May 31 News Items

'Dirty Finger Al' Allegedly Served Outdated Food at KSC Cafeteria (Source: Florida Today)
A Lackmann Food Services employee is accused in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Orlando of serving weeks-old outdated food, usually disguised in spicy dishes like chili or barbecue, to KSC employees. The company denied the allegation at the time, saying it actually does about six times better than average in its state inspections. In a sworn affadavit, a former Lackmann chef says he saw the employee put rotten vegetables into soup and cook rancid chicken in Lackmann's cafeteria in the KSC headquarters building. The employee also allegedly kept a dumpster within three feet of the back door so employees could dump out-of-date food when a health inspector visited.

Station's Protective Shielding Installed During Space Walk (Source: AIA)
Two Russian cosmonauts spent about five hours on a space walk to install protective panels that will shield the international space station from debris. An independent safety task force in February said that there was a 9% risk that the space station or its crew could be lost because of space debris. The risk dropped to 5% if protective panels were installed on Russian portions of the space station.

Research Finds That Earth's Climate is Approaching 'Dangerous' Point (Source: NASA)
NASA and Columbia University Earth Institute research finds that human-made greenhouse gases have brought the Earth’s climate close to critical tipping points, with potentially dangerous consequences for the planet. From a combination of climate models, satellite data, and paleoclimate records the scientists conclude that the West Antarctic ice sheet, Arctic ice cover, and regions providing fresh water sources and species habitat are under threat from continued global warming.

Tipping points can occur during climate change when the climate reaches a state such that strong amplifying feedbacks are activated by only moderate additional warming. This study finds that global warming of 0.6ºC in the past 30 years has been driven mainly by increasing greenhouse gases, and only moderate additional climate forcing is likely to set in motion disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet and Arctic sea ice. Amplifying feedbacks include increased absorption of sunlight as melting exposes darker surfaces and speedup of iceberg discharge as the warming ocean melts ice shelves that otherwise inhibit ice flow.

Space-Faring Nations Call for Exploration Standards (Source: Space News)
The world’s principal space-faring nations on May 31 agreed to the broad outlines of a global space-exploration strategy that calls for common standards for communications, control, life-support and docking systems for future missions.

Taiwan Head of Space Program in Corruption Probe (Source: Space News)
Investigators detained the head of Taiwan's budding space program Thursday, amid allegations that funds were spent illegally in seeking to acquire a satellite from Canada, a prosecutor said.

Increased Defense Around KSC For Shuttle Launch (Source: Aerospace Daily)
The North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Air Force will greatly step up combat air patrols around Kennedy Space Center in the days leading up to the countdown and planned launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-117 mission June 8. A mix of F-15s and F-16s from several Air National Guard units are to be on patrol early next week to thwart any airborne terrorist attack against the shuttle. Some of the fighters also will fly air defense deterrence missions in the days before scheduled liftoff. The deterrence missions are designed to be seen by citizen pilots - and potential terrorists - that might be in the area. They will involve the fighters flying low approaches into airports in the Kennedy Space Center area.

Multi-National Space Exploration Strategy Released (Source: JAXA)
"One of the most fundamental human characteristics is a relentless curiosity that drives us to investigate the unknown. Throughout our history, we have looked beyond our apparent boundaries to the mysteries that lie beyond. Compelled to explore, to understand and to use the world in which we find ourselves, we have spread across continents and oceans. We have probed the farthest reaches of the planet—the frozen poles, the deep oceans, the high atmosphere."

"With increasing intent and determination, we are resolved to explore our nearest companions—the Moon, Mars and some nearby asteroids. Our goal is not a few quick visits, but rather a sustained and ultimately self-sufficient human presence beyond Earth supported by robotic pathfinders. Sustainable space exploration is a challenge that no one nation can do on its own. This is why fourteen space agencies have developed the Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework for Coordination, which presents a vision for robotic and human space exploration, focussing on destinations within the solar system where we may one day live and work." Visit http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/05/20070531_ges_e.pdf to download the document.

NASA Chief Casts Doubt on Need to Manage Gloabal Warming (Source: AIA)
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin says that while his agency is helping to document rising temperatures on Earth and in the atmosphere, he's not sure about trying to regulate the changes. "I have no doubt that ... a trend of global warming exists," Griffin said. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."

NASA Gives Go-Ahead for June 8 Launch (Source: Florida Today)
NASA has, as expected, decided to clear shuttle Atlantis for a launch next Friday. Liftoff time will be 7:38 p.m., agency officials said at the conclusion of a two-day review by top agency brass at Kennedy Space Center. There were no dissenting opinions during the final poll on whether to launch or not. There are minor technical issues to be resolved, but nothing that would prevent an on-time launch on Friday as planned.

China and India in ‘Race to the Moon’ (Source: Financial Times)
China and India are both planning to launch moon shots within a year in the latest sign of the two Asian powerhouses’ intensifying rivalry and growing technological prowess. Although both countries deny they are engaged in a 21st century re-run of the 1960s race to the moon between the cold war superpowers, their haste to launch suggests more than casual interest in the other’s progress. China said this month that it expected to launch its first unmanned lunar orbiter, the Chang’e-1 (named after China’s mythological “lady in the moon”) before the end of this year, while India this week announced that it could send up a similar space probe as early as April 2008. The two lunar programs should be scientifically complementary, with Chinese scientists stressing Chang’e’s goal of improving understanding of the geochemistry of the moon’s surface and India focusing on three-dimensional mapping.