designed and manufactured by NPO Energomash” boasts the company's website. Lockheed Martin highlights the relationship on its website as a “space systems partnership.“ Without the RD-180, the Atlas V – with 27 successful launches since 2002 – doesn't get off the ground.
Sounds great! So what does the ULA think about NASA buying seats on the Russian Soyuz to get crew to the International Space Station (ISS) when it goes before Congress? “Now that the shuttle is retired, our nation is wholly dependent on the Russians to transport our own crews to and from ISS,” ULA Vice President George Sowers said. “Currently the government of Russia is NASA's sixth largest contractor, receiving over $350M per year. Not only does this represent thousands of high tech jobs sent overseas, but it's ceding our leadership as a space-faring nation.” (10/28)
Raytheon Profit Falls 3% on Lower Sales (Source: Bloomberg)
Raytheon's third-quarter profit declined 3 percent after sales and profit at its Integrated Defense and Network systems units fell. Income excluding some items fell to $489 million from $504 million a year earlier. Sales outlook for the year was cut to the range of $25 billion to $25.3 billion, from $25.5 billion to $25.9 billion. (10/28)
Ball Corp. Net Down 42% on Business-Consolidation Costs (Source: MarketWatch)
Ball Corp.'s third-quarter profit fell 42%, as business consolidation and discontinued operations weighed down the bottom line, masking strong gains in metal beverage packaging segments. For the quarter ended Oct. 2, Ball reported a profit of $132.1 million, down from $227.5 million. Revenue increased 11% to $2.26 billion. (10/28)
Super-Rocket to Use Ares-1 Mobile Launcher, Shuttle Crawlers (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
NASA intends to upgrade one of its Apollo-era treaded crawlers and an inactive mobile platform built for the canceled Ares launcher program to support the agency's colossal super-rocket, officially called the Space Launch System, in time for a test flight in 2017. According to KSC Director Bob Cabana, the platform will be solely used by the Space Launch System, while the Shuttle's mobile launch platforms, which date back to the 1960s, could be available to commercial users.
Editor's Note: Although ATK won't have access to the Ares-1 mobile platform for its proposed Liberty rocket, they still will have access to a lot of other NASA-owned or NASA-funded Solid Rocket Booster infrastructure and equipment from the Shuttle program at KSC and other locations. This might do much to reduce their startup and operational costs for Liberty. (10/28)
Rocket at Pad for Critical Station Cargo Launch (Source: Florida Today)
A Russian rocket that will attempt to launch a critical cargo mission to the International Space Station on Sunday was rolled to its pad today in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz-U rocket carrying a robotic Progress spacecraft, planned at 6:11 a.m. EDT Sunday, will be the first since a third-stage engine failure doomed an Aug. 24 Progress launch. NASA TV coverage begins at 6 a.m.
Sunday's launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome must be a success to avoid the station being left without a crew next month. Crews are launched atop the very similar Soyuz-FG booster. If the cargo rocket performs properly, a crew of three astronauts and cosmonauts would plan to launch to the station Nov. 13, about a week before the current crew of three is due to return home on Nov. 21. (10/28)
Layoffs Continue at USA, Mostly in Florida (Source: Florida Today)
United Space Alliance's total employment dipped below 3,000 with the loss of another 54 workers, including 43 based at KSC. The workforce for NASA's lead space shuttle contractor is down more than 70 percent from its peak of 10,500 in January 2005 [when the company was Florida's largest aerospace employer]. After the layoffs, USA now has 2,980 employees across the country as follows: Florida - 1,532; Texas - 1,408; Alabama - 40.
Houston-based USA said ongoing layoffs were necessary to align the workforce with the scope of the company's current contract work and budget. Each employee received 60 days notice and were eligible for a severance of four to 26 weeks of pay, based on years of service, plus a bonus for those deemed to have critical skills. The company has also provided career transition training. (10/28)
Alabama-Built Delta II Launches from California with weather Satellite (Source: Huntsville Times)
A Decatur-built Delta II rocket launched successfully from Vanderberg Air Force Base on Friday carrying a weather satellite. The rocket, built at the United Launch Alliance rocket plant in Decatur is carrying the NPOESS Preparatory Project satellite for NASA and NOAA. The satellite will collect data on atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity, land and ocean biological activity, as well as cloud an aerosol properties, according to NASA. (10/28)
ATK Promotes Liberty (Rocket) (Source: Satellite Spotlight)
ATK is ramping up momentum in promoting its Liberty Launch System for trips to the International Space Station (ISS). Based on a hybrid approach combining solid rocket booster technology originating from the Space Shuttle program with a second stage using the Ariane 5's cryogenically-fueled first stage, ATK is currently working with NASA's Commercial Crew Program-2 (CCDev-2) on an unfunded basis, but has its sights set to offer a cost-effective replacement for United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V and Delta IV vehicles.
To date, the company has put in “north of $10 million” of its own money into research and development. ATK Vice President Charles Precourt told an October 26 House Science Committee hearing on NASA's commercial manned spacecraft efforts that there is a lot of interest from third-parties to provide investment – if the NASA would show interest through further funding.
Liberty will have the capability to deliver up to 44,500 pounds of payload to low-Earth orbit at a price Precourt says will be “under $200 million.” The rocket will have enough capacity to carry any of the currently proposed spacecraft “with margin” to low Earth orbit and to ISS. It also is capable of carrying cargo or satellites in the same range as the Delta IV EELV heavy launch vehicle (which costs between $200-300 million). (10/28)
ULA, Air Force Close to Big Launch Deal (Source: Denver Business Journal)
The U.S. Air Force, the biggest customer of Colorado rocket company United Launch Alliance, is closing in on the first bulk buy of launches that could be worth as much as $15 billion. Colorado-based ULA may win a commitment for as many as 40 rocket boosters from the military and intelligence community in the next five years — despite recent buzz about an upstart rocket company, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, being allowed to compete for such work. (10/28)
NASA Glenn Shows Off Technologies to Automakers and Suppliers (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
For decades, scientists and engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center have developed lightweight materials, efficient batteries and high-tech computer models in hopes of building spacecraft. Now the center hopes to use that expertise to improve cars and trucks in the future. "Many of the technologies we're developing [can apply directly] our nation's top priorities," said Robert "Joe" Shaw, Glenn's deputy director of technology partnerships and planning.
On a national level, NASA has expanded its mission in recent years from focusing on space exploration to helping maintain technological leadership in the United States and to help improve the nation's economy. Shaw said outreach efforts to the auto industry is a concrete example of what such a policy change will mean to people in this community. "We want to show that the $700 million invested here was well spent," Shaw said. On Thursday, the research center hosted a technology symposium to introduce its technologies to automakers and automotive suppliers. (10/28)
Braun: Space Technology is a Critical Investment for Our Nation’s Future (Source: The Hill)
American technological leadership is vital to our national security, our economic prosperity and our global standing. The U.S. is the nation we are today because of the technological investments made in earlier decades, because of the engineers, scientists and elected officials who had the wisdom and foresight to make the investments required for our country to emerge as a global technological leader. That commitment accelerated our economy through creation of new industries, products and services. They have yielded lasting benefits.
Aerospace remains a strong component of our national fabric and is the largest positive contributor to our nation’s trade balance. However, this technological leadership position is not a given. To remain the leader in aerospace technology, we must continue to perform research and invest in the people who will create the breakthroughs of tomorrow, preserving a critical component of our nation’s economic competitiveness for future generations. (10/28)
Race to Mine the Moon Heats Up (Source: FOX News)
Moon, we just can’t quit you. NASA has shifted its goals from returning to the moon to visiting an asteroid or even Mars, but not everyone has given up on going back. The space agency's attention deficit has sparked a race among private companies eager to return to Earth's satellite. The latest competitor is Astrobotic Technology, a spinoff of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Its goal: to mine the moon for water and fuel. And a deal with NASA plus a contract for rides on private rockets means the company may be the first to go back.
“We are in the first three months of a two-year contract,” David Gump, president of Astrobotic, said. "We'll have a field-tested robot that will be able to go to the poles" on the moon to extract water, methane and more, he said. Astrobotic isn't the only company that hopes to dig up the moon. Moon Express, which sees greenbacks in all that lunar "green cheese," is also in the race, along with 24 other teams, many fueled by the Google Lunar X Prize. (10/28)
Houston Chooses a Side in War Over Commercial Space (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The future of western spaceflight is up for grabs, and it’s essentially a no-win battle between the status quo (NASA) and commercial providers trying to wrest away the job of flying astronauts to orbit after half a century of space agency dominance. On one side there’s SpaceX and other companies seeking some government support to accelerate their progress. To succeed these companies need some money, hundreds of millions, not billions, and they need some workable regulations from NASA.
The latter means that NASA cannot layer upon the private rocket plans onerous and duplicate safety requirements. But SpaceX founder Elon Musk says that appears to be what is now happening. Eric Anderson, chairman of Space Adventures, has a similar view. At issue is whether commercial space should be given the funds to succeed, and a reasonable list of requirements to safely carry astronauts into orbit.
So where does Houston fall in this debate? From a completely parochial standpoint Houston does not immediately gain from commercial spaceflight. This is because designing and controlling the rockets that launch astronauts has traditionally been done here. If its done by a company in California that’s lost jobs and prestige for this community. It’s therefore not too great of a surprise that the mayors of the city of Houston and Huntsville have written a letter to President Obama in support of continuing NASA’s prominent role in rocket development. (10/28)
Florida Introduces Loan Program for University Spinouts (Source: SSTI)
Florida's Institute for Commercialization of Public Research has launched a new loan program for early stage and life science companies developing technologies out of the state's universities and research institutions. The Seed Capital Accelerator Program will match private investment in university spinouts through loans of $50,000 to $300,000. The program is intended to help attract the attention of angel and venture firms to promising university research. (10/27)
Mystery of Bright Spot on Uranus (Source: Skymania)
Amateur astronomers with large telescopes and CCD cameras are being urged to turn them on the distant planet Uranus following reports of the appearance of a brilliant new feature. Professional images taken using the 8.1-meter Gemini Telescope North on Hawaii have recorded a region said to be ten times brighter than the planetary background.
Leading planetary scientist Dr Heidi B Hammel, a key figure with the James Webb Space Telescope whose special interest is in the ice planets Uranus and Neptune, used her Facebook page yesterday to appeal for more observations. She said that if the feature was confirmed independently by enough amateur astronomers, it would be seen as a “target of opportunity” that would allow NASA’s Hubble space telescope to be switched from its scheduled observing programme to watch it. (10/27)
NASA’s Planetary Science Program Still “Best in the World” (Source: Space Policy Online)
In response to an op-ed by Bob Zubrin in today's Washington Times, NASA's planetary science division director said that NASA's planetary science program is still "the best in the world." Zubrin's op-ed asserts that "the Obama Administration intends to terminate NASA's planetary exploration program." While acknowledging that the planetary science division faces a sharply reduced budget compared to its expectations a year ago, Green said: "I'm here to say the future doesn't look as healthy as it has been, but it is still the best program in the world."
Green pointed out that Zubrin's view of planetary science is Mars-centric. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have been reassessing plans to move forward with a joint robotic Mars exploration plan because of reduced NASA budget expectations. Green stressed that the United States is experiencing an "austere" budget climate and the political process is moving slowly compared to what is needed to support international agreements. (10/27)
Huntsville and Houston Mayors Ask Obama for Quick Action to Save Space Jobs (Source: Huntsville Times)
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Annise Parker, mayor of Houston, Texas, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging quick action to complete the Space Launch System. The mayors said moving forward quickly is vital to stem aerospace job losses.
"Your support for SLS and the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle is critical to the stabilization of the aerospace industry and the economic recovery for our respective communities," the mayors wrote. "We ask you to urge Administrator Bolden to move forward as expeditiously as possible on all relevant contracts. Speed is imperative to protect the workforce and to ensure our nation's global leadership in space and in technological advancement." (10/27)
Maritime Broadband Provider Grows Despite Shipping Slowdown (Source: Space News)
Maritime satellite broadband company KVH Industries said sales of its mini-VSAT gear will continue to grow by 50 percent or more in the next year despite a slowdown in some parts of the commercial maritime shipping business. KVH is one of the more successful companies using Ku-band satellite bandwidth to compete directly with L-band mobile satellite services providers including Inmarsat and Iridium. (10/27)
Huge Asteroid to Creep Near Earth on Nov. 8 (Source: Space.com)
Mark Nov. 8 on your calendar. A huge asteroid that could potentially threaten Earth in the far future will pass close by as astronomers around the world watch and measure. This space rock is asteroid 2005 YU55, a veritable mini-world roughly 1,300 feet wide — nearly four football fields across — that will zoom by Earth inside the orbit of the moon. At its closest approach, the asteroid will pass within 201,700 miles of Earth at 6:28 p.m. EDT on Nov. 8. The average distance between Earth and the moon is 240,000 miles (10/27)
Aerospace Strikes Back (Source: R&D Magazine)
The last decade has been challenging for the aerospace industry, but a host of breakthroughs have given both big business and private consumers reason to hope. The early days of aviation were largely a private affair. When Orville and Wilbur Wright took flight from a beach in North Carolina, no government regulators were watching. When Charles Lindbergh took off from Long Island in 1927, he did not need to ask for clearance. Nor could he.
In 1958, the creation of the FAA forever ended barnstorming. But aviation remains a largely private, commercial affair. The aerospace industry, however, has always been different, and not just because it extends the operational window beyond air and into space. Space travel has been, from the beginning, out of the reach of anyone but a nation-state. And only a rich nation could make a serious effort at it. Click here. (10/27)
Northrop Denied On-Orbit Fees on Space Program (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems division took an $18 million hit to projected third-quarter profit related to an unspecified space program. The aerospace division, which builds satellite hardware for civil, military and classified government customers, saw its operating income reduced relative to projections because anticipated on-orbit performance fees did not materialize during the quarter. (10/27)
Chinese Military Suspected in Hacker Attacks on U.S. Satellites (Source: Bloomberg)
Computer hackers, possibly from the Chinese military, interfered with two U.S. government satellites four times in 2007 and 2008 through a ground station in Norway, according to a congressional commission. The intrusions on the satellites, used for earth climate and terrain observation, underscore the potential danger posed by hackers, according to excerpts from the final draft of the annual report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
A Landsat-7 earth observation satellite system experienced 12 or more minutes of interference in October 2007 and July 2008, according to the report. Hackers interfered with a Terra AM-1 earth observation satellite twice, for two minutes in June 2008 and nine minutes in October that year, the draft says, citing a closed-door U.S. Air Force briefing. The draft report doesn’t elaborate on the nature of the hackers’ interference with the satellites. (10/27)
NASA's Commercial Crew Program Faces Cuts if Funding Falls Short (Source: Florida Today)
NASA may have to rethink the scope of its planned commercial crew program if Congress fails to properly pay for it, the agency’s top official for manned space missions warned House lawmakers. “Providing inadequate funding ... presents an unacceptable risk to program execution and would force us to relook at our overall approach,” William Gerstenmaier said. “We need the appropriate funding for this challenging program.”
The Obama administration is asking Congress to come up with $850 million this year — as lawmakers focus on cutting spending everywhere possible — to fund NASA’s Commercial Crew Development Program. A Senate committee has approved $500 million, and the House has passed a spending bill that includes $312 million. Both chambers will have to agree on a final number that’s not expected to come close to the president’s request. Meanwhile, NASA is paying Russia $450 million per year for rides to the space station.
Some of the executives who spoke Wednesday said they hope to launch a manned mission to the space station no later than 2015. NASA has warned that if it can’t adequately fund the program, the next manned mission could be pushed back to 2017. Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-TX) Hall said after the three-hour hearing he’s still not convinced. “I long for the day when we can go to private people (for the mission),” he said. “I’m just not sure we’re there yet.” (10/27)
Congressional Skepticism Focuses on Markets, Not Capabilities (Source: Space Politics)
Several members of congress, including committee chairman Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) and ranking member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), expressed their doubts that CCDev would unfold as NASA and industry claim. However, unlike some witnesses at past hearings that expressed doubt that commercial entities had the capabilities to develop such vehicles (such as former astronaut Gene Cernan, who said in testimony last month that commercial providers “don’t yet know what they don’t know” about building crewed spacecraft), members focused on the market. Their concern was whether other markets, like space tourism, research, and flying astronauts from other nations, constituted sufficient markets.
Some witnesses, like John Elbon of Boeing and Steve Lindsey of Sierra Nevada Corp., said their business cases closed even if they only secured NASA business. Still, some members wondered if investing $6 billion over five years (NASA’s estimated cost of CCDev; some committee members asked for more details about the analysis NASA used to come up with that estimate) was a better deal than simply purchasing additional Soyuz flights, even if the services eventually offered by US companies were at a lower per-seat price than Russia, citing the amortization of that investment as well as concerns about costs to the government for indemnifying commercial providers. (10/27)
Last Chances to Fund FAA Tech Center at KSC (Source: SPACErePORT)
The $5 million requested by President Obama for the FAA to start-up a KSC-based Tech Center for commercial space transportation apparently is not included in the House version of the appropriation bill for the FAA, and it is unclear whether the Senate's version includes this item. This apparent omission has occurred despite support for the project from some key Florida members of the House and Senate, but the game is not over.
The Senate is expected to finalize a package of appropriation bills on Nov. 1, and the House is expected to respond quickly thereafter. As Senate and House members try to reconcile their two bills, this represents the last opportunity to include the project in the final FAA budget for FY-2012. (10/27)
Editorial: NASA Cuts Will Cost Us More in the Long Run (Source: Palm Beach Post)
The retirement of the space shuttle brought an important era in American space exploration to a close, but it in no way means the end of American leadership in space. Whether it will be America that writes the next chapter, or rival nations, however, only time will tell. Congress and the administration face critical decisions that will set the course for a generation of science and exploration.
America's outward focused eyes in the form of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy have led the world in scientific discovery for years. The ideas, creativity, and technological genius that produced these efforts are alive and well in the highly skilled aerospace workforce that has been building the Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope.
Closer to home, NASA's aggressive Earth observation program has changed life for everyone on the planet. Looking deeper into space, the next generation of human spaceflight, including possible trips to the moon, an asteroid, and ultimately to Mars, awaits critical funding decisions regarding heavy lift propulsion. These decisions — long overdue — must be made to keep us on track for the next round of great discoveries and exploration. (10/27)
Langley Drop Will Test Orion Capsule Water Landing (Source: Virginian Pilot)
Scientists at NASA's Langley Research Center are putting a mock-up of the Orion spacecraft to the test. The testing today involves a water impact exercise to certify the Orion for water landings. The testing will occur in what Langley scientists call a hydro impact basin. From a height of approximately 55 feet, the Orion mockup will be dropped into the basin. (10/27)
Pluto's "Twin" Has Frozen Atmosphere (Source: National Geographic)
Despite being three times farther from the sun than Pluto, the dwarf planet Eris could almost be the demoted planet's twin—-just with a truly icy atmosphere. According to new observations, Eris is not only close to Pluto in size, it's also so highly reflective that it's one of the brightest objects in the solar system. We can't see Eris with the naked eye due to its great distance. Right now, the tiny world is almost at its farthest point from the sun, roughly 9 billion miles. By contrast, Pluto's farthest distance from the sun is just over 4.5 billion miles. Combined with other data, the dwarf planet's brightness suggests that Eris once had a Pluto-like atmosphere that's frozen solid, existing as a thin layer of frost on the surface, astronomers say. (10/27)
Policy Expert Says New Rocket is Critical to American Prestige, Not Just NASA (Source: Huntsville Times)
"The successful moving forward with SLS is a matter of credibility for the United States," said Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College. "We can't just keep saying we're going in a different direction," Johnson-Freese said. "We have to go."
Johnson-Freese was one of a line of experts at the conference to stress the importance of the new rocket. Even though it is breaking almost no new technological ground, the experts agree it is critical and not just to NASA.
"This is not a rocket to nowhere," said Jeff Bingham, a senior space adviser to the U.S. Senate. "It's a rocket to a lot of places. It's a rocket to almost anywhere." Johnson-Freese said there won't be a lot of intelligent space policy discussion in the coming year. It's a presidential election year, she said, and "even fewer decisions than normal will be made for reasons other than political posturing." (10/27)
Boeing Reports Q3 Profit of $1.1 Billion (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Boeing posted net income of $1.1 billion for the third quarter, compared with $837 million in the same quarter of last year. The company also raised its full-year earnings forecast to up to $4.40 earnings per share. Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney said the company's outlook is "strongly positive." However, the company scaled back its delivery plan of 787s to 15 to 20 this year. (10/27)
Vega Arrives at French Guiana for its January 26 Inaugural Launch (Source: Space Daily)
The first lightweight Vega was delivered to the Spaceport with this latest member of Arianespace's expanded launcher family arriving only days after the service entry of its other new vehicle - the medium-lift Soyuz. Vega came to French Guiana aboard the MN Colibri roll-on/roll-off ship, which docked yesterday at Kourou's Pariacabo Port after a two-week Atlantic crossing from Europe, and was unloaded this morning for the launcher's transfer by road to the Spaceport. (10/27)
Green Flight Challenge Team Creates Aviation History, Learns Life Lessons, Spotlights Embry-Riddle (Source: ERAU)
For a team of student engineers from Embry-Riddle, competing in NASA’s Green Flight Challenge last month in California, was the ultimate lesson, a rite of passage into the aviation world, and a chance to be media stars for a few days. Nearly two years ago, when NASA issued a challenge to fly an aircraft 200 passenger miles per gallon at 100 miles per hour for 200 miles, Embry-Riddle and 12 other teams entered the contest. By the time of the competition, only five teams qualified: Embry-Riddle and four corporations, three of them European aircraft manufacturers.
Along the way, Embry-Riddle’s multidisciplinary team of 200 students from the Daytona Beach campus, led by Lori Costello, a graduate student in aerospace engineering, and advised by Pat Anderson, professor of aerospace engineering, converted a Stemme glider into a hybrid gas/battery/electric-powered aircraft. On Sept. 7, when test pilot Mikhael Ponso, an Embry-Riddle alumnus, took off in the Eco Eagle and the engine switched from gas to electric power at cruising altitude, it became history’s first successful flight of a hybrid gas/electric plane. (10/27)
An Alien Code Close to Home: Seeking ET Beyond the Radio Silence (SourcE: Astrobiology)
Any intelligent extraterrestrial life that exists probably won't announce itself by blowing up the White House, or win over the hearts of children as a lovable alien with a glowing finger. Many scientists simply hope to find evidence of them by scanning the skies for a radio signal from a distant star's alien civilization. But such efforts may also risk overlooking clues of past alien activity right here on Earth.
If aliens did leave their mark on Earth by some wild chance, we could search for the possible "footprints" of alien technology or even analyze the DNA of terrestrial organisms for signs of intelligent messages or tinkering. Such a CSI-style forensics search could complement, rather than replace, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) astronomers who continue to look skyward, said Paul Davies. Click here. (10/27)
No Wings Yet for Virgin Galactic (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Virgin Galactic representatives have declined numerous times to specify a timetable for the start of flights at Spaceport America, saying that depends on when the company finishes its vehicle development and can guarantee them as safe for flights. But during a ceremonial dedication of the spaceport runway in October 2010, Branson said then he expected operations to start by at least the spring of 2012. New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Christine Anderson said Virgin Galactic has the correct approach toward the timetable for starting suborbital flights. "It's when it's safe - that's the right answer," she said.
In the meantime, the spaceport authority must focus upon attracting businesses other than Virgin Galactic to the facility, said Rick Holdridge, spaceport authority chairman. "Our goal is to get other people in there," he said. Editor's Note: I reckon Virgin Galactic might be able to fly research missions well before they start carrying people aloft, to bring in revenues for Virgin and for Spaceport America while they continue to test and validate the vehicle's safety. (10/27)
Canada to Invest $477 Million in U.S. Military Satellite System (Source: Canada.com)
Canada's federal government is planning to spend as much as $477 million to participate in a U.S.-led military satellite program that has been subject to delays and cost overruns over the past decade. The Wideband Global Satellite system has been advertised by the U.S. Defense Department as a communications system for "U.S. warfighters, allies and coalition partners during all levels of conflict, short of nuclear war." The idea is to have as many as nine military satellites hovering over different parts of the world, ready to provide high-frequency bandwidth for U.S. and allied forces wherever they may be operating.
Daniel Blouin, a spokesman for Canada's Department of National Defence, said the Canadian Forces has identified improved communication capabilities as a necessity. If Canada does join the Wideband Global Satellite System, or WGS, it will be the latest ally to get onboard the project. Australia agreed in 2007 to contribute more than $800 million U.S. to pay for the sixth satellite in return for a portion of the system's overall bandwidth. New Zealand, Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands also have expressed interest. (10/27)
Budget Fight Rages Over James Webb Space Telescope (Source: Washington Post)
Bigger than a tennis court, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope spreads out in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, its gray wings pulled taut, its mirror tilted skyward. This full-size model outside the Maryland Science Center took 12 workers four days to assemble. The real Webb telescope, by contrast, will have clocked more than 30 years from conception to orbit, if it launches as scheduled in 2018. This is astronomy’s big, generational gamble, designed to peer back to the dawn of time, and search for signs of life on distant exoplanets — all feats the Hubble Space Telescope can’t manage.
But on its way to the heavens, the Webb has run wildly over budget, drawn threats of cancellation from Congress, elbowed aside other NASA science missions and driven a wedge through the space science community. Its fate for now rests on negotiations between NASA’s chief purse holders in Congress, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) and Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA). Mikulski, the telescope’s staunchest champion, chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee in charge of NASA’s budget; Wolf holds the parallel position in the House.
Fed up with Webb’s escalating costs, Wolf zeroed out in July Webb’s funding in NASA’s 2012 budget, and that’s how the House passed the spending bill. Wolf has now softened. “I want to be able to fund the Webb,” he said of the telescope named for NASA’s second administrator. But first, Wolf wants to know how NASA will pay for the telescope’s cost overruns. On Sept. 28, he asked the Office of Management and Budget for a list of NASA cuts to pay for the project, now priced at $8.7 billion. The office has yet to answer. (10/27)
NASA Plan for Private Space Taxis Hasn't Won Over Lawmakers (Source: Space.com)
NASA's projected costs and benefits of helping to develop commercial spaceships drew skepticism from members of a House panel. While leaders of various commercial space companies spoke up for their industry's prospects, lawmakers questioned whether there will be enough of a market in space transportation and tourism to justify taxpayer investment in new, private vehicles. Such ships will need more customers besides NASA astronauts to be profitable, the lawmakers said.
"NASA seemingly takes the position of 'Build it and they will come,'" said committee chairman Ralph M. Hall (R-TX). "From my perspective, the business case is not very compelling." If there are no customers beyond NASA to purchase seats on these new spaceships, it "could put the government in the position of supporting, or bailing out, commercial companies" in order to preserve a national space transportation capability, Hall said.
In response, Elon Musk of SpaceX said he "will personally guarantee" that taxpayers won't have to bail out his company. Executives representing Boeing, Sierra Nevada, ATK and ULA, said their businesses would be successful even if NASA were the only customer. But they listed other likely sources of income, such as cargo transportation and satellite servicing, as well as selling rides to private citizens and to astronauts from countries without their own space programs. (10/27)
More Congressional Reaction to Commercial Crew Plans (Source: Space.com)
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) raised this concern about the commercial crew program: Why should taxpayers fund development of private vehicles that will then belong to private companies and not to the U.S. government? "It seems to me that we're running on a course of eventually the taxpayers subsidizing a monopoly," Edwards said. She said the country could end up footing an even bigger bill by renting services from companies that relied on significant taxpayer money to develop their products.
Not all the panelists were so hard on the private space firms: "I have been surprised by a number of things in my 24 years here in Congress, but one of the things I've been surprised the most about is the hostility that seems to be expressed" toward commercial space companies, said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). "I consider this to be a historic moment for our country. This anti-commercial space attitude that I see, I think it could have very grave consequences." (10/27)
Mikulski Unveils JWST Permanent Exhibit at Maryland Science Center (Source: Sen. Mikulski)
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS), unveiled a permanent exhibit on the James Webb Space Telescope at the Maryland Science Center located at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The exhibit includes a scale model of the telescope, graphic panels explaining the science behind the Webb mission along with a high definition multimedia presentation from the Space Telescope Science Institute – the science and operations center for the telescope. (10/27)
Mikulski: JWST in Approved Budget by Thanksgiving (Source: Baltimore Sun)
Maryland Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said Wednesday she expects the Senate will pass a budget bill on Tuesday that will include $530 million to continue work toward launch of the Webb Space Telescope in 2018 "and secure America's place in astronomy for the next 50 years." She hopes to have the funding bill "on the president's desk to be signed into law by Thanksgiving." (10/27)
New York Museum for Shuttle Needs Support (Source: New York Post)
Last April, amid fierce competition, NASA chose the Intrepid Museum as the home for the space shuttle Enterprise. Now the price of poker has gone up: Museum officials want to build a grand annex to house the bird, along with a beefed-up space and science program. What a tremendous cultural and educational boon for the city. We’d finally have our own premier space-and-science center. But the hurdles are huge. If New Yorkers want to see the plan become reality, they’ll need to get behind it quickly and aggressively, and make sure the opportunity doesn’t slip by.
On the drawing board: a spectacular 75,000-square-foot glass structure on what is now a parking lot across 12th Avenue, near the museum’s home aboard USS Intrepid -- the storied World War II-era aircraft carrier docked at Pier 86 near West 46th Street. The shuttle would be the main attraction, but the building would also offer other exhibits, interactive displays, classrooms and labs for educational programs, a rooftop cafe and other amenities.
True, the museum already has an admirable section devoted to space (its full name is the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Complex). But the current program is nothing next to what’s on tap when the new facility opens in 2014, featuring a real space shuttle (actually, Enterprise was a prototype). With the other retired shuttles based elsewhere in the country, the Intrepid will instantly become the preeminent space museum in the entire Northeast. (10/27)
Engineer and Team Propel Launches at Vandenberg (Source: Lompoc Record)
His family’s feelings about his stint as a New York City taxi driver propelled Chuck Damiano into an aerospace career. Since that job switch decades ago, Damiano has traveled a long way to land on the Delta 2 launch crew in California, where he leads the team of engineers responsible for fueling rockets for flight from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex-2.
The 55-year-old Orcutt resident, who has worked at Vandenberg for more than 15 years, was driving a cab in New York City when his family pushed him to pursue a different job. An uncle who worked on the Apollo moon program in Florida facilitated the career move and, in 1979, Damiano joined Grumman Corp. in an entry-level job as a riveter for the Navy’s F-14 jet. (10/27)
Liability Law Change Sought for Spaceport (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Spaceport America's future hinges upon a proposed change in the law being pitched for next year's Legislature, spaceport officials said. The measure would limit legal liability for companies supplying parts for spaceflight equipment and vehicles, said New Mexico Spaceport Authority chief Christine Anderson. The bill would prevent passengers of Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceflights from suing the supplier companies if something malfunctions. The legislation wouldn't prohibit them from suing in the event of gross negligence or an intentionally caused problem.
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority board on Wednesday voted unanimously to back the proposed legislation. Anderson said two companies - including rocket maker Sierra Nevada Corp. - visited Las Cruces last week for a spaceflight symposium and were eying New Mexico as a place to locate. But there was a caveat. "They said: 'Unless you pass that (legislation) in January, we're not going to go there,'" she said. The "hold harmless" legislation wouldn't hamper the ability of people on the ground to sue if a space vehicle crashed into a house, Anderson said. "This is not a sweeping thing taking rights away from citizens," she said. (10/27)
Spaceport America Expands Commercial Space (Source: Aviation Week)
Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America operations base will be equally busy carrying to sub-orbit research payloads and space tourists, say developers at the newly dedicated facility here. Although initiated as the gateway for sub-orbital passenger flights for Virgin Galactic’s spaceline, the growing interest in non-human payloads looks set to be a pivotal part of the operation’s bottom line.
As if to underscore the drive for a balanced portfolio, Stephen Attenborough, Virgin Galactic commercial director, began his comments at the Oct. 17 dedication ceremony by listing the lengthening roster of reservations from research organizations, institutes and educational groups. Heading the line-up is NASA and the Flight Opportunities program which firmed up one of three suborbital research missions aboard Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo (SS2) vehicle. The contract is valued at up to $4.5 million if all flights are confirmed over the next two years, says Virgin. (10/27)
Launch Rate Set to Skyrocket at French Guiana Spaceport (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The introduction of the Soyuz and Vega rockets at Europe's spaceport in the Amazon jungle presents a demanding juggling act for managers trying to balance needs for three very different launch vehicles sharing a stretch of the French Guiana coastline. The 270-square-mile Guiana Space Center, jointly funded by the French government and the European Space Agency, has been home to the Ariane rocket family since 1979.
But instead of hosting launches six or seven times a year, the spaceport's launch rate could soon double to a dozen flights annually. Two launchers, the veteran Russian Soyuz and the new Italian-led solid-fueled Vega, are now debuting at the spaceport. The first Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana successfully delivered two Galileo navigation satellites into orbit last week. The Vega is scheduled to fly for the first time Jan. 26. (10/26)
Schafer Corporation Teams with UP Aerospace to Launch NASA Payloads (Source: HobbySpace)
The Schafer Corporation, a scientific and engineering company, has teamed with UP Aerospace of Denver, CO to provide comprehensive launch and payload integration services for up to eight NASA launches during 2012 and 2013. UP and Schafer have teamed on previous launches out of Spaceport America and this is a continuation of that excellent working relationship. (10/26)
Zubrin: Obama Readies to Blast NASA (Source: Washington Times)
Word has leaked out that in its new budget, the Obama administration intends to terminate NASA’s planetary exploration program. The Mars Science Lab Curiosity, being readied on the pad, will be launched, as will the nearly completed small MAVEN orbiter scheduled for 2013, but that will be it. No further missions to anywhere are planned. After 2013, America’s amazing career of planetary exploration will simply end.
Furthermore, the plan from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also leaves the space astronomy program adrift and headed for destruction. The now-orbiting Kepler Telescope will be turned off in midmission, stopping it before it can complete its goal of finding other Earths. Even worse, the magnificent Webb Telescope, the agency’s flagship, which promises fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of the laws of the universe, is not sufficiently funded to allow successful completion. This guarantees further costly delays, with the ensuing budgetary overruns leading inevitably to eventual cancellation.
The administration’s decision to derail planetary exploration and space astronomy is shocking and portends the destruction of the entire American space program. As an agency, NASA is a mixed bag. It includes a large bureaucracy and wasteful, pork-driven spending. But it also includes departments that are technically superb and really deliver the goods. First and foremost among NASA’s most productive divisions are the planetary exploration and space astronomy programs. Kill those, and what is left will be indefensible. (10/26)
SpaceX Has Invested $500 Million (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX said on Wednesday it has invested about $500 million in commercial-space ventures, shedding light on the closely held company's efforts to develop private rockets and capsules even as congressional skepticism about such projects grows. The figure is substantially larger than founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk previously spelled out to lawmakers and goes beyond earlier statements that he has invested $100 million of his personal wealth in the Southern California-based maker of launchers and spacecraft. (10/27)
Hearing Puts Spotlight on Embry-Riddle, Daytona (Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal)
An upcoming congressional hearing at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will provide a national showcase for the school's key role in the development of cutting-edge air traffic control technology. Major aerospace companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing already are well acquainted with Embry-Riddle and its research capabilities. But the Nov. 7 "field" hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, scheduled by Chairman John Mica, should raise ERAU's profile in Washington, D.C.
The hearing also should help put Daytona Beach on the map as a potential site for aerospace industries. Mica, R-Winter Park, sees economic opportunity in the Florida NextGen Test Bed, an air traffic control research and testing project in which Embry-Riddle plays a central role. "It could be one of the biggest economic and employment opportunities for the future," Mica said. To measure the potential economic impact of converting the nation's air traffic control system to GPS-type technology, consider this: The Next Generation Air Transportation System project is expected to cost a minimum of $40 billion.
Volusia County could be a major beneficiary of the long-overdue overhaul of the air traffic control system. Thousands of ERAU graduates are employed in the aviation industry, but there are few suitable career opportunities in Volusia County for the school's graduates. Mica and local officials, including ERAU's leaders, hope the NextGen Test Bed project will change that. (10/27)
