Space Vehicle Innovators
to Headline at California Economic Outlook Event (Source:
AVBOT)
Senior executives of two companies partnered in pioneering civilian
space travel and new commercial space business will be among the
speakers for the Friday, Feb. 21, 2014 Antelope Valley Business Outlook
Conference at Southern California’s Mojave Air and Space Port.
The Antelope Valley Board of Trade, organizer of the annual day-long
event, announced that George T. Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, the
spaceflight company founded by Sir Richard Branson, and Kevin
Mickey, President of Scaled Composites, which won the X-Prize
by being the first private company to carry passengers to space and
back, have accepted invitations to appear on the program. (2/3)
NASA, Foundation Offer
New Free Space Systems Engineering Course (Source: NASA)
Space Systems Engineering, a new massive open online course or MOOC
from NASA and the Saylor Foundation, launches on Monday, March 3, 2014.
The six-week, general-audience course is available to the public at no
cost and provides a unique opportunity to learn from and alongside
NASA's engineers. Students who participate can earn a free certificate.
The Space Systems Engineering MOOC, the result of a months-long
collaboration between the non-profit Saylor Foundation, Washington,
D.C., and personnel from NASA, examines basic systems engineering and
teamwork as well as project life cycle, scoping, requirements, and
trade studies. Saylor Foundation staff contributed technical,
audio-video, and instructional design support, while course content
consists of existing and augmented NASA materials. (2/5)
FAA Will Not Meet
Deadline on Integrating Drones (Source: USA Today)
The inspector general for the Transportation Department warned that the
Federal Aviation Administration will miss a drone deadline. "The agency
will not meet the September 2015 deadline for safe (drone) integration
and it is uncertain when this will be achieved," said Calvin Scovel
III, inspector general. (2/5)
NASA Pushes the Envelope
with 3-D Printing (Source: PhysOrg.com)
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate has launched several
initiatives for 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.
"With additive manufacturing, we have an opportunity to push the
envelope on how this technology might be used in zero gravity — how we
might ultimately manufacture in space," said LaNetra Tate, the
advanced-manufacturing principal investigator for a program at the
directorate. (2/5)
Black Sky Gets FAA
Approval for Rocket-Powered Transition Course (Source: BST)
On January 22, FAA/AST changed Commercial Space and Commercial Space
training forever. After 7 years of development and hard work, Black Sky
Training has received a first ever approval for a Rocket Powered
Transition course. This course will allow current pilots to receive a
certification for Rocket Powered Flight. During the
transition course, pilots will receive training in and on rocket
powered aircraft, allowing them to legally and
safely operate rocket powered aircraft. (2/6)
NASA and Industry Teams
Set for Orion Launch in 2014, SLS First Flight in 2017
(Source: ATK)
The biggest accomplishments on the next-generation deep space programs
will take place this year, including Orion's first mission, Space
Launch System (SLS) booster and engine firing, and the opening of the
SLS Vertical Assembly Center (VAC) – all important steps in preparing
for deep space human exploration missions. NASA's SLS and Orion four
prime contractors met recently at an industry-team meeting to discuss
progress to date and ensure the teams are on track for the 2014 and
2017 launches. (2/6)
CASIS Provides ISS
Research Forum at Florida Tech (Source: CASIS)
Join community leaders, academic leaders, and CASIS officials as they
outline the benefits, opportunities available, and how to get your
research onboard humankind's greatest technical platform; the
International Space Station. This forum is planned on Feb. 10 at the
Melbourne campus of the Florida Institute of Technology. Click here. (2/5)
Editorial: Southern Road
to Spaceport Must be Built (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
We can understand the frustration of some legislators at the request
this session for capital outlay money to complete the southern road
from Hatch to Spaceport America. After all, funding had been provided
for the road previously, but was used instead for operations.
Before agreeing to the $6 million, lawmakers would be justified in
putting ties to the money that would prevent it from being spent on
anything other than the southern road. But it is absolutely critical
that the road be built. Spending $212 million to build the spaceport,
then pinching pennies on the road needed to get there, is the very
definition of penny wise, pound foolish. (2/6)
New Mexico: Is Spaceport
Travel Just a Dream? (Source: KRQE)
Despite claims in a new book that Virgin Galactic's first commercial
spaceflight is way behind schedule, Spaceport America officials are
confident it will happen this year. “This calendar year I’m pretty
confident. it may be later toward end of 2014, but I based my budget on
that,” said Executive Director Christine Anderson of Spaceport America.
Anderson also says it just takes time to develop the technology and
make sure it’s safe. (2/6)
Bristol Spaceplanes
Business Aims to Make Space Tourism a Reality (Source:
Southwest Business)
A tiny company based in South Gloucestershire has ambitions which reach
all the way to the stars. Bristol Spaceplanes, which was set up by
veteran aviation engineer David Ashford, wants to make space tourism
affordable for as many people as possible and Mr. Ashford believes he
has the know-how and experience to make the dream a reality.
The firm has launched an appeal to raise cash for his venture through
the Crowdcube website. The firm is looking to raise £150,000 from
founders to pay for the next stage of development. Mr Ashford said:
"Our product is the know-how and the designs for a step-by-step
development sequence of space-planes. We’re planning to start with a
small demonstrator which will lead to a craft capable of slashing the
cost of access to space and leading to a new space age." (2/6)
NASA Pondering Two Public
Contests to Build Small Space Exploration Satellites
(Source: Network World)
NASA today said it was looking into developing two new Centennial
Challenge competitions that would let the public design, build and
deliver small satellites known as Cubesats capable of operations and
experiments near the moon and beyond.
Centennial Challenges typically dare public and private partnerships to
come up with a unique solution to a very tough problem, usually with
prize money attached for the winner. Centennial Challenges in the past
have typically required several annual competitions to occur before the
total prize purses, which can be in the millions-of-dollars range, have
been claimed. (2/6)
California Aerospace Bill
Moves Forward (Source: Easy Reader)
In an effort to entice aerospace companies to remain in California,
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi – who chairs a select committee on
aerospace – last year authored a bill exempting rocketships from being
subject to certain taxes. On Jan. 29, the bill, dubbed AB777, passed in
the Assembly with overwhelming (68 to 5) bipartisan support. AB777
classifies rocketships built by private space exploration companies,
such as SpaceX, as business inventory, thereby exempting them from
property taxes.
“The bill seeks to codify a recent legal opinion issued by the state
Board of Equalization, which found that as a matter of law, spaceflight
property like rocket ships should be classified as business inventory
and therefore qualify for an [exemption] from tax,” Muratsuchi said.
The bill’s overarching goal is to breathe life into Southern
California’s aerospace industry, which has undergone a severe
contraction since the end of the Cold War. (2/6)
DOD Not Comfortable if
Major Contractors Look to Merge (Source: Reuters)
The U.S. Defense Department remains skeptical of mergers involving its
major contractors, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday, amid industry
expectations that defense deal-making could revive this year. Elana
Broitman, whose office at the Defense Department reviews deals that
involve national security issues, told an investor conference that
"there are far fewer of the large firms, so we're in a more constrained
environment. (2/5)
India to Join Hunt for
Gravity Waves (Source: Science)
India intends to host a key facility in an international effort to
detect gravitational waves, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced on
Monday at the Indian Science Congress in Jammu. Operating since 2002,
the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) consists
of sophisticated optical interferometers located 3000 kilometers apart,
in Hanford, Washington, and near Livingston, Louisiana.
Indian scientists say the government is likely to commit about $201
million over 15 years to its facility, dubbed IndIGO. “LIGO will bring
some of the best international and Indian astrophysicists to work on
Indian soil in a very exciting area of research,” says Ratan Kumar
Sinha. (2/6)
KSC Visitor Complex Hosts
Diversity Discussion (Source: KSCVC)
In recognition of African American History Month, Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex is hosting “Diversity at Kennedy Space Center:
Generations Reflecting Together,” a panel discussion on Friday, Feb. 7
from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Astronaut Encounter Theater. Employees
from Kennedy Space Center will reflect on how the 1964 Civil Rights Act
impacted their lives and careers, bringing them to where they are
today. The panel discussion is included in regular admission to the Visitor
Complex and seating will be available on a first come, first served
basis. (2/5)
GoLauncher Passes Major
Project Milestone (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) has successfully passed a
major project milestone in the development of its GOLauncher 2, a
dedicated nanosatellite launch vehicle. The GOLauncher 2 System
Requirements Review was completed on January 23rd, 2014.
Members of the GO team gathered in Atlanta to conduct the review,
including representatives from SpaceWorks, Calspan, Aerojet Rocketdyne,
Ventions, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, and mv2space. The goals of the
review included assessing the team’s performance and functional
requirements for the system, the current design status, the overall
GOLauncher program plan, and the program’s current risk posture. (2/5)
SpaceX's Next Cargo
Mission to Space Station is Mar 16 (Source: Space Daily)
The next cargo supply mission to the International Space Station by the
US company SpaceX has been set for March 16. SpaceX's unmanned Dragon
capsule will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 4:41 am (0941
GMT) on its third trip ferrying supplies and equipment to the orbiting
lab, the US space agency said in a tweet. (2/5)
Satellites Show
California Water Storage at Near-Decade Low (Source: Space
Daily)
Updates to satellite data show that California's Sacramento and San
Joaquin River basins are at near decade-low water storage levels. These
and other findings on the State's dwindling water resources were
documented in an advisory report released today from the UC Center for
Hydrologic Modeling (UCCHM) at the University of California, Irvine.
(2/5)
Iran Unveils New
Home-Made Communication Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
Iran on Monday unveiled two domestically-made communication satellites,
one to bolster its wireless connections and the other capable of taking
high-resolution pictures, media reported. Iran's space program has
prompted concern among Western governments, which fear Tehran is trying
to master the technology required to deliver a nuclear warhead. (2/5)
Weird Asteroid Itokawa
Has a Dual Personality (Source: Discovery)
We care about how asteroids are made, in large part because if one were
aiming to smash into us, we’d like to know what we can do about it. The
structure of asteroids is also a matter of scientific curiosity, as it
tells us a bit about the formation and evolution in our solar system.
That is why it is so exciting that the most recent very delicate
observations of asteroid 25143 Itokawa reveal some of its secrets.
The asteroid appears to be composed of two different types of material
that have been “mashed” together to form one peanut-shaped body. Though
it has been suspected that many asteroids are collections of smaller
bodies coming together from their mutual gravity (in a “rubble pile”),
this is the first time we’ve actually seen it borne out of data. Click here.
(2/5)
NASA Evolves Student
Rocketry Challenge, Enhances Ties to Space Launch System (Source:
NASA)
Student teams from 26 colleges and universities in 16 states and Puerto
Rico will design and launch innovative rockets and payloads as part of
the 2013-2014 NASA Student Launch rocketry competition. The NASA
Student Launch will be held May 15-17 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in
Utah. There, the student teams will undergo a rigorous launch readiness
review -- just like actual NASA flight missions -- and launch their
rockets.
The student rocketry challenge is an evolution of the NASA Student
Launch Projects, which for 12 years challenged students to build
rockets of their own design capable of flying 1 mile high. This latest
competition reaches for even greater heights -- taking student-built
vehicles more than 3 miles high, into the troposphere. Another new
feature of this competition is the requirement that the teams build
their vehicles with a parachute-based recovery system and provide three
payloads capable of delivering data that could shape future NASA
missions. (2/5)
Big Space Rock Makes an
Impact on Mars (Source: Science News)
Sometime between July 2010 and May 2012, a really big space rock
slammed into Mars. An image of the resulting crater, released February
5 by NASA, shows a scar about 30 meters across. Impacts aren’t uncommon
on the Red Planet, which gets hit by more than 200 asteroids or comets
each year. But few crashes leave such visible scars. Click here.
(2/5)
It May Not be a Planet,
but Pluto Explains the Whole Solar System (Source: Slate)
It's time to stop throwing pity parties for Pluto. The beloved
not-quite-planet is about to become the star of our solar system. I'll
go out on a limb and predict that in July 2015, the up-close photos of
Pluto we'll get from a NASA spacecraft will be the most popular
astronomical images of a generation. Screensavers, posters, live TV,
Twitpics, you name it—Pluto will be everywhere. After all, we've been
wondering what it looks like for decades. Click here.
(2/5)
NASA has 'Significant
Problems' with $2.5B IT Contract (Source: FCW)
NASA has problems with a major IT program that are resulting in a
botched technology refresh, a slew of security vulnerabilities and a
host of other issues for the space agency. NASA and the contractor are
pointing fingers at each other, but NASA Inspector General Paul Martin
says there is plenty of blame to go around.
According to Martin, NASA and HP Enterprise Services have encountered
significant problems implementing the $2.5 billion Agency Consolidated
End-User Services (ACES) contract, which provides desktops, laptops,
computer equipment and end-user services such as help desk and data
backup. Those problems include "a failed effort to replace most NASA
employees' computers within the first six months and low customer
satisfaction," the report states. (2/5)
$10.5 Million Sand
Replenishment Set for Wallops Island (Source: Richmond
Times-Dispatch)
The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $10.5 million contract to
replenish sand and restore dunes along NASA's Wallops Island launch
facility on the Eastern Shore. The contract with Weeks Marine Inc. of
Cranford, N.J., calls for the restoration of 650,000 cubic yards of
sand along the shoreline of the launch center. Sand, dunes and berms
were either swept away or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, which slammed
the barrier island.
Bill Wrobel, director of the Wallops Flight Facility, said
shoreline protection is "absolutely vital" to protecting more than $1
billion in assets at the space flight center. The Army Corps said
Tuesday the dredging is expected to begin in the late winter or early
spring and be completed by September. (2/5)
GPS Satellite Mounted
Atop Booster for Feb. 20 Launch (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Beginning a slate of three launches in five months to fortify the
Global Positioning System, the first craft was mounted atop its Delta 4
booster rocket Wednesday for liftoff Feb. 20. The launch is precisely
timed at 8:40 p.m. EST to replace a 16-year-old member of the
navigation network -- the GPS 2A-28 satellite. The evening launch
opportunity extends 19 minutes. (2/5)
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