Federal Auditors Say NASA Doesn't Have
Funds for SLS (Source: Space Daily)
One of NASA's headlining programs is the Space Launch System, a giant
rocket program aimed at eventually delivering astronauts to the moon,
Mars, asteroids and the deep space beyond. The space agency signed a
long-term deal with Boeing earlier this summer to continue work on the
mission.
But a new report by federal auditors at the Government Accountability
Office say NASA and its contracting partners are unlikely to meet their
goal of a December 2017 test flight. Officials with the federal
watchdog agency claim NASA's allotted spending figures aren't
realistic, and that the mission likely needs at least another $400
million to reach its initial 2017 launch date on time. (7/23)
ISS May Move to Avoid Space Junk
(Source: Itar-Tass)
The International Space Station may have to move to avoid space debris,
the Russian Mission Control Center said on Wednesday. The station and
its crew are in no danger but the move may be necessary, the mission
control said. A fragment of the Briz-M upper stage, which was used in a
failed launch of Russian and Indonesian satellites from the Baikonur
space centre in August 2012, will fly by the ISS at 1.16 pm GMT on
Wednesday. The upper stage mishap took the satellites into a wrong
orbit and later fell into more than 80 pieces of space debris. (7/23)
Russian Scientists Support Extension
of ISS Operation Until 2024 (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russian scientists have supported the extension of the International
Space Station (ISS) operation until 2024, Director of the Institute of
Medico-Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor
Ushakov told ITAR-TASS in an interview on Wednesday. “The scientific
community will support this decision,” he said. (7/23)
Now We Can Test for Multiple Universes
(Source: Voice of Russia)
The question of the size and limits of our universe can fry our mind
without reading into it. Still more amazing, some among us always
believed that we live in multiple, parallel universes. Now scientists
think they can prove the fantastic hypothesis. There is testable
science, and then there is fantasy and beautiful fairytales. Mathew
Johnson of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo,
Canada, has a mission to take on one of the most impossible beliefs of
the latter and place it firmly in the former category.
Johnson's tactic is quite simply to establish a way of testing for
different scenarios of how universes might collide, if they exist. He
develops a computer model that simulates collision of physical
bubble-like objects on a small, workable scale. The metaphor for the
multiverse used in the study is then quite similar to ordinary,
observable processes here on Earth. Imagine watching a pot of boiling
water slowly simmer and form bubbles. Some of these bubbles grow into
bigger ones, others split up, bump into each other, interact etc. (7/22)
Progress M-24M Launches to the
International Space Station (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Roscosmos carried out the latest launch of the uncrewed Progress M-24M
cargo vehicle, to the International Space Station (ISS), on July 23.
The supply ship blasted off at 5:44 p.m. EDT (July 24, 3:44 a.m. local
time) from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz-U carrier
rocket. (7/23)
White House Defends Limited Access to
Apollo Crew (Source: The Hill)
Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s critical statements before his death did not
influence a decision to limit media access to a meeting between
President Obama and the surviving Apollo 11 crew and family members on
Tuesday, the White House said. Armstrong was critical in 2011 testimony
of the administration's move to cancel the Constellation program, which
would have returned humans to the moon.
But the White House said the comments "absolutely" did not contribute
to the decision to allow only photojournalists — and not print or TV
reporters — into the Oval Office meeting with Armstrong's widow and
Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
The president said that today "the men and women of NASA are building
on that proud legacy by preparing for the next giant leap in human
exploration — including the first visits of men and women to deep
space, to an asteroid, and someday to the surface of Mars — all while
partnering with America’s pioneering commercial space industry in new
and innovative ways." (7/23)
Statement of President Obama on
Meeting Crew and Families of Apollo 11 (Source: White House)
Today, under Administrator Bolden’s leadership, the men and women of
NASA are building on that proud legacy by preparing for the next giant
leap in human exploration — including the first visits of men and women
to deep space, to an asteroid, and someday to the surface of Mars — all
while partnering with America’s pioneering commercial space industry in
new and innovative ways.
The United States of America is stronger today thanks to the vision of
President Kennedy, who set us on a course for the moon, the courage of
Neil, Buzz, and Michael, who made the journey, and the spirit of
service of all who’ve worked not only on the Apollo program, but who’ve
dared to push the very boundaries of space and scientific discovery for
all humankind. (7/22)
New Space Race? US Eyes Asteroids as
Other Nations Shoot for the Moon (Source: Space.com)
"NASA is not currently considering a human return to the moon and
remains focused on the asteroid-retrieval mission," said James Clay
Moltzs at the Naval Postgraduate School. "The Obama administration made
the calculation that [Constellation] was unaffordable and that, in
terms of science, there was nothing 'new' offered by returning to the
moon," Moltz added. "A Mars mission is still a U.S. goal, but it
remains a long way off."
While John Logsdon said going to the moon would be primarily for
national prestige, Moltz added that it would be a "useful environment"
to test how to live outside Earth. Unlike going to Mars, he added, it
would be relatively easy to mount a rescue operation, since it would
take just a few days to send help there. "In my opinion, yes, the moon
should be our main focus in order to establish a semi-permanent
research base and to build our capabilities for long-duration
spaceflight and settlements," Moltz said.
Both Logsdon and Moltz said that with enough money and dedication,
several different countries could conceivably go back to the moon one
day. Both China and Russia, for example, have sent humans into Earth
orbit. Russia also knows about long-duration spaceflight through its
former Mir space station and participation in the International Space
Station program. (7/23)
China's Biggest Moon Challenge:
Returning to Earth (Source: Xinhua)
China's lunar probe, Chang'e-5, will be launched around 2017 and its
mission to collect samples from the moon and return to earth is the
most challenging yet, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's
lunar exploration program. The last phase of the three-phase lunar
exploration program - after orbiting and soft-landing - requires a
larger and more complex system, Wu said at an exhibition on China's
lunar exploration program in Hong Kong.
Phase three will use a new launch site, rocket, and lunar probe. The
team faces four major technical challenges: moon surface sampling;
taking off from moon; lunar orbit rendezvous; and high-speed re-entry
into the Earth's atmosphere. In sampling, the drill could hit rocks,
and technicians must make ensure the soil layer structure was unharmed.
Taking-off from the moon would require repeated adjustment of latitude
and stability.
Lunar orbit rendezvous had to be very precise as the rendezvous would
take place nearly 400,000 km from earth. High-speed re-entry of
Chang'e-5 over the designated landing spot was also difficult as other
countries had lost communication with their explorers in this stage.
(7/23)
Air Force Will Provide Assured Access
to Space (Source: AFSPC)
Gen. William L. Shelton stressed the importance of maintaining assured
access to space to a Senate Subcommittee on July 16. "The loss of even
one national security payload - both in terms of financial loss and
operations impact - would make our mission assurance costs look like
cheap insurance," he said. "We will continue to place emphasis on tough
mission assurance principles to do all that is humanly possible to
guard against launch failure."
"The nation requires robust, responsive and resilient space
transportation capabilities that enable and advance our space
operations," Estevez said. "The Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle
program has provided launch services for critical national security
payloads since 2002 with an unprecedented record of success." The
growing costs of the EELV program caused the Air Force and the Office
of the Secretary of Defense to look at restructuring options, to
provide the best capabilities at the lowest cost to the American
taxpayer. (7/23)
Shelton: US Can’t ‘Stick Our Heads In
The Sand’ On Space Threats (Source: Breaking Defense)
The head of Air Force Space Command said the heavens aren’t the
“peaceful sanctuary” they once were. Nothing short of a nuclear missile
could pull the plug on a satellite constellation as robust as the
Global Positioning System (GPS), Gen. William Shelton said. But
American policymakers, commanders, and citizens need to stop relying
blithely on 100 percent performance from space systems, he went on,
because potential adversaries pack an increasingly sophisticated
arsenal that ranges from computer viruses to jamming to lasers to
anti-satellite missiles. (7/23)
Russia Said to Launch New
Missile-Attack Warning Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
After years of delay, Russia plans to deploy this year the first
satellite of its new constellation replacing the space component of the
early warning system, Russian media reported. It will also double as an
emergency communication satellite. The satellite was developed for the
military, so naturally little is known about it. Identified by
disambiguation 'product 14F142', it is expected to be launched in the
fourth quarter of 2014.
The spacecraft will be the first in a constellation, aimed to replace
the old Oko-1 early warning system, which allows Russia survey
countries possessing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and detect
possible launches. Oko-1 is currently in bad shape. To be fully
operational, it needs four 73D6 satellites in placed in a highly
elliptical orbit, dubbed 'Molnya' (lightning) orbit, to provide
full-time coverage of the area of interest, and an additional backup
satellite in a 71X6 geosynchronous orbit. (7/22)
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Revenue
Down 11 Percent (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin on July 22 said its Space Systems division revenue
dropped by 11 percent in the three months ending June 29 compared to
the same period a year ago on sales declines in U.S. Defense Department
satellite programs. Lockheed said revenue from the Advanced EHF and
Mobile User Objective System military communications satellite
constellations have dropped from a year ago as they move to deployment.
Space Systems revenue was $1.85 billion for the three months ending
June 29, down from $2.09 billion last year. Despite the sales dip,
Space Systems operating profit dipped only marginally. As a percent of
sales operating profit actually increased, to 13.4 percent from 13.2
percent. (7/22)
Lockheed’s Second-Quarter Profit Beats
Analyst Estimates (Source: Bloomberg)
Lockheed Martin topped analysts’ estimates for second-quarter profit
and sales on the strength of its aircraft division. Net income rose 3.5
percent to $889 million, from $859 million a year earlier. Sales
declined less than 1 percent in the quarter to $11.3 billion, and beat
the average $11.1 billion estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by
Bloomberg. (7/23)
Boeing Reports Second-Quarter Results
and Raises 2014 EPS Guidance (Source: Reuters)
Boeing reported second-quarter revenue of $22 billion, cash flow of
$1.8 billion, and liquidity of $11.3 billion. "Strong operating
performance across our production programs and services businesses
drove revenue and earnings-per-share growth and healthy operating cash
flow, which supported $1.5 billion in additional share repurchases in
the quarter," said Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim
McNerney. (7/23)
Northrop Grumman Profit Up 5 Percent (Source:
Reuters)
U.S. weapons maker Northrop Grumman reported a 5 percent rise in
quarterly profit and raised its 2014 earnings forecast. The company's
net income rose to $511 million in the second quarter ended June 30,
from $488 million a year earlier. Revenue fell 4 percent to $6.04
billion. (7/23)
SpaceX Critics in the House Keep the
Pressure On (Source: Space News)
SpaceX’s bid for access to the U.S. Defense Department launch market
has many champions on Capitol Hill, but the chairman of the House Armed
Services strategic force subcommittee, which oversees military space
activities, remains firmly in the skeptics’ camp. Rep. Mike D. Rogers
(R-AL), whose home state hosts a major production facility of SpaceX
archrival United Launch Alliance, said California-based SpaceX “has a
ways to go” before it can be entrusted with billion-dollar national
security satellites.
Rogers cited a letter from Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James that
responds to questions he had about anomalies on past Falcon-9 flights
and about the Air Force’s pending certification of that vehicle. In her
May 20 letter, James says one of the most significant anomalies on a
SpaceX certification flight occurred on the maiden launch of the Falcon
9 v1.1 variant Sep. 29. The mission successfully placed a satellite
into low Earth orbit, but a postdeployment reignition of the rocket’s
upper stage — intended to demo the Falcon 9’s ability to deploy
geostationary spacecraft — did not take place as planned.
Rogers is not the only lawmaker to raise questions about rumored
anomalies on Falcon 9 missions, all of which have been successful to
date. On July 15, Reps. Mo Brooks (R-AL), Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Cory
Gardner (R-CO) wrote a letter to Bolden seeking information on what
they characterized as an “epidemic of anomalies” with the Falcon 9 as
well as SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule. ULA is headquartered in Denver
and has its main production facility in Decatur, Alabama. (7/23)
U.S. Commercial Weather Hopeful
Secures NOAA Operating License (Source: Space News)
Tempus Global Data, which is seeking to deploy a global network of
sounder instruments aboard geostationary satellites and sell the data
commercially, has received its operating license from NOAA. “This
license by NOAA is the first in a series of significant milestones that
we expect in the coming months that will enable Tempus to provide
critical weather data with an unprecedented level of accuracy and
detail,” said Tempus CEO Alan Hall. (7/23)
Why Has the Sun Gone So Quiet?
(Source: Discovery)
Although the sun is our nearest star, we certainly don’t have it all
figured out. Take, for example, that last week or so — the sun’s disk
has been mostly sunspot-free and the X-ray output of the sun has
plummeted since the beginning of July. This is in stark contrast to all
the fireworks in the first few months of 2014.
To make the whole matter even more confusing, the sun should be at its
peak activity, but just one look at the various images from solar
observatories show a quiescent, blank solar disk, save for one sunspot
(as of July 22). What’s going on? The best answer is: we don’t really
know. However, that doesn’t come as a surprise to many solar
scientists. (7/22)
4-Month Mock Mars Mission Wraps Up in
Hawaii Friday (Source: Space.com)
Six mock Mars mission crewmembers are preparing to come back to the
real world at the end of the week. The second Hawaii Space Exploration
Analog & Simulation mission, known as Hi-SEAS 2, wraps up on Friday
(July 25), ending four months of simulated Mars exploration on Hawaii's
Mauna Loa volcano.
Commander Casey Stedman and his five crewmates entered their "Mars
habitat" — a 36-foot-wide (11 meters), solar-powered structure — on the
night of March 28, tasked with helping bring a bona fide manned Red
Planet mission a bit closer to reality. HI-SEAS "is a program designed
to operate a simulated environment to test what will be necessary for
future astronauts to live on the surface of Mars for an extended period
of time," Stedman said. (7/22)
This Red Greenhouse Grows Veggies for
Mars (Source: NBC)
Researchers are pioneering menus for Mars by growing vegetables under
hot-pink lights in an experimental greenhouse in Germany. The project
is being conducted by engineer Daniel Schubert and his colleagues at
the German Aerospace Center in Bremen. Lettuce, cucumbers and other
vegetables bask in the light provided by Heliospectra's LED system. The
plan is to create an environmentally closed food production system,
where urine is recycled to produce fertilizer. (7/23)
SpaceShipOne's White Knight Airplane
Makes Final Flight (Source: NBC)
The world's first private-sector space plane, SpaceShipOne, is hanging
in the Smithsonian — and now the White Knight mothership that carried
it into history is in a museum as well. When SpaceShipOne was retired
in 2004, Scaled Composites used the White Knight for other flight
experiments at California's Mojave Air and Space Port. But on Monday,
the twin-boom plane flew in to Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to
become part of software billionaire Paul Allen's Flying Heritage
Collection. (7/22)
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