Defense/Aerospace Firms
See Strong Profits on Cost-Cutting Wave (Source: Reuters)
Defense firms reported robust profits this week, buoyed by efficiency
gains and cost-cutting campaigns. While sequestration remains a tough
challenge, companies such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and
General Dynamics reported higher-than-expected profits and raised their
full-year projections. Share repurchases and international sales also
served to aid performance at some companies. (4/23)
Why Few People are Paying
Attention to Today’s Spacewalk (Source: Washington Post)
Engineers and officials prefer to project competency and the sense that
everything is always under control and every contingency has been
anticipated. It’s the code of competency. Never let them see you sweat.
Take emotion out of the equation (awe and wonder are allowed but never,
for example, anxiety). Keep telling everyone that the situation is
“nominal.”
And thus we get lulled into the sense that this is ordinary stuff,
because usually it works out. And it’s simply a fact that a spacewalk
going as planned is never going to be a big story. That’s the news
business. I expect we won’t have any big news from today’s spacewalk,
because these folks are very good at what they do. But we ought to
pause for a moment and appreciate their work, out there in space,
circling the planet every hour and a half. (4/24)
Citizen Science and Space
Exploration at MakerCon (Source: Sys-Con)
Citizens in Space, a project of the United States Rocket Academy, has
joined the lineup for MakerCon, which takes place at the Oracle
Conference Center in Redwood City on May 13-14, 2014. MakerCon is a
premiere event organized by Maker Media, publisher of Make magazine and
producer of Maker Faire. MakerCon brings together the leaders at the
forefront of the maker movement. (4/3)
No, We’re Not All Gonna
Die From An Asteroid (Source: Time)
First of all, remember that “exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere” part?
That’s no small thing. The atmosphere has been pretty effectively
protecting us from harm for a long, long time. Picture the surface of
the moon; now picture the surface of the Earth. That’s the difference
between a world that stands exposed to the shooting gallery of space
and a world that, in effect, wears a bullet-proof vest. (4/24)
How Close is NASA to
Putting an Astronaut on Mars? (Source: FOX News)
NASA says it's not a question of if we're going to Mars, but when. And
that "when" isn't so far away. "It's the place to go," astronaut Mike
Massimino said. "We can learn a lot about planet Earth by going to
Mars... They were very similar planets at their early stages, and they
just went in different directions." NASA anticipates humans getting to
the Red Planet in the 2030s, and Massimino explained how the agency is
preparing to make the years-long mission happen.
"We're going to be very confident when we go there of keeping people
healthy and safe because of what we're doing on the International Space
Station now," he said. "We've learned a lot about keeping people in
space for a long time." "We're going to be up there for at least
another 10 years on the station to do the research and develop the
technology we need to get us to Mars." Click here.
(4/24)
The Space Sorority
(Source: Time)
The assumption was that humanity would reach the moon someday, and it
was simply a given that the first historic step would indeed be taken
by a man. “This country should commit itself, before this decade is
out,” President Kennedy declared in 1961, “to landing a man on the moon
and returning him safely to the Earth.” There was no need for the
gender-neutral “landing a person on the moon,” no clumsy “and returning
him or her safely to the Earth.” Astronauts were supposed to be men and
they jolly well would be.
But only until they weren’t. The boys-only rule ended fast, just two
years later, when the Soviet Union sent Valentina Tereshkova into orbit
for a flight that lasted just minutes shy of three full days. In the
half century since Tereshkova’s flight, 57 other women have strapped in
and blasted off, representing nine different countries—most recently
China. The U.S. did not join the space sorority until 1983, when Sally
Ride flew, but America made up for that dallying, sending a total of 45
women into space since then. (4/24)
Russia to Launch New
Navigation Satellite in June (Source: RIA Novosti)
“The next launch of a GLONASS-M [satellite] is scheduled for June 14
from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome,” Roscosmos deputy chief Anatoly Shilov
said. The Global Navigation Satellite System, which came online in
1993, is a Russian equivalent to the US Global Positioning System
(GPS). The GLONASS network provides real-time positioning and speed
data for land, sea and airborne receivers. The constellation of 24
operational GLONASS satellites provides navigational coverage to the
entire globe. (4/23)
Russian Spacecraft to
Test New Docking System on Space Station (Source: RIA
Novosti)
A Russian Progress unmanned cargo spacecraft has undocked from the
International Space Station (ISS) to test a new automated approach and
docking system, a spokesman for Russia’s Mission Control Center said
Wednesday. “The cargo ship undocked from the ISS in an automatic mode
using the Kurs-NA system. At 4:16 p.m. Moscow time on Friday, Progress
M-21M is expected to re-dock with the station to test the work of
Kurs-NA,” the spokesman said. (4/23)
Russia Adds Space
Corporation to List of Strategic Companies (Source: RIA
Novosti)
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Wednesday to add
Russia’s newly formed United Rocket and Space Corporation to the list
strategic enterprises entitled to preferential government support. "The
United Rocket and Space Corporation has been added to the list of
strategic enterprises,” the Kremlin said in a statement. The main goal
of the corporation is to “ensure the country’s long-term
competitiveness in the space sector.” (4/23)
Houston's Space Problem:
JSC Has Lost Its Identity and Purpose (Source: Houston
Press)
The fake space shuttle, renamed Independence, arrived in Galveston in
June 2012. People lined the docks and watched as workers hauled the
inert, gleaming white thing as if it were a dead whale being tugged to
shore. When it was decreed that JSC would get the old shuttle replica
NASA officials hired a towing company to move the craft up the Gulf
Coast from Florida.
For most cities, getting the fake shuttle would have been an honor, but
this was Houston, Space City, the home of Johnson Space Center manned
space flight. For more than 50 years, this was where astronauts
trained, where missions were controlled. NASA was the leader in space
exploration, and JSC was at the center of NASA. Now NASA has become a
space program without direction, and JSC has become a shadow of itself.
Click here.
(4/23)
Boeing Profit Beats
Estimates (Source: Bloomberg)
The world’s biggest planemaker beat estimates today with a
first-quarter profit, raised its 2014 forecast and showed $615 million
in free cash flow. The “sigh-of-relief” results buoyed the stock, said
Jeff Morris. “There was a fair amount of anxiety going into the
earnings release,” Morris said by phone from New York. “The thing the
market was really focused on was the free cash flow, with some
expectations it might be negative in the quarter” because of production
issues that damped 787 deliveries. (4/23)
Embry-Riddle To Host UAS
Workshop in San Diego (Source: AIN Online)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide Campus will offer a
workshop on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in San Diego, Calif., on
April 24-25. Faculty with specific UAS operations and research
experience will teach the workshop. Topics include an introduction to
and discussion of the impact of UAS, design issues, legislation,
certification and regulation, applications, operational profiles,
business opportunities and the future of UAS. Continuing education
units are available. (4/21)
Win a Free Trip to Space
by Supporting Astronauts for Hire! (Source: A4H)
Astronauts for Hire is pleased to announce that it is a participating
nonprofit organization in the Ticket to Rise campaign. Ticket to Rise
is a 90-day fundraising initiative from the Urgency Network that gives
anyone a chance to win a trip to space by donating to one of over 100
participating nonprofit organizations. For more details and to support
Astronauts for Hire as the nonprofit of your choice, click here.
(4/23)
CASIS and Boeing
Collaborate for MassChallenge Startup Research (Source:
CASIS)
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and Boeing
announced a collaboration that will provide support to entrepreneurial
researchers through the MassChallenge Startup Accelerator.
MassChallenge is the largest-ever startup accelerator, and the first to
support high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs without taking any
equity. Its four-month program offers world-class mentorship, free
office space, $1 million in cash awards, and up to $10 million through
in-kind support. (4/23)
Top SLS, Orion Official
Leaving NASA July 1 (Source: Space News)
Dan Dumbacher, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for exploration
systems development, will leave the agency effective July 1, a NASA
spokesman confirmed April 21. Dumbacher, who has been with NASA since
2000, is returning to his alma mater Purdue University to take a
faculty position in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has
been the top Washington-based official for NASA’s Space Launch System
and Orion programs since 2010. (4/23)
NASA Offers QuickLaunch
Licensing (Source: NASA)
NASA is pleased to offer a specially selected portfolio of technologies
available for commercial nonexclusive licensing. These QuickLaunch
licenses have a set initial fee, annual royalty and standard terms.
With QuickLaunch licensing NASA has a goal of quickly turning your
license application into a license agreement and transferring the
technologies to you. For many technologies you may request an
evaluation license for a short term prior to requesting a commercial
license. Click here.
(4/23)
Power System Failure
Could Prompt $100M Insurance Claim (Source: Space News)
The power system failure on the Hispasat Amazonas 4A satellite is
likely to result in an estimated 50 percent loss of capacity and an
insurance claim equivalent to 50 percent of the satellite’s insured
value of 145 million euros ($199 million), industry officials said.
Amazonas 4A was built by Orbital Sciences and launched in March. Its
power system failure — which Orbital, without describing it in detail,
has said is specific to Amazonas 4A and does not threaten other
Orbital-built satellites — occurred in early April. Satellite operators
often specify that new satellites are built with more power than is
needed to fulfill their business plans, in part because solar array
efficiency degrades over time, and in part to protect against in-orbit
anomalies. (4/23)
Aldrin Wants NASA
Astronauts to Visit Asteroid in Deep Space (Source:
Space.com)
While moonwalker Buzz Aldrin thinks that a mission sending humans to an
asteroid is a good idea, the Apollo astronaut isn't so happy with
NASA's current plan to use a robot to shrink-wrap a space rock and park
it near the moon. The space agency's asteroid plan centers on launching
a robotic mission that aims to capture an asteroid and deliver it to an
orbit around the moon where astronauts can visit and sample it sometime
in the 2020s. Aldrin would rather see NASA launch astronauts on a
mission to an asteroid still in deep space.
"I sure do not think bringing a rock back is better than what the
president said — a human mission to an asteroid in 2025 — but send a
robot there first so the two get there at the same time," Aldrin said.
Under Aldrin's model, NASA would send an astronaut crew to an asteroid
using the space agency's Space Launch System rocket and Orion space
capsule. The astronaut crew would be able to operate the
asteroid-exploring robot with no time delay. (4/23)
Why the Mars Mission is
Shaking Up International Space Law (Source: Factor)
Manned missions to Mars are becoming a serious prospect, with NASA
chief Charles Bolden suggesting yesterday that they could turn humanity
into a multi-planet species. However, according to the research
professor of space policy and international affairs at the George
Washington University, Dr Henry Hertzfeld, space law has a lot of
catching up to do if it is to address the issues raised by missions to
the red planet.
“There’s nothing, nothing at all that prohibits us from going to Mars
in the space treaties,” explained Hertzfeld. “In fact they are
organized for exploration, for scientific purposes, for freedom of
access, for international cooperation and of course, underlying all of
them, for peaceful purposes. But there are a couple of issues which
we’ll have to deal with.”
One of the issues is the matter of sovereignty. The 1967 Outer Space
Treaty prevents governments from claiming ownership of celestial bodies
such as the moon or other planets. If Mars becomes colonized, this
could muddy the waters. Would the inhabitants be permitted some form of
ownership similar to earth? Or would ownership be treated differently
from its equivalent on our home planet? Other issues relate to the role
of private companies in space travel. Click here.
(4/23)
Mission to Mars is
Necessary for ‘Survival of Human Race’ (Source: Metro)
A manned mission to Mars is necessary for our ‘species to survive’,
says NASA chief Charles Bolden as he plots a three-step plan to land
humans on the red planet by 2030. Speaking at the Humans to Mars
summit, Mr Bolden told The Times: ‘If this species is to survive
indefinitely we need to become a multi-planet species. We need to go to
Mars, and Mars is a stepping stone to other solar systems.’ (4/23)
Must We Colonize Mars to
Survive as a Species? (Source: SPACErePORT)
I tend to agree that there's no existential urgency to colonizing Mars
in the near-term, and we're far from being able to afford or
technically sustain a human Mars base. The same is generally true of
the Moon. We should increase our robotic exploration of the Solar
System and continue our telescope-based search for exoplanets.
To maintain and expand our human spaceflight capabilities, we should
conduct an asteroid mission and consider opportunities for
international collaboration on missions to other destinations (Moon,
Mars, Phobos), avoiding the impulse to simply 'plant a flag' for
national pride. Meanwhile, NASA should also actively support efforts by
the U.S. private sector to pursue human spaceflight ventures that are
in the nation's interest.
Debates in Congress on identifying a major human spaceflight mission --
usually arguing for a flag-planting race or a long-term base on the
Moon or Mars -- don't provide a reasonable justification, in my
opinion. If forced to choose one, however, I would go with a U.S.-led
flag-planting mission to Mars or Phobos... letting NASA assist private
sector players to the Moon. (4/23)
Orbital Hopes To Parlay
Stratolaunch Work into More-Capable Antares (Source: Space
News)
Orbital Sciences Corp.’s contract with startup Stratolaunch Systems on
a rocket to be launched from beneath a large aircraft will produce an
enhanced version of Orbital’s Antares rocket capable of handling 15-25
percent more payload, depending on the orbit, CEO David Thompson said.
Thompson said Stratolaunch, backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s
Vulcan Capital, “is one of our most exciting programs” and will lead to
an operational vehicle in three or four years.
The air-launched version of Orbital’s existing Antares vehicle, which
debuted in early 2013 and is now focused on sending cargo to the
international space station under a NASA contract, will be able to
carry between 7,000 and 8,000 kilograms of payload into low Earth
orbit. Thompson said, there is no need for Orbital to continue to add
muscle to Antares beyond the Stratolaunch-enhanced performance. The market
for launch services carrying 10,000 to 20,000 kilograms into low Earth
orbit “is sufficiently served by other operators,” he said. (4/23)
Occultist Father of
Rocketry 'Written Ou' of NASA History (Source: WIRED)
Jack Parsons was a founding member of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, with
some crediting him as being one of the " fathers of rocketry" and
others joking that JPL was actually Jack Parsons' Laboratory, but you
won't find much about him on NASA's websites. Parsons' legacy as an
engineer and chemist has been somewhat overshadowed by his interest in
the occult and, and has led to what some critics describe as a
rewriting of the history books.
"He's lived in the footnotes since his death. He's a forgotten figure,"
says biographer George Pendle, author of Strange Angel: The
Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parson (Jack's
full name). Pendle did an "archeological dig" into Parsons' life after
finding a mention of him in a science book. "The more I dug, the more
bizarre and extreme the story seemed."
In short: Parsons played a critical role in the formation of rocket
science and was instrumental in building the rockets that were
eventually used in the Space Race. However, he also believed in magic,
was involved in the early stages of Scientology and had an extremely
colourful sex life. For that reason, Pendle speculates, Parsons' was a
figure who didn't fit into the mold of the Industrial Complex. Click here.
(4/23)
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