May 1, 2014

Trial Balloon (Source: SpaceKSC)
Boeing and Bigelow Aerospace hosted a joint media event yesterday in North Las Vegas, promoting future flights of the CST-100 crew vehicle to the Bigelow expandable habitats. Given this week's events, the ability to launch CST-100 on other boosters could come in very handy. CST-100 and Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser plan to launch atop Lockheed Martin Atlas V boosters.

The Atlas V uses Russian RD-180 engines. If Atlas V can't fly due to the unavailability of RD-180 engines, or is shelved pending new engines, then Boeing and Sierra Nevada will have to look elsewhere for boosters. Boeing has no plans to crew-rate Delta IV, although it's theoretically possible. That would leave the SpaceX Falcon 9, or perhaps some future launch vehicle derived out of this week's Orbital Sciences / ATK merger. (5/1)

Colorado Space Tax Exemption Bill Advances (Source: Denver Business Journal)
HB 1178, sponsored by House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland, creates a sales and use tax exemption for equipment used in space travel, including space vehicles, components of space vehicles and rocket fuel. HB 1178 passed the Senate 31-4 on Wednesday. (5/1)

Officials Optimistic About Spaceport America Despite Delays (Source: KOAT)
New Mexico's Spaceport America is ready, but the facility that was built to stand out as a world leader in space travel has yet to launch a commercial space flight. The spaceport was built as part of an agreement with Virgin Galactic to turn ordinary people into astronauts. Projected launch dates have come and gone at the facility. Spaceport America Director Christine Anderson said the wait may soon be over.

"Virgin Galactic will hopefully be flying by the end of this year," Anderson said. "It's a matter of when, not if." Back in 2011, Virgin Galactic's owner Sir Richard Branson christened the hanger and introduced the world to a spaceship with huge hopes of being the first company offer rides to space.

But delays in safety testing are creating doubts. In the worst case scenario, Virgin Galactic would have to pay between $2 million and $3 million if it scraps its plans to launch from New Mexico's spaceport. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the nearly quarter of a billion dollars the state invested in Spaceport America. (5/1)

Russia Tests Reusable Spaceplane Design (Source: Flight Global)
Russia’s Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI) has completed the first stage of feasibility research into a reusable, hypersonic-capable winged rocket-carrier spaceplane. The vehicle, known by its Russian acronym MRKN – multiuse rocket carrier – is designed to put payloads of 20-60t into orbit without a disposable first-stage launcher falling back to Earth. The craft features a rear-mounted swept wing with canted twin fins on the rear fuselage, and small up-tilted canards on the upper forward fuselage.

TsAGI's tests, carried out by its aerothermodynamics and hypersonic research division, studied subsonic and hypersonic flight problems in its windtunnels, including airframe heating effects. Also studied were the aerodynamics of various potential powerplant solutions for the three turbofan engines of the craft’s reusable section. This included inlet and exhaust configurations and their characteristics at subsonic speeds. They also provided configuration options for the craft’s rocket boosters. (5/1)

ULA Responds to RD-180 Injunction (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
ULA's attorney offered the following comments in response to this week's court action: “ULA is deeply concerned with this ruling and we will work closely with the Department of Justice to resolve the injunction expeditiously. In the meantime, ULA will continue to demonstrate our commitment to our National Security on the launch pad by assuring the safe delivery of the missions we are honored to support."  

"SpaceX’s attempt to disrupt a national security launch contract so long after the award ignores the potential implications to our National Security and our nation's ability to put Americans on board the International Space Station. Just like ULA, NASA and numerous other companies lawfully conduct business with the same Russian company, other Russia state-owned industries, and Russian Federation agencies."  

"This opportunistic action by SpaceX appears to be an attempt to circumvent  the requirements imposed on those who seek to meet the challenging launch needs of the nation and to avoid having to follow the rules, regulations and standards expected of a company entrusted to support our nation's most sensitive missions.” (5/1)

Replacing Russian Rocket Engine Isn’t Easy, Pentagon Says (Source: Bloomberg)
The Pentagon has no “great solution” to reduce its dependence on a Russian-made engine that powers the rocket used to launch U.S. military satellites, the Defense Department’s top weapons buyer said. “We don’t have a great solution,” Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, said yesterday after testifying before a Senate committee. “We haven’t made any decisions yet.”

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the Air Force to review its reliance on the rocket engine after tensions over Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea region prompted questions from lawmakers about that long-time supply connection. United Launch Alliance uses the Russian-made RD-180 engine on Atlas V rockets. Among the options the Air Force is outlining for Hagel are building versions in the U.S. under an existing license from the Russian maker or depending only on Delta-class rockets that use another engine, Kendall said.

The U.S. also could accelerate the certification of new companies to launch satellites that don’t use the Russian engine, he said. An Air Force review found that the Russian company, NPO Energomash, is “very dependent on their sales to us,” Kendall said. “That company really needs the sales. From that side of it, we’re in pretty good shape.” The options for minimizing a cutoff have drawbacks, such as harnessing the time and know-how to build the engines in the U.S. and limited production capability for the Delta rocket, Kendall said. (5/1)

Court Bars ULA from Buying Russian-Made Engines for Atlas 5 (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force and United Launch Alliance must temporarily stop buying the Russian-made rocket engines used to launch many national security missions because of sanctions against Russian leaders, a U.S. federal judge ruled April 30. The ruling, from Judge Susan Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, said the Air Force and ULA are prevented “from making any purchases from or payment of money to NPO Energomash or any entity, whether governmental, corporate or individual, that is subject to the control of Deputy Prime Minister [Dmitry] Rogozin,” court documents said. (5/1)

Editorial: Florida Shouldn't Miss Opportunity With New Rocket Engine (Source: FSDC)
In the late 1990s, as the Air Force settled on Delta-4 and Atlas-5 designs by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, one controversial element was the inclusion of Russian-provided RD-180 engines to power the Atlas-5. The RD-180 is by all accounts a remarkable rocket engine, a propulsion system without peer in the U.S. Concerns about the supply of these engines from Russia were addressed by a plan for Pratt & Whitney (which had partnered with Russia's Energomash and bought engineering designs for the engine) to domestically produce the RD-180.

Their plan was to manufacture the engines at P&W's facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Unfortunately, due to cost concerns (and with Air Force concurrence), this plan was shelved in favor of keeping a two-year supply of the Russian-made engines on hand. According to many in Congress who support sanctions against Russia, that plan is no longer good enough. The latest Air Force budget draft for FY-2015 includes $220 million to develop a domestic alternative to the RD-180.

After a series of mergers and acquisitions, Pratt & Whitney's rocket engine business (including manufacturing facilities in West Palm Beach) now belongs to Aerojet Rocketdyne. The West Palm plant still produces upper stage engines for both the Atlas-5 and Delta-4, and capacity still exists there for RD-180 manufacturing. With momentum building in Washington for a "domestic alternative" to the Russian engines, the Florida Space Development Council (FSDC) believes Florida lawmakers and economic development officials should be working now to position West Palm Beach as the location for building these engines. (5/1)

Does Britain Need its Own Spaceport? (Source: The Telegraph)
The British space industry is booming. It’s currently worth around £9bn a year, employs nearly 30,000 highly skilled people and has an average yearly growth of 7.5%. It is targeting growth to £19bn by 2020, and is aiming to increase from its current 9% of the global market. Britain is a major player on the world stage, but because almost all projects require international collaborations to be launched, we often miss the importance of the UK’s role.

And an innovative space plane – heralded as a possible replacement for the space shuttle – is being developed by British company Reaction Engines Ltd. The revolutionary SKYLON will be able to take off and land like a normal plane thanks to its air-breathing SABRE rocket engine, but it’s still a long way from completion, with test flights tentatively scheduled for 2019. Click here. (5/1)

A Place in the Utah Desert Where People Pretend to Live on Mars (Source: Mashable)
Outfitted in bright orange spacesuits and a full pack of oxygen, three astronauts push open the foot-thick door and step outside onto the rusty red landscape. Though it's zero degrees Fahrenheit outside, they're pouring sweat as they push their way toward the plunging cliffside a half mile away. With civilization a world away, the astronauts have only one mission this very moment: stay alive.

We're not on Mars. We're in the middle of the freezing desert of southeast Utah in December, where Mashable followed a six-person team living in a tiny habitat called the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). Every two weeks during the winter, crews like this pay $500 each to rent the module and conduct experiments as though they were living on the Red Planet. The MDRS is operated by The Mars Society, a group of volunteers around the world who support the idea of putting humans on Mars.

Robert Zubrin founded The Mars Society in the 1990s after NASA rejected his “Mars Direct” proposal laying out a lower-cost plan for a manned mission to the Red Planet. This simulation isn’t perfect. You have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit in order for it all to make sense, but that’s exactly what Zubrin wants—an experience that the pros can eventually build upon. (4/30)

New Indian Show on Mars Launched (Source: The Hindu)
Will life be possible on Mars? Is there water on Mars? What have the Mars missions discovered? To know the answers to these questions, head to the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium to watch the 40-minute program on ‘Mars – The Red Planet’. The indigenously produced, fully digital show presented in a full-dome format for an “immersive feel” was launched on Wednesday by U.R. Rao, former chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). (5/1)

Bill Increase Still Falls Short for NASA (Source: Florida Today)
Congress may be warming up to NASA’s plan to fly astronauts to the International Space Station on private rockets, but the agency still may not meet its 2017 launch target. A key House Appropriations subcommittee voted unanimously to approve a spending plan that would provide $785M for the Commercial Crew Program in FY 2015. That’s $89M more than the program will receive this fiscal year, and it’s the most the Republican-led panel has ever endorsed. But it’s still short of the $848M the Obama administration is requesting. (5/1)

AT&T Interested in Acquiring Satellite Broadcaster DirecTV (Source: LA Times)
AT&T Inc. and DirecTV are in exploratory talks about a potential sale of the satellite broadcaster to the telecommunications giant. The board of directors from both companies have been briefed on the potential deal, said a person with knowledge of the talks who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter. The talks were described as preliminary, and no deal was certain. (5/1)

MDA Looks to Future in Deep Space (Source: Vancouver Sun)
Multi-billion-dollar, deepspace missions are no longer as far-fetched as some might think. Two potential missions proposed by MacDonald, Dettwiler Associates could help us go where no man has gone before. The EML-2 Deep-Space Habitat Mission would establish a platform or staging area about 60,000 kilometres beyond the moon that could serve as a servicing or fuelling depot for future lunar or deep-space exploration missions to Mars and other planets.

The Asteroid Redirect Mission would see a robotic spacecraft travel to a small near-Earth asteroid (10 metres or less in diameter), capture it and redirect it to a safe orbit on the far side of the moon. MDA will use computer modelling and engineering simulation to assess Canadian contributions to future deep-space missions, after winning two contracts with the Canadian Space Agency on Monday. (5/1)

SpaceX Launch from Cape Set for May 10 (Source: Florida Today)
Between 9:39 a.m. and 10:33 a.m. EDT, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will attempt to launch the first batch of a new constellation of small commercial satellites for New Jersey-based Orbcomm Inc. The rocket will carry the first six of Orbcomm's 17 OG2 satellites, which from low Earth orbit will provide machine-to-machine (M2M) communications for customers in the transportation and distribution, heavy equipment, oil and gas, maritime and other industries. Sunday, May 11, is a backup launch date. (4/30)

Florida Firm Gets NASA SBIR Funding for In-Space Propulsion (Source: Exquadrum)
Exquadrum Inc., a California-based small business with offices in Jupiter, Florida, has won an NASA SBIR grant for development of a "Low-Cost High-Performance Non-Toxic Self-Pressurizing Storable Liquid Bi-Propellant Pressure-Fed Rocket Engine." The company's Florida office will support the research. (4/30)

NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Arrives Home After Houston Road Trip (Source: CollectSpace)
NASA's original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jetliner that for three decades flew the space agency's orbiters coast to coast, completed a two-night road trip to Space Center Houston early Wednesday morning (April 30). "Home sweet home," the center announced on Twitter.

The 8-mile (13-kilometer) move, which began at Houston's Ellington Field on Monday, was in preparation for the jet to become the centerpiece of a new $12 million, eight-story-tall attraction, which will display the SCA topped with the space shuttle "Independence," a high-fidelity, walk-through orbiter replica. The outdoor exhibit is scheduled to open in March 2015. (4/30)

Let’s Not Rely on Russia to Ferry Our Astronauts (Source: National Review)
Russia’s Deputy PM warned that new anti-Russia, anti-invasion sanctions amounted to the U.S. “exposing their astronauts on the ISS” — the International Space Station. Russia ferries American astronauts to and from the ISS, and in case of an emergency, a Russian capsule is the station’s escape pod. Russia provides these useful services in exchange for $65 million per astronaut.

That price is about to go up: Starting in 2016, the U.S. will pay $424 million for six rides to space. Evidently that isn’t enough for senior Russian officials to refrain from threatening (if “threatening” is the right word) our men in space (two of them are up there now). American alternatives to the Russian ferry service are scheduled to begin flying in 2017. I proposed sanctioning Russia by taking our $424 million and spending it domestically, in an effort to push our return to manned spaceflight up a year, to 2016 — when the new ferry contract would begin.

A week after the piece ran, NASA administrator Charles Bolden agreed that it was possible: “We could potentially accelerate [American manned flights] by a year if we’re given adequate funding.” The funding in question is a $150 million increase from NASA’s last allowance, but $424 million would be better. Especially now that we’re “exposing” our astronauts on the ISS. (4/30)

NASA's Proposal to Lasso an Asteroid Snares Skepticism (Source: Roll Call)
Sometime in the next decade, NASA envisions being able to send a spacecraft to snag a small asteroid passing nearby and guide it into orbit around the moon, where astronauts could fly up to study it and return samples to Earth. Agency officials say it’s a way to gain experience and develop some of the technologies it would need to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.

For such a mission to be possible, the space agency would need the backing of Congress. Right now, some key lawmakers — mainly Republicans — don’t like the idea, and others haven’t decided. “I think they could find better things to spend the taxpayers’ money on,” said Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the subcommittee that approves NASA’s budget. Shelby said he didn’t see the connection between capturing an asteroid and a mission to Mars, adding that maybe NASA could explain.

Virginia Republican Frank R. Wolf, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that deals with NASA, was just as skeptical of the asteroid idea. “I don’t agree with what they’re doing,” Wolf said. “There’s no vision.”
Wolf said at an Appropriations hearing in early April that the asteroid mission “does not seem to have captured imaginations among Congress ... or the American public.” (4/30)

'We Need to Learn How to Land a House' for Mars Mission (Source: Roll Call)
NASA wants to go to Mars in the 2030s, but there are some technical challenges it’ll have to address. Such as landing. Engineers know how to land roughly a ton of equipment on Mars — that’s how much the Curiosity Mars rover weighs. But a much more robust landing system will be needed for a manned space vehicle to touch down, said Josh Hopkins. “Right now we know how to land a small car on Mars,” Hopkins said, “and we need to learn how to land a house.” (4/30)

Canadian Space Agency Supports Five Studies on Microsatellites (Source: CSA)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded five contracts to Canadian industry to perform feasibility studies on five potential future microsatellite missions. These proposed missions would address Canada's domestic needs in security, health, forest fire surveillance, weather surveillance and water quality monitoring. As well, the missions would allow the Canadian space sector to advance industrial capabilities in microsatellite technology, especially in mission development, and advanced optical and communications payloads. (4/30)

McCain: Rocket Deal ‘Smacks of Cronyism’ (Source: DOD Buzz)
A leading Republican senator criticized the U.S. Air Force’s multi-year contract for rocket launches from a Lockheed Martin Corp.-Boeing Co. joint venture, saying it smacks of cronyism. Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, questioned the service’s recent multi-billion-dollar, sole-source contract with United Launch Alliance LLC for 36 medium– and heavy-lift launches of military satellites through fiscal 2017, saying it prevents potential new competitors such as SpaceX from bidding for some of the work.

“This smacks of the cronyism that we saw in the first tanker contract that ended up in a major scandal,” McCain told the Defense Department’s top weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, on Wednesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. McCain added, “And I’m not saying that it is, but it doesn’t make any fiscal sense — the decisions that you have just made by cutting down on competitive launches.” The senator has already asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate the terms of the agreement. (4/30)

Musk Wants SpaceX to Replace Russia as NASA's Space Station Transport (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX filed a protest against the U.S. Air Force this week, saying that the military has unfairly prevented it from competing for space satellite launches. The following day, Russia’s deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, who is targeted by U.S. sanctions over Ukraine, suggested that America may need to find a large trampoline to continue NASA’s access to the International Space Station.

Musk knows a PR opportunity when he sees one. On Tuesday night, he tweeted: "Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on w @NASA. No trampoline needed." SpaceX plans its first Dragon test flight with humans as early as 2015. The final design is expected to carry seven astronauts to and from the ISS. (4/30)

Orbital Sciences And Alliant Techsystems Look Like A True Win-Win (Source: Seeking Alpha)
No company has ever announced a merger with "this is a value-destroying transaction that we're launching because we want a bigger fiefdom and don't really know how to build value." That said, while investors are wise to be very skeptical about the synergies companies promise with merger announcements, Tuesday's announced merger between Orbital Sciences and Alliant Techsystems looks like a really good opportunity to build a stronger business. (4/30)

Could Tiny 'Black Hole Atoms' Be Elusive Dark Matter? (Source: Space.com)
Dark matter, the invisible and mysterious stuff that makes up most of the material universe, might be hiding itself in microscopic black holes, says a team of Russian astrophysicists. No one knows what dark matter is. But scientists do know that it must exist, because there is not enough visible matter in the cosmos to account for all the gravity that binds galaxies and other large-scale structures together.

The concept is not entirely new; others have suggested that various types of miniature black holes could make up dark matter, which is so named because it apparently neither absorbs nor emits light, and thus cannot be detected directly by telescopes.

Physicists have also long believed that microscopic black holes must have existed in the early universe, because quantum fluctuations in the density of matter just after the Big Bang would have created regions of space dense enough to allow the formation of such tiny black holes. (4/30)

NASA Unveils Futuristic Z-2 Spacesuit: Mars-Tough Duds that Glow (Source: Space.com)
NASA's next-generation spacesuit is really coming together, with a little help from the public. The space agency revealed today (April 30) the "Tron"-like new look of its prototype Z-2 spacesuit, which sports an external "cover layer" chosen by public vote. The cover layer option dubbed "Technology" won the spacesuit design challenge with 147,354 votes, or just over 63 percent of the total ballots cast. Click here. (4/30)

ATK Completes Validation of High-Power MegaFlex Solar Array (Source: ATK)
ATK has successfully completed testing of its MegaFlex solar array wing under a contract with NASA Glenn Research Center (Glenn) to ready high-power solar arrays for powering large-scale Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) systems planned for use on future robotic and manned exploration missions.

MegaFlex is an innovative solar array design that includes a unique circular architecture, revolutionary unfurling mechanism, and cutting-edge materials, which provide high power, low mass and small stowed volume – all critical performance metrics for achieving a wide variety of challenging space exploration missions. The demonstration wing is 32 feet in diameter and is capable of generating up to 40 kW of power with two wings when fully populated with advanced solar cells, and is scalable to 10 times higher power. (4/30)

Astotech Settles Lawsuit with Former CFO (Source: Astrotech)
Astrotech has resolved all claims asserted by John Porter, former Chief Financial Officer of the company. On February 25th, 2014, the company reported that the Derivative Lawsuit, which Porter had asserted allegedly in a representative capacity, was dismissed. Astrotech denied any claims that were asserted in the Employment and Derivative Lawsuits. The company has reached a settlement of all claims asserted by Porter in the Employment lawsuit bringing a close to the proceedings. (4/30)

Bigelow Gets Closer to Building Space Stations (Source: KLAS)
A North Las Vegas company is moving towards the final frontier at a rocket's pace. Bigelow Aerospace plans to build two space stations by 2016. Executives at Bigelow say the future in space is focused on privatization. They're building something they say will rival the International Space Station and Boeing plans to be the company sending people into space. It's a giant leap for the commercial sector. Bigelow Aerospace executives say with just a handful of launches they can build something bigger and better than the International Space Station.

"Three of these, four, would be bigger than the whole International Space Station and that took 20 something launches to build," said Jan Ingham, the vice president of manufacturing and assembly. Many companies and governments are interested in getting a foothold in the vastness of space. Bigelow plans to rent them real estate. The modules can float in low orbit and can be fitted to the customer's needs.

"A pharmaceutical company might want a very production heavy environment where they only need one or two people but a lot more equipment, but a space agency or a foreign government might want more people involved," Ingham said. Boeing plans to be the shuttle company, launching people in nine-person pods. The plans are already having an effect here on earth and on Nevada's economy. Bigelow Aerospace doubled in size last year to 125 employees. Executives say that's just the beginning. (4/30)

How Zero Gravity Affects Astronauts' Hearts in Space (Source: Space.com)
When astronauts spend long periods of time at zero gravity in space, their hearts become more spherical and lose muscle mass, a new study finds, which could lead to cardiac problems. The physiological changes have implications for how manned missions to Mars and other extended trips in space could affect astronauts' health, according to research presented March 29.

"The heart doesn't work as hard in space, which can cause a loss of muscle mass," study leader Dr. James Thomas, Moore Chair of Cardiovascular Imaging and Lead Scientist for Ultrasound at NASA, said in a statement. "That can have serious consequences after the return to Earth, so we're looking into whether there are measures that can be taken to prevent or counteract that loss." (4/30)

Britain To Reduce Space Insurance Requirements, May Ease Smallsat Rules (Source: Space News)
The British government on April 30 agreed to adopt industry recommendations to reduce the amount of insurance that satellite companies need to purchase before government guarantees on third-party liability take effect. The government also agreed to take a fresh look at how very small satellites, including cubesats, are regulated in the United Kingdom with a view to reducing the amount of paperwork needed to obtain an operating license. (4/30)

Government Backs UK Launch Site Plan for Space Tourism (Source: BBC)
The government has backed plans for a four-fold expansion of the UK space industry to £40bn by 2030. It is also considering developing the necessary legal framework to permit a spaceport to be set up in the UK. It is hoped that this might see the growth of new space tourism companies to start operating services in Britain. There will also be a simplification of regulations and greater coherence to spur the creation of new space firms. (4/30)

NASA Selects Partners for U.S. Commercial Lander Capabilities (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected three U.S. companies to negotiate no-funds exchanged partnership agreements with the agency to advance lander capabilities that will enable delivery of payloads to the surface of the moon, as well as new science and exploration missions of interest to NASA and scientific and academic communities. They include: Astrobotic Technology; Masten Space Systems; and Moon Express.

The agency now will negotiate no-funds exchanged Space Act Agreements with the companies as part of the agency's Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) initiative. NASA's contributions for an estimated three-year period may include technical expertise, access to agency test facilities, equipment loans and/or software for lander development and testing. (4/30)

Morpheus Lander Completes Test Flight at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's prototype Morpheus lander completed another test flight at Kennedy Space Center around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Recently added sensors selected the vehicle's landing site near the former shuttle runway, in a hazard field that simulates a lunar landscape. The sensors will control the four-legged lander's descent during "closed loop" test flights planned next month. (4/30)

NASA to Bring Satellite Data to African Agriculture (Source: Space Daily)
From hundreds of miles in orbit, NASA satellites can measure how much rain falls in Niger or detect plant health in Mali. But on the ground, many African farmers and food distributors don't have good information about the growing conditions a few dozen miles down the road.

A new program is bringing together scientists at Goddard Space Flight Center, as well as an African non-profit organization in order to get relevant satellite data in the hands - and cell phones - of people who could use it the most. The program, funded by the Advanced Collaborative Connections for Earth Systems Science program, will build on two technologies developed at Goddard to help scientists collect and track data, called LabNotes and FieldNotes. (4/30)