Yuri's Night Approaching Fast (Source: Yuri's Night)
There's only one month left until the World Space Party! Yuri's Night 2013 is just around the corner (April 12), so it's definitely time to start thinking about how you'll be celebrating. We've released our first Yuri's Night Party List, with over 90 events registered around the world and more coming online every day. Editor's Note: At least three Yuri's Night parties are planned on Florida's Space Coast. Click here. (3/12)
Kaptur: More Than 150 NASA Glenn Jobs
in Jeopardy (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
NASA Glenn Research Center stands to lose more than 150 jobs when
automatic spending cuts under the "sequester" go into effect, according
to the office of Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. NASA officials
told Kaptur the cuts would end cryogenic propulsion research
headquartered at Glenn, resulting in the loss of 10 to 15 jobs. A
separate $14.5 million sequester-related cut in Glenn's operational
budget will cost another 150 support staff jobs, said Kaptur spokesman
Steve Fought.
The $85 billion in automatic government spending reductions took effect
on March 1, under an agreement set up by the Budget Control Act of
2011. A wide variety of government programs, including air-traffic
control and food plant inspections, are affected. NASA plans to move
quickly on the cuts to achieve the needed savings. NASA Glenn
spokeswoman Lori Rachul referred questions on the cuts to officials at
NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. (2/11)
Maryland Explores Adaptations
Strategies for Survival on Mars (Source: Mars Daily)
Research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine has
revealed key features in proteins needed for life to function on Mars
and other extreme environments. The researchers, funded by NASA,
studied organisms that survive in the extreme environment of Antarctica.
They found subtle but significant differences between the core proteins
in ordinary organisms and Haloarchaea, organisms that can tolerate
severe conditions such as high salinity, desiccation, and extreme
temperatures. The research gives scientists a window into how life
could possibly adapt to exist on Mars.
Researchers found that Haloarchaeal microbes contain proteins that are
acidic, with their surface covered with negatively charged residues.
Most ordinary organisms contain proteins that are neutral on average.
The negative charges found in the unusual organisms keep proteins in
solution and help to hold on tightly to water, reversing the effects of
high salinity and desiccation. (3/12)
Fifty Applicants Respond to FAA's Test
Site Call (Source: AIN)
Fifty applicants from 37 states responded to the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration’s screening information request (SIR) for public
entities interested in operating test ranges for unmanned aircraft
systems (UAS). The agency set a March 6 “identification of applicant”
deadline; the selection of operators for six national test sites is
planned for the end of the year.
The FAA issued the SIR on February 14 in response to a requirement by
Congress in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 that it
establish a UAS test site program. The agency declined to identify the
responding applicants, citing procurement regulations. Applicants must
be non-federal public entities such as state or local governments,
their departments, agencies or special purpose districts, or a
“commuter authority.” They must complete several filings, including the
submission of documentation showing compliance with SIR requirements by
March 28. (3/11)
Space Shuttle Gives California Science
Center an Attendance Boost (Source: LA Times)
More than 1 million people have visited the center since space shuttle
Endeavour made its debut just over four months ago, far surpassing
officials' expectations for the Exposition Park museum. Science Center
President Jeffrey Rudolph initially guessed about 2 million people
would see the retired orbiter in its first year at the free museum,
which averages about 1.6 million visitors per year. Now, he estimates
at least 2.5 million people will pass through its turnstiles — a
record. (3/12)
Russian Emergencies Ministry Sets Up
Working Group on Meteorite Threats (Source: Itar-Tass)
The emergencies ministry has set up a working group tasked to elaborate
new approaches to the protection of the population against asteroid
threats, Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said on Tuesday. “The
experience gained in the tracing of the Chelyabinsk meteorite and in
clear-up operations after its fall is absolutely unique. It will make
it possible to adjust development programs of Russia’s rescue corps,”
he said at a roundtable meeting at the Federation Council, or upper
house of the Russian parliament.
According to the minister, it is important to elaborate the strategy of
reacting to asteroid and meteorite threats. Another major task is, in
his words, to build a system of meteorite threat warning and to teach
people how to behave in such situations. (3/12)
When an Asteroid Heads for Earth, It’s
Time to Reconsider Those Doomsday Plans (Source: Science News)
Chicken Little is right. The sky is falling... Once you find an
asteroid threatening Earth, what do you do about it? You might have a
year’s lead time, or a month, or maybe only a few hours. Then it’s time
to bring in the Armageddon-style weapons. Some scientists think
humankind should blast the incoming rock with lasers, vaporizing its
surface. Others want to park a “gravity tractor,” in the form of a
spacecraft, close enough to the asteroid to provide a tiny
gravitational tug.
In either scenario, just a small deflection in the asteroid’s path
would be enough to nudge it safely aside and avoid a collision with
Earth. NASA and the European Space Agency are even working on a tandem
mission to beat up on incoming asteroids. A planned test run calls for
two spacecraft to fly to a pair of asteroids. Then one craft would
smash into one of the rocks, while the other probe studies how the
collision affects the asteroids’ trajectory. (3/12)
Comet Can Be Seen By Naked Eye This
Week (Source: Florida Today)
Last month, an asteroid the size of a city block whizzed close by
Earth, and a meteor’s explosion in the atmosphere shook a Russian city.
Now another rare, but non-threatening, celestial event is unfolding: a
chance to see a comet with the naked eye. If weather permits today and
Wednesday, a comet known as Pan-STARRS may be visible for about an hour
after sunset, low on the western horizon. (3/12)
Space Algae Invasion? Probably Not
(Source: Discovery)
Forget hunting for organic chemistry inside rocks on Mars or complex
organisms in Europa’s sub-surface oceans, the Cosmos has just FedEx’d
some extraterrestrials direct to our door! Or, at least, that’s what a
group of astrobiologists want us to believe. Unfortunately (or
fortunately, it depends how you spin it), the research — uploaded to
the arXiv preprint service and published in the questionable Journal of
Cosmology (JoC) — probably isn’t conclusive evidence of the existence
of extraterrestrial biology. Bummer.
Frustratingly, it’s also an example on how science shouldn’t be done.
But, by default, it’s also a fine example on how good, skeptical
science writing should be done. To cut a long story short, a paper
published a team of astrobiologists claims to have found “fossilized
biological structures” inside meteorite fragments in Sri Lanka. This
new publication appears to be based on the same samples that Chandra
Wickramasinghe’s team analyzed and published results of in January.
They went all out, claiming: “The new data on “fossil” diatoms provide
strong evidence to support the theory of cometary panspermia.”
That research was heavily (and rightfully) criticized, not only for its
baseless extraordinary claims, but for the apparent poor scientific
process and the fact no outside specialists were consulted before their
work was published in the JoC. Oh, and there was a serious lack of some
much-needed extraordinary evidence. Click here.
(3/12)
Rohrabacher: Space Launch System Makes
No Sense (Source: Parabolic Arc)
"Although I strongly agree with much of the Committee’s Views and
Estimates, there is one specific area on which I wish to state a
different view, as I have done for the past few years," Rohrabacher
says. "Commercial Crew remains our most critical near-term civil space
goal. We currently rely on the Russians, who have been good partners,
but the Soyuz provides the tremendous risk of a single point of
failure. We must create redundancy and enable NASA to certify multiple,
independent, sustainable systems... In addition, the price the Russians
are charging us continues to rise."
"We continue to hear that the SLS/MPCV system will serve as a back-up
for Earth-to-orbit transportation in the unlikely event that none of
the other systems in development are successful. Last year’s request
for this “back-up system” was more than 300% of the appropriated level
of the primary system. By acting on this type of faulty logic, we have
created a national debt as large as our GDP and still our nation
refuses to take its foot off the deficit spending accelerator. SLS is
unaffordable." (3/11)
Russia Plans Giant Solar Power Station
to Orbit Earth (Source: Space Daily)
Russia is thinking of building a giant solar power station capable of
collecting energy and beaming it to Earth. This idea was put forward by
Central Scientific Research institute for Engineering, a Roskosmos
subsidiary. The concept of such a power station was formulated in 1968.
It is aimed at beaming energy to Earth using giant solar panels. To
generate necessary power, the panels should have an area of several
square kilometers. The power would be converted to electricity onboard
the spacecraft and sent to wherever it is needed on Earth by a large
microwave-transmitting antenna, and then fed into a power grid.
The scientific research institute suggests using lasers instead of
microwaves because radio beams are difficult to focus, and an area of
several square kilometers will be needed for the receiving antenna. In
case of a laser beam this area would be ten times smaller. However, at
present, there are no such powerful lasers, although many infrared
lasers distributed over the panel could be used instead. Their
radiation would be put together and beamed to Earth.
The US, Japan, Europe and China plan to build solar power stations
between 2030 and 2040. It is not surprising that Russia will join them,
says Academician Alexander Zheleznyakov. "Russia should study this
problem. If energy from space is cheaper, it is beneficial because
Earth has been experiencing an energy deficit. (3/12)
After the Shuttle, Boom Times for
Space Innovation? (Source: TIME)
Here’s a bit of news you’ve surely not heard: in 17 years, a colony of
80,000 humans is going to be living on Mars! They’ll be joining a
smaller community that will arrive in 2023—a group that will be
grateful for the company since their mission will be only one way. And
all of them will be preceded by a team of astronauts who will swing by
the Red Planet and fly back home just five years from now.
On the way, they’ll see some remarkable things: tourists popping into
space on suborbital flights, courtesy of Richard Branson’s Virgin
Galactic joyrides; other paying travelers heading for inflatable
orbital hotels; miners heading out to grapple asteroids and bring their
riches (iron! platinum! gold!) back to Earth; NASA astronauts hanging
in space at the mysterious Lagrange points, where gravity from the
moon, Earth and sun cancel one another out allowing spacecraft simply
to hover. Click here.
(3/11)
Texas Leading Candidate for SpaceX 3rd
Launch Site (Source: Space News)
In a hotly contested race to host a third U.S. launch site for Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), Texas appears to be the
front-runner, says company founder and chief executive Elon Musk.
Speaking over the weekend at the popular South by Southwest (SXSW)
conference in Austin, Texas, Musk said if all goes as planned he
expects to make a decision this year about where to locate a commercial
spaceport that would complement facilities currently located at U.S.
Air Force bases in Florida and soon to open in California.
“It’s likely that we’ll have a launch site in Texas, which is really
cool,” Musk said during a keynote speech at SXSW. “Right now Texas is
arguably the leading candidate, but we need legislation passed that’s
supportive of space launch. I don’t think it’s particularly
controversial,” he added. In additional to liability indemnification,
the company needs to be able to close a public beach during launch
attempts.
The company is considering a site on Boca Chica Beach, located about 37
kilometers east of Brownsville, Texas, in Cameron County five
kilometers north of the Mexican border. Other states vying to host
SpaceX’s commercial launch site include Florida, Georgia, Hawaii and
Puerto Rico. Construction on the new facility could begin in 2014, with
the first launches following a year or two later, Musk said. (3/11)
NASA and Lockheed Martin Launch
Exploration Design Challenge (Source: Lockheed Martin)
Students from kindergarten through 12th grade will have the opportunity
to play a unique role in the future of human spaceflight through
participation in NASA's Exploration Design Challenge. Developed through
a partnership between NASA and Lockheed Martin, the program challenges
students to research and design solutions to protect astronauts from
space radiation.
Students in grades K-12 can study the effects of radiation on human
space travelers and analyze different materials that simulate space
radiation shielding for Orion. After participating in activities guided
by their teachers, students will recommend materials that best block
harmful radiation. Students in grades 9-12 can take the challenge a
step farther and design shielding to protect a sensor inside the Orion
capsule from space radiation. The winning design will be flown in the
Orion capsule during Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) scheduled for
September 2014. (3/11)
NASA Denies Use Of ‘Workaround’ To
Employ Restricted Foreigners (Source: Aviation Week)
U.S. contractors who employ foreign workers for NASA jobs must comply
with laws designed to protect sensitive technology, and the agency
spends more than $200 million a year to ensure that they do, according
to David Weaver, the agency’s associate administrator for
communications. That includes recently blocking a foreign contractor
from entering Langley Research Center, and turning evidence about his
activities over to law enforcement.
“NASA takes any allegation of a security violation very seriously and
follows long-established procedures to investigate these allegations
quickly and thoroughly,” stated Weaver, the agency’s politically
appointed spokesman, in response to charges raised by Rep. Frank Wolf
(R-VA). “These investigations are handled by our security and
counterintelligence professionals in cooperation with the NASA
inspector general and other law enforcement officials, as appropriate.”
Weaver said the agency had reviewed Wolf’s charges that a Langley
Research Center contractor hired a Chinese national for space agency
tasks in a “workaround” designed to thwart a congressional ban on space
cooperation with China. “Although we normally don’t comment on
investigations, because information now has been made public, we can
confirm we are familiar with the situation involving a Langley
contractor, have completed our review and referred the matter to the
appropriate law enforcement officials,” Weaver stated. “The contractor
in question no longer works at Langley.” (3/11)
House NASA Panel Lists Budget
Priorities, But Not Everyone Backs SLS (Source: Huntsville Times)
The House panel overseeing NASA has endorsed funding for the big new
rocket being developed in Huntsville, Alabama, but it isn't unanimous.
Among the dissenters is the committee's vice-chairman, who thinks the
Space Launch System is unaffordable. U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX, the
chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology,
submitted the committee's views on NASA's 2014 budget to House Budget
Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on March 1.
Smith noted that NASA is currently pursuing two tracks to get American
astronauts back into space aboard American spacecraft. The first is the
agency's commercial space program to fund companies such as SpaceX,
Boeing and Sierra Nevada as they develop rockets capable of carrying
astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The second is
the Space Launch System, which is being developed in Huntsville. Click here.
(3/11)
CASIS Supports Entrepreneur Challenge
(Source: CASIS)
MassChallenge connects entrepreneurs with the resources they need to
launch & succeed immediately. It's the world's largest startup
accelerator and is looking for the 125 highest-impact startups from any
industry for its 2013 program. Benefits include world-class mentorship
& training, a driven community of fellow entrepreneurs, $10M+ in
in-kind deals and $1M+ in grants with no equity taken. This includes
numerous “Sidecar Prizes,” including a $100,000 prize and flight
opportunity from The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space
(CASIS). (3/11)
Space Ventures Want Your Videos
(Source: NBC)
What better way to celebrate the glories of space exploration than to
make a video about it? How about making a video about space
exploration, and winning a trip for four to one of NASA's space
centers? That's the top prize in the "Why Space Matters to the Future"
video contest, sponsored by the centers in cooperation with the
Coalition for Space Exploration.
Contest organizers are looking for videos up to two minutes in length
that explain the values and benefits of space exploration, for this
generation and future generations. The deadline for entries is April 7.
The viewing public will get a chance to vote for their favorite, and a
panel of judges will keep the people's choice in mind when they select
the winner on April 17 — just after the global spaceflight celebration
known as Yuri's Night.
The winning video will earn its maker a VIP trip for four to one of
NASA's visitor centers: the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in
Florida, Space Center Houston in Texas, or the U.S. Space and Rocket
Center in Alabama. Check the coalition's website or VisitNASA.com to
check out the contest instructions, review the official rules and
upload your video. (3/11)
In Spaceport We Trust: Liability
Protection Heads to Gov’s Desk (Source: New Mexico Watchdog)
A bill that would extend liability protections to Virgin Galactic and
other spacecraft manufacturers in case of accidents at Spaceport
America is heading to the desk of Gov. Susana Martinez. On Monday
(March 11), the state House of Representatives on a 62-0 vote passed
Senate Bill 240, which applies to the facility in southern New Mexico
that state taxpayers spent $240 million to construct.
“It’s a good promise for New Mexico,” Rep. Jim White, R-Albuquerque,
told New Mexico Watchdog. “It means we’re going to move forward on this
thing.” Virgin Galactic, the anchor tenant at Spaceport, has made
veiled threats of pulling up stakes and leaving New Mexico and taking
its scheduled sub-orbital launches of tourists to other states that
have instituted liability protections for manufacturers unless New
Mexico followed suit. (3/11)
Bill Shoots for SpaceX Commercial
Spaceport in Texas (Source: Austin Business Journal)
A Texas lawmaker has filed legislation to lure the world's first
commercial orbital launch site to Brownsville. State Rep. Rene Oliveira
filed House Bill 2623 to give certain counties and the General Land
Office the authority to temporarily close a beach or a beach access
point, enabling the launching of rockets from a proposed spaceport for
the next generation of rockets built by entrepreneur and visionary Elon
Musk’s company SpaceX.
“We’re talking about something that’s really in the big leagues here,”
Musk said. “The commercial version of Cape Canaveral.” SpaceX, a
pioneer in the private space-flight industry, is eyeing a location on
Boca Chica Beach — 23 miles east of Brownsville — to construct a
commercial launch pad to send manned spacecraft into orbit, the San
Antonio Express-News reports. It currently has a rocket development
facility employing more than 200 people near Waco.
Oliveira told the House Appropriations Committee Friday that funds
would need to be appropriated for the project to fend off competition
from other states vying to nab the launch site, including Florida and
Georgia. “We’ve got to put our money where our mouth is and try to make
ourselves attractive to the industry,” Oliveira told the committee.
(3/11)
Proposed Senate Bill Restores $223
million to Planetary Science (Source: Planetary Society)
Today the United States Senate announced a bill to fund the federal
government for the remainder of 2013. This is the Senate's version of a
bill that the House of Representatives passed last week. Like the House
bill, the Senate extends funding for many agencies at 2012 levels;
unlike the House bill, the Senate's bill contains specific language for
funding all of NASA.
"Good news" is not a phrase I have used often (ever?) in my year of
discussing the budget of NASA's Planetary Science Division. In fact, I
can't quite bring myself to use it now. So I'm not saying this is good
news – yet. Let's call it a positive development and we'll leave it at
that for now. The real key to this bill – and why I'm cautiously
excited – is that it contains specific funding directives for NASA's
Planetary Science program.
In today's Senate funding bill, they propose restoring $223 million to
Planetary Science, reversing nearly all of the cuts. The Senate also
specifies how the money will be allocated, boosting Discovery
(small-missions), Mars exploration, outer planets, and scientific
research. It also includes additional directives for $14.5 million for
Plutonium-238 production and $75 million for "pre-formulation and/or
formulation activities" for a mission to Europa. (3/12)
U.S. and Japan Begin Dialogue on Space
(Source: U.S. Dept. of State)
U.S. and Japanese officials exchanged information on respective space
policies, including Japan’s newly formulated Basic Plan on Space
Policy. They conducted discussions for further collaboration in
positioning, navigation, and timing services from the U.S. Global
Positioning System (GPS) and the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System
(QZSS), as well as Earth observation, data exchange, and space science,
to include weather observation from space and asteroid detection and
mitigation to protect the planet.
In addition, both sides shared the intention to continue cooperation on
the International Space Station and discussions regarding future space
exploration activities. The parties discussed space security
cooperation and confirmed their interest in furthering, bilateral Space
Situational Awareness (SSA) and Maritime Domain Awareness. Both sides
also welcomed an ad referendum agreement reached on a legal framework
for SSA Services and Information provision from the U.S. side to the
Japanese side in negotiations on March 7, 2013. (3/11)
Editorial: Florida Should Explore
Building New Launchpad (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Five years ago on these pages, we forcefully argued against NASA
carving out a piece of conservation land to build a pad for commercial
rocket launches. Much has changed since. The space shuttle program
ended in 2011. Thousands of aerospace employees have lost their jobs.
While the Space Coast's economy suffers, other states — including
Virginia, New Mexico and Texas — are vying to become the nation's
capital of commercial launch activity.
The Space Coast could one day lose its enviable position, earned
through decades of launches at Kennedy Space Center, as America's
spaceport. Too much is at stake for Florida to dismiss out of hand the
newest proposal to set aside 150 acres of the 140,000-acre Merritt
Island National Wildlife Refuge for a commercial launchpad.
We weren't wrong to oppose the idea in 2008, but we would be wrong
knowing what we know in 2013 to oppose a thorough examination of the
latest proposal, which comes from Space Florida, a state agency.
Environmental advocates are dead set against a launchpad at Shiloh,
arguing it would have an unacceptable impact on the refuge and its
endangered species, and regularly cut off the public's access to the
area. These critical concerns need to be fully and expeditiously
evaluated in a fair and open process. (3/12)
Look NASA, No Hands! Astronauts Fly on
Brainpower Alone (Source: Space.com)
The newest innovation in space travel might be a boon for overworked
astronauts. A brain-computer interface that allows astronauts to
control a shuttle using only their thoughts is being developed by
researchers in the United Kingdom. A group of researchers from the
University of Essex in the U.K. has developed the first ever
brain-computer interface (BCI) that can be used to control a spacecraft
simulator. (3/11)
Editorial: NASA Kepler Shows a Reality
Even Stranger Than Science Fiction (Source: The Independent)
After four years, NASA’s Kepler Mission – an orbiting space-telescope
looking for other worlds like our own – has found a staggering
2,700-plus “planetary entities”. So far, only slightly more than 100
are confirmed as definite planets, but the majority are expected to
pass the test.
But it is not just the huge number of potential planets that is
startling scientists. It is also their sheer weirdness. Some are
unfeasibly dense, their iron terra firma washed by molten metal seas;
others are so light they would, like polystyrene, float on water;
others still come in at several times the vastness of Jupiter.
All of which has theoreticians tearing up their assumptions and heading
back to the scientific drawing board. What Kepler has notably not
found, though, is an Earth-sized planet in a “habitable zone” – neither
so far from a star as to be frozen, nor so near as to be burned dry. No
matter. The search has rewards enough. (3/11)
Injured ULA Workers Transferred to
Burn Center (Source: Lompoc Record)
Two United Launch Alliance employees seriously injured in an electrical
explosion at Vandenberg Air Force Base have been transferred to a
hospital that specializes in treating burn patients. The workers, whose
names weren’t released, were initially taken to Santa Barbara Cottage
Hospital for treatment. They were injured Saturday in what was
described as an “arc flash” while working at Space Launch Complex-6 on
South Base.
No details have been released regarding the incident, including whether
it occurred at the launch pad or in the nearby hangar where rockets are
processed. “ULA has begun a full investigation into the accident and
will provide more details as they become available,” the ULA statement
said. SLC-6 currently is home to ULA’s Delta 4 rocket, which is
preparing for its next launch in August. (3/12)
Astronomer Locates Previously Unseen
Neighbor to the Sun (Source: Scientific American)
When NASA launched the WISE satellite in 2009, astronomers hoped it
would be able to spot loads of cool, dim objects known as brown dwarfs.
Bigger than a planet, a brown dwarf is not quite a star, either—-it is
too small to sustain the nuclear fusion reactions that turn hydrogen to
helium. But it may burn to some degree, using a heavy isotope of
hydrogen called deuterium as fusion fuel.
Because brown dwarfs are so dim, it is entirely possible that some of
them lie very close to the sun—as close as any known star—and have yet
to be discovered. But more than three years after WISE (short for the
Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) launched, the map of the sun’s
immediate vicinity has remained largely unchanged. Until now.
Kevin Luhman has located a previously unknown denizen of the sun’s
neighborhood. Using data from WISE, Luhman has identified a pair of
brown dwarfs, bound into a binary system, just 6.5 light-years away.
That is nearer to the sun than all but two known star systems, both of
which were located more than 95 years ago. Click here.
(3/11)
Hampton May Give $1.55 Million to
Virginia Air and Space Center (Source: Daily Press)
The Hampton City Council appears to be ready to give the Virginia Air
and Space Center $1.55 million to help ease the ongoing financial ills
at the downtown museum. The 118,000-square-foot center has not had a
profitable year since 2007, and its board of directors has not named a
full-time executive director since Todd Bridgford retired in 2011.
The City Council will likely vote on the resolution Wednesday evening,
just hours after the group discusses the city's own budget constraints.
The city is asking residents to either pay millions of dollars more in
taxes next fiscal year or face sharp cuts to services and programs. The
Virginia Air and Space Center is not among those proposed cuts because
it is an independent, non-profit organization.
Since 2008, the center has accrued a $3.1 million deficit and has
defaulted on a $2.1 million SunTrust loan, according to audits and tax
forms obtained by the Daily Press using the Freedom of Information Act.
City staff was unconvinced the center's board of directors had done
enough to balance the facility's budget in recent years. (3/12)
MDA Hopes to Raise $250 Million in New
Stock Offering (Source: SpaceRef)
In an effort to reduce outstanding bank indebtedness and provide
additional capital for future growth opportunities MacDonald, Dettwiler
and Associates Ltd. (MDA), who recently closed the acquisition of Space
Systems/Loral, will issue 3,605,000 MDA common shares. The common
shares will be priced at $69.40 and the offering is expected to close
on or about March 27, 2013. Additionally MDA has granted the
underwriters an over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional
540,750 Common Shares on the same terms and conditions. (3/12)
Female Astronauts Gather to Honor
Sally Ride and Her Legacy (Source: CollectSpace)
NASA recently released this photo, originally taken on Sept. 17, 2012,
from a gathering of 22 of its current and former female astronauts and
the first female director of Johnson Space Center, who met together in
Houston to honor the late Sally Ride and her legacy. Since Ride made
history as the first American woman in space 30 years ago this June, 42
female NASA astronauts have followed her into orbit. Worldwide, a total
of 57 women have launched for space, out of the more than 500 people
who have become space travelers. (3/12)
Orbital-Built Satellites Exceed 1,000
Years of Cumulative In-Orbit Operations (Source: OSC)
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading
space technology companies, today announced that it recently achieved a
significant space operational milestone. The fleet of satellites that
Orbital designed, built and, in some cases, launched recently marked
1,000 years of cumulative in-orbit operational experience. This
achievement has been accomplished by only four other companies since
the dawn of the space age.
Today, 81 of the 146 total spacecraft Orbital built over the last 30
years are fully operational, fulfilling their missions for customers in
the fields of commercial communications, Earth and space science,
national security, commercial imaging and others. Each day, these
active spacecraft add over two and a half months to the company’s
cumulative in-orbit operating experience. (3/11)