July 16 News Items

Russia Proton-M Booster Puts U.S. Satellite Into Orbit (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian Proton-M carrier rocket has successfully delivered U.S. telecommunications satellite, DirecTV-10, into orbit. The rocket was launched from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The launch services were provided by International Launch Services, a U.S.-Russian joint venture with exclusive rights for worldwide commercial sales and mission management of satellite launches on Russia's Proton carrier rockets. ILS has conducted a total of 47 commercial Proton launches since 1996, and has 14 scheduled launches through 2010.

TRDA Plans Business Innovation Center Opening (Source: TRDA)
The Florida Technological Research & Development Authority will open its new Business Innovation Center in Melbourne on August 16. The 30,000 square-foot facility will serve as an incubator for new tech-based businesses. The facility's first tenants include: Adapt 4 (a radio telecommunications company); Audigence (a cochlear implant and hearing aid software company); ColorSculpt (a company focused on manufacturing full-color sculptures of people); and Sea-Watch (a company developing an on-line monitoring and control system for marine vessels that are 30 feet in length and longer). The TRDA facility is supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the city of Melbourne and Brevard County. It is expected to serve 30 to 35 new or expanding companies.

UCF Official Receives Award (Source: ERAU)
Dr. M. J. Soileau will be awarded the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal for his “distinguished and long-standing service to the optics education and research community—and specifically for establishing CREOL (the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers) as a major optics center,” the awards selection committee wrote. Soileau is the vice president for research and professor of optics, electrical and computer engineering, and physics at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Coalition For Space Exploration Applauds House Mark-Up Of NASA Budget (Source: Aero-News.net)
The Coalition for Space Exploration applauds action last week by the House Appropriations Committee, recommending full funding for NASA's space exploration programs. "The Committee's endorsement of America's space exploration program is another important step forward to ushering in a new era of discovery and innovation, improving our quality of life and expanding our understanding of the world around us," said Joe Mayer, Chairman of the Coalition's Public Affairs Team.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also has endorsed full funding for exploration, while adding $150 million to NASA's budget request of $17.3 billion to supplement resources available for space science programs. Senators Mikulski (D-MD), Hutchison (R-TX), Shelby (R-AL) and Landrieu (D-LA) also plan to offer a $1 billion "NASA Restoration Amendment" in the Senate to replenish unanticipated budget requirements made necessary by Shuttle Return to Flight and recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Throttling Back to the Moon (Source: NASA)
Accelerating from 0 to 60 then slowing down for a stop light is no problem for an ordinary automobile. But if you were piloting a rocketship, it wouldn't be so easy. Most rocket engines are designed to burn full-on (liftoff!) or full-off (coasting through space) with no in-between. And that can be a problem--namely, how do you land this thing? For a lunar landing, velocity drops from almost 4,000 mph to 0 in about one hour. The Apollo Lunar Module descent engine, the all-time throttling champ, did it perfectly on six landings in 1969-72. It could throttle from 10,125 lbs down to 1,250 lbs. It was also a simple engine, burning corrosive fuel and oxidizer that ignited on contact, and fed by pressurized tanks, eliminating the need for pumps.

France, Germany Strike Deal on EADS Management (Source: Reuters)
France and Germany agreed on Monday to streamline management at European aerospace giant EADS, looking to resolve longstanding problems at the company that have dented bilateral relations. "This is a great day for this company, a great decision has been taken. It is a great day for the Franco-German axis," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Under Monday's deal, Germany's Thomas Enders will take sole charge of EADS's aeroplane arm Airbus, while Frenchman Louis Gallois will become the sole CEO of parent company EADS. Enders will report to Gallois. The two men currently serve as co-CEOs of EADS, while Gallois also runs Airbus.

Orion Weight Saving Refinements Continue - Focus on ISS Access (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft has received a new set of refined baseline targets from NASA, concentrating on ensuring Orion can achieve ISS mission roles, as the vehicle edges closer to using up all of its reserve and weight growth allowances. Orion will now carry 10,973 lbs (4,977 kg) less propellant for International Space Station (ISS) missions, compared to moon missions. This eases some of the pressures on ensuring Orion can be lifted by Ares I to the ISS, which is Orion's requirement for around four to five years, before the eventual return to the moon.

ImageSat Shareholder Suit May Affect $1.6 Billion Deal (Source: Space News)
In what may be the most potentially damaging lawsuit in Israeli aerospace history, minority shareholders of ImageSat International (ISI) are claiming some $6 billion in damages for a slew of alleged offenses associated with domestic production of Eros-series satellites and the sale of their high-resolution imagery abroad.

ISI, Israel Aerospace Industry Ltd. (IAI), Elbit Systems Ltd. and major investors are accused of defrauding and devaluing ISI to benefit their own conflicting interests and those of Israel's Ministry of Defense. Minority shareholders are claiming rights or royalties to several ongoing commercial space initiatives, including a potential $1.6 billion deal signed last April between IAI and Northrop Grumman for up to eight synthetic aperture radar imaging satellites.

NASA Shakes Up Carbon Monitoring Team to Stem Cost Growth (Source: Space News)
Developers of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) satellite have revamped their management team and manufacturing approach over the last six months in hopes of holding the program to a $39 million cost overrun and a three-month schedule delay. When it is launched in Dec. 2008, the OCO satellite will take radiation measurements at three wavelengths to mathematically deduce levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. OCO's goal is to identify regions of Earth that are net absorbers of atmospheric carbon dioxide, called sinks, to see if "we can exploit any of those sinks as a way of basically reversing the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide."

Kepler Team Cuts Cost, Avoids Cancellation (Source: Space News)
Threatened with cancellation, the team building NASA's Kepler planet-hunting telescope found a way get the spacecraft to the launch pad by early 2009 without a new infusion of cash. Kepler consists of a 0.95-meter telescope optimized for scanning a field of stars for signs of potentially habitable Earth-size planets. The price tag has risen several times since 2001 due to management problems, technical challenges and budget fluctuations. NASA accepted a 21-percent cost increase for construction of the telescope, pushing the total cost of the mission above $550 million. The launch date also slipped another five months past its original 2006 target to Nov. 2008.

Pentagon Eyes High-Altitude Balloons for Communications (Source: Space News)
A recent DOD exercise has helped increase awareness in the military about the value of using high-altitude balloons operating near the edge of space to set up emergency communications networks on short notice. The balloons played a significant role in the exercise, which featured a scenario in which Air National Guard units responded to a fictional earthquake in Hawaii.

U.S. University Lab Eyes Missile Detection Work with Russia (Source: Space News)
More than three years after the Pentagon canceled the joint development of a pair of experimental missile warning satellites with Russia, the two countries have yet to settle on missile defense cooperation. While one possibility is Russia's offer to host a shared ground-based early warning radar facility in Azerbaijan, the Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory is seeking Pentagon funding for a joint development effort with Russia that would calibrate the infrared sensors aboard missile warning satellites.

Upper-Stage Concerns Delay Globalstar Launch (Source: Space News)
A suspected defect in the Fregat upper stage of Russia's Soyuz launch vehicle has grounded the hardware stage at least until late September. The scheduled launch of the last four first-generation Globalstar mobile telephone satellites, which had been scheduled for late July, remains next on the vehicle's manifest.

Iranian Missile Threat Prompts Policy Measure (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Senate voted on July 12 to adopt an amendment to its version of the 2008 defense authorization bill that declares it U.S. policy to deploy systems as soon as possible to defend the United States and Europe against that can defense against nuclear-armed ballistic missiles launched by Iran.

U.S. Air Force Releases GPS 3 Bid Solicitation (Source: Space News)
The Air Force released its long-awaited request for proposals for a new generation of GPS navigation satellites on July 12, calling for an initial block of eight GPS 3A spacecraft featuring improved accuracy and jam resistance to be launched starting in 2012. The contract will call for eight GPA 3A satellites offering improved accuracy and resistance to enemy jamming that would launch starting in 2013, cover eight satellites known as GPS 3A, which will launch beginning in 2013. The GPS 3A satellites will be followed by eight GPS 3B, and 16 GPS 3C satellites. Each successive block of satellites will have more capability than the previous one.

NASA Awards Stennis Contract (Source: SunHerald.com)
NASA has awarded a contract to Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn., to provide facility-operation services at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. The contract has an estimated potential value of $561 million over 10 years. The cost-plus-incentive-fee contract is for an initial three years plus seven one-year options. The contract calls for the company to provide a variety of services to NASA, including engineering, maintenance and logistics services, and includes support of the work of the other federal and state agencies that operate at the space center.

Boeing Sends Educators from around the World to Space Camp (Source: Boeing)
Boeing sent 85 public school teachers from around the world to the 16th Annual Boeing Educators to Space Camp program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. The program uses space exploration initiatives to enhance teachers' skills in presenting math, science and technology lessons that will inspire students and help ensure a skilled workforce for a globally competitive technology market. Since 1992, more than 600 teachers have participated in the annual Boeing program, reaching an estimated 30,000 students around the world.

Future Forecasts Face Uncertainty (Source: Miami Herald)
Aging equipment, cost overruns and delays in producing new satellites threaten the future ability of forecasters to predict the path and intensity of hurricanes, a panel of experts and officials told lawmakers Wednesday. The grim assessment of future capabilities -- no concern was expressed about current forecasts -- came just two days after Bill Proenza lost his post as director of the National Hurricane Center amid a controversy involving a dying weather satellite.

"The bottom line is we are very vulnerable in the long term because we have no plan for replacing a valuable but aging weather satellite," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said after he chaired a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee. He said the federal effort to replace the satellite was being mismanaged by a ''a hydra-headed monster'' of agencies. If important data cannot be collected in the future, he and others said, hurricane-warning areas might have to be widened, potentially causing unnecessary anxiety and expense.

Importance Of QuikSCAT Downplayed (Source: Aviation Week)
NOAA official Mary Kicza downplayed the importance of NASA's aging QuikSCAT satellite to hurricane forecasting during Senate testimony July 11, saying that its loss would not significantly affect predictions of when and where the storms make landfall. Lawmakers have recently become exercised over the fate of QuikSCAT (Quick Scatterometer), which was launched in 1999 to gather data on ocean surface winds. The research satellite is now two years past its design life and neither NASA nor NOAA have any near-term plans to replace it.

Senate appropriators have ordered NOAA to deliver a report on how it plans to fill the gap left by QuikSCAT when it eventually fails, echoing requests made in May by Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Texas), who chairs the House Science Energy and Environment subcommittee. QuikSCAT has become important to estimating the size and intensity of tropical storms, said Kicza. But in most cases it has no application to the characterization of hurricanes, she said, in part because its instruments aren't effective at measuring ocean winds above 75 mph.

Spaceship to Get Boost from Pratt (Source: The Gazette)
The carrier aircraft for the world's first tourist spaceship will be powered by Pratt & Whitney PW308 turbofan engines. SpaceShipTwo - the first vessel created to take commercial passengers to space - is designed to reach space but not achieve orbit. The PW308 will power the White Knight II - carrier aircraft developed by Scaled Composites to take off like an airplane and launch the SS2 vessel into suborbital space from 15,240 meters.

Sea Launch to Resume Zenit launches in October (Source: RIA Novosti)
The first launch of a Zenit rocket under the Sea Launch project following a January explosion that damaged a launch platform has been scheduled for October. A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite exploded shortly after liftoff from an oceangoing platform in the Pacific January 31. The Odyssey Launch Platform suffered only minor damage. The Sea Launch team is proceeding on schedule with repairs and re-certification of the Odyssey platform and associated launch support equipment.

Scientists Find Water on Hot, Alien Planet (Source: Telegraph)
Astronomers have reported the first hard evidence of water on an alien planet, a giant swirling world of gas that is steaming up. This planet absorbs starlight in a way that can only be explained by the presence of water vapour. The new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope provide the most convincing evidence yet that water, which is synonymous with the possibility of life, is common elsewhere in the cosmos. The wet planet is known as HD 189733b, and orbits a star in the constellation of Vulpecula the Fox, which is 64 light years (380 million million miles) from the Sun.

Dawn Asteroid Probe Won't Launch Until September (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
The scientist leading NASA's Dawn spacecraft on a three-billion-mile reconnaissance mission to explore a massive asteroid and a "dwarf planet" believed to harbor water has been designing the project for more than a decade. Liftoff was supposed to happen this weekend, yet troubles interfered. And officials Saturday ordered another launch delay -- all the way to September.

Commercial Space Travel: All Systems A-OK (Source: Asahi)
Traveling in space is no longer a pipe dream limited to a few astronauts or billionaires. Ask Noriaki Inami. The 30-year-old salaryman could fly into space as soon as next year. He's one of two Japanese who won a lottery in 2005 to be among the first 100 passengers for suborbital space flights aboard a spaceplane operated by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. The other Japanese passenger is reportedly a woman in her 70s. Four other Japanese are booked on subsequent flights, according to Keiji Asakawa at Club Tourism International, Virgin Galactic's Japanese affiliate.

While an unlikely astronaut candidate, Inami was only required to submit a basic medical questionnaire. He is scheduled to take part in a three-day flight-training program as soon as late summer. Most people in reasonably good health can fly into space. And there is no upper age limit.

Earth First for Astrobiologists (Source: ScienceNow)
Scientists should be peering through microscopes, not telescopes, to find life on other planets, says a report by the National Academies' National Research Council. The report urges more research on Earth--both in the lab and in extreme environments such as Yellowstone's boiling hot springs--in order to understand the potential for life based on chemistry that differs drastically from our own. Without such work, the report warns, future searches run the risk of finding life in space but not recognizing it.

India Outlines Suborbital Flight Test (Source: Flight International)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has given details of ongoing work for its 2009 reusable launch vehicle demonstrator suborbital flight. Launched on a 11.5m-tall solid rocket booster and using 9,000kg of propellant, the X-37-like 1,400kg vehicle is 6.5m long with a 3.6m wingspan. Flight apogee will be 67km and it has a downrange of 650km. The vehicle will splash down in the Indian Ocean.

Europe and Russia Study Modular Manned Spacecraft (Source: Flight International)
A manned spacecraft that would be launched in modular sections and docked together in space is one of the concepts being considered for the Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS) the European Space Agency may develop with Russia. The concept is part of the CSTS study begun earlier this year, which will report in time for the agency's strategy-setting ministerial conference in 2008. A 2008 go-ahead could see additional international (Japanese) involvement.

Soyuz With Electric Thrust Could Rival Proton (Source: Flight International)
Existing plasma thruster technology could more than double the Soyuz 2-1b's payload capacity to geostationary orbit (GEO), say Russian researchers. Currently, the Soyuz 2 rocket can place up to 1,000kg to GEO using its Fregat upper stage. But researchers at the Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics (RIAME) have concluded that a 2,280kg spacecraft could be delivered to GEO after 180 days by using a modified upper stage with xenon-fueled Experimental Design Bureau (EDB) Fakel Hall-effect thrusters, from a Baikonur launch.

UAE Satellite Telecom Firm to Launch 3rd Satellite in October (Source: Xinhua)
Thuraya, a satellite telecom firm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will launch its third satellite into orbit on Oct. 15 to expand its capacity and coverage area. The new satellite will be launched by SeaLaunch from the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Built by Boeing Satellite Systems, the five-ton satellite costs between $150 million to $200 million.

Huntsville's Saturn V Rocket is Going Places (Source: Huntsville Times)
After a year of planning, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will move its original Saturn V rocket Tuesday to its new home, a $21.2 million complex slated to open in January. The three remaining stages will have to be slowly positioned before they can be placed in the Davidson Saturn V Center. If all goes well, the entire rocket should be in its new home by Friday in time for a Apollo/Saturn reunion.

Washington Aerospace Scholars Pprogram Takes Off (Source: Seattle Times)
Space. That's where Ao Ding pictures himself one day. Ding, a senior this fall at Aviation High School in the Highline School District, is one of nearly 100 students from around the state participating in the new Washington Aerospace Scholars program, a partnership of The Museum of Flight, Washington state and NASA. The program, which culminates in a weeklong summer residency, is aimed at boosting student interest in math and science. The Washington Aerospace Scholars program, one of two in the nation, is modeled after a program that NASA launched in Texas in 2000. The Texas program, based at Houston's Johnson Space Center, hosts seven weeklong sessions.

Roller Coaster Could Be Launch Escape (Source: Discovery News)
The riskiest part of spaceflight undoubtedly is the launch, but just sitting atop a fully fueled rocket certainly would test one's mettle. To boost the chances of surviving a launch pad accident, NASA is looking to build a high-speed roller coaster as an escape system for crewmembers aboard its new Orion vehicles. The roller coaster would replace the slidewire baskets that serve as the launch pad evacuation system for shuttle astronauts.

NGL Prime Awarded Future Launcher Contracts (Source: Flight International)
The Astrium, Finmeccanica joint venture NGL Prime has finally received two contracts from the European Space Agency (ESA) for ESA's Future Launcher Preparatory Program (FLPP) two years after the company's conception. The two FLPP contracts, with a combined worth of $27.5 millon, cover activities for the definition of launcher system concepts and development of ESA's planned re-entry demonstrator, the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV).

Northrop Grumman Helps NASA Shape Plans for Affordable Lunar Lander (Source: Northrop Grumman)
The lunar lander that will carry NASA astronauts to the moon's surface by the end of the next decade will benefit from more than 50 years of technological change -- and more than 50 years of unique engineering and operational experience from Northrop Grumman, the designer and producer of the original Apollo Lunar Module. Since late 2006, the company has hosted a series of technical interchange meetings (TIM) with officials from NASA's Lunar Lander project office to share lessons learned. The intent is to help NASA end up with a robust yet affordable Lunar Lander program.

Phoenix Mars Mission to Launch Despite Camera Trouble (Source: New Scientist)
NASA's Phoenix Mars lander is set to launch as early as 3 August, despite a hardware glitch that has hobbled one of its cameras. The Phoenix spacecraft will land in the north polar region of Mars in May 2008, the first probe to land in either of the planet's frigid polar regions. It will dig up samples of the ice and soil there, analyzing them for complex organic molecules that could be signs of past or present life.

To help scientists understand the environment that Phoenix lands in, a device called the Mars Descent Imager was originally supposed to take about 20 images on the way down. But a problem with the circuitry that connects the camera to the spacecraft computer means that data from the camera could block crucial data from Phoenix's gyroscopes, which help keep the lander stable during the descent. As a result, the team will have the Mars Descent Imager take just one image, when it is not expected to interfere with the gyroscopes.

The descent imager's one image will be taken at a lower altitude, where it can get better resolution than MRO. Unlike the Mars rovers, Phoenix has no airbags to cushion its landing. Instead, it will rely on thrusters to bring it to a gentle stop on the surface.

Dongfanghong IV Ready for More Satellite Orders (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese space expert on Monday said China's reliable Dongfanghong IV satellite design is set to garner more international satellite contracts. "China has a totally integrated space technology offer -- we can design and manufacture a satellite and take it right through to handover to the customer," said designer Zhou Zhicheng. Currently 10 satellites are in the pipeline. The Dongfanghong IV has a 15-year life span, nearly twice the previous model, up to top international standards. The carrier, made with state-of-the-art materials, can handle a total launch weight of 5.1 tons. The satellite design also boasts improved navigation technologies, most of which have full Chinese intellectual property rights.

Ex-Astronaut Told Police She Just Wanted to Talk to Rival (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Hours after her arrest in February, NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak continued to ask an occasionally tough interrogator if she could speak with her romantic rival, whom she had confronted after driving here from Houston. Nowak, who remains in the Navy after being dropped from the astronaut program at Johnson Space Center, told a police detective that she made her now-infamous car trip to talk for the first time to Air Force officer Colleen Shipman about their relationships with astronaut Billl Oefelein.

Nowak, 44, said she wanted to clarify her understanding of the romance between Shipman and Oefelein and find out if "she even had any idea that I fit in or not." An Orlando court released the transcript Monday of detective Chris Becton's taped interview with Nowak, who is awaiting trial on an attempted kidnapping charge and other alleged violations. Nowak was alternately cagey and bewildered in the interview. Nowak asked Becton if he could change the charges against her and if she would have to go to trial. "Is there any possible way I could go back to work tomorrow?" she asked.

But Nowak, who had not yet hired a lawyer, adamantly denied that she had planned to harm Shipman, an officer at Patrick Air Force Base near Cape Canaveral, Fla. "So, if she didn't talk to you, were you gonna kill her?" "No," she replied " ... it wasn't, I just wanted her to talk to me." "I can see that this is being painted to look a lot worse than it was," Nowak added at another point.

ATK Awarded Contract for Orion Launch Abort Motors (Source: ATK)
Alliant Techsystems has received a $62.5 million contract from Orbital Sciences Corp. for the main abort motor of the NASA Orion crew exploration vehicle Launch Abort System (LAS). NASA's Orion will succeed the Space Shuttle in transporting humans to and from the International Space Station, as well as carrying crews to the Moon and eventually Mars. ATK will design, develop, produce, test and deliver the launch abort motor (LAM), the largest of three propulsion units integrated into the LAS. The contract includes four full-scale static test units and eight deliverable motors to Orbital for pathfinders, test flights and program support. Orbital is subcontracted to Lockheed Martin who is the prime contractor for Orion.

Israel Accused of Blocking Commercial Satellite Imagery Deal with Venezuela (Source: Space News)
Israel's Ministry of Defense and some of the country's leading industry executives repeatedly squashed Venezuelan bids to buy high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, twice by sabotaging potential procurement deals and more recently by ignoring a personal offer by President Hugo Chavez to buy into ImageSat International (ISI), a local satellite operating firm, according to a lawsuit filed July 2 in New York's Southern District Court.

Spacecom Orders New Satellite from IAI (Source: Space News)
Israeli satellite-fleet operator Spacecom, confirming its long-held ambition to expand into Asia, has ordered an Amos-4 satellite with commercial Ku- and Ka-band transponders. The new spacecraft is to be launched in 2012 to an unspecified orbital slot covering the region.

Armstrong Talks to Israeli Children About Space (Source: Space News)
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, answered questions from Israeli children Tuesday in his first visit to the Holy Land, showing animation and energy in discussing the feelings and justification for space travel.

House Passes $17.6 Billion 2008 NASA Budget (Source: Space News)
The House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill July 12 that would fund NASA at $17.6 billion for 2008, about $1.3 billion more than this year's budget and roughly $300 million more than the White House requested.

DataPath Acquires SWE-Dish for $56 Million (Source: Space News)
Military satellite communications terminal manufacturer DataPath Inc. has purchased a Swedish company that fast is becoming a player in the same business to broaden its product offering to the U.S. and other government military and civil customers.

Horowitz Stepping Down as Head of NASA Exploration Systems (Source: Space News)
Scott "Doc" Horowitz, NASA's associate administrator for exploration systems since late 2005, plans to step down this fall.

NASA's No. 3 Official Leaves for Industry (Source: Space News)
NASA Associate Administrator Rex Geveden, tapped in 2005 to become the U.S. space agency's third highest-ranking official, is leaving at the end of July to run Huntsville, Ala.-based Teledyne Brown Engineering.

Bush Plugs NASA Moon Mission During Town Hall Meeting (Source: Space News)
NASA and the vision for space exploration received a rare plug from President George W. Bush on Tuesday when the U.S. leader told a Cleveland audience why he decided in 2004 to have the space agency set its sights on the Moon.

Another Demo Planned for Orbital Express Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon has postponed decommissioning its experimental Orbital Express satellites until at least July 14 to give the U.S. military's senior leadership more time to consider extending the mission.

Globalstar Launch Delayed Two Months (Source: Space News)
The launch of the last four first-generation Globalstar mobile telephone satellites has been postponed by up to two months due to a problem in final production of the Soyuz rocket's Fregat upper stage, according to industry officials.

20th Endeavour Mission to Launch on Aug. 7 (Source: Florida Today)
A series of shuttle launches begins Aug. 7 when Endeavour makes the 22nd construction mission to the International Space Station. Missions are then scheduled in October, December and February as NASA tries to complete the space station before the shuttle program ends in 2010. "This is about the pace we'll be on," said Kim Doering, deputy manager of the space shuttle program. "We'll roughly be flying every other month."

Endeavour's mission will be to expand, repair and resupply the space station. The shuttle will carry a short truss that will allow a subsequent mission to bring up the final solar array segment, giving the station four sets of solar wings and the power-generating capacity to support laboratories built by Japan and Europe. A collection of spare parts will also be delivered, including a gyroscope to replace one that's failed. The new gyroscope will give the station four gyroscopes to control its position, which might be needed as the station becomes larger.

Funding Row Threatens Europe's Satellite Navigation Project (Source: The Guardian)
A fresh Franco-German row over the funding of Galileo is threatening to derail the EU's most ambitious project, the €3.6bn (£2.4bn) global positioning satellite system designed to rival the American version, a senior executive in the private sector consortium due to run the system said yesterday. Europe runs the risk of being left behind in key commercial and military applications by the US, China, Russia and India. "If Galileo collapses it will be the collapse of the most important EU program outside the common agricultural policy," said a Thales executive. "Europe is stagnating in space."

Applications Being Accepted for NM Spaceport Committee (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Applications are being accepted for the Spaceport Educational Committee that will make recommendations on how to best spend a portion of a tax increase approved by voters in Doña Ana County. In early April, voters approved a one-quarter of 1 percent gross receipts tax increase, the proceeds of which would be used to help pay for Spaceport America construction in southern Sierra County. A provision of that increase calls for 25 percent of the proceeds to be used to promote educational curricula to help students pursue careers in aerospace.

Coalition For Space Exploration Names Florida Board Members (Source: Aero-News.net)
The Coalition for Space Exploration announced Tuesday the addition of seven new individuals (three from Florida) -- all members of "Generation Y" -- to its board of advisors: Kelly Billon and Alexander Stimpson of Clermont, Florida, and Damaris Sarria of Pembrok Pines, Florida, will join, Lauren Booth of Phoenix, Joshua Neubert of Las Cruces, Audrey Schaffer of Washington, DC, and Erika Wagner of Somerville, MA. Their primary role as advisory board members will be to promote the importance of space exploration to the next generation of explorers and enthusiasts.

These seven individuals join space pioneers like Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Academy-award winning filmmaker James Cameron, renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey and other public leaders who share the Coalition's mission to enhance the public's awareness and understanding of the value and benefits of space exploration. Visit http://www.spacecoalition.com for information.

Space Coast Legislator Arrested (Source: Florida Today)
State Representative Bob Allen, a consistent supporter of space issues and member of the Space Florida board of directors, was jailed last week for allegedly soliciting prostitution.

Does KSC's New Shuttle Launch Experience Thrill? (Source: Washington Post)
On May 25, Florida's Kennedy Space Center opened its mega-hyped, $60 million Shuttle Launch Experience. Six years in the making and the collective brainchild of astronauts, attractions-industry experts and NASA itself, the ride made us wonder: With Disney's big-thrill scream machines a short drive away in Orlando, can this ride live up to the hype? And is there any chance this simulated experience can induce the same awe as seeing a real shuttle launch?

According to Daniel LeBlanc of the KSC Visitor Complex, all the research about what brings people to the facility kept leading back to the fact that most want to see a live launch -- a rare and notoriously finicky event. The important thing to know about the Shuttle Launch Experience is that it's a ride based in reality -- not a thrill ride. And while it lacks the centrifugal spinning and asteroid encounters of Disney's Mission: Space attraction (not to mention the motion-sickness moments), the reality-based slant of the ride makes it interesting in its own right. The Shuttle Launch Experience is definitely worth checking out if you're spending the day at the Kennedy Space Center.

Editorial: U.S. Shouldn't Overreact to Chinese Anti-Satellite Test (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
China's rising space capabilities reflect a growing understanding in Beijing that modern societies, their economies and their militaries must have an active presence in space. But talk of an "arms race" in space with China is not only premature, it is also unwise. The best U.S. response would be to prevent such tests from happening again. Fortunately, we have many factors working in our favor.

Militarily, Beijing's anti-satellite test marked a new threshold for China, but not a sea change for the United States. A single test against a cooperative target in a fixed orbit does not constitute a battle-ready capability. In the words of a People's Liberation Air Force officer, it represents a "limited defensive capability" meant to warn the United States from acting on any presumption of "space dominance." More tests would be needed to perfect this weapon, and it is here where Chinese military hawks -- like those of the Soviet Union before them -- are likely to find their ambitions stymied.

Editorial: Reversing NASA's Budget Cut Could Pre-empt Workforce Brain Drain (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Budget-cutters on Capitol Hill have given America's space program a badly needed reprieve. House and Senate panels both have endorsed bills to boost NASA's budget next year. While it's not clear whether the higher spending for next year will narrow the Shuttle-Ares/Orion gap, it won't make it worse. But both bills need to be passed in their chambers and reconciled before they go to the president. And with more demands than dollars in Washington, NASA supporters will need to shepherd its spending increase to passage.

The House panel also took a farsighted step by backing an amendment from Indialantic Republican Dave Weldon, who represents many employees at the Kennedy Space Center. Mr. Weldon's measure would require NASA to detail how it would make use of the shuttle's workforce for the next vehicle -- another step that could limit a brain drain.

Spaceport Sheboygan Revving Up, Thanks to Ppossible Federal Funding (Source: Sheboygan Press)
It's no longer a punch line. The idea of putting a $17 million, 52,000 square-foot aerospace complex in the heart of Sheboygan — the bratwurst capital of the country — is getting a serious look from a lot of people these days. The federal government is poised to provide $100,000 toward converting the Sheboygan Armory into the Great Lakes Aerospace, Science and Education Center at Spaceport Sheboygan. Educators are immersing themselves into the project, creating science curriculums that will dovetail with the amenities of the complex after it opens.

The federal funding, sought by U.S. Rep Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, cleared the House Appropriations Committee last Wednesday as part of legislation to fund the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development. It still must be approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush.

Russian Firm Signs 14 Deals for Commercial Rocket Launches (Source: RIA Novosti)
A leading Russian space company said Sunday it had signed 14 deals for the commercial launches of its Proton carrier rockets. The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center produces Proton boosters that are widely used for the commercial launches of foreign spacecraft. The Khrunichev space center considerably increased prices for launch services last year to cover the prime cost of products and make production profitable. Currently, European customers, especially the European Space Agency, are especially interested in the commercial launches of Rokot carrier rockets that are also produced by the company.

India's Antrix May Sign Pacts to Launch Large Satellites (Source: DNA)
Eyeing the lucrative global commercial satellite launch market, Antrix Corp. is targeting at least one satellite launch every year on a commercial basis. The commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is currently in talks for contracts to launch of two to three large satellites in the 2.2 to 2.4 ton range while it is also likely to conclude deals for 2-3 smaller satellites.

House Committee Approves NASA Budget (Source: SpaceToday.net)
The House Appropriations Committee passed on Thursday an appropriations bill that includes $17.6 billion for NASA, nearly $300 million more than originally requested. The bill fully funds key exploration projects like Orion and Ares 1, but adds additional money for space science, education, and aeronautics programs. The bill is somewhat different from the Senate's version, which the Senate Appropriations Committee passed in late June; the Senate's version increases NASA's overall budget by $150 million and has different funding levels for specific programs. Both the full House and Senate have yet to act on the spending bills, which will later have to be reconciled in a conference committee.

Editorial: Weldon's Effort in Restoring NASA Funding Comes at a Critical Time (Source: Florida Today)
Thanks to hard pushing by U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, the House Appropriations Committee has restored $1.3 billion that had been cut from NASA's fiscal year 2008 budget. The money, which would boost NASA funding to $17.6 billion, still has to pass the full House and be reconciled with a Senate bill that gives the agency slightly less. But Weldon's work is an important step in making sure NASA has the money to continue developing the new manned Orion moonships that will replace the shuttle fleet.

The Indialantic Republican also got an amendment passed that requires NASA to provide details of how it will integrate the shuttle workforce into the Orion program and other NASA moon-Mars programs at different field centers, which could help save some jobs. To get all this done, Weldon gained the support of Democrats who control the powerful Appropriations Committee. It's the kind of wise bipartisanship that's needed to keep the moon squarely in America's sights.

Boeing to Bid for Ares I Instrument Unit Avionics Contract (Source: Boeing)
Decades of successful spaceflight and aircraft avionics integration and a highly experienced network of suppliers are the key to the Boeing bid to provide a low-risk approach to producing Instrument Unit Avionics (IUA) for the next-generation Ares I crew launch vehicle. Boeing will submit its final IUA proposal July 30 -- just eight weeks after NASA issued its initial request. NASA plans to select an IUA contractor in November.

Atlantis Readies for Columbus Mission (Source: ESA)
Excitement is building on both sides of the Atlantic as the long-awaited launch of ESA’s Columbus space laboratory grows closer, as NASA starts processing Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the mission. Columbus was flown to Florida on 30 May 2006. Earlier this year, it was removed from temporary storage, and the 12.8 ton International Space Station (ISS) module is now fully outfitted with its experiment racks and orbital hardware. At the moment, engineers are installing the trunnions that will secure the 4.5 metre diameter aluminium cylinder in the Shuttle payload bay. The next step is to mount the panels that will protect the lab from potentially damaging micrometeorite impacts.

Spelling Mistake Goes Live (Source: Florida Today)
Now, we know what NASA really stands for: Not A Spell-Checker Around. With photographers from local, national and global news media outlets on hand, a NASA shuttle was hauled onto its Kennedy Space Center launch pad this week in advance of a planned Aug. 7 liftoff. Hanging on a fence at the base of the pad -- right where it could be seen in the foreground of news photos -- was a star-spangled, red-white-and-blue banner that read: "Go Endeavor!" Talk about an unfortunate typo. The spaceship actually is named Endeavour -- the British spelling with a "u" -- for the first ship commanded by 18th-century British explorer James Cook.

Ticket Prices and Risks are High for Space Flight (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Space tourism, as planned at New Mexico's Spaceport America, faces an inevitable disaster, said a Virgin Galactic (VG) official, however he stresses the industry can survive such a tragedy. Speaking to a May conference of space enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in Dallas, Alex Tai, chief operating officer for British billionaire Richard Branson's pioneer space company, said survival of a tragedy on a privately operated rocket ship is possible if the passengers are warned of the risks in advance. "God forbid it should happen on the first flight. Hopefully it's many, many years out," Tai said.

NM Space Race Continues (Source: Alamogordo Daily News)
An informational meeting on Spaceport America was held on Thursday. Guest speakers for the meeting included Rick Homans, executive director of Spaceport America; Bill McCamley, Doña Ana County Commissioner; and Josh Neubert, manager of New Mexico State Affairs for the X Prize. "Most of the funds are already in place to move ahead with this project," Homans said. "Our plan is to build the world's first commercial purpose spaceport."

Homans listed the reasons why southern New Mexico is the ideal location for this operation. "You have good weather, dry weather, a sparsely populated area, restricted airspace, and an elevation significantly higher than sea level," Homans said. "There is not another state in our nation that can compete with New Mexico in this respect. You also have the history, from Goddard to Werner von Braun to the aliens landing near Roswell. Major costs will include: 10,000 ft. Runway, $44 million; Facilities (terminal, hangars, offices), $62 million; Infrastructure (roads, water, waste water, power, communications systems), $92 million. Additional necessities will include vertical launching pads and security.