What is the "Cape Canaveral
Spaceport"? (Source: SPACErePORT)
The term "Cape Canaveral Spaceport" isn't merely an informal way to
simplify the often confusing adjacent properties known separately as
NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is
a legal term, established in Chapter 331.304 (1), which declares "The
territory consisting of areas within the John F. Kennedy Space Center
and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station may be referred to as the
“Cape Canaveral Spaceport.”
This designation was intended to allow Space Florida to perform its
duties as a spaceport authority, in this territory and others similarly
established in the statute, including Patrick Air Force Base, Eglin Air
Force Base, Jacksonville's Cecil Airport and Cecil Commerce Center, and
the Space Coast Regional Airport and its adjoining industrial and
commerce parks. (3/18)
NASA’s Crumbling Launch Sites Are Like
America’s Greek Ruins (Source: Slate)
In Roland Miller’s eyes, NASA’s abandoned launch pads are the modern
American equivalent of Greek ruins, Mayan temples, and Egyptian
pyramids. But unlike those ancient wonders, many of these monuments to
the Space Age won’t be around for long. That’s why he photographed
them. Click here.
(3/18)
The $4 Billion Scheme to Recreate the
Moon in Coachella (Source: Motherboard)
Next month, the Coachella Valley will be flooded with screaming fans
looking to snap selfies and watch the second coming of LCD Soundsystem
and Guns N’ Roses. When the crowds leave, they will leave behind a
sleepy, dusty place. Pass through the midcentury-modern oasis of Palm
Springs, continue past Indio and its now famous Empire Polo Club, and
eventually you end up in the city of Coachella, where Michael Henderson
wants to recreate the surface of the moon.
“We’re bringing space tourism to the masses,” Henderson said. Think of
him as a less wealthy Richard Branson, looking to give ordinary people
a taste of space travel without the thrill of weightlessness or the
$250,000 price tag.
His dream is called Moon USA and it won’t come cheap. Many critics
contend it’s not feasible. The proposal calls for developers and
corporate investors to put down $4 billion to build a complex with a
convention center, 4,000-suite hotel, health spa, beach club, golf
course and even a university-affiliated science and technology campus.
Click here.
Editor's Note:
This project was once planned in Florida or the Bahamas. (3/18)
How This Retired Astronaut Will Bring
a ‘Transformative Experience’ to Space Tourism (Source: NY
Observer)
Retired NASA astronaut Ron Garan has dedicated his life to the
advancement of space exploration. Garan will now be the Chief Pilot for
World View, a commercial balloon spaceflight company that will fly
passengers to the edge of space to experience the awe of a global,
unifying perspective.
Ron Garan is well known for his philosophical take on space travel or
what he calls the “Orbital Perspective.” This idea, sometimes called
the Overview Effect, was also promoted by late Apollo astronaut Edgar
Mitchell and it describes the overwhelming experience of seeing Earth
from space and the shift in perspective astronauts undergo while on
their missions.
Now, Garan believes World View is the perfect company to help him
continue his work and share his experience as an astronaut with the
rest of humanity. “The reason why I left NASA was to figuratively
transport people to that higher vantage point and now, through World
View, I can literally transport people to that vantage point,” said
Garan. (3/18)
Getting Away From It All in Space
Might Be the Answer (Source: The News)
Space travel will be commonplace in 30 years –for £7,000 you’ll be
blasted to the International Space Station for the holiday of a
lifetime. After initially being frightened of travelling in a rocket, I
think I’m coming around to the idea of space holidays. Today’s holidays
can be very stressful occasions. If it’s a staycation, chances are the
British weather will wreak havoc and you’ll probably spend hours stuck
in massive traffic jams.
Foreign holidays also come with certain stresses. Normally you turn up
at the airport to discover your flight has a six-hour delay, then once
on board you spend three hours sitting next to a screaming child.
Finally, when you arrive at your Mediterranean resort you discover your
self-catering apartment is underneath a nightclub. (3/19)
NASA Shifts SDO Responsibility to
Deputy Counsel (Source: National Law Review)
On March 8, 2016, a final rule changed the position of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (“NASA”) suspending and
debarring official (“SDO”). The SDO had been NASA’s Assistant
Administrator for Procurement. The final rule reassigns the position to
NASA’s Deputy General Counsel. Public comments were not accepted
because NASA concluded that the change “affects only the internal
operating procedures” of the agency. (3/18)
Three-Man Crew Launched to
International Space Station (Source: CBS)
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a veteran NASA
astronaut blasted off from Kazakhstan Friday, chased down the
International Space Station and glided to a smooth automated docking,
boosting the lab's crew back to six. (3/18)
Italian Space Agency to Airbus Safran:
Hands Off Vega (Source: Space News)
The president of the Italian Space Agency does not want a new European
launch vehicle joint venture to take over an Italian company. Roberto
Battiston said that the Italian government opposed any plan by Airbus
Safran Launchers to acquire a majority stake in Avio, the prime
contractor for the Vega small launch vehicle. Battiston, not mentioning
Airbus Safran by name, said Italian authorities "have to guarantee that
the advanced European Vega launcher remains Italian in word and deed."
(3/18)
Nine Monster Stars Unearthed in the
Milky Way (Source: Sputnik)
Nine new monster stars have been unearthed in a galaxy in the Milky Way
by a team of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope. The
so-called 'monster' stars are 30 million times brighter than the Sun
and could shape future understanding of the cosmos. The cluster named
R136 is the biggest group of massive stars to have ever been
discovered, raising questions about how a star’s life begins. (3/18)
Bolden: Nuclear Propulsion (Developed
in Alabama) Will Get Us to Mars (Source: AL.com)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told Congress Thursday that Nuclear
Thermal Propulsion developed at least in part in Alabama will probably
get American astronauts to Mars. Bolden was questioned by U.S. Rep. Mo
Brooks (R-AL) during a House Space Subcommittee hearing on the White
House's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal for NASA. Brooks is
vice-chairman of the subcommittee. (3/17)
Grandpa Astronaut to Break Scott
Kelly's Space Record (Source: Space Daily)
A grandfather of three is poised to blast into space and the record
books on Friday, becoming the American astronaut who has spent the
longest time in space, NASA said. Jeff Williams, 58, is the first
American to make three long-duration flights to orbit, and will break a
US record set by astronaut Scott Kelly earlier this year. (3/18)
Orbital ATK Plans Expansion in Arizona
(Source: Orbital ATK)
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Orbital ATK announced the expansion of
the company’s engineering operations in Gilbert, Arizona. The expansion
will add 60,000 square feet to the site that includes Orbital ATK’s
Satellite Manufacturing Facility, one of the largest and most advanced
spacecraft assembly and test facilities in the U.S.
With additional facilities in Chandler and Mesa, Arizona, Orbital ATK’s
total footprint in the state is almost 800,000 square feet,
contributing to over 1,750 high-tech and high-paying aerospace and
defense jobs. The project will create a projected 155 full-time,
high-wage jobs over a five-year period. Orbital ATK’s heritage
satellite business began in Gilbert in 1989 and currently has 261
employees working at the existing site.
The expansion plans complement Arizona’s robust aerospace and defense
sector that contributes $38 billion annually to the Arizona economy and
employs more than 52,000 workers. This project will add to the growing
landscape of high-wage Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM) jobs in Gilbert and the state. (3/18)
Bridenstine Urges Appropriators to
Increase Budget for FAA Space Office (Source: Space Policy
Online)
Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) and 17 other members of Congress sent a
letter to House appropriators today urging them to support President
Obama's requested increase in funding for the FAA's Office of
Commercial Space Transportation (AST). The President is seeking a $2
million increase in FY2017, from $17.8 million to $19.8 million.
Bridenstine is a strong advocate for AST both in its current role
facilitating and regulating the commercial space launch and reentry
business and, over time, for expanding its role to space traffic
management and issuing "mission licenses" for private sector activities
in space such as asteroid mining. For now, Bridenstine argues that AST
needs more resources to cope with growing demand for launch and reentry
licenses and other activities in licensing commercial launch sites and
spaceports. (3/18)
Military Considers Virginia Spaceport
an Alternative to 'Vulnerable' Cape (Source: WVEC)
The top general for the Air Force Space Command testified that Wallops
could serve as a site for future military satellite launches. General
John Hyten said it makes sense, as satellites get smaller, to launch
from additional sites, including Kodiak, Alaska and Wallops Island. "We
have vulnerabilities when everyone knows the only place we launch
rockets is Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg," he said. "It's better to
have more places to launch from.
Editor's Note:
Actually, Gen. Hyten offered a fairly predictable answer to a Virginia
congressman's question about the future utility of Wallops Island. No
one would have expected Hyten to say anything negative about the
Virginia spaceport to one of its proponents in Congress. So now the
local media portray his comments as a sign of big things to come. (3/18)
US Air Force Will Defend Civilian
Space Assets (Source: Air Force Times)
Space is for the use of all people, and the Air Force is prepared to
defend any civilian or commercial assets that are threatened in orbit,
just as it would on the ground, a top space official said. “We have an
obligation to provide, not just space resiliency capabilities for our
defense space, but for this global commons,” said Winston Beauchamp,
the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space. (3/18)
NASA Astronaut Jeffrey Williams is a
Creationist (Source: Inverse)
When NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams launches into space later today,
it’s a safe bet that he will be praying to God for a safe trip to the
International Space Station. Literally. Williams is a devout Christian
who has authored a book, The Work of His Hands, about how his time in
space has deepened and affirmed his religious beliefs.
Williams wasn’t always uber-religious. For the first seven years of his
marriage, he was secular, he told the Grace To You radio show. But in
the midst of a marital crisis, and while William was out of town for
flight training, his wife became a Christian. Upon his return, he did,
too, and it saved their marriage.
When it comes to creationism, Williams has said that “science is
compatible with the biblical account.” There are many different ways to
make that argument, but suffice it to say he’s settled on one of them.
If Williams’s religious beliefs have ever hurt his ability to perform
his job as an astronaut, there’s no evidence of it. (3/18)
Expandable Living Space for Astronauts
Heading to Space (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Space Coast is getting busy. Following closely on the heels of next
week's Orbital ATK launch, a Nevada-based company will send an
expandable living space to test aboard the International Space Station
in early April.
Bigelow Aerospace's module will head up aboard a resupply mission that
will launch from Cape Canaveral April 8. The SpaceX Dragon capsule will
take off on a Falcon 9 rocket, which CEO Elon Musk has been testing for
reusability. (3/18)
NASA Targets Early April for Eighth
SpaceX Cargo Launch (Source: NASA)
SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft is targeted for launch at 4:43 p.m.
EDT Friday, April 8. The Dragon capsule will launch on a Falcon 9
rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in
Florida, carrying science research, crew supplies and hardware to the
orbiting laboratory in support of the Expedition 47 and 48 crews.
The flight also includes the Bigelow Aerospace expandable habitat
module that will be attached to the space station for testing. In its
scheduled return to Earth in May, the Dragon capsule will bring back
biological samples from astronauts, including those collected during
NASA’s one-year mission. This launch is the eighth contracted mission
by SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. (3/18)
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