Shuttle Runway Management Deal
Unfinished After One Year (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center has transferred a historic launch pad, several
shuttle hangars and various other facilities it no longer needs to new
tenants. But after more than a year of discussion, a deal to transfer
control of the former shuttle runway — arguably the centerpiece of KSCs
transformation into a multi-user spaceport — remains months away.
Negotiations with Space Florida to take over management of the Shuttle
Landing Facility, or SLF, are still in their early stages, with the
parties hoping for an agreement by the end of NASA’s fiscal year Sept.
30. The three-mile runway’s anticipated use from space planes to drones
has made the deal more complex than previous partnerships involving a
single user and poses an important test of KSC’s ability to attract
commercial operations.
“I think it’s a very big test case,” said Frank DiBello, president and
CEO of Space Florida. “We have to make this partnership work.” NASA
says it shares the state’s goal to turn the runway into a hub for
horizontal rocket launches and landings. Scott Colloredo, head of KSC’s
Planning and Development office, said ongoing negotiations involved
“strategic questions concerning how we’re going to operate in the
future.” Click here.
(7/5)
Angara Re-Launch May Take Place on
July 9 (Source: Voice of Russia)
The re-launch of Russia's Angara space rocket from Plesetsk may take
place on July 9, the Kommersant newspaper reports. "A special
commission will meet on July 5 to decide on the rocket's launch
readiness," the source said, adding that there were no objective
reasons for a further postponement. The maiden lift-off of the Angara,
Russia's first carrier rocket of post-Soviet design, was automatically
cancelled seconds before launch after the system detected a fault in a
pressure valve in a liquid oxygen tank. (7/5)
Ariane 6: Customers Call the Shots
(Source: BBC)
Europe's rocket industry is currently going through something of an
epiphany - the realisation that it must adapt, and fast, or simply
become irrelevant. More than half of the big commercial satellites that
are working up there - the ones that relay our TV, phone calls, and
internet traffic - were lofted by Ariane vehicles. But that dominance
is now under threat from new launchers that promise to undercut
Europe's best on price.
America's SpaceX - there's no need to whisper the name - is wooing
satellite operators with rides on its Falcon 9, for ticket prices that
substantially undercut the Ariane 5. Efforts have been made to push
forward with a next-generation European rocket - an Ariane 6 - that
could be made much more cheaply. But the concept, which has been
studied for the past 18 months, has left most observers flat. (7/5)
Diamandis: Entrepreneur Reaches to
Skies to Benefit Earth (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
Peter Diamandis stands at a whiteboard in an empty conference room at
Moffett Field and excitedly sketches a diagram of the solar system,
with messy lollipop-like dots for Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. His
eyes light up when he draws a certain asteroid known to come close to
Earth every few years.
"We're going to send out a flotilla of small spacecraft, dock on the
asteroid, prospect it and lay claim to it," Diamandis said. "The goal
is to make rocket fuel from a class of asteroids rich in hydrogen and
oxygen, and use 3-D printers in space to build the equipment to mine
the rock for rare metals like platinum."
The benefits, he said, will be nothing less than protecting planet
Earth, creating the world's first trillionaires, and paving the way for
humans to live off the planet. "About 50 percent of near-Earth
asteroids are easier to reach than getting to the moon's surface and
back," Diamandis said. (7/5)
British Engineer Would Revolutionize
Space Travel (Source: The Independent)
Some time in the middle of the next decade a revolutionary new engine
will propel a reusable space plane called Skylon towards the heavens,
hopefully changing the way we escape our atmosphere for ever. The
Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (Sabre) isn't a product of NASA
or a super-wealthy space entrepreneur. It's the brainchild of a quiet,
British engineer called Alan Bond.
From its base in a science park near Oxford, Bond's company Reaction
Engines is getting closer to perfecting its design. Bond has spent his
working life trying to solve a problem that most people haven't even
considered; space crafts powered by traditional rockets are far too
expensive and unreliable, and will never provide humankind with the
tools to explore our solar system and beyond.
There is strict security at the site with a sign warning of an
"elevated" threat, though this is more to do with an Atomic Energy
Research Establishment site next door. Bond is furtive crossing the car
park to the test site though, admitting that there is an undisclosed UK
military interest in Sabre. He won't go into details, pointing out that
of far greater concern is corporate espionage against the £360m
project; the idea behind Sabre is truly revolutionary. Click here.
(7/6)
Still Behind the World, India Must Be
Pushed Harder (Source: Business Standard)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence at the successful launch of the
Indian Space Research Organization's latest rocket last week, his words
of praise for ISRO and the suggestion that the organization work
towards building a "Saarc satellite" may have given the impression that
something special had been achieved.
Certainly, ISRO deserves praise for its continued ability to compete in
the international satellite launch market. ISRO has launched, so far,
35 satellites from 19 countries. Last week, the backbone of ISRO's
commercial capability, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C23, put
five satellites from France, Germany, Canada and Singapore into orbit
in less than 20 minutes. It was a textbook mission, something the ISRO
has achieved many times before.
Thus, ISRO and its backers should not become complacent about its
achievements riding on the cost advantage - an advantage that may not
sustain for long unless ISRO also increases its load-carrying capacity
several times. But, for that, PSLV technology is not enough. What ISRO
will need is to get its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)
operational. GSLVs can put satellites with a mass of more than two
tonnes into orbit. However, ISRO has repeatedly failed with the GSLV.
(7/6)
FireFly Space Systems Announces First
Smallsat Launch Vehicle (Source: Parabolic Arc)
FireFly Space Systems, a ground-based, small satellite launch company,
has officially announced its first launch vehicle, “FireFly Alpha.”
This efficient, brand new vehicle is capable of carrying 400kg into low
earth orbit and will be the world’s first dedicated light satellite
launch vehicle in this mass class.
Following its official launch and seed funding in January, FireFly has
aggressively moved forward in its mission to lower the prohibitively
high costs of small satellite launches to Low Earth and Sun Synchronous
Orbits with the goal of revolutionizing broadband data delivery and
earth observation missions. (7/5)
The High Cost of Lunar Living
(Source: Parabolic Arc)
Buddy Loans, a professional guarantor loan company in the UK, has
released an infographic that shows the cost of living on the moon for
one year. It was created in honor of the 45th anniversary of the moon
landing. As a company spokesperson explained, some people believe that
the next “giant leap for mankind” will involve the colonization of our
closest celestial neighbor. For those thinking about one day trading in
their vehicle for a spaceship to the moon, the infographic provides
some important info about how costly such a venture would be. Click here.
(7/6)
World Cup Football Provides Lessons in
Aerodynamics (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Fans across the globe have been cheering on their team during the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 2014 World Cup
tournament. These fans include NASA engineers, who used the lead-up to
the tournament to test the aerodynamics of this year’s new ball design,
developed by Adidas and dubbed the Brazuca ball.
Although NASA is not in the business of designing or testing balls, the
tournament provides an opportunity to explain the concepts of
aerodynamics to students and individuals less familiar with the
fundamentals of aerodynamics. Click here.
(7/6)
Celestial Suds: Brewery Introducing
'Planets' Beer Series (Source: Space.com)
In the universe of Bell's Brewery, Mars is a strong beer, Uranus a
crafty potion mix and Mercury — that lightfooted messenger — a nimble
brew. Such is the thinking behind "The Planets" series of beers that
Michigan-based Bell's is pioneering this August, with a limited-edition
set based on the famous orchestral suite by English composer Gustav
Holst. New offerings will be released every two months through July
2015. (7/6)
NASA Evaluating MMOD Strike Damage on
ISS Radiator Panel (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
International Space Station (ISS) managers are currently evaluating
what appear to be MicroMeteoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) impact to a
panel on the Potential P4 Photovoltaic Radiator (PVR). While the
situation is being monitored, data suggests there isn’t a leak from the
system as a result of the 12 inch long puncture to the cover sheet.
The hardware in question is one of the key elements of the heat
rejection systems utilized by the orbital outpost. The four 1650-pound
PVRs consist of seven 6 ft. x 11 ft. panels, deployed by an electric
motor driven “scissor” mechanism. The PVRs also internally flow liquid
ammonia coolant and are capable of rejecting at least nine kilowatts of
excess heat. (7/4)
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