Clinton Backs Space Exploration Policy (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The Texas Democratic primary is finally drawing the presidential candidates more to the front on the policy issue of human space exploration. Space policy was raised in seperate interviews by The Houston Chronicle with Clinton and Obama. The newspaper editorial board found that Clinton was much more "enthusiastic" than Obama about human space travel noting her remarks: "I intend to pursue an ambitious agenda in both space exploration and earth sciences," the first viable Democratic female presidential candidate said. "I want to support the next generation of spacecraft for a robust human spaceflight program."
Obama, on the otherhand, noted the next president needs to have "a practical sense of what investments deliver the most scientific and technological spinoffs — and not just assume that human space exploration, actually sending bodies into space, is always the best investment." Meanwhile, the advisors to Clinton and Obama debated their candidates science positions to the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston Sunday. Many in the nation seek to have the Science Debate of 2008.
E'Prime Shareholders Awaiting Internal Investigation Findings (Source: Raging Bull)
E'Prime Aerospace Corporation Shareholders are requesting the release of an "extensive internal investigation report" into the activities of corporate Officers and Directors. According to a shareholder website, one preliminary finding indicates that certain Officers and Directors claimed ownership and control of numerous companies that were in direct competition with E'Prime, including USTM, Inc., Space Plane Systems, Inc. and E'Prime Development, Inc. The report allegedly further reveals that E'Prime resources and assets were utilized to support these ventures, and that these actions were undertaken without disclosures required by the SEC. If it ultimately fields an operational rocket system, the former Florida-based company plans to launch from Virginia's spaceport at Wallops Island.
China Set to Launch Record Number of spacecraft in 2008 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China will launch a record number of spacecraft this year amid a rise in tensions among world powers over the militarization of space. China plans to send up more than 10 missions this year, said Yang Baohua, head of the China Academy of Space Technology. "China's space technology has entered a new stage. The design and manufacture of satellites takes less time, and homemade satellites are more reliable and have a longer lifespan," Yang said. China has launched an average of eight spacecraft in the past two years.
Iran Gives Details on Controversial Space Launch (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Iran said on Tuesday a probe it sent into space on the back of rocket had reached an altitude of 200 kilometers (125 miles) and returned to earth after minutes. Kavoshgar (Explorer) was launched earlier this month on what Iran touted as its first rocket to be sent into space on a mission to prepare for the launch of its first home-produced satellite this summer.
"Kavoshgar had two sections. The first section separated after 100 seconds and returned to earth with a parachute. The second continued to an altitude of 200 kilometres," said the head of Iran's space organization, Ahmad Talebzadeh. "The second section of this rocket received data on the atmosphere and the electromagnetic waves on its path and simultaneously made contact with the base and returned to earth with a parachute after five to six minutes," he said.
Florida Teams Gearing Up For World's Largest Rocket Contest (Source: AIA)
Students around the country are testing altimeters and trimming tail fins in anticipation of qualifying for the final round of the Sixth Annual Team America Rocketry Challenge in May. A total of 643 middle and high school teams from 43 states and the District of Columbia have registered for the world's largest rocket contest and are designing and building their vehicles by hand. The contest, aimed at increasing interest in math and science and promoting aerospace careers among young people, will involve approximately 7,000 students from start to finish.
Teams have until April 7 to successfully launch their model rockets and achieve a score qualifying them for the final competition. This year's challenge is to build and fly a model rocket that reaches 750 feet while remaining aloft for 45 seconds, returning the payload of two raw eggs to the ground unbroken. Thirty-four Florida teams are registered for the competition, including from: Boca Raton Prep School, Boca Raton; Spanish River High School, Boca Raton; West Boca Raton Community High School, Boca Raton; Southeast High School, Bradenton; Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School, Cocoa Beach; Kirby Smith Middle School; Jacksonville; Park Vista Community High School, Lake Worth; Seminole Ridge Community High School, Loxahatchee; Florida Air Academy, Melbourne; Palm Bay High School, Melbourne; Northeast High School, Oakland Park; Howard Middle School, Orlando; St. John Catholic School, Panama City; Charles W. Flanagan High School, Pembroke Pines; Plantation High School, Plantation; Riverview High School, Sarasota; St. Joseph Academy, St. Augustine; Alonso High School, Tampa; Middleton Academy of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tampa; Robinson High School, Tampa; Forest Hill High School, West Palm Beach; Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park; and Winter Park High School, Winter Park.
Screening and Training for Commercial Human Spaceflight (Source: Space Review)
As the commercial human spaceflight industry emerges, companies will be flying people who do not meet the same rigorous medical guidelines of government astronauts. Jeff Foust reports on the screening and training issues companies in the field are considering as they seek to maintain customer safety while maximizing the number of people who can fly. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1062/1 to view the article.
Space Myths (Source: Space Review)
Conventional wisdom in the space field includes a preference for simple rockets and the development of airplane-like RLVs. Wayne Eleazer calls those concepts into question. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1061/1 to view the article.
Embry-Riddle Hosts NASA Project Management Challenge Event (Source: NASA)
NASA will hold its 2008 Project Management Challenge in Daytona Beach on FEb. 26-27 at Hilton Oceanfront Hotel. Embry-Riddle is a host for this year's event, which will feature panel discussions on high-performance teams, engineering excellence, integrated project management, and other challenges for future space exploration and industry operations. Visit http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/program.htm for information.
Orbital Wins COTS Competition, Plans Virginia-Based Launches (Source: NASA Watch)
Orbital Sciences Corp. defeated 12 other teams for NASA's $170 million COTS-1 re-competition. Orbital is looking to develop an new medium class launch vehicle they call the Taurus II. The first stage will use LOX/Kerosine liquid fuel using Aerojet engines. ATK would develop the Castor-derived solid fueled second stage. The Orbital proposal mentioned possible crewed missions but did not formally propose that option. Orbital plans to launch the Taurus II COTS flights from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
NASA Insists It Can Fix Flaw in Rocket Design (Source: New York Times)
Preliminary calculations by NASA last summer suggested that the rocket it had on the drawing board to replace the space shuttle possessed a design flaw: vibrations in the booster might shake the top of the rocket so violently that any astronauts riding aboard would suffer severe, perhaps fatal, injuries. That sounds alarming, but NASA officials insist it is just a step in the process of designing and engineering — identifying problems and solving them. And they say the vibrations — “thrust oscillations” in the language of rocket scientists — are understood and will be fixed well before astronauts fly. Michael D. Griffin, NASA’s administrator, said the oscillation “is not a significant problem, and to the extent that it needs solutions, we’ve got three or four ways to go after it.”
February 18 News Items
Atlantis Leaves Space Station After Making it More European (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Washington (AFP) Feb 18, 2008 - The US space shuttle Atlantis left the International Space Station Monday after a nine-day visit that gave the laboratory a European annex -- and a French scientist to bolster its crew. After closing the hatch on Sunday, shuttle pilot Alan Poindexter gently unlocked latches and released powerful springs that pushed the spacecraft away from the station.
Earth-Like Planets Raise Prospects of Extra-Terrestial Life (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Planets resembling Earth can be found orbiting many sun-like stars in our galaxy, increasing the prospects of finding extraterrestial life on some of them, according to a new study. University of Arizona astronomer Michael Meyer, working with NASA's Spitzer space telescope, said his research shows that between 20 percent and 60 percent of stars similar to our sun have conditions favorable for forming rocky planets like Earth. The astronomer and his team of scientists studied six groups of stars -- all similar to our sun and sorted by age -- with the youngest being between 10 and 30 million years old and the oldest between a billion and three billion years old.
China Expresses Concern About U.S. Bid to Shoot Down Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China has expressed concern about Washington's decision to shoot down a damaged satellite, urging the U.S. Government to fulfill its international obligation. Responding to a question on the U.S. plan to shoot down a damaged satellite, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the Chinese Government is highly concerned about development of the situation and has urged the U.S. side to fulfill its international obligation and avoid causing damages to the security in the outer space and other countries.
ATK Receives NASA Contract Extension for Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors (Source: ATK)
Alliant Techsystems received a contract modification from NASA valued at $812.5 million for the continued production and refurbishment of four-segment reusable solid rocket motors (RSRM) for the space shuttle program. The modified contract covers the production and refurbishment of flight and ground-test RSRMs. "With this contract extension we will continue to support NASA and the space shuttle program through 2010 when it is scheduled to retire, and are looking forward to continuing our legacy with a five-segment booster for Ares I, NASA's new crew launch vehicle."
NASA Works to Reduce Risks so Humans Can Reach Mars (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
An undisclosed medical problem forced German astronaut Hans Schlegel to miss his first planned space walk last week. But Schlegel was lucky. He recovered in time for Wednesday's excursion outside the space station to help swap out a cooling system. It could be a much different picture for astronauts who travel to Mars, a treacherous 30-million-mile journey that NASA has begun to plan. The trip there would take half a year. Along the way, astronaut's bones would shrink 1.5 percent each month, making them more fragile.
Their bodies would be exposed to radiation that could damage their DNA or cause cancer. Their hearts would weaken from the months of pumping blood inside a weightless body. Space travel could tear down their minds, as well as their bodies. Imagine stepping outside the space shuttle, staring back at Earth. Unlike Apollo astronauts who stood on the moon, Earth would not look like a giant, swirling-blue globe. It would look like one of the stars. Visit http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/18/Worldandnation/NASA_works_to_reduce_.shtml to view the article.
Moon Landing May Land Students Jobs (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA probes headed for the moon's surface could be riding on the ideas of Huntsville's young engineers. The University of Alabama at Huntsville has four teams of students working on unmanned lunar lander concepts. About 30 senior students are taking part in a NASA-sponsored management class - known as the Integrated Product Team - that teaches management to the young engineers "and hopefully will give NASA something back in return in the form of useable engineering work," said Dr. Matt Turner, a UAH research engineer who manages the class.
Washington (AFP) Feb 18, 2008 - The US space shuttle Atlantis left the International Space Station Monday after a nine-day visit that gave the laboratory a European annex -- and a French scientist to bolster its crew. After closing the hatch on Sunday, shuttle pilot Alan Poindexter gently unlocked latches and released powerful springs that pushed the spacecraft away from the station.
Earth-Like Planets Raise Prospects of Extra-Terrestial Life (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Planets resembling Earth can be found orbiting many sun-like stars in our galaxy, increasing the prospects of finding extraterrestial life on some of them, according to a new study. University of Arizona astronomer Michael Meyer, working with NASA's Spitzer space telescope, said his research shows that between 20 percent and 60 percent of stars similar to our sun have conditions favorable for forming rocky planets like Earth. The astronomer and his team of scientists studied six groups of stars -- all similar to our sun and sorted by age -- with the youngest being between 10 and 30 million years old and the oldest between a billion and three billion years old.
China Expresses Concern About U.S. Bid to Shoot Down Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China has expressed concern about Washington's decision to shoot down a damaged satellite, urging the U.S. Government to fulfill its international obligation. Responding to a question on the U.S. plan to shoot down a damaged satellite, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the Chinese Government is highly concerned about development of the situation and has urged the U.S. side to fulfill its international obligation and avoid causing damages to the security in the outer space and other countries.
ATK Receives NASA Contract Extension for Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors (Source: ATK)
Alliant Techsystems received a contract modification from NASA valued at $812.5 million for the continued production and refurbishment of four-segment reusable solid rocket motors (RSRM) for the space shuttle program. The modified contract covers the production and refurbishment of flight and ground-test RSRMs. "With this contract extension we will continue to support NASA and the space shuttle program through 2010 when it is scheduled to retire, and are looking forward to continuing our legacy with a five-segment booster for Ares I, NASA's new crew launch vehicle."
NASA Works to Reduce Risks so Humans Can Reach Mars (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
An undisclosed medical problem forced German astronaut Hans Schlegel to miss his first planned space walk last week. But Schlegel was lucky. He recovered in time for Wednesday's excursion outside the space station to help swap out a cooling system. It could be a much different picture for astronauts who travel to Mars, a treacherous 30-million-mile journey that NASA has begun to plan. The trip there would take half a year. Along the way, astronaut's bones would shrink 1.5 percent each month, making them more fragile.
Their bodies would be exposed to radiation that could damage their DNA or cause cancer. Their hearts would weaken from the months of pumping blood inside a weightless body. Space travel could tear down their minds, as well as their bodies. Imagine stepping outside the space shuttle, staring back at Earth. Unlike Apollo astronauts who stood on the moon, Earth would not look like a giant, swirling-blue globe. It would look like one of the stars. Visit http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/18/Worldandnation/NASA_works_to_reduce_.shtml to view the article.
Moon Landing May Land Students Jobs (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA probes headed for the moon's surface could be riding on the ideas of Huntsville's young engineers. The University of Alabama at Huntsville has four teams of students working on unmanned lunar lander concepts. About 30 senior students are taking part in a NASA-sponsored management class - known as the Integrated Product Team - that teaches management to the young engineers "and hopefully will give NASA something back in return in the form of useable engineering work," said Dr. Matt Turner, a UAH research engineer who manages the class.
February 17 News Items
British Government May Ease Regulations on Space Companies (Source: Space News)
The British government is reviewing ways to stimulate commercial space activity by reducing insurance obligations on companies that launch satellites, and by removing regulatory barriers to future space tourism for British-based operators, according to the head of the British National Space Centre (BNSC). BNSC Director-General David Williams said Britain's new space strategy, which was announced Feb. 14, includes a suite of proposed regulatory amendments to make it easier for space companies to operate in Britain.
Russia: US Satellite Shot a Weapons Test (Sourcee: AP)
Russia said that U.S. military plans to shoot down a damaged spy satellite may be a veiled test of America's missile defense system. The Pentagon failed to provide "enough arguments" to back its plan to smash the satellite next week with a missile, Russia's Defense Ministry said. "There is an impression that the United States is trying to use the accident with its satellite to test its national anti-missile defense system's capability to destroy other countries' satellites," the ministry said.
The Bush administration says the operation is not a test of a program to kill other nations' orbiting communications and intelligence capabilities. U.S. diplomats around the world have been instructed to inform governments that it is meant to protect people from 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel on the bus-sized satellite hurtling toward Earth. The diplomats were told to distinguish the upcoming attempt from last year's test by China of a missile specifically designed to take out satellites, which was criticized by the United States and other countries.
Space Development, Korean Dream and Hope (Source: Korea.net)
Korea is set to have a monumental year for space development in 2008. The first Korean astronaut with the Korean flag on his chest will perform space science experiments in the International Space Station in April. Korea’s first space center which is the outpost for space exploration will be completed in September. Also, the Korean Space Launch Vehicle will be launched from our space center in December.
Although Korea began to invest in space development 30 to 40 years later than other space powers, we have already experienced good results in the space field. We have started to develop space technology, launching the first Korean satellite KITSAT 1 in 1992, followed by 11 other satellites including KOMPSATs, STSATs, and Korea Satellites. From developing a sounding rocket KSR-3 with a liquid rocket engine in 2002, we acquired the fundamental technology for further space science. Additionally, we have successfully developed and launched KOMPSAT 2 in 2006 which provides Earth with high resolution images.
Editorial: Constellation, Ares Right for America (Source: Huntsville Times)
As voters decide pros and cons of presidential candidates, there is also an important debate in the space community on whether NASA and the nation have chosen the right path for our future in space. As someone who has been privileged to pilot NASA's Space Shuttle and to lead NASA and contractor teams in execution of human space flight objectives, I believe strongly that NASA's plans - to ensure reliable transportation to the International Space Station and to go on to the moon by 2020 - represent the right choice. Many others share this view. Click here to view the editorial.
Iran Says its Space Probe Sending Data to Earth (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Iran on Sunday said a probe it sent into space on the back of rocket whose launch caused international concern was sending data back to earth from an altitude of up to 250 kilometers. Kavoshgar (Explorer) was launched earlier this month on what Iran touted as its first rocket to be sent into space on a mission to prepare for the launch of its first home-produced Iranian satellite later this year.
Diplomatic Tiff Looms in South African Satellite Disagreement (Source: Business Report)
The department of science and technology is so fed up with Russia's refusal to launch South Africa's R26 million civilian satellite, Sumbandila, that it could turn to launch partners from India or China. This could be the beginning of a diplomatic row between South Africa and Russia after Russia's defence ministry allegedly refused to conduct the launch, claiming the SA National Defense Force had refused to use its satellite.
Attempts to get comment from the department of defense were unsuccessful as spokesperson Sam Mkwananazi could not provide more details. He would only make a statement tomorrow. Media reports this week said reference by the Russian military to South Africa's refusal to use a Russian satellite must have been referring to a specific military space project, not involving the department of science and technology. Sumbandila's launch was supposed to have taken place in December 2006 from a Russian submarine near Murmansk.
NASA Proposes Commercial Launch Pad (Source: Florida Today)
NASA will unveil plans this week that would enable Florida or private companies to build and operate a new commercial launch complex at Kennedy Space Center. The complex could pave the way for an American company to launch U.S. astronauts and supplies to the Space Station. It could help the U.S. regain a larger share of a global commercial launch-services market dominated by foreign competitors. However, people are concerned about the impact on coastal wetlands and on endangered and threatened species. Potential threats to areas of high historical or archeological value likely will be questioned, too.
NASA, consequently, will hold four public hearings next week as part of an environmental assessment required by federal law. Agency officials will seek comment about the proposed project in general and about two specific sites now under evaluation. A 150-acre parcel was required. Rockets could not fly over KSC facilities. The complex had to be at least five miles from residential areas. Tracts subject to flooding by a Category One hurricane's storm surge were eliminated. The sites selected include one on the Atlantic coast south of shuttle launch pad 39A and north of Atlas 5 complex 41 at the air base. The other is inland. Near the western edge of Mosquito Lagoon.
The cost of building the two-pad complex would be $504 million to $590 million, according to site selection study estimates. No NASA money would be invested. NASA would provide the real estate, but it would be up to the state or commercial companies to foot the bill for building and operating the complex. "A facility like this would certainly, in our opinion, move us back in the direction where we need to be, where we are more competitive," said Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida. "In order for us to re-emerge as a major competitor, this is the kind of thing we feel we need. It could put the state of Florida in a position where we would become a leader among the states and a competitor among the nations again."
Editorial: Share Your Views on Proposed Launch Complex (Source: ERAU)
Four public "scoping meetings" are planned on Feb. 25 and Feb. 28 to gauge public opinion on the proposed new commercial launch complex at Kennedy Space Center. Given the plan to develop this facility on protected land, it is expected that opponents to the project will make their opposition known at these meetings. For the project to move forward, advocates for space industry development in Florida must also participate in this process.
Like all the federal land within the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the property proposed for the project has always been intended for space-related use, but had been entrusted decades ago to wildlife management agencies until needed for space launch operations. NASA and its partner agencies have been excellent stewards of the property and have proven that launch activities and wildlife preservation are highly compatible. Make your voice heard by participating in the public meetings and by sending your comments to mailto:KSC-CVLC@nasa.gov. Visit http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS02/802170346/1007 for information.
Facility Could Threaten Birds (Source: Florida Today)
Birders fear a new launch pad may clear a 200-acre moonscape through pristine Florida scrub jay habitat. And NASA's proposed Commercial Vertical Launch Complex also would clear out fishermen and kayakers. The proposed new launch complex at Kennedy Space Center would mean more frequent closings of some of east Central Florida's best spots for redfish, manatees and scrub jays.
Delta II Yields to Allow Two Space Shuttle Launch Attempts (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Shuttle manager Wayne Hale requested the program looked at launching STS-123 as early as March 9, due to a range conflict with a Delta II launch. However, given no contingency days remain in the flow, the launch was under threat of moving to the middle of the month. However, following a debate on Saturday, the Delta II launch will yield priority to Endeavour, allowing two launch attempts on March 11 and 12, before standing down for the Delta II to launch on the 15th.
Commanders Say Satellite Shoot-Down No Threat to Shuttle (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The commanders of the shuttle Atlantis and the space station said they have no safety concerns about an upcoming attempt to destroy a falling spy satellite. The dramatic shoot-down will be attempted after Atlantis returns to Earth Wednesday and to give the Pentagon as much time as possible, NASA will staff a backup landing site in California in case of problems that might prevent a Florida touchdown.
British Moon Probe Wins UK-NASA Backing (Source: Reuters)
A plan for the first British-led mission to the Moon won the backing of an Anglo-American space committee on Friday. The Joint Working Group on lunar exploration named the proposed unmanned MoonLITE launch as its primary mission for collaboration. The launch would fire three or four darts carrying measuring instruments into the surface of the moon from an orbiting satellite. Scientific data recorded by the darts would be transmitted up to the satellite and relayed back to Earth.
GMES Secures European Commission Funding (Source: Space News)
Europe's planned $2 billion, multi-satellite system for environmental and security-related Earth observation locked in a large chunk of its budget Feb. 15 with a European Space Agency (ESA) approval of financing terms, according to ESA officials.
Universal Space Networks Buys Datalynx (Source: Space News)
Universal Space Networks Inc. (USN) has purchased the satellite tracking and control assets of Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc.'s Datalynx division in a deal that includes a contract to provide tracking services for more than 20 NASA satellites currently in orbit, USN officials said.
Saab Lands Component Contract With Orbital (Source: Space News)
Saab Space, in what it described as a breakthrough contract, will provide Ku-band receivers and frequency converters to Orbital Sciences Corp. for the Orbital-built Intelsat 16 satellite, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based company announced Feb. 14.
Eutelsat Set to Order Large Satellite (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Eutelsat will order a large Ku- and Ka-band satellite in the coming weeks to reinforce its capacity at the 7 degrees east orbital slot, where its lone existing satellite is 90 percent full and with growth prospects in Eastern Europe and southern Africa remaining strong, the Paris-based company announced Feb. 14.
The British government is reviewing ways to stimulate commercial space activity by reducing insurance obligations on companies that launch satellites, and by removing regulatory barriers to future space tourism for British-based operators, according to the head of the British National Space Centre (BNSC). BNSC Director-General David Williams said Britain's new space strategy, which was announced Feb. 14, includes a suite of proposed regulatory amendments to make it easier for space companies to operate in Britain.
Russia: US Satellite Shot a Weapons Test (Sourcee: AP)
Russia said that U.S. military plans to shoot down a damaged spy satellite may be a veiled test of America's missile defense system. The Pentagon failed to provide "enough arguments" to back its plan to smash the satellite next week with a missile, Russia's Defense Ministry said. "There is an impression that the United States is trying to use the accident with its satellite to test its national anti-missile defense system's capability to destroy other countries' satellites," the ministry said.
The Bush administration says the operation is not a test of a program to kill other nations' orbiting communications and intelligence capabilities. U.S. diplomats around the world have been instructed to inform governments that it is meant to protect people from 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel on the bus-sized satellite hurtling toward Earth. The diplomats were told to distinguish the upcoming attempt from last year's test by China of a missile specifically designed to take out satellites, which was criticized by the United States and other countries.
Space Development, Korean Dream and Hope (Source: Korea.net)
Korea is set to have a monumental year for space development in 2008. The first Korean astronaut with the Korean flag on his chest will perform space science experiments in the International Space Station in April. Korea’s first space center which is the outpost for space exploration will be completed in September. Also, the Korean Space Launch Vehicle will be launched from our space center in December.
Although Korea began to invest in space development 30 to 40 years later than other space powers, we have already experienced good results in the space field. We have started to develop space technology, launching the first Korean satellite KITSAT 1 in 1992, followed by 11 other satellites including KOMPSATs, STSATs, and Korea Satellites. From developing a sounding rocket KSR-3 with a liquid rocket engine in 2002, we acquired the fundamental technology for further space science. Additionally, we have successfully developed and launched KOMPSAT 2 in 2006 which provides Earth with high resolution images.
Editorial: Constellation, Ares Right for America (Source: Huntsville Times)
As voters decide pros and cons of presidential candidates, there is also an important debate in the space community on whether NASA and the nation have chosen the right path for our future in space. As someone who has been privileged to pilot NASA's Space Shuttle and to lead NASA and contractor teams in execution of human space flight objectives, I believe strongly that NASA's plans - to ensure reliable transportation to the International Space Station and to go on to the moon by 2020 - represent the right choice. Many others share this view. Click here to view the editorial.
Iran Says its Space Probe Sending Data to Earth (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Iran on Sunday said a probe it sent into space on the back of rocket whose launch caused international concern was sending data back to earth from an altitude of up to 250 kilometers. Kavoshgar (Explorer) was launched earlier this month on what Iran touted as its first rocket to be sent into space on a mission to prepare for the launch of its first home-produced Iranian satellite later this year.
Diplomatic Tiff Looms in South African Satellite Disagreement (Source: Business Report)
The department of science and technology is so fed up with Russia's refusal to launch South Africa's R26 million civilian satellite, Sumbandila, that it could turn to launch partners from India or China. This could be the beginning of a diplomatic row between South Africa and Russia after Russia's defence ministry allegedly refused to conduct the launch, claiming the SA National Defense Force had refused to use its satellite.
Attempts to get comment from the department of defense were unsuccessful as spokesperson Sam Mkwananazi could not provide more details. He would only make a statement tomorrow. Media reports this week said reference by the Russian military to South Africa's refusal to use a Russian satellite must have been referring to a specific military space project, not involving the department of science and technology. Sumbandila's launch was supposed to have taken place in December 2006 from a Russian submarine near Murmansk.
NASA Proposes Commercial Launch Pad (Source: Florida Today)
NASA will unveil plans this week that would enable Florida or private companies to build and operate a new commercial launch complex at Kennedy Space Center. The complex could pave the way for an American company to launch U.S. astronauts and supplies to the Space Station. It could help the U.S. regain a larger share of a global commercial launch-services market dominated by foreign competitors. However, people are concerned about the impact on coastal wetlands and on endangered and threatened species. Potential threats to areas of high historical or archeological value likely will be questioned, too.
NASA, consequently, will hold four public hearings next week as part of an environmental assessment required by federal law. Agency officials will seek comment about the proposed project in general and about two specific sites now under evaluation. A 150-acre parcel was required. Rockets could not fly over KSC facilities. The complex had to be at least five miles from residential areas. Tracts subject to flooding by a Category One hurricane's storm surge were eliminated. The sites selected include one on the Atlantic coast south of shuttle launch pad 39A and north of Atlas 5 complex 41 at the air base. The other is inland. Near the western edge of Mosquito Lagoon.
The cost of building the two-pad complex would be $504 million to $590 million, according to site selection study estimates. No NASA money would be invested. NASA would provide the real estate, but it would be up to the state or commercial companies to foot the bill for building and operating the complex. "A facility like this would certainly, in our opinion, move us back in the direction where we need to be, where we are more competitive," said Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida. "In order for us to re-emerge as a major competitor, this is the kind of thing we feel we need. It could put the state of Florida in a position where we would become a leader among the states and a competitor among the nations again."
Editorial: Share Your Views on Proposed Launch Complex (Source: ERAU)
Four public "scoping meetings" are planned on Feb. 25 and Feb. 28 to gauge public opinion on the proposed new commercial launch complex at Kennedy Space Center. Given the plan to develop this facility on protected land, it is expected that opponents to the project will make their opposition known at these meetings. For the project to move forward, advocates for space industry development in Florida must also participate in this process.
Like all the federal land within the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the property proposed for the project has always been intended for space-related use, but had been entrusted decades ago to wildlife management agencies until needed for space launch operations. NASA and its partner agencies have been excellent stewards of the property and have proven that launch activities and wildlife preservation are highly compatible. Make your voice heard by participating in the public meetings and by sending your comments to mailto:KSC-CVLC@nasa.gov. Visit http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS02/802170346/1007 for information.
Facility Could Threaten Birds (Source: Florida Today)
Birders fear a new launch pad may clear a 200-acre moonscape through pristine Florida scrub jay habitat. And NASA's proposed Commercial Vertical Launch Complex also would clear out fishermen and kayakers. The proposed new launch complex at Kennedy Space Center would mean more frequent closings of some of east Central Florida's best spots for redfish, manatees and scrub jays.
Delta II Yields to Allow Two Space Shuttle Launch Attempts (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Shuttle manager Wayne Hale requested the program looked at launching STS-123 as early as March 9, due to a range conflict with a Delta II launch. However, given no contingency days remain in the flow, the launch was under threat of moving to the middle of the month. However, following a debate on Saturday, the Delta II launch will yield priority to Endeavour, allowing two launch attempts on March 11 and 12, before standing down for the Delta II to launch on the 15th.
Commanders Say Satellite Shoot-Down No Threat to Shuttle (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The commanders of the shuttle Atlantis and the space station said they have no safety concerns about an upcoming attempt to destroy a falling spy satellite. The dramatic shoot-down will be attempted after Atlantis returns to Earth Wednesday and to give the Pentagon as much time as possible, NASA will staff a backup landing site in California in case of problems that might prevent a Florida touchdown.
British Moon Probe Wins UK-NASA Backing (Source: Reuters)
A plan for the first British-led mission to the Moon won the backing of an Anglo-American space committee on Friday. The Joint Working Group on lunar exploration named the proposed unmanned MoonLITE launch as its primary mission for collaboration. The launch would fire three or four darts carrying measuring instruments into the surface of the moon from an orbiting satellite. Scientific data recorded by the darts would be transmitted up to the satellite and relayed back to Earth.
GMES Secures European Commission Funding (Source: Space News)
Europe's planned $2 billion, multi-satellite system for environmental and security-related Earth observation locked in a large chunk of its budget Feb. 15 with a European Space Agency (ESA) approval of financing terms, according to ESA officials.
Universal Space Networks Buys Datalynx (Source: Space News)
Universal Space Networks Inc. (USN) has purchased the satellite tracking and control assets of Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc.'s Datalynx division in a deal that includes a contract to provide tracking services for more than 20 NASA satellites currently in orbit, USN officials said.
Saab Lands Component Contract With Orbital (Source: Space News)
Saab Space, in what it described as a breakthrough contract, will provide Ku-band receivers and frequency converters to Orbital Sciences Corp. for the Orbital-built Intelsat 16 satellite, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based company announced Feb. 14.
Eutelsat Set to Order Large Satellite (Source: Space News)
Satellite-fleet operator Eutelsat will order a large Ku- and Ka-band satellite in the coming weeks to reinforce its capacity at the 7 degrees east orbital slot, where its lone existing satellite is 90 percent full and with growth prospects in Eastern Europe and southern Africa remaining strong, the Paris-based company announced Feb. 14.
February 15 News Items
US to Use Missiles to Destroy Failed Spysat (Source: SpaceToday.net)
The US military, at the direction of the White House, plan to use one or more missiles to destroy a failed reconnaissance satellite before it reenters on its own next month. Officials said the decision to destroy the satellite is based on concerns that the satellite's fuel tank, containing over 1,000 lbs (450 kg) of frozen hydrazine, could survive reentry and pose a health risk. Current plans call for using at least one modified SM-3 missile fired from a Navy cruiser in the Pacific to break up the satellite prior to reentry. The military will wait until the spacecraft reaches a low altitude so that the debris created by any impact would quickly reenter and not pose a risk to other spacecraft. Still, as a precaution, the US will wait until after the shuttle Atlantis returns on February 20th before firing. The decision to make the attempt came from President Bush and was based entirely on safety concerns, officials said, and was not based on worries that the spacecraft's sensitive technology could fall into the wrong hands.
Embry-Riddle Briefs Florida Legislators on Space Diversification (Source: ERAU)
An Embry-Riddle space policy analyst was invited to brief a Florida House of Representatives panel last week on the need to diversify the state's space industry beyond rocket launches. The briefing supported a proposal to the Legislature for funding a multi-university Space Technology and Research Diversification Initiative.
Conference Backs Plan to Revisit Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A conference of leading planetary scientists and space-exploration advocates that was widely expected to be critical of NASA's plans to return humans to the moon has instead affirmed the agency's goals. But the 50-member group also said NASA should rethink its goal to land people back on the moon by 2020 because that date is already slipping. They agreed that the space agency should focus ultimately on travel to Mars and must include international partners in the effort. The two-day closed-door workshop at Stanford University, titled "Examining the Vision: Balancing Science and Exploration," concluded that the next president must properly fund NASA, saying the agency has been asked "to do more with less" for nearly two decades.
Britain to Train Own Astronauts (Source: The Sun)
Britain could train its own astronauts for the first time after bowing to NASA pressure yesterday. The British National Space Center announced it would work with them on moon missions. The Government will consider training our own space travelers and a facility will be set up at Harwell, Oxfordshire. UK policy has been to support only robotic missions. But NASA wants us to take a full role in its Vision for Space Exploration project, aiming to build a moonbase by 2020. Brit shuttle astronaut Piers Sellers, 52, of Crowborough, East Sussex, said: “We have to join in this adventure.”
Europa Here We Come: NASA Tests Under-Ice Sub with Eye Toward Jupiter (Source: Scientific American)
NASA's Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer (ENDURANCE) is designed to operate autonomously in frigid water. Researchers from NASA and the University of Illinois at Chicago were atop the frozen surface of Wisconsin's Lake Mendota last week preparing for interplanetary exploration. Below them, under a sheet of ice more than a foot (30 centimeters) thick, the space agency's new Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-Ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer (ENDURANCE) maps the lake's underwater terrain. If this and subsequent voyages are successful, a similar vessel could be sent to navigate the suspected liquid water under the frozen surface of the ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa by the year 2028.
NASA’s Ames to Host Zero-G Flights (Source: NASA)
Commercial, weightless flights will be at Moffett Field, Calif., under the terms of an agreement with the Zero Gravity Corp. “We’re delighted to have signed this historic agreement with ZERO-G,” said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. “This will further NASA’s goal of pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector.” A Reimbursable Space Act Agreement between NASA’s Ames and ZERO-G allows the corporation to park its aircraft on the airfield while flight operations are being conducted and during scheduled flights. The agreement also calls for NASA and ZERO-G to develop research collaborations starting this fall.
2 Planets Found In Solar System That Is Similar To Our Own (Source: Washington Post)
Researchers have discovered two planets in a solar system 5,000 light-years away that appears to be structured in significant ways like our own. The planets are gas giants similar to but smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, and their relative sizes are also similar. In addition, they orbit their star at distances proportional to the distances of Jupiter and Saturn from the sun. "This is the first time we've found a Jupiter-like planet in the same system as a Saturn planet," said Scott Gaudi of Ohio State University, lead investigator on the project. "There's reason now to believe there are probably many more solar systems like it."
Orbital 4th-Quarter Profit Doubles (Source:AP)
Satellite and rocket maker Orbital Sciences Corp. said its fourth-quarter profit doubled, due partly to strong revenue from its advanced space programs business. Orbital earned $15.8 million, compared with $7.8 million in the same quarter last year. The company's revenue rose 36 percent, to $293.1 million, from $215.8 million. The company's launch vehicles business also grew, with fourth-quarter revenue totaling $104.6 million, up 30 percent from the year-ago quarter. Orbital's research and development expenses also nearly tripled, to total $6.9 million in the quarter. For the full year, Orbital's profit totaled $56.7 million, or 93 cents per share, up from $35.1 million, or 56 cents per share, in 2006. The company's revenue totaled $1.08 billion, compared with $802.86 million in 2006.
Spacehab Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter (Source: Business Wire)
Spacehab posted a second quarter fiscal 2008 net loss of $32.8 million on revenue of $4.3 million, compared with a second quarter fiscal 2007 net loss of $1.8 million on revenue of $12.9 million. In November 2007, the Company converted the Series C convertible preferred stock into 89.9 million shares of common stock and affected a 1 for 10 reverse split.
Titan: Thar's Oil in That Thar Moon (Source: Discovery.com)
Worried about Earth running out of natural gas? Scientists have found a place that makes Earth's supplies look like drop in a bucket. The only problem is the reservoirs are located about 750 million miles away on Saturn's moon Titan. "It's really just kind of a fun fact," said planetary scientist Ralph Lorenz with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Lorenz and colleagues calculated the amount of liquid hydrocarbons on Titan using radar data gathered from the orbiting Cassini spacecraft. With about 20 percent of the moon mapped, scientists have found several hundred lakes and seas dotting Titan's surface. Extrapolating from lake depths on Earth, the researchers estimate several of the lakes on Titan each contain more than the total amount of natural gas on Earth, estimated to be about 130 billion tons. That means the orange moon has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth.
The US military, at the direction of the White House, plan to use one or more missiles to destroy a failed reconnaissance satellite before it reenters on its own next month. Officials said the decision to destroy the satellite is based on concerns that the satellite's fuel tank, containing over 1,000 lbs (450 kg) of frozen hydrazine, could survive reentry and pose a health risk. Current plans call for using at least one modified SM-3 missile fired from a Navy cruiser in the Pacific to break up the satellite prior to reentry. The military will wait until the spacecraft reaches a low altitude so that the debris created by any impact would quickly reenter and not pose a risk to other spacecraft. Still, as a precaution, the US will wait until after the shuttle Atlantis returns on February 20th before firing. The decision to make the attempt came from President Bush and was based entirely on safety concerns, officials said, and was not based on worries that the spacecraft's sensitive technology could fall into the wrong hands.
Embry-Riddle Briefs Florida Legislators on Space Diversification (Source: ERAU)
An Embry-Riddle space policy analyst was invited to brief a Florida House of Representatives panel last week on the need to diversify the state's space industry beyond rocket launches. The briefing supported a proposal to the Legislature for funding a multi-university Space Technology and Research Diversification Initiative.
Conference Backs Plan to Revisit Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A conference of leading planetary scientists and space-exploration advocates that was widely expected to be critical of NASA's plans to return humans to the moon has instead affirmed the agency's goals. But the 50-member group also said NASA should rethink its goal to land people back on the moon by 2020 because that date is already slipping. They agreed that the space agency should focus ultimately on travel to Mars and must include international partners in the effort. The two-day closed-door workshop at Stanford University, titled "Examining the Vision: Balancing Science and Exploration," concluded that the next president must properly fund NASA, saying the agency has been asked "to do more with less" for nearly two decades.
Britain to Train Own Astronauts (Source: The Sun)
Britain could train its own astronauts for the first time after bowing to NASA pressure yesterday. The British National Space Center announced it would work with them on moon missions. The Government will consider training our own space travelers and a facility will be set up at Harwell, Oxfordshire. UK policy has been to support only robotic missions. But NASA wants us to take a full role in its Vision for Space Exploration project, aiming to build a moonbase by 2020. Brit shuttle astronaut Piers Sellers, 52, of Crowborough, East Sussex, said: “We have to join in this adventure.”
Europa Here We Come: NASA Tests Under-Ice Sub with Eye Toward Jupiter (Source: Scientific American)
NASA's Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer (ENDURANCE) is designed to operate autonomously in frigid water. Researchers from NASA and the University of Illinois at Chicago were atop the frozen surface of Wisconsin's Lake Mendota last week preparing for interplanetary exploration. Below them, under a sheet of ice more than a foot (30 centimeters) thick, the space agency's new Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-Ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer (ENDURANCE) maps the lake's underwater terrain. If this and subsequent voyages are successful, a similar vessel could be sent to navigate the suspected liquid water under the frozen surface of the ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa by the year 2028.
NASA’s Ames to Host Zero-G Flights (Source: NASA)
Commercial, weightless flights will be at Moffett Field, Calif., under the terms of an agreement with the Zero Gravity Corp. “We’re delighted to have signed this historic agreement with ZERO-G,” said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. “This will further NASA’s goal of pursuing mutually beneficial partnerships with the emerging commercial space sector.” A Reimbursable Space Act Agreement between NASA’s Ames and ZERO-G allows the corporation to park its aircraft on the airfield while flight operations are being conducted and during scheduled flights. The agreement also calls for NASA and ZERO-G to develop research collaborations starting this fall.
2 Planets Found In Solar System That Is Similar To Our Own (Source: Washington Post)
Researchers have discovered two planets in a solar system 5,000 light-years away that appears to be structured in significant ways like our own. The planets are gas giants similar to but smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, and their relative sizes are also similar. In addition, they orbit their star at distances proportional to the distances of Jupiter and Saturn from the sun. "This is the first time we've found a Jupiter-like planet in the same system as a Saturn planet," said Scott Gaudi of Ohio State University, lead investigator on the project. "There's reason now to believe there are probably many more solar systems like it."
Orbital 4th-Quarter Profit Doubles (Source:AP)
Satellite and rocket maker Orbital Sciences Corp. said its fourth-quarter profit doubled, due partly to strong revenue from its advanced space programs business. Orbital earned $15.8 million, compared with $7.8 million in the same quarter last year. The company's revenue rose 36 percent, to $293.1 million, from $215.8 million. The company's launch vehicles business also grew, with fourth-quarter revenue totaling $104.6 million, up 30 percent from the year-ago quarter. Orbital's research and development expenses also nearly tripled, to total $6.9 million in the quarter. For the full year, Orbital's profit totaled $56.7 million, or 93 cents per share, up from $35.1 million, or 56 cents per share, in 2006. The company's revenue totaled $1.08 billion, compared with $802.86 million in 2006.
Spacehab Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter (Source: Business Wire)
Spacehab posted a second quarter fiscal 2008 net loss of $32.8 million on revenue of $4.3 million, compared with a second quarter fiscal 2007 net loss of $1.8 million on revenue of $12.9 million. In November 2007, the Company converted the Series C convertible preferred stock into 89.9 million shares of common stock and affected a 1 for 10 reverse split.
Titan: Thar's Oil in That Thar Moon (Source: Discovery.com)
Worried about Earth running out of natural gas? Scientists have found a place that makes Earth's supplies look like drop in a bucket. The only problem is the reservoirs are located about 750 million miles away on Saturn's moon Titan. "It's really just kind of a fun fact," said planetary scientist Ralph Lorenz with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Lorenz and colleagues calculated the amount of liquid hydrocarbons on Titan using radar data gathered from the orbiting Cassini spacecraft. With about 20 percent of the moon mapped, scientists have found several hundred lakes and seas dotting Titan's surface. Extrapolating from lake depths on Earth, the researchers estimate several of the lakes on Titan each contain more than the total amount of natural gas on Earth, estimated to be about 130 billion tons. That means the orange moon has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth.
February 13 News Items
French President Calls for Rules Governing Space Activity (Source: Space News)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a stricter set of rules governing activities in space to prevent events like China's deliberate destruction of its own satellite from recurring, and said Europe should develop its own space-surveillance system to monitor what going on in Earth orbit.
Griffin Seeks Legislative OK to Buy More Soyuz Capsules (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin asked U.S. lawmakers Feb. 13 to pass legislation this year permitting the U.S. space agency to buy Soyuz flights from Russia beyond 2011 to deliver crews to and from the international space station.
Crist Supports Space Diversification in Washington (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
That was fast. Eight days ago, President Bush unveiled his 2009 budget request and already Gov. Charlie Crist is in town to lobby for Florida's share. He also jumped into the debate about NASA's future, preaching to the choir on the need to preserve workers on the Space Coast. His remarks to Federal policy makers included: "The Space Coast of Florida is one of the state's most unique treasures and a key economic driver. As NASA transitions from the Space Shuttle to the Orion program, it is imperative that we preserve Florida's role in the national space program. The State supports full funding of NASA programs as we create future opportunities for the scientific expertise of the Shuttle workforce, ensuring a prosperous future for Florida's Space Coast."
The New Space Race: China vs. the U.S. (Source: Time)
Both the U.S. and China have announced intentions of returning humans to the moon by 2020 at the earliest. But right now, the two countries are already in the early stages of a new space race that appears to have some of the heat and skullduggery of the one between Washington and Moscow during the Cold War, when space was a proxy battleground for geopolitical dominance. The scale of Dongfan Chung's alleged espionage for China is startling. According to the Justice Department, Chung may have been providing trade secrets to Chinese aerospace companies and government agents since 1979, when he was an engineer at Rockwell International, a company acquired by Boeing in 1996. He worked for Boeing until his retirement in March 2003, and continued to work as a contractor for the company until September 2006.
The indictment alleges that Chung gave China documents relating to the B-1 bomber and the Delta IV rocket, which is used to lift heavy payloads into space, as well as information on an advanced antenna array intended for the Space Shuttle. According to the indictment, Chinese officials gave Chung a shopping list of information to acquire for them. In one instance, Chung said that he would send documents through an official in China's San Francisco consulate. In another, a Chinese contact suggested he route information through a man named Chi Mak, a naturalized U.S. citizen who also worked as an engineer in California and who was convicted last year of attempting to provide China with information on an advanced naval propulsion system.
India's Moon Mission Likely to be Put Off to June (Source: The Hindu)
Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon, scheduled to be launched in April, is likely to be postponed to June, an Indian Space Research Organization official said. The much-awaited mission was originally scheduled to be held on April nine or April 23 from India's spaceport of Sriharikota. "Now, it looks doubtful in April. We are working on a (different) PSLV mission for March-April which is important. Chandrayaan-1 is likely to be postponed to June."
New Rocket Chief Replaces Ladner (Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror)
It wasn’t his vision alone, yet Pat Ladner said he helped put a privately owned spaceport on Kodiak together in 1992 and he’s been running it ever since. That is until last week, when it was officially announced that Dale Nash has taken over as president and CEO of Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. “All I did was take the vision of a spaceport in Alaska and made it happen,” Ladner said. “I didn’t do it by myself. There were people that have stood by this organization when everybody else just laughed. Without exception, all of our employees make this happen.”
Once the vision was realized, it had to be changed. “The whole vision of a spaceport in Alaska was based on the planned satellite constellations,” he said. “That was going to be the big commercial venture where you (launched) 60 to 80 satellites in one constellation.” A study showed that there were not enough commercial launch facilities to make that happen. “The problem was that the satellite industry didn’t mature as people thought it would,” Ladner said. “So we had to look for other launches for our launch complex.” The military soon began contracting the use of the facility. It has been launching various missiles ever since with Ladner as head of the company.
Experts See Spying Case at NASA as Wake-up Call (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Chinese engineers didn't gain any major advantages when an alleged spy passed U.S. space secrets to Beijing, but industry experts warn a more damaging leak could occur if authorities are not diligent. "The sky is not falling, but don't be naive and deny there are lots of groups out there who want to find out about our space program," said Jim Oberg. The worry is that China can convert stolen information into military technologies. "Any improvement made to a Chinese space rocket is folded into a military missile," Oberg said. "China is trying to steal as many secrets as they can from us," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who has asked for a NASA briefing on the espionage incident and warns this episode is only the beginning.
U.N. Weighs a Ban on Weapons in Space, but U.S. Still Objects (Source: New York Times)
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, on Tuesday presented a Russian-Chinese draft treaty banning weapons in space to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, an idea that was quickly rejected by the United States. Russia and China have pushed for years for a treaty to prevent an arms race in space, a threat underlined by China last year after it shot down one of its own aging satellites. Responding to previous American assertions that there is no arms race in space and therefore no need for a treaty, Mr. Lavrov instead submitted a draft on “prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against outer space objects.”
Japan Delays High-Speed Internet Satellite Launch (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Japan's space agency said it was delaying the launch of a satellite aimed at providing high-speed Internet access across Asia due to a technical problem with its rocket. Japan was slated Friday to launch the Kazuna, an experimental satellite looking at how to bring broadband-speed service across Asia even when terrestrial infrastructure goes down. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it discovered a problem with the gas jet thruster for its H-2A launch rocket on Tuesday at its spaceport on the southern island of Tanegashima. The satellite was jointly developed by JAXA and industrial giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which is handling the launch for the second time since the H-2A was privatized in April 2007.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a stricter set of rules governing activities in space to prevent events like China's deliberate destruction of its own satellite from recurring, and said Europe should develop its own space-surveillance system to monitor what going on in Earth orbit.
Griffin Seeks Legislative OK to Buy More Soyuz Capsules (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin asked U.S. lawmakers Feb. 13 to pass legislation this year permitting the U.S. space agency to buy Soyuz flights from Russia beyond 2011 to deliver crews to and from the international space station.
Crist Supports Space Diversification in Washington (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
That was fast. Eight days ago, President Bush unveiled his 2009 budget request and already Gov. Charlie Crist is in town to lobby for Florida's share. He also jumped into the debate about NASA's future, preaching to the choir on the need to preserve workers on the Space Coast. His remarks to Federal policy makers included: "The Space Coast of Florida is one of the state's most unique treasures and a key economic driver. As NASA transitions from the Space Shuttle to the Orion program, it is imperative that we preserve Florida's role in the national space program. The State supports full funding of NASA programs as we create future opportunities for the scientific expertise of the Shuttle workforce, ensuring a prosperous future for Florida's Space Coast."
The New Space Race: China vs. the U.S. (Source: Time)
Both the U.S. and China have announced intentions of returning humans to the moon by 2020 at the earliest. But right now, the two countries are already in the early stages of a new space race that appears to have some of the heat and skullduggery of the one between Washington and Moscow during the Cold War, when space was a proxy battleground for geopolitical dominance. The scale of Dongfan Chung's alleged espionage for China is startling. According to the Justice Department, Chung may have been providing trade secrets to Chinese aerospace companies and government agents since 1979, when he was an engineer at Rockwell International, a company acquired by Boeing in 1996. He worked for Boeing until his retirement in March 2003, and continued to work as a contractor for the company until September 2006.
The indictment alleges that Chung gave China documents relating to the B-1 bomber and the Delta IV rocket, which is used to lift heavy payloads into space, as well as information on an advanced antenna array intended for the Space Shuttle. According to the indictment, Chinese officials gave Chung a shopping list of information to acquire for them. In one instance, Chung said that he would send documents through an official in China's San Francisco consulate. In another, a Chinese contact suggested he route information through a man named Chi Mak, a naturalized U.S. citizen who also worked as an engineer in California and who was convicted last year of attempting to provide China with information on an advanced naval propulsion system.
India's Moon Mission Likely to be Put Off to June (Source: The Hindu)
Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon, scheduled to be launched in April, is likely to be postponed to June, an Indian Space Research Organization official said. The much-awaited mission was originally scheduled to be held on April nine or April 23 from India's spaceport of Sriharikota. "Now, it looks doubtful in April. We are working on a (different) PSLV mission for March-April which is important. Chandrayaan-1 is likely to be postponed to June."
New Rocket Chief Replaces Ladner (Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror)
It wasn’t his vision alone, yet Pat Ladner said he helped put a privately owned spaceport on Kodiak together in 1992 and he’s been running it ever since. That is until last week, when it was officially announced that Dale Nash has taken over as president and CEO of Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. “All I did was take the vision of a spaceport in Alaska and made it happen,” Ladner said. “I didn’t do it by myself. There were people that have stood by this organization when everybody else just laughed. Without exception, all of our employees make this happen.”
Once the vision was realized, it had to be changed. “The whole vision of a spaceport in Alaska was based on the planned satellite constellations,” he said. “That was going to be the big commercial venture where you (launched) 60 to 80 satellites in one constellation.” A study showed that there were not enough commercial launch facilities to make that happen. “The problem was that the satellite industry didn’t mature as people thought it would,” Ladner said. “So we had to look for other launches for our launch complex.” The military soon began contracting the use of the facility. It has been launching various missiles ever since with Ladner as head of the company.
Experts See Spying Case at NASA as Wake-up Call (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Chinese engineers didn't gain any major advantages when an alleged spy passed U.S. space secrets to Beijing, but industry experts warn a more damaging leak could occur if authorities are not diligent. "The sky is not falling, but don't be naive and deny there are lots of groups out there who want to find out about our space program," said Jim Oberg. The worry is that China can convert stolen information into military technologies. "Any improvement made to a Chinese space rocket is folded into a military missile," Oberg said. "China is trying to steal as many secrets as they can from us," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who has asked for a NASA briefing on the espionage incident and warns this episode is only the beginning.
U.N. Weighs a Ban on Weapons in Space, but U.S. Still Objects (Source: New York Times)
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, on Tuesday presented a Russian-Chinese draft treaty banning weapons in space to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, an idea that was quickly rejected by the United States. Russia and China have pushed for years for a treaty to prevent an arms race in space, a threat underlined by China last year after it shot down one of its own aging satellites. Responding to previous American assertions that there is no arms race in space and therefore no need for a treaty, Mr. Lavrov instead submitted a draft on “prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, the threat or use of force against outer space objects.”
Japan Delays High-Speed Internet Satellite Launch (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Japan's space agency said it was delaying the launch of a satellite aimed at providing high-speed Internet access across Asia due to a technical problem with its rocket. Japan was slated Friday to launch the Kazuna, an experimental satellite looking at how to bring broadband-speed service across Asia even when terrestrial infrastructure goes down. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it discovered a problem with the gas jet thruster for its H-2A launch rocket on Tuesday at its spaceport on the southern island of Tanegashima. The satellite was jointly developed by JAXA and industrial giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which is handling the launch for the second time since the H-2A was privatized in April 2007.
February 12 News Items
Experts Discuss U.S. Space Plan (Source: New York Times)
At Stanford University on Tuesday, 50 space experts and advocates from NASA, industry, academia and advocacy groups are gathering to ask whether the United States is on the right track in its plans to reach the Moon by 2020, build a long-term lunar base there and eventually send humans to Mars. Louis Friedman of the Planetary Society said one reason for the meeting was that a new president and Congress would be coming to Washington next year. “There are new political forces coming in that are not wedded to the vision for space exploration” put forth in 2004 by President Bush.
Dr. Friedman, a host of the meeting, said that with the tight budget for space exploration, it was a good time to hash out ideas to prepare for the transition. Early coverage of the meeting suggested that those attending were ready to recommend scrapping proposals for a long-term lunar base and moving on quickly to explore asteroids. That coverage generated controversy and startled the hosts. One host insisted that the slate for the meeting was clean and that it was intended to address specific proposals and the overall drain of science resources from fields like aeronautics and Earth observation science.
The workshop has clearly rankled Michael Griffin, NASA’s administrator, who issued a response last month arguing that “the questions to be raised at this conference have been asked and answered.” Many voices, he said, were heard in the planning of the program, which Congress finalized in 2005. John Logsdon, of George Washington University, said re-examining the four-year-old vision for space exploration was “perfectly appropriate” since “this is not setting the course for the next decade, it’s setting the course for the next century and beyond.”
Astronaut Mum on What Ailed Him (Source: AP)
The German astronaut who was too sick to perform a spacewalk refused to say what ailed him, but insisted he's feeling great—albeit a little anxious—for Wednesday's outing. Hans Schlegel will float outside the linked space shuttle Atlantis and international space station two days after sitting out the flight's first spacewalk, which involved installing Europe's new Columbus science lab. Schlegel said he backed NASA's decision to pull him off the first spacewalk because his illness. "Nobody could have been happier than me when we finished (Monday's spacewalk) with the major objectives all done," he said in a series of broadcast interviews. "So that's all I want to say because medical issues are private."
Air Force Allows ATK to Receive New Government Contracts (Source: Bloomberg News)
Alliant Techsystems Inc., the only maker of reusable solid-rocket motors for the U.S. space shuttle fleet, can receive new government contracts for its launch-systems group after the Air Force ended an 11-day-old ban. The ban, which began Jan. 31, was lifted Monday, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Tom Wenz, in a statement. He declined to comment on the reasons the ban was terminated. The Air Force issued the ban as part of its lawsuit against Alliant, based in Edina, Minn., over the sale of $100 million in illumination flares used in search-and-rescue operations, which the service called defective. Alliant denies those claims and filed a motion in federal court to dismiss the lawsuit.
John Glenn Endorses Clinton (Source: AP)
In 1962, Glenn, a Marine pilot, was the first American to orbit the Earth, becoming an instant national hero. In 1998, shortly before retiring from Senate after 24 years, he became the world's oldest astronaut, returning to space aboard the Shuttle Discovery at age 77. Glenn briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984. "I am deeply honored to have the support of Senator Glenn, a true American hero," Clinton said. "With his help, we'll bring our message of change across Ohio.
At Stanford University on Tuesday, 50 space experts and advocates from NASA, industry, academia and advocacy groups are gathering to ask whether the United States is on the right track in its plans to reach the Moon by 2020, build a long-term lunar base there and eventually send humans to Mars. Louis Friedman of the Planetary Society said one reason for the meeting was that a new president and Congress would be coming to Washington next year. “There are new political forces coming in that are not wedded to the vision for space exploration” put forth in 2004 by President Bush.
Dr. Friedman, a host of the meeting, said that with the tight budget for space exploration, it was a good time to hash out ideas to prepare for the transition. Early coverage of the meeting suggested that those attending were ready to recommend scrapping proposals for a long-term lunar base and moving on quickly to explore asteroids. That coverage generated controversy and startled the hosts. One host insisted that the slate for the meeting was clean and that it was intended to address specific proposals and the overall drain of science resources from fields like aeronautics and Earth observation science.
The workshop has clearly rankled Michael Griffin, NASA’s administrator, who issued a response last month arguing that “the questions to be raised at this conference have been asked and answered.” Many voices, he said, were heard in the planning of the program, which Congress finalized in 2005. John Logsdon, of George Washington University, said re-examining the four-year-old vision for space exploration was “perfectly appropriate” since “this is not setting the course for the next decade, it’s setting the course for the next century and beyond.”
Astronaut Mum on What Ailed Him (Source: AP)
The German astronaut who was too sick to perform a spacewalk refused to say what ailed him, but insisted he's feeling great—albeit a little anxious—for Wednesday's outing. Hans Schlegel will float outside the linked space shuttle Atlantis and international space station two days after sitting out the flight's first spacewalk, which involved installing Europe's new Columbus science lab. Schlegel said he backed NASA's decision to pull him off the first spacewalk because his illness. "Nobody could have been happier than me when we finished (Monday's spacewalk) with the major objectives all done," he said in a series of broadcast interviews. "So that's all I want to say because medical issues are private."
Air Force Allows ATK to Receive New Government Contracts (Source: Bloomberg News)
Alliant Techsystems Inc., the only maker of reusable solid-rocket motors for the U.S. space shuttle fleet, can receive new government contracts for its launch-systems group after the Air Force ended an 11-day-old ban. The ban, which began Jan. 31, was lifted Monday, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Tom Wenz, in a statement. He declined to comment on the reasons the ban was terminated. The Air Force issued the ban as part of its lawsuit against Alliant, based in Edina, Minn., over the sale of $100 million in illumination flares used in search-and-rescue operations, which the service called defective. Alliant denies those claims and filed a motion in federal court to dismiss the lawsuit.
John Glenn Endorses Clinton (Source: AP)
In 1962, Glenn, a Marine pilot, was the first American to orbit the Earth, becoming an instant national hero. In 1998, shortly before retiring from Senate after 24 years, he became the world's oldest astronaut, returning to space aboard the Shuttle Discovery at age 77. Glenn briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984. "I am deeply honored to have the support of Senator Glenn, a true American hero," Clinton said. "With his help, we'll bring our message of change across Ohio.
February 11 News Items
Apollo 13 Flight Controller to Speak at Embry-Riddle (Source: ERAU)
A former NASA flight controller will speak about his dramatic experiences in the Apollo lunar program Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The main focus of Sy Liebergot’s presentation will be the survival story of Apollo 13, in which the failure of a cryogenic oxygen tank nearly cost three astronauts their lives. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held 4-6 p.m. in the Willie Miller Instructional Center auditorium on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus.
CCTS Plans Annual Engineers Week Banquet at Florida Tech (Source: CCTS)
The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies will host its Annual Engineers Week Banquet on Feb. 22 at the Florida Institute of Technology's College of Engineering, in Melbourne. The guest speaker will be Dr. Hector Gutiérrréz, who will discuss Electromagnetic Launch Using Superconducting Sled and Transverse Magnetic Fields. The lecture will be followed by a CCTS Awards Ceremony. For information and to RSVP, call 321-674-6162 or mailto:johnsont@fit.edu by Tuesday, Feb. 19. Proceeds will benefit Florida Tech engineering students.
Defense Budget Continues to Grow, Surprising Some Observers (Source: AIA)
The defense spending proposal made by the Bush administration last week will fund some of the nation's largest weapons programs, and it indicates that defense firms will continue to post strong profits this year. "The expectation has been that it can't continue to increase as it has," Phil Finnegan, a defense analyst at the Teal Group. "But it has surprised everyone to see how long this increase has continued. This budget was a great budget for all defense contractors."
India and the US: Partners or Rivals in Space? (Source: Space Review)
India's space program is evolving from one focused strictly on practical benefits to one that supports exploration and, perhaps, human spaceflight. Jeff Foust reports on Indian officials see the future of their space program, and what effect that will have on relations with the US. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1056/1 to view the article.
Space Policy Optimists and Others (Source: Space Review)
The next president will have the opportunity to continue, alter, or terminate NASA's current exploration effort. Taylor Dinerman describes discussion on this topic at a recent forum and its implications for human spaceflight in general. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1055/1 to view the article.
Endeavour Readied for Next Shuttle Launch (Source: Florida Today)
The orbiter Endeavour is in the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building after a move this morning from its shuttle processing hangar. The orbiter will be hoisted above a mobile launcher platform and then connected to an external tank with attached solid rocket boosters. The fully assembled shuttle is scheduled to roll out to launch pad 39A a week from today. Endeavour and seven astronauts are scheduled to launch March 11 on a mission to deliver a two-armed Canadian robot and the first section of the Japanese Kibo science research facility to the International Space Station.
US Space Shuttle, Delta-IV Secrets 'Were Given to China' (Sources: Telegraph, AFP)
Four people have been arrested in the United States accused of spying for China to acquire trade and state secrets, including details of the Space Shuttle program. The Justice Department said that a Boeing engineer was arrested on charges of stealing trade secrets relating to the Shuttle and other aerospace programs and passing them to officials in "the motherland". Dongfan "Greg" Chung, 72, who worked on US defense and space projects for more than 25 years, was arrested by FBI officers and NASA investigators at his home in California. Chung, a Chinese-born naturalised US citizen, who was indicted last week on charges of espionage, is accused of stealing economic secrets, conspiracy and other offences.
The engineer was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until its defense and space unit was acquired by Boeing in 1996 and held a secret security clearance to the Shuttle program. He retired from the company in 2002, but in 2003 returned to Boeing as a contractor, a position he held until September 2006. According to a 14-count set of charges against Chung, he took and concealed Boeing trade secrets relating to the Space Shuttle, the C-17 military transport aircraft and the Delta IV rocket with the intention of benefiting China.
In another case, Pentagon official Gregg William Bergersen, Chinese citizen Yu Xin Kang and Taiwan-born US citizen Tai Shen Kuo were held for allegedly passing classified information to China, mostly pertaining to US military sales to Taiwan, according to Justice Department officials. Bergersen, 51, is a weapons systems policy analyst at the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which implement's the US Defense Department's foreign military sales program.
Indian Space Agency Was a Terror Target (Source: Hindustan Times)
A day after six LeT militants were arrested for their alleged involvement in the January 1 attack on the CRPF camp in Rampur, the special task force of Uttar Pradesh police on Monday arrested two more suspected militants – Gulab Khan and Mohammad Kausar – in this connection. According to the police, Khan had offered his motor garage for storing weapons used in the attack in which eight persons, including seven security personnel, were killed. Police claimed the six ultras had plans to target the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at Bangalore before attacking the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The police learnt of the ISRO plan after the arrest of Gulab Khan from Bareilly on Monday.
Indian Agency Plans More Israeli Spy Sat Launches (Source: Defense News)
India plans to launch more Israeli spy satellites from Indian territory, say sources in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), despite domestic political opposition. Last month, India launched an Israeli spy satellite from the Sriharikota space center in east India, prompting strong condemnation from the Communist Party, which supports the ruling United Progressive Alliance and whose support is necessary for the government to remain in power. Iran also has objected to the launch of Israeli satellites from Indian soil. ISRO sources say Israeli satellites will be launched aboard Indian rockets, adding that ISRO intends to earn additional revenue from rocket launches in the future. The launch of future Israeli satellites could come close to general elections slated in 2009 and may not be politically popular, said a source in the Indian Defense Ministry.
Norwegian Satellite Put in Geostationary Orbit by Russian Proton (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A Proton rocket carrying a Norwegian communications satellite blasted off from the snow-covered plains of Kazakhstan Monday, delivering its $217 million cargo to orbit more than nine hours later. The 184-foot-tall rocket began the marathon mission with a fiery launch from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan.
Bills Will Help Virginia Aim for the Stars (Source: Roanoke.com)
The General Assembly is considering legislation it hopes will launch Virginia's fledgling space industry into orbit. Both the Senate and House of Delegates unanimously passed bills last week to exempt companies involved in commercial space flight from paying corporate income tax. The idea, dubbed "Zero-G, Zero-Tax," is to make Virginia a player in the space industry. Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, who is sponsoring the House version of the bill, said the federal government wants to give the private sector a larger role in jobs such as replacing satellites and resupplying the international space station. "The government can't be doing all of this, especially just out of Florida, when there's so many other things that require national attention," Cosgrove said. "They're going more and more towards commercial opportunities. ... What we're trying to do is attract those companies into Virginia."
Raytheon Wins $75 Million Air Force Satellite Communications Contract (Source: Raytheon)
Raytheon has won the U.S. Air Force's competition to upgrade a satellite communications system that provides protected communications to warfighters around the world. The contract, valued in excess of $75 million, is for development and production of the Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network program upgrade, or MMPU. Raytheon began work on the current MMP solution for the Air Force in 1999 as part of a study contract.
Iran Says to Launch Two More Rockets in Space (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Iran is to launch two more rockets into space in the next few months, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Monday, after a firing of a rocket earlier this month sparked international concern. "Two other rockets will be launched so that we can then send a satellite into space," Ahmadinejad said at a rally in Tehran broadcast live on state television. "Iran's first home-produced satellite will be launched in the summer," he added, reiterating a prediction made by other Iranian officials who said the satellite would be launched in May.
Space Tourism Insurance to Be Expensive (Source: Space News)
The personal spaceflight business — also known as space tourism — will face high hurdles from the insurance business in its early years, according to several industry experts. Policy costs will be extremely high until companies fly without incident at least three times. And a string of early failures may well doom startups to business failure, one of three insurance experts on a panel about the subject said during a panel discussion at the Federal Aviation Administration's annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Early failures, whether by one company or by several, could make it almost impossible for the new industry to get insurance.
Atlas V Pad at Vandenberg AFB Ready (Source: Aviation Week)
It’s been a hurry-up-and-wait situation for United Launch Alliance’s refurbishment of the nearly half-century old Space Launch Complex-3 here, but a strengthened new pad is now ready to debut Atlas Vs on the Pacific Coast. The first mission liftoff, scheduled on Feb. 26, is for the National Reconnaissance Office using an Atlas V in a 411 configuration—a 4-meter (13.1-ft.)-dia. payload fairing, one Aerojet solid rocket booster (SRB) motor and a single Pratt & Whitney RL10 Centaur upper stage. Although classified, mission L-28 is believed to be a signals intelligence satellite bearing an attached Space-Based Infrared System Highly Elliptical Orbit payload for missile defense.
A former NASA flight controller will speak about his dramatic experiences in the Apollo lunar program Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The main focus of Sy Liebergot’s presentation will be the survival story of Apollo 13, in which the failure of a cryogenic oxygen tank nearly cost three astronauts their lives. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held 4-6 p.m. in the Willie Miller Instructional Center auditorium on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus.
CCTS Plans Annual Engineers Week Banquet at Florida Tech (Source: CCTS)
The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies will host its Annual Engineers Week Banquet on Feb. 22 at the Florida Institute of Technology's College of Engineering, in Melbourne. The guest speaker will be Dr. Hector Gutiérrréz, who will discuss Electromagnetic Launch Using Superconducting Sled and Transverse Magnetic Fields. The lecture will be followed by a CCTS Awards Ceremony. For information and to RSVP, call 321-674-6162 or mailto:johnsont@fit.edu by Tuesday, Feb. 19. Proceeds will benefit Florida Tech engineering students.
Defense Budget Continues to Grow, Surprising Some Observers (Source: AIA)
The defense spending proposal made by the Bush administration last week will fund some of the nation's largest weapons programs, and it indicates that defense firms will continue to post strong profits this year. "The expectation has been that it can't continue to increase as it has," Phil Finnegan, a defense analyst at the Teal Group. "But it has surprised everyone to see how long this increase has continued. This budget was a great budget for all defense contractors."
India and the US: Partners or Rivals in Space? (Source: Space Review)
India's space program is evolving from one focused strictly on practical benefits to one that supports exploration and, perhaps, human spaceflight. Jeff Foust reports on Indian officials see the future of their space program, and what effect that will have on relations with the US. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1056/1 to view the article.
Space Policy Optimists and Others (Source: Space Review)
The next president will have the opportunity to continue, alter, or terminate NASA's current exploration effort. Taylor Dinerman describes discussion on this topic at a recent forum and its implications for human spaceflight in general. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1055/1 to view the article.
Endeavour Readied for Next Shuttle Launch (Source: Florida Today)
The orbiter Endeavour is in the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building after a move this morning from its shuttle processing hangar. The orbiter will be hoisted above a mobile launcher platform and then connected to an external tank with attached solid rocket boosters. The fully assembled shuttle is scheduled to roll out to launch pad 39A a week from today. Endeavour and seven astronauts are scheduled to launch March 11 on a mission to deliver a two-armed Canadian robot and the first section of the Japanese Kibo science research facility to the International Space Station.
US Space Shuttle, Delta-IV Secrets 'Were Given to China' (Sources: Telegraph, AFP)
Four people have been arrested in the United States accused of spying for China to acquire trade and state secrets, including details of the Space Shuttle program. The Justice Department said that a Boeing engineer was arrested on charges of stealing trade secrets relating to the Shuttle and other aerospace programs and passing them to officials in "the motherland". Dongfan "Greg" Chung, 72, who worked on US defense and space projects for more than 25 years, was arrested by FBI officers and NASA investigators at his home in California. Chung, a Chinese-born naturalised US citizen, who was indicted last week on charges of espionage, is accused of stealing economic secrets, conspiracy and other offences.
The engineer was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until its defense and space unit was acquired by Boeing in 1996 and held a secret security clearance to the Shuttle program. He retired from the company in 2002, but in 2003 returned to Boeing as a contractor, a position he held until September 2006. According to a 14-count set of charges against Chung, he took and concealed Boeing trade secrets relating to the Space Shuttle, the C-17 military transport aircraft and the Delta IV rocket with the intention of benefiting China.
In another case, Pentagon official Gregg William Bergersen, Chinese citizen Yu Xin Kang and Taiwan-born US citizen Tai Shen Kuo were held for allegedly passing classified information to China, mostly pertaining to US military sales to Taiwan, according to Justice Department officials. Bergersen, 51, is a weapons systems policy analyst at the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which implement's the US Defense Department's foreign military sales program.
Indian Space Agency Was a Terror Target (Source: Hindustan Times)
A day after six LeT militants were arrested for their alleged involvement in the January 1 attack on the CRPF camp in Rampur, the special task force of Uttar Pradesh police on Monday arrested two more suspected militants – Gulab Khan and Mohammad Kausar – in this connection. According to the police, Khan had offered his motor garage for storing weapons used in the attack in which eight persons, including seven security personnel, were killed. Police claimed the six ultras had plans to target the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at Bangalore before attacking the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The police learnt of the ISRO plan after the arrest of Gulab Khan from Bareilly on Monday.
Indian Agency Plans More Israeli Spy Sat Launches (Source: Defense News)
India plans to launch more Israeli spy satellites from Indian territory, say sources in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), despite domestic political opposition. Last month, India launched an Israeli spy satellite from the Sriharikota space center in east India, prompting strong condemnation from the Communist Party, which supports the ruling United Progressive Alliance and whose support is necessary for the government to remain in power. Iran also has objected to the launch of Israeli satellites from Indian soil. ISRO sources say Israeli satellites will be launched aboard Indian rockets, adding that ISRO intends to earn additional revenue from rocket launches in the future. The launch of future Israeli satellites could come close to general elections slated in 2009 and may not be politically popular, said a source in the Indian Defense Ministry.
Norwegian Satellite Put in Geostationary Orbit by Russian Proton (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
A Proton rocket carrying a Norwegian communications satellite blasted off from the snow-covered plains of Kazakhstan Monday, delivering its $217 million cargo to orbit more than nine hours later. The 184-foot-tall rocket began the marathon mission with a fiery launch from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan.
Bills Will Help Virginia Aim for the Stars (Source: Roanoke.com)
The General Assembly is considering legislation it hopes will launch Virginia's fledgling space industry into orbit. Both the Senate and House of Delegates unanimously passed bills last week to exempt companies involved in commercial space flight from paying corporate income tax. The idea, dubbed "Zero-G, Zero-Tax," is to make Virginia a player in the space industry. Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, who is sponsoring the House version of the bill, said the federal government wants to give the private sector a larger role in jobs such as replacing satellites and resupplying the international space station. "The government can't be doing all of this, especially just out of Florida, when there's so many other things that require national attention," Cosgrove said. "They're going more and more towards commercial opportunities. ... What we're trying to do is attract those companies into Virginia."
Raytheon Wins $75 Million Air Force Satellite Communications Contract (Source: Raytheon)
Raytheon has won the U.S. Air Force's competition to upgrade a satellite communications system that provides protected communications to warfighters around the world. The contract, valued in excess of $75 million, is for development and production of the Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network program upgrade, or MMPU. Raytheon began work on the current MMP solution for the Air Force in 1999 as part of a study contract.
Iran Says to Launch Two More Rockets in Space (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Iran is to launch two more rockets into space in the next few months, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Monday, after a firing of a rocket earlier this month sparked international concern. "Two other rockets will be launched so that we can then send a satellite into space," Ahmadinejad said at a rally in Tehran broadcast live on state television. "Iran's first home-produced satellite will be launched in the summer," he added, reiterating a prediction made by other Iranian officials who said the satellite would be launched in May.
Space Tourism Insurance to Be Expensive (Source: Space News)
The personal spaceflight business — also known as space tourism — will face high hurdles from the insurance business in its early years, according to several industry experts. Policy costs will be extremely high until companies fly without incident at least three times. And a string of early failures may well doom startups to business failure, one of three insurance experts on a panel about the subject said during a panel discussion at the Federal Aviation Administration's annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Early failures, whether by one company or by several, could make it almost impossible for the new industry to get insurance.
Atlas V Pad at Vandenberg AFB Ready (Source: Aviation Week)
It’s been a hurry-up-and-wait situation for United Launch Alliance’s refurbishment of the nearly half-century old Space Launch Complex-3 here, but a strengthened new pad is now ready to debut Atlas Vs on the Pacific Coast. The first mission liftoff, scheduled on Feb. 26, is for the National Reconnaissance Office using an Atlas V in a 411 configuration—a 4-meter (13.1-ft.)-dia. payload fairing, one Aerojet solid rocket booster (SRB) motor and a single Pratt & Whitney RL10 Centaur upper stage. Although classified, mission L-28 is believed to be a signals intelligence satellite bearing an attached Space-Based Infrared System Highly Elliptical Orbit payload for missile defense.
February 10 News Items
NASA Langley Could See Funding Reduced by $92M (Source: DailyPress.com)
NASA Langley Research Center could see a $92million drop in its budget next year — a cut of about 13 percent — but the center director said Monday that work from other NASA centers should flow in over the year to make up the gap. Director Lesa B. Roe said Langley faces challenges in making sure the center can secure unbudgeted research, analysis and fabrication work over the next fiscal year in order to maintain funding and employment levels. Roe said she is optimistic that will happen and said Langley appears to be on sound footing throughout the five years included in President Bush's budget for NASA.
Colorado Offers Launchpad for Space Ventures (Source: Denver Post)
The Eighth Continent project at Colorado School of Mines is designed to integrate space technology and resources into the global economy. The Eighth Continent Project is a research hub, incubator, venture fund and chamber of commerce to organize the commercialization of space technology and resources. It focuses on "Space 2.0," which includes venture-backed entrepreneurs with new technologies and those that use space as a means rather than an end. The project was born from the Center for Space Resources, a NASA partnership for more than 10 years. It was to bring together industry, academia and government to give industry access to NASA technology so they can take the ideas and incorporate it into their own Earth technology.
Colorado was also the ideal place to jumpstart this because it has all the right components to develop a new commercial sector. You have the technologists, you have the investors, you have the entrepreneurs — you have all the background and the infrastructure to develop this new commercial sector. So that's why 8C came about. Visit http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_8212849 to view the article.
Stepping Up the Search for ET (Source: New Scientist)
The silence has been deafening. After almost 50 years of combing the skies, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) hasn't heard a peep from any alien neighbors. Now SETI researchers and physicists are debating whether the program needs a radical rethink. Last week, they met at a conference called "Sound of Silence" at Arizona State University to work out what they could do better. "Have we been looking in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong way?" asked conference organizer Paul Davies. Click here to view the article.
Gazcom To Orbit Two New Yamal-300 Satellites In 2009 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Gazcom will orbit two new Yamal-300 satellites in the first half of 2009, the telecommunications arm of Russia's energy giant Gazprom said Wednesday. In line with its commitments under a contract with satellite supplier Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, as of the end of 2007, Gascom has paid around 50% of the project fees.
NASA Langley Research Center could see a $92million drop in its budget next year — a cut of about 13 percent — but the center director said Monday that work from other NASA centers should flow in over the year to make up the gap. Director Lesa B. Roe said Langley faces challenges in making sure the center can secure unbudgeted research, analysis and fabrication work over the next fiscal year in order to maintain funding and employment levels. Roe said she is optimistic that will happen and said Langley appears to be on sound footing throughout the five years included in President Bush's budget for NASA.
Colorado Offers Launchpad for Space Ventures (Source: Denver Post)
The Eighth Continent project at Colorado School of Mines is designed to integrate space technology and resources into the global economy. The Eighth Continent Project is a research hub, incubator, venture fund and chamber of commerce to organize the commercialization of space technology and resources. It focuses on "Space 2.0," which includes venture-backed entrepreneurs with new technologies and those that use space as a means rather than an end. The project was born from the Center for Space Resources, a NASA partnership for more than 10 years. It was to bring together industry, academia and government to give industry access to NASA technology so they can take the ideas and incorporate it into their own Earth technology.
Colorado was also the ideal place to jumpstart this because it has all the right components to develop a new commercial sector. You have the technologists, you have the investors, you have the entrepreneurs — you have all the background and the infrastructure to develop this new commercial sector. So that's why 8C came about. Visit http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_8212849 to view the article.
Stepping Up the Search for ET (Source: New Scientist)
The silence has been deafening. After almost 50 years of combing the skies, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) hasn't heard a peep from any alien neighbors. Now SETI researchers and physicists are debating whether the program needs a radical rethink. Last week, they met at a conference called "Sound of Silence" at Arizona State University to work out what they could do better. "Have we been looking in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong way?" asked conference organizer Paul Davies. Click here to view the article.
Gazcom To Orbit Two New Yamal-300 Satellites In 2009 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Gazcom will orbit two new Yamal-300 satellites in the first half of 2009, the telecommunications arm of Russia's energy giant Gazprom said Wednesday. In line with its commitments under a contract with satellite supplier Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, as of the end of 2007, Gascom has paid around 50% of the project fees.
February 9 News Items
Griffin: Lost Contracts Fuel Criticism of NASA (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA chief Michael Griffin lashed out this week at criticisms of his agency's space plans and new rocket designs, saying they are being fueled by big aerospace companies that are desperate to win back agency contracts. "This is not so much an argument that people are having with NASA," he said during an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. "It's about winning contractors versus losing contractors, and losing contractors spotting an opportunity coincident with an election year to reopen what was a settled issue three years ago." Changing course now, he said, would be costly, ill-advised and almost certainly result in disaster for America's civil space program.
Recent reports of technical problems with the Ares I rocket are feeding a growing perception that it is just another NASA idea that will never get off the ground. Some studies of Ares indicate that the rocket would shake so much during liftoff that it would be unsafe for astronauts. Some rocket engineers have disliked the project since NASA in 2005 chose to build the Ares I rather than buying the Atlas V. The drumbeat grew louder last week when Bigelow Aerospace announced it intended to use the Atlas V to fly commercial manned flights by 2012, three years before Ares I is slated to make its first manned flight.
The Atlas V is made by United Launch Alliance, which has never publicly criticized Ares I or suggested that its rocket systems should be reconsidered as a viable alternative for Ares. But congressional staffers have said ULA is lobbying hard behind the scenes for more opportunities for its rockets. Griffin said the Atlas V lacks the thrust to send the Orion capsule to the moon. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-griffin0908feb09,0,1682085.story to view the article.
Helms Wins National Space Club Debus Award (Source: NSC)
Brigadier General Susan Helms, commander of the 45th Space Wing, will be honored with the 2008 Debus Award by the Florida Committee of the National Space Club. The annual Debus Dinner will be held on April 19 at the KSC Visitor Complex. To reserve seats or tables for this optional-black-tie event, contact LaDonna Neterer at 321-505-2037, or mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com.
Atlantis Delivers New Space Lab, German Astronaut Falls Ill (Source: AP)
Space shuttle Atlantis and its astronauts delivered a sparkling new lab to the space station Saturday, but had to delay installing it by a day because of a crew member's medical problem. One of the two spacewalking astronauts who was to help install the $2 billion European science lab, Columbus, was pulled because of a non-life-threatening condition. The installation won't take place until Monday. NASA officials would not say why German astronaut Hans Schlegel was being replaced by Stanley Love to perform the task, but Atlantis' commander, Stephen Frick, requested a private medical conference with flight surgeons shortly after reaching the space station. Schlegel, a two-time space flier, was supposed to venture outside with American Rex Walheim on the first two spacewalks. Love was supposed to go out with Walheim on only the third spacewalk.
EchoStar Invests in TerreStar (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Satellite television company EchoStar is among the companies that will invest $300 million into mobile satellite services company TerreStar, enabling the company to complete the development and launch of its first satellite. EchoStar is joining with private equity firm Harbinger Capital and other, unnamed investors to put $300 million into TerreStar. $200 million of which will be made available immediately to complete the construction and launch of TerreStar-1. The remaining $100 million will be used to start work on a second satellite that is a requirement of TerreStar's license with the FCC. The investment will also give TerreStar access to additional spectrum controlled by EchoStar and Harbinger. TerreStar plans to use its satellite, coupled with an ancillary terrestrial network, to provide high-speed data services in North America.
Spacecom Rejects SES Takeover Bid (Source: Space News)
Commercial satellite operator Spacecom of Israel has rejected a takeover bid by SES of Luxembourg, saying its large rival is undercounting the value of Spacecom's business and proposing to leave Spacecom with a single satellite whose revenue would be insufficient to guarantee Spacecom's future.
USAF Might Mandate Use of Extra EELV Capacity (Source: Space News)
Top U.S. Air Force officials hope to issue a new policy within the next few months mandating the use of an existing, but little used device that allows small satellites to be included as secondary payloads aboard Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV). The EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring, which was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory is used to launch small satellites weighing 100 kilograms or less. A congressional aide said the new policy would be welcomed since it would enable deployment of many more small satellites than can currently be launched.
NASA chief Michael Griffin lashed out this week at criticisms of his agency's space plans and new rocket designs, saying they are being fueled by big aerospace companies that are desperate to win back agency contracts. "This is not so much an argument that people are having with NASA," he said during an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. "It's about winning contractors versus losing contractors, and losing contractors spotting an opportunity coincident with an election year to reopen what was a settled issue three years ago." Changing course now, he said, would be costly, ill-advised and almost certainly result in disaster for America's civil space program.
Recent reports of technical problems with the Ares I rocket are feeding a growing perception that it is just another NASA idea that will never get off the ground. Some studies of Ares indicate that the rocket would shake so much during liftoff that it would be unsafe for astronauts. Some rocket engineers have disliked the project since NASA in 2005 chose to build the Ares I rather than buying the Atlas V. The drumbeat grew louder last week when Bigelow Aerospace announced it intended to use the Atlas V to fly commercial manned flights by 2012, three years before Ares I is slated to make its first manned flight.
The Atlas V is made by United Launch Alliance, which has never publicly criticized Ares I or suggested that its rocket systems should be reconsidered as a viable alternative for Ares. But congressional staffers have said ULA is lobbying hard behind the scenes for more opportunities for its rockets. Griffin said the Atlas V lacks the thrust to send the Orion capsule to the moon. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-griffin0908feb09,0,1682085.story to view the article.
Helms Wins National Space Club Debus Award (Source: NSC)
Brigadier General Susan Helms, commander of the 45th Space Wing, will be honored with the 2008 Debus Award by the Florida Committee of the National Space Club. The annual Debus Dinner will be held on April 19 at the KSC Visitor Complex. To reserve seats or tables for this optional-black-tie event, contact LaDonna Neterer at 321-505-2037, or mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com.
Atlantis Delivers New Space Lab, German Astronaut Falls Ill (Source: AP)
Space shuttle Atlantis and its astronauts delivered a sparkling new lab to the space station Saturday, but had to delay installing it by a day because of a crew member's medical problem. One of the two spacewalking astronauts who was to help install the $2 billion European science lab, Columbus, was pulled because of a non-life-threatening condition. The installation won't take place until Monday. NASA officials would not say why German astronaut Hans Schlegel was being replaced by Stanley Love to perform the task, but Atlantis' commander, Stephen Frick, requested a private medical conference with flight surgeons shortly after reaching the space station. Schlegel, a two-time space flier, was supposed to venture outside with American Rex Walheim on the first two spacewalks. Love was supposed to go out with Walheim on only the third spacewalk.
EchoStar Invests in TerreStar (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Satellite television company EchoStar is among the companies that will invest $300 million into mobile satellite services company TerreStar, enabling the company to complete the development and launch of its first satellite. EchoStar is joining with private equity firm Harbinger Capital and other, unnamed investors to put $300 million into TerreStar. $200 million of which will be made available immediately to complete the construction and launch of TerreStar-1. The remaining $100 million will be used to start work on a second satellite that is a requirement of TerreStar's license with the FCC. The investment will also give TerreStar access to additional spectrum controlled by EchoStar and Harbinger. TerreStar plans to use its satellite, coupled with an ancillary terrestrial network, to provide high-speed data services in North America.
Spacecom Rejects SES Takeover Bid (Source: Space News)
Commercial satellite operator Spacecom of Israel has rejected a takeover bid by SES of Luxembourg, saying its large rival is undercounting the value of Spacecom's business and proposing to leave Spacecom with a single satellite whose revenue would be insufficient to guarantee Spacecom's future.
USAF Might Mandate Use of Extra EELV Capacity (Source: Space News)
Top U.S. Air Force officials hope to issue a new policy within the next few months mandating the use of an existing, but little used device that allows small satellites to be included as secondary payloads aboard Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV). The EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring, which was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory is used to launch small satellites weighing 100 kilograms or less. A congressional aide said the new policy would be welcomed since it would enable deployment of many more small satellites than can currently be launched.
February 8 News Items
Scaled Composites Appeals Fines (Source: Bakersfield Californian)
Scaled Composites has filed notices of appeal for all the state citations against it for a fatal accident on July 26, 2007, according to a spokeswoman for Cal OSHA. On July 26, employees of Scaled Composites were conducting a propellant test of nitrous oxide when an explosion happened at the Mojave Air & Space Port. Scaled Composites, the makers of SpaceShipOne, rents testing space there. In January, the state issued $25,870 in fines for violations such as not providing procedures for identifying and evaluating workplace hazards and lack of monitoring exposures to nitrous oxide. On the day of the explosion, employees were working on the rocket propulsion test site, according to the state's summary report. Three seconds after flow of nitrous oxide began for the test, an explosion occurred.
KSC Explores Alternate Uses for Spaceport Property (Source: KSC)
NASA KSC is seeking information and formal expressions of interest from industry, academia, and other prospective parties to identify potential alternative land uses and activities for approximately 700 acres of citrus groves currently in active production on space center property. NASA seeks to provide interested parties an opportunity to assist in planning for innovative and environmentally sound uses of the property. NASA intends to use the information provided in response to this RFI to determine, in its sole discretion, the potential for alternative land uses deemed appropriate and compatible with NASA’s operation at KSC in support of the agency’s missions. Visit http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=128613 for information.
SIFT Enlists Aerospace Companies to Host Teacher Summer Jobs (Source: SIFT)
The Summer Industrial Fellowship for Teachers (SIFT), now in its 18th year, is enlisting Central Florida aerospace and technology companies to host summer jobs for local teachers. The program provides highly motivated teachers to serve as temporary employees, giving them "real-world" experience in industry that they can bring back to their classrooms and students. The teachers can win cash awards for developing lesson plans based on their work experience. The program has provided over 750 summer jobs in more than 60 different organizations, including industry, the Air Force and NASA. Visit http://www.floridasift.com for information.
Griffin: No Mass Layoffs Lurking at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's sun-setting shuttle program will see a significant reduction in the number of people it employs in 2009, but mass layoffs are not expected at Kennedy Space Center. In fact, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin says normal agency attrition and retirement rates, along with transfers to lunar exploration, may eliminate any need for pink slips at the Florida spaceport. "You're not going to see 1,000 jobs come out of the KSC area next year. That's not going to happen," Griffin said in an interview Thursday. "Just because the shuttle program is not paying for somebody to work doesn't mean that NASA is not paying somebody to work.
We've got more than one account at NASA."
Scaled Composites has filed notices of appeal for all the state citations against it for a fatal accident on July 26, 2007, according to a spokeswoman for Cal OSHA. On July 26, employees of Scaled Composites were conducting a propellant test of nitrous oxide when an explosion happened at the Mojave Air & Space Port. Scaled Composites, the makers of SpaceShipOne, rents testing space there. In January, the state issued $25,870 in fines for violations such as not providing procedures for identifying and evaluating workplace hazards and lack of monitoring exposures to nitrous oxide. On the day of the explosion, employees were working on the rocket propulsion test site, according to the state's summary report. Three seconds after flow of nitrous oxide began for the test, an explosion occurred.
KSC Explores Alternate Uses for Spaceport Property (Source: KSC)
NASA KSC is seeking information and formal expressions of interest from industry, academia, and other prospective parties to identify potential alternative land uses and activities for approximately 700 acres of citrus groves currently in active production on space center property. NASA seeks to provide interested parties an opportunity to assist in planning for innovative and environmentally sound uses of the property. NASA intends to use the information provided in response to this RFI to determine, in its sole discretion, the potential for alternative land uses deemed appropriate and compatible with NASA’s operation at KSC in support of the agency’s missions. Visit http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=128613 for information.
SIFT Enlists Aerospace Companies to Host Teacher Summer Jobs (Source: SIFT)
The Summer Industrial Fellowship for Teachers (SIFT), now in its 18th year, is enlisting Central Florida aerospace and technology companies to host summer jobs for local teachers. The program provides highly motivated teachers to serve as temporary employees, giving them "real-world" experience in industry that they can bring back to their classrooms and students. The teachers can win cash awards for developing lesson plans based on their work experience. The program has provided over 750 summer jobs in more than 60 different organizations, including industry, the Air Force and NASA. Visit http://www.floridasift.com for information.
Griffin: No Mass Layoffs Lurking at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's sun-setting shuttle program will see a significant reduction in the number of people it employs in 2009, but mass layoffs are not expected at Kennedy Space Center. In fact, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin says normal agency attrition and retirement rates, along with transfers to lunar exploration, may eliminate any need for pink slips at the Florida spaceport. "You're not going to see 1,000 jobs come out of the KSC area next year. That's not going to happen," Griffin said in an interview Thursday. "Just because the shuttle program is not paying for somebody to work doesn't mean that NASA is not paying somebody to work.
We've got more than one account at NASA."
February 7 News Items
NASA Selects Florida School to Fly Project on 'Weightless Wonder' (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected South Plantation High School of Plantation, Fla., to fly a student-designed experiment aboard the agency's reduced-gravity aircraft, the "Weightless Wonder." South Plantation will join 13 other NASA Explorer School teams selected for this unique learning experience to test science and math concepts in a weightless laboratory aboard the Weightless Wonder this month. The modified McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jetliner will fly a series of parabolic maneuvers -- steep climbs followed by sharp descents. Each climb will produce about 30 seconds of hyper gravity, ranging from 1.8 to 2 G's. When the C-9 "noses over," each free fall will produce 18 to 25 seconds of weightlessness. The teams will fly about 32 parabolas.
The school's immediate mission is to finalize the concept of its experiment and work with a NASA mentor to get the experiment flight-ready. The team decided which educators will execute and accompany the experiment aboard the aircraft. They traveled to NASA's aircraft facility at Ellington Field and the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The goal of the NASA Explorer School Program is to equip the next generation of explorers. These flights are an illustration of how NASA can connect space, math and science to classrooms on Earth," said Rob Lasalvia, program manager.
Cash Woes Ground Japanese Rocket Project (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
Not all systems are go, at least funding-wise, for the private end of a joint public-private project for developing the country's first midsize rocket, as one firm involved requested Tuesday that the government step in to help it keep its part of the project flying. The GX Launch Vehicle is a two-stage midsize rocket. Work on its development began in 2003 with the private sector taking charge of producing the rocket's first stage and designing the whole system. One of the companies involved, IHI Corp., is now proposing the government become part of the private end of the project.
IHI (formerly Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co.) submitted the proposal at a performance evaluation subcommittee meeting of the Education, Science and Technology Ministry's Space Activities Commission. The project has faced substantial delays, with the planned first launch having been pushed back from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2011, due mainly to engine trouble in the rocket's second stage. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been in charge of developing the engine. At the meeting, it was discovered that JAXA had not reported some of the problems to the Space Activities Commission.
France Says Iranian "Rocket" Cannot Work in Space (Source: Reuters)
France said on Thursday an Iranian rocket Tehran says is intended to put a satellite into orbit is in fact a missile that cannot navigate in space, and added to concerns that the technology is aimed at making weapons. Washington, Iran's arch-foe, reacted by saying Tehran's missile-testing was unfortunate. Russia, which has closer ties, said the launch raised the suspicion that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons, an allegation that Tehran denies.
Atlantis Launches, Safely Reaches Orbit (Source: Florida Today)
The space shuttle Atlantis and seven astronauts safely reached orbit after a perfect countdown and launch from Kennedy Space Center. The crew and their spaceship are now in orbit moving toward a rendezvous with the International Space Station. The orbiter and astronauts will deliver a European science laboratory to the outpost, completing a vision decades in the making. Commander Steve Frick and six crewmates are scheduled for an 11-day mission that could be extended to 12 days if needed. Three spacewalks are planned to deliver and install the module.
NASA has selected South Plantation High School of Plantation, Fla., to fly a student-designed experiment aboard the agency's reduced-gravity aircraft, the "Weightless Wonder." South Plantation will join 13 other NASA Explorer School teams selected for this unique learning experience to test science and math concepts in a weightless laboratory aboard the Weightless Wonder this month. The modified McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jetliner will fly a series of parabolic maneuvers -- steep climbs followed by sharp descents. Each climb will produce about 30 seconds of hyper gravity, ranging from 1.8 to 2 G's. When the C-9 "noses over," each free fall will produce 18 to 25 seconds of weightlessness. The teams will fly about 32 parabolas.
The school's immediate mission is to finalize the concept of its experiment and work with a NASA mentor to get the experiment flight-ready. The team decided which educators will execute and accompany the experiment aboard the aircraft. They traveled to NASA's aircraft facility at Ellington Field and the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The goal of the NASA Explorer School Program is to equip the next generation of explorers. These flights are an illustration of how NASA can connect space, math and science to classrooms on Earth," said Rob Lasalvia, program manager.
Cash Woes Ground Japanese Rocket Project (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
Not all systems are go, at least funding-wise, for the private end of a joint public-private project for developing the country's first midsize rocket, as one firm involved requested Tuesday that the government step in to help it keep its part of the project flying. The GX Launch Vehicle is a two-stage midsize rocket. Work on its development began in 2003 with the private sector taking charge of producing the rocket's first stage and designing the whole system. One of the companies involved, IHI Corp., is now proposing the government become part of the private end of the project.
IHI (formerly Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co.) submitted the proposal at a performance evaluation subcommittee meeting of the Education, Science and Technology Ministry's Space Activities Commission. The project has faced substantial delays, with the planned first launch having been pushed back from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2011, due mainly to engine trouble in the rocket's second stage. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been in charge of developing the engine. At the meeting, it was discovered that JAXA had not reported some of the problems to the Space Activities Commission.
France Says Iranian "Rocket" Cannot Work in Space (Source: Reuters)
France said on Thursday an Iranian rocket Tehran says is intended to put a satellite into orbit is in fact a missile that cannot navigate in space, and added to concerns that the technology is aimed at making weapons. Washington, Iran's arch-foe, reacted by saying Tehran's missile-testing was unfortunate. Russia, which has closer ties, said the launch raised the suspicion that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons, an allegation that Tehran denies.
Atlantis Launches, Safely Reaches Orbit (Source: Florida Today)
The space shuttle Atlantis and seven astronauts safely reached orbit after a perfect countdown and launch from Kennedy Space Center. The crew and their spaceship are now in orbit moving toward a rendezvous with the International Space Station. The orbiter and astronauts will deliver a European science laboratory to the outpost, completing a vision decades in the making. Commander Steve Frick and six crewmates are scheduled for an 11-day mission that could be extended to 12 days if needed. Three spacewalks are planned to deliver and install the module.
February 6 News Items
Russia Suspicious Over Iran Space Launch Test (Source: BBC)
Russia thinks the launch of an Iranian rocket into space raises suspicion over the true aim of its nuclear program, a foreign ministry official has said. "Long-range missiles are one of the components of a [nuclear] weapons system," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said. Therefore Monday's test launch of Iran's Explorer-1 space rocket was "of course, a cause for concern", he said. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely for peaceful energy production. Correspondents say the statement by Mr Losyukov appeared to indicate that Moscow increasingly shares Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear course. "It increases suspicion of Iran regarding its possible desire to create a nuclear weapon," he was quoted as saying.
Progress Launched to Space Station (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Soyuz rocket successfully launched a new Progress cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Tuesday and placed the Progress M-63 spacecraft (designated Progress 28 by NASA) into orbit. The unmanned cargo spacecraft, carrying 2.5 tons of supplies, is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday. An older Progress, M-62, undocked from the station on Monday to free the docking port on the Pirs module for the new Progress.
Bigelow Plans May Bring Jobs to Florida (Source: Florida Today)
A start-up company planning a private space station is considering launching crew and cargo from Cape Canaveral starting in late 2011. American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin would upgrade its Atlas 5 rocket for human space flight as part of the endeavor -- a potential economic boon for the state of Florida. The new venture could help offset the anticipated loss of 2,500 to 3,500 Florida jobs when NASA retires its shuttle fleet in late 2010. The number of jobs that might be created remains unclear.
Bigelow intends to build a commercial complex in low Earth orbit that would be visited by space tourists, scientific researchers and perhaps astronauts from countries that would like to become space-faring nations. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, would provide the launch services at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Bigelow plans to launch six missions in its first year of operation. Twelve missions would launch crews and cargo to the complex in 2013 and 2014, and by the fourth year of operations, the company would be launching 18 missions a year.
Air Force Gives NRO Satellite Contract to United Launch Alliance (Source: Denver Business Journal)
United Launch of Alliance of Denver has been awarded an Air Force contract worth $505 million to send three satellites into orbit. The three National Reconnaissance Office satellites will be carried aboard Delta IV rockets. The NRO is tasked with operating overhead reconnaissance missions for the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. Two of the missions will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The third will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
ISS Tourism Trips to End with October Garriott Flight (Source: Flight International)
Space tourism trips to the International Space Station will no longer be possible from May 2009 when the station increases its crew compliment from three to six, European Space Agency ISS program sources have told Flight. US company Space Adventures, which has co-operated with Russia's Federal Space Agency (FSA) to provide places for the tourists - called spaceflight participants - will no longer be able to offer flights. However Space Adventures insists it can still provide flight opportunities: "We have secured the April 2009 seat. We are working to secure additional seats for 2010, and beyond."
Negative Response to One Texas Spaceport Proposal (Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times)
A company with plans to offer commercial space flights within the next four years has returned to Kenedy County as a possible location for a resort-like spaceport. But the project isn't a fit now for Kenedy Memorial Foundation land. Space Access President Steve Wurst said he's considering several Texas sites, but would not talk specifically about Kenedy County. The Indiana-based company has spent 12 years developing a spacecraft that put the price of space travel similar to that of an ocean cruise vacation.
Space Access officials met about two months ago with representatives from the Kenedy Memorial Foundation, which owns land in the county, said foundation CEO Marc Cisneros. While Cisneros said the idea of sub-orbital flights and space-themed resorts is visionary, it isn't something the foundation is negotiating for now. "Right now, based on what we saw, what they wanted to do, the aspects of it were not of interest to the foundation," he said.
Beijing and Moscow to Propose Joint Space Treaty (Source: World Politics Review)
Valery Loshchinin, Russia's ambassador to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, revealed that on Feb. 12, Russia and China will present a joint draft treaty to restrict the deployment of weapons in outer space. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to address the 65-member, U.N.-affiliated forum on that day. Neither Russian nor Chinese government representatives have publicly indicated what provisions are included in the draft treaty. Nevertheless, both governments have long been concerned by U.S. military programs in this realm. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits countries from basing weapons of mass destruction in space, but its application to space-based missile defenses involving lasers or other non-nuclear weapons remains under dispute.
Critics Say Ares Rocket is Flawed (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The rocket that NASA is betting on to return humans to space after the space shuttle retires is in trouble. Assailed by a loud chorus of critics, hobbled by a lack of money and beset by technical problems, the Ares I launch vehicle is suffering from a growing perception that it is another NASA project that will never get off the ground. In particular, some critics have urged that NASA ditch the untested Ares, a so-called "stick" rocket powered by five segments of the solid rocket boosters used on the shuttle, in favor of the Atlas V401, which is already used to reliably launch spy satellites into orbit.
Their arguments got a big boost Tuesday when a private startup space company, Bigelow Aerospace, announced that it is pursuing plans to use the Atlas V to put humans into space by 2012, three years before NASA plans to send its first manned Ares flight into low Earth orbit. NASA argues that the Atlas V currently is not robust enough to lift its 25-ton Orion crew capsule into space. Nonetheless, the news that entrepreneurs intend to employ an off-the-shelf rocket -- one that NASA rejected as being too expensive and unsafe to modify for its purposes -- was immediately seized on by Ares I critics.
Kennedy Space Center Could Face Job Losses NASA Budget Proposal (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA expects to shed as many as 1,000 workers from its space-shuttle program in 2009 — including an unspecified number at Kennedy Space Center — as part of a $17.6 billion budget outlined Monday by the White House. The job cuts represent the first major reduction of NASA's workforce since President Bush decided to retire the shuttle in 2010 to make way for Constellation.
In addition, NASA has pushed to reduce the costs of the Constellation program, including the number of people required to design and build the craft. All that is doubly worrisome for KSC, where the shuttle is prepared for flight and launched. Constellation isn't scheduled to launch until March 2015; in the interim, as many as 5,000 of KSC's 15,000 contractors and civil-service workers could lose their jobs. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said the budget amount was too low. He also continued his criticism of NASA's plans to rely on Russian rockets to send astronauts into space during the gap while KSC workers lose their jobs.
Russia thinks the launch of an Iranian rocket into space raises suspicion over the true aim of its nuclear program, a foreign ministry official has said. "Long-range missiles are one of the components of a [nuclear] weapons system," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said. Therefore Monday's test launch of Iran's Explorer-1 space rocket was "of course, a cause for concern", he said. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely for peaceful energy production. Correspondents say the statement by Mr Losyukov appeared to indicate that Moscow increasingly shares Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear course. "It increases suspicion of Iran regarding its possible desire to create a nuclear weapon," he was quoted as saying.
Progress Launched to Space Station (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Soyuz rocket successfully launched a new Progress cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station on Tuesday. The Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Tuesday and placed the Progress M-63 spacecraft (designated Progress 28 by NASA) into orbit. The unmanned cargo spacecraft, carrying 2.5 tons of supplies, is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Thursday. An older Progress, M-62, undocked from the station on Monday to free the docking port on the Pirs module for the new Progress.
Bigelow Plans May Bring Jobs to Florida (Source: Florida Today)
A start-up company planning a private space station is considering launching crew and cargo from Cape Canaveral starting in late 2011. American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin would upgrade its Atlas 5 rocket for human space flight as part of the endeavor -- a potential economic boon for the state of Florida. The new venture could help offset the anticipated loss of 2,500 to 3,500 Florida jobs when NASA retires its shuttle fleet in late 2010. The number of jobs that might be created remains unclear.
Bigelow intends to build a commercial complex in low Earth orbit that would be visited by space tourists, scientific researchers and perhaps astronauts from countries that would like to become space-faring nations. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, would provide the launch services at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Bigelow plans to launch six missions in its first year of operation. Twelve missions would launch crews and cargo to the complex in 2013 and 2014, and by the fourth year of operations, the company would be launching 18 missions a year.
Air Force Gives NRO Satellite Contract to United Launch Alliance (Source: Denver Business Journal)
United Launch of Alliance of Denver has been awarded an Air Force contract worth $505 million to send three satellites into orbit. The three National Reconnaissance Office satellites will be carried aboard Delta IV rockets. The NRO is tasked with operating overhead reconnaissance missions for the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. Two of the missions will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The third will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
ISS Tourism Trips to End with October Garriott Flight (Source: Flight International)
Space tourism trips to the International Space Station will no longer be possible from May 2009 when the station increases its crew compliment from three to six, European Space Agency ISS program sources have told Flight. US company Space Adventures, which has co-operated with Russia's Federal Space Agency (FSA) to provide places for the tourists - called spaceflight participants - will no longer be able to offer flights. However Space Adventures insists it can still provide flight opportunities: "We have secured the April 2009 seat. We are working to secure additional seats for 2010, and beyond."
Negative Response to One Texas Spaceport Proposal (Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times)
A company with plans to offer commercial space flights within the next four years has returned to Kenedy County as a possible location for a resort-like spaceport. But the project isn't a fit now for Kenedy Memorial Foundation land. Space Access President Steve Wurst said he's considering several Texas sites, but would not talk specifically about Kenedy County. The Indiana-based company has spent 12 years developing a spacecraft that put the price of space travel similar to that of an ocean cruise vacation.
Space Access officials met about two months ago with representatives from the Kenedy Memorial Foundation, which owns land in the county, said foundation CEO Marc Cisneros. While Cisneros said the idea of sub-orbital flights and space-themed resorts is visionary, it isn't something the foundation is negotiating for now. "Right now, based on what we saw, what they wanted to do, the aspects of it were not of interest to the foundation," he said.
Beijing and Moscow to Propose Joint Space Treaty (Source: World Politics Review)
Valery Loshchinin, Russia's ambassador to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, revealed that on Feb. 12, Russia and China will present a joint draft treaty to restrict the deployment of weapons in outer space. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to address the 65-member, U.N.-affiliated forum on that day. Neither Russian nor Chinese government representatives have publicly indicated what provisions are included in the draft treaty. Nevertheless, both governments have long been concerned by U.S. military programs in this realm. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits countries from basing weapons of mass destruction in space, but its application to space-based missile defenses involving lasers or other non-nuclear weapons remains under dispute.
Critics Say Ares Rocket is Flawed (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The rocket that NASA is betting on to return humans to space after the space shuttle retires is in trouble. Assailed by a loud chorus of critics, hobbled by a lack of money and beset by technical problems, the Ares I launch vehicle is suffering from a growing perception that it is another NASA project that will never get off the ground. In particular, some critics have urged that NASA ditch the untested Ares, a so-called "stick" rocket powered by five segments of the solid rocket boosters used on the shuttle, in favor of the Atlas V401, which is already used to reliably launch spy satellites into orbit.
Their arguments got a big boost Tuesday when a private startup space company, Bigelow Aerospace, announced that it is pursuing plans to use the Atlas V to put humans into space by 2012, three years before NASA plans to send its first manned Ares flight into low Earth orbit. NASA argues that the Atlas V currently is not robust enough to lift its 25-ton Orion crew capsule into space. Nonetheless, the news that entrepreneurs intend to employ an off-the-shelf rocket -- one that NASA rejected as being too expensive and unsafe to modify for its purposes -- was immediately seized on by Ares I critics.
Kennedy Space Center Could Face Job Losses NASA Budget Proposal (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA expects to shed as many as 1,000 workers from its space-shuttle program in 2009 — including an unspecified number at Kennedy Space Center — as part of a $17.6 billion budget outlined Monday by the White House. The job cuts represent the first major reduction of NASA's workforce since President Bush decided to retire the shuttle in 2010 to make way for Constellation.
In addition, NASA has pushed to reduce the costs of the Constellation program, including the number of people required to design and build the craft. All that is doubly worrisome for KSC, where the shuttle is prepared for flight and launched. Constellation isn't scheduled to launch until March 2015; in the interim, as many as 5,000 of KSC's 15,000 contractors and civil-service workers could lose their jobs. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said the budget amount was too low. He also continued his criticism of NASA's plans to rely on Russian rockets to send astronauts into space during the gap while KSC workers lose their jobs.
February 4 News Items
Budget Hike Would Keep Orion on Track and Fund New Earth Science Missions (Source: Space News)
President George W. Bush is proposing a largely stay-the-course budget for NASA, holding the U.S. space agency to an increase for 2009 that would be less than the rate of inflation.
White House Calls Iran Rocket Launch "Unfortunate" (Source: Reuters)
The White House on Monday said Iran's rocket launch was "unfortunate" and would only further isolate Tehran from the international community. Iran launched a rocket designed to send a research satellite into orbit, Iranian state television said. The United States suspects Iran of trying to master technology to build nuclear weapons and has been pressing allies to isolate Tehran until it gives up its suspected nuclear ambitions. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian energy. "It's unfortunate Iran continues to test ballistic missiles. This regime continues to take steps that only further isolate it and the Iranian people from the international community," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Military Space Would Get Slight Increase Next Year (Source: Space News)
As expected, the U.S. Air Force applied the brakes to its futuristic laser-linked satellite communications system in a 2009 budget request that includes $11.9 billion overall for unclassified space systems and operations, a modest increase over this year's total of $11.3 billion.
Bigelow Wants Dozens of Atlas 5 Launchers for New Space Station (Source: Space News)
Bigelow Aerospace officials said Feb. 1 they are making progress in their negotiations with United Launch Alliance for six initial launches for their planned commercial space station, starting around 2011. Subsequently the company hopes to conduct as many as a dozen launches per year as the new facility becomes fully operational.
President Releases 'Status Quo' Budget for NASA (Source: Florida Today)
President Bush is pushing for a 1.8 percent increase in NASA's budget for next year. The recommendation came as part of the $3.1 trillion proposal the White House submitted to Congress. The "status quo" budget proposal would keep NASA on track to retire its aging Space Shuttle by October 2010. It also would keep in place the current gap until the next generation of spacecraft could resume human spaceflight. The budget devotes $5.77 billion for space operations and incorporates a March 2015 date for the first launch of the Orion crew vehicle. Bart Gordon, the Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Science and Technology, took aim at the "problematic" human spaceflight element for failing to provide money to accelerate the schedule of Orion and for leaving "question marks about the administration's commitment to the utilization and support of the International Space Station once the Shuttle is retired."
Congress Reacts To New NASA Budget (Source: NASA Watch)
In reacting to NASA's new budget, House Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon said: "At first blush it unfortunately appears to be a "business-as-usual" budget that does little to address the significant challenges NASA is facing. In short, it continues the Administration's practice of underfunding the agency relative to the missions the agency has been asked to undertake. Thus, NASA's aeronautics program is kept on a downward spiral despite congressional actions to the contrary, the agency's technology programs remain in an anemic condition, and its science programs face an uncertain future as funds are shuffled from one science account to the next in order to free up funds for proposed new initiatives."
Space Jobs at Stake in Congress (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Capitol may be more than 800 miles away, but Congress this year will reach into the wallets, homes and workplaces of Central Floridians as it takes up legislation crucial to the region. These will be part of a debate that begins today as the White House releases President Bush's budget proposal. One key issue is Space Coast jobs. Think of Disney shutting its doors for five years. That's the sort of economic effect the Space Coast is bracing for as the manned space program gets put on hold. The last space shuttle launches in 2010 and a new generation of spacecraft, the Constellation, won't be ready until about 2015. 'Our community does not have that much industry. We depend on the space program,' said Monica Teran, marketing director of AJT & Associates. She worries her company could lose 30 percent of its business, and skilled employees will be lured out of state. Florida lawmakers are looking for ways to ease the transition -- or optimistically, close that gap.
Brevard County alone got more than $1 billion in NASA dollars in 2006. Who it Affects: More than 2,500 space-industry jobs are expected to disappear in Brevard starting in 2011 as well as more than 1,000 other jobs as the blow to the economy affects everyone from real-estate agents to coffee-shop owners. How It's Looking: With a tight budget year coming, finding more money for NASA is no small feat. Rep. Dave Weldon has proposed an ambitious $3.7 billion plan that he concedes will be difficult to pass. It would add two flights a year to delay the shuttle's 2010 retirement and beef up Constellation funding so it can be built earlier. That way, the U.S. won't have to rely on foreign countries for space transportation. White House and NASA officials have said there's not enough money to continue the shuttle and build Constellation simultaneously. And safety experts question the wisdom of extending the aging shuttle fleet.
Whale-Shaped Floating Hotel Set for Flight (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
A 700-foot floating hotel, which resembles the Thunderbird 2 from the 1960s television series, "Thunderbirds", has been set for development. The Manned Cloud is a flying hotel that is intended to carry 40 guests around the world while floating at an altitude of 18,000 feet, the Daily Mail reported Saturday. "The Manned Cloud permits you to explore the world without leaving a trace. Passengers can experience spectacular and exotic places without being intrusive or exploitative," a spokesman said. The structure -- which is being built by the French Company Massaud -- will have 20 bedrooms, a restaurant, gym, lounge and library, the newspaper said. The Manned Cloud is set to take off for the first time in 2020.
Defending Constellation (Source: Space Review)
Despite being in place for over two years now, NASA's exploration architecture continues to attract criticism from those who have technical and financial concerns. Jeff Foust reports on how NASA administrator Mike Griffin responded to that criticism with a detailed defense of the effort. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1054/1 to view the article.
What to Tell the Next President About Realizing America's Potential in Space (Source: Space Review)
Later this week space community leaders will meet in Washington for a two-day forum on space policy issues facing the next president. Mike Snead explains how this is an opportunity to discuss what changes are needed to make the US a "true" spacefaring nation. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1052/1 to view the article.
Not-so-rare Earth? (Source: Space Review)
Several years ago, the authors of the book "Rare Earth" argued that "complex" life in the universe was likely very uncommon. Taylor Dinerman argues that recent discoveries, particularly of extrasolar planets, put that hypothesis in question. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1051/1 to view the article.
If We Build It, Will They Come? (Source: Space Review)
Will new markets drive the demand for low-cost launch vehicles, or will the development of low-cost launch vehicles stimulate the development of new markets? Eric Hedman examines this chicken-and-egg issue within the context of space-based solar power. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1050/1 to view the article.
Iran Launches Rocket, Opens Space Center (Source: AP)
Iran launched a research rocket Monday and unveiled its first major space center, which will be used to launch research satellites, state-run television reported. The report said the rocket was the first launched by Iran "into space." But analysts have expressed doubts about similar technological achievements announced by the country in the past. Iran launched its first domestically built rocket last February, which did not reach space. Some Western experts also have raised the possibility that Iran's space program may be a cover to more fully develop its military ballistic missiles, a prospect many find troubling at a time when the U.S. and others worry Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Before the launch, Ahmadinejad opened the space center, which includes an underground control station and space launch pad, according to state TV.
Florida Plans Microgravity Training Program (Source: SpaceTEC)
Seventy-five Florida aerospace engineers, technicians and scientists will gain first-hand knowledge of spaceflight working conditions under a new state-sponsored initiative aimed at preparing the workforce for the next-generation of commercial and government space programs. The Microgravity Training Program will include a mix of classroom, web-based, and in-flight training to introduce workers to the challenges of developing and operating systems in the weightless environment of space.
Workforce Florida has approved a $500,000 grant to the Brevard Workforce Development Board (BWDB) to provide the training opportunities to qualified workers from around the state. SpaceTEC, a Florida-based national aerospace technical training center and Zero-G Corp. will develop and administer the training during the first half of 2008. “We want to develop a cadre of workers who have unique qualifications to support other space R&D and technology development programs that Florida can capture in the future.”
Participation will be limited to incumbent workers who complete a competitive application process. The organizers plan to match applicant skills and aspirations with industry-developed training requirements. “There’s no shortage of opportunities for Florida’s space industry, and there are several programs that could derive a near-term benefit from this initiative,” said BWDB President Lisa Rice. “Companies like Zero-G, SpaceX and others are supplementing their commercial operations with NASA contracts that could bring new business to the state.”
Parsons to Give Keynote Speech at Feb. 12 Luncheon (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons will speak at the Feb. 12 luncheon meeting of the National Space Club. The meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Cocoa Beach Oceanfront. The event is open to the public with reservations. Parsons, the ninth director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, manages a team of 2,100 NASA civil-service employees and 15,000 contractor employees, as the space agency is preparing to shut down the shuttle program in 2010 and gear up for the next phase of space exploration. To make reservations for the luncheon meeting, contact LaDonna Neterer at 383-6135 or e-mail LaDonna.J.Neterer@boeing.com. The event takes place Feb. 12 at 11:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Cocoa Beach Oceanfront.
Keck Gives Caltech $24 Million for Space Institute (Source: CSA)
The California Institute of Technology has received an eight-year $24 million gift from the W. M. Keck Foundation to establish the W. M. Keck Institute for Space Studies, which will bring together scientists and engineers to develop new space-mission concepts and technology. Caltech and Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers as well as visitors, students, and postdoctoral researchers from many institutions will address enduring questions that have fascinated humanity for centuries, such as how did the universe begin? what is it made of? what is its ultimate fate? and has life evolved elsewhere? Each year, the institute will adopt one or more new themes and explore those topics through symposia, indepth studies, and development of emerging-technology prototypes for future space missions.
California Space Authority Develops Point Paper for Presidential Candidates (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority has prepared a point paper to advise presidential candidates of the importance of space enterprise to the state. It points to the fact that the space industry generates over $50 billion in annual revenues, while employing more than 260,000 people in the state. Visit http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/government/pointpaper.pdf to view the point paper.
California Space Authority Tracks State Legislation for Industry (Source: CSA)
As a service to its constituents, the California Space Authority maintains a regular update of state legislation of interest to the state's aerospace business community. The updates allow business leaders to follow the progress of bills under consideration by state lawmakers. CSA posts the updates at http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/html/government_pages/state-bill-tracking.html.
President George W. Bush is proposing a largely stay-the-course budget for NASA, holding the U.S. space agency to an increase for 2009 that would be less than the rate of inflation.
White House Calls Iran Rocket Launch "Unfortunate" (Source: Reuters)
The White House on Monday said Iran's rocket launch was "unfortunate" and would only further isolate Tehran from the international community. Iran launched a rocket designed to send a research satellite into orbit, Iranian state television said. The United States suspects Iran of trying to master technology to build nuclear weapons and has been pressing allies to isolate Tehran until it gives up its suspected nuclear ambitions. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian energy. "It's unfortunate Iran continues to test ballistic missiles. This regime continues to take steps that only further isolate it and the Iranian people from the international community," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Military Space Would Get Slight Increase Next Year (Source: Space News)
As expected, the U.S. Air Force applied the brakes to its futuristic laser-linked satellite communications system in a 2009 budget request that includes $11.9 billion overall for unclassified space systems and operations, a modest increase over this year's total of $11.3 billion.
Bigelow Wants Dozens of Atlas 5 Launchers for New Space Station (Source: Space News)
Bigelow Aerospace officials said Feb. 1 they are making progress in their negotiations with United Launch Alliance for six initial launches for their planned commercial space station, starting around 2011. Subsequently the company hopes to conduct as many as a dozen launches per year as the new facility becomes fully operational.
President Releases 'Status Quo' Budget for NASA (Source: Florida Today)
President Bush is pushing for a 1.8 percent increase in NASA's budget for next year. The recommendation came as part of the $3.1 trillion proposal the White House submitted to Congress. The "status quo" budget proposal would keep NASA on track to retire its aging Space Shuttle by October 2010. It also would keep in place the current gap until the next generation of spacecraft could resume human spaceflight. The budget devotes $5.77 billion for space operations and incorporates a March 2015 date for the first launch of the Orion crew vehicle. Bart Gordon, the Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Committee on Science and Technology, took aim at the "problematic" human spaceflight element for failing to provide money to accelerate the schedule of Orion and for leaving "question marks about the administration's commitment to the utilization and support of the International Space Station once the Shuttle is retired."
Congress Reacts To New NASA Budget (Source: NASA Watch)
In reacting to NASA's new budget, House Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon said: "At first blush it unfortunately appears to be a "business-as-usual" budget that does little to address the significant challenges NASA is facing. In short, it continues the Administration's practice of underfunding the agency relative to the missions the agency has been asked to undertake. Thus, NASA's aeronautics program is kept on a downward spiral despite congressional actions to the contrary, the agency's technology programs remain in an anemic condition, and its science programs face an uncertain future as funds are shuffled from one science account to the next in order to free up funds for proposed new initiatives."
Space Jobs at Stake in Congress (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Capitol may be more than 800 miles away, but Congress this year will reach into the wallets, homes and workplaces of Central Floridians as it takes up legislation crucial to the region. These will be part of a debate that begins today as the White House releases President Bush's budget proposal. One key issue is Space Coast jobs. Think of Disney shutting its doors for five years. That's the sort of economic effect the Space Coast is bracing for as the manned space program gets put on hold. The last space shuttle launches in 2010 and a new generation of spacecraft, the Constellation, won't be ready until about 2015. 'Our community does not have that much industry. We depend on the space program,' said Monica Teran, marketing director of AJT & Associates. She worries her company could lose 30 percent of its business, and skilled employees will be lured out of state. Florida lawmakers are looking for ways to ease the transition -- or optimistically, close that gap.
Brevard County alone got more than $1 billion in NASA dollars in 2006. Who it Affects: More than 2,500 space-industry jobs are expected to disappear in Brevard starting in 2011 as well as more than 1,000 other jobs as the blow to the economy affects everyone from real-estate agents to coffee-shop owners. How It's Looking: With a tight budget year coming, finding more money for NASA is no small feat. Rep. Dave Weldon has proposed an ambitious $3.7 billion plan that he concedes will be difficult to pass. It would add two flights a year to delay the shuttle's 2010 retirement and beef up Constellation funding so it can be built earlier. That way, the U.S. won't have to rely on foreign countries for space transportation. White House and NASA officials have said there's not enough money to continue the shuttle and build Constellation simultaneously. And safety experts question the wisdom of extending the aging shuttle fleet.
Whale-Shaped Floating Hotel Set for Flight (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
A 700-foot floating hotel, which resembles the Thunderbird 2 from the 1960s television series, "Thunderbirds", has been set for development. The Manned Cloud is a flying hotel that is intended to carry 40 guests around the world while floating at an altitude of 18,000 feet, the Daily Mail reported Saturday. "The Manned Cloud permits you to explore the world without leaving a trace. Passengers can experience spectacular and exotic places without being intrusive or exploitative," a spokesman said. The structure -- which is being built by the French Company Massaud -- will have 20 bedrooms, a restaurant, gym, lounge and library, the newspaper said. The Manned Cloud is set to take off for the first time in 2020.
Defending Constellation (Source: Space Review)
Despite being in place for over two years now, NASA's exploration architecture continues to attract criticism from those who have technical and financial concerns. Jeff Foust reports on how NASA administrator Mike Griffin responded to that criticism with a detailed defense of the effort. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1054/1 to view the article.
What to Tell the Next President About Realizing America's Potential in Space (Source: Space Review)
Later this week space community leaders will meet in Washington for a two-day forum on space policy issues facing the next president. Mike Snead explains how this is an opportunity to discuss what changes are needed to make the US a "true" spacefaring nation. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1052/1 to view the article.
Not-so-rare Earth? (Source: Space Review)
Several years ago, the authors of the book "Rare Earth" argued that "complex" life in the universe was likely very uncommon. Taylor Dinerman argues that recent discoveries, particularly of extrasolar planets, put that hypothesis in question. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1051/1 to view the article.
If We Build It, Will They Come? (Source: Space Review)
Will new markets drive the demand for low-cost launch vehicles, or will the development of low-cost launch vehicles stimulate the development of new markets? Eric Hedman examines this chicken-and-egg issue within the context of space-based solar power. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1050/1 to view the article.
Iran Launches Rocket, Opens Space Center (Source: AP)
Iran launched a research rocket Monday and unveiled its first major space center, which will be used to launch research satellites, state-run television reported. The report said the rocket was the first launched by Iran "into space." But analysts have expressed doubts about similar technological achievements announced by the country in the past. Iran launched its first domestically built rocket last February, which did not reach space. Some Western experts also have raised the possibility that Iran's space program may be a cover to more fully develop its military ballistic missiles, a prospect many find troubling at a time when the U.S. and others worry Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Before the launch, Ahmadinejad opened the space center, which includes an underground control station and space launch pad, according to state TV.
Florida Plans Microgravity Training Program (Source: SpaceTEC)
Seventy-five Florida aerospace engineers, technicians and scientists will gain first-hand knowledge of spaceflight working conditions under a new state-sponsored initiative aimed at preparing the workforce for the next-generation of commercial and government space programs. The Microgravity Training Program will include a mix of classroom, web-based, and in-flight training to introduce workers to the challenges of developing and operating systems in the weightless environment of space.
Workforce Florida has approved a $500,000 grant to the Brevard Workforce Development Board (BWDB) to provide the training opportunities to qualified workers from around the state. SpaceTEC, a Florida-based national aerospace technical training center and Zero-G Corp. will develop and administer the training during the first half of 2008. “We want to develop a cadre of workers who have unique qualifications to support other space R&D and technology development programs that Florida can capture in the future.”
Participation will be limited to incumbent workers who complete a competitive application process. The organizers plan to match applicant skills and aspirations with industry-developed training requirements. “There’s no shortage of opportunities for Florida’s space industry, and there are several programs that could derive a near-term benefit from this initiative,” said BWDB President Lisa Rice. “Companies like Zero-G, SpaceX and others are supplementing their commercial operations with NASA contracts that could bring new business to the state.”
Parsons to Give Keynote Speech at Feb. 12 Luncheon (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons will speak at the Feb. 12 luncheon meeting of the National Space Club. The meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Cocoa Beach Oceanfront. The event is open to the public with reservations. Parsons, the ninth director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, manages a team of 2,100 NASA civil-service employees and 15,000 contractor employees, as the space agency is preparing to shut down the shuttle program in 2010 and gear up for the next phase of space exploration. To make reservations for the luncheon meeting, contact LaDonna Neterer at 383-6135 or e-mail LaDonna.J.Neterer@boeing.com. The event takes place Feb. 12 at 11:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Cocoa Beach Oceanfront.
Keck Gives Caltech $24 Million for Space Institute (Source: CSA)
The California Institute of Technology has received an eight-year $24 million gift from the W. M. Keck Foundation to establish the W. M. Keck Institute for Space Studies, which will bring together scientists and engineers to develop new space-mission concepts and technology. Caltech and Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers as well as visitors, students, and postdoctoral researchers from many institutions will address enduring questions that have fascinated humanity for centuries, such as how did the universe begin? what is it made of? what is its ultimate fate? and has life evolved elsewhere? Each year, the institute will adopt one or more new themes and explore those topics through symposia, indepth studies, and development of emerging-technology prototypes for future space missions.
California Space Authority Develops Point Paper for Presidential Candidates (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority has prepared a point paper to advise presidential candidates of the importance of space enterprise to the state. It points to the fact that the space industry generates over $50 billion in annual revenues, while employing more than 260,000 people in the state. Visit http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/government/pointpaper.pdf to view the point paper.
California Space Authority Tracks State Legislation for Industry (Source: CSA)
As a service to its constituents, the California Space Authority maintains a regular update of state legislation of interest to the state's aerospace business community. The updates allow business leaders to follow the progress of bills under consideration by state lawmakers. CSA posts the updates at http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/html/government_pages/state-bill-tracking.html.
February 3 News Items
Mission Possible: NASA Past Shows Launch Schedule is Achievable (Source: Florida Today)
Countdown to the planned launch Thursday of shuttle Atlantis will pick up this week while another clock ticks away. Today is 971 days and counting until a Sept. 30, 2010, deadline to complete the International Space Station and retire NASA's aging shuttle fleet. The deadline set by President Bush in 2004 creates the same type of schedule pressure cited as a contributing cause to the 1986 Challenger disaster and 2003 Columbia accident. But senior NASA officials say the agency can safely fly 12 more station assembly flights and a fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission in just more than two and a half years.
"We have plenty of margin," said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale. An analysis of NASA's schedule and its historical performance shows Hale is likely right, but the schedule will be tight. NASA only needs to match its historical average of four and a half flights a year to finish the station and service the Hubble telescope before the deadline. NASA has flown at least 13 missions during 14 different three-year periods that date back to 1983. NASA flew more than 20 missions during six separate three-year periods in the 1990s. The top performances: 22 missions from 1992 through 1994 and 22 missions from 1995 through 1997.
NASA Unveils New Earth Science Missions (Source: Space News)
NASA will ask Congress for $103 million for 2009 to get started on two new Earth science missions identified as priorities in a 10-year plan the National Academy of Sciences produced last year. The decadal survey put forth a slate of 17 missions for NASA and its sister agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to undertake by 2020.
Failed Satellite Combined Optical, Radar-Like Imaging Capabilities (Source: Space News)
The failed U.S. spy satellite now slowly falling back to Earth was designed to demonstrate a new and unique blend of optical and radar imaging capabilities, according to an intelligence community source. "It's terrible, because this was a special, special capability," this source told Space News. It was an "imaging satellite class, but it may not be optical or radar alone," the source said. The spacecraft, built by the Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), contains a "telescope-like capability," the source said.
Aerospace and Technology Export Event Planned Feb. 14 (Source: SCWTC)
The Space Coast World Trade Council will sponsor a luncheon symposium on International Contract Terms and Conditions (INCOTERMS) for local exporters and procurement officials. The Feb. 14 event will be held at the new offices of the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) on NASA Boulevard in Melbourne from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Call Bonnie at 321-724-5769 or email mailto:bcantillon@bellsouth.net for registration and information. Come learn to properly use International Contract Terms and Conditions in your international procurement or export trade. Never has there been a more propitious time to sell U.S. goods and services in the Global Marketplace! Attendees passing a 10 question quiz will receive a Valentine chocolate!
Editorial: Space Leadership Lost (Source: ERAU)
Florida's elected officials regularly proclaim the state's leadership in the space launch industry, but the facts don't support the rhetoric. Despite a worldwide demand for about 23 commercial satellite launches per year, commercial launches in Florida have declined from about one per month to about one per year since the late 1990s. The Cape Canaveral Spaceport hosted no commercial launches in 2007, and only one is planned in 2008. The number of NASA and military launches from Florida has similarly declined to historically low levels. Today, the overwhelming majority of satellites--commercial and government--are launched aboard Russian, Ukrainian, European, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese rockets. And what about the emerging suborbital space tourism industry? If it ever truly takes off, it thus far will happen at spaceports in other states like New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, and others.
However, there is hope that Florida can reclaim its long-lost leadership in all sectors of the launch industry. Space tourism companies are increasingly interested in operating from the Cape, thanks to the availability of NASA's Space Shuttle Landing Facility. Multiple start-up commercial launch companies are now pursuing Florida-based launch sites, thanks to NASA's COTS program to support Space Station supply missions. And new Florida-based launch systems are being developed to replace the Space Shuttle for NASA exploration missions. With our state government's active support for these opportunities, perhaps the world's most capable spaceport can once again become the most competitive one.
Meanwhile, Floridians should not lose sight of the fact that the launch industry is one lower-tech component of a much larger space industry where Florida has no claim to leadership. Those states that dominate the broader space industry are where the satellites, space probes and launch vehicles are developed, and where scientists and engineers design and manage the missions that we only launch from Florida. Those states support robust space research programs that produce talented people who fuel a cycle of space industry growth. There has been no lack of opportunity for expanding and diversifying Florida’s space industry, there has only been a lack of commitment and investment.
Editorial: Presidential Leadership Can Propel Space Program (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
This year, the 50th anniversary of the launch of Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, has seen leading candidates from both parties taking an early interest in space. In fact, it has been the earliest appearance of space in a presidential contest since the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon election. The candidates have generally supported a balanced and robust space program, but there has been little discussion about what this actually means. Space policy will be an issue the next administration will have to address with more than platitudes and gestures. The next administration should take advantage of this opportunity for U.S. leadership to reorient, reinvest and reinvigorate the space program to make it serve once again as a beacon of hope, optimism and scientific discovery for all, rather than as another battlefield. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/views/orl-space0308feb03,0,300270.story to view the editorial.
Countdown to the planned launch Thursday of shuttle Atlantis will pick up this week while another clock ticks away. Today is 971 days and counting until a Sept. 30, 2010, deadline to complete the International Space Station and retire NASA's aging shuttle fleet. The deadline set by President Bush in 2004 creates the same type of schedule pressure cited as a contributing cause to the 1986 Challenger disaster and 2003 Columbia accident. But senior NASA officials say the agency can safely fly 12 more station assembly flights and a fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission in just more than two and a half years.
"We have plenty of margin," said shuttle program manager Wayne Hale. An analysis of NASA's schedule and its historical performance shows Hale is likely right, but the schedule will be tight. NASA only needs to match its historical average of four and a half flights a year to finish the station and service the Hubble telescope before the deadline. NASA has flown at least 13 missions during 14 different three-year periods that date back to 1983. NASA flew more than 20 missions during six separate three-year periods in the 1990s. The top performances: 22 missions from 1992 through 1994 and 22 missions from 1995 through 1997.
NASA Unveils New Earth Science Missions (Source: Space News)
NASA will ask Congress for $103 million for 2009 to get started on two new Earth science missions identified as priorities in a 10-year plan the National Academy of Sciences produced last year. The decadal survey put forth a slate of 17 missions for NASA and its sister agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to undertake by 2020.
Failed Satellite Combined Optical, Radar-Like Imaging Capabilities (Source: Space News)
The failed U.S. spy satellite now slowly falling back to Earth was designed to demonstrate a new and unique blend of optical and radar imaging capabilities, according to an intelligence community source. "It's terrible, because this was a special, special capability," this source told Space News. It was an "imaging satellite class, but it may not be optical or radar alone," the source said. The spacecraft, built by the Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), contains a "telescope-like capability," the source said.
Aerospace and Technology Export Event Planned Feb. 14 (Source: SCWTC)
The Space Coast World Trade Council will sponsor a luncheon symposium on International Contract Terms and Conditions (INCOTERMS) for local exporters and procurement officials. The Feb. 14 event will be held at the new offices of the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) on NASA Boulevard in Melbourne from 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Call Bonnie at 321-724-5769 or email mailto:bcantillon@bellsouth.net for registration and information. Come learn to properly use International Contract Terms and Conditions in your international procurement or export trade. Never has there been a more propitious time to sell U.S. goods and services in the Global Marketplace! Attendees passing a 10 question quiz will receive a Valentine chocolate!
Editorial: Space Leadership Lost (Source: ERAU)
Florida's elected officials regularly proclaim the state's leadership in the space launch industry, but the facts don't support the rhetoric. Despite a worldwide demand for about 23 commercial satellite launches per year, commercial launches in Florida have declined from about one per month to about one per year since the late 1990s. The Cape Canaveral Spaceport hosted no commercial launches in 2007, and only one is planned in 2008. The number of NASA and military launches from Florida has similarly declined to historically low levels. Today, the overwhelming majority of satellites--commercial and government--are launched aboard Russian, Ukrainian, European, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese rockets. And what about the emerging suborbital space tourism industry? If it ever truly takes off, it thus far will happen at spaceports in other states like New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, and others.
However, there is hope that Florida can reclaim its long-lost leadership in all sectors of the launch industry. Space tourism companies are increasingly interested in operating from the Cape, thanks to the availability of NASA's Space Shuttle Landing Facility. Multiple start-up commercial launch companies are now pursuing Florida-based launch sites, thanks to NASA's COTS program to support Space Station supply missions. And new Florida-based launch systems are being developed to replace the Space Shuttle for NASA exploration missions. With our state government's active support for these opportunities, perhaps the world's most capable spaceport can once again become the most competitive one.
Meanwhile, Floridians should not lose sight of the fact that the launch industry is one lower-tech component of a much larger space industry where Florida has no claim to leadership. Those states that dominate the broader space industry are where the satellites, space probes and launch vehicles are developed, and where scientists and engineers design and manage the missions that we only launch from Florida. Those states support robust space research programs that produce talented people who fuel a cycle of space industry growth. There has been no lack of opportunity for expanding and diversifying Florida’s space industry, there has only been a lack of commitment and investment.
Editorial: Presidential Leadership Can Propel Space Program (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
This year, the 50th anniversary of the launch of Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite, has seen leading candidates from both parties taking an early interest in space. In fact, it has been the earliest appearance of space in a presidential contest since the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon election. The candidates have generally supported a balanced and robust space program, but there has been little discussion about what this actually means. Space policy will be an issue the next administration will have to address with more than platitudes and gestures. The next administration should take advantage of this opportunity for U.S. leadership to reorient, reinvest and reinvigorate the space program to make it serve once again as a beacon of hope, optimism and scientific discovery for all, rather than as another battlefield. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/views/orl-space0308feb03,0,300270.story to view the editorial.
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