July 15, 2015

Space Florida and the German Aerospace Center Pursue R&D Collaborations (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) signed an accord to collaborate on the expansion of International Space Station (ISS) research. The specific focus includes aerospace and microgravity research, sub-orbital and orbital space flights, payload development, small satellite launch services and support, student STEM support and related activities at the Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL), and other facilities in Florida.
 
Space Florida has entered into this SOU with DLR in the light of DLR’s financial support and collaboration with the University of Zurich (UZH), a tenant at the SLSL, as well as Aarhus University, Denmark. To date, DLR has supported three ISS experiments which were processed at the SLSL. (7/14)

New Lockheed Martin Satellite R&D Lab Will Bring Jobs to Colorado (Source: Denver Business Journal)
Lockheed Martin has opened a new research center focused on satellite technology. "Our new facility and network of experts position us to support these missions at high rates of production," said company executive Rick Ambrose. "We will also be applying new technology to develop reconfigurable payloads in orbit, creating more capable and affordable RF systems than ever before."

So far, 142 engineers and technicians transferred to the RF Payload Center of Excellence from Newtown, Pennsylvania, where LMSS is closing a campus. The formerly Newtown-based commercial satellite division of LMSS moved to Jefferson County last year. (7/14)
 
Space Florida Supports Emerging Tech Showcase in Miami (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida, Enterprise Development Corporation of South Florida and Florida Venture Forum will co-host the 2015 Emerging Technologies & Business Showcase in Coral Gables. The Nov. 4 showcase is a capital acceleration competition and business-networking event featuring presentations by some of Florida's most promising early and mid-stage companies, a keynote address by retired NASA astronaut Capt. Winston Scott, and an investor panel discussion. Companies will compete for cash awards totaling $150,000 (7/14)
 
Jeb Bush's Pocket Change Hurtles Past Pluto (Source: Politico)
In the crowded field of 2016 contenders desperately vying to stand out, Jeb Bush can make one amazing boast right now: he’s the only candidate with a piece of pocket change hurtling through space. This morning, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made history as the first mission to Pluto, coming within 7,800 miles of the dwarf planet. On board was a Florida state quarter given to Alan Stern, New Horizons’ principal investigator, by then-Gov. Jeb Bush in 2005.

As Stern told the website CollectSpace.com in 2008, the quarter was part of a scheme he and a NASA official cooked up to help get Bush’s support for the launch. Because New Horizons was a nuclear launch, equipped with a plutonium-powered battery that allowed it to leave earth at the highest speeds ever, the governor needed to sign off. They came up with the idea of offering to fly a Florida state quarter, which features a rocket headed towards space.

They couldn’t find one on their trip to visit the governor for a briefing; after he signed off anyway, Stern mentioned with regret that he hadn’t found an appropriate quarter. “And [Bush] said, 'Well, I've got plenty!'" Stern recounted. Bush left the room and returned with a roll of quarters. “He said, 'Fly these!'’ After Bush’s quarter was in place, the scientists found they needed one more for balance on the delicately calibrated spacecraft. They chose a Maryland quarter, for the state where New Horizons was built. (7/24)