Boeing Reports Third-Quarter Results
(Source: Reuters)
Boeing reported third-quarter net income of $1.0 billion on continued
strong core performance and revenue of $20 billion. Increased earnings
at Commercial Airplanes and Defense, Space & Security were more
than offset by higher pension expense of $194 million. Defense revenue
fell 4 percent $7.8 billion, but margins widened to 10.5 percent from
10 percent. Those shifts reflected contraction of defense spending - a
growing trend as the United States and Europe cut budgets - but also
showed Boeing's ability to be "very aggressive" in cutting costs.
(10/24)
Germany Eyes Swift Purchase of EADS
Shares (Source: Reuters)
Germany is rushing to purchase a stake in EADS by year-end, fearful
that the owner of the shares, carmaker Daimler, could unload them on
the open market and hurt Berlin's influence in the aerospace group, a
government document obtained by Reuters showed. In a paper sent to the
budget committee of Germany's lower house of parliament and dated
October 23, the economy ministry warned that Berlin risked losing out
to France in its quest for equal control over EADS. (10/24)
Lockheed, Northrop and Boeing Geat
Forecasts, GD Misses (Source: Reuters)
Three of the biggest U.S. weapons makers beat third-quarter earnings
forecasts on Wednesday and raised their guidance for the full year,
although the specter of additional U.S. defense budget cuts continued
to cloud the industry's outlook for 2013. Lockheed Martin, Boeing's
defense division and Northrop Grumman reported higher earnings and
strong margins despite weakening sales. Northrop Grumman Corp reported
a lower quarterly profit, mainly due to a $66 million fall in net
pension income, but the company raised its full-year earnings forecast.
General Dynamics missed Wall Street earnings forecasts, mainly due to a
$25 million charge to revalue its inventory of ruggedized computers, or
computers designed to operate in harsh environments, but kept its
guidance for full-year earnings at roughly the same level, which
appeared to reassure investors. General Dynamics, which builds
warships, ground combat vehicles and business jets, said third-quarter
earnings slid 8 percent as margins fell. (10/24)
Lockheed Boosts 2012 Profit Forecast,
Sees Sales Decline (Source Bloomberg)
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor, said
third-quarter profit rose 9.3 percent and raised its full-year profit
forecast. The company also projected a decline in 2013 sales. Net
income from continuing operations for the quarter rose to $727 million,
from $665 million a year earlier. Sales declined 2.1 percent to $11.9
billion. (10/24)
Japan Wants Space Plane or Capsule by
2022 (Source: Space.com)
Japan hopes to be launching astronauts aboard a manned capsule or space
plane by 2022, and the nation is also eyeing point-to-point suborbital
transportation over the longer haul. The capsule or mini-shuttle —
which may resemble Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser space plane — would
each accommodate a crew of three and carry up to 880 pounds (400
kilograms) of cargo, officials with the Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA) said this month.
The mini-shuttle would weigh 26,400 pounds (11,975 kg) and land at one
of five suitable runways worldwide. Because a launch abort from Japan’s
Tanegashima Space Center would mean a Pacific Ocean landing, the space
plane would also have to be able to cope with the sea. JAXA is
considering two different versions of the capsule, which would have a
similar internal volume to SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The 15,400-pound
(6,985 kg) variant employs parachutes, while the 19,800-pound (8,981
kg) model uses a more maneuverable parafoil for greater landing
accuracy to within a 1.9-mile (3 kilometers) radius. (10/24)
Amazing Photo Captures 84 Million
Stars in Our Galaxy (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have catalogued 84 million stars at the heart of the Milky
Way galaxy using an enormous cosmic photo snapped by a telescope in
Chile, a view that is billed as the largest survey ever of the stars in
our galaxy's core. The staggering 9-gigapixel picture was created with
data gathered by the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for
Astronomy (VISTA), an instrument at the European Southern Observatory's
Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. The zoomable image is so large
that it would measure 30 feet long by 23 feet tall (9 by 7 meters) if
printed with the resolution of a typical book. Click here.
(10/24)
Space Solar Power Looks For Shortcuts
(Source: Aviation Week)
As commercial space transportation companies make their first tentative
steps toward a low-Earth-orbit economy, looking for the killer app in
microgravity that will make them rich, an almost limitless supply of
wealth streams continuously through the Solar System, showing up at
Cape Canaveral and Wallops Island, Va., and the wide open spaces of
Mojave, Calif., every day at sunrise.
Advocates of space solar power (SSP) continue to refine their ideas for
harnessing the Sun's energy, beaming it to Earth and plugging it into
the power grid. The benefits are obvious—a clean source of energy that
can power the planet's infrastructure without relying on the dwindling
fossil reserves that drive the often-savage global economy we have
today. Less obvious are the obstacles, but papers presented at the 63rd
International Astronautical Congress indicate some very good minds are
at work on the problems, with some very interesting results. Click here.
(10/22)
How to see Atlantis' Last Move at KSC
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
On Nov. 2, the Atlantis space shuttle will roll to its new permanent
home at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is offering two
ticket packages for the event. The Explorer Package includes a trip to
Exploration Park, where Atlantis will be seen “in the round.” It will
be a festival setting there with additional space-exploration exhibits
and astronauts on hand. There will be activitities there from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m., and the shuttle is expected to arrive there from the
Vehicle Assembly Building around noon.
The shuttle will travel up State Road 405 to its KSC home, where buyers
of the Rollover Package can watch the final leg of the trip and the
grand finale fireworks. Atlantis is set to arrive at the visitor
complex at 6 p.m., with fireworks scheduled at 7 p.m. The $100 million
Atlantis exhibit is under construction and set to open to the public in
July. (10/24)
NASA Selects Early Stage Innovation
Proposals From 10 Universities (Source: SpaceRef)
NASA has selected 10 university-led proposals for study of innovative,
early-stage space technologies designed to improve shielding from space
radiation, spacecraft thermal management and optical systems. The
1-year grants are worth approximately $250,000 each, with an additional
year of research possible. Editor's Note:
None are from Florida universities. :-( (10/24)
China Makes Progress in Spaceflight
Research (Source: Xinhua)
China has made breakthroughs in researching spaceflight dynamics, a top
scientist said. Progress has been made in spaceflight trajectory
computation and analysis, orbital tracking, telemetry and command
technologies for deep space probes and spaceflight planning and
control, said Tang Geshi, director of the Science and Technology of
Aerospace Flight Dynamics Laboratory. The lab is a key research station
established in March with over 50 researchers. (10/24)
Transactions Push United Technologies'
Q3 Profits Higher (Source: Bloomberg)
United Technologies saw its net income rise 6.9% in the third quarter,
propelled by its purchase of Goodrich and part of International Aero
Engines. The Goodrich purchase will continue to boost United
Technologies' profit next year as well, the company says. In the third
quarter, the company reported net income of $1.42 billion, or $1.56 a
share, compared with $1.32 billion, or $1.47, a year earlier. (10/23)
NASA Selects Ohio Rocket Club for
Contract (Source: Evening Leader)
Students in the Minster Rocket Club in Ohio have been chosen by NASA
for a rocket initiative that will hone the students' rocketry skills
and provide NASA will a rocket capable of launching a mile up, conduct
experiments and transmit data as it does so. The students made the cut
for the Student Launch Initiative after performing well in the spring's
Team America Rocketry Challenge. (10/22)
Robotic Servicing Seen As Beneficial
For Human Exploration (Source: Aviation Week)
Work underway at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on ways to service
satellites in Earth orbit can help keep exploration crews alive much
deeper into the Solar System, according to a manager of the effort. Ben
Reed of Goddard’s Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office said the same
kind of work pioneered on the Hubble Space Telescope can give
deep-space human-exploration vehicles the level of reliability needed
for missions to near-Earth objects and eventually Mars.
“I think that paradigm is going to serve us well as we expand into the
Solar System, using servicing as a technique for that high system
reliability,” he said. Goddard’s Robotic Refueling Mission, an external
testbed delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by the final
space shuttle mission last year, and extensive ground testing of
related satellite-servicing systems, is advancing the technology
readiness level in all of the areas that would be needed for underway
inspection, maintenance and repair of a spacecraft that has moved past
the second Earth-Moon Lagrangian point (EML2). (10/23)
Stratolaunch Announces the Opening of
the Production Facility at Mojave Spaceport (Source: SpaceRef)
The Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, a Paul G. Allen project,
announced the opening of their production facility at the Mojave Air
and Space Port. The energy efficient 88,000 square foot facility will
be used to construct the composite sections of the wing and fuselage
sections which will be assembled into the carrier aircraft.
The carrier aircraft will be used to position the rocket to its launch
point. This facility paves the way forward for Stratolaunch to commence
manufacturing of the numerous wing and fuselage assemblies within the
calendar year. This is one of two facilities that will be built in
Mojave to construct the carrier aircraft. The other facility, currently
under construction, will house the carrier aircraft during assembly and
test. (10/24)
Bermuda Tracking Site Provides Big
Boost for Wallops Expendable Vehicle Launches (Source: NASA)
Following an agreement signed between NASA and Bermuda in early March
2012, range officials at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility have recently
completed the successful deployment and check-out of a temporary mobile
tracking station on Cooper’s Island, Bermuda. The successful
deployment, completed in August, means NASA’s only launch range now
offers the full compliment of range assets for expendable launch
vehicle operations.
Along with cost savings, perhaps the biggest impact lies in range
scheduling. “Owning, deploying, and controlling our own assets means
control over scheduling,” said Steven Kremer, NASA Wallops deputy range
manager. “It gives us higher confidence in promising range availability
to our customers when they come to Wallops for services. In addition,
our services offered from Bermuda will benefit other customers who
launch from other ranges such as the Eastern Range in Florida.”
NASA’s mobile tracking station in Bermuda provides telemetry, radar,
and command and control services. It will support the launch of rockets
carrying supplies to the International Space Station or satellites to
low-Earth orbit. During a typical ELV launch operation, about 10 range
personnel will deploy to Bermuda to configure the mobile tracking
station, conduct the operation, and then pack the systems for shipment
back to Wallops. (10/23)
Orbital Developing ESPA-based
Experiments Carrier (Source: NASA)
Orbital Sciences Corp. is developing an experimental spacecraft
platform that can host multiple payloads in various orbits under a $32
million contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the
company announced Oct. 24. The maneuverable platform is based on the
Air Force-developed EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring, which
enables the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets to carry multiple piggyback
payloads. Orbital’s ESPA Augmented Geostationary Laboratory Experiment
(EAGLE) Platform development contract runs through August 2017. (10/24)
MDA Gets Major Contract for DARPA’s
Phoenix Program (Source: Parabolic Arc)
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has been selected as a key
participant to support the DARPA Phoenix Program. MDA will provide a
variety of servicing technologies and capabilities to the program,
under multiple contracts to DARPA and the Naval Research Laboratory
(NRL). These contracts will build on MDA’s world leading capabilities
from its operations in both Canada and the U.S.
The goal of the DARPA Phoenix Program is to develop and demonstrate
technologies to cooperatively repurpose valuable components from
retired, nonworking satellites and demonstrate the ability to create
new space systems at greatly reduced cost. The mission will use a
robotic on-orbit servicer, and components launched alongside commercial
satellites.
The program also hopes to transition its developing technologies into
sustainable commercial applications, that in turn support U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD) needs in the future, and MDA is under
contract from DARPA to assist with defining this commercialization plan
as well. (10/24)
NASA Dilemma: CASIS Can't Seem To Pull
Together a Board of Directors (Source: SpaceRef)
It has been three months since a Juy 2012 Congressional hearing
whereien NASA and CASIS said that the CASIS Board of Directors would be
announced "shortly". It has been seven months since an exchange of
memos between NASA and CASIS wherein the board of directors was listed
by CASIS among its expected near term accomplishments.
Despite statements before Congress and in formal communications with
NASA, CASIS has yet to announce the names of the members of its Board
of Directors. Sources report that no one (White House, NASA, Congress,
research community) especially likes the names that CASIS has floated.
(10/24)
XCOR: Supersonic Plane To Fly Between
NYC And Tokyo In 90 Minutes (Source: Huffington Post)
The private space-race is once again heating up. XCOR, a private rocket
company, has released images of the Lynx, a supersonic aircraft that
will fly super-rich passengers to space as early as 2014. The 45-minute
round-trip flight will cost each passenger roughly $95,000, XCOR
spokesman Bryan Campen said. The Lynx, Campen said, is a precursor to a
supersonic plane that will transport passengers between New York and
Tokyo in a mere 90 minutes.
Such a vehicle will take off and land on a runway like a conventional
plane, but will fly outside the atmosphere for a portion of its
journeys, 62 miles above earth. The first 90-minute commercial flights
between the Big Apple and Tokyo should hit the market some time in the
next 20 years, XCOR COO Andrew Nelson said. (10/23)
Rocket Explosion Raises Worries over Space Debris (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A Russian Breeze M rocket stage, left with loaded fuel tanks after an August launch failure, exploded in orbit Oct. 16, raising concerns of the U.S. military, NASA and global satellite operators on the lookout for collision threats from hundreds of new space debris fragments. The Breeze M stage violently disintegrated some time Oct. 16, dispersing debris in an arc around Earth encompassing orbital zones populated by the International Space Station and numerous communications, scientific, and military satellites. (10/24)
Big Savings Seen With Dual-Launch GPS
Satellites (Source: Aviation Week)
U.S. rocket makers are refining a concept to dual-launch the next
generation of Global Positioning System satellites, a move that could
save $50 million per satellite compared to the traditional practice of
dedicating a single booster to loft each spacecraft separately. In the
military space world, where some satellites can exceed $1 billion in
cost, $50 million is not a lot of money. But the immense fiscal
pressure being put on the Pentagon is compelling managers to consider
pinching pennies wherever possible.
This, combined with a solid record of performance from the United
Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV vehicles, is driving officials
at the Pentagon to consider taking the risk of stacking two GPS III
satellites atop a single booster. Satellite manufacturers note that the
cost avoidance can add up—-a notional constellation of 30 could save
$1.5 billion, they say.
GPS III, being developed by Lockheed Martin, is the ideal platform on
which to try the dual-launch concept. Unlike other Pentagon satellite
programs, the U.S. Air Force is buying GPS IIIs in large enough numbers
to justify the non-recurring engineering for the new hardware and
software for a dual launch. Air Force officials are considering this
approach with satellites 9 and 10, though developers at ULA and
Lockheed Martin suggest they could be ready to start with satellites 5
and 6. (10/24)
Manned Mars Missions Could Threaten
Red Planet Life (source: Space.com)
Humanity has long dreamed of putting boots on Mars, but those boots
have the potential to stomp all over any lifeforms that may exist on
the Red Planet. A seething, swarming mass of 100 trillion microbes will
accompany every astronaut who lands on Mars. This diverse "microbiome"
has evolved with humans for eons and provides a number of services,
from helping people digest their food to keeping pathogenic bacteria at
bay.
While these microbes are intimately tied to humans, many of them will
jump ship if transported to the Martian surface — with unknown
consequences for a planet that may or may not host life of its own. "We
have the responsibility to Mars, I think — even if it's just Martian
microbes — not to kill them by the act of detecting them," said Cynthia
Phillips of the SETI. "If you have human astronauts there," Phillips
added, "there's no way to sterilize them. They're spewing out thousands
of microbes every second. So it's a real problem." (10/24)
Flowing Water on Mars May Cause
Seasonal Streaks: Study (Source: Space.com)
The tantalizing seasonal flows observed on Mars last year may indeed be
caused by liquid water, a new study suggests. The melting and
subsequent evaporation of frozen salty water could cause the intriguing
dark streaks, researchers said. These lines, which were spotted by
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, extend down some Martian
slopes during warm months and fade when winter comes. (10/24)
Sequestration: Impact of President
Obama's "It Will Not Happen" Assertion (Source: Space Policy
Online)
President Obama's statement during Monday's presidential debate that
the sequester "will not happen" surprised a lot of people. One of his
aides quickly walked it back, saying that everyone believes it SHOULD
not happen. Romney claims the President would cut military spending by
$1.2 trillion over 10 years through a combination of sequestration and
other spending cuts. Sequestration alone would cut about $500 billion
from defense spending (and about $500 billion from non-defense agencies
like NASA and NOAA).
The blame game continues, with Republicans insisting that sequestration
was the President's idea and the President insisting it was Congress's
idea. The fact of the matter is that it is part of the Budget Control
Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by the President.
Sequestration was included in the law as a "poison pill" to motivate a
special congressional "supercommittee" to find another way to cut the
deficit. They failed a year ago. House Republicans reneged on the part
of the agreement that called for cuts to defense spending while
continuing to insist on the $1.2 trillion total in deficit reduction,
making it a major issue in election-year politics.
Sequestration was expected to be a major component of whatever
deal-cutting is needed by the end of the year to avoid the so-called
fiscal cliff, a term that refers to a number of automatic economic
changes that will occur unless Congress acts. It includes
the economic impacts of not only the sequester, but the expiring social
security payroll tax holiday, the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts,
and a laundry list of other expiring tax breaks that, if they all
happen, could throw the country into turmoil. (10/24)
X-Ray Probe Catches a Bright Blast
from Milky Way's Black Hole (Source: NBC)
For years, astronomers have known about the supermassive black hole at
the center of our Milky Way galaxy, but these pictures from NASA's
NuSTAR telescope show a rare view of the usually sleeping giant
gobbling down a cosmic snack. "We got lucky to have captured an
outburst from the black hole during our observing campaign," said
Caltech's Fiona Harrison. "These data will help us better understand
the gentle giant at the heart of our galaxy and why it sometimes flares
up for a few hours and then returns to slumber." (10/23)
Germany To Push 2019 Moon Lander in
Naples Next Month (Source: Space News)
A German-led European lunar lander and rover mission could be designed,
built, launched and operated for six months on the lunar surface for
500 million euros ($650 million), according to the mission’s
presumptive prime contractor, Astrium GmbH, said Oct. 23. Under a
two-year contract to the European Space Agency (ESA) that ends in
mid-November, an Astrium-led six-nation team has concluded Europe could
place an 808-kilogram lander/rover package on the surface of the Moon
in 2019. (10/24)
Future of European Lunar Lander to be
Decided Soon (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
European space ministers are slated to decide next month whether to
develop a German-led robotic lunar lander, a mission which could be
launched in 2018 at a cost of $650 million, according to a study
released Tuesday. The lunar lander project, long favored by Germany, is
part of a package of missions the European Space Agency is proposing to
its member states at a ministerial council meeting in November in
Italy. Scheduled for launch in 2018 on a Soyuz rocket from Europe's
spaceport in French Guiana, the lunar lander would settle to a
rocket-assisted touchdown near the moon's south pole some time in 2019
for a six-month surface mission. (10/23)
Strap In! What It's Like to Fly on
SpaceShipTwo (Source: Discovery)
While SpaceShipTwo builder Scaled Composites prepares the commercial
spaceship for its first rocket-powered test flight, owner Virgin
Galactic has been thinking about all the armchair astronauts lining up
to finally test their space legs. Their fliers won't go far -- just 65
miles or so above the southern New Mexico launch site -- and they won't
be gone long. The supersonic sprint beyond the atmosphere will last
only a few minutes.
But Virgin Galactic is betting that the ride, albeit short, is sweet
enough to warrant its $200,000 fare. As of last week, 545 people had
put down deposits or paid the full fee to find out for themselves. So
what will the experience be like? Here's a perspective from
SpaceShipTwo lead pilot David Mackay.
After a three-day training program, passengers will leave Virgin's
terminal at the newly built Spaceport America, located near Las Cruces,
NM, and climb aboard SpaceShipTwo, which they'll find hanging beneath
the twin-boomed White Knight carrier aircraft. The six-passenger,
two-pilot vehicle is based on the prize-winning SpaceShipOne prototype,
which now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution's Air & Space
Museum. Click here.
(10/23)
African Kids Reach for the Stars With
Help of US Astronomer (Source: Space.com)
The beauty of space and the thrill of science have helped an American
astronomer connect with children in Malawi, despite language and
cultural barriers. Astronomer Gabriela Canalizo has spent seven
consecutive summers teaching astronomy to kids ages five to 20 in an
orphanage in the southeast African country. She brings a telescope and
astronomy books, and she shows scientific videos of star clusters and
galaxy collisions to the 220 children at Malawi's Passion Center for
Children. She hopes her visits encourage the children to stay in
school, and to get excited about science. (10/23)
Destination: Missing -- Comet Once
Targeted by NASA Mission Vanished (Source: Scientific American)
In 2005, after NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft had completed its
objective of slamming an impactor probe into the nucleus of Comet
Tempel 1, mission scientists began plotting their next move. The
spacecraft that had released the probe and documented its cometary
collision was intact, with fuel to spare, leaving it well equipped to
rendezvous with another comet in the inner solar system. Comets
preserve some of the primordial materials from the early solar system,
and the rare close look offers planetary scientists a glimpse of
conditions that prevailed billions of years ago.
The prospect of visiting another comet without having to build and
launch a new spacecraft—getting two missions for little more than the
price of one—seemed too good to pass up. The only question: Where to?
The best option, it seemed, was a comet called 85P/Boethin. The
little-known object, named for its discoverer, Leo Boethin, a priest in
the Philippines, would be drawing close to Earth in 2008. Boethin's
timely orbit would provide an opportunity for NASA to visit another
comet without having to fund the Deep Impact mission for more than a
few additional years.
The only catch: Comet Boethin had not been sighted in almost 20 years.
In the years leading up to 2008, when Boethin was to return once more,
astronomers designing the extended Deep Impact mission, called EPOXI
(Extrasolar Planet Observation and Deep Impact Extended Investigation),
moved to locate the comet again. But despite a few promising leads, the
trail went cold, and mission scientists opted to send Deep Impact to a
backup target instead. (10/23)
NASA Wants One New 'Brain' for Two
Rocket Engines (Source: AL.com)
How do you get a new heavy-lift rocket program off the ground with a
"flat-line" development budget? One key for NASA is using a cache of 16
unused RS-25 Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) to help power the first
few flights. But the space agency says they'll need new "brains" to do
the job, and developing that upgrade is one of the jobs being handled
by engineers and contractors at Marshall Space Flight Center, where the
new rocket is being developed.
NASA calls its new rocket the Space Launch System (SLS), a name that
encompasses not only the booster but also the upper stage with the
Orion crew capsule. The first version will be capable of lifting 70
metric tons of cargo to deep space, and the final version will lift as
much as 130 tons. By comparison, the space shuttle could lift 24 metric
tons into space, and the Apollo-era Saturn V, capable of supporting
deep space flight, could lift 130 metric tons. Marshall engineers gave
other SLS managers a tour of the developments in Huntsville so far on
Oct. 17.
"The computer controlling the SSME was manufactured in the early '80s
and many parts are now obsolete," Jeremy Richard, SLS Liquid Engines
Office Subsystem manager, said in on Marshall's website. "While working
on updating the technology, we discovered we could adapt the same
controller being used by the new J-2X engine to the RS-25 engine,
effectively streamlining the controller and resulting in a cost
savings." (10/23)
Explorer's Club Offers Student Grants
(Source: Explorer's Club)
The Explorers Club offers grants to students conducting individual
scientific or exploration research projects through their respective
schools with a supervising instructor. Your instructor must write a
letter of support. We do not provide general scholarships for tuition.
Our Youth Activity Fund for high school students and college
undergraduates fosters a new generation of explorers dedicated to the
advancement of scientific knowledge of the world.
Our Exploration Fund for graduate, post-graduate, doctorate and early
career post-doctoral students provides grants in support of exploration
and field research for those who are just beginning their research
careers. Our awards typically range from $500 to $2500 US in each Fund.
A few awards may be granted up to a $5000 award level. The deadline for
2013 applications is Nov. 1. Click here.
(10/24)
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