NASA Creates New Directorate for Space Tech as Sequester Cuts Loom (Source: Space Policy Online)
The long awaited formal announcement of a new Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters was made today. The move should help put space technology on a more equal footing with science, exploration, and aeronautics, although it appears that the Obama Administration plans to cut space technology significantly more than other NASA programs if the sequester goes into effect next week.
On the one hand, the Obama Administration has been a chamption for space technology investments, expanding the role of the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) and giving it more progammatic responsibility. Under the new structure, STMD will oversee many of those programs while Chief Technologist Mason Peck leads efforts in technology transfer and commercialization. OCT will also continue to develop strategic partnerships, manage agency-level competitions and prize activities, and document and communicate the societal impacts of NASA's technology efforts. (2/21)
KSC Team Continues Space Station
Support (Source: NASA)
Even though the structural elements of the International Space Station
prepared in the processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida are now in space, the team at KSC continues to support the
orbiting laboratory in a number of ways. As evidence of that support
coupled with international cooperation, hardware destined for the space
station just left KSC, headed for the Tangashima Space Center in Japan.
There it will be turned over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA) in preparation for launch on the H-II Transfer Vehicle 4 (HTV-4)
mission this summer.
The KSC team also completed the planning, processing and integration of
unpressurized Orbital Replacement Units (ORU) for the Main Bus
Switching Unit (MBSU) and Utility Transfer Assembly (UTA) -- both
important elements for keeping the space station running. "The Utility
Transfer Assembly is a critical component of the S3 and P3 truss
segments' Solar Alpha Rotary Joints. Its function is to pass electrical
power generated by the solar arrays to the other ISS elements and
payloads," said KSC's Steve Bigos. (2/20)
ISS Research (and the Station's
Future) Looking Up (Source: NewSpace Watch)
Scientists are hinting at some significant Dark Matter findings from
ISS-based research. If R&D on the ISS becomes more visible and more
clearly successful, this will greatly encourage steps towards insuring
that the station will continue beyond 2020. (Usually an eight year
extension till 2028 is given as the next increment in the ISS lifetime.)
If it was known soon that the ISS would be extended till 2028, this
could help commercial transportation companies offering crew and cargo
rides to the station and also help companies doing R&D on the
station. They companies would, for example, have a stronger case when
trying to attract investment if they can say their base in space will
be there 15 more years rather than just 7. (2/20)
Space Coast Energy Group Seeks Experts to Tackle Projects (Source: SCEC)
The Space Coast Energy Consortium is seeking qualified subject matter experts (SMEs) to support activities of the Consortium as it grows, develops and creates energy cluster opportunities for the Central Florida region. The Consortium is accepting statements of qualification for SMEs for energy related technologies, operations, financing and policy. The objective of this solicitation is to establish a list of pre-qualified SMEs with the capability to provide a variety of professional services for tasks and projects in the near future. Click here. (2/21)
Sensenbrenner Seeks Answers to
Asteroid Preparedness From NASA (Source: Space Policy Online)
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) sent a letter to NASA Administrator
Charlie Bolden yesterday asking about the nation's preparedness to
identify and mitigate threatening asteroids. Sensenbrenner, a former
chairman of what is now called the House Science, Space and Technology
Committee who unsuccessfully sought to resume that chairmanship for the
current Congress, said the asteroid events last week "raise questions
about our preparedness for future objects coming toward Earth."
Sensenbrenner said that finding and tracking asteroids is just one step
and now is the opportunity to "survey our capabilities and assess how
we can better use limited resources to identify potential threats." He
also wants to know what can be done to "eliminate the threat of an
asteroid or meteor impacting the Earth, colliding with the Moon, or
disrupting our space-oriented communications and scientific
equipment..." (2/21)
Space Leadership Preservation Act To
Get Hearing Next Week (Source: Space Policy Online)
The House Space Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing next week on the
Space Leadership Preservation Act, a bill introduced in the 112th
Congress by Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), and
Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), among others. Then-full committee chairman Rep.
Ralph Hall (R-TX) reportedly promised his colleagues he would hold a
hearing on the legislation and the promise is being kept by his
successor as chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX). The hearing is at 10:00
am on Feb. 27. Witnesses have not been announced.
The bill would create a Board of Directors chosen by the
administration, the House and the Senate made up of former astronauts
and eminent scientists. The board would: a) prepare a budget request
that is submitted concurrently to the President and Congress; b)
recommend three candidates for NASA administrator, deputy administrator
and chief financial officer -- the president would be encouraged to
select one of them who would then be approved by the Senate; and c)
prepare a quadrennial review of space programs and other reports. Click
here
to read the bill. (2/21)
Cape Canaveral AFS Wins Energy
Performance Award (Source: AFSPC)
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), an installation of the 45th
Space Wing, was awarded the Headquarters AFPSC Installation Energy
Performance Award for fiscal year 2012. The IEPA program, developed in
2012, is an AFSPC initiative to recognize the installation that best
meets the energy focus for that year. Nineteen installations competed
for the award and CCAFS won with a total of 39.4 out of 45 possible
points.
"Cape Canaveral maxed out points for programming the installation's
allotted share of AFSPC Energy Focus Funds and negotiating project bids
within 120 days of receiving Authority to Advertise," said Bongioanni.
"They also earned extra points for awarding additional projects in
excess of their original share of funds." Editor's Note:
I'm guessing the presence of multiple commercial launch tenants
contributed to the CCAFS's competitiveness, since the 45th Space Wing
is obliged to provide metered electricity to a large number of
tenant-occupied facilities. (2/21)
Space Coast Must 'Keep the Pressure
On' to Benefit From Commercial Space (Source: Florida Today)
The emerging commercial space industry ultimately will create a new
wave of wealth in the U.S., and Florida’s Space Coast is well
positioned to benefit. But an industry captain told community leaders
Wednesday that they need to continuously push to draw new commercial
space business to the historic birthplace of U.S. space exploration.
“I really think that commercial spaceflight represents a pretty big
economic engine, not just for advancing us in human spaceflight, but
also for whatever regions are aggressive in attracting companies to
build, or maintain, or operate out of their areas,” Michael
Lopez-Alegria, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, told
dozens at a Space Coast Economic Development Commission luncheon.
“And, I think you guys get it. You have a lot of advantages already.
You’ve got, obviously, the preeminent launch complex in the world right
next door. You’ve got a lot of skilled labor. You have a great
heritage, and there are things that sort of naturally geographically
attract people,” said Lopez-Alegria. (2/21)
Editorial: Seven Ways to Make DoD a
Better Buyer of Commercial SATCOM (Source: Space News)
With significant budget cuts looming, and mission requirements
increasing, the cost-efficient use of commercial SATCOM can help the
Department of Defense (DoD) be more effective in today’s
resource-constrained times. Earlier this month, executives from
commercial satellite firms came together to offer seven practical steps
that would allow the DoD to save money, while ensuring reliable access
to commercial SATCOM services.
This document from the satellite operators was written in response to
the Department of Defense’s Better Buying Power 2.0 (BBP2.0)
initiative. BBP2.0 was implemented to develop, “fundamental acquisition
principles to achieve greater efficiencies through affordability, cost
control, elimination of unproductive processes and bureaucracy, and
promotion of competition. BBP initiatives also incentivize productivity
and innovation in industry.”
The satellite operator’s paper was designed to respond to the BBP2.0
initiative by providing experience-based recommendations that could
help DoD make better, lower-cost use of commercial SATCOM. Here
are some key insights from that document. (2/21)
US Military's Robot Space Plane
Settles Into Mystery Mission (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. Air Force's mysterious X-37B space plane is quietly chalking
up mileage in space more than two months after its latest launch into
orbit. The robotic X-37B space plane soared into orbit atop an Atlas 5
rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 11. The
mini-shuttle's mission is known as Orbital Test Vehicle-3 (OTV-3),
since it is the third classified mission under the Air Force's X-37B
program.
How long OTV-3 will remain in Earth orbit is unknown. The hush-hush
space plane mission is officially on Air Force space tracking books as
USA-240. "The mission is ongoing," said Air Force Maj. Eric Badger. "As
with previous missions, the actual duration will depend on test
objectives, on-orbit vehicle performance and conditions at the landing
facility." (2/21)
Want to Smell Space? Sniff a Cosmic
Candle (Source: Space.com)
Space enthusiasts can now bring the smell of the cosmos into their
homes without ever leaving Earth with a new votive candle created by an
online toy company. The minds behind ThinkGeek — a company that
specializes in nerdy gifts — have crafted a scent that smells like
outer space in candle form.
"Space is the ultimate science-y thing. When we decided to come up with
a line of geeky candles, there was a lot of debate as to what type of
scents we'd be going after," ThinkGeek spokesman Steve Zimmermann said.
"One of them obviously is space. It's also the biggest challenge which
kind of excited us. Has anybody ever really contemplated what space
would smell like?"
Zimmermann and his colleagues quickly found out that plenty of people
were asking and answering that same question. Some of those smells
include a gunpowder-smelling, ozonelike odor that is distinct to space.
Astronauts returning from space walks have described the smell of space
as out-of-this-world acrid aroma that could be the result of atomic
oxygen adhering to their spacesuits. But the creators behind the smell
of space candle did not think a burning smell would sell well in a
world filled with flowery votives. (2/21)
At Fast-growing Hispasat, Profit
Continues To Rise (Source: Space News)
Hispasat of Spain, which in recent years has been one of the fastest
growing and most profitable commercial satellite fleet operators, on
Feb. 21 reported that its growth and profitability increased in 2012.
Madrid-based Hispasat said revenue in 2012 grew 6.9 percent, to 200.3
million euros ($270.4 million). (2/21)
An Investment Strategy for National
Security Space (Source: Heritage Foundation)
Today’s space systems fulfill five purposes: (1) environmental
monitoring; (2) communications; (3) position, navigation, and timing;
(4) integrated tactical warning and attack assessment; and (5)
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. These missions
are integral to a new American way of warfare. Direct and indirect
challenges to American power in space are growing.
This Special Report sets out a framework that guides policymakers on
how to invest in national security space capabilities over the next
decade. The framework is, by necessity, holistic, as many of the
individual national security space programs in question are classified.
The overall purpose is not to provide hard figures for specific
programs, though the study does use such data, when available, in order
to support broader assertions. Click here.
(2/20)
SpaceX Founder Battles Entrenched
Rivals Over Launch Contracts (Source: Huffington Post)
For several years, Elon Musk and SpaceX have been locked in an
asymmetrical K Street war with the aerospace industry giants Boeing and
Lockheed Martin, a war that sheds light on how major players in
Washington throw their weight around. SpaceX's rapid rise has coincided
with the Obama administration and its revamping of the procurement
process at NASA, which has awarded Musk's company multiple lucrative
contracts.
"We're battling Boeing and Lockheed, and those guys have extremely
sharp elbows," Musk said. "So, you know, when there's
multi-hundred-million-dollar government contracts, which Boeing and
Lockheed have had essentially a quasi-monopoly [on], or an actual
monopoly in the case of launch, they do whatever they can to prevent us
from competing...The sharpest elbows we've seen are from Lockheed,
specifically Lockheed," Musk said.
More than just a battle between industry heavies and the lean upstart,
the Lockheed-Boeing-Musk showdown could dramatically influence the
federal government's future spending habits, especially as the
sequester closes in on the defense industry. Even if Congress and the
White House reach a deal to avert the sequester, NASA and the Pentagon
still confront a future of strained budgets. So the aerospace giants
are fighting to maintain their hold on ever-dwindling slices of the
federal pie. (2/21)
NASA KSC Space Day Planned by Florida
Space Institute at UCF (Source: FSI)
The University of Central Florida's Florida Space Institute (FSI), home
to the NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC), will host
a NASA KSC Space Day on March 12 in Orlando. FSI is now led by former
NASA Glenn Director Ray Lugo. Click here.
(2/20)
Space Coast High School Seeks Support
for CubeSat Project (Source: MIHS)
Merritt Island High School (MIHS), home of the DaVinci Academy, has
been selected by NASA to fly a CubeSat. "StangSat" (MIHS' mascot is a
Mustang) will measure vibration and shock environments during the
launch of a future unmanned mission. Prior to the final launch, MIHS
plans a suborbital flight on a Garvey
Spacecraft Corp. vehicle that would launch from the Mojave area.
MIHS is seeking community sponsors to support a seven-day trip to
Mojave in the Spring of 2013. They need to raise approximately $10,000
to send 10 students and two chaperones. Please consider supporting
their efforts. You can contact Tracey Beatovich here, or visit
their "MIHS CubeSat" page on Facebook. (2/20)
EchoStar Shrugs Off HughesNet’s Modest
Subscriber Growth (Source: Space News)
EchoStar Corp.’s Hughes division on Feb. 20 reported a modest increase
in subscribers to its U.S. satellite broadband service in 2012, but
company officials said they remain confident that the new EchoStar
17/Jupiter high-throughput satellite is being well-received by the
market. EchoStar, which purchased broadband satellite hardware and
services provider Hughes in June 2011 for $2 billion, said its attempts
to enter the satellite-television markets in Brazil and India appear
bogged down by multiple factors. (2/21)
New Insights on That Private (Crewed?)
Mars Mission (Source: NewSpace Journal)
Dennis Tito and several co-authors plan to present a paper at an
upcoming IEEE Aerospace Conference, discussing a crewed free-return
Mars mission that would fly by Mars, but not go into orbit around the
planet or land on it. This 501-day mission would launch in January
2018, using a modified SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon
Heavy rocket. According to the paper, existing environmental control
and life support system (ECLSS) technologies would allow such a
spacecraft to support two people for the mission, although in Spartan
condition.
“Crew comfort is limited to survival needs only. For example, sponge
baths are acceptable, with no need for showers,” the paper states. NASA
would also have a role in this mission in terms of supporting key ECLSS
and thermal protection system technology development, although the
paper makes clear this would be a private-sector effort. (The paper’s
co-authors include NASA Ames director Pete Worden.) The paper makes no
attempt to estimate the cost of the mission, beyond concluding that it
“would be significantly less than previous estimates for manned Mars
missions” and be financed privately.
The paper adds that if they miss this favorable 2018 opportunity, the
next chance to take advantage of this lower energy trajectory would be
in 2031. The IEEE Aerospace Conference is taking place next month in
Big Sky, Montana. Click here to see a SpaceWorks infographic describing the timing for such a mission.
(2/21)
Space Coast Benefits from Tax
Incentives for Business Growth (Source: Florida Today)
As the former CEO of a Space Coast manufacturing company that was twice
approved for ad valorem tax abatements, and now as chairman of the Ad
Valorem Tax (AVT) Abatement Council, I have seen incentives from inside
and out. I know they are a responsible, effective way of strengthening
our economy with little downside risk. An AVT abatement is not a direct
payment to an eligible company.
The company must perform on its promise to hire and implement capital
improvements in order to get this credit on subsequent years’ property
taxes. And, keep in mind, the companies do pay taxes. An AVT abatement
represents a reduction in property taxes, not their elimination. School
taxes, water management, special district taxes and other important
community assets are not affected by the AVT. Companies pay these taxes
in full.
Another key point is that, for smart, strong businesses, incentives are
merely the icing on the cake. Businesses consider numerous factors and
attributes when choosing a location in which to expand or locate.
Fortunately on the Space Coast, we have many of those advantages, from
our skilled workforce and competitive wage structure to our strong
education system and unparalleled quality of life. (2/21)
GOP Chairmen Go After Pete Worden (Source:
Aviation Week)
A pair of powerful Republican congressional committee chairmen with
NASA oversight have highlighted a growing schism in U.S. space policy
with their public charge that a senior NASA manager failed to protect
sensitive U.S. defense technology being adapted for civil use. In
suggesting that “political pressure may be a factor” in a Justice
Department decision not to issue criminal charges in the case, they are
raising the stakes in an ongoing debate about the proper roles of
government and the private sector in space exploration.
The official in question, Ames Research Center Director Simon P. “Pete”
Worden, vehemently denies he has been lax in protecting technology
covered by International Trade in Armaments Regulations (ITAR), and
says he has never been approached by federal law enforcement officials
about the matter.
But Worden and his supporters epitomize the “new space” approach
adopted by the Obama administration, including freewheeling efforts to
promote innovation, international outreach and open-handed transfer of
technology developed at taxpayer expense to the private sector. In the
process, they have drawn sharp criticism from some whose interests and
experience follow a more traditional line, including the drafters of an
unsubstantiated but highly detailed whistleblower document that has
circulated on Capitol Hill for months. Click here.
(2/18)
The Kenya Space Sector Characterization
(Source: Space Kenya)
Kenya urgently needs to formally integrate space technology in its
development agenda because "space technology is a specialized
capability which is inherently endowed to accelerate the realization of
national sustainable development goals thereby expeditiously
transforming Kenya into the envisioned newly industrialized country."
The specific application areas of space technology are tabulated in the
section on ‘Why Kenya Needs Space Technology’. Click here.
(2/20)
Safran Still Interested in Avio’s
Space Business (Source: Space News)
France’s Safran aerospace engines group, which was bested by General
Electric in the bidding to purchase Italy’s Avio, on Feb. 21 said it
remains interested in Avio’s space division. In a conference call with
investors, Safran Chief Executive Jean-Paul Herteman said Safran’s
Herakles solid-rocket propulsion division has been working with Avio
for more than 20 years on Europe’s Ariane rocket series.
General Electric’s $4.3 billion purchase of Avio in December did not
include the space division, whose near-term prospects have improved
since the November agreement by European Space Agency governments to
start design work on a next-generation Ariane rocket, called Ariane 6.
Safran and Avio have a joint-venture company called Europropulsion that
provides the solid-fueled strap-on boosters for Europe’s current Ariane
5 heavy-lift rocket. (2/21)
DOD May Furlough Nearly Entire
Civilian Workforce (Source: Defense News)
Nearly 800,000 civilian workers at the Pentagon may face furloughs at
the end of April if sequestration takes effect, Secretary of Defense
Leon Panetta said. By the middle of next month, employees may receive
warnings that they could be furloughed. The Defense Department doesn't
expect to lay off workers this year but said layoffs are a possibility
next year. Editor's
Note: Civil servants at the 45th Space Wing provide critical
services for new and existing launch programs. (2/20)
End House Recess and Stop Sequester,
Democrats Urge (Source: The Hill)
House Democrats are calling on Speaker John Boehner, R-OH, to call back
lawmakers from recess and hammer out a sequestration-stopping deal
before the March 1 deadline. "Being on recess during this period is
absolutely absurd," said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA. The GOP counters that
Democrats and the White House haven't put forth a sequester fix that
would have enough votes for approval. In a panel hearing scheduled for
today, House Democrats will detail the effect that they believe
sequestration cuts would have. (2/20)
ILS Refiles Fraud Suit Against Former
Chief Technical Officer (Source: Space News)
Commercial Proton launch provider International Launch Services (ILS)
has turned to a Virginia state court to sue the company’s former chief
technical officer and an accomplice for what it says is a five-year
conspiracy to commit fraud. They claim James Bonner, who was fired in
August as ILS’s chief technical officer, and an accomplice, Thomas
Dwyer, bilked ILS for $1.8 million between May 2007 and July 2012.
ILS filed similar allegations in October in a federal district court,
alleging that Bonner and Dwyer committed violations of the federal
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The district
court dismissed the charges without prejudice, meaning ILS could have
refiled allegations in the same federal court. Instead, ILS has elected
to sue Bonner and Dwyer for civil conspiracy to commit fraud by setting
up shell companies that purported to perform safety-data analyses of
launches for ILS during the five-year period.
ILS says that it was Bonner himself who did the work, and that he and
Dwyer pocketed the ILS payments for 137 safety-data packages submitted
during the five years in question. The new lawsuit suggests that
Bonner’s activities may have gone beyond what Bonner’s lawyers, in
rejecting the RICO claims, had labeled “garden variety” breaches of
fiduciary duty. ILS claims Bonner also was at work creating a direct
ILS competitor that would perform sales and marketing for a Chinese
rocket to compete for global commercial launch business. (2/21)
World's Leading Asteroid Expert Joins
Deep Space Industries (Source: DSI)
Deep Space Industries announced that astronomer and asteroid expert Dr.
John Lewis will assume the role of Chief Scientist for the firm, whose
goal is the exploration, harvesting and processing of space resources,
such as asteroids. Author of such seminal works in the field as the
books “Rain of Iron and Ice” and “Mining the Sky,” Dr. Lewis is
considered to be one of the the world's pre-eminent asteroid experts.
(2/21)
Antares Engine Test Rescheduled for
Friday Evening at Wallops Island Spaceport (Source: Parabolic
Arc)
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility will provide launch range support for an
Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket engine test scheduled for Feb. 22
at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A. The window for the
engine test, or hot fire, is 6-9 p.m. EST. The test will fire the
Antares’ dual AJ26 rocket engines, which will generate a combined total
thrust of 680,000 lbs., for about 30 seconds while the first stage of
the test rocket will be held down on the pad. (2/20)
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