Register Now for the 42nd Space Congress (Source: CCTS)
The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies is re-starting its Space Congress with a one-day conference at the Florida Solar Energy Center on Dec. 7. The theme for the 42nd Space Congress is “A New Beginning” and signifies both the Council’s return to conducting these public technical conferences and the way forward for the Cape Canaveral Spaceport: its facilities, launch vehicles, and the future payloads that will fly from our country’s premier spaceport.
NASA, DOD, other government agencies, and commercial companies are being invited to attend along with educators, students, society members, space activists, amateur rocketeers, and interested members of the general public. Our goal will be to bring together the best in the commercial and private spaceflight industries to motivate all generations of space pioneers to focus on a common goal to reach to space to resolve scientific questions, provide means for low-gravity manufacturing, etc., using the facilities we shall have to work with here in Florida. Click here for information and registration. (11/16)
Electric Bus Quietly Tours Spaceport (Source:
NASA)
A new bus made an unusual impression on officials at NASA's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida recently when the all-electric vehicle carried
a contingent of center, state and local officials on a tour of NASA's
launch site. "Your first impression will be that it's not even on, that
it's not even running," Proterra engineer Joel Torr told the group just
before they climbed aboard for the ride.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the vehicle, though, is the
prospect of saving fuel and maintenance costs while operating a bus
that produces no emissions. "We are actively promoting the use of
alternative fuel vehicles when possible," said John Thiers. The fleet
of vehicles at KSC has been progressing toward a greater share of
alternatively fueled transportation for a number of years as more
options have become available.
Electric, natural gas and ethanol-powered cars share KSC's sprawling
networks of roads with gasoline-fueled vehicles comfortably - the
center covers 144,000 acres, after all. This was the first time an
electric bus has been offered, though. Space Coast Energy Consortium
arranged the visit which included officials from Florida and local
county organizations, plus industry representatives including General
Motors. (11/14)
Embry-Riddle Researcher Wins NSF Early
Career Award for Gravity Research (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle scientist Dr. Jonathan Snively has received the National
Science Foundation’s most prestigious award for junior faculty members,
the Faculty Early Career Development grant, supporting his continued
research on gravity waves and their effect on the Earth’s upper
atmosphere.
Snively, an assistant professor of Engineering Physics in the Physical
Sciences Department at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, will
receive $478,720 over five years from the NSF award program that
encourages the activities of teacher-scholars who are judged likely to
become leaders in academic research and education.
“Jonathan is one of the best and brightest researchers at
Embry-Riddle,” said Dr. Mike Hickey, associate vice president of
Research and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle. “The fact that he’s the
fourth professor at the Daytona Beach Campus to receive the highly
competitive NSF Early Career Award in the last seven years demonstrates
that the NSF has great confidence in the quality of Embry-Riddle
faculty and students and the research they conduct.” (11/16)
NASA Announces Leadership Changes at
Glenn and Johnson (Source: NASA)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced leadership changes Friday
for the agency's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and Johnson Space
Center in Houston. James Free will succeed Ramon (Ray) Lugo as Glenn's
center director when Lugo retires in January. Free has served as
Glenn's deputy director since January 2011. Ellen Ochoa will succeed
Michael Coats as Johnson's center director when Coats retires at the
end of the year. Ochoa has served as Johnson's deputy director since
September 2007. (11/16)
Space Repair Enters the Robotic Age
(Source: New Scientist)
Russian roulette was nothing compared to this. The 2-ton satellite was
screaming toward Earth, and most of it was expected to survive the
rigours of re-entry. If it stayed aloft another 10 minutes parts of the
defunct German X-ray satellite could smash into Beijing. It was pure
luck that prevented disaster. Thanks to the craft's orientation and the
density of the atmosphere at the time, it missed China altogether and
splashed down safely last year in the Bay of Bengal.
Thankfully, such situations are rare, yet things do go wrong in space.
Each year about one satellite is launched into the wrong orbit or is
unable to deploy a crucial component, hobbling it at the beginning of
its life. Others die because they've run out of fuel, cutting short
their careers. What if there was a way to save satellites that go
wrong? Not only could we wring more out of the hundreds of billions of
dollars of equipment above our heads, we could ensure the safety of
neighbouring satellites, which risk getting smashed up unless they
blast themselves out of the way. Click here.
(11/16)
6-Minute NASA Rocket Launch Tracks
Solar 'Nanoflares' (Source: Space.com)
NASA scientists launched a small telescope into space this month to
study faint flares on the sun. But there's a twist: The mission took
less time than it takes to hard-boil an egg. The solar telescope flew
atop suborbital sounding rocket on Nov. 2 during the short 6-minute
flight, which launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New
Mexico aboard. The rocket, which is designed to fly experiments into
space but not orbit the Earth, carried the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar
Imager (or FOXSI) to study small changes in the sun's weather.
Though short-lived, the 200-mile (321 kilometers) rocket flight could
provide new data on mysterious solar nanoflares — tiny, sudden bursts
of energy that constantly erupt on the sun's surface. As their name
suggests, nanoflares are much smaller and thus harder to see than the
massive solar flares that get attention for wreaking havoc on Earth's
electronics and communications networks. (11/16)
Pumpkin Pie Craters on Mercury are
Solar System First (Source: New Scientist)
The planet Mercury used these ingredients to bake several strange
crater pies, complete with wrinkled crusts and cracked fillings.
Spotted by a NASA probe, the craters are unlike anything seen on other
rocky worlds, adding to the diversity of geologic processes known to
occur in the solar system.
The pies were found in Mercury's northern highlands, which were flooded
repeatedly with volcanic eruptions early in the planet's history. These
floods buried underlying impact craters, but as the lava cooled, the
crater rims became visible as the material above them wrinkled and
split, forming the edges of the pie crust. (11/15)
Roaming Robot May Explore Mysterious
Moon Caverns (Source: Nature)
William 'Red' Whittaker often spends his Sundays lowering a robot into
a recently blown up coal mine pit near his cattle ranch in
Pennsylvania. By 2015, he hopes that his robot, or something like it,
will be rappelling down a much deeper hole, on the Moon. The hole was
discovered three years ago when Japanese researchers published images
from the satellite SELENE1, but spacecraft orbiting the Moon have been
unable to see into its shadowy recesses.
A robot might be able to “go where the Sun doesn't shine”, and send
back the first-ever look beneath the Moon's skin, Whittaker told
attendees at a meeting of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)
programme in Hampton, Virginia, this week. Over the next two years, the
NIAC programme will spend about US$500,000 developing Whittaker's
creations. The prototype he tested at the coal mine could be lowered
into the Moon pit to check the walls for openings. (11/16)
Oversight Report: NASA's Challenges
Include Tight Budgets and SLS (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA's Inspector General has identified five "overarching issues"
facing NASA management, and the major new rocket being developed in
Huntsville is key to one of them. That issue is the future of human
spaceflight. All of the challenges, the OIG says, are complicated by
the budget realities in Washington.
Before getting to the Space Launch System (SLS) being developed in
Huntsville, however, the OIG report released Nov. 8 details the
challenges facing the International Space Station and the commercial
companies NASA is counting on to service it. The station is currently
scheduled to close in 2020, but NASA is studying whether the life of
the $60 billion orbiting laboratory can be extended until 2028. NASA
people working on the station routinely say they believe its life can
work well beyond 2020, perhaps as long as another decade. Click here.
(11/16)
KSC Potential Bright for Energy
Research (Source: NASA)
Kennedy Space Center's future is not limited to space thanks to a
technical, engineering and scientific infrastructure that could serve a
variety of industries. "We have a lot of great technologies developed
in-house that can be used to help advance partner technologies... We
now have the opportunity, more so than before to make available our lab
capabilities, our expertise and licenses to utilize our technologies,"
said Robert Hubbard, Partnership Development manager at NASA's Florida
launch center.
Officials at the Space Coast Energy Consortium say Kennedy has dozens
of unique features that make it ideal for research work, along with the
technical workforce and cutting-edge researchers needed. "Kennedy has
thought of itself as an aerospace-focused place, but those skills have
a broad applicability for other things," said David Mandernack, project
director for the energy consortium. For example, Kennedy's work
preparing rockets and spacecraft for flight includes handling
super-cold propellants, such as hydrogen and oxygen safely, along with
hypergolic chemicals that are toxic and call for special
accommodations. (11/16)
DoD Could Save Billions [and Increase
Space Spending] with New Military Strategy (Source: Defense
News)
The U.S. Defense Department could save hundreds of billions of dollars
if it revamps its military strategy and makes its forces more
expeditionary, according to a new report calling for "Strategic
Agility." The nonpartisan Stimson Center released the strategy on Nov.
15 at a time when lawmakers and the White House are trying to come up
with a plan to lower the U.S. deficit.
Strategic Agility calls for maintaining air, space and naval forces
stronger than any potential adversary and maintaining advanced
technology and special operations forces. It calls for a greater amount
of defense-related research and development, which could be used in
next-generation weapons. The group also looked at ways to make DoD more
efficient without cutting end strength and major weapons programs. The
panel concluded DoD could save about $1 trillion if it implemented
these suggestions.
The panel looked at phasing in the mandated cuts gradually over several
years and not cutting all accounts evenly at 10 percent. The group
calls this plan a “smooth sequester.” Even with these cuts, DoD could
double its funding of basic applied research, increase special
operations forces, increase cyber warfare capabilities and increase
funding for space systems, the report states. (11/16)
Spaceport Sweden Wins Innovation
Award, Parliamentary Visit (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Spaceport Sweden has been awarded the ”Innovation of the Year”, being
promoted as a pioneer and role model for innovation combining science,
nature and technology to develop new cutting edge experiences and
developing space tourism in Sweden. The award was handed out at the
Swedish Tourism Awards, in Stockholm.
Spaceport Sweden together the Parliamentary Space Network were invited
to the Swedish Parliament to discuss commercial human spaceflight. MPs
from the whole of Sweden got an opportunity to listen to and discuss
how space tourism is being developed and how Sweden can continue to be
at the forefront of this industry by putting in place a supportive
regulatory regime and capitalising on the opportunties for innovation
and cross-industry cooperation. (11/16)
Despite Instrument Delays, JWST’s
Cost, Launch on Track (Source: Space News)
The late delivery of pair of critical instruments for the James Webb
Space Telescope (JWST) poses no threat either to the flagship
observatory’s development costs or launch date, a senior NASA official
said Nov. 15. “As long as they show up before next fall, we’re
definitely on,” Christopher Scolese, director of the Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said. Nov. 15 at a Capitol Hill
luncheon hosted by the Space Transportation Association. (11/16)
SES-3 Ka-band Payload Shrouded in
Mystery (Source: Space News)
The SES-3 satellite launched in July 2011, billed as just another
plain-vanilla telecommunications satellite to replace another, has led
a dashing life in orbit including a secret payload, two secret
customers and a world tour. Built by Orbital Sciences, SES-3 was
described by its owner, SES of Luxembourg, as carrying 24 C- band and
24 Ku-band transponders designed to replace the AMC-1 satellite
covering North America at 103 degrees west longitude.
Undisclosed at the time was that SES-3 carries two Ka-band
transponders. Also left unmentioned was that the satellite is equipped
with encryption capabilities that qualify it for MAC-1, or Mission
Assurance Category-1, status with encrypted tracking, telemetry and
control. The U.S. Department of Defense defines MAC-1 as the highest of
three categories intended for information deemed vital for the
operational readiness or mission effectiveness of deployed and
contingency forces.
SES-3 after its launch was moved to 99 degrees west longitude in
geostationary orbit, there presumably to prepare for the retirement of
AMC-1 and to give Luxembourg-based SES an in-orbit spare in the event
that one of several of the company’s satellites with solar array
defects needed emergency backup. But in December, SES-3 began a long
drift to Asia, where SES had identified an unnamed business opportunity
that industry officials said was the U.S. Department of Defense. By
January it was at 108 degrees east. (11/16)
CASIS Names Board Members
(Source: CASIS)
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the
nonprofit organization promoting and managing research on board the
International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, inducted
its first seven members to the organization’s permanent Board of
Directors. CASIS Board Members are divided into two categories in
accordance with the organization’s bylaws – “managing members” and
“scientific members” – to ensure a solid distribution of skills. Click here.
(11/16)
Nuclear One-Two Punch Could Knock Out
Dangerous Asteroid (Source: Space.com)
Destroying a dangerous asteroid with a nuclear bomb is a well-worn
trope of science fiction, but it could become reality soon enough.
Scientists are developing a mission concept that would blow apart an
Earth-threatening asteroid with a nuclear explosion, just like Bruce
Willis and his oilmen-turned-astronaut crew did in the 1998 film
"Armageddon."
But unlike in the movie, the spacecraft under development — known as
the Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle, or HAIV — would be
unmanned. It would hit the space rock twice in quick succession, with
the non-nuclear first blow blasting out a crater for the nuclear bomb
to explode inside, thus magnifying its asteroid-shattering power.
(11/16)
KSC Visitor Complex Ends Annual Free
Weekend for Locals (Source: Florida Today)
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has ended its traditional free
“Salute to Brevard Residents” weekend after 12 years. Instead,
Brevard’s most popular paid tourist attraction is introducing an
alternative: a month of 70-percent-off tickets for Brevard residents
and their guests in a program being called “30 Days of Giving.” That
reduces the basic ticket price to $15 plus tax for adults and $10 plus
tax for children ages 3 to 11, compared with the regular price of $50
for adults and $40 for children. (11/16)
Roscosmos Has Not Yet Decided on
Second Space Tourist's ISS Visit in 2015 (Source: RBTH)
The Russian Federal Space Agency has not yet decided whether it will
allow a second space tourist to visit the International Space Station
(ISS) in 2015, Roscosmos manned space flight program director Alexei
Krasnov said. The mission commander must be a professional. There can
be no compromise on that. The other two candidates are still being
discussed. We have time to adopt a decision," he said.
British soprano singer Sarah Brightman could travel as a space tourist
to the ISS, taking up the second seat on board a spacecraft, due to
take off in October 2015, Krasnov said. "The third crewmember could be
a representative of the European Space Agency or an unprofessional
astronaut," he said. However, if two space tourists are allowed to fly
to the ISS in 2015, Russia's Energia Space Rocket Corporation will have
to "confirm that such an arrangement is safe," he said. (11/16)
Georgia County Wants to Open Georgia's
First Spaceport (Source: Florida Times-Union)
The Camden County Joint Development Authority is exploring building an
"aero-spaceport" facility in the county to bring in new jobs and to
move the troublesome St. Marys Airport away from a Navy sub base. The
authority board authorized its chairman, John McDill, to enter into an
agreement with Union Carbide, owner of 4,000 acres of former industrial
property, and for its staff to begin obtaining the remote site and
necessary permits.
According to the authority, the state has found interest in the site
where rockets have been tested before. “The Georgia Department of
Economic Development has been exploring the market potential for
commercial space activity at the site and has received significant
industry interest," the development authority said. The development
authority characterized the site as remote and says it offers the
potential for a longer runway and more long-term economic development
than other sites considered for the relocation.
It has a former private airfield and a rocket testing facility along
the alternate Intracoastal Waterway where rockets were barged and
tested in the past, the airport authority said. David Keating called
Thursday’s vote the “first step in an extensive discovery, entitlement
and permitting process." The development authority would not develop
the land itself but would make it available to the St. Marys Airport
Authority, which is exploring moving the airport away from its current
location, virtually next door to Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. (11/16)
SatWest Working on Rocket Payloads for
New Mexico Spaceport (Source: New Mexico Business Weekly)
Brian Barnett always wanted to be an astronaut. Although that didn’t
work out, his company, SatWest, has signed on to work with Virgin
Galactic and NASA on payloads for research rockets that will leave
southern New Mexico’s Spaceport America. “If they have a rocket, and
they want to fill it like an airplane, where every seat is filled with
paying payloads, that’s SatWest’s sweet spot,” Barnett said. “Virgin
has an agreement for payload integration and marketing. So, we work
together on proposals to NASA.” (11/16)
I Say "Space Shuttle," You Say "Space
Clipper" (Source: Slate)
In a memo from aide Peter Flanigan to President Nixon, dated January 4,
1972, Flanigan made a last-ditch effort to convince the president to
stop using the term space shuttle when referring to NASA’s new space
exploration vessel. “The word shuttle has a connotation of second class
travel and lacks excitement,” Flanigan wrote. Flanigan offered a list
of classier alternatives: “Space Clipper”, “Pegasus”, and
“Starlighter.” Click here.
(11/15)
Curiosity Rover Helps Scientists Plan
for Human Missions to Mars (Source: Voice of America)
NASA's Curiosity rover is three months into its two-year mission on
Mars as it investigates whether conditions there ever could have
supported microbial life. Researchers are interested not only in
ancient Mars but present-day Mars so they can plan future travel to the
Red Planet. In the past 12 weeks, the Curiosity rover has scooped up
Martian soil, sampled the atmosphere, mapped wind and radiation
patterns, and monitored changes in air pressure on Mars.
The car-sized rover is exploring near the foot of a peak called Mount
Sharp within a deep, 150-kilometer-wide depression called Gale Crater.
The overall goal of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission
is to use Curiosity's 10 scientific instruments to learn if Mars ever
offered a habitable environment for micro-organisms. (11/15)
Google, Dish Held Talks to Launch
Wireless Service (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Google Inc. has held talks with satellite-TV provider Dish Network
Corp. in recent weeks to partner on a new wireless service that would
rival the networks of wireless carriers such as AT&T Inc. and
Verizon Wireless, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The talks between Dish and Google aren't advanced and could amount to
nothing, one of the people said. (11/16)
Election Maintains Status Quo In U.S.
Space Plans (Source: Aviation Week)
There’s good news and bad news for U.S. space exploration and
exploitation, with the presidential election in the rearview mirror.
The good news is that the bipartisan space policy hammered out with a
lot of angst over the past four years won’t need to be reviewed while a
new president gets his feet on the ground. For now, at least, President
Barack Obama’s space policy, as modified by members of both houses in
Congress, will remain unchanged.
The bad news is that the whole U.S. space enterprise is heading toward
the so-called fiscal cliff that could make a change of presidents look
like just another bump in a perennially bumpy road. When the New Year’s
fireworks light up at midnight on Dec. 31, the Budget Control Act of
2011 is set to whack $1.7 billion from NASA’s fiscal 2013 spending
level (and $54.7 billion from the Pentagon — some of it for space).
(11/14)
Waiting on Senate Defense
Authorization (and Export Control Reform) (Source: Space
Politics)
The Senate was scheduled to start debate this week on its version of a
defense authorization bill, several months after the House passed its
version of the legislation. However, it looks like that won’t happen,
with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) blaming Republicans for
slowing the process. It’s also being held up by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY),
who wants a vote on an amendment he’s proposing.
This makes it likely the bill will be delayed until after the Senate
returns from its Thanksgiving recess on Nov. 26. The bill is being
closely watched by some in the space industry since it is a potential
vehicle for export control reform. The current Senate version contains
no reform language, but a separate Senate bill does, and the House
version contains a provision returning to the President the ability to
remove commercial satellites and related components off the US
Munitions List.
There are debates between the administration and Congress about the
language in the House bill, but those arguments are moot if the Senate
does not pass its version of the legislation. Editor's Note:
Also included in the House bill, but not the Senate's is a provision
championed by Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) that would facilitate state and
commercial investments in spaceport infrastructure that can support
dual commercial/military needs. (11/16)
Space Coast-Based Tech Authority
Settles With Feds, Will Dissolve (Source: Florida Today)
Facing an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, and
potentially millions of dollars in legal fees and penalties, the board
of the 25-year-old Florida Technological Research and Development
Authority (TRDA) decided to dissolve the agency in the wake of a civil
lawsuit filed in March. Government lawyers alleged the authority
improperly applied for millions of dollars in grants and then knowingly
misused some of that funding to build its Melbourne headquarters and
business incubator.
That facility on property owned by Melbourne International Airport
opened in 2007 after operations moved there from Titusville. Started in
1987, TRDA was focused on helping fledgling high-tech businesses
through access to services, mentoring and technology-based economic
development programs. The government’s lawsuit was on behalf of NASA
and the Economic Development Administration, a branch of the U.S.
Department of Commerce, both of which provided grants to TRDA in the
early 2000s.
No directors, staff or board members currently at the TRDA were
involved in the funding allegations. Last week, the Melbourne Airport
Authority sent a $4 million payment to the federal government on the
same issue. Unlike TRDA, the airport was not the subject of a formal
complaint, but the Department of Justice was seeking $11 million, which
included money paid to the airport for the 31,000-square-foot facility
at 1050 W. NASA Blvd., as well as interest and penalties attached to
those funds. (11/16)
Legislature Must Deal With TRDA
Dissolution and License Plate Funding (Source: SPACErePORT)
As TRDA moves toward dissolution within the next 14 months, state
lawmakers will have to consider the fate of 50% of annual revenues the
agency receives from the popular Challenger/Columbia license plates, as
required in Chapter
320.08058, Florida Statutes. They must also strike or amend other
pieces of law that established TRDA and codified some of its programs,
including the Teacher
Quest Scholarship Program.
The Challenger/Columbia license plate program typically generates
around $900,000 per year, which is distributed equally between TRDA and
the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (which is now led by State Senator
Thad Altman). TRDA's share is designated to be used for space research
grants, teacher scholarships, and economic development programs. I
believe the bulk of TRDA's spending has been for economic development
activities, often in collaboration with Space Florida and other
economic development agencies.
So what will happen to the approximately $450,000 in annual license
plate funding that TRDA receives? Perhaps I'm biased, but I recommend
that it be re-devoted to space research grants. It should be used by
Space Florida to augment NASA's annual investment in the Florida Space
Grant Consortium, for a joint grant program aimed at expanding
Florida's university involvement in space research and technology
development. (11/16)
Drought-Stricken States Await Crop of
New Satellite Sensors (Source: Space News)
As communities along the U.S. East Coast continue to repair the damage
caused by coastal flooding in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Western
states are girding for increasing water shortages. A study published
Nov. 11 in the journal Nature Climate Change warns agricultural regions
in California and other areas of the Northern Hemisphere that rely
heavily on melting snow to irrigate crops are likely to see a
significant drop in snowfall in the years ahead.
That type of forecast is fueling the desire among weather and climate
scientists to obtain data from new sensors designed to assist them in
forecasting drought conditions and monitoring scarce water resources.
For years, researchers have relied on U.S. government Landsat imagery
satellites, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
geostationary and polar-orbiting spacecraft, the twin Gravity Recovery
and Climate Experiment satellites developed by NASA and the German
Aerospace Center, and the European Space Agency’s Soil Moisture Ocean
Salinity (SMOS) mission to gather data on droughts. (11/15)
Curiosity Rover Measures Radiation and
Wind on Mars (Source: WIRED)
NASA’s Curiosity rover has lately been investigating the wind and
radiation on Mars, providing data on some uniquely Martian weather
phenomena. The probe’s main objectives on Mars are to scour the planet
for signs of ancient habitability. “But we also have some pretty
important goals of studying the modern environment,” said geophysicist
Ashwin Vasavada, deputy project scientist for Curiosity during a press
conference. ”And it’s a pretty dynamic environment.” (11/15)
Most-Distant Galaxy Candidate Found
(Source: Carnegie Institution)
A team of astronomers have set a new distance record for finding the
farthest galaxy yet seen in the universe. By combining the power of
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and one of
nature's own natural "zoom lenses" in space, they found a galaxy whose
light traveled 13.3 billion years to reach Earth. The diminutive
blob--only a tiny fraction of the size of our Milky Way galaxy--offers
a peek back in time to when the universe was 3 percent of its present
age (13.7 billion years). The light from this newly discovered galaxy,
named MACS0647-JD, is from 420 million years after the Big Bang.
(11/15)
Gadgets in Space: What It Takes to Get
an iPad Into Orbit (Source: WIRED)
Astronauts on the Space Station spend a lot of time on decidedly
consumer-edge tech. For crew staying on the ISS for six months at a
time, gadgets like tablets and smartphones can make this remote outpost
feel more homey and comfortable. “Everyone wants the next newest camera
to be brought up,” self-funded space tourist Richard Garriott said. He
said the everyone on the ISS wanted to play with the Nikon D3X he took
there in October of 2008.
Back in June, NASA sent a pair of iPhone 4s up into orbit on the
shuttle’s last trip to the ISS to conduct experiments with some
purpose-built apps. Notebook computers and even iPods have made the
leap into orbit. And tablets should also be heading up in the near
future. This is all about a lot more than simply playing Angry Birds
Space in space. Click here.
(11/15)
Unfinished Spaceport America Sends Out
an SOS (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Spaceport America in New Mexico is still unfinished and has yet to see
a single commercial spaceflight, but it is apparently already in need
of saving. Or so says the Save our Spaceport Coalition, which held a
press conference in New Mexico’s state capital of Albuquerque. The
event was held to “announce the formation of a group dedicated to pass
a new law limiting the liability for space accidents in order to ensure
the future of Spaceport America and save thousands of jobs in
aerospace, tourism, and construction,” according to a press release.
New Mexico already has an informed consent law intended to prevent
spaceflight participants and their families from suing in the event of
injuries or deaths except in cases of gross negligence or intentional
harm. However, the measure does not cover spacecraft manufacturers and
suppliers. Spaceport officials have said that without the expanded
protections, it has proven difficult to convince other spaceflight
companies to locate to the $209-million, taxpayer-funded spaceport.
Additional tenants are required to make the spaceport self sufficient
financially.
Editor's Note: Those states that already offer this kind of expanded
liability protection don't exactly have spaceflight companies knocking
down their doors to relocate or expand their operations there. There
simply aren't a lot of companies in this emerging industry that are
willing or able to do this, until the industry grows and matures beyond
its current state. (11/15)
NASA OIG: NASA's 2012 Top Management
and Performance Challenges (Source: SpaceRef)
The year was not without challenges... For example, due to cost
overruns in the James Webb Space Telescope and other projects, NASA had
to reprogram funds away from several Agency initiatives. This resulted
in developmental delays in some ongoing projects and cancellation of
other planned projects, including the ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter
missions to Mars.
Moreover, the congressional decision to provide NASA's Commercial Crew
Program (CCP) with less than half the funding requested by the
President in FY 2012 extended to 2017 the earliest date that NASA
expects to obtain commercial crew transportation services to the ISS,
which is significant if NASA is unable to maintain and utilize the
Station beyond its currently scheduled retirement date of 2020. (11/15)
Lugo and Coats Are Out at NASA. More
Changes Ahead? (Source: NASA Watch)
NASA will announce soon that Glenn Research Center Director Ray Lugo
and Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats are leaving their
respective positions. All-hands meetings have reportedly been scheduled
for Friday at JSC and GRC. These departures, which will be described as
"retirement", are part of a larger attempt by NASA Administrator
Charlie Bolden to rearrange field center management at NASA. Bolden is
still attempting to replace several other NASA field center directors
including Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden - despite repeated
pressure on Bolden from the White House and Congress not to do so.
(11/15)
Advice to Astronauts: Freeze Your Sperm
(Source: Discovery)
Researchers have some advice for astronauts planning families after
they return from long stays in space -- freeze your eggs or sperm
before you go. Studies on rats haven't sorted out whether it's the
radiation, the impacts of microgravity on the hormonal system, or a
combination of both that is responsible for damage to testes and
ovaries during spaceflight and in ground-based experiments that
simulate weightlessness.
"Along with the lens of the eye, these are the most sensitive of all
the organs to radiation," said space researcher Joseph Tash, director
of the Interdisciplinary Center for Male Contraceptive Research and
Drug Development at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas
City. Click here.
(11/15)
What can $300 million a year buy for
NASA’s planetary program? (Source: Space Politics)
In its quest to restore $300 million to NASA’s planetary science
program, the Planetary Society described what that restored funding
could provide. According to “newly-formed internal budget numbers”
provided by unnamed “sources within the planetary science community,”
that additional funding could fund a 2018 Mars lander mission to cache
samples for later return to Earth, a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa,
and could also move up the next Discovery mission selection one year,
to 2015.
Of course, all of that is not possible with just an additional $300
million. While details (including the specific “budget numbers”) are
not specified, the implication is that not only would the $300 million
cut proposed in FY-2012 be restored, but also the overall funding level
of $1.5 billion would be retained for the indefinite future. For
example, the reformulated Europa mission included in that calculation
has a cost of at least $2 billion (down from the estimated $4.8
billion); that’s about seven years’ worth of $300 million funding
wedges alone. Click here.
(11/15)
ISS Crew Struggling to Find Time to do
Research (Source: Space Policy Online)
ISS crews continue to struggle to find time to do that research amidst
spacewalks, spacecraft arrivals and departures, and other operational
tasks. At the same time, researchers need to know how long the ISS will
be available -- only through 2020 or later? Those were two of the
messages from NASA's Mike Suffredini and Bill Gerstenmaier during a
two-day meeting of the NASA Advisory Council's Human Exploration and
Operations Committee. Suffredini spoke yesterday.
Gerstenmaier briefed the committee this morning.
NASA has a goal of performing 35 hours of research per week, but the
current average is 26.13 hours. He is trying to find ways to "buy
back crew time" and looking forward to the era of commercial crew when
the typical ISS crew complement will be seven instead of six. (11/15)
Lunar Project Rumored to be Coming to
Cape (Source: SPACErePORT)
I'm hearing bits and pieces about a new commercial space project coming
soon to the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, with speculation that it involves
lunar transportation and multiple well-regarded space industry players.
More as I hear it. (11/15)
Student Teams Participate in NASA
Rocketry Challenge (Source: Space Daily)
Organizers of the NASA Student Launch Projects have announced the 57
student teams whose inventive creations will soar skyward in April
during the space agency's 2012-13 rocketry challenge. Representing
schools in 26 states around the country, participating teams each will
design and build a large, high-powered rocket, complete with a working
science or engineering payload and capable of flying to the target
altitude of 1 mile. NASA created the rocketry challenge to encourage
young people to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Editor's Note:
Multiple Florida-based teams are participating, from Plantation High
School in Plantation, Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Santa
Fe College in Gainesville, University of Florida in Gainesville, and
University of Central Florida in Orlando. (11/15)
Florida Publication Follows Space Law
Developments (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Florida Aviation and Space Law Report (FASLR) is a detailed review
of important aviation related decisions by Florida state courts,
including by federal district courts in Florida and the Eleventh
Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition, the FASLR presents new or
proposed rules, regulations, and legislation that impacts the practices
of aviation lawyers and businesses in Florida.
Published twice yearly (May and November), the FASLR focuses on six
areas of aviation law: (1) airports and land use; (2) corporate and
general aviation; (3) labor and employment; (4) litigation; (5)
regulatory law; and (6) space law. In doing so, the FASLR both
reflects how dynamic the practice of aviation law is in the
jurisdiction of Florida and serves as a resource for aviation and
aerospace actors in Florida. Click here,
then scroll down and click the "Published Works" section of Tim
Ravich's website. (11/15)
Space Coast Energy Consortium Launches
Crowdfunding Challenge Projects (Source: SCEC)
The Space Coast Energy Consortium (SCEC) and Rockethub are proud to
announce the launch of the inaugural Space Coast Crowdfunding
Challenge! The Challenge allows individuals and businesses in our
community with great ideas but little capital, who reside on the Space
Coast or East Central Florida, to be able to access donations and
support via an online platform. SCEC is partnering with RocketHub, an
international web-based crowdfunding community to host the Challenge.
Check out some of the space-derived project/product videos here.
(11/15)
Characterizing Near Earth Asteroids
with Radar (Source: Space Safety)
NASA released images of a wide asteroid approaching Earth from Oct.
28-30. The images were taken with the 70-meter-wide Deep Space network
antenna at Goldstone, California. “The radar images of asteroid 2007
PA8 indicate that it is an elongated, irregularly shaped object
approximately one mile (1.6 km) wide, with ridges and perhaps craters,”
NASA JPL scientists wrote in an image description on Nov. 5. “The data
also indicate that 2007 PA8 rotates very slowly, roughly once every
three to four days.”
UF Developing "DebriSat"
(Source: Space Safety)
The University of Florida, sponsored by NASA and the US Air Force’s
Space Missile Systems Center, is developing DebriSat, a spacecraft
created to be purposely destroyed on the ground. “Data gleaned from
demolishing DebriSat will be valuable in the short- and long-term” said
J. C. Liou of NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office “Collision fragments
are expected to dominate the future orbital debris environment.
Therefore, a high fidelity breakup model describing the outcome of a
satellite collision, in terms of the fragment size, mass, area-to-mass
ratio, shape, and composition distributions, is needed for reliable
short and long term impact risk assessments.” DebriSat is a
microsatellite of 50 kilograms (110 lb) fabricated and tested to be the
target of a hypervelocity impact. This test will be used to replicate
on Earth the amount of energy experienced during a typical impact
between two orbiting satellites.
DebriSat’s impact test is scheduled in early 2014 at the Air Force’s
Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee. After the impact
every fragment will be measured individually and data delivered to and
analyzed by the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office that will use the
information to enhance the satellite breakup model and to provide
improved impact risk assessments. (11/15)
Video Promotes European Space
Investments (Source: ESA)
Is Space a good investment for Europe? The problems facing the world
today demand innovative solutions. Space has solutions to provide.
Thanks to its broad scope of capabilities, covering nearly all domains
of space, ESA is boosting Europe's ability to meet new challenges. To
succeed at space missions and projects, we are constantly developing
new technologies and applications. By working in Space, ESA is boosting
Europe's competitiveness and growth. This
video shows how investing in Space benefits our everyday lives and
our planet, prepares our future, and how Space is an investment that
pays valuable dividends, today and tomorrow. (11/15)
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