July 26 News Items

Mars Sample Return Proposal Stirs Excitement, Controversy (Source: Space.com)
Proposals for a multibillion dollar Mars sample return mission - perhaps even a comprehensive sample return program - appear to be on the front burner again, but not without controversy. It turns out, Alan Stern, NASA's new associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, is a big proponent of Mars sample return. But while many NASA planetary scientists share that sentiment, a number of others also worry that such an ambitious mission - Stern estimates it could cost from $3 billion to $4 billion - would suck up all the available money for most other Mars missions in the next decade and disrupt NASA's ability to send at least one robotic mission to Mars every two years.

Congressman Fights for JPL Funding (Source: La Canada)
Several Jet Propulsion Laboratory projects got a vote of confidence recently from the House Appropriations Committee when it passed a bill that included funding for projects managed by the facility. "It is no secret that we have in our region one of the world's premier science institutes," Congressman Adam Schiff said of his continued support of JPL. Schiff was recently appointed to serve on the Appropriations Committee. The bill's total funding is $1.6 billion to $1.65 billion with $1.5 billion coming from the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, which Schiff is a member. The funding will help three JPL programs: SIM, Mars exploration and NASA's Outer Planet Program.

Panel Finds Astronauts Flew While Intoxicated (Source: Aviation Week)
A panel reviewing astronaut health issues in the wake of the Lisa Nowak arrest has found that on at least two occasions astronauts were allowed to fly after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so intoxicated that they posed a flight-safety risk. The panel, also reported "heavy use of alcohol" by astronauts before launch, within the standard 12-hour "bottle to throttle" rule applied to NASA flight crew members. The panel is composed of military and civilian government physicians, psychologists, lawyers, safety experts and astronauts.

EADS Profit Slumps 85 Percent in 2Q (Source: AP)
Woes at Airbus, including the cost of redesigning the mid-range A350 jet and the delayed A380 superjumbo, caused second-quarter earnings at Europe's EADS to slump 85 percent.EADS, which last week revealed a new management setup aimed at simplifying decisions, said net profit for the three months to June fell to €81 million ($111 million) from €534 million. Sales fell 4 percent to €9.51 billion ($13.07 billion) due to problems on a military transport program and the impact from the weak U.S. dollar -- the currency in which Airbus sells its planes. Airbus accounts for about two-thirds of EADS sales. In the first six months of 2007, self-financed R&D expenses increased to €1,268 million, compared with €1,139 million for the same period in 2006.

EU, U.S. Agree to Common Signal for GPS-Galileo Systems (Source: Reuters)
The United States and the European Union have agreed on a common signal for use by their satellite navigation systems to provide more accurate images and information. The European Union hopes the deal will help its yet-to-be-launched Galileo system, struggling to plug funding gaps, establish itself in the global market for satellite-based navigation and other applications. "This should facilitate the rapid acceptance of Galileo in global markets side by side with GPS," European Commission director general for energy and transport Matthias Ruete said.

India Plans to Double Satellite Launches Within Five Years (Source: RIA Novosti)
India intends to double the number of satellites it orbits within five years, the head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said. India has been successfully developing its space program in recent years, regularly launching satellites using its own booster rockets. "On the average, four to five launches annually against a maximum of two a year which we make now," said the official. He said India will have launched 15 telecommunications satellites and 8-10 earth remote sensing satellites by March 2012, when the 11th five-year plan has been completed. ISRO experts estimate the cost of building and launching 25 satellites at 80-90 billion rupees ($2-2.25 billion).

Pentagon, Business Jets Lift General Dynamics' Revenue (Source: Wall Street Journal)
General Dynamics announced that earnings from continuing operations increased 23% in the second quarter on higher revenue from Pentagon spending and orders for Gulfstream business jets. The results exceeded Wall Street's expectations and led the contractor to raise its earnings and revenue outlook for the full year. The news sent shares of General Dynamics to an all-time high of $84.09 Wednesday. General Dynamics reported net income for the quarter of $513 million, compared with $636 million during the previous-year quarter.

Queen's Guitarist to Become Astrophysicist (Source: AP)
Brian May is completing his doctorate in astrophysics, more than 30 years after he abandoned his studies to form the rock group Queen. The 60-year-old guitarist and songwriter said he plans to submit his thesis, "Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud," to supervisors at Imperial College London within the next two weeks. May was an astrophysics student at Imperial College when Queen, which included Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, was formed in 1970. He dropped his doctorate as the glam rock band became successful. Queen were one of Britain's biggest music groups in the 1970s, with hits including "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Will Rock You."

Astrium's Space Division Posts Higher Profit, Revenue (Source: Space News)
The Astrium space division of European aerospace conglomerate EADS reported sharp increases in revenue and gross profit for the six months ending June 30. The company cited its military satellite-services division and ballistic missile work as the main reasons for the increase. Astrium's higher revenues were in contrast to EADS' overall performance, with the parent company seeing much poorer performance based primarily on problems at its Airbus division.

Ball Aerospace Pays $1 Million in Back Wages (Source: Denver Post)
A federal investigation found that 904 employees weren't paid for overtime or were forced to work during lunch breaks. Employees of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. are recouping nearly $1 million in back wages following a three-month investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The federal agency's probe of the aerospace defense contractor found that 904 employees - more than half of whom worked in Colorado - were not paid for overtime or were forced to work during lunch breaks. The agency said the rest of the employees worked at Ball facilities in New Mexico, Ohio, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Nearly all but $19,000 of the $976,327 owed the employees has been paid out, said Rich Kulczewski, a Department of Labor spokesman.

Amateur Rocketry Faces Greater FAA Scrutiny as Advances Increase Altitude (Source: Denver Post)
Amateur rocketry is getting a closer look from federal regulators as technological advances boost the most sophisticated amateur rockets higher into the air - and even toward space. It's a sign of how far amateur rocket launches have come. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration felt its regulations for amateur rocketry were outdated. The agency has proposed new rules. The agency said in its proposal that it receives airspace-waiver requests for launches of rockets that can reach 328,000 feet, "approaching altitudes where they could pose a threat to objects in orbit."

Amateur rocket performance "has continued to improve and participation in amateur rocket launches has increased significantly," according to the FAA. "The capability of rockets has advanced to a level far greater than contemplated by existing regulation." Jason Unwin, president of the Southern Colorado Rocketeers, said he's concerned that for certain types of rockets, the FAA may require clubs to report how many will be flown at their events. "A lot of times, you don't really know that until the guy shows up at the range," Unwin said. Heretofore, the events have been casual, with people showing up as they please. The proposed reporting requirements could make it "onerous, more than a hobby. It becomes work," said rocketeer John Wilke.

House Committee Moves Space Radar Funding Back to USAF (Source: Space News)
The House Appropriations Committee July 25 approved $186 million for the Space Radar program and in a major turnaround shifted budget responsibility for the program from the classified intelligence budget to Air Force accounts.

Report: NASA Lost $94 Million in Office Items (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA has lost $94 million in office equipment over the past decade. "These problems are deeply rooted in an agency culture that does not demand accountability," the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Wednesday. "NASA's failure to keep track of these items leaves them vulnerable to theft and misuse."

NASA noted the problem five years ago in its own study. Instead of tightening its controls, the agency relaxed them, making $10,000 the minimum value for trackable items — instead of $5,000 — and removing millions of dollars in items from oversight, according to the GAO report. The congressional watchdog recommends 10 steps, such as disciplining negligent employees and toughening standards for equipment oversight. Last year, NASA investigated only a quarter of the 1,136 loss reports submitted and disciplined employees in two cases.

Report Cites NASA on Cost Estimates (Source: Florida Today)
NASA got credit for steps taken to transition shuttle retirement to the next stage of human spaceflight, but a new congressional audit said the agency must pick up the pace for providing details about the cost. Many of NASA’s transition and retirement activities will continue after the space shuttle program retires in 2010, the Government Accountability Office noted in its report Wednesday. Yet the agency lacks estimates for such activities beyond then.

Space Tourism Industry is Lifting Off (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
From the X Prize to civilian trips to the moon, private spaceflight is attracting more interest among investors and would-be voyagers. The first humans to take a swing around the moon in more than 35 years may not be NASA astronauts, but space tourists. That is Eric Anderson's vision. The president and CEO of Space Adventures says he already has his first two passengers, each willing to pay $100 million for a ride around the moon aboard a modified Russian spacecraft. If negotiations go well, the launch could take place in "a small number of years," he says.

Such grand plans from outside the major aerospace players might have been dismissed as wishful thinking a few years ago. Then, much of what passed for an alternative spaceflight industry existed largely as PowerPoint presentations and high hopes. Now, entrepreneurs' shop floors hum with activity. Launches are taking place. Regulations are changing to meet the fledgling industry's needs. And while the industry has yet to see millions of dollars pour in from investment bankers and venture capitalists, these folks are turning out in far larger numbers than they once did at conferences and workshops, several industry analysts say.